happy2lose

I lead a very normal life with my band. There are a few foods that I can't eat such as bread and eggs but I don't miss them. food no longer plays such an important roll in my life as it once did. I still go out to eat with my husband to nice restaurants, I eat meals with the family, I just eat much, much less than I did before the band. If anything, the quality of my life as improved drastically. I am much more active which my husband is thrilled about. Our vacations are centered around activity instead of food as well as our entertainment. I can now buy cute clothes instead of buying something just because it fits. I feel great and I look better with each passing day. Our sex life has also improved, we can play around with different positions I couldn't do before. As far as I am concerned, getting the band was the best decision of my life. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

I got my first fill 6 weeks post-op.

Bump. I notice some stomach spasms but that's about it. Perhaps your blood pressure spikes as the needle goes into your stomach resulting in a headache or maybe it's just a coincidence.

We all know that to lose weight we must eat less and move more. After banding, I couldn't wait to do something other than walking. I joined Curves and I love it. There are many exercises that can be done with bad knees at Curves or at any gym for that matter. I really enjoy bicycling. I have a really good stationary bike at home that I use as a "clothes rack" lol but, I love to actually cycle outdoors. I began cycling when I weighed 300 pounds. It gets easier and easier each time I ride. I work in an office all day Monday through Thursday and can't wait to do something physical outdoors. I sit at work dreaming of a bike ride on a sunny day. If you join a gym with a pool there are a number of calorie burning things that can be done with bad knees in a pool. You can also use 5 pound weights at home for toning and strenght training. There are a number of exercises I do with weights at home and it really doesn't take a lot of time. You can get some work-out DVD's. Many of which are made for larger people who aren't in the best physical condition. Richard Simmons has some good ones that will get you moving/dancing. Any kind of movement is good as long as you get your heart rate up.

I typically lose 1-3 pounds per week. I lost 11 pounds on my pre-op diet and I've lost 70 pounds since being banded in mid April of this year. I will tell you that the first 50 pounds came off really quickly but the last 20 have taken more time.

I wish I would have gone with the Sleeve. Why? Because it is permanent and I am worried that my band will eventually fail and I will need to have another procedure anyway. I know several people who have the sleeve and love it. I like the idea of never feeling hunger again. I also like that there is no maintenance required like there is with the band. A couple of sleeved people I know were back to work in just a few days since they had a desk job. Just my opinion, Donna

See, I knew you were a determined, hard-working lady. WTG!

I found the thread I mentioned in my first response: It's under WEIGHT SPECIFIC SUPPORT GROUP, Low BMI Bandsters. Hopefully you will find the info. you are seeking in the above thread.

Great story! You must also thank yourself for having the courage, knowledge and fortitude to seek help for yourself and the determination to be a weight loss success. Congratulations!

Sorry, I must have missed that. I'm only human!

If nothing has changed as far as your fill level since February and all of this started out of the blue, I think it is very important that you make an appointment with your doctor so he/she can run some tests. It's a bummer that you don't currently have insurance, but I don't think your health is anything to mess around with. Please go get checked out.

One thing I noticed from your post is that you are drinking Water with your meals. You really need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to drink again. The longer you wait to drink the longer your food sits in your pouch. It does sound like you may be trying to eat too fast and take too big of bites. Try slowing it down more and see what happens. Take a bite, set your fork down and wait a few minutes before taking another bite. Satiety should last 3-4 hours between meals. If it isn't then you need another fill. Behavioral modification has been my biggest obstacle throughout this process. I usually begin to feel full after two bites or I will start hiccuping. If I set my fork down for a few minutes and wait I can usually eat a few more bites successfully without PBing.

I think you should make an appointment with your surgeon and discuss this matter with him/her.

I don't really have an opinion either way. I have the Lapband and so far am very happy with how it is working and have had no problems.

Welcome! Best of luck to you.

Congratulations to you! You are now on your journey to a healthier and leaner you.

It is a slow and frustrating process and for someone like me with little or no patience it can be torture. Just remember, anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.

I believe there is a thread about low BMI'ers somewhere on this site. You may have to search for it for a while but I'm sure it is informative.

I really don't know anything about the single incision part of the surgery but I recommend keeping an ice pack on your belly button in the hours before work. Try 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off until you have to start work and see if perhaps it helps the swelling in that area go down. I would also stay on the tylenol every 4 hours to keep the pain cycle interrupted. Don't let the tylenol lapse. Hope you feel better.

You are already fitted with a weight loss tool. I suggest you slowly start filling your band and work with it. There are no guarantees that getting the sleeve wont cause you to have heartburn. If you use your band you wont need to take diet drugs.

Calm down, everything is going to be fine. The procedure only takes about 30 minutes and it is a relatively simple procedure. You are going to do fine and soon you will be wondering why you didn't do this sooner like the rest of us.

I agree that you may need more protein. Also, vitamins are very important. Try adding Biotin and Vitamin D as well as taking a multi-vitamin and calcium.

Congratulations! You are now on your way to a leaner healthier you.

A liquid diet is very hard to stick with especially around the holidays. It sounds like you really need to make an appointment and go over what you are eating with a good nutritionist who can then set up a eating plan you can live with and still lose weight. It sounds like you may not be using your tool (band) to it's full potential.

It sounds like you could use a small fill. Be very careful though that you don't get over-filled as it is a miserable feeling.