Oregondaisy

Glad to have another slow loser join in. It makes me feel better. I haven't lost anything since I went off liquids but I am going to have a fill on Monday a week from today. I better start losing after that. I wish that sweets made me sick like they do the gastric bypass patients. I get so fed up after watching every bite I put in my mouth, then I get mad and eat candy or something. It seems that if I am exercising my brains out and eating tiny portions, I should lose something after a week of this. Then Sat or Sun rolls around, and it's like I am afraid to leave the house with all the temptations out there. I went to a BBQ yesterday and my band friend was there. She had half a hot dog and said she was so full, there was no way she could sample all the rest of the goodies that were there. I look forward to that day.

Audree, where do you get those? I need some of those too!

I am following South Beach to the letter and haven't lost an ounce. If fact, I gained 2 lbs. I am in what they refer to as Bandster Hell.

I can't wait for my next fill. I am so tired of being at a stand still. The girl that got banded the same day I did emailed me today and said after her second fill she really started losing. I feel like I am going to be the first person in bandster history that doesn't lose any weight. I gained 2 lbs back from where I was from when I was on liquids for 4 weeks and can't even seem to lose that.

Cutting down on carbs really helps to curb the sugar cravings. I notice if I eat carbs, I start craving sugar right away. Sometimes I really miss my Kashi Crunch cereal, which is a high fiber cereal. I notice if I eat it for breakfast, I am craving sugar in the afternoon.

I read a lot of people's threads that are having the same problem as me. It's not that we expected a magic cure when we got banded. We did expect to lose weight though. I lost 22 lbs while I was on liquids for 4 weeks, and have lost nothing since then. I had a fill at 6 weeks which did absolutely nothing. It's a daily battle to keep off the 22 I lost. I try to make the right choices , I drink a lot of Water, I exercise all the time, but as soon as one little temptation gets put under my nose, I gain 1-5 lbs back and it's a stuggle to get back down to the 22 lost. I have heard it takes several fills to start feeling like the band is working. I have also heard people say they don't feel the same way about food as they used to. When does that happen? When do you stop craving the things that we aren't supposed to have? Is this just going to be the same old life, watching other people eat what we want, with our bands around our stomach wishing we could have some too?:angry Thanks, any encouragement you can offer would sure make my day. I am extremely discouraged.

I don't know. There are a lot of us lower BMI patients who were self pay. I paid 10,000 and I would do it again. I got a 2nd mortgage on my house. Do you have a booklet that says whether or not WLS is covered? Mine was Blue Cross and it said right in it that WLS was not covered, under any circumstances.

BJean, did you lose the first 20 very quickly while you were on the liquid diet? And it took 6 months to lose 20 more? thank you, Denise

Do you mind telling me how old you are and whether or not you are taking Estrogen or any other HRT? I am getting so discouraged.

You can watch the video of them putting the band on and suturing it down. It's facinating!

Thanks everyrone. I guess I just have a little while longer to wait for the second fill. He better put some in there too, because I am sick of this. I want to experience what everyone talks about. Restriction!

I haven't lost one single pound since I moved from the 4 weeks of liquids to food. I have had one fill. I hope the second fill makes a difference. I am very discouraged.:angry

:cryI am in the same place as everyone else on here. I don't get my 2nd fill until 4-9 and I haven't lost anything since I moved off liquids. It's kind of scary to get another fill because food gets stuck. I don't get why it gets stuck if I am not properly restricted. But I know I can eat a portion that's bigger than I was told to eat. My first fill was 1 1/4 ccs which sounds like it's pretty common for a first one. I hope the next one makes a difference. I am to the point now where I am having trouble keeping off what I lost during the liquid stage. Banster Hell is a perfect way to put it!:cry:think

It's important for the stomach not to have to digest too much as was explained above. You should at least try to do liquids that are no thicker than what you can suck through a straw. Most doctors say creamy liquids are okay, which includes cream of chicken soup. You need to put it in the blender though so there are no chunks of chicken. Just blend the living daylights out of it. It will fill you up better.

I am in Coos Bay/North Bend. There are a lot of people that come from the Portland area to get banded by Dr. Tersigni. Two gals that got banded the same day I did are both from there. The 10,000 covers all your after care for a year. You do have to pay for a pshyc eval. which cost me $75 and I had a little bit of lab work I had to pay for. There's a chance your insurance would pay the lab work if your primary care doctor ordered it. Oh and the day after surgery, the hospital charges $200 for a swallow test. Blue Cross made them drop the price to $160 for me. So all in all, it's closer to 11,000. I am not exactly sure what Dr. Ortiz in Mexico charges, but at least you would be closer to home for your aftercare.

I ususally go to sparkpeople to count calories. I will have to check out fit day. A lot of people have been recommending them to me. What kind of fitness center are they talking about?

Bubblebutt, you are hysterically funny! I should be checking out the rest of this board instead of going to the same threads over and over. I found out that the turkey was filled with a bag of garbage the same way you did. I was amazed when we started carving the turkey, and found the bag of "goodies" Since I am such a lousy cook, you would think that I would start losing weight. I am really tired of having trouble keeping off the 20 lbs I lost during my 4 weeks of liquids. I hope my upcoming fill makes a difference.

Drink a lot of water and put Benefiber in your water. I had the same problem and that took care of it.

I don't know the answer about restriction, but I can tell you I am never sick. I haven't had a cold in 3 or 4 years. Then right after I got banded, I got the worse cold I have ever had. I was up all night coughing. I went on anti biotics and was well for 2 weeks and it came back. I had to take antibiotics again. I think the surgery lowers our resistance.

I was wondering if the people on this thread wouldn't mind posting their age. I keep getting told that the reason I am not losing is because I am over the age of 50. Our metabolism slows way down as we get older.

No, that's not true. You have to burn calories to lose weight. That's the first dr. I have ever heard say that. At my support group, when the people say they aren't losing, the first thing the dr. says is "how much exercise are you getting"

I always wonder if I should use skim milk or 1%. Skim milk does have more carbs. Today I had one can low carb slim fast for breakfast lunch was a South Beach chicken and broccoli frozen meal Dinner was chicken fajita with no tortilla about 1 cup I don't know how many calories that was! I drank 64 oz of water but didn't go to the gym. I will go tomorrow for sure. I had to work today and I am not good about going after work. I like to go first thing in the morning.

Where do you live in Oregon? My insurance didn't cover WLS of any kind. I thought my health was more important than anything so I got a 2nd mortgage on my house. Dr. Tersigni charges $10,000 and I paid it gladly. I don't know what they charge in Mexico, but Dr. Tersigni is a great dr. and I wouldn't have to travel by air after surgery. A lot of people do go to Mexico and have said they have had great care. If you can't get covered by insurance, think about being self pay.

Okay, I'll copy it right off the box. It's Atkins Chocolate Peanut Nougat bar. 9 grams of fiber 19 vitamins and minerals 3 net carbs 11 grams of protein 150 calories. I figure if I am going to eat chocolate, at least I am getting a little protein too. They do pretty well at holding off hunger when you're in a hurry and don't have time to fix something.

Hi there, Glad to hear you're joining the "band wagon" I just wanted to tell you that I am 54 and everyone says that's why I am losing so slowly. I exercise at the gym every day, but I still haven't lost much. I am hoping that will change when I get my second fill. But those over the age of 50 definitely don't lose as quickly as the younger people. I am not trying to discourage you. I feel I am doing better than I was even though I haven't lost much. I am sure I would have gained more by now.