Jess55

That's awesome Cindy! Great Job!

Sometimes you have to get a little rude. I told my pcp 3 weeks before I needed a letter of my history. The day before my final appointment with my surgeon I called to check they had it and they didn't. I called my pcp office and was like I have her 3 weeks to write it and I told her when I needed it. Luckily the receptionist there was the one I originally went to and she understood and made sure it got done.

In my opinion, if you don't feel 100% ready, I'd hold off on getting the surgery. It is only going to work if you put yourself into it. If you are not ready to change it won't work. Though on the other hand, though I do work at it, I don't cook that much. That is not to say I eat frozen meals, I gave those up at surgery. When I do cook, I cook up a whole bunch of chicken at a time and freeze them separately in tupperware, so when I'm making dinner for work, I pull out one of those and just add to it. Same things with turkey. I buy 93% ground beef and portion it out in the freezer so I just cook that up. I used to say, I wish I had had the surgery earlier, but honestly I don't think I would've been ready. Though now 95% of me just says I wish I didn't have the surgery and I would've just changes my ways.

If you're exercising 2 hours a day, 1000 calories per day is not enough, You need to eat more. I don't cre what your nutritionist says. You are already in a calorie deficit by eating 1000. Possibly over your deficit, and working out that much is just leaving you with nothing to live on. Also, definitely don't exercise 7 days a week, you need to give your body a rest one day at least. If you're feeling tired and run down, that is proof you need more nutrition. One of the trainers at my gym recommended I eat carbs, they just have to have 3 grams of Fiber or more. (Not sure if you can eat them though, not sure if you have stuck issues, I have no fill so I don't) But I guarantee if you up your calories you will lose. But if you just started working out, it could take a week or 2, for your body to adjust.

I'm probably no help. I'm an LVT so my work clothes are scrubs. What I've done is only buy clothes as I need them. If I have to have a nice top I buy it, but not to far before. As for squeezing into things, pants I'll squeeze as if I buy them comfy then once they stretch that's it can't wear them. Tops I refuse to buy them if they are kind of tight. I still have rolls and I hate the look of large people who squeeze into things and you can see their rolls. So is rather be a little looser on tops. I try to look for sales. I figure when I get to goal and buy a new wardrobe, I'll apply for a store credit card just to get the 15% or whatever off u get for applying. So I can save money then too

The thing is the negativity is that people maybe didn't do a lot of research before getting th surgery. How many posts do we get. "OMG 3 weeks post op and I'm not losing!" I knew this may be the case with me because I had to do a 6 month supervised diet before the surgery and spent my time reading this board and saw that could happen. So when I didn't lose week 2-5 post op, sure I was frustrated, but knew it would move again. Also people come here and post every ache and pain they have. Seriously not every pain you have is related to the band. Scared to eat real food, I mean really, I was thrilled to move between stages. You are not gonna get stuck on ricotta, if you do, somethings wrong. These are just my opinions. But really, people should do there research. I kind of wish I'd done more and not gotten surgery and just changed my eating habits like they are now.

As for when I had the surgery, I lost like 9.8 lb on pre op and 9.2 on post op the first week. I came back to work 7 days post op and a few days later someone said it looks like you've lost weight. They said my face looked thinner. So less than 20 lb, but I'd say since I started that job I'd lost about maybe 35 or 40 lb prior to that. But that was I've like 1.5 years. So I guess since it was slower it really wasn't noticed

I'm pretty sure my insurance said the same thing. And I was like WTF, but they ended up paying for it. I had to pay a copay of $250, so I was ecstatic (and I originally thought my copay for the surgery was $500, so I was even happier LOL)

While it may be true if you are burning more calories than you are taking in, you can have to much of a deficit. I'm on my feet all day at work and work out 6 days a week, burning 500-800 calories per workout. I was eating 1200 calories per day for my first 8 months. I was losing weight, not crazy fast like some, but I was losing. I then hit a wall and I could not lose anymore. I got a body media fit and realized my deficit was sometimes over 2000 calories. A deficit of 1000 is the highest that is recommended for healthy weight loss. I started upping my calories, and started losing again, I then hit another wall after 2 weeks or losing. I decided to try as Myfitness pal recommends and eat back my exercise calories. After weeks of a slight gain and then maintaining my last lowest weight. Well 7 weeks of this I started losing again and I'm now losing better than ever. First week I lost 1.4 lb this past week I lost 2.8 lb. Things re looking good for another good loss this week. So all in all, low calories does not work for all, and yeah, I eat anywhere from 1500-1900 calories per day. I feel great, by the way, I have basically no restriction, so I can do this.

If you can't get down liquids you need to get an unfill. You will quickly become dehydrated if you don't

I'm sorry, but if there is a surgeon out there who will do the surgery on someone with your BMI (even self pay), I don't want to be anywhere near them. You are not even the teensy bit overweight.

I had both an echocardiogram and stress EKG (on treadmill). They were done on separate days

Honestly I was pissed when I found out I had to do the 6 month diet (I was originally told my documentation from WW would let me bypass it). But it gave me time to be on these forums and read and I knew A LOT more if what to expect. I see so many post op people come on here and be like OMG, I'm not losing weight immediately post op but if they wouldve read other posts they would've known that it is quite normal not to lose weight in the first six weeks. And other things as well. So embrace those six months and read the forums and further educate yourself

I highly doubt you can spring a leak by your dog pouncing on you. You probably lost fat around your stomach and just need another fill.

I've had to pul my scrub pants up a lot more often at work lately. So I finally decided to go to the mall and try on a medium. They didn't have the color I needed nor the right pants, but I tried on a medium top and, it fit! I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs in the dressing room. I'm head over heals ecstatic. I'm gonna have to order them online, or see if my supervisor can get them for me. I'm not sure if I'll fit into the pants yet, but hopefully I will. To think, I started off in a 3 XL (wore a 4XL scrubs at one point) to think almost 11 months later, I'm in a medium, I could not be happier. And honestly I've done it on my own basically with little help from the band. (I never sought out restriction, after I lost my initial restriction I had a 4-5 months post op, I only had one tiny fill, then decided not to get anymore)

I wish I would've done that before band, post banding, I found I didn't need the band. I changed my way of eating and I'm losing weight basically without the band. I have a basically empty band and pretty much no restriction and I'm losing weight. And I eat way more than the average bandster. It may have helped that I had restriction my first 4-5 months, so I think it taught me to eat right. But I do not have restriction now (well, maybe a teensy bit) and I have 0.75 cc in my band and I have no desire to look for restriction or anything. I'm actually losing better than ever recently. After breaking my 7 week plateau by upping my calories, adding low GI carbs and adding more exercise and one time a week strength training. I find now I love to work out. I feel like crap when I don't. I worked out twice today, felt like I was gonna die the second class, but kept pushing myself because I love it.

I had surgery Monday, went back to work the following monday. I felt I could've gone back day 4 or 5. I have a physical job too.

I had the same problem a while ago (minus the discharge). When I asked my doctor she recommended miralax. I still didn't take it for some reason and when I went pre op for my GI consult I said it to that doc and she also reccomended miralax. Which I now take most everyday. It makes going a lot easier. And water doesn't cut it for me as I drink at least a gallon a day, usually more

If you don't feel you need a fill, definitely don't get one. I had my hunger controlled for the first 5 months without a fill. I never really went through banister hell, so like you I don't understand when people post that they're starving 3 days post op or whatever. After those 5 months I started getting more hungry and I got a fill which my doc only gave me 0.75cc, not really enough to do anything. After that I decided, that though I was hungry those 5 months gave me the motivation and taught me how to eat right, so I decided no more fills. I now have boosted my metabolism (will not say how because it is very different from being a bandster), and I do not eat like someone who has the band and I'm still losing. I know if I ever get a fill I will get stuck, since I don't even chew the way a person banded should. But I've taught myself other good habits and I'm losing, so that's all I care about.

Um, I could have eaten solid food, probably the day of surgery, but I chose to follow my surgeons instructions. You are only risking problems by eating this early on.

I used to use livestrong online and my iPhone, but saw most were using myfitnesspal so I decided to try it and found I like it better. I can actually see what amount of protein/carbs whatever I've eaten right on my phone. Had to go online to see that on livestrong. So yeah myfitnesspal all the way. Lol

From the start of my one week pre op diet, I am down 64.2#. I am down from 3XL scrubs, to a size large scrubs. I am down from (I think) a size 24 jeans to a size 12. From my highest weight of 308 lb in like 2002, I have lost 125.6 #, that's a whole person! I looked back at a picture at my highest weight and was like WTF did I do to myself. Also a picture of me the day before starting my pre op diet, I wanted to vomit. I will never turn back. I feel 1000 times better about myself.

Not sure about the pain, but my feet always go numb when I'm on the elliptical, not sure why but I read it's not uncommon

I walked my dogs the day of surgery. I live alone so basically no choice but I was fine with it. My dogs are like 20 lb and 8 lb. I was lifting 20 lb dogs a week after surgery and back at work. I would not think there is a wait on when you could walk a dog especially a 15 lb dog.

Those people are idiots! They are going to injure themselves or have malnutrition or something. For a doctor to allow that is crazy and if I were you I'd find a new fill doc. Did you say they were banded at 136 and 170 lb? That in itself is retarded. Those are healthy weights for a man and woman. They definitely have an eating disorder