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How often do you guys weigh yourself? I'm trying not to be too nuts about it. I'm only 10 says out but so curious!

I'd go see a new doctor who has fluroscopy and barium and get my fills from someone who knows what they are doing.. That's nuts that you are a year into this without decent restriction. I go to mexico for my fills but i live in california. I had 2 fills and I"m 8cc in a 10 cc band. I'm tight but not excessively.. warm tea opens the band most times if i really feel too tight. but the bottom line is i was banded feb 9 this year.. have lost 40 pounds.. and don't see any reason not to get to goal by september 5th ( my birthday)..

Oh yes she is very supportive. She had the gastric bypass in 01. She is blaming it on low energy. She is going to see her gastro doc about her Crohn's in a couple of weeks. Last year she went to her Gynecologist about low libido. (She used to have a very high libido) She thought it might be hormones. Blood work came back all normal. Her doc asked us when was the last time we took a shower together? His point that it is not her hormones but in her mind. He told her sometimes we lose focus of what is important and our marriage is the most and it takes effort and sex is important in a marriage. When she is in the mood she is in the mood, but it just has come longer and longer between. I know ahe said when I was heavier it was difficult because we were limited as oppose to when before I gained the weight 5 years ago. Now I have lost weight and ready to be like we were before. Hopefully it will get there. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

So, I know that this is hard to believe, but again it's Friday and no surgery date! I called there 5 times today and kept getting a voice mail. I'm not sure, but maybe they aren't there on Fridays?? Anyhow, I have to wait until Monday again and call them again. What I wanted to tell the secretary was I cannot do any date from 6/1-6/19. My daughters are coming to see me in Texas from upstate New York. I am excited to see them and hug them! I haven't seen them since last summer. I went up to New York for my younger daughters high school graduation. Today is her 19th bday! And my other daughter is 21. I can't wait to see them! I don't want to have the surgery while they are here. I am still overly frustrated about no date yet, but I can now focus on my kids coming and keeping me occupied. So, I will wait some more! Ugh!

When dealing with the 'Last Supper Syndrome' keep in mind that any weight you gain before has to come off after. It could be discouraging to have to lose 10+ pounds post-op while you regain lost ground. Also, I found that those last meals weren't as satisfying as I expected them to be. I did indulge on old favorites once or twice a week (I didn't 'gorge' myself) but balanced it out by eating better at my other meals. It helped keep things in check while savoring goodies I might not have for a long time, if ever. The mindset for losing really must start pre-op. So indulge, without getting out of control. In the long run it's worth it to deprive yourself of foods that are not good for you. As someone has said 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. I'm finding that it's a true statement. :-)

Tomorrow I will call the doctors office and clarify with them maybe its all liquid and then 10 days before surgery clear liquid. Anyway thanks for the reply!!! Sent from my LGMS631 using the BariatricPal App

I'm having a hard time sticking to the clear liquid diet. I'm on it for 6 weeks starting March 1st and I can't stick to it consistently without cheating. Trust me I want to but then I end up messing up. Its depressing and upsetting. I have 4 small kids ranging from 5 to 10 months old. I'm not sure if its just mommy stress and other personal stress but I just can't seem to stick to it. Surgery date is 4/14/16. Any tips out there? Help. Sent from my LGMS631 using the BariatricPal App

It's comforting to know others have the same issue!!I do know that I have a lot of extra skin. My dr told me he could feel a 6 pack! I just have the extra skin over it. I am 28 and plan on getting pregnant very soon, so they told me to wait on a tummy tuck until I am done having kids. The dr also told me that if all the extra skin was removed, I would most likely weigh about 10 lbs less.. so I guess that puts me almost at my goal weight!

I've put off doing this, but here it is: I had lap-band surgery 3 years ago. About 6 months ago I joined WW and at first it really helped me get back on track, eating-wise. Then it made me downright obsessive about it. I was on 29 points/day and thought,"how about 20?"....then I went down to 17, then 10. I was training for a triathlon at the same time (hence the username) and got to the point where I could no longer sustain workouts on that level of intake. Somewhere along the line I started vomitting....a lot. I went back to my surgeon (easily the worst bedside manner in the world) and he blamed it on me, that I should have come in sooner, etc. I had 1 cc in my band and he did a total unfill. That was over a month ago. I'm still vomitting every day. Sometimes 3 times/day. I won't go back to him. My husband is about to deploy and I just don't need one more stressor right now. If that Dr mouths off to me ONE MORE TIME I will walk out. I'm DONE. This is REALLY on my mind b/c I'm getting my teeth cleaned tomorrow and I'm dreading talking to my dental hygienist about it. I've known her for years. I'm rambling. Anyway, ....hi.

I think this is the best place to vent. Most all bandesters go through this hell. The liquid faze whether before or after surgery is HARD. Our minds always think of food, the TV shows all that we are missing, it's plain hard. I too am about 10 days out and can't wait till real food is back on my list of approved foods. Although I am not looking forwrd to the PB that may come. I hope I can remember small small bites and chew chew chew.

I'm 6 months out and 90 lbs down. Now a size 10. I have had a couple of "wow" moments. I feel like the same person, but I don't really feel like a fat person anymore. Big, maybe, but not fat.

I still have problems eating I'm 10 mths out...but I just do liquids and am glad to be losing...just get some protein drinks and have them...

I gained about 10 pounds after my initial consult, too.I was very embarrassed about it. Especially when the doctor mentioned it to me. I tried to laugh it off by saying that I had spent a week at Disney and all the good food must have gotten me, but I still felt ashamed. I have BCBS and they did not require a 6 month diet, just documented weights and a listing of the different weight loss programs you tried. I had it lucky, I did not have the insurance and approval problems that others have encountered. I am very thankful for that!

Do bands always need to be slightly unfilled when you start to experience slime and pb when you eat. I was able to eat a meal 48 hours after my last fill on 11-10-08 with no problem, but ever since that meal I have barely been able to drink hot tea with out some slime coming up. I have managed to swallow down a few bites of food about mid-day, but morning and evening, even if I chew slow and eat slow, I can only do about half a spoon of food before I start to feel slime and severe pain and eventually pb. Can I wait this out or should I get a little unfill?:thumbup:

Are you not allowed any protein at all? When I was in the hospital they gave me pudding to eat. I came home and for 10 days post surgery I was allowed protein shakes, puddings, jello, popsicles and crystal lite. Then after the 10 days and a trip to the dr.s for post op check I was on a mushy diet. Only allowed 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of mushy food at a meal, but it was awesome to chew again. I would call your dr. and tell him what you are feeling....see if you are allowed some protein drink to gain your strength back. As for the sticky stuff on the tummy, try some oil, that worked for me. I used olive oil....I smelled great! Good luck, and hope you feel better soon. :biggrin2:

I have decided to go from a hand written journal/food diary to one that EVERYONE can read....and relate to. I will also post new recipes as they come to me... I can be quite creative... so check back!! My name is Melissa, I'm 31. I have a 12 year old daughter who is the best kid ever!!...well..depending on the day! HAHA... I'm also engaged to an amazing man who I love with all my heart. Our wedding is on 11/10/07. I have been overweight since I was around 8 years old. I was never big on sports and I loved to eat.. bad combo. I never really went on a diet until after I had my daughter. Of course I did the Phen/Fen thing... lost about 65lbs.. and looked great! When the reports came out about the dangers of the drugs I stopped taking them and up went the weight. I've been allergic to scales for the most part of my life, I rely on my pants to tell me if I have gained or lost weight. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes bad. Saying that.. my lowest size was a 10, highest 20/22. I'm currently hovering around 18/20... REALLY hoping to hit the size 18 soon.. I have some really cute spring clothes from last year to wear!! My last attempt at losing weight went very well. I began working out for about 45 min a day/5 days a week. I also had a strict diet of no sugar, low fat, low cal meals.. a typical day for me would be a breakfast of fruit smoothie made with low fat yogurt, a lunch of salad with fat free dressing and cottage cheese and grilled chicken, and dinner would be some type of grilled or roasted meat (normally chicken, turkey or fish)....I'd also have a piece of fruit and maybe a hand full of pretzels to snack on.. Seeing how I was allergic to scales I do not know the exact weight loss... but I did go from a 22 to a 16. Thats when I met my fiance, got comfortable in our relationship..and out went the diet and exercising. I gained it ALL back. This time I've had it. I thought about bypass surgery, but I really did not like the idea of my insides being "cut and paste". When I heard about the lapband surgery I took my time and really researched it..and found it to be much more appealing than the bypass. I attended my first lecture at the end of Feburary and that started my journey. So, today I got my rear out of bed and went to the gym.:clap2: I did 20 min. of cardio on the treadmill and 25 min of resistance training. It felt good. When I came home I had a home made smoothie..made with fresh pineapple, orange juice and a half of a banana..I also added a half scoop of vanilla unjury protein powder... yum!! For lunch I had a small "taco salad" using about 2 tbs of ground turkey, a sprinkle of cheese, lettuce and tomato....no shell. Not bad. ...I'm off to do housework... a never ending task. 3/5 1st Consult 3/19 Cardiologist 3/20 Life skills class (1 of 3) 3/26 Cardio stress test (PASSED!) 3/27 Life skills class (2 of 3) 3/28 Program Psych and Nurse appointment 4/2 Psych clearance 4/3 Pulmonologist 4/3 Life skills class (3 of 3) 4/23 Final Dr appointment for surgical clearance 4/25 GI Endoscopy 5/14 SURGERY!!!!

dont give up .every dr does things different. i had my surgery dec 28 . i have a 10 cc band and 5cc was put during surgery. i had my first fill six weeks after surgery. my dr only fills .25cc at a time every 2 weeks if needed. i have only lost 23 lbs. im not frustrated because their r many things i could do different. its a learning process.

Good luck. I quit September 1st with the commit lozenges they worked great. I did gain about 10 lbs but for the first time in 15 years I am a non-smoker. AWESOME I have my surgery November 25th. I feel better knowing I have done EVERYTHING to be healthier pre surgery.

Congratulations!!I too received my approval after initially being filed Nov. 5th. Called EVERY day since and finally after the surgeon's office provided the fax confirmation, the insurance company admitted that it was misfiled and a supervisor had it sent for review today. They called back within 10 minutes and provided a reference #. Same as you, just waiting for a scheduler to call now. Excited and nervous all at the same time. Good Luck to you!!!

My husbands outside pressure washing the front deck, the lawn is mowed, the house is cleaned, the kids had baths, and last and most importantly (jk) I lost another pound!! yes! I ate over 1400 calories yesterday and still saw a markedly lower number pop up on my scale. Exercise is the key! Im pretty much getting used to my portions now and have learned pretty well what I can/can't eat, and what pace I have to eat at. Yayyy, the band is great. 7:30 am Breakfast: 13 oz. Chocolate calorie countdown milk + 1 scoop unjury. 10:00 am Snack: SF chocolate pudding. 12:00 pm Lunch: 1/4 Cup egg salad, 1/2 cup tuna salad, 1/4 of an Avacado mashed, 15 Kashi crackers. 5:00 pm Supper: A few bites of ribs, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, a few bites of broccoli. 6:00 pm Desert: My husband begged to go to DQ, bad bad I gave in and had 1/2 a fudge sundae. Water: > 80 oz. Vitamins: 1 flinstones, 2 tbs liquid multi, 1500 mcg biotin, 1 calcium chew. Exercise: 25 Min. 3mph treadmil + 5 Min. 4mph jogging. Goal: Exercise! I think its key, you don't even have to lose a lot of weight to see a big differance in how you look and feel.

I had surgery on the 18th of May and went back to work on the 21st...I got up that morning and showered and I literally had to sit for 10-15 minutes just to get my energy back to blow dry my hair afterwards! Then just driving to work I was miserably tired. I came home that afternoon and slept for like, four hours. I think it's pretty normal to be completely exhausted for up to a good week or so after surgery. Your body isn't working great when all you've had for days is clear liquids! I had the same issue where I couldn't even see words clearly because I was so tired!

Hello Topgun. I understand exactly how you feel. I started this journey back in 10/2011 only to have my insurance come back and say I had to switch facilities in 12/2011. Now that I have completed all of my pre-op and scheduled for surgery 20 days from today I am freaking out. I thought I was ready for this now I'm not sure. Wondering if I will lose the weight? If I will have any major complications? Will I gain the weight back? How much skin will I have? I just hope I am making the right decision. Not only that but I have lost 15 lbs so far and will prob end up losing another 10lbs before surgery. I'm just thinking to myself how come I can't lose the weight and keep it off without surgery. Anyways...we can hold each others hand on this one. Good luck

I am a revised Bandster. I had my surgery Dec 2010 and my revision May 2011. I'm back to the beginning with fills and that whole process. It's daunting and frustrating. I wish you the best. I was lucky that I only lost weight because of the slip (which doesn't count as real weightloss for me) so I'm maintaining at the weight I was before the slip. I have 20 lbs to go. 10 lbs will get me to a normal bmi.