Catherine55

I was worried too. I hadn't really understood about "Bandster Hell" . . the period between where you get on regular food and before your first fill. The truth is that you will basically be able to eat just like you did before during that time (so be careful! They call it "Bandster Hell" b/c you had the surgery, but your band isn't really working yet). For me, it was a relief to know that I could be just like before simply by taking out the fill. Of course, since my weight has started going down, I haven't wanted to take out the fill. The band works wonderfully and I love it. I still found it comforting in the beginning to know that I COULD take out the fill though, if I really hated it. Hang in there -- you are going to be fine, and I bet that in a months, you'll be singing your band's praise along with the rest of us! :thumbdown: Best wishes, Catherine

Cool! I had the two-incision surgery and was really happy that my Dr. was able to do that. I am sure that it really cut down on the post-op pain (plus, I could wear jeans right away, etc.). I have one scar that's about 1.5 inches, and one wee teeny one above it (there are photos on my blog). BTW, Epiderma is great for helping to fade the scars.

It's hard not to get at least a little petty satisfaction out of this! :thumbdown: I have a wedding in late July where I will see my ex-BF. . and probably a girl he started dating a few months after we broke up. At least I will go there knowing that I'm (by then) 50+ pounds down and looking healthier, more toned, and just plain better than I ever did when we were together! If I said that I didn't think I was going to get some major satisfaction from that, I'd be lying! :laugh: Catherine

I had organic baby food (veggie ones) during that phase -- went down just fine & satisfied my veggie cravings!

Congratulations!! I just put a post on my blog in the last week or so about my pre-op journal and the things I did to get ready. I included my post-op plan for success and an eval of the pros & cons I listed before surgery. Feel free to take a look if you think it would be helpful! Best wishes for a safe surgery & easy recovery! Catherine

Welcome to Bandster Hell! Do your best to stick to a healthy diet and don't try to eat to your limits. Otherwise, you'll just have more weight to lose after you get to restriction. Hang in there! Definitely work with your doctor to get to a good fill level! Best wishes, Catherine

Have to agree -- spicy works just fine! I still use hot sauce, peppers and such pretty liberally! Catherine

I never thought I'd be so happy to be. . .OVERWEIGHT! However, as of this morning, my BMI finally hit 29.7, so I'm officially out of the "Obese" category and am now at the high end of overweight. Honestly, who knew that being "overweight" would feel so good?! :thumbup: Catherine

Mine is a LOT less. I used to buy breakfast and lunch out every day, and now I mainly bring food from home, which is the biggest part of my savings. I also save on overall grocery bills. Last week, it took me 2 dinners to get through one WW Smart Ones dinner, and I still didn't finish it. In the past, I would have had a whole one and been looking for a snack later!

This is definitely part of the reason I kept my surgery private. What a nightmare! I'd had that experience when I told people I was dieting in the past, and it's just no fun at all. Maybe it will help if you explain that the LB is for a slow, safe & healthy loss rate -- about 1-2 lbs per week. Adjust some expectations so they will stop bugging you! Good luck! Catherine

You're doing great, Jennifer! Unfortunately, I've been stalled for about 2 weeks. I am pretty sure it's due to this crazy Boot Camp workout I've doing 3x per week for the past 2 weeks. Hopefully the muscle I've been putting on is what is holding the scale at 186. . and that the scale will start moving again soon! I do see that my body is changing for the better with all of the exercise though, so that's at least something good! I'm still hoping for 175 by July 25th though -- if the scale will just cooperate a bit, I should still be able to get close! Nonetheless, I'll be happy as long as I'm a One-Seventy-Something by then. :thumbup: Catherine

No regrets at all -- I love my band. It's been a huge help to me, and I feel better than I've felt in years. My surgery was my first time in a hospital since I had my tonsils out at age 5, but it went really well and my experience was very good. I blogged recently about the pro/con list and pre-op plan for success that I made before I had my surgery -- feel free to take a look if that would be helpful to you! Best wishes, Catherine

How tall are you? 178 doesn't sound too bad to me!

I didn't give up caffine -- just carbonated beverages (though the few times I've had champagne post-op, it was totally fine). I did give up Diet Coke and Pellegrino water though. . As for the diet, I don't have any foods that I absolutely can't eat. I think that the things that give you trouble vary from time to time. The last time I had steak, it was a no-go, but the next time I try it, it may go down just fine. I just put a long post on my blog about the pro/con list I wrote out before surgery and how (7 months later) I now feel about those things. Take a look if you're interested. I was happy to find out that most of the things I was worried about were non-issues. Catherine

If you are on a liquid diet for a while, I'd recommend cooking a few different soups and freezing them in individual ziplock containers. Soup is really easy to make and you can puree it in a blender. I have a few good recipes in my blog (butternut squash, zucchini, a yummy mexican chicken soup) if you're interested. That helped me to keep things interesting on my post-op liquid diet. I didn't feel too denied, since I really liked the soups. Catherine

That was my favorite of the band books I bought, too. I thought it was great -- very informative and well-written, with a great format.

I was updating my blog tonight and went back to my pre-op journal to see how it relates to my experience and how I am doing. One of the best things in there was this Plan for Success that I wrote out. Here it is, verbatim, with my comments from today following each item. I thought it would be interesting for us all to share ideas on what things we can do to help ourselves to succeed! Add anything you want to this string! Plan for Success: In reading one of my "band" books tonight, I came across an article that said that having a game plan can really improve my chances for success. I've been thinking of a few things I can do, but hadn't really formalized a plan. So, here goes: THINGS I WILL DO TO HELP MYSELF SUCCEED: - Tell family and friends about the surgery so that I will have a support network (and won't feel weird when eating with them) - (DONE!) - Commit to staying exactly on my pre-op Clear liquids diet - (DONE!) - Commit to the post-op plan of 2 weeks full liquids, then 2 weeks of soft foods - (DONE!) - Think of ways to Celebrate my birthday with friends where eating won't be an issue (maybe a girl's day at Ohm?) - (DONE! Had a great time at Ohm Spa, by the way!) - Hire a personal trainer as of 11/08/08 (I didn't do this on schedule, but I did hire the trainer and recommitted to exercising in a serious way . . see bruise photo from previous post!) - Keep good, correct foods in the house. (DONE!) - Avoid alcohol to the extent possible. (I could be better about this to be perfectly honest. . is just such a big part of my social life that it's hard to really avoid, plus I love a nice glass of wine) - Commit to taking SMALL bites and chewing until food is dissolved (DONE! I'm not perfect, but I do a pretty good job at this) - Commit to small sips (Honestly, this hasn't been all that necessary) - Commit to avoiding calorie-filled beverages (DONE! Well, except for wine!) - Journal/blog regularly and chronicle your success -- AND admit it if you mess up (DONE! And is an on-going part of my plan!) - Look for NSVs if/when your weight plateaus (I'm doing this!) - Try out the support group at NYU (I haven't done this, but I feel like LBT and the people who I know through my blog do what I would have hoped a support group to do) - Be proactive about your care -- don't wait so long for a fill that you gain weight. (DONE!) - Measure yourself periodically and write down your measurements (DONE!) - Know that this is not going to be easy, but that this will be worth while. And, know that this WILL be easier than staying on a diet on your own for a whole year, then maintaining your weight long-term. (So true -- and I do fully know that.) - Try to notice NSVs (like less foot and back pain) as they occur (DONE!) - Make mini-goals for yourself, e.g. 10 lb goals, and feel free to reward yourself with facials, massages, nice mani/pedis, etc. (Oh believe me. . DONE!) - Go through your closet and "size" it so that you won't miss wearing cute things that you like on the way to goal (DONE!) - Don't read too much about negative/failure stories on the lap band chat rooms. (DONE! I do read some of those stories, but I don't get sucked in, which accomplishes my fundamental objective.) - When you start going to restaurants again, do trial runs with your friends who know about the surgery (plus, will be fun). (DONE!) - Don't get disproportionately upset if any of your good friends don't understand, say the wrong thing, etc. They love you, and no one is perfect. (Honestly, my friends have been pretty freaking amazing. I'm very lucky in that way.) - Focus on your other hobbies and interests (Get new letterpress projects, enjoy the Van Gogh course at MOMA) - (DONE! Unfortunately, the Van Gogh course was totally sold out, so I never did get to take it, but I've been spending more time on my hobbies, which is always very enjoyable). I hope that was helpful

Don't forget the Inamed 5 cc band! That's what I have. I think it's the main one that my doctor uses -- Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey, who is wondeful!

Get some turkey chili and nonfat greek yogurt. . blend up the chili until it's liquid and add in the yogurt as "sour cream" . . is delish! I also love cottage cheese, so I did a lot of blended cottage cheese (adding skim milk to thin it out) during my liquids phase. I'd also blend up a banana with skim milk to make a yummy "sauce" for the cottage cheese -- it was paradise after the clear liquid diet! Also, my doctor let me have fat free/sugar free Jello pudding during the liquids phase, so I had plenty of that chocolate pudding on hand from post-op through at least the mushies phase. I'm tired of it now, but it totally satisfied my need for a treat for the first 2-3 months. I hope that helps! Best wishes, Catherine

I'm not sure what the right answer is here, but I will say that I've felt a little heartburn here and there. It's been maybe 2 months since my last fill (so funny. . I'm Catholic and this totally sounds like Confession to me. . . "Forgive me doctor, but it's been two months since my last fill. .") My heartburn-ish feeling is pretty light and not problematic at all, but I was a little concerned about it. Will be interested to see what our more experienced fellow bandsters have to say about this! Catherine

That is amazing!!! Go, you!!! I know how good you are going to feel the day you see that 199 on your scale -- and it's probably going to happen this week!!! So exciting and wonderful. Welcome to Onederland! Catherine

Maybe it's because I've been in NYC for so long, but I firmly believe that every single person who is open to going to therapy can benefit from it. Go for it! Try it out, and if it's not for you, you don't have to keep going. I seriously think of therapy as a little luxury I do for myself. . like a mani/pedi for the psyche. It's so nice to have an hour to just b*tch about or contemplate whatever is on your mind. I find that it helps me get my own thoughts in order, check my perspective, and is a good block of time to figure out how I want to handle difficult situations. I once spent an entire session figuring what I'd say to a former boss (who I felt should be advancing me more quickly) in a review. Then, when the time came, I was able to be articulate, advance my points, and behave really professionally and unemotionally. I know that's not strictly relevant to your issue, but my guess is that you are going to find that therapy helps with a whole host of things, in addition to the self-sabotage issue. Hang in there! Catherine

I have never regretted it, not even for a moment. This is one of the very best decisions I've ever made, and the effort to work with my band (e.g. planning meals & some occasional mild discomfort) is nothing compared with how amazing I feel and how much better I look! I had some doubts pre-op, so I made a pro/con list. (I actually blogged about this at the time -- feel free to take a look -- link below). I also spoke with a friend who said something that really hit home -- she said "Catherine, regardless of whether you get this surgery, you are either have to accept that you are going to be overweight OR make major changes in your lifestyle/eating habits." I've been on enough diets to know that I don't have the stamina to stay on one for 7-8 months (which is how long I've been working with my band), much less to keep going after that point in order to keep off the weight. But, with the band, all of that feels so much easier. I hope that this helps you in your own decision -- definitely make a pro/con list -- it's a huge help (I even brought mine to the hospital with me on surgery day, just in case I got cold feet)! Catherine

I really loved this book -- Amazon.com: Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully: Robert Sewell M.D., Linda Rohrbough: Books It really told me so much about what to expect, the things I might experience, and I liked the set-up. They have short sections written by people with different perspectives -- doctors, other bandsters, psychologists, etc. I thought it was a great read, and it was my favorite of the 3 books I bought. I also read Fighting Weight, since my post-op doctor (I had surgery in Mexico) co-wrote it. Honestly, I liked the parts written by the doctors, but I really didn't relate to Khalia Ali very much, and I didn't find her part of the book to be that interesting. I hope that helps! Definitely get this book -- it's great. Catherine