gingerjane

My favorite Protein shake is Muscle Milk chocolate. It is DELISH! I usually drink them every morning because I'm a bit tight in the AM and then eat a normal (for a bandster) lunch and dinner and usually a snack in the afternoon. (I love Kashi go lean Cereal - Fiber is good for us after all the protein!) I would seriously try the muscle milk. It's YUMMY!!!!

I weigh myself every morning before I get in the shower because it helps to keep me on track for the day. If I think that I haven't lost anything for a while or that I'm off track, it helps to keep me on. If I have lost anything, it's a great motivator to stay on track. I even have a scale at work but that one measures body fat, etc. So, sometimes in the afternoon I'll hop on it, too. I know - I'm bad. A total scale freak. I just want to see ONE-DERLAND so bad one of these days. I just know it will happen. It has to, right? :thumbup:

I'm worrying right now that my band is loose. I went in on the 23rd and they did not do a fill because they felt I was close to my sweet spot but I swear, I can eat more now that I was eating. It's like all of the sudden it's opened up. I've lost about 17+ lbs between my last fill and now and my next appointment isn't until September and I'm getting hungry about every three hours. I thought about calling to see if I could get it moved up, but I don't think they'll do it. I sometimes worry that I'm too dependent on it to make me stop. Do you think your doctor will give you a bit more of a fill the next time if you ask? Just say that you're not getting the same restriction?

Congrats everyone on being new bandsters!!! :biggrin: I promise, the pain goes away quickly. I was so scared when I thought about how much pain I might have after surgery and it was not nearly as bad as I thought. It does ease up and pretty soon, you'll be 5 1/2 months out and you'll be LOVING your band! Ginger

YOU...LOOK...AMAZING! And thank you for posting because I'm super inspired! I'd say we probably started out closer to the same size and I'm almost halfway there. (I'm about 5' 8 or 5' 9" - depends on who measures me) Your photos are inspiring to me because hopefully those are the results that I'm experiencing. How many sizes have you dropped? You can tell a HUGE difference - that is just so awesome! I'm also like you in terms of my hair - it's thinning, has gotten dry and I cut about 5 1/2 inches off of it, so it's shorter now. Hopefully it will grow back soon and again - I would not have traded this surgery for anything. I'd gladly do it again and again. :thumbup: Congrats again. YOU LOOK AWESOME!!!!

I just wanted to pop in here and give you some support. Trust me, it's all WORTH it. I promise. After I had mine, I did feel alone a little bit because I'm always sitting there with Protein first, etc. But, now? I feel MUCH better and I look at other people around me eating and I still can eat at restaurants, etc. I just eat a smaller portion and am AMAZED at how much others eat and how much I USED to eat. There will come a time when it will flip and you will be SO glad you did it. Especially when the pounds start melting off. :thumbup: Hang in there! (((HUGS)))

So, I got this dreaded question today while standing in line minding my own business. I was looking over at a little girl in a stroller and smiling (she was cute and I have a 4 year old, so you know - I appreciate kids) and this woman goes "That will be you soon. When are you due?" Uh...excuse me? I sort of looked at her funny and said "Oh - I'm not pregnant. Just fat" and turned around. I still cannot believe in this day and time that people DO that. I've lost 47 lbs with my lap band. 47 lbs that I am VERY proud of, and I've dropped from a size 22/24 to a size 16/18 and I STILL get that question? The sad part - I was wearing this cute black top and pants that I thought made me look even slimmer. That went all to hell and back. I'm also 5' 8" and a very large frame and my weight is evenly distributed - I'm just a big girl. My co-worker (and dear friend) that was with me - I think I had to pick her jaw up off of the floor. She was like "Do NOT listen to this cracked out woman!" So - has anyone had something like this happen where you're having a day where you feel good about yourself and then BOOM - someone comes along and craps the proverbial turn in your Wheaties. Had to vent. Sorry...:biggrin:

Whoo hoo!!!! :thumbup::thumbup::sad::thumbup:

I have PCOS but was not taking any Metformin because truthfully the only thing it was doing was making me sick. LOL! But, my doctor never advised against the band. They were all supportive of it - my OB/GYN, family doc and then my band doctor. He said he's given bands to plenty of PCOSers, and the weight loss helps control the symptoms of the PCOS. I have noticed recently that my periods are starting to regulate more, and aren't as bad as they were. Plus, some of my other symptoms are starting to subside. I say go for the band. I don't regret it one bit! Is my weight loss slower? Yes - but I try to stick with the band rules and eat more Protein before anything. I find that you start craving the protein once you carb detox and that also helps with the blood sugars. I figure the weight will eventually come off and it's not a race. As long as the scale is going down, that's better than up. (Although, it can get frustrating at times, but it's better than gaining)

My doc said no carbonated drinks, but what is funny is that at my last support group meeting in the office, there were a number of bandsters with sodas. LOL! But, I haven't had a sip since March 7th and honestly I don't miss it. Now, have there been times that I really REALLY wanted a Mountain Dew or a Coke? Yep - but it's like a totally forbidden fruit to me these days. I switched over to sugar free Hawaiian Punch in those little packets you add to Water and I LOVE those things. I think it's all relative. I was never a huge soda drinker to begin with. Now, my poor husband. If he was told never again, he'd jump off of a bridge. LOL!

Hey Bostonmama - I'd say that the work outs are helping. Muscle burns more calories than fat, too, so I would keep it up. It will start dropping off. Get one of those scales that tells you your body fat percentage because that's how you can tell what the shift is doing. And yea - I had one of my daughter's pre-school classmates ask me last year if I had a baby in my belly. That's when I realized that yep - I need to do something.

I had my surgery at 10:00 am and was home by 12:30. I think that if you go in with the attitude that it's going to be fine, it will be. The pain was not as bad as I was expecting, and I did use my lortab for two days. I slept most of that time because I wanted my body to heal. I would most definitely recommend sleeping. I've had my band since March and have not PB'd or anything. I think as long as you listen to your body and remember to chew and take small bites, you should be fine.

WOW! Annie - thank you for your post. Gives me hope!

Don't stress out - it will make things worse and slow your healing. Liquid diets suck. I didn't follow mine closely, either. I watched my carbs but ate mostly meat for two weeks and was a bit worried but my surgery went off without a hitch. And you know what? It was the BEST thing I've ever done. Don't let this stress you out. Just remember, after tomorrow, things will change and it will be great!

I would request a fluro for sure. One story that I remember our doctor telling us was that he had a patient who had a sister that was banded at the same time by a different doctor. His patient lost like 90 lbs and the sister only lost 20. She switched to him and she said she had no restriction, etc. Come to find out, her band wasn't "locked". When they put it on the stomach, they lock it so that when it's filled, you get restriction. Hers was not locked the entire time, so whenever they filled it, it would open up even more. I know that I can't eat a double-cheeseburger - Maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of it. Usually about a third is it. I have a feeling you're not getting good restriction. Don't let him yell at you. Stand your ground. If you're not drinking milkshakes, make that CLEAR and tell him you need a plan, not a lecture. Ginger

I agree with everyone else. Just sit back and relax for a minute. :confused: The biggest difference with the band versus bypass, etc., is that the band is a tool. It takes time. It won't be 30 lbs overnight. The weight didn't come on overnight (although trust me - sometimes I think it feels like it does) and it won't melt off that way, either. It takes a while. I, like you, was discouraged at first, but now I'm five months out and pretty happy so far. Is it as much as others? No. But, it's an improvement and I can tell a difference in how my clothes fit, how good I feel, etc. It will happen for you. Just keep doing what your doing. Your body is healing and it's trying to figure out what's going on. One day it will. And then you'll look in the mirror and you won't recognize the body you're looking at. Good luck - it will all work out. :scared2:

For the most part, I'm on the 3 meal plan but I might snack a little bit in the afternoon while at work so that I'm not ravenous for dinner later. (I get home around 6:30 or so) And when I do snack, it's always something high protein like Kashi Go Lean, a low-fat cheesestick or something. I've been losing weight at a decent rate (doctor was happy with it) and I don't drink right after eating. I wait about 20 minutes or so. I find that it helps with the hunger not to drink while eating. Make sure you follow those bandster rules and believe it or not - you'll find that food is no longer a "ruler" in your life. I haven't had a soda since March 7th and truthfully don't miss it. I don't have any caffeine, either, and I think that it makes a big difference. The only time I drink my calories is a protein shake in the morning. I'm addicted to Muscle Milk, so that's my breakfast 90% of the time. :confused: Good luck. The band is the best thing I've ever done. You'll love it!

Not at all! I am five months out (Surgery was March 22) and have lost about 47 lbs, so I don't think that it's a crazy goal. Stick to the bandster rules and the weight will come off. It's not as quick sometimes - especially right after surgery but give it a month or two and it will start. My biggest lost so far was between months 4 and 5. I'm finally at good restriction.