stleochic

I just started a program working towards a revision surgery from band to bypass. I'm so scared I'm going to fail again. I initially lost about 30 pounds with the band but have gained all of it back. I know I failed for lots of reasons. Basically, I can't eat a lot of dense protein without getting majorly stuck and throwing up, when I do just a little I never feel satisfied, sometimes I can eat everything under the sun, and I have general issues with overeating. I'm going to a counselor to help me find coping mechanisms that don't involve food, so that's definitely something different than when I had the lapband. I also didn't loose very much or very fast with the lapbad, so it was hard to stay motivated to keep dieting. I'm committed to making life changes with the bypass, but I'm so nervous that I'll just fail again. I don't even want to tell anyone about this surgery until I'm actually successful. It's too embarrassing to fail twice! Anyone else have these thoughts?

I think you'll be great! People are morons, and the ones who have the most to say are usually the ones who are the most insecure. I always think that post surgery will feel like Julia Roberts in pretty woman where she went back to the store with all the bags. "You work on commission right? (Holds up shopping bags) Big mistake! Huge! (Turns around and walks out)" You'll get that moment soon!

Thank you for everyone's response! It's good to know i'm not alone. Susan, I hope that your consultation goes well. Mine is two weeks from now. Maybe we can be each other's support group? How do we do a buddy chat?

Has anyone gone through the process of being approved for a revision surgery with Blue Cross Blue Shield of New England in Mass? Any thoughts? Were you approved? How long did it take?

Hi All, Has anyone had a revision surgery done at TUFTS hosptial in Boston, MA? If so, what was your process like? Did it take a while for you to get a surgery date scheduled? I have my first appointment with the surgical fellow at the beginning of April, and I'm hoping to have surgery in June or July. Does this sound like a feasible timeline? I have blue cross and blue shield, so I don't have a specific 6 month waiting period.

Hi All, Has anyone had a revision surgery done at TUFTS hosptial in Boston, MA? If so, what was your process like? Did it take a while for you to get a surgery date scheduled? I have my first appointment with the surgical fellow at the beginning of April, and I'm hoping to have surgery in June or July. Does this sound like a feasible timeline? I have blue cross and blue shield, so I don't have a specific 6 month waiting period.

I need some encouragement. I've only lost 33 pounds since March, and I"m feeling blah. I took before and after pictures, but I'm not really seeing any difference You can see my pictures on my profile.

Thanks guys. I think part of the problem is that my fills are so spread out (my doctor won't fill any less than 2 months apart), so I'm just now feeling some restriction. I have another fill right before Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping that it gets me to my sweet spot or whatever it's called. I've been working out at least 3 days a week, but I haven't really been tracking my protein. Maybe I'm not getting enough. I'll try tracking it to see where I'm at. Thanks for the encouragement! It's hard when you look in the mirror and still see an overweight person! It's also hard not to compare my progress to other people's. My friend lost 100 lbs in her first year, so I think knowing that is part of the problem.

My surgeon will only fill my band every two months, so I had my surgery in March and have just had my second fill yesterday. I feel like this pace will never get me anywhere. I really want to get to a good restriction. Should I change doctors? Has anyone changed their doctor for their fills?

My surgeon will only fill my band every two months, which means it's taken me 4 months to get two fills. Does anyone have a recommendation for another fill doctor in Tampa? I don't want to wait another two months before I get good restriction!

This post makes me feel so much better. I was banded on the exact same day at 264. I lost 20 lbs really quickly, and I haven't lost anything since then. I only have 2.8 cc's in my band, so I don't have restriction. I was really starting to get discouraged that this might now work for me. Hopefully I'll get to a good restriction during my next fill on June 20th.

I can't wait to wear knee high boots! I love them; they go with everything during the winter. I also want to be able to wear thigh high stockings with a garter belt....I think that is the sexiest look ever!

I bought scaraway, which are silicon strips. They work great! I got them on amazon.com....It's supposed to be one strip per week for 12 weeks, but I have four scars. I just cut two strips to fit all four scars, and it's working well so far.

I would second the weight training. A lot of women think if they weight train that they'll get big, but it's not true. Weight training helps build muscles which actually helps burn more fat. 5x a week is fantastic! Try adding 3 days (every other day) of weight training.

You should try putting ice on your legs. It can help the swelling go down. Also, try upping your protein right after your workout as protein can help your muscles repair faster. Eventually you'll get to a point where it doesn't hurt so bad and when it does hurt it will be a good "yeah I worked out" kind of hurt.

I was banded 5 weeks ago also, and I've only lost about 16 lbs. I've heard lots of people say that's completely normal. I don't know about you, but I haven't been able to do any exercises that involve the core (running, squats, lunges, weights, abs, etc). I'm hoping that once i have my first fill (next monday!) and start doing real workouts that the weight will start coming off. Think of it this way, the slower we lose the less we have to worry about saggy skin!

I can't wait till I loose the weight....I know what you mean about the "fit".

Stleochic weighing in- 247.6 lbs ---2.4lbs lost

I'm in West Tampa (Citrus Park), but we're buying a house in Meadow Pointe (Wesley Chapel/North Tampa area). I don't get to have my first fill until the end of April (a full 6 weeks after surgery). I think my surgeon is pretty cautious. I lost about 14 pounds post op, but now my hunger is back and it's a struggle to keep those pounds off!

I live in the Tampa area. I was just banded on March 16th. What area of Tampa are you in?

You don't know if they're all skinny. They both sound like beginner's classes, so there's probably lots of people trying to get into shape. Also remember that skinny does not always equal in shape, so you may be in the same fitness position as them. I'd say go for it. You might even meet some really great people who could become your workout buddies.

I don't think I'll change before then, but if I do, I'll edit it on Friday.

stleochic Age- 29 Weight on April1st~ 250 Goal Weight for April 29th~ 242 Exercise Goal for April~ Walk for 30 minutes 5 times per week Dietary Goal for April~ eat slowly and try not to eat too much (have no restriction yet) Personal Goal for April~ Try not to get too aggravated with my boss! Date Banded~ 3/16/11 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 14 lbs P.S.Elizabeth- I'm only two weeks out of surgery and I'm doing it!

So my surgeon recommends 3 small meals a day (4-6 oz) and 2-3 snacks per day. He also says that I should not drink an hour before or 15-30 minutes after my meal. Doing the math, if it takes me 30 minutes to eat, I can't drink for 2 hours. If I eat something 6 times a day that makes 12 hours where I cannot have a drink. How am I supposed to get my 64 fluid ounces in the leftover 12 hours assuming I'll be sleeping at least 7 to 8 of those hours? For those of you who have been very successful with this process, when do you drink?

I second the tuna salad. It keeps me the most full and it has helped regulate my digestion.....I've also done fried eggs (well fried with pam spray, not oil) and asparagus cooked really soggy. I haven't tried the re-fried beans because I'm already having gas issues, but it sounds yummy. We've also gotten talapia that cooks up pretty soft.