soniathekitty

You know, it's strange for me. I had my first fill done on 8/21, 6 cc's. I can definitely tell a difference when I go to eat things like, bread, white meat chicken, most beef, or if I take too big of a bite. And I definitely do fill up quicker and can tell right away if I've eaten too much.. But. I'm having cravings lately, and nighttime is a bear, I just want to snack.. :/ I go back on the 21st for my second "fill" and I'm reluctant to say "yes! add more!" and then suffer because stuff won't go down, but I also don't want to stagnate and eat too much, or at least too frequently, and not move forward... I'm kind of in a weird spot right now. Anyone else having that problem or had that problem? Ideas to move past it?

I just had mine done today. Wound up having to have it done under Flouro, it was pretty cool getting to see it on screen. I wound up with 6cc's. Here's to the next month! :-)

After I got home (I'd posted earlier at work), I "caught up" my journal for the last couple of days that I'd missed. It actually made me feel good, I've been on track without having to write it down. It was a positive reinforcement for me, to see it visually. It also helps me assess if I fluctuate a few pounds within days, to see if I did something funky, or if maybe I'm retaining Water or what. I am able to see patterns this way. It also is a nice reference, I find myself looking back at previous pages a lot to see different components of this or that, or some note that I jotted, or some amt./combo that was calorie-friendly. :-) ..I totally get the reminders of diets failed too though.. not worth it if that's what it brings you. Do what works! :-) ~Sonia

::whew:: That's a relief. Thanks for the info. :-) ~Sonia

I guess just like pre-op diets, and post-op diets, post-fill diets differ per doctor/person.. that's the gist I get from reading the posts I have thus far anyway. I have my first fill scheduled for Friday. I'm slightly nervous, because the incision where my port is, isn't totally healed... it's getting there.. and I'm sitting here thinking that a needle in a scab *does not sound fun*, but, I'm trying not to think about it too much, and keep my eye on the prize.. Thankfully, I'm going to a lapband support group meeting tomorrow night, so I can have my concerns addressed in person and maybe feel eased. :-) ~Sonia

I'm going for my first fill on Friday. My surgeon says that he doesn't like to put too much in on the first fill.. I have no clue how much "just a little" is.. I'm hoping for not too much, not too little. So far, I haven't been able to tell a huge difference.. I mean, I can tell when I eat too much, I feel full quicker in the pouch spot, and it's not comfy.. What I'm searching for now... is what others do for diet before and after fills. Liquid for how long.. transition.. etc. I haven't the foggiest. I hope your fill went well. And I hope you post back. :sad: ~Sonia

I was banded on 7/23 and still can't really sleep much on the left side where my port is. I have a couple of times and wound up turning over, painfully. My problem is twisting/turning or getting up from laying on my left/port side.. it feels like someone is stabbing me, or like the internal stitches are stitched onto some muscle below my naval. Not fun. I'm hoping that goes away soon. ~Sonia

I am *so* not a Protein shake kind of girl....ick. But, I have fallen in love with protein smoothies. :-) I use: *EAS Vanilla Soy Protein Powder (has 170 calories/20g protein in 1 scoop) *4 oz. FF milk (45 calories/4g protein) *1 ice cube (or more, depending on how thick I want the smoothie to be) *1/2 frozen banana (@50 calories) *1/4 c. frozen whole strawberries (@12 calories) *1/4 c. frozen pineapple chunks (@24 calories) I mix up the fruit often to change the flavor. But the trick to me has been the FF milk, it seems to absorb the texture/flavor of the protein powder so that I don't notice. :-) My other quick faves: 4 oz. containers 2% cottage cheese. Tuna. Salmon. Special K Protein Water (or powder). eggs. ~Sonia

First, the dailyplate is an awesome website..I use them regularly to figure out calorie/protein contents. There are also excellent websites to put in your recipes, servings, and they calculate for you. I have been keeping a journal..by using a Weight Watchers 3 month journal that I happened to have lying around anyway..I just use the columns for calories and Protein. I haven't the last couple of days, but I've found that having done it for a month, I'm sticking with my "safe" foods thus far and know about the right combos. I'm sitting here thinking that I should keep on doing it anyway, just for good practice, and so that I keep myself honest. While a lot of folks like the online thing, it's a pain for me, because I have to write it down anyway, I don't have an iPhone or anything spiffarific like that, so I just tote my little journal along, it's easier for me to keep track as I go along that way. ~Sonia

The dietician at my surgeon's office recommends 65g/daily for protein, but it does seem that each place/doctor has a slightly different approach. I'm not sure about men.. it does help me personally, to try and hit at least 65g, while keeping calories around 1200. :-)

Hi All! I was banded on the 23rd in Gainesville, FL. I've made/responded to just a few posts on this website so far, but it's been an awesome resource and support, just by reading what others have shared. I've also already made one local lapband friend, and that's just darn snappy. :-) My surgery went well, though coming out of anesthesia was *not* my idea of a good time.. never had such an overwhelming feeling to pee, barf, and gag on dry mouth all at the same time. I was outpatient. In at 7:30, surgery at 10, home by 2pm. I went back to work on the 29th, and have had a very tiresome week. My energy is low. Gas, I never thought I'd be so glad to have to be honest. My stomach feels so much better when some is released. I've done okay with the diet part, though I've had a bite of this or that, and regretted it right away, cuz it didn't feel good, not like food used to, even despite the fact that my band isn't filled yet. So far, so good. I'm tracking my diet daily in a 3-month journal. I'm excited, and have plenty of support. I just had my post-op followup, and nothing but good news. Looking forward to getting to know some of you better in our shared journeys.. makes it feel a little less..daunting. ~Sonia

I have a blender, food processor, and magic bullet. The Magic Bullet is by far my best bud. It's quick, it dirties up way less, and preps drinks in the cup you can drink out of. And it doesn't take up much space. :-)

I'm in Gainesville, FL too. Just getting started in the process, so who knows how long it will actually take. Glad to see local people on here.. :-)

Hello! This is my first post here. I'm fresh into the process. I'm 29. Have 145 lbs to lose. Set a goal for myself when I was 25, gave myself 5 years to get the weight off myself, or I would have some sort of surgery. I've done the research, compared, asked around. LapBand is the way I want to go. I've keep my doctors apprised, and I'm well documented. I've got an appointment set with my primary doctor to get the insurance process started, and I'm signed up for a seminar the following week from that. I am hoping that I have a date scheduled before the end of the year. I am not scared about the actual surgery, but scared to death about how my body will or won't respond to it, and how I'll do with my will and my emotional response. food addiction came with the weight, not the other way around. I know what has to happen, and I will get there. I'm glad I found this spot, because some things that I wonder about aren't necessarily medical in nature. (Like, will I be able to enjoy at least a few indulgent items now and again? Will I be able to cope with the total lifestyle change?) I've never been able to lose more than 30 lbs on any diet that I've ever tried, no matter how long I stuck with it, and eventually, I just give up and gain it back, plus a few more. I'm at 289 now. I just know that I don't want to cut my life short because of my weight. I've tried, heavens I've tried. I want all this extra crap to go away (sleep apnea, high blood pressure, increased asthma sensitivity, discomfort, depression, etc.). I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the stigma. I'm tired of the constant battle. The process, though I have support, makes me feel...lonely. Because I know it is really just a process I have to go through, no one is doing it "with" me or for me. Being accountable to myself isn't always my strong point, I'm going to need help. Friendly help, by folks that know exactly what I'm going through from personal experience. I am trying my hardest to be matter-of-fact and not feel like I've failed myself and have to have someone or something bail me out. What I am looking forward to, is becoming the person I feel like inside, and no longer wondering who the person is that looks back at me in the mirror. Thanks for being here, and I hope to get to know people around, seems like a good community. ~Sonia Current: 289 Goal: 144