abbypoo

My doc. says no fills until six weeks. I had my surgery on the 12th and will be getting my first fill on the 21st.

Graywolf, my dietician and surgeon didn't talk to me about getting too few calories or being in starvation mode either. I learned it in a Nutrition class I took in college. That's also where I learned that it's unhealthy to lose more than a few pounds a week. Very Low Calorie Diets are ok for a short while, but eventually your body slows down its metabolism to reserve energy. I would definitely talk to your dietician about your caloric intake and see what she/he has to say about it. Maybe she can recommend a diet to help you out. But anyway, congrats on feeling such restriction! I am two weeks out and not feeling much restriction, but my doc says it's normal for some patients.

No I haven't had my first fill, I'm still on mushies myself. Why does your doctor want you to eat so few calories a day? That seems kind of low. My nutritionist did not give me a restriction on calories. I forgot that you're still on mushies. You're right, you probably wouldn't need a fill at this point if you are staying full on mushies. Maybe things will change when you can start eating lean meats. Let me know how the appointment with your doctor goes.

My skin was dry the first couple of days post-op, but it was because I was dehydrated. Are you drinking enough water?

Ok, so there might be a couple of reasons for this. The first is that your body might be in starvation mode. A lot of times if you consume less calories than your body needs to function (usually around 1000-1200 for women) your body thinks it's starving and will start to slow down your metabolism to conserve energy. Another reason might be just that you're experiencing your first plateau. Sometimes your body just needs time to adjust to a new weight before losing anymore. Before you start to freak out, realize that losing 1-2 pounds a week is considered healthy, so if you've already lost about 10 pounds this month don't start to worry just yet. All of that being said, it's quite common to see a stall in weight loss until you start getting fills. Hope I helped to comfort you a bit.

WK1........wk2........wk3.......wk4 formerfatchick....262.........260.........252 abbypoo............275.........266.........263.....261 jennyr1222........265.........263.........260......255 missK...............241..........231........228......223 morphiend.........238..........229........222 Tripletmomma.....327........323........319......312 You people are CRUISING! I lost two pounds this week... wah wah wah

Don't worry about the gain! It's very possible that it's just a funky body thing. When I was on my liquid diet I lost about ten pounds but then gained a few back towards the last few days for some inexplicable reason!? Maybe your body went into starvation mode and decided it was going to conserve energy? Anyway, keep up the good work Jason! I'm rootin' for you.

My doc calls the mushy stage "soft foods" and that's when I get the scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. My first two stages were clear liquids + Protein drinks and then thickened liquids which is what I'm still on.

I start mushies on Wednesday and the first thing I'm going to have is cottage cheese and then scrambled eggs. I can't wait because pretty much all I'm eating these days is protein drinks and yogurt... bleh! Oh well, I'm proud of myself for making it this far.

So happy to hear the infection is cleared! Glad you're doing well on mushies. I CAN'T WAIT until I can have soft-foods. I'm dreaming of scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. Lol Anyway, thanks for keeping us updated!

Jason, of course you can continue posting your journey here. The only reason I suggested a blog was because it would be a more personal way to document your weight loss, I also thought it might reach more people looking to lose weight, not just those pursuing lap band. You sir, are truly an inspiration for everyone. I know you are proud of yourself and I am so proud of you too. Keep up the good work, I know your lovely family and community are backing you 100%. Keep us updated and make sure you reward yourself with something nice when you get below 400!

I'm so glad to hear everything is going well. Yup, the post-op diet is no fun, but it's definitely worth it. Hopefully the mushies will make you feel fuller faster and you'll drop some more weight. But don't worry about it just yet

Congrats and good luck! You'll do great.

Hey. I've only lost a few pounds since my surgery. Don't worry about it, my surgeon said it is very common not to lose much weight until the first fill. I'd also like to mention that losing more than a few pounds a week is super unhealthy. Remember, you want to be losing fat not muscle! So make sure you get in as much protein as you can and realize it will take some time for the weight to come off, but it will happen!

Pvgrl: Many of us felt the same way before we had our surgeries. I think what you're feeling is pretty common. As far as the pre-op diet goes, most people struggle with it or really really hate it at the very least. I know you're afraid of failing, but the success rate of the gastric band is in your favor. Most, if not all of us know what it's like to constantly struggle with our weight, and we are here to support you! I know you feel like you're not going to be able to do it because you've never had long-term success controlling your weight before, but that is exactly what the band is for! I hated the pre-op diet and wondered if I was going to be able to stick to the liquids post-op, but let me tell you that it's been a week since my surgery and I'm just now starting to feel hungry. Not only that, but I am getting full fast. (The band helps get rid of that pesky food obsession.) I hope I helped ease your fears a bit, and don't worry about talking about your worries, you've come to the right place. There are a ton of wonderful women (and men) who are going through this with you. :biggrin:

Former.. I love your new picture.. that's freaking hilarious! Have you contacted your doctor at all about this? I think that might be a good idea. Anyway, take care lady! Hope relief comes soon.

Thanks! Please let me know how your surgery goes just as soon as you can! I didn't think I could blog either, but it's easy when you have a specific subject to talk about. I don't think I could ever blog about my daily life, I'd have to start doing "interesting" things... Lol

Hey Parshuter! Sorry I forgot about this thread! My surgery went really well. I have absolutely no complaints with the hospital or staff. They were very attentive and took care of my every need. If anything, they are actually TOO attentive at Harper. I must have been visited by 15 or so doctors by the end of my stay. I think this is largely due to the fact that they are a teaching hospital, though. I'm glad you are getting excited! You should be! My best advice for you is that the first two days are very rough and then it gets much better after that. As for me I'm healing very well. My stomach is still sore inside, but for the most part I'm back to doing 95% of my activities. You might want to take a look at my blog (the link is in my signature) because I have an entry that talks about my surgery day in detail. Let me know if you have any other questions or if you just want to talk!

That's one of the reasons I never got any tattoos anywhere besides the one on my ankle. I was always afraid they would stretch if I gained weight or that they would distort if I lost it. Keep us updated if your rose starts to look normal again... lol

Seriously. It could be the most delicious protein shake that ever existed... I still don't want it! I feel like I'm going to develop an eating disorder pretty soon because at this point I'd rather eat nothing than any more fluids. Bleh... I know I know "whine whine whine" ha ha.. alright, I'm done.

Congrats Jason! Wow, you are only two pounds away from the 300's! I am SO excited for you. Oh I can't wait until you get to the 300's, I think that alone will be enough motivation for you to keep on losing! Good job.

Oh that sounds really cool! Definitely unique.

Thanks guys. All I can eat until Thursday is protein drinks and clear liquids. Thursday I get thickened liquids so I will be able to have pudding, cream soups and yogurt. I will continue to drink the protein drinks just because I have to get my nutrition somehow, but let's just say I'm not happy about it! I suppose it's the price I have to pay, right? Ha ha... cheeseburger flavored shake... eww. At least this process is teaching me to not take food for granted. I will cherish every bite when I can start eating real foods again! I'm so sick of popsicles too. It's weird because I used to love them and eat them all the time, now they seem about as appetizing to me as an iceberg salad without dressing.

Congrats! I had problems with nausea too, the doctors said it was from the anesthesia. I think they were right because it went away in the first day post-op. Anyway, hope you heal up well!