L12

It probably depends on what caused the seizure, which could be any number of things. I hope you find some answers and are able to go forward with surgery soon!

I had kidney stones about a year after surgery--I never had them before. I'm not on a low carb plan, but I was taking extra biotin, which the doctor told me to stop immediately as that can apparently contribute to kidney stones. I haven't had any problems since, and I hope I never do again--that was PAINFUL!

I've never had a problem with flying, but my band does sometimes tighten up when I'm stressed or dehydrated, both of which can happen when I'm really busy! If yours happens to tighten up before, during, or after the flight, maybe try some hot tea or coffee; warm liquids can help loosen things up a bit.

Between the time of surgery until I reached optimal restriction, my weight loss was about one pound a week, and it took about six months to reach my sweet spot. After that, the weight loss picked up substantially as I had more help with hunger and portion control from better restriction.

I probably would have argued or tried to persuade him earlier in my journey, but I care much less about what people think about it now. I'm healthier, more active, and look better (plus I'm MUCH less lazy ) than the majority of people who happen to express obnoxious or ignorant criticisms about weight loss surgery (it amazes me how many of these "experts" are overweight or even obese themselves). I usually speak up if I hear anything like that, and it usually shuts them up quickly except for questions about my experience and the general impression I get that many of them start to rethink their position on obesity and surgery. I don't argue, I just tell the facts of my experience. Most people that spout off about these things understand very little about obesity in general, and even less about the details and different types of weight loss surgery. Prove them wrong, change your life and lose the weight, and they really won't have much to say to you about it anymore. Most people won't want to bring up anything that shows how completely wrong they were.

I eat a variety of protein and energy bars--not all the time, but they're good if I'm really busy and need to take something with me. I don't like most protein drinks, and they don't fill me up anyway, which the bars do (often only half a bar), plus they don't slide right through like shakes do. And many of them have about the same calories and nutrition as shakes do anyway with considerable better flavor, so I don't know why anyone has a problem with them...

I used to have a pair of MBTs. They helped a lot with foot pain, but I couldn't tell a difference with them in any other way. I'm not sure how much the Sketchers are, but my MBTs cost over $250.

I went from a 46F to a 34DD. Even though that's only a couple of cup sizes, it really is quite a bit lost in volume because of the cup size/band size ratio. I cannot even fathom what my cup size would be if only my band size shrunk--a P?

I was on Metformin for PCOS and though it kept some of my hormone levels under control, it did NOT help me lose weight--I actually gained about 80 pounds during the time I was taking it. Any weight loss can help with insulin resistance--it may not cure it, depending on why you have it, but it will most definitely help. Additionally, IR is basically pre-diabetes; following something that resembles a low to lower carb diabetic diet will help your body and its reaction to food, even if it doesn't result in a lot of weight loss.

I'm a little confused...it looks like you've been a member here for a while, and it is frequently emphasized on here that it could take months to reach proper restriction. Sometimes the doctors don't talk about that as much, but there's plenty of info on LBT (if you've been reading as much as you've been posting) that what you're going through shouldn't be unexpected if you were realistic going into it. It's fairly normal--just be patient, get your fills, try to eat and live well in the meantime, and you will get there. And try to be positive--it will make this time much more pleasant for you!

I've been banded a little over two years. I get both hunger suppression and restriction when I'm at my sweet spot--they seem to go hand-in-hand for me. I can tell I need a fill when I'm starving day and night AND can eat a great deal, like 2+ cups of food at a time. A slight fill gets both of those under control for me, though I'm pretty much in maintenance mode and am not really needing fills now. My normal amount of food is 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups at a time, depending on what time of day, how tight I am, what I'm eating, etc. My band does prevent me from overeating by causing discomfort or a PB IF I'm not paying attention to how much I've had, but I'm just used to the limitations now so I rarely have that problem. I don't really have "head hunger" anymore either, other than the occasional craving, but I do get a little hungry at what I would say are appropriate, normal times (meals, if I haven't eaten, when I'm PMSingm etc.).

Keep an eye on your hydration; in my experience being dehydrated makes my band much tighter! I exercise a lot, and often drink a gallon a day of liquids. Days when I exercise but don't drink much, my band tightens up and solids can be difficult for me to get down. Pre-band I didn't drink much; now when I drink, I usually drink two or three glasses in a row, and always have a drink near me. I drink at least two glasses in the AM when I get up, two to three before and after any exercise, one right before bed, and several throughout the day.

You're not a slow loser; you've lost about 1.3 pounds per week on average, which is an ideal rate. Plus, if you didn't lose much right away AND had plateaus, you must have lost more than that per week when you did lose! And if you're still at your sweet spot, your weight loss probably won't stop; I actually lost a bit more in the second year than I did in the first, exceeding my goal. Keep going, and keep focusing on the positive!

I'm one of those who has turned into an exercise freak with my running...but the good news is that I had already surpassed my goal before I even started running (at 145 lbs.), or even exercising regularly for that matter...but I do have an active job, so that probably helped a lot with the weight loss even without additional exercise. I've started to really like exercise, it makes me feel good and I get the "runner's high" now. However, I also find that setting goals (marathons, etc.) keeps me motivated to exercise every single week--there's no way of running 13.1 or 26.2 miles succesfully without running at least three times a week. Without a goal I'm working towards, I tend to burn out or get lazy. Just keep in mind that for many of us, its not what we NEED to do, but what we WANT to do now! And its thrilling to be physically able to do these things when at one time, I couldn't even walk without being winded or in pain.

I eat soup frequently--it's my favorite food! Maybe it's because I'm just used to smaller portions now, but it usually fills me up as well as any other meal, though it's probably because I prefer creamy or chunky soups to broths.

I didn't mind Nutrisystem, and actually liked some of the foods. I lost about 25 lbs. or so and probably could have lost more if I'd stuck with it (it gets expensive, and like any other diet requires constant willpower for results), but as in all of my other weight loss efforts pre-band, I couldn't keep it off. That seems to be the story with so many of us...

I'm sometimes a little disgusted--I do try not to judge, as I could eat with the best of them pre-band. Without the band, I'd probably still be right there with them! I actually work as a server, so I see it a lot. One thing that bugs me is that everyone I wait on assumes I eat at the restaurant all the time, and know how each and every item on the menu tastes. While I guess that would be ideal for my position, it makes me want to ask "Do I look like I eat here all the time?" Not only that, but with the small portions I eat, each entree would equal three or for meals for me--it would take years for me to get through the entire menu!

I still get the munchies every month while I'm PMSing; I usually allow myself to indulge a little, as my periods are pure torture and life pretty much sucks around that time. Of course, I still have to be aware of what I eat; luckily, most cravings go away after that, and don't have a permanent effect on the scale. I'm sure it's not the same for everyone, but that's how I deal with it.

I just got new panties in the mail today! This is a BIG NSV for me, since before I went into maintenance mode I just bought plain, cheap ones as I shrank. But now that I'm right where I want to be, I got some really cute ones! Also got two nice new bras, and a bikini that I look dang hot in! I've never been the materialistic or superficial type, but just this once I'm enjoying having some nice (SMALL!) things to wear that I look good in! Yet again my band journey has amazed me...

It often takes several fills to reach your sweet spot and make a big difference in how you eat--for me it was five or six fills, which took about six months to reach, in which time I only lost 20-25 pounds. Once I reached that sweet spot, I went on to lose 100 more pounds pretty easily. Just be patient and try to be positive while you're working your way up to your optimal fill level--no need to be depressed for what is actually pretty normal!

I agree with IndioGirl55--remove the word "cheat" from your vocabulary! It sounds like you didn't get out of control, and made a conscious decision to enjoy a few treats for a special occasion. In my opinion, that's a good way to handle the rest of your life--using awareness and control, but not banning all treats forever.

Soexcited, I think I understand what you're saying. I recently had a very tiny unfill (0.1) which turned out to be WAY too much! So I got a 0.2 fill, which ended up feeling like LESS restriction, even though it was more than I had when I went in for an unfill. I just got another 0.5 put in, which got me back to my sweet spot. It seemed weird that I could have less restriction after a fill, but I'm thinking maybe (?) the Fluid was "just so" that it changed the band shape a tiny bit so that it wasn't ideal for my stomach. Its hard to be sure, though. Now I have 0.6 more in than when I went in for my unfill, but I'm back to normal now. So are you actually hungrier now? I was STARVING after my slight unfill and subsequent fill--it was like a switch was flipped that same day! If you're not actually hungry, try not to eat any more or any different than what you did--no testing just to see if you can get it down! For me, I knew by the next day that the unfill was NOT going to work for me, as I was SO hungry. This experience has completely made me a believer that the band has some effect on the nerves or hormones related to the stomach and eating. The change was so immediate and drastic, and was actually emotional and a little scary! I had not experienced that level of hunger for so long. But it has made me love my band even more!

I tried it about five years ago and lost about 25 pounds in a few months. I'm not a picky eater, and found most of the food tolerable (I also like military MRE's, though ). I actually liked some of the meals and snacks. I didn't have any problems with it and felt full on it (actually couldn't eat as much as I was supposed to every day). I do like systems like that as they're so easy, no real cooking but provide a decent amount of nutrients without the effort of putting them together yourself. It's just so expensive, much more than what I'm able to do cooking for myself (and mine tastes better ). I couldn't keep it up long term.

Most definitely! If it's something hard enough to dehydrate me considerably, my band is tighter. I ran a half marathon last month, and afterwards I could only get down liquids for the rest of the day. I just got a slight unfill due to this, as I plan to keep up and increase my running.

I haven't even thought to look since my weight loss until I saw this thread. Mine has gone away--around my highest weight it was worst around my neck, but there are no traces of it now that I can see. I recently had labwork done, and all seems to be normal except my thyroid is off again--am getting a boost on my meds again. All other hormone levels are within normal limits, and I'm not even taking Metformin anymore.