mrsto

I highly recommend that you don't rush this along. If you follow you doctor's recommended diet progression, and eat band size portions of REAL food, you will lose weight. I would also stay away from wine for awhile; at least this early on. It has zero nutritional value, and not great for weight loss. Use those calories for something to fortify your body, not take away from it. You took a big step with this surgery. Now, try & relax a bit and take one step at a time. Your lack of hunger and appetite is temporary from surgery. It will come back, and I would hate to see you set yourself up for failure, by continuing (what I consider) old "diet mentality" thinking. This is a WHOLE different thing.... Try & focus on your health, and not the scale. If you follow your doctor's instructions, you WILL lose weight

I take Nature's Plus chewable multi-Vitamin and mineral supplement. I get them at the Vitamin Shoppe, but here is a link to them at another place (just so you can see what they are). I like these better than the gummies, because they have minerals as well. All of the gummies I've looked at, seem to be missing things. http://www.thenaturalonline.com/natures-plus-adult-multi-vitamin-pineapple-90-chewable-tablets.html?gclid=COLf3ujbnbcCFS9eQgodyEMASg

I had gas pain; especially in the left shoulder, for a good 2 1/2 weeks post-op. Everyone is different in how long it takes to subside. Just walk a lot, and do everything you're already doing. I WILL get better.

You can do it!! I have to say, I'm only 7.5 weeks out from surgery, and I love love LOVE my band!!!

YES - you can reel this in quickly, before 19 pounds turns into 90 pounds Before my surgery, I told my doctor that maybe I'd have the band removed. once I'd lost all my weight. He told me that most start to gain under those circumstances. JUST like you said, we get used to banded life, and don't really realize how much a part of us it becomes. Out comes the band, and out comes the food beast within - AACK!!! All I can say is, catch this while you can. We all know how quickly we can gain all of our weight back, once we let go of the reins

Thanks, Lee. I would love to do yoga, but I can't sit on the floor in many of the poses. I have a pretty bad herniated disc, and the bone doesn't move normally (it shears). I have a follow up appt. with my spine doc this afternoon. Disc repair surgery is in my future, but for now I'll probably opt for the PT and some more epidurals. I hate this sh-t!! I can walk, but after awhile my hip will tighten up (from the disc). Leg pain, blah blah. Sometimes I'll get a really good walk; up and down the hills where I live, etc. But I pay for it later in the day, as everything tightens up horribly. This is all very frustrating, because I've had long periods in life where I was pretty fit.

Love it! I went through that journey with you, as I was reading your post.

Yeah, THC stays in the system for a long time after you stop; it's stored in the fat cells. Back in the 80s, after I'd stopped smoking for a good 6 weeks, I was given a drug test & it STILL showed up. Unbelievable.....

OMG - I was a total pot head for more years than I'll admit. My first toke was in 1967 when I was 12, and kept going on a daily basis for many years. And the munchies - OMG. I'd plan evenings and weekends on what kind of crap I would pick up; making sure that I had ALL of my medications - LOL. I've known people that smoke a lot of pot, and don't have the munchie thing. Hard to believe, I know! Anyway, food people would NOT fall into that group. My suggestion is, if you are a "wake & bake" smoker, try your best to stop it all together. When I finally walked away from the habit years ago, it was one of the best things I did. Looking back, I can't even believe that I did it as long as I did; lived life in a state of "numb". Not the best habit for someone who also has a food issue! But even with all the "stuff" I did in years past, food was, and still is, my #1 drug of choice

CONGRATS! I know you feel great!! I should be there in the next couple of weeks

I agree with tmf; Water weight. Are you getting all of your water in? That will help to flush out the water retention.

LOL!

Rosie - good to see you! I haven't seen any posts from you in awhile

ROFL!!

Okay - in keeping with the thread, I'm working on getting my exercise program together. I've been walking regularly; about 20-30 minutes, 5 times a week. Sometimes I jam it on the treadmill, but it causes further pain issues with my back. I saw the spine doc last week, and I'm starting physical therapy next week; 2 times per week. My ultimate goal with the PT is to have them set me up on a program, that is "friendly" to my physical issues; bad knee, herniated disc with leg and hip pain. I have a way to go, but at least I'll be working with people who KNOW what's best for me. I tried Curves about 18 months ago, and they have NO clue how to deal with people with physical issues. I almost blew out my knee completely, and was able to get out of the membership. Now.....I'm moving in another direction.

WOW, Lee......I just looked at your profile. QUITE the transformation!! You don't even look like the same person in the beginning photo (I bet you hear that all the time). You're a model bandster

I had an MRI on my spine last week; no problem. And I asked the doctor and the technician beforehand.

Yes, on the fridge, the pantry, the dashboard of my car, the bulletin board in my office (adjacent to the kitchen)........ETC.!

OMG - I want to be there! You will do it!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise; food and all. THAT is what vacations are for.....to vacate your life & live it up. The 8 pounds came on quickly over that time, and can easily be lost if you get right back on track. Some of it is bloat, which leaves quickly.....if you don't continue the "vacation". IMHO, I'd say NO, absolutely to not eat to your hearts desire until your surgery. Why would you do that? You worked SO hard, and you'll have that much more weight to lose. I hate to say it, but the sleeve won't be any different, in that you STILL have to exercise some control. To act out like you've been a "prisoner of the band" who was just let loose, isn't the best mindset for wanting to take the rest of the weight off, and maintain it forever (as you say). What happens when the sleeve stretches and you're able to eat more food (and it will happen)? If you don't practice what you've learned over the last 3 1/2 years, how can the sleeve work for you long term? I'm not saying that I don't understand the attraction to totally letting go. But you've come so far.... Why throw a big chunk of it away? What are you going to eat that you haven't had in abundance already? Is it really worth it? Maybe ask yourself those questions before you jump back into old counterproductive habits.

A few years back I went for an abdominal ultrasound, and (though they weren't looking for this) they found numerous cysts in my liver and kidneys; TONS for them. There is one particular one on my liver that is the size of a small cantaloupe. I had it drained once (something like a liter of Fluid came out), but it filled back up again within six months. It's been there for years, along with ALL the rest, and I just leave it alone; doesn't bother me. At the time when all of this was (accidentally) discovered, I went through a ton of tests to find out if I had Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). One nephrologist saddled me with that diagnosis, which I carried for a few years. That is NOT a good thing, because insurance companies run the other way when you have that condition. THEN, I got another MRI on my spine (unrelated), and the radiologist clearly said that all the cysts were "simple" cysts, and not PKD. Which makes perfect sense, because these things have been there since at least 1984. If it were PKD, I would be symptomatic; my kidneys would be enlarged, and I'd be headed for dialysis. SO - long winded answer.....sorry Do you have insurance? If so, it should cover further diagnostics to rule out anything serious. People live with all sorts of lesions, cysts & other internal barnacles; none of it an issue. But you have to take the next steps to make sure that it IS nothing to worry about. Good luck......

GREAT!!! Just a little motherly advice.....to keep your expectations realistic. I don't know how far it is to a size 8, but if you stick to your program, you WILL get there.

This looks and sounds really good! I printed it out.....I'm going to try it

You can do it! But as we all know, you'll do it when you're ready, and your head is in the right place

It DOES take time. I've been through it a few times