Hi Guys,

I got my lap band on Sept 15 - I felt great up to now ... however last night I started feeling muscular type pains in my stomach (at the top center incision area) everytime I move - this may have been caused from me moving too quickly. I am wondering if anyone has felt similar type pains.

I could eat raw veggies as of 4 wks post op. My list from dr specifically said raw veggies were ok. I've had tomatoes, lettuce and carrots. Slimed on a carrot but the lettuce and tomatoes went down fine.

In case you haven't heard.....the McRib is back at McDonalds!!!! Lol. I love love love me a mcrib. Fake meat, yes i know. Everytime the mcrib comes back i run, not walk, to mcd's. Well this time i said nope, not going to. Well the other day i got to thinking, this is about life. I didnt get banded so i could l live on yet another diet. I got banded so i could live life while getting healthy. I looked up the mcrib on my fitness pal and planned it into my day (this was last week sometime). I ate half of it. No supersize fries and drink like my prebanding days. I ate slow and savored it. Funny, that mcrib was sooooo good even though i've haf one a million times. But this time, i didnt feel guilty afterwards bc i was "cheating" on a diet. Bc i wasnt cheating, i was just being normal. Yes, i know a mcrib is not the healthiest choice but it felt good to enjoy it minus the guilt. Oh, and i still lost when i got on the scale.

J

Banded 9/22

I could eat raw veggies as of 4 wks post op. My list from dr specifically said raw veggies were ok. I've had tomatoes, lettuce and carrots. Slimed on a carrot but the lettuce and tomatoes went down fine.

In case you haven't heard.....the McRib is back at McDonalds!!!! Lol. I love love love me a mcrib. Fake meat, yes i know. Everytime the mcrib comes back i run, not walk, to mcd's. Well this time i said nope, not going to. Well the other day i got to thinking, this is about life. I didnt get banded so i could l live on yet another diet. I got banded so i could live life while getting healthy. I looked up the mcrib on my fitness pal and planned it into my day (this was last week sometime). I ate half of it. No supersize fries and drink like my prebanding days. I ate slow and savored it. Funny, that mcrib was sooooo good even though i've haf one a million times. But this time, i didnt feel guilty afterwards bc i was "cheating" on a diet. Bc i wasnt cheating, i was just being normal. Yes, i know a mcrib is not the healthiest choice but it felt good to enjoy it minus the guilt. Oh, and i still lost when i got on the scale.

J

Banded 9/22

Good for you Jin! My dr. said the same thing to me, you have to live your life but for the most part make smart choices. Every once in awhile you have to indulge because you have to be normal (whatever normal is) . Obviously, the band will help you out so you can't eat a lot of it, that is the point. Congrats on the weight loss!

good for you Jin. I am keeping a grandson tonight and ordering a small Pizza. I have checked the nutrional info and figured it into my day. I don't consider it cheating as much as I consider it realistically living life. I figure one slice of pizza in 2 months is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things considering that most days I eat pretty darn healthily.

Jin and Janice, I am so sorry that the both of you are having problems with your incisions. At my last visit the one that is near where the bra sits was a bit red and my doctor had me use betadine on it and it cleared right up. I hope that neither of you have any further problems and heal on up. Sending good vibes your ways.

And Jin, congrats on the 10 lbs and getting rid of those big clothes!

Thanks for the good vibes.

I am not to eat raw veggies or fruits until week 7 & 8.

Oh my!!! I had my first fill this week. I was on clear liquids then soft, slider foods for 24 hours, and now real food. It feels like the feeling I had been waiting for...I haven't been hungry at all. It's an odd feeling because I have been hungry for decades. I hadn't had enough calories today, so I decided to eat a hamburger patty (3 ounce) and I couldn't finish it. If I have too few calories, I don't loose weight, so I watch the calories and protien closely. I chewed and chewed, but I think I might have been on my way to PBing because I got this feeling like something was just stuck. I couldn't finish and have had a full feeling for the past 4 hours.

I was banded on Sept.29 and I am having my first fill on Nov. 8th. I have been slacking on drinking the Protein shakes--I hate them. I am only getting in about 6-8 Tablespoons of food. Mostly protein and then maybe a vegetable. I usually only eat 3 meals a day, maybe a sugar free popsicle at night.

I was wondering if anyone has a problem getting cold things down. I was having TONS of pain in my chest and figured out it was the cold Water I was drinking. I have now switched to room temp. water but I am dying for ice cold water.

Thanks, Erika

When I got banded all things cold hurt bad!!

My doctor said I could eat anything really after 4 weeks, but raw spinach gets stuck if I don't chew really really good! It makes a lump in my stomach. I just cant stop eating a spinach strawberry salad!

Well, I am happy to say ---- I am over halfway to goal. I have 80 to lose and today I weighed in and I have lost 41 pounds. Soooooo happy! This just motivates me to stay strong for the holidays!

J

Well, I am happy to say ---- I am over halfway to goal. I have 80 to lose and today I weighed in and I have lost 41 pounds. Soooooo happy! This just motivates me to stay strong for the holidays!

J

Congrats, that is awesome! That will keep you majorly motivated I am sure!

Hello everyone, My name is Becky and I was banded on 9/30/2011.. As of today, 11/5/2011, I am 32 pounds down. My first fill was 10/26/11 and I'm up for another on 11/14/2011. I had a hard first week after surgery. I really had wondered what I had gotten myself into. I cried all the time and I was miserable. But, today, I feel wonderful. I feel like I have so much more energy and have quit snoring and I'm even sleeping better. It's nice getting 30 pounds off my chest! I wish all of you lots of luck, and hope to keep in touch!

Erika, I was banded on 9/16 and 2 weeks ago was getting a horrible pain right near my sternum (were band is). I finally went to the doctor and found I was eating too fast, not too much, just too fast. He filled me (since it had been 6 weeks) and by the 2nd day of clear liquids, pain was completely gone. I feel great now, lost 6 more lbs in week after fill, but am now stable as I'm told I'm replenishing the liquids I lost. So far, I've lost 20 lbs since surgery, 34 total. Be sure to chew good and count to 30 before swallowing your next bite. Doc told me if I ever got the feeling of something being stuck or the pain again, to do clear liquids for 24 hours. Good Luck!!!

I was banded on Sept.29 and I am having my first fill on Nov. 8th. I have been slacking on drinking the Protein shakes--I hate them. I am only getting in about 6-8 Tablespoons of food. Mostly protein and then maybe a vegetable. I usually only eat 3 meals a day, maybe a sugar free popsicle at night.

I was wondering if anyone has a problem getting cold things down. I was having TONS of pain in my chest and figured out it was the cold Water I was drinking. I have now switched to room temp. water but I am dying for ice cold water.

Thanks, Erika

I was doing the same thing and eating way too fast and having the pain behind the sternum. It's the one thing I have to really concentrate on when eating. My first experience was being sooo hungry for a Big Mac and going through the drive through to get one...ate 3 bites before I got out of the parking lot and thought I was going to die! The pain was horrid, the sweat began rolling, and I had only myself to blame. Oh the lessons we learn through experience. Thanks for listening...

Well, last week was a big one for me. I had a horrible and stressful week at work, and did not have time to eat much. I made healthy choices because I didn't have time to think about anything bad. I then went on Saturday to the rec center in our area, and they let me try everything out for the day. I was there for 3 hours, did the eliptical, track, bike, & swam too. I took out all my frustration and it felt wonderful. I hurt a little on Sunday, not nearly as bad as I thought I would - so I got on the treadmill at home and climbed stairs till I met the goals my fitbit set for me, which was 10,000 steps, 5 miles, 1,100 active calories burned, and 10 flights of stairs - woo hoo!!! First time I met all my daily goals! I hurt a little bit more today than yesterday - but I know how to fix that, and that is to keep it up!!

I think it was all the exercise, but I really feel like I turned a big corner mentally this weekend. I felt like I was fighting with myself, and even though I was making better choices, and was doing some exercise, my heart was just not totally in it yet. That changed this weekend - I'm now committed and psyched, and making choices because I want to make them, not because I feel like I have to.

My best friend is bigger than I am, and her insurance excludes bariatric surgeries, and she's felt left out with me betting my band and my losing weight. I got her headed in the right direction this weekend too. I bought her a fitbit to get her motivated, and she's very competitive, so I'm sure she's going to work really hard to beat me - and in all seriousness, I truly hope she does!!! It also feels good to help her make positive steps in her life as well!

The best news of all though, when I weighed in on Sunday - I lost 3.6 lbs last week!!! Finally I feel like I'm getting somewhere!

Had my first fill this morning. Didn't think it would hurt as much as it did but it didn't last long. The PA found the port very quickly and inserted correctly the first time. She put 3 ccs into the band; said it wasn't much but it's what they normally put in at first fills. I have to be on liquids for 2 days and then back to normal food. I really hope i'll start feeling restriction because i've not felt anything during these last few weeks and ended up gaining and getting depressed! I hope for the best.