vickyd

I also have gone through something similar...I was banded on Dec 2nd and since I went off of liquids (Dec 16th) I had only lost 3 lbs until yesterday (and nothing in the past 2 weeks). I was getting very frustrated because I have been making good food choices and my calorie count has been around 800-900 per day which I thought was good and I have been exercising. The other day, my husband said to me that with the exercise I am doing (which I wasn't doing pre-band) my body might be needing more calories that I have been taking in. At this point I was willing to try anything so Friday I increased my calories to slightly over 1000 and I lost 1.5 lbs. Yesterday I did the same and lost another pound. I'm going to keep this up and see how this goes but maybe he was right... My suggestion to you would be to use this time to work on making good food choices (I found that tracking what I eat daily helps tremendously) and don't stress too much about the scale. Your body is still healing and it will take some time to figure out how to work the band in the best way for you. I have talked to people on this site who have to eat as few as 600 calories a day to lose and others who can eat as much as 1400 calores and lose. It takes a while to find where you need to be...

I was just looking at the chart and realized that I entered my goal weight incorrectly...It should be 289 (don't know what I was thinking)...can you please change it? Thanks!

Well done, Dave. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Well, it turns out that my husband does know what he is talking about sometimes (don't tell him I said that )...these past couple of weeks where my weight loss has been stalled he has been telling me to increase my calorie intake a little bit...easier said than done strangely enough. Well, yesterday I ate right at 1,000 calories (I have been around 800 each day) and this morning I am down 1.5 lbs...go figure. I am going to try it again today and see what happens...hopefully this is what I need to do to get my weight loss jump started again!

You are doing great! It is such a motivator when other people notice that you are losing weight! I agree with you that when you are on liquids you just start to want to eat anything that requires chewing...be patient, you will be on mushies soon!!

This journey is a very personal one for each of us. We all have our own demons to fight and have to deal with it in the way that works best for us. I will admit that I stuggled a lot with the question of whether or not to tell people about the surgery. My husband thought I should just be open about it because there wasn't anything to be ashamed of and I did it to be healthy (he is amazingly supportive ) but my concern was (and still is) with a small portion of my family who never have a kind thing to say about anyone. I don't really care what they say about me but I don't want to be at family functions and have to deal with them watching every bite of food I put into my mouth and commenting on it (and believe me, they would). In the end, I spoke to my therapist about it and he said "Why do you feel you have to tell anyone? It really isn't any of their business." Such a simple statement but it made me feel so much better about my choice not to say anything. In the end, the only people who know are my husband and kids, my mother and my mother-in-law. I ended up having to tell my mother-in-law because she came to visit us during my pre-op diet and I had to be able to explain why I was doing only liquids...and if I was going to tell her, I had to tell my mother. They were (and are) both extremely supportive of my decision. It is a bit strange because my mom knows but my dad doesn't (I chose not to tell him because the crazy relatives are on his side of the family and, quite frankly, he couldn't keep a secret to save his life ). Right now, if someone asks what I am doing to lose weight I just say I am working with a nutritionist and exercising (which is technically true) but I have decided if someone comes out and asks me if I had WLS I won't lie about it...

I agree about the sample menus and more nutritional guidelines. I have any appointment for my first fill next week and will also be meeting with the NUT. Now that I am on regular food, I have a HUGE list of questions for her!

My first fill is scheduled for Wednesday the 12th...I'll let you know how it goes...

I drank MM Light almost exclusively during my pre-op liquid diet - Chocolate Mint was my favorite (I got it at GNC and I haven't seen that flavor anywhere else) - but I found that after my surgery I became even more lactose intolerant than I already was and I couldn't tolerate it any more. Now I use Isopure powder (vanilla) and I really like that. One thing I have found to be helpful is to use the vanilla and jazz it up with Torani Sugar Free Flavoring Syrup. It has no calories and I really like it - lately, I am hooked on the Caramel flavoring...it tastes like a Caramel Frappacino

Joan - How much fill did you get? Can you feel restriction yet?

I had a nice NSV today...I realized that the jeans I wore to work today were so loose that I could actually take them off without unbuttoning them! I knew they were getting very loose, but I had no idea they were THAT loose! So, during lunch today I went to Lane Bryant for a new pair (BTW, they are having a big sale) and ended up bringing home 2 pairs of jeans, 2 sweaters and 5 pairs of underwear all in a size smaller than I normally wear!! This did wonders for my mood today because I have been very frustrated that the scale is not moving at all...I have been journaling my food (staying around 750-850 calories) and exercising and still nothing! My husband thinks I should try to increase my calories slightly and see what happens so I am trying to do that today. I am scheduled for my first fill next week so hopefully that will help!

You can have a carryon and a purse too. I haven't flown American Eagle in years but the planes I flew on were very small commuter planes and i don't remember having issues with the seat size (I was around 230 at that time)...

I fly fairly often for my job and have flown multiple times at around 330 lbs (I carry most of my weight in my stomach and hips). This is what I do...get an aisle seat like Heather suggested (you will have more room) or if you prefer the window and are traveling with someone you can just put the armrest up (the window seat can be a bit tight if you can't put the armrest up)...I have knee problems (arthritis) so I usually board early with the passengers who need assistance - this way, there are less people getting on the plane and I can ask and receive my seatbelt extender before everyone else gets on (it makes me feel a less self conscious about it) - if you can't board early just ask the flight attendant quietly when you board the plane and she will bring it to your seat. When I first started flying at this size I was very worried about it but my husband (who also flies a lot) told me that there are a lot of larger people flying these days and he is right. Once I got over my nervousness, I don't feel worried about it at all. In all of the years I have been flying I have NEVER been asked to pay for another seat because of my size - I should note that this is on Delta and I can't speak for other airlines. Good luck and have a great trip!

I am scheduled for my first fill next week and I already do fill some restriction but my weight loss has slowed quite a lot so I will probably get it. That said, I did talk to my surgeon at my post op appointment about feeling some restriction and he said that for some people having the band in place is enough for a while and in his experience those people can usually lose their weight with fewer fills. Everyone's body is different...don't worry about it...be happy that you are doing so well!!

My nutritionist also recommended Muscle Milk Light (along with several others). Unfortunately, I can't tolerate it because of my Lactose intolerance (although I did like the taste). I am currently using Isopure powder (vanilla and chocolate are good - I hated the clear fruit flavored ones). Isopure is 25 grams of protein per scoop and tastes good to me

Hi Joan! I'm in... Name, real or screen~Vicky Age~45 Weight on January 3rd~299 Goal Weight for January 31st~284 Exercise Goal for January~To work out at least 5 days a week Dietary Goal for January~To eat slower and journalize my food daily Personal Goal for January~To regularly attend my surgeon's support group meeting Date Banded~December 2, 2010 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~16 pounds (26 pounds since pre-op)

Congratulations on meeting your goal! I had the exact same goal as you and met mine this week as well...it is so nice to see the number on the scale starting with a 2 instead of a 3 isn't it?

I agree with the others that you need to set your expectations with your husband. He needs to understand what you need from him if you confess that you slipped a bit and ate something you shouldn't. If, after you communicate your needs to him, he continues to act the same way then I would just stop sharing those things with him. On a more personal side...The other day, my husband and I had a long conversation in the parking lot of the grocery store...he was thinking that I was starting to slide into my old habits of overeating and he said something about it. I will admit that my first instinct was to get defensive about it but his comments made me realize that I had not taken the time to educate him on what and how much I was supposed to be eating based on my discussions with my NUT. Once I explained it to him, he backed off...I realize now that he was trying to be supportive in his own way and I need to stop being so defensive and try to understand what his concerns are. I think it was a real eye opener for us both...

I am so glad you posted this, Dave. I am also on bp medicine and I am hoping that I will soon be off my meds too...I will definately be looking for the symptoms you talked about and will start monitoring my bp more closely.

Hi Joan, I do take vitamins but not in the traditional sort of way. I found that I just couldn't handle the chewable vitamins - they actually made me gag - so I started looking for alternatives and I found something called EcoDrink on the blog of another lapband patient. It is a vitamin powder that you mix with 10 oz.water and drink. One box contains a bottle to mix it in and a month's worth of the powder in 2 flavors (orange and fruit punch). It tastes a lot like Crystal Light and also can count towards your fluids for the day. I googled it and ordered it on line and I highly recommend it! Vicky

Woo Hoo!!! I got on the scale today and after the scale not moving for about a week (thanks to my TOM) I am down another 4 lbs but more importantly I met my goal of being below 300 by the end of the year. This is the first time I have seen a "2" at the beginning of my weight in about 5 years so I am sooooo excited!!! :D

Hi Jess! I, too, had problems with diarrhea after surgery. I'm not sure if you are lactose intolerant, but if you weren't before surgery you could be after surgery. I had a mild lactose issue before surgery which was made worse after surgery. At the suggestion of my dietician, I eliminated the protein shakes with lactose (try Isopure from GNC) and that did the trick. Good luck!

I have now been eating "real" food for about a week and I haven't lost a pound since...I am thinking that part of it is due to the fact that I started my TOM yesterday but I think I really need to start zeroing in on the number of calories I will need each day. Yesterday I had about 825 calories and 100 grams of Protein but I am wondering if I should be eating a few more calories to get out of this rut. Can any of you tell me how many calories you are taking in each day? The good news is that I have noticed a huge change in the way my clothes are fitting - shirts that were getting snug are now fitting properly, my jeans which used to fit well are so big that I think I will be shopping for a smaller size soon and I even need to go shopping for new bras because the cups on my current ones are getting too big (I always lose there first). Luckily, I haven't had a stuck episode yet (and after reading some of your posts, I won't be trying bread any time soon ) ... I hope all is going well with everyone - I am so glad I have made this choice and can't wait to see what the new year holds in store!

I also couldn't stand the taste of the chewable vitamins (they make me gag) but I found out about this thing called EcoDrink. You get a bottle which you fill with 10 oz of water and then packets of the drink (comes in orange and fruit punch) and tastes a lot like crystal lite. It tastes good and also counts towards your water for the day. You can find it at Costco or online...