Shrinking Violets -- April 07 Bandsters

[JULLEE71 0]

Julee - I apologize!! I didn't read your post properly. You're afraid you won't be able to follow the 'bandster rules'!...not of the surgery itself. Forgive me.

Let me just say that, for me, when the weight starts melting off that it helps tremendously when you realize things you have to give up. But, really, the 'sacrifices' are not all that hard...because the band helps with that!! food (for me) has taken on a whole new significance....in the fact that it's NOT nearly as important to me as it used to be. You will soon find that your focus is on other things. I love all the extra time I have now...not preparing, eating, worrying about FOOD!! It truly is a new kind of freedom and I'm lovin' it.

TerriDoodle: I AM nervous about the surgery itsself too!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your support...you all dont know how helpful it has been!!

[TracyinKS 7]

Lots of prayers and encouraging thoughts to everyone being banded today!!!

I got weighed this morning and I have now officially lost over 50 pounds!!! Started in August at 349 and today 298!!! Can't wait for tommorrow to be over!!

Jane

CONGRATS Jane!!!!!!!!!!! Twoterville!! Wooooooooohooooooooo!:clap2:

[TracyinKS 7]

It is just starting to really hit........ I think THURSDAY will be the beginning of my FREAK out period.. (thats when I go to the hospital for my pre-op bloodwork) I really hope that I can lose at least 4 more pounds, so that I can mentally be at 20 down before surgery....... would LOVE to make it to the 240's but last week I lost nearly nothing... I seem to remember that my weight loss tends to go in cycles....

1 week of losing pounds, 1 week of inches, back to 1 week of pounds.. and so on..... (by the time I should be hitting my first plateau should be surgery)...........

Terri: Congrats on the 204!!! You should be in Onederland by the time my surgery rolls around.

[Angie38 1]

Quote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by JULLEE71

OMG....I woke up this morning and OMG I only have 2 days until im banded. First thing I thought about was....what can I eat? ha ha ha...better get it all in now while I can....Thats so bad. I got over it though and now im just nervous as H E Double Hockey sticks!!!! I wasnt too nervous before but now IM FREAKIN! I cant wait to lose all this weight but on the same token..im scared to death! Ive eaten so badly for so long, can I be successful? Will I do this the right way? I want to succeed. Anyone else having these fears?

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Jullee,

I feel exactly like you do. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I am not at all nervous for the surgery; I have had three breast surgeries and 3 emergency c-sections so I feel like an old hat at the surgery side of it. I am more nervous for the same reasons as you... I have eaten bad for so long, my DH still eats awful and probably always will, so how am I going to maintain the will power... then I turn it all around -- this forum for one thing is so awesome, I want this so bad for myself and my health that I am willing to pay this much money out of pocket I have to do! I will do it! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

We are getting banded on the same day so we can check on each other and help each other.

TerryinKs,

I would have been so upset if I went to that support group meeting. I have my doubts and they probably would have just fed right into them. My biggest problem is spending this much money on myself.... so I could see how they could talk me out of it.

Angie

[JULLEE71 0]

Quote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by JULLEE71

OMG....I woke up this morning and OMG I only have 2 days until im banded. First thing I thought about was....what can I eat? ha ha ha...better get it all in now while I can....Thats so bad. I got over it though and now im just nervous as H E Double Hockey sticks!!!! I wasnt too nervous before but now IM FREAKIN! I cant wait to lose all this weight but on the same token..im scared to death! Ive eaten so badly for so long, can I be successful? Will I do this the right way? I want to succeed. Anyone else having these fears?

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Jullee,

I feel exactly like you do. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I am not at all nervous for the surgery; I have had three breast surgeries and 3 emergency c-sections so I feel like an old hat at the surgery side of it. I am more nervous for the same reasons as you... I have eaten bad for so long, my DH still eats awful and probably always will, so how am I going to maintain the will power... then I turn it all around -- this forum for one thing is so awesome, I want this so bad for myself and my health that I am willing to pay this much money out of pocket I have to do! I will do it! ffice:office" /><O:p></O:p>

We are getting banded on the same day so we can check on each other and help each other.

TerryinKs,

I would have been so upset if I went to that support group meeting. I have my doubts and they probably would have just fed right into them. My biggest problem is spending this much money on myself.... so I could see how they could talk me out of it.

Angie

OHHHHHH WE ARE BEING BANDED THE SAME DAY!!!!!! YOU MUST KEEP ME POSTED!

[Angie38 1]

Lunasa, Dynamo, and Jenn, <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

Hooray! I am late sending this today so when you read it, if you read it. Congratulations! You did it!! You are in bandland! <o:p></o:p>

[lilnena 0]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a friend of Jennifer's (Jennifur).

I got a phone call around 10:30 that she made it through surgery and that everything went as expected. :clap2:

I'm planning on going to visit her once she gets into a room, so I'll be back with another update then!

Good luck to all the new Bandsters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Teachlady 3]

Thanks for the update and give my best to Jen!!! Wooooo hooooooo another bandster!!:clap2:

[TracyinKS 7]

Thanks Meli!!!!!!!!!!! Tell her that we are SOOOOOOOOO happy for her!

[Angie38 1]

Thanks for updating us! I was doing more research on the band since that is all I can think about. I guess I am obsessed! Anyway I found this on a web page called Kim's lap-band journey. She has lost (i think) around 170lbs. Her were some tips she had for fear of losing the battle:

Fear of losing the weightloss battle - author unknown

You won't lose the battle if you are willing to work with the band and do your part. But I can almost guarantee:

You will have plateaus when you first switch to solids until your body gets used to being fed instead of starved (most likely one-two weeks but could be three like mine.)

During many plateaus you will lose inches not pounds and then finally a larger loss.

Your loss in the first 30-40 days is a "never to be repeated" experience so enjoy it. Then you begin the long slow journey downward.

You will learn the fine art of "PBs" and what causes them for you, it is swallowing air when you eat. Eating too fast....NOT chewing well or too big of a bite. Eating the wrong food for you...and not recognizing the "no longer hungry" after 1/2 cup (satiation) versus an "I WANT TO EAT MORE CAUSE I CAN or IT TASTES GOOD" or I crave it [head hunger].

You will watch your body shrink and will walk a bit taller-literally- and figuratively...start slipping into booths in restaurants. Sit in chairs with arms, stop worrying about how strong the chairs are, not having to ask for an extender belt on airlines. Finding it easier to, and you have more energy to walk/go up stairs. Clean house and do a million other day to day activities. Slip in and out of bath tubs where the Water goes all the way around you instead of damming up and it doesn't kill you to stand up from sitting on the floor. Watch the years fall off your face and drivers license picture...got to a restaurant and order an appetizer and still end up with leftovers to take home.

Go through doubts and several fills/unfills until you hit the "sweet spot" fill level for you.

You will have to stop several times along the way to reassess your eating habits (I could eat certain foods and get away with some cheating a bit quantity wise at 359 and still lose...that had to go at 250).

I have also found that I have to keep reminding myself 1/2 cup of solids three times a day--only--and drink my water (1 hour after meals until the next meal but not with meals).

Eat Protein first...fruit and veggies second, and non-complex carbs last. (Keep the fats, sugars, and non-complex carbs low...still have them but keep them low).

And believe it or NOT a plateau that indicates that you need a fill is:

1. No weight loss for four weeks.

2. You are following all the band rules (8 out of 10 of us want to be able to break the rules and still lose figuring if we get a fill it will miraculously start us losing without us having to do our parts).

3. You are hungry an hour after eating (really hungry not cravings) and the 1/2 cup doesn't stay in the band for 2 1/2 to 4 hours.

4. You are drinking 60+ ounces of water a day and not drinking with your meal or for at least an hour after.

5. Once you move from mushy to solids--as much as possible get your nourishment from food that is solid. If you have problems with it sticking in your stoma, try it again chewing it well. Cut it up finer or chew it with other foods to keep it from recombining in your pouch and forming a plug (i.e. potatoes).

6. Try to avoid Soups and/or Protein Drinks if possible (if you are able to eat your protein you will be full longer--some people have tight bands in the morning and can't eat so have a protein drink).

7. Whenever you hit a plateau, keep a diary and log everything, including water, which goes in and measure your 1/2 cup of solids. (Mine grew twice from 1/2 a cup to almost a full cup without noticing).

8. Try weighing in once a week to begin with, not daily. Later move to once every two weeks or once a month. When you are losing slowly, weight fluctuates daily with hydration levels, etc. At least this way you normally will see a loss and not a fluctuation or gain. Yes the loss is smaller but they are down not up.

9. Measure yourself monthly, often you lose inches before you lose pounds.

10. Don't compare yourself to others. We all lose at different rates based on age/metabolism/food choices/activity level...but we can all lose.

[TracyinKS 7]

that is some great advice Angie!! Thanks for the reminder....... I hope I have the 30-40 day honeymoon period!!!!

[Angie38 1]

Here is her webpage. The more I read it the more I believe it could be a great tool for us all. She has recipes, and if you go under links she has links too:

How many calories do YOU need? [/url]

How much Protein do YOU need?

 Protein  whey cool!

 Hydration calculator ! Getting enough Water?

I thought this was very cool! Here is a link to her page:

 http://www.kimswlsjourney.com/6901.html

[JULLEE71 0]

Thanks Angie...that was good reading!!!! Very helpful!

[bwaydiva 4]

Angie that web page is really neat!

I'm feeling so much better today after sleeping with my heating pad on my tummy. Mmm feels so good.

Anyway, off to work! Hope everyone has a great day!!

[ihomeschool4 0]

Hey guys,

I was there just a few days ago...I had to do the pre-op diet for 10 days. It provided ALOT of time for self-examination. I think the same thoughts go through everyone's minds. What if I can't do it? What's going to replace this addiction? Will it be something worse? etc...

I spent alot of time trying to figure out how I had allowed food to become such an idol for me. Some people are addicted to material things, money, alcohol, drugs, sex...most of these don't result in someting you can physically "See" when you look at that person...we are addicted to food. With a food addiction, it's quite obvious to the outside world...

Use these day(s) before surgery to make a plan...A friend of mine suggested making a list of all of my very favorite foods. Once I made the list, I had to go through and choose a few that I just decided I would give up altogether. Then I had to go down the list and write next to each one that was left the name of a food I was going to plan to use as a substitute...ex. M&m's = raisins or Pasta = cooked cabbage (does very well cut into strips and cooked as if it were pasta...add it to Tomato sauce or any recipe where you would use pasta...just cook it til it's tender then add it to your favorite recipe)...anyway...try and have a plan in place...then when you are feeling weak, you have a list to look at. It really does work - and it serves the dual purpose of focusing your energy on something that is going to make a positive difference in your new, banded life.

I spent alot of hours crying and beating myself up and wondering: 1. how did I let myself get to this point? 2. how will I ever survive without my "best friend"? 3. can I really do this? 4. what if I can't do this? etc...

Happy to say that after the surgery (I'm on my 4th day post-op), I'm not worried at all...I actually have no appetite. Just fed my kids some pizza hut pizza and was fine to sip on my Protein Drink.< /p>

You're almost there...just a few days left.