bsellis

Well I thought I'd do a little update since it has been awhile. I'm 3 months out from my surgery on Aug 9th. I'm currently weighing in at 304 lbs. That is 60 lbs down from before my pre-op diet. I feel great and couldn't be happier with the results. A couple of weeks ago I slacked off on my exercising and didn't do anything for an entire week. I didn't feel good but that's really not an excuse. To get me back on track I bought a dry erase board to log my daily exercise. It's also to keep up with how many reps I do with my weights so I can start increasing those gradually. I also purchased a fit bit which I love. It keeps up with how many steps I take, miles walked, calories burned... you get the picture. I have it linked to my fitness pal so it will take off calories burned. It's really handy and very motivating. Well my one big goal was to be under 300 lbs by Christmas but it looks like I might hit that goal by Thanksgiving. I've had a ton of NSV's so I'm going to list a few of those here. 1. Going shopping from my closet - I've had a lot of cute shirts just sitting in my closet bc they were too small. Now they fit!! 2. Bought some pants from a regular dept store- I actually bought some pants from Kohl's a couple of weeks ago. I haven't been able to shop anywhere but Lane Bryant in years!! 3. Seat belt doesn't pinch me and stays clasped now- I was having an issue with my hips/thighs being too wide so the seat beat in my vehicle wouldn't latch properly and would come undone while I was driving down the road. Fits great now! 4. No more Meraligia Paresthetica!! This is a big one bc it was causing me so much pain. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a nerve on your outer thigh that gets pinched bc of extra weight. It causes numbess, pain and burning. It got so bad for me that I would wake up at night and the pain would be so intense it would take about 20 minutes of slowly moving my leg around until I could get up. It always happened if I ended up on my back. I'm having ZERO issues with this now. 5. NO fast food. Fast food was my weakness and probably one of the main reasons I weighed so much. I haven't had a burger and fries in over 4 months and when I think about it doesn't even sound good. If we do grab fast food I pick subway or chick-fil-a (cool chicken wrap with no dressing is amazing). 6. Decrease in blood pressure meds. I was able to go on a lower dose of BP meds which also happens to save me $50 a month ($60 rx is now a $10 rx). 7. No more kidney pain/frequent UTI's. The last several years I've had kidney pain and stones, and frequent UTI's. I drank a lot of diet soda and little water. Now I drink a lot of water and no soda. 8. I really do have a collar bone. I know this is silly to some but this is my favorite NSV. It's so weird to feel it after not being able to for so long that I find I touch it alot without thinking. Yes I'm weird but I'm totally ok with that. These are just a few but there are many more. It amazes me that so much has changed already even though I have a long way to go. I can't wait to see what the next four months will bring!!! Believe

I guess it could indirectly be related to weight loss if it's caused by crossing your legs. That's not something easily done until you've lost enough weight. I had the same issue but like what was already said it was due to my sciatic nerve. This happened in Feb of this year and I still have numbness and some pain on the outside of my right leg and the top of my foot and toes even though my back pain is now gone. Luckily it only caused my foot to drop for the first month. Good luck!

My doctor says if you can eat a 6 inch sandwich from subway then it's time for a fill. Now that's scientific. Lol!!

I met my goal weight 8 days early! Weighed in at 312 yesterday 10-23. Whoo-hoo!

That is exactly how I felt after my first fill. I didn't even care that I wasn't eating I just wanted to drink some water without pain. I ended up getting an unfill and had immediate relief. Good luck!

Moderation is the answer... Thank you for saying that! I'm doing excellent on my weight loss so far and guess what? I eat carbs and occasionally snack. Just last night I had a skinny cow ice cream bar but it was after I walked 2 1/2 miles. I've had chips but it was a single serving package and it was the baked kind. I've had pizza but it was just one piece. I still stay between 850-1000 calories a day but I'm not going to be miserable and deprive myself of everything that I like. I know the chips are sliders and pizza is not the best choice but I feel like I'm working hard so occasionally (not all the time mind you) I can make that choice. And the best part? I don't feel guilty at all. This is a lifestyle change not a diet and that is how I've approached this process. I will not drink my calories though. That is something I will not budge on right now but maybe when I'm in the maintance phase I will go get something from Starbucks. Who knows?

I think patient education is just as important as the actual procedure of having the band placed. We were given 'rules' to go by and were told if you don't go by the rules you won't be successful. (The top rule being no drinking your calories.) It's easy to cheat but my thinking is why would you want to? Why would you go to such drastic measures as having wls just to abuse it? I totally see the point of your post but I knew this before I even had the surgery. Unfortunately this isn't always the case. I would just encourage people who are looking into wls to research surgeons and find one that offers a lot of education and support.

I have found Chick-Fil-A to be the best fast food restaurant. Sometimes we have to eat on the go. Tonight was one of those nights. I got a grilled chicken wrap. 320 calories and 38 grams of protein. They'll ask what dressing you want on the side but I would just say NO to the dressing or if you absolutely have to have it go with fat free. I also like to get the grilled ckn nugget kids meal with fruit instead of waffle fries. Yummo!

I knew I hadn't ran across this topic before but I thought I would give it a shot. I will definitely be checking with my dr. Thanks!

Has anyone else had issues with their gums bleeding after surgery? I'm almost 2 months post-op now and I'm having some major bleeding when flossing my teeth. I take really good care of my teeth and go to the dentist every 6 months. I haven't had a cavity in over 10 years. I'm taking a multi-vitamen and Calcium supplement daily. I noticed this increase in bleeding gums about 3 weeks ago. It makes me think it's a nutrient issue?? Well now my gums feel irritated and my teeth hurt. I think this is because I've been chewing more since my first fill last week (although I spent 5 days on liquids). Maybe I'm overdoing it on the chewing. I think I'll eat soft foods over the weekend and see if that helps.

65% of the message content in a communication exchange is made up of nonverbal language (i.e., body language, intonation) therefore, one must understand this if they are going to participate in communicating through social media sites via the interwebs . This is why people take things the wrong way and think people are being rude when in all actuality they are just trying to be helpful. I'm a big fan of texting and I've had issues with people taking things the wrong way. It happens to everyone!! Except my mother who can't figure out how to text and doesn't even know how to get on the internet (how are we related??).

Name, real or screen~ Brandy Goal weight for October 31st~ 313 Weight on October 1st~ 321 Age~ 36 City/State~ Conway, AR Dietary goal for October~ Eat more fruit/veggies Exercise goal for October~ Walk no less than 5 times per week Personal goal for October~ Organize and clean out closet Date banded~ 08-09-13 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 43 lbs since pre-op (7-25) Favorite Halloween Activity~ Throwing my annual Halloween party!!

Thank you! And yes I called first thing Monday morning and went in to get an unfill. It was only getting worse and I started having really bad reflux while trying to sleep Sunday night. I had 1.5 of my 2 cc's removed. I feel great now. I guess I may just be sensitive or something. I guess everyone is different. The crazy thing is that I do feel restriction. I'm not hungry like I was before and get satisfied from smaller amounts than before. Of course this could change anytime. I was already scheduled for my second fill a week from today and my surgeon said to go ahead and come in. I think I will choose to get a very small fill like .5 or 1 cc if I need it. He did say that you could feel a little tighter but if it's tight and hasn't gotten better in 48 hours then an unfill is warrented. This is definitely a learning process!!

So when you say you're swollen for 3 weeks does that mean you just have to be careful what you eat and have some discomfort? Yeah I don't know the reasoning behind it but she said it's something the surgeon likes done on everyone's first fill. I figured if I'm not feeling better by Monday I'll call them. I know that some people have to stay on liquids longer after a fill and I'm fine with that but I would like to consume my liquids without the pain!!

Well I wasn't prepared to be this uncomfortable with my first fill. I went Wednesday and the nurse explained that the first time they like to fill the band completely up and then let out saline. So she filled it up with 10 cc's, had me sit up and take a couple of sips. The pressure was intense and I started getting nauseated. She then removed some and had me sip water until I guess she decided 2 cc's were good. I felt fine until that night while trying to sleep. I tossed and turned bc I could feel the pressure of the band and it was really uncomfortable. Yesterday I maybe got in 10 ounces of water/hot tea but it just hurt so bad I didn't want to drink. I tried a SF popcicle and experienced sliming for the first time. Today isn't much better. I should be able to do soft foods but that's not happening. I'm just trying to force myself to drink. I'm really hoping this passes soon. I'm assuming this is normal bc of swelling right?? Will this happen with all of them or is the first fill the worst? They already scheduled me for my 2nd and 3rd fill in 2 and then 4 weeks from the first. I'm already dreading it.

I also had my first fill today and I couldn't fill anything at the port site. However, they like to fill the band completely up (10 cc's) and then remove fluid. She said they just do this on the first fill. Omgish it was not pleasant. Once it got to 10 cc's I got nauseated and a little dizzy. The dizziness was probably bc I was trying not to breath. She ended up leaving 2 cc's and I go back in 2 weeks and then 2 weeks after that for my 2nd and 3rd fills.

I'm a little over 4 weeks post op with no fills yet and I do about 800 calories a day. 100-200 for breakfast, 200-300 for lunch and 300-400 for dinner. I try to get 60 grams of protein and 40 minutes of cardio 5 times a week. I keep track of every single calorie I consume (even vitamins) and the weight continues to come off. I figure if you keep your calories low then you can't help but lose weight. Good luck!

So my last entry I was on my pre-op diet and now as of today I've had my band for 4 weeks! My first week post-op I did have some moments of 'what did I do to myself', but luckliy that passed. It has definitely been a learning experience and will continue to be one I'm sure. It's hard work but it's rewarding to see the pounds falling off. I'm up to walking about 2 1/2 miles 3-5 time per week. I'm eating 800 calories a day. I will say that I am looking forward to a fill. My appetite was non-existent at first but it has come back with a vengence. At this point I am having to use will power but that's ok because I know it's part of the process. I love the fact that I can eat a small portion and feel satisfied. I can finish my meal feeling good about myself instead of feeling guilty that I ate to much. It is an adjustment because I still get the 'head hunger'. For example, I made tacos the other night and that is one food I would stuff myself on. Instead of having a taco in a flour tortilla I made a small salad with shredded lettuce and had some refried beans on the side. Although I was satisfied my head was wanting to stuff myself silly on tacos. This is where I would fail at losing weight before the surgery. Before the surgery I would have gave in and stuffed myself on tacos. Now I know I can't unless I want to be sick or risk hurting my band. Oh yeah on a side note lettuce does not agree with me at all!! I will try it again sometime but it will be awhile. Ok back to the head hunger. I think the more I live this new healthy lifestyle the cravings and longings to pig out on my favorite foods will deminish. I think it will be like when I quit smoking almost 6 months ago. I remember even 2 months after I quit I would get these strong cravings for a cigarette. This has gotten better over time and will continue to get better. Now to the most frustrating part of this entire process (for me anyway)... the dreaded SCALE. I am just not getting along with my scale. I weighed 350 the morning of my surgery and 2 weeks out I weighed 329. Now it's been 2 weeks later and I'm still at 329, but in the last two weeks my clothes have continued to get loosier and I can tell I'm losing weight. The scale just isn't saying so. This is really frustrating. I tell myself I'm not going to weigh but I do it anyway. I think I might need to remove the scale from the bathroom and hide it for awhile. Yep, sounds like a good plan! I think as long as I'm counting my calories (thank you My Fitness Pal!), getting exercise in and can tell I'm losing then I don't need a stupid scale. It just brings me down to see the numbers staying the same. Ok one last thing. I haven't had anything sweet in at least 6 weeks but tonight I'm going to make some Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cups from a website I found called emilybites.com. She has some fabulous looking recipes that aren't loaded with fat, calories and carbs. Oh yeah, did I mention it is 63 calories per cannoli cup? Yummmm.. chocolate here I come!! Believe

This has become my favorite and I sometimes eat it for dinner. I spray a little Pam in a small skillet and cook some liquid egg whites with a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. When it's almost done I add in some chopped up turkey lunchmeat (deli style) and add a pinch of shredded cheese. I don't always have time to cook breakfast but have plenty of time to eat once I get to work so this morning I sprayed Pam in a bowl and added about 1/3 cup of egg whites with the seasonings and microwaved it for 1 minute. I then put some lunchmeat on top followed by a slice of reduced fat cheese. I popped it into a container and the cheese was melted and it was still warm when I got to work.

I've been on soft foods for a week and half and have tolerated everything pretty well. I did have a hernia repair and my surgeon took me off the Prilosec but I've also noticed a little reflux at times. I'm still hurting so I think I'll call just to be safe. Thanks!!

Ok guys I'm trying to figure out what's going on with me. I'm about 3 1/2 weeks post op and was doing great over the weekend. I was told I could eat lettuce so I made a salad for dinner using shredded ice burg lettuce yesterday. I felt uncomfortable all night and continued to feel the same way this morning. It feels like really, really bad heartburn and really hurts to take a deep breath. I'm able to drink and eat although it hurts going down but it's staying down and not coming back up. I'm so uncomfortable at the moment I'm thinking I might need to stick with liquids until this passes. Is this what everyone refers to being 'stuck'?? Could I have just have irritated something??

I was banded August 9th and didn't really have issues with gas pain. I thought I was lucky and dodged it but 8 days post-op and my first day back to work I developed severe pain beneath my left rib. I took a lot of gas-x.. didn't work. I used the heating pad.. didn't work. I tried walking.. no luck there. I finally took 2 Tbsp of milk of magnesia and 30 minutes later I was pain free. Of course I did have some other unpleasent side effects but it was so worth it. Same thing happened the next day and again I tried gas-x, heating pad, and walking then finally doing the MOM. You'd think I would learn. I'm 2 weeks post-op today and feeling great.

Sounds like TMJ maybe? I would talk to your dentist. I was banded on Aug 9th and have had a flare up of my TMJ ever since. I know it's caused by me clenching my jaw which I will do if in pain or uncomfortable. I'll also do it when I'm under stress. I usually take an anti-inflammatory like Alieve but I heard we weren't suppose to take meds like that. Tylenol doesn't help me at all. I go to my post-op appointment in two days so I'll find out then I guess. You could also try an ice pack. That helps me. Good luck!

I'm newly banded and am still on full liquids. I had 1/3 cup of greek yogurt for breakfast yesterday and it kept me satisfied until lunch. I love yogurt but was told when I get on regular foods I don't need to eat it because it is a slider and won't keep me satisfied for long.

I was worried about this also because my hair is thin anyway. I take biotin supplements and use Nioxin shampoo/conditioner. They have a website that explains what it is if you google it. I'm only 8 days post-op but started it right before my surgery. I got it through my hairdresser for $25 a kit which will last one month. I really like that they have it for color treated hair also. Plus it smells good!! You can also get it through Amazon for about the same price but don't go with Walgreen's bc it's about $45. Hope this helps