cristinbyers

My LapBand journey happened really fast, and I can't even begin to describe just how happy I am that I took the big step. I had finally had enough of trying one diet after another, only to lose a few pounds and end up gaining it all (if not more) back. I started looking for information on the LapBand and found a local doctor here in my city that has done thousands of weight loss procedures including both the gastric bypass and LapBand procedures. In March I attended a 3 hour consultation in his office and a few weeks later was scheduled for surgery for July 1,2009.  My LapBand procedure went well with no complications and I was up and walking around just a few hours after surgery. I went home the same day and started what I call the first day of my new life. The first 3 weeks were really tough for me having nothing to consume but broths, jellos, and 0 calorie liquids. I can honestly say I made it through the entire 3 weeks without cheating, not even once, but to this day cannot even look at a box of jello or can of broth lol. The next few weeks were a little better for me, as I began to move into mushy foods, but found it tempting to eat things I was not supposed to be eating (i.e. mashed potatoes). To keep myself from cheating, I simply stocked up on foods I knew I could tolerate and hopefully would not get too terribly sick of eating. I mostly ate cottage cheese with mushed fruit and puddings along with my protein shakes. I was able to eat fresh veggies that had been mushed through the food processor or cut finely and then hand mushed. This stage really kept me motivated as I went in for my 2nd check up with my doctor and had a dramatic weight loss of 26 lbs total since surgery! I could hardly believe it...I hadn't lost this much weight in several years. My third and most recent appointment was September 14, 2009, and I have lost another 10 lbs! I've noticed the weight loss has started to slow down a little, but I will take every pound I can get! I haven't had any fills yet, but have noticed that now that I am eating solids full time now, I am able to eat just as much as I was able to before surgery, and this is starting to scare me. I discussed this with my doctor and he doesn't want to do any fills as long as I am losing, which makes prefect sense. I guess I'm overly worried that being able to eat as much as I have been since before the surgery, I'm afraid that my weight loss will begin to plateau, or that I may begin to gain weight. My next appointment isn't until October 12th, so I will continue to work my tail off in the gym several times a week and continue to count calories and monitor my intake. This is the first time I have ever stuck with exercising on a regular basis and I will say that once you overcome the initial stump, it becomes addicting. I've noticed that if I've had a bad week or eaten a little more than I should have or had that cheeseburger from McDonalds, I can set my mind to making up for it in the gym, and it usually balances itself out. I don't make a habit of doing that, but let's face it, we are going to cheat from time to time, and it's just a matter or picking back up and moving forward when you do. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and seeing where I'll be 3.5 months out from surgery! BW - 266CW - 230GW - 145