Oberhasli

Vikki, 800 years ago when I was on Weight Watchers, they "prohibited" us from weighing ourselves except at the weekly weigh-in sessions. Your weight is going to flucate some based on what you're eating and, more importantly, what you're eliminating. You may just be full of sh**. <G> Try weighing yourself less frequently. And use the same scale as every scale is different, some by several pounds. I don't own a scale so I weigh myself every Monday at work on my break. It gives a bit better picture of what I'm actually doing. One week I did gain 2 pounds but the next I was down 7. Weight loss is an average. If you're losing a pound or so per week, you're making healthy progress towards your goal. If you lose more than 3 pounds per week, you're body is going to have a much harder time adapting to the "new" you and things will sag more and you have a much greater chance of regaining the weight. Tom

Denise, what size band do you have? My first fill was 2 cc in a 4 cc band. I was VERY uncomfortable the day of the fill and a few days. For about 2 weeks, I would eat a "reasonable" amount of food and feel full. Before the 3 week mark, I started feeling hungry. The last week or so I've had days where I'm hungry and days where a little bit of food fills me up. I go in 2 weeks for another fill. My guess is he'll had .75 to 1 cc more. I just don't want the extreme discomfort that I had the first time. I WON'T chug the Water like I did last time! Tom

I'm on a faster than normal schedule for my doctor. Banded on 11/7, first fill (2 cc in a 4 cc band) on 12/18 and next fill scheduled for 1/29. He said he normally does the first fill at 8-12 weeks and I got mine at 6. He normally fills 1-1.5 cc and I got 2. He normally fills at 8-12 week intervals and mine is scheduled for 6. I'm down 28 pounds since the surgery so happy with that. I was only down 1 pound when I weighed today (nurse's office at work wasn't open yesterday due to the holiday) but considering I was on prednisone for 1/2 the week and feel like I ate everything that didnt eat me first, not too disappointed. Tom

Thanks, Betsyjane. My bigger fear is retriggering the diabetes. I lost weight when I was on the larger doses, and gained it back when I went off. Of course, on it, I could physically function and off of it, I hurt so didn't move nearly as much. I took just the pain pill this morning and I'm off to work. (And, because it's a holiday, not only do I get holiday pay, but time-and-a-half also!) I'll come home after work and let the dogs out and then going to a friend's for the evening. I'm not thrilled that my rheumatologist's attitude is to take prednisone and pain pills. Really wish there was something else to take or do. Tom

Well, I made it through the holidays without a problem and lost weight. Today, though, was another story. I'm not sure whether it's the weather (cold and damp) or what, but my rheumatoid arthritis decided to act up this past week. I talked to the rheumatologist and she said to take my pain pills and prednisone. (Can't take NSAIDS.) The prednisone is what originally put me into diabetes but rather than gaining weight, I lost 80 pounds in 6 months because my blood sugar was 500+. I was taking 60 mg. daily for over a year and now take only 5 mg. when I need it but it does increase my appetite. I've tried to make good food choices today but even healthy foods have calories. I seem to eat every two hours all day today. I hoped to go into work today to make up some time I called off this week but they ended up not needing me so I ate, and ate, and ate. I ate small servings each time so never felt overly full, but seem to eat all day long. The stack of dirty dishes is quite sizable! (Where's my maid when I need one?) I normally weigh myself at work on Monday but think I'm glad it's a holiday and the nurse's office won't be open. Need to get to the fitness center for sure! Hopefully the RA will go back in remission so I can get off the prednisone. It's a nasty, nasty drug but is often the difference in walking or not for me so it's a necessary evil. The RA is one of the biggest reasons I wanted the band so that I'd have less wear and tear on the joints. I've been good most of the time so hopefully my grazing today hasn't had too much of a negative impact. Tom

Thanks, Marni. You're right. I meant to say HIGH in calories. I started to lose weight when I stopped drinking protein shakes. I rarely eat a meal that is 200 calories yet a shake often is that or more. And I often don't feel full after a shake. I still do drink one every now and then, but tried to be careful. It's certainly a balancing act between getting enough protein, feeling full and not getting too many calories. Tom

Be careful with the protein drink and then eating. Protein drinks are typically low in calories so you're getting more calories. Drink water (or no-cal drinks) for the "fill". Be careful, though. If you drink it too close to your meal, it's going to remain in your pouch and flush the real food through quicker and you'll end up being hungry faster. Tom

Well, I haven't started a program yet but I did make it to the fitness center at work and went through the initial review process. (And per their scale, I was 3 pounds less than I was on Monday! My blood pressure has never been an issue and it was 90/66 today so it still isn't a problem, even in the presence of exercise equipment which causes me great stress. <G>) Because of the recent surgery for the band and that I was a Type II Diabetic (although still off meds since surgery!), they want to get a clearance from my family doctor before developing a plan for me. As soon as they get that, they go through an orientation and safe use of all the equipment and develop a plan for me to start. Hopefully I'll start next week 2-3 days a week after work. Tom

I hear you! The 4-5 days before I had my first fill, the only thing that kept me from eating anything/everything was will power. I was starving most of the day. I had only lost 1 pound in the 3 weeks between my first follow-up visit and my first fill. After the fill, I lost 5 pounds in a week. (Of course, the day of the fill I had almost nothing to eat and very little the next day.) I'm now 3 weeks post-fill and am again finding myself hungry. I'm able to eat more than I should so am really trying to use restraint and make wise food choices. I gained 2 pounds the week before but lost 7 this past week. I called the doctor about moving up my fill date and he likes to wait at least 6 weeks between fills. He said to drink more water and exercise more. I've been drinking 4-6 bottles of water a day. I bought a pair of athletic shoes but so far they're sitting on the kitchen table. We have a fitness center at work and I need to get signed up but haven't made the time to do so. Tomorrow I need to make myself do it. I'd rather have surgery without anesthesia than do regimented exercise. When the weather is nice, I get a decent workout just working around the farm, but this time of year, I get rather lazy. And I've noticed that with losing the weight (53 pounds since March), the skin is starting to get a bit saggy so I need to work on toning. Tom

I was told I had the 10 cm band which I mistook for a 10 cc band. I wonder if the "#10" is the same as a 10 cm. The doctor said he always uses a 4 cc band. For those that think they have no restriction without a fill, keep in mind that there are 30 cc's to an ounce. If the band completely full is 4 cc's (and my doctor said he's never put more than 3.5 cc's in a band), you're actually talking about just over 1/10th of an ounce! There are 6 teaspoons in an ounce so roughly, all the way full is 1/2 of a teaspoon. It obviously works, but there's not a big difference between the empty and full! Tom

I got a 2cc fill for my first fill which is more than he normally does but felt I was making good progress and experiencing lots of hunger. I had the fill at almost 6 weeks and he normally waits until 8. (My surgery was 11/7, first fill was 12/18. Scheduled for another fill on 1/29.) There are different size bands so that might explain some of the difference. (Mine holds 4 cc.) But I too look at some of the fill amounts and wonder. I had problems for 3 days after my first fill and thought I might have to have some taken out. Fortunately I didn't, but a couple days were pretty rough. Tom

Congrats! Being a newlywed, you have a good excuse for some fun "exercise". That should help burn the pounds off!!! Tom

I've been weighing myself every Monday at work. Last week, I didn't weigh until Tuesday since Monday was a holiday but I was up 2 pounds from the previous week. Today, I was down 7 pounds from last week! Tomorrow will be 9 weeks since I got the band and I'm down 27 pounds. I'm averaging 3 pounds per week so I'm THRILLED. My friend got me an XXLT Docker's shirt for Christmas and I had to return it for an XLT. I bought myself an XLT sport shirt and wore it today and it fit with some room to spare. I figured that even when I get to where I need to be I'd still be in an XLT as I'm pretty broad shouldered but now I wonder since I still have around 40 pounds to lose and the XLT's aren't tight at all. My slacks are starting to get baggy (and I'm down 2 sizes since the end of March) but not quite baggy enough to go the next size down. It's nice, though, to find my waist size in the "regular" section. Now if they'd just make them long enough so that I don't look like I have capri pants on. Hate having to shave my legs. Tom

My doctor is not a prepotent of the band in most cases because the weight loss is not as dramatic. I believe he told me that bypass loss 60-80% of the excess weight at 1 year whereas band patients lose 40-60% at the same mark. Per the "charts", I was 100 pounds overweight at the time of my initial consult with him. (I had already lost almost 30 pounds on my own in the 5 months prior to the consult.) He (and I) both felt that the ideal weight would not be a healthy weight for my frame but that 60 pounds would be near ideal for me so felt I would be a great candidate for the band instead of the bypass. (He rarely suggests the band for patients needing to lose more than 100 pounds.) But losing 60 pounds in one year would be just over 1 pound a week. When concerned that the weight is not melting away, keep that in mind. It may help keep things in perspective. (One of the reasons he doesn't suggest the band for weight loss of greater than 100 pounds is that often ater the first year, compliance is greatly reduced and the frustration increases which often leads to a regain of the loss weight. This doesn't mean it can't be successful, but be prepared for stumbling blocks along the way. You'll need mental toughness to get through the bumps in the road.) Tom

Could be. I just had my first fill 3 weeks ago, which was 6 weeks post-surgery. He normally waits 8-12 weeks but felt I was progressing to the point it was time. He filled it twice as much as he normally does and thought they may have to take some out. I'm scheduled or another fill in 4 weeks so I'll give this week to see how I do. If the hunger continues, I'll call and see if I can get in sooner. I'm definitely eating FAR less than pre-band and I'm still losing so it might not be as bad as I think, but the last thing I need to do is to overstretch the pouch and defeat the band. I feel like I've lost weight this past week based on how my clothes are fitting so it probably means I didn't. I thought I had lost quite a bit in the three weeks between doctor's visits and only lost a pound. Didn't feel like I did much the next week and was down 5 pounds. If I could just get my body, my mind and the scale all on the same page! Tom

I'm not necessarily eating lots of high calorie foods, just more often of the "good" foods. I have pretty good control on eating an appropriate amount at one sitting, it's just the number of sittings. I just finished breakfast and I'm *NOT* full. I had a pouched egg, 1/4 cup of no-fat cottage cheese, 1/4 toasted bagel with a 1/2 teaspoon of light butter and 1/2 cup of Spicy V8 and still feel hungry. I'm not going to eat more now but I'll struggle to make it through to my next "feeding" without needing something. Guess it's time to do dishes and clean the house so I'm not eating. After surgery and after the first fill, I did feel full on the same or less food. Last night for dinner, I had 1.5 ounces of grilled pork loin, 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes and then WAY too much boiled cabbage and sauerkraut. It's not that either the kraut or cabbage had many calories but it shouldn't have fit volume wise without being painful. (Someone else fixed my plate. Since I live alone, I typically fix only one serving at a time so it requires a large effort to eat more. When eating out, I'll reportion the foods and get a take-out box as soon as they bring me the food so that once the food on my plate is gone, I'm done. If it's not there, I can't eat it.) As long as I continue downwards in weight, I know that through the band and whatever willpower I can muster, it's working. A gay guy I work with told me yesterday that if I keep losing weight he's going to have to ask me out. As another friend of mine said, it doesn't matter who's looking as long as someone is! <G> Tom

The only problem was that most of the kids items were not high in protein. I was kind of surprised when I got my meal that it was considered a kid's meal. Most kids, especialy those under 10 which was the age cut-off, would not likely go for that. The meal was suppose to come with a beverage in a take-home "Uncle Ollie" cup. I asked if I could get wine in the cup. Tom

Betsyjane, I understand! I had surgery on 11/7 and had my first fill on 12/18 (1 day shy of 6 weeks). The last week or so before the fill (2 cc in a 4 cc band), the only thing that kept me from eating anything that didn't move was will-power. I got the fill, was an intense pain from drinking too much water too fast but then settled in nicely. (Lost 5 pounds in the 8 days after the fill.) I made it through Christmas without a problem. Starting the end of last week, I'm back to feeling like I'm going to eat anything that doesn't eat me first. I'm managing to keep under 1000 calories a day, but again it's an issue of will power, not desire or hunger, or at least perceived hunger. I'm not scheduled for another fill until 1/29 so have 4 more weeks. I've been pretty good about eating slowly and chewing well but the few times recently I've slipped back into my "swallow it whole before it gets away" mentality, I've NOT had any adverse reaction. I weigh tomorrow so guess that will be an indication of whether my will power was working or not. Or maybe it just seems like I'm always hungry and I'm not really eating more. I have found that chewing gum or sucking on a sugar-free hard candy (gotta love the Werhters!) helps at least keep my mind off of putting something in my mouth. On a positive note, I went to Olive Garden for dinner on New Year's Eve. I explained to the waitress by situation and asked if I could order off the children's menu. She was wonderful and said no problem. Of course, most of their items are not overly high in protein but they did have a grilled chicken breast with brocolli and pasta. (Added bonus is that it was only $4.75!) She brought it out and I couldn't believe the portion. I cut the chicken in half, and put it with half the brocolli to the side. I ate the other half with about 1/4-1/3 of the spaghetti. And only had 1/2 of the breadstick which I could make a meal of by itself. I brought the left over home and had that for lunch today. I gave at least 1/3 of the spaghetti to the dogs. I went out with a friend that was treating and was told I was a cheap date! <G> I just said don't expect a "nightcap" with spending so little. And I prefer to be called inexpensive, not cheap! Tom

I do like hearing I'm correct. I have broad shoulders so feel free to contact me. I do, of course, hope those shoulders are less broad as we go along! The two biggest things that helped my mindset was my grandmother's breast cancer and my step-father's multiple illnesses. About 10 years ago, my grandmother, in her mid-70's, was diagnosed with breast cancer. They gave her treatment options including a mastectomy. She told them that at her age she wasn't nursing and no one was playing with it so they might as well take it. She came home from the hospital the same day as her complete, radical mastectomy and cooked dinner for my aunt and her family. She was back to work, cleaning houses for the doctors that did her surgery, in less than 2 weeks. Her biggest problem was balance as she was rather "chesty". <G> I'm sure we've all heard/said "we hope we look that good/have that much energy when we're that age." I'd be happy to have her energy NOW! She approaches life as an adventure despite having many, many road blocks along the way. She had her 10 year check up and despite a small scare, is cancer free. At 86, she still cleans houses a couple days a week and until last year walked to many of her jobs 2-3 miles from where she lives. (She's never driven.) On the flip side, my step father had bi-lateral knee replacement surgery about 6 years ago. Since then, he's laid around and waited to die. He's in a motorized chair, has caretakers in 2-4 times a week and ends up in the hospital at least once a month. None of his conditions were nearly as serious as my grandmother's cancer yet he's given up the will to live. While he's not dead, he has no life. My choice is to embrace life as my grandmother has or give up as my step-father has. Despite her being older (but only 6 years since my mother remarried an older man), she is so much more full of life and a joy to be around so I try to emulate her. I'm not always successful but whenever I start feeling down, I think of her, what she's been through in her life and her outlook and realize my problems aren't nearly as bad, to cheer up and move on. Tom

It's a double-edged sword. We don't want people to ask how much we've lost but we want people to notice we have. I'm fortunate in that 2 of my co-workers have had gastric bypass surgery (one 8 years ago, one in February) so they're pretty understanding. The understand the trials and tribulations and are amazed at the speed of recovery I've had versus them. Tom

And most of us always overate which is why we got the band. What we always did needs to be past tense. Change is slow. They say the only way to break a habit is to replace that behavior with another behavior. And that was my point. Every time you have a negative thought, make yourself find a positive to offset it. It will take some time to find the positive if you're not use to looking for it. Many of us here have already pointed out some for you. Just like being overweight won't be cured in a day, neither will negative thoughts. It's a process. But you need to make the choice of whether what you've always done is working for you or not. If not, then work towards making a change. You're not going to wake up tomorrow and decide the world is all warm and fuzzy, but maybe you'll see that it is partly sunny instead of partly cloudy. Baby steps! Tom

If you feel you will fail, you will! Mindset makes a HUGE difference. I'm reasonably active but I've always viewed exercise as twice as bad as a 4-letter word since it has 8 letters. When I went through the LEARN program, it gives a completely different view of exercise. Cleaning the house IS exercise. I started parking further away at work and that gave me at least 5 minutes a day walking I didn't have before. Not much, but it's a start. You need to become your own best advocate. Everyone here can cheer you on but ultimately, you have to do this for yourself. Stop beating yourself up. Start looking for ways to be proud of yourself. Dropping two clothing sizes is a HUGE accomplishment whether others have said anything or not. (Some have complained when people ask how much they lost. Maybe others are afraid to bring up the subject so avoid it!) Rather than worrying if others notice, take pride in what you've done. Negativity is a very hard habit to break but the negativity will eat away at you and set you up for more failure. I was always a "glass half-empty" kind of person and am slowly trying to look at it as half-full. Certainly not there 100%, but being proud of what I have done instead of feeling guilty for what I've not makes life much better. Tom

I'm not on an exercise program (unless jumping to conclussions counts <G>), but what I did to start was park my car further out from work or the store. I've always done the steps and continue to do that. We have a fitness center at work and my goal is to join that next week. I hate to leave my dogs alone any more than I have to but they'll have to suffer through an hour more a day 2-3 times a week as I do this for myself. ANY exercise is better than nothing. Get a pedometer and track your steps over a week or so. Then for the next week, give yourself a realistic goal of increasing the steps by 10%. If you're doing 3000 steps a day, do 3300 for the next week. Set SMALL goals, accomplish them, enjoy the success, and go to the next level. You don't have to do a triathalon for it to count as exercise. Tom

The doctor wasn't upset by the one pound in 3 weeks as it was 14 pounds in 6 weeks which averaging 2 pounds a week. He only expects 1 pound a week with the band so I'm exceeding his expectations. While I know this, it was still a bit disappointing but was thrilled with the 5 pounds the next week! Here's a 3 year old picture of the 5 year old. Don't have one of the new puppy yet and have to find the one of the Corgi. Tom

That IS an accomplishment as I too was a 12-pack a day person and am basically caffiene and carbonation free now. Trust me, if you can do that, you can do anything! Success is built on one small accomplishment at a time. We didn't become overweight overnight nor did we learn all of our eating habits that led to the weight problem overnight. Don't expect to unlearn those behaviors overnight either. For me, the point of this is to recognize what we are doing right. None of us, I'm sure, are 100% "good". We can either bask in the glory of those things we are doing right or waller in the misery of our mistakes. Just like with a child, if we continually tell ourselves we're failures, we will be. If we continually tell ourselves we're doing great, we will! (And no, I wasn't a cheerleader in a former life. Those short skirts and my hairy legs just didn't go together. :heh: ) Tom