DidThis4Me

Kimberley, I already added you as a friend on my profile. :-)

Today is a very hungry day for me....Perhaps watching football with the hubby is subconsciously affecting me. Normally, I'd be munching on pizza, ribs, or carne asada nachos right about now. Instead, I'm drinking water, halfway watching the game, and focusing on the big picture (what I need to do every minute of every day to reach my goal). I'm sure the hunger is mostly head hunger, but that doesn't make it any easier. Being connected to others who understand DOES help. :-)

Shady121, I agree with you also. This site is not very user friendly. I am still trying to figure some stuff out here. Keep up the good work on the exercise. I need to work on that area! :-)

Hi Kimberley, I feel the same way. I am not computer savvy either, and I don't do much social networking. I come on this site constantly because I need all of the support I can get. I was banded on 12/28/12 also. I would love to be buddies also. It's good having someone to talk to that can relate to what you're going thru. We can all get thru this together! Good luck! :-)

Yes, unfortunately, for some of us, the gas can last for quite a while. I had gas for about a week, and the headache was caused by the anti-nausea medicine. I didn't have too much nausea, so once I stopped taking the nausea medicine, the headaches went away. For the gas, the gas-x strips worked wonders, along with walking the floor constantly. You will get through it. Good luck! :-)

Hello All! I was banded on 12/28/12. I have lost 17 pounds since my surgery. I too became very hungry when the swelling went down, and I find I am also able to eat more if I allow myself to. I have fallen off of the wagon a few times, like when I had to go out of town last week for a funeral, but I really try to adhere to the 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day, eating and drinking very slowly (mostly protein). This is definitely one of the biggest challenges for me because I have always been one to inhale my food and drinks! I get my first fill this Thursday (Jan 24th). I am nervous, but also looking forward to seeing what actual restriction feels like.

Lol! We've all used that baby weight excuse, haven't we? Thanks so much for the feedback and good luck with your success as well! :-)

My weight has been a constant struggle since the birth of my first child (around 25 years ago). I have been on nearly every diet invented. I have spent thousands of dollars and have pretty much tried some form of all of the diet fads known to man: -Weight loss pills (Phentermine, Phen-Fen, Cal ban, Metabolife, Healthy Trim, Hoodia, The Amazon Diet, Zendo Dieter's capsules, Green Coffee Bean capsules, etc.) -Weight Watchers -Weight loss teas -HCG injections (spent nearly $1k) -Medifast, Slimfast, Nutrisystem -Body wrapping -Lipo Dissolve (spent around $3k on this) -Cabbage Soup Diet -Mayo Clinic Diet -d**k Gregory Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet -Grapefruit Diet -Low Carb Diet Trust me, I could go on A-L-L-L-L day. I had some successes over the years, but the weight would always come back with a vengeance. I stayed on the prescription diet pills for many years, always concerned that they would affect my organs. I knew I couldn't stay on them forever, but whenever I tried to stop taking them, the weight would pile back on. Around 5 years ago, I managed to get down to around 175. I gave away all of my clothes and vowed that I would NEVER allow myself to go over 200 again. Once again, I got off of the pills, and once again, I regained all of my weight within 2 years. When I hit 40, NOTHING worked any more. Not even the pills. Since they no longer worked, I got off of them altogether and simply gave up. I ate WHATEVER I wanted, WHENEVER I wanted. I told myself that I work hard, so I shouldn't deny myself of anything that I want, even if what I wanted was carne asada nachos at midnight. I hid behind designer clothes, purses and jewelry to try to draw attention away from my expanding waistline. I'm just being honest. I ballooned up to 230 pounds, which is the most weight I have ever had on my 5'1 frame. I looked and felt miserable. I avoided cameras at all times. I no longer felt attractive to my husband or to myself. My back and knees started bothering me, and I was constantly out of breath. That was when I decided to look into the Lap Band procedure. Exactly 3 weeks after the operation, I am 16 pounds lighter (20 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight), and I am in a good place. I feel like I finally have hope. I will have my first fill next week, and although I admit I am a bit nervous (especially after some of the posts I have read on here), I am looking forward to my journey towards finding my "sweet spot". I also intend to utilize the gym membership that I am still paying for once my doctor clears me to do so. This is my story TODAY. I am now 100% committed to this new journey, which is why I finally made the decision to post my picture. I cannot be ashamed of the path that I have chosen to take. If I don't take my journey seriously, who else will??? Today, I choose life. I choose to take my health back. I choose to believe that I have made the right choice for ME, and that the band WILL work for me, as long as I work with the band. I will be drawing upon the strength and support of all of my fellow bandsters here, and will be updating my story periodically as I reach new successes. Feel free to add me as a friend if you wish. There is strength in numbers.

Hi Ardith, Here is a link to Overeaters Anonymous: http://www.oa.org/membersgroups/find-a-meeting/ They have online and telephone meetings where you can connect with people from all over the country. And of course, this Lapbandtalk.com site is tremendously supportive. I log on here several times a day. Good luck. :-)

I started taking the Twinlab Bariatric Support Chewable mutli vitamins immediately after my surgery, along with their liquid B vitamins. So far, no hair loss. :-)

Today was rough for me too. I'm almost 3 weeks post op. I had an extremely nagging craving for a hamburger and a milkshake today. Instead of caving in and rationalizing like I normally would (I work hard so I deserve this, it's early in the day, I'll get back on track tomorrow, etc), I prayed for the strength to resist. I drank as much water as I could hold, and instead of having that milkshake, I had a serving of plain greek yogurt with a packet of Truvia and a dash of vanilla, and that helped with the milkshake craving (ice cream has always been one of my weaknesses). Some days are better than others, but Sojourner is right: We DO have to make an early commitment and stick to it. Otherwise, every day will end up being a restart day. I'm considering joining Overeaters Anonymous to help me work through some of my issues. Good luck.

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1. Being light enough for my husband to carry me into the bedroom. 2. Being able to shop at normal stores. 3. Being able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. 4. Being able to give away all of my clothes, including the ones I can't yet fit back into. 5. Being able to fit into my rings also without having circulation cut off. 6. Not having to buy ww shoes 7. Not having to look around to see if I'm the biggest person in a room or at a gathering.

I told my husband, my mother, my two sisters, my supervisor, and two co-workers (one of which just got a gastric sleeve) before I had the surgery. All were very supportive, with the exception of one of the co-workers, who used to be my dining out buddy. I did not tell anyone else yet. My co-workers are extremely nosy and I'm sure they will be speculating when I return to work 25 lbs smaller (15 lost so far). I don't care. I just didn't want to hear their negativity before the surgery. Also, quite honestly, I too was afraid of failure. Now that the scale is finally moving in the right direction after all of these years, nothing they say will phase me. :-)

Ok, I feel better knowing I am not the only one who strayed from the shakes and mushies. :-) Since my surgery, I have mostly been having soup, plain Chobani yogurt (with a dash of vanilla extract and a Truvia packet) , low carb protein shakes, and v8 juice, but I have also had a few dark moments of eating soft solids only a week post-band (like meatloaf and chicken breast). I have since switched back to the shakes and yogurt because I am afraid of damaging my band. I have not been keeping a food journal, though I know I need to start. My first fill is on the 24th. Port site is still a little sore so I'm not looking forward to the fill. Keep up the good work. :-)

Wow! 19 pounds? Impressive. I was banded the same day and I have lost 15 pounds so far. I am very hungry and very irritated. I have not been as dedicated as it sounds like you have.