willowcat

I made a ticker for this challenge--that way I'm accountable to myself everyday. See y'all on Wednesday! We can do it! :redface:

I knit, paint, make mosaics, and hand-build with clay, but my biggest "hobby" is my job as a teacher!

I tried water aerobics about 2 weeks after (my surgeon said I could), but my stomach was bouncing up and down in the water too much and it didn't feel good on my port. It's been almost a month now and I still haven't gone back. But I have been riding my exercise bike instead. With each passing day, my port feels more and more like a part of me. I'm thinking of trying water aerobics again on Thursday.

Register at Lapband.com. That's where I got mine from. It takes a few weeks for it to come in the mail. Before lapband, my husband and I frequented an "all you can eat" Chinese buffet near our house. My husband loves their crab legs and sushi (as well as many other things). He wants me to try to use my card there so we can pay less for me, but you know, one time I sat and watched this skinny couple eat what I considered to be a very small amount of food (hence the "skinny"?!) and they paid the regular price--I guess that was all they could eat! LOL! I don't know, I feel really weird about even thinking about using the card at restaurants.

I'm not going to be as nice as Jachut. Your boyfriend is immature and w-a-y insecure--about himself. He has no problem changing himself (to get more definition), but uses emotional blackmail on you. "If you loved me, you wouldn't change," is basically what he's saying to you. Where's his respect for YOU? Sorry, but that's the same in my book as saying, "If you loved me, you'd have sex with me." Be strong. He is insecure and probably afraid--having you fat lets him rest on his laurels (he doesn't have to try as hard in the relationship--sounds to me as if you're the one doing all the work anyway). I hope that you have friends and/or family who can support you. Also, unless you and he can get this resolved before July 17th, don't expect him to be understanding after surgery (when you're in pain and struggling--sorry, but I can just hear him saying something along the lines of "see, I told you"). He'll either grow up, change his tune, and be supportive--or sorry, but he just might not be the one for you--you want to be with people who are in your "Hallelujah! Choir" and on your team and not with people who are working against you. Good luck.

I like my local Y--the people working out there come in ALL sizes. I think that's way cooler than having a lot of overweight people (mostly women would be my guess) all eye-balling each other to see who is or isn't losing weight--or "she's not working out hard enough, no wonder she's not losing weight" kind of thinking/chit-chat going on. Not to mention that bypass patients lose weight a lot faster. Sorry, but depending on the size of the gym, I could see it getting too much like junior highschool for me. That's my two cents worth. I wouldn't sign up--but that's just me. Good luck with whatever you end up doing, though! :thumbup:

Funny! Except be forewarned that it probably won't weigh accurately unless it comes back to room temperature first--you'll have to hide it from him now! LOL!

NewSexyMe, I thought I was the only one who was paranoid about the hairdresser and those foot pumps! LOL! Oddly enough, I'm looking forward to shopping in thrift stores. People give away nice, expensive clothes--and I'm sick and tired of paying for what I consider to be high-priced, UGLY, plus-sized clothes just because they will cover up my body. I love the thrill of the hunt at thrift stores, and whenever I see something really nice, it's always in a tiny size (you know, can't be too rich or too thin). I won't ever be rich (teachers don't get rich!) but I'll be damned if I won't someday be thin--and I'll happily wear the rich lady's hand-me-down clothes. :tongue2:

Three hours does seem awfully long (mine was an hour and I thought that was long). Mostly, I think, they are looking to see that you don't have an eating disorder, that you have realistic expectations for the band, that you don't have severe mental illness (like delusional thinking or hallucinations), that you don't have a drug or alcohol addiction, that you are getting the band for the right reasons (for yourself). They want you to be successful. Probably with the three hours they will talk with you about "head hunger" and using food for things other than strictly nourishment; might also talk about what to expect after you lose your weight (during my psych evaluation the therapist talked about the high rate of divorce among wls patients). They also will probably talk to you about your weight loss/gain history. They are not going to be concerned that you take an anti-anxiety medication--especially if your anxiety is controlled (I have clinical depression, but it's controlled with my medications, and they didn't blink an eye about it). Don't worry. They won't think you're crazy. :tongue2:

Americans are fatter now than they were 30 years ago. When I see teen girls now, they are almost always WAY heavier than I was as a teen (5'2"/120 lbs. and I was called the "fat" cheerleader). Depending on which state you live in, it might be very "normal" to see overweight/obese people. Take the naysayers comments in stride and forget about it. If your husband continues to give you grief even after you've told him that you're perfectly healthy--or after the doctor's given you the thumbs up, then I'd start wondering why he's trying to undermine your success? Here's a link to CDC data on BMI rates for each state (I find stuff like that interesting): BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data - List of All States

gabi, I'm joining this thread because I want to know the answer to your question, too. Without the proper restiriction (or in my case without any yet), doesn't the food just slip on through? My stomach feels like a seive. It feels like anything I eat is a "slider" food at this point. How can you do damage to the pouch if you're not eating BEYOND full? I know a lot of people don't know what "full" feels like, but I do, and I stop before hitting "full"--still I'm also worried about stretching my pouch--how does that happen to people?

Welcome aboard Willowcat. Glad to have you join the group. Thanks--looking forward to it! :rolleyes2:

I ride my exercise bike for 1/2 hour each day--it's usually 6 miles. 6X30=180 Can I join you with an altered goal--or should I try to find a different challenge?

I named my scale, "Cruella"--like the mean lady in 101 Dalmations--because it can be so cruel. I used to be a scalaholic (multiple times a day!). I quit weighing and didn't weigh for years (I don't recommend that--it's too easy to delude yourself and not "notice" that you're gaining weight!). Now that I've been banded, I'm trying to weigh only once a week--though I don't like that either--it puts too much pressure on that one day. Maybe twice a week? I agree that as long as the general trend is downward, then daily fluctuations aren't worth my attention (yeah, that's what I'm thinking--now if I could only get my emotions to catch up).

I started riding my exercise bike after 2 weeks, but I still haven't gone back to water aerobics yet (too much bouncing of my stomach--it hurt my port), and I'm almost 4 weeks out. I'm still protective of my stomach muscles and still don't lift or try to move heavy things. If you can instruct while not moving a lot--tell, not show--then IMO expect two weeks out or three just to be on the safe side. You want to give your body time to heal all that internal stitching before stessing it too much. And of course, follow your surgeon's directives--give his office a call and see what he/she advises. Good luck.

I know you feel desperate. You want the weight to be gone--yesterday! I want that too. I don't know how many times I have wished that I could magically turn into the person/shape I wanted to be. But even though you're feeling desperate, I don't think you should fast. Your body's metabolism really will come to a halt--nature designed it that way to save you in the event of a famine. In my youth, I fasted for at least a week (I don't know if you know this, but it can be very dangerous to come off a long fast if you don't do it correctly). The only thing that fasting jump starts is your ravenous appetiite. On a fast, you may lose weight, but when you go back to eating you will eat like you'll never eat again--because that's what your body thinks--and to top it off you will have a slower metabolism trying to deal with all of those extra calories. Guess what happens then? Weight GAIN! :thumbdown: Trust the experience of those who have gone before you. Exercise even if you don't see results--exercise and muscle gain actually speed up your metabolism. Finally, let me suggest that you try therapy (or even OA--it's basically free--I went to Overeaters Anonymous for three years. I didn't lose weight, but I did learn a lot about how I used food for so many things other than nourishment). You'll want to learn and understand how it is that you use food. Every person has different ways/reasons that they use food (boredom, anxiety, control, protection, sadness, stress relief...). Do the work to find out what's unique to you and your relationship with food. Good luck to you.

My therapist at my psych evaluation has had bypass surgery. She told me two things that I keep reminding myself of. She said, 1.There will come a time when you WILL think to yourself "What have I done?!" 2. You have to approach exercise like you do your job--you don't always "feel" like going but still you do. I had the "What have I done?!" and sobbing around my fourth day post-op. I didn't particularly like my therapist from the psych eval, but I am glad she warned me about those thoughts and feelings--because when they came (like post-partum depression?) I wasn't so surprised and they didn't last long.

Wow! I bet you feel so much better moving around in your day-to-day living! Awesome! :thumbup:

The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Colleen M. Cook isn't specifically about lapband, but still very helpful in realizing what changes you'll need to make in your life after wls. Cook had bypass surgery, but still all of her "success habits" are applicable to lapband. Her 6 Habits are: personal accountability, portion control, nutrition, fluid intake, regular exercise, vitamins and supplements. She says that these principles "are the results of years of research of long-term wls patients." You can buy it on Amazon.

For the past week or so (I was banded on the 4th) I've been waking up in the middle of the night with pain in my back between my shoulder blades and near my spine. It felt the same as the surgery gas pains so I thought it had something to do with gas. But Gas-ex didn't work. A bit of warm Water seemed to help a little. I thought maybe that I was eating too late at night so I changed that--still getting woken up. I thought it was acid reflux maybe so tried an acid reducer--no change. I got worried it was my gallbladder--but I don't have pain on my right side or under my right shoulder. Plus it ONLY happens in the middle of the night. Last night I thought it might be hunger pains radiating to my back. Sure enough--I had 8oz of milk right before bed and I slept all the way until 4:00am (longest stretch of sleep in about a week) until I was woken up with the same back pain. I got up and ate a low-fat cheese stick and SF Jello. The back pain left by the time I got back in bed and I slept through the rest of the night! Weird! I am going to mention the back pain to my surgeon this Wednesday just to be on the safe side. Anyone else experience unbearable (I guess when you can't sleep from the hunger pain then it's "unbearable") hunger at night?

I was banded June 4th too. Thanks for this posting 3LAURIE8! Isn't it kind of funny how easy it is to feel as if you're the only one experiencing something?! I've also noticed that the amount of food I can eat has been slowly creeping up and up. I've still been eating good food (no pasta or icecream or cereal--my faves!) just more of it. I'm glad that my stomach's swelling has gone down and that now I'm feeling pretty normal, but with "normal" comes Hunger. I have nothing in my band, but am getting my first fill next Wednesday. I hope that helps. Like lbndoc said, "it's by sheer willpower" that I'm eating small amounts--but only because I'm back to measuring food. I feel like I'm hanging on by my fingernails. At least now, though, there is an end in sight. Nice to hear from other early June bandsters.

So far I have had no issues with anything I have eaten so I will see how things go! My scars are healing well and I cant wait for a fill next month because I dont feel I have any restriction at this point. How is everyone else doing thats around 3weeks out? I hope everyone is well! astera, I'm 19 days post op and I also have had no problems with anything I've eaten. I've noticed as the days have gone by that I'm able to eat more and more at one sitting--I just keep eating until I feel full--I have an empty band and obviously have no restriction. But I think eating until I feel full is not really working for me right now. Today, contrary to my "weigh only once a week" rule for myself, I weighed myself and was terribly upset to find that I'd gained nearly 2 lbs. I go see my doctor next Wednesday for my first fill. I've decided that I'm going to have to approach the next seven days like I did my pre-op diet. I've got to go back to measuring my food and only eating very small portions. I'm going to have to make friends with Hunger again--I really hate Hunger--but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can do anything for seven days! Good luck to you. :thumbup:

kpdgal, Thanks for the reply. Sorry to hear about the fungul infection. I like the idea of the waterproof bandaids. My stitches aren't totally 100% closed yet. Based on your experience, I think I might wait a little longer before returning to water aerobics (the Y I go to gets a lot grosser in the summer--from the increased usage) . I'm up to 30 minutes on my exercise bike at home--hopefully that will be enough for now. Hope you're better soon!

kdpgal, did you get the ok to go back to your water aerobics class yet? I tried last Tuesday to go back to water aerobics but I didn't feel good (everything was bouncing around inside too much and I could feel my one-piece suit rubbing against my stitches) and I couldn't move fast enough to stay warm. So I left after 1/2 hour. My regular water aerobics class is tomorrow and I'm kind of afraid to try it again. My stitches are almost 100% healed (I was banded on the 4th) so I thought maybe I'd try it again. Just wondered what your experience with water aerobics was like (if you were cleared to return that is)?

Sounds like you could be having bouts of low blood sugar--that's how I feel when my blood sugar bottoms out: "cold, sweaty, and faint." I'd call my nutritionist if I were you. Good luck.