greytz

Everyone above is right. You can't listen to what some people may say. There will be times when you feel like no one is on your side except the people who have been through it. My husband who is usually my biggest supporter on Saturday kept trying to get me to eat. I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on and why he was doing that but I kept having to say no to him and finally I talked to him about it that night. He just fell back into the old habits of us eating together and wanted to make sure I had enough to eat so even the ones who support you the most will fail at it sometimes. You have to be strong and stand on your own convictions. You are the only one looking back at yourself in the mirror everyday. You decide.

For me personally, snacking turns to grazing and I just don't do it. I tend to gain weight if I snack even healthy stuff. As you can see here by the responses everyone is different so you will have to test it and see what works for you. Your ultimate goal is weight loss so if snacking works for you and you lose weight then that is the way to go. If you try it and you don't lose the weight as desired then it might be something to cut out.

My experience was a little different at first. I was really sore and that didn't go away until about my third fill. Now, I hardly feel anything but the first couple of times don't be suprised if it hurts a little bit. Just preparing you in case it does. Even still, it is not like having an IV or anything. It is much less painful than that. Just take a deep breath before it goes in and exhale while it goes into your skin. That helps with the pain. Don't tense up or it will be worse.

I cannot imagine my doctor saying to me you will have to do the rest on your own. What a jerk. My surgeon is in this with me as long as I need her and she allows me to make the decision about my fills when and how much and then we decide together if it is enough or I need more. She leaves the needle in my port and I sit up and drink water and wait a minute and then decide if I need more. Maybe they can do that for you? If the nurse is willing, then you could start out with .25 and go from there. I am at 6.2 cc's and will be going for my next fill tomorrow. I am now at the point where I do .5 at a time or sometimes even 1 full cc depending on how I feel after I drink the water. Good Luck and keep us posted.

That's great. The exercise to me is such an important part of the journey and has become a permanent part of my life. I hope for you too. Richard has some great CD's to boogie by. I am glad you are prepared to lose most of the carbs. Not saying you can't have anything and as everyone always says balance is everything and it truly is. I do believe that carbs to some degree are important but for now, I pretty much stay away from them until I reach my goal.

It is amazing that you could finish a whole sandwich like that and be so tight. I agree with Elfiepoo and wonder how long it took you to eat it. Also, I find that I stay full for a really long time so for instance, sometimes in the afternoon for my first meal of the day, I can eat a little more and then for dinner, I can hardly eat a thing because I am still digesting and full. Also, did you drink any liquids while you ate the sandwich? That could be a reason you were able to eat it all. I am sure you know that you are not supposed to drink liquids at the same time you eat a meal but if you did, it might explain the ability to eat like that. I am at 6.2cc's in my 10cc band and I am very, very restricted most of the time. Of course, there are those times when I feel like I could eat the moon and I have to have restraint but for the most part my band stops me.

I haven't tried it yet but during my last support group meeting my surgeon happened to be there dropping by on her way to a meeting and I asked her specifically if it would be ok to wear one and she said yes. I have a little bulge in the middle that is sticking around right now and bugging me like crazy. She told me it would be the last thing to go and it would take awhile. In the meantime, I think I am going to try one and see how it looks and how I feel about it.

I'm really suprised the nurse would say something like that. The pre-surgery loss is to shrink your liver and make it easier for the surgeon to band you. I was at 250 and 231 when I was banded. It is important to shrink the liver as much as possible. I don't think they will cancel if your paperwork shows your weight loss history and your ups and downs. I seen a lot of people post on here who felt the same way though. I guess it is a natural fear. My fear was due to my heart condition but it turned out ok and I am happier than I have ever been. Keep your chin up and keep us posted.

Be patient and see what the primary says. I had to get all kinds of clearances from everybody and then some because I have a heart condition and then had to stay overnight when I got banded because of it as well. If your history shows that you have lost weight in the past but couldn't keep it off, then you should have no problem getting approved. I would think your PCP will write the letter you need to get started. Keep us posted.

Call your surgeon asap and I would think you need a slight unfill. Are you chewing really well? What are you eating in the way of solids. You should not be sliming or vomitting. That is not how the band should be working for you. Good Luck and call the doc.

I eat salads with no problem but part of the reason they are considered a slider food is because of the mounds of dressing most people put on them. Therefore slider. If you make a really good salad with all the good veggies and don't drown it in dressing then I would think it would not become a slider food. I choose different kinds of lettuce (romaine my fave) and cucumbers, onions (not too many they are sugar), a few green olives and some boiled egg. And very, very little oil and vinegar. Still slider I think and I don't eat them often but have no problem getting them down. Just chew well. Don't think the chili or anything from Wendy's is a good idea though. Just my option and my opinion.

I exercise every freakin' day and it isn't easy but I have to do it so I make it part of my day. I do 3 to 3 1/2 miles on the treadmill (on an incline) and weight training afterward. I have done one 5K so far in October looking for another one. It is the only way to look decent and feel good for me.

Yes. That is true. We are very encouraged and believe she will recover well.

I was a sporadic everything girl. It was very difficult to make myself get into the correct eating routine and the exercising ugh! I go to every support group and I go to seminars now that are produced by my Bariatric surgeon and I take my before pics and I talk about my experience. It really helps keep me focused. Also, I have to weigh every morning. It has also really helped me. I know that isn't for everybody but it has really worked for me. I use my support people who are my Mom and my husband. They have helped me so much. I come on this website and post and I have become a much better housekeeper LOL. Everything to keep my mind off of the food and into a healthier way of life. It gets easier as time goes on and I see the great results. I am so much happier now and have so much more energy to do the things I want. I still have mornings when I just don't want to exercise but I do it anyway and always feel better afterward.

Congrats! Went from a size 26 to now a loose 12 about to go into 10 top and bottom.

She was in surgery for eight hours yesterday and thankfully came out ok so far. She is still in intensive care and recovering comfortably right now. Thanks for your prayers and asking about her.

It should be in an email to you. If you lost the email, the only other way I know to get it is to call the doctor which would be Monday.

When I first got into the "normal" size range my Mom and I went shopping and she said "Stop going into the plus sizes honey, you aren't there anymore". I hadn't even realized I had done it. Then, recently we were at Dillard's and I got a top and went into the dressing room. She came in with some more tops and I looked at them and said "Mom, take those back, they won't fit me". Well, of course they did fit me. It is hard to explain how it feels but I love it. It does take some adjustment though.

You will have weeks when you just don't lose the same. It happens to me and then all of the sudden I lose a bunch. I just keep doing my exercising and eating right and it eventually comes back around. Hang in there and don't lose heart. You are doing great!

Only my opinion here but what I believe is that yes, right now you will lose weight eating this way but eventually when you get to a certain point, you will stall. If you are happy with what you are losing right now, stick with that and then when you begin to stall, you will want to change what you are doing. I would think you will want to cut out the carbs at some point and are you exercising at all? You will need to begin doing that also. This romance period right now will end if you continue to eat that way.

First talk to your surgeon and find out why he is filling you this way and make sure you aren't being paranoid and listening to the wrong things. If you are not comfortable with what he says, find someone else.

Definitely new doc time. No one says you have to continue with the same for after care and hopefully you can find one that takes your insurance and cares about your progress. I am so fortunate to have a great team working with me and helping me finish my journey. Good Luck!

If there is anyone who has been banded and think they haven't slipped up, they are probably not being honest with themselves. I think during a trying time particularly, food has been our comfort so it would be natural to return to it. Since you still have no restriction, you are in the most difficult period of adjustment. You have the exact right attitude which is get up dust yourself off (my grandma used to say pull your bootstraps up) and get right back on the wagon which is what you are doing. I am so sorry to hear of your deep sorrow in the passing of your father in law and your friend. My stepfather's daughter in law has a brain anuerysm (?) and is have brain surgery this morning. We just found out this week. Please pray for her. Take care and keep up the good work.

It took a while for me at first also. I was in a 24 moving to a 26. After the first 30 lbs I began to drop sizes. My weight loss surgeon says it should be about every ten pounds which is what is happening with me now. I am currently in a size 12 about to drop to a size 10. But, sometimes the tops are different like paracelsus said different clothing companies have different sizing charts. Sometimes I wear a large top and sometimes I wear a medium depending on the top but the bottoms are almost always the same. And get ready, because when you do start losing sizes, it is a pain to keep up with the clothes issues. It is really difficult. Just when you get a couple of pieces of clothing in one size, you are already down to the next size. I spent a lot of time in Walmart and consignment shops.

It is very difficult to feel anything after the first couple of fills. I felt exactly the same way. It was so frustrating thinking I had this thing in me that was doing nothing. That said, I sure know it is in me now. But it took a few fills for sure. Also, while the band is a wonderful tool, you still have to make a concerted effort to do the right things. Even when you reach the fill level that will provide you with the full feeling we all look for with the band, you will still need to exercise and eat the right things.