happy2lose

This really depends upon your surgeon. It is important to follow your surgeon's guidelines.

Good for you Jenny. Watch those knees.....if you hurt them you will struggle to exercise.

Check with your doctor. You must be a daredevil!

Yes, Crystal Light counts as Water. Cold cuts and low fat cheese make an excellent lunch. If you can eat bread, throw in a slice of wheat bread. Also, cottage cheese and raw veggies are a good lunch.

By the way, forgot to mention. If you have a desk job you really don't need to take time off from work. I had my surgery on Friday and returned to work on Monday.

Yes it is possible to adjust to the band and a new job. Being banded only means you must eat slower, eat less and eat healthier. This really isn't that complicated to adjust to. Don't worry!

Melinco, I did see your post about hiccuping after taking the pill. Perhaps the pill was too large and you need to break them in half. I get the hiccuping when I eat too fast. It sounds like you may have been stuck or irritated your pouch, or perhaps even gas. Not really sure! I'm glad you are feeling better. Banded life seems to throw us many curves (new experiences) try to relax a bit. Being too uptight about your band will cause you way too much stress. Take each new experience as it comes and keep a journal of the strange experience and try not to worry. I hope today is a better day for you, Donna

Congratulations! Keep up the good work.

It seems there are many radio personalities who rag on fat people. They are referred to as shock jocks. There claim to fame is shocking the public. I hear you about your feelings on this subject. What has become of the world we live in???

I quit drinking 2 weeks before surgery and resumed drinking about a month after. I had no trouble giving up the foods I love but giving up margaritas has been tough.

The pain in the chest is totally normal. That was the worst part during my recovery. It hurt to breath and felt as if an elephant was sitting upon my chest. Give it another week and you will be back to normal. The port pain does last sometimes 4-6 weeks but otherwise you will feel great. Hang in there and prepare yourself for bandster hell. This is when the hunger strikes before you have any restriction. It will probably hit you at about days 7-10.

You look fabulous! Congratulations on your success!

You should call your surgeon about this.

It's my opinion that the banded people who are not losing much weight either have a medical condition that is affecting their weight loss or they are not following the lapband rules.

I have sinus allergies and from this my stomach tends to swell around the band. If I don't drink enough Water one day I will notice being really tight and struggle to eat the next day. If I vomit I become swollen and can't eat. With all this, it can be a vicious cycle. You must be keeping enough food and liquid down to survive or you would be hospitalized and fed through IV fluids. Take it slow, eat small amounts and take very small bites. Stick with softer, easier to chew Proteins instead of the recommended solid proteins and see if this helps.

Humming Bird, I share your disorder. I can barely make it through a meal without flossing in between. I can't stand to have food between my teeth, it drives me crazy or perhaps I'm already crazy!

Hang in there both of you! It sounds to me like you both need more restriction so you won't be able to eat as much. Food cravings go away after about 10-14 days after you stop eating sugars and starches. It can be tough but you have to be tougher. Make up your mind that no matter what happens you will not give into the cravings. Plan your daily menu ahead of time so that you will be less likely to stray from the plan. Log all your food intake until you are confident you have things under control. Make a plan to exercise. Plan exercise activity for each day. Spend 60-90 daily minutes focusing on walking, running, working out. Exercise also helps to keep the cravings for food at bay. Drink lots of water and this will help you too. Just do it!

It wouldn't hurt you at all to work out twice each day. I sit at a desk all day too and I've been thinking about adding another workout to my days.

Good job Elfie. You even lost weight during the holidays. Good for you!

I just wanted to let those of you who are losing their hair know that it does eventually stop. I began losing my hair by the hand fulls about 4 months post-op. I am now just over 8 months post-op and the hair loss has finally stopped and I am beginning to notice new hair growth. So don't panic, it's only temporary.

Sliming is what happens when your food is stuck in your pouch you get an over-production of saliva and can't swallow it.

Are you taking pain meds??? If so, try switching to Tylenol PM instead. When I take Vicoden I am too wired to sleep. I may fall asleep but I keep waking up.

The first 7 months I was a textbook bandster eating exactly by the rules. The past 6 weeks I have stopped doing everything by the book. I skip Breakfast because I really am not hungry and my band is typically tight in the a.m. For lunch I eat a can of Campbell's Soup or McDonald's chicken strips. dinner I eat whatever I want just not much of it such as a taco or meat and veggies. I seem to be losing weight just as consistently as I was the first 7 months but I'm sure I am not as healthy as I could be. I am not able to eat rice, Pasta or bread very successfully with the restriction I am at.

This is the exact same advice I will give you. The band works great if you use it as directed. The weightloss is slow which is healthiest. You will really need to work at it though and exercise is essential. If you do, you will have great results.

Yes, I picture myself the same way. I am obese in all my dreams. When I picture a certain senario I am also obese.