Shinyhappymommy

The good news is that you still have a band. I second the suggestion to go talk to your surgeon and get back on track including a fill if needed.

My surgeon is moving to Pennsylvania and is referring his patients to Dr. Metz. I'd be curious to know what his style is. How is his diet program? Is he easy to reach? How do fills go with him? How long has he been doing bands, etc.?

Good luck tomorrow! I hope it all goes well for you. Let us know how it went once you're feeling up to it.

It was close to 50 pounds before I started really being able to tell the difference. At about 65 pounds, I totally changed my wardrobe, hair and started wearing contacts, so I looked a lot different at that point. Because I started at a pretty high BMI, it was a while before the change was noticeable. My dh has consistently made good comments, though and that helps me feel like I'm really changing.

Thank you, Everyone! In 15 minutes it will be my 36th birthday. I'm so blessed to finally not dread the fact that I've gotten older. This has been such an important year for me as far as taking charge of my future. I have such hope that things will continue getting better and better. This morning I hit 75 pounds lost. I feel so blessed!

I don't see anything unkind in what Lunabeane posted. She maybe didn't say what you wanted to hear, but I read no unkindness in her words. Not drinking with meals may be hard, but you can do it. I too, thought that I was supposed to wait an hour after eating to drink, but my surgeon said no, he wanted me to wait 30 minutes. That seems so much more do-able. Good luck and I hope you can find success.

I had severe reflux that was controlled by Nexium before surgery. Now, 5 months out I'm taking nothing and have no reflux at all. I think if you're getting reflux with the band you're probably filled too tight.

Sorry, I spaced starting this thread. What groups has your Relief Society held which have been successful? Some of my favorites: Book club, we read a book for 4-6 weeks, depending on the length, and then meet to discuss with snacks provided by whomever is hosting. Craft-n-Chat, bring a snack to share and an unfinished project. We sit around and work on projects while we talk. That one is fun. Play groups for moms with little ones, sometimes a different park each week is fun. Temple groups Meet for lunch groups Cooking Club, bring a dish and copies of the recipe. We would usually have a theme for the night.

Tammy, I'd love to talk about HFPE, I'll start another thread on it so it doesn't get lost in this one.

Hi Jan. That is a hard stage to be in. I ate cottage cheese and refried beans as well. In fact the refried beans were like heaven! I put a little cheese on them and ate them with lite sour cream and guacamole. Probably a little high on the fat, but I wasn't eating much anyway, so it worked out. They make fat free black refried beans which are really yummy. I also ate cream of wheat for breakfast, thinned out with a little milk. You'll make it. These first few weeks quickly become a distant memory. :thumbup: Hang in there.

Sounds like you're on a good track. I was a bit of a mess pre-op and was trying to get in all the foods I loved that I would have to give up post-op. I didn't end up having to give up any foods because of the band, but I've chosen to give up a lot of things because of the weight loss path I'm on. It's a great thing to me when people are able to make positive changes without the band yet.

VegasGrace, The W of W, or Word of Wisdom is a code of health that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints live by. We consider it one of God's commandments and strive to live by this code. It includes both what we should and should not be putting into our bodies. Along with the forbidden substances, (alcohol, drugs, etc.) we are counseled to eat grains and fruits in their season, as well as eat meat sparingly. You can read a little more about it here. I often try to reconcile the Word of Wisdom with the whole low-carb, high Protein diet. I think it would be good to have a specific thread on this topic.

I actually have no problem smiling and saying thanks. Sometimes I'll include, "I'm feeling pretty good." Or "I'm pretty excited about things." Most of these conversations are with people who know I'm banded. I know I'm looking better. I am feeling better and much more confident and that makes as much difference as the weight loss in how people perceive us. One Sunday at church, I had just gotten some properly fitting clothes, cut my hair and gotten contacts. There were a couple of ladies who hadn't seen me in a few weeks. I walked into the room and several of them exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! You look so amazing! Holy Cow!" and the like. I was genuinely embarrassed. I thanked them and then quickly excused myself to go to the bathroom. I want people to give me compliments and notice the changes in me, but that was a little too much all at once. It did make me feel good, though.

I will put up pictures soon. Saturday is my 5 month mark from starting my pre-op diet, so that's the day I will be taking my official progress pictures. I'll post them once I've got em.

Well I'm certainly glad they didn't have to take it out. That would have been frustrating. I'm glad you're doing better.

Thanks. I also just realized that for the first time ever, I weigh what my drivers' license says I do. This morning I weighed 230 and that's what the DL says. So cool. Not for long, though, pretty soon it will say more than I weigh. That will be a first as well.

I jumped over my halfway mark this morning. I'm so excited. I hope the second half of this weight-loss journey is as thrilling as this first half. I love my band!

I'm almost five months out. I've had two fills and am still losing steadily and have pretty good restriction. My band reminds me it's there at least once a day. Part of it has to do with the amount of fat you have on your stomach. I'm talking the fat between your stomach and the band. As that fat shrinks, the band is automatically going to become looser, needing to be tightened. My surgeon told me that I didn't have much of a fat pad on my stomach so I'm hopeful that my fill will stay tight enough for a long period of time. I don't enjoy the whole fill thing and I have a fear of getting my band overfilled.

I've been surprised at the amount of food I'm able to eat while still losing. For example, I can eat fillet of Tilapia, and a cob of corn, (although I hadn't checked ahead of time, beware, corn is very high carb) or a small chicken breast and a salad. I usually can finish most of what I've served up on my dinner plate. I do get full on one taco or fajita, using the small fajita sized tortillas. I think the tortilla fills me up more than meat and veggies do. That amount has varied just after fills and such, but for the most part, I'm able to eat a good amount of food that I feel is healthful and able to support the nutrition I need. I'm easily able to eat 60-80 grams of Protein per day. By the way, I've been banded just under five months and lost 71 pounds so far. So it's really working well for me. For me it's working well to not have my band super tight. I have had two fills and can tolerate anything I eat as long as I'm careful. I have enough restriction that I can handle eating according to my doctor's guidelines and not feel deprived. I love my band!

My feeling ashamed at having gotten this way really kicked in after losing enough weight to look different and then looking back at the before pictures. I feel like I don't know that person. I am embarrassed for her for how big she is. But at the same time I have to love her and forgive her, because self-loathing never did me any good.

Me nursing my 11 month old had no bearing on whether they would do the surgery for me. It shouldn't be a problem. You just have to work out what the anesthesiologist wants you to do afterwards, as far as how long to wait to nurse, or if you need to pump and dump.

You're right, the band is a tool and not a magical "poof", but it sometimes feels like it's been a magical thing that has happened to me. I have prayed for years to have the Lord remove this burden of weight that I carry. I feel that this surgery has been the answer to those prayers.

If you can't eat solid Protein, then in my opinion, you're too tight. The band isn't doing you any good if it's getting you to the point of choosing slider foods and not being able to get in good nutrition. And Carol, I live in Northwestern Kansas. My town is small enough that with just a little information about me, it would be pretty easy to figure out who I am. So I just keep it vague.

Yay! That's awesome!

Come to think of it, I think they used a regular cuff on me today at my yearly womanly check up. Also, the gown fit me with no problem. I used to hate putting those things on.