HeatherO

It seems fairly straightforward that you need a fill. There is no way you should be able to ingest almost all of an entire pizza if you had appropriate restriction. It is not like a slider food that goes straight down. In the mean time, you want to choose healthy choices for what you are eating. A tostino's pizza has like a gazillion calories and is very high in fat. You may need to just go back to basics. If you are hungry, eat, but eat healthy things. You can eat a ton of veggies without butter or oil and not ingest many calories. Your base should be lean Proteins and veggies while limiting processed carbs, really high fat foods, slider foods, processed carbs and sweets. You can definitely get back on track with a fill and eating healthy with exercise thrown in. Binging behavior is something most of us bandsters have dealt with. I found the best way to combat this for me is to eat when I am hungry. I don't deny myself, I just make healthy choices. Good luck.

I have indeed had the problem where the fill seems tighter and I keep getting progressively stuck. I found that it was from not going on liquids long enough after a pb. I need 1-2 days to recover completely or it just keeps happening. Without the break, my stomach never had time to recover from the irritation. So go on liquids for a day, mushies for a day and carefully work your way up to see where you are. You might be just fine if you can get past the pb cycle.

Everyone loses sooo differently. Our journeys are all unique to us . . . the primary difference in obtaining ultimate success is sticking with it. It really doesn't matter so much if it is fast or slow, as long as you are losing. H owever, when it is faster it is so much easier to stay motivated. I know I had a couple of plateaus that made me very depressed early on before I reached restriction (which lead to eating a little off plan which kept me on the plateau). The best thing about the band is that if you follow the rules, eat healthy foods and get exercise, success will find you.

I have had occasional bouts of it as well lately and am thinking about a slight unfill. Not eating late or drinking late have a definite impact on it. I think I have to accept the fact that after being a bandster, I really should never ingest anything directly before bed.

Even if I could get childs plates everywhere without question or a second glance, I wouldn't. Have you noticed what is on most children's menus . . . hot dogs, cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, pizza, mac & cheese, fries, etc. I can eat some of this occassionally, but as a whole it doesn't appeal to me. I never see much for vegetables, if at all. No wonder some people grow up with a lack of desire for healthy food when all most places offer for kids is junk food. What is up with that???

There are a ton of options on losing the weight quickly. Just eating similarly to the way you would after banding should help as well. Eat lean proteins first in a reasonable portion size, followed by tons of veggies. You can't go wrong with eating a lot of veggies as long as you don't add a lot of high calorie butter, oil, etc. Make sure you are drinking only no calorie beverages, but even better stick to water. You should get in a minimum of 64 ounces a day . . . another measure that is suggested is to take your weight, divide it in half and that is the number of ounces of water you should take in. Also, if you are drinking caffeinated beverages, this doesn't count as water and you should add an additional cup of water too offset the effect. Good luck.

I think a lot of it has to do with what you put into it. Exercising, watching calories, eating healthy non-slider foods, following band rules, drinking lots of Water, etc make all the difference in the world to whether you make your goals or not and how quickly you attain them. Is it possible to make your goal . . . 112 pounds over 52 weeks would require losing 2.16 pounds a week . . . so it is possible but it is also a very aggressive goal which means you have to be aggressive in following the plan to lose weight as well, both in the beginning and during the times throughout the year when it gets a little harder. Now if you had a more moderate goal, perhaps 18 months to lose 112 pounds, you would need to lose 1.44 pounds a week which is entirely possible if you stay on track. If you take 2 years you would need to lose 1.08 pounds a week which is certainly doable and much easier to attain. You have to also keep in mind that the first six months provide the most rapid weight loss so what you are averaging there would have to offset later months where you are closer to normal weight and it is harder to take it off. You have to consider that you are automatically burning more calories a day to support the excess weight and this will not apply quite so much as you get smaller. I am at 7 months today and have now lost 81% of my excess weight of 85 pounds that would bring me to a normal BMI. If I could keep losing every week at the rate I have been losing for the past seven months . . . in a 1 year period, I think that would be 118 pounds. I also follow the plan 95% of the time, I don't eat processed carbs, and workout vigorously for at least an hour daily. However, I am finding that it is getting pretty darn hard to keep losing as steadily as I did in the beginning now that I am close to goal. Everyones body is sooo different. What works great for one person may not work well at all for another. It is difficult to say how your journey will progress until you have done it . . . but no matter what, if you follow the plan and get your exercise in you will definitely lose.

That is a little over 16 weeks. By 16 weeks I had gone from 225 to 184 which was 41 pounds down. If you lose exactly as I did, you would exceed your goal. 38 pounds lost over 16 weeks would require an average of 2.375 pounds per week. Most people stay within the 1-2 pound weekly loss range. It is definitely within the realm of possibility, but it is an aggressive goal and you will have to work hard for it. Daily vigorous exercise, following bandster rules, limiting processed carbs, drinking enough Water, and getting your Protein in can definitely set you up for losing and reaching your goal.

I agree. If the doc did not give you a pre-op diet, it doesn't sound like he is too concerned about losing or gaining. However, that is a relatively big gain in a short period of time . . . are you keeping your eating under control? If you are dealing with the "last meal" syndrome and eating a lot of fats or unhealthy foods, your body may not be prepared for surgery. The pre-op diets are usually liver-shrinking diets in preparation for surgery. If you go in with a fatty liver, you may not get the surgery. You might want to consider a preop liquid diet at least for the next few days in preparation. It seems odd that the doctor would say go off your birth control, but all doctors are different and it is important to follow their advice. Most of our doctors told us to make sure we are on some form of birth control because your fertility shoots wayyy up when you lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. If you read the pregnancy thread, there have been a lot of bandster babies conceived directly or within a few months of banding . . . even for people with difficulty conceiving before. If you are not ready to become a mommy or remain abstinent in the next few months, you need some backup.

Thank goodness Wednesday is so close, only a couple more days. Sorry this happenned . . . just hang in there a little longer. I would be feeling the same as well if it had happened to me.

I agree with the last posts. He has moved on, and you should too . . . this man and the past relationship continues to exert too much influence over you by keeping the lines of communication open . . . and who is the one who is hurting??? Sending messages to him over the weekend is really just causing you to think more about the situation and will just make you more unhappy in the end. Many, many people who go through a serious life transforming event end up changing partners anyway. Who are you going to be when you finish with this journey??? You may find that you have outgrown the things that originally attracted you to this man. I also agree with the name change. Eeyore always had a "woe as me" attitude. Tigger always had a good attitude (which got him into trouble from time to time) but he enthusiastically moved ahead. Be strong and move beyond this as difficult as it seems. Focus on yourself and becoming stronger, healthier, and more balanced emotionally to help build up your self esteem. You are under a lot of stress right now and counseling may definitely help you move ahead to the future. Who do you want to be in the future??? How would you like to see yourself down the road??? Visualize it and then make it happen.

I am down to the last 20 myself . . . and I am still consistently losing. It is getting harder however and I find I have to "tweak" things regularly. I will stay on a particular "plan" for a week and if I see that my weight is moving in the right direction, I stay the course. When I start to stall out or don't see movement, I make changes to exercise, calorie intake, Protein intake, food choices, etc to change things up and hopefully make them move again. It seems like keeping my body "guessing" seems to be the best way to peel off the pounds at this point. I also do not keep my calorie intake the same every day to avoid a rut. I have very low calorie days (800-950) mixed with higher calorie days (but never above 1250 calories). I usually do two low, then one high but it is not always the same. At six months out, I have found that I stall at any calorie level if it is always the same. I also can stall if I eat the same foods every day (which is in my nature to do). This works for me, but of course our bodies are all different. I suffered through many plateaus in the beginning, and once I learned how to break them, I turned plateau busting into part of my regular routine . . . and it is working beautifully for now . . . who knows if it will still work the last 5-10 pounds to goal . . . or if it will work when I bypass my original goal and go for the smoking hot goal of 125???

I found forums such as this to be more helpful than support groups. It is important to be able to reach out and understand what other people are going through. Does she have a computer at home and would she utilize a forum? Perhaps you could help get her started if she was up for it. The support will be helpful once she is through the honeymoon period.

What she said I didn't do this and had terrible, pounding headaches due to caffeine over consumption. I was really, deeply regretting it while prepping for surgery and having such a miserable headache but not being able to take anything for it. Banding is not the end, only the beginning. We all, including myself, went through this stage. You want to limit it however because it can have a negative effect on your liver which is the last thing you want to do directly before surgery. I am starting to wonder how much of the pre-op diet is trying to fix the "last supper" damage we inflict on ourselves. Without this diet, how many of us would have overloaded on fats/carbs/etc from our final indulgences the day before surgery??? Don't say farewell to your favorite foods, because you can eat them again. In fact, they will probably be even better than before because you take the time to eat them mindfully and they taste so much better this way.

I have had it occasionally. It seems to be brought on if I eat or drink something just before bed . . . so I try to avoid doing this. You have already cut out eating after 7:30 so that should help some. This could also be a warning sign of being too tight. You should give your doctor a call to let them know what is happening.

I agree with calling your doctor. After being banded, your acceptable medication list has been drastically reduced. I don't know if anything in that medication could irritate your pouch. For me, I would rather lose slow than take more dietary supplements. I have taken tons of diet enhancers over the years before banding . . . and what did they get me . . . only heavier over time. One of the best, proven effective and healthy techniques for upping your metabolism is to build muscle through exercise. Increased muscle mass will increase your metabolism even while you are sleeping. This will also improve how you look as you lose the weight with better muscle tone . . . not to mention that you feel better after exercise as well. It is also a great way to reduce stress while giving your body a natural high feeling. I have been using this method to boost my metabolism and it is working beautifully.

Everyone has a different take on this, and every doctor has to start somewhere. However, I have read that complication rates go down significantly once a doctor has had more experience. You want your band to last a lifetime if possible . . . can you find a more experienced surgeon to do it? Experience is important when it comes to surgery. If you stick with this surgeon, perhaps you should ask a lot of questions during consult . . . such as what methodology would be used in the suturing procedure to secure the band to the stomach as to prevent slippage in the future. Also, how are those 20 something other patients doing so far, and how far out are they from surgery?

I think these are excellent titles and I am all for them being the next official challenges :0). Fran (mominlv), congrats on making goal, and being under 300 to boot. You are doing awesome!!!!! I am down another pound . . . yuppiiii!!!! 1 more to go and I have made my challenge goal. Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:tt2:********** :eek:**************************:party:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......7.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......5.......... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6.......... Bunkey1965.........212.........195.......16.........194 Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3.......... Epm316.............209.........199.......7..........202 erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......16.........156 Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............160.........158.......6.......... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......0..........224 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........209.........200.......11......... Luu2008............219.........189.......14......... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......6.......... mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........256.......5.8........260.2 Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......15.2.......299.8 MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......7..........243 NANAbanded.........225.........199.......7.......... Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......5.......... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......10..........177 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......0.......... tp78...............212.........195.......7..........

Now that I have lost most of my weight, people have really taken notice. Strangers, family and everyone in between are now approaching me and saying, wow you look great. What are you doing??? How much have you lost??? At first I was absolutely thrilled with my weight loss being noticed. Now I am ready to fade back into being relatively unnoticed. As far as "What are you doing???" is concerned I always answer, exercise, portion control, lack of processed carbs with no bread, no rice. I don't mention the band outside of this forum. This is an acceptable answer and people almost never question anything beyond that. As far as "How much have you lost???" is concerned . . . I am not always answering this truthfully. I am beginning to become more embarrassed as the weight loss number grows higher and so I give a lower number than is true. I never say so much more than . . . I lost around 50 pounds. So I am now downplaying my weight loss, I can't believe I am doing this . . . because I never would have guessed I would have felt this way. Why am I embarrassed? Because a big number means that I was a lot heavier than I ever wanted to accept. It is like now that I am relatively normal, I want everyone, including myself, to forget that I used to be different. I used to read threads before banding where people say, I don't like all the attention weight loss brings . . . I really thought that perhaps some people were just saying that. Now, finally and truly, I think I understand what people are talking about. I just want to be me . . . not the person who lost xx number of pounds. Is anyone else experiencing this???

I absolutely agree with this statement. It has definitely been the case for me. Every 5-10 pounds seems to bring futher comments now when it took 30-40 pounds before. Everything is just sooo much more noticeable. Speaking of children and unnoticed changes, my 16 year old son has never said a word about my weight loss. He doesnt know I was banded. I was thinking about it more after reading this thread and so I just asked him for the first time on Friday evening, "Do you think I have lost any weight?" Can you believe his answer was "I don't know, I can't tell." So this is after going from 18/20 & XL/XXL to 10/12 & M/L in six months. When I lay my before clothes next to my current clothes I am staggered (and saddened that I was ever that large to begin with) by the difference. He did not notice this change??? Knowing my son, I think he answered this truthfully without trying to play with my head, he really just didn't notice. My son is thankfully not affected by weight woes since both my son and husband are tall and athletic in build. We have a decent relationship, almost never argue, he is shy and a bit of a homebody spending way too much time on the computer . . . pretty much a shy and sensitive boy and never much trouble. All in all we are making it through the teenage years without too much strife . . . and he can't notice this kind of difference . . . how on earth can that be???? I am guessing that it must be when you are 16 that your personal world grows the size of an elephant while your parents lives shrink to the size and complexity of a peanut, lol. I think my weight changes may not be relevant to his life. Nothing has changed in his perspective, I exercise a lot now . . . which I did prior to banding as well. He doesn't notice or care about what I eat. So what does this mean for the future of my son . . . is he going to be one of those husbands that never notices his wifes new hairdo or clothes? Is this just a passing stage? Any thoughts . . . ???

I am so sorry to hear that and I hope everything turns out OK. My thoughts are with you as well.

I have lost most of my weight and work out like crazy with a focus on toning. I am looking pretty good but my belly is going to be a little saggy and no amount of abdominal work has helped it much. So no bikini or belly button piercings for me, but I look good in a one piece. I really think I am going to get to avoid plastics altogether. It really is impossible to say how things will go. Youth is indeed on your side, but skin is different for different people. You can choose ten random women who got pregnant around the same age and same weight, and I bet you some of them may get away with almost no stretch marks and some will look like a road map. If I had to venture a guess, you will most likely be ok in most areas but may not be completely satisfied with your mid region at the end of the road. However, you are on the right track with exercise,water, Vitamins. If you are not exceeding 1-2 pounds a week in weight loss it helps as well.

I'd pack lunches and Snacks and do a restaurant dinner but that is just me. It gives more flexibility this way. For restaurant dining in general, I always eat off of my husbands plate now. I never get charged extra anywhere because I usually order a small Soup or some salad. What is really funny is that ordering for one still provides leftovers to bring home after two people finish. I used to eat a whole entree myself before and I would eat all of it . . . no wonder I was carrying a few extra pounds, lol.

I am not sure any of us really get completely "past" the urge to binge from time to time if we had it before. I think for a lot of us it is just part of who we are and we have to find appropriate, healthy means to deal with it. However, the band does prevent the ability from binging because you just can't eat that much without suffering. If you overdo it, the big stick comes out (pb'ing and being very uncomfortable) to teach you not to do so. Am I still addicted to food . . . absolutely. Have I found a way to deal with it . . . yes. I have exchanged quantity for quality and I take time to really, truly taste what I am eating. I have found that in most binges, beyond the first couple of bites, I no longer really taste what it is that I am eating. I don't even think binges were about enjoying the food as much as filling a void. Binges were always followed by a mountain of guilt which would make me want to do it again. I was never, ever happy or satisfied by doing this. It always left me feeling empty and depressed. Now I am finding I can take a couple of bites of something and be satisfied more than ever before. It only takes a little and I don't have to feel guilty about it. The band can not fix the root of most of our problems, which isn't in the stomach. However, there are hard limitations with the band in that you can only eat so much, and if you overdo it there are uncomfortable consequences. I think this helps with behavior modification to deal with binging and brings it more under control. It seems to get easier and easier over time . . . 2 months out food still ruled my thoughts (again, the thoughts were more important than my stomach) and there was indeed a big void in my day because what do you do with yourself after work when you are used to eating to relax??? I was actually grieving for the loss of my ability to eat. . . . 4 months out was a little better in that I could eat most things only in small quantities but I had to deal with the binge demon at that time and my mind was still saying more, more while my stomach was crying "uncle". This was actually one of the hardest stages in that this is where the "really difficult" work in behavior modification struggles were running rampant . . . 6 months plus out I seem to be more in control, more happy, feel more normal and food has become just another normal part of my life 95% of the time. . . . the future, I really expect it to continue to get easier as i continue to work on why I think like I do and find alternative more healthy ways to deal with life. I have already found that exercise relieves stress in a much more effective way than food ever did . . . with no guilt associated. I am on the right path and I will continue to move forward. For me it has all been a learning process . . . but I couldn't get there without my band. I still have no regrets. The band did not make my life easier by any means, but I am better for it. I love what my band has helped me to accomplish and I would not trade it for the world.

I was walking right away. I started going back to the gym to do aerobics at 4 weeks out per my doctors orders. I started my step class and it was really tough and I was easily exausted (but they are high intensity aerobics). I attempted to do abdominals with the class and took it easy, but the next day I felt really awful and decided it was just too darn early. By six weeks out it was business as usual and I was doing my usual routine. You can start many low intensity things now. I would even think biking would be fine a couple of weeks out. You absolutely will feel some soreness around your port when you start but it goes away and I think it is just part of healing.