shortgal

She didn't say anything was wrong with her band and after one week it would probably have been too early to tell anyway. The only story I heard so far was she wanted a band and got it, she wanted it removed ( couldn;t handle post op recovery, which sounded normal) and so it was removed. End of story. But you really do want to incite people, don;t you. Just more "Feed me Seymour".

Didn't you leave out "heartme"? LOL I love trying to "find" her when she comes back!

Elaine::hurray::tt1::hurray: Now that's what we want to hear!

she admits she is not following the dr's advice of eating enough solid food or Protein and she didn't say she pays for each fill ( I don;t) so why would you say the Dr. only wants to make money off her?

I'm in petite's and it's even harder going form plus sizes to petite sizes. They are cut 1/2 inch smaller (not just shorter length) than misses sizes, so the plus sizes were getting too big, but the petite were too small. I found a few brands that fit and kind of just waited it out a bit. Lost a little more and now 16P is fitting pretty well. It is quite an adjustment. My goal is 12 or 14 in petite so I have more choices. I would love to end up a 10P, but we'll see. You'll be in those smaller clothes before you know it!

Do you know when you might have surgery? You might reach a good restriction before you leave in January and might not need any fills while you are away. your surgeon might even suggest a slight unfill before you go to avoid any possible problems from getting too tight while away. And if you don't reach a perfect restriction before you leave, the band will still be there to help you, even if it's just a little bit while you're away. Then when you get back you can step things up again. If you get banded in June and don't leave until Jan. you have the potential to lose half or more of your excess weight during that time. I think you'll be fine. Your surgeon might be able to suggest places in Spain for you to go for any possible problems. I don't know how popular LapBand is in Spain, but it is used in many other European countries.

I don;t think I said anything about eating 500 calories a day. But If my normal weight friend eats a sandwich for lunch to maintain her weight that is one thing, but she would most likely have to eat half of that sandwich ( or reduce her calories in some way that day) in order to LOSE weight. The lower our weight the fewer calories we need to maintain our weight, when we lose weight, we now weigh less and it then takes even fewer calories to continue to lose at the same rate. Because it's based on the fact that it takes 3500 calorie reduction to lose one pound. This is why WW, if you are counting pounds, starts out with a higher point allowance for people at a higher weight and then as you lose weight you get fewer points. Of course my friend could have a sandwich for lunch, but she might have to skip b'fast. It's all about calories in and calories out. I did not advocate anyone eating 500 calories a day. And I did mention the size and content of the sandwich matters. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

the only problem I see with using too much exercise to lose weight and so you can eat more, is if for some reason you stop the exercising, like an injury or because you were only exercising until you reach goal, is then you will be used to eating those extra calories and it can be hard to stop doing that. If you know you are the type to always exercise then you'll probably be fine, but for me, not relying on excessive exercise is best. A three mile walk 3 to 4 times a week is all I can manage on an irrregular basis. I know it's good for me, but doesn't always get fitted in, so I prefer to concentrate on the calories and food and let exercise when I do it, be a bonus.

Did you mean to type you don't have any restriction? If so, yes, it's normal for many people to not get restriction after the first fill. It depends on a lot of things, like how big your band is, how much fill your dr put in and then from there it is just individual people. The band is around the stomach and we have fat around the stomach, so we have fat around the area where the band is, so that can affect how much fill each person needs. Once you get some restriction, you can lose weight ( and more fat) and then your band gets a little looser and you need a little more fill. How many fills you need depends on how much you get at each visit, but it's a good thing to gradually reach restriction as being too tight is not good.

Time was the only thing that helped me (that and loose, comfortable clothes).

Well it takes some people a LOT of account suspensions before they catch on. Some young people can be such SLOW learners. I've counted four so far.

This is so funny that you ask. I recently had this problem as well. It had been so long that I shopped in a "regular" store or department, I honestly didn't know what to do or where to go! You have to figure out by trying things on, what size you are now, in a regular store. You can try Kohl's or Target or Macy's etc. Try on 16's and 18's and go from there. I didn't even know WHERE in the store the right departments to look in were. It really is strange, but you'll get used to it. You might feel like other people in the dept. think you don't belong there. It's just your head trying to catch up to the weight loss. It gets better and much more fun. The first time, I went I was so stressed out! It got better on the next trip. Let us know how you make out.

Yeah, I worried it wouldn't work, too. Now I just worry that I will be able to work WITH it for the long haul. Like previous diets, one thing to take it off, a whole other thing to keep it off. I know the band will help, but I know it will take effort and diligence on my part.

Seymour, FEED ME! Love, Audrey HAHAHAHAHAHA

Now that your Dr. added another med. watch for any signs of going too low, as well. But yeah, watch your sodium intake and the carbs. Relax, be sure to get a good's night rest the night before and leave early enough for your appt. so you aren't rushed getting to the Dr. office.

Is a sandwich an appropriate sized meal, I guess is your question. I would say probably at our highest weights, you could eat a reasonably sized sandwich and still lose weight. But to eventually reach or maintain your goal weight, A sandwich, depending on the size and content of the sandwich, might be way too much. But I agree that you don;t need to be overtight to lose weight.

Why not just call your band Dr. and tell them your symptoms and ask them what you should do/take? perhaps they'll suggest you see your PCP.

If he has no audience, he will go away.

No eating for three days, but you can drink liquids right?

Don't worry people, I think we are being punked!

suz, I'm sorry you are struggling. I would start from the beginning of bander rules. If you cannot eat meat that is cut small, eaten slowly and chewed well, then you should consider that your band might be too tight. There have been many people on here that have stated they do not lose weight when their bands are too tight. It can be hard to understand the signs or signals of being full. I don't get a feeling of being full or really even a feeling to stop eating. I eat a "diet"portion of food and then STOP, even though I could eat more. I wait a half to one hour and then have a slight sensation of being "satisfied" not necessarily full. This feeling of being satisfied allows me to resist eating more, but I have to really listen for it. If I truly still feel hungry, after the one hour, I drink a bottle of water and then re-evaluate my hunger again. If I'm ok, I wait until the next meal, if I still feel really hungry, I have an apple or a yogurt, or you could have a small piece of cheese. I track all my calories, every day. WE are all able to have some foods go down really easily and even with perfect restriction that could always happen. That's why you must start a meal with good healthy band friendly food. A meal of a Protein Drink is ok once in a while, but liquids will go right through the band and not really help to keep you feeling full. I have lost half of my weight without doing exercise. I have just started walking this week. It is possible ( but harder) to lose some weight without exercise, but it usually mean reducing the calories a bit more than people that do exercise. (That's why it's harder). If you track your calories and stay eat no more than 1000 to 1200 calories, you should lose weight. If tracking calories is a pain, then try using some foods for the first week or two that are easier to track. Cereal has the calories right on the box, Lean cuisine, weight watchers frozen meals etc, do too. If I eat a meal that I have to figure it out, then i just type in "calories in chicken" on my computer and it comes up. Yes, you have to weigh your portion first. You can do this. Maybe you just thought the band was going to do it all for you. It won't. You have to work with it and help it. analyze which foods give you pain. Are they the healthy ones? Are you avoiding them becasue it hurts and eating "bad" foods instead? Are you just eating them too fast or not chewing enough? Not willing to exercise yet, Stay busy with organizing your receipes, clean out a junk drawer, organize your old photos, try a new craft project. Anything to keep you busy and away from food when you need the distraction, so you don't eat from boredom. I'm sure you can figure this out. We're here to help you.

Thanks Cindy, The second half will be the hardest, but who cares. Looking forward to our trip, we leave Friday aft but have a long day of traveling (airports, airplanes (2 flights), jet lag and 1.5 hour car ride to the destination and then can't check in until 4pm. Yikes! Maybe we'll pull over and nap in the car someplace! And poor DH, he just got back from one week of business travel to 2 different places. I'm sure the last thing he wants to see soon, is another airport. But he's always a good sport about it and we're going with two great friends, so he has a buddy. Remember when our tickers were at the beginning? Look at us now! Smoking!

Doddie, You don't eat wheat or dairy? Is there a reason? Do you mean White bread as "wheat"? Or is that just a suggestion to eliminate it to get back on track and get detox from carb overload? Just curious?

And you graduated from medical school, when? Let's see when you get to be 40 if you think it's too old. "older" People have hip surgery, knee replacement, heart bypass, transplants and a host of other surgeries. Perhaps you think it would be wise for everyone over the age of 40 be put on a block of ice and let us float into warm Water, too. I hope you are a member of the "working" population because soon I'll be collecting my SS check and you'll be contributing every week towards it. I thank you in advance!

Hi Elaine, Ok, first you need to stop saying "only" 39 pounds because 39 pounds is a lot to lose. I lost 39 pounds and have just this week started to exercise. I believe food is the first thing we have to control and then we can conquer exercise. Some people can do both, but I needed to get on the right track foodwise first. Don't own a scale? I could never do that. It would be too easy to convince myself that the scale is not going up, until it's too late and I've gained 7 to 10 pounds. But this is just me. So do you need a fill? Are you eating around the band? How have you gotten motivated in the past to eat right? Diet books? Joining weight watchers? Knowing swimsuit season is around the corner? Class reunion? Do you think your head is telling you that after losing 39 pounds, you've done well enough and it's ok to stop? I have been worried about doing that. I am using a goal to get into a certain size as my reason that I am not ready to be done losing. I am petite and petite clothes go up to a 14 or 16 for many brands. I am just getting into a 16P and there are more choices at 12 or 14, so that is my next goal. Also, petite large tops are a little tight and I want them to fit well or be in a medium so I concentrate on that. Is there something we can do or say, to help get you back on track?