sandradee0124

Congratulations on getting your date, and keep up the positive attitude! I was banded on May 26th, and it was one of the best decisions of my life! This forum will provide a lot of information and support all along the way. I've found it to be a great help! Best wishes to you!

Even though she is not on the site, I want to thank my co-worker and friend Jodi, who is beside me all the way, since I made the decision to get a band back in January 2010. She changed her eating habits, encouraged me to join a gym, and now we work out together every morning before work. She is nothing short of encouraging and supportive and I would not be in the place I am now if it weren't for her. She lives close to the gym (and work) and makes me breakfast every day! I thank God for her and her support. Fridays are always pretty laid back at work; and everyone is looking forward to a beautiful weekend. Its a blood drive today, but I can't give blood because I had surgery 4 weeks ago and they won't take me. Next time! Monday is first fill day. The weekend will be full of cleaning, errands, church and working out. My goal is to not overeat this weekend compared to weekdays. Happy Friday everyone! I hope your day goes (or went) well!

sparkpeople.com has a ton of great recipes too :-)

I was banded the same time you were. I get those pains whenever I eat vegatables now, and I'm assuming its gas. I use Gas X and walking. The first time it happened I laid down with a heating pad -- was not at all the trick. Walking was ten times better. Good luck! If it keeps up be sure to call the doc's office before they go home for the weekend. You don't want to "not know" what will help by the end of the day!

Hopefully you can find someone at your doctor's office or their referred therapist to speak with. That is what they are there for -- you shouldn't have to go this alone. And I agree with previous posts -- call the doctor and see if they can/will do an unfill. Not eating by itself causes depression which makes the situation worse. God's peace!

I like the idea of looking at nutritional guides from resteraunts and deciding what you will have first -- that is a good idea. We did something similar at lunch yesterday -- five resteraunts in front of us and we were on I-Phones and Droids finding the nutritional stuff to decide where to eat!

Me too! Thank you for your smiles, laughter and humor. It makes my day :-)

The Painting with a Twist sounds so fun -- enjoy! I'm glad you are feeling better. I am still amazed you worked out when you felt bad -- get some rest!

Congrats on feeling better! And the lasagna sounds good! Amazing what something with a different taste is like huh? Have a great Friday!

Recipes are good, another suggestion is to go to the library and find books or cookbooks and spend time at the library browsing? I try to do anything to stay away from my kitchen. Thanks for the website, Finally :-). Take care of yourself until the fill, it will come soon enough :-)

Good for me or not, I love laying in the sun. I feel like I'm getting a good dose of Vitamin D and it just feels good. When the weather isn't great I do tanning bed and although shorter period, still feels good. I also feel better with a little color -- somewhere I thought I read you look 10 lbs lighter with a tan? My 24-year old daughter just did a spray tan and loves it! I should probably go that way.......... Thanks for the recommendations about the scars though! :thumbup:

Well said, and congratulations! I envy your attitude and dedication, and I appreciate reading this -- very helpful. I have a little issue -- I told too many people I was banded and now I get a lot of comments related to the band rather than weight/loss healthy eating. My fault -- shouldn't have said so much -- but I can't go back. Hopefully with time it will fade! Have a great day!

The working out is going really well. I have a workout buddy who is a friend from work and she is a runner and very motivating. Last night after work I did 45 on the Elliptical and got to 3 miles. I was happy with that. Then we did upper body and cardio this morning at 5:15 am. Rocked it again, but I'm doubtful I will be able to walk by the end of the day lol. I can't do lower body or core yet -- doctor said to wait for 6-8 weeks post op so I have at least a couple weeks left. I have a fill Monday so I'll check on that Monday. Eating is going really well even though I don't have much restriction. My stomach is making a lot of noise today! There are days I'm really hungry and days I'm not. This is going to be a hungry day! My pants are needing alterations today. I have on a big fluffy shirt so it hides the safety pins. This is a two safety pin day lol. Have a great day everybody!

Glad you had a better day! I too was told 60-80 gms of protein per day. Doesn't seem to be an issue fitting it in most days, either.

Congratulations on your wonderful success! In my support group (pre-surgery) they talked about the mind. I remember the comments as something like "you have a picture of yourself in your mind, you really don't see the person in the mirror. As an overweight person you tend to ignore or not take/look at photographs, and the picture in your mind stays with you. As you lose weight you don't "see" the changes until you allow your mind to release that picture and really look/see yourself as others do". Well I'm 4 weeks post-surgery today. I was SHOCKED looking at the picture I took of myself on surgery day -- I truly did not even recognize that fat person in the picture. I can't see past that picture for now, so I would agree with what has been written and what I learned in group. Best of luck to you!:biggrin:

I am in a place where how my clothes fit means everything to my happiness for the day. I put on a pair of pants that was baggy before surgery and they are actually tighter now (4 weeks later) than they were then. Nice. I work out hard. I have little if any restriction, but my "cheating" consists of eating 1200 calories a day of good foods instead of 1000. The car dealer hasn't called me back about the damage they did to it during an overnight stay. I shouldn't have to keep tracking them down. My trainer raised their rates a lot, and I won't be able to afford her for much longer. My family is getting tired of me talking about my new life. I'm tired. I guess I should have gone back to bed and tried to get up on the other side........... I'm attaching the three recipes from the support group healthy eating cooking class on Monday. Enjoy!

Have never done Zumba, but everybody is talking about it. I'm having a "blubby" day today; I feel for you. Hope your day today is better! Hugs *****

I grew up going to Panama City Beach for a family vacation each Easter for 16 years. I'm heartbroken to see those beautiful beaches turn dark. I cannot imagine the devastation and heartbreak you all feel being there. Please make sure you are taking care of yourself -- try to get some food and water periodically -- so you don't get sick. God bless you for your dedication, and please let us know if there is some way, from far away, your band buddies can help?! Sandy

As previous posts have said, it is a major surgery. Being tired is a signal from your body it needs to rest. Walking even a short distance, sipping Water and relaxing will help. I found that even walking 100 steps outside 3 days out helped me feel better. The next day was farther, and it has gone on from there. Soon you will have more energy than you have in a long time! Enjoy the rest and Celebrate the fact that you have done a great thing for yourself! Congratulations and best wishes :-)

I "suffer" from the some ailment -- which is totally a head thing and not really a stomach thing for me. I tru to stay as far away from the kitchen and the tv as possible -- computer, errands, cleaning. When that exhausts me I lay in bed and watch non-food tv and fall asleep. Its worked a couple times and not worked a couple other. The post above says it all -- don't be hard on yourself, just get back on that wagon! Good luck :-)

Happy Birthday and Congratulations! Thank you for your great post! I look forward to hearing about your journey!

Went to a support group meeting at the doctor's facility last night -- healthy eating -- the presenter cooked veggie chili, murstard maple baked chicken thighs and apple cinnamon muffins. Everything was easy and fantastic. Even brought home some chili leftovers for lunch today. Also met some fellow bandsters and talked shop which was nice. Got up at 4 again to leave at 4:30 for the gym. Thought I'd be smart and go a different way and I got lost so I was a little late. Got in weight training and a little cardio so its all good. My stomach growls so loud in the morning everybody can hear it. It growls differently before and after I eat my breakfast, but it makes noise nonetheless. Even though I'm hungry a lot I don't give in to that much but instead choose larger protein filled meals and a couple jello or popsicle snacks. I feel good. Except for the swelling. I think I'm going to have to take a couple days off at the gym and see if it helps. Stomach is still swelling 4 weeks post op. Not horrible, but its swollen. Have a good Tuesday! Hugs! :thumbup:

I will put all three recipes up tonight (I left them at home lol).

No regrets. This is a fantastic opportunity to get and stay healthy -- for me, my family, my friends, my co-workers. I have more energy and enthusiasm for life and living. Best wishes :-)

Way to go on recognizing the triggers, and events and handling them so well! You used the trip to your advantage to gain strength, motivation and resolve. Awesome!