finallyncontrol

anewbeckiboo just have a positive attitude..it really helps a lot..at least it did for me!! I swear on any day that I felt a little down it would cause that scale it either not budge or go up!! Usually it takes 3-4 fills before you hit your sweet spot but once you do it feels so great! So have a little patience...I know it is hard but it is oh so worth it. I wish you the very best on your journey! Take care!

My question to you is are you giving yourself shots or are you on the pump? Are you drinking sugar free protein drinks..are they premixed or are you mixing them yourself? I am assuming you started with a 10cc band and now have a 14cc band...how much are you looking to lose? I personally am not diabetic but my mom is. I have a 10cc band with 4cc's of saline in it. I was banded 11/23/09 and lost 130 lbs without any problems. My mom is just now starting the band process now.

Amy is so right...each and every doctor has their own protocol so PLEASE follow your doctors orders to a tee!! He/She knows why they are ordering what they order. If they do the liquids for two weeks (which is what mine did as well)..don't cheat..Well really whatever pre-op plan they tell you do--don't cheat..you are only cheating yourself out of the best possible recovery you can have. Once they do the surgery as soon as they give you the ok..you need to get up and walk..you need to release the gas that they used to enlarge your stomach to perform the surgery otherwise you can have more pain than others. Do not try to eat foods quicker than what your doctor allows. Follow the plan, you may do more harm internally. Remember you just had a major surgery...give yourself time to heal. Always look at the big picture..why you are doing this..stay positive!! I know this was the best thing I have ever done in my entire life and would do it again tomorrow!!! I wish you the best!!

Well I would like to be one of your biggest supporters and help you reach your goals!! I love how you laid it all out and have a plan on getting there. I also am ready to read some of your recipes and cook them!! I wish you great success in 2011!

You are so inspiring...you could have given up when you were first told you had cancer but no you kept fighting and now look. I can't wait until December and see what you look like then...I want to see bikini pictures then since I already think you look amazing now!! LOL My 3yr old just found out I had boobs...so you can imagine what they looked like before and now you can see I have them when I am naked so for 2 1/2 years of his life he couldn't tell fat from boobs..pretty sad!! Keep checking of the "I don't have this anymore" list! You are an amazing woman and making everyone you come across very proud!! Take care!!

First thing I have to say is do not compare yourself to others..everyone's body works differently!!! For some reason my body the weight is actually begging to fall off..even my doctor said that I was his best patient he has had. I averaged 13 lbs a month..only 1 month did I not lose weight and that was due to I was too tight. I lost 126 lbs in 11 months and have now lost 4 more lbs for a total of 130 lbs in 13 months without trying. I hate to say it this way but we have actually talked about that I can only lose 8 more lbs or I will be unhealthy...I can't seem to stop losing weight and I eat all the time (4-5 small meals a day). I have 5cc's in a 10cc band. It is a catch 22...everyone is different. I cook my own meals so I know what is in each meal, I average 1100-1200 calories a day and I am completely full each and every day. I work out in either the pool (summer time) or the hot tub (winter). I wish you the very best! Oh, one final thing..maintain a positive attitude..whenever I was down I would gain a pound that day!!..seriously a true statement!!

all the 2 lbs will add up! I measure lbs and ounces...stay positive and your dream will happen..mine did!! aball..I don't think you stretched your pouch...at this point you don't have any fill in it so you would be able to eat more..once the hematoma fixes itself you will be good to go..you have to reach your "sweet spot" before life is really good (really feeling restriction and not eating very much. Few feel this right out of the gate...most feel this after 3-4 fills. I reached mine on the 4th fill and this allowed me to lose 126 lbs in 11 months and now I have lost a total of 130 lbs over 13 months. I have met my goal but I still seem to lose weight.

Well I think you have came to the right site!! Regardless if you tell people or not if you have been banded most will not understand what it really means. I tell everyone that I made a lifestyle change. That includes increasing my protein intake and having smaller portions. My exercise is in my pool daily or now in our hot tub due to weather. Maintaining a positive attitude is also a huge factor. I also strongly believe that cooking my own meals also is a big driver because you know exactly what you are eating. I know it wasn't easy to accomplish what I did but it also was something I would do over again in heartbeat! I still sit in amazement knowing I have lost 1/2 a body..I have lost 130 lbs and I currently weigh 138 lbs. Share, share and share away...no one is jealous here and most everyone has been there or getting ready to go thru where you have been. We all need each other in order to make a stronger community!! Take care!!

You go girl!! You can do it!! Take care!

Sorry Sonya Goldy is right on..you are too tight. You might be losing weight right now but it is not healthy and you cannot maintain this very long. You are not getting enough protein to have enough energy to have any quality of life. You will develop other digestive issues. This is not healthy. If you get a slight unfill you will actually lose even more weight with the proper diet. Zinhaa does have a point though that warm liquids do open some people up in the mornings when you are too tight in the mornings. I wish you the very best, please go to the doctor on Monday.

Well you are starting off right by having a goal..then stay focused and maintain a positive attitude..then you will reach your goals!! I wish you the very best!

Happy New Year Bklynike!!! I wish you continued success!! You are doing so well!! I need to get back online and check up on all of you!! Take care and keep it up you are doing fabulous!!!!!

I ditto Hummingbird...double check how much you actually have in your band. I have a 10cc band and only have 5ccs in it..I can barely eat 1/2 cup per meal. I also lost 127 lbs in 11 months with no problems. I attacked it as a lifestyle change. I am not a vegan that is for sure so I can't help in that aspect. I cook 95% of all of our meals..I eat almost everything..light on the pasta..no breads (only because they fill me up too fast and I don't get enough protein). I do eat what I want so I satisfy the craving before it takes control of me. Maybe logging your foods may be good for you..sometimes that paints a picture that you can see until you write it out. I get a ton of recipes on www.sparkrecipes.com My form of exercise is swimming. My doctor believes walking or swimming is the best form of exercise...it really worked for me. I went from a 3X to a size 5 and loving life. I wish you the very best. Oh, finally the most important aspect..a positive attitude..couldn't have done it without that!! Anytime during this past year if I felt negative..that dirty little scale would go the other way..so I made a deal with myself and said NO NEGATIVITY and it actually worked!! Take care, take it one day at a time!!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a safe trip!! Congrats on the weightloss and those 4 lbs will be gone in no time!! Take care!

I agree with Leigha!! A lot of it to me is the portion and eating slow beyond that I eat whatever I want. I have hit my goal but I wouldn't mind being about 5 lbs below. I am still losing somehow..I am not complaining..a couple ounces a day. I will probably be married to the scale for the rest of my life but I will take it versus gaining weight again. I am also glad I wasn't the only one it took a few minutes to reaquinted with the new look...I finally posted my first blog as promised on my anniversary date and wham..a new look...good grief!! Take care and take a break you will do fine!

I know what you mean..I take a handful everynight myself!! I use applesauce and stir it up and then eat it. You can get the sugar free kind..add cinnamon to it and it tastes pretty good. Congrats on the 219!! Take care!!

I wish you the very best!! I did mine over Thanksgiving last year!! To me it was the best thing in the world to be thankful for!!! Stay in touch and let everyone know how you are doing!! Take care!

Well today is my 1 year anniversary!! I will start this blog by saying this has been a dream come true! I currently weigh 140 lbs with a BMI of 23.3. I have lost 126.6 lbs..that is almost another person..this just amazes me. I am now wearing a size 5/6 pants and a medium top..previously I was busting out of a 3X. This year I spent only 1 6 day stay in the hospital and to this day there still isn't an official diagnosis but I believe it was due to how low my potassium level was. I had a stroke 3 1/2 years ago and one of my medications strips out all of my potassium and as a bandster we need to be sure we get enough in and retain our potassium--once we figured this out I bounced right back and all was great! Why I mention only one hospital visit is I had averaged 4 per year for the previous 3 years so this year was quite an improvement. In this blog I thought I would list things that helped me achieve my goals... Resources used: immediate family support, lapbandtalk.com, local support group, www.sparkrecipes.com (for sparkrecipes not only did I get recipes from this site I would enter my own recipes and it would calculate the nutritional value and some recipes I was already making were healthy I just ate too much of it), portion control, my beloved crockpot, always following up with my surgeon, staying positive regardless of the scale and finally remaining focused on the big picture (or the small one LOL). For me staying connected with people who have been there or going thru it really meant a lot so being online with lapbandtalk.com gave me more motivation than it probably should have but it was and still is so addictive. It allowed time to go by and I didn't think of food. Sparkrecipes generated so many new family favorites I couldn't even begin to list them. It was also a huge motivator..I dusted off the crockpot and started to cook again only in a healthy way. Not only do I cook 95% of all of our meals I use the crockpot 4-5 times per week. I found that having dinner ready and waiting for us there wasn't any excuses but to eat healthy. It is kind of game at our house..we vote on dishes as to if we will make them again but for the most part we have found very good recipes..if I can get a 3 year old to clean his plate knowing it was a homemade healthy meal that I made then I am pleased. As for seeing my surgeon..I am self-paid and the contract I have with him is for the first year I am entitled to 12 monthly visits and as he said I was to get my money's worth. I saw him the 1st Thursday of every month--I never missed an appt. I reached my sweet spot on the 4th appt, so for 8 appts I went to see him and we talked about how I was doing and nutrional things..but the point is to stay in touch with your surgeon and do not wait until it is out of hand and you talk yourself out of going. Exercise: My source of exercise has been swimming and using water resistance weights. I have a blood disorder that doesn't allow me to do a lot of other types of exercise. Foods/things I do not eat/do: bread, ice cream, tortilla chips, drink from straws, soda, or chew gum. I think that is pretty short list. As I have told many on this site before I never refer to this as a diet this was a lifestyle change. I feel know that I have retrained my brain to think properly. Yes, I have cravings but I know if I eat a bite or two that is all I need and the craving is gone. Regrets: Waiting so long to do it--however I believe everything happens for a reason so maybe before now I wasn't ready? Favorite recipe: Pizza Soup...yummy!! In closing if this blog helps just one person then I would really be happy!!! The pictures attached are showing when I first started 266..then weighing 150 and then yesterday at 140

what is it..you can do it charlie brown..you go girl!!

Good for you!! that is one of the hardest lessons to learn! Keep up the fantastic job!

search this site for appeal letters...there is a section about how to do the letters

I take Flintstones Chewables

I am also a self payer..I have lost 122 lbs with 4 lbs to go. I was banded 11/23/9. When I was banded I followed the rules to a T during the first 6 weeks (until my first fill) and then during a discussion with my dr I told him that this is not a diet to me this is a lifestyle change. I cannot be cooking two different dinners at night..one for me and one for my family...I wasn't going to eat a certain kind of foods until I reached my goal to only then start eating foods that could maybe cause me to gain weight..so I needed to eat everyday kinds of food that wouldn't do any harm to my band but were healthy for me and my family. My dr and I went back and forth with this because he was very strict and he wanted to make sure I didn't do anything that would case me to be in the ER. The thing he wanted was to slowly introduce foods to the band...I did that but somethings not as slow as he might had wanted or at first wanted. With my results he felt I had a good handle on things and did very well. Here are examples of a hamburger to me...a 1/3 of a hamburger patty cut up with ketchup and mustard served with a pickle..no bun or anything else. Spaghetti is 2 meatballs and 4 strands of spaghetti noodles with sauce. So my portions have changed considerably..they are much smaller. I do believe others do eat a full up hamburger...I just can't...nor can I eat pasta or bread. Breads fill me up and I cannot get the protein I need to have energy. I feel like I rambled on but that is my two cents worth. I wish you the very best!!

What an awesome feeling that is!! Keep it up!

do not just give up...there are medical loans...you can try elan financial services, health one, or go on lapband.com they may be able to offer other lending companies as well as your doctor may know of other places or ideas!! Remember if you want things bad enough you can make it happen! I am a self pay and then I saved all of my receipts..fought my insurance company and appealed their denials...11 months later I got refunded 70% of what I paid. Keep fighting...don't give up!!