auntlucy

I was off work for 1 week. I work in an office and am in a lot of meetings all day. But, the point is that I don't have a physically strenuous job. While I was fine to go back, I did get tired very quickly. I encourage you to force yourself to get up and walk quite a bit during your recovery--even if you don't feel like it (of course don't overdo it and let your body heal). It should help you when you go back to work.

You can do it! I didn't think i was going to make it through the post-op liquid phase, and now when I look back on it, I forget how long it really was! You will be through it before you know it!:biggrin2:

Congrats Rhonda! I'm excited for you! It's been a great move for me, and I'm having a lot of success. It's slowly changing my life. Who is your surgeon? Let me know if you need any support! We McKinney girls need to stick together!

Are you getting enough protein? You might want to check with a nutritionist as well.

Fenton, you are right! Tess and I are strangers but are somehow on this journey together. She may just be my lapand BFF before long!

I know what you mean kizzie! I am really reclaiming my life, and my band is just one of my tools helping me. I've been doing pilates and gyrotonics for the last 2 years, and it's really hard for me to get there after work since the studio hours are not good with my schedule. I just bought my own studio-quality pilates equipment. It was definitely a dream come true, and I know it will help me reach my goals. Good luck with your surgery plans. You might want to talk with the doctor about whether or not you will be able to return to work on Monday after a Friday surgery. I don't think I could have done it, but we are all different. I took a full week off, and I actually needed it.

I have found that my tastes are changing! I was talking to a friend who was on his way to pick up pizza for his family a few weeks ago. In the past I would have thought, "ooohhh pizza! maybe I'll have that for dinner." But now I thought, "oooohhh! I think my body would reject that. It doesn't even sound good. I think I have some great salmon in the refrigerator that I can cook!" Just go into this with the right frame of mind (doing it for your health)! I do still crave ice cream, but I haven't had any since my surgery. It's my trigger food, and I'm nervous about trying it again!

It's up to you to set the boundaries that you need to be successful. You might need to have some one-on-one conversations with them. It sounds like they are try to help. So in each conversation, I would say, "I know you are trying to help me and I really appreciate that! I can definitely feel the support. Do you mind if I share with you some ways that you could help me be successful?" Then, assuming they say they will be glad to help you any way they can, tell them what you need. Describe for them what it looks like. Be honest about your feelings. You justifiably have some frustration over it, so try to get that frustration out prior to these conversations. If you have one or two people at work who are really good friends that you can talk to, you might want to talk it out with them first and role play it. I told only the people at work that I felt like needed to know (primarily b/c we are close and b/c we have a lot of lunch meetings--I thought it would be obvious). When it became noticeable that I was losing weight, a few of them kept saying, "how many pounds so far?" I finally let them know that I appreciated their concern, but that it was a very private matter to me and I'd prefer to not talk about the pounds...plus, I didn't want that to become my main focus. Instead, I talk openly to them about my non-scale victories (example: fitting into that old pair of jeans). I know it's hard. I'm rooting for you as you work to set the boundaries that you need to be successful. You can do it!

mrshobo, I'm sorry you have had troubles with it. Do they think they will be able to try again? I can't imagine how you are feeling.

Try to have patience! Your body is still healing and it has been through some trauma with the surgery. My surgeon doesn't do fills before 2 months after surgery (I know they are all different), but it seems like if you were just banded late May that it may be a little soon. Your plateau once you started eating a few more calories with the mushies is normal. I definitely had that and actually gained a little weight. But, I focused on what my doctor said to focus on...letting by body heal properly by following his instructions. I didn't obsess with the fact that I had gained a few and that I wasn't seeing the scale move back downward for a little while. But, as my body adjusted, I then started losing it again. Now, I'm not quite 3 months after surgery, and I've lost 45 pounds! I like the advice my doctor gave. After surgery, your focus should be on letting your body heal. Once your body is healed, then your focus should shift to learning to eat the right way. What he didn't tell me but that I have learned is that when I followed his advice, the weight will come off! Iknow you want the instant gratification, but if there was a magic cure for our obesity, we would have already taken it.

Felicia, I'm glad to hear that he responded well. I respect your openness about it all. My choice was different...I have told very few people, and that's been right for me.

I would consult with your doctor. If you call their office, I'm sure they'd give you some guidance on the right number of calories for you. The number of calories you should be eating is highly dependent on several factors--your height, weight, whether male or female, how much you exercise, etc. So, it's going to be hard to gauge from here since you won't know that info about the people posting. As for me, I get anywhere from 800 to 1200 calories a day. (I try to stay around 1000.)

I also found out through this that I'm alergic to the adhesive. Wow...that part was almost worse than the surgery. I got big blistering sores from it.

My surgeon told me to let soapy water run over the incision sites and then rinse in the same way, but not to scrub them. The redness sounds normal to me as I also had that. My surgeon told me I could use fingernail polish remover to get the adhesive off, but he warned me not to get it in the incisions as it would hurt a lot. Since I don't like pain, I waited and got it off gradually every time I bathed. Of course, you should always contact your doctor if you are concerned. Don't be shy about that...that's what they are there for! Happy healing!

You should try to get in touch with your doctor ASAP if you have a hole there and have that much oozing. I'm not trying to scare you, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Lilbit, Dr. Hamn is at TX Center for Obesity Surgery in Plano, TX (Parker and the Tollway). Dr. Cribbons is his partner. Their website is: Obesity Surgery - LAP BAND - Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, - Texas - TX I live in McKinney. Be pacient and perhaps your new insurance will cover it. I know you want it to happen now, but use this time to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. Also, why don't you go ahead and start a low fat, low calorie diet. That way you will be making some progress and won't just be in "wait" mode. I use www.thedailyplate.com to track my food and Water intake every day, and I highly recommend that. Plus, it's free! Good luck to you!

Kizzie, my surgeon didn't put me on a pre-op diet of any kind. I know it's unusual on this site, but they are all different. After the surgery I did feel full with just very little liquid. But, over time, I started wanting a little more. It was easier than I thought it would be getting through that liquid diet, but there were days when I felt very hungry (if I'm being completely honest). I just kept telling myself that it would be worth it in the long run. And, so far, it has been! And, when I tell people that I'm eating less and exercising more, it's all true! We each have to find the way that works best! Let us know when you get your surgery date! Doesn't it feel good to do something wonderful for yourself!

The reason for the liquid diet post-op is to allow your body to heal. You really need to stick to the liquids now so that your body can heal properly. You will likely be hungry during this time period. Until you get the magic fill (it takes some people more fills than others), you may not feel much restriction. I still don't feel as much as I think I should after 1 fill. So, for the sake of your health and your new band, please please please follow the doctor's instructions. You will be on solid foods soon (I know it doesn't seem like it now)!

Good for you kizzie! It sounds like you are entering this with the right frame of mind, and that is going to help you be successful! Good luck to you as you go down this exciting journey! It certainly has been a good move for me. I too have told very few people. More and more people are beginning to notice that I've lost weight, and when they ask me what I'm doing, I simply say, "I'm working really hard on eating right and exercising." And that's all true...my band is just a tool that helps me along the way.

It definitely is a small world skatkat!

Good for you losing it in ne! Keep us updated!

Yes, I feel great! I definitely have more energy and want to do more than I did in the past. I don't think I've reached my perfect restriction. I feel like I could eat more without negative consequences, but I don't. I've been really diligent about following the program my doctor and nutritionist laid out for me. And, surprise surprise, it's working! I only got 2.5 cc in my first fill (I'm not sure how much my band holds, but am planning to ask my doctor when I go for my next fill 7/8.) It's great to meet you too! Feel free to reach out to me any time, and let's keep posting here over the next few weeks as we reach that 299 mark! We are doing so good!

Thank you for sharing your story Nance! You should actually feel proud of yourself. Not for the fact that you started a bing, but that you caught yourself and stopped it! I'm assuming that is probably something that didn't happen much in your past. You did good! And by the way, my favorite sandwich has always been Peanut Butter and bacon on toast...it's so delicious! But, you don't find many people who have ever had one. Of course, I haven't had one in some time, and they may not even be as good to me now. My tastes have definitely changed!

Hi Tess! It looks like we were banded on the same day and have lost very close to the same amount. Plus, I'm 8 or 9 pounds (6 pounds without clothes) away from being in the 2's! So, yes, let's work together to get there. We can do it!

I like the New Whey Protein Bullets (order them online). They come in different flavors, and I would describe them as the consistency of jello (before it sets). I like the fruit punch flavor the best. I add it to fruit punch crystal lite, and I've had no problem. I didn't think I'd be able to do the protein powders b/c I was on miedifast for 6 months when I was in high school, and I grew to hate it so much that I couldn't get it down. Plus, 21 g of the bullet is less than 90 calories (I think).