Shelley64

Congratulations on starting your journey. I'll be curious to hear what your primary care physician has to say about lap band. My pcp didn't know much about the procedure but she was supportive in my quest for more information. I went to 2 different bariatric seminars. The first time I actually went to one in support of my sister who was considering gastric bypass. This was about 4 years ago and they were just starting to do lapband at our hospital. After making the decision to pursue it for myself, I went to another seminar where they talked about both surgeries in detail. Based on the surgery itself, the reduced complications and the recovery time, I knew lapband was for me. My BMI was just under 40 but I had high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and high cholesterol/trigs. The cholesterol/trigs are unfortunately just part of my genetic makeup but my blood pressure and blood sugar are now normal. My primary doc kept me on 5mg of blood pressure medicine for kidney protection (based on the prior pre-diabetes diagnosis) which I was bummed about BUT my nurse at my surgeons office agreed completely saying it doesn't hurt anything. I'm a little over a year out and based on my scale this morning, I'm down 50 lbs. I had a great surgeon and he and his staff are awesome. I feel like I'm part of a family there. I'm going to make a suggestion on a book you should buy or check out at your library. It's titled Band Wagon. It's written by a lady who had lapband and it's full of great information that I have found really helpful. I got the book after my surgery but wished I would have had it prior. I've read it several times and go back from time to time and re-read sections over again. It's real basic terminology, what to expect stuff and it's an easy read. She's pretty funny too which made it hard to put down. Check it out and Good Luck!

Amen Sister! I couldn't have said it better myself....I was too amazed at how fast the year went by and what I learned about myself and my weird relationship with food. So much has changed mentally and physically. I'm so happy with my choice to be banded! Good luck and keep up the good work!

Go to the success stories forum and read some of those posts! The pre-op and post-op forums are often filled with stories of surgery pain, fears, questions on eating, being stuck, not enough restriction, etc. It's all just part of the process in the beginning phases of this journey. Once you get out a few months and get in the groove, things pick up and you start living life and not focusing on food so much. It just takes time!

Wow I am so impressed with everyone's goals. I would say the vast majority of us just want to be healthy. I'm 13 months out and here's some goals I've achieved: 1. I am no longer the biggest person in the room (but sometimes I still feel like I am) 2. My fasting blood sugar is down from 176 to 102 3. My blood pressure medicine is down from 20mg to 5mg 4. I bought a pair of size 14 dress pants (no W after the number) 5. I get regular compliments on how I look 6. I can cross my legs comfortably! Continued good luck and success to everyone!

This can be a scary adventure! I personally would stick with soup or something of that nature. Avoid breat at all cost. Eat very very very slowly. Don't let the pace of what everyone else is doing change the rate of your bites. The food suggestions that someone else posted are good choices...yogurt or soup are my best friends when I'm eating around a group of people that don't know I'm banded. Good Luck and enjoy your trip!

There is a great book titled "Band Wagon" that I would strongly suggest to any newbies. It's a great book with tons of information on the lap band, what to expect, suggestions, etc. The lady who wrote the book had lap band surgery so she's been down the road. I have read and re-read it a couple times and found it to be very helpful. The beginning phase after surgery is simply new territory and you're 100% focused on what can I eat, what can't I eat, when am I full, what if I get hungry in 2 hours instead of 4. I've been there and it's just part of the journey. In a few months, you'll have all this down pat and you'll be onto the next phase. I had my surgery on 1/11/11 and didn't hit what they call the "green zone" until October. Things just kinda clicked (I think my body and mind caught up with each other) and I just started living life and tried to quit over-thinking the whole thing. My physical body literally was in a state of "what the hell is going on!" I was only eating 1100 or so during the summer and fall, doing Zumba 3 days a week, walking, etc. but I was only losing 1/2 lb a week. It was so frustrating because I felt like I was doing everything right. The nurse at my surgeons office just said, quit over thinking it. She knows I understand nutrition, etc. so she just said to me, eat good/healthy food, in small portions, eat slowly and stop when you get that first signal. In the book Band Wagon, she talks in great detail about "soft stops and hard stops". Soft stops are a runny nose or feeling like you need to clear your throat. It takes some practice to get the hang of it but if you do and don't wait for a "hard stop" Like getting a really slimey mouth, pain in your sternum, etc. you'll be a much happier camper! Get the book!

I was also banded 1/11/11.....Can you believe a whole year went by? I'm down about 46 lbs as of my visit to the doctor last week. It has been a journey but I'd do it again in a heart beat. Wish I would have done it years ago. I went through a period of losing 1 or 2 and then gaining 1 or 2 over the summer/fall. It was frustrating for sure. I was using myfitnesspal to journal, doing zumba 2-3 times a week and even did a test at the hospital to check my metabolism. I felt like I had enough restriction, in fact I was worried I had too much. I almost had some fluid taken out back in Oct but decided to just stay as it. I truly believe I was confusing full with being a little stuck. If I'd only eaten a bite or 2 of my dinner and got that stuck feeling right of the bat, I figured I had too much restriction. I assumed I'd just eaten too fast or taken too big of a bite. Well, turns out, sometime, I''m just "full" sooner than other times. I didn't want to eat between meals or snack but I'm pretty much a rule follower but I figured out for me that if I ate 3 bites of protein at lunch and felt full but then felt hungry 2 hours later....it's ok. I can eat again and not feel guilty. One of the nurses said it sounded like I was over-thinking the whole thing too much and needed to just listen to my body. Well, it all seemed to click, mentally and physically....I can't really explain it. I'm not a fast loser and was so jealous when I'd see people who'd lost 70 lbs in 3 or 4 months. I felt like I'd failed but fortunately I realized that everyone is so different and I can't compare myself to someone else. My doc's office is thrilled with 40 lbs in a year so I am too! of course, I'd love to be at my goal but I've been able to do it thus far without any huge problems so I can keep on doing it until I get there. I feel better, I look better and my health is improved...what more can you ask for? Keep up the good work and continue to post your progress. Shelley

Yesterday 1/11/12 was on my year bandiversary. I can't believe how fast one year went by. I have been so fortunate not to have had any complications and I truly feel like a new person. I'm 100% thrilled with my band and would do it again in a heartbeat. Now, I gotta say, I thought I'd be at my goal weight because I saw so many posts before I had surgery where people lost 70-100 lbs in the first year. However, I was a slow loser prior to having surgery and that seems to still be the case. It does take a while to get to the right amount of restriction, figure out just how much food you need (way less that I had in my mind) and figuring out exercise, etc. According to my scale at home, I'm down 42 lbs which is a huge success. My blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is normal, my triglycerides are improved as well as cholesterol. I'm one of those genetic freaks that makes more cholesterol that the average person so I'm still on a statin to keep my total cholesterol in check. My goal is to lose another 40 lbs in 2012 and be at my goal weight by this time next year. I love this website for hearing other stories and give a piece of advise or two along the way. Thanks for letting me share!

It took me a while to get into the swing of things. i think that's why everyone refers to this as a journey. At the beginning, you're just so focused on the moment...what can I eat, what can't I eat, what if I get stuck, being hungry, etc. It's all such a learning curve. I stalled over the summer and wasn't losing even though I started doing Zumba 2-3 times a week. I haven't even averaged a pound a week so far but once I get to the end, I think it will. I'm losing more steadily the last few months.

I'm hoping this person just simply didn't realize how that was going to sound. Geez, how insensitive! I'm in the insurance business as well so that is what really caught my attention on your post. Let me tell you my insurance customer story and hopefully it will make you feel a little better..... A few years ago (I was probably 235 lbs) a customer came in the office and was sitting at a co-workers desk just across from me. He was telling us about how his wife was on the big exercise and diet craze and how great she looked, blah blah. My co-worker asked him how much his wife had lost and he didn't know in pounds but he said she looked like my size 6 co-worker but she used to look like............and he pointed at me. OMG I thought I would die of embarassment. The tears literally stung my eyes but I couldn't show it at the time. Later my co-worker said.....that wasn't a very nice thing to say but the damage was done. I continued to be out of control on my weight until last year. I got my band almost a year ago. My surgery was 1/11/11. I've lost about 40 lbs but my health is improved and I get quite a few compliments now. Good Luck and keep us posted on your successs!

I wouldn't worry too much. I'm guessing you've been on a liquid diet so in all honesty...what could be in there!? Just make sure you're sipping lots of water so you stay hydrated. Also, surgery slows your whole system down and the affects of anestesia take a while to get out of your system.

CONGRATULATIONS! I'm close to my one year anniversary as well (1/11) and have seen so many benefits from lap band surgery. I've only lost 38 lbs but my lab numbers (other than cholesterol) are all in the normal range. It's the best decision I've ever made for myself. Keep up the great work!

I had my last band last January 11th! I believe that was a Tuesday so I took that week off from work. The following Monday was Martin Luther King holiday so I got an extra day. I don't think that 3 days is enough time off...I'd take at least 5. I didnt' have a lot of pain but a little cough or something where you have to tighten your stomach is pretty tender. I think everyone deserves to baby themselves for a week. Good Luck!!!

Someone posted over the weekend that her mother saw a Dr Oz show and he bad mouthed weight loss surgery so she told her daughter not to do it. I can't find the post now...don't remember which forum it was under by I commented that I had read an article in prevention magazine where Dr Oz says just the opposite. In the Oct 2011 issue, Dr Oz's article is about demanding better care from your doctor. He covers a number of topics but one of the questions they pose to him is: What health issue do you think can be solved in our lifetime? His answer....Obesity. I really do think we can get ahead of it. It's easier to cure obesity than cancer and it drives most of the heart disease and a good amount of the autoimmune issue we have. I also think gastric bypass surgery will play a big role. We probably do only 1% of the gastric bypass surgeries we should do. The next question was: So you're a proponent? His answer: Yes. Listen, if you're one hundred pounds overweight at age 50, you have the same mortality rate as if you have a solid cancer. Would you operate for cancer? Yeah. So if you cannon lost that weight, get one of these procedures. You have to do it with counseling and full awareness of what you're doing, of course. But if you get people to start losing 5% of their excess body weight, you're really taking a big whack of of the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese right now. I hope the gal who posted about her mom not supporting lap band because of what Dr Oz says will keep researching, talking to people on this site and make the life saving decision for herself. Shelley

I just read an article in a recent Prevention magazine by Dr Oz and he said that weight loss surgery is not recommended often enough by doctors as a long term solution to obesity. I'm sure I still have that issue at home so I'm going look for it tonight and I'll repost.

This is the first of many scale and non-scale victories to come. Keep up the good work!

We're coming up on our one year bandiversary in a couple weeks so I'm wondering how everyone is doing. Not just weight loss but also NSV's. How has your life improved. What are you able to do this year that you couldn't or wouldn't do last year? For me, I'm down 38 lbs per my last dr's visit but my nsv's are many. I feel better, my lab numbers are in the normal range, I'm wearing smaller clothes, people who haven't seen me in a while do a double take and a gal told me yesterday that I'm a shadow of my former self. I thought I'd be very close to my goal by now but it took me some time to get to the "green zone". Also, I've never been a fast loser and that still seems to still be the case after the band. I'm now losing about a pound a week. I'd love for it to be more but a pound is a pound and my doctor is thrilled with my progress. The biggest thing I've learned is just how little food I actually need. I've always just wanted to be a thin eater and now that's me. I had to get over the portion size idea in my head. I felt ripped off a little when i got back on real food because I simply couldn't eat 3 or 4 ounces of Protein and some green veggies. I can only eat a couple ounces and I'm not always full/satisfied for 3-4 hours but that's ok because I get to eat again later. Such a simple concept but it was a huge milestone. Anxious to hear how you all are doing.

I cannot thank you enough for posting your story. There are so few posts from people as far out from surgery as you are. I know they exist but they're so busy enjoying their new thin healtly life that they forget to post once in a while. I gotta tell you that I got emotional reading your post because it hits so close to home. When you're heavy, your life involves around what am I going to wear, who is going to see me, are they going to notice how much I've gained, will there be a chair I can sit in....etc. I'm only down 38 lbs but already I've become less stressed in social situations because I'm no longer one of the biggest or biggest person in the room. It's really a feeling of freedom. I still love food but it has a different level of importance to me now. I LOVE MY BAND! Again, thank you so much for your beautiful story and please check in from time to time!

Congratulations! You're just starting your journey and you're going to discover so many new things about yourself over the coming months. Just remember.....slow and steady wins the race! You'll have many scale and non-scale victories to report! Keep up the great work.

I loved your post!!! I can so relate to the thought of losing 100 lbs in the first year. I had mapped out the whole 1-2 lbs a week deal and figured I'd be at my goal at one year............Well that's not happening. I didn't take into account the whole learning curve, getting the right restriction, not losing any weight for 2 months, etc. I'm in a good spot right now so I think I'll have a good loss at my appointment tomorrow. I'm hoping for 6 or 7 lbs since my Nov 2nd appt. I'm just a slow loser...I was before the band and I still am. However, my lab number are vastly improved and I'm buying smaller clothes and I'm able to do Zumba a few days a week and not pass out! It's all good!

I can certainly understand your concerns with having to eat in front of people and not look obvious. Ok, I've been banded 11 months so I'm probably not an expert but I've been in a few circumstances in a business setting and you just have to be careful. First, string cheese and boiled eggs are not in my diet...ok, maybe the cheese but not the boiled eggs. You get to eat a very wide variety of foods but in the early stages, you have to try some things based on texture, size, moistness, etc. Some foods just don't work. For me it's untoasted bread, tortilla's, rice. I drink a protein shake for breakfast (Premier Nutrition from Costco). For lunch, if I'm at a business lunch in front of people, I stick with soup or chili. Still need to take slow bites but it's usually a safe choice. otherwise, I have tuna salad, chicken salad, turkey burger, beef burger (open faced no bun) and maybe a little green salad. If I need a snack, I eat a palm full of nuts or a piece of fruit...again, small slow bites. Dinner is pretty much whatever everyone else is having except a very small portion. Meatloaf, tuna casserole, chicken breast, turkey burgers, etc for my protein and then a little green veggie and/or a little green salad. I still crave things that are bad for me because the band it a tool, not a fix all. I just have a different view of food now or 95% of the time. Around my period, I graze like a cow which usually shows up on the scale but that's the way it is some months. I still eat a cookie or a little chocolate, I just don't pig out on it like I used to. The band was a fabulous choice for me but I still have to work at it every day. It's just gotten easier as the last 11 months has gone by. Good Luck. Get the book titled Band Wagon.....tons of great info!

You have a similiar BMI as I do so that's why i am responding. I wasn't on any particular # of calories when I was in the Post-op stage but I wasn't really physically hungry either. I had a lot of head hunger and mouth hunger but I didn't have a growling stomach or shaky feeling. I personally don't think that 600-800 calories is enough food unless you've got a terribly slow metabolism. I'd drink a protein shake when you get hungry again. It takes a while to find the balance and without a fill, you really just have a band around the top of your stomach. It's a good time to practice eating super slow and cutting up meat in eraser sized bites. I'm 11 months out and I eat about 1100-1300 calories a day. I did an out-patient metabolism test about a month ago which was interesting. I burn 1600 cal a day just by being alive. (breathing, organ function, digestion...) I just happen to be a slow loser, I was before the band and still am. I'm extremely envious of the people that lost 2 lbs a week consistently! Oh well, I'm down to probably 194 or so (I go to the doc on Weds) and my lab numbers have improved drastically. It's a journey that just takes longer for some people. Good Luck.

I started my journey wearing a 2x top and a size 18W-20W pants. 11 months later, I'm wearing a regular size 16 pants and a regular XL top. I could never buy a top in the regular misses dept. I always had to go to the plus dept. Now some stuff is just cut weird, runs small, runs big or whatever but I got a cheap lightweight sweater at Kmart (only place to shop in my small town) and was able to get an XL. SWEET!

The "green zone" takes some time to get to. I don't think many people are there on the first fill. I was banded 1/11/11 and I don't feel like I hit the green zone until November. I'm a really slow loser but my doctor was happy with a few pounds in 5-6 weeks. I wasn't happy with it but he was. I got a fill in Oct and honestly felt like it was too tight because I'd eat just a few bites and feel stuck. Well, I finally figured out, I was confusing stuck with full. It take a while to wrap your head around the fact of just how little food we need. You're probably still eating with your eyes plus you're new to all this and food, the band, dieting, exercising is all you can think about. Getting hungry a couple hours after you eat doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Some people can got 4-5 hours between and some can only go 2-3 hours. EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. Don't get caught up in how much fluid one person has in their band compared to you. I was trying to stick with 3 meals a day and maybe a little something in the evening but that just didn't work. I'm better off with a little snack between breakfast and lunch because I can only get a shake down in the morning. I'm really tight in the am so a shake is all I can do plus I love them and it's easy at work. I'll have a little cheese or part of a chobani yogurt a couple hours later if I'm feeling a little hungry. There is an awesome website that you should check out. It really explains why the band works, how the placement around your stomach is important, why eating slow gets you to eat less. Damn....I had the site saved in my favorites but now it's gone. I'll post it as soon as I track it down. It's got some great info on it. Sorry

I eat salad often. Just take small bites and chew well. If I'm eating meat like chicken on my salad, just make sure it's a small bite. Good Luck