HeatherO

Slumping really helps :0)

I have only told my husband at first. I now have 1 friend and 1 family member that also know. I kept it hush, hush because I didn't want people watching/analyzing my every move. That has worked well for me, even six months out.

Pressure in the juncture just below my breasts. However, restriction if I overeat is also a big pain in my neck, literally :0)

That is awesome!!!! Go band, go band, go band.

Actually being stuck is a lot more painful than a pb. You want to avoid pb's but they are not terrible and absolutely nothing like vomitting thank goodness.

Atkins Advantage taste pretty good. I also drank the Isopure pre-mixed clear drinks after surgery and they were not bad . . . not good, but not bad either. Watch your caffeine intake if you ingest a lot now. It may give you headaches when you try to stop. I take a CVS brand called Spectravite. They are reasonably priced adult orange flavored chewables. I like them because they actually taste good. Normal Vitamins cause me to burp a wierd taste sometimes, sorry if it is TMI. Since they are chewable, they are super easy to ingest as well.

It is perfectly normal at 6 days out. I think I had some variety of pain near the port (nothing significant or related to possible infection) for the first two weeks or so. I also got occasional twinges. It went away and then started up again once I started abdominal exercises. It is normal and is just taking a little time to heal.

I am not really hoarding food, because no one really will eat the things I eat in my house since my tastes and diet are a lot different than my son and husbands. I find that I am still buying too much stuff. A lot of stuff is now going to waist. It is like I am still buying to feed my previous appetites which are now gone. My cupboards and fridge are filled to overflowing, why???

It is normal. I remember my husband looking at me and saying, we need our money back because it is going the wrong direction :0). Of course he was only joking. The swelling is normal and dissapears before too long.

I got mine directly after surgery as well. I have never heard of anyone not having a period because of being banded. Is there any chance you could be preggers? Are you normally very regular?

Surgery on a Friday, back at work bright and early the following Tuesday.

I am not tighter at all, but I am definitely a couple of pounds heavier, crankier, and more prone to cravings for things like chocolate.

I like this room the way it is. It is nice to have a place where people just talk openly about whatever :0). I would be very dissapointed if this room closed for any reason.

Thanks for sharing :0)

You never, never, never want to vomit if you can avoid it. However, when something is really stuck and you have to pb (productive burp) your food just works its way back up. This is nothing like vomiting in that the food is not semi digested, only chewed. Best thing is to just be careful, when you start to feel any discomfort stop eating, and if you get stuck just wait it out.

Vary what you are doing. Perhaps if you up your calories to 1200 for a few days that can be just the kick start you need. Changing the types of food that you eat also really helps. You just need to trick it into moving again. Don't worry too much. If you are doing the right things, it will definitely start moving again. Early in the process we all hit plateaus. Your body just needs a little time to adjust to changes.

I'm 5'3, 158 and I am wearing medium/large tops (sometimes large because I am a bit busty at a 36 DD). My pants however are 10's & 12's depending on the cut. I am lean up top but have a pear shape and my butt/thigh area is not quite proportionate yet.

1. My derriere and thighs were looking a little worse for wear pre-band, but I can honestly say that most of the cottage cheese look has dissappeared. They aren't perfect now but I have a nice shape coming out and remaining problems are really minimal. However, if cellulite never went away it is still way worth it because thin looks better than heavy in clothes and only my dh sees me in my birthday suit . . . and he loves me no matter what I look like :0). 2. I have lost the majority of my weight and am pretty close to normal. I did wonder what I would look like before, but to be honest with you reality is much better than my expectations set after reading other peoples stories. Many people say their chest deflates (tennis ball in the tube sock phenomena) but I have retained a nice shape and have not lost my breasts. Actually my breasts look bigger than they were in that I have shrunk everywhere else so the proportions are different. I thought before that my stomach would be a mess, but it is not so bad. It looks relatively flat in clothes. I still have some ghosts of stretch marks from pregnancy, but hey, what can you do but live with them? However, the fat on my thighs and butt seem to be taking the longest to disappear. Beyond physical transformations, I did not realize how it would affect my personality. I have a lot more confidence than before and have become more open and direct. I also have a lot more energy. You know all those people you see working out like crazy, biking or jogging daily . . . and can hardly relate to. I have become one of those people and sometimes I hardly recognize myself for it. There was another transformation related to self-confidence.. This might sound strange, but I eat more with other people now. Eating for me was a somewhat hidden event previously. Only my husband knows I am banded but I seem to have lost the shame I used to have regarding such a normal everyday activity with anyone else. My physical expectations would have been more realistic if I would have thought back to where I gained first. All in all, I am very pleased with where I am today. :0)

:musical_note::biggrin::musical_note::thumbup::musical_note::crying::musical_note::tt2::musical_note::eek::musical_note::musical_note::tongue: * * * Another one bites the dust * * * Another one bites the dust And another one gone and another one gone Another one bites the dust hey Hey I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust :Banane09::Banane35::Banane09::Banane35::sad::Banane09: :tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue: Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:cool2:********** **********:thumbup:******:tt2:**********:w00t:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......5.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......5.......... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6..........215 Bunkey1965.........212.........189.......16.........195 Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3.......... Epm316.............209.........199.......5.......... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......14.........158 Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............160.........158.......6.......... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......5..........219 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9.......... Luu2008............219.........189.......14......... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......6.......... mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........255.......11.2........254.8 Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......10.8.......305.2 MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......0.......... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......7.......... Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......5.......... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......8..........179 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......3..........186 tp78...............212.........195.......7..........

Hello everyone!!! I am 33 and happily married with a teenage son. I don't look in the 30's section often so I must have missed this post before :0). I am over six months out and doing great so far. I would love to chat with any of you anytime.

Everyone is doing so wonderful. It is really heartening to see where we all are in our journey. It will be interesting when we make it to our bandiversaries, that is for certain. My weight loss is starting to slow. I read that the first six months are the biggest loss, and that has definitely been true for me. I have to work very hard for every pound down now, but I am still doing it. I really want to be in the "normal" range before my trip to Turkey at the end of October. I definitely have my work cut out for me :0)

Congratulations!!!! What wonderful news. I hope to be joining you before too long :0)

It doesn't seem unusual. I was at 6.8 at my first fill and did not have much restriction. I got another 1.5 at my second fill and it was really too much for me the first few weeks but I made it through. I have not had another fill since my second in April. The difference between too much and not enough is small. Just right for me currently is 8.3, but everyone is different.

You are in the hardest phase of being banded before you get filled. I managed to lose at this point but only by eating lean meats and lots of vegetables with almost no carbs. Eating only healthy things at this point can keep you losing even if you do pick up a few extra calories.

Carbs, chips, sweet things in general give me definite cravings that continue as long as I eat them. It was just too hard to constantly crave and then deny yourself. I am pretty sure I have a carb addiction. What is worse, these items go through my pouch with no problem, and fast as well. I had to learn to avoid them altogether on a daily basis. One wonderful thing I learned is that if I get into the cravings, it only takes about a week of avoidance until I don't want them anymore.