Astrasmom

Welcome and congratulations on your banding.

We have to be self advocates when it comes to the band. You definatly should be calling your doctor. As for the eating process you really have to measure the food that you are eating. Your husband also needs to pick foods that are higher in protien (I.E. Fish, chicken, tuna). Also is he taking the protien supplement? My doctor allowed me 8oz of Protein supplement instead of 4oz. I'm on twice a day now but she said that if I become hungry I can toss in that 3rd shake a day. Problem is if your husband keeps eating like he is, if the band isn't leaking or if he didn't slip, he soon will stretch his pouch. Everyone really needs to listen to the signs of hunger. When your stomach is full you can tell. Many people just continue to eat because the food is there. Maybe the plate your husband is too large and he over fills it? It honestly sounds more like temptation (giving into the head hunger) more then anything. No one said the Lapband was going to change our eating habits. It's a tool to help us. And it's still alot of work. Everyone needs to break the cycle of letting food control them. Easier said then done I know. We are still human and we make mistakes. I would start with the doctor first and then go from there.

Congratulations to all of you that have recently be banded. Give yourself a good 2 weeks and your body should feel normal. The bloating should go away in about a week. Where your incisions should start feeling better within 2 weeks after your surgery. Hang in there. It honestly does get better. Make sure you try and walk as much as you can during the day. It really does help with the gas and the healing process. Good luck to all of you.

Not to mention that most of us get the band so that we can lose the weight and live longer. Quiting smoking is a great move. Good luck to you. I quit 11 years ago. I can't say that it was easy by any means but remember if you can't quit cold turkey there are several prescription methods out there to help. Speak to your regular doctor.

My doctors office required me to stay in the hospital over night. I was out of there at about 11am the next morning.

Ooooh! That's it. Your lapband journey is over. You messed up. That's not permitted on this journey! Sorry when you get the lapband in, you automatically are supposed to change your life and become perfect. Sounds very unrealistic doesn't it? Truth is that's not true. This is a life style change this is NOT an operation to make you stop living. We ALL make mistakes. At our support group meeting we go by the moto "Everything in Moderation." If you can tolerate what you are eating then fine. Just don't do it all of the time. If we go down this path without having a little pleasure once and awhile, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Then it becomes just like any other 'diet' that didn't work for us and put us here in the first place. It's ok. Do not beat yourself up for being human. A half a peice of pizza once and awhile is NOT going to put the weight back on you. Happy New Year.

All of your concerns and fears are normal. Although my children are not young anymore, I am a mom of a son who was born with Down Syndrome. I will tell you that this is probably the best thing that I have done in my life. I also had open heart surgery in 2001 for an aortic aneurysm and valve repair. I will need to have it done again in a few years because the first time around they used a pigs valve and thie next time I'm getting a mechanical so it will last for the rest of my life. As for your children you will probably need help with them for a few days. After that you will be amazed at how you are able to keep up with them after the weight starts coming off. I have read and heard many of stories where parents are so excited that they are able to keep up with their children after the surgery. I had my surgery on Oct. 23, 2009 which was a Friday. I went back to work on a Tuesday. In my opinion I would suggest reading as much as you can and read the book Weightloss Surgery for Dummies. It gives you alot of information. Ask alot of questions on here. After that you can make your determination. I will tell you that this surgery is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I to tried many diets and lost the weight only to have it come back again. Since my surgery I am down 41lbs and feel awesome. I won't lie to you. You can gain it back if you don't follow the program. This is not a get thin quick thing. It is a life style change and it does take work. It's just alot easier to keep it off in the long run. I wish you much luck and I hope that my information has helped you in your journey. Happy New Year.

Let me start by saying Happy New Year. This year will be very different for me. How you ask? Well I got on the scale today and since my first visit to the doctors I have lost 55lbs. Since my surgery date on Oct 23, 2009 I have lost 45lbs. I won't officially change my ticker until I go to the doctors on Jan. 13th. In 2001 I had open heart surgery because I and an aortic aneurysm. I also had a valve replacement. That was 8 1/2 years ago. I am already back down to the weight I was when I had my surgery. I go to visit my cardiologist on Jan. 25th and am very excited to see what is said. I will need to have open heart again in a couple of years because they put a pigs valve in last time, which only lasts for 10 years or so. This time around I will get a mechanical which should last for the rest of my life. 6 months ago my cardiologist said that I really needed to lose the weight because I was taking the chance of dieing on the table or at the least risking infection if I did lose the weight. So here I am. I have lost about 1/4 of my goal weight. So here is my New Years Resolution. I am extremely greatful for the support of my family and friends and everyone on here, but I have come to realize that the only person who is truly going to help me do this, is myself. I want to LIVE. I don't want to die young. So I refuse to let food control me any longer. I will however not give up living. I do realize that this is a lifestyle change but it's not a reason to give up living. Everything in moderation. So if I make a mistake I am NOT going to punish myself for it. I am just going to learn from those mistakes and move along. So 'FOOD' move over because I'm taking over. This is MY life, not yours. Good luck to everyone in 2010. I hope you have as much success as I have had and continue down your path of weight-loss. God bless you all and thanks for being here for me.

Let me start by saying Happy New Year. This year will be very different for me. How you ask? Well I got on the scale today and since my first visit to the doctors I have lost 55lbs. Since my surgery date on Oct 23, 2009 I have lost 45lbs. I won't officially change my ticker until I go to the doctors on Jan. 13th. In 2001 I had open heart surgery because I and an aortic aneurysm. I also had a valve replacement. That was 8 1/2 years ago. I am already back down to the weight I was when I had my surgery. I go to visit my cardiologist on Jan. 25th and am very excited to see what is said. I will need to have open heart again in a couple of years because they put a pigs valve in last time, which only lasts for 10 years or so. This time around I will get a mechanical which should last for the rest of my life. 6 months ago my cardiologist said that I really needed to lose the weight because I was taking the chance of dieing on the table or at the least risking infection if I did lose the weight. So here I am. I have lost about 1/4 of my goal weight. So here is my New Years Resolution. I am extremely greatful for the support of my family and friends and everyone on here, but I have come to realize that the only person who is truly going to help me do this, is myself. I want to LIVE. I don't want to die young. So I refuse to let food control me any longer. I will however not give up living. I do realize that this is a lifestyle change but it's not a reason to give up living. Everything in moderation. So if I make a mistake I am NOT going to punish myself for it. I am just going to learn from those mistakes and move along. So 'FOOD' move over because I'm taking over. This is MY life, not yours. Good luck to everyone in 2010. I hope you have as much success as I have had and continue down your path of weight-loss. God bless you all and thanks for being here for me.

I have Wii Fit and Wii Fit plus. I also bought the Golds Gym one. And I want to get the Wii Active. Wii Active you use less of the Wii board and it's more cardio. I have seen a difference.

Wow can you give my husband some advice on how to handle things better? That is so awesome that you are backing your wife like this. You have already made the first step in helping there. You are one of the few spouses who actually ask questions and try to find out any information that you can to help your wife along the way. She's very lucky. Continue to be there for her. When she has her down day (like any human will have) just be there to remind her that you are there for her and that everyone makes mistakes. We are only human. This is NOT a miracle diet or a miracle cure for obesity. If the pounds just dropped off of us over night I would have gotten it done years ago and today I would look like America's Top Model (haha). This is a lifestyle change and it DOES take alot of work. It does take some getting used to. And it does require you to follow a plan if you want to be successful in your weight loss. But as I said it's a life style change. You don't have to give up living either. 'Everything in moderation.' I am fortunate to have come to realize in the first stages the difference between head hunger and real hunger so it's helped me to know when to stop eating and when to just take a drink of Water or something instead of pigging out and letting food control me like it used to. I have been pretty much following the plan since my surgery on Oct. 23, 2009 and I am down about 41lbs (I won't officially change my ticker until I go to the doctors). So it will work for your wife. She can gain the weight back if she doesn't follow the plan. It is alot easier though then a normal 'diet' would be. I can totally understand her not wanting to tell anyone about the surgery. I opted to tell people because personally I don't care what people think. Many people are critical of this surgery. Most of them will say, "Oh you took the easy way out." I find NOTHING about this the 'easy way out.' Personally this is even harder then your average diet. Why? Simply because it's surgery and secondly because it honestly is a life style change. With your average diet we fall into this thing where we lose the weight but gain it back again after a few month. Why? Because we really aren't changing our life styles. We are just changing what we eat. The lap band helps you to not just change what you eat, but how much you consume. Sure you can probably sit down and eat a burger if you wanted to. I for one couldn't get it down. But after a certain time your wife will learn the difference between the hungers also. Grant it my family has been very supportive of me. But I opened my eyes to realize that truely the only person that is going to help me is myself. Everyone else can be there to support me (which makes it easier at times) but instead of looking at food as my enemy and allowing food to control me, I took control back myself. Someone said once, "The only good tasting food is the taste of you being thin again." I also realized that if there is a piece of cake on the table and I want to have some of it. I will have some of it. My family is not going to break my arm to get me NOT to have a piece of cake. I am not going to give up living. I am going to LIVE though. So I made a mistake. I am not going to beat myself up about it anymore. I am going to brush myself off and try again. Which is exactly what your wife will do. This is probably the best thing I have ever done for myself. I feel awesome even after just a few months. Your wife will be amazed. I'm not sure how much over weight you are but after seeing your wife's success you might consider the surgery also. The best of luck to your wife and your continued support. Happy New Year.

I had the pressure leg cuffs on the entire time I was in the hospital. They took them off for me to go to the bathroom and to walk but when I got back into the bed they put them back on. That's just to prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. The throat tube they generally take out of your throat before you are totally awake in recovery. My throat was a little scratchy but other then that, I had no problems what so ever.

I am only allowed to do the breath strips. Gum, whether it be sugar or sugar free has something in it that actually makes you crave food more. I have found that when I stopped chewing gum the sensations of wanting food went away. Plus the doctor said no gum because you take the chance of swallowing it.

So yesterday I did something really exciting for myself. I dug my car and my driveway out of 2 foot of snow. How in the world is that exciting you ask? Well for the first time in many years I actually started and finished the job without getting winded and having to stop several times. My back didn't hurt and today I am actually not sore. It was great exercise and I definately burned alot of calories. Now don't get me wrong. I in no way want this much snow ever again however I am proud of myself that I was able to shovel myself out. Ok so I had help of my husband and youngest son but still I did alot of shoveling myself. :cursing: I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday.

First let me say, Congratulations and I am sorry that you are sick. Are you on Clear Liquids only or are you able to take your Protein suppliments also? When you say your itchy is it by your incisions or is it all over? If it's by your incisions it's more then likely because they are healing. If it's all over, you should make sure that you aren't having an allergic reaction to something. Do you have a noticable rash or anything going along with that itch? Call your doctor if that's the case. As for your cheating. The lapband is a tool. It's not a miracle worker. That would be totally awesome if the lapband stopped all of our cravings and all of our cheats. You are STILL human and you will still make mistakes once and awhile. You haven't screwed up. It takes awhile for you to know the difference between 'head hunger' and true hunger. So instead of beating yourself up about 9 pretzels (which I am suprised you were able to get down anyway. You must have chewed really well which is a GREAT tool to have in the upcoming months), learn from what just happened and next time ask yourself is this really what I want to do? The rule, wait 10 minutes, distract yourself, and then if the temptation is still there, instead of reaching for a pretzel reach for some chicken broth or a fat free ice pop. I live on Fat Free ice pops. They really help with my cravings. Try to stick to the plan that the doctor gave to you. Don't move onto solids to quickly. If you are really having a hard time, call and ask your doctor if you can start taking your protein supplements. Good luck to you and I hope you feel better soon. Have a happy holiday.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I would be happy to give you some support if you would like to add me as a friend. Although I am not an extended resident here. I did have my surgery on 10/23/09 and I do have some pointers that could help you along the way. Maybe we could even help each other. Who knows. :ohmy:

The Gas is actually from the air that they pump inside of you during your surgery. This is to move everything out of the way so that the surgeon can get around better. The gas should go away in about a week from your surgery date. It's good that you are pushing it out though. For many people it stays inside. Just excuse yourself..hah you'll be ok. Congratulations to you.

You are actually right on track. The average weighloss is about 1-2 lbs a week. You aren't supposed to take it off fast with the lapband. Gastric Bypass makes the weight come off faster. However with the bypass there are several downfalls. One of them being is that the bypass actually stops working after 2 years because it can't be adjusted anymore. So in the long run the lapband is the better choice. Taking the weight off slower is better for you also. I had one fill also and I am feeling restriction. I feel more restriction in the afternoon and evening. I try and weigh and measure all of my food. I do get my 2 protein supplements in a day which is not only good for keeping you full during meals, it also helps in the healing process. As of Dec. 3 I lost 29lbs since surgery. 40lbs all together with the pre-op diet. I try not to weigh myself at home and only update my weight when I go for my fills. My next fill is January 13. Happy Holidays to everyone.

So yesterday I did something really exciting for myself. I dug my car and my driveway out of 2 foot of snow. How in the world is that exciting you ask? Well for the first time in many years I actually started and finished the job without getting winded and having to stop several times. My back didn't hurt and today I am actually not sore. It was great exercise and I definately burned alot of calories. Now don't get me wrong. I in no way want this much snow ever again however I am proud of myself that I was able to shovel myself out. Ok so I had help of my husband and youngest son but still I did alot of shoveling myself. I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday.

When you don't eat, your body goes into shut down mode along with your metabolism and you won't lose the weight. You also don't want to stay it one specific calorie count a day because your body will get used to it. Once and awhile you have to eat something with a little more caloric count in order to shock your body. If you aren't exercising you will gradually need to increase your exercise also so that you can burn some calories. Finally make sure that you weigh and measure everything that you eat.

Sounds like you just stretched a stitch that holds your port in place. Or maybe pulled a little muscle. It should be ok. Back off on lifting heavy stuff or working out really hard for a week and it should go away. If not I would recommend calling your doctor.

Congratulations. You have already started one goal, and that's the fact that you want to get back into the exercising as soon as you can. My suggestions would be to weigh and measure all of your food when you move up in stages. When you start to guess at how much food you should eat you tend to always give yourself a little to much food. I weigh and measure EVERYTHING and continue to lose. Follow your plan that your doctor gave you. If you 'cheat' once and awhile don't kick yourself too hard because we are only human. Just pick yourself up and get back on track. Try not to 'cheat' to often though. Our saying at the support group is 'Everything in Moderation.' Good luck to you. And Happy Holidays.

Congratulations!! Welcome to the losers bench. Just remember right now you want to walk as much as you possibly can to get rid of the gas. Stick with the food plan that you were given. When you move up to the mushies, make sure that you start measuring and weighing everything and you will be very successful. Keep us all posted on your progress. Happy Holidays.