Sarah72

I take two adult gummies every day and a Vitamin D. I live in MN, land of the long winter, so like most Minnesotans who stay inside and covered up for most of the winter, I am deficient!

I'm struggling. I'm a lot more active and it helps that I lost about 50 pounds pre-surgery, but now I'm over a month out and officially in "bandster hell" Rediscovered my bike and we've been taking lots of bike rides so I know thats been helping. I need to update my weight ticker because I weighed myself today and am under 330 now. Happy about that, but not as much weight as I'd have liked. I am eating less, and some of the temptations aren't as hard to pass by, but I've only had one fill and knowing that this is only a tool and it's still going to take a lot of hard work helps. Looking forward to getting to the infamous "green zone" though! Have another fill in a couple of weeks.

I had surgery on July 25 and had my first fill on August 20th. It's been rough. Those first few weeks I was sore and tired, but hungry. I was 3/4 of a pound over what I was when I had surgery. My doctor gave me a hard time about it. This morning I weighed myself and I'm down 2 pounds below my lowest weight so I was happy. Not feeling restriction yet, but I'm more active. I'm riding bike again (haven't done that in probably 10 years!) and walking more. My clothes are getting looser so I know things are happening. Hang in there and good luck!

I adore my c-pap machine. I got it in March and sleep so much better. When I had my sleep study, I was averaging about 130 episodes per HOUR of my body waking up. That's crazy! I would fall asleep watching a movie, I would nod off in the car (if hubby was driving) and there were times I'd feel my head bob at work (I work with preschoolers, so that was quite the feat!) Now that I've been sleeping with a c-pap every night, those things don't happen. In fact, I fell asleep watching television with my husband just the other night and it was the first time I've done that since March. It had been a busy day and I was exhausted! I can't imagine sleeping without it now. My 5-year-old calls it my "elephant nose"! It's pink and pretty and I love it!

My out of pocket was over $1200. Was not expecting it to be that much. The psych clinic is in my medical clinic and ended up being out of network for my insurance. I was annoyed, but what do you do? One of those hoop, I guess!

Had my tubes tied with my last c-section Works for me!

Thank you! May God bless your day and always!

I was banded on the 25th, too! I'm finding these boards so informative and supportive! I'm so ready to get through this "healing" stage and get on with the rest of my life. I have my first fill on the 20th of August and am excited about it!

Just because she doesn't want people to know doesn't mean she isn't ready for the surgery. When I first started the process, I felt the exact same way. I was ashamed and embarrassed because I felt like I had failed at weight loss. My husband had just finished losing over 100 pounds through diet and exercise and I felt like an utter and complete failure. Even though, I knew if I wanted to be healthy. When I admitted that WLS could help me with this, I broke down and cried. I needed to do something drastic and with my husband's complete support I went to the meeting. Now, 8 months later and 10 days post-op, EVERYBODY knows, lol! Not only that, I have not run into anyone who has made me feel bad or ashamed about it!

It gets better. The first week of my pre-op was so hard. I think I was going through carb withdrawals! It was HORRIBLE! I'm a week and a day post-op and I can look back and say it was worth it. By the second week, it wasn't too bad and this past week, I've been able to sit and drink my Soup while the family chews their dinner and not really miss it. Keep at it, my friend! It is worth it in the end!

I was just banded last week, but have lost 50 pounds since I've started the process. It's HARD! My advice to you is to take it day by day, hour by hour, meal by meal and bite by bite. The best advice I've gotten during my journey is this: When you feel "hungry", ask yourself these questions--"Am I REALLY hungry or am I bored, emotional, etc...", "Am what I am about to put in my mouth worth it and how is it going to benefit me?" Sometimes, that piece of chocolate cake IS worth it, but most of the time. No, it's not. I make sure I really take the time to chew and savor each thing I put in my mouth. Take time to enjoy the texture and the flavor. Don't just eat it because it tastes good. Eat it because it is something you truly enjoy and make it a treat for yourself, not something you eat because you can. I don't keep treats in the house because then I eat them. I make them hard to get to. If I'm wanting ice cream, then I have to take the effort to go and get it and I only get ONE serving. Not enough to bring home and eat whenever I want because then it's not a TREAT. You know what? I rarely have ice cream anymore, but when I do... Boy, do I ENJOY it!! When having a treat makes you feel guilty and depressed, it is not a treat. I used to walk past the fridge and open it because it was there. Everytime I opened it, I found something to eat. Maybe a slice of cheese, or a meat stick, or whatever. I don't open the fridge anymore unless I have somethng that I'm opening it for. It's not worth the temptation to me. Every day, every hour, every meal. Ask yourself these questions. Am I REALLY hungry? Why am I eating? What am I eating? Is what I'm putting in my mouth worth the calories and what it is going to do to my body? Day by day, hour by hour, meal by meal. You CAN make the right choices and you can make the band work for you. It's just a tool, not a miracle worker!

I'm a week out now and after a rough weekend am starting to feel better and felt hungry for the first time this morning. What a wierd thing! I have my post-op tomorrow and am hoping to be able to start mushies. Feel free to add me. From what I understand, from this point to where we get some restriction with fills is the toughest. I'm 50 pounds down from my highest weight in February so I'm feeling pretty confident that I can do this. It is hard sitting down and watching the family eat while I sip on Soup, though! Slow and steady, right?

Amen! Ephesians 5:8 says that "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." I am trying to live my life as a child of light, mentally, spiritually and physically! Every pound gone is one pound less that is pulling me down!

Congratulations on your weight loss! I have my post-op tomorrow. I was banded 7/25-a week ago! My highest weight was back in January or February where I weighed in at 383. I was mortified. Last week, on surgery day, I was down to 338 and up to 344 the next day due to Water retention, swelling and IV fluids. Today, when I stepped on the scale, I was 333!! 50 pounds GONE! Again, congratulations! I'm looking forward to seeing what the "official" number is tomorrow!