juliansmom2003

Leigha, it sounds like you definitely need to add more calories to compensate for the exercise. I had the same thing happen and I was consuming about 900 calories per day and became so frustrated I didn't know what to do. A few people on the board advised me to up my intake by about 200 calories per day and it really worked! If you are journaling your food on a site like thedailyplate, it will allow you to enter your exercise and will calculate the number of calories burned and deduct from your daily intake and give you the net calories. I think you should net about 900-1000 for good weight loss, which means adding another 200 or 300 calories to your daily intake. It seemed to work for me! I never thought I'd get out of the 180's!! Hope this helps!

I have been so ravenous all day today. I have been exercising a bit more than usual, but I didn't think I'd be this ravenous! I had fill #2 on 2/25 (.8 ccs, first fill was 3.4ccs). My doc does fills under fluroscopy, so when he first looked, he said that I have restriction. It is true that in the mornings I am tighter, but as the day goes on I loosen up quite a bit and am able to take bigger bites, nothing gets stuck and I am hungrier. After a lot of coaxing on my part, the doc agreed to give me a little more. He put in .8 ccs and when I swallowed the barium, he said the restriction was 'perfect'. So, fast forward to today. I had a 10 ounce lunch, still hungry. Had a cheese stick--still hungry. Had a few mini wheats before forcing myself to STOP. I mean I was so hungry I couldn't stop! Now I know 13-14 ounces is WAY outrageous for any bandster meal, but how could my doc see restriction if I am still capable of eating this way? True, this is the first day I am like this and it could very well be that I need to just throw a snack in between my Breakfast and lunch to keep the hunger at bay (trying to do breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack), but can someone tell me how I can go from being so tight in the morning that I can't even eat breakfast until 11:30 and I just hoovered all of a 13-14 oz lunch??? Yes, all healthy food, but the quantity of it scares me as I am sooo paranoid about stretching my pouch. Could I need another fill already? It will only be 2 weeks on Thursday! Any advice or insight on this would be soooo appreciated. Thanks for your help!!!

Wow, when I said on Friday that it's a day by day thing, it truly is! So, lunch didn't go as well as I had hoped. I had a 10 ounce lunch, still hungry. Had a cheese stick--still hungry. Had a few mini wheats before forcing myself to STOP. I mean I was so hungry I couldn't stop! Now I know 13-14 ounces is WAY outrageous for any bandster meal, but how could my doc see restriction if I am still capable of eating this way? True, this is the first day I am like this and it could very well be that I need to just throw a snack in between my Breakfast and lunch to keep the hunger at bay (trying to do breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack), but can someone tell me how I can go from being so tight in the morning that I can't even eat breakfast until 11:30 and I just hoovered all of a 13-14 oz lunch??? Yes, all healthy food, but the quantity of it scares me as I am sooo paranoid about stretching my pouch. Could I need another fill already? It will only be 2 weeks on Thursday!

So this morning I had an 8 ounce yogurt, cheese stick and small banana. Normally, I'm satisfied with that and it holds me about 4 hours or so until lunch. For some reason, I totally could have kept eating! I seem to be REALLY hungry today. Could it be that my fill from 2/25 has worn off already or is it because I have been exercising a lot more? I am so tight in the mornings that I can't even eat anything until about 11:30 am, so I know if I go in for another fill, the doc is going to see that again on the screen (no getting around it when they do it in radiology). I can eat over 8 ounces anytime and it seems like things go down a lot easier in the afternoon/evening. I definitely do not want to have issues eating certain foods because of too much restriction (my first day back on solids, I had some egg beaters on toast and it got stuck), but I don't want to be starving all the time either like I was during bandster hell. When I went in for my 2nd fill, the doc told me I already had restriction and I had to beg him to give me a tiny bit more!!! Of course, this is the first time I have felt this hungry since getting the fill (.8 ccs making a total of 4.2 in a 14 cc band), so maybe I'm just being psychotic and just having a 'hungry' day LOL. Any thoughts?

Please hang in there! Getting to a size 18 is nothing to sneeze at! Look at the non scale victories you are winning! The inches are a BIG deal! Muscle outweighs fat, so if you're working out, that is probably what is happening. That scale will start to move. Your body is doing exactly what it should right now. Your doc may just need to "top you off" and give you another .3 ccs or so, as jensmallwood mentioned in her post. DON'T GIVE UP! You have lost 27 lbs and lost 3 sizes--you are kicking butt!!! Imagine what will happen when the band starts to help you out!!!

That's wonderful! I'm so glad that you're feeling restriction. Apparently, according to my doc, I have it, but I find I can eat a 10 ounce meal LOL. I stay satisfied for 4 hours and I'm losing weight, so I guess that's okay. It's a wonderful thing when the band works along with you and from the looks of your ticker, I'd definitely say it is! You're doing amazing!!!! Keep up the great work!!!

Hi everybody! I figured it has been awhile since I posted any recipes, so wanted to send along a really quick and easy chili recipe. I'm going to make this for dinner tomorrow. YUM! 2-BEAN CHILI Ingredients 1 pound ground beef (93%) 1 large green pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 tablespoons chili powder 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 cups Campbell's® Tomato juice Tomato Juice 1 (15 ounce) can kidney Beans, rinsed and drained 1 (15 ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained sour cream sliced green onion shredded Cheddar cheese chopped tomato Directions 1. Cook beef, green pepper, onion, chili powder and black pepper in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. 2. Add tomato juice and beans and heat through. Top with sour cream, green onions, cheese and tomato. Makes 6 servings Calories: 336, Fat: 9g, Protein: 28g

Wow, maybe my fill DID do something (that or the Just Dance LOL) I freaking danced with my sister for TWO HOURS yesterday LOL! I'm in at 177 this week--down 2 lbs from last week and half way to my goal. Time to get serious LOL!

It happens to all of us -- you are only human! After my great day on Friday, we took the kids out for dinner and i chose a healthy dinner, but then picked some of the kids' fries and ate a couple of bites of their sundae! It's all good. We can't deny ourselves of everything all the time----that's a sure thing to make us binge!!! It seems funny to some people when I say I had a bad day because I ate 3 fries or something---we are so hard on ourselves that if we step back, it really isn't as bad as we make it out to be. Way to go for stopping before the Burger King!!!! Tomorrow is a new day!!!

Tino, sadly most of us don't feel much restriction on the first fill (but fingers crossed that you are one of the lucky ones!!) Believe me, you'll KNOW when you get stuck! You will feel a terrible pain in your chest, which usually leads to sliming and/or PBing (productive burping) and some may vomit. You have to make sure you are taking a break between bites/swallows to allow the food to go down and prevent backing up. Even if you're taking small bites, if they are too close together, it could also end up being the size of one big bite as it's making it's way down. Luckily, my surgeon does fills via fluoroscopy, so I got to see how slow everything moves through. It really helped me to visualize what is going inside when I'm eating.... Hope this helps somewhat! Good luck!

Good for you!!! Way to go avoiding the bad stuff!!! I know how that feels, and you should really be proud of yourself walking away from it!!!

OMG, I just totally spit out my Water laughing from your post. Thanks for making me chuckle Leigha

I went out for lunch with a friend from work today (maybe the second or third time since having my surgery in October). We go to our old stomping grounds, the Irish Pub of all places, where I would always get their signature burger smothered in fried onions, cheese and bacon along with a nice size helping of steak fries. When I walked in, all I could smell was the fries and couldn't wait to order. The waitress comes to take our orders and without even thinking I said, "I'll have the chili please." WHAT?!? Was that MY voice?!?! Ordering chili at the best burger joint in Philly? AND NO FRIES?!?!? AND WALKING OUT WITH WHAT I COULDN'T FINISH?!? I think my band is starting to work with me now. I know now that it's not about being so tight I can't eat, it's about ME working with IT to make healthier choices while still being able to enjoy my food (which if I slow my butt down, I will be able to do LOL). I never in a bazillion years would ever walk away from a burger or fries. For those having weak moments and wondering how in the hell they are going to do this, believe me, it truly is a day by day thing and before you know it, you will slowly see the lifestyle changes if you stay committed to working along with your band (once the freaking thing starts working with you :smile2:) On the way back to the office, I walked by that dreadful store that sells nothing but mirrors and lines them up along the sidewalk and as I passed them, I actually was happy to look at that reflection. Just having a very good bandster day and wanted to share, since I am known to do my share of complaining about it!!!

Sounds like me. I managed to get .8 cc though and I think I am at my sweet spot too! Crazy, since my first one was 3.4 ccs. Let's hope we can hold onto it! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

This just came today and honestly, between laughing so hard and jumping around so much, this is the best exercise game ever! The kids are fighting over it lol! If you have a Wii, you have GOT to check this out! It's $10 off on Amazon with free shipping ($30). You don't need a dance mat or even a nunchuk- just the remote! We have been playing for an hour and a half already!! What fun!

Honestly, I would die if I had to give up pizza! I had a fill last week and was nervous about being able to get it down. Thankfully as long as I take my time and teeny tiny bites, I'm good. I am so tight though I need to be WAY careful. Glad you were able to enjoy your pizza tonight :-)!

Elfie--the Zumba DVDs can get quite pricy. I got a set of 4 on eBay for $35 plus shipping. On the site itsel, they have the total transformation set on there for like $65, but as with a lot of weight loss DVDs, a lot of that stuff you will never use. EBay has always worked well for me. Bob- God speed my good man. See you on the other side! We're all thinking of you and pulling for you!!

...but I'm not sure LOL I had my second fill on Thursday and today is my first real day back on solids. Breakfast was an 8 ounce yogurt and Frigo cheese stick, lunch was a meatloaf lean cuisine (didn't have time to make anything today) -- had no problem with either meal. For dinner I made about 1/2 cup of egg beaters with laughing cow cheese and toasted an arnold sandwich thin. I had about 3 bites of the sandwich, chewed thoroughly and took my time, and all of a sudden, I started sliming. Not like getting stuck though. Is this restriction? Is this what they mean by saying, "I know I shouldn't take another bite because I know what will happen"? I am hoping this is it, but I'm not sure. Thanks for educating a banded fool who is 4 months out and still has no clue what being full feels like with the band :w00t:!!!

Hi there! SO glad to see this thread (and thanks Leigha for the link!) I see so many of the people I love reading posts from, so this is super cool! Hope you are all doing well, my friends :-)! Some of you may have already seen my post, but for those of you who haven't, I had my second fill on Thursday. My doc does it under fluoro, so before he did anything, he turns on the screen to see my restriction level and proceeds to tell me that I have great restriction. REALLY? That's news to me LOL! I am tight in the mornings (this was 9 am), so that is probably what it was, but I told him I am a TOTAL night feeder LOL. I have been getting stuck a little more than usual. Maybe the pouch test really did work? Anyway, I managed to get his stingy butt to give me another .8 cc's and he had me swallow the barium. We watched it and he said I know have perfect restriction. I could definitely tell that whole day and the day after, but Saturday night, I was able to eat a freaking whole slice of Papa John's chicken club pizza with no incident. Yes, it was just once slice (where in the past I could've house at least 3, so that's good), but I never get that nagging chest pain when I take one bite too many like I hear people mention. Is that something everyone gets with proper restriction? Even though I've had my nifty little tool for 4 months, maybe I just don't understand what real restriction is and my head is still ruling my eating habits? Hmmm... Anyway, I did manage to lose one pound last week, so YAAAY! Not to mention my TOM is due to arrive for his visit on Wednesday, so I guess we will see how this fill works. I have an appointment tomorrow to follow up with the surgeon on my progress to date, so I'll just keep my little list handy for him. Hopefully my Zumba DVDs arrive soon. I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes! My 6 year old just loves exercising with me (he's my little buddy and he's been asking when we're getting them too LOL!) Have a wonderful week! Go Team :-)!

WTG Jens!! Glad that fill seems to be working--woohoo! April 09Bandster--no worries. I had small McDonald's french fries last night. Gotta get back on track too. I have been doing SO well! GRRRRR Hang in there, today is a new day :w00t:

Weighing in for Monday, 3/1. I'm down one more pound from last week, so I'm at 178 hoping to get to 170 before Easter. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Does your doctor do fills using fluoroscopy? My surgeon can actually see the level of restriction before he even does the fill and has me swallow barium after inserting the saline to see how it goes down to determine if I need more/less. If not, I'm sure he knows based on your chart that you had to have the 2 cc's removed, so perhaps he will try 2 ccs this time, have you try to swallow Water to see how you feel and perhaps that would make the difference? I'm not sure what causes the swelling, I'm thinking it would be a reaction to the trauma of having the needle inserted into the port as well as the tightening of the band having a chain reaction. Perhaps others may have a better idea than me. Hope this helps! Good luck with your fill!!

CONGRATULATIONS on your milestone! What an amazing accomplishment (and it looks like you don't have too much further to go either!)

Thanks Leigha. I have to be honest though--17 was actually pre-op (started program in Aug)--35 post op, but I'll take it LOL I will definitely let you know what the doc says after my appt on Tuesday. Thanks again!

Like weight. I could eat a whole Lean Cuisine and still be hungry :-( I don't ever "pay" for overeating-- only when I eat too fast or don't chew thoroughly. I have my 4 month post op appt on Tuesday. I really need to find out if I'm just one of the lucky ones or why I don't get that terrible pain when I have one bite too many. It is not making any sense to me :-(