January Surgery Bandsters Group

[sherrinita 12]

The reason for the two week preop liquid diet is to shrink your liver before the surgery

[ready for my journey to be 14]

well hello all so glad to read every ne is well,an so upbeat well my current weight is 185 yeah buddy !!! one year down almost and i have come a long way..but my niece told me the other day i should not lose no more weight or i would start to look sick..... also a co-worker told me i did not need to lose no more weight as well mind you neither one of them know about the band smh wonder if they are just jealous ?? idk but i feel good need to get back into the gym on a more regular basis been slippin with trying to work extra hours but oh well hope all have a great week .....

[JustDoIt130 369]

Hi everyone! Missy, I didnt' realize you were a January bandster. I don't have any special plans other than writing in my journal.

Hi Ready! Yah, I've been slipping getting to the gym. I think that people who tell you to "stop losing weight, you're skinny enough! You're going to look sick..." etc, are really just jealous or something- I mean, really, unless you're under 120 lbs or so and really ARE too skinny! You and your doctor know what is good for you, what weight is right for you, what is good for your health!

So man oh man I've been struggling with my head! I did so well for so many months avoiding my trigger foods and making changes - and then completely off the deep end. I've gained like 15 lbs back. And I keep telling myself that as of 1/1/13 I'll get back on track- and I do believe I will, but I keep wondering why wait? Am I having that "last meal" syndrome again? I read B-52's posts- I really like them and I think he speaks the truth- and I guess I need more restriction- but it feels like I can eat crap just fine, but solid Protein not so much- and my quantities are bigger than they should be- but then his post says he had to rethink how he ate and make food almost an enemy. So I have some head work to do I think. I'm still reading that carb cycling book, and will be doing that in January. Sigh, I knew it wouldn't be easy, and I know myself well enough to know I can get back on the "bandwagon" and be successful- more successful. Just venting to my peeps who understand!!!

I miss it when we aren't active, so everyone post!!

Nicki

[NJ2NC 62]

Hello & Happy Holidays Everyone, my Monday weigh-in (12/17) was 191 finally Down 1 pound, better than 0 right? are we still posting our Monday weigh-in???

Well, I didn't get a fill on the 14th the Dr. and I talked and because I get so tight several times a day (so tight Water dont go down well) he thought another fill may not be a good idea right now, I agreed.

Bandiversary is Jan 17th! I'm celebrating a week early and going to Atlanta to do a 5k race and cheer on some friends who are doing the 15k!! should be a fun filled packed weekend.. I'm aiming to shave off another 2-3 minutes from my time and no walking, hopefully their aren't many hills..

JDI, we all struggle in our heads and we ride the rollercoaster of banded life, we spent many years, some of us our whole lives not eating healthy and fighting with exercise...1 year is a great start but it will not undo all of our life long habits. No one is perfect and no band is perfect and you will get back on track, start thinking of food differently and let your band work for you again. Try different different tactics that will work for you. I've noticed I've been grabbing the kids Snacks a little too often so what I did was bought myself some healthy snacks and placed then next to the kids snacks so when I open the pantry, no excuse to grab the cheetos when a Fiber one cookie, sugar free Jello or individual 1 serving size pack of nuts is right there.. it'll take some time, experiment with ways that could help you. I've been stuck for a while and only shed 1 pound and I want to think its because of the snack changes... also venting always work for me with getting the scale moving.. weird right lol

Ready, I've had people tell me to not lose any more weight, I'm 191 pounds no where near my goal weight, but they see a new confident 50 pound lighter me!! and I think some "so called" friends feel threatened that I can tuck in my shirt like them and don't lurk in the background and people notice me! not saying they are all jealous but maybe a tiny bit..lol However, I do have another banded friend and she did lose too much weight and did look a little sick, she actually put on about 15 pounds and looked (and she said) felt so much better. she was under her goal weight by almost 20 pounds! she was sick a lot and rarely ate finally she got her band adjusted just right and she look terrific now..I believe she is rounding her 3rd year.

[Mish1908 12]

Holiday Greetings Everyone!!!

OMG it has been forever since I have posted....my my my how time has flown by since we first began this journey. Well, after catching up on all of the post. I can identify with everyone on success and issues. As a matter of fact, I am going through a time now. I only have 6.6 ccs in my band and feeling really tight. The weird thing is that I can eat ice cream, Cookies, candy really well with no "episodes" as I like to call them. But when it comes to salad and other healthy foods, I am having "episodes" where I am not able to digest and it comes back up because I can breathe if I sit there. I told my husband that I will have to discuss this with my dr because I can't be successful with this type of eating behavior. I am at an absolute loss here in terms of what to do. I have to eat and can not live on ice cream and sugar. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

I am so proud of my fellow January Bandsters!!! You all seem to be doing really well. I promise that I will stay in touch more often

Kemisha

[JustDoIt130 369]

Misha, hi! I'm EXACTLY like that too- any kind of crap goes down just fine, but solid Protein and veggies not so much! I think I need to just avoid these foods, and take much smaller bites of the good stuff and chew a lot.

Sigh, I know it's not a magic bullet, and even with my issues lately I've still lost a heck of a lot more weight than I would have!!!!!

[Nessie126 0]

Im scheduled for January 21. Im getting nervous tho because the doctor didnt put me on a fast before the surgery and still waiting on the rest of my instructions. Everything happened so fast in the beginning and now I feel like everything is being dragged out but the days are flying by..

[chrissylu 153]

Merry Christmas everyone! This has been a truly blessed Christmas...and I hope yours was too! I will say though, that I've gained back a few pounds since my last infill of .2 cc's. Its amazing what a difference that little bit of Fluid makes. I gave myself some leeway to enjoy the holidays. Still didn't eat as much as I would have before the band. However, as some others have posted, crap food seems to ho down fine but I start having issues with chicken, etc. Now that Christmas is over, I'm going to try to get back to the gym as well as kick start my diet by going back to two shake meals & one Protein meal as in my first week of pre-op diet. Here's to getting back on track!

[amica813 28]

Hi all! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Mine was fantastic - I hit my Christmas goal of 166.5 or 85 pounds lost! I was worried it wouldn't happen because I got hit with PMS bloat last week and it seemed I gained another pound just about every day! Salty foods and not enough Water didn't help either. The bloat went away in time though and I'm taking my victory. (And today the scales said 166!)

I'm out in the craziness today exchanging all my gifts from my hubby because the clothes were TOO BIG!!!!! ???†I even had one sweater I had to swap from a large to a small! Woo-hoo!

I'm heading to Florida tomorrow to visit my family for a couple of days. food is already a problem, though. Growing up we ate spaghetti at least 3 times a week because it was cheap, easy, and could feed an army if guests showed up. I knew my Mom would probably have it on the menu and I told them I would be okay if they fixed meatballs, but I couldn't really eat the noodles. I thought that was the plan, but I found out we've got 8 extra people coming so they probably scrapped the meatballs. Oh we'll, I'll figure something out.

Keep up the good work everyone! We've survived Christmas!

[126dee 7]

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!!!!

I just had a slight scare and I thought I would share hoping that if this happens to you, you won't worry and see your doctor right away....

The last time I had an adjustment was August and I've been quite happy with my full. I haven't been hungry and I lost 10lbs despite not eating properly. The past week I experienced acid reflux while I slept. It was quite alarming so I googled what was happening and every conversation thread stated that their band slipped when this happened to them.

I called my Dr. yesterday and went in for a barium swallow this morning. Turns out, my band was too tight. The Fluid wouldn't pass through as quickly as it should so my Dr. took out a little fluid. Sure, if I didn't get this taken care if right away I would have must likely had a slipped band but these threads scared the crap out of me for no reason.

Now I'm back on fluids and mushy food for a few days...a great excuse to kick start my food management for the new year.

I hope you all enjoy saying farewell to 2012 and hello to 2013. My goal is to be more active on this site (as well as at the gym)!

[SueBee01 630]

Glad you listened to your body and that you resolved the problem. That is why I keep my band loose. One fill in 11 months. I am up one pound since Thanksgiving. Glad the holidays are over! It was so nice to have grilled fish tonight, first time in several weeks! I had my mom make mini muffin size brownies for my birthday so I kept about 8 of them and froze them. Had one tonight. Will have to wein myself off those, but now that they are in the freezer the are not available! I do count them and only have one.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

[prairiedog 21]

Jan. 17 is my surgery date. Today was my first day of a 3-week liquid diet. I did ok until dinner...had chicken noodle Soup with some crackers. Considering that is my first day without fast food in months is progress! Then I wanted to snack in the evenings like I usually do, but instead brushed my teeth and got online to read posts. One step/day at a time. I appreciate everyone sharing the good and bad so I know I'm not alone in this journey.

[nicole1 92]

Hello!! Happy Holidays! Sorry I have not posted since my fill a few weeks ago, I got pneumonia and have been out of commission for 2 weeks. Talk about a diet, I slept through most meals. Yesterday I weighed in at 185, down from 193 (I didn't weigh myself while sick). I felt well enough to enjoy Christmas and the fudge and Cookies that went with it. I allowed myself to eat anything I wanted for 3 days and today I am trying to be good, but I have already eaten 2 cookies today.

FYI on junk food going down easier!! - so I talked to my doctor about this at my last fill and she said it doesn't get stuck and digest really fast making you hungry within an hour, because it is made up of mostly sugars and carbs that basically melt like chocolate in your stomach, so most junk food is like a liquid instead of a solid that takes time to breakdown and keep you feeling full for a long time. It is also why we don't feel satisfied and always want more because it never really fills us up. Also she wants me to take a bit the size of my pinky nail and chew 20 times, swallow, "feel" it hit my band (I never "feel" anything) and once I feel that then start chewing my next bit, but stop eating after 30 minutes. Well the last part will never happen, I tried it once and dinner took forever and after my 30 minutes of eating I was still hungry.

Mish-you might need a slight unfill to let the "good" food pass.

NJNC- good luck on the 5k, what was your time last 5K??

Amica-congrats on the too big x-mas gifts!!! I asked for size XL belts to hold up my sagging pants a few more months and when I tried them on I realized I should have gotten a L since I was using the 3rd hole!!

SueBee- Congrats on your weight loss!! I can't wait to be down 100 lbs, I am down 85 lbs. How in the world do you survive on so few calories?? I have not counted calories too much, but I stay under 1300 for the most part. Less than that and I get hungry!! What are your meals like to allow you to eat every 3 hrs or so and stay so low on calorie count??

JDI- I think you should wait for the 1st of the year and just enjoy in moderation until then. It is a goal you set for yourself and you typically keep them. So stop beating yourself up and enjoy life until the 1st. I would recommend doing what Chrissy is doing and do a few days of shakes just to reset your system and get the sugars out.

We should do a New Years Day pack that we will all do 2 days of liquids and give ourselves a fresh start for the New Year!!

My daughter has to have surgery on her mouth on the 2nd and will be on liquids with me!! Misery does love company!! LOL

Nessie 126 & Prairie Dog- you are more than welcome to join our group, but thought you might want to know we are January Bandsters "2012" and we had our surgeries about a year ago. Our earlier posts might be more helpful than the posts you will see today on...You might want to also join a January Bandster "2013" group, it is really nice to have a group to go through all of this with that are at the same stages, but feel free to contact any of use with questions...and yes the liquid thing pre-op is really hard!! Stick to sugar free applesauce, Jello and pudding for special treats, it makes it a little easier. Give yourself that treat at the end of the day for making it!! Good Luck!!

[SueBee01 630]

Nicole, hope you are feeling better!

Sample day for me.

S: mid morning is 4 almonds and 4 banana chips

L: half a sandwich using a flat round multigrain (50 calories) with brown mustard 1 slice of turkey, ham, turkey pastrami with 1/2 slice of cheese and a SF sandwich stacker pickle and a couple veggie chips.

D: chicken, fish, or any meat (2-3 ounces) and veggies sometimes a bite or two of any kind of potato.

S: 1-2 bites of SF ice cream or 1/4 cup of Kashi Heart to Heart dry Cereal (I like the crunch).

I eat sweet potato fries or potato but very little.

I finally went down 2 pounds today after a whole month, but I ave been enjoying Cookies and Chex mix all month! I count it all. I had one day of 900 calories and I was so stuffed I couldn't stand myself!

It is funny how as soon as my band was placed, my mind told myself I wasn't hungry anymore. I am very lucky that way. I do agree that the sugar really does make you want more!

[moses_nyc 23]

WOW! YAY! Finally I got my new date after being canceled because of storm sandy, having mine the 7th of January