sbrick

Thanks everyone for the advice. Your feedback has helped greatly.

I just had my first fill via my doctor. I've heard from people that he's a hard ass, but I guess I had no idea. I had followed the eating plan given to me, but midway through my six week recovery, I came down with the flu (I didn't exercise during that time). I still managed to lose 17 pounds before my doctor's visit. Once I got to his office this past week, he told me how terribly he thought i'd done. He said for someone my size, I should have lost 30 pounds and I was failing. I've always heard that any weightloss in the healing stage is good weightloss, am I right? We went over my food and the foods he recommends contradicts what the nutritionist gives you in a meal plan. He had me speak to another patient (who was bigger than me) and had managed to lose 35 lbs in 6 weeks. Am I missing something? You seasoned bandsters, can you please give me some advice? Thanks!

So very inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

So what kind of changes have you guys experienced since you started losing weight? I'm just very interested to talk to more people closer to my age who've gone through/going through things similar to me. Tell me your stories! I'm really interested in getting to know you guys! I'm Stephanie and I'm 27. I was banded on Nov. 5th. I've lost 16 lbs so far. I've noticed that my confidence is slowly rising...already. Now your turn! GO!

Thanks a lot for your kind words and encouragement!

So, here I am...19 days post-op. I'm feeling good, considering that I've stopped taking my anti-depressants and given up caffeine since surgery. I'm down 12 pounds and keeping a positive outlook. It's really bothered me because a rumor started around my school (cosmetology school, nonetheless) that I'd had gastric bypass. I've just shrugged it off for the most part, but I'm gonna admit that hearing that bothered me. I feel that more severe obesity cases opt for gastric bypass and I feel slightly insulted that it's even a topic amongst my peers. I would think that my being fat wasn't an issue to them as well as my having LAP Band isn't a topic that's up for discussion. I'm probably being silly for even worrying about it, but that's what cosmetology school is for. Drama and girlfights. Even though I feel generally better, I have noticed that I'm really lethargic at the end of the day. I've been honestly forcing myself to walk for thirty minutes here and there. I'm only up this late because I made it a point to prepare dishes that my sister and I could eat while everyone else eats the high fat/calorie stuff for Thanksgiving. I took a bunch of recipes from Hungry-girl.com and made them into "mashies approved" casseroles. I ended up with a cauliflower bake (pureed), smashed sweet potatoes (made with sugar-free maple syrup and Splenda), and a crustless pumpkin pie. I'm pretty pleased with how everything looks. So hopefully, everything with taste good as well. We had a potluck today at school and I had a teaspoon of stuffing and I can safely say...their stuffing was terrible! I'm really glad I couldn't eat much because I couldn't imagine eating something like that and pretending to enjoy it. Blech. Anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and close by saying that I'm trying to keep my chin up and stay hopeful that I'm going to (one day soon) be much smaller! I've had a lot of heartache in the past year that's made a huge impact on my life and I really need to make this work. For me. This time it's not for anyone else. Keep your fingers crossed!

I was really just curious about something. How much should one expect to lose prior to the first fill? I will have my first fill on Dec. 13th and I've lost 12lbs. YAY! Am I on track or no (if I was banded on Nov. 5th)? If any of you "band seniors" could help shed a little light on this for me, it would be greatly appreciated! Happy Thanksgiving!

The booklet my doctor gave me prior to surgery says that a little bloody drainage from your incisions is normal. You're describing the questionable feelings in your stomach? From what I've gathered from this site so far, it's completely normal to feel that way after surgery. My stomach did the gurgling noises, too! Just keep on walking, sipping your clear fluids, and make sure to get your Protein and you're gonna be feeling just fine in no time!

I'm staying really positive about my journey. I've lost 9 pounds so far and that's amazing considering that it seemed like I was putting that much on per month before. I keep thinking of my reasons for doing this. My motivation. My future, my dad, Sara, Nanny. Those are what I look to when I'm feeling crappy about not being able to eat much and go out and do anything. I know I'm only 5 days out, but you have to start this thing thinking positively, so it'll carry you on further than skepticism. I've been watching the Biggest Loser and fantasizing about how awesome it's gonna be once I'm able to exercise like that again. I'm thinking about smaller clothes and feeling like I'm in the land of the living again. I want to actually LIVE. Not just exist...and let's face it, that's exactly what I've been doing for a majority of my life. It's time for all of that to change and for me to enjoy my youth and do everything I can to keep myself and my loved ones healthy. I need happiness. I look forward to great things in my future! That's all I have for now. Love, Stephanie

it's gonna get better! We can do this!

Edit: I actually found the answer on my own!

Every surgeon is different and give you directions based on their opinion on what they've seen that works. You aren't doing anything wrong. It sounds like you're doing everything right (according to what I've been told)! I'm sure you're fine.

I'm 5 days in from my surgery. Just know that if you have the problem with gas...it will get better! Just make sure you keep going for walks and know that that's the best way to alleviate it (or lying on your left side). I've been drinking lots of white tea. It's not completely caffeine free, but it's been helping my digestive tract move a little more efficiently (if you get my drift) and it feels nice having warm liquids going into your stomach. What I've been told: Drink your allotted amount of Water every day, get in your required amount of Protein (40-50 grams per day), walk as much as you can, take your Vitamins, and take small sips of EVERYTHING. Otherwise, it's super uncomfortable. I know I still have lots of learn, but this is the best advice that I can give you based on my experience thus far. I wish you the very best luck!

Princess, How many calories should I strive to consume each day? I've been reading on the site that if you aren't careful to get in the right amount of calories each day, that you may not lose (which we've all heard before). I consumed a little under 700 calories today and feel like there's no way I could have eaten any more than that! I'm really excited about my new journey and the fact that I'm learning to appreciate every single bite of food I put in my mouth! If you'd let me know about the calories, that'd be great! Thanks!

Same to you! I wasn't sure anyone was even going to respond. Let's exchange emails and we can start emailing back and forth about our progress?

Last night I woke up literally every two hours. I could only get comfortable on my back with a pillow on my stomach. I'll let you know if the gas stuff starts to work, but I've taken my max dose for today! I'm uncomfortable all the time, too. I feel really swollen and gross. Does your stomach feel like you've done a billion crunches, too?

So, after surgery, I felt extremely nauseated. I was in pain in my abdomen but I remember the doctor telling me I needed to move around to heal faster. So, I got up and walked. Ever since the surgery, I've felt a very strange feeling in my stomach. I don't know whether I'm hungry, full, or if it's just gas. Such a strange change from the norm of always knowing if I was hungry or not. My port site burns when I move certain ways, but I've been doing pretty good. The worst part thus far is the gas buildup. I've been walking off and on all day and still have a huge mass of gas in my stomach. I tried the gas strips, I even tried gas pills. No real relief yet. I'm just hanging out, doing what I'm told and hoping that I start feeling better soon. My stomach is making the craziest noises!