baps
Hello, My name is Judy and this is my story. I am 5'4" tall, weighing 231.8 pounds, unmarried with 3 adult daughters and 3 grandchildren. My goal is to be slender, especially in my midsection and back, neck, and chin! Currently 2 of my 3 grandchildren live with me. I see now why older people do not need to raise kids. I have little patience! I pray for patience. I also hate to cook, ugh!
I remember feeling big or heavy or fat, every since I was a child, I didn't trip about it, I just felt big and gainly! My sister was always so skinny, and I felt bigger. When I look back, I can see that I wasn't heavy or fat, but I thought I was just heavier than others! In reality I was not! Before I became pregnant with my first child, I was 122 lbs. Had been that weight for at least 3 years( I had no interest in knowing my weight before then). I only knew my weight because they weighed us in PE classes. I wore a junior 11, some size 9's but mostly 11's. During the pregnancy, I gained 40.4 pounds and entered the hospital at 162 1/4 pounds. Needless to say baby was only 9-1/2 pounds so I think I lost 20pounds the first day! Here begins my weight problems. I only knew my weight because they weighed us in Physical Ed classes. My clothing increased by 1 size to a size 13 for several years, and went from bra size 34B to 38C. Over the years I gained to a size 16 and was a size 16 most of my young adult years. I began to take diet pills off and on, trying to starve myself ( to no avail). During my mid to late 30's I began to gain. Actually, I started smoking at age 31. Smoked for 10 years, then stopped, cold turkey! Guess what, gained 30 pounds in 2 weeks. I was weighing between 160 and 172, and 30 pounds put me in the 200 pound and Women sizes. I started smoking agin and the weight began to fall off, on its own. But smoking made me cough, so I gave it up again and guess what, gained another 15-20 pounds. And voila, here I am!!!UGHHHH!!
I used Phen Phen ,at the suggestion of my PCP, in 1996 and lost about 50 pounds, but when phen-phen was taken off, I ballooned back up!What a ride and now I am ready to get off and stay off.
Weight Loss Journey begins here!
I ran into a friend December, 2006, who had lap band sugery in October 2005. She had told me she was having sugery but I had not seen her since. Well a year and a couple of months later, I ran into her at a department store! I did not know who she was! In fact she recognized me and called my name to say hello. It was several micro seconds later before I could call her name. She looked fantastic and very slim and trim. She began to tell me of her surgery and the things she could and could not eat and said that maybe I could try it. She told me of the seminars and told me she would be happy to attend with me. She really piqued my curiousity and I thought about it through out the holidays. After the holidays were over I called my friend and got the name of her surgeon and his number,also asked a bunch of questions. I went online and looked it up. I called and made an appointment for the seminar and consultation. My appt was set for Saturday, January 13, 2007.
On day of consult and seminar, I was surprised to see so many people . I felt very apprehensive, because it gave me feelings of it being a scam. I was weighed , and told my weight was 231.8, my height is 5'4" and My BMI was 41, according to the nurse. After the presentation and answer period, I waited my turn to see Dr. Spiegel, for my consult. He was very brief and raised my shirt to see my tummy. He was not pleased at my scars, from 2 different sugeries, done many years before. One was gall bladder , and the other was a tubal ligtion, both done in the 1970s. He said he would have to do something( I did not understand) with the scar tissue inside. I beieve it concerns the placement of the port used for injections after the lap band surgery. I was told I needed a cardiac clearance and it would take about 2 weeks to hear from insurance company for approval. Also they told me that my surgery would be at the University general Hospital in Houston. It was a new facility that I had never heard of, only 4 months old per nurse, but D. Spiegel said it was a geat hospital. I asked how did he know since it was only four months old and he said he knew the staff there! I later found out that he is on staff there, too.
Feb 26, 2007 Cadiac clearance was given and I called the Dr's office to see what was the next step. The office staff was rushing me off the phone, as usual( this was not my first call to ask questions, my trying to expedite matters and get my ducks in a row), I was told we had to wait on the approval letter. UHC said letter was mailed out Jan 22nd but neither Dr Spiegel's office nor myself received it. I was a tad perturbed because I had made several request for phone calls to be returned and none were until week of March 1st!! On Thurs. Feb 22nd I requested another letter be sent out showing appoval for the surgery.
On Friday, 3/2/2007, I finally received my approval letter, in the mail, but the Dr's office closed at noon on Friday, so I was unable to let them know until Monday morning. I called the office and spoke to Lorena. Also told her my letter was faxed last night, and she did find it, and said she would give to Pam so Pam could call insuance company and get coverage information and call me later for scheduling. I explained that I wanted surgery scheduled for Thusday, March 8th and she said she was notating that. I will try to post more as things progress. Please pray for me and my family that all will be well. Please pray with me asking for a safe and uneventful surgery and post-op surgery. I pray that the Lord guides the surgeon's hands and mind and also guides the hands and mind of the anesthesiologist, too, so that all goes without error . I pray that my post op care goes very well too , without infection and pain. Also for lasting great health and weight loss. In Jesus name , I pray for all of these things, Amen!
3/5/07 Pam called back to schedule surgery for Friday,3/9/2007! Also said to come in for pre-op on Wednesday, 3/7/07 and then go to UGH( Univ gen Hosp) for my lab work and registering!
3/7/07 I went to Dr felix's ofc for preop. Was given sheet with instructions. Had to sign something and Lorena covered all the stuff on the sheets. I was also weighed again and I was 230 pounds, according to Lorena. Have to be on liquids the 24 hours before the surgery, so that means tomorrow!
After leaving Dr. Felix's ofc, I went to UGH to register, and the lady was very nice. The hospital is very nice and very new. All the rooms are private (Yeah!!) and roomy! I am scheduled to arrive at 5:30 am and was told that Dr Felix schedules a group of his patients at same time, then sends for them as he is ready, one by one.
03/11/07
To GOD, I owe the Glory! He brought me safely through surgery and did it very well. I thank Him for His beneficence and His mercy! I also want to thank Him, in advance, for whatever He is about to do with me, as I take this weight loss journey! Amen
I am only 1 day out , my lap-band surgery was Friday, 3/9/07 a.m., and I was nervous beforehand too! My surgery went well and I had to have an overnight stay. So far, so good. I have not had any medications other than my daily meds, but am very sore, especially where the port is. My surgery was scheduled on Monday, 3/5/07 for Friday, 3/9/07, so I did not have a lot of time to back out, but I certainly thought and prayed about it! I, too was worried about not being asleep before they started the procedure, but let me tell you this, once they came to wheel me into surgery, they gave me something in my IV, for nausea and to make me sleep! Before we could get down the hall I kept blinking my eys shut because I was getting so sleepy. Inside the surgery, he said ok, I'm going to give you your knock-out or joy juice or whatever he called it and I said OK( and began to pray, in my mind)! I never even saw the surgeon! I must have been asleep in less than 10 seconds, next thing I knew the nurse was bugging me to wake up and I did not want to!
My Lapband is not even a month old yet, and I don't seem to be losing any thing but my patience! After the surgery, I felt great. Here is what happened!
Before surgery, I was in my hospital room, with my cousin who was with me. When they were ready for me they took me to a holding room , and put in an IV. When it was my turn, they gave me something in my iv to make me sleepy & to prevent nausea, Before surgery he told me there would be a tube inserted down my throat to help me breathe. I asked if it would still be in when I woke up and he said no! I said cool! They, then rolled me to surgery, which wass right down the hall.Before we could get there I was struggling to keep my eyes open. In the sugery they put me on the table and the anesthesiologist gave me the joy juice, told me to lift my chin and and the rest is history.
I was awakend in the recovery room by the nurse, I remembering not wanting to wake up and I was sleeping really good! Suddenly someone was calling my name and asking me questions. At first I was annoyed, then realized that my surgery was over, Yeah!!! Mouth was so dry, it felt like cotton was stuffed in there. My voice was husky and raspy, in answer to her questions and I was speaking in monotones, as I struggled to come out of the fog.Each minute brought about a clearer head and she sat at my feet until I was alert. I heard her call for someone to take me to my room. I was in recovery an hour and slept all of it. She asked me about the pain on level of 1 -10 and I said a 2! Didn't really feel any pain, just a soreness in my neck on the left side, like I had been holding my neck wrong!
They rolled me to my room, where my cousin was waiting for me, and I was put into the bed. I got up immediately to go to the bathroom. I did not have any tubes but did have an IV. I did not need any help to the bathroom. Then I asked if I could put my panties on and was told Ok. Nurse helped me do that, since I was standing! I went walking down the hall and they brought me a tray of food to eat( broth and jello and tea). I hate tea! It was a slow leiserly walk all the way around the floor. The nurse also brought the breathing thingie and instructed me to use it every hour.My midsection was sore if you touched it and I couldn't move from sitting to standing too fast. Also lying to sitting took a minute because of soreness.
I hope at some point, I thanked the Lord, for delivering me safely, but I cannot remember when I did this, I believe I did it when I realized I was in the recovery room.
I was kept overnight, I was surprised at that since I was doing great. I did not require any pain medication, nor was I nauseated! Left the next morning, with the breathy thingie! It is important to use this after surgery to get your lungs back in shape and to prevent pneumonia!
I got home that morning and was up all day. had a few visitors and played on the internet. even did a few chores. Instructed not to pick up anything over 5 pounds.
3/13/2007
I'm sore in midsection , and lots of gas, wondering if I am doing something wrong! I am beginning to get hungry now! It is not noon yet and I've already had chicken broth twice. Probably about 4 ounces each time, kind of afraid to eat too much at once because I don't want to bring it back up! I have a follow-up with doctor on Thursday afternoon, hope I don't have to go back to work too soon.
3/15/2007
Had 1st post surgery follow-up, today. It appears that their scale and mine are pretty much the same . I weighed 222.6 lbs at home and 222.1lbs at Doctor's office. and I was starving by the time Dr Spiegel saw me!
the doctor says all is well and allowed me to place some gauze on my port incision, because it continues to drain occasionally( I was embarrased in the place, because it was staining my shirt. Luckily the shirt was hot pink, so you had to be close to see it, I think). Also said I can stay off 4 weeks from work, after much discussion. At first he said 2 weeks and I said I could not see me going back to work next week with the way I am walking now, ( barely upright), and the way the mid-section feels. I explained that I do what he calls heavy duty work, working with a tool belt around my waist( full of tools) and up and down ladders all day, from sitting , even lying on the floor, to up the ladder, constantly daily. He apologized and said, Ok 4 weeks. ( I was hoping for 6 weeks, because I need the rest, but won't complain!! It's already been a week, and I have to go back in 3 weeks( for another follow-up). Dr. also said the incisions looked good , no infections, and that was it. he was out in 5 min. I was there for over an hour awaiting my turn. He also said, because I am hungry I can have soft foods, sooooooooooooooo, on the way home I ordered fish and spinach. well they were out of spinach, so I had mashed pot instead. Just finished eating what I considered small ( fist size piece of fish, and fist size portion of potatoes). Boy was that good!! 1st food in this mouth , for a week & a day! Praise God!! He stressed the importance of eating your protien first( your meat) then your sides if you can, and then your salad). Also said when you need that something special ( carbs), eat it early, like in the morning, not at night, because your metaboilsm slows down at night! He does not want us exercising yet, only walking and only 20minutes, because he says when you are losing fat , you will bulk up, and you do not want to bulk up! please excuse all typos, I can't type worth a darn!!! hey maybe with the pounds, I can lose the profanity, too! Enough for now, thanks for listening! Please pray for me!
3/16/2007
Today, after trying a few things to see how well I tolerate them, I reluctantly weighed myself. 222.8, OMG!!! I really hope that I am not the first person in lapband history to not lose anything!! I pray for deliverance!!! Last night, before bed, I had a small very small gingerbread man cookie, it was soooooooo good!!Also had a lemon sandwhich cookie with lemon icing in between, it melted in my mouth. Now I pay the price, oh no!!!!I am going to weight a week now before weigh-ins. I hope to lose inches more so than weight, so I have to find the menus and recipes on this site and speak to a nutritionist!
3/17/07
Happy St. Pat's Day! Well, last night, I read somewhere on OH that I could have Wendy's chili! Got home and found it had beans, Panicked for a fraction, got on forums and asked somebody if ok. Got the green light and the chili is practically history. It went down so easily!!! And I finally felt satisfied! My first!! Thanks to all!
3/24/2007
Wow, it's been a week getting used to this new tool!!! I've been very bad. I've tried all kinds of stuff! Even cake, we had a cake today to celebrate my mom's 76 birthday! Of course, my mom's been dead for 8 years but my sisters and I did not let it deter us! I had a 2 small pieces( 2 hours apart) and was satisfied!! Also had potato chips today for the first time in 3 weeks. WOW! Potato chips are my weakness and let me tell you, I ate the entire bag( an 89cent bag, says its 3 servings about 160 calories per serving, etc!! Had an email from a friend, that I just read and she advises and recommends eating beans and tilapia. Can't wait to try that! I love redbeans!!! I have eaten Wendy's every day for a week, and still looking forward to eating more. It goes down soo easy and is fulfilling! Today, I also had 3 Lemon peppered chicken wingettes from Wing Stop!!! My 2nd favorite chicken place behind frenchy's chicken!! But chicken does not go down as smoothly as chili!!
Just got a package of Great Value's On the Go apple flavor form my sis, and it is fantastic!! I ususally drink only lemon. Gotta get some more of that. Yesterday, I bought some liquid protein form Nutrition Depot! 2- 42 ounce vials, one grape, one fruit punch!! I hate getting on the scale, it sucks!!!
3/25/2007
Dr. Spiegel's staff is terrible and I really would like to change to a different doctor for my post op needs is that possible? I think I will start a new thread on the forum to see if anyone has. He was ok but they are very frustrating!!
3/31/2007
WEIGHED myself and I am still a fat hog!!! I am 219.8 naked and 221.0 with gown on! I've decided to change my goal weight to 140 instead of 150. How will I ever attain that at the rate I am going? I am hoping I will reach my goal by Christmas 2007. I told my grandaughter and grandson to day that I am on a diet. She wants to know if I will have changed when she sees me at Christmas( she is only 6yrs old). I told her I certainly hope so. let's now If I lose 3 lbs a month til Christmas I should be about 24 pounds lighter and then I should weigh 195.8 by Christmas. < Golly that is still fat>. Looking on the positive side though, that means my skin will have a chance to keep up with my weight loss and prayerfully not sag. Thighs alreasy look a mess! What am I to do!! My ankles are still puffy, but not as much.
I haven't began to exercise yet, no treadmill, but hopefully this will help me to lose something too. Scheduled to return to work on April 11th. Followup Doctor's appt is on the 10th of April! Dr Spiegel is going to be upset at my lack of progress. I'm gonna see if I can do the liquids for aweek and lose something before the 10th. I hope to be 210, by the 10th of April. Let's see waht happens!
I get hungry all the time. I forget I have the band until I eat something then I remember because I swallow too soon, then i have to wait for it to go down. it feels weird when the food goes from my upper stoma to my lower!
I have this long sleeved blouse given to me Christmas of 1986, by my playmom! I have never been able to wear it because my boobs were to large. It is a size 14 and buttons in the back. When I first got it i was a size 16 and unable tobutton the blouse. Tried it on yesterday, back to front so I could attempt to button it and both sides barely coverad a nipple. I have a long way to go to comfortably wear that. I kept it hoping the day would come. soon it will arrive. Almost got into it when I was using the phen phen but had to stop taking it and gained weight back. Well hopefully next week I'll have good weight loss news.
4/4/2007
I am now only weighing once a week( it is a struggle not to peek before the week is up), but I've got to get some discipline in my life. I can at least start with the scale. So now I am weighing on Saturdays! I have not been losing anything but my mind and my patience. I want to lose slowly, because I am hoping my skin won't sag and will be able to keep up with my weight loss, but at the sam etime, I am impatient with my progress. Maybe because I haven't lost anything since the first week. What agony! I sure hope I have lost inches by the end of June! espically in my face and my waistline. That is all for now. I return to work a week from today!! My Doctor's appt for a follow-up is Tuesday, 4/10/2007, then back to work on Wednesday!
My band is still unfilled but I can definitely tell that there is a restriction there! If I don't chew my food, well, it sits there and feel like I might throw up or burp. I've notice that if i chew it well, it goes down easy!! If I don't I fill up in 2 bites.
My intructions are to: take 1 small bit of food and chew 15-20 times, then swallow. Walk away and come back in 1-2 minutes. This gives the first food a chance to open the opening a little for the rest of it. The take another small bite, and wait another minute, then eat your proteins, then veggies, then anything else, if you have room.
If I follow these directions, it works! If I forget and shovel that first spoonful in there, I will have a hard time digestiong the lump of food and it may come up again!
Hope this helps!
4/6/2007
10:49am cdt
Today is Good Friday! I couldn't help myself and weighed. I still am going to try to wait a week before weighing! I have a follow-up appt at Dr. Felix's office on Tuesday, so we'll see what his scales say. I intend to weigh myself at home first, so I can check the diffences in his scale and mine, again. Today, I am 217.4 with only my panties!
Later
4/8/2007
I am psyched! I just weighed with my gown on and I am 214.8. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Praise God! I've been trying to be good!
4/11/2007
Doctor was not there today. The nurse, Tiffany( she is 3 weeks new, she says) helped me. She was very cordial! She seems genuine!
How-sum-ever, afterwards I pigged out on 3 doughnuts and 1scoop of lemon custard icecream! Also some General tsao's chicken. I was really full. Oh yeah, and my 1st fill is scheduled for 4/26/07( Thursday ) at 2pm. If seems as if I surely need it, because I can eat too much! I was wondering what else I can eat before bed time because I'm back on the wagon in the morning!
And.................It's back to work tomorrow! :-(
4/26/2007
Wow, It's been a minute since I've posted here! I've gotta make this quick because I need to get some sleep and it's almost 11 o'clock pm!
Went to Dr. Felix's for my 1st fill! It went fast. The longest part was trying to get the water down, afterwards. The doc came in shook hands, brushed off my questions regarding my post surgery photos of my band, had me lay back ,stuck needle in( injecting 1.0 cc, slapped a bandaid on the puncture, and was gone! All this done, in the amount of time it took you to read this...no kidding! I felt very rushed and like a number. It still feels like a cattle call because of the rush! Today there were not a lot of people in there!
My weight was 213.3. When I got home, I weighed and my scales showed 213.4!
Also found out yesterday, from hospital, medical records clerk, that my band is a 10cm band . Doctor told me it holds 4 cc. Have met lots of people on my friends list that I'd like to keep in touch with. So many nice people willing to share information too!
Enough...Goodnight
5/6/07
I find myself thinking of eating , all the time . This should not be! I have been very bad this week and am pledging to get on board beginning tomorrow. I am calling the doctor's office to schedule a fill for sometime in the near future. I'm afraid to weigh, but on Thursday(5/3/07), MY SCALES showed I was 209.
I feel hardly any restriction, and I find that odd since I had a 1.0 cc fill... Well, tomorrow I will start using weight watchers and counting points! We will see how that does. On another note, I find that I can eat anything, as long as I chew it well! Even bread. I have eaten doughnuts and I had a breakfast jack on yesterday, and actually ate the bread too. I did not have any problems with it. One day this past week, I had KFC chicken wings ( 3 of them) and ate all of them. I was not stuffed, not even full, just not hungry! I also had a biscuit with it, but did not eat it. I nibbled on it to see what would happen and nothing did, but I left it!
That is all for now!
5/7/07
Not going to well for the hometeam!! I started out pretty good but ended poorly! I went sort of like this:
B - 2 boiled eggs
L - Talipia & Collards and Cabbage( only ate a bite or two of the veggies, they were too tough and crunchy)
S - 2 Skinny Cow Ice cream sandwiches
D - 10 wing flats ( Chester Chicken) and 3 forks of baked potato
Snack ( late night) several ginger snaps
Several bottles of crystal light on the go!
Oh, I almost forgot that I called Dr's ofc today to make another appointment for a fill. First available date was 5/21/07 at 2:15pm, so I took it.
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Tuesday 5/8/07
Another bad day. I have set a short goal of getting to 190 pounds by June 29th ( our family reunion weekend). Day went like this:
B - 1 carb control yougurt ( vanilla)
L - More Chester Chicken
S - Skinny Cow Ice cream Sandwich
D - None
S - Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich
Several bottles of crystal light on the go!
5/21/2007
I had a 2nd fill today. My appointment was at 2;15pm.I really needed it. I was hungry all the time and I could still eat anything, as long as I took my time.Weighed in at 208.7 lbs. Down form 213.3 on 4/26. Anyway, I now have 1.6 ccs in my 4cm band. It turns out that I only had .6CCs in my band. I was given 1.0 CCs last month, but I guess the band absorbed some of it. So Dr felix had the new assistant, give me 1.0 CCs. Also found out from a fellow bandster, Ron ( who I met today at the dr's office) that the way they determine how much you have is by retrieving what is there, into the syringe! Then injecting whatever amount they determine. Cool, huh?
Had a hard time getting my water down. drank most of it but had to dash back too work, so I actually drank it down to a very small amount. finished the rest at work. It is now 12:38 AM and I need to go to bed. Just note that I still feel very full, like something might come up! I have not eaten anything today. Dr felix says for me to start drinking slimfast in the morning, so I will try it tomorrow. I put some in the fridge. I told him about the 3 doughnuts, that I can devour and he was amazed. Says do not do that again, because I could end up stretching my pouch! Dr also says to use Mcderma for incisions, once they are healed. Says do not use neosporin on incisions becaus eit is for infections and it leaves the incisions soft. He also spoke again about NOT eating /using the protein mixes. He says they become like concrete, when not mixed well, and eventually causes problems with the band due to clogging the band. Doctor also recommends Isopure Fruit drinks(?)said they taste fruity! Well on clear liquids through Thursday. Hope that helps the weight loss.
Oh Yeah, I almost forgot, I made an appointment for my next fill on today, since it is so hard to get in. So my 3rd fill is scheduled for June 21, 2007 at 2pm. If this is my sweet-spot, I will cancel the appt.
Goodnite!
6/1/2007
Ok, so now I am getting scared. My fear is from uncertainty! I don't know what I am doing and feel much like a fish out of water. My last fill has given me good restriction. I cannot eat very much anymore, but my greed begs for more food. It's as if my head and my pouch have different agendas. The pouch says no more but the head says, I just got started. I have wasted a lot of money this week on food and have been unable to get it down, after 2 or 3 bites. I am at a loss as to what are good solid proteins. i better head to the Lap band forum with the question. Yesterday I was wondering if i was too tight, but I don't think I am. I can drink liquids but solids are very very tricky and I get something( cannot say it is full, it feels more like stuck)quickly! I guess I need to ask about that too. I have thrown up several toiimes this week but it has been very smooth and easy, with lots of mucus. Could this be the foam people are speaking of? To me, it seems like mucus, the clear kind, and it makes the food come out very easily, and very smoothly and all together! Without wretching, just up and out! Had my 1st boiled egg today and it kinda of felt weird ( stuck) but went ok. Did not eat all of it. I bought a baked potato yesterday but could only eat 2 or 3 bites, and all of that came up. It's amazing how much came up to say I ate so little. I think A chive got stuck! I learned my lesson, in the future, no chives and I need to be sective about hard to chew condiments
Well I I'm off...goodnight
6/2/2007
I am happy that I have had the surgery! The sugery was the easy part, and now the living with it is the hard part, because I am so hard headed. I do not always follow the band rules, and become angry with myself. It's hard trying to figure all of it out, but with time, I feel it will get easier. I am enjoying losing the weight and inches. It seems more inches than weight. My clothes are fitting much bigger, but not big enough to throw away yet. I'd love to go through my closet and throw away everything, but I am still wearing everything. Some of the jeans are very big in the butt, and I look like those hip-hop guys with the baggy pants, but I am afraid to try to buy something new becaues it may be my same size,then it would break my heart, so I am waiting on a very noticeable changes! In summary, My weight loss is slow, but that is a good thing. It helps stop the skin from sagging so badly and at my age, that is a good thing. If anyone is reading this I hope this helps. Please don't get discouraged. One of the people on my friends list had this on her profile and I thought it was awsome. It went like this:
on April 26, 2007 5:40 am
My thoughts for today on how to be successful as a bandster, in no particular order....
This is a journey, not a race. You need to learn your own body and reactions to foods etc, so it is ok to take your time.
This forum is the best support group ever - coming here daily helps to make you accountable to your new lifestyle.
You CAN live like a normal person!
Lose weight only for YOU; never to please another person, never to land that perfect mate, not to be sexy and wear sexy clothes - those are superficial reasons. Lose weight for YOURSELF. So that you feel better about being YOU. Self confidence is very very sexy.
The scales can be your friend or your enemy - depends on how you use it. It is ok to weigh daily, or weekly, or monthly. Whatever works for YOU. There are no rules about this.
Eating and the bandster rules. Follow them 75-80% of the time, and you will be successful.
Impatience can hurt you - seriously. Too many people fight their doctors to get their band tighter and tighter - then have problems which require unfills or even removal of bands. There is NOTHING NORMAL about only eating two bites of soft foods. Every successful bandster should be able to eat a decent and normal meal.
Move. Often. Walk. Take the stairs when you can. Park a little farther away. STRETCH - elongate that body - you will feel so much better. And taller.
Get rid of those BIG clothes that no longer fit. Ok maybe save that one giant pair of pants for a photo shoot if you want, but get rid of everything else. You will have more room in your closet, and you can donate those clothes to someone who really needs them. When you no longer see larger clothes in your closet you will start to believe in yourself and your success.
The most important rule of all: EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. Gauge your success by how you feel. Are you sleeping better? Take less meds? Moving easier? Clothes feeling looser? Remember this is a journey. Look at the overall trending - not did you lose weight since last night. I go on plateaus pretty often - my weight loss pattern is like steps. Quick drop - levels off for a while. Quick drop - levels off for a while. I just think of it as my body getting used to the changes.( This was written by Chelle)
6/21/2007
I had my third fill today. I still had 1.6 CCs in and he gave me .2CCs more for a total of 1.8 CCs. This time I do not feel any different when I drink my water. While waiting I met 2 ladies that work for my employer and that helped the time to fly by. Beofre I left the dr's ofc, I made an appt for another fill for July 19, 2007 at 2pm. I plan to cancel if it is not needed.
Drum-roll please.....My new weight is 203.5. Onederland is truly illusive, for me, but it is attainable and I am setting a new goal. My new goal is to be 195 lbs by my birthday( July 24th). Wish me luck!
10/13/2007
Well, It's been a long while since I've been on here. So I thought I'd better get on here to update my progress, or lack there of.
I have been very bad! I went to get a fill yesterday, and my weight was ........are you ready for this.............210.4lbs. YEP!!! I have gained 7 pounds since June. I made an appt. with the Physician's Surgi Center, here in Houston , and they do things differently than Dr. Spiegel's office. After the fill, they do a barium swallow ( which I had never had since after surgery. The PA took the time to explain what I was looking at and it was awsome.
They also validate parking, if you don't valet park. and the garage attendant paid me a compliment ( she was an older matureed woman probably my age and I believe she was of asian descent)! When I handed her my validation slip, she asked if I had been to the surgi center. I said yes, and she asked why, and , and said that I did not look as if I needed to lose weight, wondered if I had already lost my weight. I was flabbergasted, but managed to Thank her and told her I weigh 210 pounds. She said she could not tell from what she could see. I thanked her and drove away.
The thing I don't understand though is that I am suppose to already have 1.8 CCs in my band, but the PA says I have 2.5CCs. She gave me .5 then had me drink the barium, then gave me .5CCs more then drink, them took out .3CCs, so I now have 2.7CCs according to her. She was the Asian PA and I have forgotten her name but she had only been there doing it for about 3 weeks. Therefore I am unsure of exactly how many CCs I have.
On another note my blood pressure was a little high, 165/83, but I had not taken my daily bp meds yet.
Now I've got another goal to try to attain. This time I'd like to lose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving Day.
I'm suppose to stay on liquids for 4 days then soft foods for 2 days. She said I have a pouch in my pouch and it should clear up with 4 days of just liquids.The PA says I have restriciton, but I do not feel it. This morning when I awoke, I expected to be pretty tight but it's hard to tell when you're just on liquids.
Enough for now. That's all I've got now I'm off to support groups!
A few minutes later...
I thought this fill was not very restrictive, but boy am I wrong. After updating my profile, I took 2 dayqui liquid capsules and after swalling them, I went "WHoaaaaa!" They took a beat to go down then I felt them going through th eband and I had to immediately go to the bathromm to throw up the crystal light I had drunk to get them down. So I guess I've got some swelling but it's all good !
***One last thing...I notice that if I don't follow the lap band basics I don't do well.
These basics are:
1 Eat slowly--- 30 minutes per meal; 3 meals per day
2. Never drink while you eat---Wait 45 minutes - 1 hour to drink
3. Stay away from high calorie beverages
4. Chew-chew-chew---You don't wnat to irritate the band
5. Eat protein first-then veggie--- Wait 3 min. in between the 1st 3 bites
6. Eat until you feel satisfied- Not until you vomit, or feel like vomitting.
7. Go to support groups!!!
Judy
11/17/2007
It's almost Thanksgiving and I have not and will not attain my goal! I have not lost anything. My appetite has not changed since my last fill and I am still hungry. I have not been following the band rules, to the letter and I still intend to lose these 10 pounds.
My current goal is now 10 pounds by Christmas Day!
Remember, don't get discouraged and I won't either.
