Update...

I know I haven't posted in a while but things went from really busy to a whole new level of busy! On Jan 2 my husband fell down a flight of stairs and broke 2 vertebrae in his neck, C6 and C7. By the grace of God he is still alive and did not damage his spinal cord. He did a lot of damage to the ligaments in that area though. He is now recuperating at home with a neck brace on. He is improving each day although he has had some problems with swallowing (a temporary side effect of the surgery) and his blood pressure (related to the injury). Needless to say that between juggling taking care of him, homeschooling, taking care of our 3 kids, working on the weekends, etc, etc, etc, my life has been spinning pretty much out of control! As far as my lap-band and the recent fill I had, his accident happened on what was supposed to be the last day of mushie/pureed food after my fill. Since his accident I haven't been able to be as strict with my food choices or timing when I eat. I pretty much eat "what I can, when I can". I don't eat nearly as much as I would have been though. Had this accident happened before my lap-band surgery, I am sure I would have gained at least 10-15 pounds. At this point I have held steady at 244 pounds.

I've got to go for now, the baby just woke up from her nap - time to get busy again!

God bless you and your family!
Becky <><

Going for Fill #3 Today

This afternoon I am going for my 3rd fill. I am very ready! Although I felt good restriction for a couple of months, I have feet like my band has gotten too loose now. I am hungry alot more often and it takes way more food to satisfy my hunger. I am still eating less than pre-surgery but it's more than I should be eating. I haven't been as careful with what I've been eating either. I have been eating some of the foods (crackers, cookies, etc) again. It seems like I just grab whatever I can get my hands on when I'm hungry. I hope this fill will give me the "kick in the butt" I need.

Have a blessed day!
Becky <><

A survey about my Lap-band experience

I saw this on another Lap-band blog I follow, Diz Banded. I had to give it a try...


1. How long have you been banded?
4 and 1/2 months ago
2. What was your highest pre-band weight? / Current weight now? / Total lost to date?
(gulp) 335 lbs (when I was 9 months pregnant with my second son, 10 years ago); my starting weight when I went for my first surgery visit was 294.7 lbs; my current weight is 243.2 lbs; total lost since start of surgery process is 51.5 lbs
3. What is your best “go-to” food to get in your protein?
Roast beef wrap (low-carb whole wheat tortilla, deli roast beef, slice of provolone cheese, horseradish sauce); Subway tuna salad with double meat - I can make 3 meals off of it
4. What is your favorite protein brand/shake?
Chocolate Low-carb Slimfast (although they just recalled them all)
5. What food do you miss the most now being post-band?
Coleslaw (my pre-band favorite food) - it is really about the only food so far that I can't tolerate at all
6. What is your favorite “mushy” food?
Chicken salad
7. What was your worst PB experience?
Haven't had any so far
8. What has been the hardest part of this journey so far for you?
Getting all new clothes; realizing how much of life I have been missing out on
9. What is your best NSV to date?
Seeing a friend that I haven't seen in over 20 years and she said "you look exactly the same as you did the last time I saw you..I was 15 when I saw her last
10. What is your top non-weight goal for your band? (top NSV maybe?)
Bike the Virginia Creeper Trail with my family
11. What is your goal weight or size?
I never even remember being in the size I am now (size 18/20)! I just want to feel and look healthy, whatever size that is
12. What band “rule” do you live by (i.e. don’t cheat on)?
Watching carbs, eating breakfast
13. What band “rule” do you not follow as much or aren’t so good at?
I really have starting drinking alot more coffee then I did pre-band; I really have gotten away from drinking too many cold drinks, the give me "band-freeze" - I haven't heard anybody else with that problem but cold drinks and ice cream and other frozen stuff bothers me
14. What is your goal “reward”?
I don't have one yet

One really important fact I have noticed, every banded-person's experience is extremely unique. Many can tolerate one thing while many others can't; I happen to do fine with the low-carb whole wheat tortillas, other may not. Alot of it seems like trial and error to see what works for you.

Also, I have been on a plateau for a month or so. I am now starting to get my appetite back, takes alot more to get me full and not staying full as long. I called and scheduled a fill for Dec 29.

May God bless you and your family!
Becky <><

Week 16 Post-op Update

I know I haven't posted in forever but I am still getting along pretty well. My weight today was 242.6. I have kinda stalled for a few weeks but last week I started exercising 30 minutes each weekday. I didn't exercise over the weekend - my weekends are usually extremely busy between work and church and being Mommy, etc, etc, etc. I have so much to post about...I have a huge list of non-scale victories (NSV) that I'll tell you about soon!

God Bless You!
Becky <><

12 Week Update

I haven't posted in a while. Not too much to say. My weight today was 246.0. I am supposed to go for a fill on a couple weeks but I am considering cancelling my appointment. I get full on a small amount of food (3/4 - 1 cup of food) and I stay full for several hours. My doctor had told me that was the criteria for knowing if I am restricted enough. I am not really having problems with any particular foods although I do shy away from breads. True confessions - I need to exercise more. But between homeschooling, working, chasing after the baby, keeping the house reasonably picked-up, and putting food on the table exercise seems to fall by the way-side. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

God bless!

10 Weeks Post-op Update

Howdy! I finally got to see the 240's!!! Things are about the same around here. I still am getting full pretty quickly and stay that way for several hours. The only problem is that I seem to go from "full and not even thinking about food" to "starving and got to have something right now" in a heartbeat. I try and keep some items handy for those times. Still eating lots of roast beef roll-ups (see previous post). I haven't had any episodes of PBing (productive burping) that I have heard about from other bandsters. I have had an uncomfortable feeling after eating certain foods (usually foods I shouldn't have been eating anyway). I also have noticed that I get that uncomfortable feeling sometimes when I eat popscicles to fast (duh! what was I thinking!). It's like having brain-freeze in your chest/stomach/esophogus. I hope you can use some of the info I have shared.

God bless!
Becky <><

Weigh-in - 9 weeks post-op

Today's weigh-in was 250.4 pounds. Darn scale can't give me the satisfation of seeing the 240's yet :-) I am doing well since my 2nd fill last week. I feel some restriction and am feeling full longer.

Have a great week!
God bless!
Becky <><