laurr925

as of monday i am down 3lbs. not too bad, but i definately need to keep working! i had a fill monday so it will probably take the edge off the hunger that i have been dealing with for the past two weeks! when i weigh myself on sunday we'll see what this week brought! good job everyone!

I had my first fill in March, and I was doing well until about the third week after - I was ALWAYS hungry. I knew I had another fill coming up so I tried to take it easy and make good food decisions. I ended up losing 10lbs last month, but I have a feeling it ALL was in the first two weeks after my fill. I just got my second fill on Monday and I am feeling better. I am not as hungry as I had been so now I am just working on getting into a solid exercise routine and slowing down when I eat.

I need a good challenge. Something to motivate me to exercise more... laurr9925, Current: 253, Goal: 240, -13 lbs by 5/5/09

Thanks Cassie! I have been honest with a lot of my friends, and I have come close to telling others - I think I just chickened out. I don't know why but I guess I'm just afraid of their reaction. I am planning on telling one of my closer friends soon, and I think at some point I will tell everyone. I just don't know if I am ready for it yet. Mostly I think I am afraid of failing and then having to explain why.

I was banded at NYU, like many others here. Dr. Fielding has said many times (at support meetings and info sessions) that he supports anyone who wants the band, and if having it in Mexico is your best option he will do follow-up care in their office. I would contact them to find out the particulars, but I love it there. Everyone in the office is so friendly and helpful. The place is busy but its nice to talk to people in the waiting room. I have the nurse practitioner there do my fills and such and he is an absolute gem.

good luck to the both of you! hope everything goes well :w00t:

in the spirit of mr rice guy, im going to post some backwards before and after pics as motovation. also, since ive noticed weight loss in my face, i figured id post a recent picture (plus i havent taken any full body pictures lately haha).

wow! i love this thread because it really makes me excited for the day i can post my own before & after pics :confused:

i know how you feel because i am constantly put in these situations because of my friends, most of whom dont know ive been banded. they always want to go out to the bar and eat crap food. at first they would ask "hey lauren u want a wing or some fries or some mozzarella sticks" and i would just say no, that i already ate, that im watching my weight, etc. they were persistent for a while telling me that one wing wouldnt hurt etc etc, but by now, a month+ later they have just stopped asking. i know its hard because at our age its normal to go out and socialize but its a commitment that we've made and i try my best to stick to it. you shouldnt worry about what others think of you. im no saint though, and i have drank a few times. one or two drinks over a course of the night, i factor the calories into my daily intake, and i try not to beat myself up over it. try not to feel guilty, and just try and be strong. if some drunk girl is forcing you to eat her food, tell her to shut the eff up. or if you are nicer than i am, just say no. people might tease you or talk about you at first, but after a while they'll give up. like jane said, take advantage of this new tool youve been given! good luck

yeah the gas pain is the absolute worstt i know. gas x didnt help me at first, but i kept taking it hoping that eventually it would kick in. if you have a heating pad, try that - i know it relieved some of the pain for me especially at night when i was laying down. if you dont have a heating pad, dampen a kitchen towel (or anything bigger than a washcloth really) and put it in the microwave to warm it up and use that. walking around will help too, i just walked around my house every half hour and that got the gas moving around and started breaking it up.

Hey! Congrats on your approval! I had scheduled a surgery date before I was even approved by my insurance because the surgeons office was so confident I would be approved. I had my consultation with my surgeon on January 7th, and while I was in the office I sat down with the surgical coordinator to schedule the date right there and then. It all depends on your surgeons schedule and how quick they are to figure out a date. If you don't hear from the surgeons office within the next few days, I would call again. Be persistent in trying to find a date because I've heard from others that sometimes it takes a while for the office to get back to you.

Yeah I have to say that the Smartfood Cheddar Popcorn is amazing. I try and get the small "reduced fat" bags for the movies or I buy a bag and measure it out. One Cup of reduced fat smartfood white cheddar popcorn has about 100 calories, 4g Protein, 5g fat, and 15g carbs. Not the most healthy thing but definitely a good alternative to movie theater popcorn.

im really considering getting the gowear fit. i am not a traditional exerciser meaning that if i get on the treadmill im bored in 20 minutes and im usually off to do something else. because of this, i dont really have a hold on exactly how many calories im burning and i think the gowear fit would really help. do you think it would be a good motivator for someone like me?

all of these posts really make me excited! this week i noticed that i could put my jeans on without unbuttoning them. i may have to invest in a belt. for the first time, like, ever.

how is everyone here doing? just checking in and updating - i went in for my first fill last week and thus far i have lost 30lbs.. i feel wonderful and im looking forward to the next 30! haha

heres a link to the post i wrote the day after my surgery.. hopefully it helps u with what to expect! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f292/banded-yesterday-87096/

Hey, I totally know how you feel being at a standstill post-surgery. I lost 17lbs in the three weeks prior to my surgery (two of those weeks being my pre-op liquid stage) and then another 7lbs post-op. Once I was able to eat mushy foods, my weight loss halted. I found I was able to eat a lot more than I thought I could and I was starving all the time. The nurses and staff told me not to freak out that it was normal for this to happen and that when I came in for my first fill I would be better. Well, I did end up losing another 2 lbs in the three weeks before my first fill, which wasn't too horrible. However, I had my first fill last week and I have lost 3lbs since then. It feels wonderful knowing that I am now at a comfortable pace. My portion sizes are significantly smaller than what I was eating pre-band. I haven't really deprived myself of anything (I haven't been eating junk food, but I never was a big junk food person) and I am thrilled with my loss. Also, not going to lie here, I have not worked out nearly as much as I should have been. Since my weigh in three weeks before surgery (about 7 weeks ago) I have lost 30lbs. Don't make yourself nuts with the scale and remember that weight can fluctuate a few lbs each day because of things like Water retention and time of day you weigh. I stopped weighing myself in between my one week post-op visit and my 1st fill because I knew I was going to lose my mind if I did. Just keep focused and know that when you get that first fill you will feel a lot better, I know I did.

congrats on the surgery! youre going to be great.. definitely keep yourself busy today.. the day before my surgery i went and got a mani/pedi with mom and then a whole bunch of people were at my house for the superbowl so it was def. helpful to keep my mind off it dont be nervous, be excited! and if you have any questions or need advice post-surgery, dont hesitate to ask.. i know i did!

wow krista. i wish i had a teacher like you when i was in the 6th grade! it probably would have made me feel a lot better knowing my teachers trusted us enough to talk about their lives openly. i hope everything works out well for you

i took 5 days off from work, but i have a desk job so being back wasnt too bad. i also only worked from 8-3 the first two weeks i was back at work because i wasnt taking a lunch hour. everyone is different but be careful because you probably wont be able to lift any of those two year olds for the first six weeks!

According to my surgeon, mushy food were anything pureed or soft fork mashed foods. I ate scrambled eggs, hummus, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, ricotta cheese, yogurt, and thick creamy soups when I was on mushy foods. I am just starting the regular foods now. I don't know about damage, everyone is different and it depends on whether or not your band went in with fluid already inside it or if you are completely open. The best thing I can say is call your surgeon or nutritionist and tell them what happened. Tell them you ate normal food before you were supposed to and now you are worried and feel guilty - they will be able to give you the info you need. If you ate too much you would feel pain and nausea from your pouch stretching, but chances are you have no restriction and so food doesn't sit in the pouch yet. I had my first experience with this over the weekend bcs I ate breakfast too fast. The reason most surgeons have their patients progress from liquids to mushies and then on is to a) allow the stomach time to heal and :hurray: teach us how to eat slower and im smaller bites. As far as calories go, different surgeons/nutritionists say different things about how many cals to eat to lose weight but I think its safe to say that someone eating between 800-1500 calories a day would lose weight. Again though, I would ask your surgeon/nutritionist.

Just editing to put myself in :sneaky: Name...........Start lbs..........Current..........Goal.......To Go arb12590..........176.................176...............170.........6 Bklyn1984...........263.0..............261.0............253..........8 Bobbie155...........255.8..............255.8............245.........10 .8 Burgygirl.............230.2..............230.2............220........1 0.2 coloradobanding...236.................236...............220........16 crzytchr..............239.................238...............229....... 9 CubsGirl17...........139.................139...............134........ 5 fordgal88...........202.................202...............195........ ..7 gingerbug...........179.8...............179.8............167.8......12 irishgal...............197.................197...............185...... ..12 Janesays.............214.8..............213.6............202.........1 1.6 JuneAct2.............198.6.............169.5.............155........14 .5 KikiVal315...........212.5..............212.5............206.......... 6.5 Kristilaw.............264.................264..............250........ .14.0 Laurr925............263.................263...............248......... ...15 lcwils01..............223.................223..............215........ ...8 lindar172............229.4..............229.4............219.......... 10 Long2BThin.........202.4..............202.4............192.4........10 mair...................225................225...............215....... ..10 Merda................270.................270...............260........ .10 mljalways...........215.................215...............200......... 15 MsNickelback......179.................177...............167..........1 0 pvtash61............228..................218.............200......... ..18 sue in ne...........257 ................257.............. 245............ 12 ValJean..............266................266...............254........ .12

This is the first goal I've set for myself so we'll see how it goes. Name...........Start lbs..........Current..........Goal.......To Go Barb12590..........176.................176...............170.........6 Bklyn1984...........263.0..............261.0............253..........8 Bobbie155...........255.8..............255.8............245.........10 .8 Burgygirl.............230.2..............230.2............220........1 0.2 coloradobanding...236.................236...............220........16 crzytchr..............239.................238...............229....... 9 CubsGirl17...........139.................139...............134........ 5 fordgal88...........202.................202...............195........ ..7 gingerbug...........179.8...............179.8............167.8......12 irishgal...............197.................197...............185...... ..12 Janesays.............214.8..............213.6............202.........1 1.6 jazie...................181................181...............175...... ....6 JuneAct2.............198.6.............169.5.............155........14 .5 KikiVal315...........212.5..............212.5............206.......... 6.5 Kristilaw.............264.................264..............250........ .14.0 lcwils01..............223.................223..............215........ ...8 lindar172............229.4..............229.4............219.......... 10 Long2BThin.........202.4..............202.4............192.4........10 Macpa90............234.................217...............205.......... 12 mair...................225................225...............215....... ..10 Merda................270.................270...............260........ .10 mljalways...........215.................215...............200......... 15 MsNickelback......179.................179...............167..........1 2 pvtash61............228..................218.............200......... ..18 sue in ne...........257 ................257.............. 245............ 12 ValJean..............266................266...............254........ .12 Laurr925............263.................263...............248............15

i came to the decision to get banded after i sat down and made a list of all the times i tried to lose weight. after seeing on paper the years i spent trying to get in shape and failing i realized i didnt want to waste any more time being overweight. everyone is different and everyone has a different experience, and its a personal choice - maybe you could speak to the surgeon your father used, it might help you make up your mind when you hear what they have to say.

CONGRATS! Shelly, it is so great to hear that everything worked out for you!!