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Okay, so here's a story. Yesterday my DH cut his finger on the Miter saw. Got 7 stitches and some good pain meds. So last night, I had to go out and run around (visiting his Mom, picking up her laundry, watched a Bible Study video with my SIL-the lesson we both missed last week) and I ended up at Wal Mart at 11:30pm where I could shop for swimsuits without 2 young ones to entertain. So I get home at around 1am, kids are snoozing and DH wakes up and says "hey" as I try on my new swimwear for him. I was at Wal Mart so late the changing rooms were closed off so I bought 3 suits and a pair of pants and tried them on when I got home. I know which 2 suits go back now!! Anyhow, once the little fashion show was over...well, the Pain pill certainly didn't make him drowsy. He slept really well last night, and I don't think it was the codiene!!

Hey guys, In need of some suggestions. My total caloric intake is between 800-900 cals/day. I have a rigorous workout schedule four nights/week. Monday & Tuesday: Cycling Wednesday & Thursday: Zumba. I aso walk the days I don't do my classes just to slow it down a bit. I burn at least 600 calories in each workout class because I am moving at a fast pace. That is what my fitness pal says anyway. Does anyone see a problem with by the end of the day having burned more calories than taken in? Or even taken in only 100 calories/day due to my rigid workout schedule? I need some feedback, I don't see my dietician for two weeks! Thanks! Xo Alexa

I felt the same. I was in pain for a good two weeks, and it took a month before I turned the corner. During the first couple of weeks (mostly the first week), there were nights that I'd get up at 2a.m. & take a swig of Lortab. The doctor had told me that this surgery would be nothing compared to the hysterectomy. NOT! The surgery took a lot out of me; I was surprised how long it took to recover completely. But I'm SO glad that I did it! It's doing everything I hoped it would, and I've never had a day with regret.

Time to start this journey [03 Sep 2006|10:57am] [music | The first time ever I saw your face [03 Sep 2006|10:57am When did it hit me? When Chris said, "think of all the things you would have done in Alaska had you not had a mobility issue"(?) Probably. It all seem to come to synchronicity (great album BTW). Half day at school, I needed to renew my prescriptions and see the doctor about that darn rash. I went to my dentist after school let out and had that off bite drilled down since it hadn't really felt right since doing the new filling. It took but a brief five minutes and I found myself back out in my car and heading towards Main Street. Left. I think I'll get those prescriptions in person rather than waiting for the pharmacy to call them in. Five blocks away and I was parking right next to the front door. How often does that happen? I walked up to the window and signed in and sat down. "Mrs. Reeves did you have an appointment?", a new receptionist peered out from the glass partition, "No I just happened to be in New Port Richey for a dentist appointment and need to have a rash looked at" (TMI I though to myself, too much information) but it seemed to appease her and I waited. Less than ten minutes and I was walking down the hallway past the examination rooms, going, going, to the last room which I know to be my doctor's preferred examination room. Wednesday, he's not there on Wednesdays, it's his day off. "What are you here for today?". I like the older staff. I know them, they take their time and I can ask about the issue "downunda" without feeling like the PHCC grad staff is "sewgrossing" about it at lunch. I tell her all of the truth, that I have a rash down there and that I have another rash on my arm. My back is killing me ( couldn't be that extra 200 pounds could it..answer your own question Patty, YES!) The list is long. She smiles, she comforts me and takes my blood pressure. She leaves. I'm waiting for the nurse practioner to come in but I hear my doctor's familiar pitch and tone. It's Wednesday, he isn't here on Wednesdays. The door opens and my nurse has returned, "Is Dr. Sichelman here?" "yes" "he isn't here on Wednesdays it's his day off" I tell her, "Dr. Galadi is on vacation so he is covering" she tells me. (how often does that happen?) This is going to be a day for unexpected things. My doctor comes in, I show him my rash on my arm, it's not really anything what else? There is the lump on my stomach in the mass of large fat on my belly I feel a pea like object, he feels it, it's nothing. He notices the rash below my stomach. I've been treating it with ointment for how long? (should I tell him years? Should I tell him two baths a day?) "it's been there awhile" I managed. He pulls at my underpants and notices another flush of skin below that. I admitted sex hadn't been what it use to be and he tells me to go to my OBGYN, "we really don't deal with that". Before I know it the conversation has turned with the problem at the moment and he begins examining me. This is a man of medicine, a healer at heart and I never appreciate him more than this moment. I have a staph infection and then a yeast infection. Before I leave there I will end up have a stack of nine separate prescriptions. I cover myself back up and sit down on the bench. He sits down at the other end and the nurse is stationed with my chart and a pen at the desk. The greater question, the greater issue, my weight. "So when are we going to get this weight off?" It's a question, a subject that he and I have talked about for years. My doctor of 16 years. Through the phase of Phen-Fen, Meridian, Redux, 1200 calories, 1800 calories, over the counter products into last year and the diagnosis of Type I Diabetes, rehabilitation to begin some type of activity until now. It's serious. My back is giving under the pressure, I take Lasix for water retention, blood pressure medication and he switches me today to two types of medication. "I know Doctor. I don't know what to do. I've tried, I've tried for years." This is a moment of honesty, the reality that my life is on the line. He tells me I'm looking at ten years. (ten years until my body breaks a blood vessel in my brain, tens years until my heart faults, ten years of semi goodness left in my body) He goes on to tell me about another patient. "He had the same problem as you. He had the gastric surgery, came in a few months back and I hardly recognized him." *A year ago I couldn't have, wouldn't have entertained this procedure* I can do this on my own I said. But a year later and an increase in 25 pounds told me that there comes a time when one has to admit they are in over their head. I was in over my head and I knew it. "Where did he go?" I was ready. I'll take some fries with that bypass [05 Sep 2006|11:59am] I refused to go to Community Hospital. Some how my brain is in 1983 with my first pregnancy and the halting news of things that had happened in this antiquated facility. But that was then, this is now. Reconstruction, new specialists are the norm for hospitals. This one has taken on the issue of obesity with a center for Weight Loss Surgery. I called three gastric doctors before realizing that there was going to be more than just a surgery. I went online and found the center's information site and read. I read for perhaps an hour. There was gastric bypass surgery, there was another type of surgery that was invasive. There was also the type of incision. I was quickly opting for laproscopic surgery. Small incision, scope to aid the doctor to see what was inside. Less invasive, quicker recovery(...I'll take some fries with that). I phoned the center and the voice on the other end was a rich accent (Jamaica?) and gentle. She asked all the questions I anticipated. I'd been down this road with my children and their pediatric disorders. Who? What? What kind of insurance? The quicker route would be to have my doctor's office call this center because everything is a referral. Making a decision to have a procedure like this is the first step the second, step is the business of it. Is it covered by insurance? The following Monday was a holiday and as it just happened to be, she was having a seminar with a few other patients. I would attend. That weekend went fast and Monday morning I was on my way down to New Port Richey, to the hospital, to the empty parking lot (holiday) to the office of Ivy. The first thing I did was sit down OF COURSE that is what fat people do when they first enter a room! (note to self: send that joke to Louis). We made our way across the hall to the meeting room. There is something about conference rooms that put me at ease. I expect a lecture, a Power Point because the screen is down and soon we are joined by a couple. Later I would exchange email addresses with "Patti" who happened to have a favorite color too...PURPLE! She saw my "Pattypreferspurple" email address on the sign up sheet and we clicked from that moment on. She had come with her husband. Then there was Gerry. I looked at them and we all seemed to have this spiritual connection. I was past being shy about my obesity, I'm big and I know it. After a few hours I was hungry and my sugar was getting low. I asked Ivy for a banana or something to raise my sugar, FOOD? She called down to the cafeteria and ordered up a few breakfast items and coffee. What do fat people love to do when they come together? ORDER IN! What did I care that there were pastries on the tray, I was here for a procedure that wouldn't allow me to eat more than 1 oz. of food, " A shot glass" as I put it. We laughed, ate, drank and got down to the business of filling out paperwork, copying identification cards and preparing ourselves for the business of weight loss. and it occurred to me. These people were smart, well articulated and with the collective as a group, we were already breaking down the percentages of the data on the Power Point and realizing that a large % of the group did not return post the procedure in the study group. So I admit that I too have the misperception that fat people are stupid, food numbed individuals who wile the hours away in front of a television doing everything but being nutritiously sound in mind and spirit. I'm beginning to learn a lot of WRONG things that like the rest of the world, I believe to be true.

Gentyl thanks for your response. The center just called and I have a nurse phone appointment next week to go over all my information. They said if everything went smoothly it would be about 4 months as I am going through my insurance. At least I know a time frame for the next thing on the docket! Your surgery isn't far off... you must be excited! bambam

Hi, I was banded in Virgina. My surgeon is Dr.Glen Moore. I was banded about 2 weeks ago. I have already lost 30lbs. Good luck !!

I have been a big fan of the Biggest Loser this season but I have to point out that they are living in a controlled environment with personal trainers and a controlled eating regiment. With that also said they are working them hard and for several hours a day not just an hour or two a day. Which will make it very hard once they are off the ranch and having to go back to their real lives again. Not so much physically but mentally. For me I started out with walking. It was a short distance when I started my walking back in October (6 weeks pre-op) and am up to about a mile and a half in 30 minutes time. I walk 6 nights a week and am getting in an additional two times a week at lunch time when at work. I wanted to add in work out videos to help my cardio but it just hasn't worked out yet. When I am ready I will be heading to that next level. For now I am still losing weight and feeling better all the time. You have to remember every person is different and we are all at different fitness levels. You just have to work at it at what works best for you. Not only physically but what you can and will do with your life style. Best of luck to you!

I'm not a February bandster, had my band 3 years, but I'll pipe up if that's OK. I'm really an advocate of starting with what you can handle - physically and mentally and if you can commit to walking regularly and putting some effort into it, well a big pat on the back to you, that's fabulous. But longer term, those sorts of workouts you see on Biggest Loser DO work. But it takes a while to get fit enough to safely work out like that. I do now, but I have lost my weight mainly through long, slow cardio - jogging rather than walking though, which I found WAY more effective, simply due to the fact that if i had an hour to spare, I could run much farther than I could work therefore I burnt a lot more calories. It also allowed me to build up to a level of fitness to give me a base for what I do now. Once a week: - an interval running session of an hour (I use cardio coach, www.cardiocoach.com) to give me a program to follow, its FUN, but super intense. Three times a week: circuit training: I mix this up. Once might be at home, using a treadmill. I'll run for ten minutes, at the end of that time, I flip the speed down, incline WAY up and use handweights to do reps of various shoulder exercises while I walk. then I hop off and do sets of squats, lunges, step ups, then run a few minutes, then do sets of deadlifts, bent over rows, back extensions, run for a few minutes, then sets of pushups and dips - and so on till I've worked my entire body for about an hour. The next time I do it, I might take my daughter the playground and do it outside - using the playground equipment to do chinups (greatly assisted by my legs, lol), dips, pull ups, etc and run around the 300 metre perimeter, then the third time, I use a 20kg sandbag and a kettlebell - works my body completely differently each time. Once a week or so - my reward. A nice, gentle 10km run. And I'd probably do 2 hour long walks with DH, often on a Saturday morning well do the 1000 steps which is a set up steps up a mountain here in Melbourne. Quite a challenging workout. I do a LOT of exercise! But you know, i dont sepend an inordinate amount of time, all my sessions are about 45 minutes, I just work as hard and intensely as I possibly can during that time. I would guess I'd easily eat at least TWICE what many bandsters eat, at least 1800 calories a day to maintain my weight. I lost well all the way through on 1500 calories and I wasnt working this intensely, as I said, mostly running. But this has allowed me to sculpt a body I never thought I'd have and I have no fear of regaining any weight while I do this, and I get to have my band quite loose and eat very normally. I'd say long slow cardio like jogging and walking does work, it did for me. But I wish I'd really tried interval training and circuit training earlier, I'd have lost weight far more quickly than I did. It really torches the fat, I've seen it quite literally melt off for me apart from those very last stubborn areas.

My job is giving out free flu shots on Monday but I not sure if I should get one. Monday will be exactly one week before my surgery and I am not sure if I can. Anyone have an answer?

I am starting this rant because I have a problem with new banders who JUST got the band within few weeks giving advise that they don't really know about! I got my band on 9/13/13. I've lost 30 pounds - I am in a position to maybe help someone who is about to have the surgery and maybe speak about my experience afterwards. But I have no business giving advise beyond that. I am a little angry with several people that have been banded after me giving advise on things that they know nothing about! Blogging on things and just in general speaking on advise that should be reserved for veteran banders. If I don't know about something, I don't say anything! I try to be encouraging to others and sympathetic as a human to human, but I just don't think this is right! Just because you have been banded doesn't mean you know everything!!!! And everyone who knows me on here - knows this is out of the norm for me, but it makes me angry! People are vulnerable and take what others say to heart! I'm not saying that newbies can't blog or speak to others, I'm just saying if you don't know about something just move on - someone else will respond that does know something! I'm not looking for backlash, just want people to be aware - that's all!

wow, that is scary stuff. I am glad you are better now. I agree, if you are losing a lb each week that is great. i'm glad you didn't freak and start eating wildly again.I don't know what I would have done? I have been losing a lb. each week now too and I have been working so hard to believe that it is ok. I am losing, not gaining! keep doing your best, going in the correct direction - DOWN....

So I am 3 weeks banded now have dropped 12lbs and am able to eat pretty much anything. My main question and concerns is How much is enough? do I eat till I feel full or should I only be eating 1/4,1/2,3/4 or 1cup of food per sitting? I know everyone is different and it all varies on person to person but what is the average?? I have noticed that the scale is going in the wrong direction and that is starting to get me down and need to know what I have to do to get it moving in the right direction. I need to start walking or exercising but I also need to know how to eat so if anyone can help thanks! Zen 04948749-FFAB-E84C-90A7-1D94AFDDA05E 1.03.01

Hi everyone I'm being banded June 3rd I am currently on my liquid diet the Atkins shakes their good! You can get them at walmart. I am getting so excited less than 2 weeks till my "new" life starts. the liquid diet isnt to bad. I also have a junk food lover of a husband who don't need to lose a pound and its hard to watch him eat but i'll be able to look and feel good soon enough. :thumbup: good luck everyone:thumbup:

I also had surgery 4 weeks ago and have lost 19 lbs. I noticed the weightloss slow down the 3rd and 4th week. Im guessing its just my body reacting to all the changes. As long as your protien and calories are on point, weight loss should resume. I also started exercising last week to help my metabolism along! Good luck. HW 276 SW 257 GW 165

Im 4 weeks post surgery and i have only lost 18 pounds ( all within the first 2 weeks ) should i be worried? Sent from my SM-J105B using BariatricPal mobile app

Good job! I was sleeved on 12/18/12. At my last Dr appt. I had a wt loss of 30lbs. That was 2 weeks ago. Since I refuse to weigh myself otherwise, I don't know my current weight. However, I do get daily compliments from coworkers and my wardrobe is starting to shrink because most of my clothes are getting to big to wear anymore. Keep up the good work ????

My favs: I run 2-3 days per week. BodyFlow or yoga 2-3 days per week (sometimes more). And weight lift 3 days per week.

Try these links to order different samples for the preop or post op diet Protein - Love these 30 flavors! Discount Code: MYM647 Nashua Nutrition - Huge variety of brands with fast shipping Vitalady – Another huge variety of samples & quick shipping.. Meal Replacements and they come in sturdy foil packets that travel well in your purse for a day out. powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury – The basic flavors plus chicken Soup - try something new. SmartForme - Starter Pack with various flavors for about $19 nectar Syntrax - You can sample all 11 flavors for about $11 bucks including shipping. Contact Rick Davis Medical Sales Manager Cookies & Cream, Cocoa Mochaccino, Tropical Sunrise, banana Cream, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. If emailing doesn't work, you can buy samples here: whey - you can request free samples by emailing them at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe if you have them local. They both let you try and RETURN if you don’t like it!! GNC will actually give a refund and Vitamin Shoppe normally gives you in-store credit which is really easy to spend since they have tons of stuff. Get a GNC Gold Card and get great discounts the first week of every month. NOTE: Vitamin Shoppe will also order items for you! I called last week to see if they carried Nectar Latte Cappuccino since they have the other Nectar flavors. They didn't have that one but offered to order it for me and call me when it got there. It arrived 3 days later! 2. Variation - Don't like a certain powder in shake form? Try mixing it in yogurt or sugar-free pudding -- I have a few flavors I love mixing in some regular or greek yogurt or some of the sugar free syrups.

Well, it was a short journey to jump through all of Tricare's hoops. I was approved my first try. Now it is a "long" wait to be banded. In comparrison to my 20 years of being heavy it is almost instantanious. I will be banded 6 months from the start of my journey...10 weeks after my approval. My doctor is so booked up. The day I turned 40 my body acted like it never had before. Everything hurt. My sleep patterns grew worse. I'd sleep in and still feel I needed more. I had SEVERE headaches that would last over a week. I had edima in my legs, arms and face. Come to find out I have Sleep Apnea and my Thyroid was 30 points low. I didn't know that your thyroid could control so much. Thankfully I heard Tricare would approve gastric banding as of 2-1-08. It was only December, so I started everything rolling with my testing, counseling, referals and research. It has paid off. Think how far into summer my surery would be if I hadn't started early.

Hey mission control: here it is five months after surgery on planet banded. All is going well and I now am a changed astronut. I have lost five pant sizes and three shirt sizes. I have had to visit the local clothing store but this is a new experience for me, I have always shopped with omar the tent maker and they dont have TENT makers on this planet. Thank God for that. Now I have tokens left to outfit the spacecraft properly and not just with hughe tents to cover the old frame. Now I look like a sleek mean fighting machine and can take on anything that comes my way. I am so grateful that I have other astronuts.........on the same planet because it would be horrible if I were trying to do this alone. It must be done with others and follow the experience of those that have gone before me. The secreat is to follow and then become a leader once the goals have been reached . I will be starting a new meeting here on lap band planet for others to meet and greet at, we will be exchanging uniforms and food supplement ideas. anyone wishing to attend the meeting just needs to let me know if they are in the area or I can give them the info that they need to help them get their ideas set into motion by sending me a message at boiseman2001@yahoo.com . have a grt day:scared: :nervous :cool:

I will tell you what everyone else has been telling me, just wait it out it will happen. I was like yeah yeah when they would tell me that but it is true. Listen to your body and make sure to get all your protein in. That is sooo important and I have found that I lose more when I get all my protein in. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks so give that a try and just remember it takes time.

@@Djmohr I CANNOT WAIT! The dietitian went over the some foods we could eat during the soft foods stage and my mouth was literally watering! Two weeks and I'll be there woo hoo!