Jenn1214

I was starting to notice my weight loss stalling, so I took a good hard look at everything I was doing. I was in denial, thinking that the band "wasn't working" and that I shouldn't have to work so hard to lose weight. In reality, I was eating too fast, too much, and too long. I was also drinking much more than I should and not exercising at all. I started a workout routine, tracked my calories on myfitnesspal.com, cut down on alcohol, and ate more mindfully, and the pounds started coming off again. Remember that the Lap Band is a tool, not a magic wand. I tend to forget that sometimes, even all these months later. You can do this, but it does require work and effort on your part. The Band can only do so much.

Today I decided that I needed some new jeans and bras because my old ones were too big, so I stopped in Lane Bryant since I had a coupon. The saleswoman was very nice and helpful, but I was having a heck of a time finding my size (I'm a 14 now). As I was trying on a coat, she looked at me and said "You know, you're going to be too small for Lane Bryant pretty soon". I couldn't help but smile!

Sometimes I can feel my band is tighter in the morning, but usually I forget it's even there. I can feel my port if I'm lying down and press on my lower abdomen but otherwise it doesn't bother me.

In a typical day: Breakfast: Container of Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup Kashi Cereal mixed in Lunch: Tuna with light mayo on a couple of Wasa crackers or 1 cup turkey chili dinner 3-4 oz lean Protein (chicken, fish or pork) and 1/2 cup veggies If I am hungry in between meals I will have a serving of almonds or a small banana with 1/2 tbsp of Peanut Butter as a snack.

I live at Trader Joe's...they have so much great stuff!

Are you having problems with all foods or just certain ones? If everything is getting stuck I would go back to the doc for a slight unfill. The more you get stuck the more you will turn to slider foods and gain weight (my fiance's cousin has this exact problem).

Make sure you are drinking enough water. A lot of people overlook this as a cause for constipation. I definitely notice that if I haven't had enough water for the day, things aren't "moving along" as they should.

I went to a support group meeting once where a woman was putting Big Macs in the blender because her band was so tight. Sounds pretty disgusting to me! Did you speak to a nutritionist? They should be able to give you some ideas on what to eat during the puree stage.

I have been debating for a while now about whether or not to join a gym. I have belonged to several gyms in the past and was never able to stick with it, so it was always a waste of money. Is a gym really the be all end all of exercise, or can I still lose weight without it? Now that winter is coming I won't be able to do my walks outside, although I do have a few exercise videos and some dumbbells for strength training. What do you think? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

I've tried eggs a few different ways and they always make me sick, so I know how you feel! My favorite breakfast so far is a container of Greek yogurt with some Kashi Golean cereal mixed in. Lots of protein and no tummyache afterwards!

Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws (well, future in laws I should say). They just can't really grasp that I can't eat big plates of pasta anymore (they are full blooded Italians). I would much rather serve myself at Sunday dinner , but one of them always grabs the spoon and starts doling out portions before I can say "Lap Band". When I say "Just a little bit for me please", it's still too much and I'm afraid of being rude or a pain in the ass. My fiance's aunt kind of gave me a dirty look once when I asked for some to be taken out of my plate so I keep my mouth shut now. I eat as much as the band will allow and quietly try to pass off the rest to my fiance. He will be banded in February so this won't really be an option anymore. I guess I should just stop being a wuss and speak up about it, but in such a food centered household I am so afraid of insulting them. What should I do?

Good for you! Walking away from my bad relationship was one of the hardest things I ever did, but now I'm engaged to a wonderful man and have a great life. Let your new life begin!

I passed a lot of gas shortly after surgery. Not sure what causes it but I feel like it's the body's way of coping with the GI tract being messed with. I don't fart as much now but sometimes I let out burps like a truck driver...my fiance finds it hilarious but it's so embarrassing!

I just had my blood pressure checked when I went to my GYN for a checkup a few days ago and it was fine. My multivitamin definitely has iron in it, I checked that first. I recently started eating greek yogurt for breakfast and make sure to have a protein bar every day to up my protein intake. Guess it's time to head to the doctor to find out what's happening.

I've been noticing over the last month or so that I've been feeling kind of run down, hardly any energy, and sometimes my heart beats fast for no reason. My concentration is also worse than ever (if that's possible; I was tested for ADD three times). My brain just feels "fuzzy". Could I be anemic? I take vitamins every day so I don't see how I could be, but I guess anything can happen. Anyone ever have similar symptoms? I'm trying to decide if a trip to the doc is worth it. Thanks!

You're absolutely right. I was on Twitter the other day and one of the TTs was #onlyfatpeople. Everyone was posting things like "Only fat people tie their shoes before putting them on" or "Only fat people think of lunch while they eat breakfast." And this is considered acceptable. Obesity is an epidemic in this country and we are slowing killing ourselves with food. And yet people still think it's ok to poke fun. It's not funny and never has been. I wish people would wake up and see that obese people are human beings like everyone else, not scary monsters that should be reviled and ignored. Very sad.

Mine is a couple inches below my belly button. It's good because my bra isn't rubbing against it all day, but after losing around 50 pounds it's sore if I lean against a hard surface, like the counter when I'm making dinner. I'm also a little nervous what will happen to it when I decide to have children, but that's a question for the doctor. All in all though, I'm pretty happy with the placement.

My fave so far is Chobani but it's expensive when it's not on sale. The Oikos isn't bad either but I don't think it's "the best in the world." I bought a couple containers of Fage to try so we'll see how that goes! Supposedly it was rated one of the top greek yogurts in flavor.

My port is a few inches below my belly button. It never used to bother me but now I notice if I'm leaning up against something (like the counter when I'm cooking) it feels sore. I guess it's because there's less padding to protect it, but believe me I'm not complaining about that! Otherwise it doesn't really bother me but I have been known to randomly poke it when I'm bored

My doc says absolutely no carbonation whatsoever, but my fiance's doc says it's ok once in a while. Every doctor is different. I personally can't really tolerate carbonation so I just avoid it. It gives me terrible gas pains and it's just not worth it for me. If you can handle then by all means have a beer once in a while, but don't overdo it. Your tolerance will not be what it used to!

Any input at all would be much appreciated!

We're not there yet, but my fiance and I are talking about having kids in the next few years. I have heard that many women have all the Fluid taken out of the band for the duration of their pregnancy. Is this a standard thing or is every doctor different? I'm terrified of gaining all the weight back, but I also want my child to be healthy and get enough nutrients and calories. What about morning sickness? Will all that vomiting hurt my band? Since I had the SILS procedure, my port is below my belly button. Will a growing belly have any effect on it? I know these are questions I should ask my doctor but my appointment isn't for another two weeks and it's kind of bugging me. It's not urgent so I don't want to call. Any insight you can give me would be greatly appreciated!!

My fiance tried it and actually gained weight. Maybe it works better for bandsters (he'll be banded in February hopefully).

The PAs at my doctor's office won't do a fill if you are traveling out of state in the two weeks following in case there are any problems. They never mentioned anything about air travel though. I just flew two months ago and didn't really notice any difference.

I think that used to be a problem with the old bands (I went to a support group meeting where one of the older bandsters says he has to carry something that says he has a band when he goes through security), but everything is plastic nowadays. I just flew to North Carolina two months ago and had no problems.