W8TYGIRL

Hey Guys, I'm well overdue for an entry into my blog. My original weight was about 325 lbs and I've lost over 100 lbs with the lap band. I'm definitely up a few pounds since my last post. I weigh about 206. I had been maintaing about 195 for a year or so. But I've recently gone back to a sedentary job (5 months ago) so I've put on about 10lbs. Since my job is pretty boring, I eat my way through the day. There are snacks...bad snacks at every turn. I guess sweets and cakes keep people motivated in these environments. I'm also in a new relationship, which some say may cause you to gain weight. I cook alot more foods that taste good but may not be very low fat. I'm not exercising much either which doesn't help. I have gone to see a nutritionist who gave me some tips, however, I still gained a couple of pounds after seeing her, so i sort of stopped her recommendations, which included protein bars and shakes. I think I was eating even more food and I was still pretty hungry. So I'm back to eating when I'm hungry and eating what I want :-/ . I do try to get some healthy foods in, like salads and vegetables and I definitely try to prepare as many meals as I can at home. I recently went back to my GI (gastroenterologist) to get a partial unfill. I had my band tighetened pretty tight about 2 years ago. Then I was laid off from my job, which meant I had no insurance to go back for any adjustments. I really was too tight and I would wake up at night coughing up food, which was pretty scary. I was a little torn about getting an unfill because ofcourse I didn't want to chance gaining any weight back, but after many months of uncomfortable nights, sleeping sitting up waiting for my food to digest or choking in my sleep on food, I dediced to get an unfill. My GI took out about .4cc's he told me. He wouldn't tell me how much was left in the band....I suppose he didn't want me to focus on that. I've felt better ever since. I haven't had any bouts of coughing or choking at night. I really need to get an exercise regimen on board now. That is really my focus. I was never one for traditional exercise though. I lost weight mainly through going out dancing, but since I'm involved in a relationship,I don't feel it's the best thing to do now. I may join some dance exercise classes if I can find anything I'm interested in. I would really like to do a belly dancing class. I have visited another plastic surgeon to look at a tummy tuck, butt and breast augmentation. The cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 thousand dollars. So I'm putting that on the back burner for now. I may have to have one procedure then go back for another later, but it's seems safer and more economical to do two at once. It's really important to my self-image to get these things done, because I have a lot of lose and saggy skin that I feel could be improved. Anyway, that's my update for now. I wish I could post pictures, but I will make sure I do so next time. I'm satisfied with my band experience so far. It has helped me to maintain a significant weight loss over the last 4 1/2 years and I don't forsee any significant weight gain. I am pain free and pretty happy about my decision. I wish everyone well in their weight loss journey! W8tygirl AKA Kia

Hi there Dixiesmom, I'm also 3 years post op and I know everybody's situation is not the same, but if I were in your situation I would probably ask to get my band loosened a bit. It doesn't sound normal and you have additional symptoms to go along with the issues you're having with eating. I'm not a doctor but if I were constipated, I would think either I'm not getting enough water or enough fiber, i.e. veges. You may be lacking the nutrients in the fruits and veges which could be leading to the fatigue. Also, if I had acid reflux on a regular basis, I would be concerned it would lead to problems with my esophogus, such as ulcers, so I wouldn't let the situation go on for long. I would definitely consult with my doctor. I'm still considered overweight and maybe even obese at 194 lbs and 5'6''. But although I feel better about my body, I still struggle with my self image being a smaller person and still not being totally secure with it because of so many years of being overweight and everything didn't snap back into place like I wanted. Anyway good luck and I hope you resolve your problem quickly.

Hey Guys, It's been quite a while since I have posted on my blog here but I know how much others like to see the progress of those who have had this surgery. I also enjoy looking back on my progress. Well firstly, my current weight is 194. My initial weight was around 325lbs, so I've lost about 130 lbs so far. I really haven't lost more than 4-5lbs this year, but ofcourse I haven't really been putting in much effort. However, I find that I am able to maintain any weight that I lose. My goal is still to get to 170lbs. To be honest I have been a little apprehensive to lose more weight because I'm not happy with the way my naked body looks. My concern is that if I loose more weight I will just become more saggy and have more loose skin. I've really been taking a really hard look at my body and I feel that I need alot of plastic surgery to obtain a more aesthetically pleasing and shapely appearance. To be clear, I believe I need a tummy tuck, a thigh lift, butt lift, breast augmentation and probably liposuction. Everybody's body is different and I probably wouldn't have had as much lose skin had I lost weight at a younger age. (I'm 37) Also, I probably would have needed to do some form of strength training aka weight lifting. Perhaps I would have firmed up a little better. I mostly focused on cardio exercise because I didn't want to do exercises that I knew would frustrate me and make want to give up an exercise program. Right now, I really haven't been doing any formal exercise, but my energy level is so much higher since losing weight that I find it difficult to sit still for very long periods of time. So I'm sure that helps me to burn calories. Ok, now about my eating habits. I eat pretty much whatever I want. Obviously, I cannot eat large quatities of food. I can probably consume about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food at one sitting depending on what I eat and how empty my stomach is to begin with. If I decided to eat a cheeseburger from checkers for instance. I may be able to eat half or maybe the whole thing but that's it, no fries. Not that I should be eating from that particular place! I will admit that my diet does consist of a significant amount of high fat foods and I tend to think that this in part to wanting to feel satisfied because of not eating high quantities of food. Ofcourse, old habits die hard too so I wll blame it on that too. I definitely try to eat healty food as well such as salads, fruits and vegetables. I probably eat about 4-5 small meals and/or snacks per day. I do drink regular juice more that I like to admit to, but I drink diet teas, crystal light and water as well. I do still eat too fast or don't chew well from time to time and I will vomit or rather have a PB (productive burp) episode. This may happen 1 to 2 times per week. It really does not bother me too much that it happens but it can be embarrassing at times to have to run to the bathroom or grab something real quick to vomit in. It's usually caused by me trying to eat and drink really fast at the same time. Basically my doctor recomended that I don't eat and drink together but I will admit that I do it and usually have no problem if I take my time. I don't have to eat really slowly or anything, I just can't scarf my food down in a hurry. I can say that fibrous foods are foods that I tend to avoid because they don't go down easy. Unfortunately that does include vegetables. I eat them but I like them cooked well. I love spinach and broccoli. I like cabbage and peppers but things like that don't always go down easy if not cooked to being soft. I really love seafood, particularly fish, scallops, and crabs. My sinful pleasure is haagen daaz ice cream . But again, I might eat tablespoon or two and I'm satisfied, unlike before my surgery when I would eat half of a pint. I'm overdue to get my band checked, but haven't been back to the doctor since being laid off from work and losing my health insurance. I had my band tightened about a year and a half ago (i think) and I got a great level of restriction that I haven't wanted to increase or decrease. Every so often I may have a dull ache around my port area, but it's rare, almost like a cramp. I don't drink carbonated drinks because they are supposed to cause some sort of problem, but I do take ibuprofen from time to time which is a no no because supposedly they can cause ulcers. I've been taking a multivitamin regularly. Overall, I feel good. I don't have any pain around the band area. I consider the surgery to be a success. I'm just looking forward to the next phase which is to get plastic surgery. I don't think I will have any difficulty losing the last 25lbs once I really get serious about losing weight again as I work toward my goal of plastic surgery. I hope this offers some helpful information to someone and good luck to all on your weight loss journeys! W8TYGIRL AKA KIA

Thanks for sharing this. Your before pic looks like my thighs now. It's good to know it's possible to get a good result.

Gorda, I exercise by dancing only once a week. Maybe twice. I dance for at least two hours...really hard. Thanks for the encouragement. It is much needed!!

Hello Everyone, I have wanted to come back sooner for a posting but I wanted to be able to report that I am officially in onederland! I weighed in this morning at 198lbs. I had been struggling to lose the same 5lbs for a couple of months now and have finally done it! To recap, my highest weight was 325 lbs, 316lbs just prior to surgery. I have lost 127lbs so far and I am amazed that I have been able to achieve this milestone. I owe it mostly all to the band. My appetite and capacity to eat large quantites was holding me back from maintaining any significant weight loss prior to having this surgery. My excercise has been mostly dancing but I've been limiting that lately due to an incident at a nightclub. I just bought a new basketball so I plan to start shooting some hoops. I'm am seriosly considering some plastic surgery for my saggy stomach and deflated breasts and bum. Maybe far off since it costs so many thousands. I am looking into some fat transfer procedures for my breasts and bum also. My diet has been okay but never has been perfect. I have been trying to limit salt in my diet (HARD) due to my high blood pressure. I have cut beef and pork out of my diet comepletely for the last 6 weeks. That probably helped the most. I think that is how I was able to lose the last 5 pounds. Oh yeah, and I went back to drinking my EAS protein shakes. I eat more sweets than I should. My family keeps cake and cookies around all the time. So it's become a bit of a habit for me to eat them. Although I do not binge on sweets and I still stick to crystal light and I love the ocean spray sugar free cran grape. I try to cook as many meals at possible (High protein, sometimes low carb). My portions are normal, but much smaller than before surgery. I am very happy with my bad so far. I was reading a post from someone who was tired of throwing up (PBing) and just felt tired of having the band. I do have bouts of PBing, mostly my own fault I.e. eating to fast, eating and drinking at once. Sometimes I want to eat more than I can at one sitting but I just come back later for more if I want. Eating is not always as pleasurable as it was before, but I am far from unhappy. I can cook very delicious meals so I have learned to improvise so I don't miss anything. And if I really want something I just have it. I love the progress I have made I only wish I was able to do this years ago. I don't wish for my band to be removed. I was not able to lose weight and keep it off without it. Good luck to all on your journey. Sincerely, W8tygirl AKA Kia

Hi Everybody, I'm back again with another update. Well I am sort of at a plateau at the moment. But just to update you on my current status post-surgery, I was 325 at my highest weight and I'm now at 220. I was down to 215 but, per doctor's orders I was told to drink more water in preparation for laser fat reduction. So what do you know I gained weight. I was probably dehydrated anyway. I don't know if the laser will work, but I was offered the services at a discount so I thought, why not? Not much to lose but fat! It's been 1 week of treatments and no noticeable results yet. I have only lost 4lbs since my last post two months ago. That's why it's good to keep this diary because you can actually see your progress. I think it's time for a fill but I am kind of worried about the next fill. I don't want to go overboard and be too tight. But ofcourse looking back on my posts, I was worried the last time too. I get hungry pretty fast now. It seems my food is moving through the band faster and I'm eating about 4 meals a day plus snacks. If I lay down after eating and go to sleep I will wake up coughing up food (bad idea, I know), so I do have good restriction. Maybe being slightly tighter will allow the food to move down more slowly (while I'm awake ofcourse). As far as exercise, I have slowed down on going out dancing and have been doing some hip hop abs lately. I think it's low impact aerobics and I probably need to sweat more for better results. So I am going to have to find a better alternative. My eating has been a little crappy lately, I must say. I try to stay away from the sweets. I've recently gotten back to drinking my EAS shakes and eating greek yogurt for snack. I've mostly stuck to drinking crystal light or something similar. I mostly still bring lean cuisine and weight watchers for lunch, but sometimes I'm hungry after a couple of hours so end up having an early lunch and a late lunch. Also, I suffered a bad break-up so I kinda ate what made me feel better for a few days. Although, my cheating is not as bad as it used to be. I may eat an odd candy bar or go get some chicken from KFC, but I cannot eat huge quantities of anything. The snacking really gets me...things like chips. I think I just slow myself down from losing weight moreso than cause myself to gain. I can't stand to eat foods that are extremely sugary anymore. Since I have limited them for so long, my tolerance has gone way down. Right now, I need to make better food choices, eat less, increase the exercise, and drink more water. But I honestly feel more hungry lately and making better choices is harder, so it may be time for a fill. I'm scheduled for one on 12/8/10. I need to lose 50lbs to get to my goal. I hope to get there by my 2nd year surgiversary in June. My short term goal is to lose 20lbs by January 24th. Wish me luck!! It's time to put in some serious work. Good luck to all on their weight loss journey. Kia AKA W8tygirl

Thanks so much for your comments. I will definitely take heed to your suggestions. Kia AKA W8TYGIRL

Congratulations!! And thanks so much for taking the time to post on your success. You wouldn't believe how often I come to this board for continued inspiration. I've done well so far with the band but I can't wait until I can come here and talk about how I achieved it. You have definitely given me some insight on what I need to focus on and how determined I need to be in order to be as successful as you have been in reaching and maintaining your weight loss goals.

Hi Everybody, I'm back again with another update. Well I am sort of at a plateau at the moment. But just to update you on my current status post-surgery, I was 325 at my highest weight and I'm now at 220. I was down to 215 but, per doctor's orders I was told to drink more water in preparation for laser fat reduction. So what do you know I gained weight. I was probably dehydrated anyway. I don't know if the laser will work, but I was offered the services at a discount so I thought, why not? Not much to lose but fat! It's been 1 week of treatments and no noticeable results yet. I have only lost 4lbs since my last post two months ago. That's why it's good to keep this diary because you can actually see your progress. I think it's time for a fill but I am kind of worried about the next fill. I don't want to go overboard and be too tight. But ofcourse looking back on my posts, I was worried the last time too. I get hungry pretty fast now. It seems my food is moving through the band faster and I'm eating about 4 meals a day plus snacks. If I lay down after eating and go to sleep I will wake up coughing up food (bad idea, I know), so I do have good restriction. Maybe being slightly tighter will allow the food to move down more slowly (while I'm awake ofcourse). As far as exercise, I have slowed down on going out dancing and have been doing some hip hop abs lately. I think it's low impact aerobics and I probably need to sweat more for better results. So I am going to have to find a better alternative. My eating has been a little crappy lately, I must say. I try to stay away from the sweets. I've recently gotten back to drinking my EAS shakes and eating greek yogurt for snack. I've mostly stuck to drinking crystal light or something similar. I mostly still bring lean cuisine and weight watchers for lunch, but sometimes I'm hungry after a couple of hours so end up having an early lunch and a late lunch. Also, I suffered a bad break-up so I kinda ate what made me feel better for a few days. Although, my cheating is not as bad as it used to be. I may eat an odd candy bar or go get some chicken from KFC, but I cannot eat huge quantities of anything. The snacking really gets me...things like chips. I think I just slow myself down from losing weight moreso than cause myself to gain. I can't stand to eat foods that are extremely sugary anymore. Since I have limited them for so long, my tolerance has gone way down. Right now, I need to make better food choices, eat less, increase the exercise, and drink more water. But I honestly feel more hungry lately and making better choices is harder, so it may be time for a fill. I'm scheduled for one on 12/8/10. I need to lose 50lbs to get to my goal. I hope to get there by my 2nd year surgiversary in June. My short term goal is to lose 20lbs by January 24th. Wish me luck!! It's time to put in some serious work. Good luck to all on their weight loss journey. Kia AKA W8tygirl

I had my band placed in June 2009. I have lost about 100 lbs give or take. I went from 309 pre-surgery (325 highest weight) to between 216 to 220. I seem to be fluctuating but not enough movent down in weight. I've had about 3 fills so far. I lose 5-10lbs immediately after a fill then slow weightloss, then a standstill like now. I have 5.5 ccs in a 10cc band. I definitely have restriction, I eat small meals maybe a cup and a half. Also, if I eat too close to bedtime I wake up at night coughing up food that has been sitting in my pouch undigested (bad idea, I know). It just seems like my food goes down too fast and I am eating more often than I should (about 4 meals plus snacks) and/or I can eat more than I should. For instance, a hot dog with bun. Also making good food choices are Is becoming more difficult, I think because of increased hunger at times. I try to make good choices most of the time, get in my protein and exercise as much as I can. But I need to know...... Do you think it's time for a fill? My restriction was okay for weight loss now it's stalled. I'm afraid of being too tight. Advice please!!

Thanks to everyone for "weighing in" on this topic. Amy517, to answer your question, My last fill was June 2010. I've lost about 24lbs since then. I think based on everybody's advice, I will try to get a slight fill. I'll still try to increase my exercise and make better food choices. In the past when I have good restriction, it seems so much easier to decline bad foods because I stay full longer.

Hey All - I just wanted to come back and drop a quick note. I hope to help others with this blog as well as I love to look back on my progress. I am currently at 224 lbs. So that is 100lbs since my highest weight and I'm about 85lbs down since the surgery. I'm very happy with my progress thus far and do not regret my decision to have lapband surgery at this point in time. I still have pretty good restriction since my fill back in June 2010. I'm not in a rush to get another fill right now. I need to work on my eating habits first and try to continue to lose weight through diet and exercise instead of relying too much on fills. My last fill was pretty aggressive. I wondered if I should go back and get some fluid taken out. But I'm glad I didn't because I eventually did loosen up. I can eat practically anything I want in small quantities. The only thing that doesn't work well is bread, which I'm grateful for since it leaves me feeling sluggish anyway. I did see a negative comment from a fellow bandster to one of my posts stating that I shouldn't be able to eat steak, but I think you can eat just about anything if you chew it very well and it's not too dry. Anyway, my exercise is still mainly dancing and doing work around the house (painting, wallpapering etc.) I need to work on getting my vitamins in. I sometimes feel like the walking dead when I don't take them and I constantly forget. My doctor did tests that showed I had a vitamin D deficiency, so I really need to get on the ball fast. Anyway, that is how things are going so far. Best of Luck~ Kia AKA W8TYGIRL

I'm no expert but it seems to me he should have removed all of the fluid, if not, almost all.

My theory regarding fills is that your stomach becomes swollen around the band. After a few days to a few weeks the swelling goes down causing a loss of restriction. That has been my personal experience so far, each time I get a fill.

Banded 6/18/2009 My diet was terrible before surgery. Fast food everyday. I eat much healthier now, but not perfect. High Protein, sugar free almost everything, low carb diet (some carbs) I go out dancing for exercise once a week. I walk stairs sometimes instead of elevator. I've had 3 fills and I've lost 88lbs with the band 96 total from my highest weight. I'm very happy so far, but I still have about 60lbs to lose.

I know how u feel avargas18. I'm 1 year post-op. 1 week after surgery I went to a function where they were serving brownies and I ate 1 or maybe even 2. I don't remember but I do remember the guilt. I was worried that I messed up my surgery since I was supposed to be on liquids basically, but I was sooooo hungry. Also cheating made me feel bad too. I understand that is 'bandster hell' That wasn't the only time I cheated early on either but I tried my best to stick 2 my docs reccomendations. That's the best anyone can do. Keep trying because all your efforts count toward your weight loss. Once u get some real restriction u should be much less hungry.

I was VERY tight on my last fill. I was really worried and thought about going back to have some taken out. I was coughing at night. I figured out u can't eat too close to bedtime. I have loosened up considerably. I think the stomach initially reacts to the fill by swelling. Also I think if you try to force food too soon after a fill you can stay swollen longer. I still have good restriction so I'm glad I didn't get any taken out. I DID initially have trouble with liquids. Now I'm fine. You may wanna try and ride it out for a while. Try to get as much water in as possible because I think the swelling gets worse with dehydration.

Brocolli is a nice soft vegetable. Crab and most fish are good for me. Chicken that is cooked in a sauce makes it easier to go down. Also chewing for food to a nearly puree consistency will help you to be able to eat a lot of different foods. I forgot soft lowfat cheeses such as laughing cow are good with lowfat crackers. Lowfat peanut butter. That's if you're allowed to snack. Sugar free jello pudding, sugar free popsickles. Egg salad w/lowfat mayo.

Unless you are drinking and eating a lot of empty calories and you already have good restriction, I don't understand why you would be denied a fill. It's really unfortunate that it seems some medical professionals don't understand how much we may really depend on our bands to curb appetite, cravings, and control portions. Although you didn't expand on what your restriction level was like at the time or what your diet was like. I've heard of doctors not giving fills if you happen to gain weight and to me this is counterproductive unless you have really good restriction. All this can be very defeating to the patient. By all means try and get that fill, it could be just what you need to get back on track and stay motivated.