TCarroll

Honestly.... I know its hard to do- stop stressing and obsessing over it-- your body will react to stress by holding on to weight.... take one weekend- and jsut relax- dont think about the band - or exercise.... just be normal.... take a 2 day vacation from it.. then Monday hit the gym... I promise- everytime i was stressing over the scale not moving-- it got worse- out of frustration on weekend I said - FORGET IT... and let lose- went out to eat with friends.... slept in instead of hitting the gym.... and just lived life... got up Monday morning dreading geting on that scale--- it was down! So i started back with my routine again.... Sometimes you need to let yourself relax ...I know easier said than done.... I need to follow my words of wisdom.

Hey Jordan, i think youi might need a fill - to hit your sweet spot and help with the hunger.. BUT in saying that- 2 things to remember... 1. there is no surgery to help you with the head hunger... you are going to have to fight taht on your own and it can honestly make you feel starving. 2. even though the lapband will help with true hunger- it is still all about decisions - what you choose to eat and no fill or amount of restriction is going to stop you from eating the slidder foods... you have to make the decision to eliminate those from your diet until you can learn how to control them. One rule that i think is most important is - every meal or everytime you are hungry- eat solid Proteins - then allow yourself to move on to other items.... you will fill up on the proteins and not have room for the other stuff.... your head might tell you - you do-- but you will find out very soon you dont! Good luck to you.

Stress- Yes can greatly effect my band.... My band got way too tight 3 months after a fill .... and i was rapidly losing weight and heartburn started- i went back in and got an unfill - felt so much better... honestly I havent gone in to get another fill since then- and that was in May. BUt I had reached goal so I didnt need to be in weight loss mode anymore anyway. It still amazes me how the stress does this- but i have always known stress in my body doesnt do good things.... usually i get severly sick- now i guess my band tightens! lol!

I was self pay and i can honestly say- if I would have known what i know now- I would have worked 4 jobs to put away the money and do it sooner in life.. In 9 months my life completely changed. I went from 242 lbs to 135 - losing 108 lbs and hitting goal-- I am now (bouncing) between 130-132 and am ok with that... it keeps me under goal... I went from wearing a 18/20 and some 22's to 4's and 6's... and really big 8's bc i dont want to spend anymore money on clothes.... I actually did get in some 2's but I dont know if the brand just runs big. I feel healthy- live life now... not embarassed- but am still working on my image in my mind-- but I think that will only come with time- there is no surgery to use as a tool for that!

I did it! With all the stress of my wedding hitting right as i lost 100 lbs... I forgot one of my goals was to post in this thread! I lost 100 lbs about 8 and a half months from having surgery... that left me 8 lbs to go to get to my goal of 135. My 9 months and 1 week I was at goal. I am now 11 months from surgery and had made the decision i would like to be 130 ish so that way i wouldnt go over my goal with water weight in a day(so strange how my mind works now! ) Well I can honestly say i am down 111 lbs.. as of right now and holding.... Seriously 111 lbs.... I still cant get my mind around the whole thing- I am amazed constantly on clothes that fit... and the sizes-- I was so used to and embarrased to be in the fitting room and say- ummm these 18's or 20's dont fit- i need a larger size.... so i would just leave.. NOW-- i am like.. wow, these 6's are a little big- do you think i would fit in the 4's.... seriously what a change... I know there have been so many successful people with the lapband- and I just want to say I am proud of each and every one of you.... Congrats on taking back your life and your health!

honestly... i followed south beach throughout my weightloss process with the band... and have seen great success and hit my goal in 9 months and 1 week. Now i still pretty much follow southbeach still, but here and there i allow some chips- with my protein, or a little pasta(if the band lets me) and if i see the scale go up a little i just do a day or two back to strictly proteins and veggies/beans. But this is how I think normal eating should be- but before surgery we just allowed ourselves to eat all the carb/fat crap everyday. Its all about moderation. I wish you success.

Also, if you feel it is gas and cant get it out- try lying in bed on your left side for a little while- it will help relieve the gas.

Cheri... I agree with so much of your post! I have a wonderful doctor myself, who is very well respected in my area... like your doctor he did tell me to make sure to EAT the Protein... not to rely on the protein drinks-- that they would stall your weight loss or you would lose slower. The only time I ever did Protein drinks was in the beginning before I could eat food. As for nuts, my doctor didnt tell me about the nuts, but I did keep a journal of my food and would compare it to how much I lost for the week. I immediately noticed that the weeks I ate nuts... no weight loss and sometimes I would even gain! I cut those out quick and did just fine. So I couldnt agree more- for my body nuts were just not good! The only difference I have in what you have stated is my doctor said that with the lapband he would get 80% of the weight off - the rest was up to me. He told me this since the first time that I met with him. Set those expectations from the beginning. I was determined to hit my goal and I knew that most of the weight loss would happen in the first 6 -9 months... he told me get the weight off during the first year. So I went on and ate just like he told me too- got my protein in thru eating a solid piece of protein first every meal and then ate veggies if I had room. I cut out nuts, Pasta, bread, rice, sweets and alcohol. I found that if I stuck to the simple rule of eat my solid protein first when hungry-- I never had room for the other crap. I hit my goal 9 months and 1 week after surgery.. 108lb down! I went from 242 to 134. I am currently going for 130 just because I have found that I have a 5 lb flucuation and I want to always stay at my goal weight. I am also back at the gym again... doing weight training to tone up. I really appreciate my doctor telling me the things he did and being realistic with me- by doing that he was the key to my success. Also, when I hit my 80% mark he said- step it up -- the rest is up to you! This has been a great journey - I have learned so much about myself and ways to better myself.

hey there, first off- one thing that might help you is South Beach- it is like Atkins High Protein diet EXCEPT it allows for good healthy carbs.. Beans, lettuce, and veggies.. more of a well balanced meal. I know i did this many times and when I would get that feeling you are talking about - I would up my veggie/bean intake and it helped fight that off. South Beach is about healthy balanced meals and lean proteins... I have followed South Beach while banded and I truly believe it has aided me in my quick weight loss along with the band. Basically concentrate on your protein first at your meal and eat veggies. You still stay away from breads, crackers, Pasta and chips - but with the veggies and beans it is some carbs. Best of luck to you. I am sure you will do great