pugsx3

I'm in Aurora. Had surgery on 9/15.

Laura checking in at 239 today - down from 244 last week. I can't explain it, but I'm very happy to be down 5!

Are you taking any meds for blood pressure? If so, you may need to see your dr. and have them adjusted. I'm off one of my bp meds - and I think I'm getting close to getting rid of the other one because I get so light headed or dizzy that sometimes I have to set down and hold onto something.

I need to get back with it after the holidays - so count me in! Name, real or screen~ Laura P Age~ 51 Goal weight for January 29th~234 Weight on January 1st~ Dietary goal for January~Stop drinking water when I eat Exercise goal for January~ 5 miles x 3 days per week, 3 miles x remaining days Personal goal for January~ Pay off my band surgery! Date banded~ 9/15/11 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 61.3 What is your goal weight for the coming year~ 140

I had a similar situation last year with my insurance - I had to have bunion surgery on both feet last December - and I had them done 3 weeks apart. I then got my lap band in September. The only thing that may be tough for you, is you may have a harder time getting around. Activity will help with weight loss, and foot surgery will probably limit that for a while!! Good luck to you, and if I can offer any help - let me know! ps - The foot surgery was not bad - I found the pain I had was due to swelling. The Dr. gave me Vicodan for pain, and it did nothing for me. I had a prescription anti-inflammatory that I took instead of the Vicodan, and that resolved the pain issues completely. I know I should not have self prescribed - but I had them left over from a shoulder injury, and I figured it could not hurt. I told the dr, and he understood, and was glad I did that. If you're just out of lap band surgery - I'd check with both your lap band surgeon and your foot dr, as I do know that the anit-infammatories can cause problems with the stomach and the band.

Maybe it's not related to your band at all - I'm not a doctor, and have no medical background, but it sounds a lot like how I felt with my gallbladder. I had gallstones about 7 years ago, well before I ever considered being banded. The only thing is that walking helped that pain subside. When I went to the ER, they told me I fit the 4F profile for gallbladder disease - Female, 40, fertile and fat. When it happened I had started losing a lot of weight, and they said that rapid weight loss contributed to it. If it happens again, I think I'd throw it out there as a possibility.

I'm on track to finish a week early so I don't have to work at it over vacation!!! I still want to get some exercise in though, because it's really helping me drop the lbs!! I don't want vacation to slow me down! When I entered my weight in fitbit this morning, it told me I'm on schedule to reach my goal weight by Christmas Eve next year!! While I hope to do better than that - it's great to think of that as my Christmas present to myself!!

Enjoy it! Speaking from experience, it is wonderful. I lost 140 lbs several years ago on my own, in large part because of airplane seats. One of the most memorable experiences of my life was when I got on a plane for the first time after losing all that weight, and had two "skinny" people sit next to me. When they sat down, the woman said to me, "I'm so glad you're a small person - I hate sitting next to people who don't fit in the seat." I smiled, and laughed my butt off inside. Since then I gained the weight back, which is why I am now here, just banded in September. When I fly now, I always wonder what the people sitting next to me are thinking. I can't wait to not be self conscious anywhere, especially on a plane!

Dave is right! I only got my band on 9/15, and overate once while I was on full liquids after surgery (bowl of cream of chicken soup & a glass of tomato juice). I can tell you honestly, that I don't ever want to feel the way I felt that day again. I don't have any restriction from my band yet, I've only got 2cc in a 14cc band, so it will be a while before I get help from the band, but I know from the pain I felt that day, that when I do get to the green zone, that this will work. I have never been stuck, or slimed, so if/when those things happen - I'm sure I'll do anything to avoid that feeling. Until then, I'm exercising, making better choices, and losing weight because I believe this time will be the last time I have to lose this weight.

Thanks for the advice - but 260 really is that big when you're only 5'2". I don't like to admit it, but I'm comfortable in a size 22 right now. I've been leaning towards not going, which is maybe why I posted this - Maybe I wanted someone to change my mind. I'm in a pretty good routine with my diet & exercise now, but I'm not getting any help from the band yet. I've earned every lb I've lost, but that has just made me more confident that I can and will do what I need to do to get there eventually. I have not made any decision yet, but I'm figuring optimistically that I can drop another 30 lbs by then - but that is still probably going to be a size 16 or 18 - when I should be in a 6 at my height! I've always known exactly how big I am, and have always tried to hide behind it. I'm still terrified of the idea of a swimming suit in public...

Well, I was banded on 9/15, and got my first fill on 10/29, and I can still eat as much as I want and whatever I want. It's been hard, but I've made good choices in what and how much I eat since I got mushies on 9/29. Even then, I only lost 4lbs from 9/29 until my fill on 10/29 and I was really disappointed. My surgeon told me that is perfectly normal. I told him I could eat anything I wanted including bagels and rice, in vitually unlimited quantities. He told me that too was perfectly normal, and that it would be a while before I got any help from the band. I have the 14cc band, and got 2cc put in on my first fill. He told me it take 3 or 4 fills before I would start to get help from the band. So, I got my head out of my behind, and really started exercising hard. I'm now on the treadmill for an hour a day, and generally walk 5 miles or more most days. Not only has that stepped up my weight loss, but I am feeling a little hint that the band is there. The band has yet to stop me - I've had to do that myself. If your surgeon is not worried, I would recommend that you put your energy into creating new "habits" and routines that will help you use the band to your advantage when you do hit the green zone. I'll be the first one to tell you it's probably among the hardest things I've ever had to do, but after fighting with myself for over a month, I'm now very happy that I'm put forth the effort now. I'm just that far ahead of where I'd be if I waited.

I have not taken a real vacation in over 17 years, and my family has decided to go to Hawaii this February and invited me to go with them. Just about half of the family is going, and half are not, so no one will be hurt if I decide to stay home. The pro's: I've always dreamed of going to Hawaii, it would be great to get a break from the brutal Chicago winter, and I can afford it. I was divorced a year ago, and am pretty much on my own now - and I don't know when I'll have another opportunity to go, unless I go by myself. The doubts: I just got my band on 9/15, and I'll still be huge by February. I'm an adventure lover at heart, and I want to do the kayak trips, and the zip lines and all of the active things to do, and I don't think I'll be down far enough to do them. I'd have to buy warm weather clothes for the trip, as I don't have anything that will fit, and I am horrified at the thought of me in a swimming suit on the beach. I know I am the only one can make the final decision, but I'd sure love to get some thoughts from those of you who have been there done that, or are still losing and can relate to my emotions!

Besides, you'll be on some good pain meds after surgery, and you'll only be allowed liquids, so you won't even know you have a jaw!! According to my uncle, my tmj is classified as mildly severe, and I had no issues at all. Fortunately, I've found as I age, I have fewer problems - but I've also learned what triggers it, like chewing gum and I just don't do it. If you have any other questions you'd like me to run past my uncle and cousin, let me know. My cousin's sister got a lap band last December, so she really understands exactly what concerns you should and should not have, as well as all the lap band rules!

I have TMJ, and I've got two dentists I trust completely. One is my uncle, the other is my cousin. My uncle has just retired, and my cousin is up on all the current technology. They both agree that it should be fine, but just make sure you tell anyone and everyone that will listen the day of your surgery. I had no problems with my jaw, but I was so hoarse for over a week that I could hardly talk! That I could live with!

The best advice I can give is to have a positive and determined attitude. Not sure what your doc requires for a preop diet, but I had 3 weeks worth of liquids preop , then 2 weeks of full liquids postop. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Then when I finally got mushies, I completely quit losing weight. I was eating next to nothing, but the scale was stuck. 6 weeks after surgery, I had my first fill, and I'd only lost 4 lbs, and I earned more than that. I was totally discouraged and ready to give up, but my doc said it was great. I wasn't persuaded, but I kept fighting. I was banded on 9/15, and just last week started losing again. I'm really glad I fought the urge to throw in the towel, as last week I lost 3.6lbs, and so far this week, I've lost another 3.4. I've also picked up my exercise this week, and I'm sure that's helping too. If you're the kind of person who gets into electronic technology - I'd really encourage you to get a fitbit activity tracker. It's a bit pricey, but worth every penny to me. I get my daily stats, and I know exactly how my activity compares to previous days and weeks. The statistics you get from this is amazine - and I can tell you that it really pushes me to hit the treadmill when I see I've had a low day. It sets daily goals for you, and tells you your progress toward those goals. My favorite stat is where it shows how many calories you've burned vs. how many you've eaten over the past 30 days as a graph. I will NOT let a day go by where I eat more than I burn. If I'm cheating, I'm only cheating myself!

This is more like it!! I'm trying to get 5 miles per day in, as I typically do about 2 miles a day without even trying. That means I've had to "work" to get the other 3, but finally I've broken that awful post op stall, and I've started losing again!! And I think it's because of this challenge!!

I had a great weekend!! Down 3.6lbs and I'm trying to get ahead on my miles, as I'll be on vacation the week after Thanksgiving, and it will be good not to have that pressure on my while I'm away from home. I'm going to try to keep it up while I'm gone anyway, as I'm loving the results!

I lost 140lbs on my own about 6 years ago, and my ex had a horrible time with it. He was not happy until I gave up and cancelled my membership at the gym, and to make a long story short - I gained all 140lbs back + 30 more. I was miserable and hated myself for doing it, but it just got to the point where it was way to hard to fight him anymore. He was happy, but I wasn't. In addition, I had a hysterectomy about half way through the weight gain - and being post menopausal killed any chance I had for success to get the weight off on my own again. I'm always saying the definition for insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, so I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to do something different, and filed for divorce. That was not enough by itself though, because the housing market has dropped so badly in my area, we owed 95,000 more than we could get for it, and my ex was not on the mortgage, and filed bankruptcy to avoid paying anything at all. My lawyer suggested that I either paid the shortage, or I filed bankruptcy - so guess which route I was forced to choose??? The divorce was final 10/25/10, and the bankruptcy was discharged early in 12/10. After the first of the year, I started putting myself first, and began looking into the band. I got my band 9/15/11, and I've lost over 40 lbs to this point. I'm thrilled with all the changes in my life, and if I had to do it all over again, the only thing I'd do differently is I would have done them all 10 years ago! One thing that has always been a big factor for my is exercise. I feel so much better about myself when I'm working out, so if you don't have a gym membership - I'd recommend that you get one!! It's unbelievably hard to do at first, but once you get into a routine it's a big morale booster. I do "classes" 5 days a week - 3 times weight training 2 times cardio. A lot of the time on Saturdays or Sundays I'll go and just swim cause I love the Water, and this makes such a huge difference to my mental state that I can't believe it.

Well, I did not keep my ticker updated for October, and I did not make 60 miles, but I came close at 56.4 miles!! Since that's way more than I would have done without this challenge, I'm in for November as well. I'll try to update myself at least once a week this time!

I was banded on 9/15, and waited until mine were healed, which was about a month and am now putting Vitamin e oil on them at night. It's too oily to use with my good clothes, so I won't use it during the day. It's supposed to help "fade" them. I've used it on the incisions from my gallbladder, hysterectomy, and bunion surgery - and they are barely noticeable. It also helps with the itching!

I'm down to 266.6 - Yeah me! Something must have been wrong with the scale last week. I feel much more motivated now.

I have 3 pugs who cuddle up next to me when we sleep, and I wouldn't have it any other way. As a matter of fact, all I have to say is "should we go sleep?", and they're running in circles, racing each other to get in the bed. The two girls curl up right away and crash, but my boy has to climb on top of me and get a healthy dose of affection before we go to sleep. He also climbs all over me when we're watching TV, staring me right in the face as if to say don't watch the TV, lets play! After surgery, I was too afraid to sleep with them for the first couple of days, so I put beds on the floor for them and took enough of the lortab to knock me out. After about 4 days, I could not stand being without my kids and I picked up the dogs and put them in the bed with me. Their weights range from 22 - 34lbs, and I had no trouble picking them up, even though I was not supposed to. I had my surgery on 9/15, so I'm a little more than a month out, and my boy is loving the fact that I'm now picking up the pace and trying to run a bit with him. I'm absolutely positive that he is glad I chose to get banded, even if it meant a few nights on the floor without his momma!

I just got my band, so I'm still too fat to know. I can tell you that I did ask the dr. on the day of surgery if the band will be visible through clothes. He responded I hope so. When he saw the horror on my face, he said that I'd have to get down to a size 6 or 8 before it would show, and there were things they could do to address that when the time comes. He told me not to worry about it. I guess I kinda think of it the same as I think of the extra skin. Although it may not be attractive, it's better than the fat!

Weight on 10/15 = 277. Very discouraged here - I gained 5# this week, and I was "good" all week. I just don't get what I'm doing wrong. I've had a hysterectomy, so maybe it's the post menopausal thing making it next to impossible to lose the weight??

Well I'm still at 272. I think I should revise my goal if possible and change it to 262. I was being too aggressive just coming off of liquids thinking I could continue as I have been. It's not realistic to think I'll lose more than 2-3 lbs a week.