Great2BThin

Janet, How fun to meet up with your fellow bandsters. I bet lots of new clothes shopping can be had at that mall!! It's huge! I can't wait to shop normal stores, a mall might even be fun then, if I have more options than Lane Bryant!

OUCH!! I bet that is painful, one of my incisions, the smallest one, is right by my underwire line and it was painful for a few days I can't imagine my port being there. My surgeon actually drew a circle with an x in it to show me where the port would be at my pre op. It is actually below my rib cage and a little to the side. It's to the left of my largest incision. Hope it gets resolved.

Tomorrow is 3 weeks post op and I GET SOLIDS!!! I am so excited. DH has offered to take me for crablegs (one of my favorites) at Red Lobster. I figure that isn't too hard and a softer solid so might be a good choice. Just wondering what others had as their 'first meal' on solids. When I first got on mushies eggs and refried beans tasted so good, but after 2 1/2 weeks I'm a little tired of them!

KEWL!! That is so exciting to me to know the band is working. I mean knew it was there, I have the scabby scars to prove it, but to hear it talking to me was confirmation that I am learning to listen and luckily have always stopped before too full, until those few bites of potatoes last night. But now I know. And I am especially encouraged to have good restriction in this post op period. 48 hours and counting til solids!!!

Weight Watchers has 2 plans, the flex plan in which you can have anything and count the points. And then there's Core. There's no point counting, you have to be very aware of your hunger/comfort level and you eat foods from a preprescribed list of foods. Those foods tend to be the more whole foods/natural foods and low glycemic type foods, nothing white, breads, pasta and rice must be whole grain and limited. You still get 35 points a week to spend on 'splurges' or non core foods. You eat when hungry and stop when comfortable. It doesn't seem to be real popular with folks in any WW meeting I've attended, normally only one or two people in the room follow it but I think it's much more healthy.

Okay I have a really silly question. I'm still on mushies, I was banded 6/5 and get solids in 2 more days (lucky duck Cathychatts!! getting them before me!). Anyhoo, last night I made some instant mashed potatoes and put some condensed cream of chicken soup on for gravy. I put 1/2 c potatoes in a bowl and then spooned some of the soup over so over all it was probably over my 4 oz portion I've been eating. Well as I was eating, I began to feel full. I had about 2 or 3 bites left. I stopped, but the phone rang. I answered it and while talking, I finished the taters. DUH!!! mindless eating Lesson #1!!! My question is this: about 20 mn later I started burping and a few of them tasted like throw up in the back of my throat, is this what is referred to as PBing??? In a way I am sortta glad it happened (I felt like a stuffed turkey for an hour or two after) as I had been wondering if I was really listening to my body til this point of if I was just having amazing self control and lack of appetite as I'm getting really tired of mushies. I guess now I know my band is working!! And even though only just under 3 weeks post op I have some good restriction (I got a 4cc prefill in a large band as the small band was too small and the large too big).

I went to my seminar on 4/26, had my consult with the surgeon on 5/14. He required a psych screening and pulomanary screening and since I was 50 a cardio clearance as well. Got those done right away and had surgery 6/5. I didn't need a sleep study however. My insurance did pay for all the screenings except the psych one, even though I was self pay for the surgery. At first I was disappointed my surgeon required these screenings as there is a much cheaper dr. in town that doesn't, but as I got closer to surgery and started getting scared I was glad to know that everything was good and I was as safe as could be going into surgery.

I had something similar happen yesterday getting dressed for church. I found some capris that haven't fit in 3 years!!! So they were like new again. I'm wearing them again today!

The first gal in that lap band commercial is the sister of a friend of mine. Here I thought for some dumb reason that those folks were really people getting the lap band. Nope just actors playing a role. She said her sister could even get it free or very reduced for doing the commercials but she didn't because it would mean her roles she does. IT just really disappointed me to hear that. I realized most commercials were just that but for some reason I thought those were actual portrayals as I didn't see anything disclaiming otherwise but only saw the commercial once.

I know I've read that before and also on their website, but just bring it up in a meeting and you get a different reaction. Most in the meetings (and I've read some of the message boards) have a very negative reaction to it, there's always the exception. But I don't plan on bringing it up if I continue, either. I just started adding walking back in to get some exercise going. Hopefully that will help with the metabolism. Heck one day I stepped on the scale and I was up 2 lbs. I knew it had to be Fluid retention or something, there's no way to gain 2 lbs on 500 calories a day! Good luck. When I was on liquids I couldn't wait for mushies, and now I can't wait for solids, just Tues. and Wed. to go!!

It's a Saturday, that's probably why.

Well I did go to Weight Watchers today and blew them away with a 14 lb. loss. I got my 10% key chain, my 20, 25, 30 lb stars, and 25 lb charm for the key chain. I like your idea of 'stealth WW'. Though right now the losses have slowed down so maybe they won't freak out after all. I'm not mentioning the band at all if I continue to go. They are almost hostile when it comes to WLS. But I do find their Core plan is pretty close to how I need to eat anyway. I've not lost anything in over a week now and am still on mushies. I'm barely getting in 500 calories a day so I know it's probably my metabolism. I started the exercise back up today and once I get solids (Thurs) I am sure I will get more calories too.

Hey Sadie! I'm from Colorado too! I was just banded 6/5 by Dr. Snyder at Rose Medical. Maine is one of my most favorite places to visit, enjoy your vacation. Which WW do you go to? I was going to Northglenn and am debating whether to go tomorrow. Haven't been since banding and I'll be down 15+ tomorrow, would get my 20, 25 30 lb stars and my 10% and 25 lb magnet! LOL Kindda tempting but am afraid they'll yell at me for losing too fast. And I'm not sure I want to come clean there or not or if I want to continue going.

I would imagine you would be fine, my dr. only required a 1 day liquid diet pre op, but all docs are different and every body is different. I think a more serious question to ask yourself though is, 'Will you be able to follow the post op diet instructions?'. I don't say that to be mean, but it is a serious issue. Your body has to heal and to not follow the instructions then, could be serious.

I have United Health Care too, unfortunately it is a plan that had an exclusion on any bariatric surgery. So had to self pay. So it's not necessarily the insurance company, but the coverage your company allows the insurance company to cover. (the employer excluded it in my case).

I just returned a whole bunch of protein shake stuff to Walmart this morning. From what I had read I thought I was going to have to live off those things. Then I got a list of permissable clears from my dr.'s in the post op class and never drank most of them. I only had to do clears though for 6 days. Then mushies til week 3. I can't wait for some solids, but am not going to push it even one day early. It's just not worth it. DH is taking me for crab legs on Thurs. night to celebrate. Funny about the potato chips being a soft food. DH and DS are going camping in the morning and have a bag of Lays on the counter and I keep thinking of the post here, hmmm, maybe I can make them mushy? just joking!

No problem, however, I did go back and edit that thread to make sure no one else thinks I'm eating pizza while on mushies only 2 weeks post op! Now it's my turn to envy you! 100% coverage by insurance would be awesome. My process was quick because I was self pay and while that was a blessing, I think I'd have rather saved the $14,000 and got it paid for! But then again, if I'd have had to do a 6 mos diet, I'd not be a happy camper, though I had gone to WW that long before surgery, but my dr. didn't have that documented.

I just started using My Daily Plate, midweek week as I ran out of room in the journal the dr. office gave me and there I was only tracking protein and fluids. Since on daily plate, I've only averaged 400-500 calories a day. I'm eating 4 oz every 3 hours and I am on mushies. I get to add solids on Thurs. so that should start going up then.

Bombero, I think you are lucky. They say we are all individual and not to compare band sizes and fills with others as each is different. The nurse at my surgeon's office said they had a couple that lost 100+ with no fills. Congrats on your awesome loss so far! Phylser, I love your seafood characters. Thanks for believing in me! Angelsphere, Have you had some egg beaters? Those have been great for me on this mushy phase and have some protein too. I have been lucky and have had hardly any pain as well. I also had a hernia repaired and have one incision (not the port) that is taking longer to heal as well. Wonder if that's the one they did the repair through. The scab is much rounder and deeper too. The scabs and glue are getting so itchy and in some places starting to fall off. Can't wait for all that to be gone and I can really scrub my tummy in the shower!

Oh goodness, gracious no, I didn't have pizza since my sugery. I had pizza as my last meal before I had to start the pre op diet. I only had to do 2 days of liquids preop, so surgery was Thurs., liquids were Tues. and Wed. and pizza was Monday BEFORE!! Since surgery, I've followed the post op instructions to the T. I'm not going to do anything to mess this up! I get my first solids at 3 weeks post op which is Thurs, but it won't be pizza!! I'm thinking crab legs, soft and flakey still and easy to chew chew chew! I know what you mean about your dr. appt seeming so far away. I know when I started this process (only since April) it seemed like forever til my consult appt (it was 3 weeks), and I had surgery just 3 weeks after that. And it probably would've been sooner but I had a cruise booked. I was self pay so the process was quicker too. Now I can't believe I am 2 weeks post op. I'm down 30 already since I started looking into this in April. My hardest part now is getting in my minimums of fluids and protein. I'm sure at least the protein will get easier as I get more solids.

I just posted about this in another thread. I am only 2 weeks post op and it's driving me nuts the number of posts I'm reading about how they've eaten things they weren't supposed to. It's one thing when the dr. has different guidelines, I can't really fault someone for following their dr.'s guidelines even if they differ so from mine or most. But it's another a few days post op and eating pizza. I mean I just paid thousands to have this done, gone through all the pre op testing, liquid diets, pain of surgery, and to even chance messing it up by doing something like that seems crazy to me.

I'm only 2 weeks into this journey, but wanted to say I couldn't agree with you more Jachut! I've read both threads and OMG! I thought long and hard about getting the band (and had to self pay as well), I knew I was fat because of my choices and needed the help of the band to undo the damage. What I can't believe already is reading the posts of people who are cheating on their post op diets. After the cost, the pain, the difficulties of pre op diets, I just can't imagine doing something that could affect the healing, etc. and then making excuses for it. Will I be perfect on this journey? I'm sure not, but when all is said and done, I'm the one holding the fork, I'm the one feeding my body, doing the work or not doing the work. I get full credit for the good choices I make and for the bad ones. The band is only a tool for me to use for help on this journey. It won't do the work w/o me. Keep speaking your truth!

Oh Christmas shopping, I hadn't thought of that! That's gonna be so cool. I'm going to be at the top of my list too!

Denise, Thanks for the brief glimpse into life at goal. I got a teensy taste this week. I bought my first every item in the Gap, a regular sized store. I was so excited that I went back today and got another tshirt. Lane Bryant is going to go broke when I'm done with those sizes!! :redface: Gottaluvme, I am only 2 weeks post op. I only had to do a 2 day liquid diet pre op and that last night as I was eating my 'Pizza Hut Meat Lovers Pan pizza' and diet coke (before I started the preop liquid diet) I started to really have doubts if I could do this. But it's not been as difficult as I thought. I sortta have your thinking, I've come this far and to 'blow it' would be really stupid. Plus I was self pay and to have paid that much money and then not do it kindda freaks me out a little too. So far I've not been very hungry and am amazed at how little I eat. I'm sure as I heal and the swelling goes down I'm going to struggle a little bit more as I can tell already my 4 oz portions are getting consumed much easier but so far so good. I get solids on Thurs. DH has told me to pick where I want to go for my first meal. I'm a little scared as I don't want something bad to happen in a restaurant like something getting stuck. But I'm thinking if I do something like crab legs at Red Lobster I might be okay, as long as I tell them not to bring those biscuits! Good luck to you! When are you being banded?

I just had to go back to the Gap today and get one more of those shirts in another color. Now I have 2 'normal girl' shirts!!! Another NSV is I took measurments and after only a few weeks I have lost a few inches all over! Come on, share your NSV's!! (non scale victories) I know there have to be plenty in a group our size!