Bandista

Hi KC, we have very similar stats, too -- amount we want to lose, etc. Like you I am not feeling afraid of the holidays, etc. And I'm not stressing about how long this may take. Isn't the feeling in control a wonderful thing!? Cheers to us!

What a great post -- thank you so much. You are rocking this new lifestyle. I am so excited and inspired. Loved reading this update!

Hi B-52, not sure how many cc's total for these two fills -- have an appointment next week as well which I can cancel if I'm feeling satisfied on the tennis ball size every 4-5 hours. I like your fist comparison -- that is helpful. I think it's about 3/4 cup to one cup. Am trying to go slow and be careful to stop before full. I have had to spit out food a few times when I realized that one more bite might be one too many. Trying to refocus my energy on exercise, which I'm pretty sure is the magic ingredient.

Sorry for the delay -- good luck with next Friday. You are getting there! And congratulations on making this big step toward good health.

Take it easy -- maybe try to reduce stress any way possible? I know, sounds absurd as of course stress is stress. But can you get some down time, hot bath, have some one rub your feet, etc.? Thinking of you. Hope this liquids only does it for you.

This would worry me, too. I just had my second fill this afternoon and peeled off the bandaid to see what's what. Just blood in my case. Why not call this in and get the worry off of your mind? Last week after my first fill the port area felt so hard. I was worried that this might mean something but today when I inquired I was told that is perfectly normal. Hope this helps!

Of course it's important to adhere to your doctor's post-op protocol and it's fascinating how that can vary so much -- but post-op I really enjoyed Imagine brand potato leek Soup (comes in a carton and is in the natural food section of our regular grocery stores). I also had chicken stock which I dolled up with ginger, garlic, tamari and chili to make a spicier broth. My surgeon had written down Egg Drop Soup and I had that, too. Always in pretty small amounts as I'd get full quite quickly. And I guess I wanted those savory things. On the sweet side I enjoyed popsicles, especially MinuteMaid brand soft lemonade. They have sugar in them rather than artificial sweeteners which I do not like. Calorie intake is so low post-op that it didn't really matter to me whether I was having 70 calories vs. lower....... I was prepared for a return of hunger which did arrive -- I think this is different for each person. I am at five weeks now and have had two fills. I'm so happy -- and the walking helped with everything: the happiness factor, the weight loss and speedy recovery from the surgery. Best wishes and happy holidays -- what a great gift to yourself!

Hi there, don't you hate that 10 pound per year gain? Hate that, and know it well. I was banded 11/5 at 248 and I wish I had done it years ago. I am 52 and have struggled for two decades and am a dieting expert. I'm happy to report that I am not on a diet. I still love food, too, just in very small quantities and at intervals. It's a behavioral change for me to stop grazing, going back for more, etc., but I have to say that I'm not hungry and I am very happy to be out of food jail. I am just five weeks out and know very little except for my own experience. When I decided to get a Lapband last June, I had to go through a five-month process. While I was going through the various required appointments I also started seeing a therapist to try to nail down those food issues once and for all. I'm glad I did that as I was able to identify the areas that are difficult for me -- the ways I've used food to get through various things, etc. I am not doing that anymore. The best thing I did pre-band was kick up my exercise routine. I did it but did not enjoy it -- but I'm so glad I got moving more anyway. Then once banded I started walking at the hospital and that helped with everything (any gas from surgery, etc.) plus it just turned me into a walker. I believe exercise and walking are the secret to success. Problem was that prior to banding I just didn't have enough will power. Now I do. I credit the band with all that. Be positive and know that you are choosing yourself and your health -- that commitment to myself has made me into a much stronger and happier person. I feel that I have what I need to make this a success and I am enjoying every minute of my new banded life. Best wishes to you -- so glad you introduced yourself and that you'll be a part of the forum.

Lisa, do you work at a gym? This is hilarious. I sense a book coming on, or a film.

So happy for you! What fun to have a new haircut, etc. to Celebrate this milestone. And an event this summer to keep you cranking on the exercise, etc. Our son is graduating from high school next June and I have that in the back of my mind. I may not be at goal then but I'll be a lot closer than I've been in his lifetime, that's for sure. Looking forward to looking good but already celebrating how I'm feeling good. It's not just my initial weight loss either (love that, of course) but it's my mindset. So different. I feel different having made this choice, this investment in myself, my health. It's so empowering!

Hi there and happy holidays all! Today I went for a follow-up appointment with the surgeon and had a second fill. The last one was a week ago today. I wasn't sure that I'd get another fill so soon as I am satisfied with a small amount of food. However I am hungry again after a couple of hours. My surgeon's goal is a serving the size of a tennis ball and not to be hungry again for 4-5 hours. We went for it, and, just like last week, it was very easy. I was glad to have him inspect the port site because it is tighter and harder now that it has some saline in it and I wondered if that is normal. Yep. He marked the site with a pen then cleaned the area with alcohol and gave me a shot. That is a pinch. Then he did the fill and, voila, I was drinking my little glass of Water to make sure it went down well. It did. I am not feeling hungry at all, but what I am feeling is GRATEFUL. And HAPPY! I am so relieved to be out of food jail and able to just make good decisions without the input of a committee in my brain telling me what I should and should not do. All that chatter has really dissipated. Yippee!

Well you sure busted through that plateau -- way to go! Good for you for taking the time to look at what you may be missing and what will be a good maintenance mode for you. Because you know what? You're almost there! Way to go.....and way to inspire those of us beginning. Thanks for the lift this afternoon!

Hi there, I think this is the Dr. Simpson who wrote an excellent piece that a few people here have links to in their signatures -- The LapBand Is Not About Restriction. I've gotten a lot out of that article and I'll bet there's lots of free Simpson stuff on-line.

Glad you are healed up now -- you know you are kind of famous now......can I have your autograph? Do you work on Saabs? Hope your band journey is going well!

Hi Dustin, how about a letter now, from this perspective? You write beautifully and I imagine you have some amazing things to say to yourself, for now and for the future. I loved reading your post!

KC, you are no wimp -- I'm surprised you are back at work so fast and walking doggies is harder than just walking yourself -- take it Easy!

Well there's nothing like a new generation coming to make us want us to be healthy -- you'll be chasing the grands around in a year or so! So happy for you. When will you get your date?

Thanks, Lisa -- I have been thinking about this for a couple do days: Be able to do yoga comfortably, increased flexibility and less joint pain, enjoy serious gardening again, able to get up and down off the ground or floor easily, take a dance class, get in a kayak, hike our local mountain, Skype without dread, get family pictures taken that have me in them, too, wear fun clothes instead of just finding a uniform that fits, be strong and self-confident, not hanging back and shy, embarrassed. Own who I am and throw my shoulders back, be in the world and comfortable there, happy and at peace. Be able to inspire other people, have a better income, achieve financial goals and professional success. Go biking along the Danube and do a barge cruise in Europe when I can handle the boat myself, heave bikes on and off, and undo the locks on the canals. Walk my way around new places because I love walking and want to exercise.

Yes, indeed! You look great. I also want to see what else I can do -- live life and have fun, explore new things and be out there -- if we can achieve this kind of success we can do anything. Thanks for the inspiration.

Ha, good one! I was just reading about fierceness in another post. Let's be fierce. Glad you got your fill -- goal is to wait the allotted time and note whether hunger has returned. Snacking will not give you the info you need. I am trying for 4-5 hours and since I am hungry again earlier than that I know I need another fill, not a snack. I figure I'm not starving as my body has plenty to snack on in the storage departments. Still figuring this thing out but so relieved to have my band. Roar your way into the 200s this holiday season -- you can do it!

Hi Fee, I am in this world, too -- first fill last week and I wasn't really feeling anything; now going tomorrow for a second fill and am feeling tightness. Guess I just have to really listen to my body, take it all slow- slow- slowly, and then reach the green zone at some point. Good luck to you -- let's keep comparing notes!

Oh Shel, what a wonderful post! Thank you so much. Like the others, I felt you were echoing my own story. The starting over on Mondays, huge salads, WW deprivation, etc. Love the way you talk about "peaceful eating" as that is what I'm finding now, peace. And here's to the fierceness, a passion for self, for making good choices, for exercise! The pictures are marvelous -- what a difference 50 pounds make. You look so happy and healthy, truly comfortable in your body. Congratulations on achieving this goal! A friend of mine has a very funny comic on her fridge, the early morning roundup of overweight women in Paris. Thought you'd get a chuckle out of that. Thanks again for such an inspiring post!

Hi Bandit, I just had my first fill and am going back tomorrow for possible second. So we are starting together! Take away the "over" as in starting over -- that's all over now. The past is past. What I'm taking away from this post is followup, followup, followup. So glad you are meeting with your medical professionals, getting your fills and that you're here on the forum. I am going to do the same -- I want LB success more than I have wanted anything in such a long time.

The band has taken away my anxiety around eating. All that chatter -- should I have this, am I on or off my diet, can I have more, etc. -- gone. What a relief! I still love food but I'm not thinking about it all the time. I enjoy what I have but I'm out of food jail. I know I'm very new at this and there are ups and down in all of life, but this area feels secure now. So, I guess I did take the easy way out, because this sure is easier than my last two decades of questioning and worrying over everything I ate. Yippee!

Excellent progress -- congratulations!