addelapp5

I've lost a little over 50 pounds and the only people that have seemed to notice are family members. I haven't even really noticed. I think my face is starting to look a little thinner but that's about it. I've only gone down one size (starting on a second), and I'm losing weight in my legs, not my stomach. Figures. So the legs of my pants are getting loose and not much else. I figure either people just haven't noticed because I have so much more to loose, or they don't want to comment and risk maybe being rude or embarrassing me? I dunno. I'd almost just prefer they not say much!

I was just wondering how everyone has been doing myself. Got banded 3/23. Lost a bit over 50 pounds so far, had two fills. Third is scheduled for Sept. 11. Hit a giant plateau for the past month (seriously, the scale didn't budge, no matter how much or how little I ate or exercised or anything). FINALLY started moving again 2 days ago, thank goodness. Hoping to be down 10 by my fill appt (8 left). Hoping I can really drive it home right now since I'm apparently done plateauing for now. Can't eat at all before about noon. Just do a Protein shake or yogurt for Breakfast. I'm trying to get more fluids. I've always been a big drinker but for the past two weeks I have noticed that I've not been drinking much at all (mayyybe 60 oz a day, nowhere near enough for me). So I'm making a conscious effort this week to up my Fluid intake. Other than that, things are going well. I was getting really aggravated about not losing any weight, but at least I didn't gain. Have gotten stuck a few times via user error. I will decide that 11:30am is close enough to 12 to eat, and then get stuck. My body is on some weird time clock. Anyway, hope everyone else is doing well!

I used to drink a 12-pack of caff. free diet coke every 2 days. And I'd throw a real coke in every other day or so too. My mom had a heart problem when I was growing up so I grew up on the caff. free diet stuff. I just used to drink it for the carbonation. I was drinking 5-6 cans a day right up until the night before my surgery. Even chugged one right before midnight (my cutoff). I was banded on March 23 of this year and have not had one single sip of a soda since. I thought it was going to be torture. I really didn't know how I was going to manage. I've been fine. I think I unintentionally went to grab one in the fridge at work about 2 weeks after surgery and realized what I was doing. I didn't want it. It was just habit. I think I've longed for a soda maybeeee 2-3 times in the past few months, but I didn't do anything about it and the craving passed. I really just... don't miss it. I drink Water, tea, milk, juices, etc. and I feel a lot better. I wish it were so easy to give up other things. I have just told myself NO. No I can't have a soda. And then I realize that I really just don't even want it anyway. You can do it. Honest. I used to be the biggest soda addict ever.

Hi. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Being hungry is pretty normal. Some people come out of surgery with restriction. Others do not. I had some decent restriction until about 4 weeks after surgery and spent the next two eating too much. No I didn't eat like I did before surgery, but that was probably out of fear of doing damage to my band. But I did eat a lot. The best thing I can tell you is to go to your band basics. Make sure you are taking your time eating. CHEW everything. I know some people cut their food up into pencil eraser sized bites. This does not work for me. I find that I chew less when I do that. I take mediumish bites. Not regular ones, but certainly not pencil eraser sized either. I also put my fork down between bites, and give myself a bit before picking it up. You may not feel anything now, but when you get some restriction, you'll want to make sure you're alright before taking the next bite. I also have to be sure I'm not doing mindless activities when I eat. IE I do not let myself eat in the car unless absolutely necessary. I do not surf the internet or watch tv when I eat. That's where I get in trouble. I eat too much and too fast and make myself sick. I sit down and I eat. No distractions. Do NOT put a drink out with you when you eat. I did this. I drank and drank while I ate and had no trouble until I hit some restriction. Now I know better. Trust me, it HURTS. I wish I had started the habit of not drinking with my meals sooner. It is a hard habit to break! I am finally there but only because of the negative side effects of drinking while eating now that I have some restriction. The time between your surgery and your first fill is a time to heal. While you shouldn't be out gorging yourself, you also shouldn't freak out if you're eating more than a cup of food per meal. Take this time to practice your new eating and drinking habits. Trust me, it's a good idea. Take the time to chew and pay attention to if you're full or not. You don't need to be stuffed to the gills. You have to pay a lot of attention to notice when you're satisfied opposed to stuffed. I thought full was being unable to move until I got this band. Now I know better. I see a lot of people on here that say they are not sticking to their diet, so they aren't loosing weight. Well diets never worked for me, or maybe I didn't work for them. That's why I got the band. I do not count calories or panic about eating something "naughty" every so often. I'd go batty if I did that. I just make a conscious effort to cook and eat foods that are good for me. You can't go wrong there. You aren't far from your fill. Please don't stress yourself out. Trust me, it won't do any good. Practice chewing and taking your time and keep the drink in the fridge for later, and make good food choices.

I'm a little over 3 months post op and I started loosing more hair about 2-3 weeks ago. I PANICKED because my hair is really fine (but not really thin)... but still, I've been loosing 20-30 strands in the shower and countless more through the day when I brush my hair or just run my hands through it. Plenty of Protein and such on my end. A lot of times apparently the stress from surgery can cause hair loss. That's what I'm going with anyway. I started using Nioxin shampoo. Freaked me out at first because the first week I used it I actually lost MORE hair, but apparently that's normal (it cleanses your scalp and thus you lose the dead hair). I don't know if it's working yet or not. Only been using it for 3 weeks but I feel better about it anyway. Also taking Biotin. I think that's about all I can do. I'll just hope that I don't get a big bald spot. It'll pass.

Well I'm a little late but I'm starting the pouch test tomorrow (tuesday). I've only had one fill (May 7th), was scheduled for a second on June 7 but I was very restricted so rescheduled for July 24 (first available date...). Well, go figure... now I don't have much restriction. Soooo hopefully this'll get me back on track. Good luck to everyone else!

I can't even look at brownies without getting nauseous... which is fine. Cookies are the same. I do believe chips are "sliders" for some, but not for me. They make me feel gross As far as healthy foods... I can't handle carrots, nor tuna. Not sure why.

I haven't been able to find chewables. The biotin I got from the pharmacy is small enough for me to take without any trouble, though it is 1000mg. I take one per day, as that's what my doctor said was best for me. They're about the size of an asprin (maybe a little more flat).

Well... I'm exactly three months out so I'll go through a typical day. Breakfast: Usually just a Protein shake or yogurt smoothie... something w/at least 10g protein. I am not a big breakfast person and I find that I'm a little too tight to really eat anything solid before 10-11am anyway. Lunch: Yesterday I had a home-made chicken quesadilla w/ chicken, cheese, peppers and home-made salsa. I made the tortilla pretty crispy just in case but had no trouble with it. I didn't eat much of it, as I got full pretty quickly. Dinner: Yesterday I had 3-4ish oz of steak (I don't measure), about a half cup of steamed snow peas and a mini twix for dessert. I'm not one that thinks of this as a diet. Diets never worked for me, and they wouldn't work for me now. I would just obsess over having a certain food item that would be "prohibited" by the diet and then just break down and eat it. For me, the key is moderation, which is exactly what my band helps me do. I have only found a few things that I can't tolerate, and I do stay away from those. I used to binge eat to the point of being incredibly uncomfortable. Now I eat until I'm full, which is thankfully a lot sooner than pre-band. My weight loss is steady and I feel a lot healthier. I still do eat breads and carbs but they're pretty limited. Not because I can't get them down, but because I really just don't crave them that often. I also find that my food choices are healthier, mostly because I have limited room in my stomach, and I want to use it as best as I can. Also because now that I actually chew properly, things taste different. I have NO idea how I used to eat french fries, they taste horrible to me now. Chew one 20 times and you may agree!

I think it probably depends on multiple things. The band, the person, the surgeon... perhaps even where you live. I was banded in march and already had 3cc in my band. I definitely needed the fill I had in May (2cc). Once I had that fill though, I had GREAT restriction for about a month (until about 2 weeks ago). Even though it's not as good now, I still have a pretty decent amount of restriction. My next scheduled fill is July 24. I had one for June 7 but I definitely did not need it and decided that I would rather wait than to be over-filled. I can definitely eat more than I'd like, but still way less than I used to. I have still gotten stuck once in the past two weeks, and still have to chewchewchew and eat slowly, which tells me that I do not need to be super tight to do this. I know a guy who didn't get a fill for a year and lost over 100 pounds. I know another guy who got a fill every month for his first year and lost 50 pounds. Just depends I guess. We're all different and I think that the band is different for every single person.

1. Can't imagine eating a brownie ever ever ever again. I tried one a few weeks ago... took two bites and PB'd it right back up. Definitely not something I'm trying again. Actually I look at them and automatically feel a little queasy... probably for the best! 2. Eh I don't so much have one of those. I have found that I can eat most things in moderation as long as I am careful. I have not had any issues "needing" to eat anything in these past couple of months since banding. My main issue is not drinking after I eat. I can manage before and during. But I get thirsty after. Grr. 3. My favourite at the moment is roast beef from the deli at Whole Foods. It's about 3094304 times better than any roast beef I've ever had. I pack it for lunch a few days a week along with some snow peas (yum). 4. I don't know if it's a recipe or not... but it's kind of like a chicken quesadilla without the tortilla. Marinated shredded chicken, melted cheese, jalepeno, home made salsa. It satisfies my flavor kick.

Agreed. Had my surgery with him in March.

Hi Everyone! I saw that someone came up with the friday weigh-in and has made a few posts, though from what I can tell there is not a new one every week? Not sure though. Perhaps we can make a new thread every Friday for folks to post weights? I thought about joining in but did not want to dredge up an old thread in order to do so. Thoughts?

Just try something w/sugar? Unless like the above poster said, you don't know if you'll be able to stop. I took the risk of trying a bit of candy about a week ago. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to stop, but I had one piece and the craving was gone and I was good to go. Now I'm not dumb enough to keep junkfood in my house anymore. That'd just... be doom for me. But sometimes at work people will bring in those mini-candy bars for everyone and I will have one of those (the bite-size things) and bam I'm good to go. Before the band I couldn't stop myself from eating. Literally I would go until I felt physically sick. That's not the case for me anymore. I know when to stop and if I don't, my band sure lets me know. I can have a treat every once and a while and not freak out about it and it's nice! I've also found that now that I'm limiting my bread/pasta intake, my sweet tooth has gone wayyyy down. I still have bread and Pasta but it is not with every meal and not the main part of my meal. Fruit too. Good time of year for it! I tried the sugar free/fake sweetener treats and such when I was pre-op and I couldn't handle it. It gave me headaches and didn't really satisfy anything. I'd rather have a little bit of natural sugar than the artificial (now that I can stop myself from downing it all).

Hope everyone is doing well! I'm down a little over 40 pounds at the moment and am thrilled. I've only had one fill (beginning of may). I was scheduled to get one June 12 (yesterday) but did not think I needed it. Unfortunately they rescheduled me for July 24 (wayyyy too long probably), because it was the first available appointment. I may be eating more by the time my fill comes around but I'd rather that happen, than to get a fill when I've already got good restriction. I plan on calling my doc office around the first week of July to see if there are any cancellations that I can get to!

If you don't have time to cook: I do sandwich wraps. Depending on the day I'll use a flatwrap bread, or a big leaf of romaine lettuce which gets my lettuce in but also serves as the wrap! I do some type of sandwich meat, a slice of cheese and lettuce. Sometimes I'll add in a little dressing (italian, balsamic, etc.) as well. I manage 3-4 lunches like this a week simply because I can change it up with different meats, dressings, etc. and I don't get sick of it. I also make a kickin southwestern style salad. Well it's not reaaaally a salad, though you could definitely make it one if you're craving some lettuce). I do marinated chicken (I pull it when it's done cooking so it's in small bits), corn, Beans, a little shredded cheese, cilantro, a bit of homemade salsa, some tortilla strips, etc. You can eat it hot or cold and you can put as much or little as you want in it. I hate looking for recipes online but if you get creative with your google searches, you can find some really good ones that are both quick and easy to make.

Call your doctor indeed. You don't need an appointment to get nausea meds. They will call them in to the pharmacy for you. I had the same issue as you. I felt gross after surgery and was dry heaving a LOT. Finally called the doctor after two days and he gave me the anti-nausea meds. They made me sleep and feel groggy but even feeling groggy, I felt SO much better since I didn't feel nauseous! I only had to take the meds for a day and some change, but boy I'm glad I called and got them. I felt horrible before. I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia and definitely was cursing my choice to have the surgery for the first week and change. I'd do it again though. I've been banded for almost three months and have dropped a little over 40 pounds. I am thankful for that, even though the first week after surgery was horrible!

Chapstick. If you remember only one thing... that'd be the thing to remember. Your lips will thank you. I slept for most of my stay (my surgeon requires that everyone stays overnight). I turned on the tv once or twice but just kind of for background noise.

I never was good at math. 622 + my 40 = 662

Hiya Everyone, I'm doing decently. Down about 40 pounds right now. Having a little bit of a hard time keeping on track with the exercise though. Work's been rough lately and I haven't had much time for myself (guess it's time to MAKE time eh?). Only had one fill at the beginning of May and I definitely felt it. I have a second fill appointment June 12 (friday) but I think I am going to reschedule. I kind of feel like a fill would be nice but at the same time, I think it's too early. I can indeed eat a little over a cup of food in one sitting but I'm staying full and have had 2-3 "stuck" times. I also live 5 hours away from my doctor (long story!) and don't want to drive all the way home for them to tell me I'm doing well enough and they won't give me a fill. The only down side is that it'll probably take 3-5 weeks to get another later appointment. Sigh. Hope everyone else is doing well. My eating is pretty well on track. Just need to get the exercising thing back. I had a good routine for about 4 weeks but the past 2 1/2, I've just... not done a thing.

Totally depends on what you like to eat and if you don't "like" to cook, or you just are horrible at it! I'm not a great cook but I get by. I'm also lazy about it. I found that cooking 2-3 times a week is do-able, opposed to every day. I typically will cook some type of meat and make 3-4 portions of it so I can eat it for 2-3 days, depending on what it is. My favourite is a nice london broil because it'll last me days, and is great hot or cold. I can eat it alone or put it in a salad, etc. As far as quick stuff that doesn't require cooking, I'm a big fan of deli/sandwich meats (just roll them up with or without cheese. I usually add a big leaf of romaine lettuce in too. Edamame (baby soy Beans... tasty!) is great too. You can buy it pre-cooked and pre-shelled. Nuts if you're okay with portion control. Most people over-eat nuts because they're a snacky food. I used to just say "screw it, I don't have time to make something" and I'd stop at the store and buy something pre-made like pre-cut fruit or a wrap. Then I realized I was going broke that way... and realized that it took me a lot longer to drive through somewhere than it did to pack a few ziploc bags. Started buying my own fruit, veggies, sandwich stuff. Takes 2 minutes to do yourself. I used to hate it, now it's a nice part of my routine to make my lunch the night before and it keeps me from pulling through the drive through. When I absolutely have to grab something on the go, I'll go to subway and get a sandwich without the bread (they'll put everything on a salad for you), chick-fil-a for nuggets which I can tolerate, and aren't too bad for you!, or something like that. I tend to stay away from convenience store stuff simply because I've never liked the pre-made sandwiches and such. Good luck finding what works for you.

I'll add a vote for the couch to 5k. I'm on my third week (well I'm doing each week twice, so I'm on the "second" week of the program). If you have an ipod or mp3 player, I suggest downloading one of the many podcasts for couch to 5k. There are a number of different ones. The music changes (or someone tells you) so you know when to run or walk or whatnot. Helped me a lot because I sure wasn't going to check my watch every 20 seconds to see if it was time to start or stop again.

I had a TOUGH time with this too. I would still drink during meals until I got my first fill. Not a whole drink, but I'd have a small sip here and there. That changed when I got my first fill on May 7th. If I drink during my meal, it HURTS. My first reaction used to be to take a swig of Water if something was stuck. Big mistake. Now I've gotten over the urge to drink during meals. I will, however, take a tiny sip of water once I'm done eating. Or I will chew a piece of mint gum for a few minutes to get the food taste out of my mouth.

If you take nothing else to the hospital... take chapstick.

chicken sometimes gives me trouble too. Not all of the time, but I have to be super careful and very slow when I eat it. My nutritionist told me I'd probably never be able to manage steak or pork, and oddly enough, I can eat those without much trouble... MUCH easier than chicken for me. I'm a picky eater and have never been a big fish fan, but I do like swordfish (has a similar consistency to steak). One thing I cannot eat is turkey. Absolutely gets stuck, no matter what. I think it's just trial and error. We all seem to have different reactions to different things.