vickyd

I am down 4 sizes in pants, 3 sizes in tops. No longer on BP medication Almost no knee pain (I have arthritis so it may never go away completely) No longer having to use a seatbelt extender on a plane (and not worrying that I am encroaching on the seat next to me) I can fit in a booth at restaurants Having to run out at the last minute to buy new clothes before I go on a business trip because the pants I bought for my trip last month no longer fit. Having people that I have worked with for years do a double-take when they see me in a meeting because I look so different. And...the best one yet...having my husband pull into the driveway and say to me that he is amazed everytime he looks at me because I look better than I did 15 years ago :wub:

I also recommend Zeazorb...it works great. Another thing, you should consider going to see your PCP, if nothing else, to document the problem. There are some people who have been able to get plastic surgery covered by their insurance due to having documentation of long term issues with sores or irritation caused by excess skin. Even though you aren't ready for it yet, it's never too early to start getting the problem documented...

I don't know if it is psychosomatic but I think that for many people just the act (and cost) of getting banded helps them to make better food choices. That said, there are also many people who are not happy with their results from the band because they haven't changed the foods they are eating, try to push their quantities or choose to eat around the band with slider foods. For me, the biggest part of my journey was getting my head in the right place (which I did by seeing a therapist before being banded). I have only had one fill so I don't have a ton of restriction but I do make healthier choices regarding food and quantities. There are certain foods that I don't think are "worth it" to eat because they will negatively impact my weight loss (especially foods that I know will trigger binges, etc).

Nope...not a single regret. Getting banded is the best thing I have ever done for myself!

Look on the bright side...at least you can have oatmeal and yogurt. My pre-op diet was only Protein shakes, broth, Jello and popscicles. Hang in there...you'll do fine!

May Challenge

I still have protein shakes occaisionally if I need a quick breakfast or if, at the end of the day, I find that I am short on my calories and/or protein. I agree with the no liquid calories and I follow that for the most part but there are times when protein shakes are needed. I stick to 1,000-1,100 calories per day (that works best for me) and I normally eat around 80-100 g protein a day (I know it sounds high, but that is what my NUT suggests and it's working for me).

Like FLORIDAYS said, those of us who have lost a lot of weight also had more to lose. Yes, I have lost 75 lbs but I still have 96 to lose in order to have a normal BMI...if you look at what we have all lost as a percentage of the total amount we want to lose, we are all in the same ballpark

I'm not in Tampa but I can tell you that UHC approved me in about 2 weeks...good luck!

I live in New Orleans where seafood is a staple...I eat it frequently. I am 5 months post surgery and still have not had raw oysters (I have had them charbroiled). The only issue I have had is that because most seafood has few calories it makes it difficult for me to get my calories in.

I don't think there is anything wrong with weighing daily as long as you don't get too crazy about the daily fluctuations. I do weigh daily and use it as a barometer to keep me on track.

I think it is essential to get your head in the right place before surgery I honestly think that my relationship with food is so much healthier now because I don't medicate myself with food whenever things get stressful and because of that I have lost more weight in the 5 months since surgery than I have ever lost in my life. Not only that, but becaue of this new mindset, I know that I will be successful with this and I have NEVER felt that much confidence about losing weight and keeping it off before.

What # of calories are you eating daily? How is your band at this point, great or too loose? TOM gain, salty foods fluid retention, constipation? Changing your exercise sounds like a great idea. I have been succesful breaking a plateau in the past by exercising 2X aday, not long workouts just 2 of them. I eat between 1,000-1,100 calories a day...I have found that I don't lose if I go either above or below that range. My band is in a good place...I am rarely hungry and can go 4-5 hours between meals and it isn't TOM. I am starting to think that after losing 75 lbs since I started my preop diet on Nov 18th, my body just needs some time to adjust to losing so much so fast. I am still hanging around at the same weight (up and down the same pound going on 3 weeks now) but I am just going to hang in there and see it through. The only thing I see that could use some improvement is my exercise...I hate to do it and basically have to force myself. My husband and I went out and bought bikes for the family this weekend and we rode on Saturday and Sunday - I wasn't able to squeeze in a workout yesterday due to a hectic schedule but I plan on doing it again today. I am impatient by nature so I am trying to not get too crazy about this...I am definately in it for the long run so I'm just gonna keep trying to shake things up and see what happens. One thing I did notice looking back at my food diaries is that my protein level is lower than it was at the beginning...my NUT wants me eating between 80-120 g per day (I know it is a lot higher than most people are told to eat) and at the start I was regularly in the 100-110 g range - lately I have been in the 80-90 g range so I am wondering if that has anything to do with it...any thoughts?

I am 5 months out from surgery and I have been stuck a few times (my own fault for eating too fast or not chewing enough) and have PBd 3 times (again, my own fault). I have only had 1 full and there really aren't any foods that I tolerate (other than dry meat)...eating out isn't an issue at all and as long as you don't keep your band too tight and are careful with eating slowly then you shouldn't have frequent issues with being stuck and PBing.

I have used Muscle Milk Light and Isopure from GNC (not the fruit flavors) mixed with either Soy Milk or Almond Milk...neither of them are whey based (they are lactose free) which should help with your stomach issues...

I saw my mine two or three times before surgery and then probably three times so far after surgery. My nutritionist is part of my surgeon's practice so my appointments with her are part of my normal office visits for fills, etc. and since she is part of his practice, she has a lot of experience working with WLS patients. Is there a particular reason you are seeing your nutritionist? If she doesn't deal with WLS patients (and doesn't even support you in your efforts to get banded) then I think you need to find a new one. I'm not sure what your insurance requirements are regarding pre-surgery weight loss, but mine didn't have any...my surgeon required that I lose 11 lbs before surgery and I accomplished that with the 2 week pre-op diet.

For me, full means something different than it used to. Before surgery, I ate until I literally couldn't eat another bite - that was "full" to me. Now, I weigh and measure my food and when the food is gone I stop eating. When I stop eating I no longer feel hungry and I don't get hungry again for 4-5 hours - this is what "full" means to me now. It took a while to change my mind-set on this but I am much happier with the way things are now.

:youcandothis: Great Job!!!

I understand what you are talking about but I don't think snacking on gummy worms would be a good thing. Perhaps you need to talk to your NUT and see what you can add to help with this feeling. As hard as it is, you need to follow the instructions given to you so that you can heal properly.

A lot of people find that using something like Benefiber on a daily basis helps.

Yes. The swelling has gone down so you can eat more...that said, my meals are normally 1-1 1/2 cups and I have always lost steadily.

Checking in at 250.6 (down 1.4). We bought bikes yesterday so I'm hoping this will help me add more exercise to my routine.

Pre and post op instructions are different depending on your surgeon. My pre op was all liquid (only shakes, broth, jello or popsicles) and my first 2 weeks post op was exactly the same. These sort of diets seem to cause either diarrhea or constipation...I had diarrhea. What I found was that since I am slightly lactose intolerant I can't tolerate the whey protein shakes. I switched to a lactose free shake (Isopure and Muscle Milk Light) mixed with soy milk and that helped a lot.

Use instant coffee rather than ground coffee. Other things I do is use Davinci Sugar Free syrup - they have many flavors which are good to spice things up. I also did strawberry protein shakes mixed with crystal lite lemonade...it was good to break up the chocolat shakes.

It is VERY common to gain a bit and/or stall when you transition from the liquid diet to mushies. We all have surgery in order to lose weight and I know it is hard to hear but you need to not be focused on your weight loss right now. This time is for healing not for losing weight. What you are eating looks great so just try to hang in there and not get too obsessed with what the scale is or is not doing...