ocotillo

You are doing fine....I had to lose 13 pounds and as long as you are close, they won't refuse to do the surgery...just keep plugging away at it. The surgery is a little like a assembly line. There will probably be several other people there also, so thay take you one at a time and do all the tests, then lead you off to the surgery room, poke you with needles, put compression leggings on you, wheel you off to the surgery and you wake up several hours later in lala land. At least I did. There is some pain, but for me it wasn't bad. It really is like an assembly line, so if you are really looking for that personalized service that may be lacking there, but everything else is fine. Are you using their shuttle service? I would recommend it for the first time. They take you right there, no worries. I've walked across for both of my fills and taken a taxi to the clinic. I didn't have any problem with that either. Please PM if you have any other questions....Good luck.

I'm in Tucson and was banded in Tijuana with Dr. Aerial Ortiz. Good experience and I've had 2 fills there also. Both of those went well too. I went to Mexico because my insurance wouldn't pay for weight loss surgery or anything else and economically, even with travel and the cost of the fills, it's cheaper than I can get locally. I've posted more extensively about this experience somewhere else...you might look for more posts by me. The hardest part about going across the border for me is coming back to the US....long lines sometimes.

You were banded a week or so before me!! One thing I've noticed as I've lost weight besides my bras are a lot more comfortable is I still have the same body shape. It's not quite as big and I'm wearing smaller pants (not really tops yet) but it's still large. I think that is something we have to get our minds around....it's smaller, but it's the same shape. You are doing fine....in a few months you will have to buy new clothes because the ones you are wearing now will fall off you. It will happen. The last time I went through the diet process and I lost around 30 pounds, I wore the same size clothes....I never did change sizes although things fit better. When I gained that weight back plus a lot more I completely skipped a size. I went from a size 22 to 26. I don't know where 24 went. I am wearing a 24 now, but when I was this weight before, I was in a 22. My stomach is bigger and it's not getting much smaller yet. It's weird. Of course it could have something to do with my age too. Anyway, hang in there. You will notice a change soon and it will be really encouraging. You just need to be patient, which is hard but you can do it.

I find it interesting that even after six months the "full" feeling isn't all that clear to you either. I know I'm really full when I feel "stuffed"...not in pain, but I feel full. Otherwise, I'm know I'm probably full, I just don't really feel it. My fill doctor told me that it was too full also. I need to stop before then. I'm not great about measuring my food or sticking to a diet which is why I got banded but it's hard to really figure out when I'm truly full. I don't get hungry like I used to...I still get hungry, but it's usually 3-4 or more hours after I eat, then it comes on with a vengeance. I had my 2nd fill 11 days ago and I do have decent restriction so I'm learning to slow down and eat small bites and chew well and what I found out yesterday (I was really hungry at lunch) is I ate 1/2 a boiled egg slowly and waited a bit, then ate the other 1/2 and it cut the hunger very well. Guess it will be a learning experience from now on.

Michelle, give it some time. Your skin may be elastic enough to shrink to the point you will feel better about yourself. I think you are pretty young and many things will change with a little time. Give your self some time and work on the toning....I think you will be happier than you believe. As far as what people say....just figure most of them are ignorant....unless they've been overweight and lost a lot of it, they will never know. What I have noticed this time around is when I slowed down on the weight loss, (and I haven't even lost 50 lbs yet) that my body started to tighten up a little. Yes, it's still flabby but I'm huge and have been for decades and this flab is better than not fitting into the airline seat. I really notice it in my face, my face is already a lot thinner and there are many more wrinkles. Oh well, I will get that worked on some time down the line but for now....I will learn to deal with it and everyone else can not look at me if they don't like it.

I am top heavy too, but have never been able to wear an underwire bra...I found a brand of non-wired bras that support very well except after surgery. Everything hurt for the first couple of weeks and even after that. Even after losing 20 pounds, the bras hurt. Now, everything is much better and I'm not having any trouble with them.

I have not been on a regular exercise program either and my weight loss has slowed way down. However, this isn't a band issue, but a me issue. I know that I am eating too many calories each day and I have not been exercising regularly. Although this is supposed to be a life style change, I haven't successfully accomplished that with all the other diet programs I have been on either. I just had my 2nd fill last Saturday and I do have some restriction all day long and now I really do have to work a program. I have had food get stuck...not to the PBing stage, but it hurts and takes a few minutes to go through. This is not a pleasant feeling and I'm finding that I am eating slower, chewing more, and taking smaller bites....this is the point of the band. I am also beginning to exercise regularly. It's been way too hot until recently to walk outside, but now it's cooling down and I'm out there walking. I plan on keeping this up, not only to help me lose the weight, but I want to feel better and exercising helps me feel better. Guess this is much more than asked, but I still feel the band can work, it's just that we have to put the effort into to make it work.

I just had a fill last Saturday and have been "stuck" about 3 times......learning curve. Need to chew more and slower. Not been so stuck that I've PB'd but it's hurt and I've had to stop eating. No more.....I will be paying attention. I get stuck on lunch meat mostly. Bread really isn't a problem for me.

Wow, I want your insurance plan and work schedule. My insurance won't pay for weight loss surgery and I had to go to Mexico and self pay. It's great that you don't have to go back to work until you are feeling better. SALLY, Jackie has good advise. You will be able to eat more and should when you are healed. You will have more energy especially as the weight comes off.

You've are still recovering from surgery. The 2nd week out all I wanted to do was sleep too. I was also told to walk and not do any other kind of exercise. I would say don't push it too soon. You can start out slowly and work up to more vigorous exercise as your body heals. Good luck!

There are a lot of Over 50's here, just maybe not from where you are. There is an over 50 thread you should find in the list of groups. Good luck.

I told very few people at work about the band for the same reason. When someone comments about what I have lost so far, I just tell them it's dieting and exercise. I wouldn't feel guilty if I were you because what you are doing IS dieting and exercise. Now my friends know I've done this but they just ask how's it going. My sister is the only one that scrutinizes what I eat and makes comments. I know that she is trying to help, she's just not really good at it so I blow it off. When I get to your amount of weight loss, it may be different, but I hope not. Not everyone really needs to know the entire truth. Good luck to you!!

Lots of people go up and down and the diet changes. I gained 4 pounds when I started solid foods and it took a while to lose them. Your body is going through a lot of changes right now. Eat small amounts and chew well and you still need to watch what you eat and the pounds will go away. It took a couple of weeks for me to start losing again and even now I don't lose every week, but it is still coming off. There are a lot of posts regarding this subject, you just have to look around the site a bit. Good luck!!

Great advise. I certainly don't feel much restriction after my first fill and have already scheduled the 2nd. I suspect it's going to take a few until it gets where I need it to be. I'm not very good with control either.

I can eat anything. I also started out slowly, but if you chew it well and eat small bites, it's all good. Even after my first fill, I am still able to eat anything, however, I have noticed especially in the morning, I really have to do small bites and chew well and swallow slowly. Hey and that is the idea. I was sort of afraid of some of the veggies too, but then I wasn't getting enough Fiber and I don't want to supplement all that all the time, so I started eating more veggies and it's helped a lot. Protein, veggies, starch. Salad is a slider food for some people, but if you aren't eating a lot of dressing with it, I don't see anything wrong with that.

I think everyone loses at their own rate. I think you might be surprised and get on the scale one day and have dropped a couple of pounds. Maybe shake things up a bit and drop the calories to 1000 for a couple of days or try the pouch test diets (couple of days of liquids, then mushies) just to change something. I'm just spouting stuff I've read here and that seems to work for some people. I wish you the best....and don't give up. You will start losing again.

Hoping for more...............how's your restriction? It's great you've been able to change your eating habits, that is a big part of it, but for each of us, it's a combination of calories, exercise, and stick-to-it-tiveness. If you read the posts, you'll see people that have lost more than a hundred pounds and the key for them is having the proper restriction and mind set. I'm new in this journey and know I don't have enough restriction yet, so until that happens, I'm plugging away...not perfectly, but continuing on. You can do it too....the tool can work and you can do this.

I had my first fill on August 22, a week ago. It was not bad. The needle in my stomach was weird, but that was the worst of it. I had it with the barium swallow also and could see where my port was and the band. That was pretty cool. I got 3 cc's in a 10 cc band. He put me on liquids for 3 total days, then back to solid foods. I forgot to bring my Protein drink (powder) with me and didn't want to buy another expensive container full, I just sort of faked it. I had Soup and sashimi (chewed it to liquid). Didn't eat much either that night, yougurt the next day for Breakfast, then we flew home and I had Soups. I started losing weight then. I was stalled for a couple of weeks before that. As for restriction, there is some, probably not enough, but I do notice I need to chew more and take smaller bites. I actually had a little turkey get stuck briefly and that was quite an eye opener. I know what not to do now. I also have trouble with the no drinking after eating. It's really hard, but I'm working on it. Depending on how this fill goes and if the weight loss continues, I might make another appointment for September when I'm back in San Diego. I was banded in Tijuana and went back there for my fill. I like the doctors. Good luck to you all.

Want_so, wouldn't that be the pits, gain the weight back (I know you are not serious about that) and then have it go to your butt instead....or some other worse place. You are young and I suspect if you give it time and keep on toning, that extra skin will eventually disappear. If it doesn't, it just takes money to fix it or longer sleeves. At my age, I doubt anything will shrink back especially since it's all been stretched out for so long. I'm going to do what I can and when I reach goal or retire, which ever comes first, I'll spend my savings and have that extra skin cut off. I have a very ugly lower belly...aka...the apron. Good luck!!

Had my first fill on Saturday and my doc said not to worry about the calories, but to eat slowly, chew carefully, eat small bites, and don't drink afterwards for a while. He said the weight will come off, just might not be on our time schedule. I've stalled in my weight loss too and I always stall at this point every time I've tried to lose weight. I'm not going to let this stall depress me and I'm going to practice the small bites, eating slow and all that. I feel very little restriction and I think I'll have to be very careful for the next month. Don't get too discouraged, it's too soon in the journey. Don't resort to old eating habits either, we have to take responsibility for that and change it.

So how long between surgery and your 2nd fill....when the light bulb went on?

I still get a little incision pain from time to time....not too much of the burning pain anymore. I had a fill yesterday and got to see my port and the band in action....my port is not only stitched in place on the muscle, but has metal clips holding it in place. I suspect it takes quite a while for those to totally heal. The doctor also said the tubing is stitched to the muscle so there are a lot of things going on there. My ribs hurt to the left of my port too once in a while. I really didn't ask about that, but after he told me where all the stuff was, I chalking it up to all the stuff in there now. Can you sleep on your other side? I couldn't sleep on my left side for quite a while either and it's still tender once in a while. Talk to your doctor...they probably have heard it all and would have an idea about what's going on.

MOM (Milk of Magnesia) helped me a lot and I take it regularly now. Not every day but 4 or 5 days a week. I never want to be as "backed up" as I was a couple of weeks after surgery. Good luck!

I think you will get a variety of answers on the Protein thing. I get around 60 grams. I try to follow the "Zone" idea and get a 1/3 of my calories from protein, 1/3 from carbs, and 1/3 from fats. But once again, you'll get a variety of answers. Hope you find something that works for you.

I'm 53 and was banded in July. I'm going for my first fill this weekend. There is a thread for over 50's if you would like to check that out. Lots of very nice people chatting and there is some good info and some not so good info. The weight loss before banding is important, it really helps with the hunger issues afterwards and helps with the healing process. Good luck and hope to see you around.