MollyRN

I drink right up to about 5 minutes before I eat - and I agree with the above, I usually drink something warm, like a cup of tea, because it will open me up a little. I wait about 30-45 minutes after. I find drinking enough is the most difficult thing for me. I can't drink cold things quickly at all. I drink a lot of caffeine free warm tea. Meal wise, I don't get the snacking personally. I find that, for me, it kind of ruins my meals. I have a Protein shake in the morning if I work out but then eat 2 other meals - at about 12:30 and then at 6:30. I do a snack if I am having a bad day getting in enough calories or protein.

Jealousy.....jealousy. We women are interesting aren't we? Now we compete to see who was fatter? Who was more deserving? I would call her on it. On a similar note, I wrote on my blog yesterday about a women at my gym who came up to me and asked me how the heck I was losing so much weight, and I wrote that I was tempted to say, I eat very little and work out a lot. But I couldn't bring myself to not tell her the whole story. ONLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT HER TO FEEL LIKE SHE SUCKED at dieting. I wanted her to know that I had some ADDITIONAL help - and not to feel discouraged. We are supposed to support and cheerlead eachother. It's not a competition.

Your weight loss is awesome - some people take 4-8 weeks to even start losing. The thing that concerns me about your post is that you say you are hungry all the time. The point of the adjustments is to get to a place where that is not happening. Make sure you are not having head hunger. And be proud of yourself! You are rocking it!

I was given the same plan as you. Good luck!

I am a bit of a freak, but I have to say that I was so calm about this - I just felt like I was making such a great decision for myself and my family. And you are too! Be calm. You will be okay. I know your doctor and the hospital and you are in good hands. Here are my responses to your questions: 1) The actual surgery itself - NO BIGGIE, it was quick and easy and uneventful. And you won't remember so no worries! Be calm and be proud of yourself. 2) The pain after the surgery - I, like everyone else, had to deal with the gas pain. But MOVE, move around, swing your arms, it willl go away. It was by far the most painful part. Take your pain killers on time. I only needed them for two days. YOU CAN DO IT. 3) How long it will take me to start feeling like myself again - I felt like myself again after about a week. 4) My BIGGEST fear - will I ever be able to enjoy food again? Obviously, I get great enjoyment out of eating. It's a very pleasurable, intimate, and social experience for me. I am prepared to be able to eat much less, and I have already started modifying my eating habits, but I don't want food to be my enemy. I still want to enjoy it, yet make better and healthier choices. This last question is something I have thought long and hard about. Food has become a non-issue in my life. I eat because I need Protein and I want to work out. The relationship with food is a positive one. Sure, there are some things I cannot eat, but I don't want to. They make me feel like crap. The band will reduce intake. You will still have to make good choices. But it does interrupt social eating in that you will be totally different than you are now - IN A GOOD WAY. The thing that gets me now is that I don't need to eat something - you know that feeling of really wanting something, eating it and then feeling guilty for eating it? That is gone from my life - and honestly, that missing guilt is so much better than anything I could have eaten. You will decide your limits and what you are able to do. You will be in the driver seat of your band experience. Take a deep breath, be excited! GOOD LUCK!

PERIOD WEEK SUCKS

Dr. Fielding did mine and I have to say that I have been nothing but impressed with them. 8 months out, I can tell you that their followup and attention to the patients is VERY different than many other offices.

Ahhh....I love this question. There are some great bloggers out there who are working on maintenance. Their blogs are really great. I know that many of them had slight unfills when they dropped below their goal weight.

I too would sweat when something got stuck - but I do remember some anxiety around eating in the beginning and that could make you nervous.

I don't have enough time in to help with your question - but I have to say AWESOME on maintaining your weight.... it gives me hope on the other side of goal

I have considered your second topic many times and brought it up with my therapist. If there is a void, what fills it? And he was like, GIRL, it can just be a void. Don't get hung up on it. I love the results I am getting with my band, but I hear you, sometimes I hate the freaking thing and want to rip it out. But those are moments and they pass and nothing tastes as good as skinny anyway.

Staying connected is the right thing! This has been a long winter and you are still on track!

I agree, you don't have to have a fill but my own personal opinion is that you should keep the appointments - go in, get weighed, have the interaction. I have a couple of band buddies who sort of fell off the wagon about 6-8 months in because they didn't go to their appointments. It's good to have them track how you are doing.

Yeah - a permanent thing doesn't exist - but any cream with caffeine in it will temporarily tighten your skin - for an event or a bathing suit or something like that....

I have taken prozac since before I was banded and I have lost 86 lbs in a little less than 8 months - I think the band works inspite of the meds. Of course, they are liquid now and trust me, they don't taste good.

I don't feel hunger anymore either - I do just kind of run out of gas. And I REFUSE to give in to head hunger, I just fight it. At this point, I know that if I am "hungry" and feeling okay, then it is in my head.

Yes - for me, I felt full faster right from when I started eating food again post-op, don't know how much of that was mental. And I agree with the others above, that I would not feel hunger for a long time and I was consistently losing weight. But I have to say, I also think that you are at a good restriction when you cannot consume liquid super quickly anymore. Like, you kind of can tell that it stops for a second and then passes. That was kind of my OKAY, here is restriction moment. Right now, I really don't ever feel hunger and I definitely have to sip.

My scale is moving...but man, I need that next pound so I can get into ONEDERLAND!!!!!!!!!!!! And I think I am getting my period this week so I am not too sure it will happen.....

Thank you I love writing it. And I am excited for you too! This has been an amazing 7-8 months for me and I hope you get your date this week!! How exciting!

You guys are great. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the advice and input. We had some communication today - and it is so complex. He did finally say that he felt sometimes preop and postop that I would leave him eventually. Get skinny and go. It amazes me how two people can share a life together and be so completely on opposite pages. Like I said, I want him MORE now. So funny. But still, we have to work on this. Tonight, he went to starbucks and got me a skim latte (yum) but he also brought me a slice of the lemon pound cake that I used to love so much. Sweet? Hmmm.... first of all, I couldn't eat it even if I wanted to. That kind of stuff is a guaranteed PB for me.... but even if I could, that's the kind of stuff that got me to this point. I guess fat kinda means safe? And I am sure a lot of this is subconscious for him, he is not super cerebral and kind of a typical guy that is not 100% in tune with his emotions. I didn't beat him up though - I said, THANK YOU BABY - and then didn't eat it. This way, he got both messages. Thanks for thinking of me - but I can't eat that stuff anymore. Tomorrow is a new day - and a new chance for us to continue working through this. Skinny = safe too. Or committed and faithful if not SAFE

Although it seems like ages ago, I had the same situation. I had a bad cough like a week before and they were talking about pushing it back. NO WAYYYYYYYYYYY. Anesthesiologists like to be really careful - but I agree with the previous post, you won't be sick by then. Rest, drink water and you'll be fine.

Pick a good surgeon with a great fill nurse and you don't really have to worry. But I agree, missing may give you a bruise, but its essentially like putting eye drops in - or saline up your nose. It's not bad for you. As far as the port, I was a little neurotic about it in the beginning, only because it hurt a little for the first couple of months, especially when I got back to the gym. But now, no, it's all good. And if it flips or moves, which is not likely, it can easily be repaired. I actually had a plastic surgery consult the other day and they told me that they would move it and plant it deeper if I had the tummy tuck - WHAT FUN. Because now that I have lost the weight I have lost, I can certainly feel it and if I lie on my side, I can see it. Which brings me back to the fill issue, I could probably fill myself at this point

Not done yet... but here's a seven month comparison shot.... This is fun.

This might be a long one - but I need some advice..... I have a hot husband. So cute. Rocking body. Runs and work outs and dresses fine. We've been together for 16 years. I kind of feel like I have always been the funny, smart one and he is the hot one. And obviously, people who see my often say, OMG Molly, you look great! And I assume this is taking a little toll on him. I also think that, since he is a chef, that we have a connection over food that we no longer really have. I mean, I am down. I go out, I participate, I never say No, I don't want to go. I just don't really eat anymore. When i ask him, he says, NO BABY, I am happy for you. It's great. But then he says and does other things that are the opposite. For example, he told me yesterday that being skinny is all I ever wanted so I should be happy with that. This was in the middle of an argument. ANd I was like, DUDE, but I want you - you are important to me - I love you and I want our relationship. But he continued to say, who cares about the relationship when you are getting everything you ever wanted. HUH??? And there are other examples... one day we were thinking about going to the gym together and he said, COME ON, but your gym clothes on and let's go let everyone look at your new body. HUH?????? And yesterday, finally, he said, look how skinny you are - wow, soon you'll leave me and find someone else. I know that this is how some people feel - but I was almost this weight when I met him (before I gained 80 lbs) and honestly, the more weight I lose, the more I want him. The more I feel like I match him. The more I want to jump on him. And he's pushing me away..... Does anyone have experience with this? I am not giving up on him. I like him a lot. I just need to know what to say to him to calm his inner worries and nuture the connection between us. THANKS PEEPS!

ME TOO!!!!