vickyd

I take prevacid every day at the suggestion of my surgeon because I had reflux prior to surgery...

I realize that I can be a bit neurotic about things...LOL...I know I just need to relax about it...easier said than done ...maybe that needs to be my personal goal for the May Challenge...

At least it sounds like I'm in good company...LOL I will admit to not exercising nearly enough...my plan was to get into a regular exercise schedule this week but I broke my toe on Saturday so the only thing I can do exercise wise is my stationary bike. I've done it Monday and Wednesday for an hour each time and my goal is to get in at least 3 more hour long workouts this week. I think I need to find something more exciting to do for my workouts because I get bored and unmotivated very easily...it's funny since I was a very active athlete in high school. What do you all do for exercise? I am open to trying new things (except rollerblading Jess because I am a major clutz...hence the broken toe )

It is true for some and not for others. After surgery, you initially have swelling going on so most people aren't hungry but once the swelling goes down you could fall into one of two categories...1) those who feel immediate restriction simply by having the band in place (unfortunately these people are the minority) and 2) those who feel absolutely no restriction and feel as though they can eat just as much as they did before surgery. For many people it can take several fills before they start to feel restriction so until that happens you may feel that you are doing all of the work to lose weight with no help from your band. There is no way to predict what your experience will be so you need to be mentally prepared that you may be hungry until you reach proper restriction...at that point, your band will help you to be able to eat much smaller portions and be able to go 4 hours or so without being hungry. That said, the band does really help...never before in my life have I been able to lose as much weight as I've lost. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

If I were you I would see how much I could pull together...the more the better and then ask UHC what else they might be able to accept as proof...would dated pictures work? Signed statements from people? You may have to think outside the box to see if you can find a way to make it work.

I feel like I am stuck in a bit of a rut with my weight loss. I went off of my blood pressure meds almost 4 weeks ago and over the first 2 weeks after stopping I lost 10 lbs - crazy, right? Well, the past 2 weeks I have yo-yo'd up and down the same pound. This could just be a normal plateau...I have lost 73 lbs since starting my pre-op diet on Nov 18th and with the exception of a short stall when I moved to solid food I have lost fairly consistently every week. I am thinking of doing either the 5 day pouch test or just going on all liquids for a day or two to see if I can get things jump started again. Has anyone done the 5 day pouch test? If so, did it help? Maybe I am jumping the gun on this and blowing it way out of proportion but I know I don't need a fill (I actually have to force myself to eat 1,000 calories a day because if I eat less then I don't lose anything and I rarely get hungry between meals)...any suggestions?

I don't think you caused any slippage. The pain is most likely a result of your stuck episode. My suggestion would be to either do all liquids today or stick to mushies to give your band a rest...you most likely have a bit of swelling going on and that should take care of it...

I have UHC and the 5 years documentation was the most difficult part of it. Start with your doctors (all of them) and then think about any procedures you have had done where they documented your weight. I ran into an issue with doctors having purged my records but I remembered that I had a breast biopsy 5 years ago and was able to get the records from the hospital to complete the 5 years. Good Luck!

I lost 10 lbs on my pre-op diet and I agree that it is good to try out some Protein shakes now before you start your pre-op diet. I would also suggest to find a couple of flavors so that you aren't drinking the same thing the entire time...that will get a bit old . My typical day looks like this: Breakfast: 1/2 cup eggbeaters with laughing cow cheese and turkey sausage, greek yogurt or a Protein shake (if I'm in a hurry) Lunch: 3-4 oz protein with 1/2 cup veggies (usually left over from dinner) or a salad with grilled chicken or shrimp. Dinner: 4 oz protein with 1/2 cup veggies. Snack: I don't always snack but if I do it is always protein based...my favorites are Babybel Light cheese, Low Fat string cheese or Turkey sandwich meat spread with laughing cow cheese and rolled up. I drink 80-100 oz of Water or sugar free decaf iced tea each day. I know that carbs are trigger foods for me so I follow a fairly low carb diet (around 30 - 40g per day). I have only had one fill and there are no foods that I can't eat...I have chosen not to eat bread, Pasta, rice, etc and I haven't had any major issues with cravings. A lot of what you will have to do at the beginning is to figure out how the band works best for you...what foods you can (or choose to) eat, how many calories (for me it is 1,000-1,100 per day), how much exercise will you do, etc. What works for me is to weigh and measure my food and eat only that amount of food. I no longer eat until I'm full (or at least how I used to define full)...instead, when I stop eating I am no longer hungry and that takes some getting used to. Everyone's experience with the band is different so take all the info you get on here as a guide and then figure out how to make it work for you. It sounds like you have done a lot of the hard work with your therapy so I'm sure you'll do great. Good luck to you and don't hesitate to PM me if you have any other questions...

Getting banded is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done for myself. I no longer have knee pain, am no longer on BP medicine and feel better than I have in years. It is normal to be scared and nervous and for some reason when people hear you are having surgery they feel the need to tell you about every horror story they have ever heard...you need to ignore them and remember why you are doing this. Last night I went to my support group and there was a woman in there who had looked into surgery a year ago but decided not to go through with it because she was scared...well, now she's back - she regained everything she had lost during her 6 month diet required by her insurance and is now scheduled for surgery again. My post op experience was great...I had surgery on Thursday and was back to work the following Monday. I didn't have a lot of pain at all (only took the pain meds twice) and didn't really have bad gas pains either. Everyone's experience is different but as long as you are prepared and follow your surgeon's instructions you will be fine. Good Luck!

I wasn't required to see a binge eating specialist but I knew that I needed to get my head on straight before going through with the surgery so when I chose the psychologist for my pre-op psych evaluation I chose someone with experience dealing with eating disorders and I continued to see him for several months (up until about a month before surgery). Looking back, I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself because from the beginning (even through the pre-op liquid diet) I was very focused and didn't have problems. Now that I am 5 months post-op, I can tell you that the biggest part of this journey is mental and having your head in the right place and understanding why you binged (and coming up with other ways to cope with your emotions other than food) will be a tremendous help after surgery. Good Luck to you!

Mine is about an inch above and to the left of my belly button. I will say that it was in a bad place while I was healing after surgery because it was right at my waist band level so all of my pants irritated it. I'm fine with where it is now, but at the time I wished that I had asked him where it would be so that I could request that it be moved either higher or lower...

May Challenge

I can only speak for myself but I have chosen to only tell a few select people. Before surgery, I only planned to tell my husband and kids (my family lives in another state so they wouldn't be suspicious). As surgery got closer, my MIL decided to visit for Thanksgiving and I was going to be on my liquid diet so I decided to tell her...and I couldn't tell her and not tell my mom...so I told her). That was it until about a month ago when I found out that my husband had told some of his co-workers. Regardless, it is still a very small group of people who know. The main reason I chose to keep it secret is that I have several family members who are very judgemental - they make a lot of unkind comments and if they knew I had surgery it would be like chum in the Water for a bunch of sharks. I have dealt with their comments my entire life and I know I should be used to it, but my weight is a very sensitive subject for me and I just really don't want to deal with the comments at every family function. When they comment on my weight loss I just say that I am working with a nutritionist and exercising (which is true). At my support group last night, this topic came up and I was interested to find that the majority of the people had kept it a secret...the most stated reason why was "It isn't anyone else's business"...which is exactly what my therapist said when I was struggling with my decision on who to tell. I think it is great that there are people who are open with their decision and journey - I don't know what I would do without the countless lap band blogs I read for inspiration - but we all have to make the decision that is right for us...

The way I look at it is if the waiter asks me if there is something wrong with the meal then I am doing a good job with my portions. I usually just say something like "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was" and then I ask for a to go box to take the rest home with me...

I have a realize band and my first fill was 5 ccs (there was no fill put in during surgery)

I keep my calories between 1,000-1,100. I found that if I eat below or above that range then I don't lose. reverie has some good suggestions...play around with your calories to determine what level is the best for you and definately weigh and measure your food so you have an accurate tracking of how much you are eating. As far as Sparkpeople goes...I wouldn't worry too much about the warnings that you aren't eating enough calories (as long as you are getting your protein in and taking a multivitamin)...find the right level for you and use the program as a guide to make sure you are staying in the range you choose and are getting in enough protein.

Now that the swelling has gone down you are in the same position that many newly banded people are in...bandster hell. This can be a miserable time but it sounds like you are doing things right...you are trying to make healthy choices and trying to control your portions. It is very normal to gain back a little weight when you start adding solids back into your diet. Don't let that frustrate you...it might take a bit of time but things will start moving in the right direction. The best suggestion I can give you is to eat mindfully - weigh and measure out your food and then eat that portion and stop. If you are still hungry after an hour or so then have a high Protein snack. Track your calories and make sure you are eating enough...for many of us, eating too few calories can be as bad as eating too many as far as weight loss goes. For me, the first months after surgery were all about figuring out how to live with the band...how many calories do I need to eat, does low carb work better for me, how much Water should I drink, how much exercise can I realistically do, etc. Also, don't compare your weight loss to anyone elses...everyone's journey is unique. There are people on here who will lose faster than you and just as many who will lose slower than you. Comparing your weight loss to other people will just add to the frustration... Good luck!

I do like Isopure (not the fruit flavors...only chocolate and vanilla) but GNC also carries Muscle Milk Light which is good too. I also like their return policy since you have to buy such large quantities.

It is very common to stall when you start on mushies...you may find that you need to increase your calories a bit (that is what worked for me). Just try increasing your calories by 100 at at time and see what level helps you start losing weight again. Also, you didn't say anything about exercising - if you aren't doing it then try walking a few times a week for 30 minutes or if you are exercising you definately need more calories. I can relate to the addiction to the scale...5 months after surgery I still weigh daily. I feel like it helps keep me accountable but I don't get obsessive about it. Even though I am losing steadily, I don't see a loss each day (and some days see a small gain). You need to learn how your body loses..for me, I tend to stay about the same most days and then I will have a day or two where I drop 1-2 lbs. Most people won't see a daily loss. If not seeing a daily loss is going to bother you then I would suggest that you stop weighing daily. This is a HUGE mental journey so you don't need to continue habits that are going to negatively affect your focus.

Happy Mother's Day! I'm checking in at 252 (down 1.2). I really need to exercise this week (I didn't do it at all last week)...

Jess~This the same reason I got my first (and only) fill back in March. My weight loss was great but I was getting very hungry between meals. The PA gave me a 5cc fill which freaked me out a bit because of how big it was. I even started to ask her to give me a smaller fill but decided to trust her instincts and experience with the thought that I could get an unfill if it was too much. As it turned out, the fill level was perfect - it didn't change the foods I am able to eat and I have only PBd once (which was my own fault for eating too fast).

Im not gonna go over what everyone else has said other than to stress that it's all about willpower right now...your band doesn't control what you eat. Also, you were surprised that you didn't get stuck...hard, crunchy foods don't normally get stuck. It's the soft foods or dry meats that cause problems for most people - for example a lot of people can't eat bread but can eat it if it's toasted.

I agree with those who think you are too tight. In addition, all of the pain you are having along with having to use liquids to push the food through your stoma may be causing some swelling/irritation. I would recommend an unfill (for some people, even an unfill as small as .2 cc is enough to take away the pain) and then do full liquids for a couple of days, mushies for a couple of days and see if that helps. I also think that you aren't taking in enough calories if you are only eating what you indicated. Try tracking your calories/protein/carbs and see where you are at. Many of us (me included) don't lose at all if our calories are too restricted. Try increasing your calories to about 1,200 and see if that helps. I completely understand about not wanting to eat if you aren't hungry but I realize that if I don't get the calories in then I'm not going to lose so I can justify adding a Protein shake in the evening if I need one to get in my calories. I have also found that limiting my carbs to less than 30g per day makes the weight come off better. These are things that work for me that I found out through trial and error...you need to figure out what works best for you. Good Luck!

May Challenge For those of you who are joining your first challenge, the link above will take you to the tracking spreadsheet for the challenge. Each week you need to post your new weight along with pounds lost for the week. I will then update this spreadsheet and post the updated spreadsheet weekly. It's great to see so many new faces joining us! Good Luck Everyone!!!