JustWatchMe

My advice is tell fewer people than you think you want to right now. You can always tell more later. You can't untell once you tell. Also, remember why you are doing this surgery. It's for you. Some people get zero support or even antagonism from their spouses. When you are ready for this surgery, nobody will stand in your way. Be your own cheerleader and let us help. Face to face support group meetings at the hospital help too. I go to three different hospital support groups and to OA. Get what you need. Don't dwell on their head space.

@@CowgirlJane, thanks for the reminder that the process evolves and our goals and motivations will always be changing. That will help me down the road when I feel "different" from my first successful months.

RJ, you said he's obese himself. That was the "aha" for me. He's got issues. Idiot, meathead... Appropriate words. You're a hero to many. Myself included !!

Hope this works: http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/318937-Starting-5%3A2-and-no-scale-this-week

Congratulations !!!

Keisha, don't they advise you how to handle the first few days after a fill? I ask because I'm always put on liquids for 48 hours and it's easy to get my calories in with soups and protein shakes for two days. Congrats on getting back into contact with your doc. I'd call the doctor's office before they leave for the weekend and get some guidance. Good luck and welcome back!

@@lisacaron, you're doing so well with your band unfill and refill. I'm proud of and inspired by you!

For now, yes that is true. It's a stage of recovery. You're not adjusted yet. You wouldn't take your car out of a service bay after the mechanic installed a part but before s/he connected and adjusted it and then expect the car to run efficiently. Same with your band. Until it's installed AND adjusted it isn't working optimally. You got a band. It needs adjustment. During those months you can either count your intake carefully or stagnate on your weight loss or gain. People have done all of these things. My surgeon wanted me to have "maximum weight loss" during my six weeks of liquids post op. It was for a running start, to build discipline, and for morale. It worked for me. By the time my fills started I was ready and had the habits in place. As my adjustments take place I keep the eating measured. Green zone for me now is easier. I'm still losing weight so I track my food. Others in the green zone don't. Personal choice. Sleevers and RNY patients have faster weight loss but have their own difficult post op eating regimens. WLS is not easy.

Yes I got the accessory. Haunted, you say? Hmmmm. Maybe! Pain lasted all night long but I could relieve it by lying in one certain position. Soooo tired today. Now that I'm walking around the pain is starting again but not as bad. Can't take my pain pill until I eat. TGIF.

Awesome !!! Way! To! Go!!

You got this!

Eli, you've inspired me today. You are so smart to have taken control in your twenties. My twenties, thirties and forties were wasted in obesity. I'm happier and healthier now at 53 than I was at your age. Keep on keeping it real. You're helping countless people you will never even meet.

Three weeks post op is surgery recovery time. If you are in bad pain you should get medical attention. But if you are exceedingly uncomfortable because you ate too much I would not advise throwing up. The wrenching of your guts with vomiting can pull sutures out. I'm not a doctor. I don't know what you ate too much of. At three weeks post op I was halfway through my six weeks of liquids only. I was not allowed chewable food. Listen. Most of us screw up along the way. Get back on track, chalk it up to momentary weakness, forgive yourself and have a rock solid plan for tomorrow. Going with Soup and other liquids all day tomorrow might be a good idea to give your band a needed healing rest. You'll have to do that after every adjustment in the future anyway, so it's not a punishment. Just a recovery period. shake it off. Remember why you did this enormous life changing surgery. After half an hour, sip some warm tea and call it a night. Don't give up on yourself.

Great article. My dog loves my band almost as much as I do.

I need more exercise. I'm so lazy about it. I'm going to start using half of my work break to walk, then the second half to eat lunch. Ok, I said that out loud so now I have to do it.

I once lost 130 pounds at age 28 over two years and had minimal loose skin. This year I've lost 100 so far at age 53 and am saggy and baggy and flappy and floppy and turkey-necked and bat-winged and panni-pudged and slappy-thighed. So my advice is to be 28. No regrets by the way.

Bring it to work the next day.

Sugar has never been a big draw for me. I have always been the one in the office whose desk has the candy bowl. I almost never touched it before weight loss surgery, and I never touch it now. But since I always had it on my desk, I just decided to keep doing that. People have gotten used to it. Other people contribute candy towards it as well. Like I said, for me personally, the candy is not a draw. Now if that bowl contained Cheetos, or potato chips, I'd be doomed.

I had no post op protein goal but I did have a calorie goal. I was told to stay at 800. Ticked me off because if I hadn't asked, I could have just kept happily consuming 1000 for the six weeks. LOL. Anyway, I ate soup, soup and more soup for six weeks. And protein shakes. I got bored of yogurt and pudding really quickly.

@@Kindle, that's wonderful! It's such an emotional milestone. Congratulations and enjoy the rewards of your hard work! My -100 and Onederland are two pounds apart and it's the longest two pounds I've ever waited to lose! Maybe this weekend. I weigh once a week now and I'm down 101 and sitting at 201. Aaarrggh! It's all good. Happy problem to have.

Oh, I am in such pain right now. My walking partner canceled on me today because she got stuck at work. So I decided to go shopping for an accessory for my Halloween costume. Out of the clear blue sky, with no warning, my right shoulder and collarbone started screaming in pain. I could not figure out what the heck was going on, because I wasn't carrying anything or even holding my purse on that shoulder. If it had been my left shoulder, I would've thought I was having a heart attack. But I discovered I got relief by pressing my left hand fingers hard into the top of my right shoulder. This tells me it's probably nerve pain. I can move my shoulder in all directions, raise the arm, lower the arm, put weight on it, etc. All intensely painful, but doable, so probably not a dislocation. I managed to drive myself home from the store, change clothes, and now I'm lying in bed. The weirdest thing is this. I actually think it has something to do with the body shaper I was wearing. I've been loving these body shapers, and have been wearing them daily for several weeks now. The problem is, I didn't realize how much downward pressure the straps were putting on the top of my shoulders. I think I'm going to have to give them up for a little while. I still had my prescription of pain medication I used to take for bad arthritis flares, not an NSAID, so I took one. The problem is, I can't take that without food or I'll get nauseated. So I had two handfuls of almonds to help my stomach tolerate it. Right now, I'm lying in bed and only one position is comfortable. This is going to be a long night.

@@sbrown1 my fill nurse requires 48 hours of full liquids after each fill. Then back to normal solid foods.

Lisa nailed it. This is a learning time. Very few people are at the right level after one adjustment. Portion control is important now and it will feel like a diet until you reach the right fill level. Be disciplined. You will get there. By learning satiety signals and maintaining portion control now, you'll learn to recognize "enough", and with future fills, sneak up on your green zone. You don't want to go too tight too fast because it can cause regurgitation problems. At four fills and six months post op I believe I hit my green zone. It's wonderful. I still have to watch my portions and types of foods in order to keep losing weight. But I feel the "enough" signals when I eat solid protein, and I'm satisfied without hunger for four hours between meals. It's a wonderful thing.

@@Babbs, it took me 53 but at least I got there.

I'm doing it since early September and it helped jostle my weight loss again. There's a thread I started but I don't know how to link to it from my phone.