Sept. 2010 Bandsters !!!

[sourmissg 0]

Brenda, I pray and hope things work out for you and the baby.

I have you in my prays.

[lisa.e 0]

Jon what an inspiration - thanks for sharing your 109 lb weight loss!

Butterfly - if you are not feeling it - why get the fill - this is your journey - you make the decisions you need to - slow and steady is good right?

Missjoany hope you get back in bed soon - the recliner can be comfy for only so long

Brian - sorry you threw up - that might be my least fave thing in the entire world!

cicigirl - you have been cigfree for months - cravings are natural and i know you are strong enough to stay away from them. Maybe you can find a website to continue inspiring you - whyquit.org or com is a great tool

congrats to everyone else

I was banded on the 10th.

I have so many different emotions about the journey thus far. I am so happy I did this! I thought about it for about 2 years before I began the actual process. I feel like I have more zing to my step - like I am moving faster. It is easier to put my shoes on and bend my legs back to sit in my fave chair in the living room.

One of my goals is to (and has been since pre op) not obsess about the actual numbers (weight loss wise) but to focus on Portion Control and making good choices. However, the scale taunts me every time I walk by it. I asked my partner to hide it! I really want to weigh myself once a month - does anyone feel the same way? It is a big challenge - but I know my personality and I don't want to weigh myself everyday - too emotional and it could lead to some problems and failed expectations kwim?

I find that I feel tight in the morning - anyone else experiencing this and better yet, anyone know why? Breakfast is hard for me - even a smoothie is a challenge.

I am super heavy - and while I hear about others striving to reach onederland - I want to know if anyone is with me in reaching twoderland? :cursing:

I am eating tons of pureed and soft foods and am so tempted by raw veggies and fresh fruits - honeycrisp apples are in season and I can't help but daydream about biting in to one. Lots of working on my relationship with food!!!!!!!!! Lots - what a challenge.

I don't have a fill yet and I have no desire to get one anytime soon. Because I am so heavy - I think it will be a while before I need one? I eat about every 2 1/2 hours. I never found a Protein shake I liked so I am mindful of what I put in my mouth - tons of pureed Beans and scrambled eggs. Anyone have any other recommendations for this soft food phase?

I haven't told my Mom yet either - I feel guilty because we talk all the time - but she is 700 miles away. She is coming to visit in November so maybe I will wait till then - so unsure. Anyone else dealing with this?

Love this forum btw!

Hi Desiree,

I have found that there are many people in my life who I have not told about the band. It seemed like there were far too many judging me before surgery, so I just stopped talking about it. It has been a process, for sure! Take care, Lisa.e

[LisaA 1]

lisa e, I'm in that boat too, I just don't think they need to know. If I succeed I will talk about it more maybe. but I'm in no hurry.

lisa a

[lauravarley 0]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to check in. I was banded 9/30/10. Today I offically passed the 20 pound loss mark (6 pounds pre op and 15 post)..actually it is 21. I feel so great. I am so excited. I guess I had cleaned out my closet too well, I am already running out of clothes. My skinny stuff already fits..life is great.

Laura:thumbup:

[shellyh 0]

:blink:Hey All, So i was banded on 9/20/10 and i'm about hmmm 5 weeks post op now i guess. I'm really struggling right now with foot portion sizes . Of course i have NO restriction whatsoever right now.. today is the first day of my 12 week post op heart and wellness program , i start exercising today with them. My nutritionist put me on regular food (stage 3) because she said i'm doing great with losing ( 29lbs ) but she feels i wasn't eating enough. My first fill is next friday and i cannot wait ! im actually looking forward to the uncomfortable feeling that makes me not want to finish my plate LOL. sounds crazy right. I know my decisions for not doing the bypass ( i already have osteoporosis at 44 and all of the other risks involved with that surgery) but seeing my old g/f's from school that were as fat as me and now they are skinny in a matter of a year is hard . LOL .. they don't have to work out and do the things we need to do. I know we are better off int he long run for doing the hard work, but i needed to vent is all LOL.. wish me luck on the treadmill today and good JOB all ! :cursing:

[LisaA 1]

laura, jealous, wow, 15lbs post op since the 30th, geez you are remarkable. work it girl

shelly h excercise is better for so many reasons, plus I've known to people that spend 5+ years skinny from bypass, and now are just as big- and hten there is the pain, and the nutrient absorption, great job on the weight loss.

I'm having trouble chewing, I've been on solids for 1.5 days, and twice have had an incident where something felt sort of stuck, I drank a little Water and walked in circles, cursing myself, and it was alright. I have to restriction, I fear having restriction because I don't think I would have made it through so easily.

Lisa

[monicaleon18 2]

Hi Everyone!

Tomorrow is my first fill and I am nervous!!! But I can’t wait to feel full. So far I have lost 29 since pre-op and 14 since banded on Sept 20th and couldn’t be happier!!!

I got a treadmill as a “banded” gift from my parents yesterday and am excited to start my workouts tonight.

I’ll let you guys know how it goes with the fill…

Keep up the good work!

Moni

[Rambunctious 2]

I too have not told many about being banded. Being banded was a personal decision made by me, my husband and my mother. I also told my stepdad, my siblings, my in-laws and my two closest friends. And they all know not to tell others I had it done. In my opinion, they are the only people that need to know because I am very close to all of them and I know they care about what is in my best interest. Casual friends and co-workers do not need to know the intimate details of my body. I do not want to deal with the stress of being scrutinized whenever food is around or listening to opinions about the surgery.

Because I healed very quickly and started eating soft solids after two weeks, nobody has been the wiser...and I eat lunch with my co-workers. Many don't even know I took the week off to have surgery, and those that do, only know about me getting a hernia repaired.

[Rambunctious 2]

but seeing my old g/f's from school that were as fat as me and now they are skinny in a matter of a year is hard . LOL .. they don't have to work out and do the things we need to do. I know we are better off int he long run for doing the hard work, but i needed to vent is all LOL..

Think about how rewarded you will be during your journey as you know you have worked hard for the results and know it is all you!! And you are taking the weight off at what is considered a healthy pace and hopefully allows time for skin to adjust (I hope:smile2:). I know how frustrating it is since I'm hungry and have barely lost anything in two weeks. I go in today for my first adjustment.

I have no idea what kind of doctors your g/f's had, but my stepdad's bariatric surgeon insists on exercise after bypass surgery. He was 67 years old and could hardly walk without getting winded when he had the surgery, he is now 69 years young, works out at the gym 3 days a week and is becoming an avid windsurfer. If you can't tell. he's my inspiration. :cursing:

[lisamac32 0]

Hi, all! I am new to this, so bear with me :cursing: I started out at 210 lbs and after the 2 weeks of liquid diet, I got down to 194 the day of surgery. I was banded on 9/14/10 and although the first 3 days are still a blur, I was able to get the broth, popsicles, Vitamin Water, etc. down, but i do remember that the gas pains were almost unbearable! By day 4, I had started to get a little of my appetite and energy back, and by day 5, I was holding onto sheer will power to keep from eating the chicken fettucini alfredo, salad and garlic bread my family was dining on. My 1 week post op appt was pretty uneventful, just 5 minutes to check my incisions, give me diet instructions and make my first fill appt for 10/15/10. Since my fill, I am really having a hard time trying to find high Protein foods to eat that I like. My meal of choice has been cottage cheese basically because it is easy and I tolerate it well. My question is... since there will obviously be a lot of meal prep involved from here forward, has anyone found a good cookbook they can recommend? I am a working girl who only has the weekends to prep food for the rest of the week. Any advice is welcome. Also, am I the only one... or does the Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement shake cause a lot of gas?

Edited October 19, 2010 by lisamac32
asked another question

[playermimi 0]

Hi all, I have been so busy with family matters that I have just now got caught up with reading a weeks worth of board messages. I got my first fill today, the procedure was a lot easier than I expected. Five cc's were instilled and I go back to one day of liquids and one day of pureed foods. Hopefully this fill will give me the restriction that I need. I hope things improve for all that are experiencing bumps in the road. CS so sorry for your loss.

[margaretann 0]

I'm 5 weeks post -op and have lost 20lbs with no fill yet.. :cursing: .. I'll go back to Dr. in 4 weeks to see if I do need a band fill...

I'm eating solid foods and have had no issues... Eating from a small bowl or small plate thinking food amount in 1/2 or 1 cup servings.

What's helped me is walking walking walking... drinking Water, diet green tea and even sugar free hawaiian punch and of course taking vitamins...

At 3 weeks post-op I was able to sleep on my side where my port is...

Going through this is 95% mental... accepting that you have to change your mental state about food is the first step...

Good luck to all Sept bandsters... :huh2:

[cnewstine 0]

It's funny but I told practically everyone that I was getting the band except my husband. He knew that I was looking into it and having the tests and stuff but said he was against it and not to talk to him about it. I scheduled it and had my friend ready to take me and pick me up. He finally asked my kids if I was doing it and they told him the date. He took the day off and was really nice about it. I'm glad he did because I was not able to do much and really needed his support.

I was banded on September 28th and have only lost 11 pounds. I am worried about gaining weight before my fill on Nov. 6th. Any suggestions on how to keep the weight off? I have no restriction whatsoever. it sucks.

[lisa.e 0]

Hello!

I was banded on Sept. 3, had my first fill one week ago. It seems I felt more restriction before the fill. That sounds strange, I'm sure. I still have some restriction, so I think maybe I just had some swelling for quite awhile after surgery. So far, I am down 30 lbs. I had to lose 12 before surgery. I am excited that I have gotten to do one sweep through my closet to get rid of the things that were falling off. I have never in my life had a pair of jeans fall to my knees while walking and thankful that it happened in my house! LOL...I have been reading a lot of posts and information on this site and have been meaning to become more engaged because I think it will help me keep on track. I hope everyone is having a great week! :cursing:

Lisa.e

[BUNNY7 3]

Hi everyone! I was banded on 14 Sept so it's now 5 weeks down the road. I'm seeing my doc next week for the first fill - I THINK!!! Not much support where I live : (

I have found the last week HUGELY CHALLENGING as I can eat anything and don't feel any restrictions at all. Also find the eating & drinking rule hard as you have to remember the Fluid intake in the between hours. I also gained weight when I went on to soft foods which was so depressing - 2 lbs! Since I've upped my Water I've have lost a bit. I think we're in what everyone refers to as bandster hell. I must say that being on normal foods and chewing the food to a mush has made life a lot easier. We WILL GET THERE!!!!!! Strength and awareness blessings for all of you September Sweeties!