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Hey wolfpack girl, I just had my initial consultation today. I was a little bit discouraged after. I felt like just a check off my surgeons list. He didn't ask if I had questions, I practically had to stop him on his way out the door to ask if I was going to talk to someone who would answer my questions and felt like I was being a pain in the butt. How was your experience at that office? I know at the beginning of this process there are a lot of new patients to deal with for them, but it would be nice to feel like they care a little about you as an individual. A BIG question I have is about the emotional or habit eating part of my problem. I don't just eat when I'm hungry- sometimes its because its "time" to eat or because I'm about to watch tv, or if I'm really emotionally stressed. When I asked him about if the surgery will help with any of this he said something like 'you wouldn't look at a fire and just decide to play with it- that would be dumb.' (talking about eating carbs). I felt like he wasn't acknowledging a big component of my problem. Before I decide for sure to go through with this surgery, I want to know that I will still be maintaining my weight loss 5 or 10 years down the line. I've lost a lot of weight before, but haven't been able to keep it off. I need to know that if I go through the process of having surgery that it in some way or at some point in the process I will learn to deal with it or that the sleeve will help me to maintain a healthier weight. So anyway, kind of discouraged after that consultation. Maybe that's a question I should be asking here anyway to other people who have been through and had more similar experiences with food to mine. Also, I found out I have to have 6 months of physician monitored plan per my insurance - so it looks like I'll be waiting until Christmas break to have surgery. Hope all is well with you!

This happened to me. The first time I took a chewable, I immediately threw up (had to have my hubby pullover on the highway). I still can't take any chewable, I have tried. It took me a few different brands to get one I could tolerate and it has to be the chewy kinds so there is no chalkiness. If I don't actually eat first before taking even my chews I will feel nauseous so I alway take them about 5-10 minutes after eating solids.

Today was my 1st fill in 10months. Long story, but ready to lose these last 30, that I've had in a year. I've 102 lbs. in 2yrs. The last stretch is hard, and I'm so committed to go forth. I guess my struggle is finding my balance after a fill. You lose a good 10 after the 7days of liquids but as soon as I eat solids, I go back to where I weighed before the band going nowhere. That's with heavy excerise. I'm going to start a food diary, and see what's happening.

Yesterday was my pre-op testing/physical. The doc says I'm healthy as a horse and should have no problem going thru the surgery. YEAH! Today was my pre-op dietician/nurse class. My wonderful hubby took off work to go with me. He is AWESOME and has been so involved in the whole process. I could not ask for a better support system. 10 days until my surgery. WOW, time is flying! I'm a little nervous about the surgery, not about whether or not I should do the surgery but instead just nervous about the pain that may follow. Other than that I am SO EXCITED and SO READY to begin this new journey to better health and a better ME....I DESERVE IT!

I'll be 10 weeks out on Monday & I track EVERYTHING on MyFitnessPal & haven't missed a day since my pre-op diet started 12 weeks ago. It helps me to keep tracking because I can see what I eat & make sure I get enough protein & fluid in each day. I like seeing how different things influence my body & tracking helps.

Don't be too hard on yourself, the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver and get you used to thinking about your food choices. A lot of us slip. Good luck with your surgery. I am three weeks post surgery and down 25 lbs. (10 pre-op) and very happy with my decision.

So many things that fustrate me right now 1st-- Since my 2nd fill (Jan 28th) i have only lost 3 lbs and have NO restriction.Plan on joinning the YMCA to see if i get motivated to working out...ofcourse that is if my back/leg cooperate. 2nd-- My Sciatica is still bothering me. After 10 days of Celebrex and not working out (dr's orders) i decided to just get 2 work outs on thur and friday...and now i am limping. I dont want to be on Tylenol for the rest of my life. And i dont have the time to sit an heal...have 3 kids to take care of. 3rd-- TAX season... granted that we let H&R Block do it, i still never manage to get all the right paperwork for them and the ask questions i dont really know how to answer.I just hope the refund can get help us out. 4th-- Im eating WAY to much!!! my 3 year old twins seem to always want to eat. I spend way to much time in the kitchen and that just gives me axcess to "cruchy munchies". Bad habbits are really hard to break!!! 5th-- I have lost about 32lbs and have only gone down one pant size...where am i loosing the weight? 6th --- Husband is not beeing very understanding. did he forget that i got the Band?? I still cook the same way but he is bringing home a lot of crappy food and offering it to me...what a hell!! maybe he doesnt like the fact the i am about 7 lbs lighter that him now :redface: 7th -- still loosing my hair!! i have been keeping my protein intake over 70 gms a day. I have also been taking Biotin for over 1 months and got myself a hair cut. It is freaking me out! 8th-- KIDS are driving me crazy. My 6 year old daughter is talking back and being very ruff with the boys. Time outs dont seem to affect her much. But at kindergarden she is a ANGEL!! The twins are destroying the house, we have just a few pieces of furniture in the living area.Their room only has beds cuz the climb and jump off anything. THey are fighting over everything and one bites, the other one pulls hair or with whatever he has in his hand he will hit the other on the head. There is alot of helling...crying..:frown: I also failed at potty trainning this boys. they are not interested and Im so sick of diapers!! :wub:I love my family BUt i know see how it is that food has come into my life as a lifesaver for so long... I want to change ... i need to change. CAn anyone relate!??????! I feel a little better now.... i realize this process takes time.

Hi name name is Gloria and I was banded 2/6/06, 10 days post-op. I am new to the forum and I'm so glad I found this site. Is there any advise you can give me on what slides down easy. For example I know applesause, scrambled egg, soup and mashed potatoes go down very easy, can anyone give any more ideas? I'm bad at trying to be creative so I need major help. I'd appreciate any responses and like I said before I'm sooo glad I found this site. :biggrin1:

Yesterday I ate a soft muffin and tried to swallow a bite that was too big...I got it through with a drink and a little discomfort. Now I have the constant feeling that something is stuck. I have been able to eat and drink normally though since then. I have tried drinking warm cocoa in case something needs to be disolved in there. What does this mean and will it pass soon? I'm hopping that I just strained the tissue and it will heal without a trip to the Dr. I was banded Sept. 19 and have lost 40lbs and have gone from a 18W to a size 14 without much exercise so far. I know, I know I need to exercise!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Sometimes Reality Bites So, my husband is looking for part time work to supplement his Social Security. Probably Best Buy again. Its crazy that a 62 year old highly competent man can't get full time work--mostly because employers don't want to pay health care for an older worker. It feels like this is no longer the land of opportunity. So many workers being kept part-time to avoid paying health care. I wonder if all the companies outsourcing to other countries and paying as little as possible to workers in this country realize they've created an underclass of people who can't afford the products and services they're providing? So they cut even more creating a vicious cycle of increasing near-poverty. I'm so full of arthritis. Even with the weight loss the extra excercise keeps me in constant pain--especially at night when it wakes me up. Mostly its my hip waking me up. I think the steps at work are whats killing the hip. Walking doesn't seem to irritate it much, but add the stairs and its too much. I've adjusted my classroom to accommodate my arthritis. I sit mostly while teaching. I have a flat overhead I use with some materials (it lies only a half inch higher than the table) so I can use it sitting without having to raise my arm to write on it. My assistant does most of the paperwork which relieves me of enormous stress on my neck. But the school is not handicapped accessible and I do climb stairs a lot. I frequently need to speak to a teacher who might be two stories up or go fetch a class that's running late or that the teacher forgot to send. I wish I could work out more so that when I hit goal I won't have to stay at 1000-1200 calories to maintain but I don't think that's going to happen. Just ate some Cheetos, not a lot, but that tells you what kind of mood I'm in. Haven't had those in months. Not since before surgery. My job may not exist next year and the thought of finding another teaching job where I can adjust things to accommodate both my arthritis and my ADHD is quite overwhelming. It took me a number of years to get everything running so smoothly. I've lost jobs before but I wasn't 57. Oh well, the Lord will have to provide if I can't. He's always opened a door for me, but I see all kinds of believers struggling desperately because of the economy and a broken health care system. Kind of a downer, eh? I'm not sure I can "10-10-10" this. I'm not sure there's a decision to be made at this point. I really don't want to go back to school which I think I'd need to do to get another teaching job. I probably could do a pros and cons on that. To stay in teaching or not, to go back to school or not, to look at other careers and receive training or try to break into those, or not. Or I may just be buying trouble and the new vendor next year will hire me without making me go back to school or changing my program so it no longer fits me. For the next 10 minutes it doesn't impact me. In 10 months I'll know and I should have a back up plan in place. In 10 years I'll be retired and the amount of income I'll have depends on my choices now as well as a whole lot of things beyond my control--like the economy, my meager retirement fund, the decreasing value of my house, etc. I have to overcome this inertia that's paralyzing me, but my ADHD works against me. It needs the overwhelming pressure of an immediate crisis to focus on a problem and solve it. Sorry about that. Once in a while the "what ifs" start to overwhelm me. Life is never easy. But my band is working and I'm working it and the weight is dropping. Praise God.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Sometimes Reality Bites So, my husband is looking for part time work to supplement his Social Security. Probably Best Buy again. Its crazy that a 62 year old highly competent man can't get full time work--mostly because employers don't want to pay health care for an older worker. It feels like this is no longer the land of opportunity. So many workers being kept part-time to avoid paying health care. I wonder if all the companies outsourcing to other countries and paying as little as possible to workers in this country realize they've created an underclass of people who can't afford the products and services they're providing? So they cut even more creating a vicious cycle of increasing near-poverty. I'm so full of arthritis. Even with the weight loss the extra excercise keeps me in constant pain--especially at night when it wakes me up. Mostly its my hip waking me up. I think the steps at work are whats killing the hip. Walking doesn't seem to irritate it much, but add the stairs and its too much. I've adjusted my classroom to accommodate my arthritis. I sit mostly while teaching. I have a flat overhead I use with some materials (it lies only a half inch higher than the table) so I can use it sitting without having to raise my arm to write on it. My assistant does most of the paperwork which relieves me of enormous stress on my neck. But the school is not handicapped accessible and I do climb stairs a lot. I frequently need to speak to a teacher who might be two stories up or go fetch a class that's running late or that the teacher forgot to send. I wish I could work out more so that when I hit goal I won't have to stay at 1000-1200 calories to maintain but I don't think that's going to happen. Just ate some Cheetos, not a lot, but that tells you what kind of mood I'm in. Haven't had those in months. Not since before surgery. My job may not exist next year and the thought of finding another teaching job where I can adjust things to accommodate both my arthritis and my ADHD is quite overwhelming. It took me a number of years to get everything running so smoothly. I've lost jobs before but I wasn't 57. Oh well, the Lord will have to provide if I can't. He's always opened a door for me, but I see all kinds of believers struggling desperately because of the economy and a broken health care system. Kind of a downer, eh? I'm not sure I can "10-10-10" this. I'm not sure there's a decision to be made at this point. I really don't want to go back to school which I think I'd need to do to get another teaching job. I probably could do a pros and cons on that. To stay in teaching or not, to go back to school or not, to look at other careers and receive training or try to break into those, or not. Or I may just be buying trouble and the new vendor next year will hire me without making me go back to school or changing my program so it no longer fits me. For the next 10 minutes it doesn't impact me. In 10 months I'll know and I should have a back up plan in place. In 10 years I'll be retired and the amount of income I'll have depends on my choices now as well as a whole lot of things beyond my control--like the economy, my meager retirement fund, the decreasing value of my house, etc. I have to overcome this inertia that's paralyzing me, but my ADHD works against me. It needs the overwhelming pressure of an immediate crisis to focus on a problem and solve it. Sorry about that. Once in a while the "what ifs" start to overwhelm me. Life is never easy. But my band is working and I'm working it and the weight is dropping. Praise God.

I can't believe how good I feel. I was up and walking the evening after surgery and only took two doses of the heavy pain killers. I was released from the hospital yesterday and but for a bit of grogginess... I'm doing great now at home. I've been doing my walking, drinking my water and protein drinks. Tonight I liquefied some soup and had a few sips of that. But I cannot believe how good this is going so far. It's hard not to think the other shoe will drop... But has anyone else had an easy go of surgery and post op?

Congrats on your success. I would appreciate some mentoring. I am one year out and it is getting a little tougher. I have a chronic immune issue that makes exercise a tad difficult to maintain. I have gained 5 pounds, and I still need to lose my final 10 (for me)/20 (for my surgeon). Going back to the basics, because I got hooked on yogurt pretzels. That's been my biggest sin so far. K. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

my doc gave me a list, first 3 days after surgery = liquid diet days 4-7 full liquid days 8-10 = puree days 11-14 minced week 3 soft week 4 bariatric regular not a whole lot to choose from on the list, everything is fat free, sugar free, and you got the Protein first cottage cheese, mashed pototes, pureed meats, pureed veggies, sf yogurts, cream of wheat, oatmeal, then on week 4 you can pretty much eat anything just cut into tiny pieces, some things like raw veggies, tough fruit and hot peppers are to be avoided for like 6 months hope that helps good luck

My surgeon had me start the 2 protein meal replacements shakes and one meal a day. I can have small snack in between IF I feel hungry. Okay so first week was great I was on track doing fab. Now sometimes I feel like I'm starving. I've got 2 more months before surgery and feel like I'm failing more and more each day. I knew going into this it wasn't going to be easy. Hoping after the surgery I don't have that hunger. Side note.... Only need to lose 10 lbs. I have! I drink drink drink water thinking that would help with hunger and does a little but I'm struggling. Can anyone relate to this? Any suggestions for me?

Today marks the first day of Autumn here. We put up the Fall decorations this weekend. I usually wait until the end of Sept., but the next two weekends are booked for DH/and or I so we're early this year (I need his help with the outside stuff). Plus I never got the Easter or Memorial/4th of July stuff up this year because of the LB, so I'm ready to dive into another holiday (I'm a holiday freak). I thought I'd take a few pics of my fall decorations to share for those crafters out there. I love to craft so I try to add one new thing each year (and usually get rid of old tired things). Dag, I forgot the outside...I'll take one this week to share. - Pic 1: My stairs with basket pumpkins (store bought). DS2 stepped on the big pumpkin coming down the stairs in the dark last night; crushed it in, but DH popped it back out...creases in the back LOL. - Pic 2: The lighted garland/bows (my neighbors tell me it looks nice at night through the glass front door). Closer to Halloween we add a giant spider web that goes across the whole 2 story foyer and up to the 2nd floor...the kids love throwing hundreds of plastic spiders up into the web (they catch and dangle down) and we have some flys and rats we wrap like a cacoon. - Pic 3: My foyer table. DS2 and I made the pumpkin flower arrangement a few years back when he was sick at home for a week. I'm not a silk flower lover, but it works for me with fall's bright colors. He grew all the gourds in his veggie garden and we dried them. Oh, and you can see my glass front door I've mentioned before in the mirror reflection. - Pic 4: My fireplace. I've been a Homeroom Mom for all three of our kids and as an ex-art teacher I always organize the craft. I've done the pumpkins on the right with each of their classrooms over the years. For other HR moms or those with kids (I made these up, but they're easy I swear): just a block of wood with a dowel hot glued on the top pre spray painted orange/green stem and ready for the kids to "pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch" (set them out on the floor) to decorate....raffia bows (we premade with green pipe cleaners -Kids twist around the stem with some silk green leves and older kids can make tendrils with the ends of the pipe cleaners by wrapping over a pencil, some glue-ons (spiders, etc.- they would bring to us to hot glue where they wanted) and for the face either sharpie or black sticker paper they cut depending on the grade of the class (did the black stickers with the kindergarteners- just give them large/small squares and they can cut shapes). We made DH make the big one on the right a few years back (under many protests...he hates to do art), but it didn't look right with one from each of us in the family and not him (the kids love his- candy corn wooden glue-on eyes). - Pic 5: Acorn trees in the Dining Room. I would suggest doing these to no one! When we moved here about 10 years ago DH collected a bucket of acorns from the backyard (our backyard is up against a large wooded hillside going down with huge oak trees). He brings them in and proudly proclaims...Here, we got these for you to do a craft with! .....Ummm thanks? No clue what to do...I got some styrofoam cone shapes, covered them with fabric and hot glued the acorns on and then sprayed them with a sealant. Well, I kept finding what looked like tiny wood shavings around them...finally figured out there were tiny acorn worms burrowing holes out of them DISGUSTING...bagged them for a year and re-sealed them really well...and every year when I get these out I still have to re-glue acorns on that fall off (have a few missing in the photo- need to get out the glue gun today)....but thanks Honey for the acorns!

Ok here goes, i was banded june of 2010, i weighed 215, i did fine and lost 60 lbs over the last two years, then in october of 2012 i felt i was more hungry and was putting on a little weight so i went to my gastro for a fill, when the asst dr looked at the band under floro i was told it had prolapsed and all the Fluid had to be removed for one month, i was pretty bummed to say the least, after the month i had gained 10lbs and they put a couple ccs in the band, sfter a couple weeks of no restriction i went back to be told it had prolapsed again, fluid was removed again for one month (this of course was during all the eating holidays of course) i went back in dec and had it filled again, again no restriction even though they say looking at the band under fluro that it is tight enough!!, finally in febuary of 2013 i went back to see the surgeon himself instead of his assistances and told him about everything that had been happening, he pulled up the photos of the past fills and unfills and said it had NOT prolapsed!!!! he took me down to radiology and under fluro checked with blue dye and confirmed all was well he put me to 3ccs and said i was tight!!! well guess what?? i have absoulutly no restriction what so ever and have gained 30 lbs through this mess and have during this mess i had new insurance with no bariatric coverage and recieved a bill foe 1700.00 for all the times i was back and forth for fills!!! i have gotten so desperate i purchased 19 gauge 1.5 inch needles and saline and am planning on adding a fill by myself!!!! PLEASE anyone that can add insight to any of this please help i am desperate, frustrated and fat again,!!!!! PS every time i went back in i was questioned about my eating and made to feel this was my fault and i have to do better, WELL hello i am obviuosly an overeater and had the lapband fpr help in this area!!!

I'm 7 weeks from my 3 year band anniversary. My goal, is to be close to goal. I would love to break my plateau and get out of the 160's! So thats my goal, to be at least 159 by 1/18/10. Today's menu Bfast 2 boiled eggs coffee snack clemintine fruit lunch 3 oz of canned white meat chicken few carrots snack 100 cal protein shake 1 cup of skim milk dinner 3 oz of grilled chicken broccoli Exercise - PM - but my goal is to switch to AM this week! 1 hour of cardio 45 min of strength training - lower body Last week, hit the gym 3 times for a total of about 4.5 hours - not enough, but it got me started. This week, my goal, is to do 5 days a week, but I'm shooting for 6 days a week at the gym. I'm in bootcamp! Thats right its boot camp time unitl my 3 year anniversary. That means NO CHEATING, and exercise, exercise and exercise.

Thursday, September 10, 2009 Life After Lapband I've been so busy!! I don't even know what to talk about. We had our school open house tonight. I had to talk a little bit about my program and introduce someone. Mostly I had to introduce our school's fall project,AOK, Acts of Kindness. Roseland Christian School is having the children do 125 acts of kindness to celebrate its 125th birthday. I also introduced it to the students at a special assembly at the end of the school day and we did a little skit. While I was talking to the kids about the project, a homeless woman (former teacher) came from behind the stage and sat down on the stairs to the stage. Of course, the children's attention was taken from me and I started asking what they were looking at when the homeless woman shook her money can. I turned around, saw her, and asked, "Who's that? What's she doing here?" I kind of shook my head and went back to explaining the Acts of Kindness when she shook her can again. This went on a little bit before I finally debated out loud about giving her my cup of coffee. Then I had a child give her my cup and then I had another child bring a dollar for her can. I finished explaining the acts of kindness and told the kids that when we help or give to others, we might be entertaining angels unawares. It was pretty cool. I got some great complements from parents I hadn't seen a while. A former student ran into my room to give me a hug and also commented on how skinny I am. I knew I looked pretty good. I had my hair up in its Pebbles Flinstone reincarnation which is like giving myself a natural facelift. I had on blouse that shaded from pink to fucshia and a long skirt that made me look skinnier. I've stocked my food "pantry" at school with 3 oz. peel-top cans of tuna and chicken as well as protein shakes, peel-top all-natural no-sugar added applesauce and small pop top cans of low-sodium V-8. I also found this Madras lentil and red bean soup in a pouch that you put in a bowl and heat in the microwave. Delicious. I come home not real hungry and have meat and a vegetable for supper. I eat a Kashi bar in the evening for a snack. I drink my decaf lattes throughout the day, and don't crave much. I did have a few cravings last weekend and one day this week. Not having anything in the house to pig out on really helps. I'm not willing to run to the store to get something. For a while today I was thinking about eating this way the rest of my life and got a little nostalgic for the "good old days." But those days weren't that good. I'm just off the last of my bp meds. Gotta call the Dr. to see what the results of my chem panel were. Maybe I can get off my Crestor and just take my Niacin to help keep my good cholesterol up. I like looking good; I like feeling good. I like climbing slides and monkey bars with my grandchildren. I like pushing them in their little cars all over the sidewalk and driveways. I like going for long walks along the edge of the forest preserve and watching the deer. I like having the energy to climb stairs at work. I like having great breath control while singing. I like being able to make it through the whole set during the church service without the front of my leg going numb. When the food calls me I need to weigh what I've got now vs the ephemeral satisfaction of food. I can be so visionary in so many ways and a real big picture person, but with food I could never see beyond the end of my tongue. Maybe if I keep listing all the good things that have happened and give God the thanks every day, I'll be able to think outside the stomach and continue in this lapband journey. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

I was banded in Tijuana, MX on August 10, 2006

Errrr i could spit rocks i am so mad at the WII FIT!:thumbs_up: I bought a Wii about 3 mons ago bc Wii Fit was coming out and i really thought it would be great that i could do some strengthening at home. i order my Wii Fit over the internet and today it came in. I was really excited. I was following the instruction and it was asking my height and bday. Then is said alright now its time to weigh you and please step on. So i step on the Wii board and guess what IT TELLS ME.... IM OVER THE WEIGHT LIMIT TO PLAY THE Wii FIT:crying:! ERRR i mean im just upset with this whole ordeal. I know this is my fault i should have never got so over weight:glare:. So my newest GOAL is to be able to play on my Wii Fit:mellow:. I read the manual and it says the max limit is 330lbs. and my scale says i weigh 334.5:confused2:. So hopefully in 5-10 lbs i will be plaing my Wii Fit. Ugh one more thing that my weight controls:thumbdown:..cant even play a fitness game. Mandi Jo