shellyphaunts

Marge~ those games sound like alot of fun!! I absolutely LOVE to dance! I bet my kids would love 'em too! I may have to invest in one of those. Which one do you like best?? Hugs,

Oh my gosh.........if I had a german chocolate cake in the house....LOOK OUT! Thanks for the offer, but, whooof, that would just send me over the edge. Will power would go right out the window! :crying: I too, can't wait for my first fill. (the 18th!!) I feel like I really screwed up this weekend. I ate some not-so-fat-free-food over the weekend. I am soooo mad at myself! IWALKTHELINE~ There are a few people in my life who ask me every single time I see them, "How much weight have you lost? Still being good??" It drives me NUTS! I kinda feel like they are waiting for me to fail. But, I think really they are hoping for my success. Hugs,

NCS~ Girl!! You know that right now you are just supposed to worry about healing!! The time between surgery & the first fill alot of people gain weight. My doc told me not to go NEAR a scale during this time. (But, I didn't follow THOSE directions, cuz, well, I am a freak! LOL!) LilMissDiva is soooo right! I don't know if you already do this, but keeping a food journal works for me. I try to eat 5 very small meals a day. A meal can be a fat free yogurt. But it keeps my metabolism going. Watch your portions. I realized after surgery, what I thought was a portion, was actually about 2 or 3!! :thumbup: And be kind to yourself. You are doing great! You took a MAJOR step towards health!! Plus, it took us how long to put this weight on?? It'll take awhile to take it off. BUT WE WILL!!!!!! (And german chocolate cake is my all time fav! I am sooo drooling over here!!!) BIG hugs,

I've been on "real" food for about a week to ten days. I lost 12 pounds the week after surgery, and about two pounds a week since then. I am on sheer will power right now. I think I could eat quite a bit, if I let myself. I can even eat bread & pasta. All whole wheat of course! I am trying to stick with the correct portion sizes, weighing my food, writing everything down and counting calories. Plus exercise, exercise, exercise!! I have this strange fear of strectching my pouch. So I try very hard to not overeat. I have a protein shake each morning & I eat five times a day, very small meals, protein first. If only I could have done this PRE-band! Hope this helps! Good luck to you! Hugs,

YAY! Congrats!!! Glad to hear everything is going well! Keep up the good work!! Hugs,

OMG~ they asked me if I tripped often too! I really don't think I am a big spaz! :thumbup: But I guess my balance is all out of whack. Those games sound really fun! I wanna put on a penguin suit!! We can run on this thing?? (And it won't break????) Hugs,

Olivia is absolutely correct. Don't worry about weight loss right now~ this time is about healing your body! Water & protein are your best friends right now. 60 to 80 grams of protein a day is what you should shoot for. Walk each day, and take it easy and heal. Stay away from the scale!! The weight loss will come, once your body has recovered! Be proud of yourself for taking such a big step!! Hugs!

I've never been to dailyplate.com. But I like myfitnesspal.com because it is really user-friendly. I'm sure the other sites are just as helpful. I can't wait till I can go back to Curves and exercise!! (I never thought I would look forward to exercising!!!) I am also looking into getting the Wii Fit. I've heard it is great exercise!! Hugs,

I've heard the same thing. Up your protein. That and the exercise will do the trick! Another helpful tool is keeping a food journal. I know it's time consuming, but boy does it help!! Myfitnesspal.com is a great site, where you can log in your food, exercise & water intake. It keeps track of your progress. :thumbup: Today for my weigh-in, I lost 2 pounds. I know that is a healthy weight loss for one week, but my first reaction was to be bummed. :thumbup: Then I realized alot of people gain weight between going back on regular food and their first fill, so, I am happy. GOOD JOB NCSQ!! Hugs,

Congrats Bill!! :hurray: And good luck w/ your sleep test! I, too, am hoping to become one of the NON-nose-hoses once I lose more weight!! :party: Hugs,

WOOT!! WOOT!! Nicely done Ale!! :wink:

Congrats on being able to sleep on your tummy Babe! Now THAT is a milestone! :wink: I am doing pretty well. Yesterday my mom and I took my daughter prom dress shopping. I made it through TWO malls and still had energy to do some grocery shopping! I was shocked. Last time I took her shopping I barely made it through one STORE and couldn't make it to the mall. Plus, last night, without thinking, I rolled over on my left side to go to sleep and suprise, suprise~ IT DIDN"T HURT! So, things are getting better each day! Hugs,

Congrats JohnP!!! Excellent job!!! You have mighty will power! I don't know how I would do right now at my fav restaraunt!! Real food? OH MY! :thumbup: I can only dream of it! Hugs,

Pat, great job!!! It's awesome to see the scales moving down instead of UP! :thumbup: Hugs,

That's a good question. My doctor's office gave me a binder full of information for post-op. During the puree stage of our diet is the first time I see the instructions about drinking while eating. That is when we can have mushy food like, scrambleed eggs, pureed fruit, canned tuna or chicken, etc. So, the way I understand it, during that week is when we begin to practice not drinking before, during and immediately after a meal. Hugs,

ALE~ Wishing you luck and speedy recovery vibes today!!! Hope all went well. (I am sure it did) You should be proud of yourself!! Hugs,

MRSM~ I am totally with ya!! Sleeping on my left side is my favorite way to sleep. Of course, that is the side where the deep muscle incision is, so there is no way in HECK I can lay on that side! I can sleep on my right side for about an hour, then the left side starts to feel like it is falling out the right side! :thumbup: So, I lay on my back, which aches after a few hours. And my backside goes numb and AAARGH! Here's to sleeping soundly on our sides SOON!! HUGS,

WAY TO GO NCSQ!!! :thumbup: Good job!! I also had my first post-op appt today. It was awesome! My doc told me I was doing awesome and needed to get with my primary doc because he thinks I may be able to go off my blood pressure meds!! :tt2: The best news of all, of course, is that since the day of surgery, I have lost.....wait for it.....wait for it............. EIGHTEEN POUNDS!! :tongue:**{{HAPPY DANCE}}** :wink2: I can't believe it!!!! HUGS,

Okay, I officially got burnt out today. Could not eat another serving of mashed potatoes or yogurt or jell-o. I was HUNGRY and weak. My hubby took me to our local grocery store. They have a wonderful soup bar. I found some delicious tortilla soup. 1.5 grams of fat per serving and 13 grams of protien!! I was in heaven!! No big chunks to worry about, and flavor, flavor, flavor!!! I feel like a new woman!!:thumbup: Hugs, Shelly

Iwalktheline~ I too, was banded 2/16. I was feeling great until day 5. I tried to get out of the car with a heavy bag in my left arm. I felt a strange tug over my left incision, which is the only incision that has bothered me. The next morning, it hurt like the first hours after surgery. I called my surgeon and he told me I had likely pulled that muscle or the stitches he set into the muscle. He told me it was a very common injury. Once patients start feeling better they forget they still can't lift with that side. It is slowly healing, each day a little bit better. But it is slow and pretty painful. And like everyone else has said, I am STARVING and soooo weak. I have been trying so hard to get in all my protein, but it is really difficult. I skipped ahead a bit and tried some really thin refried beans. They are rich in protein and helped me to finally feel full of REAL FOOD instead of sweets like jell-o & yogurt. All the sugar free food was giving me an upset stomach. The beans also helped with the gas that has been building up and I couldn't release! :tt1: HUGS,

Hey kids, I am 6 days post-op. Things have been going really well. Until I woke up last night with horrible nausea! It hasn't subsided a bit today. I have been trying to eat, but it just makes it worse. I am starting to have trouble getting water down. The last thing I want to do is vomit! Anyone know what the heck is going on?? I can handle pain until the cows come home, but being nauseous I just can't deal with! Any suggestions would be fantastic! Hugs,

Missy~ I was really nervous pre-op. I didn't sleep well for weeks. Looking back on it, there really wasn't anything to worry about. The hospital staff takes great care of you, the pain isn't near as bad as I thought. Just remember to walk as much as possible. It really helps alot! You will do great, I am sure of it! I know I have absolutely NO regrets!! Except, perhaps I wish I had done it sooner!! GOOD LUCK!

I finally moved into band-land!:frown: Monday I was scheduled for surgery at 1:30p. My hubby woke me up Monday morning around 8 and told me the hospital had had a cancellation, and wanted me to come in asap! YIKES! I showered and dressed and we headed to the hospital. It took me about 15 minutes to check in and suddenly I was in pre-op getting gowned and IV'ed. It was around 10 am. My potassium was perfect, so I knew it was a "go." I suddenly got really nervous! LOL!Twenty minutes later, I was prepped and the anesthesiologist was giving me this fantabulous little cocktail in my I.V. I remember waving goodbye to my Mom & Hubby and being wheeled away. The only thing I remember about the OR is being wheeled in, seeing a bunch of people standing around and cheering for me. My surgeon spoke to me, but I have no idea what he said! I vaguely remember moving onto the operating table, them strapping down my arms and a big mask being placed on my face. Next thing I remember is a nurse trying to wake me up in the recovery room. I remember exactly five seconds of that! Whee! I woke up in my own private room with my Mom & Hubby by my side around 11: 30. I don't remember much pain. But I do remember begging for ice. I have never been so thirsty in my life!! That whole afternoon is kind of a blur. But I do remember them getting me up to walk shortly after my kids got there, around 3. That was not pleasant. But the more I got up to walk that afternoon, the easier it became. Around six I told my hubby to take the kids to eat and get them home so they could do their homework. I figured I would be able to sleep, as I was really tired. But, I forgot, sleep isn't easy in a hospital! LOL! They brought me dinner and I wasn't really that hungry, but I ate some jell-o. I was mostly interested in liquids. My throat was really sore from the surgery. I got up about three times to walk. Each time I walked a little further, and my nurse was teasing me about trying to keep up. Around 11 my chest was feeling really heavy from what I assumed was the gas they used during surgery. I was having problems taking a deep breath. The nurse called my doc and he ordered an EKG, bloodwork and a chest x-ray to rule out heart attack. (really? Heart attack??) I complained that the pain wasn't that bad, but I guess my doc likes to be uber-thorough. So there I was at 2 in the morning laying on a gurney outside the x-ray room, pain meds worn off , and wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. Once I got back into my room, I got my pain meds and felt much better. I was even able to sleep about an hour before the nurse came back for another round of vitals. My blood pressure had been really low all evening so they stopped the IV for awhile to get it back up. Around five in the morning I was able to sleep for about two hours. And then my doc came in, told me my tests from the night before were all perfect. He checked my incisions and said they looked great. Strangely I've only felt pain from one incision. If it weren't for that I would have felt perfectly fine. I assumed that was the port location. NOPE! He told me where my port was and I hadn't even known there was an incision there!! LOL! So, by 8am he was writing up my discharge paperwork! Hubby showed up a little later and I was able to pack up and head home! Other than my puppies wanting to jump on my tummy, it has been pretty smooth sailing. I've been able to enjoy some yummy homemade broth my Mom made me, a few yummy sugar free popsicles and jell-o. I've been walking and moving as much as I can. I still have quite a bit of discomfort, but nothing the pain pills can't take care of. My plan today is to get in a shower and a longer walk outside. And hopefully a nap! LOL! I must say I am quite excited to start my new life!!:confused:

Babe~ my worst days gas-wise were day 3 & 4. The gas-x never really helped me much. Walking did help a bit, but once I laid down, all the gas seemed to build up again. I started putting a heating pad on my belly, and that seemed to help a bit. Friday I went w/ my Mom to GNC, to find different protiens I could swallow. I found Isopure, which comes in a glass bottle and one serving equals 40g of protein. It tastes almost like gatorade, and comes in several flavors: punch, pineapple-orange and grape. I can get them down in about an hour, with no gagging! I also found ProSlam27. It is about 3oz of liquid and comes in this silly little plastic bullet-shaped container. It has 27g of protein in those 3oz of liquid!! I found peach and fruit punch. I poured the peach into a glass of iced tea and it tasted just like a Snapple!! YUMMY! I couldn't believe I was ENJOYING a protein drink!! So, between the two, I can get in around 70g of protein each day, not including my "food." Awesome! Hope this helps! HUGS ALL!

How is everyone doing today? I am doing pretty good. I feel really tired however. I am having protien shake problems. I find it hard to drink so many shakes! My tummy gets way too full. So far I am only averaging 15 oz of protein a day. (I know, that is way to low!) I just don't know how to get it all in! Hugs & Healing to everyone!!