Lanakila

Don't fret honey! It's less than a pound and, like you said, soooooo many other wonderful things have happened for you in just over 2 months. I would bet money that you are actually matching pound-for-pound the fat you are losing with the lean muscles that you are building. A trainer once told me that it takes 6 weeks to actually "build" muscle. People can see toning before then, but they don't actually start creating new tissues for at least that long.

I've had a wonderful response of people wanting to be listed on the August Roster. That isn't anything official or anything, I just wanted to know who was going when so that I could send wishes and support their way as their date came closer. BUT, then I decided that maybe others would like to know too. Maybe some folks who are going at the same time will want to chat among themselves. Maybe folks who are in the same region would like to chat. Who knows! I'm no moderator, but I thought that I'd start this thread off so that we can all develop a community of sorts. I hope that everyone is reading other groups too, but it would be nice to get our group interacting alot so that this becomes a group you just plain want to visit everyday! Tell us what you are doing today, lapband related or not. Tell us about yourself, or let folks know that your profile is filled out so that we can learn more about you there. Let's share, share, and share!

"It's a Journey, it's a journey, it's a journey..." Arrrggggghhhhhhhh! I'm tellin' myself, but my self isn't listening. I'm Even on the week. I sooooooo need a fill! UPDATE: Just called and "begged" and they've moved my fill up to the 21st. Whew!

How thrilled I would have been to get so much on my first fill! I was banded on August 28th, and got my first fill almost two weeks ago. It didn't do squat diddly for me. I'm trying to hold on for the next one!

The NC board is not very busy at all. You might be better off using the search feature to find threads where folks have mentioned cities in Eastern NC. For example, you can search for Wilmington. You'll get some stuff for Wilmington Delaware, but you'll also get stuff for NC. Give it a shot!

OMG Ro! You should lose 5 kilos just from laughing! He looks like soooooo much fun! Have a great time :biggrin:

I'm right in there with Time! I've gotten my first fill, which gave me nada in the way of restriction. As is typical with every other diet I've ever been on...I'm off the wagon completely. I'm eating poorly. I have made a conscious effort to load in the protein, since I'm desperately seeking fullness. I haven't gone crazy on sweets or carbs, but I'm definitely eating them. C'mon 2nd (and 3rd, or 4th...) fill! I know that this will work, I've just passed my time limit on the "diet". If dieting worked, I wouldn't have needed the band, you know?

LELLOW!!!!! **Huggzzz** So nice to see you again! You should be thrilled that you are even after so many challenges. It was a hard thing for me to face for 3, almost 4, weeks but the folks here were really, really supportive. I think I've finally gotten it in to my head to recognize that by this point in any prior diet I had already gained back everything I had lost and started building on top of that. Those days are over for us!!!! Fill #2 will surely help, even if just a bit. I got #1 a week ago and haven't had any changes. I'm not scheduled until November, but my dr said to call if I felt like I needed it earlier. You can bet I'm callin' him soon!

So...turns out that I cannot run for 60 seconds more than about 3 times during the 20 minutes, and that doesn't mean 3 intervals in a row either. That's ok with me! I'll be looking forward to 4 some time this week. Slowly, but surely, I'll be gettin' there :tt2: Lanakila

Bad is such an ugly word. You clearly made some "poor" food choices today, but "bad" is way too harsh. We all have these days and certainly understand. Some of us make poorer choices than we are supposed to but you can change the way you think about it instead of beating yourself up, k? Today you made some poor choices, but it is nothing compared to the excellent choice that you made to choose a tool to help you get through it. Think about how this kind of eating used to be your regular eating. Chalk today up to experience...and smile!

My hairdresser said to take Biotin, but that if I didn't take Folic Acid with it then it wouldn't help at all.

Oh Thank Goodness...I am finally on the move! I'm down 4.4# this morning. I got a fill on Monday, but I don't know how much of this loss is actually due to that. I've been really busy this week with work because a new boss started Wednesday. I've been working like a crazy woman to get the food, decorations, and presentations done for that. Tonight our department holds our annual Oktoberfest gathering, so I've been cooking like a whacko for that too. Fortunately, cooking doesn't bother me one bit. With the hectic schedule, there have been several days where a meal was a stick of cheese and some kind of meat cold cuts. Hubby and I haven't been cooking our own dinners, so it has been more of a "fend for yourself" meal. I like eggs!

First fill on Monday. No restriction, even the first day.

Three meals, no snacks. Eating snacks in between ends up making your entire eating pattern a grazing, which my doc is firmly against. He is of the belief that grazing is contrary to how the band is intended to work.

I'm in for the C25K. I doubt that I can do it in 9 weeks, so I'll reserve the right to run one by Christmas instead. I'm an official couch potato, so I think that running for 60 seconds more than once let alone 8 times isn't realistic at this point. It's likely that I'll have to work for a few weeks before I can even get to the Week 1 plan. I'll have to go poking around online to find out what kind of Holiday races are going on around here. Maybe if I go ahead and have an event to aim for it will help. Thanks dwrd for trying to kick into gear and for inviting us along! p.s. How's the Mrs. doing? UPDATE: Here's a December 14th race that I'll aim for. It's in Chapel Hill, which is only about 30 minutes away.

Oh Dear God! There is no way that I could make it 8 weeks without a fill. I feel soooooooo sorry for you. I'm eating probably 80% of what I ate before the band. 1000 calories a day...forget it! Not gonna happen! I'm starving! I have no restriction and, as history has shown, I have no willpower after about 3 or 4 weeks on any diet. I was able to talk my doctor in to seeing me for a fill at 5 weeks instead of 6. I have a new boss starting October 1st and I didn't want to be out of the office that first week. I go Monday! I'm praying that I'll be one of the "lucky" ones and that my first fill helps at least a teensy bit. I see where some folks have just gotten their 2nd and are only now starting to be limited a little. My band, Stanley, is probably going to turn out to be a very naughty little band-boy and want 5 or 6 fills before he is happy. It would be just my luck. Hang in there sister...we're better off than we were a year ago! Lanakila

Check with your gyn. I didn't go to the regular doc much, but had those records for every year. Here are the questions that I had written down for my dr. What do you use to close the incisions? Mine uses Dermabond glue. Will I get a heparin, or another anticoagulant shot? What do you use for post-op pain management while I am at the hospital? What will you give me for post-op pain management after discharge? Can I have that prescription now (this was my pre-op appt) so that I can fill it before surgery? Do I take my regular meds the day of surgery? When do I see you again? When do you generally do the first fill? Do you fill under flouroscopy? How soon can I have sex? (for me, 1 week at least and then as tolerated) How soon can I shower? When can I hit the treadmill again? When can I do weight machines again? How soon can I drive? In the last two years, how many "open" procedures have you had to do? (I should have asked this earlier...but he had zero so it didn't really matter) How should my caregiver contact you after surgery if there are any problems? Hope this helps!

Very, very well said Heartfire!

Crud! I forgot to weigh this am. I'll post tomorrow. Ro, I feel ya on the "even" for the week and no restriction. I've had that the last two weeks, and will be SUPER happy if I didn't gain during this one! First fill on next Monday, but I'm not real encouraged. So many folks say that after the first day or two they still don't have any restriction. :tongue2: Makes me want to pay the PA off to push in a little extra. :wink2:

Rena, I chose the band because I had a BMI of 50, high blood pressure, and apnea. My mother developed diabetes a couple of years ago, and I have a long family history of heart disease. I was married last year and with the last 35-40 lbs I picked up I lost a lot of energy and physical stamina. I couldn't garden for long at all, couldn't take walks on the greenways without stopping at every bench, and was just plain disgusted with my appearance. Funny, because until a few months ago I had an impression of my size that was much, much smaller than I thought. I thought that I looked like I wore a 22, but I actually wore a 26. I had always completely ruled out a bypass. The whole malabsorption thing was really unappealing. I had seen the commercials on tv, but didn't really look in to it until early May. I was leaving for a long vacation, so I scheduled my consult for the end of June. Come mid-July I was all done with pre-op appointments and had approval from my insurance. I work at a University, so I couldn't really fit the surgery into my schedule until late August. I could have done it in early August otherwise. I was banded on August 28th by Dr. Moran. Because I have sleep apnea, the anesthesiologist required me to stay overnight. The surgery was very quick, and I was fortunate to have a VERY easy recovery. My surgery was on a Thursday, and I went back to work the following Tuesday (Monday was a holiday). Dr. Moran does things slightly differently from the other local surgeon, so I didn't suffer any of the gas problems, and have always been able to "drink" instead of "sip". Anyhow, I've lost a total of 15 lbs. I didn't have a pre-op diet. I'm not hyped up about that loss, but at least I haven't gained. I don't have any restriction at all, since the only Fluid that they put into my band at surgery was enough to fill the tubing. I'm back on regular food now and haven't had any troubles. I'm neither gaining nor losing. I go for my first fill on the 29th. In the "big picture", I'm actually ok with the 15# in a month. Shucks...I've lost less on traditional diets! As you can tell, I'm chatty. :rolleyes2:

You folks might be interested in the technical aspects of how to measure a fill that I posted on http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f183/got-my-first-fill-75679/ You might be wrong if you think you have 6 cc's in your band, but you should always ask your doctor about the details (see the thread).

The volume of the tubing is not counted in the volume of the band. This means that a 10cc band holds 10 cc's in the band itself, not the band and the tubing.

Don't believe that since the dr put in cc's during surgery that you have any kind of restriction! In most cases, that volume only fills the tubing from your port to your band so that your first fill actually goes into making the band tighter. You may be fooling yourself into believing that the band isn't working for you before your first fill. Other than the first week or so when your stomach is swollen it's not likely that the band itself is doing anything for you at this point. Like I said, this is in most cases...but you can ask your doc if you have questions. My PA told me that I got 4 cc's at sx, but that it was to prime the tubing only and that the dr doesn't put in any for restriction until the first fill. They don't even count that volume when they record the volume that I have at any one time, since they start from '0' before the first fill.

Welcome to the boards! I found so much information here, and have made some great friends. I've even found folks who live close to me, one just over a mile! Enjoy exploring and feel free to write if you prefer.

You guys are AWESOME! Congrats on the trousers, and your continued will. Gary, I'm feelin' you on leaving off of the bubbly stuff. I had to knock the Diet Pepsi habit, and am missing my Oktoberfest variety beers...but, as you mentioned, nothing tastes as good as buying new pants feels!!!