OnTheWay to Thin

I had the surgery on the 28th and what you are going through is 100% normal, I think as obese adults we have questionnioned ourselves our whole lives... but it does get better, I am a good week ahead of you and am feeling much better now and very happy with my decision and slow weight loss. Hang in there.

Hmm I have been using the salad plates from my set but that sounds cool, where did you find them?

Call your doctor, if you are seeing white stuff that looks kind of cottonish sounds like an infection, with a new surgery and band you dont want to let that go, you need to get treated ASAP.

Call your normal doctor and tell them your concerns, they may want to check the fluid level in your band, she could have taken out too much, or a number of other things could have happened. Dont wait though, call your doctor asap.

Also as time goes on your band will loosen up a bit, you are still swollen, so you have more restriction at this point than you will in a couple of weeks. Hang in there, also if you want to eat veggies, try cutting your meat to 1-2 oz and add in 1-2 oz of soft veggies.

I agree there is a BIG difference between processed carbs and good carbs and I am not sure that everyone understands the difference. We need good carbs, just not the processed white flour and fat variety...

I bought Mrs. Grass chicken noodle soup, it is in a box that you make yourself, then just did not add the noodles, much better than standard chicken broth. I also bought a variety of done up soups at the deli of my local store, then took those and put them through my blender with extra broth if necessary, they were pretty good. Hang in there it does get better.

It is normal, I was banded on 5/28, the best thing you can do is walk walk walk, this helps the gas that is built up from the surgery to get absorbed and eliminated. Some also say gas-x strips help. Hang in there it does get better.

Long holy cow you dont even look like the same person, you inspire me to reach farther in my goal.

Gonnagetbanded - Hey dont be so hard on yourself, I was banded on the 28th and I totally get it. We are all going to make mistakes in this journey, but the important thing is that we get right back up and go forward. Guilt will not get you anywhere unless you use it productively. It is near impossible not to go off a bit when you are finally cleared for some kind of food, especially if you are one who had both pre and post op liquids for 2 weeks. Take a deep breath, relax and move on!

That is why I have told very few people about my surgery, I did not want that to happen. This is hard enough without outside comments and people second guessing every bite you put into your mouth. Good luck hopefully it gets better.

I agree I am spending less I am not going out to lunch anymore and leftovers are generally more than enough for my lunch. Also another positive is that smaller clothes are much less expensive than larger ones, so that will cost you less too!

The strange feeling is because the port is stitched to your muscle, so when you pull or strain you will feel it until it is healed. Take it easy for a while longer and you will be fine.

Chicken is a good source of protien too, I made a chicken veggie soup, and even had it during my creamy period, just put it in my blender and whirled it till smooth was pretty good, better than protien powder that is for sure. The other thing I am doing is I bought some small containers, 4 oz and 6 oz and 8 oz, so that I could use those for lunch items. That way I am always getting the right amount. But you will figure it out.

Try to relax, there are a lot of reasons why you will have a temporary weight increase, most not permanent. Eating too much salt in one day can make you hold onto all your water. Keep doing what you have been doing and the scale will start moving again, but it may be a bit slower than you are used to but keep the faith.

Strawberry well you need to do a lot of research and soul searching. I decided on the lap band but it is no magic bullet. By that I mean you have got to be willing to work at this like never before. The lap band helps, but is not going to make you smaller all by itself. You have to be willing to weigh your food, measure your food, keep a calorie log, I use an online one called my-calorie-counter.com. You have to be willing and to do and FOLLOW pre op and post op diets that are very strict. Once you get through that, you still have a whole list of rules to follow to be successful. It basically means very little carbs from now on, and very very small meals. What the lap band does is if you follow the rules you are able to be full and satisfied on a much smaller portion of food than ever before. Spend some time on this site and read through peoples experiences, this will help you to make your decision. Would I do it again, yes, I am only about 2 weeks post op but I can see the potential and am excited about my future.

Congrats, I know how good that feels. It amazes me when you are heavy to start with how much you have to lose before someone notices. Keep up the good work.

Depending on your area in the US it can be 12-20K. Mexico is cheaper. You need to find out if your insurance specifically excludes weight loss surgery, if they do there is not much you can do to get it covered, it is just excluded. But if they do cover but under certain circumstances, you need to get a copy of the medical policy for WLS so you can see if you meet the guidelines. If you are working with a surgeon, their office is probably well versed on how to check your insurance, you might give them a call and ask them to check for you. Good luck.

Hi I am recently banded 2 weeks and I would not change a thing. I have started on mushies now and it is amazing I am not hungry, I get full on very little food, and I am steadily dropping 2-3 lbs a week. My doctor said this could slow down until I get fills but right now I can see the potential of this and I am thrilled. I have lost 3" in my bust, 1 " in my waist (still a bit swollen from surgery) and 2 inches in my hips, I can feel the difference and I have only lost 23 lbs... My port can not be seen but if I feel real hard I can feel it. Hope this helps.

One other thought, I would put in here, you are recently without your children and that probably has a lot to do with your feelings, you are an empty nester, I suspect your men issues may be more a need not to be alone as you were used to having your kids around, now they are gone and you are compensating with bad men choices... think about it, did most of this start more with the kids moving out than with your weight loss journey?

I am right there with you, basically they explained it as women store estrogen in their fat and as you lose weight the estrogen is set free upon our bodies and that causes strange menstral issues... I thougth I was done too, but alas, not so after losing 20 lbs.

LOL I could see doing that to my husbands xwife, she is such a bit-- and always saying nasty things about everyone, but especially me. Some people need to be taken down a peg, so dont feel bad, I would have done the same thing.

I find it so amazing how different all the post op diet instructions are. Even my doctor and the nutritionist that the sent me to have differences. And they also recommended a book, weight loss surgery with the adjustable gastric band by Robert Sewell and that one is different yet on the post op diet. I am doing well, started on mushy stuff slowly yesterday and had no issue at all, just chew, and watch portion size, but I fidn I am full after very little food. The doctor says that must mean that I have some initial restriction probably due to some fat between the band and stomach and as I lose that will change. So unless I have issues I dont go back now until 6 weeks post op. Feeling good, only real pain tenderness is around port, all incisions are healed well, have one major bruise around port but otherwise doing well. I was able to work a full day yesterday so my energy is increasing as well.

Have you tried using other non starch veg with the protien? That may help but hang in there, I agree it is not a cardinal sin to have something other than protien, but maybe if you can find other healthier veg that work that might help.

WOW that is wonderful, you inspire me as I was just banded last week and have quite a ways to go, all told about 140-150 lbs. You give me hope that I can do it too. Thanks for posting.