LapBandit

I know it's hard. And I truly battled the whole "only supposed to eat 6 oz" myth. My doctor had to set me straight by saying that I need to establish healthy portion control and if that still means I can eat a whole chicken breast, some veggies and some complex-carbs at one sitting then great. His philosophy is this: if the food is healthy then eat until you feel satisfied, not stuffed-just satisfied. It's important to get started with a healthy eating pattern that you can live with forever. Limiting yourself to a few ounces of food per meal is not something I can live with forever. His theory seems to be working for me so I'm happy! I also eat 6 times per day, at approximately the same times each day. These aren't always full meals but it's always something healthy. This helps maintain my blood-sugar and keeps me from getting ravenous. How many times per day are you eating? Has your doctor given you any advice? Each doctor seems to have their own "plan" so you may want to talk with him about this issue.

Hi Donalee-Welcome!! What is a reduction? As far as losing hair...there are several posts concerning this topic that you may find helpful. Are you eating enough protein? I've heard that not having enough protein can cause this...just an idea. Good luck!

Some people don't have too much of an appetite but others, like me, have a pretty normal appetite. It doesn't get as crazy as it used to though.

Interesting! I usually have a couple sinus infections every years so if I feel tight all of a sudden I'll know why!! Thanks!

Julie...first of all--not fair that your dad is PS. Will you be my best friend???? Secondly, I've been thinking of a goal for Christmas as well! That's when I'll go home to visit family and it'll be the first time I see them since I've had surgery. Personally, I'm leaning towards 250 as my goal. For me that will mean 40 pounds in about 4 months. Hmmm, that may be tricky but I'm gonna try!

I'm definately thrilled with my progress so far, so please don't think I'm complaining. I just realized that I'm still not even halfway there. What a long road ahead. Can I really do this? Is it possible that I'll make it down to a normal weight? This has been the impossible dream for so many years and now that it's somewhat in reach I'm scared. I'm starting to get what I wanted and now I'm afraid of it. How messed up is this? Has anyone gone through these feelings?

I know, I think we should all stick together as we make our way to 250. Is anyone close to it yet? Next year this time maybe we'll be working toward 150?? Probaby 175 for me would be AWESOME! I haven't spent any time figuring out what my goal will be...that's too scary to think about yet.

What a great problem! Have fun shopping for some new threads!

It seems some people do lose and some don't. I didn't. I was told that I couldn't get in enough calories per day just consuming liquids so the body sometimes reacts with an almost starvation mode response. I don't know for sure but I'd agree that I was NOT getting proper nutrition while on liquids. I had trouble concentrating and felt a little worn out during the liquids stage. There's only so much Soup you can force yourself to drink in a day so I drank as many Protein shakes and sugar free juice as I could stand, but it still didn't add up to much!

I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one struggling with these feelings. This is a very complex journey we are all on! I guess it's confusing because I've never made this much progress before. I've always been able to diet and lose 30 pounds but never any more so this is unchartered territory for me!!

Yep, it sounds like you're ready for a fill! Most likely you'll see a big difference. So hang in there until then! And a 15 pound loss is wonderful in a month--even if it includes pre-op time. Many people don't really lose anything in their first month so you're ahead of the game! Good job!

Definately. Hunger doesn't control me any more. Yes, I still get hungry but it's not like before. It used to feel like "if I don't eat RIGHT NOW I'm in trouble" then I'd stop off and grab a soft pretzel or something from a convenience store. But now it's like "I'm hungry. I need to make some time soon for a meal." Big difference to me because those uncontrollable hunger pangs always resulted in a bad food choice for me. Bad food=gain weight!! So, I'm glad that cycle has broken.

I will work, if you work. I would call it a 60/40 relationship--me 60% effort, band 40% helper. But, yes...tons of people are making excellent progress with it. Once you put in some work and start seeing results then it will affect your "mood". Positive results motivate people so once you get a good thing going your outlook on life usually perks up too. I feel great. My band doesn't bother me in the least and I'm really happy with things. So, good luck and best wishes!

What issues has it caused? I have the same problem so I'm curious what might happen. Thanks.

Good plan! There's a ton of threads regarding no restriction immediately post-op. I'd say it's safe to assume that most of us don't feel restriction for a while following surgery. As far as wanting your band "cinched"--well, I'm not sure that's really what you'd want. Too loose is a pain but too tight is even worse. You need to shoot for a happy medium which comes over time by working your way up to restriction. Sorry, but that's my experience so far. I know it takes a little more patience than we expected sometimes but hang in there!

I wouldn't think it would cause any major problems at all, but definately mention it to your doctor and anethesiologist to be safe. Wow, Sept. 21 will be here shortly...good luck!!

You should try not to be bothered by the restriction thing...I didn't really understand what it felt like until 2 months post-op, after my first fill. The band needs adjusted to get restriction and it's better to work up to it than to have your band too tight. Be patient, if you just had surgery this week you should concentrate on healing...restriction will come for you in time! Most doctors don't make the band too tight during surgery because the last thing you want is to have PB's, sliming or even worse, vomiting during the healing stage. Good luck!

Way to go Wheetsin! That is incredible, congratulations!

Leenerbups, I'm sorry you're having problems and unfortunately I have no advice. I just wanted to say your pic of Will Ferrill with that cowbell is hilarious. That was one of SNL's funniest skits ever!

Are you sure it's not just your new feeling of fullness? I had a pressure kind of feeling for the first couple of weeks and it was fullness mixed with swelling. I'm glad you called your doctor, let us know how you're doing!

Hmmm, although I was exercising by this time I'm not sure I would've ridden any rides. At least nothing too jarring like a roller coaster. You may want to ask your doctor about this to be safe. Have fun though, and next time you can ride away for sure!

Cherry is my favorite fruit flavor! I don't drink soda any more so I don't have many ideas for you. I know at Walmart they have those flavored waters that are sugar free and they really tasted good. But, they're carbonated.

Man, what a tough decision! But, it sounds like you've at least got some options. I hope things work out for you. Congrats on maintaining your weight!! Good luck!

Hi Elisabeth! Congrats on your upcoming move into Twoterville! It's exciting! To celebrate, my best friend and I went out for a nice (reasonably healthy) dinner--her treat! I haven't been out to dinner for a little while so it was nice to not have a chicken breast w/ veggies again tonight! Ha Ha! I'm really excited for all of us, this year is our year to kick butt!

Whoa, are you serious? 21.5 pounds a week???? Honestly, I don't know of any real creams or anything to suggest for this. There's stuff out there but I don't know if it works. I do know that exercise can sometimes help keep your skin toned. Sorry, that's the best I got!