thatswhatdefinesme

Thanks for all the positive comments. Yesterday my Dr. had to remove 1/2 of the most recent fill that he gave me. I'm not sure, but I think he had to take .5 cc's out. I tried working through it for almost a week, but it was just too tight. Today was great, and for the first time in a couple weeks I was able to eat a cup of food for lunch. Anyways, I want to congratulate the two of you that will be having surgery in June. I can't wait to hear about all your success.

So it’s nearing the end of April and I’m officially down 70 lbs. I’m proud of this because I know how much effort I’ve put forth in this process. However, my goal was to be down 100 lbs by my band anniversary on July 7th. It doesn’t look like I’ll reach that goal, so I’m going to reset my goal and hope to be down 80 lbs by then. That means that I’ll only have 30 more lbs to lose until I reach my goal weight, and I plan on giving myself another 6-9 months to reach that goal. So I called the clinic yesterday because for the first time I had pressure in my chest when trying to drink liquids (mainly coffee with some milk). This really concerned me, which I’m sure any of us fellow Lap Bander’s would have been alarmed. I had a pretty strong fill two weeks ago, and I knew that my band was substantially tighter than before but I would have never imagined it would be that snug. So they told me more than likely there was a lot of swelling from the dinner I had the prior night. So here are my directions for the next 2-3 days: 2-3 ounces of liquid only wait 30 minutes before repeating. Do not ingest additional if you have chest discomfort- wait until the discomfort subsides. Make sure that you are sipping. Do not go over 6 ounces within an hour. Allow yourself to sip only. The following liquids only for today: plain water, warm broth- no chunks, skim milk only Tomorrow, same above but try for 3- 4 ounces. wait 30 to 45 minutes. Same as today. Sunday- let's try to add some Atkins shakes- only 4 ounces at a time. Drain soups so you can have the broth only but make sure that you measure- no more than 4 ounces. You can still have the above. Call or email on Monday....depending on how you are feeling with the liquids, we will have Laura progress you to five shakes per day before adding in softs. :wink2: Take care and I appreciate your willingness to attempt to work through it so we can access if it is a tight band versus some swelling. So let’s just say that last night’s Girls Night Out wasn’t nearly as much fun as it could have been. I decided that since I wouldn’t be able to eat, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to drink (even one delicious glass of wine). So it’s looking like I’ll just try my best to do my part, and hope that my band isn’t too tight because I really don’t want to have to get an unfill (though I also know that this can be part of the whole process). Changes since the Lap Band: *That I will do everything in my power to never settle again *An understanding that if I do my part, the band will do its part and together I can keep the excess weight off for the long term *That I can cope and soothe myself without food *That Zumba is a super fun high energy exercise class *That it feels great to have so much energy *That I can complete a 5K Race *That yoga is not only challenging but also very relaxing *That I truly enjoy cooking. Veggies are so yummy! *That I’m a truly beautiful person on the inside out *That my dog Adrie is now a much happier pup, because we go for walks and hikes almost every day *I actually enjoy shopping for clothes

So it’s nearing the end of April and I’m officially down 70 lbs. I’m proud of this because I know how much effort I’ve put forth in this process. However, my goal was to be down 100 lbs by my band anniversary on July 7th. It doesn’t look like I’ll reach that goal, so I’m going to reset my goal and hope to be down 80 lbs by then. That means that I’ll only have 30 more lbs to lose until I reach my goal weight, and I plan on giving myself another 6-9 months to reach that goal. So I called the clinic yesterday because for the first time I had pressure in my chest when trying to drink liquids (mainly coffee with some milk). This really concerned me, which I’m sure any of us fellow Lap Bander’s would have been alarmed. I had a pretty strong fill two weeks ago, and I knew that my band was substantially tighter than before but I would have never imagined it would be that snug. So they told me more than likely there was a lot of swelling from the dinner I had the prior night. So here are my directions for the next 2-3 days: 2-3 ounces of liquid only wait 30 minutes before repeating. Do not ingest additional if you have chest discomfort- wait until the discomfort subsides. Make sure that you are sipping. Do not go over 6 ounces within an hour. Allow yourself to sip only. The following liquids only for today: plain water, warm broth- no chunks, skim milk only Tomorrow, same above but try for 3- 4 ounces. wait 30 to 45 minutes. Same as today. Sunday- let's try to add some Atkins shakes- only 4 ounces at a time. Drain soups so you can have the broth only but make sure that you measure- no more than 4 ounces. You can still have the above. Call or email on Monday....depending on how you are feeling with the liquids, we will have Laura progress you to five shakes per day before adding in softs. :confused: Take care and I appreciate your willingness to attempt to work through it so we can access if it is a tight band versus some swelling. So let’s just say that last night’s Girls Night Out wasn’t nearly as much fun as it could have been. I decided that since I wouldn’t be able to eat, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to drink (even one delicious glass of wine). So it’s looking like I’ll just try my best to do my part, and hope that my band isn’t too tight because I really don’t want to have to get an unfill (though I also know that this can be part of the whole process). Changes since the Lap Band: *That I will do everything in my power to never settle again *An understanding that if I do my part, the band will do its part and together I can keep the excess weight off for the long term *That I can cope and soothe myself without food *That Zumba is a super fun high energy exercise class *That it feels great to have so much energy *That I can complete a 5K Race *That yoga is not only challenging but also very relaxing *That I truly enjoy cooking. Veggies are so yummy! *That I’m a truly beautiful person on the inside out *That my dog Adrie is now a much happier pup, because we go for walks and hikes almost every day *I actually enjoy shopping for clothes

That's great! I'm 7 months post op and down 60 lbs. I love my band too!

How many fills have you had so far? I had my surgery just three months ago. This month I'm down maybe 5 lbs, which I'm grateful for but my weight loss is stalling too.

Congrats! I'm down to 205 and I can't wait to be under 200 lbs.

When I read your story I felt like it was my story. You're going to make it through this crazy liver shrinking process. The surgery itself is a relatively easy process, there is little to minimial pain. This tool you're about to give yourself is such a gift, and you should feel hopeful. More than that you should feel flippin excited because your life is getting ready to change for the better! Good luck!

So last Monday (not yesterday) I had my third fill. I didn’t notice much of a difference in the amount that I can eat until this past weekend. On Sunday I actually got sick for the first time since my surgery (I was testing the waters and trying to “taste” something I know that I shouldn’t have and them bam it’s coming right back up). It’s such a relief for it to come back up though; it’s much too painful when it’s just stuck. Warning: take your time, chew slowly, and eat the kind of foods that truly agree with the band. So today in a matter of fifteen minutes I had four compliments. Yep that’s right boys and girls. I had FOUR compliments. The first came from a female co-worker who said, “Erica you’re getting really curvy and looking really nice!” The second came from a really cute guy at work who told me that I looked really good today (on my way to the restroom). I come out of the restroom and another female co-worker tells me that I’m looking good and she can tell I’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Then I head to my desk and the fourth compliment comes from a friend at work who said, “I noticed you today and your ass is getting so skinny!” Talk about good karma. Granted today I was a little more dressed up than usual, but those compliments just made me feel great. It’s great to know that others are seeing the differences that I see. I guess that will just be more motivation to keep up the good work.

So last Monday (not yesterday) I had my third fill. I didn’t notice much of a difference in the amount that I can eat until this past weekend. On Sunday I actually got sick for the first time since my surgery (I was testing the waters and trying to “taste” something I know that I shouldn’t have and them bam it’s coming right back up). It’s such a relief for it to come back up though; it’s much too painful when it’s just stuck. Warning: take your time, chew slowly, and eat the kind of foods that truly agree with the band. So today in a matter of fifteen minutes I had four compliments. Yep that’s right boys and girls. I had FOUR compliments. The first came from a female co-worker who said, “Erica you’re getting really curvy and looking really nice!” The second came from a really cute guy at work who told me that I looked really good today (on my way to the restroom). I come out of the restroom and another female co-worker tells me that I’m looking good and she can tell I’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Then I head to my desk and the fourth compliment comes from a friend at work who said, “I noticed you today and your ass is getting so skinny!” Talk about good karma. Granted today I was a little more dressed up than usual, but those compliments just made me feel great. It’s great to know that others are seeing the differences that I see. I guess that will just be more motivation to keep up the good work.

Just remember that in the long run this will all pay off. The worst part for me was the pre-op diet, and it all got easier from that point forward. You'll do great and you'll be grateful for all the weight that you'll lose before your surgery.

That's exactly what I was going to say. Fat free refried beans, with cheese on top. Yum. I also love eating a baked potato with cottage cheese and broccoli. Yum. Good luck!

I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 210. Now that is super exciting! My first goal was 199, my second 175, and my third is 150. I can't believe that the weight just keeps coming off. I feel so great and I can't wait to see what happens when even more weight comes. Not only are my clothes fitting me better, but I exercise even more and it has became so much easier.