lorena st

Wow, how many weeks of liquids? Sounds a bit over the top...I hadn't read of anyone on this site being on a liquid diet for so long. I was on liquids for 2 weeks, first week clear liquids, second week protein shakes and smoothies. Third week soft food and fourth week, normal food. I'd talk to my dietician and doctor about this, just for confirmation.

Please, don't be so hard on yourself! Everyone has good days and bad days. I actually call my bad days, my vacation days. They usually happen when I am on vacation, but it means I go from around 1000 calories per day up to 1600 calories per day (yes, those 2 glasses of wine at dinner do add the calories!). The only thing that happens, is my weight plateaus. The good thing about the band, is it is easy to go back to eating like I need to, to lose weight. So keep track of your calories and realize that there are going to be days where things just don't go as planned. The key is not to let those bad days, become bad weeks or bad months.

Thanks!

Fantastic news and I'm glad you're back! It really helps to hear the success stories! Just a quick couple of questions...when did you start working out and what do you do for a workout? I haven't really done any exercise (other than walking) but I should get on that.

I was banded about 3.5 months ago. I was off work for two weeks, but I had a complication. Without the problem, I could have gone back to work after one week. I have a desk job, so this is very different from what you do. I wouldn't have been ready for a physical job for at least 2 weeks after surgery, without the complications. I am 54 and now feel great and haven't had any further complications since surgery.

I too had bumps after surgery. A big one at the port site and smaller ones at the other 4 incision sites. My doctor said that this was scar tissue and inflamation from surgery and would decrease with time. It took about 2 months for the bumps to disappear. I am 4 months out and there are no bumps, just some faint scars. So this is normal and should decrease with time.

Thanks for your kind comments. I am listening to my husband, because I obviously have no clue what I look like.. He says I am too hard on myself! We were out at a cocktail party on the weekend and I fit into my Size 16 cocktail dress (3 sizes smaller than 4 months ago). He thought I looked really good, I thought I looked, well, pretty much the same as usual. I know the clothes are smaller, I just don't see the difference. I hope this changes with time and more weight loss.

I had this pain too. It lasted for about 3 weeks. Pain in the side, always yawning, difficulty taking deep breaths, sleeping at night was the worst (pain and breathing). It does go away. My doctor said that it was due to the surgery being around the diaphram (breathing) muscles and associated bruising. It gets a little bit better each day and fades with time. Could be gas too (due to the gas they pump into your abdominal cavity during surgery) and this too fades with time and walking can help sort this out.

If she is a true friend, you should be able to agree to disagree. Your weight loss and goal weight are between you and your doctor. And perhaps you should just not talk about the lap band and weight loss with her. But telling you that you will look decrepit, is just plain mean. This journey is hard enough work on it's own without those sorts of comments! If you have to stay fat to be her friend, then she is not much of a friend.

I've lost 48 pounds and I still think I look the same. My clothes are a different size, but I don't see it. I think this is how ignored how big I was, but it also works in reverse. I hope this changes with time.

You look fantastic! Keep up the great work and you are inspiring to me. My next goal is onederland...and then who knows. I have some photos (not posted), but I don't think I look all that different, my husband says different. I not only have to deal with head hunger, but apparently head body image as well.

I lose about 2 pounds per week, if I stick to 1000-1100 calories per day. I plateau if I eat around 1500 calories per day (vacation diet!). I rarely eat less than 1000 calories per day, as I feel pretty awful when I do that, but I assume I would probably lose weight more quickly.

Congrats on Onederland! I've got 15.4 pounds to go to get there (my next goal and getting my BMI under 30). It is slow going, but at least my weight is moving in the right direction.

Fantastic news! You look great. Got me wondering what my bandversary will look like (8 months from now)...hopefully as good as yours!

Don't be hard on yourself. Your body is still healing from surgery and weight loss at this point in time is secondary. Watch your diet and calories and exercise a little and the weight should come off. I tend to lose weight if I maintain my daily calories around 1000 per day. Lower than that and I feel awful, higher than that (around 1500) then I plateau. You just have to find your number and stick with it. Good luck!

I seem to alternate between losing inches and pounds...BTW, I enjoy both. Perhaps, 1300 to 1500 calories a day is too much. Try cutting back to a 1000 calories a day, for a couple of days (and maybe do a little less exercise on those days), and see if that jump starts the weight loss. I tend to plateau if I eat around 1500 calories a day (my vacation diets are around this amount), but I am not exercising to the same extent that you are. Good luck and keep up the good work...I should be exercising like you!

I told my husband and my family doctor...that's it. If anyone asks me about losing weight and how I did it, I will unlikely tell them anything beyond...small portions and calorie counting. If it is someone that needs to lose a lot of weight, I would likely tell them about the surgery. Otherwise, it is need to know, with me. Yes, I would be upset if my husband or doctor shared this information with anyone else, without my permission.

What's that old saying...Welcome to bandster hell, sorry I had to meet you here! This will get better. As others have said, you have to watch what you eat and the amounts you eat. I keep a journal and when I have hit 1100 calories in a day, I stop eating! Sounds simple, but there are days that it is hell. I have also plateaued for short periods of time (usually when I am on vacation), but when I go back to my normal diet, the weight starts coming off again. Get that willpower going and get a fill if the willpower isn't working.

Thanks for all the comments. Weather wins for me! I live in a place where the daily temperature has varied from -30C to +10C daily (chinooks) during the winter. I didn't realize the band could be so tempermental. But stress and time of day can also affect it. This is truly weird.

Sorry to hear about your problems, but I am glad that you got it sorted out. I had the same thing happen to me! I never had a problem with constipation in the past, but once I went on the pre-surgery diet, I became constipated. I wrongly assumed because I wasn't eating much that I wouldn't have regular BM's, especially when I was on the liquid phases of the diet. About a week post-surgery, I ended up at my doctors office and had to have the obstruction removed (yuch...it was as bad as it sounds). I now take Benefibre whenever I don't have a BM in a day and haven't had any problems since then.

Thanks for the info. My doctor said he left about 2.5cc in my 10cc band after surgery. So I have likely had some level of restriction since Day 1. I am glad to hear that the variable tightness is relatively normal.

Sounds like you need to chat with your doctor/dietician. The diet you are being asked to follow is very different than most others, including myself, had to follow. Post surgery, I drank clear liquids for 1 week, Week 2-mushies (yogurt, smoothies, cream soups), Weeks 3 and 4-very soft foods (well cooked vegetables, chicken, fish, eggs) and Weeks 5 onward-normal foods-small portions, high protein, low carbs.