orcidgrl

Hi! my goal was to loose 100Lbs in 1 year, but unfortunately, I didn't exercise, which I think is entirely the reason that I didn't attain my goal. During the Xmas holiday, I went to Disney, and we walked around 6-8 hours a day, and even though I ate alot, I managed to loose 5 pounds in just a week, which really convinced me how important exercise it. Unfortunately, on my return I got sick for a month, so was not able to jump start my exercise routine. I will be starting tonight...treadmill 3 times a week, hoping that this will help me accelerate the weight loss. I must say however, that I am really pleased by my present success, even if I didn't reach my goal. I know that it's all possible, the success is all within my own hands. I have alot of restriction, and manage to eat all kinds of good stuff, but have had to give up alot of food, which I'm okay with (well except maybe for the sushi). I still eat chocolate, but with moderation, so things are good.

I hope I don't make you mad or anything, I'm just throwing this out there, in case it could help anyone else out...but your story sounds juste like my friend. She was going through something similar, but then found out she was pregnant! Hope it's not the case.

Just a thought here, but maybe your big weightloss has had an impact on your medication, for example, you weigh less, so the same dose is now much too strong for you...I'm not a doctor, but you never know, that might explain why suddenly your medication is effecting you in new ways. Are you nauseous when you eat? Can you force yourself to eat a healthy meal? You should definately talk to your family doctor.

Wow...you guys are doing great!

Just curious as to how all of you have been doing since ur surgery in January? Are you happy about your band? How do you love bandster life? How close are you to your goal? Do you exercise everyday? Do you PB alot? So far, I've lost 60 pounds, and I love my band. I have another 100 pounds to go and I loose around 3-4 pounds per month. I've had to make alot of adjustments on my food consumption, because i'm quite tight, and when I get stuck, it takes a long time to clear up. I still sometimes forget to chew if im having dinner conversation! But I still think it was worth it! I PB about 1-2 times a week. My only regret is that I don't exercise at all, I'm stuck in a rut and have so much trouble getting my butt in gear on the treadmill. I'm working on it though, and I know that once I do regular exercise, I will loose much faster. I eat more than half the quantities of food that I used to eat before the surgery.

Hi! I just did my first one this Sunday...took me 6 hours as well...90% of the clothes in there wouldn't fit anymore! The funny thing is that there was a big section of the clothe, that I had put aside a long time ago, because it was too small, in hope of maybe one day loosing some weight...turns out that the clothes was too big..awww so sad! I went down from a size 6X to a size 3X...and I'm not nearly done! Plus my closet is super neat now...and...airy! hehehe!

I haven't really kept myself from going out to restaurants, but i'm very very carefull about what I order, usually fish, or something else that doesnt give me problems, I also drink my glass of water, just before I eat, just in case...which I know is a no-no, but I just don't want to take a chance getting stuck in a restaurant. Once, I got stuck and was on the verge of throwing up for 40 minutes, had to stay in the bathroom, while the staff kept knocking on the door, asking if I was alright. I was sooo embarassed. Getting stuck is awfull, but getting stuck in a public place is worse! So, i'm very very carefull what and how I eat. Also, like the others stated, the problem is not as much the food as it is the distractions...I guess I still haven't quite go the hang of it...I sometimes forget to chew a bite to death, then swallow...then it's too late!

3-4 days after surgery, I was able to gulp liquids just as I had always done before the surgery, and that didn't change, until my 2nd fill...then everything changed...I take a sip and it takes 3-4 seconds before it goes through the band...I can feel it and I can hear it...if I take big gulps, it doesnt hurt, but it take longer to go through, in fact, if I drink a glass of liquid, I feel satiated and not hungry for a good 10 minutes sometimes, especially in the morning. Now if I take a sip of liquid with some food...that actually hurts, and has been known to cause a PB.

I remember that when I went though this stage, it was very hard mentally, because for the first time ever, food was not a fun, good thing anymore, it kinda turned into pain (psychologically speaking)...I went from looking forward to every meal to being scared to eat...but slowly it got better and now I enjoy food again, but it was a big issue that I had to deal with. I know that I discovered that bean and lentil salads were awesome, super filling, full of good protein and went down easy, and also fish was great toonice and healthy...funny how i never liked fish before but now i love it. ...unfortunately I also discovered that I would have to give up my adored sushi for ever and had alot of trouble with raw tomatoes. This is also the period when you really discover what it means to get stuck and have to PB! :(Good luck and remember that its all worth it.

During the first few weeks after my surgery I really had alot of back pain due to the gas...so I went in for a massage, but I still didn't feel comfortable lying on my stomack yet...so they put my on a special massage chair (like the one they use for corporate massages). About 2 weeks later, I was ok to get a real massage and it was amazing...I've been getting them ever since, and in fact it's been alot easier since the surgery, because of all the weight loss, I have a much easier time lying on my stomach. The only thing is that somethimes, the massage therapist wants to massage my stomach area, and I didn't like the feeling of that, I could feel my port moving around, so I told her to stop and haven't let her do it since.

As scary as it is, you have to concentrate on solid foods and stay away from liquid or mushy foods...the solid foods are the ones that will keep you feeling full for a while. If I eat soup or yogourt, it goes right thought te band and I am hungry 30 minutes later...same as any other slider foods. Once I got my last "good" fill that got me at my sweet spot, it took me at least 3-4 weeks to get used to it and as I remember, I was getting pain at almost every meal, because I was pushing it too much or discovering that certain foods got stuck very easily, and they weren't what I expected. Like for me, I can't eat soft salad or scrambled eggs, because they are too soft and sticky. There is alot of trial and error during this "funky" period, but you will get through it! You'll eventually figure out what works for you and can keep you full for a while.

The way I look at it is that you still have the tool, and it's still in good order and can work if and when you are ready to start using it properly again. It worked once, it can work again. So don't ever loose hope! In fact, just remember that since you did it once, you can definately do it again...where did you read/figure out that if you gained the the lost weight back...that was it, your chances were over? it just doesn't make any sense. I had to self-pay my own lap band and at a price of $18,000, I figure that I'd better not take any chances and get psychological therapy as well as all the usual support group and aftercare stuff. I didn't think I had any food/eating issues, but it turned out I did, and by dealing with them, it's helping me out alot with the weight loss. Nicotine is a very strong addiction, but trust me, food is an even bigger and stronger addiction than nicotine! I am sorry if this sounds very blunt, but if you are finding ways to eat though your band, and can't stop yourself, then maybe you could get some help.

Keep in mind that with today's surgery procedures, the surgeon is supposed to stitch the band in place. This has reduced drastically the number of band slippages. Of course, right after surgery, while you are still healing, it's a good idea to hold a pillow or cushion on your abdomen while you sneeze or cough...but once it's healed, you shouldn't have to worry about it. It it slipps after a sneeze, it's probably because the stitches are loose in the first place, and the band is not properly scarred in place.

I started loosing hair at 2-3 months after my surgery. It lasted for 2 months, and was mostly in the front part of my head (bangs). It has really slowed down alot now, and is starting to grow back. It's not just caused by the lack of Protein, and ketosis, but also due to the anesthesia. There is nothing that can be done to avoid it, however keeping ur protein intake up, and taking ur Vitamins helps. I also found that the shampoo called Nioxin helped salvage the hair that was still there, this shampoo although expensive, did help, even helped slow down my husband's balding. It all grows back. I also found that my hair was alot greasier. Talk to your hairdresser, he can help with a good haircut to lighten the load. it's all worth it! The hair comes back but the pounds don't!

Yes I do... - I use the VitaBand Multi-vitamins, in Lemon-cream..and am getting very sick of the flavor, but they are very good quality vitamins (in chewable form) - I also take the Chewalbe Iron in Chewable Passion Fruit - tastes great - B12 supplement in sublingual format I don't take their Calcium supplement because it was very expensive and for a much cheaper price I can get several other kinds of Calcium. - finally, I take about 2000mg of Vitamin D (in chewable format)