A New Woman

I agree with the poster who mentioned you not gaining weight. Even if you put back on the 10 lbs you lost, that is over a 2 year period. I agree with others that state that only having one fill it's like next to nothing with restriction. I highly doubt you have stretched the pouch. Things are probably just sliding on through. Like the others said, find a doctor. I remember one of the first few things my bariatric nurse said to me after my surgery is... you will learn to eat around your band, but the beauty of the band (over bypass) is that if you fall off the wagon you can always go for an adjustment to get back on track." That's all you need, dear. I also highly recommend that you make yourself accountable to your band and your progress by telling at the very least your close family and friends. Best of luck to you. And like another posted said, stick around here and keep us posted on your progress.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm also a scale whore! Around the holidays I had my daughter take the scale away from me for 2 weeks because of the fact that it was driving me crazy. Just like any other addiction, once I got back on it a few times I was back to my old habits of weighing myself several times throughout the day for any reason I can think of. Just like many others have stated here, I'll weigh first thing in the morning and then use the bathroom and weigh myself again. For some reason the darn number actually goes UP a couple pounds afterwards. For the life of me I can't figure that one out so I'm constantly weighing myself before and after. Does that happen to anyone else? It really can become an obsession. I wish I didn't focus so much on the numbers. Today the scale went from 177.5 to 183 in a matter of minutes. So what number do I use. It really causes a lot of confusion, anxiety and self sabatoge. I hate this.

Wow! What a beautiful picture! Thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks everyone. It's still hard. I had Zumba tonight and I think part of the problem and why I don't see any weight loss when I look in those mirrors is because I'm wearing work out clothes that are like 3 sizes too big for me. My shorts are 18/20 and I'm wearing size 14 jeans now and my t-shirt is a 2x large and I'm wearing a large top now. So I think the baggy, big clothes make it seem worse. I heard of another lady who said she felt like she shrunk 5 inches and gained 10 lbs with the mirrors. I swear they are like Fun House mirrors and not very flattering. I'm going to try and buy some new work out clothes this weekend and see if that makes any difference. I'm not trying to fish for compliments on my weight loss -- it really, truly depressed me deeply last night. I'm still not quite out of that funk but I do think the winter blues and the fact that my weight just moves so slow is depressing me. Thanks for everyone who thought I lost 58 lbs. It's actually 53 lbs. I wish I could knock off those other 5 so that I could actually say 58 lbs gone.

Not sure if it is just the winter blues but I've gotten so down lately. It really hit me tonight that I still have so much weigh to lose. I'm 10 months out and down about 53 lbs. I need to lose another 45-47 lbs. I'm only 5'2" so 180 lbs. on my frame is still a lot of weight to carry. The Wii reminds me every day that I weigh in that I'm still obese. I want to kill that littler f**ker every time is says in it's little sing-song voice "You're Obese!" Well, I've been doing kickboxing and Zumba after work a few nights a week. My employer brings in a fitness company which is great. Well, since this is a new venture they haven't been fully equipped for the turnout the employees have given. Tonight I went to class and they put mirrors up in the workout room. It was really depressing for me to see that I'm still so overweight. I can't wait until I can look in a mirror and feel like I'm a normal weight.

Same exact weight again this week -- 181.5. Atleast I'm not gaining....

Unfortunately zero lbs. lost this week but at least I didn't gain. Still at 181.5. Joined a Zumba class after work (Mon/Wed) and Kickboxing (Tues). Will do my kickboxing tape 2 more days during the week so the weight should start to come off again. Lisa

Excellent post! You are so right, the band is a tool. It's up to us to decide how well we use that tool. There is nothing wrong with Jenny Craig, WW or many other diet tools out there and there are people who are successful with those tools. Unfortunately, my success with those tools was short-term. The band has been the most successful tool for me and it's up to me how successful I make it. I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand or blink my eyes and have the weight be gone because losing weight with the band is still hard. But I think in the long run I will appreciate the effort I put into losing the weight and will believe I have a tool that will help me to keep it off. The band was the motivation I needed to do things differently and it's been a blessing in my life.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm a recovering Diet Pepsi addict. I woke up in the morning and grabbed a 24 oz Diet Pepsi to take to work with me. I would drink about 2-3 of them during the day and then come home from work and have more. I drank no water whatsoever. If I was running low on cash and diet pepsi I literally would start to worry how I was going to make it. It was a monkey on my back. I have not had diet pepsi since February 2009. I tried diet ginger ale over the holidays and had horrible problems and that has cured me from wanting to even try Diet Pepsi. It will get better. One day at a time... just like any other addiction. Just say NO!

My official weigh in today was 181.5. I would like to be at 169 by 2/14/10. This is a little aggressive for me as I've never lost more than 7 lbs in a month, but I'm challenging myself to lose 12.5 lbs by then.

I'm in too! Someone else said 2 lbs a week for a goal and I think that is doable. So I plan to be 12 lbs. lighter by 2/14/10. Yesterday my weight was 180 lbs but I'll see what it says tomorrow (Monday) and go by that starting weight.

No, you weren't being snotty. It's easy to mis-intrepret tone on here. You meant well by sticking up for him.

Funny how tone on posts can be intrepreted differently. I read it completely different. I thought she was blown away by his support and that's why she asked if he had a brother or a cousin (so she could hook up with someone like him).

I am 9 1/2 months post-op and no noticeable hair loss for me. In fact the last time I had my hair cut I asked my hair dresser if she noticed my hair getting thinner because of all the posts on this subject, and she said no. I have a normal amount of hair but it is fine by nature. (I hope I didn't jynx myself by posting this.) In fact I think my hair has a nicer sheen to it and my skin is so much better since surgery which I attribute to all the Water I'm drinking now, the Vitamins, exercise and just basically taking better care of myself.

LOL!!! An honest guy you are.

I think you deserve a "#1 Supportive Spouse of a Bandster" award! I've never seen a spouse sign on to this board and ask such a thoughtful question. She is a truly lucky woman. Follow the advise the others have given -- don't police her food, allow her to learn from her experiences because it is a learning experience and be extra kind to her during bandster hell when she feels like she did the surgery for nothing (since most people stop losing or even gain during this time and feel like they can eat post-band) -- remind her that she WILL get to her proper restriction in time. My husband and kids have been great. Like you, my husband was concerned about the aspect of surgery but once he learned the risks and advantages he was on board like you are. Your wife has an advantage in that you know what it's like to struggle with weight. My husband is super thin and can eat a whole pizza and a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting and stay at 150 lbs, but on the other hand he doesn't pick or eat when he's not hungry so he doesn't understand the concept of just stop eating. The one thing my husband has done that has been a great support for me is that when the weather was nice (I live in Michigan) he would go on my walks with me. Actually he's disabled and can't walk long distances so he would ride his Razor scooter while I'd walk. It has become "our" thing to do together every day and it's been great for my weight loss and great for our relationship. Keep up the awesome work of being the #1 Supportive Spouse and she'll do great. Don't be afraid to ask more questions on here as she goes through the process.

I get quite a few compliments on my avatar. No, it's not my dog. I just happened to find this avatar. I do have two little Maltese dogs (Romeo & Juliet) though and the picture reminds me of my babies. Today I am feeling much better, still not 100% so I'm doing the liquids today too, but big improvement from the last few days. Honestly, the pop is just not worth it. I don't care if I shook it up or tried to let it go flat after this experience I wouldn't risk it.

My surgeon was a proponent of both surgeries and said that if you are a grazer then the band is not for you. He also felt that dumping syndrom with bypass is a good thing as it is a deterrent to high carbs and sugar. But he was also very clear that 3 years post-op the results are comparable. I think it is just a personal preference and I'm glad I went with the band for my own personal reasons. I don't knock anyone who has had the bypass as it was their own personal choice. The slow weight loss can be frustrating, and he recently reminded me that the band was slower, but I am so encouraged by folks on here that reach their goal weight. For some it seems to take 1 year, others 2 or 3 years, but I feel that I'm making the right lifestyle changes to get to goal some day and I feel like I will stay there. One of the biggest reasons (no pun intended) I didn't want the bypass is that I've seen far too many people put their weight back on and once they've stretched their pouch they have no recourse. I feel like the tool will help me for life.

Thanks everyone. For me, I will not do pop again. I honestly thought since I asked my surgeon's advice before I tried it, and since I was well past the 6-month waiting period he recommended, I was okay. But for me, no, pop/soda is not worth the pain, discomfort and potential damage to my band. This is my first bad experience with my band and I'm glad I can say it was a learning experience but one I don't care to repeat. I did call my surgeon's office this morning and she advised me to do liquids for a few days and to treat my tummy very gently. I think it is trapped gas from the carbonation and 2 days later it is still there. She said by Thursday I should be feeling better and if not to come in and she'll take a little Fluid out to relieve some pressure. Live and learn....

Okay, I haven't had pop (soda) since February 2009. I asked my surgeon about it at my last appt in November because of all the differences of opinion here. He said it was okay to have once in a while just let it sit a little to get the bubbles out. He said the biggest problem was that I wouldn't be able to burp if I needed to. Well, I had some diet ginger ale on Christmas Eve with no problem. I just slowly sipped at it and didn't have very much. Then last night we had company and I thought I'd treat myself again and I think I got busy and wasn't paying attention and drank too much too fast. Later I got a nauseated feeling that I haven't had since the day of my surgery. My stomach kind of hurts ever since then if I eat anything. I think I'm going back to liquids for the remainder of the day. I'm scared I did some damage or need to get slightly unfilled. Has this happened to anyone, and has the discomfort gone away?

Sorry, one more thing about mental attitude. I still struggle with the fact that I THINK I can eat way more than I actually can and take too much food. It's like I still think I'm that fat eater that is going to eat a ton of food. But am getting better. Yesterday I was in a rush doing Christmas shopping on my lunch hour and I hit McDonald's to take back to work. I went in and knew I was going to order the Chicken Selects. The girl at the counter asked me if I wanted the 5-piece or the 3-piece. I had to really think about it because in one second you think the 5-piece isn't really that big if you're only eating that and nothing else. Well, I reminded myself that I don't eat very much any more and I'd probably waste most of it. So I ordered the 3-piece and guess what I still wasted most of that since I only ate 1 piece. But with trying to change my mental attitude I'm glad I didn't try and convince myself that I should still keep eating. This has really been a journey of self discovery.

Great topic and lots of helpful things to consider if your weight loss slows down or stops. My doc said from the beginning it is calories in/calories out. The band will help us with portion control but it is up to us what we put in our stomach. That being said, I can tell you that like an alcoholic who takes it "one day at a time", I literally take it "one meal at a time." I basically eat what I want in moderation. Some meals I make really good choices, other meals not so much. The other day I went to Mongolian Bar-b-que for lunch which I think is a healthy choice. Pre-band days I would have had one bowl and gone back and made a second bowl. The other day I made one bowl and ate maybe a 1/4 of what I made and took the rest home. For dinner though I had a couple swedish meatballs with some mashed potatoes -- not such a good choice. Am I 100% perfect?? Not even in my wildest dreams. But I AM 100% better than I was 9 months ago. I don't say I am obsessive about what I eat, but I am conscious of what I eat and I do try and analyze what I could have done differently. For example, as an obese person I think my mentality was to eat until you're stuffed and I unconsciously was eating with my band with the mentality of "how much can I eat to be satisified?" I am trying to change that mental attitude to say "how little can I eat and be satisified?" I'm trying to tell myself that it's okay to not finish all the food on my plate regardless of how much or how little there is on there. The band is a huge tool to help us lose weight but the biggest battle I think is not with our stomachs but with our heads.

I think you are both right on certain points. I totally agree with Effiepoo that the patient knows their body best. I went in last week for an adjustment as I was frustrated to have only lost 2 lbs in a month. My doctor and nurse were both reluctant to tighten me since they said I was still losing, albeit slowly. I, however, knew that my restriction had lessened and made my case to be tightened. My doc gave me a 1/2 cc. and it's done the trick very well. I think he was convinced that I was going to need to come in for an unfill but so far so good. I personally like to be tighter because the tool helps me so much more. However, I also agree with SooCal that when the fills start out a little slow it teaches you some very important behavior modifications. This whole band thing is a learning experience. If I had gotten to the restriction I'm at right now very early on, in other words gone from zero to sixty, it would have mentally not been a good thing for me. I would have probably been very confused and concerned by the signals and would have PB'd more. This has taught me to eat slowly, chew, chew, chew, and I've learned more when to stop eating before things get too uncomfortable. This way I've learned to slowly detach from my relationship with food. This is just my opinion, and not necessarily the same as others. In any event, I think we put our trust in our surgeons to have the surgery that we have to put a certain amount of trust in them with our after care. However, if at any time we are not satisified or don't feel like our surgeon is open to what we are telling them, then we need to look elsewhere. I'm lucky that although my surgeon was reluctant last week, he listened to me. There may be times when I go in and I have to listen to him even if I don't agree. Being openminded on both ends is truly the key to having a good patient/doctor experience.

I love my bullet and use it daily for my Muscle Milk shake. My only complaint is that the cups have these little notches that fit into the bullet and lock it in place and allow the bullet to turn on. Sometimes my machine wasn't working and I realized some of the notches have broken off so I have to make sure what cup I use. I think if I replace it I'll go with the cheaper Hamilton Beach version.