Musiclover

Hi Renee, Is your dinner last night the same as you would have usually eaten or less? If it is less then you can be happy with that. I don't know that the whole thing should be about restriction. It is also eating smaller portions and staying full for longer. It sounds like you are doing great. =D>

So I have been in a plateau for about a week at 181 and finally this morning I stepped on the scale and (drum roll please) I am in the 170's. Okay 179 but it is a milestone for me, this really was the best decision I have made (regarding weight loss). Sometimes it feels like I have been on a diet forever but actually it has only been 5 weeks (since starting pre-op diet) and I have never lost 17 pounds so fast before.

I was a little over the weight range you are discussing (196 when I started) but I found my weight loss was fast when I started pre-op and then the week after but now has slowed (2 weeks post-op). I do think weight loss is slower initially for lower BMI'ers but if you keep up with your fills it should still be a pound or two a week.

The only time I really notice the 'mental' side of the food issue is when I am under stress. When my kids do something really over the edge (like pouring an entire costco sized bottle of hot sauce all over the white carpet in their bedroom) I notice I am instantly starving. Crazy 'going to die if I don't eat' hunger that would have previously sent me to the kitchen to find something to nosh on. Now I just listen to my head (and stomach) and say, 'nope, your not hungry, just stressed' and then I have a glass of water and try to relax. I think this will take a long time to deal with as sometimes I just automatically reach for the food instead of consciously dealing with the issue but as the addicts say ...one day at a time.

DH crushed the pills between two spoons and then put it in hot water with lemon and honey (I was fortunate enough to catch a cold on the way home from TJ) it didn't taste as good as usual but it did make me feel better.

Hi Wendy, I gained two pounds last week (hormonal fluctuation) but it came back off again. I know how you feel though, the whole point of getting this band is that we can't gain back what we lose. Try to remember that this is still the healing period so the actual weight loss part of the band doesn't start until we have our first or second fill. You have done great so far, just keep on going the way you have been and by the end of the summer you will be losing big time.

I'm with ya Barb. I weigh myself every morning and I just don't change. When I had my period I went up 2 pounds (I always do) and it came off when it was over but then stuck. I've been 181 for over a week (except the few days at 183) and I am dying to get to the 170's. I am not worried about my diet (right now), I know I shouldn't eat less than I am but I haven't started exercising again yet so that is my next endeavor. I get my first fill June 12th too. I hate Bandster Helllllllllllllllllllllllll

I had the terrible shoulder pain till I was almost 2 weeks post op. Gas X made it worse, truly the only thing that helped was lying on my left side. I know it is terrible but it will go away. >

Hi Anita, Glad to hear it all went so well. Have a great time resting by the pool.

OHhhhhhhh, that's my problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I was driving my kids home from the park and they both wanted french fries (we were driving past the golden arches) so I went through the drive thru, got a small fries and choc milk for each of them and nothing for me. I was very proud of myself but to be honest I didn't even really want it...which wouldn't have stopped me from chowing down in the past.

I am 2 weeks post op and this weekend my 4 year caught a little flu bug and was puking all over the place (good times). The next day I got it and was terrified to throw up (don't want the band to slip) so I just took it easy and managed to get through it without an incident. When I read your post it made me wonder if you have the same thing. Bad timing to get sick but germs don't take that into account. You should keep trying to drink as much as you can, have you tried gatorade?

Ok I think I can feel it. There is something hard a ways underneath my large incision. It is 2 inches west and north of my bellybutton. At first I thought it might be just scar tissue but it is a ways below the incision and when I checked my c-section incision(s) there is nothing like that there. My port is way over west (probably almost 5 inches from my large incision) so I am sure I am not mixing up the two. Scars are looking better today, scabs are falling off and the scars left behind are actually quite tiny. I'll be happy when the bruising goes away, I still look like I went to Tijuana and got into a street fight whereupon I was stabbed 5 times.

I find I spend the evening either worrying I haven't eaten enough or that I have eaten too much. The whole point of doing this is so that I wouldn't be obsessed over my eating habits/weight and now I have found a new aspect to obsess over. To make it better I have been telling myself that a human doesn't actually need to eat very much to survive, mostly we need lots of water but it is ok not to eat as much. As Nebs Mom says 'eat to live not live to eat'.

Oh I so didn't get that the first time you asked...I thought you were talking about the port. I can't feel the band now but I'm sitting up (there is all this jiggly stuff in the way ) but I will try and see if I can feel it when I lie down to go to sleep tonight.

I always drink bottled water in Mexico but brush my teeth with whatever comes out of the tap. I have never gotten sick (7 trips to MX) from anything. I always take a pro-biotic first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The Mexican's think it is a big joke that we go down there and drink like fish and eat spicy food and then blame it all on the water. From what I have seen each community/city has water purification plants and most hotels have their own system as well.

Oh wait. That was you looking for the paperwork in the other thread. I guess it didn't work out with you getting paperwork from 'theredhead'. Sorry. I have heard from others that the Dr. in Calgary is really good and I know of someone in Grand Prairie that gets it done at the hospital there (not sure how that works). Good luck and I'll post right away if I hear anything else.

I had the same situation Allcdngirl. I am in Kelowna and Dr. Woodhead's receptionist wouldn't let me book until I had the surgery. When I phoned her back early May to make the appt she said he wasn't doing it anymore. I made a fuss about it and was close to begging and she said that if I had the paperwork she would talk to the Dr. about an exception and then he decided to accept me as a patient. I wish I had blank paperwork to send you but my is all filled out already. There was another BC'er that had blank paperwork for Dr. Woodhead. Maybe you can get a copy and then you have a better chance getting in with him. I'll try and find the thread where this was discussed.

Well Ross is always good, I got a few pairs from there (they are all around $10-$15 for nine west and other designers), but then the last day in SD we went to Nordstrom Rack and I could have just moved right in (huge price range because they have everything from Jimmy Choos to lesser know designers). Their shoes are amazing and I got a great suit for my husband too. I love shoes too, they always fit no matter what size I happen to be at the time. Have fun.

In Canada we have superstore (or as I like to call it, stupidstore) and they have their own brand of low calorie frozen meals. The calorie/fat content was similar to Lean Cuisine so I used them too for my pre-op diet with no adverse effects. Some of Lean Cuisine's stuff is pretty good, like the cheese pizza (put on your own hot sauce) and the panini's are the bomb (my husband is still buying them even though I can't have them for another week or so). Congratulations on your decision Heidi!

I packed quite lightly but then went on a shoe buying frenzy in San Diego and barely got my luggage through check-in it was so heavy. It was difficult getting it on and off the ramps at the airport...but in the end the shoe bargains were worth it.

I went back to the hotel the same day as I had the surgery. I hate spending the night in a hospital and was up and around so quickly that the doc's didn't have a problem with it at all. The next two days were spent shopping in SD.

Dr. Woodhead.

I wonder what these symptoms are?

I was banded April 29 and I still have terrible gas pain too. I had read about it on the forum but I was truly unprepared for how painful it would be. For most people the best thing is to walk it off but for me the only that helps is to lie very still on my left side, when I do this is starts to ease up immediately. The gasx made it worse as it seemed to keep it trapped so now I try relaxing in a warm bath or just lying down for a little while. I hope you feel better soon, in the long run it will all be worth and we won't even care about a few weeks of pain.