teacherica

Okay, I hit two knew lows today!. I am officially 245 lbs which I haven't been that low for over 2 years! My goal was to be 246 lbs by today and I beat that number! Also, I jogged 2.5 miles today non-stop. I'm hoping I will do this again on Thursday. My knees are sore though, so we'll see.

I enjoy: Fitting into old clothes I haven't worn in over a year Working out at the gym again Jogging miles instead of walking a few laps Watching my double chin go away No more obsessing over food No more sneaking food and feeling lousy about it Watching my husband buy into getting healthy too Having more energy for my baby girl

Thanks... I'm a scale obssessed over achiever..lol It's awfull:cursing: I have to relax and keep up with the good foods and stay focused !! I was wondering what does everyone eat for high Protein Snacks? I hat the protein bars because they are so high in Calories and I haven;t tried protein powder at all !! I like the Protein shakes from costco. They are 160 calories, 5 grams of carbs/sugar and 30 grams of protein which is great! They taste pretty good too, and they last a good hour to two hours before I get hungry again. I like them better than protein bars because the bars taste like carboard. I have also tried protein powder. I like to put 2 tbsp. of powder in a smoothie that I make at home. To keep it low calorie, I put in a banana, a cup of frozen mixed berries, a cup of skim milk and blend. No yogurt.

Heather, Hang in there. It is completely normal to have little restriction after 2 fills, even 3 fills. Just do your best and keep up the workouts and try to eat healthy. Maybe your Doc will give you another fill a little early. I jogged 2 miles today non stop. A big break through for me. Haven't done that for a LONG time. My knees are sore, but I know that I can do it now!

I can't believe just how things are falling together. My sister informed me that she signed up for a 1/2 marathon. It is in Newport Beach and will be in May. I am going to sign up for it too. I may be 245 lbs now with bad knees, but I think if I train, I can finish it. I may have to walk parts of it, but I will do it. I also know that I will not be 245 lbs in May. My goal weight is 215 lbs by 1/2 marathon time. If I train and keep eating healthy, I know I can make it. I am so excited. I've got to train!

I've been jogging until I get uncomfortable (about 1/2 a mile) than, walking a 1/4 mile, and then jog 1/4 walk 1/4 jog 1/4 and walk 1/4 for a total of 2 miles or more. I am trying to do this 2 days a week. I do this because I have bad knees. I will start weights next week. Today I am wearing a boxing shirt that reads "Fight Hard and Train HARDER". I think this concept can apply to a marathon too.

Be patient and do the best you can until your second fill. I too had almost no restriction after my first fill. My second fill is so much tighter. I can't eat solid food yet and it has been 5 days! What helped me get through between fills was doing my preop diet. I was successful on that and it kept me from gaining weight. Fill number 2 made a HUGE difference for me.

I too would like to know your training schedule. I have been wanting to do a half marathon too. I am about 250 lbs and losing. My goal is to eventually do a full marathon. I will do this one step at a time. I am a PE teacher, a former boxer/athlete. I would love to train for a half marathon, but I don't know how to get started.

Should I be worried? I've lost almost 10 lbs and it has been less than 6 days since surgery. I can barely drink 1 to 1 1/2 Protein shakes a day. I sip 1 cup of apple juice, I take 2 chewable Vitamins also. That's less than 350 calories a day. Will this last or will I be able to eat more soon? Thanks for your advice. Teacherica

I'm so glad I saw this post. I am in the same boat. I lost 11 lbs initially after surgery. (December 3rd) and I have not lost any more since. I saw my Dr. today and had my first fill. I have been hungry a lot today. The doctor said this is normal and I may need a few fills before I fill much restriction. I have been so depressed because I have not lost any weight for three weeks. Thanks for all your words of hope.

Margaret, Don't worry about not getting enough Protein. Just listen to your body. I started craving eggs, Beans and chicken. That told me that I need protein. So today, I ate mashed refried beans and felt so much better. I can only tolerate a little at a time and even though they say to drink 3 to 5 Protein shakes a day, I really am only drinking 1 to 2 a day. I am 8 days post op now. Just let your stomach heal and try to eat nutritious foods as tolerated. I am officially on pureed food and it is wonderful! About being hungry... I had a real hard time with psychological hunger - not real hunger. Try to be creative with the food/liquid you can eat. It will get better and easier to eat.

It took me 6 months to decide. I made sure to do my homework first though, before deciding. 1. Went to the seminar asked questions 2. Learned about possible risks/complications 3. Found out how much it would cost me 4. Found a Dr. and asked about his experience 5. Met people who have been successful with band 6. Met people who my Dr. banded 7. Found a band mentor to get advice 8. Did 3 months with a dietician to see if I could handle the hard work post op. (I lost 15 lbs on my own) I have been banded for 1 week. I am down 25 lbs total. 15 lbs pre op and 10 lbs post op. I am happy I did this, but I will say that this is a lot of work, it's not a quick fix. You still have to decide to eat right... the band just makes things a LOT easier.

I was banded 12/3. I too had chest pain as well as minor shoulder pain. What helped me the most was walking. I paced the livingroom for the first 3 days. Day 4, I actually went for a walk around the block. I hope you are feeling better now.

Hey all, Just wondering how everyone is doing. I have been banded for 1 week. I lost 10 lbs. What a journey. I am eating a little more everyday. The gas pains are almost gone. I had a few gas pains in my shoulder, but nothing significant. I have been back at work for 3 days and I am no longer taking any pain meds. The psychological hunger is not there anymore. Especially since I'm on mushies now. I love my instant mashed potatoes! They are keeping my cravings down. So excited and happy. The greatest thing is that I am now going into my closet and trying on a bunch of clothes that were too tight. Everything seems to fit like a glove now! I would love to hear from you. How are you doing post op? Who is still worried about the preop diet? Who has just been banded?

Thanks for your reassurance! It has been a few days and you are right... I think the swelling is going down because I can tolerate more food now.

My name is Erica and I just had surgery December 3rd. I am 5 days post op since surgery and doing fantastic. I went in to the surgery center at noon. Was sent to the back and asked to change into a surgical gown at 1:00pm. The Dr. came in and asked if I had any last minute questions. I didn't have any since I had been asking him questions preop while deciding to have the surgery. The nurse was very kind. She gave me some electrolites through an IV since I hadn't eaten anything in 18 hours and before that it was a clear liquid diet for a full day. She walked me to the OR about 2:00pm and they put me to sleep. When I woke up my tummy was sore, but not unbearable. My mother came to see me and I was released by 5:00pm. I wasn't hungry or thirsty. I put a pillow between me and the seatbelt for the 2 hour drive home. THANK GOD FOR THE PILLOW! I went straight to bed with a sip of painkiller meds and my yucky antibiotic med. Day one post op was kind of weird because I still didn't want to eat anything and that worried me. I was still pretty sore and continued to take my pain meds (clear liquid hydrocodone). I sucked on ice chips and took a few sips of a clear Protein Drink. I also sipped on applejuice. Day 2 was 1 cup of applejuice and 1/2 a Protein drink for the whole day. Day 3 was 2 Protein drinks, 1 cup of applejuice and some Water, 2 chewable Vitamins. Day 4 and Day 5 have been the same. I am eating a little more each day. The great news is that the pain is almost all gone, and I have already lost almost 10 lbs. I still have a hard time putting on running shoes and I can't bend over to pick anything off the floor. I went back to work today though and I am a PE teacher. Let me know if anybody has any questions about post op. So far, I am very pleased with how I am doing. I am working on eating more, but as long as I feel healthy and not weak, I will listen to my body. Good luck to you. Erica aka teacherica

JoannMarie I am so happy for you. Congrats on being banded! I was banded on Wednesday. I am officially off painkillers today. I started the full liquids yesterday. It is much better. When the gas pain comes, I try to go for a short walk or move. I peaked on the scale last night and I have already dropped 5 to 8 lbs. I am shocked. I have been trying to drop those lbs since October and within days after surgery, they are gone. I hope you are healing well. I hope to be back to work tomorrow (MOnday). I was so lucky to have so many people there to help me through the healing process. It's only been 4 days postop and I'm almost back to normal! This whole experience is amazing. I congratulate you and am excited for you on your new journey!

I'm up for the get together. I live in Camarillo which is near Ventura, but I would love to meet you. Let me know more about the support group also. I am 3 days post op and doing good. I don't feel hungry, I can just tell when I get weak that it is time to eat something. Applejuice really helps me. Good luck with your fill.

Hello December Bandsters, I was just banded yesterday afternoon. So far I feel fine. No pain thanks to meds. No shoulder pain, no gassy feeling. Surgery was at 2:00pm and I was able to get up and walk around 6:00pm for a little bit. I slept a lot and will do that again today. I have been able to sip Water and ice chips with no problem. My throat has been very dry, so I try to sip water a lot. I am also trying to move around to avoid any gas problems. I did have a preop diet for 2 months of 2 Protein shakes and one meal. I lost 15 lbs. I took thanksgiving weekend off though. I started Monday again with the 2 Protein Shakes and one meal. Tuesday, I did a clear liquid diet. Not bad. I drank an Isopure Protein Drink which is clear and can be found at GNC. That kept me full along with broth, Jello, and applejuice. By 7:00pm I was hungry so I just kept busy. Good luck for all those starting their preop diet or having surgery today.:cursing: Doing great, teacherica

Thanks for responding. I just had surgery by Dr. Salimatari yesterday. So far, I feel good. I don't have any pain accept the incision sites and my meds are working great. I am not hungry and can sip Water just fine. I would love to hear your story with Dr. Salimatari. I spoke with Brandi and I can't wait to compare my experience with her and I would love to do the same with you. Teacherica aka :thumbup:Erica

I am having surgery on Wedesday. I too cheated. My Doctor told me that the preop diet is "recommended" and I have heard that the preop diet does help you become more disciplined, helps reduce the size of your stomach and does reduce the size of the liver. I would mention this to your Dr. ONLY if you think medically this could interfere with the surgery. I have started the liquid diet today and will continue until surgery. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are getting banded to help your food problem... remember that! Don't forget about all the good days you have accomplished.