heather.vasquez

Hey everyone, It's great to see everyone doing well. I've had my 3rd fill and won't be back to the Dr's till June!! Although the scale isn't moving as fast as I would like i can feel the difference in my body & clothes. I have a bankers band and can't comfortably eat before 9am... I drink a Protein Shake on my way into the office or put Protein Powder in my coffe and drink that along the way. My favorite Non Scale moment was this week. I had to do a presentation for the President of our company and I wanted to look nice and wear a dress so a friend of mine offers to let me borrow a dress!! I was like your tiny A$$ is not going to have anythign to fit me!!:thumbup: well she pulled it out l looked at the tag and it said Medium!!:smile: Well to my suprise I tried it on and it Fit wonderfully.... I truly cried and said FINALLY!! Although I'm not that size on this blessed bottom I have I was truly excited that this dress fit me and then all day at wok everyone was like DAMN!! You look HOT!! Haven't heard that in 18 years!!.

Everyone keep your head ..keep eating well...and enjoy those Non Scale moments because they mean just as much if not better than the numbers on that damn scale!! Big Hugs!!

heck yeah ... meat lately since my third fill is tough .. it scares me to eat it at times.... that stuck feeling in your chest is awfull:cursing: I can't eat pork at all ...for some reason that and steak get stuck!! What an awfull feeling. bread = Extream pain!!

Hi Everyone, just thought I would hope in and see how everyone is doing. I've had my third fill and I think this is it for a while... When I get full I know it !!! If I don't chew enough I get an awful chest pain and I have to move around till it gets down...Damn it hurts. My weight loss is slow but I'll take slow and Gradual then tons in the beggining and none at the end. I have finally figure the more I eat the better the loss. I have had to a seperation from carbs and manage them to the littlest factor if I have bread it's high in Fiber and 100 calories I love those Arnold thins... It's just enough or like today to much. I usually have a low carb Protein Shake int he AM only 110 cal 17gms protein.. egg beaters around 10:30 lunch 1:00 All Protein 4:00 snack high protein or low fat then dinner 6:00 Protein and Veggies all solid meals are around 4-5 oz.

Hope everyone keeps up the good work Wanna B great job on the two lbs and Happy Birthday!!

Thank you for trying to keep us positive. But all these things you pointed out I did before the band and lost. So why did we get the band? I am not losing a thing on the band. I am going back to a diet I know works for me. My issue is why did I get the band if I am going back to the making good choices and exercise. I certainly did not need a band for that. I am not sure what the band is suppose to be doing, other than making things stick and pb'ing. It is really getting hard to try to stay positive with something I have yet to see do anything for me.

Wannab Has your dr. given you any guidence on why no loss?

Well, I saw my surgeon today and while he doesn't think I have slippage, he is sending me for an upper GI to be sure. I have had a stomach virus twice, with lots of vomiting. So, no fill until after the xray. Hopefully, no slippage or other problems so I can get my second fill soon. Keep good thoughts for me!

My Fingers are crossed for you keep us updated!!

I wasn't just hungry, I was ravenous. I called them and said the dog was looking tasty, how soon could they get me in.

Beth that is hillarious .. did you get your fill yet?

I know we were all banded around the same time, so I need some help. I have had a horrible stomach virus twice in the past three months, since being banded. This past time, I know I vomited more than my pouch should be able to hold. My husband agrees. I called the dr. and the receptionist scheduled me to see him on Tuesday to be checked. He will probably send me for tests and won't give me a fill. He may take some out, although i have only had one fill. I don't know whether to cancel the appt. or go see him. I have a fill scheduled for 3/18 and I really, really need it. What should I do? I am not in any pain, just worried about actually vomiting. The dr. said originally that we could only vomit what was recently in our stomach. Go to the dr or don't go...what would you do?

I personally would go if all checks out well. Maybe he can do a fill for you right then in there so you don't have to come back on the 18th. Keep us posted:biggrin:

Jewels, Don't give up hope I to took down my long term ticker and put up my June Goal I god tired of kickn my a$$ everday watching it not move. Last month I lodt 4lbs in one week!! Next week back on, then I had PMS I swell and crave everything, then my monthly friend arrives... So really I only have 2 weeks out of the month to ge ahead.:thumbup: It's enough to send your head spinning. I have a friend who had this two years ago and fell of track and is now doing great. I asked her how she did it. She told me daily journal with what she ate drank, if she was upset and ate 3 Cookies she wrote it, Exercise how many calories burned and what she did and only weighed herself on Fridays. She says the next day she would read the previous day and learned from her mistakes and started a new day with a new can do attitude.

I went out today and got a book and I'm going to try it. My problem is will Power !!! If the food is left out and I can easily grab it I will.... I caught myself eating a cookie in shame today!!! What am I two?? I knew i shouldn't have had it... WHATEVER .. Tomorrow is a new day and no cookies unless I stay on the machine to burn that 125 extra calories:tt2:. I'm not an eliptical fan becasue I hurt myself twice ..lol.. but I know it took me two months before i can force myself to the treadmill for 60 minutes.... Baby steps you will get there. ((Big Hugs))

We will all look FANSTASTIC come june that seems to be the most common month for us good luck everyone.:thumbup:

Does it ever hurt when you eat? I don't know if it is because I was so tight before and am still sore from all the pb'ing. Anyone else ever go thru this?

And I still don't get this. Your "sweet spot" is suppose to keep you full for 4 hours and not be hungry. I had to have Fluid taken out cause I was too tight and could not eat. Now I can eat again but am so hungry all the time. This makes no sense to me. I can't add anymore in there or I won't be able to eat but I am so hungry with what I have in there now. Any ideas? :thumbup:

WOW I though i was the only one confused...lol... I just had a fill and I'm tighter than I have ever been and this morning i tried eating my eggbeater sandwich and CLUNK it got stuck in my chest !! It was the most painfull thing....I guess I didn't chew enough!!! I waked it out and felt it drop :tongue: I can only eat 4 oz's at a time and I have to go slllloooow but then 2 1/2 hrs I'm hungry again!!! :tt2: so you know what !!! I EAT !!! Small Protein small bits. I know the diffrence between head hunger and real hunger. I wait until my tummy growls to know hey it;s time because I'm still trying to figure everything out.

THe hardest thing is I work out at lunch and usually blow 500 calories at the gym that Breakfast lunch and two Snacks for me. One of these days I will figure it out.

I'm glad you had some fluid removed. I did hear that it takes a few days to feel releif from what you've been through. Best of luck and congrats on your recent weight loss.

We can do it !!! I'm hoping after this fiil by 30 by june will be a walk in the park !!!

WannaB see if they can pull out a 1/2 CC maybe that last bit was to much!! Keep us posted ((Big Hugs)) Don't give up

Thanks Amber & Ebony!!! I think I'm firing my personal trainer he's a meat head. I talked to one of the guys a work with who does this and he said to eat!! not worry about going negative just get my cardio in everyday to start tearing down the fat!!! I'm going to up my calories and burn what I burn and see where I am.:w00t:

Heather, I'm with you. It looks like we are at the same level, same starting weight and same goal weight. I just keep telling myself to "keep at it!!" I am making lifestyle changes and this is the LAST time that I plan to lose the weight!!!

All the best to you!!!

Went for a fill today and the dr. asked me "how long have you been obese??" How long have you been banded??? GIve it time and don't be so hard yourself ... this was my third fill so I'm praying for restriction!!!:w00t:

Thanks for the support, guys. I've never made a weight loss goal before & I'm just afraid I won't make this one either.

Heather, I eat about 1200 calories a day. Since my last fill, I can't eat chicken or bread, so I eat a lot of steamed veggies, salad and Soups. I also make turkey chili with Beans. I figure I'm getting enough Protein, and the carbs are in the rice or noodles I put in my Soup. I have 2 fruits & 2 dairys a day, too.

Do you go to the support groups at Midstate? Last month got snowed out, but the next closed meeting is on March 3rd.

I'm soooo going on the third I need the support. Plus I have been so confused with calories and workouts I get some many stories. I got a fill today and I PRAY for more restriction. I take in about 800 calories and burn about 500 and I'm just getting frustrated on not seeing that darn scale to move!!! I only lost 1 lb this month :w00t: Soooo I hope this fill will give me a little bump.

I think I'm in need of a little fill too. But eating the wrong foods and my mindset have been off as well these past three weeks. I have lost and gained and lost the same five pounds for about a month now.

I need to step it up and slow down the eating...

We can do it !!!:hurray: I'm going to work on high Protein and 1 Carb a day.. I think my body just loves to keep on those carbs!!! :hurray:

I have been doing liquids for the past several days. I tried Soup with veggies in it and kept it down last night and tried a small bites of chicken today with success. I have not thrown up in 3 days and am taking it slow and chewing alot. Here's hoping it's getting better.

:hurray: Slow in easy... Hope all goes well.

I was banded at Midstate on May 22, 2008. So far, I've lost 90 pounds and I'm hoping to reach 100 pounds by my anniversary date. My weight loss has really slowed down and, even though I've joined a gym & started working out 3 times a week, I'm only losing about 1/2 pound a week. I'm afraid the last 30 pounds will not come off. My band is nearly completely filled. Any suggestions?

:hurray: I wish i could be doing this well. I had my surgery at Midstate in November and I'm only down 26lbs. I work out 5-6 days a week and weight train!! What is your success?? and how many oz do you eat at every meal. I see Dr. Benbrahim at Midstate.

Can anyone tell me what the monthly subscription price is. I know this is a great advice but not sure if I can afford the monthly fee's

OK Novembers, I was were many of you are now. I was at a plateau 2 weeks ago. I hadn't lost any weight in 4 weeks!!! I came to this site, ready some encouragement, went to the doctor - got a fill & some support. I also stepped up the work-out a bit. I am down 4.5 lbs! I will Celebrate any loss at this point. Thank you for your support! You guys are great. I think support is the most important weight loss tool (besides the band of course)!

Great Job!! I'm hoping to be were you are next week,

As already stated by others you probably will not feel the benefits of the band until you start getting some restriction from the fills. One word of caution though -- it is importamt to remember that the band is a "tool" -- inorder for you to see the positive and life long effects that the band can provide you need to learn to make good choices about the foods that you choose. Foods such as pizza were probably not a good choice before banding and will definitely be problematic once you start getting fills and feeling restrictions. I was banded in 09/06. I am about 14# from my goal weight and have lost 186# so far. Believe me when I say that it has been a lot of work...and learning to make better choices in the foods that I chose to eat was difficult too. My life has changed for the better --I am so happy to be able to take long walks again and to really enjoy my health. Be patient as you continue to work through the early stages of your journey---you will be fine and I am sure will do well. Happiness and health. -- P

Your success is so insipring. I was banded in November and I'm starting to worry as it's becoming harder and harder to shed the pounds. Im always looking from fellow banders, Any words of advice for a newbie?

Heather,

You and I are in the same boat! I need to re-motivate myself also. My walking hasn't suffered, just the eating part. I find that I can still eat just about anything, except fish or ground taco meat. Both get stuck with the first bite. Burgers, chicken etc,,,all go right down. Even tri tip. Go figure. I've had 2 fills and now have 5.5 cc in a 14 cc band. Going to the docs at the end f the month for another fill. I sure hope it gives some restriction, or at least the sensation of "fullness". Man, I hate dieting. Hang in there and get back on the wagon. I'm rooting for you.

Fillerup

Fillerup thanks, I go for a fill tomorrow and I'm hoping that will get me to my sweet spot I get full at around 5 -6 oz accordin to my dietician it should be 4 oz. I went to the gym and did 1 hour on there. The calories on the machine said 703 I know they aren't always accurate people say up to 30% well If I take off the 30 that's still 496 calories I burned !!! I'll take it felt good first time I've been able to do 2 3/4 mile without dying...lol.. I'm going to get myself one of those heart rate monitors so i can get a good feel of what i'm burning throughout the day.

Hi everyone, It's great to see everyone is doing well.. I myself have hit an all time low. I haven't been drinking what I should, I have let my job take over my gym time and I've been away on business and have not been making the greatest food choices. I'm depressed because the scale is not moving at all and my sugar addiction is out of control. So I came back to the boards and have been reading many posts and Tomorrow I will be getting my A$$ back on the wagon:cursing:. I get so obsessed with that scale it takes over eveything. I have had so many Non Scale achievments lately i don;t understand why that isn't enough!!! So i'm leaving my pitty party and going to go back to the basics again.

Everyone keep up the good work!!!

Julie,

I think you hit a common note here for most of us. I was in this same funk at Christmas. I was pretty freaked out about it because during most of my other dieting attempts (Weight Watchers, LA, TOPS.....) this is where I'd pack it in, start eating anything I wanted and gain all the weight back and a few extras.

I, too, have the rail thin husband who once a year goes on a diet just by skipping Cookies and loses 10 pounds in 2 weeks. There are many days I hate him for it. He will never understand, but he does care and he tries. That counts for alot.

What got me out of my funk, was a new fill. I saw my doctor, got that fill and started to lose really quickly (for me). I try to focus on how good I feel, and I do feel great. Yeah, I'm still obese and then some, but I can run up a flight of stairs without passing out. I had to go on a business trip last week and I fit into the airplane seat beautifully. I could even use my tray. I'm not looking like a model, yet (or maybe never), but I'm doing great and so are you.

Cindy

I have fallen off the wagon and have been eating out due to business trips and not having a car I was reliant on others. I fel like crap I can't wait ti hit the gym tomorrow and burn some of this funk off I was banded in mid november and I've only lost about 28 lbs and I expected so much more for myself. So back to reality but as i was kickin myself i realized that on my flight I fit in my seat. I didn't have to struggle with the seat belt and I was able to put my tray down put a magazine on it and lean over and read. That would have never happened last november.

Thanks for the info, I will do better at drinking my fluids, the nurse told me they coudn't predict my weight goal yet that the stats showed I was retaining body Fluid. I sometimes don't drink enough or have to stay up longer to get the required amount. Waiting a hour and half to drink after eating sure takes a lot of time. When I retired I hoped never to watch the clock. Oh well, it's worth it.l It will sure be easier in the summer

This has been the hardest thing to do. I have to carry Water with me everywhere so I rmember to drink... I went 3 daywith only having a glaaa of Water a day. I actually have to set a timer now.

Whoever recommended my-calorie-counter.com---Thanks!! I've been tracking mine for a week now and realize I've put my body into starvation mode. Only eating 1000 calories a day and then working off 600 at the gym. Bad bad bad. So, I'm on a mission to get in at least 1500 calories a day. Very difficult while eating only lots of veggies and meat with no appetite!

That is my fav site it worked for me in the beginning I was starving myself. Question what is the routine you do to burn 600 Calories.