KelinTx

I wish there was a quick fix for this. I am also one that always thinks about food. I have come to realize that i truly am a food addict to the point where i have obsessive thoughts about food. Thank god i have my band wich physically keeps me from being able to gorge myself with all the food related things i think about. Now if they would just come out with a band for the brain to squeeze out all the thoughts of food id be in heaven!

You will be there before you know it steve!

I know the time of day has alot to do with it for me. I am super tight in the Am, so anything other then a beverage drank very slowly will give me issues. Ive also found that being in a prone position for anything over a half an hour will tighten me right back up. For example laying down in the afternoon or something. So choosing the appropriate food to coincide with the level of tightness at times of hunger is key to avoiding pb or stuck situations.

Time is the key. I do not want to sound like a "debbie downer" but when ya got 200 lbs to lose it takes awhile for the dramatic effect to take hold. The positive thing is we can all tell in our own bodies but others it may take a good 50lbs before they notice. My own personal experience starting out at 359lbs, i could tell a difference in my pants after 20lbs but before anyone that i did not see daily commented on my loss i would say i had to lose about 80 lbs. . Now when i see people i do get the "OH MY GOD" how much have you lost.

I went every 4 weeks in the beginning. My approach was to have small frequent fills in hopes of avoiding any issues. Im currently filled to 9.2 cc in the large VG band. Im restricted to the point now where i can only eat about 3/4 cup of food at the most at once. I can still eat anything meat or bread or pasta wise but only a few bites, it works out perfectly.

I had 3cc put in at surgery time and had restriction from the get go. Everyone is different in how they react to fills.

I think anyone that has achieved a major weight loss would agree with me when i say the health benefits by far outweigh the issue of loose skin. You can hide loose skin with clothing but there is no way you can hide and extra 100 pounds or so!

I keep hoping that my internal thermostat will recalibrate itself eventually. I was always the one in a summer nightie even in the dead of winter now im the one that sat on the beach in mexico on spring break and was chilly.

The exact feeling you stated is my signal to stop right then. I usually do not let myself get to the point of feeling the food back up. But it sounds to me that this is your new "FULL". Lets face it if it takes only a half a cup or so of food to get to feeling this way its reasonable to be hungry within a few hours.

I have never had any issues with popcorn either. In fact one of my regular snacks is the 100 cal pack of popcorn, lotta popcorn for 100 calories.

Thank them for their concern and move on. It most likely is not what they will expect to hear from you and will drop the conversation. I have recently encountered the same, first from my parents who had not seen me in 6 months. They said OH BUT YOU LOOK FINE THE WAY YOU ARE....to wich i replied "oh how nice it is to hear that" , in my head im thinking my god i still weigh 170 lbs pffft i got a ways to go. But compared with 359 lbs i guess i do look fine LOL. I heard the same kinda thing this week in the fill center of all places. Two folks said something to the same effect of looking fine just the way i am. Again i replied with "oh thats so nice of you to say", this time thinking in my head.. yeah maybe i look fine but jeeze i want to look better then just FINE, i want to look great. Only you know how you feel in your body and it is your prerogative to lose until you feel happy with yourself.

This is as accurate as i could get. 1 month = 38 lbs lost total 3 month = 47 lbs lost total 6 month = 88 lbs lost total 12 month = 129 lbs lost total 18 month = 162 lbs lost total 24 month = 172 lbs lost total 30 month = 188 lbs lost total

My doctor put 3'ccs in at the time of surgery.

This is something that has me in a major quandary. I have set a personal goal for myself at 159 lbs. That is a 200 pound weight loss for me. However that puts my bmi at 25.7, wich is technically still overweight. Today i am at 171, bmi 27.6 ...im so close i can taste it. Do i say just be happy and aim for that 200 lb loss or do i trudge forward towards that "normal" bmi. Without an intervention in the form of plastic surgery to remove excess skin im not sure if its even possible. LOL

I tried eating them and all i can say is "OH THE PAIN" , they were so dry going down it was horrible, so i took a drink and that must of mushed them into a big ball instead of washing it down, took a long time to pass. Will not eat them again. Was not a slider food for me as they did not slide but "sat" there.

When i started the lap band journey 2 1/2 yrs ago i was to large to even shop in Lane Bryant. That was my first goal, just to be able to shop in a STORE instead of only ordering on line. Now my goal is to buy one of those cool expensive sports bras and work out in it without a shirt over it! I think ive replaced overeating with over shopping and im loving every second of it. I've gone from a womens size 36 to a comfy 14.

I was banded by Dr. Benavides and use true results, every one has been very nice and accommodating and i would recommend them as well.

The best tip i can offer would be to follow your doctors orders and dietary guidelines. Measure out your food and count calories and get some exercise in there.

Oh for sure i would do it all again, what a difference in the quality of life i live now. No comparing it to before what so ever.

I wholeheartedly feel that ANY banded individual who follows the rules and guidelines given to them by their doctor will have a successful loss with the lapband. Of course the person who needs to lose an extreme amount of weight will lose faster then the individual who needs to lose 50 pounds, but a loss is a loss. Even in the starting stages where restriction has not yet kicked in if you measure out your food and count calories you still should be able to see somewhat of a loss, especially if you are combining exercise with that. I think the problem arises when folks are eating slider foods, and saying to them selves well i only ate a cup of food, well lets face it a cup of ben n jerrys or a cup of creamy soup is not going to give you the same results as a cup of green beans or a cup of salad. In the end its all about quantity and quailty of choices.

I will have been banded 2 1/2 years this week. I do feel as though im still progressing. It is certainly taking more effort and longer to lose a pound these days but i am 100% confident i will reach my end goal wich is to lose 200 pounds. I do share your feelings in that having frequent required weigh ins would keep a person more in check, i know it certainly would me. Ive been debating doing the weight watchers thing for that exact reason. Good luck to ya!

Truly amazing WTG!!

I have been banded almost 2 1/2 yrs and you can see my loss in my weight loss ticker. As far as plateaus are concerned, i think they are just a thing that will occur in any weight loss attempt no matter if it involved surgery or not. My longest plateau was a month, but i hung in there and sure enough the scale started the downward motion again. At this stage of the game i average about a pound a week if im super strict.

Wendy's Chili is a great low carb, low cal, fill you upper! And is very band friendly.

All you have to say is "it has been alot of hard work" ....with a smile on your face of course :wink: