sman342

Ok so day 4, it's rainy. I woke up early, made eggs, bacon, biscuits. I made my plate immediately and ate. I only made enough eggs for myself cuz who likes cold eggs ? Of course the other girls wake up, wonder where their eggs are, grumble that I didn't make them any, and finish off the bacon and biscuits but I'm fine, I ate mine already and they are big girls.
lunch is seafood out, but the place we go is alllll fried. Even the oysters are fried, it's outrageous. I get the fried shrimp, have two after pulling the skin off, and try a fried oyster. All I can say is yuck, I felt gross! But actually the other women said nothin, I was surprised. dinner is going to be sandwiches or a fend for yourself so I'm sure I'll be fine tonight.
To address some earlier posts. There are six of us here, two 50+ yr olds, two 28 (myself) and two 25 year olds, all of us teachers. I don't know if any of you know teachers, but we are some of the most gossipy, judgmental women... Probably from spending all those years around teens. and if m being honest with myself only two of the women here I'd consider a real friend. If the others found out about my surgery, and the fact I'm still 250 lbs, I seriously doubt they'd just shrug it off and go about their business. So I'm choosing to keep it to myself.
And I'm a very strong willed (called bull headed before) woman, the only reason I'm choosing to not fight this battle is because I'm in a three bedroom condo for 8 days with them. I dont want to make waves any more than I have to, but I am very thankful I have this forum to vent on!

I didn't tell anyone - only my spouse. Even my kids think I visited a friend overnight on surgery day.
More than being "ashamed" that I had WLS, it's about how I feel being overweight to begin with. Some people are quite forthcoming with their weight, "Ugh, I gotta lose this gut." or "I love Biggest Loser" or "I just started a diet."
I'm so self-conscious about my weight, I am never comfortable lamenting about it, as if it is a secret that I am fat.
So when it came to surgery - I didn't tell anyone. Just not comfortable with people knowing.
Now - that I am on WLS diet, I simply say I'm avoiding carbs, or refuse the food. No, thank you, I'm good.
You don't owe an explanation to anyone.

well, june 6th bandster/plication here. minus 40 pounds and i am most proud i am able to walk more/better farther. have not have a fill yet, but may get one on aug 7th at my 2 month post op.
things are going great. my plication i feel is def helping me with volumn of food i am eating (which doesnt mean i am eating a bunch, never more than 1 cup food total at any meal)
all the best

Hi! Banded June 19th here. Things are going ok, I think! No issues with food, nothing stuck or anything. I have not had any fill yet and cannot wait for a restriction! I have lost 10lbs, I might have gained 2 back also But I am staying optimistic! I know I am in the waiting period and time will come for me!

Hello! I was banded 6/5 I too have lost 23lbs. I got my first fill 7/16 of 5ccs and I don't feel much restriction yet. I did eat a triscut, it got stuck, and then I actually felt it move through the band shortly after. Hope everyone is doing well.

It usually takes more than one fill to achieve optimal restriction. And there's nothing about a fill that will magically make you lose weight. You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you consume. A good fill level will help you eat less by reducing your physical hunger and by causing early and prolonged satiety when you eat a small amount of food.

Some people don't eat breads because they are on a low carb diet, and some people do have issue with breads and Pasta getting stuck. However, most of us can still eat all those foods and a lot of us still do.
One more small piece of advice- just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should. Stick to a cup or less of food per meal and healthy food. You will be so glad you did when the weight starts coming off.

Hello, I was banded June 4th and I am doing very well. I have lost 26 pounds and for the most part I am not hungry. I went back to work within a week from surgery and was careful about what I did. I have had 2 fills. The first one was 3 weeks ago and it went well. The second one was on Monday this week. The port seems a little more sensitive this week. I also fell off a ladder at work the same day but I was not hurt so I do not know if I hurt the area of the port. Hope everyone else is doing good. I still only eat Protein, and Protein drinks, a little of steel cut oats, and some steamed veggies. I have not dared to try breads, Pasta, rice or sugar foods. I was not drinking enough Water and got a kidney infection. The meds seemed to have worked so I am constantly drinking Water so that does not happen again.
I had the sensation you described when I got my fill the first day and then after that it seemed to go away.

Don't think about what could possibly go wrong, scorrea, think about all the amazing things that could happen to you in the long run. Just keep working at it one day at a time and you will notice big changes.

For me it was easy to tell the people around me, my wife,mom and cousin are all nurses another cousin is a surgeon I work in the medical field and in a hospital. The people in my clinic are all rather close even the ones I don't much care for are all wishing me the best. My friend actually was the one who talked me into it and has paid for a large portion of my co-pay. With out his support this would never have happened. He said its a selfish thing he's doing... He just wants his buddy to be around when he's in his 60's.

I was very open about it. My mom tried to talk me out of it. Thought I could do it the "old fashioned way" - like she did. If that actually worked for me - I'd have done it the first 100 times I tried! I was a widow at the time (alone) so a significant other wasn't in the picture. Since then, I've married. I've told everyone who will listen, actually! Last week was the first time I showed my new mother in law a before pic of me. She couldn't believe the difference. I'm very proud of that.
Marci

I was terrified of failure. I honestly couldn't picture myself losing weight successfully. Heck, even the day after surgery, I remember laying in bed in tears thinking "what have I done to myself?"
However...I couldn't picture how awesome I'd feel 6 1/2 months later, either.
I honestly love my band, it's the best decision I've ever made for myself. If you are committed to changing your eating habits to healthy ones for a lifetime, you will be successful.
As for fills, it's common to wait 4-6 weeks for the first fill. However, that is also the time period for healing, not losing. My best advice is to put the scale away until after your first fill and then start focusing on losing.
In the meantime, making the best decisions you can while on the post op diet will help tremendously.
Best wishes to you!

I'm sorry you're feeling down today
A couple things that may help you to know.
First, it takes most people multiple fills to have restriction. It's a slow, frustrating process. Many refer to the time between surgery and good restriction as "bandster hell", because you can still eat just like you did before surgery.
Which leads me to the next thing, and this one will be hard until you have good restriction, but remember just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should. The very best thing you can do for yourself is make healthy food choices and stick to 1 cup or less of food per meal. It will get easier once you have good restriction, but in the meantime it's necessary to white knuckle through it if you want to lose weight.
Are you getting enough Protein in? It really does help you feel fuller for a longer period of time. I find sipping Water or another zero calorie non-carbonated beverage throughout the day helped to ease hunger too.
Hang in there, you can do this!

When I lose weight even my fingers get skinnier and my ring gets loose. When I gain (I am pre-band) my ring can get so tight it won't budge. Sounds like the fat pad on my stomach works the same way and band fills serve to fill in where the fat used to be. Interesting. Thanks for the info.
Jim

No matter how this one plays out, your mom isn't going to change.
So your decision is how you will react to this person in your life.
Drawing the boundaries with your mom ("mom, you can't speak like that to Tucker.") would be a start.
I know my folks still regard me as 14 years old but when it comes to my kids, that's when I assert myself as the adult that I am.

No matter how this one plays out, your mom isn't going to change.
So your decision is how you will react to this person in your life.
Drawing the boundaries with your mom ("mom, you can't speak like that to Tucker.") would be a start.
I know my folks still regard me as 14 years old but when it comes to my kids, that's when I assert myself as the adult that I am.

That's fantastic!

You're doing wonderfully!

Keep it up!!! Your doing greaaaat!!!

Keep up the great attitude and you will suceed!

Learned alot this month.
Lost 18 pounds.
Taking a family road trip - we r going biking!
Sans the car Snacks, over creamed coffees and unhealthy rest stops
While I am nervous about my ability to lose my weight, I have a happy optimism. It's good to live without dread related to my weight

Congrats to you all! and God bless.

I was surprised by my surgeon singling out frappes as a big cause for lap band "failures". Since these weren't my personal vice, she explained that frappes/smoothies/frozen drinks are a big culprit. I even saw frappes mentioned by name as a problematic food that causes weight gain in LB patients. Dr said patients might reach for these drinks instead of taking time to chew a food. I know these drinks are a problem with gastric bypass patients too - its how they regain or end up with wicked diarrhea.
I drank coffee daily as a substitute for Breakfast. I haven't had any since I had to refrain prior to surgery (big 2 day withdrawal headache - treated with Tylenol), No plans to return.
My doc limits coffee to one caffeinated per day. I'm allowed as much Decaf as I like but since I'm making changes, I've included this one!

I'd love to hear a success story....
I have sleep apnea. I've snored all my life at different weights but its been its worst as I gained weight.
Has any other sleep apnea patient been able to get off CPAP since losing weight?
I'd love to rid myself of this CPAP.

You had surgery June 27 right? I was banded a few days earlier.
I was neurotic earlier bc of not losing over the course of a few days after the initial big loss. Another poster reminded me that It's important to be careful because this is the time for your stomach to heal from surgery. That's the point of the liquid - soft diet.
So just a gentle reminder, like the one I got, take time to heal. Follow Dr.s orders.