Sharpie

Your Dr. should be very happy with your success... As you know it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination..but as you say if you Want TO you can do it... losing as much as you have is a big deal... Thanks for what you do...

be sure you let us know about the recipe book... I have a lot of cookbooks but one specifically for us "bandsters" would be great....I found some really good recipes on BandedLiving.com if you want to explore that...it's also a good site for motivation and good advise...

I know I was very anxious the day before my surgery.. after my surgery I was a little down the first week feeling that I had made a mistake.. however that feeling soon left and I was involved in eating right and starting to walk and move... I am very happy I made the decision to get my band.. I have not felt this good in years.. You will do great.. and will be posting your accomplishments soon...

thank you for clarifying your answer... I did not see in his post that he was taking a time released pain med.. most Dr's would tell you not to crush or cut them... I think the tylenol worked good for me after the first few days....

Okay, my Dr. gave me Loritab and told me to crush them... don't think he would tell me to do that if it was fatal... the tylenol is children's liquid, grape flavor.. I only used the loritab for 2 days and I put it in some juice or something but it was really bitter... My pharmacists also told me it was okay to crush them... in fact they even did that in the hospital so, don't know where all this information came from but it's not true for loritab...

I crushed my pain meds.. then after a few days I did liquid tylenol... it was easier for me to swallow without getting stuck... I have a real fear of that...

at 4 days post op I was sore too, had to stay on my tylenol for a week.. things will improve so much in a few days.. don't try to do too much this is the time to heal... milk of mag made me feel like a new woman... don't let that go too long.

congratulations to all of you for making the decision to get your lives in order... you will be very happy with your results... it's not going to be easy but it does get better in time.. you adapt to a new way to eat... I hope you all have a easy surgery and a comfortable recovery.. I had a few days that I wondered why I did it but after that I was fine. don't worry about dropping a lot of weight at first.. just take your time and get lots of rest, take your pain meds, move around and take care of yourselves.

it's a whole new world for me.. I used to never feel satisfied.. and full was when I was ready to explode.. now, I don't think about food 24/7 only when it's time to eat .. I am trying to only eat if I feel hungry.. hunger for me now is totally different.. I eat 3 meals and sometimes a snack . I try to stay at around 1000 calories a day.. I'm very happy and feel free from the stress of "dieting"...

I went to my support group last week.. most of us are band patients.. there are some bypass people there as well. no sleeves... from what I can tell , the bypass folks looked sickly.. I am convinced that no matter what surgery you have you have to be 200% committed... I know a few bypass people who have ate back up to their original weight and I know there are some who have had lapband over the by pass so it's how much you want it....change is hard and most of us being human don't like change...

My Dr. scared the heck out of me.. he said I had to do the liver shrink or he would not operate or would close me up if the fat was too much.. I followed that diet strictly ... first time in my life I stayed on a diet longer than a week... now with the band I am following his instructions and the nutritionists advice... I do not want to fail.. or do something damaging to my band.. go back to what they told you and you will do fine.

I read that article too.. she sounds like she had some issues that she should have worked on prior to her surgery.. like all of us reasons for over eating are varied.. I love food, grew up on fried chicken, gravy and banana pudding.. still love those things and I relate to those kinds of foods , it brings memories of Sunday dinner at mama;s and special holidays all involving food.. but I would rather be thin and healthy then fat and unhealthy... the girl in the article is young and has had some tough breaks but losing 180 lbs is a big feat...so she needs to fix her head before she regains it all...

oh I just noticed you said having your staples removed? what kind of incision did your dr do? I didn;'t have anything that required staples.. my port site was the largest incision it was about 1 " and had a steri strip on it.. that;s it...

I was thinking oh poor dear she hasn;t been able to wear shoes? I know I have graduated from crocs to real shoes since losing 30 lbs.. but I couldn;t figure out why she couldn;t wear shoes... lol anyway congrats on mushies,, it just gets better after that...

I live in Florida and today it was 80 deg. but I am colder than I used to be but when you lose your insulation that happens... I am really happy to see some warmer weather again. We actually do have cold weather here but probably not what people up North have... I am not a cold weather person so I am happy I live here... but the Summer's can be brutal....it's all in what you like.

not sure about the sleeve did not even consider it once I saw how it was done... I do have a few bypass people in my support group.. they look sickly..one lady was saying how she had pain evrytime she ate.. her hair and skin looked bad.. I think the band is safe even with some of the complications , but each person needs to determine what he/she can live with .. I am personally happy with the band and hope I continue to be successful ...

I believe Carnie Wilson had a band over her bypass.. she is going to be a guest speaker at a weight loss convention in Las Vegas in May... I think you can look it up on google... she apparently put her weight back on after by pass and has gotten a band ...

The scale keeps me focused... I weigh every morning , I believe it either motivates me or makes me mad.. either way I stay on track... sometimes it surprises me.. I had a little birthday cake Sat for my grandaughters birthday and I thought I would gain or surely not lose.. surprise..I lost 1 lb. so the scale has to stay in my bathroom.. probably will be for life now.

congratulations .... you look way too young to have grandbabies .. I am at the beginning of my journey but understand your psychological struggles.. I have another 50 lbs to lose and I already feel better... I decided it was time for me.. it was time to quit worrying about everyone else.. we alway had Sunday family dinners, I would cook all day, nibbling along the way of course, then eat a big dinner.. I thought my family would miss that, but surprisingly they have all started doing their own Sunday dinners, I eat my alotted amount of food and go home happy... my husband who does not have a weight issue eats whatever he wants but he has started eating out or cooking for himself if I don't feel like cooking.. for me after 37 years I feel like I am on vacation.. but it will be worth it in the long run for me to stay healthy.... good luck to you and yours.. you have done a great thing for you and your family.

I found that re-fried beans with some melted cheese or even a little sour cream on it was really good.. lots of protein and I also ate cream of tomatoe soup a lot... experimenting can be fun also. I really was not super hungry at that stage so, I ate a small amount and was done.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery... You will be so happy you did this.. I wondered at first if it was a good decision and had real second thoughts right before but I reasoned that if I didn't do it I would still be struggling a year from now with health issues and being miserable... keep up with this group, there are some long time bandsters on here with a world of information and support. Being a nurse will help you deal with the after effects of the surgery.. God Bless you on your journey.

I used to eat at night , especially after my husband went to bed, so he couldn't see what I was eating.. I would eat huge bowls of ice cream or peanut butter and crackers, chips, anything junky.. always went to bed with a full stomach.. since getting ready to be banded and after being banded if I feel hunger at night I drink something, then go to bed... my eating at night habit has stopped and I am truly sleeping better for the first time in years... I think it;s like any bad habit and can be broken.. mind over matter.

very well said B52, I decided to let people know if they asked... my best friend was the first person I told besides my daughter and husband she was 100% on board... she has seen my struggle for years. Otherwise when people ask that notice my loss, I tell them I had lapband surgery. I am sure they might comment behind my back, but so far none have been brave enough to say anything negative to my face... I dont care what anyone else thinks.. I know this will be a way for me to live a healthier , longer life.

that was one of the first signs for me that I had enough to eat.. a little hiccup or burp.. says You're done.. quite eating.. it's actually pretty neat... mine isn't painful though...

Hopefully you discussed the surgery with your husband before you made the decision to proceed.. however, as an old married lady (37 years) I have learned a thing or two about men.. my husband used to be insanely jelous when I was young and 93 lbs.. so, he wasn't happy about me getting too much attention. I think part of my weight problem was because I wanted to not worry about him being jelous.. then I realized he would have to be the one to change not me.. I of course got older and more mature but I now have to lose weight for my health and he is very supportive.. you have to do what is good for you honey not what is good for him.. maybe he is afraid he will lose you if you get thin.. but that is his insecurity and hopefully he will realize that he will have to stop feeling afraid. good luck to you and I know you will do great....