LindaD

Ideere, sometimes divorce is the best weight loss of all. Good luck with your wide open future... (I lost some dead weight through divorce almost 20 years ago and I've never looked back!)

My doctor let me move on to creamier Soups (still fully liquid, no bits) and oyster crackers yesterday. Today, I made a #2. :confused: I think my body just needed something besides Water and crystal light to make one, ya know?

Yep, my husband was scared too. Even now, a week post surgery (nearly), he's still worried about me. It's sometimes sweet that he treats me like a china doll but so unnecessary, and sometimes not so sweet. :lol Still, his heart is in the right place.

Are there advantages to having the plastic surgery for the excess skin that go beyond cosmetic? Does he help in any other way, physical health, movement, flexibility, etc? Does anyone know?

Oh, trust me, I know how important exercise is. I was doing 5-6 hours a week prior to surgery, and that included about an hour of weights (the rest cardio). I fully intend to resume once I have the all clear (it's been less than a week since surgery). I have been doing my treadmill every day - even the day of surgery (mine was outpatient). I did a full hour yesterday at 2.2MPH. I have hand-weights at my treadmill but haven't added those in yet - I don't want to push too hard. So I will be fastidious about Protein intake and working out. And I know that will help. I also know that upper arms seem almost impossible to fully recover, and I'm sure the same is true for other areas, person by person. Will definitely wait and see. I really don't like the thought of more surgery. I've always had a bit of an objection to cosmetic surgery (and before anyone calls the lapband cosmetic, I swear to goddess that I did not do this for looks, although it's a nice part of the whole package...) We'll see, I suppose.

We generally donate everything. I just don't have the time to sell it. I just wish I could make a more personal impact to someone, help them out. I know donating helps people out and that's what I'll probably do. But I don't feel like I SEE the impact of my donation. I gave all my baby stuff to very pregnant woman whose boyfriend fell from a roof and was laid up with no income and they had no insurance etc. etc. It just felt so good to personally help them. I don't care about the tax write-off as much as the satisfaction. Maybe I'll check craig's list. I can already give away 22s and 24s. Even my 20s are starting to be loose and I can fit into some 18s. :wub:

You helped me not one bit. :welldone2: :frown:

Donate? Sell on eBay? Garage sale? Other? I have a professional position so I do have a lot of really nice clothing - a whole range of sizes. :frown: I'm not hip on garage sales or eBay. I suppose I could donate it. It's just that I know how hard it is to find nice stuff in larger sizes and I sort of wish I could help someone out. Maybe give it directly to a person in need - someone entering the workforce or something - rather than drop it off at the GoodWill truck. What did you do with your too-big clothing?

For those of you further along in your journeys, how did the ol' epidermis bounce back? I know that many get tummy tucks and such. I'm curious -- Have you achieved the lion's share of your weight loss? Did your skin bounce back or do you have 'problem areas'? Does everyone end up with problem areas? Or is it dependent upon age and how much you lost?

My doctor's office just said I could add creamier Soups and oyster crackers (as long as I let them completely dissolve before swallowing). WOOOOOOT!!!!!

Headaches are carb/sugar withdrawal. Anyone who has gone on a low-carb diet before has experienced them. They will pass.

Is that where your port is sewn? I have 5 incisions, but only one that is sore, and that's where my port is. I think that one takes longer to heal because there is a THING there and it was stitched into place. The other incisions were just for instruments to go in. Of course, I'm new to all this so maybe someone else knows better...

You look adorable, Cyndi. I really wish I had thought to do a full body shot "before". I suppose that one sitting on the beach isn't hiding anything though. LOL Good luck to you!!! I can't wait to see some of our May before/after pics.

I haven't had Protein, though. Well, I mean, chicken broth has 1 gram of protein so maybe I'm getting a few grams a day. I won't get protein until he moves me onto full liquids. I've been on Clear Liquids for over a week now- the pre-op liquid diet was clear liquids too - no Protein shakes, etc. I just don't know how my body could possibly make any solid waste in this situation.... Can it?

I don't know how I could possibly have a #2 - it's been DAYS since I've had anything but liquids. Surely anything in there would have come out before the pre-op liquids, right? (I'm picturing it parked in my large intestine quaking with fear "Oh, god, what do we do? What the hell is going on up there? Should we just stay here or move the troops forward? Nothing makes any sense any more - they're changing the game up there and I don't understand!!" - evidently, I imagine myself with quite lively and intelligent poop, which may be my first mistake...)

Today is the first day I've not had the gas pains. There may be a little bit left in there, but not enough to bother me. I have been walking every day, gently and slowly, on my treadmill. I know that helps because, um, I can feel the gas exiting during/after my exercise. Also, even just turning over in bed at night has 'moved it through'. Today I felt great. I didn't nap - wasn't overwhelmingly tired anymore. I only had a spritz of pain meds twice, once at 7AM and once at 5PM. I think I'll forego them from here out. Headaches are gone, too. I'm not at all interested in pushing it on the eating plan - I'm too scared to mess something up. But my hunger, which has been quiet for the last 3 days, is definitely back. 3 more days of Clear Liquids and then I go to full liquids.

Today is the first day I didn't take multiple naps. I worked from home (just phone and email) and I made it through the whole day! I think I'll go to the office tomorrow... maybe.

You were banded 10 days before me and I'm feeling it. Egads - so hungry! It's so soon for me, though, that I'm not even tempted to push the limits. I really want to keep things gentle there and let it heal. I'll sure be glad when I can add Protein shakes, at least. Ai-yi-yi....

Well, it's exactly the same answer I replied in your other thread - it varies, widely, between surgeons. No one here could tell you what YOUR surgeon will prescribe. I tried to give a sampling of the more common ones I've seen (all liquid, low-carb, calorie control, clear liquids, etc.) The instructions, what you can eat and how long, will vary - check with your surgeon.

Oh, gosh, you reminded me.... I want to ride the rollercoasters with my daughters. And next time we go to Big Cedar and want to ride horses, I'll ride too instead of "staying behind to watch our stuff". I can't wait!!!

Want to share? :lol We went on a big Disney vacation in February, and it was right after that where I started dropping pounds. So I figure I could find my before picture on those disks. Well, I think I have. It's so.... blobbish. LOL And just for comparison, I'm posting my day-of-surgery pic again too: Can't wait to have another 50 pounds gone so see them all side by side. Share yours, even if it's just a 'before' pic. (The only reason I have 2 is because I really did lose quite a bit before surgery...)

It took me TWO FULL WEEKS after my c-section to feel at all better. Now, this is less than that - that was an open abdominal procedure and this is laproscopic. So it should mean faster recovery. But guys, I think you need to give it more than a few days before you consider throwing the towel in. I'm surprised you hadn't been aware of the post-op pain. I mean, just from reading/following on here, but you should have been given the information from your doctors. It will pass. This is Day 3 for me and it's already feeling better. No, not perfect by any means, but it's getting better. I knew about gas and nausea and all that - it was the grogginess that caught me by surprise but today was much better in that regard too. I've been doing 30 minutes a day on my treadmill (first day, 3 ten minute slow walks, second day, 2 fifteen minute slow walks, and today I did a 30 minute with a short intermission to get a drink and see how things felt). I think this easy / slow walking has been helping with the gas a lot. Good luck!

Yeah, you gotta have a place like this to go, to compare notes, to compare progress, to ask for suggestions or answers. Because if I didn't stop talking about this life event on my other board/s, they'd probably kick me off. LOL

Probably not fair for me to answer, since I have only been with the band for 3 days now. LOL But no regrets - I followed the procedure for years, came close to pursuing it a few times. Talked myself out of it ("If I have to do the same work either way, why not just do it withOUT the surgery?"). In April of 08 I made my decision. It took over a year to get through all the red tape, insurance issues, etc. But on Friday, I got my band. I think if I were to voice any regret, it would be that I chickened out of doing it 5 years earlier.

Congrats!! That's coming up soon. And welcome. I just got my band 2 days ago. There are lots of threads here about pre-op diet. You can use the "search" function to find and read some of them...