Brandy~

Still a work in progress. 19 till initial goal then I will see if I want to keep going.

Ok so ya, I am so totally down for a trip ANYWHERE next summer for sure. I need ample planning time as I already went to hawaii once this year, off to I think vegas in a few months or whereever my friend picks, back to vegas again in November for a bday, then back to hawaii. I am so not a travel whore.. Ok ya, I am. But I have also been trying to figure out where and when I could squeeze in a trip to Texas to hit the water parks and meet up with Lu and Rhonda.. Probably others in TX too.

I guess I will have to read and catch up.. are people really going to TX?

You're not gonna let us suck you into the darkside eh slim?

Hi all. Doing my monthly drive by post... not really I just forget to come here so much since I have so many LBT peopes on FB now. Please blame Lulu for that! haha I still have like 19 lbs to lose and eventually will get back on the wagon. Until then I am enjoying being like 12 sometimes 13 sizes smaller and the energy level I have. I still haven't had a fill since last October and each time I think I need one I go on liquids for a day or 2 and realize that when I am in check I cant eat much at all! So I am fine I just gotta tough it up and get my ass in gear.

WOW I am glad you could laugh that one off. Since the second I had surgery I have purchased clothing non stop and it's my treat to myself. I shop like I used to eat and I love every minute of it. I am fortunate to work in the fashion industry so I get designer jeans for $1-$5 a pair 4 times a year at work. I bought 28 pairs last month with 1/2 at my current size 11 and then the rest at size 9-10 so I am covered for the next few months. I just donate them when I am done to the homeless shelter here in town.

About 5 months post op my hair began to thin out. I was always the one getting comments about how thick my hair was and being charged extra at the salon! At about 10 months my hair began coming back super thick. It's not all back yet but it will be and I am 14 months post op.

Green will be missed dearly.

Guess I am the bad guy here because... While I do like the fact that I am much smaller than some that have said I was fat in the past I would never stoop to their level.

Ahh forgot to add you can use it in place of sour cream, use it in shakes and smoothies, you can also add the sugar free pudding mixes or cheesecake flavors to give it a flavor when making smoothies out of it.

I eat it once in a while... It gets too old if I eat it often. I just put a little bit of granola and some honey in/on it

Wow ... Have you expressed this concern to either the hospital director or patient services?

First of all... LULU- Omg you're my girl and I feel so horrible. I just went through something very traumatic too with my mom so I know how you feel. Find me anytime you need to talk. I have seen people beat it so just hang in there. You're a very fun supportive person they are very lucky to have you. On a side note... Does anyone know of a good resume program? LOL I want to write a new resume for me and my DH but I can't seem to find one with good templates.

PJTP-- I am eating whatever I want.. Wonder why I am not losing :party: Get some willpower!

There's alot of things that could be happening here. But first of all you wont know where to start until you journal a week or so... Do it honestly or you're just cheating yourself. Once you have journaled you need to sit down and realize what foods your'e using to eat around the band. you must get all your Water in for sure. Even if you only exercise a few minutes a day you must do something. The fact that you know you're not doing it correctly by eating around the band makes me think you could definetly benefit from some counseling. Do you also have access to a nutritionist at your surgeons center? I found it useful to journal my food for a few weeks and then take it in to the nutritionist who helped me alter some of the eating I was doing. I am stalled right now but I believe that's because I am getting close to goal and I need to revamp my foods and get more exercise as well. I promise you can do it.

Yes I agree your definition was alot more clearer than mine. Thanks.

Thanks and absolutely! I would give you my email but honestly I probably wouldn't catch it in the see of spam I get lol. Feel free to message me anytime on here... or if you have facebook I have a link to join me on facebook on my blog the link is below :thumbup:

I didn’t respond before now because I almost thought this was just a troll post.. But I will help out and hope that it isn’t Hi my name is Kris. I was banded on April 27th. And on the first day, I felt a bit of cramping.. I drank broth at night, as I was told by night it would be ok. But by 3 or so days, I went and did have some mash tato's, and apple sauce. OK soo, I haven't had ANY pain, and NO feeling of restriction. OK sooo.. that was last week. THIS week, say 5 days ago, I did have some toast, a bite of a blueberry muffin- and still no feeling of restriction. Before having surgery did you meet with a nutritionist? Did the surgeon or anyone explain to you any preop post op diets? Were you given a list of foods with the days and weeks that you could have each one? This is the MOST important stage of the healing process. The liquids are meant to run right through you as to avoid the stomach from contracting and digesting the food. The band is held in place with stitching that is on the exterior of the stomach… When the stomach contracts the stitches are being pulled and even once they heal they are not pulled as tight as they could be and could lead to slippage in the later years. And so, testing myself, I had a plate of mash tatos, coleslaw, and a bit of chicken..(cut into squares). STILL no restriction.. You use the term “testing” if you’re testing something it’s because you’re checking to see if you can do something. The papers you had from the doctor with the diet on them should be a clue that “testing” yourself isn’t something you should be doing. Following a guideline is what you should do. NOW- today I went to the doctors, and was honest, and was TOLD OFF for pushing my food past the stage i'm supposed to be in which is puree ONLY. My doctor was furious... The fact that the doctor was so furious is good and bad… Since he was so furious it makes me believe that he did give you the tools to succeed with this surgery IE the diet and the facts you needed to do your post op care. He must care to some degree if it upset him so bad. SOOOOOOOOO- now that has made me paranoid thinking HOW did i eat so easily, and maybe i slipped.... (????) You ate so easily because the band was only “placed” it wasn’t placed and filled. Just because you can eat doesn’t mean you should… Right after surgery till you have restriction this period of time is called Bandster Hell. You will find it all over the boards here. This is the biggest complaint of the band… People expect a miracle the second they are rolled out of surgery. aren't people that slip- GET PAIN (??) and why don't i have ANY feeling of restriction (?) Everyone that experiences a slippage has different symptons…. Some get very bad heartburn or refulux, some vomit, some have stomach pains, some salivate, slim or PB constantly. It all varies. im confused, because I AM losing weight, but its because IM ON A DIET... NOT BECAUSE OF THE BAND. if i am on a diet.. why did i do this in the first place (???) I'm beginning to think this is a fad... that a simple DIET is all i needed! ! ! This is probably something you should of thought through a lot more before opting for surgery. I am not saying you made the wrong decision but doubting that makes me believe you might not have done all the homework. The % of people that lose and keep off their weight is so minimal in comparison to Bandsters that take the time to learn to eat right and use the band as a tool. The healthier we get the more we want to stay that way. I won't be able to get my fill till 1 month from now, and I'm anxious to know what it will do to change anything. and I'm worried that I slipped since I dont feel any restriction. But I have not had any feeling of pain or feeling that couldve happened. It might take 1 fill and it might take 4 fills you never know… I wouldn’t work yourself into a frenzy thinking that it will cure all at the first fill. You need to work on learning to eat the right foods for bandster and start exercising if you haven’t even if it’s just walking 20 minutes a day. Just get on a road to a healthier you. The weight will start falling off once you have restriction. After being told off by my doctor, im back on pureed food, but ISN'T IT TOO LATE NOW, SINCE I'VE JUST ABOUT ATE EVERYTHING- (chewing alot, and taking it slow, and small portions yes)... It’s not too late.. You’re still in the healing stage. Don’t cheat and do what he says. He is the one that knows how to get the band to heal in the correct position. but really - does the slipping happen AFTER the fill, or could it have happened and i dont even know it- The slippage can happen at anytime.. A slip happens when the stomach contracts and the band slides off of it… This is because the stitches aren’t healed tight enough to hold it in place while the stomach pulses during the digestion of foods.

Hello Brittany and Welcome to LBT. You will find alot of great support here and honest answers. I didn't read anyone elses responses so excuse me if I am repeating anything. Do I feel like I cheated? No. The band is a tool. You will hear it 100 times before you even get to surgery I am sure. I have to work my band everyday to do what needs to be done to lose / maintain. It's not the easy way out... if it were easy we wouldn't all be on this board 1/2 of us wouldn't have blogs and journals to detail the ups and downs. Losing weight is an emotional rollercoaster. Sometimes youre up and sometimes you're down. You need to pay attention to the facts too that some people encounter spousal issues when they begin losing weight.... it becomes emotional for the spouse to. The divorce rate seems to be somewhat higher because of this. There are some people that are able to lose the weight with minimal exercise and just working the band... Others exercise religously and begin altering their lifestyle to suit a more healthy ones. These tend to be the people that get the best results from the band. You have to understand that this isn't an instant cure as you're probably aware Follow everything the surgeon says and be sure to keep asking questions on the forums, reading threads, and keeping your signifigant other in the loop. I wish you lots of luck on this wonderful journey.

It's like watching americas dumbest criminals... once they do it they are like omg for real?? I did that LOL

This is ridiculous... I hope people aren't really doing this.

Congratulations! I know what you mean about the feeling better part. To me that is worth alot more than any number on the scale!

I am sorry to hear that about your job... I am hoping this damn economy starts picking up very very soon!

WOW WOW and WOW :mad2: Congratulations!

Oh I feel for you... I am so sorry. I don't understand why some surgeons require it and others don't ... I didn't have to do it thank god. I went out to my favorite italian dinner at 7pm the night before surgery... The doc told me I could.