HilaryInRC

I've had my band for 4.5 years and no complications. No lasting weight loss though.

Suzie, That is so cool that you worked at the election polls. I've filled out paperwork to volunteer to do that, but I haven't been contacted. I guess my area must have enough volunteers already. It sounds like you have been busy between that and your church activity. BTW, parmesan chicken sounds yummy. Funeral potatoes are a standard Mormon dish. My immediate family is Mormon (LDS), although I am considered "inactive" due to my lack of participation. I'm definitely an old maid by Mormon standards! LOL! Funeral potatoes are frozen hashbrowns mixed with cream of chicken Soup, sour cream, and tons of cheese, topped with crushed, buttered corn flakes. I recommend never trying it, because you won't be able to resist it if you've ever tasted it! So, I see my PCP for things like migraines, colds, cholesterol, etc. But, my gyn is much better for issues like weight, hormones, acne, female issues etc. He is an amazing doctor. In fact, I have a friend that sees him for any medical issue. He is basically her PCP. She will go see him if she has a cold even. He likes to treat the whole woman and not just her reproductive system. I guess I just see who I feel most comfortable with for whatever issue it is. I know that my PCP, although a wonderful woman and doctor, would not offer me much help with weight. But, the benefit of my PCP is that she can get me in fast, whereas I have to wait at least two weeks to get in with my gyn. But, it is nice to have a number of great doctors I can count on for care. Also, my town is small (30,000 people) and remote (nearest bigger city is 90 miles away). We don't have a lot of medical specialists here. No neurologist, no endocrinologists, etc. So, a lot of our doctors sort of multitask. Amy, I laughed when I saw you wrote that you "went off the reservation." Something about your word choice struck me as funny. :-) But, it sounds like you did okay even though you loosened up your standards a bit. Have you weighed yourself since you fill? Any weight loss? No pressure! Just curious. The past few days, I haven't felt like going outside to walk in the desert (much to the dismay of my dogs). I'm hesitant to tromp around in the desert with my allergies having just calmed down. We've got the swamp cooler running in the house, so it is nice and comfortable inside. Instead, I've been doing old Kathy Smith aerobics videos from the 1980s. They are sooooo much fun. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy goofy old aerobics videos. I went to amazon.com last night and ordered a few more. I'm glad I have some private time during the day to do them, because I know I look so silly! -Hilary

Hi Amy and Suzie, How was Easter? Did you do okay? My Easter was fine until dinner. A friend of ours brought over funeral potatoes. They are so delicious and high calorie. But, I ate them! Then, after dinner my mom brought out a chocolate turtle pie! Ay, yay, ay! Temptation everywhere and I failed to resist. Today, I had an appointment scheduled with my gynecologist. He has helped me lose weight in the past with phentermine, a prescription diet pill. I was expecting him to do the same thing this time. But, he reviewed my labs from last year and it turns out I have hypothyroidism and nobody ever contacted me to treat it. So, I am starting thyroid medication today. He also encouraged me to go on a very low-carb diet. He says no potatoes, Pasta, rice, bread, Cereal, or fruit, and to focus on Protein. Gee, where have I heard that before? LOL. So, I check in with him in two weeks and then we start the diet pills. Next week I have an appointment with my band doc. I'm hoping I get to have a fill this time. I really think I need one. I'm hoping that after a few weeks of cpap + thyroid meds + fill + diet pills that it will create the "perfect storm" for weight loss. On another note, things have not been going so great with my boyfriend. We are both starting to see other people. I was pretty upset about it last week, but am starting to feel okay about it now. We haven't exactly broken up completely, but we are putting in some distance. And, my school schedule has gotten re-arranged a bit since I took this month off. It looks like I will not be able to do an internship with the school district next year and will be spending another year substitute teaching. I actually feel kind of happy about that because it will allow me to focus more on my coursework, take more time to pass my examinations, and I get to regularly see the same kids I bonded with this year. So, all in all, this past week has been kind of important for general life stuff. I need to learn how to handle these types of things without turning to food for comfort. That is all for now. -Hilary

Hello my lovely ladies! The steroids are working great, and my allergies are non-existent now. What a relief! I was able to make it to Knott's berry Farm on Thursday with the kids, but I couldn't sleep the night before due to a stuffy nose and a brain that wouldn't quiet down. So, I only got one hour of sleep (yes, one hour) before I had to be at the school. Then, I had to drive down to Los Angeles. My car broke down on the way, but we got it fixed and were only 15 minutes late arriving after the school bus with the kids. I walked 6.5 miles that day, got a mini sunburn, and had a great time just seeing how happy the kids were! I got to go on one ride, but spent the rest of the time being available for check-in etc. By the time we got home at 10:30 pm, I was so exhausted! But, I still got up on Friday at my regular wake up time and opted for an afternoon nap. I'm doing pretty good at keeping the wake up time that my dr. wants me to have. Yesterday, I didn't do much at all. But, today, I had to go out of town to try on bridesmaid dresses for my sister's wedding. We found her the most beautiful wedding gown and a really nice dress that we bridesmaids will wear. Mine will be a size 20. I know that David's Bridal sizes run a little small, but a 20? Yikes! We won't order the dress until early May, so maybe I can go down a size by then? I hope... Anyway, today at lunch, I unwittingly ordered an item that had over 3,400 miligrams of sodium! Can you believe that?!? Then, on the ride home I got really sick to my stomach. So, I can't even say I enjoyed it that much. Well, I guess I'll be pretty bloated for the next few days. I'm going to avoid the scale for a while! One other cool bit of news. I've been wearing my fitbit every day since March 14th. I got a notice this evening in my email from my fitbit letting me know I have walked 50 miles in that time! Awesome!!! Amy and Suzie, I can't begin to tell you ladies how proud I am of you. You are making such good choices and using such restraint. I have not been very good. Especially the last few days. I'm having self-control issues. But, you are an inspiration to me and I love knowing that I can come here and let it all hang out. Happy Easter tomorrow (and don't eat candy!)! Hugs, Hilary

Reading through forum posts, I have seen such variance about how many calories people eat a day. Some eat 600, others 1300. I had one doctor recommend 900, and another 1100. Myfitnesspal says eat no less than 1200! Who is a girl to believe? 1) So, how many calories do you aim for a day? Why? 2) Do you watch your carbs in addition to Protein? 3) Do you do a special diet (low-carb, Paleo, Zone, WW)? 4) Do you eat your earned exercise calories? 5) Do you eat at scheduled times of the day or only when hungry?

FYI, a gal from the "I have failed my band" thread set up a private and discreet facebook group for struggling bandsters. I just joined. She is just getting it rolling. Check in over there if you are interested in joining.

Suzie, OMG! 9 lbs!!!! That is so awesome! I'm really happy to hear that. :-) I'm also excited to hear how your appointment goes with your band doctor tomorrow. Amy, Hmm, I might have to look into getting those calcium supplements that you mention. Yesterday evening I got so miserable that I called my doctors office. They told me they could fit me in right then. So, I was in and out within 30 minutes with prescriptions for more nose spray, eyedrops, and a medrol pack (oral steroids). I knew the medrol pack would work because I usually have to take one at the beginning of every summer when I get this weird rash on my legs. Anyway, it is less than 48 hours later and I feel about a zillion times better! This means I can go to Knotts tommorrow! Yay! So, I woke up late today and felt super sluggish. But, I was hungry again first thing. So, I had a Protein drink and then 2 hours later, 4 oz of solid protein. After I got my energy up, I popped in an old school Kathy Smith workout video and did an hour of aerobics. It was actually pretty fun! One of the dogs thought I was being goofy and playing with her. She got pretty hyper and was bouncing around the family room with me. Afterwards, when I sat down on the couch she hopped up in my lap and gave me kisses. It was sweet. :-) One of my little sisters got married last July, and my other little sister gets married at the end of this July. Well, this time I'm in the wedding. So, I have 4 months to lose some weight. I'm hoping to have lost 25 lbs in that amount of time (down to 180). I feel a lot more comfortable with myself at that weight than at this weight. It feels nice to have an actual goal and time frame. -Hilary

Suzie, That is awesome that you got out by yourself today! I would be nervous too about ice. I agree with you about the treadmill. I don't think it is a good idea right yet. I was reflecting back on where I was a year ago tomorrow. I couldn't walk, cook, bathe myself, drive, or anything. In fact, I couldn't even fully empty my bladder! What a difference a year makes. I'm back to normal, albeit 32 lbs heavier. Oh well! I'll take 32 lbs over being unable to care for myself. I think in a year from now you will marvel at how far you've come. Amy, Wow! I'm jealous of you being in the green! It sounds like you did a great job. Mexican food can be hard to resist. I *love* tacos. I am failing at making good choices right now. I need to get myself under control. Yesterday, I did such a good job until 11:00 pm. I got really hungry. Like stomach growly hungry. So, I had a greek yogurt and it was all downhill from there. My allergies were so bad that I couldn't get to sleep until 3:30 am. I was sneezy and then stuffy. I finally took a decongestant. I was tired and wanted to sleep, but told myself no sleep until I could get the mask on (gotta breathe through your nose to use the cpap). Today, I woke up hungry. It was the weirdest thing. That never happens to me. So, I went to the kitchen and got chicken and had that for my first meal of the day. Being able to eat solid Protein first thing in the morning is not usually something I'm able to do. Usually, anything solid is a problem. I'm not sure what is going on. I hope my band isn't leaking. Anyway, later in the day I had a tall starbucks drink that was not sugar-free and then came home and baked mini oatmeal Cookies as a treat for my mom. I ended up eating 6 of them. Luckily they were little. Anyway, fitbit says I'm still in my goal zone and that I can have at least 500 more calories today. So, the day isn't lost. But, what was I thinking purposefully eating sugar?!? I'm hoping I can get to sleep much earlier tonight and eat nothing after dinner. Right now, exercise is completely impossible due to my allergies. My eyes are all swollen and I'm a sneezy, stuffy, runny mess. I'm supposed to chaparone a field trip to Knott's berry Farm on Thursday and am starting to doubt my ability to go. -Hilary

So, I went back and looked at my fiber intake for the last two weeks...pitiful! I just ordered some Vitafusion Fiber Gummies. :-) Thanks!

I never had this problem until I started taking Propranalol (blood pressure med - I take it for migraine prevention) and Lipitor (for cholesterol) back in December/January. I started taking them at the same time and am not quite ready to go off Lipitor, so I'm not sure which one it is that is causing this ungodly consitipation. I take colase (stool softener) 300 mg every night and am still having issues. My primary care physician (not my band doc) recommends miralax. I haven't tried that yet, but am considering it. Fiber gummies sound like a good option. My diet is so heavily weighted toward Protein that I know for a fact I'm not getting enough fiber.

I'm sorry that I don't have any information for you, but, OMG! Call your doc tomorrow and tell them you need to be seen ASAP!!! My heart goes out to you. :-(

No eating at 5 days post-op! You need to be on liquids (juice, broth, low-fat milk, sugar free Jello and popsicles, and Protein shakes) for a minimum of 14 days. Possibly even 21 days.

I have had my band for approaching the 5 year mark. I've had successful years and unsuccessful years. I can get weight off to a certain point, but keeping it off is a struggle for me. In fact, I've gained it all back not once, but twice! I lose steadily if I eat 1100 calories a day, every day, with hardly any deviation and a sedentary lifestyle. When I hit about 175 lbs, the weight no longer comes off. This time around, I'm trying for a more permanent loss and to incorporate regular exercise. I'm doing things differently and trying to equip myself with knowledge! Hence the question. Plus, I'm a curious gal. I like to know what everybody else is doing! Please, more people post your answers! Hilary

Hi LelaSeattle, It sounds like you have had a tough time these past two years. And, sorry for the language, but, it is hard to focus on counting calories and exercise when life's gotcha by the balls. Don't be too hard on yourself. Do you think you are at the point where you can re-commit to the band? How long has it been since you have seen your surgeon/PA/nurse? -Hilary

Amy, I am glad to hear that you might be in the green zone. It seems so hard to find, so I am excited for you! Are you on solids yet, or still soft & mushies? What does green feel like? I think I've only been yellow and red... Definitely yellow zone right now. Suzie, Do you go in for your next appointment tomorrow? I think I read that correctly. Are you excited? As for me, I was doing really well last week with healthy choices and exercise. I went out of town 3 days last week and made good choices each time. First, at Red Lobster, I had lobster (no butter) and salad. The next time we went out of town, I had salad and chili. And, the last time I had 300 calories worth of tacos (the kind with the corn tortilla, meat and salsa). My mom bought Krispy Kreme donuts, Cheesecake Factory dutch apple cheesecake, and mini pot-pies from our favorite little diner in Anaheim. I resisted them all! But, my seasonal allergies have started. I overdid it with antihistimines and decongestants and ended up sleeping all weekend. Seriously! I went to sleep at about 10:00 pm on Friday night and didn't change out of my pjs until I woke up at 11:00 am today! There were a few lucid hours here and there, but not much. So, even though I didn't eat much the past two days, I also hardly moved at all. I think my fitbit thinks I died! LOL! I felt pretty groggy today from the meds I took last night and have been coming down off my Nyquil Sinus hangover today. I think I'm going to take a walk tonight after dinner. I haven't had the best balance today. It seems like this thread is gaining momentum and I see new people checking in. That is awesome! I wonder how The Curvy Mermaid is doing? I don't think we've heard from her in a while.

For the constipation, get some colase or generic colase at the drug store.

Hi there, Here are some things to consider: 1) You aren't that far out from your surgery date. You might still have some swelling and inflammation in your stomach/abdomen that is causing you to not be able to eat very many calories. That is okay for now. 2) It is VERY important that you eat at least 60 grams of protein a day. If you can't get it in by food right now, you need to get it in by protein powder/drink. I strongly recommend Syntrax Nectar brand, although eventually you will find your magic/special protein drink brand. If you do not eat enough protein your body will cannabalize your muscle. This is bad as it reduces your metabolism. Sometimes protein powders/drinks will give you diarrhea (especially in the beginning). You might have to try a few brands to see what works for you. High quality whey protein is best for protein drinks. 3) When you are able to comfortably eat solids you should try to eat approximately 3 meals of 300 calories with a minimum of 20 grams of protein and two 100 calorie snacks. You can eat 3 meals of 400 calories if you want with no snacks. Try to eat between 1000 - 1300 calories a day. 4) Try to eat as much of your protein as solid protein (fish, meat, ground meat). If you cannot do that, eat eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt (preferably without sugar). 5) Eating breakfast, while it is often uncomfortable and no fun, will keep you from over-eating later in the day/at night. I know that over-eating seems pretty impossible to you now, but as you heal and lose, that band will losen up. Over-eating might become a possibility. If you cannot get solid protein down for breakfast, try greek yogurt or cottage cheese. If even that is impossible, have a protein drink mixed with some milk or yogurt. 6) Protein first, always. Protein is king. Then fruit/veggies. Then grains/carbs (yes, I know fruits and veggies are carbs too) if you still want them. The sooner you can ditch bread, rice, pasta, cereal, items made with flour the better. 7) Try really hard not to eat sugar. Right now you are in the honeymoon stage with your band. It is easy to do everything perfectly. As the days/years go by, you may find yourself having temptations. For me, and I only speak of personal experience, eating sugar causes my cravings to spiral out of control. And, sugar is never going to be nutritious. The sooner you can say goodbye to sugar, the better. I hope this helps. I have lost by these rules and gained by ignoring them. One other thing, if you find that you are losing fast and your hair is thinning (that happened to me in the beginning) try Bariatric Advantage biotin supplement. I hear it helps. Best wishes and hugs. -Hilary

I cannot use a heart rate monitor because I take blood pressure medication (to prevent migraines), which will create inaccurate results. Instead, I have a fitbit. It is pretty amazing. I wouldn't choose anything else. I got the fitbit zip. It is pretty inexpensive and works really well. It has helped me to realize that exercise is such an important part of this journey. It also motivates me to get out and exercise much more than I would if I didn't have it.

After some extreme frustration on Tuesday, I am feeling much more forgiving of my band and myself today. Suzie, I'm glad to hear you made it through your time with your grandneice and that she didn't poop you out too much. As for cottage cheese, I do eat it every once in a while. I primarily have it for Breakfast because of the low calories, high Protein content, and that is is easy to get down first thing in the morning. It is a bit of a slider food, as Amy said. But, I find that it keeps me sufficiently full throughout the morning, especially if I have it with some tomatoes. I also like cottage cheese with some Mott's no sugar added blueberry applesauce on top. As for those people who lose a ton of weight in a few months, I have no earthly idea how they do it. If I knew, I'd do it too! Maybe it is because they are significantly larger like Amy said. The highest I've weighed is 211 and I find weight comes off slowly. But, once I get down to the 170s it gets really really hard for me to get any weight off at all. So, it could have to do with starting size. I watch The Biggest Loser too and at first they lose like 20lbs a week and then it gets down to just a few pounds a week around the end as they have shrunk down (even with all the exercise they do). Amy, it is amazing to me that you have so much in your band and are just starting to feel restriction. The band really is different on everyone. I actually wish we all had a bit more of a standard experience and less personal variation. It gets frustrating for one thing to work for one person, but not for another. Also, Amy, a third of your soup and a few bites of mushies and you were full. That is awesome! I wonder how many calories you will be taking in a day now that you've had another fill. According to my fitbit and all of my tracking that I've been doing, I'm burning an average of 2100 calories a day and eating about 1500 calories a day (still too much for having a band). That is an average deficit of 600 calories a day. So, when will I see some movement on the scale? I'm walking 2-6 miles every day, depending on my energy level. I'm also wearing the cpap for about 6-7 hours a night. I'm still tired a lot though. Maybe I will have lost at least a few pounds by the time I go in for my next appointment on April 10th. One thing that is interesting to me is to see that fitbit says I only burn about 1300 calories if I don't move around a lot or get out and exercise that day. With my eating habits (1500 cal a day), I would be gaining weight slowly but surely without daily exercise. I had never really realized that before. I am really starting to see that for me, exercise is going to be a bigger piece of the equation that I had ever anticipated. I know for some people, exercise doesn't make or break them. But, I think it has the potential to really help/hinder me. I live in the desert. Right now the weather is nice (70s to low 80s during the day). I can get out and take multiple walks or do a workout video in the house. But, at the end of May it will be in the 100s, and it will continue to get hotter and more humid as we get into summer time. Our house has a swamp cooler and no air conditioning, so exercising at home is not going to work very well. I think I am going to need some sort of gym membership for July - October because of the heat. Otherwise I'm going to have to be content with no chance of weight loss during those months. -Hilary

Oh, ladies. I had the *biggest* meltdown over my band last night. I got myself all worked up and couldn't sleep. I even had to take an anxiety pill. Right now I'm functioning on 2 hours of rest. I was so frustrated and hopeless that if I could have reached in and ripped out the band I would have! I was prepared to have revision and call this morning to get it all set up. But, it turns out my new insurance doesn't cover any obesity related treatment. No nutritionist, no medically supervised diet plans, no surgeries, nothing. Thank goodness I pre-payed for all of my band appts. Well, I will either be switching insurance this fall or next January depending on how work plays out. This is it. This is the last year I'm giving my band. If the band and I haven't sorted out our differences by next year (5 years in September), I'll be moving forward with something else. In the mean time, I need to really work my band and all of my resources. I have an appointment with a local doctor to discuss diet pills/prescriptions and those sorts of options on April 1st. I also have an appointment with my PA for a fill on the 10th. I'm at my wits end with this band.

Hi Christie, I think I will be moving forward with scheduling a revision to RNY here soon. I plan to call my surgeon tomorrow to get the ball rolling. I think it is cool that you posted about your bypass here on LBT too. A lot of folks on the "I have failed my band" forum would probably be interested to hear your story. Best, Hilary

Frustrated with my band!

Suzanne, Good job resisting the candy! That is awesome! So yesterday, I did really well until after dinner. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner like I was supposed to (300 cal, 400 cal, 400 cal). I also walked 5 miles. But, after dinner I was craving sweet. So, I had a few dates. And it snowballed from there. It was an after-dinner binge. I won't give you the gory details! I think I need to just quit sugar all together. It leads to bad things for me. Today, I'm trying again. It is a new day. I got up at my new wake up time again, and attempted breakfast. I got down 280 calories (1 cup + honey + banana) of plain greek yogurt and couldn't quite make it to 300 calories. 280 was pushing it. Then, I went for my morning walk. Later, around 11:00 am, I got hungry again. So, breakfast kept me full for 3 hours. I got home at 11:40 am and had lunch - a lean cuisine and some turkey lunchmeat. Again, I made it to 280 calories and couldn't get another bite in! There just wasn't any room. So, I stopped eating even though my PA says to eat 400 cal for lunch. But, I have a Starbucks date with some friends and will make up the calories there. Usually, I would just have unsweetened green tea. But, since I'm low on calories I'm going to have coffee and 2% milk. More later...

I have not been particularly successful with my lap-band. My most recent venture in to see my PA at the surgeon's office left me with the fact that I have to wear my CPAP to lose weight (and not die!). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea with score of 150 (over 30 is considered severe). Apparently, untreated sleep apnea effects leptin and ghrelin, which in turn effect insulin, satiety, and hunger. My PA says that I need to 1) wear the CPAP every night, 2) wake up at the same time every day with bright light, and 3) eat 20 grams of Protein within an hour of waking up. He says I should see positive changes in my life and weight in about 3-4 weeks of doing these things. So, I got my CPAP adjusted to where everything is comfortable and I've been wearing it every day for the last two weeks. The big problem I am having is my sleep schedule. Some nights I will put on the CPAP and sleep for 12 hours. Other nights I'll put it on and be wide awake after 3 hours (like tonight). This makes it hard for me to observe any sort of actual sleep schedule. Also, some days regardless of the amount of sleep I had the previous night, I am tired in the afternoon and take a nap for a few hours with CPAP. I am waking up at many different times and sleeping at many different times and I am struggling in this aspect. I know it has only been two weeks, and I am trying to be patient. But, I am really struggling with this new irregularity in my sleep schedule. I am also finding it harder to wake up every day at the same time since starting to wear the CPAP. Can anyone explain what is going on and provide some tips (if there are any) about how to correct the situation?

Hi Suzanne, How is today going? Are you recouping from your detour yesterday? Amy, My current PA recommends 1100 calories a day: Breakfast) 300 cal, Lunch) 400 cal, Dinner) 400 cal, with a minimum of 20 grams of protein at each meal. So far, I have been uncompliant with that. I started out with trying to eat breakfast (no protein drink and within 60 minutes of waking). I am now able to eat breakfast. But, then the rest of the day the schedule goes kinda wonky. Today, is the first day that I am attemping his breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule. I have to tell you 300 calories of protein for breakfast was tough for me. I had to eat 1 greek yogurt, 1 hard boiled egg, and 1/3 c cottage cheese to meet his requirement. Today for lunch, I had a sesame stir fry chicken lean cuisine, a hard boiled egg, and 1/4 c cottage cheese to meet his requirements. I found it hard to eat that much food. I was forcing myself. But, I'm hoping that it will keep me full for 4+ hours if I do what he says. I'll let you know the results. -Hilary