vickyd

Loralee- I update the spreadsheet each week - usually on Saturday. The link works when I click on it so it may be your security software. Is anyone else having problems accessing it?

Endoscopy does not hurt. They will put in an IV and give you medications to make you very sleepy (similar to a colonoscopy). Then they give you some time to recover and something to drink and send you home. It's nothing to worry about - I honestly don't remember mine at all. The results of mine were that they found a bit of acid reflux damage and just put me on some medication for 3 weeks before surgery. The rest of the tests were non-invasive and weren't a big deal at all...good luck to you!

Comments like those just make your day!!:bananajump:

It is normal to be scared...you are taking a big step towards a healthier lifestyle and it is so worth it!!! Good luck!

Checking in at 272 - down 2.2 from last week! Glad the scales are moving again!!! BTW, yesterday at Home Depot my DH handed me a 30 lb bag of rocks and had me pick it up. Then he said, "Do you realize that this is only a little more than half the weight you have lost?" For those of you who haven't tried to pick something up that weighs what you have lost, give it a try...it is very eye-opening! I can't believe I was lugging around that much more weight...now I understand why I was tired all of the time and my knees hurt terribly!

March Madness Challenge Weigh In

I also weigh daily but I only record my weight on Monday morning. If you are going to weigh daily then don't weigh multiple times a day and don't freak out about the day to day fluctuations. If you can't do that then I would suggest to put your scale up and only weigh once a week.

How many calories are you eating? If you don't track it, try doing it for a couple of days. It is possible that you aren't eating enough. I had a stall at about the same point and was only eating about 800-900 calories. When I bumped it up to 1,000 I started losing again. If that's not it, try shaking it up some other way...lower your carbs, kick up your exercise, etc. Sometimes you just need to change things up to get the scale moving again. Also, find other things to motivate yourself other than the scale - are you down a size, are your clothes looser, can you walk longer, do your knees not hurt anymor, etc. Those sort of NSVs keep me going when I don't see movement on the scale. Good Luck!

I am so very happy that I took the step to get banded! The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me because the scale has barely moved - about 1 lb in 2 weeks. But, luckily, just when I was starting to get frustrated I had some awesome NSVs. First of all, I have to explain that I am one of those people who just didn't see myself as looking as fat as I was. When I looked in the mirror I knew I was overweight but the person I saw was not the morbidly obese person who showed up whenever I saw a picture of myself. Last weekend, my family was at a St. Patrick's Day parade and my husband took a picture of my son and I. When I saw the picture later, I just sat and stared at it. This was the first time in many years that I saw the same person in the picture that I see in the mirror each day. This is a HUGE deal for me!!! Then today I went shopping because I was getting tired of having to pull my jeans up every time I take a few steps (I could actually take them off without unbuttoning them). I am now in a size 22 pants (down from an almost unwearbly tight 28) and in a size 18/20 top (down from a 26/28). This is all since I started my pre-op diet on November 18th! While this journey hasn't always been easy, it's these little things that keep me motivated. Even though the scale isn't moving the way I want it to right now, I can see the difference in my body and in my clothes sizes and that just reinforces why I am doing this. I am happier with myself that I have been in years!!!

It stands for non-scale victories...and there are no dumb questions!!!

I know exactly what you mean about the knee pain going away! I have arthritis in both knees and used to have a lot of pain as a result. A couple of weeks ago we went to the zoo and when we were leaving I realized I had walked around the zoo for almost 2 hours and never once thought about my knees! Just like you, I have no idea when they stopped hurting!!

You're doing great!!! Keep up the great attitude...

I wouldn't fill. I didn't get my first fill until 3 months after surgery. The people at my surgeon's office say that As long as you are losing 1-2 lbs a week and are able to control your portions without being hungry then you don't need a fill.

I'm so happy for you, Joan!! It's amazing how much motivation you can get from these types of NSVs!!! :welldoneclap: Have a great trip and Happy Birthday my band sistah!!! :party:

Great news, Jess! Isn't it great when you fit into smaller clothes?!!!:woot:

It's funny how different surgeons want different things. I was told 80-120g protein even when on liquids. My protein powder has 25 per scoop so it wasn't hard to do. My weight loss stalled for about 2 weeks when I went to full solids and I found that I had to increase my calories to start losing again...I was putting my body into starvation mode by only eating about 700 per day. Ive since settled out at 1100-1200 per day and that is working for me...everyone is different so if you do stall try increasing your calories a bug until you find the right level for you.

My weight before starting the 2 week pre-op liquid diet was 325 and at the time of surgery I was about 315 so we started roughly at the same point. My surgeon never said that my weight was too high to lose all of the weight that I want to lose. They did initially suggest that I also look at the sleeve but when I told them that I had done the research and was comfortable with my decision they were fine with that. Now, a little over 3 months after surgery, the PA who sees me each month tells me that I am a model patient and my weight loss has been nice and steady. It has definately slowed up a lot but they want me to lose 1-2 lbs a week and that is where I have been thus far. Like you, I would love to lose it sooner but I realize that it is safer for me to lose it slowly and I am trying to be patient and accept that. My goal weight is 175 (again, close to yours) and I feel confident that if I do what I am supposed to do then I will get there. I, too, have 5ccs in a 10cc band and my idea of restriction is that when I eat 4 oz proten and 1/2 cup veggies then I am satisfied (not hungry anymore) and can go 4 hours without feeling hungry. I used to eat to the point that if I ate another bite I would pop and that sensation always made me feel horrible...I don't want to feel that way again...that's just me. I feel like I need to learn to exercise the self control not to eat until I feel that full and I don't look to the band to do that for me...again, just my opinion...lots of people on here feel differently. Good luck to you! It sounds to me like you are doing everything right!

First of all, one of the reasons you are so tired is that your Protein levels aren't high enough. You need to increase your protein and you will start to have more energy. As far as quantities of food to eat - when I started I was eating about 1/2 cup because I really wasn't very hungry but by the time I finished my 2 weeks on mushies I was eating about 1 cup of food per meal. Your weight loss is great but don't be surprised to see it slow down (and possibly stop) when you start introducing food back into the mix...that is very common. As far as being stuck goes, I have only been stuck about 3-4 times and only once did I vomit (and that was only last week). Each time, I was eating meat that was on the dry side, took too big of a bite and didn't chew it enough. For me, the food usually passes through - it is uncomfortable...I get a pain in the middle of my chest but the one time I vomited I was just so uncomfortable I went in the bathroom and coughed and the food came up - if I had given it time I'm sure it would have passed on its own (it was salmon) but I felt so bad that I wasn't willing to wait it out .

For me, the food items that I find that I have trouble controlling quanities with don't come into the house at all. This past weekend when we were at the grocery store, the girls scouts were out front selling their crack cookies and my husband looked at me with the question in his eyes...I told him that if he wanted cookies then he needed to buy them and take them directly to his office becuase they weren't coming in the house. I also keep lots of lower calorie, high protein items that I know I won't go overboard with in the house so if I do get hungry I will make a good choice and I won't eat too much of it. I'm a carb girl so if I have to have them in the house I try to make them types/flavors/brands that I don't like so I'm not tempted.

My first question for you would be did your surgeon's office or nutritionist give you any post-op guidelines for what to eat and when? If so, I would recommend you follow those instructions. I will answer your questions based on the instructions I received and I am sure others will do the same, but you will find that different doctors have different opinions on what to eat, how much and when... 1. I was able to introduce salads back at 4 weeks post-op. I did 2 weeks on liquids, 2 weeks on mushies and then I could eat solids. That said, I don't normally eat a lot of salads unless they come with a lot of Protein on them (and then I mainly eat the protein) because lettuce just takes up space in your pouch and doesn't have a lot of nutuional value...just my opinion 2 &3. I could try veggies and bread at 4 weeks. 4. Aleve/Advil - my surgeon told me not to use them - only Tylenol - and I haven't as of yet. 5. As far as how to tell when you are full...I can only speak for myself, but I rarely get a full feeling while I am eating. If I do feel full, it happens about 15-20 minutes after I finish. For that reason, I weigh and measure everything I eat (when I'm at home), I eat 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies and when that is gone then I am finished. Normally, I don't feel full (at least not the way I used to feel full), but rather I just don't feel hungry anymore. That has been one of the biggest things I have had to get used to because I used to eat until I literally couldn't eat another bite. 6. I could eat meat and chicken at 4 weeks, but could have canned chicken and tuna at 2 weeks. 7. My surgeon recommends not drinking 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal. I have a very hard time with the before a meal part of that - I just don't do it. I do, however, try hard to wait the 30 minutes after the meal - I've just gotten in the habit of not having a drink by my plate and checking my watch when I finish eating so I know when I can have a drink. If I am eating something spicy and need a drink then I just take a very small sip and that is all. I hope this helps...

I, too, had to stay overnight and I just stayed in the hospital gown until it was time to go home and then I just wore some very loose sweats and an oversized t-shirt (I didn't even worry about a bra). I took gas-x strips, slippers (for walking the halls), cell phone and charger, my Kindle, and personal items (of course). Have whoever drives you home bring a pillow with them - it is very helpful during the drive to cushion your stomach from the seatbelt. For when you get home, a heating pad on your stomach makes it feel better. That's about all...good luck to you!

Weighing in at 274.2 today (down .4 from last week)...not great, but the scale is still going in the right direction so I'll take it...

Good for you Sarah! She sounds like a total witch!! Copying her boss is a good thing...hopefully she will stop pulling that crap with you. Good luck with your journey...

LOL! You and me both!!!

That's great, Joan! Good luck on your trip. I hadn't had a fill the last time I flew so I didn't experience any additional tightness. Hopefully, it won't be that bad.