Yvette1026

I'll tell them the truth, total and complete lifestyle change. No more, no less.. Unless my Spirit tells me to tell them (to help them or someone else) for example my cousin, I wasn't going to tell him, but my spirit led me into telling him. Now he's considering it having it done. I was able to educate him to the facts, the process, etc.. and he's excited. This is nothing he ever would have considered prior to my having it. So sharing my experience with him was beneficial and served a purpose. I wouldn't just say "Oh I got the lap-band" because having the band doesn't mean I'll magically lose weight, it means I have to work just as hard, if not harder to lose it through diet and exercise. Only difference is I can't crazy amounts of food now.

You're welcome Mr. Smith - you'll be fine let me know if you have any questions

And OMGOODNESS I HAVE NO words for the bacon explosion...OMGOODNESS!!!

I'm so happy for you, I can "feel" your excitement and happiness through the screen! This is going to be the best thing for you! YAY BANDS! lol

So after the NYE portion control at the party success...(see previous blog) I went to dinner last night with a group of people from church. Chain of command is basically My Pastors, Me, the ministers, ushers, etc.. So at the cheesecake factory, of all places I ordered the small plate greek salad with no olives. It was sliced cucumbers, roma tomatoes and some feta cheese over greens. The lady next to me then orders the same thing, then changes her to the asparagus salad, then her husband who normally gets the regular sized cheese pizza, orders the small pizzette, and so on down the line, with the exception of 2 or 3 people out of 8. As the course of dinner goes on my Pastor asks us if we're getting cheesecake, everyone looks to me and I say "oh no sir, not on the plan." We walk out, say our goodbyes and go. Today my Pastor calls me to put the church on a fast until Feb 1st. Nothing but fruits, veggies and protein powder drinks mixed with water. As you all know this is pretty much how we eat so I just had to laugh a lil' because it's spread like wildfire. I've lost 42lbs + (I'll weigh in today) in the past 5 weeks, a noticeable result and now everyone is on board. See my band has gotten me healthy, and it's getting everyone else around me healthy as well. Like my Pastor spoke to us about leadership last night, What makes a good leader? Achievements... If you've made achievements people will follow you regardless of your methods. I chose not to tell people at church that I had the surgery, I didn't want the judgements, food policing and gossip, etc... So I kept it to myself. I think it's the best thing I could have done because now my choices are influencing and leadings others to make positive changes, so that hopefully they will not get to the point where they feel they HAVE to have the lap-band. I'm in faith that those that need it, will receive it, and those that just need the guidance will receive that as well. Oh well just thought I'd share.. I think this is a great thing! Kind of like a cleanse no animal products at all for the next 27 days or almost 4 weeks/month. Soy and almond milk, here I come. Need to keep my protein up.

It's good that you're failing on the diet, it shows them you need the surgery. The upside of going through a place like True Results like I did is that they let you in on all of the tips, tricks and secrets. I had my band done on my Aetna insurance and I had to do 6 months, 3-4 of them were to be nutritional visits. They told me to be sure not to lose more than 10 lbs before I was cleared for surgery, or they would more than likely have it rejected. I was approved first time out, lost about 9-12lbs during the time period but as soon as I went on the pre-op diet I lost 32lbs in 3 weeks. So just hang in there, get your approval and then you really start your losing process.

This is GREAT! Congratulations, even though I'm around the 2.5 week mark I go to my post-op appt today at 4:15 and I'm excited... Also for the jello mousse, may I suggest making your own with sf jello and greek yogurt, it gives you some great protein from the greek yogurt, and you can also add some splenda or agave necture if you'd like it to be a lil' sweeter. I'm so happy for you that you feel empowered! I know the feeling, you WILL be successful!

Most of what btrieger said and then some. The band is a TOOL, not the be all, end all to your weight loss. Something obviously isn't working, and chances are it's that you're not giving your body enough so it's holding on to what it has. Too little protein and too little caloric intake can make your body go into starvation mode and reserve what is has. Thus causing you to not lose any weight. Banded or not it IS about will power.. If you sit and eat twinkies all day, you WILL get fat. If you're eating right you'll lose. Our bands help us with portion control and feeling fuller faster, not will power. That's where the fight against head hunger comes in. Without knowing how and what you're eating it's really hard to give advise. But I would definitely discuss with your surgeon and nutritionist to see what can be corrected to help you lose.

TOO funny, I'm thankful my use of shapers is very limited which is a good thing because my shapers are now too big, and the dress I wore the shapers with is now too big as well.. and I'm even more thankful that my backfat is looking less and less like that picture every day! LMAO

I don't count calories but on the other end of that if you're not eating enough, you could be putting your body into starvation mode so it's holding on to fat and weight, instead of losing it. I would "guess" I'm around 1000 a day. My day consists of simple low cal foods for example today: I had california eggs (2 scrambled eggs, w/ 2 pieces of turkey, 1 piece of jack cheese, spinach, tomato and avocado diced up in it) (270) then I had 2 string cheeses (160) then I had some chicken and rice (200) then I had a greek salad (small plate from cheesecake factory) (200) Then I ended it with something sweet... a zone Protein bar :smile2: (200) Most of my days since surgery have been like that, except take away the chicken and rice, and string cheese and replace with a smoothie (500 or 250 split in half)

At 5'5 my ultimate goal is 146. My dr's say because of my muscle mass I will probably never get there and should set a goal of 185 or 175 at the lowest. But the first goal is 215. Then again I'd be happy with 250, the lowest I'd gotten down to in all my major weightloss was 287. I'm lower than that now (I think, I'll know for sure tomorrow.) So we'll see just how low I can go.

Or more protein? Sometimes excess protein (especially dairy) can cause body odor.

Smell is a results of hormones and diet. Without knowing what you've been eating it's hard to say, but no I haven't had this issue. If you don't already, try switching to a anti-bacterial soap instead of a conditioning/cleansing one.. It's always good to switch between the two so they don't lose their effectiveness. So one month Anti-bacterial, next month conditioning/cleansing, etc...

This is great! Congratulations! Thanks for sharing!

Don't give up, be encouraged. Remember that there's no success without failure. You're still new to this and the best thing you can do is be sure to not compare yourself to other people. Find foods you enjoy and stick with those. For example, I like smoothies, I came up with one that I can sip for the better half of the day and get 64 grams of Protein while only 500 calories. Or chicken and rice... I baked my rice in cream of chicken Soup and chicken broth to make sure it expands as much as possible so I can chew it without worrying if it's too much, or if it will expand in my stomach. Mix the rice and soup together with some seasoning, throw some chicken on top and you have moist chicken and moist rice, also low calorie. Or eggs with your protein added, etc.. If you're stuck on recipe ideas or what to eat, I got a million of them. If your issue is time, I suggest a cooking day where you cook as much as possible on a saturday or sunday and then package for grab and go use. The band is definitely NOT the easy way out, but it is a tool to help us get to where we want to be. You're going to lose at your own pace, in your own way, and this journey is yours and yours alone. But if you need some help that's what we're here for my dear! :blushing:

I was banded the day after you and my steri-strips are still on...I did notice on the port incision a small white string hanging out, but I figured it was supposed to be there. So I've left it alone. I go see my surgeon on tuesday to have the steri-strips removed and actually see what the incisions look like. My surgery info also says that while they say 2 weeks it can take up to 6 weeks for them to dissolve completely. Who knew? Guess I shouldn't of dropped out of the Physician's Assistant program lol...

Yes I've noticed that I get colder MUCH easier since my surgery on the 18th. I too was ALWAYS hot. I asked my dr about this, he said it's the loss of weight and that my body was constantly in burn and/or heal mode which will make me feel a chill more.

Follow your dr's advise - but no. I was eating mushies on the 3rd day, then went back to Soup, when my surgeon called on day 4 or 5 they said it was fine and I could mix 1/2 broth 1/2 cream if that made me feel better. Then again I'm soooo not the person to listen to when it comes to following orders. I listen to my body, not the dr. So don't listen to me. lol

Thank you! I concur with the 2nd one, ick.

Really? I'd be interested in trying those, would you mind sharing or pm'ing?

And congratulations on your banding! :smile2: