Redfred02780

Hi there all! I was banded 02/12/07, as of today I have lost 96 pounds. Here is my problem, however I still see myself as being very fat. I look in the mirror and I see the 266 pound me. I am having trouble buying clothes that fit, and I am still wearing underwear from pre-surgery. I also don't understand why all of the sudden people want to be my friend and why when I am out and about people now smile at me and hold the door open for me. I am very confused! Anyone have any great words of advice?:wub:

Hey all! I have lost 105 pounds!!!

I have lost over 100 pounds and have stretch marks EVERY WHERE!!! I am going to give that Maderma Vitamin E combo a try! Does anyone know where you can purchase Maderma?

I will take that challenge. My goal is to run 75 miles!!:wub:

Hey did anyone elsae go to the fashion show lastnight? I though it was fantastic! My goal is to be in it next year. I only have 98 pounds left to go, I know I can do it! I don't think that my first fill has been very succsessfull. I am not feeling any restriction and I can still eat 1 cup at any given meal. So I go in again on May 15 for my second fill and we will see how that one goes. It sounds like you are all doing really well. You should all be proud of yourselves. I am going to make more of an effort to get on here more often and talk with you all. You all sound like you have become very close and I miss talking to you all. How is everyones workingout routine going? Mine is going pretty well. I go to the Sanctuary a few times a week, and I really need to get back in the habit of going back to Gold's. Does anyone know when Trader Joes in Sparks opens up? I cant wait to go there. I am hoping it will be bigger then the one in Reno. My mom says the one in Carson is twice the size of the Reno store. So I guess we will see! Well I hope that you all have a really nice weekend, and I will talk to you all soon.

Where has everybody gone? Oh Happy Easter to you all! I hope you all have a great day!

I have noticed immediate restriction since my first fill, things are going really well. I can't remember all the criteria on the chart, but the requirements are more than weight loss. I think it was things like are you looking for food, are you constantly hungry, how much can you eat and things like that. I was right in the middle of needing a fill and not needing a fill so I got 1cc of a fill. But let me tell you I completely notice a difference with just that little amount. I can actually tell that there is something in there. I am having to go much slower at meal times and I deffinitely have to make sure that I eat every two hours. If I don't eat every two hours I get hungry and then over eat when I do find a minute to eat and then things are really uncomfortable.

Hey there NVGirl! I also live in the NOrth Valleys, Cold Springs to be exact. I have gone, only once, to the RENOWN South Meadows, and to the one at Saints. I have to say I think that I like the one at South Meadows better but I think that I will test them both out again before I decide which one to stick with. Are you so excited for your suregery? It is truly a life changenging event. I had my surgery on February12 with Dr. Ganser down at South Meadows. Everything went very well and I think that Dr. Ganser is terrific. Are you planning on going to the fashion show on the 21st, I will be there I am very excited to see other peoples results. Hopefully next year I will be in the fashion show! Well good luck and hopefully I will chat with you more soon!

Hey everyobody! How are you all doing? It sounds like you are all keeping busy. Thats great! How are you all doing eatting and exercising? I am making it to the Sanctuary about three times a week and Gold's about once or twice a week. I do my strength trainging at the Sanctuary with Power Plates and Pilates and I am doing cardio at Golds. I do need to get to golds more often though. I had my first fill yesterday. It was a pretty small fill just 1cc. But Dr. Ganser put in the smallest band so I guess I already had some restriction. The worst part of the fill was my nerves. The numb the area with some lidocaine first and then they put the needle in and give you the fill. They do have you look at a chart or graph to see where you fall in the needing or not needing a fill category. I have to be on fluids again for the first 48 to 72 hours after the fill and then on soft and mushy food again for a week. I am filling more restriction even with just drinking smoothies and things. I have to drink alot slower and take smaller sips. Well let me know when you all go for a walk again and I will make every effort to try to make it. Hey are you guys going to the fashion show on the 21st? Dale and I will be there, I am so excited to see other peoples results and success. We were out off roading and forgot to go to the last support group metting, but as long as I so not have to work on this months meeting we will be there. Well now that I have chatted your ear off I will let you all go and I will talk to you later. I will try to be better about getting on here and chatting with you all.

Well Hello to all! Sorry I have not been on in so long, I have been pretty busy. It sounds like we are all in lap band hell. We are all at that point where we need a fill. I am restraining myself, I always feel hungry, and I can eat anything. But I think that restraining myself an working out is helping me stay on the straight and narrow. My first fill is on April 3. I am very excited! After my surgery Dr. Ganser told me that he put in the smallest band there was, so I don't know how much of a fill I will get. I will let you know. Talk to you all soon!

Chris when is the one on Pyramid supposed to be opening? Is it going to be bigger than the current Trader Joes? My mom says that the T.J.'s in Carson City is five times as big as the Reno one. Have any of you heard of The Sanctuary in Reno? I have heard that it is supposed to be fabulous. For $175 for one month you get 4 personal training session, 8 pilates classes (on the machines) unlimited Yoga, unlimited Tai Chi, unlimited Aerobics class, and you get one facial and one massage. My husband and I are going to go check it out tomorrow before I go to work. I am also thinking about trying Bikram Yoga. Just to change things up in my workout routine. Is anyone going to the support group meeting next week? Dale and I are planning on going. Pam I can't remember does it start at 6 or 7? Well I have probably talked enough, so I will talk to you all later.

Pam not to be personal but I have never had a problem with constipation either, until now. I have always had the opposite problem. Milk of Magnesia is really doing the trick though. Well solid foods today are going pretty well. I am marinading some chicken breast right now for dinner, I am keeping my fingers crossed. Do you all shop at Trader Joes, I never realized how inexpensive their product is. We have been shopping there and saving lots of money and getting a better quality of food. There is supposed to be a Whole Food store opening soon. I have heard great things about it. I am looking forward to it opening.

Kat thanks for the advice. That was a great help. I just need to be reassured that the band will work with my help and to stay on the right path. I have another question for you, have you had any problems with natural peanut butter, not skippy or jiff, but natural Trader Joes Peanutbutter. I would like to try toasting a whole wheat waffle with peanutbutter and suggestions?

Welcome Mary. I was banded on February 12 and I am doing pretty well. I started whole foods just this morning. I started with a small bowl of Kashi with Soy Milk. When do you think that you will be getting your band? It is such an exciting experience. Good luck and welcome to LapBand talk.

So I have a question! I pretty much can eat whatever and it takes me awhile to feel full. I also still get hunger pains, with that said does it sound like I need a fill. My first fill is not even until April 3. It seems so far away, I just want that weight loss to continue at a good rate and at this point it is completely slowing down.

Hey Guys sorry I have not posted in awhile I have been busy with work and things. Pam I was so excited to hear that you had your surgery, that is great. Don't start working out to hard to soon. Thats what I did and I ended up back on the couch with a heating pad and Tylenol. Take it slow. Chris it sounds like you are doing great. THats fantastic. I started whole foods this morning. I had a small bowl of Kashi for breakfast with some soy milk in it. I think that it went ok. My first fill is not until April 3 but I can tell I am ready for some restriction because at this point I am restricting myself. I am having some bathroom problems, but Milk of Magnesia seems to be taking care of it. Well I have probably talked your ears off so I will go now. Congratulations to everybody and good luck!

Even though I am a new bander I have to say that I WOULD ABSOLUTELY DO IT AGAIN. I am so thankful for the results that I have already seen. I highly recommend it to anyone who is concidering weight loss surgery.

Congratulations Chris! I am glad to hear that everything went well! Take it easy and take care of yourself. Hey guys a word of advice. Don't work out to hard to soon after surgery. I am back on the couch with a heating pad and liquid tylenol. Take it easy!

Hey Chris, Good luck today. Dale and I are thinking about you! We know you will do well.

Hey all! Chris after surgery you do have to remind yourselk to eat. There are several times when I find that I am not hungary but it is time to eat. I know you will do awesome. How is everyone doing? How are things going? My first week back to work was good. It was a bit tiring at first and it was hard to stand on my feet all day, but that is the way it goes. I also started going back to the gym this week. Taking it very slow of course, but it was good to get back in a routine. Sorry that I have not been on in awhile, I have just gotten busy again. Well I hope that you are all well. Chris, I bet you are getting excited, you are alomst there. Don't you just love Dr. Ganser. He is such a great guy! Talk to you all later.

Fresh Energy is located in the same shopping center as Target on Sierra Center Parkway.

Pam I had a hysterectomy when I was 24. We have so mucn in common! I am glad that you get to go home tomorrow. When you feel up and ready to go walking let me know and we can go.

Oh Pam I am so sorry to hear about that. Did they say why or how your colon was punctured? How long will it take to heal? You are in my thoughts! Keep us posted!

I just wanted to start a thread to see what kind of technology everyone is using to keep track of their exercise routines. I am only one week out of my banding, and haven't got clearance for a full workout yet, but I am going to look like a cyborg when I walk out of the dressing room at the gym. Here's what I am going to be using. 1. Body Bugg http://www.bodybugg.com- I have been using this for the past several months. It's a little pricey to get started with, but it's a great tool for keeping track of caloried burned both at the gym and during my everyday routine. It connects to the web and updates all my information to my online profile. 2. Nike +iPod- I bought this just before my surgery, so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I am excited to use it. By itself, it's basically a step/distance tracker that will also upload your information to your online profile. Itunes has some very interesting workouts that you can download for it though. In addition to upbeat workout music, the download also includes a workout coach. I bought a treadmill workout, and the coach is the lead singer of OK GO, the band that made the really cool video of the band dancing on a treadmill. 3. Polar heart rate monitor- As useful as all of the previous two items are, I still wanted to be able to monitor my heart rate while I'm at the gym. I bought a Polar brand heart rate monitor. They have several different models. So does anyone else have any techno-gadgets they are using to facilitate their weight loss?

Bread and white rice are two of the foods I learned that I should stay away from after my banding. My pre-op classes made it abundantly clear that these are two foods at the top of my "foods I may possibly never eat again" list. Both of them swell a great deal after ingestion, which will cause the pain you described, and both form a paste-like consistency that make it very difficult to pass through your opening, regardless of how well they are chewed. Some people have reported a little more success with bread if they toast it heavily before eating it. And brown rice is much easier for your new stomach to digest.