LB4Life

Hello August All-Stars, It's been awhile since I've posted and I thought I'd check to see how everyone is doing. WOW I can't believe it's been almost 8 months now living with the band!! My weight loss has plateaued for the last two months and I wanted to see how everyone else is doing with their weight loss??? I've been doing lots of cardio/weight training and the scale is not moving, yet my clothes are fitting better, weird? I'm down 57 and am very happy, but wondering if this is an average place to be at this point? Anyone having a love/hate relationship with their scale? Have you hit a plateau and know how to help me kick it back into gear? Thanks!

I thrive for my home DVDs and they really get me through the winter months! I love the Turbo Jamm (kickboxing) and just recently I got the Core Rhythms (latin dancing). I enjoy both and the DVD packages come with a variety of 30/45min cardio and tonning for different body parts.

Thanks for all the advice! I guess the whole "tracking food dairy in the head" thing, just doesn't work for me :sad: I was writing it all down but then stopped awhile ago. I must start again and really keep track of what's going into my mouth. I do keep active with cardio/weight training 5-6 times a week so perhaps I'm having a few "extras" that I shouldn't. I think writing it down definately make me more accountable before it goes into my mouth :thumbup: The good thing is that I'm maintaining at the same number and not gaining, but each week it can be a little frustrating to see that same number on the scale. Back to it....I'm determined to kick it back into gear!

My doctor suggests no shakes after the 1 month mark (when back on solid foods) and the reason is due to the liquid passing over the band and not keeping you full as long as solid foods. I am just not a morning person so I make my protien smoothie and take it to work and sip it for about half an hour sometime longer. For sure I find a big difference and I'm hungry 2-3 hours later versus my lunch/dinner of solid food that keeps me 6-8 hours satisfied.....but in the end this is what works for ME. I follow all the Dr. rules but some suggestions I believe to be flexible to meet the needs of each person. Plus I find that my band is tighter in the AM so a liquid breakfast is great.

I've done Tae Bo (kickboxing workout) and it was pretty good. Most gyms have some version of a kickboxing class and they are my favorite. At home I've been using the Turbo Jamm DVDs which I LOVE! A couple weeks ago I bought the Core Rythms (latin dance moves) and it's great too! If I don't make exercise fun then I tend to slack off, so these work well for me especially in the winter when I don't want to go out in the cold!

I have a good medical leave plan at work so I took 3.5 weeks paid leave. I felt achy but able to function after about a week but two weeks were better to feel like a normal person again. I was glad to have extra time to get through all the post-op food stages and get back to normal foods and bodily functions - didn't want to deal with that at work!

I tend to mostly eat protiens, dairy, veggies and fruits first but when I do eat breads I will stick with dry/crunchy foods like crackers, pizza crusts or toast. I've had a couple bites of cake and chewed well and there was no problem. I've had three fills and I have tried many things. I also ate some lasagna I made (with much less pasta than normal and more veggies) but it made me feel sluggish and heavy in my stomach so I will not eaten that again.

I just bought my holiday groceries this week and have two big potlucks to go to next week. I am bringing a cheeseball - YUM! and crackers....but I will eat mostly the cheeseball, lots of protien and of course in moderation :sad_smile:

Sorry, new at this poll thing. Looking to see when people got their first fill, especially to see how all the August All Stars are doing and when they are/have gone? :thumbup:

I survived my first fill and it was a little more intense than I thought it would be, but my threshold for discomfort is HIGH so I made it :thumbup: The Dr. had a hard time finding the port site, so finally after the sixth try he got it and then I drank a glass of water then out I go. I don't feel or see any differences in my eating but it's only the first one. The area around my port site was a little tender for a week after too, I'm sure from all the probing and pushing on my abdomen. I apprently there was 4cc already there from the surgery, so he added one and now I have 5cc in my 10 cc band. Hope all the August All Stars are doing well - I'm doing great!

I was banded on August 21 and am scheduled for my first fill on September 26 (5 weeks post op), is this too early? I spoke with my nurse at the clinic and after telling her how I'm doing, she said it sounds like I need a fill, so I booked one. Just curious if others are getting their fills around this time. I thought we are not physicaly healed until six weeks? Any advice appreciated, thanks :thumbup:

I like to keep it as simple and easy as possible: how about adding protien powder to chocolate pudding? I use choc/PB protien powder and you could add it to the powder mix, or just buy the ready-made cups and stir into it. I also found this receipe in a weight loss surgery book from the library, sounds yummy, but I haven't made it yet: strawberry Ricotta Whip In food processor mix following until smooth: 2.5 cups strawberries, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 tsp grated orange zest, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 4 packets sweetner. Whip 6 tbsp egg white and 1/2 tsp cream of tarter until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the strawberry mixture. Pour into 4 small dessert bowls and chill overnight. The book says lap band patients can have this week 1+. Here's the nutritional breakdown: Calories 85.92 Protien 8.89g Fat 0.38g Carbs 14.01g Colesterol 3.83mg Fibre 2.41g Sodium 85.27mg

Great minds think alike Chicken salad with the spinich dip is very tasty! I also use the canned turkey to make a puree. Tostito also has a ranch dip that I'd like to try - YUM!

I'm on mushies now too and I find the "food and nutrition" section on this site very useful. There are food lists and a thread that people post what they have eaten each day (like an online food journal). From that thread I got a tip to use the tostito spinach dip with a can of chicken chunks - I puree it in the bullet blender and it's pretty good!

The drinking rule was confusing to me too and I'm following it now that I'm doing mushies. My Dr. says it's okay to stop drinking just before you eat (or 15 minutes) and start again 45 minutes after. Fluids go down easily and that's why some can drink up until the time you start to eat. I try to allow at least 5-10 minutes for the water to pass through the band, then I eat my meal, then I wait at least 45 min. before I drink again. Like everyone has mentioned, this rule is important so that we can make the most out of the band and allow our stomach to have that satisfied feeling. I think that drinking too soon after is very important, so that we don't wash all the food through the band. I do find it more challenging to get all my water into the day with this rule - but am getting at least 8 glasses.

Take a few deep breaths and you will do fine I had to fly out of province and I just thought in baby steps, like this: first I'll just get on this plane, then focus on getting unpacked at the hotel, then arrange my transportation to the clinic, next just think about changing into the gown, and tell yourself this will be over in a flash. Before I knew it I was waking up and heading back to my hotel. Everything went better than I expected and I was up and walking within a couple hours of getting back to my room. Just listen to your body and do what you feel is right. I was told to focus on rest the first day, which I did, but a few times I knew I HAD to get up and walk. Mind you it was a brief 5 minutes around the hotel lobby then back to my room for a nap, but it really helped to get the burps up and things moving, which made for sleeping much better. Time really does fly and before you know it everything will be over and you'll be on the road to recovery and begining a wonderful new way of living! Good luck

For me I had to fly out of province to get my band, so the after care and fills was a huge deciding factor in making my decision. At first I thought I'd have to drive 1.5 hour away to a fill Dr. (and me without a car) but if that was my only choice then I would find a way to make it work - I had reached the end of my list of options and need the band to help me with my weight loss, so I was willing to do just about anything! If I want to fly back to the clinic then they will do the fill adjustments for me at n/c but luckily they now have a Dr. that is only a 10 minute walk from where I live! Each clinic have their own list of fill Dr. that the surgeon has trained to properly do the fills and some will even train your own family Dr., if they go to the clinic for the training. Do lots of research and ask lots of questions about the follow up care and where/who does the fills - for me this info decided which clinic I chose. Good luck to you!

In the begining I too was a little weirded out that I'd have this foriegn object in my body - but was quickly reassured after reading these posts There are so many developments in the medical world and with all the other implants, for the heart, or artificial limbs - this is the same type of thing. I too was wondering if I'd feel the band or the port always letting me know that I had surgery - but for me I feel nothing! If it weren't for the aches and incisions I felt for the first couple of days, I'd say "show me an x-ray to prove I have the band, cause I feel no different". There were bearable aches in the port area for a couple of days but I never felt the band and now two weeks later I feel nothing - except the great satisfied feeling after eating only 1/2 a cup of food It's nice not to be starving all the time and not having to eat meals intended for 2-3 people just to get full.

Like mentioned already the gas in necessary to inflat your abdomen so they can manevour around your stomach area. In combination with the pre-op diet (not everyone follows) which is designed to reduce the size of your liver, these two things are needed for the surgeon to have a clear view of your stomach and easily slip the band into place. I spoke with my anestegiolist before the surgery and asked about the gas and if walking did anything and he said NO, the gas is deflated at the end of the surgery and any residual gas is gradually absorbed by the body and goes away on its own within a couple of days. I think there is confusion between the two types of gas (I was unclear before too) and the inflated gas is within the body and absorbed on its own and the digetive gas comes with the extreme changes in the post-op diet (liquids, mushies, etc.) and the walking helps with this type of gas only. On the second week when mushies are introduced then I had no more digestive gas. With regards to taking time off, I would take no less than one full week AFTER the surgery, and even then you will have general mobility limitations (ie. bathroom, shower, bending, getting up and down) are the most uncomfortable but can be done slowly. I would limit all activities, even work, for at least a week but if two is an option then you will feel soooo much better at that point. It's been two weeks today for me and I am moving better, incisions healed, back to normal, sleeping better, no gas, etc. Good luck!

It would be best to check with your own Dr. as each have their own recovery rules. Mine told me that NO ab workouts or weight training until 6 weeks after. They want you up and walking immediately, and encourage at least 30 minutes per day of walking in the begining. Then during the first month you can move to other forms of exercise but nothing that would be considered "intense workouts" where you can't talk and are out of breath. I would try to keep things low to mid intensity level until the six week point then gradually work your way up to other forms of exercise. Also, it would be a good idea to slowly introduce the ab and weights and give yourself a day or two of rest and recovery between each workout. Good luck!

I followed a two week pre-op diet consisting of: three Optifast shakes and 225 calories of "approved" veggies each day. I lost 14.5 lbs. in the two weeks and my surgery went very well. I recovered quickly, incisions healed well and had no shoulder gas pains.

Well I made it through and it went much better than I expected I flew to Toronto on Wed. then went to the clinic on Thurs. at 7:30 am. They asked me a few generic questions then took me to the back room to get my gown, hoodie to cover hair, and socks on. Then they took my blood pressure, tested the oxygen in my blood and I spoke with the surgeon and the anestegiologist. Then about an hour and a half later I hopped up onto the surgery table and they inserted the IV. My last thoughts were "they're not going to put ME to sleep!" and I was out like a light. Then when I woke up my first words were "wow was a sound sleep, I think I had dreams and everything". I was lucky to come around pretty quick and was up and walking about all day, for about 20 minutes at a time. I only had four incisions and didn't have to take any of the narcotic drugs they give you. The most useful items have been: the liquid tylenol to get through a few achy moments, and LOTS and LOTS of gas x. The strips are fantastic and in a yummy cinnamin flavor :banghead: I have no shoulder gas, just the digestive gas and hope this will subside by next weekend when I start the mushies. My flight home went well and I had to get up during the flight to keep the gas moving. The hotel and airline I went with, were very nice an accomodating throughout the entire time! I got home last night and dropped by my apartment to get my kitty and am now staying with a friend for two weeks (very nice home on the waterfront). So far I'm just a little bit achy and have MEGA gas, overall doing very well. I have long nights and am looking forward to getting a decent night sleep, I'm up 2-3 times and walk around for half an hour to keep the gas moving and relieve the pressure so I can sleep again. I am not hungry a all and am desperately trying to get something into my day. The first three days I only had water and on the second/third I had some soup (maybe 1/2 cup). Today, now that I'm back in a home with a kitchen I had 1/2 a package of Optifast for breakfast, 1/4 cup applejuice for lunch and plan on having a yogurt drink for supper. It's very difficult to get this all down ONTOP of all the water, but am doing my best :thumbup: I had a popsycle last night and it tasted friggn awesome!! Well I better go for another walk, then another nap - boy do the days seem so loooong when I'm not stuffing my face with food :hurray: Good luck to the rest of you that are getting banded this month!

maleliz, Why YES, this is me too Since my surgery on Thursday, I feel my heart beating so strongly that I see my chest and sometimes my belly thumping along, very weird. I can also feel and hear my heartbeat much more intensely than before my surgery. I'm guessing it's normal and that perhaps we are more intune with our bodies now. I also find that I'm getting lots of walking in so that tends to get the heart beating too. Before my surgery, for the last 5 months or so, I've had terrible discomfort in my right ankle and could not go for long walks anymore. Now and since I woke up from surgery, I no longer have ankle pain and am enjoying being able to walk around without hobbling about like an older woman (me being only 32 and all). They put those massage booties on my legs during the surgery, so I bet that has something to do with it

I have not had any burning feelings, but have had pressure between my chest, which is gas and burps trying to come up. The first one on the day of the surgery felt great! Now it's getting easier to burp but I still need to "self burp" by rubbing the upper part of my chest and tapping (like you would to a baby's back to get the burp up). For the first few days I had a strange feeling on my left side, near the port area, and I can only explain it as a form of muscle spasm. For all the general aches and fever I liked using the liquid Tylenol. The gas X is helping with the other issues Last night I was able to get a fairly decent night sleep and can now roll onto my side for short periods to release gas, then sleep more comfortable on my back for now (sorry if this is TMI). I believe if you are having any acid reflux then you can take chewable rolaids or tums, but check with your Dr. and nurses first. By day three I am allowed milk, so perhaps try to drink some of that and it might sooth the problem. Good luck

I'm getting excited and only have 4 days until I fly to Ontario to get my band! I am getting through the two week pre-op and am looking forward to being done with Optifast and having broths and soups! I am doing my final prep work this weekend and starting to pack, yeah Best of luck to everyone in August!!!