Meredyth

I just woke up in the middle of the night and ran downstairs for a Water. As I was walking back up, I noticed I felt pretty good so I walked straight to my closet to try clothes on. (Because that's what people do at 3:30am right? )
I went right to the forbidden pile. .. clothes I haven't worn in years. (Why I've let them take up space in my closet is beyond me.. but tonight no complaints! )
I tried on the first pair of size 14 capris and they fit! I was excited but knew they were probably one of the bigger size 14s. Then I tried on the next pair and the next, and EVERY size 14 in my closet fit. Woo hoo!
Then of course my "crazy brain" took over and I tried on a size 12. Had to laugh.. That was a definite no go (for now! ) But I don't care. I'm sitting here at 4 in the morning happy as could be. I'm not sure anyone else in my life would appreciate a 4am "YEA! My butt is smaller" phone call so I came here instead! I don't think I'll ever get back to sleep.

Sorry for your loss, thoughts and prayers.

Congrats Meredyth...I know I believed that soft foods were out of this world...my problems back then I couldn't eat eggs...but I did other things...keep up the good work sweetie.

I was banded 22nd May, and going good! Just starting soft solids, it's great being able to eat food with the family again. I have never enjoyed scrambled eggs so much. Not weighing myself until my first fill appointment, concentrating on recovery and increasing my activity. Loving my new fitbit!
Good luck, everyone!

Umm, fudge! It had been a crazy busy week. Away from home for 10 days, facilitating two training courses and speaking at an Obesity Summit, I was tired and ready to go home. Though I have a pretty good routine when I travel and stay focused on my good Success Habits, I was tempted


Umm, fudge! It had been a crazy busy week. Away from home for 10 days, facilitating two training courses and speaking at an Obesity Summit, I was tired and ready to go home. Though I have a pretty good routine when I travel and stay focused on my good Success Habits, I was tempted beyond my ability to resist, to buy a piece of fudge. Umm, I love fudge and of course the walnuts added the all important “protein.” I had kept up with my exercise and make good food choices all week, so I felt justified in splurging a bit.
As it always does, the first bite was heavenly! Smooth and creamy. So good. I relished that first bite, waited a bit and then another, and yet another. Enough! I thought. I’m good. Now I am going to mindfully throw the rest away. A difficult thing to do knowing how much I paid for it and due to all of the starving people in the world. But I knew it had to go. With Michael Jordan flair, I strutted by the trash can and slam dunked it. There! Good for me. I would have high-fived the guy next to me, but he gave me a funny look so I decided I would just Celebrate privately.
Boarding for my flight began and victoriously, I marched onto the plane. Safe from “too much” fudge. An hour passed by still on the tarmac, waiting for a mechanical repair. Finally, the captain announced that we would need to deplane and board another flight. By that time I had missed my connecting flight in Denver so I knew enough to get off the plane and get quickly in line for re-booking.
As I waited patiently in line, I don’t know why, but the thought of my left over fudge so close by started to haunt me. Though I am embarrassed to admit it, here is the conversation in my head. “This situation is beyond stressful and surely another piece of fudge would calm my nerves.” Honestly, you are not thinking of getting the fudge out of that trash bin over there are you?” Well, it is still good, it was wrapped up and in the bag.” Really?” What will people think of you digging in the trash?” “It will be right on top. Easy and there are not too many people over there, I can be quick!” Come on, seriously, you are better than this. You don’t eat food from the trash! Well I guess you are right! Thank goodness.”
Whew! That was close. It shouldn’t have even crossed my mind but it did. Why, I wonder? What is this problem I have with food? I was pleased that my good voice over ruled my temptress voice but I would have preferred not to have had that conversation at all! Perhaps you can relate?
Sometimes I find myself focusing on how unfair it is that I struggle with such unhealthy food relationships. But then, I am both relieved and proud that I have been able to win many of these battles. And every time I do – the “you can do it, you are better than that” voice gets stronger and stronger. For those of you who have heard my other crazy food stories, you’ll know how important it is when I say, I don’t eat M & M’s off the floor, whipped cream with my fingers, OR fudge from the trash! Yeah!

SuperAwesome effort! An inspirational story, thanks for sharing.

SuperAwesome effort! An inspirational story, thanks for sharing.

SuperAwesome effort! An inspirational story, thanks for sharing.

SuperAwesome effort! An inspirational story, thanks for sharing.

I, actually, find hosting much easier than going to a luncheon. 'cause hosting you ca stay busy or not. Congrats, sounds like a great time and lunch.

Yum, we'll be right over! Congratulations -- and here's to being able to do the things we want to do, just a little differently. I am secretive about my band but still entertain and go out frequently, I agree with @@kll724 that it's easier to host but I am becoming accomplished at moving food around my plate, covering with lettuce leaves, etc. And of course still enjoying my food, just in a small amount. So happy to be a dainty eater now?

Mudhole!! OMG I am lmao!
And yes, glycerin supps rock.

Well, just over two weeks out and had our first guests over for lunch. I cooked roast lamb and lots of vegetables, and I enjoyed some mashed potato, pumpkin and puréed lamb. Felt good to sit with friends at the table and not lose control. Yay!!

Well, just over two weeks out and had our first guests over for lunch. I cooked roast lamb and lots of vegetables, and I enjoyed some mashed potato, pumpkin and puréed lamb. Felt good to sit with friends at the table and not lose control. Yay!!

Ah ladies and gentleman have no fear! Take those meds! Use a sip of warm tea or Decaf coffee or what have you. The warmth will help relax the stoma and open it up and down the pill will slide. Rarely do things like pills get stuck in the stoma. You may feel them go down if your newly banded and swollen but there is really no need to crush and mush 'em.
Trust me I take some pills you could give a horse, and even with a nice amount of fill I have never had an issue with a pill getting stuck. Put them in long ways not side ways and down they go

Good luck to you both! I was banded/plicated

My BMI was 35 too, but I had a lot of co-morbidities associated with obesity. When people compliment my appearance, I steer them in the direction of my health--tell them how great that's going. Maybe you could do the same? Otherwise, maybe you could fess up in the form of a break-room letter or email to those in your immediate circle. OR Tell them when you had your hernia operation, your doc had a heart-to-heart with you about your weight, and that you are now in a supervised weight loss program.
Or finally, you could just let it go and let them continue to be fat and jealous.
Best,
Amy

Today I had my first solid meal after my second fill. It was in a restaurant, and I fully intended to take most of the meal home, so I went ahead and ordered what I had a taste for. I ordered French onion Soup, and a chicken fajita plate. I expected to eat a few sips of the broth followed by the cheese from the soup, and about half of the fajita plate. What actually happened was, I ate the cheese from the soup, and two bites of chicken. I immediately got a soft stop. I was kind of ticked off, because I really wanted to eat some of the fajitas. But then I realized, hey! My band is working! I stopped, asked the waitress for a box, and brought all of the rest of it home. Good thing my daughter likes fajitas.
This satiety signal did not happen as suddenly with my first fill. I'm very excited that I might be on the right track, and getting closer to the green zone.

Ok, so I'm 3 weeks post-op, yesterday. I have my first fill in 2 weeks, but as all you vets have probably experienced, I'm not quite full after my 1/2 cup of food, and it definitely doesn't stay with me for more than 1-2 hours. After years of binging on food and never really listening to my 'full' signals, I'm not quite sure what 'not hungry' feels like. I know I'm not striving for 'full' after meals anymore, just looking for 'no longer hungry'.
I guess my question is, did you immediately have the soft stops or did they not happen until you got closer to the 'green zone'. I'm not getting the runny nose or hiccup like some have mentioned. So I'm wondering if I should eat a little more than the 1/2 cup, or just deal with it for 2 more weeks. Just trying to figure this whole thing out.

I have been struggling recently and was feeling down about my weight loss. But I came on this forum and it has helped me get back on track. There is always someone on here who is experiencing something similar to you, so you never feel on your own. My problem was I wasn't using my lap band tool properly and was eating around it. It had been a gradual thing and I realised I was eating slider foods I am back on track now without causing too much damage! Thank you so much to the wonderful people on here who are willing to share. ❤️????????????

If we let ourselves become paralyzed by "WHAT IF __________ HAPPENS", we'll become unable to function. This link you provided says 20-30% of sleeve patients develop new onset GERD? I suppose maybe if you leave GERD untreated over a long period, yes, it might develop into cancer (but I'm not a doctor, so I'm not sure of that)...but who would suffer GERD without seeking treatment, long enough to allow it to become pre-cancerous, much less full-blown cancer? Seems a bit off to me.

It also says in the slideshow that the target group is patients who are revisions from sleeve to Roux-En-Y; I'm guessing that is a VERY small subsection of all sleeve patients. So, instead of "everyone who gets bariatric surgery is at an elevated risk of this horrible/possibly lethal form of cancer", what it actually seems to be saying is that a very small group out of another very small group might develop health issues related to GERD.
Slide 4 says they examined 106 cases. That's a TINY sampling, and done all in one country (Germany). My surgeon performs more than 100 surgeries in six months all by himself! Maybe they sampled one surgeon who has a dismal success rate? Maybe the hospital/s providing this data isn't up to the standards of a Bariatric Center of Excellence?

Research is only as accurate and as trustworthy as the individuals/group performing it, and it can be spun, twisted, and re-shaped to show almost anything. Go to this link and you'll find "research" showing that Churchill was a carrot.
The way I see it, if you go back 500 years, the BEST minds, the most highly-respected opinions on earth, all said "If you sail too far to the west, you'll fall off the edge of the earth!" That's what their research showed.

Studies have also shown that if you live long enough, you will likely get some form of cancer (typically prostate cancer in men, and breast cancer in women). Since the life expectancy of human beings is highest (for 1st World Nations) nowadays, it makes some sense to be able to correlate that cancer rises as well--and that doesn't even account for cancer caused by genetics and other factors.

I am a sleeve believer--and I've seen this surgery improve the life I'm living, right NOW. If I hadn't had this procedure, I'd still be miserable, in pain, and unable to fully enjoy my life. For me, that equation comes out in my favor--and I realize that my experience isn't what every single sleeve patient has had. It's good to be as informed as you can be, before you make ANY life-changing decision. That being said, I'd gladly have my sleeve surgery done and redone to eliminate the pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, joint deterioration and heart issues that were coming over the horizon without that surgery. Not to be morbid, but I'll take a shorter, higher-quality life over a longer-duration, unhealthy, painfilled depressed "existence".

I too was told this story of no bread, no tortilla, no beer, etc. 3 years ago a family doctor told me DON'T DO IT-you will never ever be able to eat normal food again. That scared the poop out of me. So I dropped the idea of WLS.
Then last summer I was wondering about WLS surgery again. Went to a weight management seminar (government hoops to jump through-Canada). they basically said it didn't work. I was looking at a 3 to 5 year wait, and the results would be disappointing. I was also told that after having WLS I would be back to see them about getting the band removed due to problems of illness.
Then last fall I ran into a friend I had not seen in a while. wow, he was thin. This guy loved his beer (works for a brewery) and loved his steak. I was amazed at how he looked-happy and healthy. He had the band 5 years ago, lost 100 pounds and has kept it off. Now came the big question: What can you not eat? He said he eats and drinks what he wants-just in small portions and slowly. Hmm, conflicting stories here.
I called a surgeon for info on the band. He told it like it is. No miracle, just a tool to aid in weight loss.
Then I found this website, wonderful advise and a realistic insight into WLS from real life people who have had it done.
I was banded Jan 22 2014. I followed the food rules to the letter for the first 6 weeks after the surgery. then onto normal food. I have since had thin crust pizza, steak, red wine, Mexican food etc. I eat a very small portion and watch my calorie intake per day. On a regular daily basis I avoid all starchy foods, sugars, and high fat foods as much as possible. I can eat a tortilla, but choose to make it a special occasion only. Any refined sugar and I will not lose weight, in fact the next day, the scale goes up.
Your band will signal you on what you can and cannot tolerate.
the bottom line is that you have to make healthy choices with the food and it will work. You say you love to cook, great that is 75% of the battle. I have found by feedback on this website that most people struggle because they are hooked on fast food, frozen processed foods, prepackaged foods. Look at the labels on foods-high fats, high sodium, high carbs-this is what made us FAT! Cooking fresh is the answer. Get creative in the kitchen. Take those high fat, high sugar chef type recipes and put a spin on them. If you feel like a sandwich, make a sandwich roll in a piece of lettuce instead of bread. Like spicy Mexican-skip the rice and tortilla, serve with a homemade salsa and a 1/4 cup of refried bean etc.
You don't have to eliminate food, you will become conscious of what you choose.
Good luck in your journey

I had loose bowels right after surgery, as well. It sucked cause I was seriously sore on my port side, and going to the bathroom didnt feel good. Then, I started getting constipated. So i had both it will all get better. I'm 3 weeks post-op and feeling amazing!

I'm down here in Australia, and really enjoying reading the supportive comments.
I'm recovering well when I give myself permission, trying to be Wonder Woman makes it all harder.
My shoulder pain has gone now, my port site is the most troublesome pain at the moment. But I'm really struggling to eat/drink enough nutrition. I have no hunger at all, and I just forget to have anything.
Also, anyone troubled by loose bowels? I think id rather be constipated!!
Anyway, thanks for listening, I'm a bit nervous about the road ahead, so will be checking in for support.