kerri76

I was banded 5/10/10 and have lost 45lbs. I am exercising 3-4 days per week and typically reach my doctor's goal of 65-70 grams of protein daily. I have had my thyroid, CBC, metabolic panel and Vit D checked, all were normal. I am tired all the time. I get approx 7-8 hrs of sleep per night and some days am able to take a nap of 2-3 hrs (rare because I work full-time). I do have a 9 month old so I am still recovering from having a baby (c-section) in December. I am also losing a lot of hair and even my hair person said that I am thinning on top. It is usual for me to lose hair but this is much more noticeable. The shower drain is full nearly every day. I am taking my vitamins. Any thoughts? :thumbdown:

Anything for the Droid?

I was banded May 10th and am currently in "bandster hell". My surgeon told me to stay away from carbs. That is hard! Everything has carbs. I am not a big meat eater. I was actually going to go vegetarian. Anyway, my issue with the doc saying no carbs is that I could have gone on the Atkins diet instead of getting the band. I thought the band allowed me to eat "most" of the foods that I enjoy but in VERY limited quantities. Am I mistaken? I went grovery shopping last night and nearly everything that I picked up had carbs. I know that overeating caused my obesity but is it really the carbs? I would appreciate ANY advice! Thank you!

I don't know how many calories I should be consuming. The dietitian didn't spend a great deal of time with me. I am eating 3 meals a day and only snacking if I am absolutely physically hungry. Here is what I ate yesterday: Breakfast: Weight Control oatmeal (1 packet) Lunch: Tuna salad (5-6 forkfuls), Refried Beans (1 cup) w/ sprinkle of cheese, Salmon (1-2 oz) Dinner: Sloppy Joes with Turkey meat (2 sandwiches WITHOUT the buns), Green Beans (1/2 cup), Fries (Handful) Water (2 liters) No exercise yesterday :-( I have absolutely NO restriction and am able to eat nearly anything (haven't tried everything) and a fairly large quantity. I stop myself when I think that I am "satisfied" even though I would love to eat a LOT more! I am still struggling with head hunger and emotional urges to eat but I have done really well with distracting myself and it goes away. What should I eat? Dr said NO CARRBS, lots of Protein! How many calories? Is there an easy way to count calories for items that are in bulk? food scale?

Lost 5 pounds this week! I was just banded last Monday so I'm not too excited! :thumbup:

Oh, have you tried contacting your local La Leche League? They may be able to help too! If not, let me know, I work for a doc that specializes in breastfeeding. Btw, that's awesome that you want to continue to nurse your baby! :redface:

I am also nursing my 5 month old and was banded Monday (5/10). I am using Herbalife which is a soy protein and it has actually increased my supply! I know there is controversy over whey and soy protein but my dietician said I could use it. I enjoy the taste too! My 8 year old son even likes it!

As much as I can't wait to eat something solid again....I am scared to try something solid. I will get to start puree next week. That will be nice. But what the heck should I eat? I am dying for an egg! Is it possible to puree an egg?

I tried a couple whey protein shakes and they were terrible. In the past I had used a soy protein product through Herbalife and I talked to my dietician about it. He said that it was fine. I know there is controversy between soy and whey protein but I couldn't choke down the whey shakes another day! My 8 year old son loves the shakes and has one everyday before school. That's how good they are.

My surgeon instructed me to take Ibuprofen (I was banded Monday). Strange! :biggrin:

I may be a little obsessive but....I weighed myself yesterday AND today and have gained a few pounds! WTH? I am still "puffy" and "swollen" from the surgery but come on...a gain? So depressing! I only have 3 protein shakes and water daily! Anybody else in the same boat?

This is my first challenege, was banded 5/10. Going to shoot for the stars and aim high. I would love to be in the 200's by the 4th so I am going for 31 pounds! That will put me at 299! Good Luck! Now I just need to figure out the weight ticker! :smile2:

Just got banded yesterday and feeling pretty good. Still a little tired. I do have some pain and discomfort in my belly where the port is. Definitely noticeable when I get up from sitting or laying! I have VERY minimal belching and NO gas yet. I have been peeing though! I have had one protein shake all day. Not hungry at all!!! I am excited that my journey has begun!:scared2:

Hi all! I had my surgery yesterday and feeling pretty good. I have some pain and discomfort where the port is but otherwise feeling just fine. Some discomfort in my shoulders if I sit or lay for a long time. I haven't eaten but one protein shake because i am FAR from being hungry! I am happy that I am officially banded! :scared2:

My surgeon's office told me that if I was hungry that I should call the office and they would let me move to solids. I had my surgery yesterday and have only had one protein shake in over 24 hours. I am not even close to being hungry. Not sure if I should drink, besides water, even without being hungry.

I am almost finished with the book by Khaliah Ali called Fighting Weight. She had the Lap-band several years ago and her story is inspiring and educational.

My big day is tomorrow! I will keep you all posted!

I am in mourning too! I completely understand when you said that carbs have been your BFF. Carbs have been my BFF too....you can tell from my "before" pictures! YUCK!

I am getting banded on Monday (5/10). Excited and a little nervous. This is a HUGE lifestyle change. I am excited to start seeing some results. I have been on my pre-op diet since Monday. Liquids only, 3 protein shakes, total of 800 cals per day. 1st day was a challenege but has progressively gotten better. I did fall off the wagon on Wednesday and pigged out but since then I have been on track. My mind keeps telling me to eat everything in sight so I have to constantly fight that urge. This site has been wonderful. I have also started blogging and reading blogs so that helps to. Blogging is like my journal...a way to get out all these feelings and emotions instead of stuffing them inside with food. I am in healing! I am grateful to have found fellow banders because I don't have much support at home. Talk to you all soon! Take care!!!!

Thank you to everyone for your replies and words of wisdom! I made it through today successfully and UNDER my 800 cal limit! It feels good to say that! Thanks again! :thumbup:

I appreciate your comments. I have read that there are people that CANNOT eat those foods and I will be one of them. I will REFUSE to eat those foods out of fear of getting stuck or causing damage to the band. I have already told myself and my family that I will no longer be able to eat bread, Pasta, rice and high calorie soft foods. I will work closely with my dietician to make the best food choices. I WANT this to work. I fell off the wagon yesterday, scraped my knees but dusted myself off and am limping through today. I have to be aware of the food that I put into my mouth. Be conscious of my triggers and find alternative ways to deal with those triggers. I plan on taking a walk tonight which will get me out of the house and away from my triggers! I want this to work. I NEED this to work. I will DIE if I do not lose weight. Plain and simple! :thumbup:

I think I do have some PPD but I am on medicine for it. I am feeling better today just trying to take it one day at a time and be slightly more forgiving of my downfalls. It doesn't help that yesterday the baby was a bit more cranky than usual because she is teething and my husband is RARELY home to help me because he works a lot and also farms. So this time of the year is difficult for me.:thumbup:

I am disgusted with myself! I have surgery on Monday and started my pre-op diet last Monday. It's been a struggle but I made it through Monday and Tuesday fine. Well, yesterday I did fine until I got home. See, home is a trigger for me. There is FOOD there and LOTS of it! I have 2 boys and a husband that like food! All day at work yesterday I kept hinking about Fruit Loops. I just couldn't get it out of my head! I got home from work and ATE! I had 2 single serving size chips, 2 bowls of Fruit Loops, a donut and ice cream. After I ate it, I got so depressed and so disgusted with myself! I hate that I think about food all the time. I am a FOOD ADDICT! I have read that other people have cheated on their pre-op diets and some people have posted in response that they shouldn't get the band. I don't want to NOT get banded. I know the band will work for me. When I was pregnant (baby is 4 1/2 months old) I actually lost weight because I couldn't OVEREAT! The baby was far up and squished my stomach so it was painful to overeat. I am assuming that the band will be similar. I also know that there will be foods that I will NOT be able to eat because they could get stuck. I also will be fearful of causing the band to slip. I don't want anyone to think that I am not ready for the band, I think I am...I just fudged up yesterday. I am back on track today and will ONLY eat the designated foods ONLY when I am hungry! I have read that the first few weeks after the surgery are difficult too but knowing that I PHYSICALLY will not be able to eat will help me. I am just having a HUGE mind struggle! One part of my brain wants this so bad but another part just wants to EAT! Please help me! I was so depressed last night and didn't sleep well because of this. :bored:

Congrats!!!! I have my surgery on the 10th and am currently on my pre-op diet! It sucks! :thumbup: I am surviving but it is difficult! I see and smell food everywhere! The first day was HELL! I had a headache and was so bitchy! Yesterday was better though! I took "before" pictures last night...how depressing! I can't believe I am that FAT! :thumbup: It is motivation to lose weight but it's also so depressing that I want to EAT! :biggrin: How did food every get so out of hand? Anyway...CONGRATS again!!! Wish you well!

:thumbdown: So, I started my lovely pre-op diet today and it sucks! I am soooo freaking bitchy. I also had a headache all day. The headache is my fault for stopping caffeine cold turkey! UGH!!! I tried the EAS protein shake this morning and it wasn't bad but by the third shake tonight....I wanted to vomit! I have to find some other protein shake! I did eat some almonds today even though I am supposed to be on a liquid only diet but I needed something to eat! Not eating food is making me wonder if I can really do this. Will I be ok with NEVER being able to OVEREAT again? That's fudged up thinking right? "Normal" people don't think about food constantly! Will I ever be "normal"? Will I ever have "normal" thoughts about food? I hope this band will help me! Someone please tell me it will! Please tell me I am not alone because right now I want to go eat EVERYTHING in the kitchen..maybe even the kitchen sink!