JustWatchMe

I need more exercise. I'm so lazy about it. I'm going to start using half of my work break to walk, then the second half to eat lunch. Ok, I said that out loud so now I have to do it.

I once lost 130 pounds at age 28 over two years and had minimal loose skin. This year I've lost 100 so far at age 53 and am saggy and baggy and flappy and floppy and turkey-necked and bat-winged and panni-pudged and slappy-thighed. So my advice is to be 28. No regrets by the way.

Bring it to work the next day.

Sugar has never been a big draw for me. I have always been the one in the office whose desk has the candy bowl. I almost never touched it before weight loss surgery, and I never touch it now. But since I always had it on my desk, I just decided to keep doing that. People have gotten used to it. Other people contribute candy towards it as well. Like I said, for me personally, the candy is not a draw. Now if that bowl contained Cheetos, or potato chips, I'd be doomed.

I had no post op protein goal but I did have a calorie goal. I was told to stay at 800. Ticked me off because if I hadn't asked, I could have just kept happily consuming 1000 for the six weeks. LOL. Anyway, I ate soup, soup and more soup for six weeks. And protein shakes. I got bored of yogurt and pudding really quickly.

@@Kindle, that's wonderful! It's such an emotional milestone. Congratulations and enjoy the rewards of your hard work! My -100 and Onederland are two pounds apart and it's the longest two pounds I've ever waited to lose! Maybe this weekend. I weigh once a week now and I'm down 101 and sitting at 201. Aaarrggh! It's all good. Happy problem to have.

Oh, I am in such pain right now. My walking partner canceled on me today because she got stuck at work. So I decided to go shopping for an accessory for my Halloween costume. Out of the clear blue sky, with no warning, my right shoulder and collarbone started screaming in pain. I could not figure out what the heck was going on, because I wasn't carrying anything or even holding my purse on that shoulder. If it had been my left shoulder, I would've thought I was having a heart attack. But I discovered I got relief by pressing my left hand fingers hard into the top of my right shoulder. This tells me it's probably nerve pain. I can move my shoulder in all directions, raise the arm, lower the arm, put weight on it, etc. All intensely painful, but doable, so probably not a dislocation. I managed to drive myself home from the store, change clothes, and now I'm lying in bed. The weirdest thing is this. I actually think it has something to do with the body shaper I was wearing. I've been loving these body shapers, and have been wearing them daily for several weeks now. The problem is, I didn't realize how much downward pressure the straps were putting on the top of my shoulders. I think I'm going to have to give them up for a little while. I still had my prescription of pain medication I used to take for bad arthritis flares, not an NSAID, so I took one. The problem is, I can't take that without food or I'll get nauseated. So I had two handfuls of almonds to help my stomach tolerate it. Right now, I'm lying in bed and only one position is comfortable. This is going to be a long night.

@@sbrown1 my fill nurse requires 48 hours of full liquids after each fill. Then back to normal solid foods.

Lisa nailed it. This is a learning time. Very few people are at the right level after one adjustment. Portion control is important now and it will feel like a diet until you reach the right fill level. Be disciplined. You will get there. By learning satiety signals and maintaining portion control now, you'll learn to recognize "enough", and with future fills, sneak up on your green zone. You don't want to go too tight too fast because it can cause regurgitation problems. At four fills and six months post op I believe I hit my green zone. It's wonderful. I still have to watch my portions and types of foods in order to keep losing weight. But I feel the "enough" signals when I eat solid protein, and I'm satisfied without hunger for four hours between meals. It's a wonderful thing.

@@Babbs, it took me 53 but at least I got there.

I'm doing it since early September and it helped jostle my weight loss again. There's a thread I started but I don't know how to link to it from my phone.

Hair loss started at 2 months post op, was the worst at about 5 months post op and is slowing down at 7 months post op. Definitely due to surgical stress since I never lost hair with a previous non wls rapid loss many years ago. I also get plenty of protein every day. Just dealing with my long hair strands everywhere for now but it's turning around.

You've been through a lot. Remember how good you felt when you were losing weight and were in fit condition. You'll do this. Your tool is still there waiting to be used and adjusted properly. Never give up on yourself. I admire your determination and I know that by posting here you're already seeking out the support systems you'll need. Good job!

Thursday fasting day today. Good luck to everyone. I'm going to try to up my walking significantly today by getting outside on my lunch break. I'm also hoping to meet a friend for walking after work. So eager to break into Onederland!

Name (real or screen)- JustWatchMe Age- 53 Location- Chicagoland Date of surgery- 03/13/2014 Current weight- 201.0 Weight lost since surgery- 101 lbs Goal for November- Walk more Favorite thing about Thanksgiving- cooking Weight loss goal for November- 195

I'm interested in the replies here too. My first support group meeting pre band was quite an eye opener. It's amazing I returned for a second one. The group was for LapBand patients and consisted of a facilitator and two patients, a husband and wife. Both admitted to eating slider foods constantly and vomiting every day. Both were still overweight years after banding and the wife was revising to bypass. I was scared by them and had serious doubts about LapBand after that meeting. It wasn't at my own hospital. But I went to other meetings and went to RNY and sleeve groups and listened to as many people as I could. I found this site and read Alex's book and learned as much as I could, and I still wanted the band. I'm not a veteran but I'll offer that I wish the medical team had cautioned about band erosion and slipping and never taking nsaids again. I learned all that here and not in the doctor's office or support groups.

I'm not a science experiment for the amusement of others. There are several toxic people in my life that have no business being in my business. I started out telling five people. One was my toxic to-be-ex spouse. He told me it was the easy way out and I got no/zero/nada support from him. I expected that and wasn't disappointed. As my weight comes off I answer questions at the level I feel safe with the person. Some hear, "I'm working with a doctor and eating less and moving more." A few I've told the whole story to since they didn't land in the toxic category and sincerely asked for their own benefit. The looky-loos can go ogle somebody else and conjecture all they want. I'm not the poster child for LapBand. That's @@Alex Brecher and he's done a fine job at it (thanks, Alex!). Call me deceptive or deceitful or self deluding or whatever you like. Some toxic people I know have called me worse. No skin off my skinny @$$.

Never give up on yourself!!! You'll be so glad you made that appointment. Back on track pronto!!

I've reclaimed my power.

@@machinedoc1 "...when I think about the days to come without knee and back pain, high blood pressure and cholesterol medication... " Seven months post op here and gone are my knee and back pain, cholesterol med and one of two BP meds. The dream is real, my friend.

Sorry you got sick. At least you caught the bug before surgery and not after. Vomiting after banding would've put you at risk for pulling out your sutures. So maybe all things happen for a reason. Hang in there. It gets so much better after surgery.

My upper gi showed a "tiny" hernia. My surgeon said if it was necessary he would repair it during LapBand surgery. It wasn't so he didn't.

Miss you most: coffee during Breakfast Don't miss you at all: the pharmacy that used to sit on top of my dresser and required its own travel bag.

Jojo, ask a pal to karate chop your neck and shoulders a few times a day. And walk a lot. These things helped my shoulder pain immensely. Congrats on your surgery!

Amen.