YngGram

I got my band on 3/9/09 the loss has be steady and got it up to about 43lbs. as of the last of the month; the first time I have been under 200lbs. in about 15 yrs. I now find that things are changing. Foods that I ate the week before cause me to PB or I can have something for lunch but can't keep it down at dinner.

I felt that as a tool, the bypass didn't have enough options to really help me. I didn't want to just be left with a smaller place to put food that could easily over time be stretched and become useless to me. I have been over filling the original one for years. I hope that band adjustments will help me to learn to eat less and be satisfied over a period of time.

I understand and I am there with you. I got my band on 3/9, I have only lost about lbs. since that time. My problem is me. I am not measuring my food, and I am making some bad choices. I have had 1 fill and do have some restriction, but it is not the same with all foods. Life is really getting in my way with this. I have lost enough to come down from a size 22 jeans to a 14. This is a good thing, but since I can see progress I am not working at it as hard as I should. I haven't been hungry, but I am an emotional eater. I am often with others who are eating junk food and I start to nibble mindlessly. Write down the amounts and what you eat for a few days. You may be eating more than you realize, or making wrong choices. Drink enough water, it helps with loss. Keep working at it, holding is better than gaining. Talk to the nutritionist for some ideas.

CONGRATS!!!! I am a shortie at 5'2" and just last week I figured out that now at 201lbs. I am still obese. MY FEELINGS WERE HURT! Just got to work harder here. Great job.

Are you getting in enough water? I read that it makes the kidneys work the best way and that aids in weight loss somehow. It also helps with fuller feeling.

I am 2 months out, and I am so happy I did the band. Baby food doesn't have the type of nutrients we need as adults, or the taste. For mushy stage well cooked veggies were recommended for me, I stayed away from the taters cause I like em to much. I made changes before the surgery so I wouldn't have to make them all at one time and put to much stress on me. I gave up my southern tea and soda in Nov. and loss 4lbs. in one week. I tried to start making better food choices, eating smaller portions and not drinking with meals. Later I did some meal replacements with Slim-fast and Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks and really pushed to get in more water. When I started the liver shrink diet for 2 weeks, I was OK. I wasn't hungry then, and I haven't been since the surgery. I think the water helps to keep the hunger at bay. The Crystal Lite type drinks, I use the Wal-Mart brand, have been a life saver. They taste good, and no calories. I am really glad that I eased into the changes, I didn't feel deprived when I "had" to give things up. Good luck

Get a good night's sleep, (yeah, right). Think of the joy to come. Get up and moving as soon as you can, and keep moving. The gas will be rough, but moving helps. Don't baby yourself but don't push to hard. Good luck and happy thoughts.

Rant accepted!! I am on the other side..almost. I have lost about 39 lbs. and have gone from a 22 jean to a 14. Outside of the family only 1 person has noticed. I can see that my face is smaller and many of the "rolls" are gone. My take on it is that people don't really look at others who are overweight. We seem to be invisible to them for some reason we are just overlooked and it has become a habit. Like the women with large breast, most other people can tell you Kate has large breast, but can't describe her face!!! If she grows another head her sister would have to tell all the other people. Now for Tom, his brain is somewhere in a planter. People like him think "friendship" gives them open reign.. "My best friend is fat, but he's a good guy anyway." Don't worry about the butts out there. I told only 1 outside of family before the surgery and only 3 others since. They got let in because they freaked when I said I was having surgery. They know I have a history of cancer. I am not ashamed of the surgery or the need for it, I just didn't want to be watched and I didn't want to hear, "I thought you would loose more than that. Do your thing, listen to your Mom (we are ALWAYS right), enjoy your progress and to _ _ L L with all others.

Not an hour ago I was lying on the bed looking at the little hill and thinking that it looked like I was giving birth to an alien! It is a small mound but it is there and noticable, doc says it is a low profile one. I have had a port before and it wasn't like this. It was between my shoulder and breast but I had to feel for it. Good to know there are others lke me.

It does take some time and I feel that mine is still not completely gone and it's been 2 months.

I think that the natural sugar is the issue. I am allowed to have some fruits but was warned about the high contet of natural sugars. You may want to ask if you can add some to protein drinks sometimes for flavor and a change.

OUTSTANDING!!!! My daughter took me shopping for MD and bought me a size 14 jeans. I haven't been a 14 anything since she was a baby and she was born in 1980!! I remember loosing after my youngest and being happy to get down to an 18. Great job and keep it going.

hey hkitty or HI NEIGHBOR!! I am down the road and round the corner. Sorry you not feeling the best but it does get better. I will confess to being one of the lucky ones. I was overnight at the hospital and I went out the first night home and the next 3 nights. My doc put in a slow delivery pain med system and I had no (body)pain, just gas pains. I tend to push myself just because I always have. You don't have to get out like I did, but you do need to move as much as you are comfortable with to help with the healing. The gas just can't be explained!!! It woke me from a dead sleep the second night home. Moving around is the only thing that really helped me with that. I would just walk from room to room to ease it. Now I will get gassy if I eat to quickly, which happens often. Husband is getting a little tired of that one. About 2 weeks after surgery I woke up tired one morning and was like that all day for about 3 days. Doc said it was a reaction to the surgery slightly delayed. Follow the instructions your doc gave and listen to your body. Congrats and good luck. Like I said I am close by and any time you need to vent I will be there for you. Hit me a PM and I will give you my info so you can contact me if you want.

I thought it was stuck if it came back up? I have had both to happen and it is awful. If I can burp and ease it the time involved is about 3 minuets, but if I can't it is no less than 10 minuets of pure agony! There are sweats, head pain, stomach pain and my throat feels like it's being ripped. Right until I slim something up.

I noticed last night that many people are on liquids for a month after surgery. I only had 1 day of clear and then 1 week of full liquids. During this time I still had the weight from the "surgery gas" I was about 6 lbs heavier the day I left the hoptial. I think I would have lost more if I had been on liquids that long. I would have also killed somebody. I was never really hungry. Also as I started mushy foods and later added the solids the scale stopped moving. Once my body adjusted to the new stuff I started to loose again. I have lost 20lbs. in the 2 months since surgery, my total is 39 lbs. since meeting the doc for the first consult in Nov.

Dang, another thing that I am not getting right. I doubt that I'm getting enought water. I get liquids, but don't focus on water.. next I started taking an Iron tablet, expected stools to be dark and hard. This is the norm with me and Iron. However, I swear my urine had a dang green tint to it about the 3rd day. I stopped for a couple of days and just started back up. If it happens again I will just stop. Who knew your pee and poop could be wrong?

This is a great idea, IMO. I When I finally made up my mind to do this back on Nov. 17th I started to make changes. I kwen I had to learn how to do this. First I gave up sweet tea and soda, replaced with Crystal Lite type drink. I lost 4lbs. the first week, I had to work hard to get in more fluids. Next I changed some food choices, then worked on portions and using a smaller plate. I then added a slim fast meal daily. By Feb. 29 I was down from a size 20/22 jean to an 18. By the time I started my liver shrink diet at the end of the month I had learned to eat yogurt and cottage cheese (not often)and had tried out some protein drinks; and I had given up the pop corn I had been chowing down on nightly. Surgery day I had lost 19lbs., the most ever without being on a diet and working my body really hard. With the surgery I picked up about 6lbs. and it took some work to get it off. I think it's the gas they pump in but it didn't just go away; adding food back in I think the body holds onto it more because it doesn't know what you just did to it. Two weeks of a high protein diet (for me) then a week of full liquids (slim fast & protein shakes) week of soft food. I did a little treadmill time, but nothing regular. I am now almost 2 months post-op and have lost a total of 39lbs. and can wear a size 14 jeans. I still can't get myself to the gym but I am working on it. I have not been hungry and now that I can have "regurlar" food, the big deal is to chew well and eat slowly. Had a couple of bad episods with that, still learning.:thumbsup: The lesson is a hard one but I tend to just do things to quickly. Good luck to you, yes it is worth it all.

YES!!! You do change, however who you are doesn't. Therefore, IMO you won't do anything at say 140 that you didn't WANT to do at 240. I am down about 39lbs. since I made the decision to do lapband back in Nov. I have gone from a size 22 jean to a 14, I am so happy with me I can barely stand it. I was just talking to my husband last week about how some of the women seem to morf into wild women and that I didn't understand where it came from. He said that I didn't because I have always been so sure of myself and because I made this choice for health reasons. I have been married for 31 years and don't have plans to go anywhere, I love him, he knows. I will slide into the 100's soon and have made him some big promises, hopefully I really do have the energy to carry them out. As I have moved through this I have talked with my husband, keeping him a part of what is going on.

Hi Robert, sorry to hear you are having problems, but it does get better. I am almost 2 months post-op. First, are you following the diet your doctor gave you? IF you can have oatmeal try some, it might help "dry" you out a little. You know liquid in liquid out. As you move through the stages your body will make changes. For the gas all you can do is walk it out, and pass it. I was really bad and worried that it would always be that way, but it slowly went away and I could be around others. I still get gassy when I eat, but not all the discomfort. Walking just helps you to heal as well. What I feel at my large incision is the port, I hope that will go down some as I lose and continue to heal. The swelling and soreness is different for each but, I have been told it takes almost a year for the full process. Do what the doc says and you should be just fine, the early stages are hard for many, I was lucky and could sleep but a couple of nights the gas woke me. :thumbup:

The band does not stop ALL hunger, it isn't supposed to. It allows you to be full sooner with less, and with good choices will keep you full longer. Don't drink until you should. I have had 1 fill, and I haven't been hungry. I haven't been since I started the pre-op, however I remind myself to eat when I should so that I don't get overly hungry and can't make the good choices (how I got overweight). I don't think about food until I am making a meal choice. I don't log my food, so I must think about what I have had in the last few meals. I want to make sure I am getting a variety of foods. Keeping up with my liquids seems to keep me in line. I must start my day with liquids because I am to tight to make my first meal solid. Just hot tea is enough to get me going till lunch of salad or my treat of pasta (3-4 noodles) tossed with a meat and Spanish tomato bullion.:thumbdown:

It comes off of each of us differently and different styles and fabrics fit differently. I lost about 12lbs. before my pre-op diet and got into an 18 for the first time in about 4 years; that was on the 28th of Feb. I was at 228lbs. I have now lost a total of 38lbs. My daughter took me Mother's Day shopping on Sat. and she bought me some size 14 jeans that fit really nice. However, we couldn't find anything Khaki that would even come close to fitting under an 18 (which I wouldn't try on). Some tops fit that are large, and others won't go over my breast (which are smaller). Check your measurements and I bet they are going down. My face is slimmer and I can see it. Other the few people that know I had surgery only one person has commented that I lost weight. Try some things on in smaller sizes and I think you will be happy

I am green, salads with turkey, little red meat, brocolli often. Eating shrimp and some tuna. I have never been an 8 hr person cause I am a night owl. I am walking I just don't have energy I didn't get the pills cause I remembered that they have made me constipated in the past. It might just be in my mind, housemates not pulling their weight and I think my mind is fighting them. I feel good otherwise, I will talk with docs involved andI will get some bloodwork done next week.

I find that I am a little run down. 6-7 hours of sleep and I still can't get anything done. I sit all day planning what I need to do, just can't get it done. Couple of people suggested taking an Iron pill so I got some tonight. I am doing my vitamins daily with 1200 mg additional calcium and Biotin. Anyone else have this problem and what did you do to work throug it?

I was banded about 6 weeks ago and I really didn't find the pre op to hard. I had cut back on my own slowly over a few months. However, what made it easier was that what I was allowed to have was enough that I was never hungry. Carnation Instant Breakfast, Slim Fast Shakes, lean meat, veggies and a sandwich daily. I worked really hard to get in the fluid, I had to time myself to drink water. I didn't eat with my husband because of a crazy schedule he keeps and if I kept to my own schedule of eating about 4-4.5 hours I was good. I was more bored with the food than anything. Drinking something coffee flavored has always satisfied me so I sprikled instant coffee in the shakes in the morning. Follow what the doc gave you and you will be ok. I lost about 18 lbs in 2 weeks on mine.

I love the chew thing, the texture thing and it hits me at night. Celery sticks or carrots work but lots of chewing needed. I have a coffee like drink to keep me in line. If I use Swiss Miss I go with half water and half skim milk with a little freeze dried instant coffee. Coffee tastes makes my hunger go to sleep, don't know why it works. Before the band I woud just make coffee, but I must have cream and lots of sugar so I had to make this change. The Mini Delights (Rice Cakes) from Quaker Oats in Popcorn flavor if things don't settle down the way I need or if I am craving salty. They are about 90 calories a pack.