Angera

Hi all, I'm newly banded, banded in august! I was so disappointed with my one pound weightloss over the past 10 days! So silly of me to think this way, but I was hoping for more, I was blinded by how quickly the initial weight came off, but at least I kept losing and didn't gain!!! Since my weight slowed down with that one pound loss, I got my first fill yesterday :smile: I have this lump in my throat feeling, not too sure if that's how it's supposed to feel. I was having some greek yogurt this morning and I can't even make a dent in it. I enjoyed the fill because I feel rejuvenated with my process. I'm feeling motivated to shed more pounds and even did a 2.5 mile walk yesterday! Before, I was only averaging about a mile. Hopefully with this spike in exercise, the fill, and motivation.............I can jump start my weight loss again to reach that new year goal !!! Wish me luck and good luck to everyone feeling like they are in a slump! You can do it!!!

I am glad you realize it is a problem. Now you are aware that you need to work on it a little more. Grazing was a big issue for me, i'd pick at things in the house. my solution was to get rid of EVERYTHING, I only keep what i'm preparing for actual meals and nothing else that's easily snackable. I gave away allllllll the things I knew I wouldn't be able to eat in moderation (i.e. popcorn!). I've even come to realize, the small amount of mashed potatoes i've incorporated back into my diet have me craving sugar alllll the time. I've decided perhaps it's best to go cold turkey with bread, Pasta, and potatoes. I seemed to do better when it's just out of sight out of mind! I turn into a child with a halloween bucket full of candy when i'm around those pesky carbs. I just can't stop!

I had 14 day liquids before and 7 after, I managed to make it through. Stay strong, it's only a small price to pay for the long term goals.

I work at a cancer center and got mine today! A few folks were walking in reporting some issues as I sat down to get mine! All I can say is I have a headache, but perhaps that is because I am hungry and it is lunch time!

So, i've set a small goal for myself to hopefully be down a total of 100 pounds for the year 2010. That means from now to then, I need to lose 30.........oh boy! let's see how it goes! Anyone else have a new year goal?!

A positive attitude goes a long way :thumbup: Enjoy the small accomplishments. Expect the small setbacks, but know you just have to get back up and get going again. You will do great. I am also 26 and was 25 when i began my process. I've been banded almost 2 months after a 6 months insurance requirement. It's been the best decision of my life :thumbup: Good luck!

Thanks Pat I've always been told I am "well-spoken" and very responsible for someone my age! Here's a little more of my "whole story" on how I decided on weight loss surgery. I've been overweight since as long as I can remember. The only time I know i was skinny was at age 3 because i've seen it in pictures! I grew up with a family where EVERYTHING revolved around food, parties, holidays, funerals, everything! My dad was a large man with many many health problems. He had diabetes, thryroid issues, heart disease, kidney failure, hypertension, the works! He had heart surgery in his 40's to clogged arteries, it was the first time my family all took the initiative to "get healthy", for his sake. Well it didn't last long! He was a stubborn man. He went back to his old ways, gained more weight and ended up on insulin and then gained about another 100 pounds after that. He even discussed gastric bypass with his endocrinologist. He was told he wouldn't be a candidate because he was just too unhealthy. On December 22, 2005, we celebrated an early christmas because I had to work on christmas day. My dad insisted we go to the bank so he could give us all our annual $100 and insisted we go buy my brother a BBQ pit :tongue2: He started getting irritable and asked that we hurry up and go eat dinner. So we picked a place and went assuming that his sugars were running low. I remember sitting with him outside the restaurant and telling him i'd found a store with 5x and 6x shirts we could get him. He said "well, i need to work on this weight, it's not good to be this way, i don't' think i'll need those 6x shirts". Table was called and we went inside. We were at a steakhouse and my dad ordered a veggie plate! I thought it was strange, but he barely touched it. He just sat back and watched all of us eat. Thinking back on it, his eyes were so glassy. He told my mom he had "indigestion" from some tamales he had earlier. He asked her to go with him outside because he was not feeling well. My mom came inside and asked us to pay the bill and pack up because he wanted to go to the hospital. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the hospital.........he died en route. I got to the hospital, walked passed the trauma room and all I heard the nurses saying were "he's flatlined". I was in shock. I couldn't believe it, we had all thought it would be like all the other times where he would go in for a few days and leave. He was 54. I was 20. His highest weight at that point was nearing 450lbs. I was already weighing 340. Experiencing his death and illnesses scared me enough to realize I needed to change. My mom begged me for years to take care of myself because I was heading down his path. I wouldn't listen, i was being just as stubborn as him (I am just like him in every way!). I needed to make this choice to take control when I knew I was ready. Nobody else could do it for me. My mom says he's been my guardian angel getting me through all of this. This has absolutely been the best decision I have ever made. It was a scary one because i'm young.........young people should be able to handle this! But I realized this was a lifelong problem that I needed a lot of help to get under control. Part of me accepting my choice was accepting that I could NOT do this without surgical help and support. All my other diet attemps failed, i'd go back to my old ways. And it's because it was just that, a "diet". I was not making those "lifestyle changes" that I needed I truly look forward to the future I have. I look forward to having children with my husband, being able to play with them, and being healthy Now as far as spokesperson goes, that would be a "dream job"! Once I got down to goal of course! I love public speaking and motivating and encouraging other folks when I can. I had my co-worker convinced, she's now started her journey and she thanked me for that! It was very flattering :tt2: :thumbdown:

Yes and yes! I work in the medical center and live near downtown. It has been going really good so far. I hadn't really started an exercise regimen yet, but finally committed to that last night. Keep in touch!

My recent restaurant choices are anything grilled on the menu with veggies. I order for me, but my husband eats it and I just take my portion :thumbdown: works out great so I don't overeat! If it's a burger type place, i usually get a kids burger and eat only one bun or just the meat and lettuce. A suggestion some others gave me once was to pack Meal Replacement Protein Bars to have on hand for those just in case times. I even keep some in the car for long trips when fast food choices are the only options!

I'm curious now if whether or not I beep in a metal detector!

Losing weight is hard, even with a band! Your positive outlook is great. And I also agree that it is such a mental game. I got sick about a month after banding and found myself "treating" myself for being sick and needing another surgery! A week and a half later, I was still treating myself! This past weekend, I scolded myself for these little indulgences because they were getting habitual. Now, I was still eating small meals but not focusing on Protein and what not. This week, i'm focusing on getting back on track! It's a constant battle, you just got to keep on fighting and pick up the pieces if you stray a bit :thumbdown: Good luck!!!

I had no pain afterward. Had more pain from sleeping wrong those days after surgery! Only needed two nights of pain meds just to make sleeping comfortable. All I can say is everyone is different. Many of us have been there and done it and are alive and well to tell the story. Good luck!

That does sound really good! I finally went shopping yesterday for some clothing after two people yesterday commented about my clothes looking too big. Geez folks, don't say anything unless you want to be the one to buy me new clothes! This past summer, I was wearing a pair of shorts that were a size 28 and jeans that were a 26! yikes! The jeans I bought yesterday were a size 20 and so were the work pants i got

Timandmich, we have the same band date! How is everything going for you?

I hate that doctors say those things. The first bariatric surgeon I ever met told me I wouldn't lose enough weight with a lapband. You will lose as much as you are willing to work to lose.Needless to say, he was not my surgeon I ended up selecting for surgery. I have about 200 pounds to lose, I was banded on aug 13 and am down 70 (From preop to now). I follow the rules, reward myself occassional, and firmly believe I can get to my goal Will it be easy? no, weight loss surgeries are merely a tool, it's all up to you and I know i'm going to have to work hard Can it be done? absolutely Good luck!

Where are the San Antonio people?! lol, so many of you in the Houston area! i'm jealous!

Mine changed! It came two weeks earlier and then again a week after it ended! It also lasted longer. I went to see my girly doctor last week and she said my weight loss was the culprit, my hormones are out of whack! I am on birth control pills and so she switched me to another form to hopefully get it under control.

I can absolutely relate to this. However, in my case, I was on the tail end of my 6 months and the e-mail had gone out in month 5 about lapband coming with a $5000 deductible plus %20. I could've died. HR even said the WOULD NOT grandfather folks who were close to surgery, JERKS! I was able to work with the doctor and insurance to have my paperwork submitted one month early to assure my surgery date fell before aug 31, which was my change of fiscal year and benefits....... Try everything, I called the insurance over and over and over until someone finally said well just submit your paperwork and see what happens...........the nutritionist and doctor were willing to do it because of the circumstances and i was sooooooooo close to the end! So it's quite stressful, I KNOW! But put up a fight, I did, and it payed off

I'd never known about steel cut oats, I must switch over, i'd been using the regular ones! YIKES!

older post but i resurrected it because I thought of another one this morning while driving to work jamming the radio. I can't wait to be able to "drop it like it's hot" while dancing without fear or not being able to pick myself back up!!!!hahaha!!! The thought came to me as I listened to "single ladies" by beyonce. ahhhhhh yes, the ease of dancing without excess weight!

Great website, I took a brief peek! Thanks for the tips everyone

So, it's nice to throw on the "small jeans" i've kept in the closet for yearssssssss and see that they're too big now! It was also nice throwing on an XL t-shirt without having to stretch it out first! I am loving my band and excited about this journey! I could use Breakfast ideas though!!! Got any?

I am from San Antonio, Texas. I am a Clinical Research Associate with a cancer center.

Glad something in there spoke to you dave! It just made sense to me to go with a band. As you can see by my profile, i'm quite young and hopefully have a long life ahead of me. The thought of butchering my insides was scary! My friend that had sleeve issues is only 28 and had major issues and having to have surgery to try and reconstruct her digestive system to one that is going to physically work for her! That's a lot to go through! And it's like she put it, it was a major decision she made and she wishes she would've researched her decision more. She was shocked at my progress with the band because she too had been told, "you have too much weight to lose, the band won't work....." i hate that statement!

I had originally met with a doctor who convinced me i needed gastric bypass because for as much weight as i needed to lose it wouldn't happen. I have about 200 pounds to lose. After I went through a few months of the process, I noticed some things about the doctor that I didn't like and stopped the process. Two years later, I came full circle and was revisiting weight loss surgery again. I had recently had a friend get a vertical sleeve that she battled her insurance for a year to get approved. It was the biggest mistake ever. She is unbelievably sick and has lost 175 pounds vomitting for a year. She is now seeing a specialist and going to have to have her surgery revised and they are going to attempt to give her a gastric bypass. Without going into too many of the details of how her surgery went wrong.................it was a deciding factor in why i didn't want a sleeve! I had a cousin who had gastric bypass a few years back and almost died. He was in a coma for a little over a month. He had a long healing process but unfortunately has since then also gained most of his weight back. Both situations were probably on the extreme end, but to have two close people in my life have something horrible happen, I don't think it's a coincidence. These surgeries are very invasive and very dangerous and this magnified the risks. I began strongly researching lapband in October 2009. I met a few surgeons, went to two seminars, and talked with a relative and family friend who had the surgery. Neither of them had any complications and had not known anyone with complications. They both highly recommended the surgery and have both been as successful as someone with a sleeve and gastric bypass. My concern again was would i be able to lose all the weight i needed to. As one person final put it "you will lose as much weight as you want depending on how hard you are willing work to lose it and keep it off". Neither surgery is a gurantee. Is the band easy? absolutely not. Will I lose the weight as quickly as other surgeries? absolutely not. Two years from now when the weight is gone, will it matter how I got there? Not to me. It's a less invasive way to have the same end result. The risks involved are far less than that of sleeve or RNY. I was banded on August 13, 2010 after a 6 month nutrition program (insurance required). I am down 70 pounds. 50 of that has been since my two week pre-op diet. Granted I do have nearly 200 pounds to lose, so it might initially come off a bit faster. (results vary)I am very happy with my decision and have been working very hard to be compliant and i think based on my results, i'd have to say the lapband is working. I wouldn't change it for the world. So yes, the lapband technically was my second choice because i didn't go through with the RNY. But i'd like to consider it my more educated second choice :thumbup: