Megg40

Today it happened!! I started pre op diet on 3/10/10 had surgery 3/24/10 and today 5/18/10 I HAVE LOST 50 POUNDS!!!! I am so excited and feel very proud of myself....This has not been easy, and I am working for every pound I lose but I can't believe that in 2 months time I am 1/3 of the way to my goal weight!!! 50 pounds gone....that's 10, 5 pound bags of sugar.... That is a lot of weight to be off my body....I have 101 pounds to go and I am now 100% sure I will reach that goal.... My next major goal is to lose 50 pounds by the end of October as my step son is getting married....but I'm gonna aim for smaller goals like 10 pounds by July 4th.... I am gonna do some shopping tomorrow for a few NEEDED items....( clothing ) Hope all of you know that it can be done and boy I feel on top of the world....:thumbup: I am so grateful to the people that helped me get this far... My self, My surgeon and the love and support of family and friends.... Life is awesome today!!! Meg

Thanks all for the kind words of encouragement and support...Someone asked how I did it....I follow my surgeons diet guidelines, High protein, low carb and I swim at least 5 days a week for 40-60 minutes a day.... I break it down into 2 or 3 20 minute segments. I found out that by treading water you burn more calories than doing laps and such....So I tread water and do water jogging.... If I do any walking, I usually go to walmart or grocery....as its air conditioned and I am in Florida.... Take care all, Meg

WAY TO GO!!!! I BET THAT FEELS WONDERFUL.... ENJOY YOUR MILESTONE... MEG:thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments...:thumbup: I think on this forum its just as important to post about or successes as well as our setbacks....I think it's very important for the "newbies" to see the positive and not so positive sides of this surgery and journey....I feel on top of the world even though I had oral surgery today...lol Take good care all, HUGS, Meg

Ok...I know this is early but I'm just so excited that I can't wait...I am 2 pounds away from first goal....In 2 pounds I will be in twoderville!!! A loss of 1 pound will put me at the 50 pounds lost mark!! I am going to reward myself by going to a quality plus sized clothing store and getting a few items...I need everything, even panties and bras...My body is changing and looking smaller. I CAN EVEN SEE IT NOW!!! I am just so happy that I had this surgery...I found out today what my Mom is giving me for reaching my ultimate goal of 199....She is giving me my deceased great aunt's 1 carrot diamond solitare ring....It will be an honor to wear that ring....my aunt was a wonderful woman. She had polio when she was 5 and was on crutches/wheelchair her whole life.....I miss her!! Anyway, after I lose the 2 pounds it will seem like forever to get down 100 more. I plan to make small goals of 10 - 20 pounds each and always reward myself...I think goals are very important to set and when reached to celebrate!! Did I happen to mention that I am addicted to swimming now..??? Me, 350 pound very sedentary woman, 3 months ago, is now addicted to a form of exercise...I can't believe it. When I swim, I feel so good because I know it is only giving me great things. I have increased energy, more stamina for my day, better self esteem, fat loss, heart benefits...and most days a more positive mood. Everyone said " exercise is so good for you" I said....no thanks. But now, I see the importance and benefits.... I am learning to love me in so many new ways and I am grateful to my Higher Power, my surgeon, my partner and my Mom.... Meg

I am 7 weeks pot op. I had my first fill last Tuesday, so its been a week now. I have really good restriction....I got 4.4 cc's in a 10cc band. Problem is the scale is stuck. I haven't lost or gained in a week. I am making healthy food choices and my calories are pretty low, I'd say around 800. I am getting most Protein from my foods but do have 1 shake a day still. I am exercising almost daily and usually burn anywhere from 250 to 400 calories a day. Today, I burned over 800 because I wanted to see if that helped any. I do mostly swimming and some walking. I also have kept my carb count to 25. I feel like If I don't see a drop in weight tomorrow, I will just break down....I am so confused. I don't know what MY BODY needs.... I have been getting in plenty of Water and keeping sodium low as well....but I am not urinating half as much as I used too... I am on my 5th bottle of water right now and will probably have 1-2 more before bed.....I am just wondering what to do...I don't know if I should call y surgeons office or give it til like Monday or Tuesday....Even during bandster hell I managed to lose so now that I have a fill I am stuck....this just seems insane to me, backwards..... Don't know what to do or where to turn.... Meg:confused:

Thanks so much, Betsy..... I have added in some almonds and keep eating and exercising... I am noticing now that my restriction isn't lasting quite as long....I have a month before next fill. I am doing well and down 2 more pounds. I am 2 pounds away from first goal of being in twoderville!!!! I am 1 pound away from a loss of 50 pounds!!! I am hoping to reach my first goal, 299, this week. I went to get a new pair of shorts and 2 new t shirts last night and I was frustrated that I couldn't find anything...I was at Wal Mart cause I just need a few things to get me by... I did get those things and tried them on....I am down 4 sizes and really could have gotten the shorts in 1 size smaller...The shirts fit. I am done buying clothes that are too big and hiding in them. I dont have a great figure yet but it is looking so much better so I will wear clothing that is true to size....My Mom saw me today in my new clothes and she was shocked. It feels so good when people can see a difference. I'm kinda seeing it too.... Take Care, Meg:biggrin:

I was allowed to submerge at my 2 week post op visit.....bath swim whatever...I am in love with swimming now... Meg

Thanks you guys for the responses and encouragement. I did end up losing one pound today and I was so happy for that one pound. I was also wondering how long your body holds onto Water after your cycle is over. Mine was over this past Monday so only 4 days ago...??? Betsy, you always bring such good information to these boards and I'm in the learning phase of all of this. To answer your question about my meals....this is a usual day. 1 bottle of water and a Protein drink coffee from Believe 7-9 am 11 am 1 package of low carb high protein oatmeal from my Dr's office ( they have their own foods and Protein shake powders) made with water 3pm a high protein low carb shake made with water 7pm a package of starkist albacore tuna salad and 5-6 spears of asparagus. Water 5-7 bottles a day and maybe 2 packages of crystal light. If I'm really really hungry before bed, I may have an atkins high protein, low carb Protein Bar like choc and Peanut Butter... That is usually my meals....I know not the most creative things to eat but I do have really good restriction from first fill and hoping it lasts another 5 weeks til next appointment. I take my Vitamins and Calcium supplement, a stool softener and benefiber in my shake. I have thought about almonds....like some just during mid day or as a night time snack. I would like to have an egg for Breakfast and a turkey sausage patty, but I'm concerned about the fat and cholesterol as I take meds for cholesterol and triglycerides. I really think keeping my carbs under 30 grams works for me so I want to stay low carb, low fat b ut increase my calories a bit but dont know what to eat except adding the almonds in.... Like I said I am still learning about the band and my body. For example, last nights dinner, the tuna and asparagus I ate WAY TOO FAST and it came back up....I wasn't paying attention to my eating and i just shoveled it all in my mouth in 3-4 minutes....band said NO!!! and I tossed it back up....so then i just had a shake for dinner.... I also know that with the band weight loss is between 1-2 pounds a week. I was kinda hoping to be an exception since I have lost so much already and pretty quickly. I can handle 1-2 pounds a week to lose....as long as I am losing. I have also thought about the muscle factor. I think swimming is both cardio and stregnth together so maybe I am adding in some muscle....I just want to lose the fat....but more than that I want a healthy, good functioning body!! If anyone can give me any clues about what to add to my low carb, low fat, but more calorie diet i would appreciate it... Thanks yall, Meg

I have thought of that as well, but don't see how I can eat anymore because i have good restriction and I'm trying to do low carb.....that is a delima for me...but thanks for your response Meg

Nashville....my home for the first 30 years of my life...Wow, that's a long time. I am feeling so horrible about the flooding that happened there yesterday. I am very very sad. I have family and friends there that have been devistated and displaced because of this. Areas of Nashville that I know well, now sit under 12 feet of water. My Grandparents home is one of those. They both died in the last 9 months and their home was still full of antiques, pictures, and many many memories. It is now ruined. All you can see is the roof of the home. We were fixing to go back up there yet again, to remove the precious things and put it on the market, now all is lost. We have tried to call people to check on their well being but the power and phones are out in a lot of areas. I just can not express my sadness at this time. Downtown Nashville, a very historical district is flooded. My brother reported yesterday that semi trucks are under water....and that traffic lights are now sitting just above the water level.....unbelieveable! My heart is just broken...Nashville was and always will be my home. I am praying for the safety of many people at this time. Even people that had hurt me or have been unkind at times, I hope they are all well and alive. With all that Mother Nature is dishing out around the world lately, I think is making a very loud statement to a lot of people. We are ruining are planet and it is now in revolt!! I have thought about this a lot lately....What can I do? How can I help? I am now starting to recycle everything I can. All the water bottles I go through are a big thing to recycle. Living here in Florida, with the recent oil spill, I have volunteered my time to help care for the birds that need to be bathed and taken care of. I am just one person, and I have been lacking in my involvement for many years. I think when it hits home....literally, you tend to want to make a change. Just like morbid obesity did to me. When it finally hit home that my health was rapidly declining, I needed to make a change and I did. I just wish I had not of waited to take care of my health and my planet til something drastic happened. But, that's what it took for me.... I am making positive changes in my life and the life of our planet. I am just one person, but maybe I can influence one other person somehow to make the changes before it "hits home".... Sad but loving me and our planet!!! Missing Nashville and praying for safety of everyone... Meg

Nashville....my home for the first 30 years of my life...Wow, that's a long time. I am feeling so horrible about the flooding that happened there yesterday. I am very very sad. I have family and friends there that have been devistated and displaced because of this. Areas of Nashville that I know well, now sit under 12 feet of water. My Grandparents home is one of those. They both died in the last 9 months and their home was still full of antiques, pictures, and many many memories. It is now ruined. All you can see is the roof of the home. We were fixing to go back up there yet again, to remove the precious things and put it on the market, now all is lost. We have tried to call people to check on their well being but the power and phones are out in a lot of areas. I just can not express my sadness at this time. Downtown Nashville, a very historical district is flooded. My brother reported yesterday that semi trucks are under water....and that traffic lights are now sitting just above the water level.....unbelieveable! My heart is just broken...Nashville was and always will be my home. I am praying for the safety of many people at this time. Even people that had hurt me or have been unkind at times, I hope they are all well and alive. With all that Mother Nature is dishing out around the world lately, I think is making a very loud statement to a lot of people. We are ruining are planet and it is now in revolt!! I have thought about this a lot lately....What can I do? How can I help? I am now starting to recycle everything I can. All the water bottles I go through are a big thing to recycle. Living here in Florida, with the recent oil spill, I have volunteered my time to help care for the birds that need to be bathed and taken care of. I am just one person, and I have been lacking in my involvement for many years. I think when it hits home....literally, you tend to want to make a change. Just like morbid obesity did to me. When it finally hit home that my health was rapidly declining, I needed to make a change and I did. I just wish I had not of waited to take care of my health and my planet til something drastic happened. But, that's what it took for me.... I am making positive changes in my life and the life of our planet. I am just one person, but maybe I can influence one other person somehow to make the changes before it "hits home".... Sad but loving me and our planet!!! Missing Nashville and praying for safety of everyone... Meg

Lately, life has just been happening and I'm just trying to go with the flow...I am down a total of 43 pounds and I'm very excited about that!! My first goal was to be down to 299 by the end of June 10....I have 8 pounds to go and I think I will make that goal sooner than I thought:thumbup: I go for my first fill in 4 days. I am kinda nervous, I don't know why....maybe because this is the first or my food intake will probably be restricted. Even though I know I need to make better choices about what goes into my body, not having a fill these last 2 weeks, I have been eating more and things that would not be in my best interest to eat. I am still losing even though I have made a few bad choices here lately. I have found that I do need more calories than what I was told because every time I have induldged, I have lost weight!! It's crazy.... I was worried that I wouldn't get a fill next week because of my weight loss....But I called my surgeons office and they said that I would get a fill regardless so that made me feel better. Right now, I feel I could go to a buffet and eat whatever I wanted ( except bread) I am really hungry and thinking and dreaming about food. I have crazy dreams about food and my band.... I am still swimming almost every day. I push myself more in the pool to go longer or use more effort. I know I need to really start walking more. I am so scared that I will have a heart attack and then that thought sends me into a panic attack...I really need to talk with my surgeon and primary doc to figure out my risk of heart attack/stroke. If they tell me the truth then maybe I can really start walking more. Since this coming week I will be 6 weeks post op, I have the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer. That excites me and scares me. Why am I so afraid to push myself....( besides the health reasons ). I am still on my meds for cholesterol and triglycerides. I am hoping to make an appointment with reg doc to get blood work done and see if the doses can be lowered or even taken off them completely. Life as a bandster is not a bad life by any means. I have been given a gift and even though it has had its challenges, it is so worth it. I am learning to love myself, forgive myself and to make healthier choices. It does not happen overnight....:smile: But it is a journey and one that I am fortunate to be on.....well time to close, TIME FOR BREAKFAST....LOL Loving Me daily Meg:tt1:

Lately, life has just been happening and I'm just trying to go with the flow...I am down a total of 43 pounds and I'm very excited about that!! My first goal was to be down to 299 by the end of June 10....I have 8 pounds to go and I think I will make that goal sooner than I thought:thumbup: I go for my first fill in 4 days. I am kinda nervous, I don't know why....maybe because this is the first or my food intake will probably be restricted. Even though I know I need to make better choices about what goes into my body, not having a fill these last 2 weeks, I have been eating more and things that would not be in my best interest to eat. I am still losing even though I have made a few bad choices here lately. I have found that I do need more calories than what I was told because every time I have induldged, I have lost weight!! It's crazy.... I was worried that I wouldn't get a fill next week because of my weight loss....But I called my surgeons office and they said that I would get a fill regardless so that made me feel better. Right now, I feel I could go to a buffet and eat whatever I wanted ( except bread) I am really hungry and thinking and dreaming about food. I have crazy dreams about food and my band.... I am still swimming almost every day. I push myself more in the pool to go longer or use more effort. I know I need to really start walking more. I am so scared that I will have a heart attack and then that thought sends me into a panic attack...I really need to talk with my surgeon and primary doc to figure out my risk of heart attack/stroke. If they tell me the truth then maybe I can really start walking more. Since this coming week I will be 6 weeks post op, I have the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer. That excites me and scares me. Why am I so afraid to push myself....( besides the health reasons ). I am still on my meds for cholesterol and triglycerides. I am hoping to make an appointment with reg doc to get blood work done and see if the doses can be lowered or even taken off them completely. Life as a bandster is not a bad life by any means. I have been given a gift and even though it has had its challenges, it is so worth it. I am learning to love myself, forgive myself and to make healthier choices. It does not happen overnight....:thumbup: But it is a journey and one that I am fortunate to be on.....well time to close, TIME FOR BREAKFAST....LOL Loving Me daily Meg:tt1:

I really can not believe this.....Things have been gong ok and I've been getting some swimming in...but I woke up. went to bathroom and weighed....I'm at 310!!! 40 POUNDS GONE!!!! I haven't even had a fill yet....Wonder what it will be like with restriction???/ I am so very excited and proud of myself. This has not been easy at all....but it has been so worth it. To think I have lost 40 pounds since March 20th 2010 is amazing. I think someone in Heaven is rooting for me....( my dad ) I feel very fortunate to be able to have this band and the willingness to be patient with myself....I used to lose patience and just give up. Now, I am enjoying the journey....the good, bad, and ugly...Weight loss, no matter how you achieve it, is a journey. I am getting some sense of self confidence, I think. Even though I am still in the 300's, I don't think I will be there too much longer.... Loving Me,:biggrin:

Ok, So I am one month post op and have been following my Surgeons diet about 90% of the time...getting anywhere between 500 and 800 calories and 70 to 90 grams of Protein...I have had no fill yet and my weight loss has been stalled a lot. I know this is normal since I don't have restriction.....Here's my confusion....2 times in the last week, I have eaten some things I probably shouldn't have.....1 time I had the meat and cheese from a McDonalds double cheeseburger and last night I had the toppings off a few slices of pizza. Now evrey time I do this I lose weight. I have lost 4 pounds this week already....What is the deal here.....With the pizza toppings and cheese yesterday I got in like 1200 calories....and I lost 2 pounds:confused:. I am exercising most days in the pool for 20 -30 minutes and drinking a lot of Water....I just don't get the weight loss with higher calorie content... Any suggestions.... Meg

I really can not believe this.....Things have been gong ok and I've been getting some swimming in...but I woke up. went to bathroom and weighed....I'm at 310!!! 40 POUNDS GONE!!!! I haven't even had a fill yet....Wonder what it will be like with restriction???/ I am so very excited and proud of myself. This has not been easy at all....but it has been so worth it. To think I have lost 40 pounds since March 20th 2010 is amazing. I think someone in Heaven is rooting for me....( my dad ) I feel very fortunate to be able to have this band and the willingness to be patient with myself....I used to lose patience and just give up. Now, I am enjoying the journey....the good, bad, and ugly...Weight loss, no matter how you achieve it, is a journey. I am getting some sense of self confidence, I think. Even though I am still in the 300's, I don't think I will be there too much longer.... Loving Me,:confused:

Thanks for that bit of info.....Do you all eat the WW foods that are in the stores??? Or how does that work??? Any and all info appreciated.... HUGS, Meg

Hi all... I'm 1 month out from surgery and on soft foods now.... Does WW really work for all of you??? What about the carbs??? My surgeon advocates low carb diet. I am intrested to know how you guys really do this as if it would help me I would do it online as well. I'm at a high weight so I know I would have a lot of points to use...I'm just really curious how this works for you all.... You can send me a private email if you'd like just put lap band or ww in the subject line... mgam40@gmail.com Meg:confused:

Yesterday was my 1 month post op date and I got stuck for the first time as well. I was eating a lowfat/carb high Protein Jimmy Deans D Lights ( a egg mcmuffin ) I had had these in the past...and never had an issue. But last night I guess I wasnt paying attention and ate too fast and did not chew well....after 3 bites I got stuck from the bread....Now, I have had no fills and no problems eating anything but I really got stuck on this. It was the worst pain I have felt in a long time. It lasted about an hour and a half. I ended up vomiting it all up and felt a lot better. I have learned my lesson....Chew very well, small bites and no more bread!! Today, I am on liquids only and trying to be very gentle with my body....I remember my surgeon saying in the first consult that when I do have a stuck episode, it will teach me that I don't want it to happen again....boy was she right!! Take Care All, Meg

Ok....tomorrow is one month post op and bandster hell is kicking in...I find myself wanting to graze during night time...These are habits/demons that I have to learn to battle...there is no magic pill or band that will stop me from eating too much. I have to deal with these problems and fix them myself. I am feeling better day by day...I have been swimming a lot this week but not losing....not gaining either which I guess is the best part. I am now on soft foods and don't really know what my coloric intake should be,,,,I see surgeon on 5/4 for first fill and I see the NUT then as well. Maybe I can get some more info personal to me....I was very excited today becasue I put on a pair of shorths that last year were uncomfortably tight and now they feel very good. Also a lot of my tops are just way too big, but I continue to wear them....I am getting a great tan, and hopefully toning my body as well as burning calories in the pool... I want to start walking but I'm afraid to push it to much right now...in 15 pounds I will be in twoderville....maybe I will start walking then. Life is pretty good today....glad I have the band even tho theres nothing in it....gotta stop the night grazing...I feel like my health is already a bit better. On my journey to self love....pretty cool!!!:wink2: Meg