JosieK

hi skinnysue, i had TT and Breast Lift this past May and didnt have my band unfilled. i checked with both my lapband surgeon and my plastic surgeon and they both said i didnt need to have it unfilled. i was concerned if i was nauseous what would happen..... but they gave me enough anti-naseau meds. i was a little bit but ate crackers and that helped me. in the end....i was fine. if i were you i would check with your surgeon's. before my operation, my plan was to follow whatever my lap band doctor recommended in case they had differing opinions. good luck on your surgery. josie

Hi everyone, well i am back from the retreat. so for the next 2 weeks i am around and no excuses. i weighed in today and gained 7.2 lbs. in 1 1/2 weeks basically since i joined weight watchers 6 weeks ago...i've gained 3.4 lbs. BUT....and it is a big but....right before i joined weight watchers i had my band unfilled completely. so even tho' i really havent gone down...i think if i didnt join WW and this site...i would have put 20 lbs on by now. I dont want to fill my band again so i am using this as motivation to get me moving. i'm just going to keep trying which is why i am posting this message. i went to the gym today and i am tracking every morsel that goes in my mouth....no matter what. i think the head hunger is not tackled by the LAP-BAND®® process and i am going to try to overcome my head hunger. i'm probably going to quote this wrong but the basic concept is right. either willie mays or hank aaron (best home run hitter) has the most strike outs. they once said....you cant succeed if you dont try...and sometimes you will fail. until you succeed. so i'm keeping that in my head. diva: thanks for telling us what's going on. it just reinforces the fact that when we work this simple program...it works... your results motivate me to try again too jolly green: yum...that looks really good. i love those flavors..i'm going to print this and try it. mair: welcome back! china: thanks for the feedback on your motivation...i also like the 2 motivational points you made on your post. anyway....good luck for a successful tracking week everyone! josie

hi incredible mine is in the same place as yours. originally i thought it was a perfect place. now that i've lost weight...it gets in the way a little bit. mostly at the gym with my heart monitor on. i tried to have it buried deeper during my plastic surgery but they couldnt do it. i still think this is the best place for me....off to the side might have been not so good for me josie

Hi all, checking in... i just got back from San Antonio. i will be leaving for a 4 day retreat tomorrow morning so i wont check in till next monday i'm not weighing in this week mainly due to no time to get to the WW center. i have an extra week to get it together. monday i plan to ramp up my exercise. i'm hoping this jump starts me. hope everyone is doing well.... josie

hi dragon the reason i got the band was because i couldnt stop eating. so in my thought process...before being banded....i wouldnt worry so much about eating restrictions. after you are banded you can start the program. also i thought i would NEVER be able to eat certain things after banding so i gorged on them. this isnt so either in my case. i pretty much can eat anything now. while i was losing weight and filled...i couldnt tolerate certain things but since being unfilled i can. so no need to have all or nothing thinking like i did. good luck in your journey and relax.....it's fun once you are banded to start seeing yourself melt away, get into smaller sizes and shop in regular stores. josie

Hi everyone, sorry i've been so sporadic in posting. i'm away in san antonio but this is a poor excuse. i find when i'm struggling....i hide. this is the worst time to hide. i did weigh in last thursday in WW and managed to lose 2 lbs but i've not been tracking or on plan since. i really feel like i am sabotaging myself like the old days. this is really dangerous because once i let myself go...i can put all the weight back on and some...and i refuse to go there.... i do have to say the band has been great for me to physically get the lion's share of my weight off. BUT...it hasnt helped with the original problem of head hunger. (head hunger is how i packed on 120 lbs) i am so addicted to sugar since i had trouble eating with my band. i really need to get off of it. i just finish eating dinner and a bell goes off in my head and i'm off to the races vaccilating between craving sugar and salt..... i am making a promise to check in while i'm struggling as well. i actually get more strength when i see people struggle, work through it and get to the other side. so why i dont participate the same way is crazy. so as of today...i am checking in with a report on where i'm at every day. (only time i will miss posting is next weekend when i am at a spiritual retreat and dont have access oct 15-18) i was thinking of putting fill back in my band...altho' i still have trouble eating with no fill. so for the next few weeks i will try to exercise and follow WW. following WW means going to meetings each week no matter what the results may be (so far i've done this), check in with you guys and track my food (the original reason i went to weight watchers was to start tracking again.) i even have the application to track on IPhone....so no excuses. i'm just looking for a bit of motivation. when i was banded...my LB doctor said "you may only lose 50 pct of your weight are you ok with this?" his statement motivated me so much.....to lose more then 50%. so i am looking for something like this to get me focused. some things i was thinking about are: 1. i've been on WW 4.0 million times...but never achieved lifetime membership 2. once i get to goal...my trainer used to say "it's easier maintaining then to lose" anyone have any other ideas? so far none of these have clicked but they are peaking my interest. i'm just trying to get alligned with them. get fit: congrats on your great loss! things that affect the band are sometimes stress, exercise, TOM, etc. I try to make sure i get my protein in when i'm tight by using either shakes or protein bullets. china: thanks for sharing what you did. i needed to hear that. it's funny...we all struggle with the same issues with food so this makes me believe we can all recover from it. thanks again. monicasf: welcome.....WW is definitely a great supplement for our bands. we also in the USA were told to finish our plates because of the poor people in the world. little did we know we are killing ourselves by doing this. glad you are here and hope the weekend went well. bella: thanks for the tip on following the "simply filling technique" i forgot about this. i'm going to try it. i also find myself obsessing about food since joining WW but i am going to conquer it. diva: thanks for your words of encouragement 2 weeks ago....actually after reading your post about the calculator i went to get one...WW is all out. they said they are soooo popular. so i will keep trying to get one. hi jolly and olive... ok girls....onward and upward!!!! josie

hey mini...you look great...glad everything is going well. skinny...a month will go by in a jiffy and you will be happy when you are on the other side of the surgery.... mimi: cant wait for your surgeries. you are one of the nicest people on this site and so encouraging. i really wish i did an arm lift. i love my boob lift the best ha! i have my last surgeon appt in 3 weeks. i've gained 10 lbs since my surgery (i had my fill taken completely out because i was having trouble eating.) so i'm on weight watchers trying to get my head hunger under control. take care girls

trapped....how creative!!!! thata girl!

elfie.....that is a GREAT question. i always scratch my head when i see the hoops people have to go through before they get the surgery. luckily my doctor feels the same way...he even said to me if you can do this on your own...why would you need this? i was able to self pay so i didnt have to live by the insurance companies rules. anyway....good luck in your journey josie

hi everyone i am not in a good place.... still not back on plan. i'm having a hard time starting to track, staying on plan, etc. it's so much easier to "stay on plan" then to "get on plan" after falling off. tomorrow is my regular weight watchers day. i'm going to face the music again and weigh-in. i figure if i keep going maybe it will click again. i am going back to NY for my cousin's confirmation on november 1st. i would like to make a dent on my weight before then since all my jeans are sooooo tight and i am so uncomfortable in them the other day i was driving in my car talking to myself.... i just yelled at myself to either "get off the pot" and get the job done...or accept this weight. i really dont like the weight i'm at right now. i feel like i have a tire around my belly ok...enough whining from me....i'm going to the meeting tomorrow and will start journalling (hopefully) will update you tomorrow. have a great week everyone. josie

absolutely yes...

hi jules, seems like alot of bandsters have hernia's. i had a big one and my doctor repaired it when he was in there putting my lapband in. i didnt know i had it. he was shocked i didnt know about it since it was big. why not go to see a few lapband doctors in your area to get their input. you can also research doctors on this site. that is how i found both my lapband and plastic surgeon. good luck and dont worry...hernia's are pretty common. josie

hi everyone, well between this thread and my weight watchers leader emailing me to find out where i was (she's a friend)....i went back to my meeting this morning (wasnt planning to do it till i lost the weight i gained...crazy right???) well in the end i only gained back 2.4 lbs of the 6.8 i lost my first week. so i'm down 4.4 lbs. i'm glad i did it. i was getting sloppy and needed to be held accountable. i usually disappear when i am "bad" (i know i hate those terms....) nursemelly: congrats on hitting this milestone!!! you deserve a treat (spa appointment?, new jeans?....) crzytchr: feel better. this flu seems to be getting closer and closer to us....that's funny about the thumbsucker...maybe now you will be immune.... lilmissdiva: thanks for link to 5 day pouch test. carbs are a killer....they should have a 12 step group for this... carb-aholics! jollygreen: do you have a recipe for the soup you make? get fit: sorry for what's been going on....the combination of WW and lapband seems to be a winning combination. the etool site has aot of good info on them too. good luck ... ok everyone have a great weekend....track, drink and move...these are my goals josie

hi everyone, i seem to be in the same place....since vacation i havent been tracking. i think this is a reason for avoiding looking at what i am ACTUALLY eating. the reason i joined weight watchers and this thread was exactly to start taking responsibility. this thread is VERY helpful to make me look at what i am doing in reality and not in my usual fantasy. i gained 9 lbs on vacation. i lost 6 so far. but i really need to start journalling. my jeans are WAY TOO TIGHT. they used to be loose. lil miss diva: dont be hard on yourself. no one expects you to be perfect. i really appreciate you starting this thread. and your positive input. however you need to be able to let your hair down here as well. otherwise it isnt a tool for you. your post about your tracking struggles actually helped me most today. because you made me be honest.... lillyanne: so exciting that you are starting your PS journey. all i can say is do your homework and make sure you see pictures of each drs. surgeries. i started with my LB surgeon's recommendation and almost blindly chose him because of my LB surgeon. but then i saw pics and wasnt so sure. i also read feedback from his patients and decided against him. he tried to talk me in extra surgeries. i then looked at a fancy doctor and booked him based on his reputation. but then i saw someone on here that had the best "belly-button" and went to see her surgeon.. i loved his approach and the results i saw of his previous patients. he was 1/2 price because he wasnt on any TV shows and i felt his results in the surgeries i had (TT and breast lift) were the best for me. jolly:good idea about making the soup to snack. do you puree the soup after you cook it? maybe looking at 40 lbs in 2 mos is a bit aggressive. sometimes that can trip us up? maybe just think about it one day at a time and they can all add up. anyway i'm with ya' sista'. deniseh: i love your attitude. thanks for sharing about feeling better and being healthy and not focusing the the "scale-god" bella: ouch!!! hope you feel better..... olive: keep on keepin' on.......i admire that you are keeping with it and not giving up. the scale sometimes drives my behavior. and it messes me up. next week you probably will have a good surprise. ok...i'm starting to track today!!!! josie

hey tory, if your insurance approves it as outpatient only....there are plenty of doctors that do it that way. so you still have options if not inpatient. good luck josie

hi sdpressi i was ok in 3 weeks and back to exercising ....but surgery is really an individual thing....some people bounce right back...others take a little longer. the band surgery, since it is laproscopic, seems to be easier to recover. why dont you ask your doctor too? he may be able to give good insight. good luck in whatever you decide. josie

good luck perezalis you will do fine....this is the best decision i ever made in my life!!! it gives us back our life! keep us posted when you are banded josie

hi chrissyd, everyone here is giving good perspectives on your post. i have to say...i wish i had done mine years ago. i put alot of my personal life on hold because of my weight. the lapband is not magic.... it is a tool and you still have to work at losing the weight. but it helps....especially in helping not to feel hungry. previously i was hungry 24/7. see a few more doctors to get their perspective. also try and scout out some of the younger bandsters on this site to get their input good luck in whatever you decide. josie

hi bdbmamaw good post!...thanks who is your doctor? josie

hi dan, do you journal your food? i find this helps me to know exactly what i'm eating. i sometimes forget to count the Snacks, etc or.... also once during my journey i wasn't eating enough and my body stopped losing weight completely. it was trying to hold onto what i had. these are the only 2 things i can think of... good luck josie

I love my band because i am no longer the FATEST person in the room....

good thread hummingbird... one of the biggest things that motivated me was when i first saw my collar bones after years of them hiding. it made me feel "normal" and kept me moving forward with my weight loss..... josie

hi topspinner, i think this is normal after being under anesthesia. after my PS, i was like this for 2 weeks. i was "under" alot longer for my plastic surgery then the lapband surgery (8 hrs vs 30 mins for lapband) it has cleared up and i'm back to normal. just be gentle with yourself. i made myself crazy thinking i was never going to return to normal. at one point i couldnt tell if my house was west or east on a parkway i travelled quite a bit. good luck josie

hi katy, food tolerance is very individual. i have seen people post that they cant tolerate any rice. it is the one food i can always tolerate. before being banded.... i assumed i would be able to eat chicken and eggs and NOT be able to eat steak. the opposite happened.... i have had the worst PB's on both chicken and eggs. i have been able to eat steak from day 1. i normally eat filet/tenderloin on the rarer side. you may have to test various foods......sometimes i cant eat something in the morning but can at night. i find crunchy easier to eat then a bread for example. right now i am totally unfilled so i can eat anything.... good luck with your journey josie

hi barbee, i was allowed to shower with my drains. in fact i didnt have any restriction with regards to showering. thank god. it definitely made me feel better as i suffered from a depression after the surgery (just a few days). i showered and washed my hair the day after my surgery i'm so glad my PS didnt overdo the "rules". my lapband surgeon was the same way..... but if my doctor didnt allow showers right away...i would have followed his instructions... thanks and good luck josie