bulawookie

Hey. I am sorry to confuse you. Sometimes I write without thinking to much. I guess it feels good to share with free flowing thoughts. Yes I was really tight in the beginning but then as things settled down I seemed to get looser. Right now I am fine. Finding out that my band is fickle and the amount of tightness seems to change. Thanks for responding.

no problem with your sleeping positions. you can't hurt the band sleeping on it. Remember fireman whose life is very grueling and physical maneuver themselves around day after day with no problems with the band. i sleep flat on my stomach. i feel the port but am sure it does not harm the band.

hope i said something that may help you. Lifestyle change is hard and it won't come all at once. We have to be patient. Patience and trust. The weight will come off when we are brutally honest about what we are putting in our mouths. Are we getting more movement in our daily lives? Are we going to the doctor regularly so their experise can guide us in the right direction? Do you have a support system. And don't compare yourself with others weight loss on these forums. Everybody is different. Different sex's. Different beginning weights. Different levels of motivation. Different ideas on what works. Debate your self-depreciating thoughts and focus on how far you have come as an individual. We are all unique and the weight is going to come off according to your genetics, metabolism and adherence to your after care program. This tool works!!

Oh Nolans Nana do not fret. You are right on track. A group member I know from my support group meetings felt the same as you. (Don't compare yourself to other's because it can make you feel like a failure) Anyway, She has lost 50 pounds in one year!! That is a slow weight loss but Wow you should have seen her pictures. I think she has something on all of us because she lost consistently for a whole year. Getting weight off slowly as been said to be one of the best indicators of those who are successful at keeping the weight off for good. Stop comparing yourself with others weight loss. It is different for everyone. The tool gives us 80 % burt we must work the other 20%. I recently made a list of all the rewards I am going to give myself along this journey to Celebrate my lost weight. I found some meet up groups who engage in activities such as community service, hiking, socializing with live music and happy hours. These are my new rewards. Obestiy in my has led me into a very sad isolated lifestyle and I am being proactive to change that. I am attending many meetings over the next few weeks to reintegrate myself back into a social group. I am thrilled because on this journey I have rewarded myself with glasses of wine, pizza, Peanut Butter and bagels. All these foods as rewards are not helping my total weight loss so I searched on the internet for positive activities that when finished would make me feel good about myself. Hope this helps. Love your comments so please write.

I hate how those out there in the world think that just because we are big girls that we are automatically stronger than other's in shape. I get this all the time. When I go to Costcoe and buy big items that are too heavy for me to lift I get the sarcastic attitudes that say, " You are a big girl so of course you can maneuver this 60 pound bad of dog food all by yourself. I have never understood why folks think we big woman are also very strong woman because of our size!! To hell with those people. It is hard moving around this store hauling really heavy items. The attitude we are treated with is, "She is a big girl so she can lift that 85 pound bag of dog food all by herself" Fat doesn't mean strong. We walk around all day with various amounts of weight on us. Walking is harder, Carrying heavy items is harder. So to hell with others preconceived ideas that we big girls are also strong as an ox. I find the opposite true. Sure I am staring to exercise by walking but I need to do weight lifting at the gym. We overweight people have more difficulty moving around and carrying heavy items. But the population doesn't see it that way!!! Fat people are often treated as invisible. Like we don't exist. But all that will change as our program goes along and the weight starts coming off. People are going to treat us differently once we are thin. That will be a real good NSV. Being noticed and having doors opened for you will be more NSV's. This is a life changing endeavor. I am going to make it. How about you others out there? What do you think?

Kindle, I love what you have said. You respect and expect times when we are around foods that maybe are not the best for us. You resist. You partake with a small portion and then do not beat yourself up about it. I love that you said you refuse to be in a situation where you deny yourself some of our old, not recommend foods. After you consume them it sounds like you spend no time beating yourself up about these minor slips. We are human. We are going to make minor mistakes. But it is the whole process ranging over a week, a month, an 8 week period of time. Given that we can fit into our programs some of you most delicious foods. The band limits our intake for small portions and when you eat small portions you don't feel deprived. Deprivation leads to binging later. So your approach is a good one. Thanks for sharing what works for you!!!

I just joined a few meet up groups here in Austin. Social groups, Hiking groups, groups that want to walk to lose weight and laid back happy hours. I am thrilled to find some non-food rewards for my weight loss adventure. Going to volunteer to beautify some gardens, hiking wild basin, happy hours with other singles looking to meet new people, adventure activities and helping out in our community. I am thrilled to find some active, non-eatinfg activities that where I will be able to make more friends. This weight loss journey is hard. Lifestyle changes take time but I am taking a proactive approach to re-integrate back into healthy social settings. My obesity has me very socially isolated. I go to monthly support group meetings at my doctors office but once a month isn't helping me enough. So tonight I joined a few meet up groups who do fun things in Austin. I am thrilled to have found these groups. I am going to use the time to develop satisfying activities that do ont involve eating. Just looking to replace the old rewards of eating the wrong thing with social, active activities with other people. I had been searching for a way to work out isolation obesity put me in. Yah!!!

i get dizzy too, but it is when i con sums no food most of the day and then eat too much at n ight so I can go to sleep. Sleep is very important so I try to follow the rules of strong Protein first with small amounts of veggies late. So far it is working for me. I eat three small meals a day with nothing in between . Mhy downfall is that late at night before I go to bed I eat something very satisfying so I can go to bed and sleep. I am exercising 3 times per week. I am only up to about 2 hour walks. my legs rub together which is very uncomfortable and every time I walk I get blisters. It is hard to exercise when one has these unfortunate maladies but I still go walk even it it is for 10 minutes at a time. I will build up to long her walks soon, but i am not ready for a 5k yet. Too embarrassed to get out there and walk among all th4e skinny people while I am still obese. I will keep trying but I get a lot of anxiety before I meet my walking partners. Anyone have some good advice. I am a new bander only out from May 15th surgery date. Would love to hear what you all have to say about my circumstances.

Sorrry you are struggling. You can not give up. Weight loss is dependent upon so many different factors so it is hard to come on this forum and compare our weight loss with the next person. All we can do it do the best we can every day. When we do the best we can to follow the rules then we are working it in the right direction. There will be bad days, but many more good days to come. Be determined. Be committed to this process. Commit to following the rules and the weight will peel off of us!!! We are powerful people with an almost magic like band. We have all the tools we just have to utilize the tools or we can't be bumped we are not losing weight. It is easy for me to get discouraged when I read of all these people losing vast amounts of weight in short amounts of time. If I compare my journey to others it will zap my motivation. I am happy with 2 pounds per week. I know that means it will take a long time for me to get to my goal weight but I am patience with this process. Going forward at a slow pace but happy with the fact the weight is still coming off and I am not in the green zone. I ignore al lot of real hunger to stretch out my daily a lot of calories. I do this so I can have a snack before I go to bed which yeps me fall asleep.

I know what it is like being hungry at night. I gained all my weight by late night eating. I hate trying to go to sleep hungry so I curtail what eat during the day so right before I go to bed I treat myself to something good to eat. Usually applesauce or yogurt or half a bagel or a few Peanut Butter crackers. It is my method for dealing with night time hunger. It is natural that you are feeling hungry right now. You are not eating much and adjusting to the band. It may take up to 5 fills before you find the green zone. I was hungry only two hours after eating too for a long time. I drank a lot of Water and just dealt with the hunger. Now I have had a few fills and notice that I am not hungry for about 4 hours after I eat. You will get there too. Meanwhile, keep up the good work. Sounds like you will need a fill at the doctors prescribed timing.

Wow what a great success you are!! Thanks for sharing the pictures. What an inspiration it is to see your pictures. You look great!!

Way to go!! A size 12 must feel really good. I am proud of you so keep up the good work!

I drink white wine every so often and have been banded since May 15th. It helps relax me in the evenings and I enjoy the taste with food. I was told we can have alcohol but of course we have to understand the calorie intake and the fact that it has no nutritional value. I agree that we have to be careful not to grow dependent on it because we don't want to replace our addiction to food with alcohol.

Susan, Don't give up on the band. I was banded for the first time back in 2009 and it worked so well because I kept going back to the doctor and being honest about my amount of restrictiveness. I lost all my weight and was so happy for so long. My life was full again. I stated dating and felt alive and wanted and attractive. Then I was too private about my band and very self-conscience about my port showing. I was sure I would be able to keep the weight off so I got my band out. I got it out because I was so worried what others would think. Then I gained all the weight back and life was really dim again. I slipped into depression. I isolated and felt worthless. Then at 186 and being short I went back to get banded again. My new band is with me only a short time since May 15th of this year. I am so happy to have the band again. I have a newfound ultimate respect for this band. I am dealing with hunger but learning to deal with it because I am determined to make it work and return to being happy. I hope you work with your band and keep it. With my first band I was throwing up and sliming too but I soon started to follow all the rules and got the weight off just like you will. Going for a second band at age 50 was really hard. My recovery was painful and I had terrible gas pains. We are all brave to go through the surgery just as you are being brave right now. I am glad you are working with your doctors but I hope you don't give up on the band. Please let us know how you are doing. We are all here to help you and your post helps us.

Terry, I a newly banded and learning about the experiences we must pay attention to. I thank you for posting what was going on with you. I like that you shared what we should not view as normal. I am really hoping you get to keep your band.

Way to go!!! I love what you said. Getting that compliment for your hard work is well deserved by you!! Thanks for sharing and you motivate me to go to the gym. I have been dodging the gym because I feel to big.

Yes when you lose enough belly fat the port will probably show. I was banded years ago and got really thin and my port showed. It even showed through a bathing suit and people would ask. I avoided the questions. Then I started to date and was really self-conscience of the port sticking out. I eventually got the band out but gained all the weight back. Now I am recently banded again but have a new positive outlook on the band. I have not lost much weight, now at 163 pounds, and my port is slightly showing. I am prepared for people's questions and I will now proudly say I have the band. I will be thin again and this port is going to show even more. I am ready to tell anyone that I have a lap band. I know what it is like without the band and that life was miserable. We are all brave to get banded so I hope you learn to accept the port showing as a sign of your bravery. I have read that not all people's port's show as much as my first one did. My first port was just under my breast's and as I said it stuck out like a broken rib. Now my port is just above my belly button where I will retain more body fat. I hope this helps with your post.

No dear you are just fine. More than fine at losing 80 pounds. I weigh every day and fluctuate more than two pounds. Somedays up three then down four the next day. Just keep what you were doing to lose that fantastic 80 pounds and don't fret.

This is my second lap band. The first one worked great and I got down to 130 and stayed there for several years. Then I got it taken out and gained all the weight back. May 15, 2014 at 186.5 and went back into surgery and have the lap band again. Since then by sheer will I have lost 20 pounds!! 20 pounds is a lot of weight and I am so proud because I am not in the green zone and I get hungry a lot. My worst problem that made me gain all the weight was late night eating. I would take my Ambien and be in a altered state and get up and eat and eat and eat. Now I don't eat past 7 and sometimes I don't eat past 5pm. It is hard but I am doing it and the weight is coming off. I am much more active but not exercising every day. I can;t wait to feel the green zone because I am having to ignore a lot of hunger lately. I can cross my legs now without them going numb. I am wearing a size 12 comfortably and even though I have cellulite all over my legs I am wearing shorts because it is so hot here in Ausitn. I go in for another fill on the 17th and am going to ask for just 1 or 2cc cause I want to ease into this green zone with patience and perseverance. Love to hear from you all and your recent experiences.

I think stalling on the scale is still part of weight loss. I have stalled on the scale for 10 days now but kept up with my healthy eating. Then this morning I got on the scale and was down 4 pounds!!! That is the way it seems to go with me. I stall stall stall then all of a sudden I drop 3 to 4 pounds which makes it feel like it happened overnight. That helps motivate me to keep my food intake down because my weight comes off with this pattern. Don't deter from your healthy eating and portions because I am sure you will soon be pleasantly surprised on the scale one morning soon!!

Weevigurl, What happened at the office that made you have to get an unfilled? I was in today for my 4th fill and stayed in the office for a while drinking Water. The water stayed down. Now I am at home and worried about the swelling. The last fill I had I was able to keep water down the first day but then after that I was vomiting all liquids. I am worried what will happen once I start to swell because today is Thursday and that puts me into the weekend. My next fill I made sure was scheduled on a Monday.