cbreeden28

I have been looking into the lap-band procedure since June 2010. I went through the whole process (physicatrist, dietician, wellness) when I found out the my hospital has a max BMI they can operate at. The can't do the Lap band for anyone over 50 BMI. I was then 53. I tried for several months to lose the weight, but nothing worked. I kind of gave up for a while, but then got a call from my surgeon's office in April about where I stood. I told her I couldn't lose the required weight. She had me come in and meet with the bariatric dietician (the first was a general nutritionist). They gave me some pointers and really stressed that I need an exercise routine. So, I have to redo my insurance required 3 month dieting (Started in April). I had my first weight check in May and was down 5 pounds. I was so happy. I currently have to lose 23 more pounds before I can have the surgery. They told me that I would lose between 12 and 16 pounds on the pre-op liquid diet, so I really needed to lose another 9 pounds. However, this month I have struggled. I'm still following the same diet and exercise, but the scales (home) aren't moving anymore. I feel stronger and my clothes are fitting better so I wonder if I'm losing fat, but gaining muscle. Did anyone else have to lose a good bit of weight before surgery and if so, how did you do it. I currently go to the gym 3 days a week. I do 30 minutes of interval training on the elliptical and about 30 minutes of weight training. Below is an example of my diet: Bfast: Protein shake Snack: cottage cheese (3/4 cup) Lunch: Ham and swiss on whole wheat bread or Progresso Soup sugar free Jello pudding Fiber one bar Snack: yogurt or applesauce Dinner: some type of meat baked with 2 sides (a starch and a veggie) Snack: pretzels or popcorn I don't drink sodas, only Water and propel zero. This diet is a LOT better than what I was doing, but I'm still not seeing good results. It's very discouraging. I go to weigh in again in 2 weeks. I hope to have lost another 5 pounds at least.

I agree with Missy. My weight fluctuates 3-4 pounds everyday. It's usually due to Water retention. That is why I am trying to get away from weighing everyday. It isn't a good measure of weight loss. Once a week is plenty. However, it usually does correct itself. You can help by drinking lots of water and keep up with the exercising. That will help you body let go of the excess water. Also, 20 pounds in 1 month is AMAZING!! You should be proud of that!! Your body is basically a machine and sometimes, it has to recalibrate itself. So, after loosing that much weight, your body is rebooting and moving stuff around. That can cause a temporary weight gain. I seriously doubt you gained 3 pounds of fat. It's probably just your body readjusting. Mine has done it numerous times throughout my weight loss. I will gain 5 pounds one week and the next, it's all gone plus 2 pounds. It's completely normal and nothing to fret over. Just keep doing what you are doing and it will correct itself. Again, big congrats on getting back on track and with the 20 pounds. It makes my little 5 pound/month weight loss seem petty. LOL Best of luck to you!!

I love soup. I eat it for lunch quite often. My trick is that I drain the broth as I eat it and after all the veggies and meat are gone, I throw the broth out. You get a little bit on your spoon as you eat, but not much. It also keeps me full for 3-4 hours. I usually eat the Progresso light or reduced sodium soups. They are usually between 200-230 calories for the whole can and about 15g of Protein. I don't think I could do the grilled cheese though. I have tried it several times and it just doesn't go down for me, but everyone is different. Trial and error is the only way to find out what works for you. But, I would limit it to half a sandwich. Grilled cheese sandwiches are high in calories and fat. It's all about portions. I don't limit any food in my diet (except those items I don't tolerate well), I just watch my portions and make sure I don't eat 3-4 servings of something. I think that is the key to weight loss. That was what I got the band for.

I do the same thing. If I want something sweet, I eat it. Just in much smaller portions than before. For example, I keep chocolate covered peanuts and Milano cookies at home. When I want something sweet, I get 2 peanuts or 1 cookie. It satisfies the craving and I haven't destroyed my day. It is unrealisitc to think you will never eat sweets ever again. My aunt is getting married in October and I fully intend on having some wedding cake.

I think about this all the time. For the most part, I'm very good with what I eat. But, sometimes, I just to want to eat without thinking and worrying about every bite that goes into my mouth. I'm always scared I'm going to get stuck and going out to eat now has starting causing anxiety attacks because I know I will get stuck everytime and end up making excuses to go to the bathroom praying that there isn't a line. I have also started hiding my stuck episodes from my husband because he gets so angry about my decision to get banded due to my constant habit of getting stuck. I'm having a horrible time wrapping my head around the small bite thing. I just can't seem to force myself to take small bites. I'm just so freakin hungry, I want food and I want the hunger pains to go away. But then, I get stuck and that causes a whole new type of pain. I never dreamed it would be this way and there are days I wish I could just get the damn thing taken out and eat normal again. I have been trying to eat my lunch at work for over an hour now and every bite is causing discomfort and I have to wait like 10 minutes for it to pass. It's just so frustrating. I wanted something to help me feel full quicker and eat less, not something that causes issues and pain when eating anything!!

We have on-site health screenings at work each year. They test our cholesterol, glucose, and triglyerides levels every year. 2 years ago (non-fasting): Weight--317 TC--170 HDL--57 LDL--76 Ratio--3.0 Triglyc--183 Glucose--134 1 year ago (non-fasting): 1 week before surgery... Weight--289 TC--145 HDL--26 LDL--94 Ratio--5.5 Triglyc--123 Glucose--120 3 days ago (non-fasting): Weight--220 TC--132 HDL--30 LDL--70 Ratio--4.4 Triglyc--161 Glucose--?? Why is my HDL level staying so low with a healthy diet of good fats and exercising?? My total cholesterol has gone down, but the HDL went down LDL is staying around the same. Everyone says to lose weight in order to improve HDL levels. Well, I have lost 106 pounds since starting my journey, but I don't see much improvement in my blood work numbers. I wonder if I should have it retested by my doctor's office.

I just recently joined the 100 pounds lost group and it feels amazing. I have also stumbled through some plateau's. Weeks would go by where I wouldn't lose anything and then I would gain a pound or two. Then the next week, I would lose like 4 pounds. For example, last week, I weighed 222. Over the weekend, I had high sodium days and when I went in for my checkup on Tuesday, I was 225. That was only 1 pound less than I was a month ago. My PA gave me a slight fill and today (4 days later mind you), I'm 220. Weight fluctuates so much. I try and only weigh once a week for this reason, but it can still be deceptive. This fill seems to be working really well. I'm getting satisfied on about 3/4 cup of food and don't feel the need to snack between meals. I started this journey in April 2011 weighing 326 wearing a 26 pants. Today, I weight 220 and wearing a 18. I can't wait to get to goal. I hope to get in a size 8/10. I have NEVER been that small.

I would make an appt to see your doctor. That does not sound good. You shouldn't have pain when drinking liquids. Just a slight unfill might help you.

You are not crazy. I'm the same way. I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversary (10/10) and I had my last fill in July (skipped August). I have between 3 and 4cc's in my band. My stomach is very senstive and I can't handle large fills. Anyways, one day, I can eat whatever I want, as much as I want (though I don't), and others, everything gets stuck. I have even gotten stuck on a protein shake one day. Tell me how that's possible?? But, what I have found is that the more liquid you drink between meals, the more flexible your band is. On day's I don't drink enough water, I'm very tight and get stuck a lot. Other days where I drink all day long, I'm comfortable and loose. That's how I prefer to be. I go tomorrow for my Sept checkup. Not sure if I will get a fill or not. I'm still loosing, but it has slowed. Good luck.

I have found the same to be true. I was eating 1000-1200 a day per my nutritionist, but I was constantly starving. I upped it to around 1400 and I started losing more steadily and wasn't so hungry. Each person is different and you have to experiment with calories to see what you can consume and still lose. I figure there is no reason to make myself miserable just to lose weight. I also fluxate my daily calories everyday to keep my body guessing. Some days, I will do only 1100 calories and the next, I will do 1500. I think this keeps the metabolism hopping because it doesn't know what's coming next. I also allow myself cheat days about once a month. This involves some food that is on my "naughty" list. Such as ice cream, Cookies, chocolate, chips, french fries, etc. Just having one of these foods once a month has not sabotaged my weight loss, but it does keep cravings at bay and helps me to avoid binging due to stict restrictions against them on a daily basis.

I'm from the Harrisonburg area. I was banded in Oct 2011. I have a very sensitive band and stomach and was not able to tolerate my PA's initial fill of 3cc's. She ended up taking 1cc out before I left the office because Water got stuck. At this point, she only gives me fills in small increments (.2-.5cc's). Some days, I have a hard time sticking to the plan, but overall, I have remained on the bandwagon and feel like I have succeeded in this journey. I'm currently in the green zone and 1 cup of food keeps me full for 3-4 hours. I focus on Protein meals/snacks. My biggest points are avoiding caloric bevarages, sweets, potatoes, and fried foods. My staple foods are chicken, lean beef and pork, cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, Protein Bars, eggs, nuts, and milk. I wish everyone the best of luck and remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Like others, I've dealt with small gains here and there, but as long as my overall number is a downward trend, I don't let it worry me.

I just got my 9th fill and I'm in the green zone now. However, you will sometimes go in and out of the green zone. I have. My stomach is also very sensitive fills and I have gotten multiple small fills rather than inital large ones. Everyone is unique and different with number of fills to green zone.

1) Take part in more water sports at the lake (we have a motorboat), like skiing or kneeboarding. I can't right now because I'm too heavy. 2) Buy regular size jeans in the regular ladies section 3) Cross my legs 4) Be healthy and a good role model to my 2 year old 5) Enjoy the way I look and have fun on vacation without worrying about my weight all the time. 6) Having a real "baby bump" with my next pregnancy. WIth my son, you couldn't even tell I was preggers. I just looked more fat.

I agree with you Bama that fat does equal energy. However, our bodies aren't going to automatically burn that fat to use as energy when it isn't getting enough from food. It will target our muscles because it's easier to burn than the fat. Plus, it will slow your metabolism down to a crawl. If our bodies would burn the fat when we don't eat enough to maintain our bodily functions, than starvation diets would work. If we wouldn't eat anything, our bodies would just burn the fat for energy, but it doesn't. That is why I'm a huge advocate for maintaining at least a 1200 cal/day diet. That should be enough to keep your muscles maintained and your metabolism up so that it can burn the fat for the extra energy you may need.

I don't buy into the "having energy and being happy on less than 1000 cals a day" theory. Myself, when I eat less than 1000 calories, I'm grumpy, hungry, miserable, and irritable. I refuse to live life that way. For me, I'm comfortable with 1200 a day, I'm still loosing, and I'm not strict on what foods I eat, I just watch portion size. I do workout, but nothing vigorous. Usually, just a 30 minute walk is what I do. However, if you do plan on being very active and doing a lot of endurance exercise, I would say you probably should add a few low cal, high Protein Snacks to your diet in order to have energy and maintain muscle. If you are eating under 1000 calories (I couldn't imagine eating only 500 a day!!) and exercising heavily, your body will begin burning muscle for fuel. You don't want that. So, make sure you eat enough protein and cals for your exercise needs. I still go by MFP numbers and I'm loosing about 6-7 pounds a month. The band is just a tool to help me with portion size. That's all I needed it to do. I refuse to live my life constantly analyzing my food and worrying about what I'm eating. For me, that's no different than pre-band when I thought about food all the time and ate everything in site. My theory is, eat what you want, just watch portions (which the band helps with) and you will lose. But, make sure you are taking in enough calories to nurish and maintain your muscle. I would say absolutely no less than 1000 cals a day.

I have gottens stuck more than I care to admit. The worst for me is the first week after a fill. You have to re-adjust your eating habits each time. Small bites, chew really well, and pause between bites. Getting stuck is like something heavy sitting deep in your chest and it can be painful. For me, my mouth begins to salivate really badly, I start to have air pockets come up my throat, and I get the hiccups. It's all my body's way to try and dislodge the food. In the beginning, I didn't recognize the early signs of being stuck and would continue eating until I was stuck so bad that I had to vomit it back up. Now, I can tell when something isn't going down right and I immediately stop eating and get up to walk around. It has helped a lot. I still sometimes end up having to force it back up, but for the most part, I can get it to go down. The one thing you never want to do is drink something. That will definitely come right back up so be near a toilet if you do it....

My PA said that I should be eating 1000-1200 calories a day at restricition. Which I have been doing for the past month. However, over on MFP, so many people talk about that being too few calories and you won't lose weight. My BMR is 1828. By eating around 1200 a day, that's 628 cals below maintenance for me. When I exercise (3-5 days/wk), I usually burn around 400 calories. So, if I eat 1200 calories and burn 400, that leaves me with 800 net calories. Is that healthy or should I eat back those exercise calories to keep my metabolism up. My weight loss has slowed the last few weeks and I'm trying to figure out why. There are people on MFP who are the same body size as me and they are loosing while eating 1500-1700 a day. Should I try to increase my calories a little on workout days (i.e. something with Protein and around 100 calories)? I don't want to sabotage my weight loss, but I'm trying to figure out how banded patients can continue to lose while eating so few calories. I would think that it slows your metabolism to a crawl and you wouldn't lose anything. Any advice?? My stats: 5'4" 233 large frame BMR--1828 TDEE--2514

According to the Atkins protein bars, sugar alcohols are subtracted from total carb count because they minimally impact blood sugar. I always deduct them from the carb count on anything I eat that contains it. I have had no digestive problems or stomach pain from it.

I take 2 Flintstone complete chewables a day and 4 calcium citrate petites twice a day. I space them out though. Morning: 1 Flintstone chewable Lunch: 2 calcium citrate's PM snack: 2 calcium citrate's Dinner: 1 Flintstone chewable My doctor use to recommend the chocolate calcium chewable, but something about it being calcium carbonate, she had me switch to calcium citrate. Something about it absorbs better into the body. Also be sure not to take the calcium and MV together. The iron interferes with the calcium absorption. Always make sure they are at least 2 hours apart. Also, the body cannot absorb more than 500mg of calcium at one time so be sure to spread those out too.

I too have always been heavy. I was normal weight up to about 2nd or 3rd grade. That's when I started noticing that I was the chubby kid in class. From then on, it just escalated and got worse each year. In HS, I was 180. I felt horrible and got teased constantly. I tried numerous diets but they only worked in the short term. When I was 22, I weighed 267 and decided to join Curves and try dieting. I had never went on a date, never had a boyfriend, and never had my first kiss. I was fed up and wanted a boyfriend. I was able to lose 35 pounds and felt awesome. Then, a year and a half later, I met my future husband. We started dating (i.e. going out to eat and lounging around watching movies and eating ice cream). I quickly regained everything plus some. I got pregnant in 2009 and at my first pre-natal appt. I weighed 297!!! I was floored. They really preached to me about only gaining 20 pounds with my pregnancy because of my obesity. I didn't really get to enjoy my pregnancy because you couldn't tell I was pregnant. I never really had a round belly. My Water broke early at 33w +4. I was kept in the hospital on bedrest for 10 days and induced at 35 weeks. Though the doc denies it, I blame it on my obesity. When I delievered, I weighed 318. I did well with only gaining 21 pounds. However, it continued getting worse after delivery and before I knew it, I was at an all time high of 326. I was so disgusted with myself. I looked into Lapband and decided it was right for me. I had to do a Dr. supervised diet for my insurance for 3 months and my surgeon required me to lose 30 pounds before he would do the surgery. I had my doubts, but I got started. In 3 months, I lost 28 pounds!!! I was so happy. I got approved and booked my surgery right away. I was banded on Oct. 2011 and after my 2 week liquid diet, I weighed 280 the day of surgery. Since then, I have lost another 47 pounds and have started getting compliments on my weight loss. It feels awesome. I'm starting into unchartered territory with my weight. As an adult, I've never weighed less than 235. Today, I weigh 233. So, everything will be new from here on out and I can't wait!!!

This is great news!! 100 pounds is such an accomplishment!! I'm almost there and it has been a battle. Loosing weight has never come easy for me and I'm a slow loser, even with the band. My ticker shows weight loss from when I began my supervised diet in April 2011. So, it has taken me over a year to lose 93 pounds. As I get closer to goal, the weight loss is slowing even more. To all the newbies, persistance and routine are the keys. You will have some weeks where the scales don't budge or you gain. I know I do, but just keep doing what you are doing and it will pay off eventually. I keep telling myself that I didn't gain overnight, I won't lose overnight. I have been banded 8 months now and am finally in the green zone. However, I still only lose between 5-7 pounds a month. My doctor is ecstatic with that, but I was a little disppointed. I was expecting 10 pounds per month with the band, but he explained that everyone is different and some people just lose slower. I'm hoping that by losing slowly, it will enable my skin to re-adjust and I won't need extensive skin removal. That's my biggest fear now.

1) Not being self-conscious when going to town 2) Ride amusement rides with no worries about fitting into the seat 3) Take part in more boating activities (skiing, kneeboarding) 4) Go into any clothing shop and find something that will fit me. 5) Weighing less than my hubby 6) No more weight lectures from my primary doctors 7) Go on my next cruise and take part in the activities and possibly wear a bikini (this will depend on how my skin does after the weight loss)

Mine was just constant knee, feet, and ankle pain going up and down stairs. I'm only 30 years old and I knew it wasn't normal to have that kind of pain. My mother's family also has a history of heart disease and diabetes. At that time, my son was 6 months old and I could barely get down on the floor to play with him. I knew it was time for a change. I had my first consult in June 2010 and was told I would have to lose 30 pounds before they would do the surgery. I got depressed and gave up. I put on an addtional 14 pounds in a year and the surgeon's office called me in April 2011 to find out what I had decided about surgery. I met with her again and she convinced me to try and lose the needed 30 pounds (my hospital has a max BMI of 50 for Lapband). I started an exercise routine and diet in May 2011. I lost 28 pounds in 3 months. She got me approved and scheduled my surgery in Oct 2011. Since then, I have lost 47 pounds for a total loss of 93 pounds (I lost 18 pounds on the 2 week liquid diet). Weight loss has slowed somewhat, but my knee and foot pain are gone!! I fit in a size 20 jean comfortably (can't wait to move lower!!) and I have so much more energy to play with my son. I love my life!!

Woo-hoo!! I just recently got down to the same size I was when I met my husband 7 years ago. I can now wear those clothes I use to wear on our dates. It feels great!!! I was still obese when we met, so I have a way to go, but it still feels huge to have come this far. I also have a son and ballooned up to 318 while pregnant. That was 2 1/2 years ago. It took me a while to get motivated to lose the weight, but I'm so happy I did. The wakeup call for me was when I could barely walk up and down the stairs to put him to bed because my knees hurt so bad. I started out in a size 26 jeans; I'm currently in an 18. I hope to be in a size 10/12 in another year. Again, congrats to you on this huge accomplishment!!

I was on the pain medicine for about 2 days. They kept me overnight in the hospital and administered it through my IV. The next day, I went home and continued a liquid form for the day. Within 5-10 minutes of taking it, I was out. The next day, I felt less pain and more just soreness. I didn't take anything that 3rd day and was fine by day 4. I still have a huge bottle of it at home. Being such a strong narcotic, I was surprised they dispensed so much for this surgery. I've always been very leary of relying to heavily on pain medicine. The kind they had me on is very addictive. I didn't take it anymore than I had to (it was Hydrocodone).