*susan*

Hi Jewels and welcome to LBT! How long have you been on the pre-op diet? I know it is tough, but getting on the scale every couple of days and seeing the pounds come off sure helped make it a little easier.

Wow, you guys are doing great. It is awesome that you are doing this together!

Hi Kim, and welcome to LBT! The introductions thread is the best place to tell us about yourself. If you want to keep an ongoing record of your lap band journey, I would suggest starting an LBT journal. You can then decide if you want it to be for your eyes only, or if you want to share it with others. Have you checked out this forum yet? http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11 It has a lot of good information about surgeons, etc.

Hi Lori and welcome to LBT! If you haven't done so already, at the top of most of the forums are "stickies", check them out. They are loaded with valuable information.

I am with Leatha. If it comes down to choking to death and not damaging my band, or not choking to death and damaging my band, well....damage away!!!

Hi Lin, So glad you found us. Congratulations on your decision to get the band. Let us know if you have any questions.

Ok, take a deep breath and relax. First, when you had your first fill, did your doctor give you something to numb the area first? If not, ask him/her if they can this time, as it makes a huge difference. As far as school goes, just be careful about what you eat. If you are going to class, and eat before hand, try to do so at least an hour before. Also, eat foods that you know you have eaten before and you do not have problems with. And, as Aussie chick said, remember to eat slow and chew chew chew!!!! You should do fine.

I was on liquids for 10 days, mushies for a week and then full solids.

Mysherrijo, thank you so much for saying that. I agree 100% with you. LBT is where I learned so much about the band, found the support I needed and got me through my surgery. Everything has calmed down here and we are back to supporting one another and making friends again. I love LBT and plan on staying here!

Hey TheQueen, I just got my teal one from Inamed in the mail on Monday. They are pretty cool, and free too! I like it a lot.

Everyone is doing so good, this is great. I hope we do it again next month too. Eficka, I am going to see if I can find one of those scales somewhere, because now you have got me really curious! I am so excited, I got an email today that my ellipitical and ab lounger have shipped! 9/1: None 9/2: Ice Cream instead of exercise, bad me. 9/3: 30 minutes on the treadmill! 9/4: None 9/5: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/6: 45 minutes packing and moving heavy boxes 9/7: 30 minutes moving boxes and 30 minutes treadmill 9/8: None, was sick all day :sick 9/9: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/10: 30 minutes on the treadmill 9/11: No exercise, 1 hour washing, vacuming, cleaning out car 9/12: 30 minutes on the treadmill <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

That is wonderful news! The waiting game is almost over for you, and much sooner than originally anticipated. You seem to have the right attitude and I think you will do just fine. I have found even when I do make poor choices, my band works so well that I still lose weight by virtue of the fact that I can only eat a minimum amount of those poor choices. As far as the liquid diet goes, immediately following your surgery, you will be surprised to find that you probably won't be all that hungry. If you make sure to eat liquids with a lot of protein in them, that will help. Have you checked out our food forum? There are stickies on the various stages of eating in them and they have some wonderful suggestions of what to eat there.

If it is any consolation, for about the first six weeks after I was banded, I was a tooting freak. I never had so much gas in my life and it was embarrassing. Fortunately, after those first six weeks, the problem just kind of disappeared. I don't know what caused it and I don't know what I did to make it go away. I do know that I am glad it is gone. So, maybe yours will just go away too.

How do you go about calculating muscle?

I am about 4 1/2 months out and have experience no hair loss whatsoever.

:speechles :faint:

Hi Phil and welcome to LBT! I am so glad you found us, as we are here to help one another through this process and offer support, advice and friendship. I think many of us worry about how we will cope with the loss of our good friend, food. It is almost like going into mourning. But, the wonderful thing about the band is, as long as your band tolerates it, you can eat it. I am not following any diet plan. I do not count calories, carbs, fat or anything else. I do try to make wiser, healthier food choices. But, what is wonderful about the band is even when you don't make a wise choice, your band is not going to let you over do it. You will only be able to eat so much and then you will be stuffed. I have also found, since reaching proper restriction, that I just don't get hungry and crave foods like I did before. But, when I do crave something, I don't deprive myself, I go ahead and treat myself. That helps control those cravings and stops me from going overboard. I am sure you will do well with the band. It is a wonderful tool that I found has made my life very easy and worth living again. Best of luck with your pre-op diet. Please post often, let us know how you are doing, and don't be afraid to ask for advice. Also, please make sure to read the "stickies" that are at the top of almost every thread. They are loaded with wonderful advice that I think you will find helpful.

I don't have a problem with either one either. However, I am careful to make sure I always buy or order the better cut of meet, such as the filet mignon. They are much easier to chew to mush and get past the band.

I had my monthly appointment with my doctor yesterday and mentioned to him that I am unable to eat solids in the mornings. He asked if I ever notice when I wake up in the morning if my rings are tight and if I am a bit swollen around the ankels or anywhere else. I said yes, my rings are always tighter when I get up in the morning. He said some people tend to retain water at night and also get a bit swollen during the night. He said the same thing is happening to my stomach, that it also swells during the night, which is why my band is tighter in the morning and I am only able to get liquids down.

Sooo, is someone taking this over seeing Heathergurl and PhotoNut are no longer with us?

Boo, you can run? That is great. I have been afraid to even try that, haven't done it in years. If I were to do that right now, I don't care how good of a sports bra I am wearing, I just know I would have two black eyes! :omg: Ok, I didn't get on my treadmill last night. My car was a mess and I couldn't stand it anymore. So, instead I spent an hour washing my car, vacuuming, cleaning the interior, washing the windows and scrubbing some stains out of the seats. Does that count?

My immediate goal right now is to reach the 50 pounds gone mark. When I do, I am going to get a new tattoo. When I reach goal, I am going on a cruise. I will have some mini goals in between 50 gone and goal, but have not decided what my rewards will be just yet.

The biggest decision was the fact that the band is a much less invasive procedure and completely reversible. Nothing that God gave me has to be cut out, rerouted, etc. I will lose weight at a slower, healthier pace and not have to worry about malabsorption issues or dumping. I am sure if you go to gastric bypass boards, you will see as many people posting there about complications, dumping, etc. as you see here about pb's. Both have their pros and cons. You just need to research both and decide what is best for you.

Too late for me to offer any advice as you are probably getting ready to go into surgery now. So, instead I will just say good luck, I am sure everything will go well. Let us know how you are feeling as soon as you are up to it.

2 weeks and we were back in business. Although I did make sure he stayed away from my port area, as that was still sore.