jennifer1

yes, please dont condem yourself if you fall off the wagon once. just dont let it continue. get up dust yourself off and get back on track. i didnt cheat during my pre-op diet, but have i ate 100% perfect since the band NOPE! i dont beat myself up, i just keep on moving. this is a process and we cant change overnight! best wishes

i have the same problem, but i'm not sure mine is related to the band. i am doomed to wear wigs for the next three months at least, while i apply cream from my dermatologist on a daily basis. I would recommend you go to a dermatogist and see what they say. i also have hypothryroidism and wore sew-in weaves for over a year. i think mine is a combo of all those things, plus genetics. i literally have a bald spot on my left temple and on the top of my head. i was devistated, but i'm praying that it grows back, and i will take better care of my hair in the mean time. i feel your pain.

I totally feel you on the slow weight loss. I am about 2.5 months out and cant seem to get past 18 pounds. I do know i'm in a 1X shirt down from 2X and XL scrub pants for a 2X. I try to focus on that. I want to go in for another fill, but i'm trying to hold off, for fear that i will reach my band limit in the first six months. i'm at 7.5 cc's now but i'm not sure how large my band is. I'm going to try and hold off till sept and then maybe get another fill. The thing is it takes me longer to get hungry, but i feel like how much i can eat has decreased all that much, but then again that is inconsistent.

thanks again everyone.

I have already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and my levels are normal the last time they were checked about 2 months ago, but i think that may have something to do with it as well.

best wishes on your surgery. praying everything goes smoothly!

Thanks for the support everyone.

i'm with you on the shoulder pain.. it was a pain in my a$$!!!! i was banded on may20th 2011 and i still have some pain at times. of course it's rare now, but still happens. quite annoying!

i agree...once you have a stuck episode or slimming you will learn quickly! i felt i acutally needed to experience that and boy do i know now. my band doesnt like steak, white chicken meat or egg yolks! best wishes

i have literally a bald spot at the top of my head, although i can camaflough(sp?) it if my hair is in a pony tail, i have to keep all stress out of my hair. ugh!!!!! people havent seen my "real hair" in like 20 years!!!!!

your doing great!!!!!!

i totally understand the whole forgetting to chew enough. i have got to learn how to slow down..i only have a limited time to eat breakfast and lunch so i'm always rushing..any suggestions.

tanya...i am about 2 months out and i cant seem to hit the 20 pound mark to save my life..17 and creeping towards 18....ugh so frustrating, but i've taken my focus from the scale. i havent weighed myself in 4days and that's HUGE for me!

so happy to hear about your blood sugars leveling off! keep up the awesome work!

i have the same mental battle as you. i was obsessed with the scale. i mean a couple of ounces gained would send me over the edge, questioning why i even got the surgery. i got banded may 20th and my weight loss hanges around 15-18 pounds. i just wanna hit 20 pounds for the love of GOD!!!!! and all things holy!!! i have decided for the next two weeks my focus is on eating right and working out and not the scale. i want to only weigh myself in 2 weeks. this is going to be a great challenge for me so i'm putting my scale in the trunk of my car so i dont have easy access to it. i know that may sound crazy but i need to do something.

best wishes on your goals. we can and will do this!!!!

welcome to band land!!!!!! i wasnt hungry for 3 weeks so enjoy it while you can! lol

thanks for the feedback. i had a salad for lunch today and i had to make my self eat real slow. i did notice that my band seems tighter and food was still getting a little stuck despite all my chewing.

is it possible that a week after getting a fill it could be tighter? i'm not complaining cuz i lost 2 pounds since the fill and i'm still able to eat normal foods and not resorting to slider foods.

so am i crazy or can you band get tighter a week later?

what you're feeling is normal. i am 2 months out. the feeling you're having is most likely gas. they say walking helps, and i did to a certain extent. i was plagued with the dreaded left shoulder pain, which i still get some times. i think you're doing fine. did your doc give you a lifting restriction. mine was 10 pounds for 4 weeks( and i'm a therapist..ugh), but i made it through. i didnt have an appetite for almost 3 weeks but trust me it will come back, enjoy it while you can! LOL! feel free to add me and PM with any other questions. always happy to help a fellow bandster!

great post and i totally understand where you are coming from. i am learning to break up my goals into meal by meal as well and hopefully growing to day by day and on to weeks. best wishes on your journey!

thanks everyone for your reply's. i went in for my 3rd fill today. it was scheduled for next week but they called and cancelled since the doc wasnt gonna be in the office on that day. i have a gazillion things going on right now, so i had to go today. I was not shocked when i went for my weigh in and i had gained 3 pounds (2 of the 5 i had gained was from my cycle). I didnt feel like they were judging me. no one yelled at me or questioned why i had gained weight. the person who weighed me just politely told me you gained 2 pounds, but we're gonna fix that. i was so glad i didnt ge the stank eye! LOL my doc just asked me how things were goin. went thru the usual process and i was done. he told me to be careful cuz i was really tight. i dont mind that at all. so i'm just praying i get this ball back rolling again. everyone wants to know how much he put in, but honestly that doesnt really matter to me right now. i think that's just something else to stress about cuz if he said something like 10 cc's and i hade a 11 cc band(dont know if those are actual numbers) then i would be freaking out. so i'll just take what i have for now and move forward.

girl you sound just like me! i enjoyed reading your post! congrats on getting into those capris! My weight loss tends to happen at my waist and top half first. Now if we could combine ours bodies weight loss trends we'd be some bad shut yo mouths! LOL! I have 7.5 cc's in my band (2nd fill) cuz the first one did nothing! Keep up the great work hun! I wear a size 2X scrubs but they are falling off but the 1X is still too small. i need a damn 1.5X LOL. hmmmm i need to invent clothes that shrink with our bodies when we are between sizes! LOL! Have a good holiday and enjoy your time in ATL!

go girl! i'm so proud of you doing good over the weekend. that is a hard time for me as well. keep up the good work!

Thank you guys soooo much! i dont think I could make it through this journey without your encouraging words and concern for my success.

As far as restriction. it feels like teh liquids pauses in the middle of my chest and then slides down. (about a couple of seconds) sometimes i feel like i need to pat my chest to make things go down. I have a lot of extra gurling going on in my stomach now and some small burping. So far i've eating some pudding and mostly been drinking liquids. I had a protein shake this morning at 7:30am and wasnt hungry until like 1:30!!!! i pray and hope this continues, but you know i'll keep you guys posted!!!!

wow! i'm so happy your BP has come down! i got my first fill on friday and i'm going back this friday for another, cuz this one did nothing! ugh! just so glad they are pain free!

You are such an inspiration. I'm struggling right now. I got my first fill on friday and i dont think it's doing anything. I called the doctor's office and explained that i'm starving 2 hours after i ate and plus i'm able to eat more than a cup of food if i wanted. I'm going in for another fill of friday as they told me my surgeon is pretty conservative with the first fill. i have no idea how much he put in it.

My friend(who is not banded) told me i should be counting my calories and aiming fo 1200 and i should wait be fore i get a fill. ummmmm u dont even have a band so she has no idea how i'm feeling. i was just sooooo annoyed that she felt she could give me advice.

How can you count calories when you are preparing meals from scratch or buying pre seasoned meats and just measuring out portions.

I'm sooo afraid that i am going to fail at this.

Our weights are very similiar. i started at 242 and i'm currently at 227, i wish i was where you are, but i know i need to get more consistent with my working out.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

my friend and i (she's not banded) just had this convo the other day. we almost feel like we deserve to do what we want on the weekend since we've been good all week. well that's what got me where i am! LOL! I just got my first fill on friday so i'll start solids again on mon. i cant wait to see what my new "full" feels like. i am petrified of throwing up so i'm sure i'll stop before that happens. Hope you're weekend is goin good so far.