GreatlyBlessed

Hello everyone! I haven't logged on in a while because I was becoming more and more discouraged as my weight loss slowed down. I got another fill and I began losing again. I haven't lost as much as some of you but I am back on the right track and determined to get the rest of this weight off. I am so excited because as of yesterday, I have lost 100lbs. I am looking and feeling better than I have ever felt in my life. At 26yrs. old I am now smaller than I was at 16yrs. old. I never thought I would ever see this day. I thought I would be a big girl for the rest of my life. I see a brighter future ahead of me now. I will never let my weight hold me back again.

That is incredible. I am so happy for you all. I can't wait to make my announcement when I reach 100 pounds lost. I am almost there. Good luck and keep up the good work.

My dietitian told me to weigh myself one time per day to make sure I stay on track. If I see that I am gaining I can fix it before it gets out of control. I think I am a little obsessed though. I weigh myself at least 5 times a day, most of the time more than that. I am so ready for this weight to come off. It's not like after 1 hour of exercise I will see a drop in weight but I just have a bad obsession with the scale and I don't know if I can stop. If I see my weight hasn't gone down in a couple of days I get depressed and do whatever I can to speed up my weight loss. This last fill has helped me out because my weight seems to be dropping as the days go by. I hope it continues for a while as long as I keep doing my part but I know it won't always come off this easy.

I was banded June 23, 2008. I had my 5th fill Monday Nov. 24th. I could immediately tell that I was finally restricted. The nurse said that my doc may have filled me too much because it took me a long time to drink the cup of water she gave me. My doctor had already left because he was called to an emergency. I have 4.5cc's in a 10cc band. I thought I should have 6cc's now but I think he must have missed the port the last 2 times. I know that I am still swollen from the fill but I am having a real hard time drinking liquids. I am on liquids for 2 days, mushies for 2 days then solids. On Monday I had 1 cup of coffee before my fill. After the fill I could only get down about 8 ounces of water for the rest of the day. Today I had 2 small sips of coffee this morning and about 8 ounces of cold tea w/equal which I am still sipping on now. I am taking really tiny sips and when I swallow I feel painful tightening in my chest and then about 3-5 seconds later I hear and feel like a gurgling in my chest followed by a belch and then the pain calms down. It happens every time I take a sip. I am afraid to start mushies tomorrow because I don't want to get anything stuck. I don't want to get an unfill yet because I want to give the swelling time to go down. Is this what restriction feels like or am I too tight? I know it will loosen up in a couple of days but I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar situation happen to them? If so what happened and what did you do?

I agree with all of you. I tried eating some tuna in mayo last night and although I took less than dime size bites it got stuck and I was terrified. I couldn't breathe, my eyes were watering, my mouth was overflowing in secretions, and I had waves of tightening in my chest. I kept swallowing the saliva in my mouth then had 2 sips of water and the tuna went down. I was so scared and I don't want to ever experience that again. I am going to stay on liquids until Monday then go in for an unfill.

Thank you all for your comments. They are all helpful. I was able to drink 4oz of light orange juice this morning and I had the same pain in my chest followed by the gurgling after every sip. At one point the juice was sitting in my throat and I thought it was going to come back up but it went down. I will try to drink a protein shake this evening. If by this evening I can't drink the protein shake I will go in for an unfill. I don't want to resort to eating unhealthy slider foods and I also don't want to get stuck. I just feel that if I get an unfill and I become too loose then I will be tempted to eat things I know I shouldn't, just because I can. I am hoping this is just swelling because my doctor told me that I will have some swelling after each adjustment and that is why he has me on liquids for 2 days, mushies for 2 days then solids. I do appreciate everyones advise. I think I was just a little scared lastnight because I have never felt this before. Thank you all for your comments and I will post an update later today.

One thing I noticed right off the bat is that you are still eating a lot of mushy type foods. Things like tuna, yogurt, and soup can easily slide through your pouch. You need to eat grilled chicken, fish, ground beef or turkey and more solid like foods. They will keep you fuller longer because they will collect in the pouch and not slide through as quickly. I can't imagine why at 8.5 cc's you are not losing. You may be eating high calorie soups. I would suggest making sure you get a little exercise in everyday. Maybe you need an unfill to allow you to eat more solid foods without getting them stuck. Don't give up. Keep in touch with your doctor and nutritionist.

Hi I'm 25 and I am also in the DFW area. I was banded June 23, 2008. Good luck everyone.

I am also worried about overeating during Thanksgiving. I talked to my doctor about this and he is giving me an early fill on November 24. I already feel restriction so I know this next fill will be just what I need to keep me from overeating. Absolutely no one in my family knows about my surgery other than my mom and dad. My own brother doesn't even know. My family already sees me losing weight so they may not bombard me with questions when they see me eating a very small amount during the holidays. Good luck to all of you during the holidays. Remember if you mess up don't give up just start over with a clean slate tomorrow.

Well, I think my doctor did finally get the needle in my port because BOY do I feel restriction. I haven't felt like this before. I'm not too tight where I can't get anything down, but I feel the restriction now with just the liquids I'm on now. I feel like I'm so stuffed after drinking about a cup of water. I had 4cc's in already but I don't know how much more he put in because he couldn't draw it back out. I will see how much I can eat tomorrow when I start mushies. I am down 2 more pounds today. I am still swollen and sore from Thursday but it's getting better.

I had the same problem this morning. My doctor stuck me like 7 or 8 times and couldn't find the center of my port. He had to change needles because it almost broke inside me. When he pulled it out it was bent. He ended up having to give me a second local anesthetic. I felt the pressure from the needle going through the plastic on the port. I could feel the needle scraping around inside my belly. I also felt a lot of pressure and burning. I think he completely missed the port or went straight through it. He said he finally got it but I'm still not convinced. He couldn't pull the fluid out to make sure it was in there. They scheduled my next fill for 3 weeks instead of 5 so maybe he isn't convinced either. I am really sore right now so I took some tylenol. I really don't understand why it was so difficult this time. My first three fills were easy. Only one stick and I was done. My doctor also told me that as I lose weight the port moves. I just hope my next fill isn't this difficult.

I have set specific goals now and told myself there are NO EXCUSES not to exercise. I am 25 years old, I am carrying less weight now, I'm not tired all the time anymore, so I need to get off my but and get moving. The result! I lost 6 pounds this week and the week isn't even over yet. Exercise is very hard and I don't think I'll ever enjoy it but this weight isn't going to come off by itself. I found myself grabbing a bag of Cheetos and heading to bed when I realized that I was following the same pattern that made me morbidly obese to begin with. I made myself exercise tonight with the bag of chips right in front of me. I thought about how I want to look and feel after I lose weight and I didn't even have a taste for them anymore. After I finished exercising I took the chips back downstairs and threw them in the trash. I drank a diet snapple instead. I go to the doctor tomorrow morning for my 4th fill. I currently have 4cc's in a 10cc band. I hope he gives me a full cc, but I don't know because he is very conservative with his fills. I had to beg him for the 2cc's he put in last month. I have some restriction now but not enough because I can still eat large amounts but I try to limit myself and not test the limits of the band.

I just started exercising last week and now I can do 50 jumping jacks and 50 crunches without taking a break after 10.

I am going for my first support group meeting tonight. I haven't been before because I thought I didn't need it but I really do. I don't know anyone personally who has had the band and I need the support now more than ever. Since this last fill the weight started coming off again and now it has stopped AGAIN! I am so confused, I don't know what to do. I stopped snacking, no more sugar free peanut butter cookies, no more chips, I exercise 30 minutes a day and I am actually eating less this week than the weeks before and the scale is stuck again. I really don't know what to do.

Thank You for the response brown bear. I was feeling really discouraged because when I had my last visit with the doctor his nurse stormed in the room and looked at me and said "YOU ONLY LOST 5lbs. SINCE YOUR LAST VISIT!" I felt bad but I really didn't have restriction. I have been working really hard to lose the 55lbs. that I have lost already and that was only with a 2cc fill. My nutritionist and the nurse practitioner said that I have lost this weight on my own so far just by changing my eating habbits and exercising. They said the band hasn't been tight enough to be effective. The nurse practitioner says she gives 4cc's on the first fill and here I am over 3 months out and I am just now at 4cc's. I have to write in a notebook eveyday to convience myself that I don't need a cookie and that I don't need that pie. I have filled 2 notebooks with reasons why I don't need certain things and reasons why I want to lose this weight. I try with everything in me to stick to eating healthy but it's so hard when I still have the same hunger and cravings as I did before the surgery. The band should be tight enough so that I couldn't eat it if I tried to. I need the fills to help me get the weight off. If I could do it by dieting alone I would have kept my money and spent it on something else. I paid cash for my surgery. I did this because I have been obese since elementary school. I just want to be normal for a change.

Hi everyone. I have been hiding out because I didn't feel my weight loss was going too well. I have been eating healthy but not watching my portion sizes. My doctor will only put 1cc in per month so I began to feel like a failure because I am not losing anymore. I started at 324lbs in June 2008. I was stuck between 272 and 278 for the past month. I know it was my own fault because I can't stop snacking between meals. I only had 2cc's in a 10cc band so I really had no restriction after all the swelling went down. I finally talked my doctor into giving me 2cc's for my third fill , but he said he won’t do it again. So, now I have 4cc's in my band and I can really feel it now. It is a little confusing to know if I am at my sweet spot. I don't have the hungry feeling much anymore but I feel like I have something in my throat and chest area constantly. I don't want to tell my doctor because I don't want him to remove any of the fill. It's not a full or stuck feeling because I feel it even before I eat breakfast, but it just feels like something is there. It doesn't hurt but it is just a little uncomfortable. I am happy to say that my numbers are going down again and this morning I weighed 269lbs. I cannot believe that I am smaller than I was in high school. All throughout high school I weighed around 289lbs. in a size 24. Even before I got pregnant I was around 278lbs. to 290lbs. I am 269lbs. and wearing a size 20. UNBELIEVABLE! I have never worn a size 20. I didn't tell anyone about my surgery other than my parents and everyone asks me all the time what I am doing to lose this much weight. I feel so guilty telling them I am just eating healthy and exercising. I know I am not lying about that part but it just makes me sick to keep this secret from my family and friends. It feels like I have a secret life or something.

Hi MamaJava, I haven't been banded very long (2 months) so I know I can't give you more helpful advise than someone who has been banded longer. I just want to say I think you should relax. Sit down and think about what you are eating. Be honest with yourself and keep a journal of everything you eat and record your exercise. If you make sure your calories, sugar, and carbs are low I don't see how you can't lose. I know you say you are not eating breads and Pasta but carbs are in a lot of other things as well and in high numbers. I keep my food and exercise journal on my computer. Anytime I pick something up to eat I go straight to my computer and type it in along with the calories, fat, carbs, sugar, and Protein it provides. If you just have to have ice cream try low fat yogurt. I eat the low fat yogurt or no sugar added ice cream but I only eat it maybe two to three times a month. I don't eat it everyday. You could also try sugar free/fat free pudding made with 1/2% milk. I love that, I sometimes mix bananas in it. Other than that just make sure you are doing everything you possibly can to lose the weight. I know I want to lose this weight so bad and I will not sabotage my success by eating things I know I shouldn't eat.

I am so happy for you. I can't wait to be in your position. I also started at 324 lbs. I am now 277. I have to lose 28 more pounds before I will have less than 100 lbs. to lose. I can't wait to say I have 99 lbs. to lose. That's still a lot but it's better than saying I have 174 lbs. too lose.

I am there too. My body feels so much more energized now. I can go to the store and not have to lean on the basket anymore. I have more confidence. I use to stay in the house all the time because I was scared of what people were thinking about me in public. I was so huge and disgusting. Now I have 47 pounds behind me and I am beginning to get good stares now. I am more friendly and able to smile when someone says hi to me. No one ignores me anymore like I don't exist. My doctor says I am melting away. He can even see the difference in my appearance. I have gone from a size 28 pants to a 20 and there not even tight. I wasn't even a size 20 in high school. My life is so much more active and joyful. I can't wait to put all of these issues about my weight behind me. Apples2 how did you lose 85 pounds? You were banded a week before me.

I completely understand what you are talking about. I was banded June 23, 2008 and I have lost 47 pounds. I started at 324 and now weigh 277. I haven't told anyone other than my mom and dad about the band. My mom and brother noticed that I look smaller but my dad and everyone else couldn't tell that I lost weight. Finally this weekend my brothers girlfriend looked at me and she asked me if I was losing weight. She was so excited for me and wanting to know what I was doing. I told her I was eating healthy and exercising which is truly what I am doing considering I only have 1cc in a 10cc band. I think the reason she notice is because I went shopping this weekend and bought new smaller clothes. I was wearing a size 28 before and they looked so sloppy because I have to constantly pull my pants up in public and they are just way too big. Now I am in a size 20 and people can see my shape now. Buying clothes that fit better on your body may help people see that you are losing weight. I was so self-conscious at first but I look so much better wearing clothes that fit.

I went shopping today. The first time in like two years. I was so happy to discover that I no longer wear a size 28 pants. I tried on a size 26, too big. I tried on size 24, too big. I tried on size 22, too big. I now officially wear a size 20 pants. I can't believe it! I was just going to by some smaller clothes in a size 24 because my clothes now fall off of me and I don't want to look sloppy everywhere I go any more pulling and tugging on my pants. I didn't think I was already a size 20. Now I have new clothes that fit to wear to school next week. I feel so much better about myself now. I was beginning to worry because my weight was at a stand still until this morning. This size 20 will be too big in no time if I keep working hard to lose this weight. I felt so good, I wanted to buy everything in the store today. My mom only let me get five outfits because she reminded me that I will be losing even more and I don't need to spend too much money because I will be back later buying even smaller clothes. I'm looking forward to giving these new clothes away sometime in the near future.

I know the adjustment to our new anatomy takes some time to get used to. We know in our minds how much we were eating pre-band and our mind tells us to eat until we feel stuffed. We have to have some control. It has been said before that the band will not do all of the work for us. We need to use this tool to help us realize when our stomach is satisfied not stuffed. This will help us eat less and lose weight. I lost 44 lbs. from the time I started my pre-op diet June 16th. until now. I began writing everything I ate no matter how small in a notebook. I stopped doing that a couple of weeks ago and now I notice my weight loss has completely stopped. I began writing in that notebook again on Monday and I have begun exercising also. Now I have started losing again. When I write in my notebook I can distinguish head hunger from real hunger by seeing what I ate at what time. If it has only been an hour or two I know its not real hunger and I either get something to drink or find something to do to keep my hands busy. You have to try to get away from the sweets. I was the biggest sweets eater before my band. I would eat a whole pack of place and bake cookies in 2-3 days. I would eat chocolate all day long. I still have cravings for sweets. I usually mix 1 box of instant sugar free/fat free vanilla pudding with 3 cups of cold 1% - 1/2% milk and maybe a few reduced fat nilla wafer cookies, you could also put some bananas in it to make it a banana pudding. Also, make sure your not consuming a lot of calories and sugar in your drinks. Anything I eat or drink is sugar free or fat free. Before I started recording my food I noticed I was snacking a lot. I still have snacks but I make sure the calories are low and it gives me a significant amount of protein. I have had 1 fill of 1cc last month and I go for another one on the 19th of this month. I'm hoping this fill gives me enough restriction to stop snacking so much. I would suggest slowing down when you eat. My dietitian told me to take a dime sized bit then place my utensils down and don't pick them back up until I have chewed my food well and swallowed. Slowing down may give your brain time to get the message from your stomach that you are full. Try not to stress yourself out over it. We all know that old habits are hard to break and it is even harder to incorporate good healthy habits. Let your doctor and nutritionist know everything thats been going on so they can help you.

Ok, I was banded on June 23rd. I had my 6 week post op visit Monday. Unlike the rest of you my doc only gave me 1 cc in my 10cc band. I was a little disappointed, and he said that he wants to take the fills slow to prevent a slippage. I have to do 2 days liquid 2 days mushies then solids. I was so upset but as I moved up to mushies I noticed that I feel fuller now with a smaller amount. I feel the restriction even though it's not much and I am still losing. I felt like I had a little restriction before the fill and now I notice even more so maybe slow is the way to go. I don't want to be too filled where I can't comfortably eat a small meal.

Hi, I was banded on June 23rd. I have lost 38 pounds so far and still loosing. Keep up the good work everyone!

Hi, I had my surgery on 6/23. I was surprisingly in more pain that I thought I would be. Yesterday was the first day I felt comfortable without pain medication. I went through 2 bottles of liquid lortab in one week. I couldn't drink my protein shake or even much water. I drank 4oz. of my protein shake and felt a knot in my stomach. I am much better now and drinking lots of water. I go to my doctor today for a one week post-op exam. Then I go to the nutritionist on July 10th for my first post-op nutrition class. Everyone seems to have done better than me early on. Maybe I have a low pain tolerance.