auntlucy

I was in your shoes too. Just remember that you are doing this for yourself. Odds are that people are noticing...they either just don't know what to say or they are uncertain. Before long, you will see people looking at you differently. I have a lot of people tell me that I look great. Then, they ask me if I'm feeling ok. It's really odd. It's like they think, "wow...she looks like she's lost weight. I'm going to comment on it. Oh no...what if she's been sick?" I finally asked my brother if he had noticed, and he said, "Yeah." That was it. I asked him again, and he said, "I didn't know if you wanted me to say anything. But now that you've asked, I really notice it when you are walking away." In the past, I maybe would have been a little offended by that, but I asked. And, I'm happy that my backside is smaller! Hang in there. Give it a few more pounds. You are doing great!!!

Lunch - salad with baby romaine, shredded carrots, diced red and orange bell pepper, feta, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries. A little piece of grilled chicken. Dinner - another salad (similar to lunch) and some grilled sausage Snack - reduced fat cheez-its and sf pudding

pjtxlady, Hi there neighbor!

Here is my chili. I love it! I call it semi-homemade b/c I use a packaged mix that I've only found at Super Target. The brand is called Cugino's Chili Fixin's Mix. But, I don't follow the directions on the package. I brown 96% lean ground meat in a large skillet with 1/2 of a diced onion. When the meat is cooked, I add in 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce. (I like a tomatoey chili!) I also add in the mix and 3/4 can of water. I let it simmer for half an hour, and it's done! It's so easy, and I figured the calculations out. 1 cup of it has about 200 calories and 26 grams of protein. I usually make a double batch at a time, and after it's ready, I put 1 cup servings in small ziploc bowls. It's so easy to grab one of those and pop it in the microwave and know that I'll get some great, tasty protein. I take it to work for lunch a lot. I eat egg beaters quite a bit, and I think they are great. I've never cooked with them, so I'm not sure how that works. Ken's has some awesome light and fat free dressings. The fat free raspberry pecan is great. They also make two different varieties of light caesar dressing. I don't buy any other dressing besides Ken's now!

I had 1 cup of lean chili for breakfast that I made a few days ago with a few reduced fat cheez-its. Yes, you read that correctly...I had chili for breakfast! For lunch, I had a salad with baby romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, feta cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, and Ken's low fat sweet vidalia onion dressing. For dinner, I had another cup of lean chili with a few more reduced fat cheez-its. I had sugar free dark chocolate pudding with some cool whip light for a snack.

Put your scale away for a few weeks. Your body is going to do strange things right now, and I found it was better if I focused on letting my body heal and making the behavior changes that come with the band. When I did that, I stayed in the right mindset.

Deanna, that is fantastic! It's such a good sign. Maybe he'll meet you half way and even become a lap band supporter! Good luck with you surgery.

I went back after 1 week. Had surgery on a Monday and went back the following Monday.

Welcome! I had never been part of an online forum either, but now I'm comopletely addicted. I find so much comfort in knowing I can anonymously talk with others who are going through exactly the same thing. Congratulations on your surgery! I'm sure you will do great.

Welcome Lori! We are glad to have you here. Have you had surgery yet, or are you just exploring the idea of it?

It really depends on your insurance and your surgeon. Really, your insurance is a huge deciding factor. Some require a six-month supervised diet. Mine did not. I was approved in less than a week and then had the surgery 2 months later. Good luck!

Hi Laura! Welcome! I'm also from Texas (live in McKinney and work in Dallas). I was banded 5 months ago, and it has been the best thing I ever did for myself. I've been overweight most of my life. I've tried everything under the sun, and nothing worked for me longterm. I thought about getting banded for about 3 years prior to actually getting it. I really needed to be ready for it mentally and emotionally, and I finally got ot the point where I waws ready to do whatever it took. It's been a lot of life changes, but they really haven't been that hard. When it gets difficult (and there will be days when you question your decision), try to stay focused on the reasons you did it. Best wishes, and let us know if you have any questions!

Paula, good luck with your recovery. You will likely be pretty sore for a few days, but it will get a little better each day. Try to get u and walk around as much as you can. It really will help.

Dr. Hamn (in Plano) is my surgeon. Dr. Cribbins is his partner. Dr. Hamn is supposed to be one of the best in the area, and I've been very pleased. Here is a link to their site: Obesity Surgery In Texas - Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth TX

Welcome fellow TX girl! I'm in McKinney (work in Dallas). I got my band 5 months ago, and it's been the best thing I've ever done for myself. If you decide to get it, make sure you are really ready for it. You definitely need to go into it knowing all of the life changes you need to make. I too have been overweight all my life. I was on my first diet at age 3. I lost quite a bit of weight on a liquid diet in high school, but I couldn't maintain it, and the weight all came back plus a lot more. Let me know if you have any specific questions. I'll be glad to try to answer them.

Don't be discouraged! It is completely normal. That was definitely my experience too. I lost 18 pounds the first 2 weeks and as soon as I started on soft foods I gained a few of those pounds back. After a couple of weeks, the weight started coming back off. Your body is in distress right now. It's just undergone trauma from the surgery and your body is hanging on to everything it can because of the rapid weight loss. I'm going to give you some advice that my doctor gave me before the surgery. He reminded me of it right after surgery, and it has really helped me keep perspective. Right after surgery, your job is to focus on letting your body heal. Your job is not to lose weight right now. Once your body has fully healed, your job is to fous on learning the new behaviors that go along with the band. My doctor told me that he would tell me when my job was to focus on losing weight. I had my surgery 5 months ago, and he still hasn't told me to focus on losing weight. I learned very quickly that if I was truly focused on the new behaviors that the weight would come off. After 5 months, I've lost 58 pounds. Try not to get discouraged. The weight will come off in time.

Paula, I hope you don't mind, but I just said a prayer for you. Good luck with your surgery today! Let us know how you are doing.

penturn, you are doing great! 20 pounds in 4 weeks is amazing. You likely would not have been able to do that without the surgery. I know it's frustrating at times, and you will definitely hit different plateaus (especially before your fills), but then you will keep losing. They say a pound a week is considered successful. You are well ahead of that. Hang in there!

Mine started coming out about 3 months after surgery. My hair stylist said that it is common...she sees it a lot with patients who have had weight loss surgery. She also reassured me that it would grow back. I'm trying not to worry abou ti ttoo much. After all, I'm losing weight, and I would go back and do it all again. But, I know it's really hard. My hair has always been what people have commented on. It's definitely been my thing!

Paula, don't worry about setting a final goal weight yet. In my opinion, your focus right now shouldn't be on the weight loss, but on doing what it takes to heal your body after your surgery. Then, your job is to focus on making the necessary behavior changes. When you have done that, set a short term goal. I still haven't really set an ultimate goal. I have a ways to go and I know generally where I want to be, but it will all depend on how I feel as I get there. Good luck! I'm sure you will do great!

around 1100 calories a day seems to work for me. But, everyone's body is different and there are all kinds of factors that need to be considered...height, weight, male/female, age, activity level, etc.

Tess, I just know your next fill will do the trick! Keep up the good work. Thanks again for starting this thread! It has been such an encouragement for those of us in the same boat!:Banane37:

I take 10 mg of Biotin a day. The instructions say to take 5 mg, but I didn't notice a difference with that, so I started doubling it. I can tell you that my nails are stronger than ever, but I still feel like my hair is coming out some. The Vitamin B is a BTotal (B12) liquid supplement. You just put a dropper full under your tongue and hold it there for 30 seconds before swallowing. It also gives you a boost of energy. I just went to my hair stylist over the weekend. I waited to see if she noticed that it was thinner, and she said she did. Fortunately, I do have a lot of hair, so the average person won't really notice. Good luck! I hope you find the right mix of things that helps.

That was not my experience at all. Of course, everyone is different. I lost 18 pounds the first 2 weeks. Once I started eating a little more mushies, I gained a few of those pounds back. My body was in shock from the rapid weight loss I think. After a couple of weeks, I started losing pretty steadily again. I hit another plateau after losing about 45 pounds, and it took about 3 to 4 weeks for the weight loss to pick up again. But, it has!

I can definitely empathize with you! I've had the same problem. Even with getting 60 to 80 grams of Protein a day, I was still losing my hair. I started taking Biotin, and that seems to help. I also take liquid Vitamin B drops. My hair stylist recommended them. Yesterday or the day before, I saw another post here about some hair products to use. You might want to try that. Let me know if you find anything else.