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Hi Judy! Well my doc had me take a barium test. That's when you have to drink a chalky tasting liquid and they x-ray it going down, so that's how it was confirmed. This is some information I found on this site that I copied to better explain the basics of it: What is esophageal dilation? This is when the esophagus enlarges over time, and is probably related to either too tight a Band, or possibly improper placement of the Band around the junction of the esophagus and stomach. This requires loosening or removal of the Band. What happens if my Band has to be removed because of complications or failure to lose weight? One option, of course, is to give up on weight loss surgery. Another option is to convert to another procedure such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This can be done at the same time the Band is removed, and is generally done laparoscopically. I do have some concerns but because I still have restriction I don't want to get an unfill. I'm afraid I'd gain some weight back. And right now I'm on my way down!!! I don't think I'd be a candidate for gastric now that my BMI is below 38. I'm at 32BMI. It's something to ask about in your group. And the fact that you're going to group is excellent! Keep that up after surgery too. I wished I had but I thought I could do it all on my own. I had some personal problems for about a year and although I didn't gain any weight back I didn't eat well. When I become stressed I over it and clearly lost that full feeling. Now I've got control back, it's all in the mind! But my stretched pouch is not. lol I've got to get it under control... soon enough when I'm ready to go see the doc. Just not interested in seeing him till after Aug/Sept. Best of luck to you!!!

The good thing is is that you are aware of what's going on. This will make it easier for you to take action. Consider lowering your caloric intake or bumping up your work out regimen. That might make a difference. As we lose weight we have to do one, the other or both to continue to see results. If we stay the same all the way our body gets used to it and settles. I hope your appointment with the doc goes really well. Thanks for sharing your journey and for the recipes. I've gotta check them out and try a few!! Best of luck to you! S240/C184/SG170/LG140 Hight 5'2 1/2" Banded 11/14/07

Congrats to you! It is a lil' nervou to say the least... hello it's major surgery!! lol =o)~ But I pray that you will have a smooth operation, and a speedy recovery. Blessings to you and your family. S240/C184/SG170/LG140 H5'2 1/2" Banded 11/14/07

I would start keeping a journal. Dailyplate.com is a great on-line one. You can set a daily caloric intake goal and track everything you eat. It does all the calculations for you, very user friendly. And it also can track your work outs and estimate calories burned. Also, eating late at night even if you are making a healthier choice in food can hinder weight loss. Consider eating no later than 7pm. And if you have to have something choose a lean protein and no carbs. Hope that helps and best of luck!! S240/C184/SG170/LG140 5'2 1/2" Banded 11/14/07

I LOVE to eat out! I've also sort of got a "system". If I know where we're going ahead of time I'll search their menu on-line and decide what I want before I even get there. I totally agree with not eating the chips or rolls and def no drinking right before or during! At least I can't do it until at least 10-15 minutes afterwards. And also very important is to know where the bathroom is just in case you have a PB moment. Ordinarily I order a bowl of soup like tortilla soup, black bean soup, potato soup or even gumbo. I also enjoy grilled chicken salads with a side of lite ranch and lots of lemon wedges and sprits the juice over top too. YUM! Or share chicken/beef/shrimp combo type fajita platter and eat the grilled veggies but skip the other fixings except for salsa maybe and noOo flour or corn tortillas either. Love love love grilled fish with steamed veggies too. I try to stay away from carbs. But I'm human and uhm Mexican soOoO sometimes it happens, I'll break down and have chips, refried bean, salsa and queso but then that would be my meal and I wouldn't order anything else.... 'cept maybe a frozen margarita to wash it down afterwards! LOL Oh and a juicy steak, meatloaf or meatballs rare when I order it because the portions are ginormous but it's a also a good source of Protein and you can save the left overs for the next day. I don't eat much when I go out. It's sometimes a waste of food so I don't bother to order regular platters like I used to in the past. I've found that these choices work best for me. Eating any type of Pasta dish, spaghetti and the like I totally avoid. I don't even consider it! I take my time, chew chew chew. Eating out now for me is far more pleasurable because it's not about the food anymore. No longer am I stuffing myself till it hurts. It's more about the people I'm with and enjoying our time together while at the table!! s240/c184/g140

Aww SandraDee (My names Sandra too. lol) Try not to get discouraged. What you don't lose this week you may drop double next week. I agree with Ms. Jackson, there are a number of factors as to why your body is holding on to the weight. I also weight myself one per week. I personally need to know that IF I'm not losing I'm at least not gaining. If it's muscle gain great! But then my clothes will begin to feel loose so I know I'm still "losing" no matter what the scale says. How are YOUR clothes fitting you? It could be that you're losing inches. Not a bad idea though to see your nutritionist if that will make you feel better about what you're consuming. Unfortunately we don't always see results when we want but you'll def see them soon enough. Have a great week ladies!!!

Okay so today I weight myself and I'm at 184.8. Does that mean I'm 184 or 185? I hate the scale sometimes. :smile: Alright here are my confessions from yesterday's "plan"... I SAAAAID I was going to eat this: B Protein Shake S Greek Yogurt L Cream of Chicken soup with corn S Small apple and peanut butter D 1/2 Chicken Breast and 1/2 sweet papa S Protein Shake But this is what I ended up having: B Protein Shake S 1/2 cup refried beans and cheese L 1 cup cream of chicken soup with corn and bacon bits, 1/2 slice whole wheat english muffin and 1 greek blueberry yogurt S 3 slices thin turkey deli and 1 slice swiss cheese D 1/2 chicken breast S 1 cup cottage cheese with pineapple chunks Clearly I was off my "plan" but not far off track. I'm allowing myself 1,100 - 1,300 calories per day. The total consumed was 1,500. Not great but not bad because I was feeling particularly hungry today. And when I am I don't deprive myself I just make better choices. It's probably because I've been working out more. I can tell my body needs food for fuel. LOVE IT! I just knew that a protein shake in the evening was not going to cut it. Instead of having it I opted to have cottage cheese and pineapple chunks. I know a lot of people are staying at or around 800 - 1,000 calories per day. If that works for you GREAT! I have those days too. Usually cause I get busy I forget to eat. But I'm not in competition with anyone. I'm not trying to be the thinnest or lose it the fastest. I enjoy food in a totally different way than I used to before. I eat until I'm satisfied. I drink water first to make sure that it's not just me being thirsty rather than hungry. I also pay attention to when I'm feeling stressed and look for other alternatives. This is what I mean about getting in tune with YOU! It's important to listen to your body and use the band to help you. Remember people the band is not the cure!

Aww thanks for reading my first time eveR blog! lol And for the congrats on my losing and keeping off my weight. I still can't believe it's been almost 3 years myself! Strange as it may seem to some folks I'm honestly looking forward to turning the big 4-0!! lol God luck to you too on LOSING IT! YOU CAN DO IT!!

I've never been one to keep a blog. I love to read other people's blogs though. I just get a lil' sad when they all of a sudden disappear from the face of the earth. So I'm going to make the effort to not let that happen. At least I will let you know if I decide I want to stop. Here's a bit of my story: I was banded November 14, 2007. This November will be my 3 year bandiversary. :tongue2: Since being banded I've lost as of today a total of 55lbs. I'm 5'2 1/2" and my starting weight was 240 at surgery, today I'm 185! Whoot! Whoot! :w00t: Like many people I've had my ups and downs with my band but mostly due to outside interference. Meaning I'm an emotional eater, blah! However, I've been mindful enough to not gain any of my weight back. THANK GAWD! I've plateaued more times than I care to recall. But I figure that's better than nothing and certainly better than gaining. :cool: I originally started out with a "plan" cause that's what seems to work best for ME (I didn't say it was fail proof though). :smile: Today my "plan" is to eat the following: B Protein Shake S Greek Yogurt L Cream of Chicken soup with corn S Small apple and peanut butter D 1/2 Chicken Breast and 1/2 sweet papa S Protein Shake *I've had breakfast and then our monthly taco truck (provided by my agency to all employees) came by my area and I had refried beans and cheese. I no longer eat flour tortillas so I throw that away. Hmm I wonder how much lard was used to cook the beans....:wub: I worked out last night. I'm on W2 of C25K. If you've not heard of it you might want to give it a shot. Google Couch to 5K and you'll get all the info you need to get started. It's only 3 days per week which for me is manageable. But yet pushes you hard enough that you feel like your getting a work out. :thumbup: On my off days (Today for example) I'm going to do some weight training. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do... :frown: Did I mention I'll be 40 on August 3rd!? :tt1: This has a LOT to do with why I'm recommitting myself to my band. And the fact that I've met a wonderful and loving man whose so very supportive (last one was a complete a-ho about surgery but that's the past). My 2 boys are growing so fast and before I know it they'll be flying on their own. I just have so much to look forward too. I'm so blessed to just even still be ALIVE! And been given the opp to make a difference, well, why waste my band and boohoo poor me. Nope! I'm clearing my mind of I can't... cause this MexiCAN!! tehe :smile:

WOW! Sorry, I don't know how I missed your post. But thanks for the encouragement. I NEED IT! lol And that's awesome, 9 miles on the bike. I could try to work up to that, something at least to aim for. I would love to try yoga too cause I hear that's really good for you. Especially the weight thing I want to get tone, I hate my jiggly arms! I had a great work out last night. I can feel it today though!!! I'm a lil nervous about next week, it's week 3. And I'm supposed to run a full 3 minutes. I get a lil winded though doing 90 seconds. I don't want to have to repeat any of my weeks but I suspect I may have too... Hope you all had a great work out last night!!:bored:

Hi Leigha! Thanks so much for responding to my post. True, I'm actually very happy for not only having lost but kept off 55lbs. The working out part I've not been big on. That's what I want to work on now that I have a sense of control with the eating part. And I think you're doing a fabulous job! Even if you have to repeat week 8 the fact that you're not throwing in the towel says a lot! That's awesome! Congrats to all you ladies that have kept it up and especially for posting too! I love reading everyone's stories. You can learn so much. The bit about eating yogurt before a run is great! I've always wondered if I should or should not eat a lil' something before working out. I do, however, drink a Protein shake after my work outs. I've been told that it's good for your muscles particularly after a work out. Have an awesome day today people! :eek:

Hello All! I'm new to C25K but not new to LBT community. I lost touch for a long while but IIII'mmm baaack!!! LOL I've been a slow loser, banded almost 3 years and have lost 55lbs to date. Whoot Whoot! I can be excited about it now but I wasn't for a very long time. And is the main reason why I got away from the LBT community. But I realize that I can't do this alone, frankly I don't want to either. And I'm looking forward to jumping back in with all you guys and dolls. Workin' on getting our sexy back (snap)! LOL Enough about that ... today I will be doing W2D2. I'm excited that I even finished W1, and a lil' nervous about W3. Question: What do you do on your off days? I'm thinking of maybe riding the stationary bike and some free weights. Or Zumba cause a friend got me the DVD of it. I really want to TONE TONE TONE! Any suggestions? Thanks and wish you all the best for this weeks C25K!! Sandra:tt1::thumbup: