kimalicious

I understand your thinking on this, since I don't have the constant head hunger any longer and even turn meals down, that I would have never done pre-band. Problem is when you only eat one meal a day your metabolism is slow. THat is why if you eat breakfast you are hungry by lunch because your metabolism got kicked started for the day. I have to eat at least 3 small somethings a day because at anyone sitting I can't get in that much food, I'm lucky at lunch to get a half of a grilled chicken sammich down. I fought with the foods for a while and figured out I was eating the wrong food (fried)and not taking small enough bites and not chewing to mush. I do this now and don't fight to get my food down as much. I still eat no more than 800 calories a day, but at least I am keeping it spread out to keep my metabolism up. I hope you reconsider this way of eating because not only will it cause malnitrition, you paid a lot of money for this surgery and to not use it to it's potential would be a downer. You have got to work with the band and not battle it. I guess the only reason I say anything is because I got up to my top weight eating one time a day. Now of course that was a super sized big mac meal from McDonalds, but I still managed to get up to 275 eating that once a day. Please don't think we are harping on you we just want you to be healthy and we want you to be sucessful and not miserable with the band. Keep us posted on your progress and let me know if any of this helps.

I love it and those trophies are big this year!! She must be so excited. I still have a neurotic tendancy from my drill team days where I make up dance routines in my head to songs that come on the radio and I can still perform every drill team routine I have ever done since the second grade and cheer from the cheerleading. I'm sick I swear

I love Target! I have been slowly throwing things out. I will try them on because I want to wear them the next day and realize it is huge on me. I can no longer stand the big ol shirts. I need form fitting. THis is so different because I always had to venture out to get the largest shirt possible for it to be extra big, and now I am flying through those sizes.... I love it, good bye anything I wore last spring. I will need a whole new wardrobe when it gets here!! Keep it up Jonathan.

I still do this, I am completely obsessed with food. Completely obsessed. I should probably go see a shrink about it, but right now my band is helping/ I am obsessed I tell you...hehehe. It gets better I promise, but only a little for me so far.

I want to be the old fun me again and not have to worry about what chair I should sit in or if I will be able to walk that far, or are my knees going to go out and I want to have kids, but was too fat and tired to even have the sex involved in doing that let alone take care of a child. I have so much more energy now, I still feel huger than ever I think it is because I have so much attention going there now that I am working on my appearance rather than trying to hide it. I would have never worried before about extra or sagging skin, but now that I am actually losing the weight I see how much farther I have to go and how much surgery I will have to clean it up after I reach my goal weight. Ok SOrry I went on tangent. plain and simple, I wanna be FINE AS WINE~

It took me at least 50 pounds before my clothes were just not wearable any more, Some can still wear and they are just loose. I am waiting for my clothes to be just so big they wont stay up. I am the same with the big gut, so my waist size hasn't hcanged much, people tell me they can see a difference in my face but I really can't. I need to start taking pics I guess to see the difference myself.

I will so be a patchwork quilt. I was crying last night about the bat wings I have formed from losing weight. I had never realized how far I had let myself go and the permanant damage I have done to myself. I get so mad thinking about the stretch marks, saggy skin, and even the surgery scars that I already have had. I want to have everything done when I get to goal weight. Everything all of you said and more. I am worried because 2 of the small incisions from my lap band surgery ketoided (I think that is the name) where the scar is raised and red and will be forever. Surgery can't fix that and it is where scar tissue continues to grow after the scar is done. Well I have plenly of scars between band and seperate gall bladder surgery and only 2 did this right in the top middle of my stomach. I am worried if I get the tummy tuck, my entire pantyline scar will end up this way. Has anyone had any trouble with this? To me that is just as bad as the extra skin hanging, I don't know.

Sometimes it does wait, what I feel is the culprit of this is when I get comfortable with my fill and overdo it. I will start PBing and then keep trying to get things down and just upset my esophagus more. When I do this to myself I stick to liquids for 3 days and then mushies and then back to real food again to let my esophagus rest and heal from what I've put it through. This usually works for me and makes me remember what I should be eating and how. Let it rest so it is not enflamed and swollen and if that doesn't work after 3 days, call your doc! I hope this helps.

You will be just fine, I was surprised after my first real meal again, there were no problems and I had no restriction and I could eat. I had to reel myslef back in and started gaining, but just take care of yourself until you get your fills started and you won't have any troubles.

Oh sweetcheeks, it sounds like you have your hands full. Your job is to keep sane while trying to be around the insane. I know you can do it, let us know how your weight loss management classes go so we can look into joining around our areas if they are any good. I'm glad you came on to say hi, I was wondering where you were and the Talk Lounge has been quiet with you gone. Come back when you can!!

My first fill actually did nothing for me. I have a 4 cc band and had a 1 cc fill and could eat more I think after the fill, just stay on top of them and if you have to get one 2 weeks later do it if there is no restriction yet. I hope you're one of the lucky ones that only needs one fill and can feel full. Good luck.

Jonathan, I went through exactly, and I mean exactly the same thing with my band. I started gaining and had only lost like 39 pounds after 8 months, most of which was lost in the first 2 and I sat steady for 6 months because I was comfortable and could eat what I want. I finally came back here and posted about it and felt relieved to get it off my chest. I was tired of the looks and questions I was getting from people who knew I had been banded and not understanding why I wasnt losing weight. So finally I went and got a fill on Oct 3rd. In the beginning I was eating what I could and PBing all of the time and then I slapped myself back to reality and atually used my band how it should be used and I am now 20 pounds lighter since that day on 10/03/05. I am so glad you are back with us and hope you stay here for the support you need. WIth schedules as busy as ours it is nice to know we can control what we eat since the lack of control around us is at a max. I'm so glad you shared this because I thought I was the only one. Thanks,

I have always wanted to start selling that Homemade Gourmet stuff. You can look it up online. I always buy otns at Christmas time and everyone raves that it is so good. I don't know what kind of money you are looking for but that seems like a decent part-time side business. Just an idea. I have wanted to start a florist so bad, I would have no idea where to start and the area I live in has so many now, I doubt I could make a living. My husband and I always come up with restaurant ideas, but again those are hard to keep afloat in my area. I hope someone has some good ideas.

Hey Whipple Daddy, I just wanted to start a thread to say how great you are doing. We got banded around the same time and watched your progress in the beginning. I read a reply of yours about rolling naked in fish hooks and then saw your pic and progress and you are doing awesome. Your e-mails always have made me laugh and your progress is inspiring. Keep up the awesome work. Kim

Oh my god that is exactly what I was doing, playing games like I could beat the band and sneaking around it like it was the enemy, that was an Aha! moment for me....

Um ok, let me try: Reese's cups (any size) ranch dressing cheeze bacon french bread butter dill potato chips captain crunch Eckrich sausage links cheese nips Ok, is it really sad that I had to correct my list like 10 times before I sent this. Who knew this would be so thought provoking.

mmmmm. I made tons of sausage balls for a work event and my house smelled like sausage for days. I love when you make the maple bacon and you can smell it everytime you walk in your house for the next week. I've decided anything with bacon and cheese involved should be considered gourmet. I even love fake bacon bits. And don't even get me started on fried pork chops....

Ok my list is really sad compared to ya'lls but here goes: New Kids on the Block (at their heighth I was 11) Prince (all time fav) Alanis Morrisette Bon Jovi George Straight Kenny Chesney (on purpose) Mighty Might Bostones Lee Greenwood (Don't Ask, 80 year old women were throwing panties at him) 311 Sugar Ray and Gwen Stefani is in Dallas tonight and I really want to go. Oh well, maybe next time. God, I really need to get out more.

I still have not gotten to the point of the mind band. Thank god my band is really restrictive right now and keeping me from eating everything in sight. THe other day I sat and pouted because I wanted pizza so bad but knew if I even tried I would PB the first bite...I literally pouted for hours and just went to be hungry instead. Not being able to give in to those cravings helps me conquer those mind demons. The problem is it is a daily thing. I will be perfectly fine for a few days and then WHAM! a craving hits and there is no stopping me. I need constant control and don't think I will ever have that as long as I have to put food in my mouth and be in public where other people eat every day. I know this is a lifelong struggle and I guess I just need to take one day at a time when it comes to food. The whole point of the band is to stop us when we can't stop ourselves, so don't say it is cheating, say it is a life saver. It's giving us control when we have none. I will take it where I can get it. I count every calorie because for me that is how I control my eating. I can become obsessive about it and if I wasn't over 200 pounds people would say I am anorexic when I get over obsessive. So on a daily basis I don't know which it will be when I wake up. WIll I obsess about what fattening food I want to eat today or will I obsess about the calories going in. SO far the good are outweighing the bad, Thank god...

You are doing well as for the 1 pound a week rule, but if you don't have restriction you need a fill. My doc tells me my band is not being used to it's potential if you don;t get the fills right. If you still can eat a lot, get another fill, you will hopefully hit a sweet spot like I have and will finally know what restriction feels like. It took me 4 to get it right!

50 pounds in 3 months in awesome. Since my last fill I am eating around 600-800 calories a day and still losing rapidly, when I slowed down I started adding in 30 minutes of walking a day and the pounds started melting off again. Are you doing any type of physical exercise. As much as eating such low calories can slow down yur metabolism, as long as you are getting in a workout daily it will keep your metabolism running strong. This is just my personal experience. Let us know what you try and keep us posted. Kim

I am a student at UNT, I go part-time while I work, It is very hectic especially since the college is 50 miles from my house and my job is 3o, I do a lot of driving and juggling schedules with my 50 hour work week. I think going to the school has inspired me since I run around campus with all of the perky 18 year old girls who drive their mama's mercedes and type in thoer laptops during class. It has been interesting, I have been going part-time off and on since I graduated highschool in 96 and don't think I will ever finish. I 'll be at Senior staus next year, so hopefully I will push through and finally finish my English degree, only to go on to start the graduate program for school counseling. Whew, I'm just tired thinking of all of the crap I have left to do. Good luck everyone.

good question, did you feel it when it happened? I was wondering because I was doing "laundry" with my husband and thought that that happened to mine. I was hoping I just pulled the muscle around it, I guess I will find out for my next fill. Since I can push and feel mine, it still feels normal. Could you do this?

I'm glad your waiting, there are plenty of women that have healthy pregnancies at 300 + pounds just know the complications that come along with that too, not only for your health but for the baby. There are tons of articles and books on the subject. My doc said that I should wait about a year for my weight to stablize and you can always have the fills taken out and be able to resume anything you want. That is the good thing about the band. Fact is, it is just easier to get pregnant when you are at a lower weight and the pregnancy should be much easier. I got the band for this very reason. You and I are both young still and waiting an extra year to have a more healthy child and self will be well worth the wait. Good luck in your decisions.

You are so not the only one. I didn't have real restriction until my 4th fill. Don;t hold off on getting them, if you don't feel enough restriction make a fill appointment right away. I held off and didn't lose anything for 6 months. I hope this helps, the band doesn't work without the fill in it, so fill er up.