vingotti33

My recommendation to you is stay off the scale. Especially if you are weight training or building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, pay attention to how you look, feel, and inches. You may want to eliminate the pretzels and replace it with Protein. You are only five weeks out so you are doing fine. Only hop on the scale when you go to the doctor. Don't be discouraged, stay focused.

My recommendation to you is stay off the scale. Especially if you are weight training or building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, pay attention to how you look, feel, and inches. You may want to eliminate the pretzels and replace it with Protein. You are only five weeks out so you are doing fine. Only hop on the scale when you go to the doctor. Don't be discouraged, stay focused.

First off congratulations. make sure you walk daily as much possible. You will have gas pains but they will subside. Keep in mind that right now it is about healing, not about losing weight. I have read a lot of post of people upset with themselves because they are not dropped major weight. They are only a few weeks out of surgery. So make sure you focus on healing, the weight loss will come. Make sure you are getting you Protein in and taking Multivitamins. That is important to healing. Get you rest and do not lift anything. Most important, follow the rules your doctor has provided. Congratulations again, and welcome to the journey.

Hello everyone -
My name is Jason and I'm 32 --though soon to be rolling over to the 33 year marker. I've been overweight for 24 years of my life and to this point, it's really all I can remember. My attempts at losing weight have been more than I can count on two hands and two feet and I can always succeed at losing 30-50 pounds. Anything beyond that has been a brick wall and it's been very frustrating. I work as an ICU nurse and I see so many patients that make me think "this really could be me in about 15-20 years" because of diseases that are secondary to chronic morbid obesity.
I've looked into the options over the past 10 years. My first wife had a Gastric Bypass and saw massive results. My second wife also had the gastric bypass before we were married. I've decided that the LapBand surgery would be ideal for me. I am so very thankful to have insurance that includes coverage for weight-loss surgery. I have completed the pre-op paperwork to start everything and I am really going forward with it. I will be faxing the paperwork in on January 2nd, following my appointment with my PCP to start the required 3-month medically-supervised diet. I am hopeful that I can have my surgery by July.
I am truly blessed to have the support of my wife. She is my rock and I know that with God's support and that of my wife, I will not fail. Though, I am doing this for myself. The comorbidies are starting to reveal themselves to me: I have obstructive sleep apnea, hypertention, knee and lower back pain... it's terrible. Weighing myself this morning, the screen told me I was a whopping 347lbs. Enough is enough.
I realize this will be a journey and I am pleased to see an online support group for people like us. I look forward in reaching out to new names, new friends, and share this experience.
All the best,
Jason "The Night Shift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Congrats to you .. Mine comes home for good the end of next month and retires in June !

so my husband left in july since then i have lost 30 big difference total lost since i got the band 50 lbs
he is coming home for rr.
i have 8.5 cc in and i just got my green zone. what am i doing i am eating a lot less and i just do the video game just dance 4 songs a day its awesome i want to lose about 50 lbs before my husband comes home for good. i want him to not know who his wife is when he comes home. A huge surprise for him

It's official Peeps, I am in. I was banded today. After a night of not sleeping much I woke up @ 6 a..m and started getting ready.My wife and children accompanied me for the start of my journey. I must say they have been extremely supportive. Days where I wanted to cheat on my liquid diet they didn't let me do it. For the most part they have been really good with not eating great food in front of me. Although I must say they that they did me dirty one night crushing some Chipotle in front of me talking about how good it was. (What's up with that) OK I left my house @ 7:00 a.m., all kinds of thoughts were running through my head. My wife and I had the discussion of if I do not make it this what you need to do and what I want and don't want.
We arrived @ 7:45 a.m. and I think I was third on the list. It was kind of cool to see people that I went to the seminars with as they were getting prepared for surgery. I could tell they were excited but nervous as well. We talked for a bit and gave each other encouraging words. Ok, so I made my way to my bed and went through the checklist. Let me say, the staff was excellent from top to bottom. So my nurse asked me a series of questions and then the fun started. We had a wonderful time trying to find a vein to put my IV in. My veins were hiding today. So they finally put my IV in my neck. I remember my family coming back and talking to me for a little bit and then there was a medical team surrounding me. I remember them telling me what was going to happen and the Anesthiaolgist telling me did I choose were I wanted to go on vacation because once the medicine kicks in I will be there. I said yes and they started the meds. I briefly remember starting to roll back to the OR next thing I remember I was waking up and the procedure was over. I came too and a nurse was there standing there welcoming me back. I must have been startled not realizing where I was, she handled me well. I asked her how things went and if I had any issues. She said no you were great. Next thing I know the nurse was feeding me some ice. Then another nurse asked if I felt like I could get up? I said yes and they helped me up to sit in a chair. I had wobbly legs lol! I sat there for about twenty minutes as they prepared me for discharge. I was back home around 12:30 p.m.! I had no pain, I felt great. My stomach felt weird, I guess it was from gas. I walked around to get some gas out my system. Then I took a nap.
So far I have drunk some chicken broth and some Water. I haven't had any pain meds or any upset stomach medicine, I hear I will be in my most pain tomorrow and the day after. My stomach is swollen where my band is, I haven't been hungry, but my throat feels scratchy. Well I am ready to get going and lose more fat. So far I have lost thirty pounds. No turning back now, it's full steam ahead. I have made my mind up to change my lifestyle and get my extra sexy back. I look forward to taking this journey with you guys. We got this.

I can't stress this enough- EXERCISE! That's what I did to loose almost 30 pounds! I ate less, but I ate what I wanted prettymuch...and the exercise was the key to me loosing this weight so far. The first 3 months I don't know how but I lost like 5 pounds...which surprised me cuz I wasn't taking it seriously at first..but after I saw my doctor and was told I NEED to loose 50 pounds before they consider giving me the surgery ..I buckled down and started moving every night...little by little I started doing more and more...now they are giving me the surgery ASAP as soon as I get my approval! They just wanted to see that I can do it...You gotta move to loose!

Tomorrow is my big day! I am excited and nervous! Wish me luck, I will see you guys on the other side!

Tomorrow is my big day! I am excited and nervous! Wish me luck, I will see you guys on the other side!

I get people being scared, it is a transition that is getting us away from the norm. A lot of us have gotten us to the idea of being overweight and eating horrible food. Most have been doing eat the majority of their lives. It started @ childhood for must, I remember my Mom making my plate as a child and we didn't waste food. So you cleaned your plate, full or not you finished. We have developed that mindset as an adult. I found myself using the same method with my children. I am breaking that cycle, I do not want them dealing with weight issues. This will force us to break bad old habits! You will do great, we are here for you and will support you.

Oh my god, I can't believe it's here! I just got the call. I have to at the hospital 6:30 a.m. Since I live an hour away it will be an early morning. I am sooooooo nervous but very ready. Surgery was origanally 8/24 and had to be postponed until tomorrow. My Dr. makes you stay over night. Tomorrow starts the first day of the new me..

This is the prime reason why I haven't told anyone but my immediate family. I do not want to hear from the nay sayers. Keep going Skinny, do not let them discourage you. Show them that you will make this happen and never look back.

Good morning everyone, well I am four days away from my surgery. I am really excited about this. I feel like I have already started my journey, I have somewhat became a gym nut again. LOL! I find myself looking forward to working out! That is one of my concerns, I know I will have to stay out of the gym for a few weeks. I do not want to lose the progress that I have already made. Oh well I realize that this is a marathon not a sprint.I am ready to see the "new" me. It has been a long time coming. Time for me to divorce this big belly and get my sexy back. So I go in @ 8:00 a.m. for the "pregame" meeting and then @ 9:30 a.m. it is time for kickoff. I love my surgery team, they have gave me great information, and I know that I will be in great hands with them. Everyone in that office has been great, all the way down to the receptionist. Finding you guys has been a great benefit for me. I have learned from you guys and enjoy reading your stories.I look forward to continuing this journey with you. You guys have a great day, and may God bless you.

I get people being scared, it is a transition that is getting us away from the norm. A lot of us have gotten us to the idea of being overweight and eating horrible food. Most have been doing eat the majority of their lives. It started @ childhood for must, I remember my Mom making my plate as a child and we didn't waste food. So you cleaned your plate, full or not you finished. We have developed that mindset as an adult. I found myself using the same method with my children. I am breaking that cycle, I do not want them dealing with weight issues. This will force us to break bad old habits! You will do great, we are here for you and will support you.

I am wondering how many calories you are getting now...it doesnt sound like enough. One pound a day is not good for you as I'm sure you know. Yes, you will plateau or even gain as you advance the diet but this is for the rest of your life, its not a diet, its a lifestyle. Its not a race, take care of yourself nutritionally and the weight will come off.

As a health care provider in rural Alaska, I want to be a good role model of health to all of my patients. After five years of diet failures to the point of self induced kidney stones, I finally decided it was time to have lap band surgery. I researched for several months, and decided to go with Dr. Trace Curry and Journey Lite. I am extremely pleased with Dr. Curry and the Journey Lite Staff in Ohio. They are so worth a 13 hour flight! Dr Curry and many of his staff members are banded, which to me is awesome because they were able to describe how I might feel after surgery as well as in the weeks post op. I have to admit, I am a nervous patient! A little medical knowledge is just enough to freak me out! Nurse Kathy had just been banded a week before me, and I think it was awesome of her to tell me not to think I am having a heart attack if I wake up with left chest and shoulder pain. I was a fast track patient coming from Alaska, so I had my psyche eval, nutrition class and meeting with Dr. Curry the day before my surgery. I have to say it was absolutely awesome. It went very smooth. Everyone was very nice, kind and efficient. After my nutrition class I felt very prepared for the post op experience. I never heard the term PB'ing before, and I promise I will try to avoid that at all costs! The next morning my husband brought me in to Journey Lite. I absolutely loved all the nurses, and the nurse anesthetist Mikey. Mikey made sure my IV was good, I am a hard stick, and he assured me I would not wake up in the middle of the procedure. I was nervous and he gave me a shot of versed. All I remember after that was talking to them about working in a rural clinic in Alaska. The last thing Mikey said to me was good night Kristen.. see you in recovery! It felt like I was asleep for like five minutes. This is how awesome Dr. Curry is.. I had an ugly hole next to my belly button, from a belly ring I had in my youth pre -fat days, and he closed it up for me!! He also fixed a hiatal hernia that I had no idea that I even had! I am so happy about that! When I woke up in recovery I had no abdominal pain. All my discomfort was in my left shoulder and chest. I am so glad Kathy warned me about that, because I would have been worried about it I had not known that ahead of time. I only remember bits and pieces of the recovery room. I remember my hubby helping me get dressed. I don't remember going to the car!! Gotta love anesthesia! I did really good drinking my fluids that day, and getting up every two hours. As an incentive to get me out of the hotel and walking, my hubby told me he found a Vera Bradley store. He knows how much I love Vera Bradley bags, and we have no stores in the Alaskan bush where we live! So there we are five hours after surgery picking out handbags. I have to say that walking really does help with the left shoulder pain!! Well that's my lap band story!! If you are considering it.. do it!! It's not scary at all! It is also not an easy way out!! You have to completely relearn how to eat to care for your band and become a healthy weight.

Congrats, I too am having my band put in on 12/22. I am excited as well.Good luck to you both, we will trade stories.

I am home! Out of surgery and everything is fine. I am so relieved it is over. I am drinking Clear Liquids every hour and so far so good! Keep you all posted how things are going.
Feeling great. A little gas but I burp and the pain is relieved. A little discomfort. Will take the pain medication before bed tonight.

FINALLY APPROVED BY BCBSI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
iT PROBABLY TOOK LIKE 7 DAYS TOTAL TO GET APPROVED.

My name isz Kim, I am new here as well. Have been on pre op diet for 2 weeks. I have lost about 12 lbs. My surgery is tomorrow. Very excited about this Journey. Any words of wisdom regarding after surgery.

I do not think it is anything wrong with "treating" yourself a little bit once in a great will. If you have one cookie it won't you. Just do not make it a habit. If you constantly deprive yourself you will most likely fail and constantly gorge. Just remember though, only do it occasionally with one cookie.

Hi Angel, you've chosen the safest form of WLS you could have, provided you've selected a reputable surgeon
and decent hospital. I went to a Center of Excellence and have lost almost 60 lbs in 3 months and completely
gotten rid of my diabetes. Like you, over the years, I've tried almost every weight loss diet I could find and most
worked until I gained it all
back. The band works, if we are willing to work with it (and it is work) we can
lose all the weight we want. If you're willing to follow the instructions you're given, you'll be 100lbs lighter at
this time next year.

Good luck to everyone! I was banded 12-6-11. I have to agree with TheasMom the third day is most definately the hardest but it does get better!!!! So when you get to that point know your going though the worst of it and that you can do it!! =) Ive lost 17 lbs since my 5 day pre op diet and i couldnt be happier!

I'm getting banded on 12/22 as well. Good luck to you