Jim1967

Your goal sounds reasonable. Have you discussed it with your Surgeon? I have lost more than half my weight and I am still going. Try not to get hung up on comparing your journey with others. We are all different and our bodies work differently with our bands. Good Luck!!

I think a little more information might help. Have you ever been filled and if so how much? What size is your band? Have you been following up with your Surgeon regularly and have you been up front with him/her on your struggles. If it has been a long time since seeing the Doc I would think then that would be the first step. You know you've gained 17lbs but the question is why or how? Are you eating a lot of slider foods? I would recommend starting to track your intake as it may help you find where the problem is. Edit: Meant to mention I would recommend maybe talking with a nutrionist and bring along some food journals. Good Luck and don't give up!!

What an a$$ hat!!

I had the fear of failing in the beginning and now that I am approaching goal I have a fear I will not be able to maintain it. Even veterans deal with the worry of failure whether it be in the start, middle or close to goal. It is quite normal to have these concerns as we've all in one time or another dieted and fell off the wagon. Just remember this is a life style change.

Congratulations!!

Yes. I bloat easy with very cold substances. I get a small ice cream cone from McDonalds on occassion and it bloats me. I find I am more senative to the cold stuff.

Hi Rita, I can only imagine the frustration of not being able to get a fill but I am happy you took immediate action on following up with your Doctor. Last thing you need is an infection right? Also, I am happy you did not post about it and ask what you should do. We see a lot of strange posts from time to time and some severe where people post here first rather than call their Doctor. Good Luck!!

You're welcome. I am not familiar with Holy Family Bariatrics but I highly recommend Lowell General. They have a top notch Bariatrics unit comprised of 5 Surgeons along with an all inclusive care which means they have their own Physc Counselors, Nutritionist, RN's and Insurance Specialists. My Wife and I both were banded there.

From the Surgeon lookup tool: http://www.bariatricpal.com/surgeons/?from_form=1&hospital=2047

I guess it's time you decide which is more important to you. Sugar or goal. How important are those 15- 20lbs? Are you happy where your at? If you're not gaining and you're OK with where you're at then why sweat it.

19 months and living the dream

I think that is a common fear a lot of us have. I know I do. I am getting close to my goals as well and sliding back in the other direction is on my mind because I have done it before after losing a large amount of weight.

Congratulations on your loss so far. You're doing great and inspiring!

Green zone is truly amazing but it can be tough to find but in time you will. It took me nearly 6 months to finally get into the green zone. My last fill was Jan 29, 2012 and the weight and inches have been coming off ever since and the portions are small and the head hunger is practically non existent. I love my band and it is amazing the life this little device has given back to me. Stay the course and it can happen for you as well. There will be tough times and perhaps discouragement and times when patience is thin but one thing you must do above all else and that is keep going! Keep your eye on the prize and keep going. Remember even if the scale is not moving you could still be losing inches. Look for NSV's to help motivate you. For me it was about jeans feeling loser or more slack in my belt. Good luck all!

I did Atkins once for about 19 months and lost 170+ pounds. Problem is I didn't stick with it and do it properly. I was 393lbs when I started and made it down to 220. I did induction phase the entire time as I had so much to lose. So I was restricting carbs pretty good. Maybe had I actually kept going and move into the other phases I wouldn't have gone backwards and gained all my weight back plus an additional 90. I went for my band consult at 488lbs. I am not putting down Atkins as I do agree it is a good 'diet' but it was quite obvious to me that it was not something long, long term or a lifestyle change that I could live with forever. I am please to say with my band I have managed to get the weight back off and I did it without depriving myself or dieting. Maybe had I done Atkins correctly I wouldn't have to be banded but I don't think so. Best of luck all. Just wanted to share my Atkins experience for what it was.

Been there and done that. It is what makes us human. I haven't had a hamburger with a roll in so long now I can't remember what it taste like. If bread is not toasted dark it will not go down for me. Glad it passed for you and nothing embarrassing took place. I dread going out for dinner now. It's just not worth it financially and I have less control of what is actually in my food. You know all that hidden stuff.

Not from Michigan but welcome to BariatricPal!

Great post Terry. Seems like your Doctor is very aggressive. That can be both good and bad. Sounds like he/she has you swinging from one extreme to another. I know everyone is different but I do believe baby steps in band adjustments is the real way to go. It has taken me a total of 6 months to find the green zone but not once was I ever too tight. My fill stats 11cc Realize Band: 1st fill 5/29/12 5cc 2nd fill 6/12/12 1cc 3rd fill 7/02/12 1cc 4th fill 8/14/12 1cc 5th fill 9/4/12 1cc 6th fill 1/29/13 .5 Like Terry said the band will not make you choose the right foods to eat nor will it prevent you from over eating. You must recognize the signs of when enough is enough and then stop. Head hunger is a whole different animal. If you don't have head hunger in check then that alone can be quite problematic. A great article in layman's terms on how best to eat with the band. http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

You just got to do it. This all about you and no one else. If your local PF is anything like mine then you shouldn't have any problems. I never directly noticed anyone staring or gawking at me even when I was at my heaviest. Just go in with blinders on at first. Walk in and get on a machine and just do it. More you do it the easier it will be. I did it weighing 450lbs and could only walk for 10 to 15 minutes. Now I am a regular and I am happy to see people coming in to better their health. B-52 isn't kidding about the influx of new sign ups for New Years. Yesterday I must have seen 10 to 12 people come in and take a tour and some did sign up. I know it will taper off like it usually does.

Seriously guys and gals I highly doubt Shelly (you know the original poster) started this thread to provoke a WLS flame war. We all have opinions and you know what they say about opinions. Regardless of what WLS Shelly has chosen for herself I believe we can all agree that we ALL wish her the best of luck and much success in her journey!! I look forward to hearing her story whether it be with a band or sleeve.

I guess if it's not broken I shouldn't tinker with it and just enjoy the ride.

Ah that figures I skipped right over that and made sure the next box was set to post op. Fixed..thanks!

Well I am still confused then because like B-52 I eat what I want but thanks to the band I have more control. I just came off a two week vacation and I had all the things I wanted just no where near the volume when I was preop. I had Cookies, candy heck I even had french fries while in NY playing tourist. So...is it my band or is it will power? Is it both? I am not kidding when I say my head hunger is practically gone. I actually lost weight for the first time in my life during the holidays. I've lost 13lbs since Thanksgiving! That is not bragging...I'm seriously confused.

Congratulations on your surgery date!

I drink a lot of crystal lite an occasional full on sugar lemonade. Decaf Coffee...and of course water. I used to drink Fruit 2 O as well but for some reason I get hives now when I drink it. I had a pretty bad Diet Pepsi addiction and it was definitely hard to shake. Been nearly two years now without any carbonation. For me I just told myself that my journey and health of my band far outweighed a taste of soda. Worse case scenario you could always let it go flat before you drink it. Good luck!!