Technically Challenged

Hey - it finally worked!  Can you believe I finally got my picture on the board? woohoo!

And it looks great!!!  How have you been?

Tia

WOOOHOOOOO..OMG....I cant believe it...Glad you got it working!!!  You look WONDERFUL!

Thanks Heather - how are you?

Im not losing weight...I cant seem to get with it..had surgery on June 27th...get my first fill tomorrow..Dan put it to me straight though...I cant use that as an excuse...I need to get my head on straight and quit eating and drinking!!

I'm not losing anymore either.  Yes, we both need to take Dan's advice.  I even gained weight when I did the bowel prep last week!  6 lbs and I can't get it off.  What's up with that?  I am retaining a lot of fluid and I don't know why.

Heather, Dan might have put you straight (not sure what he said), but let a fellow (experienced) bandster put it straighter.  You cannot expect to have great success losing with the band until you get to a good fill level so don't knock yourself yet!  The first, usually, 6 weeks after surgery are meant for HEALING not losing, but whatever you DO lose is a bonus.  What size band do you have?  The first fill will probably get you started losing again and for a good month and you'll likely need another by the end of that month.  Really good restriction isn't achieved until about a third fill, but everyone is different.  Other than the malabsorption the big difference between rny and the band is we don't have immediate restriction, we have to work toward it, but we get there! :)  The other thing that is great for us over rny is that when the rny malabsorption window closes, that's it for them.  Luckily for us we get to go have another fill and kick start losing again.  Anytime you need help or want to talk let me know!  Feel free to PM me if you want my cell #.

I never realized you had lapband!! LOL...I guess Im so use to seeing RNY on this board that I never look anymore...I do have SOME restriction now...not quantity,....but the type of food I eat...I have found out that steak is like swallowing a pool ball..but I think a lot of that has to do with me re-teaching myself to eat smaller bites...I was really regretting getting the lapband..though I researched like crazy..just because I like most was thinking..Im going to be the one that screws this up!! I get discouraged reading I lost 50 pounds...and its only been a month..I guess I just want a supermodel body and I dont want to wait for it..lmao....(yeah right)...I may take you up on your offer...I need lots of advice right now

Well, only you can control the type of food you eat.  Tell me what you are eating, I might be able to help.  There is a lot we can eat that is good for us AND tastes good.  Plenty alternatives to bad stuff!  Early out I had difficulty with steak, but now I can have a little bit of it although I don't do it too often.  Remember, you have to cut it up really small as if you were cutting it up for a toddler and then chew it really well.  We go to Longhorn sometimes and I'll order a kids sirloin which is something like 4-6 ounces and I barely fini****  I usually get it with a baked potato or a veggie and eat about half of that.  Solid protein is SUPER filling too.  Bandsters don't lose 50 pounds in a month, RNYers do, but that's what they signed up for.  Don't get discouraged.  In the end we all lose the same amount (according to 3 year studies of rny vs the band).  I also have a lot LESS skin issues than some rny people.  I'll PM you my info and if you want to email or talk you can.

Honestly, I have been feeling horribly.  Pain, diarrhea, just plain yucky.  I had the upper endoscopy and colonoscopy on Thursday and they found nothing.  The doctor told me to up my Protonix and see if that makes it better.  I am going to try to slow down when I eat and chew better and see if that might be the problem.