jnbwilds

Friends - I am shocked. After a 3 day weekend away with no scale, I climbed on this morning. I have GAINED 3 terrible pounds. Unacceptable. What could have happened? All the healthy grilled fish! All the steamed vegetables and green salads! All the walking! All the vigorous anniversary sex! (I warned you) I suspect sodium. Seriously, in a fit of irritation, I went to the websites of the restaurants we visited over the weekend, intent on looking at the nutritional information. I was sure I would find hidden carbohydrates in their salmon fillets, or fat in their steamed broccoli. To my horror, none of the restaurants even HAD nutritional information posted (shame on them!). However, I did learn that you have to ask if you want them to NOT put butter and seasoned salt on the steamed veggies. I also learned that fish is often grilled in butter unless you request otherwise. Sneaky stuff. I have told myself that the weight gain is a result of Water weight from the increased sodium content of restaurant food. Not sure if this is true, but it makes me feel better. I shall not change my ticker. I shall not get depressed and eat a pint of ice cream I shall not try to do a whole Tae Bo DVD in order to burn off those lbs. I shall drink a lot of water today and hope for better thing during tomorrow's weigh-in.

What a great post! Isn't it great to be re-discovering healthy food! I feel like now that I actually CHEW my food instead of inhaling it, I'm learning just how tasty healthy food is! And - this might be weird - but I feel like since I'm eating such a small amount now, my body actually craves healthy things! I ate a salad yesterday at Cracker Barrel - it was like eating lobster! Every bite seemed so crunchy and flavorful. It's funny how quickly our perspectives change!

I'm not sure I know what great "restriction" feels like - I'm sure I will after being a band veteran for a while! For now - I feel like if things stay like this - I won't need another fill! I get full after a small portion and stay full until my next meal. I was out of town with DH for the last 3 days, and so we had to eat all of our meals out. I was worried about eating out - but it was so easy! I either ordered a large salad or grilled fish w/ veggies each time - and asked the server to bring a to-go box as soon as they brought the meal. I took half the meal and put it in the box - and usually couldn't even finish the half I kept! The leftovers were my lunch the next day. I felt like I was saving so much money by eating 2 meals for the price of one (even less since these days I'm definately not getting the appetizer, cocktail and dessert that usually went along with my restaurant meals!) I still haven't had any PBing or sliming, though I did get something stuck temporarily (it felt like a hard hot coal had lodged in my chest right between my boobs!) So far so good!!

Oh my goodness! You guys are so sweet! We just returned to reality (dirty laundry, noisy children, hungry pets) from our wonderful weekend at a log cabin in southern Indiana. I was so touched that my double V friends posted a thread just for me! It was a beautiful time for us to re-connect as a couple! Some band-related highlights of our anniversary trip.... Good - I not only loved my new clothes, but bought lots more 1X size clothes when we hit the outlet mall on the way home. Bad - I probably had more treats than necessary (mostly in the form of coffee with French vanilla Creamer) :tongue: Good - I got lots of exercise Bad - First experience of getting something "stuck" since banding. Note to self - band does not like leftover grilled tilapia for Breakfast - too tight still. Luckily, a few sips of Water got it down, but boy did it HURT until it went down. Good - Who knew that Gap, Eddie Bauer and Old Navy all sell up to size 18 (my current top size) and 20 (current bottom size)? Lane Bryant - I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my business elsewhere!! Bad - The experience of trying to fit into size 18 jeans in Eddie Bauer fitting room. :sneaky: Good - Walked through little shops and studios in Nashville IN for 4 hours straight - knees didn't hurt, no asthma, didn't get tired at all. Bad - Spent more time in cabin's hot tub than hiking in woods like planned. Good - There was no scale there, so I didn't have to worry about weigh-ins. Bad - There was no scale there, so tomorrow I have to find out how I did!!

My doctor does adjustments every 4-6 weeks if you need them - my first fill was 4 weeks to the day after surgery.

My DH and I are celebrating our 9 yr wedding anniversary tomorrow. (that's not the NSV - but I'd call it a victory anyway!) We planned a little weekend trip away just the 2 of us for this upcoming weekend. Tonight when I came home from work, there were 3 new outfits laying on our bed. (note - my husband has NEVER bought clothes for me) He wanted me to have pretty new clothes for our weekend that didn't droop and sag. (everyone say, Awwwww....) I saw that all the clothes were a 1X, so I was like, "oh sweetie, you are so precious, but I don't think I'll fit in them yet." He wanted me to try. GUESS WHAT?!! They fit beautifully. And they were cute too! It has been 5 years since I fit in a 1X. Yay!!!

Congrats to both of you! I thought of you guys today and was eager to get to the forum tonight and see how it went. Isn't it easy?!! Just a teensy warning though. I was on post-fill diet like yours Karen - 1 day clear, 1 day full, 1 day mushies and then back to food. Did fine with all of that, but yesterday and today since I've been back on food...yikes, I get really really full. I guess that's the point of the band! LOL! But seriously, I eat a small to moderate portion of something (still nothing has gotten stuck and none of the gross sounding sliming or PBing) but I feel quickly uncomfortably full and gassy. Nice, huh. Tomorrow I'm promising myself that I will eat a few bites, stop and wait and see if I feel full yet, and just really slow down. Restriction is nice, but feeling like I just ate Thanksgiving after every tiny meal is a bit weird. Hang in there through the liquids! My few days on liquids post-fill led to a crazy 7 lb. loss - (not so much now that I'm back on real food) but hope it does the same for you!!

Ok - I know this is off topic but I have a funny webkinz story. My older son is 8 years old - and of course I thought he would never go for the whole "stuffed animal with on-line life" kind of thing. So last Christmas, my mother-in-law gets him this stuffed tiger and I could tell it was one of those, and I'm thinking, "Oh no! Here comes the lukewarm thank you from my son and the animal gets tossed to the side." To my complete shock, he yells, "WOW, a Webkinz! Everyone in my whole class has one of these - now I have one! Mom, can we go home right now and log in?" I about fainted in surprise. My frog and mud loving, baseball playing, shower hating 8 year old son now has a collection nearing 10 of these silly stuffed animals and he begs to play games on the site almost every day. So, when I saw your post, Lori, I had to laugh. How old is your son? Oh and I have to be honest - my weight loss ticker shows my starting weight on January 7, when I started my pre-op diet. I've learned that most people start their ticker with their surgery date. (but gosh - I worked SO HARD on that pre-op...I want credit for it!) So for full disclosure - I've only lost 19 lbs since my surgery on February 6. I'm so glad you are encouraged!

Oh Lori - bless your heart! I love how you wrote this out - always best to start with the "good". Do not be discouraged. Almost everyone gets stuck in a plateau in weeks 3 and 4 after surgery - it's part of the "hell". My scale got stuck at the same weight for 8 days between weeks 3 & 4 and I was eating 800-1000 calories a day and I started wondering what the heck I had done getting this stupid band! But do not fear - it will start falling off! I actually took a break for a few days and got crazy (went up to 1200 calories - can you believe it!) and that did the trick. Your body thinks you are trying to starve it and it goes into conservation mode. Also - I might slow down your exercise a bit (I know - that's crazy advise!!) but you might be building muscle bulk if you are exercising that much. And I've asked the Easter bunny to bring my kids Webkinz in their baskets - no candy at this house! Maybe a few mini bags of M&M's, but if those Cadbury eggs are around - they're getting eaten! (by mommy) Just keep swimming girl! You'll make it.

I literally giggle out loud when I read these confessions. Actually, I'm glad this thread is here - because even though it's funny, it is also embarassing to come here and admit to everyone that you lost your willpower (if only momentarily). I really appreciate having accountability with you guys. Better from you guys than from some skinny friend who's never wanted to eat an entire pot of macaroni and cheese in one sitting. Angie & Karen - I'm glad you had a few fun meals and treats, because you are absolutely right - the 3 days of liquids and purees after a fill are tough. It's like re-living the bad memories of the days right before and after surgery. Can't wait to hear how your fills go!

Actually, it will probably be to your advantage that you are being treated. Part of the purpose of the psych eval is to make sure that you do not have any undiagnosed or untreated pyschological problems. I've been on Prozac for years and see my counselor every once in a while and it was no problem at all. I can totally see how someone with untreated depression or anxiety could get worse after the band - or could continue to self medicate through food and sabatoge their band.

Oh darnit. I have to come here and put a new confession here. For the sake of accountability, I'm forcing myself to admit my screw-ups to my friends on-line. So, I had a fill Thursday - and was religiously compliant with my day of Clear liquids, my day of full liquids and the FIRST day of my mushies. Did great today until we got together with a bunch of friends for dinner tonight. They made homemade pizzas. I brought yogurt with me, and ate it while they ate the pizza. The smell of that pizza was just too much. I scraped the cheese and mushrooms off one slice (chewed it well) and ate it up. Shouldn't have done that, because one wasn't enough. Scraped the toppings off a second slice - ate it also. At this point, I feel like I've blown it already, so I eat a handful of strawberries and M&M's to round it out. (Thank goodness I had at least enough willpower to avoid the crust) Luckily, nothing stuck, and nothing came back up. However, I am crazy full, and have wicked gas as a punishment. Note to self - avoid smell of pizza.

Congratulations! Isn't it a great feeling? I also got oddly excited when my BMI recently dropped under 35 (you are so close Karen! Just a few more pounds - and at the rate you're going that'll be next week!!!) and I found myself classified as Obese....not "super obese", not "morbidly obese", just plain old obese. In the next few months, I might just end up being "overweight". Never thought I'd be so happy just to be trying for overweight...

Totally agree with the big squishy sweatshirt and PJ bottoms. Also, pack lip balm - your mouth will feel like you ate a bag of cotton balls for a few days, and so a nice smelling really gooey lip balm is a must. If your hair is long - pack a clip to keep it out of your way. Bring magazines (my surgery center had a nice selection of Golf magazines....wonder what the doctor was into?) Toothbrush - yes / makeup - no. I also brought my own pillow and was not sorry I did!

Guess what friends! I went to the Allergan (maker of my band) website to look at their updates and changes. They have a nice new commercial that will start playing later this month. Anyway, they now have a My Story feature, where you can log in, track your progress and share how it's gone for you. So, of course I'm game for that....I click on the registration process. As directed, I first enter my birthday, current height and weight and click enter. I get a pop-up reply...."We are sorry but based on your information you are not a candidate for the Lap Band surgery procedure at this time." WHAT? Seriously! I realized I have lost enough weight and my BMI is now low enough that I wouldn't even qualify if I tried today. I'm going back later to put in my pre-band weight so I can play too (I'm sure that my old BMI won't cause any problems - in fact, I'll probably get a pop-up that says, "wow girl - you better go find a surgeon today, cause that's not pretty") Now THAT made my day.

Wow. The emotions this thread has drug up! It's like being a fly on the wall at a therapy session. Honestly, I think it's so shocking to most of us, who dieted..lost..and gained a thousand times, who fought insurance companies, who scrimped and saved, who prayed and worried, and finally found success with the band - to respond to someone who just got it and wants it gone. Yaz - I'm curious, you didn't want to be talked out of it, but you posted your plan out here in a world full of lap band lovers. That's kind of like bringing an Obama sign to a Clinton rally. Or passing out Catholic tracts at a Jewish temple. Just a bit inflammatory. Are you sure you didn't want to be talked out of it? My only bit of advise - please honey, don't make a decision when you are feeling depressed. Get some help and maybe meds (Prozac is my happy friend and has been for years). You can always get it taken out later. And to everyone else - I love your passion about your bands - makes me want to lean over and kiss mine (still too fat though). Stay enthusiastic.

I had infertility problems due to weight also. After my first was born in 1999, I spent the next few years packing on about 70 lbs. Of course, I was silly enough to be surprised that I could not get pregnant again. I tried Clomid, hormone shots and all sorts of stuff with no results. While not officially diagnosed with PCOS, I probably had it, because being overweight and having insulin resistance...well that leads to PCOS. So 4 years ago, I gave up on having more children and went on the South Beach diet to try to deal with the 70 lbs. In a few months I'd lost 30 lbs and was pregnant. So, I am a big believer in weight problems causing infertility. Of course, instead of keeping off the 30 lbs after my second child was born, I packed on ANOTHER 30. And thus - the lap band. But good luck - hopefully the band and weight loss will help!

Must respond to "you're too young for the surgery option" response from doctors. This was probably the most irritating thing i heard from my doctor. I smiled politely and responded with a thank you (for saying 35 is young, not for lack of surgery support) but here is what I was thinking. Yes, indeed...let's wait. Let's wait until I gain another 50 lbs and am super morbidly obese. Let's wait until my insulin resistance turns into diabetes, then we'll talk surgery. Let's wait until my joints are too stressed to exercise before I do this thing. How about we wait until I'm old enough that when I do lose the weight, my skin will be completely void of elasticity and I'll have to have plastic surgery too? Let's wait until my cholesterol is actually in the danger range instead of close to it. Let's wait until I'm 10 years older and my kids are no longer interested in riding a roller coaster with Mom and I've lost the chance forever. Let's wait and see if the whole "diet and exercise" thing I've been working on for 10 YEARS might just work in the next 10 years. Luckily, with self-pay, I didn't need to ask my doctor - and he doesn't know. I'm hoping to get a wicked case of strep throat or something soon so that I can show him the happy results of not waiting one more friggin day.

I felt the same way! I think it's just your insides readjusting to the band and the new way your stomach sits. It felt like being pregnant to me also. And, not to be gross, but the weird way that burps move up through the band and bubble up kind of feels like kicks too! Good thing they did a preg. test before surgery so we know that it's just an illusion!

My surgeon doesn't talk to me about food at all. He refers most things food related to the nutritionist. My surgeon's only food advice is a list of things that can get stuck or cause slippage (breads, pastries, rice, celery, steak, etc.) I'm really surprised by the milk thing. Both my nutritionist and surgeon actually strongly suggest skim milk as a regular part of my diet. Since you have a nutritionist - I'd focus on her guidelines.

I am staying on plan today because I had my first fill yesterday and I'm still on liquids...so I kind of have to stay on plan.

Seems like quite a variety so far. I posted my experience in another thread here on Feb08 - and I think shinyhappy...did too. Mine was SO EASY! I'm still on liquids so I don't know how much restriction I'll have, but the actual process was a breeze. I've noticed that a few others had a rough time though - I think it depends on how experienced your doctor is (whether he hits the port the first time or has to jab around) and whether they numb you first, and whether they make you do barium during the adjustment.

I completely agree with Sherry - ask your surgeon for a referral to a nutritionist - right away! Now, I'm sure my nutritionist might agree with some of your surgeon's suggestions (especially those about potatoes and sugar) but it sounds to me like you need to hear from an expert. And, I agree with you on the weight loss - I'm required to keep a detailed journal, but as long as I'm losing 1-3 lbs a week, my surgeon only glances at it. If I slow down, he'll read the whole thing. (yikes...and what will he say about the fact that I made my carnation instant breakfast with coffee and creamer instead of skim milk!)

CindyLou & Traci, Well hi! I haven't found many Dr. McEwen patients out here so it is nice to see some fellow Hoosiers! I'm so glad to see that you had similar experiences to mine. Dr. M is delightful, his office staff are quickly becoming my friends, and the surgery center staff - good grief, I felt like I'd gone there for a spa treatment instead of for surgery! Happy to see you've both been successful. Perhaps we will meet up at support group some time.

Lovely rewards! I like them all. A pedicure every 2 weeks. Hmmmm... now that is something to think about. I guess I'm hoping that as I continue to lose weight, reaching my own toes won't make me look like a fat girl trying to do yoga. In this case, I may be able to do my own pedi's! And I thought of 2 more. Once I reach a 50 lb loss, I'm posting before and after pictures up there at the front of the forum. (not really a reward - but a committment). And in a nod to Miss Angie - when I hit 50 lbs. gone, I will march myself to Joe's Crab Shack, order a pound of King Crab Legs (no bread or taters, thank you) and eat 'em up.