NewMama29

Hello everyone! It has been awhile since I have posted, things have been busy, I have been working some super crazy hours at work (I got 108 in this last two weeks!) and school is taking every other free minute of my time. Hence the late posting. I spent a while catching up on everyone, it looks like you are all doing good. I need to get back to checking in, it really helps me to keep on track sometimes. Welcome Josh! You are absolutely amazing, and an inspiration. Keep up the good work! I have finally hit onederland! WHOOOO HOOOO!! But now, I have kind of stalled out. I think part of it may be stress and/or lack of sleep, I am always exhausted. I am hoping with another fill, it will pick up again. I just think the last fill was a little too much. I was tight for weeks, I think it was about 4 weeks before the pain in my left shoulder went away. I think it is time for another one, but I feel like I just got comfortable again. I am just afraid if I wait too long, I will not be able to eat for the holidays and I don't have anything to tell my family since only my hubby knows about the surgery. I have also been having ALOT of hair loss. Has anyone else had this? The last two weeks or so I get hand-fulls in the shower and any time I try to brush my hair. I think I am getting enough protein (I try for 60 grams/day) so I am thinking it may be my multivitamin. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was going to go to GNC tomorrow or Thursday on my lunch break but because we cannot swallow the horse pill vitamins, it really limits you. I am open to any suggestions if you can help!!! My birthday is coming up next month (the big 30!) and I wanted to do something special, but I feel very self conscious about my hair now. I want to get back on track ASAP! On the bright side, people at work are finally saying things to me about the weight loss and how good I look. I must say it really feels WONDERFUL! Since my own mother has not noticed! This is why only a few people know the truth. :w00t: Well, it is nice to see everyone is doing well, keep up the good work!! I will try to keep up with the posts so they are not so lengthy next time!

Let me know if you decide to try one in the evening. I work weekdays and go to night school Tues & Thurs until 10pm. But most other nichts I am open after 7pm central time. I would love to chat!

Well I have spent the last 30 or 40 minutes catching up and reading the posts for the last few weeks. I am in Pearland (just outside of Houston) and we were hit by hurricane Ike. We just got our phones (& internet) back last night!!:tt1: WooHoo!! I spent the first week in Dallas with my sister-in-law and her parents and the next week back in Houston with my parents. None of them know about my surgery, and I did not want to check this site on someone else's computer, so I have really missed the support. I have to say I fell off the wagon for a while there. I used to use eating as an emotional release for stress (and everything else), and I fell back into my old patterns. I could not fully indulge, of course but I found many things that I could 'slip' past the band. Anything to keep myself from thinking about what was happening and the clean-up ahead. I have been back home, and am slowly restocking the fridge, the good news is we had to throw away everything so I no longer have the 'temptations' waiting in the freezer "just in case". So this has helped me get back on track. With only two fills, I am still eating more than I should and I feel like I am getting hungry sooner. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. I think I am ready for my next fill, but I may have to wait a few months to get the $ to pay for it, since we have these other unexpected expenses come up. I must say I have missed the support from everyone, I think it really helps to check in every couple days, even if I don't post anything. Keep up the good work butterflies! This is such an amazing journey.:laugh:

Welcome Toochic72 and congratulations on your progress so far! Yes I was hungry before my first fill (and second one!) I actually ate a grilled chicken sandwich last week (bread & all) before my fill! I have not had any breads since June! Anyway, this is how I knew I was ready for a fill. Thank you very much for your reply, I did not realize it was the vagus nerve that created this pain. I feel better knowing this pain is ok, I just hope it will go away soon. The great thing is after my fill on Wed, I ahve not really been hungry at all. :lovechoc:

Orea, I have to say you are doing absolutely wonderful sticking to the diet your doctor gave you! You are doing so well on your weight loss journey! You are an inspiration! On another note I have a question for everyone: I just received my second fill on Wednesday. I now have 5cc's in a 10cc band. I feel more restriction than before, and I still have never experienced anything coming back up but I have been having terrible pain in my left shoulder. When I talked to the Dr.'s office, they said it was just gas pains and to take gas-x. Has anyone else had this experience? I had some pain in my left shoulder after surgery, but not after my first fill. I am just wondering if anyone else has had this?:lovechoc: The good news is when I was weighed on Wednesday, I have lost my first 25 lbs! That was very exciting, I have not been this "small" in years! :scared2:

My doctor told me that your hair can fall out if you are not getting in enough protein. I know every doctor is different, but mine recommends at least 60 grams a day. I would make sure you are getting enough protein and other vitamins.

Hello! I live in Pearland (at the edge of Friendswood) and I was just banded in July by Dr. Spiegel. I am looking for a support group that is closer to this area. I work full time and got to school most nights so I can't make it to any scheduled ones with Dr. Spiegel for now. I work in Clear Lake and have been in the area for years! I am just looking for someone else I can talk to! :cursing: Thanks!

Hello Barb! I am 29 and live in Houston, and I was banded in July. Like you, my family does not know because they would not understand. I mentioned "thinking" about getting banded about 6 months ago to my mother and I got this huge lecture about how dangerous it was and I should not resort to surgery to solve my problems. It was at that point that I decided I was not going to involve my parents at all! I have a few co-workers that are a wonderful support group and my husband took me to the surgery. Outside of them, no one else knows. You will find alot of support here too! Good luck and let me know if you need anything!!

Hello All! My goals are to get into Onederland (only 13 lbs to go!) and to walk at least 30 minutes a day. I am very lucky to work for a company that has a gym in the first floor of our building. So I have been doing good going down there on my lunch hour to walk on the treadmill. But because of my workload, I often skip lunch so I have been only going down 2-3 times a week. I want to make the time for myself each day and on the weekends too! I think this would help in seeing the results a little faster! Hey, does anyone know when we can incorporate weights back int our exercise? I was thinking the small ones (like 3 or 5 lbs) might work, just to prevent me from loosing all muscle tone! (or what little tone I have!)

Beverly Diane, My doctor told me I could not have regular peanut butter, which was a huge bummer for me! I have found some powered peanut butter that you add water to. I just add just a little bit more to make it a little runny and it goes down nicely! And the great thing is it only has about 53 calories for 2 tablespoons when regular (even sugar free) peanut butter has between 190 and 210 calories for the same amount 2tablespoons! It also help me get a little extra protein in!:biggrin: The website I order from is below if anyone is interested. Bell Plantation - PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter - Home

Mrs JJ, I feel like I am having a problem stopping myself from eating in the evenings too. I am not necessarily hungry, but I still want food. At work, I get real busy and time passes and I can get my mind off the food. It is just when I am at home and trying to relax that I want to munch something. I am trying to drink more water as well but it is hard to 're-train' my brain not to think about food. I had my first fill two weeks ago tomorrow and I have only lost 2 lbs since then. It is really hard to stick to the healthy stuff when I am not seeing results! :thumbup: The ladies at work (that I have told) all say they see a big difference even though I can't see it on the scale. I have really cut back my portions over the last two days to see if that helps. I am going to keep it up for a week and hope that I see results. It helps to know I am not alone in this! It is exciting to see how well everyone is doing, I can't wait to see real results! Thanks for listening! Jackie :biggrin:

Orea, thank you for the chili recipe! I feel like I have been eating nothing but chicken for the last two weeks and I need a change! :eek: I will be trying that one tomorrow! I am a little frustrated that I have not lost anything over the last 5 days. I was hoping with this fill, I would see results or feel more restriction.:w00t: I started back in the gym today, 25 mins on the treadmill! I really hope I see some changes soon! When I get frustrated, I just want all of the food I can't have! My doctor said I should be loosing about 3 lbs a week as long as I am eating right (and exercising:redface:). Thank you for listening, it is nice to know I am not alone in this. I really appreciate everyone's encouraging words!

I just had my first fill on Thursday, only 3 weeks after surgery. After about 10 days, I was finding that I was getting hungry quickly and 4 to 6 oz was just not filling me up anymore. I called my doctor and asked to move up my fill date. They said they could only move it up 1 week to 3wks. After my fill, my doctor put me on 800-900 calories a day. Since I have had my fill, I seem to be eating less but I am so afraid of over-eating. I have been working hard to stop eating when I am full, but I love food so much, it is sometimes hard. I just hope I can keep it up! I have not tried to go out to eat yet, I am afraid of all of the foods I love that I can't have anymore. :wub: I know this is just the beginning of our journey, but I am ready to really get going and see some changes! Keep up the good work everyone!:thumbup:

I was banded by Dr. Spiegel. I fought with my insurance company and my work for two years. After several appeals it looked like there was no way I could get covered so I started saving every penny I could. When I finally saved up what I thought would be enough, I checked both Dr. Spivak & Dr. Spiegel. I had heard good things about them both and my biggest concern was the safety of the surgery. I wanted someone who was experienced! Which is why I only looked at these two Doctors. Anyway, being a cash patient, I was also looking at price. Dr. Spivak was $1,000 more but he included 3 fills. Dr. Spiegel only charges $150 a fill so even with 3 fills, he was still cheaper. I am also looking for some advise on how/or if to tell my parents. I come from a family who are very overweight on both sides. Aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. I don't think we have anyone under 200 lbs. Anyway, I tried talking to my mom about 6 months ago when I decided I was doing this (I just needed the $) The only thing she would say is surgeries are not the answer, and I needed to just be more strict with my diet and work out more. My dad was diagnosed with Diabetes about 2 years ago and he went on a diet and list like 160 lbs by just eating better. But he is still about 300 lbs. Well, I was afraid she would talk me out of it so I quit talking to her. I have not even seen her since my surgery and she only lives about 10 miles away. I have two ladies I work with that are my parents age. I have been talking with them for months, told them about the surgery and they have been wonderfully supportive! So my question is should I just not tell my parents? I feel guilty hiding such a change from them but on the other hand, I don't want anyone making me feel bad about this!

Hi! My name is Jackie and I am from Houston, TX. I currently have one daughter but I am hoping to loose my weight and have 1 or 2 more! I have been overweight since high school and lost alot of it in college. My roommate & I encouraged each other & worked out daily. Then I graduated, got an office job, and blew up like a balloon again! I know there is a thinner, healthier me inside, I just need to find her! I was banded on July 10th but I have just been looking around and reading posts for a while. It is so wonderful to know that people are going through the same things as me. Although my husband is supportive, (for the most part) he has no idea how hard it is to be overweight. He is 6'2" and about 150 lbs.:scared2: But the good news is I had my first fill yesterday! I started on mushies about a week after surgery because I was getting hungry on liquids. I lost 9 lbs that first week but when I started eating mushies and then other foods like chicken & soft veggies. I only lost 4 lbs in those weeks, which was good but discouraging. In the last two days, I have lost another 3 lbs and I am excited again! Hopefully I will be back on food by the end of next week and starting the real journey! Thanks for listening and for all of your advice and support!:cursing:

Courtney: I had my surgery at True Results too. Everyone there is absolutely WONDERFUL! They explained everything in detail during my pre-op visit and also while they were prepping me for surgery. Once they got the I.V. in they let my husband & daughter come back to see me until they were ready to take me back to surgery. I was kinda of nervous too, but they are very encouraging there. :cursing: The only thing I would change was the ride home. My husband brought his truck and I could feel each & every bump on the way home. If I were to do it again, I would have him take my car for a little smoother ride. Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions, I know it helps me to talk to people who have been through it.

Hello! I am new to the site. I have been banded for three weeks now! I have been wanting this for two years and I am so ready to loose the weight! I am going in for my first fill tomorrow and a little nervous but I have heard it is not too bad. I have just been feeling hungry for about a week & a half now so I am ready to get my fill so I can loose some more!