qtney1

My second fill comes tomorrow....maybe...most likely. I currently have 3 cc's in my band. The first four days were extremely hard to get anything down without getting stuck (after my first fill). Now, I see that I can still eat breads (small bites....thanks to Thanksgiving!). I don't have anything in the way of restriction, so I really have to watch my portion sizes. I have also been doing awesome with not drinking for a half an hour after I eat. That has been so hard! I am currently down to 301.8, after being stalled for a month. Thanksgiving also went pretty well. I grabbed a salad plate and just put a small portion on it of foods. I don't think I allowed myself alot of food at all. Yesterday, I took my son and daughter to lunch with my parents. Lunch was a bowl of steak soup. I was only able to eat about half of it and my daughter ate the other half. I do find I feel tighter in the mornings. I would love to feel restriction, but it is not so bad where I'm at right now. i can tell the band is helping. While I don't feel restriction, I do find the food stays with me longer, which I love. We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow. Until next time....hopefully, I can soon report that I am under 300!

I am 6 weeks post op and had my first fill Monday. I am still hungry between meals, but I have definitely had to slow down when I eat. Rice and bread are no longer good friends of mine. Being stuck is no fun! Before my fill, I could eat anything and be fine. Yesterday, I had sushi and today I had a little of wheat bread and both got stuck. It made me feel like I was going to throw up and was really uncomfortable. After a few minutes (luckily) both went down. I made the sushi work in small bites but it was not so great because the best part of a sushi roll is all the flavors coming together! Today, I ditched the bread. Btw, I have 3 cc's in my band. When is your first fill?

I had surgery on a Thursday and went back to work on Monday. The first couple days back, I did need to take some meds for pain, but it wasn't bad. Just make sure you get up and moving starting the day after surgery and you will be fine. The more you walk (without overdoing it) the better off you are. Congratulations on being so close in the process! It's exciting!

Oh, how I love sushi! But, I may have swear it off for awhile. I am definitely getting brown rice next time and trying that!

So, I am on soft foods for the next couple of days. I decided I will try sushi...Having read that some people have trouble with it and some don't, I decided I would take smaller bites of it. My train of thought was,"Well, might as well nibble now because if it doesn't agree with me, that will be the end of that." Fast forward to opening my yummy sushi roll. I split a piece in half, eat a bite, then remind myself I need to chew better. I eat the remaining piece.....wow...weird feeling. I proceed to the half of piece of sushi piece #2. WOW!!! Oh no! I'm gonna get sick! I felt a huge wave of nausea and got the watery mouth. It last for about 5 minutes and I'm so glad I was able to hold on to everything. Getting sick in front of my coworkers was not #1 on my priority list today. I was able to finish the sushi roll....eventually. I cut it up into 1/4's and chewed it forever. The learning how to eat continues....will keep you posted!

I haven't tried EmergenC, but I am a huge believe in zinc when you don't feel good. It helps boost your immune system.

I am excited, for sure! It was a lot easier than I anticipated it being. I was in and out in a flash!

Today was the day of my first fill. I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but it was all good. I ate pretty light today. Coffee and a bagel (eeeek!) this morning. Pineapple and a piece of grilled chicken for lunch. Then, this afternoon, the fill! They brought me in, weighed me, checked my incision sites, then had me lay back on this table. The doctor explained that I would feel a sting, then said I wouldn't feel anything but maybe a bit of pressure. He cleaned of the area then I felt something like a little sting. After that, I didn't feel pressure at all. I felt, while he was putting the fluid in, a little tickle or maybe even butterflies. It was such a weird sensation! They then had me drink a small amount of water to make sure everything was going down just fine. He ended up putting 3 cc's in. I go back in another two weeks and will most likely have another fill. I am back to soft foods for 3 days, but that is okay. I'm finally on my way!

Well, the first fill is going to Monday. I really can't wait. My weight loss has definitely stalled out and I am excited to get this kick started once again. I am trying to plan a vacation to Mexico next summer and would LOVE to drop some excess baggage by then. The earlier, the better My doctor actually has me set up for an appointment on Monday, one two weeks from then, and one more two weeks from then. So, hopefully we will kick this in high gear...lol What do you all do the day of your fill? Do you eat light or do liquids? I suppose I should call the doctor, perhaps, but I'm curious to see what they have you do. My appointment isn't until in the late afternoon.

Thank you for the tip! I love Fashion Bug since they have cute clothes without paying OUTRAGEOUS prices. And a clearance center is a much added bonus....especially with the downward weight trends we all have. YAY!!!!!

I am just over a month post op. When I started eating regular foods again, I gained 5 pounds, then lost it again. I think the key, for me, is eating 1100-1300/calories a day for me to achieve weight loss. I was eating too few and stuck for awhile. I am a huge believe in sparkpeople.com. You just type in your weight, your goal (by a certain date....ie. Christmas, New Years, etc), and it breaks down how many carbs, calories, amount of protein, fat, etc, that you can have each day and still achieve weight loss. You just input the food you have and VOILA! Good luck with everything. I, too, can't wait for the fills to start!

Well, I successfully (and easily) lost the weight I gained on last blog. Funny thing is, I don't really feel like I"m even trying. I do notice that I am eating less, but I don't have anything in my band yet. Which, I'm not complaining, at all! Today, I reached my first NSV. I tried on a shirt I was able to wear (and look good in) 3 years ago, but haven't been able to wear in at least 2 years. YES! It's actually exciting to look at the back of my closet now and see the clothes I will soon be able to wear again! Right now, I am only a couple pounds away from being under 300..I can't wait. 300 is such a gross number. I am READY for the 2's then the 1's! That was the good news I had to share. Now, comes the bad. Did you hear about this ridiculous article written by Maura Kelly in Marie Claire magazine? If not, I encourage you to read it and be completely outraged. I can't believe, in this society, we have people like this. I almost wish I had a subscription just so I could cancel it! WHAT A TOOL! Here is the link: http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/dating-blog/overweight-couples-on-television

Fantastic!!!

Well, as of tomorrow, I will be banded a month. I was a rockstar the first couple weeks post op. I did fabulously. Then, when my husband landed back in the hospital for 5 days, I slipped off the wagon and began making poor choices as far as food. Strangely, when he landed back in the hospital is when my hunger actually returned. I was set in my ways after the surgery, without much hunger, even though I knew it would return. I am finally getting back in to the routine of things and need to start keeping track of everything on sparkpeople.com again. I also have been slacking on my protein shakes the past week and need to do that, too. I seriously can't wait for the fills to start! My worst habit is grabbing something on my way home from work. I live about 45 minutes away from home and by the time i leave work, I'm starving. I need to just stock up on protein bars so i can have a mid afternoon snack. Can anyone recommend any good snacks that have nothing to do with jello? lol On the plus side, I am eating smaller bites and taking longer to chew. Therefore, I'm not eating crazy big portions And, I am starting Zumba this week. . On the minus side, I have gained 5 pounds...eeeeek! Must....lose.....again.

Good way of thinking, girl! I had mine done a month ago tomorrow. I was doing fantastic up until I went back to full foods....well, i should say when my hunger finally returned AND I was able to eat full foods. It took a couple of weeks for the hunger to actually come back after my surgery. i have eaten some not so good things in the past couple of weeks and gained 5 pounds back.....eek! So, back to protein shakes and sparkpeople.com it is for me :-) I can't wait for the fills! My WORST habit is being soooo hungry and grabbing something on my way home from work (since I live 45 minutes away from work). on the plus side, since i have trained myself to eat slower and take smaller bites, I don't eat the same portions as I did before. Mind over matter...mind over matter!

Congratulations!

I had surgery 27 days ago. After losing 23 pounds during preop, I have gained 5 pounds back after starting solid foods. And, it has just held steady at that 5 pounds in the past couple of weeks. Don't worry...we are in bandster hell (oh, yes, I am starting to feel it). Fills are just around the corner!

Welcome! Keep on walking and it will help speed up your recovery. The throat pain was the worst for me, but the pain subsided within a few days....

Congratulations! That is GREAT!

I was sore for about 5 days and it was about a week before I got completely off pain meds. Don't worry, each day you will just feel better and better. The first couple days are the worst as far as sitting up and sleeping, but I was up and around okay.

Thank you all for the great support! I have been packing my protein shakes and bars with me to work. I have a great routine during the week, but the hospital threw me off of that. Thank you also for the prayers. The husband is doing wonderful after 2 brain surgeries involving the shunt in his head. Everyday is a new day and I am determined to make this weight stay off!

gained back 5 pounds, I meant to say...lol

Wow! What a week this has been! A week ago, I was celebrating getting down to 302 (losing 23 pounds since I started my liquid diet with almost no hunger after being banded 9/30/10). Welllll, my husband went back to the hospital on Wednesday morning and got discharged for good last night. It was an extremely stressful time and I wasn't home very much. Needless to say, I didn't have my protein routine to keep me in line. I tried to eat good and include plenty of protein in my "hospital cafeteria" diet. But, some nights, after driving home, only fast food was open (I didn't get a chance to replenish the fridge until last night). After being so exhausted, I gave in a couple of times. Now, here I am, determined to jump on the bandwagon and get back to losing again! My doctor cleared me last week for all foods again, so I stocked up last night again on all my "good food". I have gained back pounds (eeeeek!), but I think I can work that down pretty steadily with my mind put to it. I've had hardly any sodium prior to my husband's hospital stay and with the eating out several times, I'm sure I took in a LOT. Blech. Anyhoo, husband is doing great after 2 surgeries and will be out of work for several weeks recuperating. I have tried not to beat myself up too hard.....just climbing back on the saddle and WILL watch that scale go down again. This waiting for restriction is not fun, but I just have to be my own restriction :-)

You look FANTASTIC!

I was on the fence with WLS for awhile...thinking I could do it by myself, but I wasn't comfortable with the risk of gastric bypass. And, insurance would not cover the sleeve. Looking more and more at the LapBand, I decided it was the perfect option for me. I was banded on Sept 30th and have just seen the scale drop....It's a wonderful feeling and you won't be sorry. Plus, with being a mommy, like myself, you won't be down hardly at all with the surgery! Good luck!