wannabthinagain

we were banded the same day! my weight loss is also 34 pounds! I had my second fill 4/23 and i feel some restriction (but it's that time of the month, so i'm wondering if it's from that or i still need to schedule my next fill) I (and my Dr.) think i'm doing great. there are days that i feel like, gosh, this is going to take FOREVER....on the days i don't see the scale move, but then i remember, i'm THIRTY FOUR pounds lighter already....ALREADY... in a little more than 2 months, 34 pounds GONE! i couldn't do that before the band. most of the weight i did do on my own because i had no restriction, but the band is going to help me not gain that back and continue to lose once i get to my sweet spot. I find i'm not that hungry, and most of the time, it's head hunger, not that i need to eat. I'm having a hard time eating enough calories and i need to start planning some meals to make sure i don't eat too little. I can't do most breads, if i can, it's usually 2 bites and i call it quits. Beef is NOT my friend. I even tried filet mignon for mother's day and it wasn't worth the work to eat it. I really need to start a regular exercise routine. i haven't done much more than walking here and there. I love to exercise, so i don't know what my problem is with not starting yet! I wish i had done my measurements before surgery. i have some OLD stats somewhere...i'll have to find them and compare to now (which i still haven't done!) You are doing great, and you are seeing results!! keep up the great work!!

i had the same thing. my BMI was 38 and i had this huge lump and could feel my port from day one. I was banded march 3 and for the longest it was obvious where it was at. after reading your post, i realized the swelling and lump is gone, but i can definitely feel my port easily. i'm thinking it's not going to take much longer before you can see mine under the skin. i plan to have mine put much lower after i get to goal.

i was banded on March 3 and started the next day. the next month, was at easter time, and i didn't have any restriction and overdid the junk, so i stalled. this month... on day 3 of my cycle, i lost a pound. before my band, i was gain up to 5 pounds the week before and a few days after i started i was lose it all. i don't see the huge gain before now, and i hope this month shows that i can still lose even though it's here. i do seem to have much more restriction the week before also. i had never had to really sip, or be overly careful with my bites, chewing and slowing down, and last week sure taught me that i have not mastered that! i never got completely stuck, but i had lots of ...WOAH...SLOW down moments!

I'm so happy! we went away for the weekend and I was thinking since i didn't get enough Water in, that i would probably gain from eating 'out' and i'm sure that had lots of salt in the food.... I'm down!!! the scaled moved DOWN after a weekend away and not eating at home! 32 pounds GONE in 9 weeks!! 10 pounds from beating the 150's! (remember i'm VERY SHORT..... i have a LONG way to go still! 11 pounds until i'm considered JUST overweight! 29 pounds to be the weight i was when i got married! 39 pounds to the lowest i've been since having children and also my 'goal' weight. 44-49 pounds to my OMG goal!! I plan to have PS done. I'm not sure when i should go for my consult. that's a goal i really look forward to. I'm thinking about 20 pounds from goal i will go and see what they say.

8 weeks and i am down 30 pounds! I wish i could 'see' it more. You would think with how short i am that 30 pounds would make a HUGE difference...but i just don't see it. Hubby and i will be visiting my family (i hadn't seen them since Good Friday) on Friday, I hope someone notices. I won't get my hopes up and i won't let it ruin our weekend if my mom doesn't though.... she didn't say a single word about it the last 2 times she saw me. I'll have to go visit a friend of mine who hasn't seen me since way befor surgery and she doesn't know i had this done. I'll see if she says anything. I still find my belly swollen though. i bought 2 shirts yesterday and was surprised that a large still 'fit's' around my mid-section. i'm more shocked that a large fits around my boobs better.... it's usually the other way around. by the time i get a shirt to fit the boobs, the belly part looks like a maternity top! oh well... at least the scale is moving in the right direction. I did get my 2nd fill on March 23 and for a few days i felt what restriction was...with liquids. i finally had to sip sip sip...but that's gone now. I stayed on liquids for a couple of days, then mushies, by the time i got to regular food, i was able to eat as usual. if i hurried or didn't chew enough (but still didn't have to chew chew chew chew) i could kinda feel something that i KNEW i should slow down and chew more. so, i will be making an appointment for my 3rd fill around May 21. in a way, i'm glad i don't have REALLY good restriction just yet. Hubby and I are going out of town ALONE!!! We will be eating in public for all of our meals and i don't want to get stuck while eating out! Once i get good restriction, i will 'practice' at home before eating out. everything else is fine, i'm still not working out...went walking a couple of times. I do not know WHAT my problem is about that. i LOVE to be outside, i LOVE to work out.... and i know once i start i will enjoy it. i just cannot make myself stick to a plan! i guess when i hit a plateau, i will have to in order to get the scale moving again and i'm LUCKY i've lost the weight i have so far with just changing my eating!

gallbladder can be done laproscopic, that's why i mentioned the 2 done at the same time. i completely understand why they said they wouldn't want to do both together though. this way you will know if you have trouble, which one is causing the problems! i read the good and the bad. it's a risk that comes with just about anything you do. The day i called to make my appointment to find out if i was a canidate for the band, i had gone with a friend to get diet pills and some kind of shot that suppose to help with weightloss. Had i done that, i probably would have had a reaction to the meds they were going to give me because little did i know, my B/P was SKY HIGH and i had to go on B/P meds (which in the end, helped me qualify for the band since my BMI wasn't high enough). so, i could have harmed myself by that.... i figured yes, there are risk, but being overwieght, and dare i say obese....and closer to morbidly obese than i would like to admit there are many many risk also. I have babies...4 of them... one about to be considered an adult, all the way down to a 1 yr old! i want to live long enough to see my youngest baby grow up, i want to live to play with my GRANDbaby's. i don't just want to WATCH them do it either...i want to run and play with them, i want to ENJOY them! i guess it just depends on how bad the weight is affecting your life and what changes you want to make. getting the band isn't a magic device that makes the weight just melt away. you still have to make changes and follow the rules. Some people don't do that, and then complain that they don't have success. the band HELPS...it doesn't do the work FOR us! I'm sure you will come to the decision that is right for you and you will be at peace with it!!

that's great about your approval!! CONGRATS! I too am very short AND doubted that i should do this. The process for me went very quick and in that 2 weeks betweeing submitting approval and surgery date, i doubted it too. i went back and looked at the before pics i had taken and cried. YES, THIS IS what i need to do, and i should have done it sooner! sorry about your gallbladder! too bad they can't do it all at once instead of 2 surgeries...and having to wait to get the band! I hope your surgery and recovery is quick and easy...and you'll be banded before you know it!!

CONGRATS! on the 40 pounds! we often forget how far we have made it when the pounds slow down! yesterday i had that same revelation. My 2 1/2 yr old was running and wanting me to catch him. When i caught him, i though, gosh, he's getting so big (compared to my youngest who is 10 pounds lighter), and it hit me, he weighs 30 pounds...THAT'S how much i lost and what i was carrying around! WOW! now, time to shed another 20 (which is what our 1 1/2 year old weighs) so when i carry the 2 of them together i can realize just how that 50 pounds felt to carry!! glad you found more motivation!! keep it up, you are doing great!

i have been able to feel mine all along also. I also stayed bruised for almost 6 weeks! it was so terrible looking! I'm going to get mine lowered when i get to goal and have a tummy tuck because it will definitely show if i wore a swimsuit or even if my shirt came up just a bit, and if it pokes out more than now, it will be obvious what it is!

how many calories are you getting a day? The scale wasn't moving much for me and I had a day that i ate more than i had been and guess what? the next morning, the scale MOVED (and it wasn't UP!)! if you don't eat enough, you will stall. if you have a low calorie day, up them the next day. I know WW's used to have a program that you banked unused points each week. At the end of the week, you could used your banked points for a treat, or a higher points (calorie) day. It would be kinda the same idea. you don't want your body to think you are starving it, or it WILL hold on to every pound!! good luck!

everyone is different in thier decision, but I'll tell you what i'm doing. I have ONLY told my husband and mom. my mom came to help me with my two youngest children, so she knows. My 2 older children know i had to go have test and surgery but have never questioned for what. I did have a hernia repaired, so i have mentioned that to them. I live about 2 1/2 hours away from my family, so we don't see each other more than about once a month, if that. It is easy to not let them know. When they ask how i'm losing weight, i just say that i am watching my portions, taking my time eating, and not eating between meals...every bit of that is the truth. The fact that i have NO restriction right now shows that i am totally doing this on my own right now also. as for my husband knowing 'the number' on the scale... i asked that that NOT be mentioned in from of him (you may have to remind someone if it's asked or about to be said in front of him...polietly say, i would rather THAT not be said (outloud). pateint confidentiality right? lol my husband hasn't asked and i know he knows how much it bothers me and that i would rather him NOT know! i had a few things determine my decision to not tell people. my youngest obsesses about things and one thing is his weight. he is tiny and has NO REASON to worry about it. we talk about just eating healthy and not to obsess about everything you eat. i do not want weight to be an issue with him and i don't want him to be affected by watching everything i do/eat. good luck in whatever you decide.

I cannot have artificial sweetners, so my Dr. ok'd me having this, but i buy, carnation Breakfast essentials (no sugar added. it HAS sugar, but no EXTRA sugar to make it sweeter). it's in the blue box. made with F/F milk it is 13 grams of Protein, but i add 2 servings of liquid egg whites (found in the cold section next to egg beaters. each serving is 5 grams of protein and you DO NO TASTE IT!) with the egg added to it, i end up with 23 grams per drink! it REALLY taste like chocolate milk. no yucky protein drink taste! hope this helps!

Hi ladies...i have not been good about coming on here and posting...shame on me! I have not done very good over this Easter break either! I bought NO candy, but everyone else made up for that! ARGH! everyday i told myself i would NOT get into the candy, and i did anyhow! i threw all of it away yesterday! if i couldn't get the willpower to stay away, i was taking it out of the house! I have slacked with my Water because i wasn't doing good with everything else either! It's only been a month and i'm slacking? that's NOT RIGHT! I HAVE to get back on track! holidays/going out of town didn't help me at all! i am up 2 pounds from my lowest because of my slacking! I called yesterday because i'm not feeling restricion and i wanted to make an appointment so i can have a day to look forward to get a fill. I can't go the week that would make four weeks from my last one, so they made it for next Thursday. April 23. i don't go in until 2 because the Dr. does surgery's in the morning. I will try to do liquids that morning and then liquids for 2 days, mushies 2(instead of liquids one mushies one like they told me the last time). I was wondering if anyone would want to be an email buddy? we could email what we ate, if we had enough water, if we exercised...etc. it's much easier for me to keep my email open and reply to that than it is to come here (remember, no one besides my hubby, mom and my Band Dr. know yet...don't want to leave this open and have my teenager find this and wonder what it is). if you are interested, send me a private message and i will send you my email address. i want to or i should say, NEED to be accountable for what i eat, and why...i know i'm eating out of BORDOM often, and i HAVE to stop that!!!

I haven't posted in a while, but i've done pretty good. I had a couple days that i could and wanted to eat anything i wanted. I had crawfish and i was a happy camper! I still lost which was surprising actually. I would have been happy to have just not gained! Mom came and did not say ONE FREAKING WORD about my loss. should i be surprised? why can't she be happy with what i have accomplished? oh well...this is not for her, or about her.... i went to my appointment on monday March 30 for a fill. i got 3 cc's. i kinda feel something every so often, maybe a tiny bit of restriction? i dunno. i know i can still eat things i shouldn't be able to and able to eat quick and not worry about forgetting to chew chew chew.

I haven't posted in a while, but i've done pretty good. I had a couple days that i could and wanted to eat anything i wanted. I had crawfish and i was a happy camper! I still lost which was surprising actually. I would have been happy to have just not gained! Mom came and did not say ONE FREAKING WORD about my loss. should i be surprised? why can't she be happy with what i have accomplished? oh well...this is not for her, or about her.... i went to my appointment on monday March 30 for a fill. i got 3 cc's. i kinda feel something every so often, maybe a tiny bit of restriction? i dunno. i know i can still eat things i shouldn't be able to and able to eat quick and not worry about forgetting to chew chew chew.

The band is to help you feel full quicker and longer, but eating MUCH MUCH smaller portions than you can currently eating. i remember the nurse saying that if you are JUST a big eater (meaning you don't really snack, or eat all the time, you just eat a LOT when you do eat) that this is a GREAT tool to help!

here's my update. I went for my 4 week appointment on Monday. I lost 3 more pounds! considering the day before my scale hadn't moved yet, i was excited for that! I got 3 cc's in my band. i have a few questions. Does your Dr's make you do liquids and or mushies for a day or 2? The nurse gave me a card that said liquids the rest of the day then mushies the next. then regular diet after that. BUT.... after the Dr. did my fill, he said liquids and mushies the rest of the day and regular diet the day after. was the difference that i had one of the first appointments of the day? as opposed to later in the day when i would have needed more time on soft stuff? I still don't have what i would consider restriction. i can drink Water like normal, i don't have to sip at all. I wanted a salad yesterday but didn't want to go buy all the stuff if i couldn't eat it, so we went to a place with a buffet. i fixed a small salad (with a couple of croutons) and was able to eat it with NO trouble. I also had a baked chicken leg (i was worried about doing chicken breast in public without knowing how dry and if it would go down ok, so i stuck with a more moist peice of meat) about a tablespoon of sweet potatoes, a couple of tiny bites of bread, a bite of mac n cheese (was feeding the babies and wanted to see if it was hot and NOT THINKING... tasted it!) and about a 1/2 cup of chili. when i gave the kids dessert, i had a couple of tiny bites of ice cream, pudding, cheesecake and choc cake. I only put about a tablespoon of each on a plate since i wasn't sure what they would eat, and that they could taste different things, and that I wouldn't overdo 'tasting' things. it wasn't a LOT compared to what i used to be able to eat, but i still thought i didn't REALLY have to worry about tiny bits and chewing REALLY good, and that it was more than i thought i would be able to eat that soon after a fill. i know not to go to buffets, but i wanted to have a salad with all the choices! the scale went down again this mornig, so i'm not concerned that i 'blew it' yesterday, just surprised that i was able to eat the stuff i did, and the amount without being sick. (truth be told, i would have thought the salad, or the chili would have made me FULL...i was definitely FULL after lunch, but shocked what it took to get there. i 'm sure i could have stopped sooner and been ok, but i didn't feel or get sick after) ok. another question. I got my fill monday. 3 cc's. the Dr. said i didn't have to schedule another appointment, but if in 4 weeks i felt i wanted/needed another fill to call and they could fit me in easily. Since i don't have restriction alreday, does that mean i won't in 4 weeks? i mean, i wouldn't get tighter as the weeks pass, right? should i call and tell him i don't have restriction at all right now...i mean would they do anything? or should i call and make an appointmet for 4 weeks out, now? or should i wait and see how i do like this and when it's closer to 4 weeks, call if i feel the need? Thanks ladies!!

HI! yes, pretty much back to normal here. i still have days that i want to nap, but i think that is because i wake so early now (and i think my period is right around the corner!) but other than that, i'm feeling wonderful!! My hubby took quite a bit of time off this month since my surgery to help with the littles AND....he was happy that it was during march madness too! LOL I haven't worn regular clothes in such a long time (back to back pregnancies... and i was in 6's before those 2 pregnancies...my lowest in a LONG time, there was NO way of fitting into those clothes, so i've worn elastic waisted things for quite a while now.... they do LOOK better though. even though i have no idea on what SIZE i would wear!) thanks for checking in on me. i took a bit of a break from the computer.... but i feel like i NEED to come hear for encouragement.

I'm sure the closer to goal the slower the weight will come off.. don't you just HATE that! oh well... it's still better than where we started right?! It IS wonderful to see those numbers go down!! i was at a standstill for a while, but it seems to be moving again!!!

This coming tuesday will be 3 weeks since i have been banded and i STILL have bruising around 3 of my incisions. they look A LOT better now...turning yellow and the purple is fading. I was concerned too, but the incisions themselves are doing great! i am sure they are going to fade to barely being noticable.

thanks for all the encouragement! i see you JUST had surgery again!! how are things? this is my goal for next year!! I can't wait to see the results and hear how everything went! you are a great inspiration!

THANKS for the support ALLIE! I'm learning my way around the boards and went to take a look at your profile. you have done AMAZING!! i hope i have the same success!! any words of wisdom for a newbie?

Mrs. Bubba and Qtpie... remember the reason you did this. remember where you came from and all the RIGHT things you have donesince then! look at your intake. what is your output? are you eating more/exercising less? need to turn that around? try a new HEALTHY recipe, ask a friend to walk with your (or work-out if that's what you do)... change things up, making it feel new. Mrs. Bubba, is it time for another fill? i have read that some people take a lot of fills before they get to their sweet spot. what does your Dr. think? you did this to become healthier, thinner, happier... you are still better off than you were BEFORE this decision.... You CAN get back on track!! i know i'm in the beginning of all of this, but i would love to help motivate y'all too!

Well, i had my follow up appointment and the Dr. was pleased. 16 pounds down (it is actually 17 because i am so anal, i weighed my clothes and they were a pound of it! heehee) he gave me the ok to start on regular foods (i'm still following his guidelines as to when to add what regular foods). i had fish, veggies, chicken breast...all went down fine. I have another appointment in 2 weeks and can get my first fill. they nurse said she could definitely see in my face that i have lost! (i notice that too...can't wait for my mom to see me tomorrow. She hasn't seen me since the weekend after having surgery when i was still so puffy. that will be the test...if she can see a difference) thanks for all the encouragment!! I'm sure things will get tougher and i will need it more and more!!

I didn't realize how many days it has been since an entry. I guess there really wasn't anything new to report. I was able to add a few new things to my food list, i also saw the scale going down, but didn't want to get too exctied over that since i was going to wait to see what if Dr's office scale said the same loss.... SO, today was my appointment. the first thing she did was weigh me. sure enough...I am down 17 pounds. they said 16, but i weight my clothes...I know, i'm anal! the Dr. said i am doing VERY GOOD...that usually people don't lose and sometimes gain during the healing phase. He ok'd me to start on food now. I had talipia for lunch with a lil green beans on the side. my back started hurting yesterday. i think it was because i drove to Lafyette and back yesterday. sitting upright i guess? I took liquid tyenol to see if it would help. i didn't want to take a 'pill. Yesterday i took a Zyrtec and it felt like it stayed in my throat all day. I was able to take off the steri-strips today. I am pleasantly surprised at the look of things!! i don't think they will show much at all after they are healed for a few months!! i wanna wear that bikini one day, so i don't want scaring all over my belly! My next appointment is in 2 weeks. I will possibly get a fill that day. it just depends on how well i am doing on regurlar food and my weightloss. if things continue as they are, i won't have problems with food getting stuck (i'm still empty right now). I hope adding regular food won't make me gain. i would even be happy if i don't lose...ok, no i wouldn't, but that would be better than gaining!! my hopes is that i still lose more!! I would love for family to 'notice' when we go visit the 2nd weekend in April. that's still 3 1/2 weeks away....