alice150

Way to go, Long2bthin! Congratulations! You are doing great! Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Janet, Sorry to hear about the family drama that kept you up the night before. Your grandson and your son are so lucky to have you. You are so right about adjusting life to your emotional needs and giving in once in awhile regarding exercise. We all have days where we just can't do it. That is ok. Oh well, its 7:12 and I want to get in my exercise bike before work. Maybe I can get through 25 minutes today. Have a great day. Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Katie, I had surgery the week before you. I have lost 25.5 lbs, but I haven't lost anything in over a week. I had my first fill on May 19 and I have an appointment on June 24 at which time I hope to get my second fill. I have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band. It is a struggle at this point because I don't feel the restriction at all at this point. I think I felt it a little after my fill but it did not last long. My band started out with 4 cc's on my surgery date. My fill was for 1 more cc on May 19. I don't think being hungry 3 - 4 hours later is that bad. I think you can allow yourself a small snack in between meals. I don't snack after Breakfast and I sometimes will have a late afternoon snack (sugar free pudding or yogurt). I always have a little snack in the evening before bed. Good Luck Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Hi Ladies, How is everyone? Cathy and Long2bthin, are you feeling better. I know I was tired for at least a week, but the pain was much less by day 3 or 4. Hang in there! Janet, I hope you had a great weekend. I did good with food. I could do better with exercise. I did exercise this morning for 20 minutes and will be walking with friend from work at lunchtime, so today will be better. DJ and Linda, Hope you are both gearing up for your journeys into better health, new bodies and feeling good about accomplishing the ever elusive weight loss. Have a great day everyone! Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Grace, Your stats are great. When were you banded? I've had one adjustment but I don't have much, if any restriction. So, for now, I feel the need to count calories. I'm also trying to keep it high Protein in regular foods but no shakes. How much do you exercise? That's my biggest challenge. Have a great day! Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Linda, Keep on plugging away. If you need to see a doctor, see one asap and explain your situation. He will most likely document health issues about your weight and a month from now you can go back to the surgery doctor. It may take a little longer to get approved and scheduled, but if you put it off, it will take a lot longer. You will get there and be successful on this journey! Alice Banded 4/8/08 271/245.5/150

Hi Barbara, I know how tough it is before the mushie stage. I was fine the first week, Clear Liquids, but by the end of the first week, I couldn't wait until full liquids. Then after a couple of weeks on full liquids and I was happy until towards the end where I would have killed for cottage cheese and I don't even like cottage cheese! It will get better with the mushie stage! I am 2 months post op today. There are still some challenges, but it is getting easier. I live in Fort Lauderdale now, but I am moving with my job for a year at least on July 2. I will be working in St. Pete and living in Largo. I'll be real close by if you want to meet next month. I am 53 years old, married and have a 24 y/o son living with me. While I am in St. Pete, I will be doing the long distance marriage thing because my husband can't transfer right now and I really need to work one more year at my company to make my 20 years. They are closing my office and centralizing in St. Pete. Hang in there, things will get better. Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Janet, What a young grandmother you are. I just became a grandma one year ago for the first time. My son and his wife and daughter live in CALIFORNIA (LA). Way too far away! I've been fortunate this past year to have seen them about 5 times and I will see them in October again. I've had a really good day so far. I'm watching the calories very carefully. I exercised on the recumbent bike we have in the house but I only lasted 20 minutes! I thought it would be easier than walking, but boy was I wrong. I'm pretty sure I will get 48 oz of Water in today, too. I burp alot after drinking. Does that mean I'm drinking too fast? I'm trying to listen to my band a little closer and get the messages. It will most likely be easier after my next fill. Hope you had a great day with GD and I hope you have a great evening. Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Cathy and Long2bthin, Welcome to Bandland! I was banded on April 8 and my experience was alot like Long2bthin's. I stopped the pain meds after about the 3rd day but did take them before bed because I was more achy and throbbing by then. The port side pain was the worst. I did not experience gas pains like so many. I'm still adjusting to my new life, but going through this has helped me look at my eating habits more closely and just recently I've realized that I have to listen to the signals from my band very closely. Janet is an awesome mentor and I can tell from what she has written to everyone that she has worked very hard for the last several months and been super successful. We are all on the same road and will eventually catch up to her. Have a great day! Alice Banded 4/8/08 271/245.5/150

Janet, Thanks for the advice. I know I have to change my mindset about food and it may be a good thing to not have a fill until the end of June. This way, maybe maybe I will get more used to working on my own, so when I feel more restriction, it will be an added bonus. Even though the move will disrupt my family some, I do see it as an opportunity to concentrate just on me, eating right, exercising and as you suggested, maybe taking up a hobby to keep me busy when I would have turned to food in the past. I actually have been counting calories pretty closely but I guess its the site you check. The daily plate had the quiche at 735 calories, 130 calories less than Ruby Tuesday's official site. Also, the wrap is 90 calories (1 ww pt). Its called Flat Out and they have many flavors. I do have to start keeping a journal, though. I realized today right before dinner that I forgot to write down a light whole grain english muffin I had with 1/2 c. of cottage cheese this morning. I'm glad I remembered before dinner and the rest of the evening. I would have eaten 100 calories more than I was calculating in my head. I do have to concentrate on exercise more. I've been walking but have only gotten in 2 days each week for the past two weeks. I know I need to get 5 days in. I also have to work on the Water. I find it very hard to get more then 32 oz of water in a day because of the restrictions on before and after meals (at least 30 minutes) and the fact that you should sip. I'm afraid I will hurt my pouch if I swallow too much at once. Thanks again for the time you take to go over advice for each poster. Hopefully, I will be successful enough one day to do the same. Alice Banded 4/8/08 271/245.5/150

Hi Janet, During the day while I'm working I probably eat smaller amounts. A bowl of oatmeal or Cereal for Breakfast. Sometimes 2 eggs or eggbeaters equivalent scrambled on whole grain wrap. For lunch, I try to keep it to 1 c. amount. It is hard to say how much a a wrap with 3 oz of tuna or turkey breast w/light mayo is. If I go out with friends from work, once or twice a week, I eat about half of the entree (yesterday I ate about half of Ruby Tuesday's chicken broccoli quiche, but I also had a small salad with balsamic viniagarette from the salad bar. dinner, I usually have 3 oz. of meat, very small amount of potatoes (maybe 1/3 c.) and 1/2 c of veggies. Evening is my tough time. After dinner, it is hard to keep from grazing. I'm constantly wanting to eat more, even though I'm not really hungry. I don't feel as full as I think I should after each meal or even after dinner followed up with a snack or dessert. My next fill isn't until June 30. I'm going to wait until then because I will be relocating with my company to St. Pete (I live in Ft. Lauderdale) for one year starting July 7, living long distance from my husband and adult son who is high functioning autistic. I'll be back every other weekend and have long weekends in there so I can follow up with my doctor, but because I will be alone for the first time in a very long time, I would rather have a new fill to help when that change occurs. I think I will ask for 1.5 add'l ccs on my next fill, but my doctor is very conservative, so I'm not sure he will put that much in. I wouldn't even be making this move, if it wasn't for the fact that I already have 19 years with the company and I need one more year to get to 20 years which brings benefits of access to my pension before 65. They are closing my office and its either severance or transfer. We decided transfer was the best option, at least for the year. Well, thanks for listening, I guess I will keep plugging away and discuss this whole issue with the doctor when I see him. I'm not giving up, but I am hoping to eventually get some signals from the band to help on this journey. Alice Banded April 8, 2008 271/245.5/150

Janet, You are truly an inspiration to so many on these forums. I am the same age as you and I am just starting out. I was banded on 4/8/08 and I have lost 25.5 lbs. I have to say that I feel like I am doing it on willpower alone. I had my first fill on 5/19. I have a 10cc band that started out with 4 cc's and the doctor gave me an additional 1 cc. I find myself forgetting about small bites and eating slowly. I do always leave food on my plate, but I am probably consuming much more in volume at each sitting than I should. My calories vary anywhere from about 900 to 1400 but it is getting harder every day. Did you experience anything like this in the beginning? I would like some help from the band, but I can't really feel any help. Thanks for all your work on this forum. You really are helping so many. Alice 271/245.5/150

Deb and SisC, One of my knees is in pain more since my surgery because I started at 3 weeks to walk. I think it aggravated something that may have happened a couple of years ago when I fell on vacation and never followed up for therapy like I was supposed to. I actually stopped walking and have not walked for about 10 days. Today, I got on a recumbent bike we have in the house and could not even handle 10 minutes! I will do it again when I get home from work because I know exercise really helps your progress. I was banded April 8 and have lost 24 lbs so far. I struggle with the diet because with one fill, I'm not feeling the restriction like I think I should. Good luck to you both and here's hoping our knees hold out! Let's face it. They will be much better off when we lose the weight! Alice 271/247/150 Banded April 8, 2008

Lynn, I am an APRIL AVENGER too. I was banded April 8 and live in Fort Lauderdale, but I will be relocating to St. Pete for a year on July 2. I"m an insurance adjuster and my office is centralizing in St. Pete. I have one more year until I have 20 years with my company, so I am going to be doing the long distance marriage thing for a year. Otherwise, I will lose my job and lots of benefits that come with leaving my company before 20 years. Things are stressful with this move coming up and it makes it hard to stick to my food program sometimes. I also was doing great exercising until the last two weeks. As a result, I only lost 1 lb this week. I know I can do better. I had my first fill on May 19, but I don't really have any restriction yet. A couple of times I've had an uncomfortable feeling, but it goes away and I didn't really get any sign to stop before I did. Your numbers are great! Keep up the good work. I'll talk to you soon. Alice 271/247/150

Mindy, I can't wait to be where you're at on my journey. You've done great! Congratulations. Alice Banded 4/8/08 271/248/150

Its definitely my port site. When I had my fill on Tuesday, the needle wen right into the middle of the incision. So far its been 7 weeks and there is no hardness by my incision or around it. I have only lost 23 lbs so there is still lots of tummy fat there, so it would be hard to see in a picture.

Now tonight, I made a very focused effort to do all the right things. I put 3 oz of broiled salmon, 1/2 c of mashed potatoes and 1/2 c. of cooked carrots on my plate. I ate very slowly, taking at least 30 minutes and taking small bites, putting my fork down occasionally for a break and I made sure that I ate my salmon all up because of the Protein. I ate the carrots all up and had some of the potatoes (maybe half). I thought about it and really did not feel full, but I did not really feel hungry either. I didn't have this urge to keep eating, so I stopped. But......an hour later I was hungry!!! This is definitely a learning experience and I am going to have to study harder to read my bodies signals better. Of course, I've only had one fill and I'm sure I haven't reached my sweet spot yet. Hopefully that will help. Good luck to everyone working on this very difficult stage in our journey. We will make it. Alice Banded 4/8/08 271/248/150

Thanks for the input. I don't have a hard bulge like I think a hernia would be. Its kind of like a long spare tire of fat on one side instead of both. I would have to press down really deep to feel the port which I don't care to do. I guess everyone's port site is a little unique. Thanks again. Alice

I am almost 7 weeks post op. I had my first fill last Tuesday and my doctor also said 6 months before any abdominal exercises. Legs and arms are ok, but most important during the first 6 months is cardio, cardio, cardio, as he put it. Alice

I understand how you feel. I had my surgery on April 8. I have a 10cc band that started out with 4cc's on the day of surgery. I had my first fill on Tuesday, the 20th, an additional 1cc. I didn't think I felt restriction or full until Friday night. We went to dinner and I only had 1 c of creamy onion Soup and 1 crabcake of two on the appetizer plate. I felt uncomfortable the rest of the evening. Yesterday, I never felt full, so I was confused. Now today, I had dinner at 5 p.m. - 1 slice of meatloaf (Boston Market), 1/3 c. of mashed potatoes and a few bites of steamed vegetables. I didn't feel it while I was eating, but it hit me later that I have this full feeling right up into my chest and I still have it 3 hours later. This is a real trial and error thing. I think I have to learn to use the tips for eating better. Eating very slowly and taking at least 30 minutes to finish my meal. Also, not drinking any liquids for an hour before or after (how you get adequate Water intake in this case is beyond me). I have lost 23 lbs thus far, but 11 was in the first week, nothing in week 2, 6.5 in weeks 3 and 4, nothing in week 5 and 6 more in week 6 and almost 7. I think with my struggle finding the right amount, I will most likely gain in this coming week and don't plan on looking at the scale for 10 days or so. I just have to learn to listen to my body and eat the right foods. We are all different, but as long as you keep losing, hang in there. My doctor said everyone loses at a different rate. They are actually looking for an average of 5 to 8 lbs a month. Good luck! Alice 271/248/150 Surgery April 8, 2008

COSkinny, I think it is different for everyone and I'm struggling with this same issue myself. I had my first fill on Tuesday. When I spoke to my doctor, he said he felt that counting calories is a good thing to do and he recommended 1200 - 1400 calories a day. That sounds reasonable, but if you are supposed to be restricted and can't consume more than 1 cup of food at any meal and you are making smart choices, how do you get that many calories in? I am still trying to figure out if I feel restriction. Friday night I definitely had too much to eat when out to dinner and all I had was a cup of Soup and 1 crab cake from the appetizer menu. I had this overfull, uncomfortable feeling. Yesterday, I didn't really feel full at any meal and even found myself hungry after a reasonable meal. As far as the calories go, you can only see how it works for you and adjust from week to week. Good Luck. Alice

I would love to have a couple of glasses of wine more than once a week, but I've only had two occasions since I was banded on April 8 that I have indulged. I had a Baby Shower on May 3 and a party to go to last weekend. Both times I indulged, but my goal is to drink only for social occasions and limit it to 2 glasses of wine when I do indulge. The calories are empty and they say that alcohol slows down your body's metabolism. Alice

I had my first fill today. I had a 10 cc lapband that was filled to 4 cc's during surgery. I felt full for the first month with little food, but this past week I started eating more. Since I've had a satisfactory weight loss - 18 lbs in 6 weeks, he felt it best to add just 1 cc today. I feel it best to go slow but I will monitor it very closely before my next visit next month to really tell how full I feel and the amounts I eat. Kris, were you told to go Clear liquids for two days after your fill? I'm just curious if all doctors give that advice. Alice Banded April 8, 2008 272/254/150

I lost 11 lbs the first week and nothing the second week. I am now 5 weeks post surgery and I am at 19 lbs. lost. I think everyone is different and you shouldn't set yourself up for disappointment. Alice

Hi Everyone, I was banded on 4/8 and I actually feel great and have felt great for at least a week. Even so, I have thought of a million excuses for not doing some kind of exercise. I hate exercise, but know it is very important in this journey. I've seen many banders post that it is the one area they are lacking in. Today I did it. I went out this morning and walked for 35 minutes! I feel so pumped now, I'm even thinking of doing it again tonight when it cools down some (I live in S. Florida). I know this will help with weight loss and I am determined to do a 30 minute brisk walk at least 5 times a week. I was very down earlier this week when I didn't lose anything the 2nd week and I've decided to wait to weigh now until May 6 which is my birthday and my 4 week banding anniversary. Anyway, I just wanted to share my little victory for the day. Alice