U_go_gurl68

Choopie, We will all be waiting to see how things turn out for you. You are going to love the banded life. I am still fairly new to it myself, since I was banded on June 30th, but I am so proud of myself for finally taking control of MY life. I know this is going to be a continued journey towards being healthy, but having the band is just the tool I needed. There are many emotions and fears that come before hand and they are all normal, but after all is said and done, you will see you had nothing to fear. Be proud of yourself. Many people sit on the couch and complain about being fat, (I know because I was one of them, ) and even though there are many people working hard to do something about their obesity, there are many more who never do anything but wish they could be thin and healthy. You saw where your life was headed and you are doing something about it. My prayers are with you. Sincerely, Stephanie .

Choopie, Glad to hear your Doc said you were fine too. Keep up the good work and let us know how it all turns out. Sincerely, Stephanie

Sounds like you may need to have more of those Protein shakes. I was doing pretty much the same thing you were and not seeing much result and not feeling too full either. I also was able to eat a can of soup, which didn't leave me feeling full for too long. I kept going over my diet guidelines and found that I wasn't getting enough protein in. Proteins take longer to breakdown, thus the need for a high protein diet. Now I am up to 3-4 shakes and half a can of soup and feel totally satisfied. Since you are doing awesome with your water intake, try adding some protein there too, for days when you just can't get as many shakes in. When I starting adding more protein, the weight loss started up again. For 5 days I was stuck in the same place , but now it is coming off at a slow steady pace. Good luck!!!!:biggrin2: Sincerely, Stephanie

Eat2live, You go boy!!!! I am so excited and proud of you. Your results are awesome. Keep up the great work.

Jackie H, I think it all depends on the patient. Some surgeons want you to do the liquid diet to shrink your liver to decrease the risk of injury during surgery. Your stomach sits below your liver and if it is enlarged it increases the risk for injury to surrounding tissues and makes placement of the band harder. If on the day of your surgery, after your surgeon gets in, your liver is enlarged, most will reschedule and not perform the surgery. This is what I have heard anyway. I didn't do a full two week liquid diet either because my surgery kept getting rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts so I only did it two days before and all went fine.

I haven't gotten to the point where I feel really hungry yet. I guess that is a blessing for me, because I have always been a binge eater and without the band I would make myself sick eating everything and anything until I felt full when my emotions were running high. To be honest with you, I don't really crave anything just yet either. I ordered my kids pizza last night and the smell was heavenly, but I really didn't even have the urge to look at it. I thought I would have a big problem with not having my carbonated soft drinks either, but to my surprise, it has been rather easy. I am so loving my band. I know eventually things will change and I will need a fill more than likely, but I am enjoying not wanting anything for now. Not only is this the time to heal from surgery but to change my way of thinking about food before I am let loose to eat solids again. Good luck everyone. Stephanie

Choopie, You are doing ok sweetie and will be fine. If eating Ramen noodles is the worst thing you did; I say you're doing pretty good as compared to some of the posts of others I have read in similar threads. I am not saying just cheat and blow it all to heck, but relax and try to do better. Besides shrinking your liver pre-op, the diet also teaches you how to handle your diet after your surgery. Everything is a learning process and we all do make mistakes along the way in some form or fashion. I have not come across one person that has followed everything to the T. If we were able to follow Dr.'s orders all the time without a slip up, I doubt any of us would be fat in the first place or have to take medications for obesity related problems. The world would be a happy place and the pharmaceutical companies would go out of business. I know I am being overdramactic, but telling the truth in my opinion anyway, LOL!! My surgery kept having to be rescheuled due to things that were going on in my life so I never got a handle on keeping up with the diet anyway. I actually ate up until two days before surgery, then went on a liquid fast. When I woke up the morning for surgery, I had lost 10lbs. Everything went fine and there were no complications at all. Some of the other people I have met on here never had to do a pre-op diet and were only on liquids the night before surgery, then nothing after midnight. Good luck to you and I pray all goes well. Sincerely, Stephanie

Hi all, I, too, had all the same fears prior to surgery starting about a week or two before and up until they came to wheel me back to the OR. I had my band on June 30th and I don't regret it one minute. I even started crying before I went back because of all the fears I had built up during those two weeks pre-op. When I woke up, I didn't remember a thing. I didn't experience any real pain until the second day, but not until the evening. It was mostly due to gas pain and only lasted a few days. The only discomfort I get is an occassional tugging feeling if I try to sit up too fast due to use of those abdominal muscles or if the seat belt in the car rubs against my incisions. For that, I have been using a small pillow to place under the belt for padding. All the things you are feeling are normal, but they will pass. Good luck to all of you. Sincerely, Stephanie

I had my band placed on June 30th. The first few days I didn't even have Protein shakes. All I could get down was sf popsicles, ice, Water, crystal light, etc.... I think it is a combination of the gas bloat and the swelling. I still don't get too hungry, but I am able to get Soups and shakes down just fine. I still have to be on full liquids til next Monday, but not feeling like I am missing anything. Good luck to you both. Sincerely, Stephanie

Pandagirl, Another thought I had was that maybe your inner structural support has changed a little since you started losing weight, since you mentioned having cervical pain with sex. I have a tilted uterus which causes me to have that same kind of pain during sex. I hope your doc figures it out soon. Sincerely, Stephanie

Had my follow-up appointment yesterday and I have lost 13 lbs so far. I was also happy to hear that my surgeon gave me what he called a "low profile" port so that it wouldn't show when I lost weight. I am also a Fabulous Forties girl now, as of yesterday. I feel so good right now, not even turning 40 can bring me down. It was also good to be able to Celebrate a birthday that didn't revolve around food for a change. I hope everyone is doing great. Sincerely, Stephanie

Hi Peacheez, I had my surgery on June 30th and doing well. Still have a little swelling but not much discomfort at this point. I went for my follow-up appt yesterday and I am down 13 lbs. I am so happy I did this and you will be too. I will pray for you and hope that you find the way to get it done. The best investment you could ever make is the one you make in yourself. I wish you all the best and please keep in touch. Sincerely, Stephanie

Snuffy, Is there a certain day of the week we should send you our updates so you don't get bombarded? Thanks for keeping up with all of us. Can't wait to see how our group progresses. sincerely, Stephanie

Could it be just changes in hormones? When you are overweight everything changes and I am sure weight loss effects chemical reactions in the body as well. If it is a penetration thing, perhaps that is also due to losing excess fat in certain areas. Now that there is not as much cushion, the positions you are using may be allowing your man in further causing the discomfort you didn't feel previously. As far as the swallowing issue, I don't know what to say, only that I heard it was made up of mostly Proteins anyway. So you are at least safe there :biggrin: Good luck on getting this problem solved. I agree with the others; see your GYN soon. Sincerely, Stephanie

Thanks for all the info VickiJ. Tomorrow is my 40th bday and I figured I might as well, put of the real celebration for next year. I will still go out and do something that doesn't involve food. My mom is kind of upset with me because she wanted to get the family to go out to eat and I can't have anything, but full liquids still. Oh well, there's more to life than just food. I will keep in touch. Sincerely, Stephanie

Hi all. I hope everyone is doing well. Still on full liquids another week and also feeling sore at port site. Hunzi---Hope you are doing better. Hang in there Junie. I was wondering how to revise your numbers on the Junie Spreadsheet. I haven't had too much loss , but still would like to show some progress, LOL!!!! Stephanie

I am still on full liquids so I don't know if anything I have to add is helpful, but I do know that eggs and chicken make some people pretty gassy and so do fresh vegetables. So maybe you had some gas buildup in your little pouch and it couldn't take the pressure and had to come out. Just a thought. Good luck!!!

VickiJ, Thanks for the well wishes. I used to take Phentermine a while back and initially lost 80lbs, but within 8 months after getting off of it, the weight came back and then some. The next time I tried it and other weightloss medications they didn't work for me. The side effect I experienced was extreme cotton mouth which lasted the entire time. I wasn't hungry and didn't eat much, but never lost any weight beyond the initial Water weight. I tried diet, after diet, after diet. Even did the stupid ear stapling thing everyone went crazy for, LOL!!!! I had thought about getting the band for over 3 yrs, but would chicken out all the time. I am glad I finally got it done. I am frustrated at the moment because I am not losing anything right now, but I know this is supposed to be my healing period. I can't wait to get into the single digit clothing. It is so much easier to shop and find something you like when you are smaller. I know stores usually order more of the smaller sizes, but when you find nothing but small sizes on racks, it just reminds me how many larger people there are. I mean someone is buying all those Larges and x-large sizes up. I am in a 14-16 right now. I know that may not be too bad since the average woman is in those sizes, but it is bad on me being only 5'2". It use to not be so bad when I had a smaller waist and fuller hips, but when the weight started becoming a problem in the middle, that was when I knew it was time to do something. I work 12 hour night shifts which already increases my risk for having a heart attack, but having fat around the middle really did it for me. No matter how many exercises I did, I couldn't get rid of it, so that is when I knew, it was time to seriously consider the band. I am trying my best to make those positive changes. I will be moving to day shift hours (7a-7p) in mid august and after the healing process, I plan to increase my exercise. What kinds of things have been the most helpful to you? I truly enjoy the support I have received here on LBT. Sincerely, Stephanie

Minidriver, Thanks for the recipe. Sounds good. Granita, huh? I don't know if that is what they call it, but I know they also serve other drinks made out of canteloupe, rice, etc....Thanks again. I will try it. Stephanie

No offense taken :biggrin: We are all in a learning process together and everyone's body is different. We all lose at different rates and have a variety of different health histories. I didn't really have any major health issues, but didn't want to develop any either. My mother has some serious health problems and I didn't want to end up just like her. My problem was that I just ate too much; mostly out of boredom or when emotions ran high. When I did diet, I would take it to the extreme and still never lost weight. I was even on diet pills prescribed by a bariatric physician and never lost more than the 8-10lbs of Water weight. He told me it was because I wasn't taking in enough fuel and my body went into starvation mode. Like you, I am not an expert either. I just want to get my fat butt into shape and not develop any health issues in the process. Looks like you are doing quite well. Keep up the great work

Vicki, Sounds like someone is trying to practice medicine without the proper training. We nurses like to think we all have all the answers and in some instances we do know more than some Docs, at least, in patient experiences because in some settings we deal with them more, but the best advice is your physicians advice. People with Anorexia and Bulimia don't just lose weight from not eating, they lose it from excessive exercising, vomiting, and diuretic/ laxative use, etc.... It is not usually just refusal to eat. Plus they lose muscle and bone tissue. They get so use to living this way and their bodies eventually fail an they are unable to eat, even if they want to, that is why treatment is so hard for these individuals and not to mention the mental aspects of this disorder. When I was a teenager, I lost about 35 lbs in a month due to not eating and execessive exercise and if I was forced to eat, I would make myself throw it up. I had muscle cramps all the time and hid my paleness with make up. Starvation mode is real and is similar to a bear's hibernation mode. A person can stay big and even gain weight on next to nothing. The body learns to function on less making it more efficient at burning fuel. The bad thing is, the body will get it's fuel regardless of your intake. It will breakdown your bone and muscle tissue to get the nutrients it needs. In turn the body will retain Fluid to make up for the tissue lost to keep your body at its set point for awhile. Along with the breakdown of muscle tissue, you may lose weight, but will still end up looking flabby, not to mention without good muscular support, you don't have good skeletal support causing more injuries and aches/pains. Well enough on that. Just follow the advice of your doc and everything will be fine. Good nutrition is one of the keys to weight loss. Sincerely, Stephanie

Hi all, I also love Watermelon, but was told it wasn't a good thing to eat because people don't tend to chew it enough and it could get stuck. I have been having a craving for it so bad though that I have to have some. At some of the mexican restaurants, they make this drink made out of watermelon that it pretty much just the fruit liquified. I went to the store and bought some popsicle forms and thought about getting some fresh watermelon and freezing it into pops. I want to have the fresh watermelon taste, but don't want any complications. Just an idea. Sincerely, Stephanie---Texas

I was banded on June 30th and I know what you mean about not getting comfortable enough to get a good night's sleep. I have been doing better, but I am use to sleeping on my tummy mostly. I have been using pillows to support me from putting too much pressure on my incisions and so I am able to sleep better on either side and somewhat on my stomach if I position the pillows just right. But it makes turning a little harder and I don't like the way it feels when that port incision get tugged on. So, like you, I can't wait to be able to sleep on my stomach again. Good luck. Stephanie

Thanks RugmanForever for your words. Your explaination makes sense. I can feel that subtle tug at my abdomen when I try to sit up in a hurry to get out of bed or when I am sitting straight for too long or walking too much. My fiance asks me everyday how I am feeling and it is hard to explain to him. I told him it is almost lke being pregnant and feeling the baby's knee, foot, or some part in your side. That is the only thing I could really compare the feeling to, LOL!!!!! Of course, he didn't understand. I tried to explain by using excessive sit ups cramping, but since he is so skinny, he wouldn't know about that feeling either. Oh well. maguirre67, Hey band buddy!! glad you are doing so well. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, Stephanie

kkarryall, Are you having any discomfort from not having a bm? I know with all the liquids we don't have anything solid to pass. I was banded on the 30th and have not had a BM since the 28th. I suppose as long as you aren't feeling constipated and are having good urine output, then all is well. If you are feeling a bit of constipation, perhaps you aren't taking in enough fluids? Just a thought. I wouldn't go taking any bulk forming laxatives though, maybe a stool softener, but ask your physician first. Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't lost too much weight. I think I could have lost more taking a diuretic from my original weight in this amount of time, but I have to remember this is something good for me to get long lasting results, not temporary ones. And also, it's not about the weight I lose, so much as the fat and inches. I don't want to go losing Water weight, muscle or bone just to see the pounds drop off; I want healthy, fat loss. Sincerely, Stephanie