JustWatchMe

Thanks, Kitt. I guess I just expected to see a drop because I've been going to sleep each night with a growling stomach. That used to mean weight loss back the day. I know I'm still healing. I can still see and feel the puffy incision area, so I know things haven't totally returned to normal yet. Just not looking forward to 200 fewer calories a day with no restriction yet. Is this the bandster hell they talk about? Everyone says the liquid diet post-op is the hardest time.

Ten pm here in Chicago. Thanks for the tip!

But it won't keep me down. Today was my first post-op appointment. I looked forward to today all weekend. I was really hoping for a big loss, but when I got on the surgeon's scale, I've only lost 0.8 pounds since my surgery day 11 days ago! Whaaaa? I did lose 13 pounds in the five days before surgery, so overall I'm doing fine, but what the...? I've been tracking intake (averaging just under 1000 calories per day), walking every day and increasing my workout each day, drinking my Water, not cheating at ALL, and 0.8 pounds in 11 days???????? GRRRRRRRR! Nobody was disappointed but me. (They don't know I weighed myself in the hospital on surgery day, which is not their protocol anymore.) I know it will all work out and it will start to drop, and I have four weeks left of liquids and then I get to go on regular foods. My doctor suggested I go down to 800 calories a day and ditch the Protein drinks. Yikes! Those were the only things keeping me from being ravenous! I'm not giving up. Just ranting. I'm determined to do what I need to do, and what I need to do is cut more calories stick with this. The good (excellent) news is that I am healing very well, and can go back to my Aqua Zumba in two weeks. I'm also due for my first fill on April 28th if I want it. That "if I want it" is because I am taking a trip abroad in mid-May and I'm scared to go with a new fill. My NP says no problem, wait until you come back. Doc prefers I get filled before I go (probably so I don't overindulge in Italy). Of course, it is my choice, so I'll decide next month. Anyway, I found out my band size is LapBand 14 AP Large and they typically fill the first fill anywhere between 4-7 ccs. I came home, walked my 24 minutes on the treadmill, and had my crappy yogurt for dinner. OK, I'm done.

Successful Bander Problems! Hang in there. I remember the frustration too when I lost a lot of weight twenty years ago. Two suggestions while you're still losing.... A relative of mine loves Gwinnie Bee which is kind of like a clothing rental online. Nice outfits, and I think it's pretty affordable. Lots of women who are losing weight use it. Secondly, just keep hitting the Goodwill stores to see what's new each week. For a couple of bucks you might get a blouse that you can wear for a couple of months. Your post inspired me. Thanks for seeing the humor in a frustrating situation! (I hate to shop too.)

PPS: the time right before surgery is needed to shrink your liver. Makes laproscopic surgery safer.Visualize your skinny liver!

You can do this. Write out a plan. Go on MyFitnessPal.com and record your daily intake and exercise. Every single day, review your progress. Follow your doctor's pre-op protocol. It's for your safety. Call your NUT and tell her or him you're struggling and ask for advice. They want you to succeed. Stay connected here. This final month will really go by fast. It's so worth it! P.S. My last "chewable" meal was (too much) fried fish. It's not all it's cracked up to be. LOL. If I had that meal to do over again, I swear I would just have had some balanced normal portion of something healthy. I'm on liquids now, 10 days post-op and won't chew again until April 24. We can do this together!

Sorry, just soups and protein shakes and yogurt for me. My protocol is six weeks full liquids post-op.

My blender, a protein shaker bottle, my daughter's NordicTrack treadmill, this site!

Congratulations!

Good luck and don't worry! I'm ten days post-op and feel great!

Amen!

Thanks, all!

Not all friends can be all things. I'm 52, and my three best friends are all from my high school years. I stay in touch with all three, but only told my very best friend, because she is my emotional rock of support for everything, not just WLS. I wanted to tell my friend who lives in another state, but she was recently married to a guy who basically is a blowhard, opinionated jerk who fights with me about politics, etc. , every time we interact. I just didn't want the drama from him, so unfortunately, I didn't tell her. They have one of those joined-at-the-hip marriages where they read each other's Facebook, email, etc. I would love to tell her, because she had her own huge weight loss a few years back and knows the struggle. She was also my first WW partner when we were 16 years old. My third friend is a good friend too, but honestly, I just don't want it slipping out over Facebook, and she posts stuff constantly. I have business associates on Facebook, and many family members who don't know (only 5 people total know) and it's not worth the risk for me. Maybe someday I will tell her, but not now. My point is, I am choosing not to tell these two very good friends for my own reasons. I expect that if they figure it out or whatever, they may feel hurt that I didn't. I have to accept that with my decision to remain private comes the real possibility of them not mentioning my weight loss. I doubt it, because all of us have struggled and it will likely come up. Now, I'm a lot older than you are, and not in competition with anyone anymore in any real way, except in my career. We're old ladies now, LOL. But I'll just say that, guess what? These three babes were also my bridesmaids, and I was maid of honor for two of them. If your friend is your friend deep down, you'll eventually talk it out. I don't think prior to the wedding date is good for anybody. Rejoice in your weight loss, toot your own horn, and wait for a heart to heart until the wedding is behind you and everything's not all about her anymore. She could just be an insecure bride. And don't kid yourself, right now it's all about her. As it should be.

LOL I thought that was a typo of boring until I read it twice. Me? I have an exciting gastric band!

Seeing my surgeon for the first time tomorrow, 11 days post-op. Here are my questions so far: What size band do I have? What brand band do I have? When can I go back to Aqua Zumba? When can I go in a hot tub? I will bring my MyFitnessPal food diaries and see if I'm on track in his eyes. I previously discussed with the NP that I have a trip to Italy in mid-May, which would be a week or so after my first planned fill. She and I agreed to wait to fill until I'm back in the USA at the end of May. Apparently your organs, not just your legs and feet, swell when you fly. Since I will be eating real foods by then, I want the surgeon's input on this plan and what I should eat in Italy. My overwhelming concern is getting sick or stuck abroad, and no, I do not speak Italian. Where's my card that says I am a bariatric patient? I thought I was supposed to get one of those laminated thingies. I need to make one up in Italian. LOL. WhatDoIWeighWhatDoIWeighWhatDoIWeigh????? Was mine the skinniest liver you ever saw in surgery? LOL What else should I ask?

Nat, have you called your doctor and described what you're feeling? I had soreness for about a week and still feel a jab if I bend into the port at nine days out. My collarbone gas pain didn't go away until a couple of days ago. Please check with your doctor to make sure this is normal post-op pain you're having.

Ivowtodoit, congrats on the decision and preparing! I was grateful that my pre-op diet was clear liquids for five days before surgery. It was extreme but it left no room for questions. I was determined to have the skinniest liver my surgeon ever saw! But months before that, I made a big big change in my eating habits by no eating in front of the tv. This was prompted by the psychologist threatening not to clear me for surgery if I was unwilling to make a lifestyle change. Boy, did that **** me off. But it made me determined. I still don't eat in front of the tv, and it no longer beckons me. Another thing I did was seek out support group meetings in addition to the one my own hospital has, which are once a month. I needed more. That helped me hear a variety of LapBand stories, good and bad, compliant and cheaters, and it drove home that this band is only going to help me if I follow the rules. I'm 9 days post-op today and I feel so good. I'm on liquids for five more weeks, but I believe I can do this and I will. I also just found MyFitnessPal.com, and it is an eye-opener for your intake and exercise. Try it. It becomes fun to track the input and exercise and take the blinders off. The first week post-op, I thought I was consuming so few calories, but after I started tracking and measuring, the truth was in front of my eyes. In my life I've been on a million diets, as have we all, and on Weight Watchers probably thirty times or more. I NEVER measured my food for more than a few days. I always knew better. Well, this time I'm following directions. And it's gonna make a difference! Keep us posted on your progress!

I'm so happy I found this thread. All of your stories are so wonderful. When I began this process back in September 2013, I made a list called "I Will...". I've been adding to it and it includes many of the things you have posted here as NSVs. Those are my goals and the reasons I started the LapBand process. I'm now 9 days post op, still on liquids for five more weeks, no fill yet, and here is what I have as NSVs so far: I walk every day on the treadmill and add a minute per day. I'm up to 21 minutes at 3mph no incline. I'm starting to look forward to it more than dreading it. I'm over a mile already. I have more energy and although this was my first Saturday I could have slept in in weeks, I got out of bed early with a spring in my step. I found MyFitnessPal.com and I watch my intake much better now and look forward to recording my exercise. I drink a lot of water and prefer plain water to flavored water. My breath smells better. I honestly thought it would go the other way from such a strict diet and higher protein, but hey. I'll take it. I'm eager to get outside and socialize. I'm not SO TIRED all the time. My back and knees are not hurting from daily existence. I'm off NSAIDs for several months and Tylenol is controlling my arthritis pain pretty well for now. My husband, the WLS skeptic, pointed out last night that the chunk of weight loss I've had since February can't be from the March 13 band since I have no fill. I pointed out that it's a process, of which this is a first step, in discipline and lifetime habit changing, and that the band will always and forever only be a tool in the toolbox. The lifetime work still has to come from me. (A week ago, the night before my surgery, he referred to LapBand as the easy fix.) The NSV here is that I don't give a flying fig what he thinks, but it's nice to prove a skeptic wrong, and see his expression when I come up from the basement sweaty each day from my workout. Keep posting, everyone. You inspire me daily.

This post made my day! Very inspiring. I'm a week post-op and walking on my daughter's NordicTrack. I can't bend into my band yet as it is still tender. But someday I want to do a situp! You look beautiful!

Posts like this make me so happy I made this decision and so motivated to do the work! You are beautiful.

Suziecat, thank you for posting that. One fear that almost kept me from the band was the fear of vomiting. I even had a medical person tell me that nausea and vomiting are pretty common. Part of my fear was fed when the first support group I went to in a nearby town was attended by a husband and wife who freely admitted vomiting daily. They were clearly cheating the band. I'm glad to hear that you have made it all of these years wihout vomiting. I'm 52 years old, and one of my concerns is always long term health as I age. I'm fearful of damaging my body by vomiting with the band. I truly have not had any nausea since surgery, and haven't needed my anti nausea medicine. But I do get car sick, air sick, seasick, etc., so I worry about my upcoming trip this summer. Or getting the flu. These fears keep me compliant, at least so far. But I'm still on liquids.

Congrats to all of the recently banded. It's 8 days post-op for me and my shoulder pain has been gone for two days. Feeling good, more energy, and sticking to my liquid diet faithfully. This is going to happen!

Of course I will ask him Monday at my first post-op appointment, and follow what he says. But I miss my Aqua Zumba class (and the hot tub afterwards)!

Every day a minute more on the treadmill until I get to two miles, per my nurse. Nobody's more surprised than me. It's getting easier.