Letsgetskinny

I am almost at my 10 month bandiversary and fast approaching a year post op and I am sooooo happy with my results! I have been lucky so far, that the road was pretty smooth, I did have two unfills following two really uncomfortable spouts of vomiting and not being able to eat or even drink at one point but I am back on track now I am down 77 lbs / 35kilos Gone from bursting out of size 20 trousers to jumping in size 10 Lost 5 inches from my bust 11 inches from my waist 10 inches from my hips 3.5 inches from each arm 7 inches from each leg upper thigh And I cannot believe it, I would never have guessed I could be here in only 10 months. Don't get me wrong I have worked really hard to follow exactly what my dietician and nurse tell me to do and I fight the head hunger and temptation and exercise daily but it is so worth it. I hope this can be motivation to at least one person out there who might be struggling and feeling low right now. When I feel like that I get out there with my iPod and favorite songs and exercise, not to the gym I hate the gym but I go for a walk or jog or walkjog as long as I move and I am no sitting on the sofa thinking of food I don't care. I look at an old FAT picture and I think hell no I aint going back there and a few days later a pound or two may have come off. Happy Days! Looking forward to the next few months and seeing what I can achieve.

I have taken slim fast powder before in a blender bottle then asked the flight attendant for milk, they have pints of milk in the galley The protein shakes I buy in the shop once through the security gate in the UK they have much more choice. My friend told me you can get a letter off your DR before you fly advising that you are on a liquid only diet and then you can take liquids like protein shakes through TSA, I haven't tried that yet. Last time I also took some miso soup with me it was a paste I put the sachet in the clear bag at TSA it counts as a liquid under 100ml and during tea and coffee asked the flight attendant for a boiled water that was good:)

I travel a lot and I eat a good meal before but I don't eat on the flight. My band definitely gets tighter. Ive never wanted to put myself in jeopardy so I take Protein shakes, fruit smoothies, lots of Water and board with a nice starbucks drink to keep me going. I never get off the plane and think I'm hungry. I flew from London to LAX 11 hours with no food I was fine. Most people on here say it doesn't affect them but we are all different, I would never take the chance.

Before I had my surgery I was telling people I'm going to get it, once I released I was definitely getting it and after the surgery I wished I hadn't told anyone. Its difficult enough without all of that so do yourself a favor confide in a close family or friend only because you won't get support or applause from these people. Well done on achieving your first steps

I dont snack much but once or twice I had some popcorn and surprisingly I didn't have any issues eating it and my band is very fussy. I don't think popcorn is going to kill you or do a huge damage, lets face it its not as bad as eating chocolate, candy, ice-cream or chips however I would eat only a small amount and don't have it too often as there are much smarter choices to make. For me when I'm craving something I have a bite or two then throw whatever is left straight in the trash to get it out my system normally it doesn't taste as good as you thought and you feel guilty but if you deprive yourself you end up wanting it more and doing more damage. I think the other members have given really good tips here.

Awesome.....Good for you and great job! Motivation right there!!!

Thank you @@meggs353 & @@Julie norton for your feedback and support!

Can someone please help me by giving your thoughts and advice. I travelled abroad and was away for four weeks. Prior to going I had a small unfill of 0.5cc as I was having difficulty eating any solid food but was OK with liquids. Whilst away the first 2 weeks I was fine, during the third week I started to have a few stuck episodes and by the fourth week I could not even eat anything. I could sip drinks and Water but after 10-30 minutes I would vomit it back up. Eventually I could not even keep any liquid down, I had to bear with this for over a week. Upon landing home I went straight to my clinic where they took another 1.5cc out, when the needle was placed in the port the liquid started coming into the syringe itself without the nurse even pushing to remove it, about 0.5cc, so we decided to take another 1cc on top of this. As soon as this was done I was able to sip water and felt instant relief with no vomiting. When I got home I had a cup of tea and after a few hours I had soup and was fine. I'm on liquids for 3 days, then soft food for 3 days then back to solid food and I will have a call in a weeks time to see how I'm getting on. My question is, is this normal and is that the end of it? No one told me why this really had happened or no tests were done. I am really concerned that with all the vomiting that I have done I might have band slippage. Has anyone had any similar situation or symptoms and were they told any more information than me? I'm so so so scared.

@@lisacaron Yes your right. I need to breathe. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply so quickly with such great info. I'm feeling better already. My clinic is amazing and so is my nurse but I just felt like it was nothing to them and maybe they were hiding something, highly unlikely just that they probably deal with this stuff everyday Thanks again Lisa!

Hello....In a few days I will be flying for the first time since having my band fitted. It will be a long haul flight from the U.K to the U.S. Aprox 9 hours. Do you have any useful tips or feedback of how you felt when you took a flight. I would really appreciate it. Thank u ????????

You look fantastic ????????✋????????????

I was recently looking for motivation on our site and came across this video that the lovely Bandista posted. It really is a must watch. It is explained so clearly with the information broken down into the basics for us to follow. I feel everyone should watch it and post it also. I just wished I had seen this sooner! Since watching this I have stopped eating Breakfast and just have coffee simply because I'm not hungry, I always had the mentality that breakfast is the most important part of the day and even though we are eating so less we should still have our 3 meals. I also cut down my portion sizes and drink Water when I get the head hunger and since watching this video I have lost 10lbs As the Dr states we need our bodies to use up the fat stores and we need very little food I hope you enjoy it and also get some motivation from it! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/162123-the-eight-golden-rules-lap-band-videos-by-dr-paul-obrien/

Hello Bariatric Family! I had my 2nd fill last Wednesday 17th June and I was given 2cc's. I now have 6cc's in a 10cc band. I have been given my fills a little faster than normal but that is because I live in the UK and had my surgery here but I work in the US. I took 3 months off work for my surgery, recovery and to get used to the eating habits of the band but I have to go back to work soon, then I will not be back to the UK till December. I was a bit disappointed when I went for my fill as since my first fill 3 weeks earlier I had only lost 3lbs and when getting weighed in the morning before my fill I had gained a 1lb I had been following my eating plan and exercising everyday so I was a little frustrated but I was staying positive as at least I was loosing and not gaining. After this fill I could immediately feel a difference. I was on liquids for 2 days, mushy for 2 days and then onto normal food. During my first meal and first bite although I am always scared, take small bites and go slow, I don't know if it got stuck but it took a really long time to go down and gave me a pain in my chest so I had to rub, breathe and after a few minutes take a small sip of Water. I don't know what that was but it happened a few times during the first few times of eating, but I made my bite sizes much smaller and now I eat much slower and even have food left after the 20 minutes of eating (which didn't really happen before), so this is not happening anymore. In the morning I am not hungry so I just have coffee then have my lunch a little earlier and since my fill I have lost 10lbs I am so happy! I know you say don't focus on the scale but I can't help myself I'm not getting hungry at all. I'm not sure if this means I'm in the green zone but I have to monitor myself for the next 2 weeks as to see if I need a small 0.5cc fill before I leave. What do you think?

Thanks Bandista, that is very helpful....You are so right.

Firstly well done you.... great job!!!!! You are going to get all the support, love & high fives from all of us here so don't worry about him. Hell yeah of course you've changed, you have a different outlook on food, your exercising now, you feel better, confident, motivated, self assured, your loosing weight and you want to shout it from the roof tops....so what! Next time I would say yes...and yes I agree.....so what..... you better get used to it! Theres no point explaining anything to him as he will never understand your journey or how hard work it is and not a magic wand so don't even waste your time answering him. (Sorry....I know it's your brother )

Wow...You go girl! Well done, you look awesome and keep up the good work! #Insiprational????

I love your post...it is so motivational and inspiring. Thank you for sharing and I think you have done a great job with not only your patience but your persistence to stay strong. What an awesome achievement in such a short space of time always better to be safe than sorry with the small fills ????????????????????

I am 5 weeks post op and had my first fill yesterday. I was so nervous but it was nothing to be nervous about. I was weighed and had lost 18 pounds. I had a chat with the nurse, who was happy with my progress, and said as I've been doing well I don't have to have a fill but then we decided on 3cc's. I was asked to lay down, she found the port instantly and in a couple of seconds it was done, it was a few seconds longer this time as she had to check if there was already any fluid inside and there was...1 cc! So now I have 4cc's. I go back in 3 weeks, I'm excited to see what I can achieve till then. Now back to fluids for 2 days, sloppy 2 days and then back to normal food. Don't worry about the fills guys!!!

Awesome...Well said TheProfessor!????

Hi Everyone....I'm so excited to make my first post! I started to seriously think about WLS 6 months ago and thats when I found this site. I used to come on here and look for the answers to the questions I had in my head mainly should I, shouldn't I and is it safe. I found all your stories good and bad extremely helpful and motivating so I want to say thank you for all the honest opinions and those who take time out to give help and advice. I had a my lap band surgery on the 18th April and luckily everything went smooth. The hospital where I had my surgery were professional, informative and caring they really impressed me and made me feel safe as well as looked after me well during my stay. I had one night stay in hospital after the surgery and I'm thankful for that. I had my op quite late in the day around 2.30pm but I was not able to get up and walk around like a most of you did. I got up once in the evening to use the bathroom, I was in so much pain and just about managed, I felt dizzy and sick so I just got back in bed where I stayed till the morning but being in hospital I was able to get morphine and an anti sickness injection. The next seven days at home I was resting and recovering. I had absolutely no appetite for about a week and managed easily on two weeks of liquid. My main issue was the gas pain I had it for almost 2 weeks. I took gas x, deflatine, peppermint tea, heat Patches and walkined around but I would say none it worked, it helps for a quick fix but the gas just goes when it goes. I have 5 incisions and I was glued back together I kept them covered for 3 days as advised but 3 days post op I went out and I think I over did it as getting in and out of the car and walking round made my stitches weep a little so I went back to my resting for the rest of the week but they have healed well and look very neat, the biggest one hurt the most. Then I went on to sloppy/mushy food for 2 weeks, again that was no problem for me. I ate 3 small meals a day as directed and I didn't get hungry in-between meals till the last day. On the first day I had a cooking day and made a potato & cauliflower curry, lasagne, chili and shepherd pie then I put small portions of each in takeaway foils and I was eating amazing food for lunch and dinner for the two weeks and it was really healthy as I made it myself with the help of Jamie Oliver's online recipes. http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/course/healthy-meals/#M74ep0D62Lx033KT.97 Now I'm on normal solid food and I have my 1st fill on 26th May. I'm both scared to death thinking of what pain it might be yet excited as I want to loose weight. I have noticed my portions getting bigger and I'm looking for food but I don't eat anything I'm not supposed to I just drink Water and wait for my next meal but it's getting harder so I'm counting down the days for my fill. I have lost 13 pounds since I started my 1 week pre op diet, I gained 1 pound but lost it again My main focus is just not to put any of it back on. I go walking 2 miles a day however my weight loss has come to a standstill. I didn't loose anything last week and the week before only 1 pound, I'm ok as long as its not going on but obviously I want to see my scale moving. Haven't had any NSV's yet but my clothes are much looser. I'm feeling positive and happy with how everything has gone so far but I guess it will become more difficult after the fill. I hope you enjoyed hearing my story Once again my success so far is all because of you, as I learnt so much from this site what to do and not to do so THANK YOU!!

I had any soups I wanted. I was told as long as they are the consistency that can go through a straw (Don't actually use a straw!) it was fine. If the soups had small bits in I would put it through a siv if not I put it in the blender for a good 5 mins till smooth. That way there is loads of choice, obviously go for the lesser calories your not going to be clocking up too many at this stage anyway. I also used bovril, marmite (think that's vegemite in the states?) and knorr stock cubes ❤️

Hi I hope you are well! What kinds of food are you trying to eat that makes you feel like that? I am also 5 weeks pre op ???? I was told to use a tea spoon or baby cutlery to eat and the portion should be half of your thumb nail as others mentioned chew chew chew. When I went from liquids to mushy food my first meal I was scared to eat, then when I went from mushy to solid the same now I've been eating solids for 3 days it's fine and easier than the first day, take your time.