Unforgettable

That is such an amazing accomplishment!!!! You really give me inspiration to reach my goal. I hope your TT went well and recovery is smooth for you.

Don't panic. First you need to give your body time to heal. What probably happen that caused you to have restriction and now not have it, is that the swelling the initial surgery caused which caused initial restriction has since gone done. If you aren't swollen anymore, you won't feel that restriction like before. Try to keep your portions reasonable, but until you get your fill you may be in what is known as bandster hell where you have no restriction at all and don't lose weight. Hang in there!

Sorry to hear you got a staph infection. I take care of a lot of patients with staph infections and they are no joke!! Hopefully you'll get your fill next time and will start to drop the weight. Let us know!

7/10 - 230 8/17 - 208 8/21 - 205.6 % of weight loss since total 10.6% % of weight loss since last week 1.2% These next 205.7 pounds to take me into ONEderland can't come soon enough! I'm going to really need to step my exercise game up

Well that's good that you'll be sitting rather than moving around a lot. Although I'd stretch every now and then. I found that when I sat in an upright position too long, my stomach got a little sore from leaning forward. Do you have a high or low pain tolerance? How long after your c-section did you feel you were ok to work again? It's not going to be the same, but at least you have had some surgery to compare it to.

What do you do for a living? I think a big part of it has to do with what your job entails.

I say it over and over again but this battle is so much more in our minds than it ever was in our stomachs, and that translates to other parts of our lives as well. I also have the same doubts, "do they want to be with me just some get some", why would someone be interested in me? etc. I started seeing a therapist for this, among all the other mental issues that come up after surgery. I'm still in the beginning stages but really am finding it all helpful.

Great idea! I did something similar as well, especially during my pre-op diet. I had pictures of different things/goals/clothes/places etc that I wanted when I reached goal posted all over my house, all over my fridge and food cabinets. Great motivation and reminds me of why I'm doing what I do.

Yea I was banded July 13 2009. It's been a great experience for me. It wasn't my first surgery at all, I've had 2 kidneys removed among other things so the surgery itself was a breeze in comparison. I think the toughest part of it all is that it's such a mental battle. I have good restriction now so the band is doing it's job, but I have to battle every day to make sure I do MY job and make the right food choices. Each day it gets easier though!

Hey! I wasn't banded in August, but thought I'd share this link with you - it's the link to the subforum on this site for August 2009 bandsters. August 2009 Forum

No problem! Tough love is hard to give but is often times what's needed. I only know because I've been there myself. P.S. 28 pounds lost already is awesome!

If you are concerned you should talk with your doctor asap. I didn't have the burning pain, but I will say that at first I could feel my port being pushed up if I slept on my side.

This is why I always recommend therapy for people that are struggling. The battle is so much more in our heads than it is in our stomach. Talking to someone has helped me identify triggers, feelings of failure, etc.

It's not an easy journey we are on. I was banded the same day as you. Not trying to offend, but you need to let go of the excuses. I too kept saying I couldn't exercise because of work, but really I could. Would I be tired after working, would it be hard to find time to exercise? Of course, but the truth of the matter is that there IS time. Exercising will really kick start your metabolism and move things along, so just try your hardest to find time for it. As far as carbs, if they are in a lot of the foods you have at home then you need to get rid of them. I'm not one of those no carbs at all people. I just go based of my doc's guidelines which is to keep it under 60gm/day. At first I thought this would be impossible considering I ate over 150gm a day typically, but once I started educating myself on simple carbs versus complex carbs, things that have carbs in them, etc it really wasn't too bad. Plus I don't focus on JUST carbs. The meal planning thing I can definitely relate to that. I'm a nurse and I work 12 hour shifts, and there are days where I'm running around the whole time and lucky if I get a break. Is it possible for you to keep at least snacks at work? This way you can get a good protein snack in, like a hardboiled egg, and it should hold you off until you're able to get to lunch. It's a rough ride, just try your hardest and make sure you're doing yourself justice and the band will start to do it's job. Plus once you get restriction you should start to lose, and once we start to lose I think we get more motivated to do right. Good luck!

There is NO preparing for the liquid diet. It sucks and there is no way getting around that lol just try your hardest not to cheat - keep reminding yourself that you are risking your surgery if you do that. Also, what helped me was keeping inspiration items around the house to remind me why I'm torturing myself - smaller sized jeans, pictures of the bahamas which is where I will go when I meet goal, etc. Good luck!

I've wondered this myself, Steph. I'm not at that point yet but have thought about how to approach it in the future. I'm a private person anyone, so I'm not one of those people telling everyone about the band. I think I decided I would tell a potential partner when I realize that we will probably get better. I think the earlier the better. I have lots of scars from other surgeries, so that's not a big deal to me. But I definitely think if there's potential to be a serious/intimate relationship, it needs to come out. It's tough though because like you said, there's a stigma attached to it. Maybe when I'm closer to goal I won't care as much. I'm sure they will notice before we reached that point anyway based on eating habits, so if it were ever brought up by that person I'd be upfront. My policy in general for telling is that I'm not going to offer up the information, but if someone asks me I'm not going to lie or lie by omission. Plus I figure if it really makes a difference to them, then they aren't worth my time.

You probably don't have any restriction right now. How much can you eat at a time? How long do you go in between meals? Are you making the right choices? Are you exercising? The band is a great tool but as many have said before, until you get good restriction it takes a lot of hard work on your end. Hopefully with your fill it will start to help. Just try to focus, make sure you're doing your job, and get to exercising to really kick start things. Good luck! You can do it

I googled it too and the thought of that being performed under sedation and not anesthesia freaks me out!

I'd recommend trying a therapist out. I've realized that this battle is so much more in my head than it ever was in my stomach. Talking to someone has helped me sort out my feelings of depression, failure, food triggers, etc. May work for you too. Even though exercising sucks, do it! It will make such a difference, will make you feel better afterwards, and I know for me mentally it makes me feel accomplished. Make sure you're picking the right food choices. It's normal to feel scared but don't let that stop you!! You can totally do this, just get back on track and get things going. Good luck

I buy the Fage brand, Total 0% Greek yogurt plain. It is the no-fat version - I think 5 oz has 90 calories, 0 fat, somewhere between 3-7gm carbs, and 15 Protein. You definitely need to make sure you're getting the low fat one. Also make sure you're getting the plain flavored - you may have been looking at some of the ones that are either vanilla flavored or have add ins like honey - this will definitely make it higher in carbs.

I would call your doctor then to get some sort of definition as to how long phase 3 should last before you try moving on to regular food, even if you're making smart choices. Padanelle - Isn't greek yogurt great? Have you tried mixing it with sweet stuff like fruit and some splenda? My favorite way to eat it right now is with either reduced fat Peanut Butter or the PB2 powder mixed in with it.

Congrats on making it to ONEderland!!!!! 6 more pounds and I'll be right there with you