BeckyC73

I'm 5'8" and I was around 375 when I originally went in for a consultation at the bariatric center (400 lbs when I got married and got pregnant). I didn't want to set myself up for failure, so I originally thought I'd like to go for what the literature says is average for LapBanders: losing 70% of excess body weight after 3 or so years. That would be about 220 or so. (I think maybe I weighed that when I was 13?) Now I think I would be happy under 200. I think I'll keep revising my goals as a meet them.

The weight that I'm entering is from weighing naked, in the morning after I pee and before I eat/drink anything. Is that cheating???

Even if it is psychological, that doesn't make it any easier to overcome. I don't know of any other chewable vitamins that include a B-Complex. Anyone know of one?

Has anyone else had issues with being grossed out easily and finding certain foods intolerable since getting banded? I have NEVER been a picky eater, always loved to try new things, but since getting banded there is a lot of stuff that I have aversions to, mostly stuff I'm supposed to eat. During the pre-op diet (which was not liquid, but high protein, no carb, low fat) I did protein drinks and I didn't mind them, even liked them. Now they turn my stomach. The chewable vitamins I bought (not VitaBand but same company) don't TASTE bad, but upset my stomach and made me puke for some reason and I can't keep them down, so now I have an aversion to anything orange-cream flavored. (I had a bite of my daughter's orange creamsicle yesterday and nearly lost it!) I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I have never been this way (except kind of in my first trimester--but not even this much) and am worried about my vitamins. Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do about it?

Don't worry about what "normal" is? Everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another. At the center for bariatric surgery that I go to, they don't even want to tell you how much they put in because they don't want people getting on sites like this one and having people tell them they got too much or not enough, etc. They make you sit up after the needle is in and drink Water while they are filling and you tell them when it won't do down anymore and then they remove a little and you drink again to make sure it goes down all right. (But at my first fill, I got about 2 cc's.)

I don't know if I'm a good one to talk, because I don't exercise as much as some of the other people who've answered, but exercise is a pain in my ass, but I'm getting better at doing it more regularly. (Mostly it just is BORING!!) I envy the people for whom routine comes naturally, but I've never been a person who could keep a routine very well so I can't depend on that to help me. (I'm just a "go with the flow, adapt to the circumstances"-type of person and I'm not good at making the circumstances adapt to me.) So, here's what I try to do.... I found one thing I like to do: Water aerobics. I've always loved being in the water. Because of scheduling, I can only do it once a week, but at least that's one day less that I have to do stuff that bores me. The other days I have a variety of options that I try to fit in depending on what my day is like. Sometimes I take my toddler mallwalking. (She is getting a little less patient with this, but for a while she's okay riding in the stroller and looking around.) Sometimes i go with my mom or my cousin, so it's less boring, but at least there are things to look at and people to watch and I can talk to/play with my daughter. Sometimes, I do aerobics at home after my daughter goes to bed. I have a couple different DVDs to match my mood--Leslie Sansone or Shapely Girls. Sometimes, I walk on my cheapo used treadmill at home. And once in a blue moon, the weather has been warm enough (almost up to freezing and no wind) to stick Squirt in the stroller and walk outside. So I guess, to summarize... If you or your life do not lend themselves to routine, try having a variety of options that you hate less, break it into smaller chunks (25-45 minutes at a time) and make doable goals (e.g., 30 min., 5 times a week). Try finding someone to encourage you to do it or to make it less boring at least part of the time. Also, it does get a little easier once you lose some weight and/or get in better shape.

I think that in my case I would have been able to go back to work after 4-5 days, but it is different from person to person, obviously. I walked on the treadmill for a half hour the day after surgery and felt completely normal again in a week. I'm a teacher and had surgery over my Christmas break, so I didn't have to go back for 2 weeks.... I think I would have liked to go back to my normal routine sooner, because not being able to eat solid foods was harder being at home with nothing to do.

I had my first fill on Feb. 3, and I am feeling some restriction, but not feeling really tight. I thought a fill would work miracles, but it didn't, of course. I lost 30 dieting 6 weeks before the surgery and only 20 or so in the 7 weeks since the surgery, so it has been a little frustrating. But I'm still averaging 3 lbs a week, so I guess it's okay. I guess patience is the hardest part.

I was also banded on 12/21/09, but in Iowa. How's it going for you? Is it what you expected it would be like almost 2 months out?

I am struggling with getting hungry as soon as I drink after meals. I try to wait as long as I can, but then I don't get enough liquids. I feel full, but when I drink I start gurgling and rumbling and feel hungry right away. Has anyone else had this problem?

Like Julie (JUKU), I'm very pear-shaped and have always needed a size or two bigger for my bottoms than tops. I'm losing it first from my upper body (especially my boobs). I don't feel like I'm losing from my belly because my skin hasn't shrunk, but I'm buying smaller pants and my underwear are getting baggy. I'm still waiting for some results in the thighs, though. (FRUSTRATING!)

I'd love to lose 30 lbs by April 1st. I don't know if that's going to be doable, but that's what I'm going for. That would get me under 300 for the first time in 15 years.

The dietitian told me 1/4 cup (=2 oz.) three times a day with no snacking, just liquids and protein shakes in between. This has been IMPOSSIBLE for me to follow in these first 5 weeks since surgery. I eat more than that (1-2 cups) and occasionally have a snack, but I've been recording everything I eat on fitday.com and I usually have been limiting myself to 1200-1500 calories a day. I hope to feel full with less food after my first fill next week. I was also supposed to be on clear liquids for 48 hours, full liquids for two weeks, mushies for 2 weeks, soft foods for one week, then slowly introduce regular foods. I know I should follow doctor's orders, but I moved up the timetable for myself because I healed so fast I felt like my body could handle it. Maybe that was wrong, but I feel like I have to do what works for me, always keeping in mind that if I am not careful, I'm not gonna lose as much as I want to and it will be nobody's fault but my own.