Road Queen

Congratulations

I think everyone has moments of nervousness. I remember posting the night before and my mother getting mad at me (she didn't think I should do it if it made me nervous). I also remember minutes of wondering - why did I do this? But they all pass and life is better, Im healthier, etc.

If you go into the food forum, the first thread describes the different foods for the various stages.

Gummi - on the food forum, the first thread is a list of suggested food stages one received from someone's dr. That may be a good place to start. Sorry your dr or nurse did not provide more info. I also did not have any problems after surgery. I went to Liberia three weeks after surgery. When I returned home, I got my first fill and still did not have restriction. My 2nd fill gave me restriction.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21848&highlight=yoga+dog This thread recommends the yoga pose - downward facing dog.

Abbey, different people have luck with different things when stuck. If I bend forward, I will typically get sick and it will come out. Drinking any liquid makes it worse for me sinc the liquid can't go through and you just end up throwing that up and getting a sore stomach. Sorry you are going through this. Let us know when you are okay.

Penni - congratulations. I hope this works out great. I also agree with Jack, make sure this is a legit business. The corruption on this continent goes beyond comprehension. Celeste

Gummibear, please read the information you dr provided and other threads here. You were just banded. Your body needs to heal. You are going through a stage where you have limited food (as prescribed by your dr) until your body heals. You may lose weight and you may gain during this time period. Just think of it as a healing time and that your band is on vacation until the first fill. You may or may not get restriction on your first fill. It may take multiple fills. The band is a tool, not a miracle. You did not gain weight overnight and will not take it off overnight. After 15 months, I have lost over 70 pounds but am not finished. From day 1, I anticipated this would be a multiple year journey. Every day that I am not gaining weight, I am healthier than I was before. I am sorry that you did not understand the process you will go through with your band. Please read many threads, including FAQ, food topics, etc to prepare you for your band journey. Celeste

The first 6 weeks are for healing. Let your body adapt to having a foreign object inside of it. You may also gain when you start mushies and/or solids. Just be patient. This is a tool not a miracle. You will plateau. You will not have a loss every day or even every week. I went months without a loss and then lost 20 pounds in a month. People tend to average 1-2 pounds loss per week. You did not gain all of your weight overnight and should not expect to lose it overnight. When you lose slowly, you get a chance to get used to the new you, let your skin catch up, and let your body adjust naturally. Sorry if I sound like I am lecturing. I'm just guessing from your question and am trying to answer the questions you will have in the next couple of months.

Feel like I did before - no, I feel way better. My quality of life is better, I don't spend my day planning what to eat (okay, but less than before), and I know I am a person who can endure and become a better person from life's little struggles. The only difference is the strange body noises you get sometimes. Especially when you are tight and you can hear your food funneling through the band

Boo, when u are out in public use regular silverware. chew and have small bites. Nobody will notice. You will start noticing that they are all too busy pigging out to look at the size of your bites. Those changes will require thinking at first but later will be habit. I don't even think about how small my bites are now.

Yyvonne - I'll be through Jamestown a couple of times. I will give you a call. Before I got my band, my cousin was banded and just talking to her one time helped clarify lots of things for me. Talk to you soon. Celeste

Lovecats, I can totally relate. At my old job there was always food by the coffee pot. And good stuff - homemade Cookies, homemade beef Jerky, cakes, etc. And some days a healthy item like fruit - but then they bring that really good fattening dip with marshmellow cream in it. I'm sorry that you have to endure that but just think what a stronger person you are becoming cuz of it. Try to find some positive in it and go back to your desk and eat your health food while visualizing how great you look without that fattening food sitting on your body. Good luck. Of course, the other option is to quit your job, sell your home, move to one of the poorest countries in the world, and work with the local people in that country. It worked for me. I got away from that food at work sydrom. Celeste

North dakota forum is alive and kicking. IMHO, I have turned into a great bandster story. Before I left the US, I bought a couple of size 10 outfits thinking I may get into them someday. they hang on me now. If I do wear 12s, I have to safety pin the skirts or pants to keep them on. YYev, where do you live? Missy, I can't remember where you are either. Cindy, I'm not moving back yet just coming for a couple of weeks. Quit eating around the band or else you will have to come live here for awhile. I leave here 7am Wednesday (North Dakota time) and arrive Thursday night.. Friday I am going to have annual dr appointments and see Dr. Schmit. I'm gonna hang around Bismarck for the weekend. Monday I'm going to start riding motorcycle around ND, SD, and Mn, Labor Day weekend I' meeting about 50 of my relatives in Alexandria. After that I will return to Bismarck until Sept 10 - when I fly out. And I get here Sept 12. Gosh, I hate these eternal flights. I am leaving time in case I have any additional dr stuff. There are no approved medical facilities and dr in this country. The closest is South Africa - about 2 1/2 hours by air. Probably TMI but can you tell I'm anxious to have a couple of 'normal' weeks back in the US. But this week I am enjoying living here. Email me phone numbers and stuff and I will try and call when I'm back or if I ride through your town. Celeste

Welcome Yyev and Kim, Cindy - glad to hear from you again. Its time to get the ND forum rolling again. How is everyone doing? Anybody want to have lunch when I come back? Celeste

Vines - I will drink the wine for you. I do eat a little pasta - sprouted grain pasta. But I have 2 cases of fine wine that I had shipped to ND and I will be drinking them when I go back - all in the name of dieting for you!!

Okay, my electric meter ran out tonight so I am running on generator power which means no sleep (generator right by my bedroom). So I'm reading this thread and thinking, hmmm, I've got it good. I have lots of little black spiders but I am trying to ignore them. I have a couple of roaches a month. The last one enjoyed the potluck dinner I hosted for my book club. I get some big ugly brown spiders periodically and they do sometimes like my shoes. But overall, my household bug life is under control. Now, I have come to realize that Malawi doesn't have normal seasons - it has bug seasons. When I came here in March, the flying grasshopper were big, green and flying. As rainy season ended, they got brown, tried to find refuge in the house, and eventually died. Now, it is fruit fly and dust season. It has rained once in 3 months and won't really rain until Dec. My sinus are terrible. But I have not had a snake, spider bite, or rat in my yard. I am thankful for life's little blessings. (oh, I am having a glass of wine and appreciating my thankfulness)

I am a very happy bandster. I was banded in May 2005. I have lost very slowly and only have baggy skin on my arms and a lttle across my stomach. I have good restriction but still need to be careful. I am still losing - very slowly. I have always lost slowly except for my first month living here - when I had no stove, microwave, car to get groceries, etc - then I dropped 11 pounds in a month. I have lost 66 pounds since surgery. From the clothes I have ordered, I wear a size 8 pants and 6 or 8 skirt. I have not been that small at those weights in the past (unless clothes run bigger now!) Many times when something goes wrong or people are worried, they tend to post. This is a support system and when things are going well, people don't always need support. Good luck on your journey. Celeste

I so needed to laugh this morning. Thanks Wheetsin for starting this. I have told many people but don't have any funny stories - I don't think I have a sense of humor right now so thanks for sharing yours.

Hope - thanks for posting that. I have had major sinus the last couple of days and am really tight. I will wait for the sinus to diminish. I wouldnt have linked the two on my own. Celeste

Marc, I am just seeing this thread for the first time. I believe that you now understand what a wonderful and caring place you have found here. I hope you are proceeding with surgery and getting ready to lose the weight. This journey is not just a weight loss surgery but since the band is a tool, it forces you to use the tool to be successful. That helps you learn balance too. I am not in health care but I have frequently worked long, long days, slept a couple of hours and went back to work - for weeks on end. I used to love to exercise before I slept because I had to write it down or I would forget that I even exercised (cuz I was so tired). Looking back, that is a sad state to be in. But even then, I planned vacations. Since I couldn't really get away ffrom it all closeby, I usually left the country. Now, I am getting away from work stress by returning to the US for holiday. Use this journey to become the person you want to be. One of my best friends (who has worked internationally for years) told me that every time you move or make a major change in your life, you can remake yourself and act like the person you want to be. That includes eating. Marc, I truly hope you have a safe and successful journey into bandland. It has been the most rewarding and inspiring journey I have taken. Without learning to control my eating, I could not have taken the risks I am today - hey, I'm living in Africa, working as a contractor (no stable employment), and struggling to find band friendly foods but I am on the greatest journey. Keep us updated and God bless. Celeste

Wheetsin - love that tale! Its a thread killer for me when I read 'I must be on a plateau cuz I didn't lose any weight between 3 and 5 today'. Or " whats wrong, its been 3 weeks since surgery and I'm only down 32 pounds"... Oh, I get it. I get irritated when someone expected miracles, not a tool.

Derbygirl - yes, freeze lots of stuff in little snack ziplock bags. I freeze tons of black Beans, green beans (blanched), leftovers, etc. Cooking for one is challenging - yesterday I shredded fresh spinach, grated carrots, cooked black beans, cut up onions, tomatoes, etc and put it into ziploc bags. Tonight I put everything in a bowl with tuna for a salad. I took 1 cup out for tonights salad - tonight I combined it with ranch dressing (and didn't finish it). I still have enough for a few more meals. Fortunately, changing dressing will completely change this salad. Between the tuna, beans, and spinach about 16 g of Protein. I have to bribe myself to eat at night alot. I am tight tonight (totally stresssed) and had no appetite. Since I ate, I get to watch some dvds on my computer - I think its gonna be Mash or Rosanne. Good luck. Celeste

I used to mash my Beans with a bean masher. Then I went to language class in Mexico and took a cooking class - they just threw them in the blender. I eat tons of beans. Mostly black beans. On Sundays, I cook up a crock pot. I have been posting alot on my new fav - spinach, black beans, grated carrots, tuna - with dressing or olive oil/balsamic mixture. I also have been eating alot of black bean burgers and tuna burgers. I just got on the scale and I'm 145 today. I have been stressed and not eating much - isn't that weird for someone who lived to eat!!

Every dr is different. I eat popcorn almost every night (especially lately) but I did not eat it for the first few months after banding. My nutritionist said it would not be good during the healing process (first 6 weeks) and suggested learning about my band before progressing too rapidly. Since I was banded in May 2005, my first few months of food were in hot weather. I am much tighter and have to watch what food I eat when its hot. there is no way I would even eat popcorn during the heat today but I can tolerate it at night. Since rice doesn't work well for me, I would hesitate with rice cakes. But that is just me. Learn to listen to your body. That is what this is all about.