JerseyGirl80

I spend a bit more on groceries these days, fresh veggies, fish and good lean meats don't come cheap. I don't buy in bulk anymore because I waste a lot of food doing this, so I go to the store more often (2 or 3 times a week). Fresh foods don't keep, so again, I have to shop more often. I buy enough to get me through a few days, which obviously ends up costing me more money in the end. Also, my protein shakes aren't cheap, $10 for 4 bottles is seriously highway robbery! Before surgery I thought "Yay, I'll save money not eating!" umm no, not even close..

You may or you may not lose fast. EveryBODY is different. I'm a slow loser and have been from the begining. I've lost 75lbs since surgery (Dec 2010). I see people on here that have lost twice that in half the time and yes, it can be very discouraging. But you can't get held up on worrying about losing alot of weight fast, or worrying about how much someone else has lost. I think that as long as it's coming off is all that matters. You can be one of the lucky ones and drop weight quickly, but there is also a chance that you won't. Just stay focused and do your best. To me losing at a nice pace leads to keeping the weight off easier. I've "dieted" for 15 years before my band and always lost weight quickly only to gain it back and then some just as fast. If being a slow loser means that I can finally lose weight and keep it off, than I'll take it! Don't worry about the what ifs and about what other people are losing or how fast they are losing it. The band is about patience and dedication and it works for us all differently. Good luck and keep your head up!

I also believe there's plenty of surgeons out there that just push patients through like cattle getting these weight loss surgerys just to get the money and don't take the time to inform them.. They know how we are all in our most deperate hours when we inquire about this, and some do take advantage. I also know that sometimes it's the patients that only hear what they want to hear and no matter what still believe that having the surgery will be an automatic fix. Patients and Surgeons need to take responsiblity for informing & being informed about the lap band. A friend of mine had the same surgeon, same staff, same nurses, and same nutrionist as I did, so I know for a fact that she was well informed about everything. She, like many others, blame the band for her "failures". She contiuned to eat crap, lay around after eating, ate mostly carbs, never attempted to work out or drink Water, never counted a calorie or a Protein, ate Cookies and cakes and chips everyday.. I saw all of this first hand. Yet she continued to blame the band and wonder why she only lost 45lbs in 2 years. Aside from that, she's thrown up after almost every meal since surgery because she eats things she shouldn't be eating and shovels them into her mouth like she's never eaten in her life and wonders why the band isn't working. So now since it's the "bands fault" she's not losing weight, she is having the Sleeve done in a few months. I guess she'll blame that too when she continues to eat garbage and lay around all day wondering why the weight isn't coming off. So anyway, it can go either way. But in the end it really is the patients responsiblity to get informed, because this surgery is their choice and their body. It is also their responsibity to take the time to find a good doctor and not just sign up with any old quack they can find on the internet.

If they are it really isn't noticable. When and if I do drink soda I drink it half flat (Doc says thats fine as long as it's not bubbly) and I think the slurpee is less carbonated than my flat soda. Like my flat soda, I stir the slurpee around anyway so it flattens it and makes it a little watery, it's easier to drink that way. I drink a sugar free slurpee once a week and haven't had problems. And FYI, just because it's sugar free doesn't mean it's calorie free, there's 20 calories and 8 carbs per 8oz! So be careful, because I can easily drink a 32oz and not even bat an eye.. they're so good.

I've found that being active after dinner keeps me from getting reflux/heartburn at night. I discovered this on vacation. I was starting to have a little trouble during the night about a month before I went away, (not long after my last fill). I noticed that when I was home I tended to be lazy and just sit around or I would lay around shortly after dinner, this is when the problems started. Now while on vacation I was up and walking around most of the night so that by bed time I had no issues. When I got home I starting just sitting around again after dinner to see if this was what this issue was, it sure was, the reflux came right back. Now I either go to the grocery store after dinner or take a short walk, I try to do something. Being active seems to help my food digest and keeps me from experiencing reflux.

I had my nails and some makeup on (some liquid, they probably didn't notice), they didn't say anything. My nails are "pink and whites" so they don't have polish on them anyway. I had polish on my toes though, they didn't say anything about that either.

I lost 73lbs since Dec 2010, I hardly exercise although I always plan to lol. Because of little exercise I am a slow loser. I am again, starting to walk a few times a week. I find when I do workout regularly the weight does come off a little faster, but there isn't much of a difference because I avoid strenuous workouts. I have back issues that come and go so I tend to be careful and keep things low impact. The overall health benefits through exercise are great, so regardless of what it is you do or how much faster or slower weight loss is with workouts, I'd suggest trying to do something, even if it is just walking. Every little bit helps.

I didn't have a "stuck" episode for a quite a while after surgery, probably not until I had 2 or 3 small fills. I suppose it's possible to never have one, but as you get more fills and the novelty of being newly banded wears off a bit (sometimes I forget I have a band because I'm so used to it now), you may forget or not pay attention or be in a rush and you too will probably have that stuck feeling eventually, and if not, more power to you, you'll be one of the lucky ones. When it's happened to me it's been my own fault, each and every time from me eating too fast or not chewing enough or just being distracted while eating has caused episodes. But these episodes are very rare for me at this point (I was 1 yr post-op this past December), as I have learned what I should and shouldn't do at certain times of the day (from morning til dinner, lately, I'm pretty tight and eat very little and mostly mushier things or Protein shakes). Around dinner time is usually when I am able to eat a small meal (probably the size of a lean cuisine) and I'm satified, but I still have to be very careful. I'm not perfect all the time, which is why I am a slow loser, I do indulge on occasion but it works for me and my lifestyle. It's really all been trial and error so far in discovering foods I should try to avoid and things that usually give me no trouble. The only thing I can't do is eat fried or crispy (from being baked in the oven) chicken skin, which I shouldn't be having anyway lol, but this is a big NO for me, the few times I've tried it I've gotten stuck, even just one bite has gotten stuck no matter how much I chewed it. I also can't sit and eat a big burger with the bun or eat a big sub sandwich with the bun (shouldn't be doing that either, but I can't even if I wanted to). Also, if I have steak and it's too chewy, fatty, well done, or rubbery I have to spit it out because I know it'll get stuck. But for the most part I can have every type of food as long as it's cooked right, Pasta, rice, breads, all meats, although sometimes veggies give me trouble unless they are really over cooked, salads are sometimes hard, I have to eat them extra slowly. If my food is dry, that means trouble, so I try to moisten it a little with fat free dressings or fat free sour cream fat free sauces or gravys, I eat alot of avacoado too in place of mayo to add some moisture. So I basically can eat anything, just in very small amounts now, I have to be very careful though at all times when I'm eating. This wasn't so until my last fill (about a month ago). I'm now at 7ccs in an 11cc band and this is definitely as tight as I feel I should be without starving to death lol. I felt a little restriction since the beinging, and then little by little I felt a little more with each small fill, but comparing that to how I feel right now, I'd say that was nothing compared to this! So it took me over a year to get where I needed to be with restriction, my "green zone", but that's mainly because my doctors believe in filling slowly and also because I'm self pay since my insurance changed. I have to pay out of pocket for each fill so I didn't fill up as often as I would have liked to. Like I mentioned before, the amount of food I eat for dinner is about the size of a small lean cuisine, sometimes I can eat more, sometimes less, it depends on the day or the types of food I'm eating. I do not measure my food, to me that whole 1 cup, half cup of food thing is for the birds.. I eat what I'm eating and I count my protein and calories, that's it. I am not telling anyone to not measure their food, always follow your doctors orders, I'm just stating that this is what works for me, my doctor feels this is fine for me to do it as long as I'm still losing. To answer your question as to why some don't feel restriction until after several fills, keep in mind that every BODY is different, what works for you might not work for someone else, it's not an exact science. Some people have bigger bands that need more Fluid to constrict, some people have larger stomachs and need more saline injected in their bands for the proper amount of restriction. Some doctors do small fills, some do bigger. Sometimes just the band alone is enough for some patients and some need to be super tight. We are all different, but in time we can find our perfect balance. Good luck to you, I've babbled enough.. I hope some of what I've said helps!

Cream of wheat, protein shakes, pudding, jello, sugar free ice pops or pudding pops, sodium free boullion (this really helped me, being that almost everything we are "allowed" to eat in stage one is sweet tasting, the hot broth made me feel like I was eating real food.) I was, and still do, drink low calorie gatorade, I don't know if it's true about those electrolytes but whenever I was feeling a little tired or dehydrated the gatrorade always made me feel better.

Good luck Jamesmom! Thank you Shelley. I too made the mistake of not taking into account the whole "learning" part of this prior to surgery and that it could take months. I guess I just got caught up in the moment and didn't want to think too much about that part. Seeing so many others posting about how they lost over 100lbs in a year made me kinda feel like that was a typical result (regardless of what I knew from medical research and from what my doctors were telling me). Not realizing there were many more people like me, the slow losers, that were probably not posting as much because they felt like failures compared to the big losers. Which to be honest is why I neglect the site from time to time, I'm guilty of feeling that way sometimes. I'm happy for others but it's upsetting when I'm aggravated with myself and struggling and most people posting are doing so well. But anyway, now I know it's ok to be a slow loser, and as frustrating as it is, I know it's how I need to do it. Before surgery I was just so excited to get banded I couldn't see anything but the end result, I wasn't thinking about the struggles. I hoped to not be one of the slow ones, but it didn't work out that way. Some of us are lucky and the weight just falls off right out of the gate but some of us have to actually find the right place where we and our bands meet. I've had months where I didn't lose, then suddenly I'll lose a big chunk of weight and get stuck again. I'm learning to accept that now instead if being frustrated and annoyed about it. As long as my weight is going and not coming, I'm happy. Congratualtions on your loss so far and good luck at your next appointment!

ghofen, I agree, it is only a tool and we all have to find what works for us. I unfortunately was a food addict, although I ate healthy most of the time prior to surgery I still overate, and still gave in every single time I craved certains foods no one should ever eat. I've found since being banded my cravings have calmed down tremendously and (most of the time) I'm more concerned with getting in my healthy proteins than eating anything deep fried with no nurtional value. I also agree that it is like WW (which I've done at least 8 times in my pre-band years) I eat right most of the time and now my band restricts me from eating too much, I love it. Thanks for responding

I haven't been around the site much lately but I just felt like posting today.. It's my 1 year bandeversary, although I am not where I wanted to be at this point (I had much higher expectations but was unable to live up to them)... Who was I kidding thinking that being banded was going to turn me into Jane Fonda or Denise Austin?? yeah ok, I don't think so, I know me better than that.. But anyway so far so good, I really can't complain. I wouldn't be where I am today without the help of my band, and of course some determination on my part and the support of my super amazing boyfriend, his family and my bestgirlfriends. I had so hoped to be 100lbs down in my first year, but knowing now what I didn't know before is that it just isn't realistic for all of us. We lose what we lose, Every Body is different. I can't beat myself up or cry about it, it's partially me (partially my PCOS). I know I didn't workout enough, I wasn't as strict with my food as I should have been. But I chose that route because working out like a maniac and eating like a rabbit was never, and will never, be a lasting thing for me. It's what got me to the weight of 309lbs. For me it was always that old song and dance of losing and gaining more than I lost in the first place, time and time again. Being too strict inevitibly caused me to fail over and over because it never lasted, and I was so afraid it would happen again and I'd truely be a failure with a $25,000 band in my belly, and a lump of embarrassment and devastation in my throat. I still worry that I may fail, I have good days and bad days, who am I kidding I have good weeks and bad weeks, but I can't give up on this... I won't give up on this. So anyway, I've done everything in moderation, my eating, workingout, and my indulging with the penalty of losing slowly, but so what, I'm still losing and I'll take that. When I really sit and reflect and I notice the little changes, I'm so amazed with myself, smaller clothes, I can feel bones, wait I have bones? lol, yeah I do, and it's so awesome to finally meet them.. I can cross my legs, I don't huff and puff walking up stairs.. my sex life (hehehe).. the list goes on and on.. and to think this is only the begining, I still have a ways to go.. I'm still so excited for what my future holds. A future, before surgery I didn't see one, I didn't want to. Now I see the possiblities and I finally see how wonderful life is/can/and will be.. For the first time in my life my weight isn't weighing me down, I'm not a prisioner to it anymore. I actually allow myself to live, whereas before I avoided most social situations by staying home and burying my face in bag of McDonalds or a pizza or whatever else I could shovel in til' it hurt and I fell asleep.. I don't know who I'm writing this for, maybe just for me because who can I really say these things to? Who would really truely get it, or want to listen? Only other banders, maybe.. Or maybe I'm writing this because there's someone out there like me that just needs to hear this and know that they aren't alone.. I don't know.. If anything I say helps or touches one person I'd be happy. Thanks for listening and good luck to every single one of you.. Remember to Never give up on yourself, no matter how helpless things get.. We can do this..

Well said. My approach to lap band life is the same. I eat everything, just make better choices. If I want to pig out on occasion I do, but my "pig outs" are laughable to my friends without bands because I can barely eat 1/4 of what they can. Everything in moderation, not deprivation is what I believe. I also believe that quitting all the "bad foods" cold turkey every time I dieted was what got me this big (and even bigger) in the first place. For me saying I'd never have something again was just a disaster waiting to happen, but that's just me. I wish the original poster the best of luck on this journey.

When I plateau I usually have to change up my eating and work out routine. I tend to eat the same things everyday and after a while the body gets used to it, it gets comfy and gets stuck. I don't recommend you do this but I eat crappy for a day or two, them change up what my normal eating is from day to day and this seems to help me. Last time I was plateauing, I went to dinner had Pasta and things I normally wouldn't eat, dessert, and I also had a little too much wine... Two days later I lost 3 pounds after be stuck between the same 3 pounds for weeks, and I've been slowly losing since. (I've done this several times in the last year) Now again, it's slowing down so in the next few days I have to change up my eating again. When I change up my eating I stop having certain things and add new things. For example, if I've been eating yogurt for Breakfast for the last week, I'll switch back to Protein shakes or for lunch if I've been eating Lean Cuisines I'll switch to homemade tuna with crackers and raw veggies. This may not work for everyone but it seems to be working for me. Some people start from stage one (liquids) and work there way up to eating normal, I never have and really don't want to do this. Going to liquids will make me feel like I'm starving and it will cause me to binge eat, so that's a no no for me. But if you can do it, I don't think it would hurt. Also, changing my exercise routine, I'll do one less day of working out or I'll add a day or I just won't work out for a week and start up again the following week. I'll do less cardio or more depending on what I've been doing. When I switch it up, I do just the opposite of whatever it is I was doing until something works and until I hit my next plateau. hope this helps, good luck!

I love them, I've used them off and on for years. I honestly feel I get more of a workout doing her 1 or 2 mile than when I actually go outside and walk 3 or 4 miles. Her 3, 4 and 5 mile workouts are great too. I think they're perfect for all activity levels and for beginners because you can do the "modified" versions if you are less fit, or just too tired on certain days. It really makes a difference, even if you just do a 20 minute mile everyday or a few times a week when starting out. Having these DVD's leaves you with no excuse for not getting up and walking lol. Good luck!