NYC1992

I had surgery on Monday, May 6, 2013... today has a month from then and I am happy to say I have lost almost 36 lbs! I hope to start swimming this weekend and then incorporate working out next week as my apartment building has a gym and pool. I really hope I can do 50 lbs by sometime in July but who knows... Thanks to many of you for the encouragement and support

UPDATE: As I said, when I got to solids I gained 8.1 lbs it was literally as if the surgery never happened because I could eat ANYTHING I wanted without any problems, which I kinda did (other than forbidden foods per doctor's orders). Thankfully I only gained 1 lb last week, even though I had a friend from FL visiting me in NYC and we did a lot of activities where we pretty much had to eat out. Happy to say I got my first fill (4.5 cc out of 14) on Monday and was weighing 335 lbs having gained 8.1 lbs on solids... weighed myself just now and I am 326.4 lbs. I try mushy foods again in the morning but since the fill, after a few hours, hunger kinda went to the back of my mind.

Congrats! I lost a similar amount - was 30 lbs down 2 weeks and 2 days in - but then gained back 8 lbs until I got my first fill Monday and since then being on liquids I've lost that 8.

Banded 5/6 will be 3 weeks this Monday... am pretty much back to solids but have noticed everything tastes off in variously different ways: ketchup or tomato sauce is almost spicy, apple juice and other light juices taste too strong, yet fried rice (yes I tested the waters; it went down fine) even with the soy sauce it had is almost bland to me. I also had one small sip of Diet Coke and could only taste the gas... it was my beloved drink of choice for years and years! I don't like this thoughts on what this could be from? Note: all foods/drinks mentioned are not off-limits in my doctor's guidelines.

You all have been so, so helpful and encouraging. Monday I'd lost 30.1 lbs, bringing me down to 326.9... being newly on solids, I gained almosr EIGHT pounds back since then bringing me to 334.5... I am SO ashamed of myself this really is bandster hell - feels like the band doesn't even exist other than port pain now that I am much less sore now.

It's in my packet. To be quite honest, when the food gets annoying to keep chewing without taste left, I spit it out in a garbage bin right next to me

Only diet soda is allowed. Really hope this clears up soon... thanks for help!

Hey all, I was banded Monday and in the last two days have really started to miss real food, the taste and textures etc I really was in love with my favorite foods so I am interested to know what I can still incorporate into my meals, and how much portion-wise as the idea if trying to go without a fill sounds better... I hope this doesn't come across as not being committed it's just my honesty. P.S. i am aware I crave unhealthy foods... have never liked green veggies which is hard! I certainly know can't eat how I did before but my taste buds will always remain... Chinese food - Dumplings, egg drop Soup, lo mein, orange chicken (loooved fried rice but know rice is not allowed) Japanese food - Chicken/shrimp teriyaki, shrimp tempura, tamago sushi (egg custard), shumai Cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, french fries, pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, noodle pudding, cake, tuna sandwiches, turkey sandwiches Yeah, I have it bad, though. I'd never go against doctor's orders to eat something bad. Thanks!

Thank you Fight4Light! Ugh... problem is, none of the alternates sound remotely appetizing to me We know each other already, Hely I'm Mark!

Am I the only one thinking that ALL of the comments regarding Chez's original post were immature and petty? Come on... even a 21 year old like me knows better not to put out bad energy when none is needed.

That's helpful, Lee, thank you I actually do have a lot of hobbies, just not as many physical ones as I would like. I am extremely passionate about music and am a singer (though I doubt anyone here is interested in hearing my song covers, haha), I do graphic design and just opened a page on Facebook for it. I would love to really get into painting now that I think about it... in physical activity, I love to swim - can't wait for 3 weeks since there is a pool in my apartment building - and I enjoy traveling a whole lot, especially cruising!

Ahhhhh all the positive responses full of encouragement really is overwhelming to see in the BEST way possible! Thank you ALL for taking time to help me through this... I can't put to words how much it means to me. I think the best lesson I can take away from everything is that I have to enjoy myself throughout my journey and realize that this decision is not an end-all-happiness thing. Sending my best to you all... I feel motivated and proud of my choice again

Excited to have gotten on the scale in the morning to see that I have officially lost 25.2 lbs in 1 week 6 days! 18.2 is post-op. I've never lost more than 10 lbs and that's always been from getting sick (always gained it back) so this is big for me! I have a LONG way to go though so I can't be too happy, haha. -Mark UPDATE: Posted a before/after face pic

Thank you both for replying quickly @Mis73 - To answer your question about why I think I can't ever have it again, it's due to the horror stories I hear about how white rice isn't allowed or doughy bread, etc.... and I will say that the approach at NYU is fairly superficial; many of the people working there are very, very skinny (like the nutritionists for example who are model-thin and they're telling you all the things you can no longer do and then show you the portion sizes and you're just in disbelief) and it just messes with your confidence. I do go to a therapist already (have been for a year and a half) but I haven't seen her post-op so I will definitely bring it up once I do. About the restaurant thing - what I meant (which I realize wasn't so clear) was in this liquid then mushy stage, there's not much I can eat and I am counting down the days until solids. And my issue has always been my choices of food - I rarely ever finished a full meal pre-op. @TheDuchess - first off, I love your username thank you for the encouragement!

I was SO terrified to say goodbye to my favorite foods I not only cheated every single day of the two weeks but I overate Now I have followed it to a t post-op and have lost almost 30 lbs, but inside I am just miserable about it.

Answered your question in your other thread - I don't exactly know why other than that your age and gender are a factor (I'm a 21 year old male); it's actually kind of strange to me because I'm not even getting my full nutrition in.

Have you spoken to your doctor/medical center about this? Are you following all the directions to a T?

Upper East just to correct (not a big deal) haha. Congrats! I had him too on May 6.

UPDATE: Posted a before/after face pic Haha well thank you

Thank you! My mom actually tried to have the surgery stopped behind my back not trusting me.. but she did hire a nurse our family knows to stay with me last week which was great (even though she had originally promised to take off a few days from work to stay with me). Thanks

Wendy is really great, she and a great woman named Sandi have a WLS support service business and they really do great things!

Hey all, I was banded Monday and have been doing pretty well (have lost 11.1 lbs since surgery) and have been taking LORTAB every 4-6 hours apart from when I'm sleeping... have been walking too. Last time I took the meds was 7:10 AM and have been fine until now (10 PM) and there is a severe pain feeling on my right side of my belly... I took the LORTAB 20 min ago but it still really, really hurts. Feels as if something is pushing forward and it's very painful! Any help is appreciated! Thanks -Mark

So I had really intense bad pain in my right abdomen at 1 PM EST today and went straight to my hospital's ER, they did blood tests to check for infection and everything was normal. It went away after half an hour or so but cautiously kept me until 6:30 PM and said to come back if anything happens again.

Oh I said in the first post I would NEVER go against doctor's orders! Just wondering for future.

congrats! I lost my 20 in a week and a half so we should both be proud