stevegoad

Congrats on a nice start. Hang in there... But remember, we all have good days and band days... don't get too discouraged on those that the scales are not as nice as today. In the long run, you will have many more great things happening!

Well, don't be sure that breads are out of the question - some of us don't have problems with bread. But that said, I have a couple of favorites. Most often, when it's a pretty busy day, I will still have a Protein shake. It's good, it's easy and gets me through... sometimes I might have a snack before lunch (a slimfast snack bar or a banana or something like that). If I'm home and have plenty of time, I love 2 hard-boiled eggs. That will fill me for several hours. In the earlier stage, soft scrambled eggs will be great for the mushy stage (use non-stick spray instead of oil to help the calories). But those are my norm. I guess in some ways I'm not that original.

Definitely walk after surgery - not a marathon... I'm just talking simple. While you might have those around you willing to help, you need to get up and go get your own broth, drinks, and such... Just that little bit, walking around your house during that first day or two will make you feel much better. Buy national brand broth... the store brands are terrible. Spend the extra money on the name brands. It will make the first week much more tolerable. For the longer-haul stuff... don't let the scales rule for the first month. Your body is adjusting, and you will have good days and bad days on the scale. The first 4 weeks will be totally nerve-wracking... if you have a bad day when you hit the mushy phase, don't worry. It happens to us all. That's all I've got for now (not too bad for 6:30 a.m.)

What others say is the truth. There is no secret for "remembering" not to drink... you just have to make yourself do it. We all have to "retrain" ourselves in proper eating habits. (mine is, now that baseball season has started, how to eat ice cream - or more importantly how not to... we always have it during baseball season as a treat when the Astros win). While the band is a great tool, it still comes down to making the right decisions in life, and using your mind to make it work.

Like has been said, follow the diet. Remember, you will sometimes need 2, 3 or more fills before you hit your sweet spot. Eating mushies are extremely easy, and many people overeat at that time. Just hang in, talk to your doctor about it, and it will be alright.

Well, we all need to step back and get our second wind. Since we're all in this for the long haul, it is worth it... no matter who we are or how successful... to step back and regroup. Don't give up.

I'm going to shoot from just the opposite direction than JoannMarie... Sure, you need a fill... sure you don't need to get down on yourself. But you need to remember something. You need to be first thinking on being the person that God created you to be. God did not create you (or any of us) to be a failure. Instead, He created you to be victorious in all that you do. God loves you no matter what, fat or thin. As long as you are the person he wants you to be, then you are blessed indeed. But that said, there is a spiritual side to our weight. I did plenty of Christian concerts, including when I was over 400 pounds. I was a pastor at 425 pounds. I have worked for Christ at all sizes, and will continue to do so. But losing weight has an effect in how people look at you, since we can move easier it makes us work more effectively in God's work, and it can give us a better shot at a long life of ministry on this earth (I am convinced that while we can not extend our time beyond what God wants for us, we can shorten it in the way we live). Don't get down on yourself. You might need to reexamine what you are doing as far as your eating, your exercise, and definitely don't be shy about getting fills. I had 3 before I felt my first bit of restriction, and 4 before I really started to feel it... 2 months later, my restriction is starting to go down, so I am going in for another one in a few weeks... I'm not going to wait until I can eat anything again. And mostly, use your mind... think about what you are doing daily. Just as we need to make a conscious effort in our prayer lives, we need to make conscious efforts in our physical lives so as not to slip back into the old habits that got us at the weight we are now. And in all things, keep pressin' on.

A couple of hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Protein shake for snack. A can of tuna and melba toast for lunch... Whatever for supper (just whatever my wife and I decide to cook - making sure I eat the protein first)... But then again, this sounds more like a woman planned this meal day... oh well, you asked. :wink:

God's blessings in the coming days.

Welcome to the group. Glad you're here.

Honestly, it sounds like you are having a real case of depression... and l don't care how well the band work, until you deal with that, you are going to struggle. I am not going to pretend to tell you how to get past that... there is not an on-line solution, and to an extent, trying to work it on-line would be worse, since you really need people to be with face to face. I do understand well the loss of your grandmother (I have face several periods of time that I lost those who I have considered "my rock." In those times, it is easy to drop the ball, so to speak - it is even easy to sabotage your band (subconsiously thinking that you are not worth success without your support). Find a counselor... someone you can speak to. Go to the gym. Believe me, there are people there who are worse off than you... And if there are people who will make fun of you... guess what... they are idiots who don't matter anyway. But instead of turning to the cyber-world, get out into the real world.

I lost about 20 in the first month, 5 in the second, none in the third... after that, I had my third fill and hit a sweet spot, and it worked well after that.

I do have a facebook account that I use for networking. Lots of musicians use it. Honestly, I mostly advertise my website, but for actual contact, facebook works well.

Not much else to be said. 7 months, 25 days and now.... :tongue_smilie: I've lost 100 pounds! :thumbup: OK... I've gloated enough. Thanks for listening.

Well, then you have a decision to make. If surgery is that important to you, then find other funding. I am uninsured, so I will be paying for my surgery for the next 5 to 7 years (I am listed as 7 years, but my wife says we will have it paid off in 5). For us, it was something that was worth the investment. If the hospital won't extend credit, and you can't do credit cards or an independent bank loan, or borrow from friends or family (not the best suggestion anyway) then you need to decide if the surgery is the best route for you. Whatever happens, just keep trying. Certainly, even if you don't have the surgery, hanging around groups like thic can give support to keep trying.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Of course, I deserve it.... KIDDING. Really, thanks for all the nice well wishes.

I ate asparigus last night - we were grilling chicken outside, and I dropped some fresh asparigus on the grill with it (salt and olive oil first, then put it on the grill, turning it ever couple of minutes until carmalized a bit)... excellent.

Go to the doctor. That could be band related, could be an intestinal virus, could be appendix... but it is definitely not right and needs to be checked right away.

It's not unusual. Even after your first couple of fills, you might not get that satisfied feeling... It is normal. But that is why I (and many others) say the band is only a tool. Yes, once you hit your "sweet spot" it will definitely cause you to want to eat less, but you still have to make the right choices. You still have to choose not to eat, or if you eat, eat something better. You should be just getting into the solid food phase. So make sure you're getting good protein, especially at breakfast. Maybe a couple of hard boiled eggs instead of a protein shake... it will stay with you longer. At your meal times, eat your meat first. Between meals, keep a bottle of drink (I actually drink a ton of Crystal Lite a day... it helps keep me going, especially an hour or so before meals). And remember, it might take 2, 3 or more fills before you hit the spot... just hang in there until then.

Last night, I was introduced to TOGA.... Last night, I took part in a survey group. After talking to us about our surgical experiences, and the aftermath, they introduced a new surgical option called Toga, which is coming up before the FDA soon. Toga basically is a proceedure that goes down the throat, stapling the stomach from the inside to make a pouch (it looked like in their demonstration video that it would use 5 or more staplings in the 1 hour proceedure). The word is that it is as effective, if not more, than lapband at a comparible price, with NO INCISSIONS, no scars, less pain and no regular fills and maintanence. The only drawback is that it is not considered reversable. The word was that it could be on the market by Summer. So something new is coming... If you are considering Lapband, this might be a coming option. After what I saw last night, I can honestly say, I would have been happy to have known about this one last year... So this could be interesting.

My wife knows, my pastor knows, 3 friends know. No one at my job knows, no one in my church knows, no one at my job knows, no one in my circle of friends (beyond the three) knows. It is no one's business. If you've made the choice, then live you life and don't worry about them.

No. In essence, the stomach doesn't stop feeling strange. But that said, it does get better... but my normal now is very different than normal was before the band. It is not a bad feeling, though I don't necessarily like it... but it is different. More rumblings, more pain when I eat, not as comfortable but alright.

Like others said, ask your doctor. Mine puts absolutely no restrictions on caffeine. I have basically stopped drinking afternoon, but that is because in the past I switched from coffee to sodas afternoon... so now I switch from coffee to Crystal Lite (or some other brand of that type drink) after about noon. But I have 4 or 5 cups before noon.

Transoral Gastroplasty (TOGA) can be seen here Ideas For Surgery.Com

As one who basically hates his band, in spite of liking the results, I would say yes... I'd do it again. I went in informed, in spite of being a private pay and very fast from pre-op consult to surgery. I knew well what I was in for. I don't like how the band affects social situations, I don't like pain when I eat, I don't like gas - I did it because I felt it was time and I needed to do something, and the band was the least drastic of the options. So for that reason, yes I would do it again.