JustWatchMe

I've been on MyFitnessPal since shortly after my banding. I love it. I eat (drink) some of my exercise calories back but not all. My exercise comes out to about 350 calories burned per day lately. I try not to consume over 800 calories, but sometimes go over a little if I eat back some exercise calories. I'm not on solid food yet, so I imagine it will get more interesting/tricky once I can eat again! I'm losing steadily now, so it's working at the moment.

Yes, what gowalking said is how I understand it. I was so bummed out that I didn't lose right after surgery, until it was explained to me that my body had basically been through a trauma and was still healing. Swelling, inflammation, fluids in the tissues. I calmed down and just kept following instructions. Now I'm losing. But again, it's the liquid low calorie diet, not the band, yet.

I'm 4 1/2 weeks post-op and at 4 weeks out I'd lost 13 pounds. 27 before that pre-op, 40 total. I'm still on liquids for the full 6 weeks after surgery. Like many people, I gained some weight right after the surgery, but after a few weeks, that was gone, and my loss has been steady. However, the band has nothing to do with this yet, because I'm still dieting, on liquids, and staying under 800 calories a day. Weight loss immediately post-op varies greatly due to the variety of surgeon protocols. I personally dont think it's worth comparing at that stage because it's not the band helping yet. Hope this makes sense. Having said that, I am thrilled I made this decision. I've begun walking 40 minutes a day without fail, and I feel great. My surgeon has a strict diet protocol right after surgery, and I think it's helped me develop the discipline I will need once I start solid food and begin getting fills. Good luck!

Congratulations!

Thanks, everybody. I think it's what all of you said -- a combination of simply morning swelling and the fact that I had/have this cold lingering and am still mucous-y. As the cold gets better day by day, the feeling is less intense when I wake up. I took the advice of "something warm" to clear the stoma, and that seems to help as well. I've been on Robtussin every day for the last two weeks as well. Interestingly, since my band was placed, but especially the last two weeks, sleeping late seems to be a thing of the past for me. I'd love an occasional luxurious late morning in bed, but the latest I can manage is about 8am on a weekend, even if I get to sleep well after midnight. Oh, well. Not really a problem, is it? More time to get my butt moving and enjoy life! LOL

Yeah, we tried to go higher, but then I couldn't climb on! It's the right height, it's just that my right knee especially is just plain shot. It makes me sad, because I really used to love my bike when I was younger, and it's so much more enjoyable than walking for me. But I'm not giving up. I do get the shots, as I said, and that gives some relief for months. Maybe a couple of weeks after the shots kick in I can try it again, and go buy one of those wide-butt comfort seats to prevent the groin pain. It was the "up-bent" position that had my knee screaming in pain, even with nearly no resistance. The fully extended position was relief. I just can't afford to damage the knee any further right now. Weight loss will help a lot, but I may still need knee replacement in a few years. UGH!

enuf, great news! Glad it's been going well. I made the mistake of weighing myself within the first couple weeks of surgery and got so depressed because the scale actually went up, even though I had nothing but flipping Clear Liquids for a week before surgery and FULL LIQUIDS after surgery. SO UNFAIR!! Then the lovely people on this board calmed me down and told me my body was carrying surgery weight -- fluids, swelling, and God knows what from the actual surgery, and it can take WEEKS for the body to rid itself of that weight. They were right. I just kept to the plan my doctor gave me (800 calories a day and walking on the treadmill) and the weight started to come off after a couple of weeks, and now I'm losing a little at a good pace. I'm still on liquids until April 24th (who's counting?) but I keep reminding myself that it took me 52 years to get this body, and it's going to take a little longer than a week to get it thin. LOL. My ultimate goal is that, once the band starts doing its job (when I'm on solid foods), the band will help me recognize satiety signals, and I will be satisfied with less. I want to get down to a normal weight immediately, of course, but realistically, I know this will take me well over a year. I'm okay with that. I'm already in such a better place than I was a year ago -- heck, six months ago. Be patient and kind to yourself, and keep us posted!

Ana Gram, this sentence just set off a lightbulb for me. Boredom is an emotion. I tend to think of emotion as sad, happy, angry, etc. I'll now ask myself, is this impulse this moment driven by a thought or not? Boredom isn't a thought, right? If it's not a thought, it's probably an emotion. Then I can feel the emotion, and take control of the thoughts that follow. Ooh, we're gonna get so GOOD at this!

I know! I have a winter coat that I just love. It's ten+ years old, but it is my comfy coat, and I've had it repaired twice over the years just to keep wearing it. It's lightweight but so warm, and it's cute too. It's my super-soft "Mommy" coat... LOL ... I recently found a photo of me wearing it with my family at a campfire when my kids were little (now in college). I told my younger daughter that I won't be wearing this coat ever again after this winter, and sent her a selfie a few weeks ago of me wearing it. I decided to ask someone to make two pillows out of it, one for each daughter, since it's kind of a piece of their childhoods (sounds weird, but it's the only winter coat they ever saw me in). She asked me not to cut it up because she wanted to be able to pull it out of the closet and snuggle in it, like a blanket. Maybe I'll wait a year and try it on as a skinny lady. LOL

@@ddsweighin228, you still have a lot of Fluid weight in your tissues from surgery, and will for a couple of WEEKS. as valarie kk said, don't weigh on the scale if it bothers you to see that right now, because it's going to come off at its own speed. If you are on your doctor's eating plan, the weight will begin to drop steadily after the surgery healing is well underway. As for your desk job tomorrow, I was in the same boat, so I brought a small (8oz) Water bottle with me and sipped, sipped, sipped all day. The small bottle would get empty and remind me to get up and WALK. Walk around the whole building if you can. My coworkers only knew I was '"out sick" the Thursday and Friday before, so I acted like I was going to the bathroom a lot. Walk, walk, walk. If you get a lunch break, try to get outside and walk a little. Don't overdo other stuff though, like lifting. Nope. Leave the lifting to others for a few days. Good luck!

With so much success, do you mind saying why you wanted the unfill? Thanks for sharing your experience.

cccv4, woot woot! Welcome to bandland! I'm so glad it went smoothly and you're feeling so good. Keep us posted, and don't overdo it. If people want to take care of you, let them!

Madam Reverie, you HAD to bring up grilled cheese sandwiches AGAIN? I am grieving my grilled cheese sandwiches, and I honestly don't know if I'll ever have one again, because that was my super-secret super-binge food. I never ate that food in the presence of other human beings, and never just a single sandwich. "Kraft singles"... Hahahaha..... Oh, no. That was supposed to go with me to my grave. What have I done? Now I'm going to have to kill all of you.

Chiberia is over and we've had a beautiful couple of days in Chicago. So why not pull out the bicycle and take a ride? I haven't been on this bike in a few years. My husband inflated the tires and adjusted the seat. I rode to the corner and remembered why I stopped riding a bike. My knees! Oh, my poor knees. I really didn't expect that intense pain, since I've been walking daily on the treadmill and am up to two miles now, no incline. I am a month overdue for my cortisone shots in my knees, but I postponed that on purpose because it was bearable lately with my recent weight loss, and I wanted to time the next shots optimally for my trip to Italy in May. Between the excruciating knee pain and the seat killing my pubic bone, I realized that I need to shelve this idea until I drop at least twenty more pounds, probably more. :'( So... back to the treadmill today....

Great job, and very inspiring!

Maybe the restaurant wasn't able or willing to negotiate a lower price, but possibly if you brought your receipt to the hotel desk or concierge prior to checkout, they could make a small adjustment/credit to your bill there. Oftentimes it's just the person you deal with, and how much power in the company they have to make exceptions. For instance, another server might have just "looked the other way" and not charged you personally at all if you were with your family... like not bothering to charge a toddler who only ate four bites of his mom's plate... You know?

With WLS, we've all taken such drastic lifesaving steps to change the physical actions of eating and overeating. But our minds are more powerful than any physical limitations from surgery. Wherever my head is, my eating is. If continue to let my feelings rule my head, it's a lost cause. I'll sabotage my band and my WLS will be useless, or worse, dangerous because I abuse it. If I instead work on the heart/mind/body connection and recognize and respect each component, it can be different. I'm so glad I read this upon waking up today. It's a reminder that my mental state is under my control, and I don't have to turn my thoughts over to my feelings. My feelings are valid, but obeying my feelings at the expense of my thoughts and body is a habit I can break with practice. Great article!

Unjury Chocolate Splendor protein powder, online. And Atkins Dark Chocolate shake, at CVS. I keep those in my desk at work.

I walk two miles on the treadmill every day. Takes about forty minutes.

Kisspooh, have you considered going back to your doctor and working toward a fill? I can't wait for my first fill to let this band start helping me feel satisfied on less food than I used to eat. Is there a reason you never got a fill before?

Kisspooh, good luck and I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Check back in, okay? I'm a newbie here, and I get a lot of encouragement from posts by banders who are further down this bumpy road than I am. Yay for fresh starts!

Yep, normal. Here's the good news. Sticking to my post-op diet faithfully has actually decreased my hunger. I'm taking in about 800-1000 calories per day now, four weeks post-op and on liquids for two more weeks. When I don't have anything caloric between my liquid meals I actually have less hunger overall. When I snack, even Jello, I get hungrier during the day. I had to laugh today because I never in a million years would have thought I'd make it this far on such a restricted diet. My last solid food was 5-1/2 weeks ago! I'm just happy that it does get easier, and soon the band will be filled a little, I'll get solid food, and my band can start to help me lose weight instead of me doing it the white-knuckle way. Hang in there and before you know it you'll be in the next phase. P.S. I'm Catholic, and this was the easiest Lent ever. LOL

ddsweighin228, I'm right there with ya. Birthday and Easter on liquids this year. We'll get through this together. Good luck. I'm four weeks post-op and feel great!

HealthyNewMe, that's how I read it. Explains so much. Like how I've hovered at the same weight (up or down a pound) all week and never exceeded 1000 calories on any day (usually 800-850). So how does this info tie in to the 3500 calories equals one pound mantra? I do think my yo-yo-abused body does not lose the way it used to. Years ago if I had been on 800-900 calories for four weeks in a row, I'd have lost way more than the 8 pounds I've lost in the past four weeks post-op. Plus, I am exercising every flipping day! I have never been so compliant for so long and lost so little. Not complaining really, just observing. This all becomes the age-old dilemma of how do we shake it up and get the weight off and KEEP it off, when our adaptive bodies keep figuring out how to hold on to the fat!?

Reunions are so fun when you feel confident. I went to my high school ten-year reunion newly slim and totally loved it, WON a dance contest with the guy I secretly crushed on, and met my future husband on the way out the door. Then I got fat again, and skipped the 20 and 30 year reunions. My hubby went to the 20-year without me. I was too ashamed to go. There's always the 40-year reunion....