flowers

I had to lose about 55 lbs both this time and when I did nutrisystem before anyone said, hey have you lost weight? Maybe you carry the weight so well people dont notice that you lost 35 lbs. It will be subtle in your face and most people cant tell inches until its really obvious. I think they only noticed when I changed clothes and wasnt wearing the old clothes they were used to seeing me in rather than that it was obvious I had lost. Just tell yourself you are doing this for you, because you cant depend on folks to support you except for the online community here who gets it.

Lowering your calories that low will lower your metabolism long term and slow down your weight loss. Most people in the survey here I read were eating about 1200 calories a day and exercising. Less than 1000 calories is undersirable long term imo. Dont lower them that far other than once in a while if you must. I dont think I lost 9 lbs my first month after surgery and you lost 9 lbs in the first two weeks and are discouraged?? You need to get past that so when you go onto regular foods and dont lose that fast you arent going to get even more discouraged and quit trying. I went into a stall for 5 weeks before I lost. If that happens to you, you dont want to just give up and not eat right, because at some point everyone has points where the weight loss slows up they have to get thru.

Hello to another July butterfly. I hate the whole fill thing. Im totally grossed out when the doctor points our my insides and how they look and usually come so close to fainting, its a close call if I can get my head down fast enough to keep from fainting. I do that at the sight of needles too, cant stop the reaction. My mom said of all people, she thinks I wouldnt be the one to get a lapband where I need to get fills.

I dont think you feel the actual ulcer. I think you feel the effects of the ulcer, the acid and heartburn causes pain.

I flew into El Paso TX where I was meet by a driver who took me into Juarez. We only went thru the good sections of town, where there was a 6 lane highway and I didnt spend the extra night in the hotel, just was ready to come home and a young guy and his mom were coming home so I called and paid to change my flight to come home the next day. I paid $6,500, hotel was included. I never felt unsafe. I pay $200 for each fill but Im driving to Tyler TX from Dallas, which is quite a ways, but I get fluro and barium swallow with each fill so get that reassurance that everything is looking good. I had the choice of bands and seem to have chosen a 10 cc Realize band, even though I cant say it was a informed decision, some say you feel less restriction who post here with a Realize band, I dont know as unless you have had them both how could you possibly compare? My fills have been smaller than others here, 1.8 cc, 1.8 cc and .5 cc, so Im betting the one I get next Sat will also be tiny. I dont seem to be able to handle as much as some others here without being too tight. Everyone is very different thats why one size fill doesnt fit everyone. Dont know if age has anything to do with my losing slow either, Im 58 years old, so menopause has slowed down my metabolism. Had my surgery July 9th, last year. I will add that I lost 9 lbs the couple of weeks pre surgery, so I started at 242 lbs the end of last June.

Mostly I cant feel it, unless I do a lot of twisting in bed when I can't sleep. I can feel it with my hand when I touch the area, its a little poofed out.

I didnt have insurance, so was self pay. I went to Mexico and had it done, no wait, just do it. I decided my life was worth more than the cost of the surgery. Im going in for my 4th fill next Saturday. The cost is what it is, if you are not covered, then you have to decide if its worth it. I personally wouldnt choose the type of surgery based on if insurance covered it or not. I wouldnt have a different kind of surgery just because its covered. My body is important to me as is my health. I am a little nervous when folks post they decided the kind of WLS based on insurance coverage and what they perceive as "long term costs".

Hi lynnt, Im stalled out myself. Don't know if the 100 calorie snack packs dont like me or why I quit losing weight. Im still here too, just not posting because I'm not losing any weight. Hang in there, sounds like you are maintaining at least. I think those last lbs can be the hardest to lose as your body has now probably adjusted your metabolism to what you are now eating.

Im stuck at 164 - 165 going into 5 weeks now, stuck stuck stuck, no matter what I eat or how much I walk. I want to get to 125 lbs, Im almost 5 7, but small boned. I still look fat, so Im not happy at this weight and dont feel good about how I look, so Ill keep pushing.

Hi Helene, I think many in our generation are in the middle, it's just how it is. My Dad is 90 and shouldnt be behind the wheel, and my mom freeks out and my only sibling has seizures and a slow learner, so I am the only one who drives. I used to live in S. Florida and moved across the country to come home and help about 4 years ago. My mom has emphaseyma (sp) and my Dad has heart, eye, hearing, broke his hip, multiple problems. Luckily my mom can still help out around their house and I live 1 mile away, walking distance. I know the time will come when I need to do it all. Like some say, I think of it as my job. We plan doctors visits around me getting out and playing bridge, on off days when we can and I can do short trips, most of the time. Have had to cancel some, and I cruise from a nearby port because of the time and distance issue. Hopefully, you can just go with the flow, that's all I do. Things are a little better right now, but my Dad was in Rehab for a while and that was a daily grind where I couldnt do anything on my own.

Your smiley when it gets translatted to email says you are "glaring". OK, let me say this another way, when I call, they say as a favor to other U.S. doctors, such and such fill doctor will do fills for other U.S. doctors, because they are U.S. doctors. The U.S. doctors stick together. My mistake, I see this isnt the thread I started on trying to find a fill doctor in the Dallas area for $200 or less, there apparantly are none that will fill you if you were banded in Mexico. I too go to Tyler to see Dr. Stephanie. (and I live in Dallas). The U.S. doctors do say they stick together and are trying to exclude anyone who was banded in Mexico, its a fact. It makes a difference where your surgery was performed. I was just saying I think it would save some people some calling around if when someone posts a price, they say where they were banded, if they dont know who the price applies to. Thanks for your input.

I would like to request again, that when you ask for prices, you ask what the price is for those who were banded in Mexico. I have called pretty much every one of the phone numbers suggested here, and not one would do a fill for me under $200, none. Im guessing this is the price if you were banded by a doctor within their circle or whatever, its not a price the rest of us could get.

thanks, I do appreciate it. I am taking a few days off. lol, I will be in the car driving for about 10 hours tomorrow, going first to one aunt, then driving to the other one, then about 7 hours to drive home on sunday and a wedding and stuff all day saturday. Indiogirl, thanks too. I just never hit a brick wall like this except once with atkins right at the start, it just wasnt dropping the weight. .... and then when I get back will put this in the hands of my doctor. I wouldnt give up. I got a dress I need to get into and lose 2 inches in the waist, its a 35 inch waist, and Im determined by July 1st to get into that dress.

Me?? Im already eating 1200 ish calories a day. I said after walking 7 - 10 miles a day, that I have a net of 450 calories unburned. I often walk enough to log in about 750 calories burned a day, hence what I meant by net after logging exercise. but thanks. I know better than to cut calories any more. Thats why Im not sure a fill is going to be the answer for me. I just want to touch base with my fill doctor and discuss the situation. I think your doctor is right if you are only eating 600 calories you do need to get it up at least over 1000 a day, minimum. My doctor may say I need more than 1200 a day or something if Im walking that much or have a answer for me. I am walking more than I did on my diet where I never stalled out, so maybe the answer is to exercise less even? Im baffled.

thanks oregondaisy. I tried doubling up on my walks, sparks where I log in exercise shows that I only had a net of 450 calories left a day after walking so far daily, so I am sure its not that I was eating too much. I got down to 150 lbs last time, in 2007 on nutrisystem, and never stalled out. Thats why stalling out this time is so weird. This fill doctor is another kind of doctor full time, but has a lap band herself, so she has been there, done that, and on weekends does fills to help bandsters, she and her husband, so it wouldnt hurt to pay the $200 even if I dont get much of a fill or a teensy one. This weekend will also shake up my normal schedule of walking and what I eat and might help, cant hurt right? Like last time she was suggesting another type of liquid protein she thought was good for breakfast she likes as a fellow bandster. She also will look at my band itself under fluro and make sure it looks good.

I have never felt like I was at any kind of "sweet spot" or had much restriction for anything other than raw fruit, pinneaple or eating a apple. I did have acid reflux/lots of gas, whatever name on my last cruise which everyone on this thread told me meant I was too tight. I think I will just have to skip the fresh fruit plate this time and play it safe and bring meds for acid indigestion. Im going in because Iv tried everything I can think of to break this stall in weight loss, and dont know what else to do. Never hit a stall for this long on any diet in my life, so Im perplexed. Im going in because I have no one else to chat with about why I stopped losing weight except my fill doctor, I got my band in Mexico. Yes, I know we all are thinking of Katy. Well, Im off at 5 am in the morning for a long weekend with relatives, but the hotel has internet so Ill be checking in for news of Katy.

I would expect that Katy spent a few days in the hospital for such invasive surgery. We had a lady just getting a regular by pass WLS who came in the day before us and she was going to still be there after we left and her whole family had come down with her for the duration. Hopefully, she will get out today or tomorrow so she can come home and recover. I am sure we all are thinking of her. I decided to go in for another fill and my fill doctor will decide if I can take another fill or not. She only did .5 last time and even that she wanted to take out .2 of the .5. Its now 4 months later though and I did lose over 20 lbs. I just feel like I need to try something, nothing else is breaking me out of this stall. I am going into my 4th week at the same weight :confused: Iv upped protein, upped my exercise, was doing 7 - 10 miles a day for a week, Iv done whatever I know that usually works and nothing is working, Im just stuck at this weight. I have to go to a wedding this weekend and cant get in for a fill until March 28th, the week before a week long cruise, so that isnt so great either. Im a little nervous about getting a fill so close to my cruise. She does it until fluro and does the barium swallow, so there is no chance she will fill me too tight.

I cant imagine not being able to finish the bag of popcorn, its my weakness. I could finish several bags. I have a hard time eating one and not continuing to nibble. I dont have the kind of restriction I had hoped for and hear about and my fill doctor says Im as full as she can get me. I have yet to have any trouble eating a bag of 100 calorie popcorn!!!! lmao. I got 4 boxes at costco, they had a coupon on it. great deal and you get 42 to the box.

Has anyone heard that the 100 calorie bags of popcorn are really more calories, and the 100 calories is unpopped or some such way they measure? I was losing just fine until I added 100 calorie bags of popcorn. (I can eat it just fine).

daisy I have heard so many good things about the sleeve. I considered it myself. Hard choice. The folks I know who choose by-pass .... only choose it because their insurance would pay for by pass, but not for the sleeve. Sounds to me like you are making a sound choice.

Both my parents are too skinny. In fact my Dad had to have a feeding tube for a year that was recently removed and he fights to push himself to eat enough to maintain his weight. Feels like he will throw up if he eats. My mom is too skinny too. They used to be so proud of how they were so skinny and both are totally clueless that I love to eat and why. They really just dont get it. Iv been walking about 7 miles a day and watching what I eat and after 3 weeks iv only dropped 1 lb. I said something and my Dad grinned like it was a big joke and said "you just eat too much". Two weeks ago he asked me if I was still on my diet and losing. My mom isnt much better, just says she has learned to not say anything to me. .... of course my sister told me that mom told her to watch it or she would get like me. (that hurts) and my mom sees nothing wrong with saying stuff like that, what it says about how she sees me, thinks its ok, just stating facts and trying to motivate my sister. I can tell you by the time I was a teen, controlling my food and food was a big issue with me because of my mom. parents dont realize what they do to their children ... all in the name of "im only trying to help". .... lets not even go into friends trying to help by telling me when Im gaining weight .... as if I dont know?

Iv found it is probably less effective than say phen fen was, or any diet pill in the past. Its just to curb your appetite, nothing else. I dont think folks understand that part sometimes. You still have to eat the right foods and exercise, it just helps me with the snacking somewhat, but its hard for me, for some it seems easy. I think its easier if you were overeating before, it helps you cut down and you cant eat as much, but I was a grazer, and it doesnt help as much with that. On average from the tickers I have seen, I decided that it looked to me like a lot of folks lost 100 lbs in a year. So, if you have more you want to lose, it might not happen in a year.

I have apples, had one just yesterday. I also eat almonds as part of my snack at night, but not over 100 calories of nuts at a time. almonds are especially good for diets imo. Im following a low gi diet, and both of those are on my diet. ..... of course since OP has lost more than I have, maybe she should be telling us!!! I do eat Snacks. Fruit is the one food that I have a little trouble with eating, kinda gets stuck, so I usually dont eat too much. Fresh pineapple seems to be the worst to chew up.

Helene, we all are thinking of you and wishing you our best. So sorry you are having stress at this time. That stinks. Good luck, got everything crossed for ya for luck.

200!!! No wonder you are losing so much better than me. I am trying to do 30 a day, a few times I skipped too many days so did 40. Yikes. Yes, I was talking about old fashioned sit ups. I didnt know no one does them any more. New to me. I was on another board for something completely different and someone typed this. I tend to sometimes think well if I got other WLS surgery I would be to goal already. Made me stop and think, at least Im eating more healthy, even if my weight loss has run into a brick wall and stopped. Xxx got diagnosed last week with Osteoporosis in her L hip and Osteopenia in her R hip......She took her 1st once a month dose of Actonel, but had to spend the day in bed yesterday her bones and joints hurt so much..........This apparently all happened because she is severly Vitamin D deficient since gastric bypass surgery messed up her ability to absorb nutrients.........