Lindaloo

How wonderful! Congratulations. Hope I can be as successful as you are!

You look great! Love your hair, too! Thanks for posting your pics...it's inspirational for me!

Leo... You look SO GOOD! Thank you for posting your pictures and for keeping up such a detailed site for people like me. I'm struggling a little, only have had one fill, need another, but I know if I'm patient one day I'll share the success you've had. Your pics have got me thinking maybe I should be drinking some soy milk.... haha! great going...

jennye... you are doing so well, and looking so good! Thanks for posting your pics!

thanks, donali. I don't want to embarass you, but you are such a beautiful person, inside and out.

I'm 3 months out, had my first fill on Jan 23, and have lost 22 lbs. I've been exercising (walk away the pounds 4-5x per week) and drinking alot. I'm feeling a little discouraged. I've really been trying to control the eating, and I am not eating between meals. I do sometimes have a snack in the evening, but if I don't I get terribly hungry in the middle of the night. My doc said to eat about a cup to a cup and a half of food at each meal, and I can definitely do more than that most times, but I try to keep it to a cup and a half. I know that this is a long haul. But I haven't got what I wanted from the band yet. What I want is for my hunger to be allayed longer and for me to be able to not obsess about food because of that. I've had this experience before, when I was expecting my children and when I've been sick. Perhaps I need more saline in the band. I don't know. I don't really feel the band is truely a tool for me yet. It feels like I'm still doing this on my own.

Thanks for your response, Donali. :confused: I have started eating solid food again. I have noticed that I get full faster, but I can already tell I will need another fill. I am able to eat more than one cup of food and I get very hungry before I'm supposed to. I'm hanging in there. Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it.

Hi all... I had my first fill on Friday the 23rd. The procedure itself wasn't too bad. They put in one cc. I've lost 15 lbs so far, and I was banded in Nov. I had lost about 20 lbs and gained some back. After the fill, my doc said to do liquids for 2 days and soft foods for 4 more days after that. I did what he said, but I'm hungry all the time. I had some mashed boiled egg and that seemed to help. I'm missing food bigtime. and feeling bad that I can't snack. I'm trying so hard not to give in to temptation, though. I'm also trying hard to exercise. I'm on a walking program and doing that 5 to 6 days a week. I'm just having those "this is going to fail too" feelings, they are hard to overcome after so many years of trying.

Are you all exercising? If so, what are you doing? I began the "Walk away the Pounds" system today. I like it, it's very low impact, but it gets the heart rate up and you can do it in the home. My husband bought some Windsor pilates cds but I haven't tried those yet. Anyone ever done these? If so, did you like it?

The one time I lost any significant weight (50lbs) I combined cardio exercise (walking) and lifted weights. I found the weights really made a BIG difference. In the walking workout I'm doing now, I'm using one pound weights. I hope to get back to lifting more seriously when I get stronger. It's amazing how FAST your body can decline. Six years ago, I'd lost weight down to 185 and was lifting and walking. My ex left me and in addition to trying to finish grad school and raising two small children I had to start working. So my exercise routine went out the window. Two years later I remarried, got pregnant and was on bedrest from 11 weeks on. Nine months after having the baby I got pregnant again. My body is a wreck at this point. I have to go slowly in getting it back into some kind of shape. That laying in bed for months really did a number on me. Slowly climbing up out of the hole and starting up the mountain....

I've been keeping up with the "walk away the pounds" tape. I've set a goal of 5xs per week, and so far I've been doing that. I also haven't started the Pilates, because of the same reasons you mentioned, but I think I'll start when my incisions have had more time to heal. I hope it will help my skin go back some....but I really think I see a tummy tuck in my future. But I'm willing to do everything I can to avoid that.

I'm wondering if any of you experienced a change in your cycle after being banded. I'm usually regular as clockwork, I have four children and other than when I was expecting them I have only missed one period in my life. I'm about 4 days late. There was only one time I could have conceived, and that was 3 days ago. I had cramping, the usual back ache, leg aches, all over lethargy and headaches that I normally get, and my face even broke out a little. I had one little tiny bit of spotting. I had my surgery on Nov. 14th and actually had my period then. I'm wondering if losing 25 lbs in one month has interfered with my cycle. The only other factor is that I started a new medication about a week after surgery, an anti depressant called lexapro. I'm trying not to freak out...I think it might be too early for a pregnancy test, but I'll probably get one tomorrow. Any info that you could share would be appreciated. I'm a little nervous!

colace usually works fairly quickly.

Well, I got a pregnancy test today and it was negative. *whew* A baby wouldn't be the worst thing in the world...I guess, but I'm relieved all the same. I think I'm missing it because I've lost 25 lbs in just a few weeks. I am wondering if anyone else ever had this happen. Jennye, how do you like the lexapro? I feel pretty good on it. Sometimes I would just get so down...and now I feel normal, myself again. I don't know if I was insulin resistant or not. With the birth of my last child, 18 mos ago, I had gestational diabetes, which I was able to control with diet alone.

You were a gorgeous little girl and are a beautiful woman. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

No one here is excercising??? Bad, bad bandsters!!! I just watched the pilates cd last night, and it seems like a lot of stretching and toning. Perhaps this will keep the skin a little tighter???

Bright, you are a very pretty lady! Don't feel bad about not knowing how to work the intricacies of the computer. I'm really computer-stupid, I couldn't post a picture if my life depended on it. My DH says I'm stubborn, but I don't really think that's it....I just have a hard time retaining info about how to do things on the 'puter unless I do them over and over and over. All the ladies here are so pretty to me. Inside and out!

Glad you are doing well!!! Congratulations, and welcome to the "club"!!!

Please don't give up! Appeal. There are resouces to help you with appealing and how you should write an appeal on obesityhelp.com My surgeon prepared me to be denied. I he told me it was very unlikely that I would be approved. Then he said that if I really wanted the surgery, I should look at it as an investment in myself. He said the costs would be about $10,000, and if I really was committed, that I should view it as if I were buying a car and finance it myself. I wasn't all that hot on the idea, but my this analogy made sense to my husband and he assured me if I was denied, we'd find a way. I was approved, so I didn't have to deal with that. But I have heard of others who have challenged and got approval. Good luck.

Congratulations! You should try to take it easy and follow the dr.'s instructions.... welcome to banded life! Glad you feel so good!

You know, at some point in the future when you have a better relationship with them, I would tell them that I felt that way. Something along the lines of, "I felt like I was accepted more by you when I lost weight." It's possible they aren't really conscious of how they are acting, and it's a sure bet that they don't know how it makes others feel. Some good could come of it if their predjudice was dampened some. Of course, it does hurt, like all prejudice hurts. I've felt it myself. (((hugs))) to you.

How cool! Congratulations!!!

My doctor told me to try to stick to one cup of food at each meal. I have found I can eat a little more than that, but I'm making an effort not to. I really notice the difference after my swelling went down! One thing that has blocked me up is toast. I had read somewhere that toast is easier to tolerate than bread. I tried to have a scrambled egg and half a piece of toast and I felt the sickening pain and excessive saliva of blockage. This has happened twice. At first I thought I was because I ate the toast too quickly, but no, even when I ate it slowly I still felt the same. So no toast. I've also heard to avoid rice, as it expands in the stomach.

I have UHC and it took about 3 weeks to be approved. UHC approved me the first week but then someone at my husband's work had to approve it too, and he took his time getting to it.

I think oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat, etc. would all be ok if they were made rather thin and not too thick. Linda Dr. Bonanni 11/14/03 260/238/150