julie.ann

That is great BG! When is the date?

YAY!!!! That is awesome! Three weeks and we will see you on this side! That is GREAT!!!

I had my lap-band surgery in January '09 and lost 30 lbs. after 2 mos., but now am having a problem with hunger and wanting to snack too much. I had my first fill of the band about 3-4 wks. ago and I don't think it was filled enough because I shouldn't be this hungry. Any others having this problem?

Sounds to me like you need a fill too! The band is a tool, yes. And just like any other tool it won't work without you. If you buy a hammer because you need to pound a nail into the wall and then lay it on the table it isn't going to get up and do the task for you. The band is the same way. Just having it isn't enough. You need good follow up care and get fills until you are where you need to be. I remember wondering for my first two fills if I needed a fill. Boy I had no idea how much I needed a fill. When you hit the sweet spot.....well it is SWEET!

Here is my blog about what my band does for me. What does my band do for me? - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum

Remember cravings and hunger are two completely different beasts. If you can get the bread, pasta, rice or potatoes out of your system the cravings will decrease. If you are truely hungry 2 hours after eating then you need to concentrate on eating 3oz of sollid protein first and then your veggies and you need a fill.

Hang in there. When you get to the sweet spot you will finally realize what all the happy shouting is about.

He if you are self pay anyway you might look into Dr. Kirshenbaum at www.lapbandrockies.com He is in Denver, CO so most airlines fly directly there.

He has patients from all over the US because it is cheaper to fly to him than have it done in their own backyard.

$9950 for surgery and 3 months of free fills. Fills are only $15 each after that. I can drive 7 hours one way and spend the night for less than it would cost me to get a fill closer to home. He has alot of experience and I think he is great!

Good luck!

Here is my blog: My Secret Journey

Remember it lists the most recent post first so to read from the beginning to to the last page. I hope it helps. I love my band. The best desicion I ever made. I made my decison in August/September. I was banded in October and I have lost 80 lbs since my pre-op diet a little over 5 months ago.

Well for breakfast they had a breakfast buffet. I had ham or bacon or sausage and eggs or omlette and fruit. It wasn't too bad. Ham and poached eggs was one morning and it worked great for me. I am not tighter in the morning like so many others. I am usually tighter at night.

For meals I had a angus cheese burger, hold the bun and fries. It was expensive, but enough to fill me up. When I was taken out by the company I ate steak and veggies. It was great. When I am buying I do a chicken plate. You can usually find a "diet plate" with cottage cheese, tomato, chicken or beef and fruit. It works perfect for me. Lunch buffets are a little tougher. I have to see what it on them. So many times they have potatoes and pasta and breads, but very little protein and veggies. I don't do bread, pasta, rice or potatoes so I might skip a buffet and order from the menu.

I was really worried about eating out,but it is just a way of thinking about it. What can I eat? ...then out of my choices what do I want? Everyone just thinks I am eating healthy and with my weight loss they give me a pat on the back for it.

Usually breakfast for me is 1/2c. Southwestern Egg Beatters and a Morning Star breakfast sausage. It is just the right amount and gives me a great amount of protein with about 120-140 calories.

You can do it too!

Thanks Kathi. I hope you enjoy the rest of my blog. It has really helped me. I'm sure you will do great!

I have kept this a secret. The only ones who know are my hubby, doctor, and a friend. I am going to share with another friend this week. It makes me nervous. I think the biggest reason I didn't share was I want the credit for all the hard work I am doing. At first I thought that I didn't want anyone to know in case I failed. I also didn't want everyone watching what I ate. I found out a long time ago I wasn't going to fail. Now I am finding that people from work are telling me that I am inspiring them to watch what they eat and start working out. I don't want my surgery to be a reason they give up what they are trying. I might share with everyone at some point. I plan to tell my family this summer when I visit because I want them to think about getting banded too.

Good luck to you. I wish you all the best with your decisions. Only you know what is right for you!

I am close to ONEderland. I have lost over 80 lbs and that is great, but I am starting to look at the other side of the ticker.

I finally have less than 60 bls to loose to make it to goal. 50-something is a great thought when you start with 140 on that side! I also see this as an amazing accomplishment to get to the point in my journey that I start to look at the goal and not getting 25% to goal or 50% to goal. I'm sure I will celebrate ONEderland (hopefully next week) and I think I will treat myself to a manicure when I get to the century mark. The small goals I set for myself are great but this is a milestone I didn't anticipate and it is a great surprise!

I know I am still months and months away from goal, but I am starting to feel like it is something I can accomplish and this is the first time that I really started to feel that way. It was just arbitrary goal.

A couple of days a go a friend said "Another 60 lbs? Really?" I said well that is a healthy BMI. What should my goal be? He couldn't really argue with that. If I get down to 165 that will be awesome and losing anything more than that will be gravy. I hope I can get to 142.5 That will be half of what I used to weigh and that is my goal. I always say "Aim high if you want to accomplish great things!"

Banded 10-29-08

Dr. Kirshenbaum Denver, CO

Self Pay - $9950

Today I faced the blizzard and made it to the gym. The owner and I were the only two people there and he commented that I had lost a lost of weight since my ID picture had been taken when I joined the gym. I told him yes, just a little over 80 lbs so far. A little bit later he said he wanted to show me something before I left. I finally got done with my cardio and went to see what he wanted to show me.

We walked over to the free weights and he picked up a dumbell and placed it on the floor. He said can you pick that up. I bent my knees and worked hard to get it off the ground. I was able to pick it up, but barely and put it down quickly.

He said that is 80 lbs. That is what you have lost so far. I just blew me away. I know my body is changing, but that really put it in perspective.

I am just 3 lbs from ONEderland. That was my April 1st goal. I'm thinking I might just miss it. The reason I bring it up is because when I start to concentrate on the pounds to lose I start craving things. It makes me think about what I can't eat....what I have to deprive myself of to lose a few pounds. As soon as I stop thinking about numbers and start thinking "lifestyle" those feelings of deprivation goes away.

I was thinking that I want pizza. I want the taste. I should be able to eat it. I deserve it.

Then I start thinking like a bandster with a differnt lifestyle.....

I don't need it. I'm not even hungry so why am I thinking about food? I can eat it if I want to, but it isn't healthy and I will feel bad afterwards. It isn't that I can't have it. I can eat anything I want, but I chose not to eat it and feel bad. It is my choice.

The craving basically went away. It is amazing the difference it make in HOW we think about food. That really puts my cravings in perspective. I do have a goal to make and I will try hard and next Saturday if I still want pizza then I will get a slice of thin crust. If I don't want it then I won't eat it.

I will be at my 5 month bandiversary in just 2 days. I can't believe how different my life was just 6 months ago. I love my band! I wish I would have done this years ago. My 35th birthday is in June and I hope to have lost 100lbs by then. That will be the best birthday I've had in a LONG time!!!

You are right. Even after 5 months of banding when I get together with friends the question is usually "Do you want to do lunch?"

We find ourselves congregrating in the kitchen when we are at the house. It is a different mindset to get into. When you get to the right restiction it is easier to say no. I still go out with friends. I eat healthy and then I am not hungry and do not want to snack.

It gets easier when you learn the difference between real hunger and head hunger. Start working on that now. When you start to look for food ask yourself, "Am I hungry? Is my stomach empty?" If you start to learn your hungers you will get the results you want even faster.

It is a change, but you can do it!

Was your tummy hungry or was your mouth hungry? That is the big question. Also why are you drinking your breakfast? No wonder you were hungery. Nothing is staying in your pouch. No liquid calories! That is one of the guidelines.

Okay so you messed up. It is behind you. We have all messed up. The band gives you another chance. Could you need a fill?Yes. Could it be your TOM that is sabatoging you?

Tommorrow is another day. Plan your meals now and get some physicial activity in too. Keep going girl.

eat a cup at a time and weigh out your protein when you get to that point. That will get you used to seeing banster portions. I still measure my food 5 months after being banded and 80 lbs gone. It is a great habit to get into.

Okay...where do I start. I know if has been a while since I have posted and I am ready to share some great stuff that has been going on directly related to my band.

First a BIG NSV (non-scale victory) I went shopping today for a new pair of jeans. I have been wearing a size 18 (I know I can't believe I've been in a size 18!!!) A couple of people have commented that they are getting baggy. Not falling off or anything, but baggy in the but, so I decided to find some that fit me ok. I tried on a size 16 only to find they were too big too!!! OMG!!! So I went out to get a smaller size thinking that they would be too small and THEY FIT!!!!

(I am shouting for joy now) I FIT INTO AND BOUGHT A SIZE 14 JEANS!!!!!!! I haven't fit into that size since somewhere around my sophmore year in high school!!! I still can't believe it!!! I know all jeans are different and I tried on several brands and styles and I could button all of them. I just didn't like most of them and some were too tight, but that's okay.

I've also been thinking about getting a body shaper. I am really noticing how much I will be needing a tummy tuck and breast lift. My body is beginning to look like a deflated ballon. Anyway while I was in Walmart I tried on a size 2xl cami body shaper and it was too big so I got an XL. I can't believe the difference! It only cost $16 and it is amazing and comforatble so I will be wearing that most days to work now. I also got lucky and found some amazing deals on clothes that fit me. $5 for a skirt and the same for pants. I kept grabbing the size 18 and kept going back tot he rack to get a size 16. (These can not be even a little snug...they are for work)

Okay...next victory. I went out of town last week. I was gone from Tuesday to Friday and I STILL LOST WEIGHT!!! I had to eat out for every meal and was "wined and dined" for two of those (for work not pleasure) and I still lost weight and worked out! VICTORY!!!!

YAY! This is the trip every year that usually gets me off track. I have another one next month, but I am more confident that I can make it!.

I did find myself starting to feel sad that I couldn't eat more of the stuff I liked, but then I was so grateful because I realized that the band was dong just what I wanted it to do. It was giving me a reason to not over eat. I could have kept gong but I would have felt horrible and I don't want to stretch my pouch. I love my band. I had to say no to fresh hot pretzels and pastries all week, but that is ok. I could have eaten it, but chose not to. The band has helped me make those tough desicions. I know I could have eaten around the band and drank a TON of expensive alcholic drinks and incredible soft deserts, but I have learned a new lifestyle and since I have worked so hard for 5 months I was ready to hit the road and still make good desicions.

I have lost 80 lbs and I am 5 lbs from ONEderland. I can't wait to get there.

Have I mentioned I love my band? His name is Band Jovi:drum:

Okay girls. I am calling an emergency meeting of the SWA. I am needing some encouragement. I am 7 hours from home until Friday. Do you know what that means?

NO SCALE! I even thought about packing one, but I use the Wii....kinda hard to pack. Especially with the kids on spring break.

I have not gone more than 5 days total and never two days in a row without weighing in since my surgery in October. I am SCARED TO DEATH that I am going to gain! This trip and thee I have in APril are the two trips that have derailed my weight loss in the past. I have done really well today, but I am eating out for almost every meal. I say that because I packed chicken salad and cottage cheese and I am keeping it iced in my room so in case I am having problems I have something handy.

HELP!!!!!!!

whew! Your lucky it came up. I was Pbing for 90 minutes of pain until it went down.

It has only happened once and I hope that it doesn't happen again to me or you either!

Take care.

Hello friend-- How has the lap band journey been going for you? I know we have traded messages but you haven't told me how your journey is going. Send me a private message and catch me up.

I have heard from one that knows she had a stretched pouch (saw on fluro) and she did liquid for a week and it helped so I am going to TRY a liquid diet for 4 days and see if there is any difference. That will get me to my conference and I will see how things go from there.

Oh Sarah...

That has been a fear of mine. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) my "pooch" in the front keeps them up. Usually the part that is way too big first is the legs. I felt like I was wearing clown pants.

Anyway I'm sure no one noticed. Everyone is always wrapped up in there own life....especially when it is windy and cold.

Don't waste money on a belt. Honey just buy some new pants. :wink_smile:

As you can see by my stats below in the last 5 months I have really done pretty well. I am NOT complaining about my progress at all. My concern is that although I usually don't eat any more than 1 1/2 cups of food I am worried about having a stretched pouch. I have in the past month or so eaten pizza twice and I am shocked by how much I can eat. I know I shouldn't eat it and I usually do VERY WELL by today I ate about half of a red barron thin crust pizza. That shouldn't happen. I can feel that I ate too much, but not like I felt in the begining. No pain. Just a full feeling.

I don't get hungry too often. Every 4-5 hours. I eat 3 meals a day and rarely have a snack. My biggest problem has been constipation, but being able to eat this much without much fight from my band worries me.

I thought I just needed a fill to help me get full faster, but after eating so much I am wondering if that isn't the problem.

I have heard that a liquid diet for a week or so can shrink a slightly stretched pouch. I'm thinking about trying this for the next 4 days or so. I know you may think I should run to my doctor. I have a fill in 3 weeks and I thought I really needed it. Keep in mind I live 7 hours away from my doctor.

Please give me your feedback.

__________________

High/Surgery/Current/Goal

285.5/ 271 / 207.0/ 142

Banded - 10/29/08 Three fills - 4.1cc in 10cc band

April 1st Challenge

24 lbs in a month!

40lbs in 2 months!

You guys are doing AWESOME!!!! That's is amazing too. Keep up the good work and it took about 3 months for my changes to become habit....a lifestyle. You will get there!!!!

BG- I just can't wait for you to join the banded on the other side of the line! Keep up the fun posts!

At first eating too much gave me chest pain. That was pretty obvious. Last night when i ate too much it was spread out over a period of about 6 hours so I didn't eat it all at one time. Now I just feel full. I've only had one episode of PBing and it was horrible! it really isn't like it sounds. Sliming means you have alot of extra thick slime to spit out. PBing is actually vomiting the thick slime. I think of bleching as voluntary I guess, like drinking soda and you can feel this blech coming and you let it out. PBing is like vomiting....it just comes out.

The funny thing is that I see what I eat and say I ate alot. (Not yesterday, but on a daily basis) then I start looking around and realize it is only a fraction of what I used to eat! Of what I wanted to eat! Of what I craved!

What a difference a band can make.

I thought about the fact that over eating has not given me chest pain. It is more subtle now. I'll just have to be more careful because I can't imagine finding out I stretched my band.

I have been thinking that my serving of chicken salad is too much for me to eat .It has really started to look like a lot to eat. I just measured it out and it is a little under a cup. Funny how perspectives change!

I partied last night. For the first time in almost 5 months I really over did it in every way.

I drank (althought had as few of calories as possible doing it) and ate much more than I should have.

My husband's family had a "benefit" dinner for my son. We are sending him to Austria in July with an Ambassador program. We have been fund raising and so his aunt invitedthe whole family over and cooked mexican food and had everyone over for a donation dinner. The first round of supper I did a good job. I ate the the right amount of portions and was no longer full. I just had a fill 2 days ago and things were going good. But then with every drink my inhibitions lowered. I remember when me and my girlfriends would say don't let me do anything stupid when I am drunk. Then we were talking about guys....now I will be talking about food! I drank and ate and I be after 4 months of keeping my calories under 1200 a day (usually 800-1000/daily) I betI ate 3000 calories. My fingers are swollen, My face feels greasy. I don't feel good at all.

I have proven to myself that with the band I CAN eat anything (I kind of already knew that) but just because I can eat it doesn't mean I should. I didn't listen to my stomach that was satisfied I listened to my head that will always be happy to take in more food.

Here is the great thing. Today is a new day. We are 5 hours away from home, but I have packed my meals in case there aren't good choices around and so I am not worried about getting back on the program that is my life. I may have put myself back a week. I may not reach ONEderland by Aprill 1st. That is my fault and I will still get there.

No, the band isn't magic, It is a tool. I don't want to be so tight that I CAN"T eat anything. I just have to be good listen to my stomach and put that child that is my head hunger back in the box.

Today is a new day!

I have been thinking about my band and my life. With a 7 hour drive home after my (3rd) fill there is alot of time for thinking.

I know that this monster I fight called obesity is a tough one. I have started to look at how it has affected my life.

Although my weight did keep me from doing a few physically active things with my family I have found that it was the emotioinal and psychological damage that my obesity caused that hurt the most. I would use my weight as a reason not to go out with my family. I wasn't comfortable sitting on the bleachers watching a game and if my kids were playing I would go to watch them and leave as soon as I could. I thought that no one would want to socialize with me because I was so obese. Sometimes I put it off on others. I judged them as unfair because I just knew that they were judging me.

Since I have lost over 70 lbs in this short time I have come to realize that I was holding myself hostage. It wasn't my weight that was keeping me from socializing. It was how I felt about myself because of my weight. It was how uncomfortable I felt in my own skin and how uncomfortable I felt with how I looked.

Having the gastric band procedure has helped me change a lot of my habits. It has helped me change what I eat and how I look at food. I have learned that I feel better when I eat healthy food and that portion control is just as important as food choices. I learned that it took me about 3 months for this to become a lifestyle. I have learned that I may lose weight by following the rules, but I will lose it much more quickly and at a rate that I am happy with if I exercise at least 3 times a week. I have learned that I am not perfect and every day is a new day to make the right decisions. I have learned the difference between head hunger and real hunger.

I think the one thing that Dr. K told me that has helped me more than anything else is when he said, "Don't eat unless you are hungry." I am a smart person. I know that is the way it should be, but hearing him say it just made it click in my head. Now if I want to eat something I ask myself, "Am I hungry?" If the answer is no I go back to what I was doing. I started that the first day of my pre-op diet and I ask myself that question every day. Sometimes I even find myself thinking, "Boy I wish I was hungry so I could eat that!" This band is not a magic pill. I am working hard for what is happening, but I know without the band it would not be happening. This is the best weight loss tool I could ever imagine!

I love going to my fill appointments (and not becuase of the 14 hours I spend on the road in a day.) I love it becuase the staff is so wonderful. You (Natalie) and Mary make me feel welcome. You have since the first day I met you. Even before I met you when you answered my email on a Sunday night! That meant a lot to me, when I reached that point that I just had to do something and reach out to take that first big step to contact your office.

When I come in for a fill Dr. K looks and my weight loss and says "Great! Do you think you need a fill?" and then he really listens to the reasons that lead me to believe it is time for a fill. His extensive experience and his low price made this dream for me come true. I never thought, being self pay, I could afford this with a hubby and 3 kids. Dr. K made it possible!

So I have to say thank you.

Thank you for giving me my life back! Thank you for helping me to take my life back.

Julie Ann

Surgery Oct. 29, 2008

Start/Now/Goal

285/210/142.5