Xann77

I'm sure that some of you may get mad at me for posting this, but I think it's important to be 100% honest so you all don't just get a rosy picture of banding and pregnancy. If this story can help even one of you avoid the misery that I'm dealing with now, than I will feel a bit better.

I was banded in 2006 at about 240 and had gotten down to 185 through lots of hard work and exercise (I was a slow loser in many ways). I got pregnant in the Fall of 2008 and was so anemic because I had eaten very little red meat during the previous YEARS that my OBGYN really, really wanted me to get unfilled. I could barely get my prenatal Vitamin down. Plus, I was obviously very concerned about the baby and wanted to give him all the nutrition he needed and not be selfish or vain by caring more about my weight than the baby inside of me. So I went in and got a complete unfill. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! God, I wish so bad I hadn't done that. I should've just gotten a little taken out and that's what I would reccomend to many of you. Long story short, I gained 85 pounds in my pregnancy!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, 85 pounds ladies! To make matters even worse, I went in to get filled about 2 months after having the baby and asked for an aggressive fill (going from 0 to 2.5ccs) becuase I was dying to lose this weight. Of course, I couldn't even swallow my saliva and my stomach freaked out and got super swollen (I think the postpartum hormones don't help) and ended up having to get all of it out and then wait 2 weeks and start up slowly. So, I went in about 3/4 times in the course of 2 months, just trying to get back up to some restriction. SO what happens? Sure enough, the doctor's assistant who does all my fills, well he punctured the port and I sprung a leak!!! Aghhh!!! Evidenlty this is pretty common, especially when you are getting a bunch of fills in a short time and I think the port had been all twisted and floating around because of the pregnancy belly. Soooo, I ended up having surgery to repair the leak at the end of December (wasn't that bad actually) and now, here I am at the end of January and still haven't lost any weight since September!!!

YES, I am very grateful that I have a super healthy, gorgeous little boy. YES it was good that he gained enough weight in my belly because he came out about 2 weeks early. YES, part of me thinks that the reason he is such a SWEET baby (sleeps 12 hours a night straight, happy and smiling all the time), is because I ate TONS AND TONS OF SWEETS during my pregnancy (hee hee). BUT would I do it the same way again?? Hell no!!! I am SO DEPRESSED ladies. I've got about 60 pounds to lose and it took me years to get to my ideal weight and I feel like I just flushed it all down the drain. I actually considered getting converted to gastric bypass but my hubby put his foot down on that. It's been very hard to focus on exercising or what you're eating when you have a little baby. It's really tough! Anyway, I look at pictures of myself 2 years ago and pics now and I can't even believe how horrible I look and also FEEL. I used to feel so strong and powerful! Now, everything hurts -- my back, my knees-- and Im just tired all the time.

ANyway, I am now up to 2.5ccs and having some restriction thankfully. I still need to get to my sweet spot of 3.0 and I'm praying that the weight will come off.

I hope I haven't angered any of you guys. Pregnancy is AWESOME and although I wouldn't do it the same way again, if someone asked me if it was worth it, I'd say ABSOLUTELY. That said, please think carefully about getting a complete unfill. Most women probably don't need to do that, although obviously I'm no doctor. Just think carefully.

:thumbup: Hi Everyone! I'm a "vet" bandster I guess (can't believe it's been 3 years!). Anyway, I've lost about 55 pounds total and got down to 185 for my wedding this past May, which was awesome! Unfortunately, I've managed to gain almost 15 of that back and currenly sitting a little under 200. I swore to myself that I'd never see the "2s" again! However, I just found out that I am pregnant (yayayayay!!!!!!) and very very nervous about gaining weight! I'm a very quick gainer unfortunately. I am so happy there is a new pregnant group here -- it didn't exist when I first got banded -- and I've read a lot about how you don't have to gain a lot of weight while pregnant and that's helpful.

What I want to know though is whether I should get unfilled pretty soon? I've got about 3.5 in a 4cc band and moderately tight -- still can eat bread and whatnot so not super tight. Problem is that I am a pretty regular PB'er -- probably once a day or so if things get stuck. And I am also very prone to nausea in general. I'm very very worried that morning sickness will strike and I will end up puking my brains out and inadvertantly slipping my band or soemthing like that!??! What is the general view on getting the band unfilled EARLY in pregnancy to avoid complications with nausea?? I'd hate to do it now because what if I don't even HAVE morning sickness (crossing fingers)? On the other hand, should I even risk it?? I'm just nervous about going without restriction for the whole pregnancy and gaining 40 pounds or something like that!

I'd really appreciate everyone's views on getting unfilled???

Hi Everyone. I think that I am actually the SLOWEST loser on the boards. I had my surgery 2 years ago and have only lost 40 pounds. I read some of these posts from people who get to goal in like 1 year and I want to shoot myself! I'm glad I'm not the only one out there though. I went to my doctor today and I only lost FIVE POUNDS IN ONE YEAR! He was like, "ok lady, we're filling you big time." So now, I'm up to 3.2 ccs (I definitely feel restricted but I was just able to eat my Protein Bar no problem and it hasn't even been 24 hours since my fill!). Anyway, I'm rambling, but I wanted to say hi and I also wanted to tell NJ that I am getting married on 5/24/08 and had a very reasonably goal for myself to get to 180 by my two year bandiversary and I have "failed" at that. BUT BUT BUT --

I haven't gained a single pound since my surgery! I got the surgery because I felt like I was gaining ALL THE TIME.

I and have able to keep off 40 pounds and hover around 200 with (honestly) minimal effort. There have been plenty of months where I didn't work out at all and ate lots of sweets and processed junk and still stayed around 200. Honestly, that's a wonderful thing if you think about it. 200 pounds is not my goal but it also isn't horrible for me (I'm 5'8 and a curvy Italian girl).

My point here is we gotta keep the faith!!! We have to be honest with ourselves about what we're really putting in our mouths (for me, wine si a big issue). And, take it from a Bandster Vet, THE BAND IS NOT MAGIC. Sure, you can probably hover mid-goal after you're first big push from the surgery, but your body LIKES to be heavy, so you have to re-motivate and amp it up to get off that plataeu.

Sooo! Long story short, with only 2 months to my wedding (and lots of dangerous food/booze events on the horizon like my bridal shower this weekend and my bachelerotte cruise next weekend -- eek!!), I bit the bullet and hired a PERSONAL TRAINER! Woo hoo!!!! I'm scared of him but I think he's going to woop my butt into shape so I can finally shed those last 20 pounds to get to my goal!!

WISH ME LUCK!

PS -- NJ - have you thought about getting a trainer to come to your house even just for a month or so to get you in gear? I found mine on craigslist and it wasn't that expensive honestly. I used to live in NJ and I KNOW that there are probably hundreds of trainers who live around you. Just go to craigslist and take a look. Might really motivate you for your wedding too!

I drink tons of soda and coffee. No worries. Only diet soda though and almost always out of a fountain soda (not cans or bottles) so that it loses some of the fizzle.

Hi Everyone! I am a 2 year bandster and have had a pretty good experience so far. I've been noticing a real achy pain in my port area when I'm exercising -- running/elliptical, etc. I've been doing more sit ups lately so maybe that's aggravating it? I've been blessed enough to have very few problems with my band, but now I'm getting a little nervous about the pain and the WORST part is that it makes me not want to exercise!!

There is no pain at all when I'm resting or doing daily activities. THis is really just while exercising. That said, this is a NEW thing. I used to do a ton of situps with no problems and I've been jogging for a while.

So... long story short:

1. Has anyone else here gone through this? I really appreciate hearing about it because just knowing that this

isn't completely abnormal is pretty helpful. I am sure that I should probably go see my doc right? I haven't seen him in a year! Unbelievable how time flies.

2. Could this have something to do with either building abdominal muscles or maybe with getting a little skinnier (thank god!). I have probably lost about 40 pounds in 2 years. Need to lose another 20 or so.

Hi Everyone! I am a 2 year bandster and have had a pretty good experience so far. I've been noticing a real achy pain in my port area when I'm exercising -- running/elliptical, etc. I've been doing more sit ups lately so maybe that's aggravating it? I've been blessed enough to have very few problems with my band, but now I'm getting a little nervous about the pain and the WORST part is that it makes me not want to exercise!!

There is no pain at all when I'm resting or doing daily activities. THis is really just while exercising. That said, this is a NEW thing. I used to do a ton of situps with no problems and I've been jogging for a while.

So... long story short:

1. Has anyone else here gone through this? I really appreciate hearing about it because just knowing that this

isn't completely abnormal is pretty helpful. I am sure that I should probably go see my doc right? I haven't seen him in a year! Unbelievable how time flies.

2. Could this have something to do with either building abdominal muscles or maybe with getting a little skinnier (thank god!). I have probably lost about 40 pounds in 2 years. Need to lose another 20 or so.

HI just thought I'd post about my fill doctor. He was one of the few docs I found up here who would take patients who had been operated on by other doctors. Dr. Pohl in Johnston, RI. good luck!!

Hi Everyone! I am a 2 year bandster and have had a pretty good experience so far. I've been noticing a real achy pain in my port area when I'm exercising -- running/elliptical, etc. I've been doing more sit ups lately so maybe that's aggravating it? I've been blessed enough to have very few problems with my band, but now I'm getting a little nervous about the pain and the WORST part is that it makes me not want to exercise!!

There is no pain at all when I'm resting or doing daily activities. THis is really just while exercising. That said, this is a NEW thing. I used to do a ton of situps with no problems and I've been jogging for a while.

So... long story short:

1. Has anyone else here gone through this? I really appreciate hearing about it because just knowing that this

isn't completely abnormal is pretty helpful. I am sure that I should probably go see my doc right? I haven't seen him in a year! Unbelievable how time flies.

2. Could this have something to do with either building abdominal muscles or maybe with getting a little skinnier (thank god!). I have probably lost about 40 pounds in 2 years. Need to lose another 20 or so.

Thanks so much in advance my fellow bandsters for helping out a freaked out bandster vet :drool::biggrin:

awesome post. really.

Yep, it totally happens after the first fill but my doc told me it's due to the fact that there was still air in my band after surgery and the saline evaporated a little bit -- makes sense given that saline is just salt Water and if there is air, well, there you go. Needless to say I was very frustrated and very worried that I had a leak or something. I'm happy to report that after several more fills, she's still taking the same amount out that she put in there. Don't worry too much about this.. it's pretty normal at first... Good luck!

Puddinpie -- what is the "daily activity"? I just subtract 1800 (my RMR) and then my exercise calories... by the way, I LOVE the Arc trainer!!! I do that all the time at the gym!!!

Does everyone count things like milk in their coffee? salad dressings, little bites of stuff....?? I feel like I very rarely just eat 3 meals a day and i'm wondering if anyone else deals with this?

great picture telly!

Well ladies, I just got another fill this morning. Brings me up to 2.4 and I'm on liquids for a few days. HELLO MARGARITAS!!!! ahahahhahahah!

ANyway, I weighed in at my dr's office and i won't bore you all with the details but i was very, very disappointed. I've basically lost NOTHING since I was there 5 weeks ago -- not even a pound??!!??!:eek: But my clothese feel so much better and everyone says they see a difference so who knows........ She told me though that i need to stay at 1200 cals a day, and that includes weekends! I told her that on the weekends I tend to go up to 1500/1600 and she's like "Well, that's the problem:rolleyes: ! And I was like, "well then fill me up damnit so i'm not hungry all the time!"

hahahah!

Please send me some good vibes though!!????? Dyin' over here! I think my biggest problem is "grazing" at night while I watch tv.. look how many more calories i consume at night!! It's such a tough habit to break though!

So, as for food:

THursday (exercised like crazy -- 1 hour at very hard gym class!):clap2:

Day

grilled chicken with ff dressing -- 160

powerbar -- 280

half a powerbar -- 140

Night

lean cuinine -- 220

crackers -- 60

bruschetta dip - 25

fudgciciles -- 220

cool whip 25

Cereal -- 150

sf pudding -- 50

1320 cals total

FRIDAY -- exercise -- 30 minutes of cardio at gym

a few bits of spaghetti 100

a fe bites of tuna tartare 31 cals

2 white wine spritzers 140

Protein shake -- 350

620 total cals as of 7:43 pm

Oh boy count me in!!! It's gonna be hard with cinco de mayo -- in NYC that's like a national holiday! Plus I have my BFs big birthday dinner on Sat night but this challenge will help me stay focused.

Hello my dear crazy people!!!! I have a HUGE request for everyone -- if you don't mind, can you start posting your calories with your food journal?? I never know whether I'm over-counting calories or under-counting so it would be good to see what everyone else is doing. Plus, I'd like to see what everyone else averages per day... If you don't like counting cals, that's ok ( I hate it myself but like Puddinpie, I've lately become obsessed ... expecially with www. calorieking.com ). Thanks!!

Oh, and some of you may have noticed, but I also calculate the effect of my RMR (resting metabolic rate) which you can get calculated for you at :http://www.24hourfitness.com/html/fitness/fit_calc/rest/. It's great because you can see how many calories you burrrrn just by being YOU! They say it takes about 1000 calories burned to lose a pound and it's kinda cool to see how this all works together.

So I was pretty good yesterday. Went to a class at the gym which was like a combo martial arts/aerobics thing -- probably burned about 800 cals in an hour so thats good. I think I've been eating way too many Protein Bars lately, although they are pretty good for me i guess... whattaya think?? hahaha....

Wednesday

B: powerbar -- 230

L: powerbar - 240

Snack: powerbar -- 170

Dinner: Crackers -- 80, Bruschetta dip -- 30, 2 plums -- 60, FF popsicle -- 110, Skim cheese stick -- 60, lean cuisine -- 280

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1260 total - RMR of 1800 - 800 cals exercise = -1340!! :clap2:

Well, so much for controlling Flow that evil you-know-what!!!! I could seriously kick myself or KILL myself for what I did yesterday! I had TWO business outings -- one for lunch and one for dinner -- which was tough to begin with. But, what do I do??? I decide to have an order of PECAN PIE WITH vanilla ICE CREAM!?!?!?! :embarassed: :embarassed: :embarassed: Erghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why oh why do we do this to ourselves?? I've been SOOO good for the past few weeks and was feeling very proud of myself and then I go and kill it with about 800 cals of dessert!!!! Someone please kick me!??? I suppose I could do much worse than 1800 calories in a day, but still, last week I had it down to under 1000 a day!?!?

Tuesday

broccoli cream Soup 250

cup of risotto 200

Broiled shrimp -- 120

Filet mignon -- 110

Pecan pie -- 500 :grouphug:

Vanilla ice cream --140:mad:

Sweet white --180 :huggie:

2 white wine spritzers -- 140

1 glass red wine --120

___________________

1760 cals -- RMR of 1800 = -40

HIya Sarge!!! Well, I weighed in this morning even though Flow arrived yesterday and that's usually not a good time to weigh in. Down to 217.5! I honestly think it will be an even better loss once you know who gets out of town but I guess I can show off next week :confused::eek:

Hi Everyone!!! Didn't dare get on the scale yesterday since Flow showed up yesterday morning. She's obviously still in town but I braved the scale anyway -- and I was down TWO POUNDS from last Friday!!! WITH FLOW HERE TOO! And I usually gain a few pounds around this time, just from Water weight! Anyway, I'm so happy I did this challenge!!! I kept saying to myself "oh shoot, I can't eat that! I'm supposed to lose 2 pounds this weekend!!!" Hahahah! Now if I could only do that EVERY weekend :confused:

Hi everyone! Ok, so I waged a war against a tin of frozen Cool Whip Light and the cool whip whooped my butt! :confused: :eek: Why oh why did I sit on the couch and consume a whole container of it!?!! Oh well, I still managed to stay under 1200 calories for the day so I guess it wasn't THAT bad... it's TOM which makes me want to do nothing but eat, eat, EAT!!! (oh yeah, and cry at silly Chase bank commercials!! ugh! :pray2: )

Monday

grilled chicken with ff blue cheese dressing = 110 per serving + 45 = 155 cals

2 white wine spritzers (small) = 100

luna bar = 180

way too much Cool Whip Light = 450

fudgcile = 110

SF pudding = 60

grapes = 90

tiny bite of pizza = 50

__________________________

1195 Cals - RMR - 70 = - 675

Tuesday

[Leaving job so had to go out to lunch with co-workers today)

cream Soup 250

cup of risotto 200

[have a big dinner tonight at a famous NYC steakhouse -- so this is what I PLAN on eating -- wish me good luck!!]

(Filet mignon -- 4 ounces) = 220

(spinach or asparagus) ???

(2 wine spritzers) -- 140

___________

450 + (360) = 810

I'm still struggling with this as well. I actually posted a thread about it a few months ago. I realize that when I am SATISFIED, I instinctively PAUSE before I put another bite into my mouth... MY major problem (and most of our problems I'd guess) is LISTENING to my body's signals and stop eating. I find it very difficult to do when there is more food on my plate -- which is a constant problem because I go out to eat a lot to really, really nice restaurants (i.e., $80 an entree) for business dinners... well, you can't tell the waiter "oh please only give me half a serving" because it's embarrassing at a work function and it's also not seen as very "classy." Anyway, my body DOES give soft stop signals, I just have to learn to listen to them.

As for gaining weight after the liquid diet -- ABSOLUTELY! I had only lost about 16 pounds and I ended up gaining back 6 of them! EEK!!! I remember how much that sucked! It's pretty normal though... especially if you don't have too much to lose I think... (not that 60 pounds isn't a lot to lose IMHO, but a lot of folks here are working with larger goals). But yes, you will probably gain back some of that weight (unless you have amazing willpower!) but it will come back off once you get the fill.

Oh, here's the link to the bars with a picture so you can see which ones I'm talking about. Kiss Protein shakes goodbye!

http://www.thebetterhealthstore.com/ItemDetail.asp?ovchn=FRO&ovtac=CMP&sku=4982600021&ovcpn=4982600021&ovcrn=4982600021

you might be depending too much on Protein Shakes. I know that I did that for a while and for some reason, when I switched to Proten BARS, the weight loss picked up. I think your body LIKES to have solid stuff to break down and work on... liquids don't always cut it. I am officially in LOVE with Pure Protein SMORES bars -- 30grams of proten/280 cals (which sounds like a lot but these little guys REALLY fill you up for a while and have lots of good stuff in them). Their bars used to be kinda nasty so I didn't try them for a while, but they radically improved their taste. I'd try half of one of those for morning/other half for snack. As I said, too much liquid might be plateuing you.

Oh my gosh, that is SOOOO cute! Looooove the pictoral aspect! CONGRATS AND I'M SO JEALOUS BUT I WILL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! Sorry, I don't post on weekends either, but I'm happy to report that this weekend was MUCH better than last weekend (notwithstanding my decision to eat FUDGE yesterday! umm, hello?!?!?! well, I'll forgive myself because Flow came to town today and I'm a chocolate addict around this time!)

Puddinpie -- ever consider FUDGE for your "free day"!?? That will definitely get your calorie intake WAYYYYYYYYY over 1200 :):)

Actually, when I used to do WW, I remember people talking about free days as a way to break the metabolism... I don't have that problem yet. I need to work on getting "good days!" but then I think a free day sounds like a good idea. Ok, so here's my weekend so far

Friday -- walked about 15 blocks -- 150 cals

Powerbar 240

milk -- 90 cals

grilled chicken w/light dressing -- dressing is about 45 cals and chicken is about 180 = 225 cals

Cantelope/melon -- 50

Hummus -- 125

Grilled chicken -- 200

Tahini -- 250

Half a small pita-- 50

------

1230 total cals - RMR -150 cals = -695

Saturday -- GYM FOR ONE HOUR! 20 minutes on elliptical and then 20 minutes with weights (500 cals):clap2:

Powerbar -- 280

Grilled chicken breast-- 150

Honey mustard -- 40

crackers -- 60 cals

low fat cheese 60 cals

ham -- 70 cals

milk -- 90

chicken KFC with no skin -- 200

3 white wine spritzers -- 200

half a Protein bar -- 140

---------

1290 cals - RMR of 1800 - 500 cals = -1010

Sunday -- walked around Newport, went sailing (but just sat there really!) Maybe 150 cals

Powerbar -- 280

milk -- 90

bloody mary -- 120

2 clams casino -- 130

bit of fried clam -- 30 cals

3 french fries -- 40

4 bits lobster salad - 120

butter -- 100

fudge -- 220

peanut butter - 190

milk -- 80

peppermint patty -- 160

popsicle -- 25

____________________

1575 cals - RMR - 150 = -375

Oh! I forgot to ask a question -- I can't figure out how many calories I should count for my daily lunch of grilled chicken. It's this skinless, white grilled chicken breast, thinly cut strips... and I put about 2/3rds a cup of it in a Soup cup and add some light blue cheese dressing (VERY TASTY AND FILLING AND EASY!). Anyway, I can't really figure out how many cals the chicken has??? I don't think there's much oil in it, if any.