cashley

Well the weight came off fast for a few weeks and now it's stuck again. I woke up this morning three pounds heaver then yesterday. I only ate 1100 calories but I know that's too much. It's hard to stick between 600-800 but that's what it takes to lose for me.

It's sad to think that I have to go that low... I'm so comfortable with about 1100 calories and know that should work. Anyway it goes 1100 calories shouldn't cause a gain.

I just don't know.

Well finally... Weight Loss seems to be settling in. I'm still not at my goal of 2 pounds loss average per week but I'm getting close.

My fill level is at 2.7 now and wow I can't eat much. I'm vomiting every once in awhile but keeping some stuff down. I'm so happy to finally be losing and hope that it continues.

I know that there will be stalls and I'm anticipating them.

As of today I'm 193.5 which is 21.5 down.

Good Luck on your surgery! Don't let some of the other journals worry you about the weight loss... I think the people that journal the most are the ones that stuggle the most.

I was really hoping I wasn't a turtle but I Excel'ed my weight loss journey and it became pretty sad to me.

06/01/05 - 190 - Put on waiting list for Surgery Seminar /

12/19/05 - 209 - 1st Seminar for LapBand Surgery / Didn't qualify according to their rules

01/16/06 - 214 - 2nd Seminar - Almost qualify / Doctor will meet with me

01/24/06 - 220 - 1st Appointment with Doctor - he let me weight with shoes & jeans on

01/27/06 - 215 - Pre-Op Testing and Meeting with Dietian

02/01/06 - 215 - Started Pre-Op Diet

02/08/06 - 215 - Didn't lose after 1 week of liquids

02/10/06 - 213 - Went back to Gym / 30 minutes of Ellipitical plus weights

02/17/06 - 213.2 - Joined Weight Watchers

02/24/06 - 211.6 - Some loss

03/06/06 - 211.4 - Wow that was a week of hell dietings for .2 pounds

03/10/06 - 208.6 - Much better at least some loss at a decent rate

03/17/06 - 209.5 - Hmmmm a gain! Dont know why still on-plan and exercising 5 days a week for at least 1 hour sometimes more.

03/21/06 - 209.5 - First Fill @ Drs. office 1.7 cc

03/24/06 - 209 - Still after a fill and not eating much at all

This was just depressing to put on paper. I track every bite I take, ever second I exercise. There just isn't a reason that it's this slow! I'm not even back to the weight I was when I first called about this surgery... It's actually 11 weeks dieting... and only 6 pounds down! Plus I'm $17,500 lighter in the pocket!

Things are a bit better... I mean I still can eat too much but I can feel it and know when to stop.

I've discovered something pretty powerful (yet depressing) if I do weight watchers are directed and eat my 26 points plus my 35 flex points plus my activity points.... I won't lose at all.... Since the fill I've tried to keep my points under 20 - I still exercise about 60 - 90 minutes 5 days a week. I do full blast on the ellipitical since I love to try and burn as many calories as possible on it in 30 minutes.

So what I was saying (typing) is on 20 points.... which is low with no extras I think I'm losing. It's hard to tell today since it's only been since last Tuesday I was filled but I maybe down 2 pounds since then. I'm unsure since I don't trust my scale and waiting until I go to Weight Watchers to see really if it's working.

20 points is depressing since that's not much and hard to juggle them to try and get travel food, social food and healthful food all in. When I used to have flex points and activity points I could save up or exercise more to have a special meal.

I'm going to try real hard and not be depressed... I'm going to the gym in a few minutes and working out. I'm going to have something delicious for dinner afterward and keep the points low.

I can be positive (I think)

My family jumps down my throat too for taking about it so much... I don't guess they understand how hard it is and how much we just want to talk about it.

I finally have a fill but already broke the liquid rule on day one and added some mushies.

I don't know why I continue to break the rules. Normally on a diet I don't break the rules usually until week 8 or 9... It's just it seems so hard to do liquids only.

I got 1.7cc's in my 4cc band. I feel real hungrey today and have had a protein shake and coffee and water.

I'll probably need another fill early but will wait at least 3 weeks since I have a vacation the first week in April.

The hard part about the fill was telling the doctor what I felt while I drank water. He wanted to know when the water felt it was going down. Well really I didn't feel anything. I should have told him I didn't really even feel the water stop in my chest like he said it was. That was on full-fill level. Yikes I'm a bit scared I want this to work so bad.

Good Luck on Monday... We'll be thinking about you! I'll be out of town so I won't get to check the board until Tuesday but hopefully you can post how great you did soon after surgery.

Went to the grocery yesterday.... Finding it really hard to still make good choices. Of corse I'm not filled yet so these first 6 weeks are so hard. I keep hearing everyone say... It's a bonus if you lose but *#@*@))@, I just spend $17,500 on this and I want my new life to begin as soon as possible. I'm not getting any younger.

In the past I would spend about 6 - 12 weeks on a diet before I'd give up. Usuallly in that time I might lose 3 pounds. I'd sit and watch at Weight Watchers as others would lose 2 or 3 a week. But I'd also see a lot of people like me that would lose .2 or even gain after a week on plan.

I'd hear other optimistic people say "Don't give up you are at least going down" and I'd say "It's not worth that much work and it being that hard to only lose 3 pounds".

When people think that overweight people are lazy it kills me but I've never seen my skinny friends work so hard for a goal and they don't have a clue what it's like to never see it.

I'm doing weight watchers now so I can at least maintain these first 6 weeks. Today is my 5th weight in.

Wow - I've been Banded for a month and just found this journal area. It's really nice because so many questions I have of others are right here. It's nice to see other people who have been though what you are going though.

I'll start this jounal with how I got to this point... I was young in college and thin. I could eat anything I wanted it was great. Of course you don't realize it then. I taught aerobics to put myself though college and had a weight lifter boy friend. What a life. Had I know that would be part of my metibolic issue now I might not have tried so hard then. I busted my butt to stay fit and thin but didn't diet. Soon it got harder and harder. I had to workout more and there just wansnt that much time. I started dieting but it seemed to be a downhill slope. Getting worse each time and harder to lose. I finally tried Phen Fen... It worked - Lost it all - felt great Until they took it off the market. Gained it all back.

Nothing worked.... My doctors didn't believe me they said I wasn't working out enough or I was eating too much. I kept journals they didn't want to look at.

I finally went to my endo for my hypoglcymia and she said most people don't really have hypoglcymia that it's in their head... she sent me home but first wanted to do a blood test. My suger was in the 50's and they wouldn't let me drive until it reached 70... and she thought it was in my head.

She send me to a dietian and she said cut your carbs... it was such BS! I've told a lot of people I was having this surgery and they said but you don't need it you're not that heavy. (Just diet) People don't realize I work my butt off just to stay at 220 and not go higher.

Well I workout more then anyone I know, I eat less then many people I know. My mom has diabetes and heart disease. She had a massive heart attack at only 45 years old and had to have by-pass surgery. She's thin for the first time in her life and she didn't diet or change her eating at all.

I swear it's hormones... why would my mom's body change so fast and now she eats way more then me.

Anyway here I am - tired of fighting the fight and not going anywhere. I'll just cry if this doesn't work becuase I don't mind the work as long as I can at least see some results. It's the weeks after weeks that turn into months after months of staying on a strict diet, working out and not losing. My doctor finally said once - You're body is just "used" to your workout - you'll have to workout harder. (There just isnt that much time in a day)

Hi! I've been reading your journal. It's very interesting. I haven't been though the exact same problems but I really feel for you. I have fought and fought with doctors the last 10 years and they have no respect. I'm tired of begin handed one medicine after another without any care for what is causing the symptons. I've dieted and dieted and all I get is blank stares from the doctor that I must not be doing them right because if I was they would work. I've pee'd in my pants for the last three years and they said "You're fine just try this medicine" I say "BUT WAIT -I'm young do I have to take it the rest of my life? What's the problem?

They just don't know. My mom can't control her diabetes and they don't know why... they say just "Eat Better and try some more medicine"

Needless to say I'm so flustrated. I have lost a few pounds since surgery so maybe I won't be a slow loser this time but I read your story and know in my heart how hard you must be struggling. I wish you the best of luck and that they find a solution to the cushing and take you seriously. That's the part I really understand is that feeling of them not taking me seriously.

Sorry about the rambling above but after I read your most recent journal entry I was so overwhelmed with things I wanted to say and had a hard time forming a complete thought.