Band Revision 11/2/11

Hello,

I had my revision from lapband to realize band last Tuesday.  I'm already struggling.  I wonder if anyone else experienced a stalled scale immediately following surgery?  I was on the liver shrinking diet for a week prior to surgery, followed by a day of clear liquids, then pretty much nothing to eat the day of surgery, and then clear liquids for a few days after, then full liquids (I progressed quicker than recommended... hence the struggle comment).  I cannot believe that the scale did not budge following surgery, and it has me really down.  I'm embarrassed to say that I've even turned to eating some chocolate because I am in a bad place mentally about it.  The scale was on a steady decline to the tune of 8lbs on the liver shrinking diet, and it has since completely stopped moving.  Thank you for any explanation for this.  I could use a hand to snap out of this pity party.  

Reality check... you just had surgery. What are you doing weighing yourself every day right now? Your body is still recovering from things like anesthesia and being cut into. Wait till you're healed and get back on your plan and I'm sure the weight loss will continue.

true... good reality check.  i had been on a slow gain path prior to surgery, and i was thrown into corrective surgery when all i had intended to get was a fill.  so my only happy space came from thinking that i was going to get on the losing track again, and watching the scale fall on the pre-op diet was making me glad.  being hungry after surgery was making me bitter, but i thought if at least the scale was dropping like crazy, it would be worth it.  so when it was not moving at all, i became obsessed.  thanks for reminding me to just chill out for a minute. :)

Sometimes we all need that.  Bands have come a long way since you got your first one (looks like 2002 if your avatar is right?) So just relax and enjoy the healing for a couple of weeks and consider it a fresh start. Most people lose weight like crazy on the preop diet and even for a week post op but then it stalls and they freak out. Right now it doesn't matter what you weigh, it matters that you heal properly and are in the right frame of mind to stick to the rules once your band is ready to work.  Definitely stick to the liquid or soft diet they've given you now but judge your success on whether you get in all your protein and water and eat small bites and chew and don't even get on the scale for a bit.  By the way, if your picture is you, you are gorgeous! I hope we'll see you around as you embark again.  I'm only active this week cause I'm recovering from a tummy tuck but I check in every so often and love to see people's progrss.

yeah, that's me... right after a sprint triathlon.  thanks for the compliment.  happens to be a flattering picture - face turned, arm up on hip and not smushed down against me.  :)  my first band was in 07.  i think a pregnancy 3 months after it was placed is what changed everything, including my slip.  thanks for the note.

 
Just wondering why if you had just lost 40 pounds in 4 1/2 years that you would want another band???

i had some extenuating cir****tances.  a pregnancy very soon after the band was placed (cured 6yrs of infertility when i lost 30lbs) changed everything.  it derailed my interest in weight loss and was the cause of my slip.  i have never been willing to alter my organs for weight loss.  the band is the farthest i will go.  the slip was identified when i tried to get a fill 3 months after my healthy baby was born.  it ended up closing the band off completely.  it had slipped but not in a postition that my doc thought was a problem.  i just never went back.  wl mentality had escaped me as i was now caring for an infant and i just stopped focusing on my weight.  i was able to keep some weight off and not gain too much over these 4 years, so i do not consider my band a failure.  i went in for a fill just two months ago and that resulted in her xraying me and telling me it had slipped further.  so just as i was hoping to begin again, i was thrust into a revision.  my head was not in the right space for that.  i'm hoping to harness my focus/interest/drive for achieving a healthy weight as i had back before i was banded.  it will be a struggle for me.

Time for some tough love...You're 1 week post op.  Your body has been shocked by a week of liquids, (basically) as well as the liver shrinking diet where you lost 8 LBS!  When's the last time you lost 8 lbs in a week?

You're full of anesthesia and gas from having your organs expanded for surgery and your body  (and metabolism are saying "What the heck are you doing to us?". 

Patience.  Focus now on the things that worked for you before.  Give up the foods that have snuck back into your diet that you didn't eat after your first surgery.  You know you're going to have to wait for a level of restriction until your band is working for you to it's best ability, so now it's on you.

You CAN do this!  You've done it before and you know what to do!

Give yourself some credit for losing those 8 lbs and stay off the scale for a few days.  I bet you'll see a nice drop soon if you stay out of the chocolate!

Hang in there!
Lisa O.

thank you, lisa.  yes, it's a mind game regarding the 8lbs on the liver shrinking diet.  in my head, i had consumed so many more calories on the protein diet and lost a nice amount of weight, that the 'starvation' diet that followed after surgery was sort of my guarantee to lose a really big amount.  it didn't work that way and as i've been saying here, my head is not in a good place so i just needed that tangible something to boost my morale and somehow flip a switch for me to embrace all things wls related.  i'll try to harness some patience and keep reading to find ppl who share my struggles.  :)