joeygirl

Yes toni, there are more of us like you. I feel a lot like you. I read of all these people who are exercising thousands of minutes a month and eating 600 to 1000 calories a day, and it makes me kind of frustrated. A person could lose the weight without the band if they did all that. If I was good at doing that kind of stuff, I wouldn't have needed the band. I have been exercising more, but even with that, things are going so slow. I am lucky to lose 5 lbs. a month. I sure hope as I get more fills things will get better. I still can't get over how different this works on different people. Some can lose like crazy without even a fill. I will join you at your pity party.

I have the same problem, and I have had 4 fills. I think I have over 6cc in a 10 cc band. I still don't feel any restrictions, and am hungry a lot. I have lost 30 lbs. but it is mostly from all the exercising and watching what I eat. When this band finally kicks in, I will be so glad. Don't get too upset so soon. If you only have 1cc,you have a long way to go. It seems like some people are just way more sensative than others.

Did everyone leave and not tell me. Where is everyone?

Dawn, what a horrible experience. I feel so bad for you. And then not to know what caused it must make it worse. I am so glad all is fine now, but I sure hope you learn what caused it so that you never have to go through it again. Have you had severe headaches before. Also, did you eat anything before that could have caused the pain? I am so glad that the band did not cause this trouble. Keep up the prayers, they do help. I will be praying for you also.

Suzie, that sounds great. I wish I could find something like that for around here. A personal trainer giving tips would be great. Has anyone else out there tried Curves. I have been going since March, and really like it. It is great starting out, since you can start at your own pace. If you are really out of shape, like I was, it is a great starting place. The more in shape you get, the harder you work with the machines. Today, I had one of the staff show me how to do the advanced workout. It is like the regular, only you do a lot more repititions on the machines. They check your heart rate after every two machines to make sure you are keeping it up. I tell you, it is a workout. I will be stiff tomorrow I bet. It feels really good to know that I can do it and Get out of breath and sweaty. If someone is having a hard time getting started with an exercise program, I would suggest Curves. You can go in and check the place out and do a trial run and then decide if you like it before you sign up. It is only a half an hour, and the time flies. They suggest 3 times a week, but I have been going at least 4 times. I notice even tho the pounds are coming off slow, I have really lost the inches. Lets all get busy and shake that body.

I dont think that sounds like too much, but than what do I know. If you can get it in than it should be fine. Plus, it is something healthy for you.

First, I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love these boards. It is the first place I go when I get on the computer during the day. Even tho I don't write much, I feel like I have gotten to know you all through the many months. Now, I read about everyones great weight loss. There are people who have lost 50 or more pounds since the surgery. You are doing great. But, then I look at myself and think that I am doing something wrong. Why can I only loose less than 20 pounds. I get very frustrated. I went in to have a fill a few days ago, and talked a lot with the NP that did the fill. I told her how bad I am doing compared to so many on here. She said that she deals with this every day for many years now, and the people that are losing so much weight are definatly the exception, not the norm. She feels I am doing great, and am right on track. Like she said, you didn't gain all that weight in 4 months, so don't expect to loose it that fast. She had me talk to a couple that was getting fills that morning. They had both been banded a year ago in Oct. The man has lost 68 pounds, and the women almost 80. She said they are doing perfect, right on track. She kept stressing to me that it is not normal to loose big amounts of weight that fast. She told me that weight loss like that is more common with a gastric bypass patient, but not with a band patient. So, Maybe I am doing ok. She made me feel a lot better after talking to her. I think there are probably lots more people out there like me, who are reading this. They probably read the posts every day also, and wonder what they are doing wrong. NOTHING. I think we are just embarrased to write much on here because we don't have such wondeful numbers to write about. So, lets not feel like failures. Lets just keep on working at this, even if it is only 5 pounds or less a month, and be proud of ourselves. That's all I have to say, and I am glad I got it off my chest.

Its just me, Don't feel alone. I was like you for a very long time. I was banded June 6, and since the actual surgery I have only lost 18 pounds. I did lost 17 more before the surgery. I also was exercising a lot and the scale was not moving. I was being measured tho, and I did lose inches. I know how disgusting it is. I keep hearing that the reason is because muscle weighs more than fat, etc. Not sure if that was the case or not, but please stick with it. I finally lost 5 pounds between my last 2 fills. Hopefully, things are starting to turn around. I really haven't had any pbing or sliming and feel little restriction, and the NP just keeps saying they haven't found the right spot yet. Just keep with the exercise, and I think soon you will have a pleasant surprise. But, you are not alone, and I you are a failure, than so am I. I know I am not going to fail....

Stefanie, I tried to figure it out also, but am more confused now than when I started. I ended up with a coversion chart that showed we needed over 1000 grams of protien a day. I hope to god that isn't right.

I do not get the amount of protien that I probably should either. My nutritionist told me that I should try to get about 40 grams of protien. She said that with the amount of food I am able to eat, that it will not be feasable to get much more than the 40 grams. I doubt I even get that much. I have always said I could be a vegetarian. I do not really care for meat and never have. I think for me, the important thing is to learn how to eat sensibly. If I could get my on 600 calories a day and stick with it, than I would not have had the surgery. I admire those of you who can do it, but I know it is not for me. I want to learn how to eat right, and not restrict myself from a normal diet. I don't know if I am making sense or not, but hope you guys understand how I feel. I just want to do this right. I don't want to fail on yet another diet.

Stef, that slideshow was great. What a wonderful family. I got to say, Robbie has a kind of Bruce Willis thing going on. You are all so cute together.

I am here every day also. Not much to write about. I am going for a fill on Tuesday. Hopefully after that things will be better and I will feel like writing.

Toni, I am in the same boat as you. Have been holding the same for over a month now. Don't know what else I can do. I am exercising good. I know I can eat as much as I used to if I let myself. Talked to the NP on the phone last week, and she said just to wait for my appointment, on the 25th. She said that I just haven't reached the right spot yet. Well, lets get going.......... I feel like I have wasted 3plus months so far. Really frustrating. She told me according to my chart I have 5.6cc in a 10 cc band. That is not what they have been telling me. I thought I had 7. Guess they are not telling the truth when they fill me. Hopefully In a little over a week I will have the right amount. So Toni, you are not alone. How much have you had for fills so far? Just so we can keep from gaining, that is the battle now.

This has been fun reading the boards today. At least I know I am in the company of many other people in the same shape as I am. I too have been a royal biatch lately. I won't take crap from anyone. I think I have my daugher and son in law mad at me today, but I really don't care at all. They will change fast when they need a favor from me. I think we should have another day tommorow to let it all out and get it off the chest. It will cleanse us all before the weekend so we can enjoy ourselves. Complain all you want. I would be honored to listen to you all.:angry

Sheila, We have a lot in common. About the same weight and age. I am about with you on the weight loss in the past few weeks. Maybe it is our age. I think it gets harder once you hit 50. Yeah, it must be age. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. I have been good in the past month with exercising also, so that isn't the problem. I have lost inches when I got weighed and measured at Curves. Sure home this starts to do something soon. I really wish I would feel some restriction. It would help a lot. Well, at least we are not gaining.

Waters, don't feel alone. That is about the same situation I am in now. I told the NP last time I was in that I feel like I paid all this money just to be on a diet. Plus, obviously I am not good at diets or I woundn't have had to have this surgery in the first place. I am able to eat anything I want. I have yet to have anything stuck. I can eat bread, pasta, meat, whatever. I want to feel what it is like to not be able to get something down. I have 7cc in a 10cc band. I am so discouraged. I have lost 30 lbs total, but over half of that was with the pre op diet. The NP says we just haven't found the right spot yet, and sometime it takes awhile. 3 months out of surgery isn't that much. But, then I read on these boards about everyone losing so much. 60 lbs and more.. So, I know that for some people it does work right away. Why not me. Are there more of us out there. It seems like the only ones writing are the ones doing so well. And believe me, I don't blame them. I would be telling all about it also. I don't go in for a fill for 3 weeks now. Hopefully she will get the right amount this time.

Well, I see I am not alone. I have had my second fill 2 weeks ago. I have a total of 6cc in a 10cc band. I have felt no restrictions at all yet. I have not had anything stuck or even close to it. I read about everyone who has such restrictions, and it is very depressing. I have only lost 8 lbs. since the surgery, and that was done in the first few weeks. I called the Nurse practitioner on Friday. I told her how I was feeling. I was wondering if maybe it won't work on some people, and that maybe I was one of those people. I feel like such a failure. I have been trying to eat good and limit my portions, but I could have done that with out the surgery and saved a lot of money. She wants me to come in this week and this time when they give me the fill she said they will get the needle in the port and then have me sit up and start drinking. She said they will fill me all the way up and see if I have any restrictions, and then start letting some out until I feel like I have good restriction. Hopefully this will work. She was very surprised that I can eat bread and not have any trouble at all. She said some people just need more fill. Hopefully this will work. Hate to think that I am the one exception to the lap band working. I will let you all know what I find out after Tuesday.

It is great to read about how well everyone is doing. But, I was wondering if there is anyone out there that is unhappy with the way things are going for them. Maybe not losing any weight? Do you feel like you have no restrictions at all. Obviously, that is how I am feeling. Am I alone?

I am with you all. I had been doing so good until the last week. Now, i am craving everything. I am not bad with sweets, it is the salty, crunchy things that I can't control. I need to do something. I have stayed at the same weight for one month. I feel like such a failure. I go on Tuesday for my second fill, and am hoping that I will feel some restriction. Everything goes down way to easy for me. I have had absolutly no trouble with thing getting stuck, or feeling too full. I feel like nothing was ever done to my stomach. I will try my darndnest to give up the junk food for one month. It sure can't hurt.

Yes, I was told to take only Tylenol. So far that has worked fine for me.

We used to go to Vegas every year. The last 6 or 7 times we went there we stayed at Treasure Island. It is a great hotel. Plus it is in the middle of everything. If you check there rates calender, you can find some pretty reasonable rates there. I have been down to the Sahara and Circus Circus. They both are getting pretty run down. The Riviera isn't even there anymore. I would suggest mid strip or closer to the other direction. That seems to be getting to where the more nicer places are now. I have never stayed at Alladin, but always thought it would be nice. Another place on that end that isn't to high would be Excalibar. We have stayed there many years ago. Nothing fantasitic, but nothing bad either. I might be willing to go. I would probably come without my Dh. We are taking a long vacation in January. Not sure if he will be able to get off for another vacation so soon. Maybe I will find a friend to come along. Please keep me informed. LIke someone else said, during the week would cut the price of the rooms a lot. Weekend rooms are getting ridiculous there. That is why we haven't gone in a couple years. It used to be a pretty resonable vacation. But all the prices of buffets, shows and rooms have doubled in the last 10 years. The cheapest time to go is during the month of December. But, that wouldn't work out for me. Also, I have been there in summer, and am definatly against that. Even if it is a dry heat, it is hot..... Oct is a nice time for weather, also March. Just some ideas. I am open to most things.

I was told not to eat during, or a half hour after a meal. 2 Hours after seems like a long time. I am able to drink as much as I want. The dr. Said the band would not affect my liquid intake, just the food. I can guzzle down water with no problem.

The explanation that I got about drinking carbonated beverages was like this. The carbonation creates gas and bubbles that stretch the stomach temporaraly. It is like filling a ballon (your stomach) with air. Then you let the air out. Then blow up the balloon again for awhile and let the air out again. If you do that to a balloon, eventually it is all stretched out and looses its elasticisity. Thats what the carbonation does to your stomach. Makes sense to me. I must admit, giving up the soda was not near as hard as I thought it would be. My trouble is finding something I like to replace the fluid. I know I am not getting enough liquid, but nothing has the zip that I am after.

Well, it has been 9 days since my first fill. I haven't had the full feeling or gotten sick yet. Kind of makes me wonder if they really did fill me. I haven't been eating near as much as I used to. I am kind of afraid of eating too much. I have found that most everything goes down fine. I haven't tried much meat yet. Only chicken and ground beef. I never was much of a meat eater anyway, so not having the steaks, roasts, or chops doesn't bother me at all. I haven't tried plain bread either. The dietician told me that toast goes down much better, and I have had that a few times with no trouble. I did try the Tropicana squeezer that someone on here suggested. It is wonderful. I got the raspberry lime, and loved it. I need to get to the store and get some more. Even though it has 40 calories per bottle, it is fluid, and I need all I can get. I go back for my next fill in about 3 weeks. I hope I will be able to notice more restricion then. Sometimes I think I could eat as much as I wanted to. I have not tried yet, thankfully. The weight is coming off very slowly. Not even 2 pounds a week. I think I should just throw the dang scale away. I read about the great weight loss that some of you are having, and I wonder what else I could be doing to speed this along. Thanks all for helping me through this. I love to read all your posts, and make sure I check them at least twice a day. Can someone who has been banded please let me know if they are having much weight loss. Please let me know that I am not alone.:think

Well, I am officially filled now. It was a little stange, but definately bearable. I did have her deaden the area first, but still seemed to feel a lot of stinging and pressure. It took her awhile to find the opening for the port, and she puts a lot of pressure on the area. I almost felt like she was going to shove the needle through my back... I am still kind of tender in the stomach area, which she said was normal. It hasn't been a month yet since the surgery. She told me the next one will be much easier, since I will not be so tender. I suppose it took her 2 or 3 minutes of searching once she got the needle in. I would definately recommend having the lidocaine to deaden the area for the first fill. When she was done she had me drink a small glass of water, just to make sure it would go down ok. That's it. I can only have liquids for 24 hours, then go back to eating regular. I figure after the last month, 24 hours is nothing. She told me that she put in 3 cc.'s of saline. My band holds 10. I had lost 8 pounds since surgery. She said that was great, right on schedule. She said the time after surgery usually isn't a good losing weight time. I also met with the dietician. She just gave me some meal plans. I can eat pretty much whatever I want now. She said it is important to start with the meat, twice a day, for protien. She also showed me what the correct portion sizes are. Now, who ever eats 1 portion of pasta. That will be a hard one. I do not have to drink the protien anymore, thank goodness. I hate those things. She told me I should be having about 40 grams of protien right now. She said with what I ate yesterday, I am not too far from getting that. So, that was it. Nothing too bad. I will be anxious to see if I get the full feeling tomorrow when I can eat food. Hope so. Will let you know how eating goes.