pnksteph

I have been banded almost 8 months now and I feel like I have fallen off the course. I have lost 44 lbs so far, which seems like a great amount to me, but I am not sure if it is where I really should be now. When I set my goals, the doctor said I should try to lose 55.2 lbs the first year. I am pretty close to it, but I haven't lost but 4 lbs since January. I really only would like to lose 90 lbs total, so I am at my half way point, but since I have reached the 180's it seems like I am fighting to lose every pound. Any one else have this issue? How is everyone doing at their 8 month mark? I guess I thought this whole process would be easier, but food is something I have to constantly think about and it has been a bit of a struggle with me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have not had a fill yet, but I too have experienced nausea and being light-headed after yoga. There were also some positions that I did have to modify because of the pain in my port area. I love yoga and I am really bummed about this too. I actually had to walk out of class and take a breather bc I felt like I was going to get sick too. Hope this feeling will subside soon!

Good nutrition def plays a factor in why you are exhausted, but have you ever had your thyroid checked out? I think they do it in the pre-op tests, but with weight loss something might have changed. I have hypothyroidism and I have some of the same symptoms as you: Extremely tired and cold (thyroid helps control your body temp), but it also effects my moods as well if not properly controlled. Just a thought. Hope you're feeling better soon!

After reading a lot on this forum, I realize that I do not know as much about my band as I had thought...With that being said, what sort of questions should I ask my doctor/NP when getting my first fill (9.9.09)? I have a couple questions so far: -What size band do I have? -Do I already have some saline in the band from surgery? (I think its a no, bc they told me after surgery when I was all groggy) -How much will they put in? Any other suggestions?

This might be a silly question, but I keep reading that many people struggle with even just drinking waters their first days after their fills and I was wondering if its alright to work out the day you get your fill. I have had no problems whatsoever with drinking (or eating for that part--I am in Bandster Hell right now!) so this worries me a little. I have made significant progress in my workouts and I dont want to lose anything that I have built up because I cant work out. Please advise!

When I went to my first follow up one week post op the doc said that going back to my normal routine and work outs were fine. He did not say anything about abs though. I played volleyball (competitive league) about a week and a half post op and I was fine. Get the go-ahead from your doc, then gradually work in your exercise. Maybe the first week aim for 30 min walking each day then the next 35 min each day or whatever you feel comfortable with. And honestly, when I started working out hardcore again, my scale did not budge for almost 2 weeks. I could tell my clothes have been looser, but the scale is still the same. this is simply bc your body is adjusting. In the long run, exercising will tone you more and help with some of the loose/excess skin after you lose the weight. Good luck and all the best!

If you have a gym membership, I would try out a tredclimber. Its an amazing machine and I burn a ton of cals with it (not as many as the machine claims, but my heart rate monitor watch says that I burn btw 500-700 in an hour workout). Its like a tredmill and elliptical in one machine to me--you walk but it goes up and down too. Also, you might find some of the classes at the gym to be a great motivator too. My gym offers a weight class that is amazing. I hate doing weights by myself because I am afraid I am doing it wrong but in the class an instructor walks around to make sure we are doing them right.

Congrats! Its going to feel like forever until then, but once you have the surgery its going to be worth the wait!!!

So I am only 19 days post op and I have really been obsessing over not losing more weight. Currently, I have lost 10 lbs since the operation and 5 in the pre-op diet, but I have talked to several friends that have had the procedure and they lost like 20 lbs the first few weeks (similar weight & size to me) so I was getting super depressed. I finally had my husband hide the scale on Saturday night. Silly as it sounds, I feel like a big weight (no pun intended) has been lifted off of me. I am going to weigh in once a week and do measurements as well to see my progress and to (for once in my life) not worry so much about numbers and focus on how I feel. Just wanted to share whats worked for me so far!

Hey there, just wondering if anyone has joined a CrossFit class in their area and what their experiences have been. I was just banded about 20 days ago and I know I wont be able to do the class right away, but eventually I would like to try it. If you have done this class/workout, how long after your operation did you start? For those of you that don't know what CrossFit is, here's a link: What is CrossFit?. Basically, it is an intense one-hour work out that includes elements of weight lifting, gymnastics, kettle bells, cardio, etc.

I wondered the same thing about the elliptical and other cardio machines at the gym so I asked one of the gym staff members and they said they are inaccurate. They recommended a heart rate/cardio monitor watch that would more accurately tell me what I was burning. That 750 calories that I thought I was burning was actually more along the lines of 450. The one I bought was from a sporting goods store and you put in your height, weight, activity level and such so it gages a better picture of what you are burning. I love mine! Good luck and keep up the work outs!

Of course, listen to what your doc tells you about working out first and foremost, but I was told I can resume all activities one week post-op. I dove right back into an exercise routine and love it so far. The only complications I am having is sit ups. I spoke with a trainer at the gym and they said to do leg lifts or exercises that focus on the lower abs. Good luck!

Hello there! I am 27 y/o and was banded on 8/6/09. Unfortunately I had to self pay but I had a hernia to be fixed so they filed the insurance to do the hernia repair and I only had to pay for the band itself out of pocket (saved like $10K). I have since resumed my regular activities and have had some pain and swelling around my port area, but I am feeling better every day. My husband is very supportive of the process, but I have only told a few friends (I have some hater friends out there unfortunately) and plan to keep it that way, or at least until I lose a good amount of weight. Looking forward to the journey ahead.

Heres the Couch to 5K program that I am following: Cool Running :: The Couch-to-5K Running Plan I think these guys are the ones that came up with it. I am still in the first week, but the workout is pretty good since I haven't ran in a long time--it gradually works you into running more and more. I want to get back into running bc a lot of the success stories that I have read on this site says that they run for exercise. Good luck if you choose to do it!

Thanks Krtork! I will keep the healing in mind--its just sometimes you want to see the results immediately. I am sure I will succeed if I continue with working out and eating right. The Couch to 5K has been a little harder than I imagined. Maybe its just because I am so overweight right now starting it...and that I have only done two workouts! When I ran before I could easily go a few miles w/o probs, now not so much!

Congrats to the both of ya'll! How many fills did it take for you guys to get to your "sweet spot"? I know everyone is different, but just asking. I go for my first fill in 20 days, but I can't wait to get some restriction! Only 9.5 lbs down so far and I am 2 weeks post op. Hoping to lose at least 10 more before I go for my first fill!

I am two weeks (tomorrow) post op and I have gone back to all of my normal activities, including playing volleyball. I just started this week with spin on Tuesdays and Thursdays, V-ball on Wednesdays and I just started to do the Couch to 5K work outs on Monday (I have done two workouts so far). I also have done the tredclimber twice too. I go to a gym that offers a range of classes so I think I will try a new class when I get bored with what I am doing. I am not a DVD person. I just wont do it at home. The only ones I have done in the past are yoga videos. I worked out a lot prior to surgery, but I struggled with eating. So I guess this was what I needed to do. I am a little frustrated though bc the first week I lost 8 lbs not working out at all crazy this week. Hoping that I will see the scale move after another couple of days. Anyone else have this problem?

So I did the first workout for Couch to 5K yesterday and I am feeling pretty good today. Let me rewind by saying that I used to run between 3-6 miles a day when I was 20 (yikes! 7 years ago already) and it was no problem. I am hoping that this program will get my butt in gear again and I can run like I used to. Hoping this helps, but I made a calendar and put down what I need to do on the days I need to do them on and I am hoping that will keep me moving. Any former runners out there use this to help get them back in shape?

So I did the first workout for Couch to 5K yesterday and I am feeling pretty good today. Let me rewind by saying that I used to run between 3-6 miles a day when I was 20 (yikes! 7 years ago already) and it was no problem. I am hoping that this program will get my butt in gear again and I can run like I used to. Hoping this helps, but I made a calendar and put down what I need to do on the days I need to do them on and I am hoping that will keep me moving. Any former runners out there use this to help get them back in shape?

I am 8 days post-op and I am just now having trouble breathing while I am seated. The discomfort is only in the area where my port is. This is only a recent thing, and would have told my doc but I have already gone for my post-op appointment. Any recommendations?

Thanks for sharing that tip! I will keep it in mind when I get my first issue of being stuck.

We used to do these on the WW boards. First list what stage you are in (liquids, Mushies, Regular Food) and then list what you have ate for the day. We can use mine as a sample. Liquids B--whey Protein shake w/skim milk 8 oz. L--Cream of chicken Soup (1/2 cup) D--Isopure Protein Shake (and it was good!) 40 grams protein This helped us a lot with seeing what others are eating to give everyone ideas.

Thanks for the input everyone! I just starting feeling that pain today. I am going to try walking around more when I start to feel it followed by a heating pad.

How soon did everyone go back to work after surgery? I know everyone heals differently, but I was feeling great--5 days post op when I went back to work today and it was awful. I did have a hernia fixed as well during the band procedure, but I was in pain today. I have a desk job, 8-5 and even went home for a nap at lunch, but it was a lot harder than I expected. I for sure have to go in tomorrow, so does anyone have any suggestions to help get through the day?

Hey ladies! I am 4 days post-op and feeling a lot better. I do have some moments during the day when I am feeling a little achey and have some cravings, but I know I am not hungry yet. I havent moved past the liquid phase--my doc was adament about having me on liquids for 2 full weeks post-op and I am able to stick with it so far, but lets see how I am doing in 10 days. I hope that everyone else is recovering well. Has anyone else gone back to work? I go back tomorrow and I am kind of nervous. I have a desk job so I wont have to do too much strenous activity, but I plan to go home for a nap at lunch all next week to get some extra rest! Another question, have any of you guys weighed yourself yet? I am so afraid to see a number not budging so I am going to try to wait til Wednesday when I go back for follow up appt. Til then Happy Healing!