Go on, as the song goes... "If I could turn back time", what would you say to yourself, lying there after your operation?

this isnt a miracle cure and like before the only person who can do it is you.

When the doc and everybody else says sip, they mean sip. I'm talking less than a teaspoon, swallowed several times to to be sure the sip is small. Sipping isn't a luxurious "mint julep" thing. It's getting the smallest amount of liquid down at a time. I wish I had realized this. Now, others may not have needed sips quite this small but my post-op swelling was pretty severe. I'll bet I would save myself some amount of misery if I could go back and try my post-op again. Anyhow, I certainly wouldn't have been so stressed about it.

Good luck!

Hmmm..

1. The band is a tool, not a magic wand, we have to do some of the work if we want the band to work it's best

2. Patience Patience Patience , the lbs are not going to fall off. There will be times you gain and times you plateau

3. Do NOT weigh everyday or more then once a day!

I would have a talk with myself about the importance of pain meds and not being a "hero". I got into real trouble with pain on my first day out of the hospital and it took me a long time to come back from that.

I would also ask myself not to roll over in the middle of the night that first night because I yanked hard on the place near the port and suffered that for a very long time. Gentle.

I would also, as others said, remind myself about the nature of a sip. Got into trouble with THAT.

I would thank myself for walking as much as I did because I had NO shoulder pain. All the laps I did on the floor with so much determination paid off immensely.

Oh, and I'd tell myself that the severe bloating was coming because THAT was an unpleasant surprise!!

And I'd hug myself hard for doing such a wonderful life affirming thing for myself.

I wish that I would have watched that video of the live surgery - it really drove home to me the importance of your pre and post op instructions and WHY they are so important. Luckily nothing has gone wrong with me, but I would have been much more strict about all of my instructions!!!!

Hmmm..

2. Patience Patience Patience , the lbs are not going to fall off. There will be times you gain and times you plateau

What she said.

Not so much post-op but pre hospital trip, I would have packed a bag, I had to spend the night. I also would have told myself that it would be better everyday. Even though I read it here, it just didn't sink in until I was actually getting better each day. ~Mandy

I would tell myself this thing wasn't magic. I ate a bunch of crap once I was back on solids, and even though I was still eating less of it, it was still crap.

Oh, and at 14 months out I've gotten lax on my protien, so guess what??? I'm losing hair!! I need to PAY ATTENTION!! So there.

The band is merely a bracelet without a fill. Learn Patience.

Patience is a virtue.

I think that lack of patience has been my biggest downfall with the band. Like nearly everyone, I want the weight gone .. yesterday lol. But I'm learning, slowly

I'm really struggling with not trying to think "I want to lose 20kg by Christmas". The wait between seeing a surgeon and getting the band, and then to the first fill, will drive me nuts. I wont be able to resist dieting. I know I'll do it on pure willpower in that time.

I'm sure if I go ahead and then get to look back I'll be able to see that's silly.

I sure wish I could go back though and see that 75kg on a 5ft 10 frame is not fat - and not go comfort eating because of my depression over my "huge" size.

1. Don't be such a damn slow learner. Surrender to the band early on.

2. Get more therapy to deal with food issues and the bizarreness of seeing yourself thinner than you've ever been.

3. Follow the rules all the time.

4. Avoid PBs.

5. Love yourself more-before you lose weight.

6. This is a long journey. It is a process that takes years. And you will be older whether you lose weight or not so go ahead and take the journey.

7. Go right back to your Mexican surgeon for aftercare (I went to some other docs that were very annoying and expensive).

8. Understand that you determine how successful you will be with the band.

9. With fills, the looser you can live with, the better!

10. Do not compare yourself or your weight loss with others.

Wow, that was motivating. Thanks for starting the topic!!

Everyone heals at a different pace. I was so disapointed in myself because I expected to be up and about and feeling great by day three. Well, I wasnt!!! I felt like I had been run over by a really, really, really big truck for about a week. I took pain meds for the whole first week. And didn't really feel good for about another week after that. I felt like a big baby after reading stories of people who were up and at work and feeling great the next day or something. Well, now I have hears several other, what's wrong with me? Why am I still hurting? Why don't I feel back to normal yet? stories from other people who healed a little slower, so I wasn't alone. I would say, don't be hard on yourself. Listen to your body and let it set it's own pace for recovery.

Chew, Chew, And Finally Chew!!!

That like it or not I won't really lose what I need to without exercise. I hate exercise - but I better start doing it to get the results I want.

I just broke down & bought a exercise machine- Kinda like a bowflex but not the same bran. As soon as I can put the darn thing together- I am making myself a promise of a min of 3 times a week- NO Matter what!!!!