Froggie D

I had my surgery on April 7 and my emotions were like a rollercoaster! I had so many ups and down I was getting dizzy! My surgery went fine and I have lost 53 pounds now. I was sure I would be the only person that the band would never work for. Happily, I was wrong. The one thing that surprised me was the let down after surgery - I was so hyped up before that it seems like a the high should last forever, but I had some mood swings for a few weeks. Don't be surprised at that, if it happens to you. It takes a few weeks to heal and get back to normal - that includes emotionally. Hang in there - it seems like it takes forever to get to surgery, but time flies by after you have it done. You have a whole new life waiting for you. Get ready - it is a whirlwind.:confused:

Juliansmom, I agree. Be good to yourself and do something you like (besides eat, of course). Don't be mad at yourself, just set a new goal and move forward! the past is already over.:confused:

I get hiccups when I eat too fast. I think I trap air under the food and it does not have time to come back up before the next bite if I am eating too fast. Once I get them, I have to sit without eating or walk around for a while to let that food settle before I can eat any more. If I am really hungry, it can happen on the first bite or two if I swallow fast so it is not a sign I am full. It is painful. :confused:

That is great! Start out with what you can do and move up slowly. Don't overdo it or you will want to quit. I started with sore knees and moved up slowly so I would not hurt myself. I started with walking 1/2 mile after surgery and moved up to 1 1/2 miles. Last week I joined the gym. Tonight I will get a program set up. Everyday I do a bit more than the day before. It has definitely got my weight loss going again. Good luck!

Skinnygirl, Wow! That is a lot of exercise. I am doing 45 minutes per day at the gym and that is plenty for now. Keep up the good work, Monkeymama. Are you feeling good after you exercise? I know I am. I saw the trainer tonight for an E-Fitness assessment and tomorrow he will set up a program for me. I plan to do the weights program twice a week and continue my 45 minutes of aerobics 3-4 days a week.

I have been using a c-pap for about 4 years and it has made a significant difference n my sleepiness, energy, and I have been very successful wearing it, even with naps. I have lost 53 pounds now and my nasal pillows are somehow different. I have had to tighten up the fit to keep air from leaking out and it is making my nose sore. I keep my mouth closed but find air leaking into my mouth when I sleep and it is drying my mouth out. This never used to happen. I wonder if the pressure is higher than it needs to be now? Would that make this happen? Do I need to do another sleep study to check this out? or can they adjust the machine without a new study? What happens if you pressure is too high? Can it cause problems? Since I have met my deductible and my out of pocket maximum now with having my surgery, I guess that this would be a good time to do something. Thanks for your help with this.

I was wondering how many people with sleep apnea were able to stop using their C-pap after losing weight? How much did you lose when you stopped needing your machine? Do you have to have a new sleep study to stop using the machine? I have lost 50 pounds and my mask doesn't seem to fit the same as it did. I would love to be able to stop using the C-pap completely. Looking forward to the day........

I'll look for a new thread if you decide to do that. Either way, I enjoy getting on here to share and be accountable.:thumbup:

By day 4 you will feel better and not be craving so much. It is hard the first few days. Good luck and good luck with your surgery!:thumbup:

I measure every Saturday. The most important measurements to me, at least now at the beginning of my journey, are hips and waist. I have lost 5.5 inches in each of these areas. It is wonderful to see these numbers go down. Since I joined the gym this week and plan to go regularly, I hope to see this trend continue!:thumbup:

The thing that has surprised me the most is that the summer heat is so much more tolerable. I am not sweating and complaining like I have done other summers. I cleaned out my closet today and I got rid of 6 trash bags of clothes that are too big. I went shopping and bought size XL and even one large. Quite a change from 2X and 3X. I still have a long way to go, but every day is better. I love my band!

Did my 45 minutes of cardio today. Then I got my massage. WOW. Wish I could do that every day. Feeling pretty good about doing this. My goal is 5 days per week and over 150 minutes per week. So far so good.:thumbup:

How about "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't cre less"?

Just read your post from 2007 before your band and saw your before and after pix on your profile. You look fabulous! How does your family feel about this journey now? How do you feel about it?

That is fabulous. I am so happy for you! Keep up the great work! :tt1:

Just keep researching and asking questions until you feel you have enough to make a good decisions on. It is a big decision and not one to make lightly. Good luck to you!

I did 16 minutes on the elliptical and 8 on the Arc Trainer on Thursday and walked for another 21 minutes in my heart range. I have not heard from the trainer for my free sessions yet. I have not started any machines or weights except aerobic so far. I did not go today, but am going Sat AM to work out and then get my free massage! I am sore, but feel energized.

If you read the article from Consumer Reports, they also go one to say we get arsenic and cadmiun in fresh fruits and veggies, other canned and packaged food, liver, fish, etc. It is from use of pesticdes and fertilzers with these chemicals in them. You can't get waswy from it in this world, unless you grow all your own food. Sad, but true.

Hang in there. We have all had those feelings. You need to look at it differently. The band does not "work" - you work the band! It is your tool and you make choices with it. Right now, you are healing and not restricted enough. Once you get more restriction, the band will help you feel more satisfied with smaller amounts, allowing you to be less tempted (the temptation never goes away, of course) and you have the opportunity to make good choices. The choices you make are up to you! Exercise is important, but you can only do what you can do. You don't have to look at it as a 30-60 minute dedicated time. Surely you take 5 minutes to go to the bathroom - you have to do that. Look at your exercise like that - take 5 minutes to walk. Look at it as a "have to". If you do that 3 times a day, you are exercising 15 minutes per day. That is a start. I know I went through this fear before and after surgery. I have always been a failure at weight loss even though I am successful in most everything else in my life. I was sure this would be just one more failure. But I have lost 50 pounds and done some exercising and look and feel so much better. You can do it too! Keep reading and posting - it really helps me. Good luck!

OK, I joined the gym today and even got my husband to join with me. I did 12 minutes on the elliptical machine (6 forward and 6 backward) 6 minutes on the arc machine (I have never used that before) and walked 27 minutes walking the track in my heart range. A total of 45 minutes for my first day out. I get a free session with a trainer to set up a program and three free sessions to work on it. They will call me tomorrow to get set up. I also get a free 30 minute massage. Woohoo! I am doing that on Saturday. I am glad you started this thread Monkeymama so I can report in regularly. I need it. Glad to here others are doing well too. It really does help to have someone to compare notes with.

I did a high protein, low carb before my band. The real purpose if this is to burn off the fat and glycogen stores in your liver because you liver is laying across you stomach and they have to lift it to get the band on. We obese people store a lot of fat and glycogen in our livers making band placement difficult. You burn more fat and glycogen on high protein, low carb. The thing to remember is that if you go low carb, you will suffer from carb withdrawal for the first 3-4 days. It causes hunger, grumpy mood, headaches. It can be pretty miserable. On day 4 most people start to feel better and your hunger goes away, making the rest of the preop pretty easy. I did it for 4 weeks before surgery and lost 23 pounds. I also felt I was truly ready for surgery and prepared for a lot less food post-op. My surg said my surgery was a textbook case and was done in 20 minutes. I was not really hungry after surgery for over 4 weeks. I still try to keep my carb count low, 40-60 per day, to help control appetite. On my pre-op diet I had a protein powder and unsweetened soy milk shake (added Crystal Light for flavor) for breakfast and lunch, and lean meats with no breading like chicken breast, fish, diet lean burger, shrimp, tuna, etc for dinner with low carb veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, salad veggies, celery, etc) cooked or raw. I ate as much lean meat and salad as I needed to be full. I added SF jello and SF popsicles. I avoided a lot of the fatty selections and extra fats (full fat cheese, sour cream, butter, high fat salad dressings) so I figure my diet was a modified Atkins Diet. This really worked for me. I hope you can lose what your doc wants before your surgery. You will feel better, better about yourself, and it gets you in the right mindset for the after surgery journey. Good luck to you!

My company had an exclusion for 2009 but cahnges in 2010. Many companies are looking at it. I have a friend who workks in city HR and they are considering it for their employees next year. Get with your company and push. It is getting very popular. Don't give up. There are places you can go for much less money and you can get financing. I am spending much less on food, going out to eat, fast foods, and meds now. I am however, buying a lot of new clothes, but the smaller sizes are cheaper - it is so much fun!!!! Don't give up your dream!!!

For me it is all about controlling my hunger and cravings. I know that carbs are the issue I have to watch. I try to avoid all starches like bread, potatoes, rice, and all sweets by not having them around. If I eat them, my appetite, especially for them, increases dramatically. I try to stick with lean meats (chicken, turkey, diet lean burger, shrimp, pork tenderloin, etc.) low carb veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, zuchinni, green Beans, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, salad greens, etc), occasionally beans of all sorts, and limited fresh fruits. If I am hungry I bump up my Protein with Protein powder. That way my hunger stays in better control. I was banded April 7 and have had two fills so far and have 2.5cc in my band. I am looking forward to another fill next week. My band is great, but what I put in it makes a world of difference. I am better when I stay away from heavy carbs. The band has helped tremendouly but my chioces make a lot of difference. Good luck wiht your exercise and food choices. It is not easy, but can be done!

Tomorrow I am joining the gym, so I will be starting to exercise again and hope to get my weight loss started again - no really loss for over two weeks now (only 0.2 pounds). Got to get moving.

I walked quarter mile the day of surgery, half mile day 2, and a mile day 3. And I was not exercising before. Running might take a while due to stitches and recovery time. Bouncing can hurt! My doc said heavy exercising should wait 4-6 weeks. Good luck :ohmy: