dmg223

I hate those days where I feel like I can totally eat what ever is not nailed down. Luckily I am on a BC pill that only gives me my TOM every 3 months so I will only have to deal with that bottemless pit feeling 4x a year! Haven't had my period yet since being banded, will be interesting to see how my body now reacts with the band :-)

I have not had any fills yet but I know 4cc was put in my band at time of surgery.

Thanks for all the awesome words of support & encouragement, they mean a lot!! Good job is in order for all of us on the path to living & being healthier :-)

My highest weight ever has been 265 (I'm 5'0) and I weighed in at 260 on the day of surgery 2 months ago. Stepped on the scale this morning and could not believe the scale now reads 229!!! I have not seen this decade of numbers in YEARS! Loving every second (even the hard ones) of this journey :-)

I was banded on June 8th and had to do clear liquids for 5 days post-op before being allowed to add in protein shakes for 2 full weeks. I remember at about 1 1/2 weeks post-op I thought I was going crazy! All I wanted to do was chew something! I was ready to throw the stupid protein shakes out the window LOL. Every commercial on tv was had something to do with food, I was going crazy. Right after that weekend I was completely fine. Its like a rite of passage for those of us who are banded, you just come out stronger on the other end. When it was time to switch to mushy foods I thought it was the happiest day of my life!

I am just shy of 8 weeks post-op and I am down 30 lbs. I know that 4 cc's was put into my band at the time of surgery. I am also trying to take a more conservative approach to the fills. When I went for my 6 week check last week the NP agreed that I did not need a fill since I am lasting 3-4 hours between meals without getting hungry ( and I am eatiing a lot less then you due to very strict guidelines from my physician). It sounds like you do not need one right now, but the NP did warn me that could change at any time and to make sure you are aware of any chages in your hunger. Good Luck!

I am 8 weeks post-op and had saline put into my band at surgery (4 cc). I measure out my foods for the one real meal I eat a day, 3 oz lean Protein & 6 oz veggies. I eat my protein first then move on to veggies and finish what I can. Some days I eat all that while other days I can not finish. For right now I believe I am at my sweet spot. Of course there are certain days too that I want to eat more but I do not. Just because you can eat more does not mean that you should. Are you measuring out your meals? Did your surgeon/dietician give you a specific meal plan to follow?

Great blog! I started one too right after surgery, feel free to check it out :-) Good Luck on your journey! http://danaslapbandjourney.blogspot.com/

I ate out for the first time this weekend since being banded 7 weeks ago. I went to Ruby Tuesdays, they had a great salmon filet with grilled shrimp on it (asked for the asian peanut sauce on the side) and they have a ton of new sides being offered. I got roasted spaghetti squash and sliced tomatoes. Put half the meal in a take out box as soon as it came to the table and still wasn't even able to finish the half left on my plate! Restaurants are like a whole new ball game to me now since I can no longer order all the junk I am used to having!

I decided I was going to reward myself for getting to certain weights, not just my goal. I picked up a pair of cute earrings when I hit 25 lbs last week, and my next goal of 50 I plan on getting a(nother) small tattoo. I haven't picked anything else out for 75,100, 125, and my goal of 140 :-) I also decided that these rewards would be something tangible, something I can hold in my hand (or look at on my body) and say " I got this when I reached ____ goal". Although the cruise sounds like a great idea for reaching my end goal!

Went to my support group tonight that is run by one of the nurses from the bariatric office and asked her about the exercises. She explained that the only one they really want me to stay away from is going from a laying down (flat on back) to a full sitting up position. That move is uncomfortable for me anyway so I guess really nothing to worry about :-)

Follow the recommendations given to you by your surgeon/dietician. Right now it may be all about willpower. You have to remember, just because you can eat anything you want right now doesn't mean you should :-) Good luck!

Thanks ladies for your response!

I am 7 1/2 weeks post-op and last week started working out at the gym with a trainer. I was under the impression that 6 weeks post-op you can resume abdominal excercises. Monday I had an appt with the nurse praciticioner at the bariatric office who said that I can no longer do crunches forever and have to be careful with other ab moves as well. Anyone else told this as well? I am aware that the port if stitched into my abdominal wall and that I have to be careful but how can I accomplish a good work-out of my abs then? Any suggestions?

I am 31 and was banded 6/8/11. I was concerned about the same thing and brought that up to my surgeon. He says that I am young and my skin should have very good elasticity so it shouldn't be a problem. I have started working out at the gym recently to help make sure I do not end up with a lot of excess skin as well.

I was banded on June 8th of this year. I woke up from surgery with terrible pain in my left shoulder from the air they pump in to you but now 7 weeks later I will still get that pain on occasion. It could go away for days then all of a sudden be back, hoping it goes away soon because it is getting very annoying lol .

I did not have to do any sort of liquid diet prior to surgery. Three months prior to surgery I had to add in one protein shake a day as a meal, 2 months prior I had to losely encorporate a second shake, and for the month prior to surgery I had to stick too the 2 shakes as meals. I was also told to start eliminating carbs as soon as I started the whole process. I can tell you I loosely followed the guidelines. I was banded 6 weeks ago and have not had a single problem sticking to the guidelines post surgery. I stuck to my 5 days of clear liquids, 2 weeks of protein shakes only, then 2 weeks of lowcarb mushy foods before being allowed to introduce solid foods. About a week into the protein shakes only I started to really miss chewing, but that was the only issue I had. It may not be this easy for you but keep your head in the game and you shouldn't have any problems!

The sugar count on those fruit yogurts (even greek) is so high. I will take a plain nonfat greek yogurt and add a few drops of the Mio water flavor to it or half a packet of the single servings of the powdered water flavors. Try that, it definitely makes it taste better :-) Good Luck!

Dave_NW - Thanks for posting that link! Very informative...I was under a different impression of how the band works but this makes so much more sense to me. I couldn't wrap my head around how something could get stuck immediately if our previous food was "sitting" on top of the band, this information helps me make sense of that now!

I was also required to go to 2 support groups prior to surgery. The office I go to only has combined groups which I didn't mind so much. I found them so helpful that I continued to go to them every week before surgery and now even after ( I even got someone to drive me to the support group the night after surgery). I hope you find the groups as helpful as I do!! Good Luck in your journey!

Love it!!!

I am 1 month post-op and was wondering if some people still get a slight pain in shoulder? I never had this pain before surgery and thought the gas pain in the shoulder would be gone by now. I have heard some people mention that this happens sometimes if they eat too much but this happens regardless if I ate or not. Just wondering if this is fairly common.

I got restless leg syndrome (or what felt like it ) for a week or so after surgery. Never had it before and it went away right around the 2 week mark.

My doctors office has me on a strict low carb diet. I consume under 20 grams of carbs a day and roughly 50 - 60 grams of protein. If you are going to do low carbs with the lapband just make better decisions about your protein choices, like lean meats instead of bacon :-) And there is no rule that you have to do high fat while doing low carb.

I started going to the support groups two weeks prior to surgery and have continued going weekly since (even made it out to the group the night after surgery). I love going to the group, its nice for me to be in a room full of people who you know have gone through or is going through the same things you are. I learn a lot from the people who have been there a while and am now in a position myself to share my story with new people. For me its a great feeling and keeps me motivated :-)