kiz

I had doctor prescribed phentermine twice (guess I'm a glutton for punishment), and pretty much didn't feel like eating for a few weeks, but I didn't feel like sleeping either. I lost between 25 - 30 lbs (needed to lose 60), before the effect started to wear off. I finally got to the point where I could sleep, but with that, my appetite returned, as did the weight. At my sweet spot, with the band, I have much the same feeling of satiety, but without the sleep disorder and mood swings.

If you're eating bigger portions and you can eat solid meals, so that you're not relying of soft foods, you most probably need a fill. Try to fit in a brisk walk at lunch, and other times during the day. Take the steps rather than the elevator. Park at the end of the lot. Try to work in more cardio on your days off. Add a little weight training if possible. When your work slows up a bit, hopefully you'll be able to fit in more exercise. Try to start fresh, and not lament the weight gain. With the band, you can always have a new day one. Good luck!!!

I love my Asics, but you really do need to go try on different brands and styles within each brand. It's surprising how different they fit and feel on your feet. Also, if you have a good running store, that was a good suggestion to have them fit you.

It might be ketosis due to your low carb intake. I had a metallic taste in my mouth, but others describe it as a fruity or sweet taste.

My advice would be for you to call your surgeon. You might do better with the band if you have some counseling first with a nutritionist &/or a psychologist. Some pre-op diets are much more restrictive than others, and some people do "cheat" a little, but it sounds like you're having more problems sticking with the diet than most. Cheating with the band can lead to worse problems than just weight gain. Unfortunately, it can lead to major band problems. If it were me, I'd want to make sure I had my head in the right place before going through with the surgery. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best.

Just be sure that you're getting other fluids down so that you don't become dehydrated. If you're having trouble doing that, call your doctor. Some doctors add a fill during surgery. Chances are, as your swelling subsides, your hunger will return, but it's really important that you stay hydrated.

Cigarettes are so darn expensive nowadays. Start yourself a clothing fund for all those new clothes you're going to need as you're dropping sizes with the money you used to spend on cigs. Best of luck to you!! It must be very hard to be dieting, going through the stress of surgery, and dropping the nicotine habit all at once. Vent away as needed.

Welcome to LBT. Good luck with lining everything up with your insurance. I tried phentermine twice (not sure of the dosage) and would lose around 20-30 lbs, and then nothing. While it was working I was nervous and couldn't sleep, once the effects tapered off and I felt myself again, I was hungry and my weightloss stalled. It must work well for some people but not for me.

I may be converting this wrong, but I found that 10cc equals .34 ounces. That's like two teaspoons. I used a couple of online conversion sites. (I'm sorry if I got it wrong). FWIW...my pouch holds 1/2 cup.

I'm very glad to hear it turned out to be that stitch causing the problem and not an infection. Whew! Thanks for letting me know, I was concerned for you.

Welcome to LBT. Others have said it, and it's true, once you get close to your sweet spot, a tiny fill either up or down, may be all you need. I went from okay restriction to fabulous restriction with a 0.5 cc fill. That was very smart to get the slight unfill before. You risk damage to your band if you're too tight. Now, it sounds like you need another small fill. Your band might have loosened up due to shrinking fat around your stomach or you might have been having trouble before due to swelling.

I got my band just over a year ago. I was generally losing a pound/week with little to no restriction, then I gained five pounds and then plateaued because I was eating between meals. My last/sweet spot fill was the first of August. It took me a few weeks to listen to my body that I wasn't hungry and nix the snacking. Now, that I'm back on track, I've lost 54 pounds and have 21 pounds to lose to get to my goal.

I'm glad you know that your port is okay...but OUCH, that sounds painful. Did he say if that was dangerous or if it could lead to your port flipping?

I think it's mostly IV fluid and water retention. I gained too, but it was gone in a few days after surgery.

You're doing exactly what you you need to do at this point. It sounds like you're following your doctors post-op diet to a T so that you will have well healed stomach. You'll should start seeing weight loss once you can start eating nutrient rich solid foods that tend to be lower in calories than slider foods. Also, more than likely, you'll start getting hungry, and that's when band fills become very important. Until you start feeling restriction, which could happen right away or after several fills, you may feel more like you're on a diet then like you had WLS. Once you start feeling restriction, your band will be your bff. Of course, as you mentioned, exercise will help speed up the process. I never expected to loose 2 to 4 lbs/week. Not that I would mind, but my goal was 1 to 2 lbs/week weight loss. I've had my ups and downs getting to good restriction, but now that I have it, I'm trending at 1.5 lbs/week.

Part of it depends on what you want your sweet spot to be. For me, I wanted to stay satisfied 3+ hours (I usually start getting hungry 4 breakfast to lunch and 5 hours lunch to dinner) on the meal plan my doctor prescribed (3 1/2 cup solid meals plus one healthy snack), being able to eat most foods without fear of pb/slime/reflux, and to have that restriction stay long term. I had restriction along the way, but after two to four weeks it would fade. Looking back on it, I imagine the fade was due to losing fat around my stomach and the false sense of restriction due to swelling after a fill. I've been at my sweet spot for almost three months.

You really need to try to get to day three before you give up. That was the turning point for me, and I've read that over and over. Canadagirl mentioned the same thing. Your body has to adjust to the reduction of carbs. I know some of these pre-op diets are more restrictive than others, and that really sucks. (I was allowed one small, healthy, very low carb "meal" per day or a third protein shake and there's way around it, it's not easy, but it's not impossible).

My band has given me the control I used to have to limit my food intake before my hunger got out of control. I felt hungry all the time and found myself constantly grazing and making terrible food choices. Now, with my band, I'm in control. I make healthy food choices, I'm not grazing on junk food, and now that I'm getting closer to my goal weight, I have energy that I never imagined I could regain. Also, with the band, you do have some control over how tight you want to keep it. I would never want my band so tight I couldn't eat major foods such as steak, bread, pasta etc. Unfortunately, some people just have a lower tolerance for those foods, and you really can't predict that ahead of time. I would opt for the loosest band that keeps me satisfied on smaller portions while being able to eat the most variety of foods.

I was craving chocolate tonight... Plain Greek yogurt, a few tsps of sf hot chocolate powder, a dash of vanilla extract, teaspoon of Peanut Butter, 1/4 scoop Protein powder and Fiber One Cereal for chunkiness. I have to say it was some kind of yummy.

I'm very sorry to hear that your fill was painful. I have absolutely no pain, and the doctor uses no numbing. However, I accidentally discovered when I was scratching my stomach near that area that I'm numb right over the port. I asked the NP about it, and she said sometimes a nerve is cut, and it may or may not grow back. I hope to heck it never grows back. Ask for numbing next time.

I would listen to your husband and call your band doctor. That's crazy that she won't give you meds for pain with gall bladder problems. There's a chance you'll have to have your band fill removed from your band anyway, so that would make things easier. If I remember right, I saw the doctor that did the gall bladder surgery three times. Once for the diagnosis, once for the surgery, and once to get staples removed from one of the incisions (it was pre-glue times). I had two full out gall stone attacks before I saw her, and the pain was almost unbearable. She gave me a pain med that was safe for nursing mothers, but strong enough that it knocked me out. She scheduled my surgery fairly fast, because my gall bladder was full of stones, and I ended up needing the meds she gave one time, and thank God I had it.

Will your doctor do another fill after a couple of weeks? (some won't). Do you know if your doctor put a fill in your band during surgery? They test the band, and there's always some saline left, but some doctors go ahead and give a fill right off the bat. If you didn't get one then, your fill was pretty small, but that's not so unusual. It's just going to take time, but you'll get there.

You're doing absolutely nothing wrong. You just need more fill. Sometimes it takes a while to get good restriction. Try not to get discouraged. I went back once for sure, but maybe twice, just two weeks after a fill for another. Generally though, I went every four weeks, until I finally hit my sweet spot. I've had fantastic restriction for over two months now (almost three).

I bought my green Beans today, and I'm fixing them tonight. Thanks for the great tip! I bet the sweet potatoes would be good too. I'll give them a try next.

I wish I remember the girl's name on LBT, but she was asked by an acai rep to buy her before and after pictures for their ads. Not that she'd even ever used acai (she lost her weight with the aid of a lap band). It could be just one dishonest rep, but I tend to doubt it. If the product was as good as it says, why would they willing to buy pictures (although, the girl was gorgeous) from someone who didn't even use their product? I think it's a scam.