HeatherO

Star Jones has a big head? I never noticed. Really, in proportion to our bodies I think all of our heads will look a little bigger :0). Our perceptions change so much as we lose significant weight. I was really shocked how my legs changed when riding a bike. My thighs look soooo long, but they aren't any longer, they are just not as wide. I also notice when I am folding clothes or doing laundry I keep thinking, whose clothes are these . . . oh, I guess they are mine :0). What interesting perceptual adjustments we need to make over time.

I know tylenol was preferred by my doctor.

I don't usually take anything over the counter for it, but I do drink plenty of extra Water to help flush everything out. I was banded six months ago. For many months, my TOM was 10 times worse than normal and I had symptoms that I don't usually have. I think it was hormones trapped in the fat cells that were being released. It does not seem to be uncommon for rapid weight loss to affect us in this way.

It sounds like an allergy, so there must be something new that you have been exposed to and I doubt it has anything directly to do with the band. Definitely pay attention to new things you have been in contact with or ingesting. Benadryl works great but I swear it puts me to sleep. For some reason Benadryl seems to work like a sleeping pill for me.

I agree. She needs to be seen today. There is no reason for her to suffer miserably for the next several days and risk her band altogether.

I had a similar problem in that I was a sugar/carbohydrate addict. For me, the only way to combat it was to eliminate it from my diet. When I start eating sugary things, I just have to have more and more and they start permeating my thoughts. By eliminating them, they lost their hold and I don't crave them 90% of the time. As far as self control is concerned for myself. I just had to have a sit-down hard discussion with myself regarding where I wanted to be in a year and what I needed to do to get their. No excuses, I just do it . . . and this has worked for me. Posting online in forums has really helped a lot as well in that it has truly became a support system for me.

Congratulations on a great first year!!!

I like the current format. The latest threads, articles and blogs in the middle which I like because that is primarily what I am looking for. I like that you can also now see recent pictures posted on the front page a little to the right as well. Advertisements are on the very right which are easy to see but are not a burden in this format.

Don't give up on yourself. You can do this, you have already proven that in the first 100 pound loss. Perhaps it is time to start documenting your food intake again to get back on track. You may also need to either completely give up chocolate for a while or move to something like sugar free pudding until you can put the cravings back in their place. For me, if I get off track regularly with a food, I can't just reduce and consume in moderation, I have to get away from it completely for a while until it loses its hold. How is your exercise? I find that it is easier for me to stay on track with my eating when I am also exercising because I know what it takes to work off the extra 100-500 calories and I usually decide it just isnt worth overindulging.

Everyone else is right. I would be more surprised if someone said they did not waiver on this decision since it involves a lifestyle change. I waivered as well and it took me more than 2 years to make the decision. Since banding, I have never waivered. It was the best decision I have ever made.

Don't worry . . . you will eat again :0). The liquid to mushies phases aren't the most fun, but you will get to a point where you can eat most things, just a lot less of them.

It all depends on what you are ingesting. Great restriction can lead to more soft calories and a subsequent gain. Another possibility is if your calorie intake has actually diminished greatly you might be going into starvation mode but typically that cause you to hold steady and not gain. I think the biggest trick to make the band work is to have enough restriction to still have the ability to eat solid Proteins and plenty of vegetable and maintain a feeling of fullness. Being overly restricted takes away from the bands function.

Congratulations . . . what a difference a year makes :0)

You should call your surgeons office right away. This is one of the "warning" signs that you need to call in about to make sure everything is ok since you are having frequently and it sounds severe. In the mean time, you can always take an over the counter antacid, heartburn medication if it is on your approved list of medications. Did you recently get a fill? How is your level of restriction currently?

It was hard not to go into the "last meal" syndrome before surgery. I was indeed guilty of overindulging myself at that point but I tried to keep it within reason. Just keep in mind that there are risks and most people are required to go on a restrictive diet beforehand to shrink their livers. You wouldn't want to go in and find that there is a reason why they won't complete the surgery at that time, specially after gaining a few pounds in the weeks before.

It is great that you are there to support her. You should express your concerns to her, and perhaps remind her that too few calories can prevent weight loss as well. Keeping the calorie intake in an appropriate range and getting exercise might get her to her final goal faster than not really eating. I can kind of understand her side as well. The majority of the time, I just don't really care to eat anymore. It has become easy not to eat, but then I feel bad after and get a headache if I skip a meal.

:0) That is wonderful. Looks like you must have had an awesome time.

Keep your chin up. Bandster hell for most of us goes until the second fill since the majority don't feel much restriction after the first. I have had really wonderful loss collectively over the past six months, but I can tell you I was losing next to nothing from about 5 weeks out until about 3 months out when my second fill kicked everything into gear. I was also exercising heavily during the time I wasn't really losing. However, I feel really certain that at least 1/3 of my ongoing loss has been from exercising, building muscle and raising my fitness level in general. If you keep doing the right things, the weight comes off without a doubt. The only way it doesn't work is if you give up on it a little too easy. If I had any advice to give it would be to keep up with the exercise and make your next fill appointment as soon as possible.

I have a couple of times over 6 months or so. It was always a one-off event and I did not have any permanent damage that I can tell. It was never really violent and I noticed it only happened on days where I was feeling sick throughout the day. I stayed on liquids for 1-2 days after and I was fine. I had another day last week where I was just feeling kind of sick all day just recently and I stayed on liquids. I never vomitted at all but I think I would have if I had ingested anything much. I think I have finally figured out how to avoid it by going on liquids before it ever occurs. Liquids are always good if you are feeling a little under the weather to give your band a rest. I used to have a stomach of Iron but now it seems like a minor cold can affect my stomach. I am definitely ultra-sensitive now.

Name_________Start Weight _____Goal_____lbs lost *************** :wub:**********:thumbup:*********** aJoneen............230.........220.......5....... Bea1128............220.........199.......5....... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0....... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4....... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6....... Bunkey1965.........203.........195.......9....... Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6....... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3....... Epm316.............209.........199.......3....... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0....... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0....... HeatherO...........172(161)....155.......11...... Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......3.3..... JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5....... KarenG.............160.........158.......6....... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0....... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2....... Leslie2Lose........219.........209.......5....... LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0....... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......5.6..... Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9....... 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.......0....... MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2....... mominlv13..........305.8.......300.......10.2.... MSnika3............228.........204.......4....... 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.......2.3..... want_so_bad........170.........155.......0....... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6..... Sadie..............216.........199.......5....... tp78...............212.........195.......7.......

OK, I am confused and I may have been posting incorrectly. We need to input the following items: Name_________Start Weight _____Goal_____lbs lost Well, my goal has not changed but as I add up pounds lost, I have been reducing my start weight. Was that incorrect? If so, should I be: HeatherO...172...155...11 instead of HeatherO...161...155...11? Also I noticed that my previous posting at -11 instead of -9 was not in the last few updates so I think people are posting changes to old lists again.

I agree about calling the fill office. This is not normal and should be looked at immediately. If an infection reaches your port and extends to your band, you are in risk.

I have a general question. I was originally in a 40D to a 38D and now am wearing a 36DD. I know I am not filling out the cups on my original bras in that there is empty space in the tops and my straps are always sliding down my shoulders no matter how they are adjusted. However, my cup is now a DD which seems like maybe they are bigger but that doesnt make any sense. Does the number also affect the actual cup size or am I just confused?

I am so sorry to hear that this happened. You must be devastated. Just remember, the band only helped, you lost those 50 pounds by being strong, following rules and trying to live healthier. I wish you the best of luck.

Well you had a great time and that is wonderful. However, back to home and back to basics. Best bet is to get back to a more normal eating schedule as soon as possible and getting back in for a fill should help out as well. I am sure you will do fine once you get to eating better and exercising.