Keeper

I am soooo not an outdoorsy type! I wish I were. My hubby loves to hike, go off the beaten path, and indoor rock climbing (he'd do the real thing if we lived near the real thing). I do, however, love swimming. I'm an Aug birthday so we always had pool parties growing up. Luckily there is a community center near me that has an indoor pool. And it's only like 1.50 per visit if I don't get a season membership. I don't go all the time, but it is nice to be in a heated pool rather than fighting negative numbers! My main form of movement is walking in the afternoons. But I live near Dallas so I am hardly facing the cold weather almost everyone else is!

Y'all are making me feel bad, LOL! Dallas has been gorgeous, relatively speaking. Hi of 64 today, alleged low of 39, but it was probably 59-60 most of the day. And I haven't walked or anything! Normally I walk about 3-4 miles Mon-Fri because I pick my son up from school and then walk several blocks after i drop him off. But I just can't seem to get motivated to walk on the weekends. And they are saying we might get snow on Monday. I guess I should get motivated, quick!

I have not had a sensation of burning, but my first couple of fills were painful in a still-healing kind of way. I don't remember anything from my 3rd fill but I just ha my 4th fill a few days ago. The port site isn't painful, as in the skin where it sits, but it does hurt when I bend over and if I sit funny on my left site. I said ouch out loud a couple of times and when my hubby asked what was wrong I said my port was hurting a bit. he responded with, "oh it always does right after you get one." Meaning that he has observed the pattern of being sore for a few days. I am guessing that is normal. I would only be concerned if you have any spreading redness or severe swelling or something like that. As for restriction, same. I didn't start to have some real restriction until my third fill, but I feel like I might finally be where I want to be with this last fill. I had hoped that my 3rd would put me in green at 5.5 cc but now I am at 6 and i have not been hungry at all these last few days. It's been nice :-) Just be patient. It will happen! Just keep doing your best to follow your doc's post-op diet, post-fill diet, recommendations, etc. Hope you feel better soon!!

@@Angelant76 congrats on your surgery and current weight loss! I don't know that I was confused about whether or not I needed a fill, but I definitely wanted them! I just had my 4th fill and and I *think* I might be at green. Knock on wood! My fill process has been interesting, for lack of a better word. My first fill was scheduled 4 weeks post-op, and each subsequent fill every 4 weeks. I lost about 8 pounds in a couple of weeks but then nothing. I lost very slowly after that, up until this past month, another 8 pounds. The tech doing my fill was happy with that progress and asked why I thought I wasn't at green yet. My response was basically what you stated. I can pretty much go a few to several hours between meals, but I could still eat larger quantities than what I knew I was supposed to. I also don't eat as slow or chew as much as I know I should. I explained that my band hadn't stopped me. her response was that they didn't want me to have stuck episodes, which I totally get because I don't either, but at the same time, i do want to know my band is working. I am now at a total of 6 cc's in a 10 cc band. These past few days I have had to make myself eat, much like those first few days post-op. I am not hungry and that is an awesome feeling! I am not yet back on regular food so I will see how or if that changes anything, but like I said, my appetite is currently suppressed. I guess my thoughts are to be patient with the process and follow your doc's orders as much as possible. Every one is on their own journey. I felt like I was losing too slowly, like I would be the person the band wouldn't work for, etc. but now I have lost almost 30 pounds and the weight is starting to come off faster. Good luck! :-)

Has anyone done or tried Whole 30? For those who don't know it is a little stricter than paleo, but the gist is no grains, no legumes, no dairy and no sugar. Lots of Protein with fresh veggies and fruits. I am going to try this begining Feb 1st as a way to help me kick my sugar addiction and was just wondering if anyone else has done it. It is not meant to be permanent as you can reincorporate items back into your diet. I am sure some people stick with it, but I do not plan to. Just kicking my addiction to carbs and sugar to the curb. A system reboot of sorts.

I am sure there have been several threads in the past and in different locations regarding depression and our band process, but this is about me so I am starting a thread. February has not my friend. My oldest son's birthday is the day before Valentine's and that so far has been the highlight. My husband and I actually have a very strong relationship, but it seems, without fail, that we always end of fighting on Valentine's. I think I officially hate it. I'll save my romance for a non-commercialized day, thankyouverymuch. There have been 4 bad-food events in just these 2 and a half weeks. And I know food choice should be up to me and that it is possible to make good choices even when someone else is serving nothing but junk, but my head has been in such a bad place that I have definitely turned to old habits for coping. I am actually surprised that I haven't gained any weight, though it has fluctuated a few days. I can't always tell the difference between stressful situation-depression and real depression. My husband is looking for a new job, I don't work and home school my oldest. We want to move (in a better neighborhood at the least, out of state if that is where work takes us). Neither of us have family in TX as we are not from here, and I guess I just don't feel like I have a lot of support right now. Right now I am leaning toward both - situational and real. I already take a mood stabilizer and am thinking of adding back an antidepressant. But right now this is really affecting my eating. I only eat about 2 meals and a snack (sometimes 2) a day but I know I am eating too much. And eating slider foods. Has anyone else fought depression while going through this whole banded process? I know people have. I would love to have some advice because I am feeling particularly alone at the moment. How do you stay strong when you feel like sh!t???

@@Grateful_Love, I agree. I'm not a therapist but have seen one on and off for years. As more or less stated above, I had to get stable before I could even process the baggage. It's been a tough road. I wish holistic measures would work. I am not anti-meds; I just wish I were a "normal" person. But mental illness runs in my family and that's not something I can run from. I've watched my mother do it (still does) and it's not pretty. I just want to be healthy - mind, heart, and spirit, and body.

My current med is 300mg of Lamictal. Name brand makes a 300mg tab but the generic (lamotrigine) has been prescribed at 2 150mg. I'm going to the doc today, after my fill, to have him write me a Rx for 3 x 100mg so that the meds will be smaller. I found a really old bottle of Wellbutrin, 150 mg, that I took a long time ago and the size seems to be OK. My doc recommend nothing larger than Tylenol. Hopefully that helps! Some meds can be written as orally disintegrating as well.

@@funky_monkey800 thanks! It is always good to hear the other side of things; that is a type of support. As for assistance (I live near Dallas, so def a big city), we fall in the 'make-too-much-for-assistance' and 'we-make-ends-meet-but-with-little-extra'!

@@Babbs yes!! SAME. and Peanut Butter Cheerios. dear lord. Def a no-go in my world! :-)

@@funky_monkey800 I totally get it. In theory I hate taking meds. Partially because I did take antidepressants for so long without any of the positive side effects. I mean, they worked like a band-aid - like you said, short term. But I truly believe it is chemical for some. I just know that lashing out at my family is the worst, because I do know they love and support me.

I have been on so many antidepressants that it isn't even funny. I hit a really, really low point in my life and decided to see a psych instead of my PCP. He asked if there was any family history of mental illness and I said why yes, yes there is. My grandmother is bipolar. He basically told me that I was "uni=polar" - exhibiting only or mostly the depressive side. He then put me on a mood stabilizer and it has been very effective since. However, when I first got on this, I was also taking Wellbutrin. That was the best I had ever felt - I felt normal for the first time in a long time. But he had me taper off the wellbutrin while increasing my other med to where I am now, and have been here for several years. I, too, feel that without my med I would *not* be a well person! Having said that, I am at a really low point. The lowest in about 5 years. I do have a counselor that I see when I can (she doesn't take insurance) and hubby and I have done couple's counseling in the past. It is one of the things I attribute our strong marriage to. I am open to doing this again if need-be, but funds are tight. If getting on Wellbutrin helps in the interim, I am all for it. I definitely appreciate y'all's feedback!!

Sep, Oct, and Nov - we have fall covered! :-) And if you look at the three of our weight losses, we are all at different levels. (Not excluding you @@Bandista - just mentioning those of us banded this past year!! :-) ) There are days I struggle really hard with knowing or accepting that everyone is different. I truly thought I would be further along in this process by now. I was naive enough to think I would lose 20 pounds by Christmas! Sheesh, what was *I* thinking?! I am at a better place now, though. Mentally, in that I am starting to accept that, and also learning to be really, really honest with myself. I have mentioned this in several places already, but this month has been really tough for me. I am eating all kinds of bad foods and have maybe exercised 2 days a week. I have a fill scheduled for tomorrow, and every time I go in, I am afraid they are thinking to themselves, "my, my, what is she doing? She should be further along than this!" I know that is in my head. I think way too much, assume others are judging when they aren't, and always scenariolizing situations and feeling like I know what everyone else is thinking. But I don't. Reaching out for a buddy is awesome. It is way too hard to do this alone. I have not told any of my family except my sisters and only a handful of trusted friends. And even then, I don't see them very often so I can avoid any potential judgement. Obviously these forums are a great place to start. Please feel free to reach out to me or any others on here. We are happy to do so! Other options include seeing a therapist or a nutritionist, and absolutely keeping up with any post-op appointments you have. Good luck, and try to stay positive. You can do this! Even if it is in YOUR own time. We believe in you, and will continue to do so even when it is hard for you to do it for yourself. :-)

Hi LoveNlife - were you able to figure it out? Also, are you using your phone or tablet, or a PC? I think it makes a difference.

Cereal was a trigger food for me pre-op and it is a slider food for me post-op. I truly hope that one day I can have a healthy enough relationship with food that I can go back and enjoy cereal, whether it is Lucky Charms or Total, and it not be an issue. But the Protein powder is a really good idea! I wouldn't have thought of that either.

When I first joined, the pic that is currently my profile pic, which was correctly aligned when I loaded it, turned sideways, too. I'm not sure why but I tried it a couple of times and it corrected itself! :-)

ugh, I am so with you, and I agree with both responses. I, too, am still in the fairly early stage. I have my next fill tomorrow and I am so hoping it gets me to green. but this past week in particular has been so hard for me. I had tried to do a strict food challenge for the month of Feb but I did not schedule very well at all. My son's birthday, a baby shower, and Valentine's day all threw me for a loop so whereas I was trying to do no sugar, I ended up tail-spinning into it! Very mad at myself, but even more than the above mentioned events, my stress has been out of control this month. I am fighting head vs real hunger constantly. It feels so defeating. Having said that, when I read posts like yours, in a weird way it is actually kind of comforting. it means that I CAN get to goal, lose the weight, change, etc., but still not be perfect. Does that make sense?? It means that even though it feels like I am making one month-long mistake, I can still come out on the other side. I have heard all kinds of things like ask yourself if a carrot or apple would satisfy you. If it does, then you are hungry. If not, it is head hunger. I am not a fan of this approach because I feel like I would just say screw it and give in already, lol. But knowing that this is an issue truly is a tool in your success.

ok, so I have had a crappy few days, maybe even a couple of weeks, so it has been super hard for me to find the positive lately. But, today I was shaving, and this is going to sound so dumb, but I could shave the back of my thighs with ease. It made me smile. :-)

Hi Purple, let me start by saying that I am jealous you did it once, for 45 days, no less, and even more impressed you tried it a 2nd time. Brutal honesty, I failed miserably. I know that is a super negative way of thinking, but I can't help it. Ugh. I am so all or nothing, but life got messy quick, and I stopped after 5 days. I knew I wasn't going to be able to do the whole 30 days because I am getting a fill tomorrow and between 2 days liquids, 2 days soft, I did not see a way around it. Protein shakes, Soup, and cottage cheese are my go-to's on those days. I also had my son's 11th birthday, a horrible Valentine's day, stress over hubby trying to get a new job, and a baby shower. I had been doing so good but quickly turned back to old habits, namely sugar. I really would like to try again at some point. I never got past the headache-y sluggish days, and that made me cope even less with my stress. Congrats on getting banded! I hope all is well so far. I imagine you are in the 'getting over pain and ready to go back to normal' stage. :-) You've done it successfully before, but I would caution to focus on one thing at a time. At least, that's what I need to do!

so I love tattoos. I have several. I know some people hate them so I am hoping not to get any snarky remarks. Most of us who want to lose a significant amount of weight dread the idea of loose skin and I am no exception. I more or less already have batwings - not the worst but certainly not the best. If after I lose all the weight I want, I would consider a Brachioplasty (arm lift/tuck, whatever) except for the fact that I have a lovely inner upper arm tattoo. I would end up with a scar running right through the middle of my tat. My question is this. I know loose skin has a lot to do with genetics, skin elasticity, Water intake, and age. I know everybody's body will bounce back differently after they lose the weight. I just want to know if there is anything I can do to start the toning and firming process now? As of now the only exercising I am doing is walking about 3-4 miles 5 days a week. I do not own any weights but if that is what it takes I just need info!! Thoughts, ideas, advice?? pic attached for reference

@@amponder that's great! ok, so I have one. This is kind of funny but I am sure all you girls will understand. A couple of years ago - seriously, years - my MIL called to say that she was at a department store and they were having a huge bra sale so she wanted to know what size I was so she could buy me a couple. I don't mind telling the world I am a DD but the thought of telling MIL my band size was humiliating. She has never said anything about my weight before, but she is probably no larger than a 12 so I fudged and told her 2 sizes smaller than what I knew I could wear. So these brand new bras have been sitting in my closet still with tags on for about 3 years. Guess what?! I can wear them now!! Have to admit. it made me grin ear to ear!

@@Miss Meg I totally know where you are coming from! My 3rd fill was 3 weeks ago and it made a huge difference! My 4th fill is next week and I really think it will put me in green. I don't know what the ml to cc conversion is but I have 5.5 cc's in my 10cc band. I am not sure how much they will add to my band next week, probably .5 to 1, but I would say I am "yellow and a half" right now. Just continue to be patient with the process. you have done such a great job! kg to lb ratio is a little over 2 pounds. That means in 11 weeks you have lost a little over 30 pounds! That is awesome. I am a November-er too and I am at 24-ish. You have done great. You are DOING great! I'll cross my fingers that this gets you to green.

@@amponder, I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think you can do it from your phone or tablet. If using your PC there is an image icon to upload photos in the reply box. @@gowalking I don't know that I had ever seen any of your before pictures and they are very inspiring! You look great and remain an inspiration for the rest of us! It is so interesting to come aross this topic today because I was just thinking this morning about pictures of myself. I actually take a lot of selfies, but mostly for me. Ironically, I can be quite photogenic...from shoulders/neck up. I know *how* to angle my face, tip my head, make my face look thinner than it is, etc. But I can't stand full body pics. But I read an article a long time ago where a young woman said that she resisted the urge to throw away all of her fat pictures because she embraces that even though she doesn't like them, it was a part of who she was. I have always thought that was such a healthy way to think and your words remind me of this. Very timely!

I am 3 months in and I have great days and bad days. There is still so much I have to learn, or relearn as the case may be, but on my good days, I feel stronger than ever. I definitely still have issues to work on, but it feels so good to know that I did this for myself and that hard work is paying off. I am such a results oriented person that it is hard to take things day by day, sometimes. Having said that, 3 months is a great time to reflect on where I was 3 months ago. 3 months ago I weighed the most I ever have. Today I am almost down to my lowest adult weight. 3 months ago I was a collective 24 inches larger than I am (arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs). 3 months ago I had knee pain severe enough to make me finally go see an ortho for him to basically tell me there was nothing wrong with my knees and that I needed to lose weight. For the record I think he is way wrong - knees don't hurt for no reason, even if I am/was overweight. Today my knees only hurt if the weather is doing something crazy (true story) or if I have been particularly active. 3 months ago I was 20 pounds heavier. Today I still battle with the word "only" - I "only lost 20 pounds, etc, and "should" - I "should" be further along than I am, etc. But today I am more capable of giving myself grace when I make mistakes. 3 months ago I overate constantly, exercised very little, and was very lethargic. Today I still battle motivation to a degree, but I go walking 5 days out of the week and I use my band to help control how much I eat. Today I am that much closer to my green zone than I was 3 months ago. 3 months ago I took antacid medicine on a regular basis. Today I have zero heartburn or gerd issues. In fact, I haven't had heartburn once since surgery. Last but not least, I will attach some pictures. I am very self-conscious of these, but they tell my story more clearly than any words I could say. 3 months ago I said, "it's hopeless; I can never change." Today I say, "yes, I have a long way to go but it IS possible. I CAN do this. I WILL do this."

I'm at 5.5cc but not quite yet to green. But like amponder, I didn't really start noticing a difference until around 3-4cc. I'll echo everyone else - everybody is different and just use this time to process! Good luck!