trulytangledgrl

you all are too darn funny!! I am glad Kim brought this question up, though, just as the rest of you are. I find that I burp WAY more than I used to, but have about the same amount of gas as I did before. For some reason I fart a whole lot when I am sleeping - sometimes I wake myself up from a dead sleep with that loudness. Geesh! Its quite ridiculous! Thanks for sharing everyone... isn't it great to be able to talk about these things with absolutely no shame? haha!!

I know its really hard right now, and its easy to get discouraged. Believe me - - there have been several days when I thought to myself that I am destined to be fat. When I read what you wrote I was like 'wow - I have thought that SO many times'. You are not destined to be fat - - you have taken a HUGE step towards success and you have already lost a great amount of weight. The fact that you are still coming here for support from fellow bandsters, and that you are still trying so hard to do what you need to do shows that you are 100% dedicated to your goal... and you WILL succeed! I have found that the best way to get through a rough patch is to think of yourself right now as how you picture yourself ultimately being. What I mean by that is - - if you ultimately want to be 170 lbs.... tell yourself '170 lbs is on the way. I am 170 lbs... I have some steps to get there but its on the way' and by thinking in those terms, you will reach your goal because there is no other choice. We have a powerful device at our fingertips - the power of thought. We ultimately attract the things we think about. If you constantly tell yourself that 170 lbs is on the way, then there is no other option but to eventually be 170 lbs. You understand? YOU WILL get there - - don't lose hope! Don't give up!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support!! After reading all of your responses - - it helps me to see that I really didn't 'cheat' or do anything wrong. Lisa is right - I ate 1/3 of what I would have normally eaten - - heck, prior to banding, I would have easily eaten 3 slices of pizza and a large DQ blizzard. EASILY! Then I probably would have eaten several other high calorie foods in large amounts on top of that. So that was actually not too bad all things considered. WOOHOOO!!! I never thought I would say it, but I am proud of myself for only having the small amount that I did! WOW! That feels GOOD! haha. Thanks everyone - you are the reason I come to this forum. I know that I will get your support and encouragement no matter what. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU <' /> I hope that you all had a fantastic 4th of July holiday!

Okay, so, I feel the need to confess. I just need to get this off my chest! For the first time since being banded, I have cheated! I am not going to best myself up over it, or use it as an excuse to continue to cheat, I just want to put it out there because for some reason I feel like I have to confess lol Yesterday at work, my supervisor treated our team to pizza for lunch. I only had one slice which was a first - I usually have 2 or 3! I also had a small dairy queen blizzard. GAH!!!!!!!!!! I am feeling anxiety even saying that. I don't know why. I mean, its okay to treat ourselves every once in a while I guess - as long as we aren't doing it every week. Its just so hard to get out of that mind set of 'good' and 'bad' and seeing it as black and white instead of just watching portion sizes. SO.... thats it. Oh and I had a turkey burger today on a light bun (70 calories I think and only 15 carbs) and I didn't chew enough - OUCH!!!! That HURT! holy crap. lol. That'll learn me! That was a good turkey burger though - yummy! Well thanks everyone for listening to my confession. I just had to get that off my chest. I feel better!!

Thanks for the support everyone! All of us should be SO proud of ourselves!! We are truly making huge lifestyle changes and becoming so much healthier... and sexier hehe. All of you give me so much inspiration and motivate me to stay on track and I thank you for that! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

So, I have been struggling the past 2 weeks or so to get my weight below 181. In fact, it has been anywhere from 184 - 182, and I was getting so frustrated because it would not budge below my lowest 181. Well, today I get on the scale and the scale reads 180!!!!!! I jumped up and down because I was so friggen excited. My next mini goal is 179. When I see the 170's I will have more motivation than ever because in every diet I have done, the lowest I could ever get was 180. I would get to 180, get stuck, and after maybe 2 weeks I would get frustrated and say 'screw it!' and start eating like a pig again. SO, I am a little bit scared right now because its like dejavous... I feel like I am in the past, on another diet, and I am soooo afraid that I will be stuck here and go back to my old ways. I know this is different, though. I can't set myself up for failure, I have to set myself up for success, so in light of that I am putting this post out there to all you other bandsters so maybe you all can help motivate me to stick to it. I am proud of myself, though, because I did not give up these past few weeks despite being stuck and some days even being 3 lbs above my lowest weight. So thats a good thing! Yay for the band!

Yeah that was a great post!! Its funny, I find that even after only being banded a short time, its soooo easy to forget the basics. The basics are those simple things that keep the weight loss going, but its so easy to get caught up in our old habits and forget the basic rules of eating and losing with the band. Now that I am eating solids, I find that I am often drinking water right before or after my meals and I have to tell myself 'STOP!!!! NO LIQUIDS WITH SOLIDS' and I have to constantly be aware of myself and how my body feels. The band takes time to get used to that is for sure, and this is by far not the easy way out - for anyone out there who has ever told us that we are slackers for having WLS... I would love to challenge them to make this lifestyle change and then tell us that its the 'easy way out.'

Hi girls!! Thank you ALL SOOO MUCH for your replies. I appreciate it a lot - I am now remotivated and will continue sticking to my plan 100%!! Even though I know in my mind what is happening, and that I shouldn't be worried, sometimes it just helps when other people tell me! I am sure you all can relate. I am hovering around 183-184 and haven't budged above that so that is good. I have been having bowel issues lately - which was a HUGE problem in the past but started seeing a gastroenterologist about 3 months prior to surgery, and she started me on the new medicine Amitiza which is for chronic constipation (it was determined after extensive testing and a colonoscopy that this is what I have) and it works quite well; however, for some reason the past week or so not so much. SO... Jena, I will keep in mind about getting extra fiber hehe. Thanks girl. Tanya - I have started some exercise. Some light walking every night, and I also walk a lot during work. Yeah it sucks about Aunt Flo... she sure knows how to pack the pounds on us. HAHA! So how is it having real food? Its nice sometimes isn't it? I am going to schedule my first fill tomorrow!! I am going to Dr. Ren in NYC. I read about her on another lap band forum and she gets rave reviews! I will let you all know when that will take place. I am excited. Thanks AGAIN, EVERYONE for your motivation and support. I love all my bandster buddies <' />

Well, I finally get to CHEW on actual food - instead of pretending to chew my creamy soup broth. I have been on solids since Friday now.... my parents were visiting the past week, and on Friday evening we went out to dinner, and I got meatloaf and had maybe 5-6 bites of it. I had a small amount of salad earlier in the day, and I can't remember what else but it was not more than 1200 calories. Yesterday I had some of the left over meatloaf, I had an apple, a very small slice of banana cream pie as a treat (it was maybe 4 bites), I had 5 small turkey meatballs (very small) with marinara sauce, and I had 1/2 of a turkey sandwich with just lettuce and also on lite bread. I was at 181, and I get on the scale this morning and I am 184.2!! What the hell?! I don't like this!!! If THIS is whats going to happen when I eat solid food then maybe I will just stay on the damn liquid diet. I am extremely aggravated by this! I mean I KNOW that its typical - - you can't be on liquids for 3 weeks and expect to not gain once going back to solids but I am just really IRRITATED! I was SO close to the 170's and now I feel so far away again! I am depressed. :lb12: I need some serious encouragement and support from my fellow bandsters.

jgirl - I know what you are going through. I was feeling somewhat hungry after like the first week or so of my surgery, and I also had horrible gas like you are describing. Chewing gum is the worst thing to do because in chewing gum you swallow tons of air and also it actually causes your stomach to produce fluids in preparation for digestion which can make you feel gassy/bloated and also it can potentially upset the stomach. Whatever you do DO NOT GIVE IN to temptation to eat solids. Trust me, it is SO worth the wait!! As soon as you can, get into the creamy soups, and those will be more filling than clear broth/liquids. I did not give in to my temptation to eat solids, and today I had a turkey burger and let me tell you it was SO friggen good!! lol! It is totally worth the wait. Keep up the fantastic work and you will reap the rewards!

Tammy and Tanya - Hi band buddies!! > You two ladies are doing PHENOMINAL as well! Give yourselves a pat on the back. So how is the first day of FOOD/CHEWING going? Its good for me... I had some meatballs. I was craving red meat for some reason!! woot woot! It felt so good to chew. Thank you ALL for your support and encouragement. I am trying so hard to be motivated and stay positive (despite the fact that I am STUCK at 182 right now). I am also on my monthly cycle and feel extremely bloated so once it goes away I am hoping I will have a nice drop. To those of you who are anticipating post-op, my advice to you is to STICK IT OUT!!! Don't cheat!! Its so worth it. It is difficult the first week but after that, when you start seeing some changes/results, its MUCH easier

Michelle, Cathy, Kim thanks so much girls your support and motivation means so much to me and it makes me want to stick to my diet 100% and keep on truckin'! Michelle you will be at 170 in NO TIME, girl! You have lost 58 lbs thats so friggen awesome!!! I wish that were me! I can't complain, though, because I have done really well I think. I will definitely be taking 1 month post-op pics very soon ladies! I bought my first two piece swim suits!!! OH MY GOSH! haha.

Well... this has been a ROUGH 3 weeks post op but in only TWO days I will be able to eat SOLID FOODS!! Girls and guys, I am SO friggen excited. Honestly, I still have wonderful restriction. I am doing fine on liquids - I do get hungry on some days and I want to chew the hell out of something... but those are few and far between because I have lost total of 14 lbs since surgery day and couldn't be happier =D> . I do not want to do ANYTHING to jeopardize that so I have been fairly strict on this post op diet. I am at 181 - ALMOST IN THE 170'S and I am so excited because I think its been at least 10 years since I was 170. Probably more than that, actually. I know I was like 150 when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I am thrilled and cannot wait to see even 179 pop up on my scale. I just wanted to share my joy with all of you wonderful bandsters (and soon to be bandsters).

Dianna - keep up the marvelous work, girl! What I did was just took it one meal at a time. I told myself 'okay, for breakfast, I am sticking 100% to my diet.' I would get through that meal, and then the same thing for lunch, and just continue the whole way throughout the day and for me that made it so much easier than thinking about an entire day. Sometimes that can be overwhelming, but if you take it a meal at a time, not so overwhelming then. Just a suggestion You are doing fabulolus so far though, keep it up and you will be golden! =D> Congrats!

WOOOOHOO! Congrats, Alana! Isn't it great to feel that restriction again - like you had when first banded? I am just now starting to lose some restriction (I am almost 3 weeks out) but its definitely still there.... just not as much. I am making my first fill appointment though for July sometime. Keep up the wonderful work girlfriend!

Cathy, I think that it is fantastic that you give others on this forum your honest opinion, and that you don't try and enable them to continue making the same mistakes over and over again. Don't stop giving your honest opinion just because some people can't face the cold hard truth and realize that the way they are choosing to eat is NOT OKAY - especially considering that they have an $8000 tool inside of them that they could potentially be damaging. Not only that, but by saying 'oh, its okay. tomorrow is another day, just get back on the wagon tomorrow' etc etc, it only exacerbates the problem because these people KNOW that without fail, every time they mess up, there will be someone there to tell them its OKAY. I have had some mess ups since I have been banded - sure. No one is perfect! I had a small amount of salad a few days in a row, and I felt so damn full/almost like I was going to vomit for like 2 days straight, and I have not made that mistake again since then!! There are some, though, who despite the fact that what they are eating is making them vomit or whatever, they continue to make that same mistake. That is where the 'tough love' needs to intervene - this is what you do best, so keep doin it, sister! Hold your head high and be proud that you are someone who truly cares, and you care enough to be tough and honest. >

Beth, welcome to the forum! I am just wondering what exactly do you mean when you say that you have 'a stigma in my mind that this is unsafe'? Do you mean that lap band in general is unsafe, or going to Tijuana Mexico is unsafe...?? I had some reservations as well when I initially came across Dr. Ortiz's website and saw that the surgery was performed in Mexico. I sent an email requesting information, and I emailed back and forth with one of the patient care coordinators for about 5 weeks before I scheduled my surgery. I also came on here and read testimonials, I researched all my options online, I also looked at other forums. You must do your research so that you are aware of all the pros/cons, risks/benefits etc. You have to know what you are getting yourself into, as any surgery will have possible complications to it and any surgery could be potentially unsafe. I had surgergery on May 30th and I don't regret it for even a millisecond. It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. Since surgery, I have lost 9 lbs (in less than 2 weeks), and prior to the surgery, on my preop diet I lost 16 lbs for a total of 25 lbs. My BMI has dropped from a 32 to a 29. As you can see, its not all unsafe SO... my point is, there are a LOT of benefits to surgery, and there are also possibilities for complications so you need to do your homework and make sure that you are ready and willing to make a DRASTIC change in the way you eat and think about food. Good luck in whatever decision you make. >

That bloated feeling will be with you for at least a week - at least that is how long I felt it for. It is actually just now starting to really subside. My abdomen finally doesn't look distended anymore lol! I looked about 3 months pregnant for a week or so... just a tiny little pouch lol!! It will get better, I promise! Also, feeling not hungry is completely normal - your stomach is swollen and your abdomen was filled with air for the Dr.'s to complete the surgery, so feeling extremely full is totally normal. Keep drinkin water and get is as many calories through broth/juice/popsicles as you can! Keep us updated on your progress!

CONGRATS!! It does happen so fast, doesn't it? I remember when I was anxiously awaiting my banding date, and here I am almost a month post-op!! You are going to LOVE the OCC/Dr. Ortiz, and you will have so much fun it TJ its like a mini vacation! Good luck and rest assured that you have absolutely NOTHING to worry about you will be in GREAT hands!

Okay, so I have a confession. I am in week 2 post op - finally at the creamy soup stage.... which I have been eating like I should. Today, for whatever reason, I was just ravenous and wanting to chew something. It was killing me to not be able to CHEW something!! So, I had a salad. I know bad bad bad Ugh. I think I came very close to PBing because I started feeling this tightness in my chest like there was a lump in there. I stopped eating, and sat there for a minute thinking 'oh man, I am going to throw up' and I could feel it starting to like inch back up my esophagus, and I got up and started walking and breathing as deep as I could. Luckily I didn't throw up or anything but I came close. Never again! That was so uncomfortable. I am afraid now though that I stretched my pouch out and I ruined everything. Meh. :lb12: I learned my lesson thats for sure!

Tammy - thanks for the reply The glue on my incisions is starting to come off a little bit, but for the most part its still there! grrrr! Its somewhat annoying lol. How is yours? I know what you mean about being so thirsty. I am feeling the same!! It will get better... keep the faith! hahaha. Tanya - Thanks for the support/encouragement! Its so helpful! I am thankful to have this board to come chat on it keeps me sane sometimes lol.

I am just wondering how long this uncomfortable 'full' feeling is going to last? I feel like I am just stuffed full from the bottom of my abdomen clear un into my chest.... I have tried walking, phazyme, gas-x, drinking water to try and get rid of the bloat - NOTHING has worked. It is so uncomfortable! I feel so bloated and like I am constantly eating, but I am only eating at the most 800 calories per day. Am I supposed to be eating that many calories per day? I am finally in the drinkable yogurt stage and will be on day 7 tomorrow so able to have some creamy soup. I just want to know how long I am going to feel so darn bloated. To top it off I have not lost anything else so far.... weight fluctuating between 192 and 193 (surgery weight was 192 - RAH!!) so I am getting antsie to see that scale go down. I know... patience. Its just frustrating.

WAY TO GO TANYA!!! WOOT WOOT WATCH OUT CAUSE THE SEXY MAMA IS COMIN THROUGH! hehehehe =D> Que Bueno! Keep up the great work!

Tanya! Hi! I am glad to see that you and your husband also had a safe trip back home! Yeah it was such a long day of flying for me - and definitely uncomfortable the majority of the time. I am just glad to be home. I am still having a lot of pressure/gas/air in my abdomen. Are you experiencing that also? Like a full feeling to the point of being uncomfortable?

Oh my gosh, Caroline! That is crazy - you can see your port when you looked in? I don't know if I could handle that I have a weak stomach. I am glad to hear that Dr. O is going to take care of this for you free of charge (other than your plane ticket of course). We are all sooo so lucky to have THE BEST lap band surgeon out there working to make sure we are happy and healthy! Amen to Dr. Ortiz and his amazing staff at the OCC.