juliegeraci

When you lose weight you lose fat around the stomach and typically need another fill. This is all normal. You need a fill. I have heard people go as much 7ccs or more in 10cc without a problem.

Wow girl, you look great. Keep up the good work.

When you are tight do liquids and mushies. When you are loose eat high protein solids. That is exactly what my surgeon told me. Good luck.

I am considered a success per my surgeon with just over 70% weight loss. I am a slower loser however. It took me 2 years to lose 60 lbs. I plateaued for 7 months and went through fill help for 2 years. Finally I hit my sweet spot 5 weeks ago and have lost 8 lbs since then. I follow the Weight Watchers core program which is high Protein, fruit and vegies with limited carbs. I do not exercise regularly. I am 13 lbs from goal with an additional 15 lbs as a stretch goal. I went from a size 24 to 18 in 2 years and now I'm a 16. So it can take some time to lose, especially if you have a fickle band like mine. I started preop 320, banded at 282 and I am now 213. Julie

Just another comment newbies. Sometimes it takes a few fills to get satisfied so you have to be patient. I have a very fickle band and it took me 2 years to get to my sweet spot and over 20 fills and unfills. I am hoping for you its 3-5 fills but don't get discouraged if it is more. It just takes time and patience to get there. Good luck.

Hi Paula, I have a telecommuting desk job with very flexible hours. My surgery was on a Tuesday and I went back on Monday. You should be fine but you may be a little sore and tired.

I have perfect restriction and I eat 1-3oz at a time. My doctor said sometimes good restriction is as little as 1/2 of an egg! I typically consume 1/2 cup of food. I at 3 oz of chicken, 5 slices of tomato and about 1/4 cup of salad in about 40 minutes the other day. So I think you are not quite there yet. 800-1k calories, 1200 max is good. If you are losing however you may be okay. It is totally up to you and your surgeon as to how much restriction to have.

When I plateaued for 7 months I joined Weight Wathers and followed their core program. I lost 8 lbs in 3.5 weeks. It is high protein, fruits and vegies. The only carbs you can eat are whole wheat pasta, cream of wheat, oatmeal, brown rice. You get roughly 3k calories to splurge during the week on whatever you want. I lost 5 lbs my first week. It is really worth looking into. Good luck.

Good for you girl! You will love being banded. Congrats.

I went with size. I am almost 5'9' and my goal was size 16 with a stretch goal of 14 (that is what I was in high school). I started in a size 24 and I am in a 16 right. I have a goal of fitting looser 16s and jeans so that is what I am aiming for. I weight 213 so I am hoping for 185-200. My doctor said that 185 would be good but we agreed that 200 is fine. I go by size only.

I went with size. I am almost 5'9 and wanted to be in a 16 with a stretch goal of 14 (that is what I was in high school). I started at a size 24. I am now a 16 with the exception of jeans. I have a goal of 200 (13

Hi sweety, sorry to hear about your troubles. The best advice I can give you is to rejoin Weight Watchers and do the core program. It is helping me take off the weight. I have lost 8 lbs in 3.5 weeks on core and I eat high protein, fruits and vegies. If you are always starving you will have to eat more fiberious foods as well as protein. I go to my meetings on Tuesday a.m. My leader is great $15k on a new band. I would try WW for a couple months and see how you do. I was plateaued with my band for 7 months until I joined WW and followed core. I am now 13 lbs from goal with a stretch goal of 28 lbs. You can do it. We are here for you. Congrats on getting back into your exercise routine. Julie

Just wanted to give you all an update. I asked my husband for a divorce last night. We talked about the kids, the house, his job, etc. He wants to relocate 3.5 hours North of where we live. We use to live up there 3 years ago in the country/lake area. I told him I really need for him to stay local for a while so I can get our oldest one through high school. He starts his sophomore year this year. I can do the 2 hour commute with the youngest every other weekend when he does move (1/2 way commute) and he can spend more time during the Summer with him so that is good. Our house has depreciated $200 k in the last 1.5 years due to the economy so we can't sell it right now. I asked him to wave alimoney and child support (I make more Money) so we can keep the house as a write off. I am told that the only way to get the spouse off of the house is to refi, but we can't do that right now. So if he can give me some money each month we can both write off the house. There is a lot of transition happening right now with him being unemployed for 9 months. So the priority is for him to find solid work, get some counseling, work with an attorney, etc. I am really happy with this decision. It is so nice to know I have lapband friends out there that understand. Julie

That is fantastic. Thanks for the compliment. I am about 10 lbs slimmer from the pic above. My goal weight is 200 with a stretch goal of 185. Weight Watchers wants me at 169 but I've been that low before and truthfully I am too boney at that weight. I am 5'9" tall. There are some lapbanders the same height as me and they are like 145 and size 10. I can't imagine being that low. I feel great in a 16. I am there right now with pants but not jeans. Jeans are my goal. I am looking into a tummy tuck revision so we shall see. I am going to be going through a divorce this coming year so right now that isn't my priority. I am 13 lbs from goal, 28 from stretch so we shall see. I look at things the same way you do. I enjoy my favorite foods in moderation. I just love cheese and almonds. I eat them a couple days a week and its really gratifying. I have been through a lot with my band in just over 2 years. I'm one with a fickle band. Truthfully, I just hit my sweet spot about 5 weeks ago. It took me over 20 fills and unfills, PBs, reflux, everything to get there. Its a great feeling losing consistently now and not throwing up. There is truly a fine line. Keep me posted on your surgery. Julie

I don't have implants so I can't answer but I did have a tummy tuck. I lost 6.5 lbs of pannus. I have heard some people lose 10 lbs or more though. Boy girl, you must be 5'2". Good for you!

Has everyone's electricity and gas bills increased? Mine has gone up on average at least 300 from last years. I do have a pool which we run 3 hours a day.

Ghost, thank you for the post. It is so good that I am not alone in my feelings. I have only had sexual chemistry 3 times in my life. Once with my high school sweetheart. Another with a man I dated who was separated from his wife and my affair a few years ago. I really miss that connection. I have tried everything to bring a spark into my life with Paul. I have tried therapy, marriage encounters, weekends away, etc. I really miss that part of my life. I hope with my new life and therapy I can reach some decisions. Paul is one of my dearest friends and I hate to lose him. They say you can be married to your best friend but its just like kissing a stranger. Weird.

I so cannot do scrambled eggs. Sometimes I push it and have an omelette but it is very few bites. I typically PB it. I eat everything else pretty much.

How much can you consume at once? How is your restriction? Are you eating 800-1k calories, no more than 1200. Ask yourself these serious questions. I eat 1-3 oz at a time with good restriction. It took me 35 minutes to eat 3 oz of chicken breast, 5 sliced tomatoes and about 1/4 cup of salad the other day. Today I am tight so I had 3 pieces of melon (took me forever to eat) almost all a tortilla with some cheese melted, 10 crackers, some carrots and 4 bites of scallops with rice. On the days I am not tight, I eat more. My docto says that is fine. I plateaued for 7 months. Finally with a good fill and joining Weight Watchers I am losing again. I typically eat high protein, fruits and vegies with limited carbs. Good luck.

Girlfriend I so get it, hang in there. I just lost 6 lbs but hadn't loss anything since January. I had to get the right fill level, join Weight Watchers and just try harder. You can do it, I believe in you.

Not that it is right or anything and I am not here to defend myself but I had an affair 3 years ago my husband is aware of. He quickly lost about 70 lbs. Since then he has gained most of it back now that he thinks things are okay. I stopped smoking, I have lost weight and I am stopping all alcohol to lose the last 20. I am not in love with him and that is the problem. He is such a great friend that it tares me up inside. I hope I can make it through this okay. I got a new counselor for the both of us. Wish me luck.

Get a fill first. Eat 800-1k, no more than 1200 a day and you will lose.

6-8 almonds usually do the trick for me and they are very nutritious.

I follow the Weight Watchers core program which is high protein, fruits and vegies. The only free carbs I am allowed are brown rice, white and red potatoes, whole wheat pasta. I get roughly 1700 calories a week extra for whatever I want. I am losing roughly 2-3 lbs per week. It unlimited protein, fruits and vegies.

I went through the same thing. It is better to be a little looser to get your solid protein in. You can go 3-4 hours if you get your solid protein in. Protein shakes for me were typically and hour or so.