MerryHearted

My wt loss has been going SO GREAT lately. And now: a herniated disc in my back. The inflammation and pain was / is terrible and they now have me on oral steroids (prednisone) to bring down the swelling. I get to lie on my back in bed for 3-5 days until the swelling has gone down enough for me to be up walking around. I just finished my first day on steroids and I can already tell that the side effect of "increased appetite" is hitting me with a vengeance. I'm determined to stick to my 1200 cals a day despite that. I can't exercise for the next few days either. Just wondering if anyone has managed to at least maintain their weight while on steroids, or if weight gain is inevitable? :wink2: I'm hoping they do their thing and I can get off them in 2 weeks. Tomorrow's MRI should help clarify how bad things are...

Thanks TulipStar! Yikes - 40 lbs the first time you were on it... wowsa! Nope, not gonna happen to me. :tongue2: We'll see how bad the damage is, but hopefully no more than a couple pounds.

Don't worry - some hunger is normal. It's your body's way of reminding you to eat. Once you have your band filled to the right level (for you), the constant insatiable hunger that got you to 135 lbs overweight is not going to be there like it is now. Instead, your physical hunger sensation will be normal -- I find it pleasant, actually, to be a little hungry right before mealtime. It makes eating my small meal more satisfying. Best wishes on your surgery, hope to see you around on the site!

It might take more than one fill. But yes, eventually you'll be eating less and feeling satisfied with the smaller amount you are eating. So hang in there! Your first fill must be coming up soon if you were banded Apr 11th.

I'm in the "this is my business" camp. I don't need people watching what I'm eating and commenting on it, or asking me every couple days how much I've lost. Your weight is not everyone's business, and you don't need any other reason than that for keeping this private.

Never thought I'd be worried about how fast I'm losing... I wonder if I should up my calories or just roll with it. Darr5380, I went ahead & added you. Name..............Current.....Goal.....Lost...Still to Lose by July 4th atallen06...........231........215.......0......16 Bea1129.............231........200......5.5.....25.5 BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Cgailee ............219........200.......0......19 darr5380............170........165.......0.......5 Epm316..............220........200.......10.....20 erikadawn...........217........190.......0......27 faithmd.............302.1......300.......7.3....2.1(by6/21) Hastings............248........228.......5......20 Jennypoo............176........170.......3.......6 jrob281.............212........190.......0......22 KarenG..............170........160.......4......10 kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 kellygirl0520.......236........220.......0......16 legster.............188........180.......9......8 Lenore1890..........263.4......247.......4.3....15.7 Leslie2Lose.........226........208.......7......18 LessNLess...........149........140.......2.......9 Lilmissband-aid.....239........225.......8.5....14 losingjusme.........249........238.......11.....11(started 5/30) Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 luvinke.............217........190.......4......23 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 MollyMolly..........190........188.......14......2 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........168.8......160.......8.2.... 8.8 njudono............ 298........277...... 5......21 NukeChik............231........222.......11......9 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 renewedhope.........189........180.......7.......9 Sades...............194........185.......3.......9 Sunshine2...........179........160.......4......15 (by6/29) Suzzzie. ...........273........260.......0......13 Tess415.............327........299.......5......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........130.6......120.......3.6....10.6

I lost 24 lbs preop and the rest post op. My rate has varied depending on how motivated I am at a particular time. i.e. after about the first 18 months, I started slacking a bit and then stalled with emotional eating issues during a stressful time. Right now I'm losing at 1-2 lbs a week, steadily. Overall it only comes out to barely over a half pound a week if you average it out. But I'm not complaining -- I feel like I'm doing great even if it's taking a long time!! Good luck on your surgery!

I was told to avoid SF stuff, too. They recommended that if we wanted something sweet once in awhile, to just have one or two bites of normal dessert instead of artificial "diet" food. I still use artificial sweetener in some of my drinks, but I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. I have not found that they make me hungrier, but I do worry about the chemicals. e.g. Crystal Light

I'd wait to eat solids just to make sure the irritation goes away. Otherwise you can get in a cycle of eating solid / vomiting / swelling from the irritation making you even tighter / eating solid / vomiting... etc. Try sticking with liquids & mushies for several hours -- have some yogurt, Soup, a Meal Replacement shake, or something like that for your nutrition in the meantime.

Sounds like you need an unfill. Can you call your band doc and talk to him about it?

Adding you into the list Cgailee... Name..............Current.....Goal.....Lost...Still to Lose by July 4th atallen06...........231........215.......0......16 Bea1129.............231........200......5.5.....25.5 BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Cgailee ............219........200.......0......19 Epm316..............220........200.......10.....20 erikadawn...........217........190.......0......27 faithmd.............302.1......300.......7.3....2.1(by6/21) Hastings............248........228.......5......20 Jennypoo............176........170.......3.......6 jrob281.............212........190.......0......22 KarenG..............170........160.......4......10 kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 kellygirl0520.......236........220.......0......16 legster.............188........180.......9......8 Lenore1890..........263.4......247.......4.3....15.7 Leslie2Lose.........226........208.......7......18 LessNLess...........149........140.......2.......9 Lilmissband-aid.....240........225.......7.5....15 losingjusme.........249........238.......11.....11(started 5/30) Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 luvinke.............217........190.......4......23 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 MollyMolly..........193........188.......11......5 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........173.8......160.....3.2......13.8 njudono............ 298........277...... 5......21 NukeChik............231........222.......11......9 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 renewedhope.........192........170.......5......22 Sades...............194........185.......3.......9 Sunshine2...........179........160.......4......15 (by6/29) Suzzzie. ...........273........260.......0......13 Tess415.............327........299.......5......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........130.6......120.......3.6....10.6

If you look at the OTC anti-nausea meds, it's basically sugar syrup of some sort. Like Coke syrup. (isn't Dramamine more of a motion sickness med?) It's sugar, but a small amount might work to keep nausea down. I had at least two friends who sucked on hard candy during their first trimester of pregnancy and said that worked wonders at keeping the nausea at bay. (like Jolly Ranchers or butterscotches) Like others suggested though, you might be better off just asking the doc for a prescription. That'd be calorie-free.

I don't have any problems eating popcorn or corn. I don't eat much or very often, but I like them. I don't eat potatoes very often. If baked, then the skin is fine. Boiled potatoes - I don't eat the skin anymore. Be aware that your tastes will change after being banded for awhile. Some of the foods that you can't imagine living without, you just won't care about anymore. And to be thin, you eat like a thin person -- which means not eating a lot of foods that are primarily a vehicle for ingesting butter.

It's a very personal decision. You're on a band board, so of course we're primarily pro-band here. :w00t: Ultimately, you need to choose the one you think will work best for you. The band does take adjusting in order to work well. Probably several times during your first year. If you don't think that you'll be compliant with going the 2.5 hrs to get filled & unfilled as you need it, then banding probably isn't your best choice. Yes, there is dumping with RNY, but it doesn't happen for all patients. Some people find it extremely useful as behavior modification -- they are the ones who can't use liquid calories like milkshakes to eat around their bypass. When I went to an RNY seminar several years ago, the patients who were there to talk about their experiences had positive things to say about dumping and how it helped them make better food choices. Good luck making your surgery choice -- it's a big decision and either way your life is going to change in wonderful ways! :tt2:

Oh dear... sorry to hear that. Hey, 30 lbs is nothing to sneeze at though-- would you have lost that 30 lbs on your own? I'll recommend a really good book -- The Beck Diet Solution. It's cognitive therapy for people trying to lose weight, and will give you some strategies for sticking with it even when discouraged. Good luck getting your meds worked out. And don't get too tight -- that just leads to band complications. You can do this!

As my doc says, you don't have to follow all of the rules all of the time to be successful. Just most of the rules, most of the time. But yes, I follow most of the rules I've been given, most of the time. Although the rules I was given don't match the rules you listed. :w00t: (said as I enjoy my afternoon cup of coffee)

Great Job Leslie!! Gotta love a 6 lb loss. :thumbup: And you too epm316! I re-added your loss as it got lost along the way. And welcome to our new joiner jrob281. I added you back in too. Hopefully nobody else's changes got dropped along the way. If so, feel free to re-update... it happens sometimes accidentally. :tt2: Name..............Current.....Goal.....Lost...Still to Lose by July 4th atallen06...........231........215.......0......16 Bea1129.............231........200......5.5.....25.5 BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Epm316..............220........200.......10.....20 erikadawn...........217........190.......0......27 faithmd.............302.1......300.......7.3....2.1(by6/21) Hastings............248........228.......5......20 Jennypoo............177........170.......2.......7 jrob281.............212........190.......0.......22 KarenG..............170........160.......4......10 kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 kellygirl0520.......236........220.......0......16 legster.............188........180.......9......8 Lenore1890..........263.4......247.......4.3....15.7 Leslie2Lose.........226........208.......7......18 LessNLess...........149........140.......2.......9 Lilmissband-aid.....240........225.......7.5....15 Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 luvinke.............217........190.......4......23 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 MollyMolly..........193........188.......11......5 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........173.8......160.....3.2......13.8 njudono............ 298........277...... 5......21 NukeChik............231........222.......11......9 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 renewedhope.........192........170.......5......22 Sades...............195.5......185.......1.5....10.5 Sunshine2...........179........160.......4......15 (by6/29) Suzzzie. ...........273........260.......0......13 Tess415.............327........299.......5......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........132.2......120.......3.6....12.2

Even with the pain meds you feel the pain is an 8/10? Are you getting hydrocodone or similar narcotic? I needed that for at least a week in addition to the round-the-clock ibuprofin. Make sure you are staying ahead of the pain -- i.e. take your meds on schedule even in the middle of the night. Sorry you are hurting so much. It hurt more than I expected too, and for longer. But not as much as you're experiencing.

Yes, there are doctors who will do surgery on a minor here in the US. You can start calling around asking. Would be great if you could find one in your area, but if not, there are some in other areas. How is your relationship with your daughter? I know teen daughter / mother relationships can be rocky in general, so it might be hard to know what's normal. I second (third? fourth?) the recommendation for therapy. Maybe even both therapy for her alone and therapy for you both together. But she needs to have a therapist who will keep her information private so she feels safe talking. I would never have told anyone how I felt as a teen knowing they'd turn around and tell my parents. And my parents didn't believe teens should have privacy from their parents, so journaling didn't help either since I knew they would have no qualms reading it. (kind of doesn't help unless you're writing your honest feelings) All these camps, personal trainers, etc - were they her idea? If she really wants to lose weight, the Band is a great tool!

I'm losing great right now and almost up to my 3 yr bandaversary. So don't worry about only losing great in the first year. I think my loss rate right now is better than in the first year, actually. And yes, I hear you. I just started the Couch to 5k - was finishing my 2nd week -- when I got nailed by a bulging disk in my back. Now I can't run until my PT gives me the thumbs up, since it'll be too jarring. More than about 3 minutes of walking and my back starts hurting, too -- I think my gait needs help and I'll probably end up with orthotics to straighten it out by the end of all this. I'm contemplating swimming myself, but for me it's never been as good of exercise as walking/running/elliptical. Oh well. Keep at the diet. If swimming is out, would you be able to do something like Pilates or Yoga, or would those also be too much for your foot? Weight training to tone up some muscles while waiting?

Katie: from what I understand, pouch stretching is mostly an over time thing. Consistently eating just a bit more than you should, day after day, is going to eventually stretch you out. It can also cause other problems like esophageal dilation. What I do is only serve up the portion that I think I should be eating and no more than that. That helps me with not over doing it. Maybe you can try something like that prior to your fill. Chances are, most of your food is just dropping straight through, but you don't want to stretch out your pouch too much by eating too fast and not chewing enough, stacking up a bunch of food in there. I doubt you've done any damage this early. So no worries. Just keep working at those portion sizes.

1-2 lbs a week is what you can expect to lose. You're at the top end of that. Don't expect to lose faster. I know it's frustrating -- you want to be thin NOW, but those pounds add up over time. Trust me, if you try to lose faster by getting too tight or eating too little you'll end up causing more problems. You're doing great!!

If you are already working out for an hour a day at a level that is getting your heart rate in the zone, are you sure it's your exercise routine that needs changing? How is your calorie & Water intake? (too much / too little?) Usually when people talk about changing up exercise, it's along the lines of Doing it longer: up the 30 min routine to 45 min, for example Doing it more intensely: walk/jog instead of just walk, or walk on an incline; speed up on the elliptical trainer or add more resistance -- getting your heart rate up higher and your muscles working harder Adding weight training to a cardio-only routine Cross training instead of just one type of exercise (you're already doing this) An hour a day seems reasonable to me -- do you really want to do more? I know some people do, but I'd have trouble finding that much time every day along with work & family responsibilities, and then I'd end up ditching exercise.

I use Excel as well. I track a little differently than you, not entering my weight into the sheet as often along the way. I've decided now that I'm going to start tracking my measurements as well, now that I'm getting closer to goal and since I'll be starting weight training here in another week. Overall I just keep it simple as it's easy for me to start obsessing over stuff. It's nice to be able to look at the data and see my weight dropping over time, especially when things slow down.

I'd ditch anyone who did that to me and didn't apologize and then never do it again. You don't need to be treated like that!