Deez416

I was banded in September and seven weeks post op and fight with my hunger everyday. I am going for my third fill tonight and can't wait. I need to be able to control my portion sizes. I have most definitely changed my way of eating but can still eat a normal portion (all be it slower) with ease. I was starting to think that the band wasn't working for me and couldn't believe that after waiting for weight loss it wasn't happening.
I feel guilty when I go back for my fills and I haven't lost anything since the last one. I lost 14lbs in my first week post op and then only two pounds since. I keep asking myself what am I doing wrong lol.
I know this is a process until you get to the point where the fills are working for you but how frustrating it is waiting lol.
Anyway hopefully tonight the fill will plug me up finally lol
Love this site because it helps me to keep positive. It has to work one day

4 months banded and down 40 lbs

Hi Mary,
It was a day surgery for me, I was in and out in less than 4 hours.
I was up and moving almost right away, it was painful but I forced myself to slowly walk (as recommend by everyone). The walking helped tremendously with the recovery and the left shoulder gas pains. The shoulder pain luckily only lasted 2 days for me. I had my surgery on a Wednesday and was back at work the following Monday.

this forum is a haven lol i would not know how people get through the surgeries etc without this place. and the people here.

So I have been selling off some toys from my collection . action figures still in their packaging, star wars figures mostly. So a lady finds me on Facebook and she buys a few items, I meet her and she starts telling me about how she lost 40 pounds through her life and wellness coach and that she would like me to meet him and etc etc. I cordially decline and say Im set with myself for the surgery and yada yada. So this morning I get a message from her on face book, "Hi its me the woman who bought some items from you yesterday. I would really like to set up a meeting with you and my wellness coach, it wouldn't take long and I know he could get you the same result without the surgery. (Well Im glad SHE knows he can) so again im nice, I say no thank you im ok with what im doing etc. an hour ago I get another message. "hi again its me, my wellness coach asked me to contact you again he says its important that he talk with you , he feels the surgery is a mistake. " OH HE FEELS???
Well I would like to simply have been rude but I wasn't. I wanted to scream at this lady and call her a few choice names.
It just boggles the mind that people think we are doing this needlessly. Im not trying to drop a few pounds for a wedding. I'm telling you nothing is worse to a bariatric patient than some idiot who lose a few pounds and believes that makes them the god of weight loss.
They need to be slapped a few times.
How many of you deal with or have dealt with this?

So happy for you!!! Dr Coburn was my surgeon too, you're in great hands!
Yay!

Good luck guys remember it's a reward on the other side "a new us "

Surgery at 3pm tomorrow! I survived the one week liquid diet and looking forward to the next steps... any last minute advice or guidance??

Lots of people have gone through 'buyer's remorse' so don't worry about feeling that way. Except for a few outlyers, most poelpe will find the success they are looking for as long as they follow the rules and stay strong when chalenges arise.
Just know that I didn't expect this to work for me either and I've lost almost 150 lbs. and gotten my life back so I'm sure that it will work for you as well. Good luck Keeper.

It works as long as you stay true to yourself. I am 16 months post op and have 42 pounds to lose until I am at goal. I fell off the wagon and gained 3-4 pounds and as soon as I realized it and was honest with myself I got back on track. Down 3 pounds in 5 days. Just be honest with your self and make the right choices! You will do great!!!!

I did and still do lol. I am two months post op and still ask myself most days will this work for me? What if it doesn't?
I asked myself these questions mostly in the beginning when I could barely eat after the surgery, and with the pain I felt at the port site.
I am now confident that it will work and your body just needs to get used to this new little device that is doing it's thing underneath the skin.
Good luck with your new way of life

It is a gorgeous 71° in Dallas today - perfect for my first walk post-op. I walk 3 days a week to pick up my kids from school. Walking with my energetic 7 and 10 year olds kept me on my toes, that's for sure!

A friend from work wanted to go eat pizza for lunch. I know, seriously? So obv I could not eat that. But I thought about it and said I will find something to eat there...and I did!
A meatball hero parmigiana, hold the bread. I asked for it it be given to me in a to go plate and ate 1.5 meatballs slowly and enjoyed it thoroughly. I packed up the rest and will be eating it tomorrow for lunch.

Fabulous!
I'm SO happy you're freeeeeee from that unnamed horror-center. Your Angels were working OT on your behalf!
So cool you were able to reschedule with another surgery- in DEC '14 - a day earlier! wow!
This tells me the Universe has your back on your WLS journey- that now, it's the right place, at the right time.
Best wishes

Hi everyone,
As you may know I had introduced myself as a newbie to the forum a few weeks ago via another thread called "The date is set...December 19th...." however lawyers from the weight loss centre I had originally booked in at contacted me once some alarming information began to emerge and get respectfully discussed on the thread, and things started to get scary for me!
In order to protect myself and my family from legal action, I have asked administrators to delete that thread. It appears freedom of speech is not necessarily a Canadian right, according to some legal teams.
This thread will now tell my story!
Here's my now modified intro that you may have read on the other thread a few weeks ago (this part the lawyers had no trouble with! lol!):
Hi everyone,
I've been following the forum for about 2 years; reading your stories, your successes, your challenges. After much reading and tons of research, all in secret, I made the decision to have the gastric band put in place, and I had a banding date set with a weight loss clinic in Toronto for December 19th, 2014. A few weeks after booking and paying my deposit, some warnings and red flags started to get raised about this place, causing me to dig deeper into the history and current staffing model. After calling the clinic with my concerns, I found myself engaged in a most unprofessional conversation with the Manager, and that sealed my decision to cancel my surgery.
I reported the red flags on this forum, and soon after received a lovely letter from the clinic's legal team asking me to remove the posts. Yikes! Even though I had not personally posted anything slanderous, other banders had, and I was asked to remove those posts. No one wants to mess with lawyers, right? So I simply asked BariatricPal Administrators to remove the thread entirely.
After cancelling with the other place, I had a wonderful consult with a clinic of excellent repute, and now have a new banding date set for December 18th, 2014 in Mississuaga, Ontario. Phewf.
So...Hello!
I'm nervous, I'm excited. I have a supportive husband and a gorgeous daughter in Grade 9 who thinks I'm pretty fantastic at any weight. Lucky me to have these two in my life. I'm a full time professor and in love my students and teaching. So career, relationship and family are all fantastic.
My Body Story:
I am currently 45 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall, and weigh 259 lbs. I am a size 22. It's only in the past 15 years of my life I have been heavy.
I was a healthy, muscular kid and teen. I was a competitive lifeguard, canoe-trip leader and camp counsellor. I was a happy size 10 in high school. I went to University and did a 4-year undergrad in Arts, also a 2-year diploma in outdoor education. I traveled and adventured across Canada, working outdoor rec contracts: river guiding, rock-climbing, caving. Although I was never an athlete, I was healthy, fit, and flexible.
I fell in love and married in 1999, and in 2000 gave birth to my beautiful Stinkerbell. Up to that point, I was a size 12. Pre-pregnancy my weight was 145 lbs. Post-pregnancy I was 205 lbs. I never lost the weight, despite nursing for 9 months - only gained, gained, gained.
In 2006 I decided to try my first ever diet - Atkins, and was I ever successful! I went from 205 to 160 lbs in 3 months. After 6 months at my new weight, I fatigued of the sheer volume of supplements I was taking each day (24 pills each day ranging from L-Carnitine to Potassium to Omega-3s). I had leg cramps that bordered on excruciating. I started re-introducing carbs and... WHAMMO! The weight returned overnight, and more pounds than ever before.
I don't eat candy or chocolate. I rarely have chips or pop. My addiction is superb food and beautiful wines (lots of both!). My weight has been packed on due to portions (huge!) and the empty calories in Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite my weight, I still canoe trip and camp with my family. I find portages (carrying the packs and canoe across land) exhausting and painful now, where once I found it exhilarating.
My breaking point occurred in August 2014 when I went to buckle my seatbelt on a flight to British Columbia, and struggled to get the buckle fastened. (It was a stress, but I did it!) I was horrified and ashamed. How the hell had I let this happen to me? The decision to be banded was made in that moment.
And now....
I had a full physical with my supportive family Doctor, Rachel. Got the requisite blood work and ECG done 3 weeks ago. Now that I've committed to banding, I am in the process of getting a shopping list together to make my kitchen "pre-op ready".
Deep breaths. Woo!
To the experienced banders, I welcome any and all feedback, advice, tips, suggestions or "I wish I had knowns".
There we go - now we're up to date! Thanks to supporters who have voiced in on the other thread over the weeks! Looking forward to sharing my journey with you. One month from now, I will be banded!

Hi everyone,
Well, it's a pretty fine day in London, Ontario, let me tell you. The snow is flying and my heart is, too! I have a sneaky feeling I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight!
After a stressful ride with a Toronto WL clinic (that shall remain nameless - don't want their lawyers after me!), I have:
a) Cancelled my lap-band surgery with them that was slated for December 19th, 2014
Received confirmation that my $1500 deposit would be refunded to me by their Finance department (thank God!)
c) Had a deep and enjoyable consult with the delightful Dr. Cobourn from the SWLC (Surgical Weight Loss Centre) in Mississauga this afternoon
d) Booked with Dr. Cobourn for banding December 18th, 2014. (yaaaaaay!)
Yes, all of the above in one day.
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!

I am almost bursting with happiness and relief. HUZZAH! What a crazy ride that was! I had myself mentally and emotionally prepared for a December surgery, and now it is still happening, only this time with a fantastically reputable centre.
Phewf.

Good luck and be patient. It took me four fills from May to September but I'm in the green now and it's wonderful.

Great job! I'm 6 days post-op and having the same challenges. I bought a bunch of pureed Soups from trader joes, plus some vegetable and a few fruit juices. I bought a non-flavored Protein Powder (gene pro) to add to the Soups and juices for Protein, or I season some Greek yogurt with salt, pepper and olive oil to go with the soups. I also bought some cheddar, ricotta and feta cheese to blend/melt into the soups. I was so sick of my Protein Shakes post-op that the thought of drinking them made me sick, so I've been trying to up my Protein in other ways. I also bought frozen fruit, skim milk, and silken tofu for smoothies (tasty with a splash of apple cider for sweetness).
I made a tasty black bean Soup the other day: puree 1 can drained black Beans with chicken stock, some Greek yogurt, a bit of olive oil and cumin. It's very tasty and satisfying.
A lot of these foods will transition with me into the soft food stage (I won't have to thin everything out so much).
The biggest thing for me now is judging my hunger signals during this recovery process while I still have some pain and inflammation - trying to eat enough but not too much.
I'm down 12 lbs, 9 pre, 3 post. So far so good
Good luck!

Feeling great just trying to adjust to liquid diet and getting full feeling. With preop diet and postop diet have lost 21lbs.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to tell you all that I can finally cross my legs!! It is a victory since my surgery and about a 23 pound weight loss. I use it to keep me motivated. I am dealing with hunger issues, real hunger versus mind hunger, but am dealing with it. Crossing my legs feels so good. My face looks thinner too. I am looking for all the little motivators I can find.

Yeah my surgery is on December 9th. Im just going to stop taking it. I'm definitely not going to do anything that's going to effect my date.... ive been waiting to long lol. Tyvm

Greetings, all!
I had my surgery 4 months ago today! I have had 2 fills, and as of today I have lost 29 pounds! I have reached a mini goal of hitting 180 by my birthday!
After the adjustment, I can eat about a cup of food, and am learning when to not eat one bite too many. I am so happy!

I havent been on here in so long but im updating that I have a surgery date for December 9th (: at 12:30p.m. I am nervous but so excited at the same time! (: I am so ready for this change!

Hi all haven't been on much the last few weeks or so. Last week November 8th I had my lapband done. This year as just flown by. A lot of family stuff, husband working 70 odd hours a week just been busy.
Last year at this time I was 291lbs. Today I am down to 165. Five pounds away from my doctors goal weight for me. Ten from my personal goal.
I think I have finally hit the green zone. Didn't think that was going to happen.
My main reason for having this done was my daughter had a son. I wanted to see him grow up. I didn't want to be the fat grandma who couldn't play and chase and have fun with this beautiful child. I can do that now.
I went to an amusement park this year. Haven't been to one in 14 years. The 14 year olds that were with had to keep up. It was a great day.
I haven't been perfect, but who of us is. I have fallen and picked myself up and started again. Here in the last few months I haven't worked out much. I haven't made that a priority. I have to get back on that wagon. Don't enjoy so I don't want to do it, but I know I feel better if I do.
My doctor said I have exceeded his expectations. He was hoping for 100lb loss and when I surpassed that goal he set me another one. I have a great surgeon and team. They help to keep me going. Now that I have hit my year I have y barium swallow in a couple of weeks and back to the doc to see where we go from here. Usually after the first year he only sees you once every 3 months. That makes me nervous.
My cousin had bypass about 6 weeks after me. We are running the same weight wise, but she can hardly eat. Gets most her nutrition from shakes and such. She has also said if she had to do it again, she wouldn't. I don't regret my choice at all.
It's been an enlightening year. I hope next year and the years after continue to be. Thanks for listening fellow bandits.

I had my first fill on 11/09 and I have 4cc in my 10cc band. I'm not hungry until around 12:30 but when I do eat I can have a more than a cup, but still small portions, probably 2 cups. I'm eating slow and if I do eat too fast I feel like I'm going to get stuck ( pain in chest almost like heartburn) so I stop. Is this my "green zone"? Or am I supposed to be eating less than a cup in my green zone. Just trying to make sure I'm doing this right. I've last 3 more lbs since 11/09, yay!