RLittman

Kutia - the difference is amazing! There is half a person missing! I keep my pictures taped to the mirror so I can remind myself how much I have changed. I noticed that I am losing only about a 1/2 pound to a pound a week, but the inches keep falling away even though I have slowed down my workouts. I was going 4-5 times a week but now I'm only working out 2 times a week. Yes, I have become the excuse queen! I am down 10 pounds since my last fill on 2/23 but I changed from a size 14 to a size 12. But I agree with Jessica (Clarity Seeker), somewhere over the years they must have changed the sizing system because I was never a size 12 at this weight. I have found out though that if I eat more I lose weight but it is difficult to eat more with this fill which is why I am considering having an unfill. I think I am eating too little and it slows my metabolism down and then I don't lose weight. Strange isn't it? When I have met folks at the surgicenter who have not connected with any forum, they seem a little lost in the process, and are usually frustrated with their band. Most of them do not have a clue about when to have fills, what to eat, etc. That is why I am glad to see a real push by some of the local doctors to have monthly support group meetings at their offices. I am so glad we are there for each other. Haven't we already been through enough in our lives? This should be the best time of our life. I have been overweight since I was ten. I've not been able to enjoy what other girls did - going to the beach, shopping in "normal size" stores, having a ton of male admirers/boyfriends. Now at 47 I am enjoying what my friends have known for years - moving with ease, feeling comfortable in your own skin, not sweating every waking minute of the day, looking great in clothes, having folks admire you not just for your appearance but the courage to change your life. Our new lives are just pounds away and we should be positive with ourselves and each other - that is why we did this - we were ready for a positive change!

You are over the half way point. That is just terrific and must be a big boost to your self confidence. I get a sense from reading posts on other chats that those of us who have hit our half way point 7-8 months out of surgery are actually doing better than expected. I know my doctor had predicted that I would probably only lose 50% of my goal weight by the end of 18 months. Keep up the good work.

I have tried it all. I have eaten french fries, mashed potatoes, baked chicken,tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, tuna fish, chili, hamburger meat, fish, scallops, little bit of shrimp, eggs (hardboiled and scrambled), cooked vegetables, popcorn etc. Of course the portions are a fraction of what I ate before. I still can't eat much fruit except bananas, and I stay away from rice, heavy breads, and pastas. I can eat a very small amount of very soft bread but not the crust. I cannot eat heavy meats - pork chops, steak, lamb chops. I would say I am closer to soft foods than to hard Proteins.

How did everyone do on their March goals? I had a fill late February but instead of it jump starting my weight loss as usual, the scales just kinda sat there. I was 185 at the time of my 4th fill on 2/23. I went down to 181 by the end of February and was 178 at the end of March. But I do seem to keep losing inches. I am almost in a large misses shirt but holding steady with size 14 jeans and tight size 12 slacks. Is anyone thinking ahead to plastic surgery? I have been reading some of the other posts and there seems to be some requirement that you must wait 18 months from lapband surgery to have plastic surgery if there is any chance for insurance to pay. I am not sure about this though.

Here are my before and after pics. I have lost 52 pounds and have 33 more pounds to go before I reach my goal of 145 pounds. The smile on my face says it all!

Before and after lapband - 52 pounds down, 33 to go!

Here I am almost 8 months after lapband surgery and 52 pounds lighter. The smile says it all!

Here is before. I hope this works!

3d fill - 2.0 4th fill - 2.5 Clarification - I have a 4.0cc band not a 9.75 I have lost 52 pounds to date!

I definitely have mental hunger which to me is half the battle! I think it is a bad habit to compensate for boredom. I cannot just sit on the couch and do nothing.

All of your stories ring so true!!!! I laughed and cried and then laughed some more! At Christmas time we went to a company party, but because we were so late in being seated I was famished by the time the food came. The most delicious crab cakes and steak I have ever tasted. Of course I ate too fast and too much. Over the next 30 minutes, I ran to the restroom 4 times. The first time I said - I have to use the restroom. The second time I said - I have to check in with the kids and took my cell phone. The third time I claimed to have got a call from them. The fourth time I said I got a call but then ran so quickly to the restroom that I forgot the phone on the table!!! Unfortunately, the restroom was tiny and right off the entry. Ladies were going in and out constantly. It was a memorable evening but for the wrong reasons!

I laughed so hard I cried when reading this! I have pb quite a few times since January when I started getting tighter fills. I hate when I have to rush off like that. I usually flush first to hide it. Now I think I know how anorexics feel. One problem is that I just don't get that hungry and then it just hits me that I am starving and then I end up eating too fast especially the first bite or two. Learning to chew s-l-o-w-l-y is the hardest thing!

I have been having the craziest thing happen lately. Every time I eat or drink anything and I mean anything, no matter how slow, I belch up air immediately. It is as if I am replacing air in my stomach with food or liquid. It is so embarrassing. I have never had this happen before. It happens in the first 15 minutes or so of eating. Anyone else experiencing this? Am I banded too tight??

Hi there, I was banded last August and follow the ABC (August bandsters) march 07 thread as well as the Spivak thread for info. I had heard that Spivak had recently changed his policies and is now requiring all fills to be done by him at his office. But if I understand you correctly , Spivak is still having the fills done at the Surgicenter. Is that correct?

Hey Houston ladies, I think there are several of us who are at or have passed the 50 pound mark!!! Where and when she would meet? I live in Memorial, west Houston area, but can go anywhere. How about West University area? When? This Saturday for lunch????? Robin

Hey I have lost 51 pounds in 7 1/2 months and I am so thrilled I can't scream it enough. I've gone from a size 18-20 to a size 14, from a 42DD bra to a 36DD, from shoe size 9 to a size 8 1/2, from flat shoes to high heels, from ring size 7 to 5 1/2 from pre-diabetic and high cholesterol to normal blood test results, from lazy to active, from tired to energetic, from plus size clothing to normal sizes, from sweating all the time to feeling great! 51 pounds is no drop in the bucket no matter whether you have another 20 pounds to lose or 80 pounds to lose. Healthy weight loss without the band is averaged at 2 pounds a week. That is what I have achieved but with the added bonus of it and my bad eating habits never coming back to haunt me ever again. I have also gone for over a month without losing any weight - just maintaining - then got a fill and lost pounds quickly. Dr. Spivak told me that it could take up to 18 months to lose all my excess weight. That is the time frame I have in mine - any sooner is just icing on the proverbial cake. Get active if you have not already, get a fill if you need another, but whatever you do, work this thing to its full potential! Hang in there and be proud of what you have accomplished!!!

I don't know the answer to that. I just happen to be snooping around the Dr. Spivak site under Doctors forum and saw the new policy for self pays. I am not even sure who the new policy applies to: all of us or just self pays banded in 2007? I will miss seeing Betrice at Surgicenter, but last time she seemed to hint that there were changes coming. I guess if folks like us go to our doctors rather than the Surgicenter than she might be out of a job! I cannot believe I have 34 pounds to go. I have none of my old clothes and the few older, smaller pieces I have fit now. What is weird is that 10 years ago I did not fit into a 14 until I was down in low 170's. I guess I have less mass and more hanging fat!! When all of us hit 50 we said we'd meet. Jessica is almost there but I am not sure who else - faybie, you, myself? Anybody else?

Oh my gosh, you look incredible. I am having a hard time finding picture mostly because I always made sure I was the one taking the pictures!!!!

Hey Jessica, I have a Rachel, too, who was Bat Mitzvah last year. Good luck with all that. I do think we have low profile ports but I am not 100% certain.

Hey Jessica, Mazel tov on your daughter's bat mitzvah. We had one last year for our twins - lots of work but so emotionally satisfying. What shul? Did you hear that we will no longer be getting our fills at the surgical center? I read at the Spivak thread under Doctors that if you are self pay you must go to his office for a fill. He does not yet have a fluoroscope but is supposed to be getting one in the next few weeks. My last fill of 2.5cc was about 3 1/2 weeks ago and it seems to be going well. I am losing more slowly each month but the inches keep coming off. I too love shopping in regular stores!!! I expect to lose about 4-5 pounds a month which is fine but I wish it would go a bit faster. You are doing so great - only 22 pounds to go. I hear you about the loose skin. I am thrilled that my stomach keeps shrinking and is not hanging as I expected, but my thighs and breasts are another matter. I already have a bunch of excess skin on my thighs that is not going anywhere. And my breasts would not be out of place in National Geographic! I spoke with Betrice at the surgicenter about plastic surgery. She went to a plastic surgeon recommended by her lapband doctor for a tummy tuck. He gave her a nice discount because she was a lapband patient. My fill is not protruding but it is much lower on my body. Before it was just below my bra line, not it is on my upper stomach!

I am a patient of Dr. Spivak's and had my 4th fill about 2 weeks ago at the surgicenter. Is this a new procedure? I really don't like the idea of doing a fill without a fluoroscope. It must have been getting too expensive for the surgicenter to do it.

Everybody is hanging in there and I am so proud of our stick-to-it-ness! We have had success because we realized we had to work with this baby! Thanks for sharing your resolutions, frustrations and even revelations! Isn't this what this forum is supposed to be about??? While we are losing we have a chance to figure out what happened and maybe even why we are the size we are (or were) - whether it was emotional, medical or physical, and now move forward. I was happy to lose 6 pounds last month but I sure wish it was moving faster. I feel so comfortable in my clothes and with my size that I worry that I won't continue to be motivated to keep losing. I will try to find some before and after pictures. Loading them onto the website though is another thing! I am not that technically savvy so it might take a while. Hang in there gals, you are all doing terrific no matter how little or much you have lost!!!

How is getting a fill giving up? That is how the band is supposed to work. Without fills you are pretty much in the same boat as if you weren't banded. I am not trying to be superwoman here, I am just trying to give this thing a chance and lose weight. Lift that stone off your shoulders and let this thing do its job by giving it fills!!!! When you see the scales move or the inches shrink then you won't feel frustrated!!

7 months ago I had a BMI of 38.5 and knew that if I gained 10 pounds I would hit the magic 40 and insurance would cover. While I had light apnea, high cholesterol, was pre-diabetic, and had a host of back problems, my co-morbidities were not enough for insurance to cover at my BMI. Remember with a sleep study, they have to find severe sleep apnea for insurance to kick in, and even that may not be enough because some insurers want a couple of severe medical issues. My internist was against it and would not provide a letter of approval so I had to pay another doctor (out of network of course, so there was a larger co-pay) to provide me with the letter of consent. We took out a loan and on August 2 I was banded. Best thing I ever did because it gave me my life back. 48 pounds less and I feel great. My internist just got back my first set of blood tests results since my surgery and he was thrilled with all my numbers - NORMAL!!! He then admitted that I was right to have it done and that he should not have withheld his approval. Living so close to Mexico I have met folks who have had it done there - some who had no problems and some with major problems, actually not much different than the ones here in Houston. If you have the means go for it and do research the doctor and facility ahead of time.

Happy 2B Me, My fills have only been lasting anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. Thereafter I have maintained weight but not lost. Sometimes I go right in for another fill because I am motivated to keep losing, other times like at the holidays, I wanted a little more room to enjoy eating a little larger portions but still maintain my weight. My 2nd fill in October only lasted 3 weeks because my stomach shrunk. I went from 1.6cc to 2.0cc. Likewise, my 3rd fill in early January only lasted 3 weeks because the fat shrunk around my stomach so this past week I got my 4th fill. I went from 2.0 to 2.5. It has nothing to do with a weakness but with success - I'm losing weight and fat so the band is not as effective at the lower fills. I asked the tech," Will I reach 4ccs and then the band won't work?" She told me not likely, but that they can actually go more than 4cc if the doctor approves. So what you are experiencing is normal! Originally Posted by Happy2BMe Hi all, I haven't been posting either, it's embarrassing when you aren't losing as quickly as others. I have been having problems with restriction. I do have restriction, but every time I get a fill, the restriction goes away within 3-4 weeks. And about 2 weeks prior to my cycle, I crave chocolate like crazy. Not just chocolate, either. I crave food like crazy - it seems like it's worse than pre-band. I am kind of at my wit's end