juliegeraci

Good for you. Congrats on your weight loss to date.

Don't feel bad. In January 07 we paid $782 for our 4 br, 2 bath house with a pool in CA. Fastforward to July 08. We have been reassessed for our property taxes at $540k. That is a $240k difference in only 18 months. I have no other option except dump it or stay. We are staying for now. Good luck.

most likely it is just a pulled muscle. You have have pulled out a stich as well. I would call your surgeon regardless to ask if you should heat or ice it.

Does it happen before or after you eat? What you are describing is either gas, restriction or swelling. I would go to your surgeon and tell him.

Jennifer, keep going back for fills until you can eat 1/2 cup of food, 800-1k calories (no more than 1200) and can go hours without feeling hungry. It took me 2 years and in fact just last week I finally hit my sweet spot after 20+ attempts. You have to be patient. Fills are typically small and it takes quite a few. Julie in CA.

Hi Grammy, I am 5'8" tall and we have similiar stats. I weighed 320 at my highest and was banded at 282. I am now 215, about 20 lbs from goal. The lapband is the best tool there is. You have control over your portion sizes and your hunger. I can go hours and hours without eating in between meals. I have no food cravings whatsoever. My relationship with food has totally changed. I now eat for nutrition as appose to cravings. Good luck in your decision. Its totally worth it.

Hi Rain, that is great honey. Sorry about the gown. Mine was big on me too when I went for my latest OBGYN appointment. And today at our corporate offices where I occassionally visit an old friend she he didn't recognize me. Now that is inspiration.

A sweet spot is when you have good restriction, you are losing 1-2 lbs a week, you are not as hungry and you don't PB. So its the perfect fill. Took me 2 years to get there. Don't feel bad.

That is fantastic news. You go girl!

I had a lot of PBing on 3.2. He removed .3 and took me down to 2.9. I was starving and gaining really quickly. He took me back up to 3.13, then 3.18. I was still gaining and starving so he took me up to 3.45 (past 3.2 which I PB'd a lot on). I have yet to PB again. The band is really fickle when it comes to restriction. I would recommend a slight unfill of .3 to see if that helps first, then .2 more if it doesn't. Another alternative is to move to liquids for a couple days followed by mushies then solids. Take small bites of everything and eat really slow. Good luck. Julie in CA.

Hi Leslie, I am on Weight Watchers. I follow the core program. It is comprised of meats, fish, chicken, all the protein you want. Vegies and fruits . The only carbs you have besides the fruits are brown rice and whole grain pastas, no bread. You get 35 points a week to eat whatever you want outside of the core plan. ie. alcohol, bread, mayo, etc. My mom's friend has lost 100 lbs on the core program. You eat unlimited until you are full. I have such a great fill now that I only at a 1 point weight watcher yogurt yesterday, 3 plums, 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 chicken breast and zucchini for dinner. I love going to the meetings. I have 23 lbs to lose with a 15 lb stretch goal. Julie from CA.

You are doing great. Now is the time to take care of yourself and heal. Don't push it. If you are on liquids try creamy soup. The milk has protein and for some reason it really helped me during that stage. 6 lbs is wonderful. Remember life as a bandster is a journey not a destination. I've been banded 2 years and it is definitely a life style with a band. Good luck to you! YOu are doing great.

I am sorry this happened to you. I wish you a speedy recovery. Welcome to bandland.

Hi Ange, I'm 5'8" tall and have flown at the weight. Its a little snug and you may need a seat belt extender but its doable. Don't be embarrassed. You will never see these people again.

Thanks everyone for the posts. I am doing really well since my fill last week. No PB, no hunger. Tomorrow I go in for my barrium swallow.

If you are tight to liquids then you are too tight. You should be able to eat solid protein, all be it, a little without PBing or having issues. I would have .3 or .5 taken out and see how you do.

I would call and ask your surgeon how long in between fills. Mine makes you wait 2 weeks.

When I read threads like this it saddens me. I really want you to take a close look as to why you were banded to begin with and keep that dream alive. You can most definitely eat around the band. I do drink with meals but I am still losing. I eat no junk food and rarely do I eat junk food out. Please pray about this and give this up to God. It is bigger than you. Obesity is a very serious disease that you have. The band can help you. Start your day tomorrow with some good protein in the a.m. followed by more for lunch and lean protein and vegies for dinner. Snack on good things like fruits and vegies, protein bars help too. Don't sabotage yourself any longer. Love yourself, love your band and the weight will come off. You can do it. PM me if you want to know my story . Its a journey not a destination girlfriend. Julie from CA.

I can eat 2 to 3 oz of protein and feel great on that. I don't miss large portions at all. At times I do miss eating sushi (lots and lots) or maybe a big plate of spaghetti or something like that. You will get use to it.

I am rejoining tomorrow and I'm going to see if I can follow the core plan. I like the point plan too but I can only lose on 20 points a day which isn't much.

You are eating too many carbs. Your diet should be 800-1k calories, 1200 max. I would start your day with a protein shake or protein bar . Eleminate the granola and for dinner eat protein and vegies. Your body isn't getting enough nutrition.

Thanks for the posts guys. I truly can tell you I don't understand the band. I was at 3.2 and I was too tight to liquids. Then I was at 2.9 and too lose, then 3.12 and too loose, then 3.18 and too loose. Now I'm at 3.23 and fine. I can do liquids fine. What is up with that. 3.2 bad, now 3.23 good.

When I first started to lose weight I weighed 320 lbs at 5'8" tall. I couldn't walk at a rate of 2 on the treadmill. I lost about 35 lbs by omitting carbs, sugar, alcohol and walking on the treadmill. I was banded June of 06 at 282 lbs. At first I lost my hunger then it naturally came back as the healing progressed. I am an average loser at 1 lb a week. You have to be patient with the band, Sometimes it takes months to reach your sweet spot. If you are too tight sometimes it is hard to get in good nutrition. . You have to really work with your surgeon to make sure your aftercare is good. I have a very fickle band so just this week 25 months later I found my sweet spot. I havenb't been there in at least 1 year. I am about 20 lbs from goal with a stretch goal of another 15 lbs. I went from a size 24-26 to a size 16. My goal is a lose 16. I have a lot of insight about restriction because I have been through so much with my band. It can be a tricky thing to get to your sweeet spot. Sometimes I do PB but that is if I really push it and eat too much or too fast. I can't eat eggs at all unless they are hard broiled. I do enjoy all foods. I eat sashimi (sushi) but can't get sushi down because of the rice. I eat all foods including pasta and rice, just less of them. I have the worlds best surgeon who is on call 24x7 for his patients. Aftercare is really important and can get quite costly if your fills aren't covered. So make sure you take care of that. The band is a tool. You will still need to exercise and eat right. Ice cream goes down too good. Best of luck to you with your band, You can PM me if you want more details. Julie from CA.

If you are eating 1 whole chicken breast you need a fill. I would say 2 oz no more than 4 is the norm with good restriction. There is a however though. If you are still losing on such high quantity of food it will be up to you and your surgeon to decide if you need a fill. Some people can lost on 1 cup of food. For me its more like 1/2 cup. Good luck.

I have a few suggestions. First, what time of the night is your last meal? Make sure you are eating early. Seconds I would take a daily dose of an antiacid like Prilosec, even 2 times a day would be good. If this doesn't help in a couple days I would go in for a slight unfill. How big was your fill? I would take out .3 first then maybe .2 if that doesn't help. Reflux is a sign of being too tight. Good luck to you. Its not fun I know.