SpecialK

NDWife - gosh can't believe how fast your surgery date has arrived. I will pray this a.m. before I leave for work for a great surgery and fast recovery. Lyn--hang in there = your turn is a coming!

Thinner Me -- wow a big decision to switch procedures but as Sarah said, you have to do what is right for you and we will keep a praying along with you until you get through this. Maybe at one of the future get togethers you can tell us how things are going and more about why you changed but whatever is comfortable for you is good for us. Now, let's hope the insurance paperwork stuff gets all done.

One of my favorite low-calorie mushies that was protein and more satisfying was low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. I would use FF ricotta, plus some oregano, garlic flakes/powder, and top with a low cal spaghetti sauce and I found that really satisfying. I also tried some refried beans (low fat and FF varieties) and low-fat or FF sour cream on top, melted cheese (little bit). Hang in there, when you get to soft foods you will be better.

Congrats CallMeJoy! Glad to hear your surgery went fine and you are home! ND -- you're up to bat next!

Congrats NDWife-- I told you to be ready to act quick once you got an approval! Woo Hoo!!

Today is 2 Months already for Greg, Sue and I since our banding on March 17th! I am very happy with my 31 total pounds counting from about a week pre-op before I started my voluntary diet. I am doing alot of yardwork now on the weekends and my foodjournaling program says I'm burning alot of calories the the digging, carrying, bending and of course the push mower up and down the ditch on the front of my yard (probably 80 yards worth) is definitely making me burn calories. I'm anxious to see if I do my normal summer thing to lose more because I'm so active and love to be outside. KTBugg - welcome back. I am envious that you get another fill a week before me due to your DH sweet talking the doctors office! I'm happy for you. Keep us posted on how its going. Sarah - yes I am convinced that after a few weeks after a fill, things have settled down inside again (very good medical term "settled down"-- LOL... ) but I am now about 1000 calories a day now and with active work and exercise, I don't think I can stay at the 800 calories I was doing for a couple weeks after my first fill. And, I can stay good in the morning for awhile without eating, only coffee but by noon I'm starting to have hunger build and by about 8pm I am fighting to be in control even though I've had a good dinner a couple hours ago. I'm drinking my Special K2O Protein Water to keep me on track about now.

Wow! I've waited so long and now I have a date that is less than 3 weeks away now. There is another girl in the same doctors office in Columbus, OH who will be having her lapband done the same day as me! We're banding twins!!

I thought I'd post on my original thread where I was so happy about being a March 17th St. Patrick's Day band surgery date person and let you know I've lost 31 total lbs as of today and I'm thrilled. I see it go very slow at times and then I can tell in my clothes more than on the scale so for all of you lucky shamrocks! Keep on working the tool! :woot:

Same here got mine at Lauren's Hope and its black and silver with crystal beads so it goes with pretty much anything and I wear it all the time, shower with it on, etc. It is $6 to send it back to Lauren's Hope to get it resized so that would be cheaper than buying another one. I keep the decorative bracelet part on top of my wrist where it shows and I get alot of compliments on it and 99% of the peopel who see it have not seen the MedicID tag that is underneath on the inside of my wrist and I prefer it that way. For the men-- they have simple leather braided ones and styles that aren't too decorative for you also.

I'm sorry but I have to ask you if you didn't know up front that this was a lifetime commitment to have a lapband and that meant getting the medical care post-op that you need. I have heard there are fill centers that charge a one-time $500 new patient fee if you went somewhere else, and then about $100 or so per fill. I have also heard that if you've previously been filled to a certain degree, that they will be more aggressive in getting you filled back up to your sweet spot. So it probably wouldn't take as many fill appointments to get back to where you are being successful maintaining your weight with your lapband. Second - I would ask you to consider your new baby since you said you were doing this after a pregnancy -- do you really want to risk an infection that could be life threatening and not live to raise and see your child in the future or be able to enjoy life without medical complications in the future? Okay, I couldn't let this one go without adding to the group of replies that said - Please - no more self fills and wait to get a fill until you can afford it.

Sue & Niki - yep I'm about the same place as the two of you. Able to be pretty good with just a coffee and 60 calorie Dannon yogurt or 1 pkt of Weight Control Oatmeal *(about 170 calories) until about 10:30 and then I do pretty well with a low calorie lunch and then hunger builds during the day. I have to really keep an eye on things but I'm hovering around 1000 calories a day now. Not losing much but I feel it in my clothes so I'm happy. I'm also looking forward to my 2nd fill on June 10th -- I'm envious that Niki got hers faster than me... I want a full report on how its helping.

At the mall get together, I was asked to share with the group what I have on my MedicID bracelet that I wear now. It says: Adj.Gastric Lap Band w/ Abdominal Port No NG w/o Scope I got my bracelet from Laurens Hope - and they sell lots of different styles, something as simple as a leather braided in black/brown for men or pretty sparkly ones with different decorative trims, beads. One warning --I measured and ordered a bracelet too large for my wrist and sent it back to get adjusted and had to pay the postage and a $6 revision fee so measure carefully. I ended up getting a little tighter than I thought I needed and its fine. The decorative part is on the top of my wrist/arm and the MedicID tag is under my wrist where most people have no idea I'm wearing one. I was told that emergency personnel know to check for ID bracelets and necklaces for medical tags so I don't think it would be overlooked if an emergency came up even though its decorative. There are lots of websites out there that sell even nicer and more expensive 14K gold, etc. but this one is my style. http://www.laurenshope.com/category.aspx?id=1

Congratulations NDWife! Hopefully you're a May-flower!

Juli--I do hope we see you at the get together at the mall so we can help chase away those blah's -- yep, we all have ups and downs -- sometimes the downs seem longer than others. I am even seeing little ups and downs in the 7-8 weeks I've been going through this post surgery now. A friend told me to line up two 12 lb. bowling balls and put them in a big sack (heavy duty) and put that on my back and carry it around for 24 hours to remember what it was like 24+ lbs ago ! Good mental image to kick me in gear and make me thankful. You inspire those of us who haven't made it to the 1 year mark yet. Hang in there!

I will have a Mothers Day balloon for marking our meeting spot in front of Great Indoors in the Polaris Mall food court.

Hi NDWife -- Yep it is an adjustment to be sure but hang in there and remember to just try it each night a little more. I found that the first week I had my own machine at home, I'd try to keep it on for at least 2 hours while laying down, then work up to 4 hours or half way thru the night before I took it off my face and gave up, and then to get to where I would wake up to the alarm going off and I had made it through the whole night. I do still know I have it on my face when I start trying to go to sleep and I do still have to deal with the hose when I turn over but I was really surprised at how fast I adjusted to the idea of having to keep my mouth closed so that the air coming into the mask could do its job. Hope that helps. Just don't give up because they say a good percentage of people do. It was enough for me to know that the oxygen being deprived from my brain could be a cumulative effect on both my lung capacity, heart, and brain - clear mental state later in life to know that I better accept that this was something I needed to do to be healthy. My friend who went on a cruise with me said the hum of the machine didn't bother her once she got used to it and I have friends who say their spouse likewise is very supportive and accepting of the hum of the machine at home.

Yes, I have been looking forward to the day to be able to wash that biggest size of dress, top and pants I had pre-surgery and put them into a donate box! Getting everything all neat and clean to donate. Might even try to see about consigning to a Plus-size store for some smaller clothes to swap! NSV!!!:thumbup::thumbup:

I'll bring the balloon for our group get together and see you all Saturday. I can use the encouragement in person too..love the website encouragement but nothing better than seeing ya all live!

Hi Cincy! I'm in the Columbus area but be sure to check under the USA Local Support Groups - Ohio forum thread and I'm sure you'll find some other Cincy lapbanders that would be glad to give you info! Good luck on the journey--I don't regret my decision one bit!

:thumbup::biggrin: 891 Calories total today, low fat, high Protein. I'm doing the Shrinking Shamrocks dance (jig) once again. So to all my friends who stub their toe once in a while, get back up on that horse the next day!

Never heard of that -- anything that would save calories and fat grams sounds worth a try. Thanks.

May Bandsters -- yes I too love your month's logo of Shrinko de Mayo! almost as much as our Shrinking Shamrocks for March! Congratulations on your May band surgery date! It will be here before you know it.

Exercise post surgery - yep, siimilar to Greg and I was out walking at least 30 minutes pretty quickly after that. On April 1 I decided to kick it in gear and go and get my money's worth out of the gym membership I pay for at work ($8 a month -- what a benefit) and I go down and use the treadmills, exercise bike for at least 30-40 minutes. I am trying to either go outside and walk around downtown Columbus on my lunch hour for at least 30-40 minutes or if the weather is crappy, go to the gym and do the treadmill/exercise bike. I'm trying to work up from 3-4 times a week - some weeks I'm a little better than others. Right now, I'm doing a huge amount of physical yard work and that counts as exercise in my book on the weekends. I have to say with me having knee surgery April 17, I'm just starting physical therapy this week and have to do that for the next 6 weeks, so I'm hoping to keep getting stronger and increase activity as I can. So, yes, start walking as soon as you can!

I would try to find a way to tell my boss for the future that I am watching what I eat and would appreciate it if they could consider non-food rewards for good performance or incentives -- gift card to a movie - or healthy snack rewards - apples, veggie tray, etc. As for the co-worker that is tempting you, hang in there. She will be so envious when you're thin and loving life and she is still wrapped up in a potato chip bag! The best defense is a good offense!