HeatherO

It is normal. I remember my husband looking at me and saying, we need our money back because it is going the wrong direction :0). Of course he was only joking. The swelling is normal and dissapears before too long.

I got mine directly after surgery as well. I have never heard of anyone not having a period because of being banded. Is there any chance you could be preggers? Are you normally very regular?

Surgery on a Friday, back at work bright and early the following Tuesday.

I am not tighter at all, but I am definitely a couple of pounds heavier, crankier, and more prone to cravings for things like chocolate.

I like this room the way it is. It is nice to have a place where people just talk openly about whatever :0). I would be very dissapointed if this room closed for any reason.

Thanks for sharing :0)

You never, never, never want to vomit if you can avoid it. However, when something is really stuck and you have to pb (productive burp) your food just works its way back up. This is nothing like vomiting in that the food is not semi digested, only chewed. Best thing is to just be careful, when you start to feel any discomfort stop eating, and if you get stuck just wait it out.

Vary what you are doing. Perhaps if you up your calories to 1200 for a few days that can be just the kick start you need. Changing the types of food that you eat also really helps. You just need to trick it into moving again. Don't worry too much. If you are doing the right things, it will definitely start moving again. Early in the process we all hit plateaus. Your body just needs a little time to adjust to changes.

I'm 5'3, 158 and I am wearing medium/large tops (sometimes large because I am a bit busty at a 36 DD). My pants however are 10's & 12's depending on the cut. I am lean up top but have a pear shape and my butt/thigh area is not quite proportionate yet.

1. My derriere and thighs were looking a little worse for wear pre-band, but I can honestly say that most of the cottage cheese look has dissappeared. They aren't perfect now but I have a nice shape coming out and remaining problems are really minimal. However, if cellulite never went away it is still way worth it because thin looks better than heavy in clothes and only my dh sees me in my birthday suit . . . and he loves me no matter what I look like :0). 2. I have lost the majority of my weight and am pretty close to normal. I did wonder what I would look like before, but to be honest with you reality is much better than my expectations set after reading other peoples stories. Many people say their chest deflates (tennis ball in the tube sock phenomena) but I have retained a nice shape and have not lost my breasts. Actually my breasts look bigger than they were in that I have shrunk everywhere else so the proportions are different. I thought before that my stomach would be a mess, but it is not so bad. It looks relatively flat in clothes. I still have some ghosts of stretch marks from pregnancy, but hey, what can you do but live with them? However, the fat on my thighs and butt seem to be taking the longest to disappear. Beyond physical transformations, I did not realize how it would affect my personality. I have a lot more confidence than before and have become more open and direct. I also have a lot more energy. You know all those people you see working out like crazy, biking or jogging daily . . . and can hardly relate to. I have become one of those people and sometimes I hardly recognize myself for it. There was another transformation related to self-confidence.. This might sound strange, but I eat more with other people now. Eating for me was a somewhat hidden event previously. Only my husband knows I am banded but I seem to have lost the shame I used to have regarding such a normal everyday activity with anyone else. My physical expectations would have been more realistic if I would have thought back to where I gained first. All in all, I am very pleased with where I am today. :0)

:musical_note::biggrin::musical_note::thumbup::musical_note::crying::musical_note::tt2::musical_note::eek::musical_note::musical_note::tongue: * * * Another one bites the dust * * * Another one bites the dust And another one gone and another one gone Another one bites the dust hey Hey I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust :Banane09::Banane35::Banane09::Banane35::sad::Banane09: :tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue::musical_note::tongue: Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:cool2:********** **********:thumbup:******:tt2:**********:w00t:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......5.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......5.......... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6..........215 Bunkey1965.........212.........189.......16.........195 Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3.......... Epm316.............209.........199.......5.......... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......14.........158 Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............160.........158.......6.......... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......5..........219 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9.......... Luu2008............219.........189.......14......... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......6.......... mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........255.......11.2........254.8 Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......10.8.......305.2 MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......0.......... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......7.......... Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......5.......... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......8..........179 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......3..........186 tp78...............212.........195.......7..........

Hello everyone!!! I am 33 and happily married with a teenage son. I don't look in the 30's section often so I must have missed this post before :0). I am over six months out and doing great so far. I would love to chat with any of you anytime.

Everyone is doing so wonderful. It is really heartening to see where we all are in our journey. It will be interesting when we make it to our bandiversaries, that is for certain. My weight loss is starting to slow. I read that the first six months are the biggest loss, and that has definitely been true for me. I have to work very hard for every pound down now, but I am still doing it. I really want to be in the "normal" range before my trip to Turkey at the end of October. I definitely have my work cut out for me :0)

Congratulations!!!! What wonderful news. I hope to be joining you before too long :0)

It doesn't seem unusual. I was at 6.8 at my first fill and did not have much restriction. I got another 1.5 at my second fill and it was really too much for me the first few weeks but I made it through. I have not had another fill since my second in April. The difference between too much and not enough is small. Just right for me currently is 8.3, but everyone is different.

You are in the hardest phase of being banded before you get filled. I managed to lose at this point but only by eating lean meats and lots of vegetables with almost no carbs. Eating only healthy things at this point can keep you losing even if you do pick up a few extra calories.

Carbs, chips, sweet things in general give me definite cravings that continue as long as I eat them. It was just too hard to constantly crave and then deny yourself. I am pretty sure I have a carb addiction. What is worse, these items go through my pouch with no problem, and fast as well. I had to learn to avoid them altogether on a daily basis. One wonderful thing I learned is that if I get into the cravings, it only takes about a week of avoidance until I don't want them anymore.

It does take some adjusting to. It took being banded for me to see how much food or thoughts of food were controlling my life. Six months out it is definitely easier. I am learning that I don't live to eat and there are other things to focus my time and energy on, surprise, surprise, surprise. I have really found exercise to be helpful with these feelings. My real weakness has always been evening and exercising has helped me to combat the desire to eat with the natural high that comes from getting a good workout. I also found that reading a book or going online or watching tv are ways to unwind without food. It was almost as if eating at the end of the day was my reward for making it through the day and the trigger for unwinding, release of tension, etc. Nothing else quite fulfilled that need for me in the beginning. In the early days, I really didnt want these other things, I just wanted to eat. I have read that you are supposed to find substitute activities, probably all of us have, but I wasn't ready at that time. I would be lying if I said that I found substitutes satisfying in the beginning or that I wasn't constantly thinking about food. I am now at the point where I crave things other than food . . . and I think that is the point where the real recovery begins. I have also now lost some restriction from my last fill in April which has helped. I can now eat normal things without pb'ing . . . but I have learned enough self-control that I don't binge or have those constant feelings of cravings leading to impulse eating followed by overwhelming guilt . . . and repeating repeatedly if you know what I mean. I also allow myself to eat special things in very limited quantities on special occasions such as a bridal shower, birthday, etc without guilt. The first few months are really, horribly, tremendously tough . . . but, if you can make your way through these and keep striving for something better there is light at the end of the tunnel. It does get a whole heck of a lot easier. Hang in there.

Caffeine withdrawal can really make you feel bad if that could be an issue. You have already made it to the halfway point. It is rough going, but you don't have much further to go. Why don't you give the doctor's office a call and see what they suggest? Good luck with everything.

I don't eat pork, but I do eat Kosher or halal beef or turkey sausages and never have a problem with casings if they are chewed well. Having them cook slowly in the crock pot will probably work great. Just go slow and you should be good to go :0).

Don't lose hope just yet. Have you tried to appeal? Many people have had an initial denial and were able to get it to pass by filing an appeal. This is especially true if you have taken all the steps required in the beginning. I hate to say this, but maybe a couple more pounds may put you over so that you can be approved. Definitely try the appeal route first. Perhaps your doctor can also help you out with a letter or a phone call to bolster your case. Another thought is to maybe post another thread (or even a poll) regarding those who have had an initial insurance denial, reasons for denial, appeal success, etc. You may still be able to make this happen if you are diligent. Good luck.

That will all change as you get smaller. Almost no-one noticed my first 40 pounds either. I didn't get much for comments or anything. Now, I constantly get comments, even from people I don't really know about my appearance. Sometimes it is not even a reference to weight, people just say how good I look these days. At first I was frustrated but now I realize that it is all a matter of percentages. At first, even though you lose a significant amount of weight, when you have alot to lose it is a small number compared to the overall amount percentage wise and, eventhough you are smaller, you may still look heavy. Later, when you are getting close to goal, every 10 pounds lost becomes really visable because it is a much larger percentage of the remaining weight left to lose. You also no longer appear heavy and so everything is much more apparent. Give it a little time, and believe me, you will get tired of the comments :0).

Yes . . . it is absolutely normal and expected. I can still feel them over six months out when they are hot or cold. This is especially true first thing in the morning. The sensation gets to be less over time, but never goes away completely. It is never the same as the "early" days unless it is very early or very late in the day. If I take a sip of Water before bed and lay down immediately after, I can not only feel it, I can hear it gurgling through. My husband always laughs at the lovely sounds I make when I am trying to go to sleep :0)

Ohh, and one more thought. If you are going to try steak for the first time, it helps to have a little something with it such as steak sauce, mushroom sauce, gravy, yogurt (if you like mediterranean cuisine) or something similar. It improves the moisture content and makes it go down really easy.

chicken is rough on a lot of bandsters depending on how it is cooked. Some have a difficult time with steak or ground beef. I have to be careful with chicken much more than steak. I have really tight restriction now but steak is not a problem as long as it is a good cut (you want to stay away from cheaper cuts that might be a little tougher) and cooked well (not over cooked and I usually go with medium, a little soft). Steak is one of my favorite foods.