annieM

Welcome! Hey, what ever works to get your band! I guess we all shrink a bit, I still remember being 5'7" and now I'm 5'6". Good luck to you in fighting through the system and I hope you will be banded soon.

Welcome, You made a great choice and can now be headed down the road to health. Be sure to add in a bit of exercise to keep your metabolism up and make sure you have plenty of protein to preserve your muscles and hair. ( you can get a great vitamin called "hair, skin, and nails" at GNC) Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey,

Welcome! Don't fret about gaining a bit of water weight post op, just keep doing what you're doing and the pounds will slowly follow. You are in the healing phase after all, not the weight loss phase. Start getting a bit of exercise in and drink lots of water and the weight loss will be slow but steady. Good luck on your journey,

Welcome! It's great that you and your husband will both have the same sort of surgery, you'll be able to support each other and will always have someone to split a meal with when you go out to eat. Too bad you are now so hungry. They call it "bandster hell" 'cause you are banded but don't have the restriction yet to suppress your hunger. Try the "south beach diet" it helps with the hunger issue and is very band friendly. Good luck on your journey,

Welcome! yeah, we all LOVE the band here! lol I don't know what I would do without mine, it's my best friend! It's great that you have lost so much weight already; what a great start! Good luck on your journey,

You are getting dehydrated. It's very important to get your fluids in. Try warm fluids like herbal teas or broth. Avoid cold stuff that might make you even smaller. Do go in so they can assess whether or not you might need an IV for some quicker fluids. Good luck!

Welcome! Wow, 45 pounds, that's great!!! Amazing really, Keep up the good work. It sounds like you must be one of the lucky ones with some restriction from the get-go. Terrific! Good luck on your journey,

I agree, keep him. I've lost all the weight I can and my DH is still silent, he's allergic to giving compliments. Those body image troubles don't easily go away. I still feel that i look fat even at a size 6. Silly. As far as the makeup goes, less is more. You can look much younger with a lighter touch with the makeup. Watch "what not to wear" they always have good makeup demos. Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! So sorry to hear you've had the flu. Better now than after your surgery though! Don't be scared. A new life is an exciting positive thing to be starting. Nothing to fear. The surgery itself is a piece of cake, very easy as surgeries go. That case of the flu will have beat you up more. Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! Don't worry about not losing weight during the healing phase. Do be mindful of your liquid calories and don't over do that's all. The healing phase is just that,; you want to keep your stomach at rest so everything can heal in place. I'm glad to hear you have your first fill scheduled already. That's when you may notice a bit of a change. (don't panic if you don't feel restriction at that first fill though, they will not want to overfill you so will be more likely to under fill you...) The best of luck to you on your journey!

I had a rather low BMI as well and was self pay. Best decision I ever made. I am now 4 years out and maintaining about 5 pounds from my goal. I have never been able to maintain a weight after a diet before. No matter what I lost, I'd start gaining it back right away and then some. Now if I gain a pound or two I watch it, if it's three I go for a tiny fill and it comes off right away. I love it. I find it a very easy way to live compared to having umpteen sizes in my closet all the time. Now, in my closet, everything fits me! I've gone from a size 22 to a size 6! I love my band. Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! The lap band is a great choice for a yo yo dieter! It really helps you to not regain the weight. You've shown that you are capable of losing it and the band will help you keep it off. They always say that maintenance is the hardest part of a diet. I am four years out now and maintaining about 5 pounds from my goal. I can live with that! I'm very happy for you and wish you the best of luck on your journey,

If you are lightheaded you may be a bit dehydrated. Try to push the fluids a bit more. Your body will adjust to the smaller volume of food, but you still need plenty of fluids. February 9th is just around the corner! You are lucky that you didn't have to do one of those 6 month supervised diets (waste of time in my opinion). The lap band is a great cure for the yo-yo diet. It really helps you to not regain what you have lost. (unless you are really determined to undermine yourself) The best of luck on your journey!

Welcome! Don't worry! I'm sure all will go well for you. It's an easy surgery as surgeries go and the recovery is quick. The fills aren't a big deal either. Mine are done by nurses and I've never had one miss the port. It's no more pain than getting your blood drawn and about as fast. (and in four years, I've had so many fills I couldn't even guess how many I've had!) As far as getting sick goes, it's not as bad as getting the flu. There is no horrible taste because the stomach acid doesn't come up and the food isn't even close to being digested yet (sorry if that's gross). It's something that you can learn to avoid by eating slowly and chewing well. Two more days 'till your new life starts... Good luck on your journey!

Are you taking anything else, like a vitamin, that could have a pigment in it? Like vitamin C? Have you eaten lots or carrots, sweet potatoes? Check out this site: http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/otherdigestivediseases/a/orangestool.htm It does mention something about the gall bladder and being without your meds for a while could have caused you to have too much bile in your stools. My guess is that unless you have added a new supplement or are pushing the vitamin C to ward off a cold, it will probably go away. It doesn't sound too alarming. Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! Don't be concerned about the surgery. Really it's a piece of cake. I had a C-section and there is NO comparison. I had to have a revision of my lap band so I've had the surgery twice by two different docs and both times i had no difficulties. The only discomfort came from the gas they pump in so they can see, it ends up bothering the left shoulder for some reason. weird. You get to lay low for a day or so and then you are pretty much feeling fine. Good luck on your journey!

Welcome! Yes you have chosen the most healthy way to lose weight! My advice is: follow the South Beach Diet (especially before you have restriction, it's great for controlling hunger), watch your protein intake and keep it high enough so you don't lose your hair, take your multivitamin and and one called "hair, skin and nails" available at GNC, don't take in liquid calories (unless it's protein), exercise, and most of all be patient! The weight comes off slowly, 1 to 2 pounds a week, and that can seem very boring. It adds up quickly though and you will feel great! I am four years out and maintaining around five pounds from my "goal". I will get there some day! Good luck to you on your journey!

Fast is better than sloooow! Weight loss is the slow part, 1 to 2 pounds a week if you're average, so why not get started ASAP? The best of luck to you on your journey,

Holy cow, you've lost 50 lbs just since November! Wow, that's amazing! Excellent work! What's your secret? What ever you're doing, keep it up. The best of luck to you on your journey,

I agree, don't give up. Get a new doc, get a fill and be on your merry way. The great thing about a lap band is that when it is working at the sweet spot, it doesn't take "extra time". You eat what ever your kids are having, assuming you are feeding your kids healthful foods, just a tiny portion of it. Think like a three year old's portion. (a fussy one) Go out and play with them. It's hard to find a surgeon with a heart sometimes. I got lucky the second time around, but the first surgeon I had was just a guy with no bed side manner. He didn't even see me after surgery. My first appointment after surgery was only with the nurse. If you are stuck with this guy because no one else is around, insist on getting a fill and don't take any of his crap. (sorry) Good luck and be strong!

Welcome! It won't be long now! A new band is a wonderful valentines day gift to yourself! The best of luck on your new journey!

Welcome! No, I don't think taking fluid out is the answer either. You would just regain weight and that would make you feel even worse. Do take care not to throw up too much so you don't end up with a dilated pouch like I did (not fun, I needed a new band) or a slip, etc. (You poor thing, getting a lecture at Bob Evans on Bulimia! What did you Say?) Are you at your goal weight? Or close to it? 'Cause it sounds like from your post like you have, yet something is still missing. I'd bet your self esteem could use a boost. Perhaps if you shift your attention away from diets and food and find another activity to occupy your thoughts you would feel better about yourself. Like a hobby: pick up that musical instrument again, gardening, spending time with friends, exercising, reading ; find something to light your fire so you have less time to spend in your own head (not a neighborhood where you should spend a whole lot of time alone in). Once your mind has shifted away from food as an obsession, you will be able to enjoy those smaller amounts again. It's really tough to do, so cut yourself a break! Really wrap yourself around the idea of reorganizing your time so you have more control over stuff that might undermine your self esteem. Clutter is a big offender. Letting bills pile up is another. Get a handle on life's little time robbers so you have more free time for your new found hobbies. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you staying asleep? (yeah, look at me, up at 3 am on the lapband talk...) Getting enough exercise will de-stress you so your sleep patterns will normalize. (my excuse- we just bid on a house and my DH and I can't agree on a counter offer! ) A nap is OK and delicious if you need it. I' m already looking forward to mine later today. Feel free to email me if you need more chat time. Good luck, you can get through this!

I know it is hard to regain the sweetspot once you've lost it. Hang in there! The band can be such a fickle friend. I had to have my band replaced because of a complication and while I waited to regain the sweetspot, I regained like, 30 pounds! It was so hard to lose it again...But, it can be done. Just keep up with the fills, keep them very small so you don't over shoot and get too tight. Avoid getting fills around your period when you get too tight anyway... Have you tried the South Beach Diet? It's very band friendly. I always recommend it to people who haven't reached the sweetspot yet because it does such a great job in controlling hunger and it's so heart healthy. It's very easy to live with. Also, immerse yourself into other non-food activities like crafts, reading books, exercise, etc., so you don't obsess on the scale which is going to move slowly (and that's boring. ) Good luck on your continuing journey, feel free to contact me,

The fact is, you are statistically right where you should be. The band is said to take off 75% of your excess weight. The rest is up to you. Your band will still help you not take in huge amounts, but you need to be mindful of what you choose now. Have you been exercising? Building muscle mass increases your metabolism so you burn more even at rest. Perhaps it's time to hit the gym. Don't forget the strength building exercises. You could also try the South Beach Diet. It's a heart healthy way to live and it's very band-friendly. Have you ruled out needing a fill? Do you stay satisfied for around 4 hours after a meal? Are you taking in about the same amount of food that you have been? No PB'ing? If you don't stay satisfied and are taking in more food than you had been, you do need a bit of a fill to get you going again. If all is well, the work is all yours. IT CAN BE DONE!!! It just takes patience and the desire to succeed. It's the perfect time to do it too! NOW

Wow, 45 lbs! That's amazing ! Are you exercising a lot to achieve such terrific weight loss? 'Cause 1to2 lbs is about average per week. Keep up the great work and keep doing what ever it is that is working so well for you! It is so exciting to have a great jump start in your journey. Kudos to you!