MamaMichelle

Ah yes the first 2 weeks of surgery... If weeks 3-6 are called "Bandster Hell" I think we should name weeks 1-2 "Bandster Honeymoon" lol because during weeks 1-2 you are still swollen from surgery so you aren't hungry and because your calorie intake is so low the weight starts to melt off... But just like any honeymoon it has to come to an end, and that sounds like what's happening which means you might be in store for somewhat of a rough spot!! But this too will pass!! The first 6 weeks before your first fill you should be mostly focused on healing, any weight you lose during this time is a bonus, I know it's not what you want to hear but it's what most bandsters go through... Don't stress, you are on your way to a healthier and thinner you... Don't get down on yourself now you're just getting started!!

Don't worry BeBe you are perfectly normal!! Here's an article so you know you're not alone: Variations in food preference and consumption across the menstrual cycle. Bowen DJ, Grunberg NE. Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104. There is some evidence that food consumption changes across the menstrual cycle. However, archived studies tend to rely on self-report data and do not differentiate among types of food eaten. The present laboratory study was designed to measure women's taste preferences and specific food consumption across the menstrual cycle. Women came into the laboratory, consumed everyday foods, and rated them on taste judgment scales. The foods were weighed before and after the tasting session to determine amount eaten. After the tasting session, subjects completed several questionnaires (e.g., measures of affect, restrained eating, menstrual cycle and menstrual symptoms). Physical measurements (e.g., height, weight) were taken at the end of the session. Results- Sweet food consumption and preference ratings were significantly higher during the premenstrual period. Consumption and ratings of other foods did not differ. There were no differences in levels of mood, obesity, or restrained eating across the menstrual cycle. Low restraint was associated with reporting fewer menstrual symptoms, in general, and slightly better mood. These results support the idea that specific taste preferences change over the menstrual cycle, and that endocrinological factors could be involved in this phenomenon.

Hey Maggie, I am in the same spot as you, I was banded 2 weeks after you (2/28) and got my first fill on 4/18, the day after I lost 1lbs and haven't lost anything since... It's my first plateau so I did some research about weight loss plateaus and found a great article about how to kick start weight loss, here a link: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=5868

Yes quite a few of us have named our bands, here's a link to a post with some of the names and explinations!! http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=5185

I posted this last night in the "Bad for your Band" thread... Diet soda is dangerous A study of about 6,000 middle-aged men and women, who were observed over four years, at the Boston University School of Medicine showed that those who drank one or more soft drinks a day had a 31 percent greater risk of becoming obese. They had a 30 percent increased risk of developing a larger waist circumference, "which has been shown to predict heart disease risk better than weight alone"; a 25 percent increased risk of developing high blood triglycerides as well as high blood sugar; and a 32 percent higher risk of having low high-density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol levels. The researchers then analyzed a smaller sample of participants on whom data on regular and diet soft drink consumption was available. Those who drank one or more diet or regular sodas per day had a 50 to 60 percent increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a syndrome marked by the presence of usually three or more of a group of factors, such as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, and insulin resistance, that are linked to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. R.S. Vasan, MD, professor of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine. R. Dhingra. Circulation, July 31, 2007: vol 116: pp 1–9. What it really means. That diet soda is going to the mat. While it's still a relatively small-scale study (since diet soda is consumed by billions), it's plenty large enough to loft some serious bombs into the "zero calories is all you need to know" theory of fake-sugar marketing. There is no good reason why anyone should drink diet soda anymore. It doesn't taste as good as regular soda, has no nutritional value, has at least some health risk, and probably even makes you fat.

Jacqui- Don't stress girlfriend, everyone cheats I did the "farewell to food tour" lol but it wasn't as exciting as the "pop-tart, cereal, ice cream, peanut butter and jelly" night that Wendy had, though if she had invited me over I would have been right there with her eating like a 4th grader, lol. Obviously we all have food issues that's why we need the band, for me I really think that while losing the weight pre-op obviously has benefits for your surgery (keep reminding yourself that you want the best surgery results possible hopefully that can help you stay on track) but for me it was was a coming to terms with my past bad habits... You have to face your food issues head on and if you're like me and just having the cookies in the house means you'll want to eat them soooooooooo: GET THEM OUT OF YOUR KITCHEN NOW!!! Who cares if your kids don't have cookies for their lunch or that they are your husbands favorite snack, they need to be prepared to support you during this time of change in your life, why not start today??? YOU CAN DO IT BABE!

Frozen Diet Coke, not a pretty sight: LOL

Your ticker needs one little tweak before it will show up... Go into the edit signature page by clicking this link: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?act=UserCP&CODE=22 Now add this symbol "]" at the very end of your ticker text... It should say [/img] (yours just says [/img )

Wow Guys... Thanks so much for the kind words!! I read a few other lap band boards daily but I save most of my posting for this one because there is nothing like the genuine support and love that everyone here has for each other. I think our support system here is second to none whether someone is having a great day or a crappy one- the outpouring of concern or congratulations is always overwhelming... I am just happy to be able to repay some of the inspiration that many of you have given me!! I really think that anyone who is wanting to really track their progress should take pictures in a similar way, once a month in the same outfit. Even if you never choose to show them to anyone but yourself it really helps you to see how far you have come, even if the scale isn't moving as quickly as you'd like it to! I have been taking a set of pics in a Binki on the same dates though I'm not yet brave enough to post those, maybe one day!!

Lisa your pics are great!! Looks like you're hubby has lost some weight also!!! Keep it up!

Diet soda is dangerous A study of about 6,000 middle-aged men and women, who were observed over four years, at the Boston University School of Medicine showed that those who drank one or more soft drinks a day had a 31 percent greater risk of becoming obese. They had a 30 percent increased risk of developing a larger waist circumference, "which has been shown to predict heart disease risk better than weight alone"; a 25 percent increased risk of developing high blood triglycerides as well as high blood sugar; and a 32 percent higher risk of having low high-density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol levels. The researchers then analyzed a smaller sample of participants on whom data on regular and diet soft drink consumption was available. Those who drank one or more diet or regular sodas per day had a 50 to 60 percent increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a syndrome marked by the presence of usually three or more of a group of factors, such as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, and insulin resistance, that are linked to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. R.S. Vasan, MD, professor of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine. R. Dhingra. Circulation, July 31, 2007: vol 116: pp 1–9. What it really means. That diet soda is going to the mat. While it's still a relatively small-scale study (since diet soda is consumed by billions), it's plenty large enough to loft some serious bombs into the "zero calories is all you need to know" theory of fake-sugar marketing. There is no good reason why anyone should drink diet soda anymore. It doesn't taste as good as regular soda, has no nutritional value, has at least some health risk, and probably even makes you fat.

Congrats on your surgery date, we have 5 or 6 nurses that post here regularly so I'm sure they can give you more specifics on returning to work... However I was feeling totally fine and could function at 90% - 95% of my pre surgery self in the first few days and then was back to 100% within a week, you should be fine as long as you aren't lifting patients or carrying anything heavier than 25lbs! Best of Luck!!

Barb you are doing great, the most important thing you should be drinking is WATER!! If you are keeping your calories around 1,000 and getting a good amount of protein they you are right on track, keep it up!!

Lol you guys are so sweet!! I just posted them, it took some time because I had to resize them so they aren't as high quality but if you click on them you can see a larger sized pic. I still need to take my measurements but I'll have to wait for my husband to come home from work tonight because he does it for me. I only lost 7lbs this week but I can see from the pics that I've lost inches!!

Here's the 2nd set (I had to change shorts because the other pair wouldn't stay up, lol) Again click to see the bigger picture!

Here are my 2 month post op pics, I have been kind of bummed that I only lost 7 lbs this month (and haven't lost anything in the past week) but the pics show my progress so that makes me feel so much better!! Here's the first set: Click on the smaller picture to see a bigger version

Welcome and congrats to you!! So glad everything went smoothly, you're in for quite a ride; I was banded 2 months ago (2/28) and it feels like only yesterday!!

I live in Vegas so I know what it's like to live in the land of buffet temptation... I just had to hole up in my house for those 3 weeks so I wouldn't cheat! LOL

I think the proper fill is important, you wouldn't buy a inner tube for a beach trip and not inflate it properly right?? Choosing the right foods is also key- You wouldn't poke holes in your tube since you know that doing so will deflate it.. The band can't work it's magic if you don't get to the proper amount of fill to hit that "sweet spot" and if you are sabotaging your efforts by eating around the band then you won't ever attain the goals you have set for yourself!!

I think each doctor is different, but there were 5 of us that all got a fill on 4/18 and 3 girls got 1.7cc and 2 girls got 1.6cc so it seems that to be the range of a first fill at the OCC. The fill amount is determined by the speed of the barium flowing through the filled band, I got 1.6cc and saw Hanna get 1.7cc and our barium flowed at about the same speed (mine might have been a little slower even though I had less of a fill).

Congrats on your upcoming surgery it really is just as easy as everyone says!! You'll be back home before you know it, so enjoy some time to focus on yourself!!

Bumping up for the newbies!!

Geeez do you really want to know? Well my color was in really bad shape (I tried using the box of color from the grocery store for the first time) so with the color correction, full highlights, etc it was a quadruple process and took almost 4hrs before we even got to the cut. I think all total the cost was $400 but they offer a 20% discount for being a Vegas local so I paid $320 plus tip so like $380 total. I think the monthly touch up color will run about $140 each month and the cut every 2-3months run $75 plus $40 for the blowdry and style.

Something that I heard on another board where they were discussing the pros and cons between Bypass and Lap Band was that the instances of people getting a Lap Band after their failure with Gastric Bypass (meaning they regained some or all of their lost weight) was like 300 times more common than people who failed with a lap band and then had to have the bypass.. Just food for thought!

From this picture it looks like the Mini Gastric Bypass is a combonation of the Vertical banded gastroplasty and Gastric Bypass: I posted an article about it in your other post!