CTMom

Checking in again, at 152. Up a pound, grr! But I had to have a slight unfill after an obstruction a few weeks ago, and so it is all I can do to maintain and NOT gain until I can get another fill in two weeks. If I can just stay put for the rest of January, I'll be a happy camper. Hoping to get to goal of 138 in early March. To everyone else working hard out there, great job!! It is inspiring to see the losses each week!

Last January 9, I went under the knife. It was a fairly easy surgery for me, and I was able to get up and work out the next day. It did, however, take MANY months to find the proper level of restriction and so I had to be patient a lot of last year. To those of you who don't seem to have good restriction after a couple of fills, never fear, keep going back and getting it tweaked until you do. Still - today I am 56 lbs lighter than I was and I only have 12-13 more lbs until I reach my goal. I bought myself size 28 designer jeans for the very first time last week and I am running my first 1/2 marathon in a few months. I was self pay, and it will definitely be awhile until my surgery is completely paid off, but I can definitely say it was some of the best money I have ever spent!

Yay for everybody's progress so far! My first check-in weight is 151, so down 2 from my start weight of 153. I hear those 140s calling my name! :-)

Popping back in with my start weight for the challenge! Start weight: 153. To reiterate, goal weight for Jan: 145 Thanks!

Name, real or screen~CTMom Age~40 Goal weight for January 29th~144 Weight on January 1st~ Dietary goal for January~More veggies and Protein, no alcohol Exercise goal for January~Start training for May 1/2 Marathon - five miles 3x week Personal goal for January- organize, clean out, and streamline Date banded~ 1/9/11 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 59 lbs What is your goal weight for the coming year~ 138 [

Well you ladies were right on the money. After the fifth night in a row of not being able to sleep bc I was literally choking on my own spit, I headed to the ER this morning for an emergency unfill. After having IV fluids pumped in I began to feel nearly human again. Of course the ER doc had no experience with LapBands but he called the radiologist, who performed a salpingogram (?) demonstrating a complete band obstruction. He only took out 2ccs of Fluid and even after that I felt SO much better! I got to watch the fluid going through the band after the unfill - as opposed to NOT going through before! I still have to rest and take it easy but the idea of being able to freely drink Water and maybe even a few bites of mushy food is amazing! The radiologist told me this was the second emergency unfill he had to do this week. He said all the lucky LapBand Drs are on vacation, hah. Certainly not a fun experience this morning, but SO glad I went.

This is so timely! My last fill was in September, and after that I was tightish, but to where I was losing weight at a decent, healthy rate. But starting with a vomiting episode the day before Christmas, I haven't been able to keep any real solids down for a few days. It is tough, and the Dr. is out of town until next week, so I cannot get an unfill until then. I keep hoping the swelling will go down, but then I will try to eat a couple small bites and it comes back up. I know I should really go on 3-4 days of Clear liquids but my husbands family is visiting from out of the country and they keep looking at me like I have three heads when I sit there at table with the dinner I just prepared them all and don't even try to eat any food! I'm miserable, and even the prospect of gaining a few lbs (I only have 11 more to lose) is fine, as long as I can eat something again.

That is exactly what my Dr. does with my fills, too. I think it is rather effective. I've only had two fills (albeit significant ones) and have very good restriction. It is a funny feeling sipping that water though!

My doctor told me to expect the same thing to happen! He said sleep and sex drive will both greatly improve (I hadn't complained about either one!) so I guess it's par for the course.

Whoops. Clearly I haven't learn how to quote other posts correctly yet. Sorry!

I personally gained about 5 pounds during Bandster Hell, so don't take the gain as some sign that you aren't going to succeed. Heck. . I took off that 5 and many more (I've been at goal for a while now -- I am 2 1/4 years post-surgery and at 145.2. . I haven't updated my stats recently) Thank you so much for posting that Catherine!! I'm stuck in the middle of Bandster Hell right now and it is good to hear encouraging words! After 17 pounds lost, the scale hasn't moved in ten days. UGH! I don't go for my first fill for at least two more weeks and my goal is to lose at least five more pounds - by exercise and willpower - by then. Glad to hear your story and see your fabulous photos. As for the OP, please try not to be discouraged. You are still losing all those IV fluids and once your body heals a little more, you will be on the right path.

My Dr. had me exercising the day after surgery. Forty minutes walking a day. I am up to about 25 miles per week 3.5 weeks after surgery. He also wants me to be going to the gym - yoga, weight training, abs, etc., which I haven't done yet! Good luck! More exercise DOES make me more hungry now, and since I have entered into the "bandster hell" phase with practically no restriction and 2.5 weeks until my first fill, I'm going on sheer willpower. Ugh.

Great suggestions above. I also love beans. In fact, I have black bean soup most days now (I am at the tail end of week three) and I also love plain old vegetarian baked beans. Filling, nice protein, little or no fat, Trader Joe's does a great canned black bean soup if you have one near you.

So far, I've been walking 5 miles, four times a week. (I'm relatively young and with a relatively low BMI, so this is appropriate.) I live on a big hill, so the way down is easy, but the way home is a doozy!! I would really like to start running the downhill bit again, but I tried Monday and then again today, and, at 17 days post-op, it still feels a little uncomfortable in the belly area. Hopefully by next week I will be able to do it. I'd like to gradually increase my mileage to 25 miles per week. My doctor wants me to hit the gym again too, but frankly I haven't had the time. Hopefully that will change. The exercise and the gradual reduction in swelling is making me hungry though! What is everyone else doing?

Congratulations! I can't wait until that day! Keep up the good work!

Good question, Vu. Here in the United State, you don't see Lap Bands being advertised or doctors' websites talking about banding people under a BMI of 35 because it is illegal for them to advertise it. They can band whatever size they want (within reason of course) but they cannot advertise it, it is called "Off-label marketing" and they can be sued and cited by the FDA. I have worked in this field and asked my doctor about it and he confirmed it. It is kind of a long explanation, but basically the FDA in the US approves the band for a certain use, say for people with a BMI of 35 with complications or people with a BMI of 40. The doctors cannot then market or advertise the band for people with lower BMIs, but they CAN give it to whomever they want. This is the same reason Mexican surgeons don't need to limit their advertising, because they are not constrained by the United States FDA regulations. I don't know about SA specifically, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was a similar advertising regulation. But trust me, I really doubt your Dr would have a problem with a 32 BMI and your existing complications. Good luck!

I was banded two weeks ago with a BMI of about 35. I had gained and lost the same 30 to 35 pounds twice in the past four years and I finally decided the yo-yo-ing was probably harming my body more than staying heavy. Plus, I could never break past a certain weight barrier. I'm a self-pay who hasn't regretted it at all. It is certainly no magic pill - nothing is - but I have been able to go back to my old workout routine and the weight is slowiy coming off. I can't wait until I can finally start getting fills in a couple of weeks to increase restriction. I have some now, but I know that may change as I continue to heal from surgery. So I am looking at the pre-fill period as a time to relearn how to eat and to use the healthy habits I learned when I lost weight before. Good luck!

Late to the party, but motivated! I'm eleven days post-op. The swelling is going down and the hunger is going up so I need some accountability through the Bandster Hell phase. Thanks for the challenge!

Wow, I can't believe the venom of some of the commenters on here! I hope you enjoyed your glass of wine. I was banded this past Monday and enjoyed one glass of red wine six days post-op. And guess what? The sky didn't cave in, I didn't go to hell and my band didn't fall off. On the contrary, I have worked out every day, feel pretty darn good, and have lost a total of 13 pounds in two weeks (over 15% of the weight I need to lose!) I think as far as wine goes, moderation is key.

Great topic! Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I'm getting banded Monday, 1/10 and I have been prescribed a five-day pre-surgery liquid diet. I bought the chocolate Muscle Milk Light at costco and have found it is pretty decent, actually. I also made the mistake of buying the Kirkland Brand weight-loss shakes before realizing they have too much sugar and not enough Protein. Whoops! I also purchased a big tub of Isopure Low Carb in Vanilla (whew, pricey! But looks like it is perfect in terms of its ingredients) and it's just OK. I use cold Water and ice in a shaker and shake it up and strain it into a glass. Kind of like a nonalcoholic, protein martini, hee. It's a little bit gritty, but maybe I'm just not shaking it long enough I have the unjury chicken soup flavor which should also arrive in the mail today. On the website there are some good suggestions for using it for both the liquid phase and the mushy phase. I've lost 3.5 lbs since Wednesday so I guess they are doing their job.

Hi, I hope I'm posting this right! I'm a January Bandster too! My band date is 1/10/11. The first day of the rest of my life! :-) I'm also a self-pay, so I am also thankful to not have to jump through all the hoops - it really sounds like you guys have to go through so much. For a good cause, of course, but you must be thinking, "Let's get this going already!" I have about 80 lbs to lose. My Dr. says I could stand to lose 90 but I really AM pretty muscular so we'll see. To be honest, I would be ecstatic with 60-65. I also pretty much only have thin, fit friends and family members and those friends I have told so far are kind of shocked and disapproving. Supportive, but they just don't understand. My family has been awesome, but I haven't told my mom yet. We'll see how that goes tomorrow! I'm very interested to read how the people you have told have reacted.... Glad to be on the journey with other people!