AngelaL

Hi - so recently I have noticed that things seem a lot tighter since it has been so humid, and so I feel like my food choices are dwindling; I am at 5.8cc in an 11 cc band. I recently bought a juicer, and it seems like I am finally able to get the fruits and veggies in that I have been missing. Has anyone else had an experience with juicing? I know that a lot of people have been told not to rely on liquids for their food intake, but I am not doing this fgor every meal - and honestly it is to help supplement my diet while things are an issue with the tightness. I am convinced that it is weather related becuase when I was in Florida in May it was really hot there and I had the EXACT same thing - only to come home to Chicago where it was still much cooler and NOT have the problem. Also, if you have tried juicing, do you know where I might find some good recipes? I am a newbie and really want some ideas. Thanks!

I have to tell you that I have had the exact same light go off for me this week; just had my 3rd fill about 2 weeks ago, and told my NP that I really didn't know when I was "full". My eyes and head were telling me that I needed to eat more, but the stuck feeling was not really "stuck" per se -I had reached my limit and eating more was making me miserable. Finally after almost 6 months banded I have seen the light! This has truly given me faith again that I made the right decision having this surgery. Finally...... YAY!

LOL

I am in! Name, real or screen~ AngelaL Age~40 Weight on May1st~ 258 Goal Weight for May 29th~ 248 Exercise Goal for May~ Elliptical every other day and walking 5 days a week. I joined the "Y" on Saturday, so I also want to start doing some resistance training as well. Dietary Goal for May~ I need to be better about tracking my intake; guesstimating isn't working for me. Personal Goal for May~ FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS! Date Banded~ 1/5/2011 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 32 Lbs.

My surgeon was DR. Hungness @ Northwestern (same practice as Dr. Nagle) and he is great too all of the staff I have dealt with there has been great. Kaitlin Fiore (NP) did my last fill and she is awesome too! Good luck!

Iknow that feeling ufortunately all you can really do is to stretch and just work through it. It gets easier over time, but when you use muscles that haven't been worked out in a while this is what we endure :/ keep it up though - it will get better.

Since you are on liquids your body won't have the need to eliminate the way it would if you are on solids, but once you start transitioning to mushies and then solids you will see that things will be more normal again. If you are feeeling bloated though, try adding miralax to your diet; its perfectly safe and slow moving. No surprises good luck!

I am 3-1/2 months out and am seeing a lot of hair in the shower as well as in my comb after the shower. I just saw my NP on Thursday for my 2nd fill and was told that biotin can help with regrowth but will not stop the loss. Just make sure you are getting protein in, use a good shampoo and conditioner, and be gentle with your hair and scalp. It really is small price to pay, and it fortunately its only a phase and not permanent! good luck!

Yes-whatever you do stay hydrated. I had stomach flu a month or so after I was banded and the diahrrea was the worst I ever experienced in my life. Although I was drinking constantly I got dehydrated, and it lead to a UTI as well. :/

Same here - my weight loss has slowed down quite a bit (to my dismay) - but I have lost 40 inches overall. I do my measurements on the 6th of every month (I was banded on 1/5) so it's VERY important to me to keep track of that - it helps me feel like I am accomplishing something, especially when the scale isn't moving like I wish it would. I have my 2nd fill tomorrow, so I am hoping that kicks it back up a notch

I love Crystal Light - without it I would never get all of the recommended liquids in. I have gone back and forth since I have had the band where some days it doesn't agree with me (makes me feel a bit queasy) but for the most part I have no issues. Like a few others have mentioned, I actually use 2x the water per serving because I prefer it be a milder taste. I don't sweat the media hype either - like everything else it gets blown WAY out of proportion. Just do what you need to do get your fluids down - and if it is Crystal Light then so be it. ENJOY!

I was the exact same way after surgery, but it does get better. Your body is recovering and going through a lot of changes; hang in there! Exercise and time will give you your energy back.

Our stories sound very similar, but the 3rd and 4th days after surgery were my worst; I was out shopping the day after mine and then felt like hell the day after. Just keep in mind (no matter how good you are feeling) that you did have surgery, so be careful about doing too much. Best of luck!

I have also heard that drinking pineapple juice helps too - the enzymes in the juice are known to break down food which makes sense since is it great for tenderizing meat.

I just tried the Syntha 6 shakes and thought they were pretty good. I bought a protein shake sampler from Netrition and it was in there- I liked the strawberry one best

I was banded on 1/5 and it took me about 8 weeks to feel "normal" again; I had surgery on a Wednesday and was back at work on Monday. Considering the changes in food choices and having abdominal surgery just make sure that you listen to your body. Everyone told me that it was all part of the healing process, and I totally agree. I feel great energy wise now - I do cardio every other day and that really seems to help give me more energy AND help me get better rest at night. Just take it easy on yourself.

I had my 1st fill on 3/1 and just recently had the same thing happen - I felt no different, and the 4 days ago I noticed that smaller portions were enough and I didn't really feel like I was hungry. I have my 2nd fill scheduled for 4/14 so I am hoping that might be it for a while, but I am new to this so who knows I have eliminated bread altogether now because since my fill I can't handle it. Good luck to you!

I had my 1st fill on 3/1 and just recently had the same thing happen - I felt no different, and the 4 days ago I noticed that smaller portions were enough and I didn't really feel like I was hungry. I have my 2nd fill scheduled for 4/14 so I am hoping that might be it for a while, but I am new to this so who knows I have eliminated bread altogether now because since my fill I can't handle it. Good luck to you!

I had my 1st fill on 3/1 and it was super easy, no complaints - but even though I knew just from reading that it probably wouldn't do much for me the 1st time I was still kinda disappointed. Anyway, here it is, 3/31 and for the last 2-3 day I feel like my appetitie has been next to nothing. It's not that I am never hungry, but food just hasnt been as appealing to me. I will admit that I have really started watching my carb intake (trying to keep it at 60gms or less) protein at 70-80gms, and cals around 1200. It seems that 1200 is the magic number for so many people here! Anyway - do you think it is the fill or the diet change? Maybe decreasing the carbs is decreasing my appeitite? I don't know - but I am a self-admitted carboholic, so I am wondering if that is the missing link. Any thoughts on this? If that is the case I wish I had done this sooner!

So I have noticed that I have been incredibly cranky for the last few days - felt very anxious and on edge, fun stuff; and then last night my cycle started - 3 days early. I know that probably doesn't sound abnormal to most, but mine is like clock work - always has been, and the PMS? NEVER like this. So I was wondering, has anyone esle had this experieince since getting your band? I got mine 1/5 /2011, so I am wondering if this is related to my surgery?

VLP and Heather - I have to say that I <3 and appreciate both of your answers! It's like a double positive whammy! Thank you!

My Dr. leaves the needle in too - it was wierd - kinda Frankenstein-like, but I'd rather do that than get poked twice. Good luck with everything - hopefully everything is ok!

Another one to watch out for is brussel sprouts. Just yesterday I had the WORST experience with them - and I am still paying for it today. I had roasted them for almost 20 mins in the oven, but they were still too hard in the middle. i had the worst "stuck" episode that I have EVER had! It went on for almost 2 hours Today my throat was sore all morning. I had a Protein shake for Breakfast, and then lunch attempted to eat chicken that had been made in the crockpot and was really soft and it happened again... UGH. I called my Drs office nd I am now on liquids for 2 days, then mushies, then soft foods - the same as if I had a fill. The NP said that after I go through the cycle the welling should be gone and I could go back to normal eating.

So this weekend my husband went away for a guy weekend and I was home with our VERY active 2 year old. He is at that age that needs to be watched constantly because we all know that silence is not a good thing unless they are sleeping ! Anyway, I feel like this spiraled my routine out of control; I have been very regimented about working out every other day on my elliptical, shakes for Breakfast, small portions, etc. but this weekend it was nothing like that Keeping my son at bay was all I focused on - I have not gotten on the elliptical since Wednesday, I have not taken then the time to plan any meals for me, etc. IT SUCKS! I got on the scale this morning and it says I am up almost 5 lbs. WTH! In my mind that cannot be right - I certainly didn't make good choices, but 5 lbs?? I am trying to "own" my mistakes and take charge back, but I feel terrible. I am totally disappointed and have no energy. How do I get out of this rut?? Help...

Same for me- I am fortunate to have an elliptical at home, so every other day I am on it 7am doing a program that takes 33 minutes. I want to do the 30 day challenge on my Wii, but just haven't pushed myself hard enough. I agree that it really does help w the energy level doing it 1st thing. Good luck!