LeslieW

Wow look at that sexy guy! Congrats!!! Awesome job!

It certainly is visible! I can't see it in myself either but other people do. I think that is just a side effect of being a heavier person. We never quite see what other people see unless we look at pictures. You are doing great!!

Best of luck to you!!

I was not allowed to lift more than 20lbs for 8 weeks after surgery. The doctor said he had only had one female flip their port but he has had several men flip one from moving things from refrigerators to falling off a roof while the guy was trying to lay new shingles. That scared me enough to wear my hubby lifted everything for me. I was able to swim again at 6 weeks but no idea about the ocean.

That is fantastic! My husband is thinking about getting the sleeve. I am happy with my band but ready to support him too. You are an inspiration! Seeing your progress makes me happy!

Girl use that Vicodin. That is what they give it to us for. I hate taking pain meds but I had to post op. I had to sleep in my recliner for two weeks. There was no way i could have gotten through sleeping at night without it. It will get better, promise. The pain goes away and in two weeks you are going to be back to doing things you need to do. Just give yourself time. If you have a good support system, let them take care of you. You can do it. Walk, walk, walk for the gas pains. That was the only thing that helped my pain. The vicodin just helped me sleep at night.

I am sorry I have not blogged in a while. Life got busy and is about to get busier. I promised when I started blogging to tell the good and the bad so here goes.. Last month was a ton of bad. Not the bands fault. However, it was easy for me to blame the band and say WTH when it was me trying to sabotage myself all along. Not only did my weight loss come to a screaming halt, I gained 4lbs back in one week. One day I felt great and the next I felt no restriction. It was like I never had anything done. For some weird reason I freaked out and started eating and eating to try to feel "full". I am still not quite sure why I did that. I "know" what my portions should be and how I should eat. I do not know why I was looking for that "full" feeling other than I reverted back to eating for comfort which is something I thought I had conquered. Apparently not. So I went in for my monthly check up with my doctor with my b***h on. I was furious I gained weight, convinced I should have done another surgery, pissed at the world because "What if I did all this and am fat forever?" Now, my doc is a no bullshit kind of guy. He doesn't do well with whining because he has the band himself and he knows whats up. Its like a teenager getting caught sneaking out of the house by a parent who already did all that when they were a teenager. You can't really get anything past this guy. So he comes in the room and says What's going on? Are you drinking your calories? Are you partying? Are you eating a ton of carbs? *Bingo* the Carb alarm goes off. I don't drink and seriously with 6 kids who the hell has time to party? But I was eating baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes. They went down well. I had stopped recording all my calories and was only going to the gym 3 days a week. He told me absolutely no veggies that grow under the ground from now on. Exercise 3 times a week was only going to maintain for me so he wants 45 minutes 7 days a week. *faint* My poor inner fat girl wanted to cry. He asked me what exactly did I expect? The weight was not going to pack its bags and take off on its own. I had gotten lazy again because the band had been working so well for me that I thought I didn't have to work anymore. We did another fill and guess what? I had to re learn how to eat! I thought it was too tight for a bit but it was my bad habits again. It was hard the first week after the fill. I got stuck and finally learned what people mean when they say they "slimed". It is gross and a horrible feeling and completely my fault again. I got complacent. I got lazy again and looked for anyone but myself to lash out at. This month I am back on track. I have learned that eating a lot during the day is not going to be something I will ever do again. I have very small meals now but I am not looking for the feeling of "full" anymore. I understand now that is not what I need. I need to make sure I don't get dizzy or light headed from not having enough food. Feeling "full" is too much. I have replaced all the potatoes I was eating with squash or zucchini. I replaced a lot of the meat I was eating with fish because it has a lot of protein that I desperately need. I need to make sure that every single day I push my body just for a little while. I need to make sure I am helping the band work. Not expecting it to do all the work. I lost sight of the fact this band is a tool not a cure. This month I lost all the weight I had gained back. I made it to the next decade down. Since seeing the doctor 3 weeks ago I have lost 8 lbs. I feel great. I am not going to be "fat" or should I say "unhealthy" forever. I have forgiven myself for slipping up. I think maybe that is the most important thing. I have owned the mistake and forgiven myself for it. I will never come on here and bash this tool and say it is evil or its all the bands fault things are not working out for me. The band is an inanimate object. Not capable of either being good or bad or having choices. We control it. We decide how it works for us. The thing I want people to take from this is if you are in a stall or a plateau right now really look at everything. See maybe the tiny things you might be doing. Do NOT get angry. Try to stay calm and look at it from all angles. Write down everything. Write down how you are feeling emotionally, what are you eating, when are you eating? Once I started keeping logs again I figured out what was wrong. Don't give up hope and don't take it out on yourself or the band. It's just a matter of figuring out where the roadblock is and you will be back on track. Keep your head up. It does not have to come off over night. The goal is to be healthy. You are on track for that already. I have gone from 305 to 259 since January 11. I am going slow but I am doing it. All I can ask of myself is to be nicer to me.

Keep on trucking! Most of us slow down at about that time period. Keep your eye on how the clothes fit and all your NSVs to get you through the slow downs. Sounds like you are doing wonderful!

Congrats on reaching your goal! That is wonderful!!

I haven't been on the boards for a little bit but I think this is a wonderful topic to have. I am currently a CMA going back to school for my RN. I am worried about how I will fit in the meals I need with school and clinicals. I have been told not to even think about trying to have a job for the next 2 years. I am sure I will be carrying lots of Protein shakes with me. I had my surgery in January so I do not have to worry about lifting restrictions anymore. I am more worried about eating to fast and getting stuck or not eating at all. I do forget unless I schedule my meals. I have also told everyone around me about my surgery. Sometimes I even tell the servers when I go out to eat. I got tired of getting the stink eye when I didn't eat much food or managers falling all over me because they assume I do not like the food. I figured my close friends and family will either be supportive or not. Right now I don't have any co-workers to tell but I would think being in a profession where you have to lift you would want to tell people you need assistance at least. I was not allowed to lift over 30 lbs for 3 months after surgery because my doctor did not want us to flip the port and have to have revision. laralen02---- lol I had to laugh at the cosmetic surgery and boob job comment. People can be so funny.

I really had to make myself NOT compare our journeys. There are so many things the same but a lot different too. Its hard when you are so close. lol Girls are naturally competitive with each other. I did hide her scale once lol. She was obsessing. I gave it back a week later. Now she threatens to come get mine. haha

I would agree with the others and say get a second opinion. A male friend of mine had his port flip last year and had to have a revision. It set him back about 6 weeks but after that he did very well. Unless there is some other reason the doctor thinks you should get the sleeve a port revision is not a great reason by itself. Plus if you are an insurance patient I would think getting a sleeve would be a great deal harder after having lapband paid for than a port revision would be.

Thank you =). I am playing head games with myself now I think. I have a friend who did the sleeve a month after I did band and she is dropping weight so much faster. I could not really tell I had lost any until she told me I needed to do a side by side picture comparison. She said everyone but me can see it. I am glad I did. I don't feel frustrated anymore. I know I am losing slower and that is ok. Just the big girl in me wanted to wake up skinny. The smart girl knows that is not going to happen and wouldnt be healthy if it had. Thanks for all the encouragement!

Some of the others were inspiring me so i thought I would dig around for some before pics. Mind you it was hard to find since I never let anyone take my pics... But Highest weight was 305. I am at 264 as of this morning. Surgery was 01/11/13. It is not coming off as fast as I would like but seeing the picture makes me realize it is actually coming of. I think I will take more pictures a long the way to help with my self esteem. I do not see myself as any different from the Christmas picture. But the camera doesnt lie. I need to get some full body pics next. Oh the horror of the thought! lol

Congrats! I was banded on 1-11-13 and have also lost 40lbs! You look amazing but the smile tells the story! =)