qtney1

How horrible! I was overfilled once and couldn't get anything down. After a couple days of it ( and 5 pounds lost), I HAD to go in. I gained a few pounds back (water weight, I'm sure) but felt so much better. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. It is miserable!

You are looking wonderful! Great job!

42, to be exact. I am so proud to have that weight GONE. Although I have a lot more to lose, I am well on my way. I need to work out more and see the weight drop even farther, quicker :-)

My brother in law's birthday was the night before last. I JUST today finished that meal. I was able to eat the side salad Tuesday night, half of the 6 oz steak yesterday (along with half of the baked potato), and the other half of the steak/potato today...and I didn't even finish all of the steak!

Don't worry, I didn't start to get good restriction until my 3rd fill. Perfect restriction came on my 4th. I was banded September 30th and just got that restriction a few weeks ago. Good luck and you will start to really lose soon. You are officially in "bandster hell"---the time between surgery and really losing. It WILL happen, though :-)

Thumbs up to Unjury...But, I also have the Costco protein shakes and like those, too!

It will definitely be different, for sure! I have a friend who has the band and I enjoy going out with her because she does the same thing I do :-) And, I LOVE sushi, too! I just have them make it with brown rice and eat it in small bites. Instead of having a couple rolls, I am now satisfied with a half a roll. But chew and chew!

Have you been stressed or anxious at all? I've heard that this can sometimes affect the band. I hope this passes for you soon. It is no fun!

It's great not finishing everything on the plate! I have a friend with lapband who also said sometimes her band tolerance varies, too. Apparently, stress, anxiety, all sorts of things can affect the band.....Although, i'm not sure I buy into that for me. I just kind of go with it. If I can get it down, it's good because I only get small portions. If I can't, I don't try anymore for the day and move on. I found if I eat to early (something other than oatmeal), it's a no go. And, if I eat too late at night, its' not good, either....and, I'm alright with that. Another fun fact is that I have to make sure I am actually eating in a chair. Sounds silly but if I sit in front of the tv to eat something (which I know is a 'no-no'), the way my recliner sits isn't condusive with the fooding going down either. So, I really am liking how it is helping me correct me bad habits...lol

Work it, girl! It feels GOOD to feel sexy!

When I go out, I will usually have a glass of wine or Martini (or sometimes a cocktail). If I just limit myself to one, I won't feel completely "off", although I do still feel a little buzzed off of just one. Then, I eat dinner. Usually, I am finished before everyone because now I can't eat a bunch. So, while they are finishing up, we are visiting. Before I know it, an hour has almost elapsed and I can order another round. It really works out good for me. I've had 2 sodas and 2 beers over the 5 months since my surgery. However, with my last fill, I tried a sip of beer and it made me super uncomfortable. It's a good rule of thumb to stay away from those drinks all together.

One more pound and I will have hit the 40 pound weight loss in my (almost) 5 months of being banded. I am now down to 287. It is incredibly sllllooowwww, but so worth it. I can tell a little difference (mainly in how my clothes fit-----or, not really fit anymore, I should say), but other people say they can tell a big difference. I am to the point where I really need to go out and get some new clothes. After my last fill, my band keeps me in CHECK! If I eat too fast or take too big of bites, i get stuck, feel miserable, and eating time is o-v-e-r. I really have to remember to chew chew chew. And, sometimes (with dry chicken, steak, etc) that is not enough. And, some days are different than others. My husband make steak on our anniversary last Thursday. I took a few bites of the 4 oz steak, felt sick, and dinner was done (even though I took small bites and chewed). I brought the leftover steak for lunch the next day and got it down fine. However, when I tried to eat my small baked potato afterwards, I got two bites in and that was it. My husband and I just shared our 4 year anniversary this past week. I went out to dinner with him Saturday evening to McCormick and Schmicks. It was sooooo good! They brought huge chuncks of fresh bread out (my heart really sank), but I did clip off a tiny smidge (and I do mean TINY!) and dipped it in butter just to try it. And, I did order a tuna tartare appetizer, salad, and stuffed salmon for dinner. Yes, I still think sometimes like the fat girl I became over the years, but this time, I ordered knowing I'd have left overs for a couple meals and could take it home :-) It's a fantastic restaurant, why not have leftovers? I ate the appetizer and some of the side salad. I ended up bringing home my full entree. And, how nice was it to actually slow down and enjoy the flavors. REALLLLLL NICCCCCE!!!! The next day, we had lunch with friends. I ordered a tuna appetizer and a side salad. I ate the side salad, felt full, and brought the tuna home. I must say, I like leftovers! I really like the restriction and tightness that I have now. I would definitely rather be a little too tight than not enough. Sometimes I am not as wise as I should be and the band now seems to "smack my hand" if I have something I shouldn't. I love that! I have pretty much kissed goodbye all bread products, pizza, donuts, etc, but I am totally okay with that. Stringy fruits (oranges, grapefruits, pineapples) seem like ages ago since I haven't been able to eat those for awhile now. I can still get down all veggies (I love asparagus and thank the Banding Gods for allowing me to still eat that), but potatoes pose a problem unless they are mashed. Thankfully, too, chicken wings don't go down good anymore. I really needed my band to help me with those as they are my weakness. I do miss regular chicken and steak sometimes (as it seems to be 50/50 if I can even eat a little bit). But, really, I have found that fish goes down perfectly and is much better for me than red meat. If I could completely rid myself of my Starbucks addiction, I would be doing even better. Starbucks is sabotaging me...even when I ask for nonfat milk with my white chocolate mocha. I have made an agreement with myself to treat myself on Fridays, but NO other time. It is amazing on how many calories that actually adds to my day. Seriously, I would be nailing my caloric goal everyday if it wasn't for those days I got Starbucks. Thank you sparkpeople.com for showing me how ugly this coffee can be In the art of compromising, so I don't sabotage myself, I iron out 100 calories everyday for my cups of coffee and creamer. I love it to much to completely let it go, but 100 sure beats 500! I still haven't joined the gym but AM planning to. I just need to narrow down which one. I would like to do Curves, but I don't think it will be feasible for me to get to considering where I live, kids, and the fact my husband has a completely different work schedule than me. I think a 24 hour place will work good. I do like my Zumba video but would LOVE to do it at a gym. I find when I work out, I feel better and I drop a pound here and there like no one's business. I can definitely improve on the working out! Fortunately, a friend of mine has created a facebook group to help address this with everyone. It's sort of an online support page where we can become accountable to others. I really am looking forward to working this page for all it's worth :-) Whew, how therapeutic it was to write!

I was banded 5 months ago in 2 two days. I have lost 40 pounds, but I also started out quite a bit heavier than you. Fill #4 was the magic one for me! And, I just had that one a couple of weeks ago. You are doing good.....it is supposed to be slow :-)

Let me know how it works for you...I am also doing the same thing. Also, Shonette, the only way I can eat red meat is to eat small bites, chew, chew, and chew some more. AND, drink something a little warm beforehand. The steak I ate last night got stuck and it was not good (I had a cold drink of water before my meal). Today, I finished up my coffee then had leftover steak for lunch and 3ozs went down good before I started to fill up.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You should give yourself a big pat on the back...that is quite an achievement!

You look AMAZING! Great work! I love reading your blogs. They are super information and a big support to us out there. THANK YOU :-)

Great job!

Yup, forget the negative and just proceed with the positive. It will be a slow loss some days, but ALWAYS worth it!

What everyone needs varies depending on weight. I use sparkpeople.com to chart my daily intake. I put in a goal I want to be a t, a date in which to achieve it, and it breaks down how much protein I should have, how many carbs, and maximum calorie range to get where I need to go. I just plug in the food and it tallies it all up. It helps because I can see if I can have a scoop of sugar free ice cream at night or if I should just skip it :-) I eat probably what you do in carbs everyday plus some and am still losing weight. Just keep your calories in the 1000-1200 range, keep up with protein, and you will be good.

I have lost 35 pounds since I started in mid September with the liquid diet. I feel like it has gone painfully slow. One thing I find, that seems to be helping, is adding in more protein every which way I can. I have two friends who have had this done. One lost her weight crazy quick. She lost 100 pounds in 7 months. The other just reached his 1 year, 100 pound mark. He said it took several months before the fills got him to where he needed to be. He then started losing, but not really until then. Good luck and hopefully it speeds up for all of us! When I get discouraged, I think how wonderful it is not to be 325 anymore :-)

Keep your chin up. I didn't start to feel real restriction until the 3rd fill....and, it wasn't the restriction I needed. I was banded 9/30/10 and am still toying with where I need to be at. I have lost 35 pounds total, but probably 20 of that came after I was banded. And, the majority of THAT amount happened after the 3rd fill. No worries...it will come. Just try your hardest to eat things that aren't slider foods, eat your protein first, and work the band

Eeeeeek, next Wednesday can't come soon enough. I need a fill SOOOO bad. I am joining a gym this week, but there are no aerobics classes, etc....Just the basic with circuits, weights, etc. What is your favorite thing to do at the gym. I wanna get the most out of my workout :-)

I went back and forth for a couple of years and now I am so glad I did it. I was banded 9/30/2010. I am down 35 pounds. It's been a slow weight decline, but I already feel so much better. I took Thursday and Friday off of work, had no recovery problems, and back to work on Monday. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Or, go to a couple surgeon seminars to find out more in depth answers. It was the right choice for me. Good luck in your journey!

Fantastic! That is so great!

I have been losing slowly.....so slowly. I have read up another person's success by adding in MORE protein. I should have figured this out by now. I reviewed my sparkpeople.com records. I have found that I am staying in the 1500 range some days, which is not good. But, that I can make wiser choices by adding in more protein. If I have a salad with fat free dressing, throw in some sunflower seeds, etc. It makes sense. I have no idea why I have gotten away from protein. I aim for 60 each day, but some days I don't even get that. Others, try for at least 75. I'm curious, how much protein do you have everyday? Do you do better by counting calories, counting protein, or both?