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trina4ufl

LAP-BAND Patients
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Blog Entries posted by trina4ufl

  1. trina4ufl
    So I'm about a week post-op and starting to feel much better. The first few days were rough. It was really painful. The breast reduction was a piece of cake. I had almost no pain at all and the drains came out after 2 days. The only thing that is uncomfortable is that I have to wear this special bra 24/7 for six weeks. It's pretty comfortable, but it is white and shows if my shirts are not really high up on my neck. At first, my breasts looked kind of uneven and I was paranoid that they were not symetrical, but as they are healing, they look good. I'm very happy so far with them.
    As for the abdominoplasty, this sucker hurts! First, your stomach muscles just kill you because the surgeon sews them together really tightly so getting up and down out of a bed or chair or whatever is really painful. Then, your sutures start to really hurt so you can't straighten out because your skin has been stretched and sewn together. I had to learn that they key is to keep your legs as close to your abdomen as possible so that it limits the stretch. The good thing is that they gave me 2 different narcotic pain killers and valium to help relax your stomach muscles. This did keep the pain tolerable. The first two days are the worst and then it gets better. Now, I almost forget about the pain until I go more than 4 or 5 hours without pain pills and then the pain reminds me. I've stopped taking the really heavy pain killers and the valium, so now I'm taking the loratabs about every 5 or 6 hours as needed. I can get up and down without too much pain and am feeling pretty good.
    My stomach looked bad the first time I saw it. It is sagging and my new belly button is gross and ragged. The plastic surgeon's office swears that my stomach will be flat and tight but it's not yet. It has gotten better as the days go on. Apparently there is a lot of swelling right now that is causing it to be lumpy and saggy. I guess that's why I have to wear compression garmets for 4 weeks. I am already sick of this compression garmet. But, I could live with that because it's really not that bad. It's not that tight. It's kind of like wearing a spanx bodysuit. The worst part is that I still have 2 surgical drains that fill up with blood and fluid. There are two tubes, once coming out of each hole in my hip. The tubes lead to plastic drains about the size of light bulb. These fill up with fluid and you have to empty them and record the measurements about 3 or 4 times a day. THe problem is that they are a pain to carry around. I have to sleep on my back because of them which I've gotten used to, but you have to find a way to hide them under your clothes. I went to the grocery store with my mom today and I thought they were going to stop me because I look like I"m shoplifting because of the outlines of these plastic things under my pants.
    I have a doctor's appt. tomorrow at 9:30am and there is a possibility that they will take them out, but I'm doubting that they will because they are still filling up with fluid regularly.
    The good news is that I am currently at 200.3 pounds on my home scale. I was at about 213 or 214 prior to surgery. I always weigh at least 3 pounds less at the lap band doctor's office. I'm just waiting and waiting for the scale to read 199. I'm ready to be in onederland! I have been eating pretty normally. My band isn't very tight but I haven't had a huge appetite but have been eating pretty well. I still have a lot of swelling so I'm hoping when that goes down, the scale will too. They took off 11 pounds when they did the surgery, so that means I've lost a few more since then.
    I also actually have a waist! Once I get these drains out, I can wear clothes other than sweats. I'm really looking forward to still having 5 weeks off of work to recuperate! My mom just left town but I'll probably go visit my parents in Orlando in a couple of weeks. For now, I'm just relaxing and keeping in touch with my friends here.
  2. trina4ufl

    2nd Fill

    By trina4ufl,

    Well, I had my 2nd fill today. The surgeon wasn't going to give me a fill at first, because I've lost 8 pounds since the last visit 31/2 weeks ago, but when I told him that Id been working out 6 days per week and that I had lost about 7 pounds the first week after the last fill and then not much since then, he agreed. I also told him how I can eat steak and pretty much anything else and he said it was time for a fill.
     
    He had trouble finding it again. There was a nutritionist intern there today and she asked if she could watch the fill, so I let her and she looked like she felt really bad for me when he kept sticking me with the needle again. She held my hand and later told the girl at the receptionist desk that he had stuck me like 50 times. It didn't hurt as much as they numbed the area first and he used the smaller needle. He finally found it. It's 5cm below the middle of my incision scar and believe me, I will remember that for next time.
    He put 1.5 cc's in, making it a grand total of 5.5 ccs. He watched me really closely while I drank the water as if he was expecting me to not be able to drink it, but it went down fine. He gave me his cell phone number in case I had any problems and needed some of the fluid taken out. He said only to drink clear liquids today, then full liquids all day tomorrow, and then start mushie and then regular food the following day. I can feel that it's tighter. I'm actually worried that I won't be able to eat anything and I'll need him to take some fluid out, but right now drinking liquids is going fine.
    The surgeon said I'm doing so well and hugged me and told me how proud of me he was. He said I'm doing great!
    So far, so good!
  3. trina4ufl

    8 days to go!!!

    By trina4ufl,

    I'll be having surgery in 8 days!!! I'm 6 days into my pre-op diet and I've lost 10 pounds. I feel really good about that, because I've been sticking to the diet really well. Four protein shakes during the day and one healthy choice dinner. Add veggie or healthy choice dessert if I'm still hungry but no more than 1100-1200 calories per day. Some of the 10 pounds is probably water weight and I'm counting from weight that I just gained from having "last meals". The first two days are pure hell, but after that, I have gotten used to drinking my meals instead of eating them. I really haven't been hungry much at all. My boss took me to lunch on Friday, and he knows I'm having surgery, but I didn't tell him what for. I ate 1/3 of a grilled chicken sandwich really slowly and he didn't seem to notice. Then, I just drank a protein drink for dinner. I've been meaning to get to the gym but it is COLD. I mean really COLD for Florida. It's been in freezing temperatures the past few days. When I get off work it's dark and cold and I just want to stay inside and be warm and not go back out. I will definitely start going to the gym after my surgery. I think I can do cardio fairly soon after and weights after 6 weeks or so. I'm really looking forward to losing this weight and starting the new year off right!! I've only told two people at work that I'm doing it and only a few friends and my family. I actually am going to have a month off work counting the Christmas vacation I already scheduled, so I hope to come back to work much lighter. Let the rumors begin!!!
  4. trina4ufl

    A okay--day 3

    By trina4ufl,

    :thumbup:Okay, first of all, thanks to everyone who has been so supportive! I really appreciate it and really feel close to you guys now. You're the best!!
    I have no hunger (which I know is only temporary) so it has been no problem sticking to my liquid diet. I actually went with my mom and went shopping. I got tired and run down and had to go and sit n the car, but I think that was more dehydration and lack of calories. I've moved to the full liquid stage this afternoon and oatmeal and milk went down fine. I can't feel anything weird when I eat and I can't really feel the port. I do have about five incisions. I'm not sure why so many, but they are slowly healing. I can sleep fine. It hurts when I turn over, but I can sleep on either side once I get there or on my back comfortably.
     
    I actually feel pretty normal, other than I feel a little weak due to lack of calories. I'm trying not to obsess over the scale, but I am down 15 pounds since I started the pre-op diet and I can tell I'm still swollen and I haven't had a BM yet. I think the loratab makes you constipated. I'm weanin myself off of it and onto liquid tylenol. Now I have to eat/drink every hour that I'm awake. This is the recommended schedule until Tuesday.
    8am-soupy cereal (milked down oatmeal, no clumps)
    9am-water
    10am-juice
    11am-strained cream soup
    12pm-jello
    1pm-water or non caloric beverage, coffee is okay
    2pm- nonfat milk
    3pm broth
    4pm milked down cream of wheat
    5pm-water
    6pm-strained cream soup
    7pm-juice
    8pm-jello sugar free pudding
    9pm-nonfat milk.
     
    To be honest, I haven't been keeping up with it because it seems like a lot. I'm trying to get better though and everything is going down fine.
    My biggest issue right now is that they have not called in a liquid form of wellbutrin and crushed pills is disgusting. I'm going to call them again tomorrow.....
  5. trina4ufl
    I went to my doctor's appointment today and I've lost 18.4 pounds this month!!!!!! The doc said I'm the ideal patient and that I'm doing great! He did give me another fill after I told him that this past week I haven't had much restriction and that I ate steak last week with no issues. He gave me 1.3ccs for a total of 6.8 ccs in a large APS band. He actually overfilled me so he could see how much was too much and I felt like I was going to throw up the water. Then he took some out and I drank the water fine. He thinks I should be in the green zone now. I'm drinking liquids fine. I'm going to try and lose 20 pounds this month. I'm turning 30 in 19 days so I want to celebrate it by losing, losing, losing! I feel great and I'm hoping this fill will be perfect! I'm down a total of 56 pounds since the pre-op diet.
  6. trina4ufl
    The guy I went on a date with this week wants to go out again on Monday night. He wants to see me sooner, but due to his and my schedule, that was the first day we both had available. He originally suggested going skating (roller) but I told him I thought we should get to know each other better before he sees me fall on my ass! We ended up agreeing to go out and shoot pool--which I'm pretty good at. I've been talking to him online through instant messenger and the more we talk, the more we realize how much we have in common. He even dropped hints that he wants to kiss me! I'm taking it slow and seeing if we get along as friends first, but I have to say I haven't connected with someone so soon..umm,..ever!
  7. trina4ufl

    Back to Basics

    By trina4ufl,

    Okay, so now my focus is back on my weight loss, full throttle. I've been losing consistently, but I think I can do better. 10 pounds a month is okay, but I'd like to jump start it. I know what I need to do. Some days I am the paragon of virtue--Lots of protein, low carbs, low fat. I get off the wagon most on days when i don't work. Structure seems to work well for me. I am so good on work days. Now it's just a matter of getting used to eating like that every day. My short term goal is to eat healthy with no fatty food etc for 6 days out of the week. I'm already doing great on my portion sizes--which in the past were my biggest problem. I've been good with the gym, but I'm going to do better. I can step it up a notch. My goal is to lose 15 pounds this month. Wish me luck!
     
    oh and by the way, the guy I was dating sent me an email stating he was confused and not sure what he wanted. I replied that I think it would be better if we were just friends. He has been calling and emailing me like mad ever since saying he wants to see me but I haven't replied. Why is it that guys only want you when you don't want them? Sheesh, I'm not losing any sleep over this one...
  8. trina4ufl

    back to basics

    By trina4ufl,

    So since my great doctor's appointment I've had really good restriction. I'm not hungry very often and when I do eat, if I don't chew well and eat small bites, I get a very painful feeling in my chest. I thought I was going to have to throw up a deli sliced piece of turkey for lunch on Monday. I waited it out and it went down. I lost another 3-4 pounds after the fill, and then after a weekend of eating some lemon bars that I made for my boyfriend (bad idea to have some left over) and drinking three marguaritas Sat night and 1 big alcoholic drink on Sunday, I was up the 3-4 pounds again. :thumbup: I cracked down this week and am now eating like I do when I'm serious about losing and that is coffee, yogurt, cottage cheese and a healthy dinner. Last night I had broiled fish (orange roughy) and broccoli. I've been to the gym every day so far this week and am actually headed there now. I'm down 2 of the 4 I gained back. It's scary that I can gain weight so easily. I know that my weight fluctuates with water and throughout the day so I try not to be too hard on myself, but I can't let myself get off track.
    I think some of it may be due to only eating liquids right after a fill and then switching to solid foods.
    I'm staying at 1200 calories a day, so I should continue to go down if my metabolism functions like it should. It's so easy to get addicted to sweets, so I'm outlawing them again for awhile. I really have been having trouble eating a lot of different foods, but I need to just remember to eat slow slow slow. I'm going to church with my bf on Sunday and then we're going to sunday brunch, so I'll need to really be careful about eating slowly.
    I've been obsessing about how bad my boobs look and I'm getting saggy skin fears. I know I'm happy about the weight I've lost and sometimes I feel that I look really good and then other times I'll catch myself in the mirror and get horrified. I know I need to concentrate on losing and working out and see what happens, but my arms look really bad. They just hang. It's not all skin, there's a lot of fat still in them, but wow they look bad. If the excess skin was gone, they would be pretty small and toned right now. Oh well, I guess you're supposed to wait until you're at goal for year to give your skin time to shrink back, so we'll see. I'm just impatient and want to look good now!
     
    Here's a new pic I just took.
  9. trina4ufl

    Back to life..

    By trina4ufl,

    So my life has been super busy. I'm now actively dating the guy that I met last week, work is super busy, and I'm still going to the gym..so..right now my problem is that I don't seem to have time to eat. I don't want to eat something crappy, so I've just not been eating much at all. Not in general, just for the past couple of days. Maybe I've been too excited about my dating life to eat? I notice that before if I was stressed out, excited, or whatever emotion, I would eat. Now, if I feel those emotions, I don't eat instead. That's a good thing, but I do need to eat because I'm not getting in enough protein. Oh and so much for sleeping! I'm running on 3 hours of sleep from last night and it's midnight already tonight and I'm still awake. The tiredness is finally hitting me.. I'll do better tomorrow!
  10. trina4ufl

    Background

    By trina4ufl,

    Okay, here's some background on me. I'm a 29 year old single female. I've been overweight since I was about 10. I've had success with diets off and on through high school and college, but would keep gaining after I lost. I get sidetracked by life and it takes a lot of attention for me to lose weight or even maintain it. I have to go to the gym, eat much less than I want, and pick healthy foods. Sounds doable right? Well, after going to my sister's wedding and seeing most of my relatives who have lost the battle of the bulge, I finally realized that the odds were not stacked in my favor. I consider myself successful--I graduated college and obtained my master's degree while working full time. I have a good career and good friends. However, I just can't seem to succeed at losing weight. It has now gotten to the point where it will negatively impact my health and has definitely hurt my otherwise healthy self-esteem. I'm not dating anyone because I look in the mirror and I can't imagine anyone wanting to be with me. I've dated in the past quite a bit and been fine, but I guess now it has really hit me how overweight I've become. I feel sluggish and my feet hurt and I'm tired all the time. I want to have energy and enjoy life. I want to get dressed up and go out and feel sexy! But most of all, I don't want to look back at my life and feel that I wasted my youth being held back by the 100 and more extra pounds I'm carrying around! So, This is it. I'm hoping it will be! I'm an optimist by nature, so I am hoping and thinking that this will work, not by itself, but though hard work as well. I think that is what makes the lap band appeal to me. It won't work unless I work as well. I don't think I'd appreciate it as much if I didn't have to work for it. So, here I go! I'm scared that I will fail. I'm scared that something will go wrong and I will die. I'm scared that I won't be able to eat and I'll be miserable. But I won't let my fear hold me back. Because, most of all, I"m scared that I will do nothing and doing something to me is always better than doing nothing about a problem. I want to be that success story. I want to inspire others like many have inspired me. Let the journey begin...December 1st here I come!
  11. trina4ufl

    btw

    By trina4ufl,

    By the way, My mom took some pictures at the hospital and I plan to post them as soon as I can get them uploaded.....I'm sure they look horrendous, but that will be even better when I compare them to my "after" pics in a few months!!:thumbup:
  12. trina4ufl

    Day 4--feeling great

    By trina4ufl,

    Feel great today. No nausea, no pain. I'm a little sore in my stomach but no pain unless I bend. I'm not hungry at all. No hunger. None!!! I found out I shouldn't be crushing my wellbutrin because it's Sustained Release, so they told me I should be able to swallow it whole. I'm trying that tonight. If for some reason it gets stuck, I need to ease it down with warm liquids. My chewable centram orange taste pretty good. My only issues are not really surgery related. 1. I only told people at work that I was having surgery and didn't tell them why except for two people I'm close to. Other people have been speculating what kind of surgery I'm having and gossiping, which kind of makes me mad. They are guessing I had some kind of cosmetic surgery and even suggested lap band as a possibility. I don't really know why it bothers me because it's not a secret, I just didn't feel the need to tell everyone at work. I don't feel like it's their business. I'm off work for a month though due to my sick leave running into my christmas vacation, so I'm pretty sure i'm going to look different when I return, so I'm sure they will guess correctly that I had WLS. This bothers me, but only a little. I just feel that sometimes they are mean spirited in the way they gossip. I'm not embarrassed about the surgery, I just feel that I have the right to privacy about my health.
    2. I randomly met a guy two days before my surgery and he keeps asking me if I'll go out with him and I keep putting him off. He wants to get dinner and I'm on liquids right now. I'm debating whether or not to tell him. I don't like to lie and I hate making up excuses that arent' true. But I do want to go out with him.
     
    Those are my biggest problems, and as you can see, they are little inconsequential issues. I am very happy so far and I'm down 18 pounds from before I started the pre-op diet. My pants are looser and my butt looked better today. Day 4 is a good day.:thumbup:
  13. trina4ufl

    Down 100 pounds

    By trina4ufl,

    My weight at my doctor's appt on Tuesday was 229. My start weight was 330. I have lost 100 pounds. That sounds so strange to say. I am really excited about it and my life has improved immeasurably. I still have a ways to go to get to my first goal, which is 175 but I'm very thankful with the amount of weight I've lost these past 9-10 months. My surgeon is extremely happy for me. My resting heart rate is 50, which he says is awesome. My BP is 125/67 and all my blood work came back in the normal range. All my clothes are way too big, even the ones I just bought a month ago and I have stamina and can do normal tasks, as well as work out for a long time at the gym without feeling tired. I don't feel awkward in social situations, like going into a room and wondering if I'll fit in the chair. When people see me, they usually ask how much weight I've lost or say that I look great. I can see the bones in my face, in a good way! I'm not skinny in any way, but who knew I had cheekbones under there? I have no more plantar fascitis or foot pain and my back doesn't hurt anymore. I don't get winded going up a flight of stairs or walking around the mall or taking my dog out or shaving my legs. I've gone from a 24/26 size clothes to an 18-maybe even smaller since my clothes are too big now! This has not been easy, but I guess I'm amazed. It's actually working! I guess I never really believed I would continue to see the scale move down. I still can't imagine being below 200 pounds. I haven't weighed this weight since my freshman year of college and I'm now 30 years old. That was 12 years ago!
     
    Lap Band: 12/1/08
    330/316/229/175 5'9"
    st.w/sw/cw/gw Ht.
    (my highest weight ever was 347)
    :thumbdown:
  14. trina4ufl

    Down 7

    By trina4ufl,

    I'm down 7 pounds since surgery and 21 pounds since I started the pre-op diet. I don't know if this is a fluke and I'm going to gain it all back when I get off liquids, but I'm loving this thing so far. I'm six days post-op and feel great!:thumbup:
  15. trina4ufl

    Down another 11

    By trina4ufl,

    I went to my follow up doctor's appointment today. It's been two months since my last visit, and I've lost a little over 11 pounds since then. I currently weigh 235, so I've lost 95 pounds total in about 81/2 months. My doctor says I'm doing awesome. I did end up getting a fill because I've been hungry in between meals the last couple of weeks and sometimes I can eat way too much food. He only put .5 of a cc in, and it feels pretty tight. I'm hoping I can still eat most of the good protein and most food, but that I'm not as hungry and that I can't eat as much of it. It feels like my weight loss is slowing down, but the doc says I'm right on track. I have been feeling sluggish some days, so he ordered a blood test to check my B12 and iron levels. I did have issues with anemia when I was younger, so I want to make sure that I'm not lacking iron now, which would make me sluggish. All in all, I'm pretty excited and I know I could never have gotten here without the band and of course, my awesome surgeon who gives me great support. I'm scheduled for another visit in four weeks. I met with the nutritionist and she suggested making sure I eat something for breakfast every day, even if it's just protein powder in my coffee and doing free weights instead of the machines at the gym. She said that it will work better because it uses your stabilization muscles. She said only beginners should do the circuit lines and I've been doing them for 8 months, so it's time to move on to something new. My mood is great and I'm excited that I'm still losing consistently. Yay!!!!
  16. trina4ufl

    Down another 7

    By trina4ufl,

    I decided to only weigh myself once a week on Tuesdays because that is when my doctor's appointments usually are. This morning, I weighed myself and I am down 7 pounds from last Tuesday!!!!!!! I am really excited about that because I have lost 7 pounds in a week before when I started weight watchers, etc, but never that rate of weight loss after I'd already lost almost 30 pounds. If I didn't have the band, the best I could expect would be 1-2 pounds per week, maybe four if I was really diligent. My clothes are much looser and I feel good.
     
    I should start looking decent (in m own mind at least) when I'm down to 260, so that's my short term goal right now. I want to accomplish that before my 30th birthday on March 22nd. When I reach that goal, I should be wearing all of my smallest sizes that I currently own (except for the one or two pieces I couldn't let go from high school). I should also be at a good fitness level where I can do pretty much anything without getting tired and even jog for periods of time (though my big breasts make that difficult!). I can't even visualize myself as smaller than that right now and the last time I was at that weight, I was not physcially in shape like I will be working out regularly. I can't wait!
     
    The only thing not going that great is that I'm so tired when I wake up in the mornings. It seems like I can't get to sleep until midnight or later and then I am miserable, tired, grouchy in the AM. As the day goes by, my energy levels kick up and I'm fine, but the mornings are hell! Especially since it was freezing cold and raining this morning. It's going to be in the 30s at night all week :thumbup: So much for sunny FL weather..The high tomorrow is in the 50s and I do not have enough warm weather clothes. After getting rid of all the clothes that I don't like and that are too big, I still have lots of clothes, but very few warm clothes. It just doesn't get that cold in FL that often.
     
    Everyone has been complimenting everyone else on how they look like they've lost weight and no has said that to me. My two coworkers who know about the band have told me that, but no one else. Which is cool because I don't want the questions that go along with it, but either, they can't tell or they don't want to say anything because they suspect WLS. It's not a big deal, just sometimes funny when I hear, Oh so and so you really look like you've lost weight, and they say, oh yeah, I've been going to the gym, and then I'm standing there, 30+++ pounds down saying, oh yeah, you look great...
    I wore a pair of cobalt blue slacks that were really tight on me and almost couldn't button two months ago and now they are literally sagging to the floor on me. They really sag in the butt, which is not attractive, but I'm running out of clothing options. Well, at least if there are rumors going on about me, I haven't heard them, so I can pretend they don't exist!
  17. trina4ufl

    Down another 7

    By trina4ufl,

    I went for my 4 week apt. at the surgeon's office and have lost 7 pounds in four weeks, putting me at 217. It hasn't really been the best way to lose, as I've been too tight this month. I've had several vomiting episodes and bad heartburn. The doc took out all the fluid and let me drink some water so if some food at been stuck, it would wash down, then he filled me up to 8.0. I had been at 8.5. I feel a huge difference. No heartburn and I can actually eat without feeling like I need to throw up. I've really only eaten some soup (pho) so far, but so far I don't even feel much restriction, but I'm not pushing it. I hope this doesn't mean that I'll gain weight over the holidays, but for now, I feel so much better. I do have a bad head cold so I'm home from work today. I fell asleep at 7:30pm last night and didn't wake up until 7:30 am this morning, tried to get ready for work, and realized I felt dizzy and much too sick to go in. I'm very happy with my progress as Dec. 1st is my year anniversary and I've lost 113 pounds total, 99.7 pounds since surgery day. I'll take it! I'm very happy with my lapband. Now if I could get rid of this cold, I'd be feeling great!:biggrin:
  18. trina4ufl

    Down another 8

    By trina4ufl,

    I went to the doctor for a follow up appointment and I'm down another 8 pounds. I weigh 246 now. I feel pretty good about how I'm starting to look except for my stomach. If I wear pants that fit, they push my spare tire up. I'm still carrying way too much weight in my stomach and chest, but I'm hoping after another 50 pounds or so, it'll flatten. The doctor said I'm either too tight or just right. He gave me the option of having some taken out, but I opted to try to work with this fill. I can't eat much at all during the day--some yogurt and coffee, and then dinner is hit or miss. If I have hot soup first, I'm usually good. He said that I can call him anytime if I feel I want to have some taken out, and scheduled my next appointment for 8 weeks since he says I'm doing great and don't need to come every month.
    I do need to work on the protein. I haven't been getting enough in. My hair loss has slowed, but my hair is all kind of broken and uggh.
    I bought 2 new pairs of jeans and 2 shirts. All in size 18 (still plus size). I feel better because I feel like a slob wearing all my old clothes because they are really baggy and don't look good. I'm feeling much better. Things with my boyfriend are going really well and I'm looking forward to having the whole week off work next week. Yay!!!
  19. trina4ufl

    Down another 9

    By trina4ufl,

    I went for my fill/follow up yesterday and I am down another 9 pounds. I currently weigh 253. The doctor said I'm doing great and he gave me another fill, which was a breeze. I'm still on liquids today. I ate some yogurt and had to eat it very very very slowly and I wasn't sure it was going to go down. I just had a protein shake and water yesterday. I'm feeling great. I've been consistently going to the gym and I'm starting to run out of clothes that fit! I'm wearing an 18 in top and bottom, but it's a women's 18. I can't wait to wear regular clothes! I ended up not getting sick like I thought I was last week and this past weekend was amazing. We went to a comedy club, tubing down the river, an awesome barbeque and a gun show and dinner with my boyfriend's family on Sunday. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. His mom keeps sending cake home with me! I still haven't told him about the band. We've gotten much closer now, I guess I'll tell him when I'm ready. What's amazing is that it really is not noticeable that there is anything different except for the scars on my stomach and the few days right after a fill when I really can't eat anything. People have been telling me regularly how great I look and I feel like I'm starting to look much better. I'm almost to my under 250 goal, which I'm really looking forward to. The next goal will be 240. I remember weighing 255 back in college and going on a diet and getting to 240 and remembering how sexy I felt! We'll see if I feel that way this time. It's been a few years! My goals are to eat healthy, small portions, and exercise regularly, but I'm going to enjoy life along the way. I'm not going to beat myself up or stick to a strict diet all the time. I feel like I could have lost more weight last month, so I'm going to try harder this month, but I'm not going to kill myself. It's coming off, slowly but surely! All in all, I feel great!
  20. trina4ufl

    Dumped?

    By trina4ufl,

    I'm trying not to overreaact, but I think I may have been dumped. Things were going great with the new guy and then suddenly he's been MIA for the past two days. I've been super busy so I didn't really notice, but I posted a note to him on Facebook and I'm pretty sure he deleted it. I swear I am cursed when it comes to luck with dating. It's only been a week or so, so I'm not really emotionally involved, but I did like him. He mentioned some ex girlfriend who lives out of town who had been contacting him trying to get back together with him. Maybe he took her up on her offer and didn't send me the memo? Or maybe he's just busy and accidentally deleted my comment?
    Who knows? I know I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't sleep with him or have drama or anything consequential enough to warrant a sudden change in attiude. He seemed really sincere, but maybe he was just trying to get laid and since I didn't accommodate, he moved on.
    I'm pretty much ready to give up on dating, period. The worst possible thing to me is dishonesty and every guy I seem to go out with turns out to be shady. I try not to sound jaded, but if I gave you a synopsis of all the guys I've dated, they have one common thread. And lately, my relationships seem to be getting shorter and shorter. This one barely lasted a week! I know I did get a little too caught up in the possibilities since he seemed really genuine and sensitive, etc. He was the one who kept talking about how he wanted to get married some day (not necessarily to me, just in general! ) Whatever it is, I really need to concentrate on me first. This was a wake up call no matter what the situation with him is. My focus needs to be on me and my weight loss, health and fitness. It just gets lonely since I live alone and alot of my friends live out of town. I guess I was hoping this was the start of something really great.
    I'm not going to let it get me down though. Everything else in my life is going really well.
  21. trina4ufl
    :thumbup:I went for a fill today and I've lost 12 pounds this month! I was really happy because I was sick for one week and had birthday stuff (lots of food) another week, so I really cracked down this past week before the appointment and it paid off. He also checked and he had put in 6.8 ccs last time and there was only about 5 ccs in there this time, so the fluid went somewhere! He said usually if you have a leak it is a fast leak and the restriction is gone by the time you get home, so he doesn't think it's a leak. Sometimes I guess it gets absorbed or something? But I can't complain, it just means that regular fills are what I need and that my instincts were right, there was less fluid in there. He put me up to 7.3ccs. I've only been drinking fluids, but I'll let you know how that goes.
     
    I'm down 68 pounds!!!
  22. trina4ufl

    First Fill--Ouch!!!

    By trina4ufl,

    I went to my first fill today. I brought what I've eaten for the past seven days and talked to the nutritionist about it. She said I was doing very welll. She didn't even flinch at the King Crab Legs and Vodka I had on New Years!!! I was honest, I put on there that I'd eaten at Taco Bell two days and McDonald's another day, but those days I pretty much didn't eat anything else, and then most days I ate healthy food, so she said I was doing great.
     
    Apparently I'm down another 5 pounds since the last doctor's appointment!!! That made me feel so much better. THe scale read 300.003!!! That's just one pound until I'm under 300! It actually flashed 299.9, but then went back up o 300. My home scale says 303. That's 30 pounds down from before my pre-op diet!
     
    The surgeon said I was doing great, especially over the holidays to lose 5 pounds, so that perked my spirits up.
     
    I was told to get on the chair and they reclined it all the way, but betadine on my stomach and numbed it with little needle pricks. Then he took a long needle and began to poke me to find the port. He couldn't find it. He could find the big round thing, but apparently there's a soft spot in the middle that the syringe goes through and he could not find that. He stuck me like 10 times and he hurt! (I'm a baby with pain by the way). Then he kept trying to find it. I was actually going to ask to take a break because I can't stand little sticking pain....He numbed the area again and poked me again, and then I said, "Ouch!" and he numbed it agaain. He finally found it well below where they (and I ) thought it was. He apologized for hurting me several times and said that next time they'll know right where it is. In hindsight, it wasn't really that bad.
     
    I have a 10cc band and he put in 4.5 cc, which is a little more than usual, but I live close by, so I could get an unfill if I needed to. I drank a whole glass of water and it went down fine. I have another follow up appt. scheduled on Feb. 3rd. I'm supposed to drink liquids, then progress to mushies, then on to real food in the next two days.
     
    I feel good and I'm hopeful that my weight loss will really jump start now!!:confused:
  23. trina4ufl

    First Goal--Done!

    By trina4ufl,

    Well, I've been going to the gym and eating well and I'm down to 267 on my home scale!!! I've met my first goal!!! YAY!!! Now we'll just see how I weigh tomorrow at the doctor's office. It's usually a few pounds lower than my home scale, but we'll see. I think I've only lost about 8 pounds this month, maybe more, maybe less. I know I should be grateful since I lost over 18 pounds last month, but I'm so impatient! One thing though is I really don't have any clothes that filt me well. All my pants hang off my butt now. Even the ones I just bought last month. My friend who doesn't know I had the band told me last night that now that I'm losing weight you can really tell that i'd look much better with a breast reduction. I was mildly insulted by that, but I'm not sure why since I've told her that I wanted one. I guess it's just because I feel like the timing isn't right because I want to wait until I lose more so I don't "undo" it by losing alot more weight. I also want to see how I look because I really don't want to cut up my boobs for no reason. They are hanging too low though And they are still really big, though they have gotten alot smaller as well. They are just big proportionately. Though I think it would be cool to be skinny with big boobs. But not big boobs that hang to my knees!
    On the other hand, I know my insurance company would pay for a breast reduction now. I've read the policy and it says you have to have a certain amount taken out and I don't want to miss my window for them to pay for it, because they lift them too. I'm just scared of losing sensation and I've seen "after" pictures and I don't like most of them. I like the shape of my boobs, I just wish they were higher and of course smaller. I also hear that plastics is pretty painful and I'd have to take more time off work.. and have some explanation to the boyfriend and since it's a new relationship I have no idea how he would react to that..Well I have time to think about it. Any input would be great!
    I'm going to ask my doctor at my appointment tomorrow what he thinks and if he thinks I might have a leak and then ask for another fill. My next goal is to be below 250. Now that I'm eating healthy and exercising, I'm feeling better too. It's amazing how you just get back in the habit and it becomes much easier. But it's also easy to get in the habit of eating alot of carbs and fat and not working out!
    It'll be a challenge to stay motivated but I'm optimistic about it.:biggrin:
  24. trina4ufl

    First Pre-Op Dr. Appt.

    By trina4ufl,

    :thumbup:SO i had my first post-op doctor's appointment and it went well. No infection in the incisions, I'm feeling great, and I've lost 11.6 pounds since surgery. I've lost about 25 lbs since right before the pre-op diet. My blood pressure is pretty high--160/100 and has been for the past three visits. I've always had kind of low blood pressure, even when I was more overweight and I thought losing weight drops your BP? I thought it might be the Wellbutrin, so the doc said to stop taking it. He said I shouldn't have to wean off it because I've only been taking it for about 3 months. Also he prescribed a low dosage of some beta blocker , toporal? or something to get my BP down.
     
    I'm on to a PUREED DIET!!!! I'm really excited about this because it means I get to chew something. I'm allowed soft cooked eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, mashed potatoes and anything pureed in a blender, as well as all the stuff on the liquid diet. I do this for 3-4 days and then I'm on to soft foods, which include soft veggies, toast and crackers, tuna, shrimp, fish, and finely ground meat. I do that for four days, and then I'm on a regular healthy diet as tolerated. That means normal food in about a week! I'm almost scared to eat normal food. I'm doing so well on the liquid diet, I don't want to mess it up. I refuse to gain these 11 pounds back or for that much, the 25 lbs since before pre-op.
     
    I weighed 305 today. That means just over 5 pounds before I'm under 300! I also realized that my home scale is broken. I weighed yesterdy I went from 309 to 297 later in the day. I need to buy a new scale. I'm trying not to obsess over the scale, but it makes me feel good when it goes down, and also keeps me in check.
     
    So far I'm really happy with this band thing. I'll see what happens when I start eating instead of drinking my meals...
  25. trina4ufl

    Full Speed Ahead!

    By trina4ufl,

    So right now I'm in a good place. I'm eating between 700-1100 calories a day. I find myself forgetting to eat and then picking foods that have a high protein content so I meet my daily protein requirements. I also am consistently working out. I did cardio and strength training yesterday (sat) and today I did a Zumba class at the gym with my coworker. The Zumba class is a latin dance class. I find it hard to master dance steps and I don't remember them, but I feel like if I keep going to that class, I will start to be able to keep up with the moves. I didn't feel like I was going to die, like I have when I've gone to aerobic classes in the past. I did sweat and was able to complete the full hour, though my intensity wasn't as high as the others who knew the steps, because I found myself getting lost and having to watch other people to try and learn the moves. There were about 200 other people in the room, so it was pretty crowded. I want to find the same class at a time/place where it is less crowded. The gym I go to has three locations I can choose from, so I'm going to scout out the best time/place. I don't feel sore, but I'll know in a day or two if it's a good workout because by then I should be sore in some of my muscles that I don't use all the time if it's worthwhile. I also want to try some other classes. I like dancing, even though I'm obviously not good at it!
     
    Also, I've pretty much given up any sweets at all. I'll sometimes eat a weight watchers cookie or snack, but for the most part, I'm totally off sweets. I find that if I eat them, I want them, but if I avoid them, I don't crave them.
     
    I appear to be lucky because I have had no instances of vomiting, PBing or sliming. I've tried out different food and had no problems with anything. I do try to eat a very small amount and if it feels funny, I don't eat it anymore. I also stop eating before I'm full and then I'm not hungry for a long time. I don't drink during or after my meals, though I do drink before and have no issues with it. I don't eat as slow as I should, but I try to chew really well. I'm sure my good behavior won' t last forever, but I'm going to ride it out as long as I can
     
    I actually forgot to eat today so I had a protein drink when I got home from the gym. My friend made this awesome chicken noodle soup that i ate the other night and I lost weight the day after I ate it (I know it doesn't necessarily work that way, but..) So now I'm planning on making it tonight. It should last all week. It tastes awesome and makes me feel full for a long time. It also has a lot of protein, not many carbs, and not too much fat. The recipe calls for whole wheat rotini pasta instead of noodles, and there isn't that much pasta in it. The flavor comes from all the veggies in it, the seasonings, and of course the chicken. I plugged all of the ingredients into sparkpeople and came up with 334 calories per serving (decent size serving).
    It seems like I haven't been getting in enough veggies, so I'm hoping this will help. Also,I find myself at a loss about what I want to eat for dinner most nights.
    Has anyone found that eating too few calories has affected them negatively? Some days, I just don't eat much at all. I have had plenty of energy, so I feel that I'm doing okay, but my nutritionist scared me by saying you could reset your calorie clock and make your body need less calories if you regularly consumed less than 1000 calories, but I'm finding I'm losing more weight the less calories I eat. I do make sure I get protein in as I don't want to lose muscle.
     
    Also, I've pretty much given up any sweets at all. I'll sometimes eat a weight watchers cookie or snack, but for the most part, I'm totally off sweets. I find that if I eat them, I want them, but if I avoid them, I don't crave them.
    Also, any good ideas for healthy dinners either something that's not too time consuming to make or something that you buy somewhere would be greatly appreciated!!

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