JustCallMeKelly

Thanks Juno for replying...you are awesome cos' I notice you respond alot on this thread and I know it is appreciated. I wish you much joy during your pregnancy and many blessings for your little miracle. Be well. KKG

Hey everyone, well I was just wondering how long after being banded did most of you wait to start trying for pregnancy? Also, how much did you weigh when you got pregnant? One of my main reasons for being banded is so that I can have another child. When I got prego w/my son 3 years ago I weighed 300 lbs and although I had no problems conceiving i did encounter problems during pregnancy due to weight issues (high bp, gest diabeties w/insulin, low blood sugar for baby when born, etc.) so when I got the band my goal was to lose 110 lbs. before even thinking about trying for #2, but now it's been 6 months and I've lost 90 lbs. (20 to go) but I'm getting so anxious and worry cos' I'm getting older by the day (which means so are my eggs) and I'm starting to think I should just throw caution to the wind and start now, even though I'm not to my pregnancy goal weight yet (my ultimate goal is 180 but I'm already 35 and will be 36 in Nov so don't want to wait till I reach 180 cos' that just seems too far away). What do you think? Any and all input would be appreciated. Peace to all. KKG

Thanks so much Salsa for all that AWE-inspiring advice! Can I just tell you that you are amazing...not because of your weight loss (although that is awesome) but because you are so willing to help a perfect stranger and treat them as a loved one or friend! And for that I salute you Your advice is awesome and exactly what I needed to hear, I've already started writing those things down for my list and once I complete it I will not only carry it around with me but I will enlarge it and post it in my bedroom and kitchen as well to make sure that I see it all day everyday! I think what happened to me was I got TOO confident! I started thinking (even though I still have over 100 lbs. to lose) that this was so easy to do that I didn't really need to "try" so I stopped doing all the things that had brought me the success so far cos' I didn't really see how important they really were (journaling, exercising every day no matter what, watching every bite that went into my mouth, reminding my self on an hourly basis why I was doing all this to begin with). But today I went to see my lap-band doc and along with his advice, a fill and then reading all your great advice I now feel confident and armed with the tools I need for the next part of my journey! I will continue to check in with you for support and read what you say to others as well so that I can learn from them as well! Thanks again for putting yourself out here for all of us in need! You are now and always will be a friend of mine, Much love, KKG

Salsa, first let me say thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. After reading about 20 different stories of bandsters offering to mentor on this new thread I liked yours the best and am hoping you can help. I'm 35 yo SAHM with a 3 yo son, I've been happily married for 15 years. I've been overweight since my early 20's and been battling that long as well. I was banded on 12/26/07 and have been blessed enough to have lost 83 lbs. so far but with 107 to go to goal. But now I seem to be failing myself and my band. After some hard self examination I've come to the realization that now that life is not as hard on a daily basis and I don't have all those constant reminders of just how much my weight effects me, I'm slacking off on my eating and exercising habits. The worse part is that even though I'm cheating almost DAILY, I'm still not gaining (it's just keeping me from losing) and the reason I say that's the worse part is because I'm not stopping and I think it's cos' I'm not really seeing the consequences of my actions like I would preband. So what I think I need the most mentoring and help on is how to keep strong long term. I'm trying to get to 250 and try to get pregnant before I'm 36 (which I'll be in November) but even though I have set that goal for myself I just can't seem to get back on track! What is wrong with me!!! I always said I would not go through something as serious as surgery and be one of those people who backslide... but here I am doing exactly that!!! HELP ME PLEASE! I'm desperate right now cos' I'm starting to get scared of this addiction. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Much love, KKG

Libra, well first let me say thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. After reading about 20 different stories of bandsters offering to mentor on this new thread I think that you fit me best. I'm 35 yo with a 3 yo son, I've been happily married for 15 years. I've been overweight since my early 20's and been battling that long as well. I was banded on 12/26/07 and have been blessed enough to have lost 83 lbs. so far. But now I seem to be failing myself and my band. After some hard self examination I've come to the realization that now that life is not as hard on a daily basis I'm slacking off on my eating and exercising habits. The worse part is that even though I'm cheating almost DAILY, I'm still not gaining (it's just keeping me from losing) and the reason I say that's the worse part is because I'm not stopping and I think it's cos' I'm not really seeing the consequences of my actions like I would preband. So what I think I need the most mentoring and help on is how to keep strong long term. I'm trying to get to 250 and try to get pregnant before I'm 36 (which I'll be in November) but even though I have set that goal for myself I just can't seem to get back on track! What is wrong with me!!! I always said I would not go through something as serious as surgery and be one of those people who backslide... but here I am doing exactly that!!! HELP ME PLEASE! I'm desperate right now cos' I'm starting to get scared of this addiction. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Much love, KKG

Tied2BeFit...I just wanted to tell you how much I LOVE your screen name!!! When I first read it I was like oh that's cute cos' she switched it around from Fit2Btied...but then I realized it's actual meaning "Tied (meaning the band) 2 Be Fit (losing weight to get healthy)" and I just think that is so darn clever and wanted to let you know! Much love, KKG

Mary, thanks so much for those kind and inspirational words of wisdom...you can't know how much it helps me to have this kind of support! I just want to tell you what an inspiration your success is to me! When I decided to get the band I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to lose as much weight as I needed and thought I maybe should have done bypass instead but then I noticed that they are plenty of people that have lost MORE weight than what I need to lose and that convinced me that it CAN be done! And I know I WILL DO IT Too!!! So thanks a million and keep up your awesome momentum and success. Also, how did you go about finding a personal trainer cos' I am looking to have someone come to me (I HATE gyms) at my home but don't know where to start looking...any tips would be appreciated. Much love, KKG

Hello all, just wanted to introduce myself cos' I just found this thread and am loving it. I was 366 at my highest, lost about 10 lbs presurgery, was banded on 12/26/07 and have since lost 83 lbs. with 4 fills and one partial unfill. Am very happy with my success so far but in the past couple weeks have started to lose my focus and drive...I'm thinking it's cos' life isn't so hard anymore, even though I still weigh 283 lots of things are easier to do so I'm not constantly being reminded of why I started this journey. Any advice or tips to get back on track with the exercise and eating habits would be much appreciated cos' I'm starting to get scared that I'm falling into a really bad pattern of behavior. Thanks in advance and congrats to all you Super Big Losers! Love and peace to all. KKG

Hey there Cindy, well I have to say that I've been having a few "off" weeks here lately and have not been very good....but I will give you an excerpt from my food journal from a week when I' was being a good girl...here it is: Sunday 4/20/08 Breakfast – NONE lunch – Ate at Wendy’s: Sante Fe chicken salad ate the chicken and cukes w/dressing: Total Carbs = 6 grams dinner – Ate at Home: Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, chick peas sunflower seeds, Caesar dressing: Total Carbs = 6 grams Exercise: Treadmill 167/52.2 / 6.4/1.60 / 44:00 / 3.5 – 1.5 / 2.0 – 2.5 Feelings: Okay day; wishing I hadn’t screwed up so badly yesterday but making it right today! Monday 4/21/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Home: Low carb Tuna recipe: 2/3 cup of tuna w/8 butter crisps: Total Carbs = 11 grams Dinner – Ate at Home: Low carb Tuna recipe: 2/3 cup of tuna w/8 butter crisps: Total Carbs = 11 grams Exercise: NONE…too tired from cleaning and making beds and laundry! Feelings: Good day, back on track w/eating…very tired from taking care of sickie and sleeping in guest bedroom! Tuesday 4/22/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Subway: Chicken breast salad w/cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, black olives, jalapeños, o/v, s/p, and ranch dressing (ate only ½): Total Carbs = 11 grams Dinner – Ate at Home: Low carb Tuna recipe: 1 ½ cups of tuna w/12 butter crisps: Total Carbs = 18 grams Exercise: Stat Bike: cals 710/ fat 221 / time 60:09 / miles 14.15 / speed 13 – 16 Feelings: Good day, not too hungry, back on track!!! Felt more in control of cravings today! Started period too. Wednesday 4/23/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Chik-fil-a: SW Chrgrld Chik Salad (took out carrots & cabbage) (ate entire salad): Total Carbs = 10 grams Dinner – NONE: made the decision to drink a Venti Breve Latte from Starbucks w/splenda: Total Carbs = 25 grams Exercise: No formal - Walked around Target for 1 hour Feelings: Good day except that I decided to drink my dinner and went over carb allowance, but it was a thought out decision so I’m not going to berate myself about it. Surprisingly I did not get hungry for the rest of the night! Thursday 4/24/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Mc D’s: Sante Fe Chicken Salad – ate chicken breast w/ranch dressing: Total Carbs = 9 grams Dinner – Ate at Home: cup of tuna and 5 crisps: Total Carbs = 10 grams Exercise: Stat Bike: cals 360 / fat 112 / time 30:03 / miles 7.17 / speed 13 – 15 / played at park for 45 minutes with Hunter – basketball; running, walking and standing while dribbling Feelings: Pretty good day, high energy! Felt great after playing at the park w/Hunter; doesn’t hurt to be on my feet for longer periods now. Friday 4/25/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Chili’s: Marguerita Grilled Chicken Breast w/steamed broccoli, melted butter and ranch for dipping (ate about 1/2 of breast w/ranch) Total Carbs = 7 grams Dinner – Ate at Home: cup of tuna and 5 crisps: Total Carbs = 10 grams Exercise: Treadmill: 154/48.2 / 6.1/1.54 / 41:15 / 3.5-1.5 / 2.1 Feelings: Pretty good day, high energy! Felt great after playing at the park w/Hunter; doesn’t hurt to be on my feet for longer periods now. Saturday 4/26/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Home: Rotisserie Chicken – ate from the breast meat dipped in horseradish sauce and sliced tomatoes on side: Total Carbs = 2 grams Dinner – Ate at Home: Slices of Roast Beef from deli dipped in horseradish sauce and sliced tomatoes on the side: Total Carbs = 2 grams Exercise: No formal – Walked around Wal-mart for about 1 hour Feelings: Okay day, felt very tired and kinda achy all day. Sunday 4/27/08 Breakfast – NONE Lunch – Ate at Home: Slices of Roast Beef from deli dipped in horseradish sauce and sliced tomatoes on the side: Total Carbs = 2 grams Dinner – Ate at Outback: Seared Ahi Tuna appetizer and side house salad w/ranch dressing: Total Carbs = 12 grams Exercise: Stat Bike: cals 725 / fat 226 / time 60:40 / miles 14.47 / speed 13 – 15 Feelings: Good day, never very energetic, tired; late night no sleep. Tried on size 26/28 clothes and they all fit! Yea! Hope this helps w/your decision to eat low carb. And like I said, even though your body stops craving carbs, your mind is still your WORST enemy on this journey and as I've proven to myself this past week, I have NOT gained control over this beast! Be well. KKG

Very well said TurtleWind and I agree 100% that journaling truly helps now and in the long run as well. Inspirational words! Thanks. KKG

JGunter, sounds like you are doing great! Don't sell yourself short cos' you've made incredible progress in your journey so far! I'm in a similar situation as you, I started at 366 pre-op (12/25/07) and am down to 293 and am feeling Great!!! My surgeon requires us to do an extremely low low carb diet for maximum results, which believe it or not, really helps cut out most of your physical cravings for sugars and carbs (once your body gets used to not having them it forgets about them all together) but then there is still the head cravings to deal with, which I don't think ever truly go away, but I've found the best way to deal with them is to stop and look at my progress and success so far and really think about whether I want to jepordize the momentum I've got going right now...sometimes I do give in and tell myself that it is a treat for doing so well, but then I get right back on track and contiunue moving forward on this journey's path we are all on. I think that every once in a while you need to give yourself a reward, not necessarily food, but something that you really really want and treat yourself to it. I hope this helps some...keep on keeping on! And remember to remember that you are doing fabulous already! Much love, KKG

I would say that Atkins could be your best friend for preparing for the lapband, you can have extreme weight loss quickly (I usually lose anywhere from 12-16 lbs in the first 2 weeks whenever I would go on it) but it is a very extreme change in eating and you MUST adhere to it very stictly cos' if you cheat at ALL then you've defeated the purpose and will probably gain weight. It's all about changing your body's way of burning stored fat so if you get half way into it and cheat then you will turn all the food you've eaten into fat instead of burning stored fat (that of course is a very simple explanation of what it's doing). I am a huge fan of low carb dieting and it is what my surgeon recommends for all his patients and so far it's working for me, I've lost 60 lbs in 3 months. You will need to commit yourself to it for at least the first two weeks where you will keep your daily carb count to under 25 grams per diem (very hard but worth it if you can do it). You will go through withdrawal symptoms and feel like shit for atleast the first week, but if you can stay strong and get through it then you will be successful. Talk to your doctor and see what they recommend for you. South Beach Diet is also a very good healthy way to lose some fast weight as well. Check the books out at your local library and see what you think, but no not enter into Atkins lightly, get informed so that you maximize the loss. Good luck to you. Be well. KKG

Oh, sorry I guess I didn't realize it wasn't something good for us to eat. I don't want it unless it's low carb so never mind. thanks for clarifying. Be well. KKG

That pudding idea sounds good, do you have a recipe? If so, would you mind sharing. Thanks. KKG

Wow, Kelintx, that's awesome and congrats on your incredible weight loss. Care to share any tips with us on how you did it; what worked best, what didn't, etc. Any input from such a big loser would be greatly appreciated seeing how I need to lose 141 lbs. to get to goal. Thanks in advance. Live well/be well. KKG

Thanks, I didn't realize that it was from 2005...opps, guess I'll pay more attention next time! Thanks again for telling me that. Be well. KKG

Recently I've been starting to feel like my band isn't really working...not because I'm not losing weight or eating less, cos' I am, but because I'm doing the extreme low carb (under 30 g per diem) and I'm exercising 7 days a week for at least 45 - 60 mins. each day. So for someone that goes from eating fast food 2 -3 times a day and never exercising to eating extreme low carb and lots of exercise the of course I'm going to lose weight and fast too right!!! So what is the band doing for me??? I definitely feel that it is a great motivator to know that it's there if I need it but so far I haven't really needed it I guess. I don't know, it's just some crazy thoughts I've been having and wanted to see if anyone has had the same and if so how and what did you do to get past them! Any help or input would be appreciated. Much love. KKG

Very well said OH Juli, and so very very true! Great thread Sonia! Love to hear that these thoughts bumping around in my noggin are not alone KKG

First off, let me just say what a wonderful thread this is and I hope that it will keep getting added too. I know I definitely will be back with more NSV's in the future...but for now here is my first public NSV; like 9 months ago I went to a fellow SAHM's house for a playdate and she invited me out onto her back porch so that we could keep an eye on the kids playing in the back yard. Well to my panic I looked around and noticed that all the patio chairs had "arms" on them and I could tell by just looking that there was no way my rear end was going to fit (even to squeeze - which I can't do due to some nerve damage in my left thigh from a severe car accident 10 years ago). So I just stood there like an idiot as she sat down and sipped her drink. Now it was obvious that something was wrong cos' how stupid does it look when having a conversation while one person is sitting and the other is just standing there! Anyway, she ended up asking me if I'd like to sit and I felt I had to tell her what the problem was, even though it was extremely embarrassing, so she went in to the house and brought me out one of her dining room chairs w/o arms. I was just glad that it was only the two of us. Anyway, my NSV happened last week when I went over to this same friends house and again we went to the back porch...and there where those same patio chairs; but this time without really thinking about it, I sat down!!! And low and behold - I FIT!!! It wasn't a perfect fit but it was comfortable enough that it didn't bother my thigh. I was so elated I even mentioned it to her and she was like "oh yeah, right I remember now...that's awesome!!!" ... So there it is, sorry for the long description but I wanted you to have the whole picture since it was an important moment!!! Peace to all. KKG

Bozzj, I too had the same thing happen to me so I totally know how upset and dissapointed you are feeling right now....But, with that said, I'll tell you that it turned out to be a great thing for me to have to wait the 6 months. First and foremost it gave me plenty of time for me to "wrap my head around" the fact that I would be giving up my old way of life. I had time to read about 14 books on the subject and once i found this website and found out what a terrific source of information it was the time just flew by. The way my surgeon's office handled the 6 months was as follows: 1st Month appt. he explained how it was all going to happen. He told me that he didn't need me to lose weight BUT he didn't want to see me gain not one single pound...or else!!! 2nd month appt. I met with the dietician...3rd month appt. met with the in office Diet Person - got weighed in....4th month appt. met with Pshcyologist for evaluation (mandatory for my insurance)...5th month appt. meet with in office Diet person again - got weighed in again...6th month appt. met with Surgeon for the "liver talk", then got surgery scheduled and came back one last time for pre-surgery talk with Surgeon....then surgery!!! The time flew by and at first I didn't really take it serious and ended up gaining 7 lbs...but then they gave me a strong talking to and explained how if I didn't do as I was told then I could get cancelled at the last minute for the weight gain, due to the enlargement of the liver from the gain. So after that I got serious and ended up losing 9 lbs. then another 6 before surgery. Since surgery I've had 2 fills with a 3rd scheduled for 2nd week in March. I've lost 46 lbs. and have never felt better. Anyway, hope this helps you feel alittle better. Good luck. Live well/Be well. KKG

When you speak of sliming are you referring to the saliva that builds up in your mouth that can't be swallowed when something is stuck? Or is that something different? B/C I've gotten stuck many times but have not experienced anything that I would consider "slime" just regular saliva that I go and spit in the toliet until the food goes down. Please advise. Thanks!

Gingerbug, just wanted to share with you my experience cos' I had the same thought as you before getting banded. I'm on an extremely LOWCARB diet, which always makes me lose weight AND i'm exercising everyday so I knew I'd be losing weight wether I had restriction or not so I was worried about the doctor not wanting to give me a fill, but when I met w/him he basically asked me questions about whether I'm getting hungry after meals and how long that is taking, he never even discussed the 14 lbs. I'd lost, other than to say it was a good thing. So far he's given me 2 fills, 4 weeks after each other and I'm seeing him again in 3 weeks for another if needed. I'm still not at the sweet spot but I've been taking it slow with how much I tell him to put in cos' I don't like the feeling I get right after. So really I think that the surgeon will make the decision based on what you tell him, so make sure you are honest and thorough in your discussions with him. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you. Be well. KKG

Wendy, Well I don't know about this for sure, make sure to talk to your surgeon, but I do know that everyone's surgeon tells them something different cos' mine told me I could drink carbonated drinks as long as they are NO CARB (ie. diet soda). So I've been drinking them since surgery with NO problems whatsoever. What I do is pour the glass before sitting down for the meal, but leave it in the kitchen (so that I don't reach for it while eating - that's a no-no according to my surgeon) and then by the time I wait the 20 minutes after the last bite is swallowed it's perfect to drink (all the bubbles have calmed down). So, I would think that the same reasoning would work for the Alka-Seltzer too. Hope this helps. Be well. KKG

Sara, Hey there, I too had the same questions about Lap-Band and pregnancy since that is one of my main reasons for wanting to have the surgery (to lose the excess weight, get healthy and have another baby soon). I did ALOT of research on the subject and was not able to find any source saying anything negative about having a post-lap-band pregnancy. On the contrary, I did find lots of sources, my surgeon being one, saying that having the lap-band, losing the excess weight, cutting down your risks of diabetes, high-bp, etc. can increase the chances of getting pregnant and of having a healthy pregnancy. The only thing they do recommend is that you wait atleast one year (some sources say up to 2 yrs., but my surgeon said that is just because during the first 24 months is when you have your greatest chance of losing the weight you need to lose and if you get pregnant obviously you won't be losing). Once you become prego, or if you will be "trying" let your surgeon know asap and he will take ALL the fluid out of your band and it'll be just like you didn't have it. This is one of the main reasons that I chose to have the band over the gastic bp because the statistics of mis-carriages after gbp are way too high for my liking and I knew that I couldn't live with myself if I did get pregnant and lost the baby cos' there would always be that thought that it could have been because of the gbp and not natural. Anyway, hope this helps, sorry to be so long winded. Make sure to tell your surgeon that this is something that you are thinking about and see what he can tell you about it. Take care and good luck. KKG

Thanks for responding ShortGal....I'm not eating any carbs (under 30 per day); here are the things that have gotten stuck the worse: 1) Made chicken w/sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, blk olives, spices but when I tried to eat it after just a few bites it got stuck and stayed that way for 1/2 hour. 2) *food got stuck after one bite of each. I think it was the combination of spinach and the bacon in the Quiche. After about 15 minutes was able to eat about 1/2 of the slice w/the bacon scraped off: 1 slice of Quiche Lorraine / Baked Spinach (w/cream cheese and onion Soup mix) 3) Ate at Bennigans: *Food got stuck after eating about 1/2 the salad, had to go to bathroom and throw it up some but it still didn’t go down, kept having to spit out salvia for about 1/2 an hour. SPINACH CHICKEN SALAD: Baby spinach tossed with sweet-pepper vinaigrette dressing and topped with bacon, chopped pecans, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, golden raisins, diced red onion, chopped egg and grilled chicken breast Other things have gotten stuck but the above 3 examples have been the worse, lasting for 15 - 30 minutes each time. Anyway, I didn't call the doctor cos' I have an appt. this Monday and knew I would discuss it with him then. I just needed some advice on how to handle this cos' right now I feel discouraged and I really was feeling wonderful before the fill. Thanks again for responding and for any insight into this strange but exciting world we've entered. Be well. KKG