Sarah8807

I havent been on here for a while and thought I would post some things. I'm almost 2 months post op and down 28lbs as of this morning. I'm not seeing a huge scale change but I was also not putting in 100% effort either. The holidays were...well the holidays. lol. So yes I did induldge a bit. I was excited to know that there was a limit to what I could eat and ran into a couple times where I ate too fast or too much and it was extremley uncomfortable. I started off Monday back in the right direction. I'm eating a lot of protein and eating very little of anything else. I've been doing a lot of diced up meats and cheese, chicken, string cheese, squash, and other meats. My diet is not very exciting but when I stick to it, it seems to work. I got down to 31lbs lost before the holidays. I would like to be down atleast another 10 if not 20lbs by the new year. I am learning a lot about myself. I really love my lapband. I have had 2 fills already and I have another scheduled for next week. I have 4.1cc's in my 10cc band. Anyone that is reading this that does not have lapband yet just know that this is not the "easy" way out. ANY WLS takes effort. And yes, some may be a little easier at first than others but in the long run its up to us to keep the weight off. I cought myself a couple of times eating things that I use to eat and then I would ask myself, Why did you have surgery? Just because you have lapband doesnt mean your obesity is cured. I wish. But that's not how this works. If you put in the time and effort the weight will come off. If not, than there is really no point in having surgery. I feel very motivated right now and have been doing well sticking to my diet. I do have days though where I am not as motivated. The nice thing though lately is that the more fills I seem to get the more I cant just eat without thinking about chew chew chew. Or else I have extreme pain. So I love that my band holds me accountable. My doctor also would like to see me have less than 30grams of carbs a day....Has anyone else been asked to do this? If you are new to the whole counting calories thing that is like two string cheeses! So if anyone has any good ideas for high protein/low carb foods please LET ME KNOW :-) Have a great day!!!

I am about one and a half months post op. So far Lapband has been great for me. I'm still down about 25lbs and I'm happy with that. But I've been stuck at the same weight for a while it seems. It seems like I will go down a lb and be there for a couple weeks then maybe go down another lb. So I'm hoping that the fill I get today will help speed things up a bit. I feel like I can still eat whatever I want to (but I try not to). I have 1.5 cc in my 10 cc band. The only time I feel stuck is in the mornings. So I usually try to eat something light like yogurt. I feel like my weight loss would accerlate more if I planned out my meals more and worked out more. So that's my plan. I am going to the store tonight and I am going to get some small tupperwear dishes that I can start putting all my things in. I notice that when I am prepared for hunger I dont make a foolish decision. I have started walking too. Right now I'm doing about a mile 3 times a week. And I could probably bump that up a bit. Looking forward to this fill and hope Im not too tight Very curious to see when I will be in the "green" zone.

Ok so I had to post this because I was so excited!...Yesterday my fiance and I went shopping for a pair of jeans for me. Most of the things I was wearing before surgery look really baggy and weird and some of the things I saved before I gained weight are still too small. I started before surgery at about a size 24 jeans. And those were a little tight. So...we went to the store and I'm looking at all the jeans and I thought maybe Im about a size 22 or 20 now...(just fyi down 26lbs)....so that was the size I was looking for. But I ran across a pair of Old Navy Sweatheart jeans and they looked like somehting I could wear. So I looked at the tag and saw that they were a size 18! I though wow...I will try these on but they are probably too small....but they werent!!! I was so excited. I was stuck at 269 for about two weeks and now down to 267. Still have a ways to go, but hey im happy! Going in for a fill next week. A little over one month post op and very happy with the results so far! :D:D:D:D

Hey girl! I'm about where your at with the weight loss. I got a fill last week and I felt restriction for that day but then the next day still feel like I have very little restriction. I scheduled another fill for next week. I did the same thing with the stuck feeling. I ate some butternut squash way too fast and omg it sucked! And dry meat is not my friend either!! Thanks for keeping us updated. Hope your fill goes well

Keep submitting your paperwork to the insurance. If you meet all the requirments they have to approve you. I think by law they can deny you 2 or 3 times before they have to submit it to a doctor that is not with their company and most of the time it's approved at that point. If not contact ObesityLaw. They are partially funded through allergan (part makers of lapband) and everyone I have seen go through them has gotten approved. DONT GIVE UP!!

Don't be scared. :-) I am one month post op and lapband does not do all the work for you. I have changed the way I eat (although occasionally I've had a few treats) and I think it would be really hard to live with lapband if you didnt change the way you eat. Like carbs and things like that a lot of banders have trouble with and cant get them down, but I've had a little and had no problems. So it's no gaurantee what you will be able to eat. Lapband is not the easy way out and does take a lot of effort if you really want to lose the weight. It's more than just portion control. :-) I know how you feel though. It is a little dishearting knowing that I may not be able to eat some of the foods I use to love...but at the same time I am greatful for that because those foods I "loved" are what put me in the boat I am in now. I have more than 100lbs to lose and to me thats just crazy! A whole person! So in a way I am greatful that the lapband does not tolerate certain foods and that I have had to change my lifestyle for it!

Today is one month post op for me! Everything is going pretty good. Im down (as of this morning) about 25lbs. I was at the same weight for about two weeks though and I think because of being back on a liquid diet for my fill I've lost a couple extra pounds ....The fill was....NOT bad at all. It was nothing really. The nurse started by putting 2 cc's in my band and the barium swollow drink was sitting in my throat for quite a while before going down. So she took some out and im at 1.5 cc's. Yesterday I did liquids all day. Still feeling kind of hungry. Today I had some chicken stew that I made last night and OMG...chew chew chew....I never had problems with chicken before my fill but earlier it felt like there was concrete stuck in my chest. I had to drink something to get it to go down. So im being very cautious of what I'm eating and trying to remember to chew chew chew and not drink with my meals. The not drinking with the meal is the hardest. Although the chicken did get a little stuck I still feel like maybe I need more in my band. Last night I was starving and today I'm ok....but not where I would like to be...I guess I am just getting use to the whole lapband thing. It's really hard to tell when im satisfied and/ or full. So...not sure if I should go get more in the band or just wait a few days to see where Im at. Everything otherwise as far as pain is great. Really cant feel anything anymore. My port was very easy to get to according to the nurse and band looked good on the x ray. Best of luck to everyone!!! Any advice on how you got to your green zone would be apprieciated! :-)

Thank you ladies. Yes I am back at 270 now so Im a little happier with that. My fill is Tuesday and I cannot wait! lol. Never thought I would say that....lol

Thanks for the positive encouragment! I have been doing much better today and getting back on track!! I am really interested to see what this fill will be like because so far there has been nothing that I have eaten that has not gone down...I still try to make the right food choices, I guess Im just a little suprised after knowing so many people that cant have breads, rice, or any type of carb without getting sick.

Last night my fiance and I went out for my birthday dinner. I was a little nervous to see how me, alcohol, and my band would do...Also I havent drank anything in almost 2 years so I really had no tolerance to alcohol lol....The beggining of the night went well we had some drinks and everything seemed to be going good...Then we for some reason thought it would be a good idea to order some highly fattening appiteziers...After those were gone more drinks....I felt ok but major head ache when I left. Nothing really set in until I got home. As soon as I walked in the door I felt extremely ill....I tried my hardest not to get sick which made it even worse. I dont know if it was the alcohol or the crappy food choice that made me so ill but either way it was not worth it. I was down to 269 and today up to 271 so im not happy about that. Alcohol is wasted calories and then when you top it off with dip and many fried things it obviusly is not going to help with any weight loss. I am very excited for my fill next week and have been getting back on track today by having my protein shake for breakfast. Last night really made me realize that lapband wont do anything without your commitment to it...Feeling a little guilty...

Sorry hun! :-(...Does your doctors office typically numb anyone? My surgeon sprays this stuff on my stomach and all I feel is preasure...I hope next time is better for you!!

Thane, It was hard to tell really. I guess I just got really sick of putting everything in a blender so I though I would try something thats not too hard. I started with cottage cheese. That went down great no problems. Then i had some scrambled eggs. Everything so far has gone down fine. The ONLY time (so far) that I have had problems is in the morning. I cant eat much early in the morning. So I just stick to protein shakes or maybe yogurt. Brenda, How much weight have you lost? Is your band a 10cc? Thats great that you do mini meals. I think I prefer that too. It is weird how the band affects everyone SO differently... Good luck to both of you!!

I am very excited for my first fill! I'm 5'8 and started my journey at 293...I am now 269 (goal weight is 150) and 3 weeks post op today. I started my pre-op diet about 2 weeks before surgery and lost a lot of that weight in that time frame. I am now eating full foods. A lot of protein from meats, cottage cheese, string cheese, sugar free pudding, yogurt, veggies, soups, hummus, some lean cusine meals. I feel like I could keep eating but stop after my serving is done. I havent really been sitting down and eating 3 square meals a day. More like 3-5 mini meals. I've also been a lot more thirsty than normal...I had my first really uncomfortable feeling the other morning. I guess my band was a little tight because I ate some meat and OMG...I thought I was having a heart attack! I felt extreme pressure and so much of it in my chest. I immedietly stoped eating and was fine in about 5-10 minutes. I do feel tighter in the mornings so I am trying to just stick to my protein shake and coffee for breakfast... I am really anxious to see what this fill is going to bring. My surgeon says I should feel full longer and at times may not be hungry at all. I feel hungry a lot now so I hope it works out for me. I would love to hear about everyone else's first fills if you don't mind sharing?