gowalking

Welcome Penny. I'm across the East River from you...in the West Village. I was banded at NYU in January and have lost 70 lbs. so far. Congrats...it sounds like you are doing great so far and being banded in the summer means that you can walk around outside and do things to keep your mind occupied by being out of the house..

I find that when boredom grazing rears it's ugly head, it's time to do something to take your mind off eating. Take a walk, read a book, do a puzzle, knit, just do anything to focus on something other than food. I have to do that all the time to avoid that mindless eating. Good luck and don't beat yourself up over what you did. Just learn from it and move on.

The first time I ever heard of or tried quinoa was at a destination spa I went to about three years ago. The restaurant at the spa focused on healthier preparation and choices. Turkey burgers instead of beef, gluten-free dishes, vegetarian, etc. Whole wheat breads, organic eggs...all that type of stuff. I was bowled over by how delicious the quinoa was. Glad to see that it is so much more well known now and available pretty much everywhere. I've also seen it substituted for certain pasta dishes and that's always a better alternative than processed food.

5'1" on a good day. Started this journey at 267 though I topped the scales at one point at 276. Was 250 on the day of surgery which was January 14th, 2013 and as of this morning, I'm 198. Was not given a goal weight but my primary care doctor is hoping that I can get down to 150 lbs. If I can hit that number, I'll be very satisfied. I have a tremendous motivator...I have severe arthritis in my right knee and will likely need knee replacement. The ortho surgeon told me in no uncertain terms that unless I lost weight, the surgery would not be successful. When you are facing the possibility of not being able to walk, it's a little easier to stick to the program and do what you have to do..

If you think you need a smaller size, it's likely that you do. I didn't wear smaller sizes till I was about 45 lbs. down. Once I did though...everyone noticed the weight loss.

This is such a great post Mark. I've been thinking of you all this time knowing what you were up against. I was also in the office yesterday...I wonder if we were there at the same time and just didn't know it. Congrats not just for the weight loss but for your attitude which has done a complete 180. I hope mom is soooooo proud of you. I know I am!

Very normal. What's not normal is not being hungry. Almost everyone has no appetite after surgery but it comes back as most can attest to.

congrats! my words of wisdom are just to keep reading the topics on this forum and ask questions if you have any. This site was a life saver for me. I learned more from the posters here than anything I was told at the surgeon. And that also includes the nutritionist.

I am constantly amazed by how many people have this surgery with virtually no clue about how the band works. Please know that this is not a dig at the poster..what it is is a dig at the doctors. Why do they not make sure their patient's understand completely, how the band works? I see people posting all the time and it's obvious by their questions that they do not know the fundamentals. No wonder people fail at this. Sorry about the rant...it's just frustrating to me to see people struggle when you know they don't understand how to work the program.

Good luck. It's not easy but you can do it.

I stayed overnight and it was the right decision. The nurse was there to help me to walk, and to give me my pain meds. No...you don't sleep well but you won't sleep well at home either. It made me feel better to know that if anything went wrong, I was in the best place possible. FYI, my insurance covered this so there was no or very little additional cost.

Probably not. Don't be surprised if you have to go on a documented weight loss program for 3-6 months. Most insurance companies require this as part of their approval process. It will be a good way for you to get ready for the process you'll follow post banding. Good luck.

hang in there. before you know it, you'll be able to sample mom's home cooking again and she won't even know why she was crying when she sees how much healthier you'll be. you're only 8 days out and it will take a while before you are eating regular food...but believe me...you will be. I had a similar feeling to yours...it was just a different scenario. for me, it's eating out with friends and family and how would that change or would I have to stop doing that...which saddened me beyond measure. Well...six months out, it hasn't changed at all. I go to any restaurant someone picks and there is always something better to choose from on the menu and this part of my life hasn't changed at all. It will be the same for you.

yeah...I'm a diet veteran like most of us on this journey. If the scale doesn't start moving down soon, I'll look to change it up a bit and see if that helps. I just wish I could exercise....the knee is worse than ever and I'm going for an MRI next week to see just how bad it is. Knee replacement may come sooner than later....

congrats and good luck. I had Mrs. Dr. Fielding...lol. I'll be in the office tomorrow as a matter of fact. Just a regular follow up....I haven't needed any fills yet so I'm basically in and out at this point. I had a very good experience with the staff during the surgery and in recovery so I know you will do great. I stayed overnight and they took very good care of me.

hey bubie...how are you doing? haven't seen you online recently. everything good?

good luck to you!

Well I knew it would happen eventually. After a spectacular weight loss, I've finally stalled. For the last three weeks I've been up and down a couple of pounds but can't seem to move the scale even though I've not changed my food intake or eating habits. I've been a little tempted to lower my calorie intake but I'm already at or around 1,000 calories a day and I don't think fewer calories will make a difference. Plus I eat healthy so it's not like I'd cut out any bad food choices. So...while this bit of a plateau is a little disappointing, I have to remember I've already dropped 67 pounds since January 1st and have to just power through this. I'm glad I'll be away for a few days next week and won't be focusing on the scale.

I am also in NYC. Who is doing your surgery and out of which hospital? I had my surgery at NYU.

Hi JerseyGirl. I'm your neighbor across the Hudson in NY. I know you are concerned because you don't understand right now how you can feel satisfied on so much less food but as a person banded almost 6 months, I can tell you it's very possible. Understand...you will no longer be full. That does not exist anymore. What you will be looking for is a feeling of not being hungry. That's different than full. It's hard to explain if you haven't been through it but that's the goal here. Some folks do it through multiple fills...some like me do not need any fills. I track my calories and eat around 1,000 a day. I plugged in a typical day of meals that I ate pre-band and it totaled more than 4,000 calories. What that works out to is a loss of 67 lbs. since the pre-op diet.... Good luck, you will do great.

walk, walk, walk. Heating pad helps for some people as well. No BM for several days after surgery.

No laxatives, and don't worry about the two lbs. The 6 month diet is to prove that you are under a doctor's care..it's for insurance purposes and does not impact your surgery. I was on a 'supervised' 3 month diet also for the insurance company. I didn't lose a pound and it did not affect anything.

That is a spectacular NSV. I experienced the same thing when I flew last month. It's not minor at all, it's a massive success. Congrats!

This is not normal. Get an appointment with your dr. right away and tell him/her about your discomfort and inability to eat. I repeat...this is not normal.

I track everything I eat via myfitnesspal. It lets me know how much I am consuming and it works for me. 67 lbs. lost in 5 1/2 months.