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Newbie From Chicago :)



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HELLO EVERYONE!

MY NAME IS ASHLEY AND I AM FROM THE SOUTH SUBURBS OF CHICAGO. I AM NEW TO THE LAP BAND JOURNEY AND AM SO EXCITED. I AM 27YRS OLD AND ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH MY WEIGHT. I AM HOPING THIS IS GOING TO HELP ME GET WHERE I WANT TO BE. THE JOURNEY IS JUST STARTING FOR ME AND AM SOAKING IT ALL IN RIGHT NOW. MY FIRST DOCTOR VISIT TO GET STARTED IS ON JULY 9TH. SINCE I HAVE A BCBSIL BLUE ADVANTAGE *** MY INSURANCE IS REQUIRING THE 6 MONTH DIET BEFORE HAND. EVEN THOUGH IT WILL SET BACK MY SURGERY I AM EXCITED ABOUT MEETING WITH A DIETICIAN AND LEARNING ALL ABOUT MY FOODS. THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR SEEMS VERY CONFIDENT THE INSURANCE WILL APPROVE ME AFTER THIS PROGRAM. HOPEFULLY SURGERY WILL BE AROUND JANUARY! I AM 5'1 AND ABOUT 230 LBS RIGHT NOW. 150LBS WOULD BE AMAZING TO ME. EVEN THOUGHT IT SOUNDS A LITTLE MUCH FOR MY 5'1 FRAME I DON'T THINK IVE SEEN THAT SINCE JUNIOR HIGH MAYBE HIGH SCHOOL. I AM LOOKING FOR ALL SUPPORT AND ANYONE IN MY AREA WHO IS GOING THROUGH THIS OR HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS! PLEASE CONTACT ME! WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU AND BE ABLE TO LEAN ON EACH OTHER! I WILL KEEP UPDATES COMING AS THE JOURNEY PROCEEDS! THANKS FOR LISTENING AND ANYTHING U MAY ADD FOR ME!!!

ASHLEY :)

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I do no live anywhere near you but wish you all the things you wish for

lassie

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THANKS LASSIE :) MUCH APPRECIATED.

HOW HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN SO FAR?

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welcome and good luck on your journey. I too am in south suburbs of chicago..near Oak Lawn. My surgery was 4/26 out at Loyola in Maywood. Looking forward to reading more about your journey and if you ever need anything, just holler...support is the key to any lifestyle change.

becky

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THANKS BECKY! I AM GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE AND WILL BE USING IT REGULARLY FOR SUPPORT! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE YOUR SURGERY? I SEE YOU HAVE LOST 35LBS AND THAT'S FANTASTIC! WHAT ARE YOU HAVING THE MOST STRUGGLE WITH IF I MAY ASK?

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Hi Ashley,

I too am from the sw burbs, New Lenox to be exact;). I had my surgery in October of 2011, I have lost 62 pounds so far. I am soo happy with my decision, I noticed you have the same surgeon as me, Dr. Shayani, he is so awesome! He is the only dr I actually look forward to going to;). Best of luck to you and let me know if I can help with any questions you may have.

Jenna

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Jenna-

That's great congrats on your weight loss!! :) I am from the Homewood-Flossmoor area and actually I work @ St. James as well. Which is how I learned about Dr. Shayani and his reputation. Which is remarkable!! I am so happy to hear you are happy with him. Did you have to participate in the 6month pre-op program? What are the types of foods you eat and drink now? I want to start eating now like I would be eating after and would like some tips.

Thanks for responding :)

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Welcome, Ashley! I don't live near you, but I want to encourage you to post your thoughts here at LBT. Before my surgery (June 5, 2012), I spent countless hours here and was able to gain a wealth of information. So far, I am happy I made the decision to be banded. I have not had a fill yet and am not experiencing any true restriction, but the thought of vomiting definitely helps me stay on the diet I was provided and control my portions. Consequently, I am losing weight and am motivated. I am hoping for a fill at my surgery follow-up appt. to help with the hunger.

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Wow, Elizabeth, since June 5th you have already lost 52 lbs?? That's amazing, congrats! What are some of the foods you eat regularly? Thanks!

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Wow, Elizabeth, since June 5th you have already lost 52 lbs?? That's amazing, congrats! What are some of the foods you eat regularly? Thanks!

No, Ashley, I've lost the 52 pounds since I had my pre-op visit with my surgeon in January. I asked him that day if I could start losing weight and he said yes.

I've actually lost 11.8 pounds since surgery. As far as foods are concerned, I am on the Week 2-3 Post-Op Diet, and have been eating turkey, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, lots of Jello with applesauce mixed in, Protein drinks, green Beans, baked potatoes (no skin), and pudding. Next week, I move to the Week 4 Diet, which is a regular low calorie, portion controlled diet. I can hardly wait.

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Welcome Ashley! I too have BCBS IL and I am now waiting on my surgery date. I live in the West Suburbs near Forest Park and will be banded at Loyola in Maywood also. There is so much information and support on this site that I think you will benefit from so feel free to reach out to everyone we all are here for the same thing. Good luck!!!! :D :D :D

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THANKS LASSIE :) MUCH APPRECIATED.

HOW HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN SO FAR?

has been pretty good , banded on the 24th of May will get my first fill in July, cant wait for that as I am starting to get very hungery lol. It did take me a full year to get approved for the surgery so it is a process. Good luck sweetie

lassie

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THANKS BECKY! I AM GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE AND WILL BE USING IT REGULARLY FOR SUPPORT! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE YOUR SURGERY? I SEE YOU HAVE LOST 35LBS AND THAT'S FANTASTIC! WHAT ARE YOU HAVING THE MOST STRUGGLE WITH IF I MAY ASK?

21 of the 35 has been since surgery. I had gotten sick (nothing band related) and it kept me out of the gym for over 2 weeks, then was down with a sprained ankle...so my biggest struggle this last month or so has been exervise.

as for foods..breads get stuck, flour tortillas like i use for chicken wraps also get stuck..and chicken i have to eat right when cooked, cuz if i have to reheat it, it gets too dry and then it sticks, if its not dry i can eat it....so far thats the only things i have tired that have bothered me. Im also having a hard time waiting the 30 mins or so to drink, after I eat...but i have got myself down to just a small sip about half way through meal and then right after the last bite.

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Welcome Ashley! I too have BCBS IL and I am now waiting on my surgery date. I live in the West Suburbs near Forest Park and will be banded at Loyola in Maywood also. There is so much information and support on this site that I think you will benefit from so feel free to reach out to everyone we all are here for the same thing. Good luck!!!! :D :D :D

Lolita,

you will be so happy with Loyola....Dr. Sarker is amazing and has been very helpful. So glad to see someone on here who has the same surgeon. :-)

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Lolita,

you will be so happy with Loyola....Dr. Sarker is amazing and has been very helpful. So glad to see someone on here who has the same surgeon. :-)

Have you had a fill yet? How often do you feel hungry? I happy that you had Dr. Sarker as well, she seems to be very nice and straight forward.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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