sylviau

hey! happy bandiversary! i was banded july 2 too... yea you are probably eating too fast and taking too big of bites. when i started getting my fills, i kept forgetting and taking 'normal' bites... like the size i USED to take before the band and eating just as fast. i had to have my husband remind me every time we eat to slow down and take small bites. its a learning process! i still do it sometimes and the same thing happens... it feels stuck and i burp... and its slime (gross!)... i think that slime is your body's reaction to trying to help it down. not fun. so yea... just try to conciously slow down and take small bites... like i tell myself, that food aint going anywhere... i can slow down to eat it! LOL

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! congrats! keep it up!

yea i'd go get it checked because you do NOT want a gallbladder pain attack... its the worst pain i have EVER felt in my life... literally the worst ever...

Sorry to hear about the negative remarks. I think we all encounter people like that and it's harder when it's family. Maybe you can try explaining to her that her comments are unnecessarily negative and aren't helping. It's probably a good idea not to weigh until first fill so you aren't worried about the weight...and just healing. You are completely right on track with only worrying about healing right now. Losing will come soon enough! I think the "I don't know" is a great answer for ur mom or "I'm only sharing my once a month weigh in with you" or just tell her that's not important and that u are just being healthier now. keep you're head up and keep up the great work!

Thanks guys...I had a little soup because my stomach was making hunger noises and that helped a bit. After I took my blood pressure pill, again horrible heartburn but some Pepto and tums helped and now I'm finally going to sleep sigh...can't wait til I get a little unfilled tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what they say.

Sooooo I was banded July 2 and I've lost 49 pounds. So about 2 years ago, I bought this beautiful dress and it totally didn't fit! Way too small but I loved it so much that I wanted to buy it anyway! Soooooo when I was banded, I made two short term goals: get under 250 (started at 297) and where that that dress for a night out with my husband on our 2nd anniversary sept 19! I hadn't not gone under 250 in many many years and I figured by that weight, the dress would fit. Well.... I weighed in at 249 and wore the dress out for our anniversary! It felt soooooooo good!! I'm only 1/3 of the way to my final goal...but these little accomplishments help push me along! Praise God! I'm attaching a pic of me in the dress before going out!

I'm sylviau150 feel free to add me!

i have officially (as of this morning) lost 50 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the big 5-0!!!! as i told someone this morning, they asked if had gotten easier... and it made me remember how difficult it was in the beginning... especially all the changes, the recovering, the liquid DIET! oy! i remember CRYING because it was so hard! i see a lot of posts of other banders that are frustrated and down sometimes... and i was one of those that posted my frustrations and i received so much encouragement... so.... i wanted to come post a little note to those that are feeling a little down or frustrated... so this is for you... KEEP GOING!! i know its hard!! i have been there... i have cried many times just from sheer frustration when i was on the liquid diet for 4 weeks (pre-op and post-op)... i have cried while recovering in the days after surgery wondering why i had done this... i have MOURNED the end of my relationship with food, actually sad because i wouldn't be able to 'stuff my face' anymore... i have been frustrated and angry when i've been out to eat with friends and have had to watch them eat because i was on liquids for two days after each fill... i have felt the sadness, frustration, anger... everything that comes with change! but let me tell you... it has been WORTH IT!!!! when i stepped on the scale this morning and finally saw that 247, signalling that i had lost 50 whole pounds... it was like all the difficulties were forgotten. i love hearing someone tell me how great i look... or someone say how inspired they are to change their lifestyle too... or being able to fit into skinny jeans! i love it. and i just want to tell you that although right now it seems hard... just hold on... it gets MUCH easier and its so worth it! I"M NOT AT MY GOAL YET... in fact, i'm just 1/3 of the way there... and i'm sure it will be harder some days... but i have to remember how great success feels and know that whatever difficulty is just temporary. so keep on going!!! i'm rooting for yoU!!! much love! sylvia

awesome girl! i'm glad to help encourage anyone i can... as i have received so much encouragement throughout the last few months! keep up the good work and you will be there before you know it!

thanks stephanie! thanks for all your support and help since i was banded! you're awesome!

i use myfitnesspal .... and love it

i completely understand! those first few days or first week is hard! Mostly its because of the anesthesia and how it depresses you a few days after surgery! and its so many changes that it can seem overwhelming. i'm very excited for you! you can do this... and when you think you cant... keep going! i'm telling you, in a month, you wont even feel the change much anymore! it'll just be another part of your life! rooting for you! message me if you need anything! you know, its better to know AHEAD of time the emotions you will go through! seriously! i'm glad i hung out on this site before surgery and after... it helped me know that everything i was feeling was normal and to expect it before hand and be able to better deal with it. whoever is going to be with you after surgery... let them know about these feelings that you might have after surgery so they can be better supportive for you. i know, i told my husband... "look, i might cry... i might get depressed... just remind me that i KNEW about this beforehand and that its normal and it will go away shortly"... he did... and it was a great help! congrats on how far you've come! you are doing great and its ok when we fall... because we get up stronger! i have eaten badly a couple times, but for me, its been getting it through my head to get back on the program right away. thats always been my downfall. so if i can do it... you for sure can! its been helpful to be in contact with some other banders through email or texting... its such an awesome support system! feel free to message me... i'd love to be a "friend who gets it " yea man eating out is sometimes the most hard. just make good choices and enjoy what you're having. and concentrate more on the company than the food! at the end of the day... you'll remember more about what you talked about and the memories than you will about what everyone ate. keep it up though... its soooo worth it!! we can totally do this! wow that is so insightful! you completely right!! you know, i remember i went to a support ground for banders and one thing they talked about was how some friends would treat us differently. like they wouldn't know how to deal with us being a little different (or a lot!) from before. like it would be ackward and stuff! its been like that for me too with my best friend. she's been wanting to lose and i try to encourage her and help her with it... but i can only do so much and she's not committed to her goals. now that i'm losing and quickly approaching the weight she's at... its a little weird. i've always been bigger than her in all the years we've known each other... and i can feel a little bit of tension from her side. but i cant let that detour me! like you said... you have do what you have to do for yourself! i'm so proud of you! 200+ pounds is AMAZING!!!!!!! i hope to be where you are one day!!!! :) you're an inspiration!

i go through that too of gaining a few randomly one day and usually in a day or two i'm down again to whatever i was at. if you're doing the low carb diet (which i am doing too), i read that if you eat over your carb limit one time (like get out of ketosis), your body suddenly retains Water and you "gain" like 2 pounds... but its just retained water. and once you're eating normal again, it goes away in a day or two. so dont freak out! you're doing great!

girl.... i know what you mean... and i think towards the first couple of weeks after our surgery, we feel like that because we're still healing. BUT... i promise you that you will feel better and you will feel like its all worth it later on! everyone goes through the down times, but later we realize that it was something we did to help us have a healthier and longer life! when you start fitting into those smaller clothes and start having more energy and start having people tell you how 'great you're looking'... you will feel sooooo good that you will know it was totally worth it! and guess what? you have another birthday next year... and a little piece of cake to celebrate wont hurt you! keep your head up!

congrats! yay! you are on your way! i'd love to share what i eat and exercise... if you use myfitnessspal... feel free to add me and you can see exactly what i ate and what exercise i did at the end of the day... its a great resource and lots of banders on there too! i'm sylviau150 on there.... or feel free to message me on here whenever in a nutshell, though, i'm eating a low-carb diet.... it works best with the band because its foods that will stay in your pouch longer and keep you full longer. Breakfast is now usually a shake (because the band in TIGHT in the morning!) lunch is usually some Protein (like grilled chicken nuggets from chik fil a) dinner is usually protein and veggies. salmon, chicken, etc. the guidelines my dr gave me are these for each day: 20-30 grams of fat 30-50 grams of carbs 70 grams of protein my fitness pal helps you calculate your grams for each of these. as for exercise, i walk when i can, but i do zumba a couple times a week. that helps so much because it burns like 800 calories or more each time.. and sometimes i literally burn off everything i ate for the day! hope this helps a little. but everyone is free to add me on myfitnesspal!

aw you guys are seriously too sweet! THANK YOU for all the nice comments... you have really made my day! i think i might need to keep this thread somewhere for the 'down days' i have sometimes! seriously, thank you! hugs! you are all doing a fantabulous job too! oh and we had an AMAZING anniversary! had a great time! and, yes, having "goal clothes" is awesome! ive had a few in the last few months and its been fun trying them on along the way and seeing them fit better until they finally fit! some of those, i've already had to give away too because they're too big! so i totally recommend that if you're just starting off... they're great little motivators! i have a few pair of skinny jeans and pants that have been passed on to me by other banders that i'm waiting to fit into!

Thanks ladies! The picture doesn't do the dress justice! It's so pretty! I'm 5'5"... My goal is 150, though my dr said realistically its like 170ish, But that 150 is possible if I take up a sport or running. Congrats, u r doing awesome!

I went thru same struggle this past week on whether to get a full or not. I was banded July 2 and have I think 5.5 in my band? How much u have in the band doesn't really matter...everyone is different. I was getting full with about 8 ounces of food and staying full for a good 4-5 hours. I'm also losing about 2 pounds a week. So when I went in for my full appt this past Thursday, the doctor said he normally doesn't fill if I'm not getting hungry and if I'm losing at least 5 a month. Both of which I was doing. He said sometimes we have this like thought that maybe I need more fill so I can lose more, but of u r over filled, u actually GAIN ause u eat slider foods that make u gain weight. I would have the talk with ur dr when u get there and see what they think. Don't be afraid to accept ur in green. I think that's my problem...I didn't want to accept that I was already in green. My dr agreed to give me a very small fill to try and if it feels too tight, I'll go take that last fill out and I'll know I'm in green for sure. So far I'm ok...I think this might be a good fit for me. So yea...u sound like u might be around green. If ur losing, that's the important part!

I'm almost 3 months out from surgery and have lost 49 pounds and in the last weeks, it seems everyone is finally noticing my Weightloss and commenting or asking what im doing. I simply say that I'm eating less and moving more , which is the truth! I'm not ashamed but I just don't want to deal with judgy people so a few key friends and my family know because they r supportive. Other than that, no one needs to know.

hey everyone... i was banded july 2 (about 2.5 months ago) and i THINK i'm about in the green zone... still trying to figure out if all the discomfort when i eat and getting stuck is from just eating too big of bites or if its from the fills. personally, i think its just i forget and eat "like i used to". anyway... mornings are tough with how tight it gets overnight. i heard a lot of banders dont eat Breakfast and lately i've been having only coffee in the morning. do most people not have breakfast? have a shake? coffee?

hey everyone... i was banded july 2 (about 2.5 months ago) and i THINK i'm about in the green zone... still trying to figure out if all the discomfort when i eat and getting stuck is from just eating too big of bites or if its from the fills. personally, i think its just i forget and eat "like i used to". anyway... mornings are tough with how tight it gets overnight. i heard a lot of banders dont eat Breakfast and lately i've been having only coffee in the morning. do most people not have breakfast? have a shake? coffee?

so i was talking to a good friend of mine the other day about this and i wanted to comment on it and see if i'm the only one that does this. my friend seems to think that a lot of people do this and its a form of weightloss self sabatoge... and one of the things we have to fight against while losing weight. and, honestly, i think this happens to me every time ive tried losing weight in the past. and this time, praise God, i have been able to NOTICE it and, therefore, fight against it. i was banded on 7-2-12 (so almost 2 months ago)... i'm down 43 pounds (this includes some pre-op loss). i haven't been under 250 in YEARS and that seems to be the hump that i always struggled with! everytime i've lost a significant amount... i haven't been able to get under that. (thats my goal by my anniversary in 3 weeks... 249! i'm at 254 now) anyway, i tend to weigh everyday (i know, i probably shouldn't, but i will keep doing it LOL).... and in the back of my mind, its almost like i EXPECT it to be higher! even if i've been eating right and exercising, i still half-expect for me to have gained weight. and in the back of my mind, i keep thinking that my weightloss so far was a fluke and i will probably stop losing at any moment. its so crazy! in retrospect, i realize this is about the time when, in the past, i've struggled and then started gaining again. i've completely self-sabotaged myself in the past and thats why i haven't been able to get under 250! i have even started to want to eat a little of the stuff i shouldn't! completely self sabotaging myself again! BUT.... the difference this time is that i've NOTICED it.... i realize that i'm thinking this way so i can at least fight against the thoughts. as GI Joe used to say (yes, i watched that as a kid!)... 'knowing is half the battle.' so now i just have go on that scale... knowing that i WILL lose... that its NOT a fluke... and that my hard work is paying off. and try to accept that this time WILL be different. so i wanted to share this. maybe you're going through this as well. and maybe you haven't even noticed! have you felt like this? am i the only one?

soon after surgery, most of us have had that pain... its actually the gasses in your abdomen... and that causes that pain in your shoulder. i had mostly in the first few weeks after surgery.

my name is sylvia... and i love my band! lol i was banded 7-2-12... so about 6 weeks ago i'm down 38 pounds (that includes pre-op and post-op)... and here are a few little victories that make me smile and love my band... 1- people that dont know about the band have FINALLY commented about how 'great' i'm looking and how i've lost weight. (i had been a little down lately because i felt like no one noticed!) 2- i'm fitting into clothes that haven't work in YEARS! pants that i love and kept in hopes of one day fitting into them... i can FIT INTO THEM!!!!!!!!!! one in particular that made me happy was a paid of tommy hilfiger trouser jeans that i LOVED. and when my now husband and i started dating about 3 years ago, i wore these pairs like once or twice and he loved them and asked me to wear them more cause he liked how they looked on me. well... they were already a little tight and getting tighter (as i gained more) and were too uncomfortable to wear! SO i always had some excuse as to why i didn't wear them (i wasn't about to tell a guy i just started dating that my pants were too small! LOL and , yes, eventually i told him they were too small! and by the time i was banded, i couldn't even get them UP to my waist... much less close them!) so last night i go and try these and other pair of pants on and they all close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mind you, they are a little tight, but they CLOSE. and in another month or so... they will fit well!! 3- i'm learning to eat to live... not live to eat! i still love food and appreciate it... but its not an obssession (usually). i have been able to say no to certain things and to learn to stop when i'm full and be ok with giving part of my food over to my husband because i'm getting full. (i may or may not have growled/scowled at anyone trying to share my precious food in the past) love it! 4- my husband sees me walking around with pants that are now huge on me and calls me 'thin' (who, ME?!) anyway just wanted to share these because i'm so excited! what are you're little victories that make you love your band?!

You are doing fabulous! It's great to hear it from Others too! Keep up the good work and you will get to your goal!