flowers

Iv had two fills, 1.8 cc each time in a 10 cc band and I can't feel any resistance whatsoever. It's all dieting and will power. I'm walking every day to combat what I'm eating. I scheduled a 3rd fill, but my fill doctor is going so slow, I don't have much faith I will ever feel much resistance. I think you just have to make up your mind to lose the weight and either exercise every day or really watch what you eat if your band isn't helping. Most people say ON AVERAGE it takes 3 fills to get to restriction. Some tell me they took 5 or even 7 fills to get there. If you have only had one fill its pretty common to not feel any restriction. Go read some threads on how many fills it took others and you will feel normal. I should have had a 3rd fill but cancelled and now wish I hadnt, so going in the sat after next.

I have a mixed box of SF popsicle brand and the fudgesicles are ok, but my favorite is the creamsicles (15 calories). The popsicles I eat just to get to the others lol. The mixed box has all 3 kinds in one box for variety.

My BMI is just below yours, but I dont fit into any size large clothes yet, or size 14s of any brand. I had gotten to where I could not buy very much from any clothes store when I got my lap band (I was buying online). .... in fact to be honest Im not into all my size XL shirts yet, a few are too tight. Im obviously much larger than others at the same weight. If you are in size larges and some 14s, you are doing much better than I am. I have a cruise on the QM2 which will be very dressy and I have no clothes to wear. This will be the end of next June/early July next summer. Sure is hard to buy for a weight I'm not at. I have a large credit at paypal I want to spend on ebay, just hard to know what to buy or what size and part of me is very frustrated that I will not yet be at goal, so the clothes wouldnt fit very long. I hope to be in a size 12 by next summer in designer sizes (which run larger than regular sizes). You are doing good if you are in some regular sizes now. That's so important to most of us. ... just to be able to go into a regular store and buy things off the rack.

I try to eat a grain cereal too, something with flax or granola. It not only keeps me full longer, it keeps me regular!!! I still am struggling along, waiting until 11/29th for that next fill. Eating a plate of mini carrots to eat something. Im always hungry. Only 2 more weeks until the doc will be back that does my fills. Thank goodness. I saw 190 yesterday morning, but 191 again this morning, so didnt move down my ticker. Hi Orea, glad to see you are still hanging out here.

Im almost 5 7 and small boned. I got to about 150 lbs last time and a size 12. So many weight more and are shorter and in smaller sizes. I know it makes a difference if you are big or small boned. My goal is a 8/10 on top and a 10 on the bottom where I used to be. Im more hippy than Im wide shouldered, so Im never going to be the same size top and bottom. Im 190 now and having trouble zipping up a size 18 jean dress

Lizalee, you are so close to Onederland, just keep that in mind and maybe that will motivate you. You are getting so close. I know you can do it. I think we all are fighting bad habits, just dont let them win.

Congrats Long2BThin on virgin fat territory. Orea, I have been wondering about you and how you are?? Glad you checked in. I feel closer to you since you posted more and were another July Butterfly. I have scheduled another fill Nov 29th, hope it helps with the hunger issues. I bought a large 18 inch Costco pizza over the weekend and it might as well been laced with drugs, I couldnt stop eating it, even after I ate my real dinner, started back nibbling. Its been tough lately.

Unless you are running long distances or something that burns immense calories there is no way to lose up to 5 lbs a week. If I watch my sugar, I can lose pretty well, better than most my age, but 5 lbs a week??? I dont think so, not on my best week. Let him be upset. I wouldnt let it bother me.

Iv been trying to up my walking. First (Im in Texas) I got a nasty heat rash that spread really wierd and had to lay off a month. Got going again now finally. I have had some days Iv done about 3.5 twice and I throw in a little jogging to get my heart rate up. WATP (walk away the pounds series) of CDs has easy steps and adds arms to the walking steps. Any time you raise your arms over your head you increase your heart rate/metabolism. I like the arms alone, and then she adds weights, the best for the back half of the walking CD. I truly believe in walking to lose weight too and keep it off.

Good luck to you too. I was self pay and went to Mexico, but went to a local seminar first. So, Im basically on my own. I should have gotten a 3rd fill, and now have to wait, so I feel like Im way behind others who were banded when I was, but Ill get there, Im determined. I think thats the main thing, your mental state. I know you will do it too!!

Im just walking. Im up to averaging about 4 miles or more a day because walking is easy. I know I need more strength training and will do my WATP CDs when I get motivated. Walking helps keep the weight moving off more than just plain exercises for me. Ill get going on weights some time though, but just at home. Joining a gym is a waste for me, I dont keep going. Been there, done that.

I lost over 80 lbs doing low gi eating, approx 1200 calories a day allowed. The only problem was I didnt hold the weight loss. Iv gained and lost and gained and lost too many times. I got the band in hopes this would make it once and for all.

It sounds like your surgeon team has a very positive approach. My seminar they asked me if I would be ok with only losing half of my goal, (uh no), that folks getting lapband, statistics prove they lose about half the weight on average. I decided not to be average, I will lose the weight. The band might help with appetite, but you still will need will power to eat right and exercise. It was a tool that got me started and gave me the confidence to try again. Id lost over 80 lbs with nutrisystem that you mentioned, but I put it back on. Im determined the band will be my tool that this time I will continue to eat right and be there for those low times when I eat wrong, at least I will eat less.

I saw a special on FOX that showed the newest technique was thru the mouth, no incisions. Only a few doctors in the U.S. have trained to perform surgery this way. Its better they said for overweight people because they have more things that can go wrong in surgery than their skinnier counterparts. I think I read at least one person who had their lapband this way who posted on this forum.

Im doing a low gi diet, which works best for me as I am sensitive to sugar. Anything low gi, which includes whole grains and veggies works, plus lots of Protein. South Beach is a type of low gi diet for instance, or you can do it on your own with free library books.

OK I called her and they charge $330? I think she said for the first visit and then $130. .... but she doesnt fill Realize J&J bands, which is what I have. She only fills the older style bands. I cant believe it, lol, there is always a reason they wouldnt give me a fill appointment, but this is the first time Iv heard this one. Thanks for the phone number. Sounds like I will have to wait until 11/29 when she is back in Tyler.

To those who said I need another fill doctor and to remember the doctor works for me. I agree, but Iv called and called. Its worse than applying for a job, no, no, no. Someone said I said I wanted to eat more is why I didnt get my fill. That was only one thing. I want to lose of course and have little faith in my band and fill doctor. I have tried to talk and ask questions. I will say now are you SURE I will feel resistance this time and Im assured I will but I dont, except rare occassions, like cantelope a little. I will for sure go back, Im already regretting that I didnt go in last Saturday because she is taking off for Thanksgiving and now I cant go back until 11/29. For instance when I told him I needed another fill (the husband does the appointements for his wife for fills and works with her on Sat), he said it was my fault, that I probably stretched my pouch. He didnt say it was their fault I had no resistance, he blames it on me each time. Yes, the use fluoro and the barium swallow each time and then I drink water after the barium. We went out for Dickies BBQ yesterday and so I walked 3.5 miles twice yesterday and Im down today about 2 lbs. Just think what I could lose if my band was helping. At least I hope so. I will for sure go in on Nov 29th and get that 3rd fill. Even if I feel its hopeless she will get me tight.

There was a thead on this topic. That some now dont want to eat certain foods. I dont think this is ever going to happen to me. I managed to stay away from pizza on my cruise until the last 3 days and had midnight pizza every night. Sounds like I need to get my lapband involved so I cant eat some of these things, but I just couldnt do it last time and cancelled. 1.8 cc and 1.8 cc in a 10 cc band, just no resistance right now. I feel like Im walking the weight off, not dieting yet. I need to move forward and get that next fill and tighten up so my band is doing what it should be. I feel guilty when I read how much faster others are losing that tighten up their bands. I really need to do what you all are doing and quit eating everything.

I think the answer is, it depends on how tight your fill is. Maybe later you wouldnt need to have such tight fills and then you can eat bread again. I was banded on July 9th, and both my fills were very non aggressive and Im still eating bread. In fact, Im still eating everything I was before the surgery. I should have gone in for a fill last weekend and like you wasnt sure I wanted to give up bread and things I eat with my family, so Im just walking more. Im also losing much slower than you, so its a tradeoff. perhaps once you dont feel like you want to lose so fast, you can loosen your fills and just maintain your weight a year from now or whever you hit goal.

Im almost four months out from banding. I guess I think Im past the healing stage??? I think my post said I was banded July 9th. My fill doctor wouldn't give me my first fill until 5 weeks or more past surgery, and then she seemed to not believe what size band I had and only gave me a 1.8 cc fill. Then another 1.8 cc the next time. I was supposed to have gotten my 3rd fill last Saturday and blew it off, didnt seem worth $200. She schedules every 10 minutes and its all or nothing. 3 cc too much, down to 1.8, done. wham bam thank you mam. Having had surgery in Mexico, fill doctors dont want to touch me and the few who will are too busy. 1.8 cc in a 10 cc band I thought was ridiculously conservative for my first fill. I was furious you want to know the truth to have wasted my time and money driving 5 hours and paying $200 for 1.8 cc. I dont feel I have any choice but to go back to her, but there are reasons I blew her off last Saturday and think my lapband has been a wasted effort. I have no confidence I will have restriction after a 3rd fill at the rate she is going. Both first and second fills when I asked how much, she says 3 cc too tight, so 1.8. No in between?? She doesnt want any questions and I dont want to make her mad at me, but Im not happy. I dont understand why she cant do some fill amount between 1.8 cc and 3 cc. Its one or the other from her reply. If I couldnt take 1.8 cc, I was afraid she would give me such a teensy amount I still wouldnt have any restriction. Yes, Im pretty frustrated about this whole band thing and just decided to forget I had it for a while and walking to lose weight. I did at least 6 miles yesterday.

Wow, I dont even know what to say. You have been banded a few weeks more than I have and lost 77 lbs. I had no prefill, my surgeon was dead set against it. My fill doctor is even more conservative. When I say Im not doing anything because of my band so far, I mean it. Im just eating regular, or a lean cuisine frozen dinner, or a bowl of cereal in the morning. And like I said walking. No protein first, no small bites. I have only felt a little resistance a few times, cantelope I feel it. When you say 1/2 cup, doesnt that include if I have some fruit after a meal? Or just you just arent even having that. My band has been such a waste so far. I tried at first to eat the bandseter way but without resistance I askmed myself why? I guess I should have gone in last Saturday for another fill. Im up to 3.6 cc in a 10 cc band which I think is ridiculously small when you are paying $200 for each fill. Thanks for your reply, it sure makes me feel like Im wasting time and doing this all wrong. The fill doctor isnt there until Nov 29th again. I got banded July 9th. So, Im not losing like ya'all for sure, just by cutting back carbs and walking.

I went thru it alone. I flew to El Paso and crossed the border there to self pay in Mexico .... alone. Flew back the next day instead of staying the extra day and drove myself home. My mom is 82 and my dad is 90 and both are too thin, my dad is on a feeding tube, so they havent any idea about having to lose weight and not supportive. Im single and live alone. You can do it.

My doctor never said dont have caffeine, but I read it here and made my coffee half and half. Once I was past surgery a few day went back to regular coffee. I think the caffeine is supposed to stimulate your appetite and make you hungrier.

That sounds like the protein shots I mentioned you can buy at GNC. They arent cheap. You can probably find them other places, thats just one place, you can try other health food stores too. Yes, they are concentrated and just about the size of a shot glass, hence the name. I got most of my syrups at World Market, but you can find some common flavors at the bigger Walmarts. Lots of online sites sell them too. ----- Long2BeThin, I guess Im still not sure the lapband is my answer? I wasnt over eating, Im close to be diabetic and so sugars affect me, so Im watching my sugars much better and walking 4 miles a day to lose. I cant go back now until Nov 29th to get another fill. Its 5 hours round trip and she doesnt spend 10 minutes with you. Yes, I feel like she has been way too conservative. Im just discouraged how my band isnt helping, its just another diet so far. Will power and exercise. One huge question Iv really wondered about. If you are tight, how many pounds would you probably lose before you needed another fill to get back to tight?? would it be like every 20 lbs or what should I expect? Assuming she ever gets me to tight restriction. How often do you get a fill once you do get tight? Pound wise I mean.

It's posts like this that have me nervous. Iv had two fills, 1.8 cc each time in a 10 cc band, so I hardly feel any restriction. I was supposed to go in today and pulled back. The doctor wouldnt be back until Nov 29th, so it will be a while before I can go. Im still losing just dieting and walking and be carefull of my sugar in my foods. I started to think about it and my family has had good foods all week I couldnt say no to, and wouldnt be able to eat some if I got really tight. Cant eat bread I hear. Right now I can still eat everything. Either the band was never for me, or I just dont have confidence my fill doctor will get me tight enough, she keeps saying for sure Ill feel some restriction .... and I havent. Fills seem like a waste of time based on the two I have had for $200 a pop. Im losing at least a pound a week, just watching it. I just cant make up my mind about getting a 3rd fill, the other two just did nothing for me. I feel like Im throwing money out the window.