Are there any other VA band-newbies like me? Anybody in Williamsburg, or Hampton Roads? How’s everybody doing? I'm new to the Virginia forum & just wanted to introduce myself... :wave:

I was banded on Feb 15th at Sentara Careplex in Hampton, VA by Dr. Terracina from Weight Loss Surgery Center of Hampton Roads. In the 1st 3 weeks, I lost a pound a day on average. I’ll weigh-in again on my 1-month Bandiversary before the local LapBand Support Group. Aside from some occasional port pain & a real lack of energy, I feel great! I wish I was loosing faster like so many other Bandsters seem to be doing, but A POUND A DAY sure has a nice ring to it! :eek:

I'm still on the mushies diet & I’ve tried eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad, pintos-n-cheese (both Taco Bell & homemade), and mashed potatoes. (Last night I had just a little ice cream at a birthday party.) While on 2 weeks of liquids, I stuck to Protein shakes, the broth of creamed Soups, and sugar-free pudding for the most part. I'm actually nervous to start solids like salmon...:nervous

My 1st fill is supposed to be March 29th, but at this point I can’t imagine a fill at all! I eat 1/4-1/2 cup of food at a sitting & am totally contented – not overly full and not still hungry, but actually satisfied. It’s frickin’ amazing! If I still feel like this come the 29th, they’ll postpone my 1st fill. I eat when I’m hungry & stop when I’m satiated. Wahooo!!

I've got a heck of a long way to go, but I'm really starting to think this might work… :clap2:

Diane, when is your fill?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE..HOW DID WE ALL DO?

I had dinner at my home with my family. I love to cook and have everyone enjoy it. I had a plate of food, little of everything, filling my plate, but nothing like in years past. I think I jumped in eating to fast for I felt pain quickly. So, I waited for it to pass and then ate slowly. It was all good! Later on I really wanted some stuffing and tried to eat it ( like we did in the past, snacking!) and NO WAY! I was depressed but glad. I think you can all relate. it is like you really want it, but in your head you know it is not going to happen. Before dinner I had snacks and I could eat crackers with spinach dip and apples with pumpkin dip. But later in the day, I could not eat a pretzel? why is it so crazy!!

I really think I need my fill on Tuesday. I am not sure how much, but a little. I am hoping all is ok too. this is a flouro, I haven't had a flouro since my frist fill. this will be good to see what is going on in there and I am doing ok.

I need to get focused and at holiday time it is a challenge. but I feel better than I did last holiday for sure. Last year on this day I was in the hospital. I woke up in the middle of the night with heart pains and had my first ride in an ambulance. they ran all kinds of tests and nothing. it was a freak thing. so, I know that the weight was a factor, although no one said this.

Well need to run! hope everyone is having a great holiday!

Pat, Gina, Diane.... Hope your holiday is going well, soon to be all over and back to the drill of life! I miss hearing from you and hope you all had a great time with your family.

Band land over the holidays was a little challenging but over all I think I faired well.

Just checking in.

Janine, sorry to just be reading your post, but have not visited the VA site lately. When I do log on, I usually check out the NJ thread, and the "month" of chat, ie, NJ JAN CHAT, great bunch of girls there, come check us out.

Hugs

Hi Janine & Harley Nana --

Holiday were very very bad to me - weight wise-- This week I think I have just got my eating under control - losing some of that 10 lbs difference from my lowest weight.

We need to plan a get-together -- I am out of town the next week but I would really enjoy getting together with as many as we can get to participate.

Have a good night.

Hey Gina, Diane and I were wondering where you've been!

We had a liquid lunch today and were mentioning we hadn't seen you for a while. Glad to hear you're ok and just a itsy bitsy sit back, but you know what caused the problem and how to fix it, now get back to protein first :smile:.

Hope your new year is a loser, in a great way!

Oh, I need to explain the liquid lunch, I had soup, Diane aka signgirl had water, due to her fill today :smile:

Well I had liquid lunch as well.

Back to getting my liquids in - protein in!

Finally feel back in control again -- It is scarry when you get out of control.

New Year overall was very good!

Gina

Gina Glad you're doing OK! I saw your picture (some time ago). The one with you and your GSD. My GSD has practically the same markings, and just like yours, is stunning! However she is 13!!!

Thanks Diane. I love the GSD. We have been debating getting another one. She is just so special, I don't want to upset her.

Have a great evening.

[Warning: whining ahead, and please pardon the cross-post!]

I was really doing very well with my Band -- until the holidays. I was banded Feb 15, 2007, and lost 100 pounds by the end of November – my doc said that was “bypass results” & was very happy with my progress. I did just fine thru Thanksgiving, but “Christmas” isn’t a single day in my world. It’s an entire season beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending on the 12th day after Christmas, and one celebrated primarily with food. While I didn’t over-eat at a single meal even once over “the season” it seems a treat or two several days of the week sure added up!!! I gained 6 pounds from Nov 30th to Jan 2nd – SIX POUNDS! (And that 6 feels more like 60 – suddenly I understand where those skinny people complaining that they’ve gotta drop those 5 holiday pounds are coming from!) I went in for my 1st fill since July on Jan 10th and am quite tight, the tightest-feeling fill yet actually. (I had my 2nd ever foamy, slimy spitting up last week -- a homemade turkey meatball. I started to think I might even need an UNfill because my meatballs have never caused me problems before, but I have not had additional stuck/PB incidents since then, so...) Over the last 3 weeks, I have lost 4 of the 6 pounds I gained, but basically I wasted Dec & Jan in terms of loosing the original pre-Band weight!!

Anyhow…my point is that I’d been doing quite well until the holidays – I thought I had this LapBand thing down pat. Pretty cocky of me, eh? :rolleyes2: But now I miss all the yummy, comforting foods & am totally bored with “Band foods” that were my steadfast standbys. And these chalky protein shakes :ack2: that were a part of my daily life just can’t compare to my mom’s holiday cooking! Also, I totally dropped my exercise program what with the changes of routine in December, and I just can’t seem to motivate myself to start again!!! (Sheesh, it was hard enough to start in the 1st place when I had threats of post-op blood clots dangling over my head! ) I got to be 320 because I just couldn’t be bothered with doing any “extra” physical activity beyond day-to-day living. And that's where I am again, mentally. I have cut out the “I’ll just have one” snacking since holiday treats are gone anyway, but that alone won’t get the scale tipping in the right direction. I know that I need to get it in gear again, but I can’t seem to force myself on the treadmill!! Any excuse will do not to exercise – the current one is that I have a wicked cold & feel just miserable, but really I think a hangnail would suffice. What I need is a swift kick in the A$$, but I’d settle for a (motivationally intended) lambasting!

I know participating again at LapBandTalk would be helpful to me. It was very inspiring in the beginning of this journey to be surrounded with people (both in person & on-line) who are traveling the same path. But I’ve had my share of "personal crisis" since my Banding & am working with my therapist thru a fairly big depression resulting from it, and I just haven’t felt the “taking care of me for a change” drive that used to bring me to LBT several times a day. I do appreciate that several of you have noticed my absence & cared enough to check in on me… I feel the love, ladies! :wub: Even if I’ve been in such a funk that replying seemed a monumental task…

Anyhow! I don’t want to hit my Bandiversary in 3 weeks still UP from my 100# loss from November!! And I really was shooting for a loss of 104 pounds by 1-year – that mythical 2 pounds a week! Six pounds between now & feb 15th -- that's just day...I doubt I'll make it at this rate. I don’t know how/what to do to get myself back on the Bandwagon. But I do KNOW I’ve GOT to DO something about my lack of motivation, boredom & general attitude… Thanks for listening to me whine… :bigear: I'm done now! Perhaps dumping it out here at LBT by way of update & confession to y’all will serve as a purge of sorts!

Hello Suzanne! So good to hear from you again! You know, when I first came to LBT, this is the place I figured I'd be lingering the longest (because I live in williamsburg!) :frown: I remember all the concern at your absence on the board, and was touched by how caring people can be! I was banded Oct 31, although i consider that to be more of a November date than anything. Probably 'cause I'm not at all doing as well as other folks at this same point in time. reading your post was like reading something I would have written! The Holiday was just like that for me too, not one day, but many! I was in "banders hell" for Thanksgiving (first fill was in mid Dec.). After the first fill I thought I'd be all set.....but NOOOoooooooooOOOOOO!!!! So I re-grouped and had to lose weight I'd gained! Heck I couldn't even say to myself ....look how far you come so far, way to go!" I had just started and felt like I was failing! Exercise? Yeah, that's another one :hurray: I just couldn't get started!!! (correction: can't get started!) When I thought I finally had the mindset thing working, I worked-out for 2 whole days!!! then nothing again (as now). I don't know how to get the fire under my big butt started!!! Now that I'm almost three months out, family, friends and co-workers are starting to ask the dreaded "how much have you lost?" question. (most with genuine compassionate interest) I'm starting to think that maybe what I need is a workout companion. Anybody interested?????

((((Hugs)))) to you Suzanne....thanks for sharing. You know, I think it did help to spill my guts too!!! We're gonna be fine!

Suzanne I am so glad to hear from you! I know how hard it is to post or get motivated to talk to others when you are feeling down. But that is when we need it the most. I am glad you did return and hope we continue to be here for you!

I maintianed over the holidays, and according to the doctor's scale lost, but I had been fluctuating for some of the same reasons you mentioned. I told the NP that I felt I was in a spot I visited so many other times when dieting, when you get to a good loss point and begin to get bored, and then relive old habits. She had good ideas, all I really know in my brain, but hard to get to action. I have been logging food which helps, but the exercise is the big obstacle. not sure what my problem is, but I too would like someone to come and kick my butt out the door!!!

Gina and others, great to hear from you too! I wish I lived closer to meet up with you. I think that is a great idea. I had lunch and dinner with two of my friends I met on line from Richmond. All of us had our surgery at the same hospital. it means a lot to get together!

Hi Janine -- I have hired a manager for the Richmond area -- hopefully we can get together sooner than later.

Hi Suzanne -- You have been on my mind lots and lots. You were not alone -- I personally stalled 10/16 till just a week ago or so. Ended up going up and down 5 here and there -- gaining 10 lbs overall. I have just reached my previous low -- now to get more off. I lost 50 previous surgery and 46 since April surgery. So see - you have done so much more than I have.

I really want to be 199 or less by birthday 5/16. Wish me luck.:frown:

Zannie, Hi. I've been reading your posts and see that you used the same dr. I am using. How are you doing now? Are you still happy with your choice and/or the results? Do you still go to the support meetings? What was they psych evaluation all about?

I know that's alot of questions, but sure could use some reassurance.

P.S. I wrote this post before I saw your last post. I didn't realize how old the post was that I originally was responding too but I hope you are back to stay on the boards. For some reason your posts stick out to me and have been giving me inspiration.