adagray

I've had high BP and on meds for it for over 10 years. I have been well below the weight I am right now several times before and my BP never went down. But, somehow my BP suddenly became normal a couple months after getting the lapband. I have a monitor at home, but don't normally take it daily. But, after a few days of being tired and then getting dizzy doing some housework, I took it and it was really really low for me (like 86/60). I usually run 130/90 even w/meds. I quit taking my meds as of that day and have been monitoring my BP daily now and it has remained in the normal range.

I got an interesting article from my mom's doctor that explained a lot about how our pouches work. Basically, in the patients he's studied, all of the pouches end up stretching out to some degree, but they all also end up in around the same range (8-12 oz I think is what I remember). What he says is that it is really doesn't make a difference what size your pouch ends up being. The more important thing is how YOU use your pouch to the best advantage. One of the most important thing being that you don't eat slider foods or drink your calories. And, if you do eat foods that are more slidy, that's OK as long as you have some non-slidy stuff in the same meal to bulk it up and cause it to stay in your pouch longer.

You may have had some swelling right after your last fill which made it feel like you were at the right spot. But, now that the swelling is gone, you feel more loose and hungry. This is really common. It just means you aren't quite at your sweet spot yet. You may just need one more fill.

I'm right there with you. After my most recent fill, I got terribly stuck on bowtie pasta. I have no desire to even try pasta again ever. It was my first PB experience.

I don't journal now, but I've been on WW A LOT before so have a bad association with journaling, starving, failing. I think it can be a good tool to get real w/yourself about what you are eating (if you need that). For me, at this point in my journey, I don't feel like I need it. I do try to eat only 3 meals a day, no snacks, and aim for those meals to be no more than 400 calories each. At the end of the day, even though I haven't written anything down, I have kept a running tally in my head as to the number of protein grams I've consumed and calories. It wouldn't be precise, but it would be pretty close.

I really gotta find a way to get her to stop asking me how much weight I've lost every time I see her. I feel bad complaining because she has be so supportive of my surgery. But, I am starting to feel like a freak show... look here in this corner, the amazing shrinking woman. She has lost XX pounds!!! :eek: Isn't that wonderful??? I'm not sure why it is different for me this time. I used to love telling people how much I lost when I did Weight Watchers. I don't know if it is just because I have so much more to lose this time. Or, because I am for the first time really embracing this as a 'lifestyle' and don't feel like spouting off numbers from the scale fits into that. Well, of course w/yesterday being Easter she again asked me how much I lost. And, I am proud of what I lost so far, but I hesitated a little when she asked... trying to figure out how to answer nicely, but also convey that maybe I don't like being asked this every time she sees me. I'm not sure how you do that? Then, she goes on and on about how great it is and asks me how much more I have to get to goal. Ah, this will give me a chance to explain how I'm trying not to be so focused on the scale anymore. So, I said, 'oh, I don't know... I'm happy to end up wherever I end up'. She looked really disappointed and said 'Didn't you say you wanted to lose 60 or 65 pounds?'. Oh, that's the other thing... when I started this journey, I did only have 60-65 pounds to lose, but I gained 35 pounds last year waiting for insurance approval. :smile2: Anyway, so I tell her how I'm not hungry anymore after my last fill and its so effortless that I am happy to end up wherever I end up. Really, I can't imagine that I won't eventually lose the weight (I've lost my fear of that) and I am just focusing on doing the right things now instead of a goal weight or how long it will take to get there. And, she replies... 'But don't you have to stop at some point? Doesn't your doctor have a certain number...' And, I laughed and said 'Oh, are you worried I'll go below my healthy weight range? Don't worry about that. There's no way that will happen.' Well, after all this I could tell she was disappointed not to get a number out of me. She's such a sweet woman. I felt bad trying to put her in her place w/this. But, I really want to stop her obsession w/MY scale. I would like to be even more direct w/her, but I'm afraid she will take it as confrontive (different generation). Anyway, I wrote a book of a post here. Mainly just wanted to vent a little, but if you know of any NICE ways of handling this, I would love to hear it. She really is a sweet woman and only means well. :smile:

I felt the same way as you when I started this process. The concept of not trying to lose weight for 6+ months seemed crazy to me. I have been 'on' a diet more often than 'off' a diet for my entire adult life. In the end, though, I believe that being 'off' a diet for most of last year was quite cathartic for me. For one thing, I decided to start exercising just for the health of it (not to lose weight). So, I learned to enjoy exercise just for the feeling of accomplishment and strength I got from it. I also worked on other habits that would help me w/the lapband such as eating enough Protein every day, drinking enough Water, etc. You could also work on eliminating artificial sweeteners. All of these things will help you with long-term weightloss after you get the band, but won't necessarily cause you to lose weight now (without restricting calories). In fact, I gained a lot of weight last year despite building better habits. But, now that I have the band, those habits are making a great difference.

I wouldn't call it a rebellious stage, but I have done a lot of 'testing' to see what I can and cannot get away with w/the band and still lose weight. For example, I would love to think of exercise as optional, but in the testing I have done, I HAVE to exercise to lose weight (even w/the band). And, I would've loved to keep my nightly wine habit, but have found that even w/the decreased food calories w/the band, it still does not leave enough room to enjoy wine every night and still lose weight. So, I do a lot of testing and adjusting to see what my new lifestyle needs to be to lose weight and enjoy life. So, I still have wine, but I save it only for social occasions now (maybe once/week). And, I find myself looking for ways I can get extra exercise classes in now rather than seeing how few I can get away with. As for treats (like candy, ice cream, etc.), I do think there is a fine line between being too rigid (not having any) and too loose (having sweets daily). I just try to make sure I am not indulging every day and when I do, to keep it at around 100 calories. The other day I did steal a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg out of my daughter's Easter basket and gobbled it down. Then, all I could think was 'why did I do that?!?!'. It was 180 calories which is almost as much as the calories I might eat in a whole meal now. And, I have great restriction so its not like I was hungry. I beat myself up a little over that. But, when I got on the scale the next morning, I was down another pound. So, I think sometimes it is good to splurge a little and shake things up w/how you are eating. If you are too rigid all the time then your body will hold on to every little calorie.

A bunch of the instructors and members of Jazzercise in my town were in a parade today. Anyone who is a member of Jazzercise could be in the parade as long as you bought a t-shirt. We all got crafty and modified our t-shirts (cut them up and blinged them out). We have ladies of all ages, shapes, and sizes. I am the largest in the group, though. At first, I hesitated on saying I would do the parade. I was afraid it would be too hard for me. But, then I decided to take it as a challenge and represent the big girls. I think there are just so many larger size ladies who think they can't have fun exercising or don't feel comfortable joining a group exercise class. I wanted them to look at me and realize that if I can do it, they can do it. But, boy oh boy, was it hard! All uphill in the blazing sun, over two miles, and two HOURS of Jazzercising. My instructor's husband was driving a truck in front of us w/a cooler of waters. And, at one point, I was dying of thirst, but could not catch up w/the truck to get some water. :eek: I finally did catch up and rehydrate, though. And, the crowd was cheering loud for us and really encouraging us on. My husband brought our kids out to watch me in the parade and they were all so proud of me. It was an awesome feeling and accomplishment for me to finish it without medics having to be called in. LOL :thumbup: Now, my muscles are sooooooo sore. I took a three hour nap this afternoon, drank a ton of water, and did two protein shots already (trying to boost my protein for muscle repair), but my muscles are still sooooooo sore (especially my butt!!!). Youch! :cool:

Hugs! I am an American Girl too!!! I've always felt international travel is overrated. I prefer being in my own element. :->

Fill #4 was the one that did the trick for me as well. My hunger is finally really under control. And, my rate of weightloss has really picked up. :->

Maybe take the time to write down all the reasons you want/need this surgery and all the benefits you will enjoy when you are a healthy weight. Then, stick this on your refrigerator. Also, if at all possible, find a way that you can stop handling food until your surgery... let your family fend for themselves and stay out of the kitchen except when you are making a shake. If you do go in the kitchen tempted to get something, read your list on the refrigerator. You can do this! Take it one day at a time and remind yourself you only need to get through the first four days right now. Don't get overwhelmed thinking longer than that. Also, I bet deep down inside you have a lot of self-doubt about this surgery. We all do. We all think we are gonna be the ones it won't work for. Trust me, it WILL work! It will take some time and patience to get to proper restriction and change your habits. We all stumble along the way. It is not a 'success-only' journey, but as long as you keep trying, you cannot fail. Hang in there!

A bunch of the instructors and members of Jazzercise in my town were in a parade today. Anyone who is a member of Jazzercise could be in the parade as long as you bought a t-shirt. We all got crafty and modified our t-shirts (cut them up and blinged them out). We have ladies of all ages, shapes, and sizes. I am the largest in the group, though. At first, I hesitated on saying I would do the parade. I was afraid it would be too hard for me. But, then I decided to take it as a challenge and represent the big girls. I think there are just so many larger size ladies who think they can't have fun exercising or don't feel comfortable joining a group exercise class. I wanted them to look at me and realize that if I can do it, they can do it. :biggrin: But, boy oh boy, was it hard! All uphill in the blazing sun, over two miles, and two HOURS of Jazzercising. My instructor's husband was driving a truck in front of us w/a cooler of waters. And, at one point, I was dying of thirst, but could not catch up w/the truck to get some water. :wub: I finally did catch up and rehydrate, though. And, the crowd was cheering loud for us and really encouraging us on. My husband brought our kids out to watch me in the parade and they were all so proud of me. It was an awesome feeling and accomplishment for me to finish it without medics having to be called in. LOL :thumbup: Now, my muscles are sooooooo sore. I took a three hour nap this afternoon, drank a ton of water, and did two protein shots already (trying to boost my protein for muscle repair), but my muscles are still sooooooo sore (especially my butt!!!). Youch! :smile:

Anything soupy or stew-like works for me. For mexican, cheese enchiladas on corn tortillas or vegie&cheese enchiladas work. Melted cheese is very slidey and corn tortillas do not give me problems the way wheat products do. My husband works for Pei Wei/P.F. Chang's and I love the chopped Asian salad at Pei Wei and the seabass at P.F. Chang's. Any kind of braised meats will be more tender and moist. I would just take it really slow and careful w/any meat, though, if you are really tight right now. One piece not chewed well enough or one piece too many and you will raise a lot of eyebrows when you have to disappear to the bathroom for half an hour. Salad has always gone down well for me so I feel safe w/any salad. You could order soup and salad. That way it will look like more food, but both pretty safe foods. I have also ordered two appetizers and then shared them w/the table saying oh this is so good, but so rich I can't eat it all. The last time I got really stuck it was on Pasta so I'm really wary of pasta now. I think if I was out to italian I would get eggplant parmesan or a caprese salad. Oh, and if you like sushi, but are afraid of the rice (or just don't want the carbs or to be overfull), order sashimi instead. It is the raw fish without the rice. Super yummy, always comes in small portions, and very expensive so nobody is gonna think you are being cheap. LOL

Definitely be proud of how much you have lost so far. If you had your body fat percentage taken at the beginning, I would take it again because I would bet you are definitely putting on some muscle w/all the working out you are doing. I also think you may not be at your sweet spot yet and could use another fill. I recently went from 5.25cc to 6.5cc and it has made a HUGE difference for me. I am literally not hungry ever anymore. My doctor is in the 'no snacking' camp. Every time I go, they ask me if I'm snacking (having anything more than 3 meals per day) and, if so, then I get a fill. Maybe you can accelerate your fill schedule to get to better restriction sooner.

If anyone asks, you should tell them that you're having vaginal rejuvenation surgery. That should teach them not to ask personal questions anymore. Ha!

I will never understand why it is, but my weight really does seem to come off in spurts w/the band. And, I'm happy to see that I'm having another weightloss spurt right now... two pounds in two days! Woohoo!!! :thumbup: My restriction since my last fill seems to be holding strong. I am actually eating out of custard cups now. And, not because I am trying to limit my portions (my doctor doesn't have any rules about how much you can eat - just that you should not eat for longer than 20 minutes). But, if I take more than a custard cup full, then I get too full before I'm done and have to throw some away. And, I absolutely hate throwing food away! I know I gotta get over that, but for now its easier to eat out of the custard cups. Anyway, I'm just so happy w/how the band is working for me now. It is so truly amazing. I'm almost never hungry and even if its been 5 hours since my last meal, I only feel a little hungry. I used to get so ravenously hungry my stomach would actually be in pain and I would get so irritable if I went too long without food. Even the weightloss aside, its really cool that I can just go go go without really needing food. I know that is not the point of the band, but for a busy mom, this is so very convenient. :cool: The best thing about this last fill, though, is that I've totally lost my fear that this band won't work for me or that I won't be able to lose as much weight as I want. For the first time, I just can't imagine that it won't work. Add up the facts that I am not hungry, I am satisfied on very little food, and I am loving my exercise routine (Jazzercise) and there is just no way I won't succeed. This is nothing like any other diet I've been on because YES, I can embrace this as a lifestyle. I'm actually enjoying the journey, not just white-knuckling through it as a means to an end. I think this might be what they call the 'Sweet Spot'!

I will never understand why it is, but my weight really does seem to come off in spurts w/the band. And, I'm happy to see that I'm having another weightloss spurt right now... two pounds in two days! Woohoo!!! :thumbup: My restriction since my last fill seems to be holding strong. I am actually eating out of custard cups now. And, not because I am trying to limit my portions (my doctor doesn't have any rules about how much you can eat - just that you should not eat for longer than 20 minutes). But, if I take more than a custard cup full, then I get too full before I'm done and have to throw some away. And, I absolutely hate throwing food away! I know I gotta get over that, but for now its easier to eat out of the custard cups. Anyway, I'm just so happy w/how the band is working for me now. It is so truly amazing. I'm almost never hungry and even if its been 5 hours since my last meal, I only feel a little hungry. I used to get so ravenously hungry my stomach would actually be in pain and I would get so irritable if I went too long without food. Even the weightloss aside, its really cool that I can just go go go without really needing food. I know that is not the point of the band, but for a busy mom, this is so very convenient. :smile: The best thing about this last fill, though, is that I've totally lost my fear that this band won't work for me or that I won't be able to lose as much weight as I want. For the first time, I just can't imagine that it won't work. Add up the facts that I am not hungry, I am satisfied on very little food, and I am loving my exercise routine (Jazzercise) and there is just no way I won't succeed. This is nothing like any other diet I've been on because YES, I can embrace this as a lifestyle. I'm actually enjoying the journey, not just white-knuckling through it as a means to an end. I think this might be what they call the 'Sweet Spot'! :biggrin:

I don't think living at home makes you a dependent. Its just a matter of whether or not your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes. If you do not want to be tied to their salary and they aren't willing to pay for your medical insurance, then ask them to stop claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Even for those that get dumping syndrome, though, it goes away within two years. So, eventually, all sugar addicts have to deal w/moderating sugar (without the help of dumping). Rather than say one surgery is better than the other for sugar addicts, I would highly recommend another strategy for sugar addicts... I challenge you to give up all sugary foods AND sweeteners (artificial and natural) for one month. You will be amazed at how much the sugar and sweeteners you are using are DRIVING your addiction for more sweetness. Artificial (or even natural low calorie sweeteners) are the worst because they lull us into thinking that they have no effect on our weight. But, studies have shown this to be totally false. When you eat something that is no or low calorie, but very sweet, your body is expecting calories. And, when it doesn't get it, it looks for more elsewhere through what else, but more sweets. Also, highly sweetened beverages (like crystal light) deaden your tastebuds to how good natural non-sweet foods taste. I know, I know, this sounds like a bunch of health scare propaganda. That's what I thought when my younger friends would tell me how bad all my diet coke and sweeteners were for me. But, when they told us in our pre-op class that they wanted us to cut out all sweeteners (artificial, natural, low cal, high cal) for the month after surgery, I took the challenge (very skeptically, I might add). And, was so pleasantly surprised that they were right. I no longer crave sweets or feel compelled to eat sweets regularly. I do occasionally ENJOY a very small portion of dessert, but I am not pouring on the splenda, nutrasweet, agave nectar, sugar all over everything anymore. And, I drink plain Water and enjoy it.

Hugs! You have a lot on your plate. Of course, I mean that figuratively, not literally. LOL The great thing about this band is that even when we can't work the program perfectly, it helps us enough so that at least we don't gain and usually still lose a little. The only suggestion I have is that if you can exercise before seeing your mom instead of after, that would probably help. I know its hard to put yourself first. I struggle w/this a bit. The kids don't always want to come to Jazzercise w/me, but I force them to go anyway (they have childcare). And, as I'm signing them up for summer activities, I feel a tad bit selfish not picking anything that conflicts w/my Jazzercise (even though there is stuff I know they would really like). But, I have to remind myself that I HAVE to start making my health a priority and, for me, regular exercise has to be part of that. Its best for me, but its also best for my family. I am also trying to let go of the idea that I have to 'keep up' with everyone else who got their band at the same time as me. The reality is that we have all the time in the world to lose this weight. It doesn't have to be 10 pounds per month every month or whatever other fantasy we all had in mind when we got our bands. If we are creating habits to keep losing until we get to goal and keeping it off once we reach goal, then we have succeeded. It really doesn't matter how long it takes because, if we get those habits in place, the weightloss will stay off forever. And, if we have a whole lifetime of being at a healthy weight ahead of us, does it really matter if it took 12 months or 18 months to get there? I know, I know, we all want it in the least amount of time. That's why I have to come up w/these pep talks for myself when my weightloss slows. LOL

You will get an IV as soon as the prep you for surgery so hydration will not be a problem at that point. I am also on BP meds and my BP was super low when they took it (while prepping for surgery). I was almost afraid they wouldn't do the surgery, but they said it was not a problem. They set me up w/the IV and my body sucked down a bag in record time. LOL

Great list! A few I would add... * What kind of pre and post-op diet do you require? * What criteria do you use to determine when I can get a fill? Does the criteria differ between the Lapband and Realize band? (it does for my surgeon) * Walk me through the process of getting a fill. For example, do you have a set number of cc you fill at each fill appointment or will you have me drink Water during the fill to see if you need to add/remove additional fill? Or, are all fills done under fluoroscopy? (My doctor does the drinking water thing and I think it works really well. I have never been too tight and now I'm at my sweet spot.) * Is all the saline removed and reinjected w/each fill? (I've heard this can cause the tissue inside of the band to reconfigure which may cause unnecessary swelling) These are all questions I didn't know to ask when I first met w/my surgeon. Luckily, there is nothing she does that I disagree with. But, if I knew then what I know now, I would've asked these questions. Best of luck to you!

Yesterday I packed up a whole bunch of too big clothes to donate. I didn't start out planning to do this, but was getting annoyed that everytime I go in my closet lately, I have to rummage through my closet to try to find something that doesn't look sloppy on me. I've always worn stuff (especially shirts) on the loose side so even though I haven't lost a ton of weight yet, I had a lot of stuff that was looking ridiculously large. Then, I went into my two 'Stage 1' boxes to see what I could get out of there that fits now. Let me explain... last year when I was waiting and waiting and waiting for insurance approval, a friend of mine came over and we went through ALL my old clothes. I had tons of different sizes. And, we got rid of everything that I wouldn't want to wear again. And, sorted the rest into 'Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3' boxes. Stage 1 is sizes 14-18 and 1X, Stage 2 is 12-14 and XL, and Stage 3 is 10-12 and L. OK, so I went through the Stage 1 stuff and got out a few things that work now. Woohoo! Its like free clothes!!! :scared2: But, I found that I have very few t-shirts that are my current size. So, when I was out today I bought three new t-shirts. Nothing fancy, but it feels good to have some new items that fit. I wore a new t-shirt to Jazzercise yesterday and got lots of compliments on my weightloss. I think its hard for people to see it if you don't wear clothes that fit. So for any of you that are feeling like people aren't noticing or you don't feel any different, I highly recommend some t-shirt therapy. Only $10 each and made me feel great!

Ever since my last fill, I'm no longer hungry ever. So, I did some research on this. One theory is that once the band is filled to a good restriction level, it presses on the vagus nerve and this interrupts the signal from your stomach to your brain telling you that you are hungry. So, even though you have not eaten and your stomach should be hungry, your brain never gets that message. Like I said, though, this is just a theory. I don't think anyone really knows exactly how it works. I know that even w/proper restriction, though, my pouch doesn't stay full forever so there is something else going on to keep me from feeling hunger. Of course, as the other poster said, you still have to deal w/'head hunger', but my physical hunger is really gone. And, once you get to that point, it really does make this journey a whole lot easier.