nicole1

Hello January Bandster!! So I was banded 1/4 it has been almost 4 weeks! I went back to work after 2 weeks off. It was hard to get caught up at work and keep on my eating schedule, especially since you have to spend a lot of time chewing!! At 3 weeks I started back on my Elliptical, but just paced myself slower than typical and it felt good. I also realized that I was not sure I was doing all of the toning stuff right and gave in an hired a personal trainer, he is a physical therapist and is able to work around all of my former injuries and ailments!! So I am on the Elliptical 3-4 days a week and I do my toning at home 3 days a week and 2 days with the trainer (he totally kicked my butt yesterday!!). As for the pureed food, I did that for about a week and was suppose to do it for 2 weeks, but it took so much time to prepare, so I just cut stuff up small and chewed a lot, so far so good!! My diet is a cup of decaf with chocolate protein mixed in for B-fast (my version of a cafe mocha), yogurt at 9:30, some type of protein (meatballs, tuna, chicken breast) and veggies (frozen then microwaved) at noon, around 2 I have a V-8 fusion, 4pm ready to drink GNC lean shake, then dinner around 7pm meat and veggies. And water in between it all!!! So far I feel a little hungry before I go to bed at night around 10pm. I go in for my 1st fill 2/2. I still have some of that left over gas pain in one area under my right rib cage, but at least it is not in my shoulder anymore. It only hurts when I first get up or sneeze (weird!) Well I feel good! I have always suffered from depression and now I feel on top of the world!!! The scale does not help so I stopped getting on it. I will probably get on it once a month. But I can see the difference in my face and my bras are too loose and I am constantly pulling up my pants!! So that makes me feel good!! I plan to buy a few belts today. I am hoping skip buying a few sizes in between by using belts. I hope all of you well and look forward to hearing about your progress!! It is odd being one of the 1st of the year, so I look forward to your stories!!! Good luck to you all! Ditch the scale, just FEEL the weight loss!!

My doctor said I could do light weights at 2 weeks post-op and at 3 wk post-op I can go back to using my elliptical and typical weight training. It is to ensure you do open ur incisions. I am 13 days post-op & have started with my private trainer for light weights & I have been walking 1.5 miles a day for the last week! Good luck to all of you motivated fitness junkies!!

So I am 9 days post-op an I kinda fell off the net for awhile. To be honest I was depressed. I wasn't in any pain, but I was bored with the shakes, bored with TV, it was too cold to walk outside and I was tired of walking laps in my house!! I had low energy and just didn't feel like doing anything. Well 2 days ago I decided to bundle up and do my walking outside and I told myself "no more naps!! I would nap after I ate my so-called lunch and wake up 4 hrs. later, so no more naps. Wednesday felt really good, I did my morning drinks, did my walk, did some cleaning and just got moving. I went into work for an hour to say high to everyone and forgot to take anything but water and knew that going back to work was going to be hard. I'm glad I don't go back until Tuesday. So I wanted to let you know about my problem about feeling "Full" I have always known when I at too much, I think we all know what that feels like. I would be drinking a shake and say am I full yet........maybe just a little more. the 10 minutes later I was feeling horrible like I ate too much. So what does just right full feel like. So I went on the chat room and found out the are what the call soft sign (have no idea where that term came from), like a tickle in your nose, your nose feels moist suddenly, you burp or feel about to burp. Before a burp meant "yeah more room!!" well it means stop eating! I though this might be helpful. I recommend using the chat room day and night there is always someone there who has been through it already. Ok so you guys want to talk BM, well I didn't go for 3 days, I figured I hadn't put anything solid in so long! Then I exploded. I didn't add any fiber but increased the powdered milk, hear that might help. So far so good. I wish you all luck! Today was great I did my walking in the mall, I was there 2 hours, but the 2nd was shopping!!

Ok so 5 days out & just when I thought it was going so well....the pain really came back. As a reminder yesterday I decided to down grade from OxyContin to just tylonel. So yesterday around noon I started having pain all around my right side ribcage, rt shoulder & rt neck. It hurt so bad!! It hurt to breath hurt to lay down or stretch. It was so hard to breath!! I went for a walk that made me nauseas. Tried sitting w/ heating pad but it hurt to breath. So I called the dr. She felt I just slept wrong & took myself off pain killers too soon. Not very helpful. So at 8pm after last shake. I was ready to go to the ER but decided to check the forum. It was a life saver. So 1st went off pain killers too soon 2nd I was drinking to much causing a lot of gas so added more gas x, next added heating pad & slept sitting up (wish I had a recliner!!) & pain meds every 4 hrs (set alarm). So I think I was sooo obsessed about getting all the water & protein in I wasn't paying attention to my fullness. Which caused gas & pain. So it is almost 10am & the pain is gone except a little in the shoulder. I am going to start back like it is day 1. But this time I am listening to my body!!!

Four days out and I have the same bubbles and shoulder pain. I try to walk after my protein drink and that helps, even if it is just a few laps around the house. Also a lot of stretching has helped!! Loosen up all my upper body muscles and move the gases around. I have been drinking tea in the morning and It feels good going down. I still have a little bit of a sore throat from surgery, I am going off the pain pills so I can be more alert and hopefully have more energy. How can I possibly drink the required fluids if I sleep the day away. Congrats to all of us for surviving our pre-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery and now the post effects! We did it!!!!

Hello! So I was banned on the 4th and it is now the 7th and I am off the pain pills. I take Tylenol every once in a while due to my stomach being sore. I have not vomited and the gas pain has been minimal. I am having a hard time getting all of my required fluids down and get all of the walking in. I plan to get up at a reasonable hour tomorrow, giving me more time in the day to get the fluids down and the 3 10 min walks completed. So far I have gotten the water down and about 60 grams protein and 2 10 minute walks. Of course I still have the stomach jiggle making the incision areas hurt when I walk, I feel like wrapping myself in an ace bandage to lesson the jiggle! lol!! Part of me just wants to use the excuse I had surgery to avoid walking, but I know I feel well enough, just lazy. I need to find a new motivator, any ideas???

Hello January Bandsters!! I've been banded!! I went in @ 8:15 was in surgery by 10 and getting ready to go home by noon!! They gave me anti- nausea meds before surgery so I had no vomiting. As soon as I woke up I insisted on walking & kept walking & sipping Water & burping. The more you walk the sooner you go home to go to sleep. I later found out I had a hernia in my stomach muscles & they repaired that. So basically I set my alarm every 4 hrs take pain pill, sip Sobe life water (on sale @ Target), walk around house for 5 min., put a Gas-X strip in my mouth and go back to sleep. That was been the schedule until today. Since this AM I added sipping Protein shakes. There is no way I am getting all protein & water in put I will maybe tomorrow. As for the pain. I had the gas pain in my should but walking, burping, stretching & the lovely gas-x strips kept the pain to a 1-2 and is gone right now. My stomache aches (a 3) but I keep the pain meds every 4 hrs so it isn't bad tomorrow I will try just tylonel. Just finished my laps & pills r kicking in talk mor tomorrow! Good Luck tomorrow Shelly!!

I had the same question and found this easy to understand website http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/gastric-band-plication.php

I totally forgot about the no drinking while eating. I am horrible about that I have at least 2 glasses of water with dinner. I will start working on that right now!! Thanks for the reminder!! Happy New Year!!

Surgery in 5 days!!! So here is my 2 wk diet: 2 shakes a day any time 3 meals lasting no longer than 20 min that include one of each area Area 1 sugar free yogurt or nonfat ricotta cheese or nonfat cottage cheese Area 2 tuna in Water or salmon or skinless turkey/chicken Area 3 raw or steamed non-starch veggies Condiments allowed were ketchup relish or mustard The day before surgery is shakes, water, broth I have been able to make it through almost all family lunches and dinners through the holidays by just eating the meet and veggie for dinner & lunch I eat deli meat rolled up and a veggie. I tried drinking my shake while they ate waffles for bfast but ended up in my room the smell was too good. And since my mother inlaw cooked bfast every morning I choose to drink in my room to avoid temptation. I did fall off the wagon when fresh pizza was brought home I at a small slice of cheese. The smells are what is the worst for me. Even when I'm not hungry the smells make my stomach ache. So I will go for a walk and get way from the smells! I've lost 6lbs since I started the diet on 12/20

I started my high protein diet on 12/21/11, it has been brutal! the first few days I had headaches, light-headed, was cranky and tired and starving! After those days passed it wasn't so bad, I increased my shakes to 3 a day as recommended by my doctor and increase my veggies and that help a lot. Also I took an extra walk a day and that really helped, something about the protein not just sitting around and actually being used.

Hello! I am a January 2012 Bandster!! scheduled for 1/4/2012. I am on my 2 week limited diet and it really sucks to be going through it during the holidays. I actually had to stay in my room during most meals, I didn't trust myself. I hope the cravings go away soon, I don't want to mess this up. Any suggestions anyone??