Bklynike

You will not get a fill for a minimum of 5 weeks after surgery. If you are hungry, you are not having enough protein, soup, yogurt, jello or fluids. Speak with your nutritionist so he/she can get you back on track. Good luck.

Howdy, all and Happy Monday. My dinner with my son and his family went really well last night. We turned them on to our healthy "chicken parmesian" dish and they loved it.:thumbup: We even sent leftovers home with them. Their 3 year old even had a small piece, which is amazing because the child doesn't eat many things. You have to try the chicken - it is yummy. Check out my past blog for the recipe. It is fast and easy. They were so surprised to see how different I look. After only 6 weeks, the change is certainly noticeable. I actually started wearing my smaller sized shirts this weekend and yes, ladies and gentlemen, I bought a belt to hold up my pants. I got the belt at Kmart. It is really cool because it is narrow with a grommeted hole every few inches, so as I get smaller I just have to pull the belt tighter and not have to make any hole in it. And, it is reversable with some kind of leopard design on the underside. Those of you who read my blogs know my husband, and biggest supporter, escorts me to the gym and works out while I am working out. He needs to lose weight too, but without insurance we couldn't afford for both of us to have the LB, and since it was my dream... Anyway, we enjoy different machines, so we are not together, but we are in the gym at the same time. Tonight I srpung the fact on him that I wanted to add another night to our/my regiment. We go 3 times a week now. He isn't overly excited about it because he really doesn't like going, but he doesn't have to be. He can pass on going with me, he can sit in the car with his portable DVD player and watch a movie or I'll just take the car and go alone. I really feel I need to and want to go more often. I am so hooked on it - on the way I feel and the way I am starting to look. I feel energized after a good workout. When I leave the gym, red faced and hair wet from sweat, I feel as if I am really working towards my goal and that is so important to me. I believe he will work out too, but I don't want to pressure him. This is my journey and I am doing this for me. No one else, but me. Take it from me,. I am going to win this battle against the weight. I am going to lose this ugly, disgusting fat that has been suffocating me for too many years to count. Come along with me and feel as good as I am feeling righ now - we can and will do it. Together we can lose the weight - an ounce or a pound at a time. We will all do it:thumbup:.

Best of luck. You will be so happy that you had the surgery. As for blended chicken - try the mixed light/dark in a can. PUree it with lite Helman's mayo and you will love it. I did the same with tuna when I had to do the pureed and I still eat my tuna that way. I really like the texture of the pureed as opposed to the chunky kind. Welcome fellow bandster!

I did not make my goal this week of getting out of the 230s, but for the total week I lost 2lbs. I had a great accomplishment with a 2lb loss, but I did not the goal. Next week will be the charm. I know I am doing everything I am supposed to do - my portion size has not changed, my exercise regiment has been getting more intense as I go along, drinking my fluids and feeling great. My only true concern is that before LP, every diet I was on allowed me to lose 25 lbs and that was it. No matter what I did, I couldn't get below that number, so I am now at 23 and hoping to fly past the 25lb mark. My husband was asking if I thought I needed a fill since I have not had one yet, surgery was 6/21, but I am not hungry between meals and I have not increased my intake. Tonight we are having our son and his family (girlfriend and her 3 year old) over for dinner. We are making our modified chicken parmesian and steamed broccoli. We are also making little bow-ties for them. My surgeon doesn't want me to eat pasta, bread or potatoes for at least a year, so my husband won't eat the pasta either. My husband is the chef in our house. His modified chicken parmesian is seasoned and baked boneless chicken thighs. Once cooked, about 40 minutes at 400, he adds low-fat mozzarella cheese and homemade meat sauce and bakes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Absolutely delicious without all of the carbs and calories from the breading and frying. I hope they enjoy it as much as we do. Well, keep your fingers crossed for me. I am so anxious to get into the 220s. That last 2/10 of a lb is haunting me. I will do it, I will achieve my goal. Next week I will report that I am in the 220s! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Anyone out there banded in South Florida?

I was originally scheduled for GBS. I heard dumping syndrome, hair loss, not-reversible, mal-absorbsion, 6 weeks out of work, 2-3 days in the hospital, 1 year lose the weight or you won't. The I went to a lap-band meeting and heard no dumping, no hair loss, can have it reversed if you wanted to but there was no need, no mal-absorbtion, no hospital stay, return to work within a week, will lose a little slower than with GBS but can continue to lose 2-3 years, fills help you with hunger and weight loss. So, on 6/21/10, my actual birthday, I had my lap-band, which was the best thing I ever did. I now refer to that date as my rebirth. You have to research, research, research and then make the decision that is best for you. Good luck.

If this is your man, dump him and find someone who will appreciate all you are - big or small with a big or small butt!

Hey, Tina, great job. Feeling hungry stinks. Are you eating your 3-4 oz of protein, veggies and perhaps a little salad? You can always have an Isopur drink, which is 40 grams of protein per bottle and will help fill you up. Are you drinking your 64 oz of fluid a day? I would suggest you start a food diary to make sure you are eating enough to keep you from getting hungry. In either case, keep up the good work and best of luck with your gym. Like Sandradee, I have to go to the gym or I would find so many other things to do at home. I also don't have a basement where I could put the equipment. Have fun.

After work tonight we (the hubs and I) went to the gym for our Friday night sweat. On Sun and Wed we do 1/2 cardio and a 1/2 weight training. But on Friday nights we do at least an hour staight cardio. To digress for just a minute, I somehow hurt my back a short time ago and I really don't know what I did, but it has been bothering me. We bought a new mattress and I love it, but I find I am sleeping more on my back, which may be the cause of the back pain. Who knows? On Tues I had a massage at the gym, which felt great while I was getting it, but soon afterwards the pain returned. So, anyway, we pull up in front of the gym and I mention my back and my husband who has been having a hip problem. He says to me, "Why are we going to work out when we are both hurting" and I said "Because it is Friday and this is what we do on Friday." So he asked me if I had a broken leg would I still work out and I said if I had to drag it behind me the answer would be YES! Boy has my complete outlook on everything changed since the lap-band. I have totally adopted and adapted to a new lifestyle and I know I am better for it. My eating style has changed, my fluid intake has changed. In my blog from 8/4, I said I was 230.8 and I couldn't wait to be in the 220s. I weighed myself tonight after the workout and I am now 230.2. I know that by sometime next week, if not sooner, I will reach my first goal and I'll be in the 220s. I am taking 10lbs at a time so I don't get myself crazy, which my husband says is not a far trip. Small steps eventually take you where you want to go and I am on the road to my goal. One of the ladies who works in my company was walking behind me today and she caught up with me and commented that I have lost a lot of weight. She said it was very noticable from behind. I was so excited to hear that - it made me very happy. Lap-band is a great tool. It gave me the confidence I needed to get off my butt and get to the gym, eat the way I should and start feeling proud of myself and my accomplishments. I hope you all feel as wonderful as I do!

If you don't like the soy protein, there are other proteins without the soy. Also, you could try Isopur, which looks like colored water and has 40 grams of protein in a bottle. Good luck to you and keep blogging.

How wonderful for you. The pre-op diet is a little difficult, but soooooo worth it. If you haven't started any kind of workout, please do so. Walking is a great start, even if it is just a short walk every day. Once you have the surgery, you will be filled with gas and the only way to get rid of it is to walk, walk, walk. Some people take Gas X, so ask your doctor about that. The lap-band is the greatest give you could give yourself. All of us "bandsters" love it. Best of luck and keep blogging. We want to hear your progress and it is great in your journey to journal.

I am sure the PA's are very knowledgeable and have the right answers. Give their suggestions a try. Hopefully, the blood pressure will come down and you won't need another fill for a while. Best of luck and please keep us posted.

I was getting ready for work this morning and picked out a pair of capri pants and a cute top with rhinestones on it. Well, the capri's were so big, I would not have been able to walk around without losing them. So, I go back into my closet to find a belt. Well, I haven't owned a belt in over 20 years, so I kept searching for something to hold up my pants. I tried on my husband's belt, but it was much too large. I didn't have any safety pins or rope, so I kept looking until I found a belt that I thought might work. It was the belt of my flannel robe! After wrapping it around my waist and knotting it a couple of times, I decided to ditch the capris. My husband was laughing so hard I thought he would pee himself. So I put on a pair of regular jeans, which are also large enough for me to take off without opening them, but I put them on anyway and put on the top. The top was huge! It was falling off my shoulders, so I took it off and grabbed another top. The same thing happened, not twice, but 6 times! The receptionist at my job is a large woman, so I brought the bag of clothes to her and she was thrilled to have some new tops and a pair of capris. :smile: This weekend I will be going through and cleaning out my closet. I bought some new tops about a week ago, which are still a little too snug around my stomach, but I am hoping in about a week they will fit. I do need to purchase some new pants, though. I think I would be arrested if I walked around allowing my pants to hit the floor. lol.:tt2: What a great feeling! People keep saying I look great and that they can see a big difference, but until I tried to do something simple like get dressed for work today, I didn't really notice a big difference. Love my lap-band. Have a great night everyone.

Walking is the best medicine for you right now. It will help you lose the gas and if you get moving now, exercise will come more easily for you. You are now on your journey. Best of luck to you. We are all pulling for you.

You go girl. That is great and very funny. The same thing happened to me today. Isn't it wonderful? Yea us.

Surgery on Wednesday, some discomfort on Thursday, feeling better on Friday. But, you may not be able to drive, so I would tell your friends you had other plans or perhaps fein a headache. Give yourself some time to rest and heal - don't add any additional pressure. You will have plenty of time to party with your friends. But with that said, you may be up to it. See how you feel. Good luck with your surgery.

I can't believe it but I am almost out of the 230s.:cool: Tonight when I finished my workout at the gym, I weighed myself and was astonished that the scale said 230.8. So, I got off and after it registered back to zero, I stepped on again. OMG, I will be in the 220s sometime very soon. Possibly when I weigh in on Friday night or Sunday, which is the day I keep recorded. Monday was the start of my 7th week since my surgery and I am down 22.6lbs - an average of 3.2lbs a week. And still, no fill! This lap-band is an amazing tool, but I am working by butt off to continue with this forward momentum. Don't let anyone tell you this is easy, because it isn't. But I see it is making me so much happier and feeling so much better, that it is worth it all. I remember, not too long ago, that I would get into bed around 10 or 11PM and by 1:30am I was sitting in my living room on my recliner, wide awake, just looking around. I didn't turn on the TV so I wouldn't wake up the hubs. Sure I would fall back to sleep, but the sleep apnea would keep waking me up. Now I go to bed and outside of a quick trip to the bathroom, I get back into bed and wake up when the alarm goes off. How remarkable is that? My husband says I still snore, but softer, and we are both hoping that will end at some point (lol). So, I will continue on my trek. With all other diets, and I have been on almost ever stinking one, I would lose 25lbs and that would be it. I can't wait to hit the 26lb loss and then the 30lb loss. I know it is going to happen this time. I am so excited to see where this journey leads me and I hope you all come along for the ride and share your journey with me.

How fabulous that you are down so much weight, feeling good and looking good. This journey we are all on is amazing - changes take place so quickly. I know you will get into a size 16 soon. Keep up the good work and blogging.

Wow I am certainly impressed. I couldn't go up or down 18 floors. Keep it up. It is great exercise and will strengthen your heart, as well. Enjoy the water aerobic class, that sounds like a lot of fun.

I have to laugh - I hated the liquid diet and protein shakes so much. I tried several different types, but there wasn't one that I could say I enjoyed. So each morning for breakfast I would hold my breath and drink it down. YUCK! I was supposed to stay on the liquids for a full 7 days, but just couldn't do it so on day 4 I started on pureed tuna with a lot of lite Helman's Mayo. Boy, that was a life saver. Then I added 1 real egg with the equivalent of a whole egg with egg whites scrambled in Smart Balance spread. I had no problems after that and haven't had a cup or even a spoonful of soup since. My surgery was on June 21st and I still haven't needed a fill yet. I know when I do have a fill I have to do liquids again, and I am not looking foward to it. We have all been there, do what you feel is right for your body. Good luck, fellow bandster.