bchooks

I feel restriction, but I can certainly eat around it. The lap band is there to help you while you make the lifestyle change required to be a healthy weight. You have to WANT it!

Let's see...where do I begin? I think I should start by letting you all know that I am 30 pounds from my goal weight. I had my surgery in October of this year...just a couple of months ago...literally. Since then, I have lost 16 pounds. However, I lost an even greater amount of weight before my surgery. I have lost a total of 67 pounds since beginning my journey of weight loss back in June of this year.
Now, I have to tell you that I am not your "normal" lapband patient. Nope! I eat normal...chicken, beef, popcorn...you name it, I can eat it. I swallow pills...regular pills...Not a problem. I live my life normal. BUT~~my normal is not YOUR normal. We are all different.
My lapband is NOT the reason I have lost ANY of my weight...not even the 16 pounds since my surgery. Why? Because I made a conscience decision to begin eating healthier way before my surgery. I had already begun to get in the mindset of eating smaller portion...that is something "most skinny folks" do already. I had already begun making wiser choices in my food preparations. I had a healthy mindset.
So why did I get lapband surgery? Because I wanted a backup plan. Yep! I had to gain weight three weeks before my surgery in order to make the cut off line of weight limit. We are not talking 20 pounds...only like 7 or so. I have always had the yoyo thing going on with weight gain and loss. So, gaining it was a breeze! Now, what I can say is that I have conditioned my mind and my body to eat "normal". And if my normal is 1/2 a cup...fine. If my normal is 3/4 cup fine. If my normal is 1 whole cup..GREAT! The deal is that my body is now working with my band. I am not overeating. I have never thrown up. I have a grasp on my life. I have a NEW life!
But~~YOU may be different. And if so, just remember, just as I have a testimony, I also have had many tests...and I am certain I will have more! So, as you are going forward with your journey, remember you are awesome, and your journey is YOUR journey. You are an individual and what works for one person may not work for another. Smile! And you will have a story to tell! :-)

A week today and I am still here when I definitely thought I was dying this whole week!!! I made it yay!!!!

Thanks for the wisedom from your experience!!

I still do that from time to time old habits are to hard to breck but that's what this trip is all about learning....Thanks for reminding us about the beginning

Chew, chew, chew......

Because gas-x isn't helping, I am guessing it's the gas they pump into your abdominal cavity during surgery. Because it's not in your digestive track, there really isn't anything you can take to help it except pain killers if it does go from uncomfortable to painful. The best thing you can you do is walk a lot to help your body re-absorb it. Some find a heating pad helps ease it, too.
Best wishes to you.

normally i write about alittle (silly) success story.
today, i got a really good success story.
last night i saw clay aiken in a christmas concert. LOVED IT
the parking deck is next to the concert hall and its 5 levels.
we parked on the 4th level.
i am writing to let you know that i walked
DOWN and after the show UP 4 flights of stairs.
did you read that? me who couldnt walk 10 feet without dying and gasping for air was going down and then up stairs...
yes it hurt that last little bit but i kept going.
5 months ago, there would not have been a chance in hell that i could have done that but you know what, i can now
wanted to share.
thanks for reading.

Thank you all so much! I am excited for you all as well. Nothing can describe the relief I felt when I woke up to hear congratulations from my mom. I knew then the surgery was a success and I am on my way to a new person physically and mentally! Again, thank you all so much! <3

Congratulations! I was banded in Oct and I must say that I am happier than I have ever been. This forum has been a lifesaver so keep us close so we can answer all ur questions or lend an ear if you need to vent.

This morning I stood on my scale and I am down 2 pounds. Now, this is unofficial as I only count my doctors weigh in as official. But, what it tells me is I was a success over the Thanksgiving holiday.
What did I do?
Well, I had a wonderful meal with my family, turkey, stuffing, yams, green Beans and pumpkin pie. So, why was I successful? I had lap-band portions and I took small bites, chewed a bunch and waited 1 minute between bites. I even had a glass of wine before dinner.< /p>
I just want any newly banded or thinking about getting banded person to know that you can be successful during the holidays. Just create a game plan and STICK TO IT!

Best wishes for ongoing success!

YAY!! Grats on everything going well and welcome to your new life long journey!! I wish you all the best hun!

Congratulations!!!! My surgery date is December 17. I am excited and nervous. I wish you the best of luck in your journey!

Yay, I had my surgery today! I was so scared my doctor wasn't gonna be able to do it because my liver didn't shrink enough but boy was I wrong, actually I lost 14 lbs!!!!!! I wasn't able to do the liquid diet due to other health issues so he told me to do the low Carb high Protein diet, and it payed off! He told me my liver was perfect! Yay me!!!! Now the journey began and I am super excited!!!!!

I'm lactose intolerant too, so I feel your pain.
Did your surgeon give you a specific amount of weight you have to lose before your surgery? Otherwise, I would not worry about it. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so they can see everything easier when they are performing your surgery. If your surgeon told you that lean Protein and veggies are alright on your pre-op, follow his instructions and you will be alright. But I would avoid the typical thanksgiving foods and pack yourself a small meal or a shake. You will definitely be able to enjoy a little bit of turkey, mashed potatoes, etc in the future but you have to be really strict at this point.
Keep up the great work.

Hi ya x I was the same as you x nervous about loosing enough weight and its more about shrinking the liver. Don't stress just do what your doing and u will be fine. As long as you are cutting out the fat in ur diet u will be ok x xx x

I just had surgery on November 6th. Very excited that as of this morning, I am officially down 25 pounds! I lost 15 pounds on my pre op diet and another 10 pounds since my surgery.
I know the goal while I a healing is not to lose weight but I was super excited!