happy2lose

There have been other threads of this nature in the past. Not all surgeons charge a program fee. Be very careful of paying a fee up front and find out what you get for this fee. My surgeon DID NOT charge a program fee.

Can you please be more specific about what your issues are?

If you are having trouble keeping food down I think you should contact your surgeon.

From what I've been told, lettuce is a slider food. Goes down easy with little or no nutritional value. Try eating solid proteins such as chicken or fish. They will stay in your pouch longer and you should be able to go 4 hours between meals. If you are eating solid protein and get hungry in between meals, you most likely need another fill. Be sure to get in your 64oz of water and don't drink with your meals. Wait 30 minutes after eating to drink water again. I get stuck about once per week and find it is usually because I am eating too fast and not chewing enough. If you are unsure how many calories you should be eating check with your nutritionist. He/she may be able to suggest a diet that will help you lose. I notice that your BMI wasn't real high to begin with. Your weight will come off slower then somebody with a high BMI. Exercise is imperative. Try and get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day and mix it up often so you don't get bored and increase your time each week by 5 minutes or so. Hope this helps! Donna

I'm not sure why you are not losing weight. Like others have said, keep a food journal. Focus on eating Protein first and veggies if you still have room. Without proper restriction, you will eat more. Be sure you drink your 64 oz. of Water each day too and watch your sodium and carb intake. The person who told you to go to your next appointment armed with your food and exercise journal is correct. This is the only way to show your doctor that you are doing what you should be doing. I suggest you exercise daily. Perhaps add 60 minutes of walking on the days you don't go to the gym. I find I lose more regularly if I exercise daily. Keep in mind that you may be losing inches rather then pounds. Are your clothes fitting better? I started at the same weight as you but I am much older. From everything I have learned, you should be able to lose the weight faster then I am. I lost 37 pounds in the first 2 months after surgery. Are you insulin resistant? Maybe you should make an appointment with your primary care physician and ask him/her if there may be a health reason that you are not losing. You may also want to ask your nutritionist for a diet plan. Otherwise, count your calories religiously and up your exercise regimen. I sincerely hope you figure this out. Donna

My healthcare provider was also very negative about the band. They pushed the gastric bypass surgery as well. I did not want the bypass for reasons I will refrain from stating. Because I wanted the band and my provider refused to do it, I went to Mexico and self-paid for my surgery. It wasn't until I arrived in Mexico that I heard of the sleeve procedure. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had the sleeve. Don't get me wrong, the band is working for me but long-term I feel the sleeve would have been a better choice.

You really need to follow the post-op diet your surgeon gave you. This is very important! Eating solid food too soon can cause you problems later. The first month or two after surgery is meant for healing not weight loss. If you do happen to shed some weight during this time is an added bonus. The time span between surgery and your first fill is known as bandster hell. It is called this because you have little to no restriction and are hungry all the time. You are not alone. All of us bandsters have been through this. Make sure you drink 64 oz. of water. The water will help somewhat with the hunger. When the hunger becomes unbearable, change your focus. Go for a walk. The exercise will help keep the hunger at bay for a little while anyway. Repeat as needed. Hang in there. It will get easier.

Hello Contemplating, At the point that I was able to eat a 6" sub I had very little restriction. Once you have good restriction I guarantee you that you will NOT be able to eat a 6" sub. With good restriction, I am not able to eat bread at all and if I eat one bite too much of anything I will spend the next 30 minutes or so running to the bathroom to throw-up. I am generally finished eating after about 4-5 bites. Once you reach proper restriction you will have definite consequences with over-eating. Hope this helps. Good luck to you!

One thing to keep in mind that I never thought about until now: I am having issues with my pancreas. I am a drinker and have only been drinking on a regular basis for about 2 years. Obesity and significant weight loss can bring on gallstones and excessive alcohol consumption can directly affect the gallbladder and the pancreas. Just something to consider

Thank you LilMissDiva! I'm trying to learn to not sweat the small stuff in life. This is easier said then done.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I mean cut all your meat up at once.

Try cutting your meat into very small bites before eating. This prevents from taking too big of bites and getting stuck. If I just cut a bite and chew then cut another I become distracted and sometimes forget I have a band (short attention span) and end up taking too big of a bite. This works for me.

Congratulations! This is awesome and I am so happy for you. I had to laugh at these comments: I am a bit obsessive about weight loss and being healthy. I have to remind myself that most people don’t care about it that much and don’t want to hear about it all the time - I have to be careful to not judge people that are still overweight, I have to fight the urge to tell them there is a better way I can so relate to this. Good for you!

I am dealing with the same thing. I view myself larger then my actual size. One thing that is really nice is at the gym I go to (Curves) The Smart program they use gets updated each month with my measurements and shows my body size but it is still really hard to see the difference since they don't have the old size to compare to. Is this body image always going to be an issue or will we someday be able to view ourselves as thin? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thank you, I appreciate you clarifying this.

If thinking in terms of what is best for one's health makes me a "bonehead" then so be it!

I understand completely! Best of luck to you on your journey.

Hello everyone, My name is Donna. Formerly known as FailureIsntAnOption. For those of you who may not know, I was the person involved in the dialogue that resulted in Headhunter's suspension. Since returning to LBT yesterday, I have been reading through this thread and have a few things I would like to say. My spelling and grammar are terrible so please bare with me. First of all I am sorry that things have become so heated between those of you who were at one time friends. I hope you can all move past this and become friends again in the future. I am partly to blame for this and accept full responsibility for my part in it. My communication with HH is not something I am proud of. Headhunter, I am sorry things got so out of hand and I truly hope we can move forward with a clean slate. I will put forth my best effort in the future to try to not be so oversensitive. To Alex and the mods, I am sorry all this has happened and for any stress this has caused all of you. I deserve to be suspended for my past actions. To those parties who got involved and those who didn't, today is a new day and one deserving of a fresh start and I sincerely hope you will all move past this drama and continue to provide support to people in need. With this being said, I am truly grateful for this website and the information and support it brings all of us bandsters and those considering the procedure. I sincerely hope you ALL will accept my apology. Donna

Hello, I am going through something similar. I have some moderate discomfort on the right side of my abdomin. This has been going on for over a week. Last Friday I had an upper GI to check my band and everything was fine. Today I have an appointment with my PCP. I suspect it is either my pancreas or gallbladder but we'll see. Glad you are doing better.

You are doing fantastic! I have had my band for 6 months and have lost less weight then you. You obviously can do this on your own. I say keep up with what you are doing and remember it is not a diet. It is a lifestyle change. Congratulations on your awesome success. Donna

I wouldn't call it head hunger at all. I would call it bad habits that you are having trouble breaking. I have the same issue sometimes. It seems that my head thinks I can still eat large portions while my stomach says NO MORE. If I don't pay attention I can easily miss the signal that my body gives me to tell me I need to stop. When this happens I always end up PBing. Our bodies really do tell us to stop. Sometimes I get hiccups, other times I just sigh and take a breath, sometimes I start burping or I get stuck. If we eat slow enough, stop and rest between bites the signal is much more clear. Hope this helps!

Here is my typical day: Breakfast: 1/2 cup of Greek unflavored yogurt sweetened w/Splenda & 2 tablespoons granola. Lunch: McDonalds 3-piece chicken Selects w/dipping sauce Dinner: Small portion of whatever my family eats. If I get hungry between meals, I sometimes snack on lowfat cheese or a couple of cups of popcorn.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I am a creature of habit. I eat the same thing for lunch everyday: McDonald's 3 piece chicken selects with dipping sauce. Not too terribly exciting!

Not sure what you mean? Maybe you need a new scale. I notice when I up my workout that sometimes I gain a pound or two. Remember....muscle weighs more than fat. When you gain muscle and lose fat it may take a while for the scale to catch up. As long as your clothes are getting loser, you know you are trimming down.

When I experience that nagging head hunger I find the best way for me to handle it is to change my focus. Go outside, pull some weeds, Water some plants, go for a walk, or do what I do.....hop on my bicycle and ride. Besides changing your focus, physical activity diminishes hunger, even head hunger. Give it a try!