Spydr

I went for BBQ last night! After you are on solids, you will be able to go to the same places and dine. You just won't eat as much. I was a big believer in eat, drink and be merry! We used to feast like Romans in the "old days" and there are times I miss that. I don't, however, miss that 100 lbs hanging off my body. I still go out and enjoy the company of friends and family but I don't feast. i now snackand that works for me. People will learn your limits and you may find them helpful. Everyone in my life has been very considerate of me and band. When I was on liquids and mushies, everyone took that into account and helped me find place with options that worked for me. I discovered Soups, rice and potato dishes that were out of this world! Life is not over, it is just starting. Any sacrifice I made has been worth it. You will find the same to be true. Best of luck!

Congrats! I love to fact that best friend ( and ex boyfriend) outweighs me. I did try on his jeans yesterday and they were loose! HA HA!

I had 30 days of "last meals" and enjoyed every minute of it. I ate everything that was not nailed down and the weird thing was, I did not gain a pound. The clear liquid diet was for a week prior to surgery and I wanted to make sure I had all I wanted before that time came. I failed to realize that I really didn't need all those last meals. Everthing i ate before surgery, i can have today, just not all at one time. I cna have a steak, bread, salad, and dessert, just not all in one meal. Today I have to pick and choose what I really want to eat and then feel free to have a taste of whatever I wish. The key is now it is just a taste. If I forget and overindulge, my band reminds me. Sometimes it really sucks but it is about the greater good. I ate everything for over 30 years and I feel okay giving up a few things to be healthy. It's not a bad trade off.

Char - I guess that means we caught you in the act! You were banded 2 weeks ago today!

Beer may become a no no due to carbonation issues. I have a glass of wine now and then have sipped champagne on New Year's Eve. Just remember how much sugar you may be looking at with a cocktail. Everything in moderation!

Time to get back in the saddle! If you screw up, cheat, or whatever you want to call it, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again. You knew it was not the best thing to do or you would not feel guilty about it. Time to begin again. We all "slip". The people that find success with the band are the ones who can recognize it and not repeat it. At this point, you need to follow your doctor's directions so you can recover from surgery and not have issues. There will be plenty of time to lose weight soon. Right now, just focus on healing. Don't worry, it's never too late to turn things around.

Acetone works great to remove the sticky stuff. Make sure not to get any one your incisions or OUCH!

I tto have MS. The doctors did not catch it until I lost a bunch of weight. They told me the numbness is because I was so overweight. Once the weight was gone, they had to try again. Please check with your doc ASAP whenever something does not feel right. You are paying them to take an interest in your health. Take advantage of it. I wish I had been a bit more of a hard ass with my doctors regarding my MS.

On the topic of your port location, my port tends to float. There are days it was under the scar and days it would be higher or lower. Now that I've had plastic surgery, my port is no where near my scar. I have my port scar below my waist area nd my prt is below my ribs. It's kind of weird when I feel it now because I'm thinking, "What the hell is that? Oh yeah, my port" The mind can sure play tricks on you!

I was consitpated a great deal prior to losing weight. After I lost the weight I was diagnoised with MS. The condition was masked by me being obese. I had many other symptoms but they were dismissed due to being so fat. I would support you in speaking to your doctor regarding constipation as it could be part of somthing more serious than you may think. Please don't think I am screaming "Fire" in a crowded theatre but I am now a big believer in checking all your bases.

I had my surgery the week before Thanksgiving. The difference here is I told everyone under the sun about my LapBand so there was soup available for me. If you are the position where declining a dinner invtie is not an option, tell the people you are with that either you are not that hungery or not feeling well and youwill just have soup or something to drink. If you know this is coming up, make sure to have a shake or something prior to going so you wopn't have hunger pains.

Take a look at this thread regarding getting back on track: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/breaking-drs-orders-t32153.html

Ibuprofen is an NSAID and can cause the stomach lining to erode so please call your doctor before taking any. Tylenol is a brand name in the US for Acetaminophen. I took that after my surgery but only needed it about a week and then was able to tolerate any pain.

I guess you need to decide how important losing weight is for you. I got the band to help save my life and I am more than happy to let some of these foods go. I too am a picky eater but the band helped retrain my brain as to what I can and can't eat. Most of the items on your list are not good ones for me. Like i tell anyone, I can a bite of anything. ONE BITE! Most of the time, I just wanted the taste of the food anyway so it really is not a problem. It was a problem when I was a month post op but not any more. Now I see the big picture. I ate whatever I wanted and in large amounts for over 30 years. It was time for me to change.

I did not have a BM for about a week post op. I thought it made sense since I did not have any solids in my system. I was "runny" at first but things evened out after a couple of weeks. Remeber, you had major surgery and your body is in a bit of shock so it may take some to get regular.

I will not take NSAIDS again due the risk of eroding my stomach lining. That is the effect they can have and I would hate to risk my band. For pain, I took liquid Lortab that my doc sent home with me and then switched to Acetaminophen later on. I also have some chronic pain issues due to my MS and take Vicodine from time to time but try to keep things over the counter. When I got to a new doctor or ER, I always list NSAIDS as an allergy or just tell them no NSAIDS. When they ask, I explain the LabBand to them and they get it right away. Make sure you speak to your docotr as everyone is is different and I don't think anyone should be in constant pain.

My big stall hit around the 60 to 70 lbs mark. I sat there for a few months and quickly lost my mind. I hated everyone and everything and assumed that I was done losing weight and really pissed off! Then one day, the scale moved. I don't think the scale moved because I threw a fit! I think my body had to catch up so to speak. My body was changing shape at that time. My hips came in, my sholders came in and I was able to cross my legs. I guess I needed to pay attention to all the weight loss signs, not just the numbers.

My doc gave me Phenegran at the time of surgery. Whenever I have that sloshy feeling coming on, I have a cracker, lay very still and think of my happy place. After some time it seems to pass. You don't want to throw up as it can cause your band to slip. A little slippage is to be expected over time. My band has moved about a thumb length of the last 16 months but my doc says it is fine. I asked at what point should I be worried and he stated movement the size of a peach would be cause for concern. I love that he talks in term I can understand!

Every month I was at a different rate. There were months where I lost 10 lbs and months where the scale only moved a pound or two. Although we all say you can't compare to others, we all still do it. I would support everyone in trying to see the big picture. When I looked at my loss month to month it drove me insane. I now look back and think, "Wow! Without my band I would be even bigger!" Life is good, no matter how slow I lose today!

I love my band because it helped me learn how to eat just a meal. I used to eat the whole pan or pot of food and I am now learning what a single serving is, never got that in the past. My band has also helped me learn the difference between head hunger and body hunger. There is a time when I want to eat verses need to eat and my band has taught me, through trial and error, when those times occurr. I could not have lost and kept off my wieght to date without the lap band. Do your research, talk to people and learn all you can. Good luck in your decision.

Good for you! Glad to see you stepping up and taking up the challenge. It is not easy to be a Bandster but it is all worth it in the end. There is a light at the end of all this and I believe we will all make it. Can you tell I've been watching Dr Phil?!

Think baby food. Mashed potatoes were my best friends!

I always felt like a slow loser in the begining. I saw lots of people lose faster that I did I kept wondering what I did wrong. The answer is nothing! Every body is different and we all lose at different rates. I too saw a ton of negative posts when I first arrived but you have to learn about the bad along with the good. Do more reading and you will find post that may inspire and motivate you.

Everyone screws up. The only issue comes when you choose not to fix it. If I had self control, I would not have been so fat! Make a decision that you are back on track strating now! I took in soft food early and solid food early but once I did it, I felt bad, smacked my own wrist ( or someone on the forum did) and I got back on track. You can do that too! I paid too much money, had major surgery and will have a scar from my port forever, there is no way I will fail! I have invested too much time and effort to give up. We can all make it but it does take effort. Today, I choose to follow my doctor's advice, make decent choices on my eating and move forward. It's never too late to start over and I believe in you!

I got to tell you, the 60 lb mark is hard. I sat at around 60 to 70 lbs down for a couple of months and nothing seemed to work. Try all the tricks: increase/decrease your calories a couple of days, increase/decrease your exercise a bit, try to get more Water. I'm not sure what tricks work but this is what I did and one day the scale started to move again. Make sure to stay off the scale for a week and try not to stress. Stress makes me hang on to weight like nothing else.