cbreeden28

I also choose Leslie Sansone's videos as my exercise. I had been going to them gym, but I didn't like the atmosphere and the traveling to get there. Now, I do my exercising at night after the kids are in bed. I alternate between 3 and 4 miles with the stretchy band. My DVD only as 1,2,3,&4 mile workouts. I'll have to try and find a 5 mile. I love her videos because she does a little bit of everything. Some evenings, I don't really feel like doing it, but I do. I will admit that some day's, I'm so tired from work that I only do the 2 mile walk, but I figure it's better than doing nothing. I'm in a plateau right now, so I'm going to step it up to 5 nights a week and see if I can get out of it.

Not being rude or anything, but 1,000 cals a day is very low. I would be starving and then risk binging on something. I haven't got to good restriction yet and just on my 1300-1500 cals a day, I'm still hungry, but I stop myself. I can't imagine going lower. I lost 46 pounds using the numbers from MFP and so have countless others. I don't think they are inaccurate. I calculated my on BMR for my weight and height and its like 2400. So, if I consume 1300-1500 good calories a day, it should equal weight loss. I don't forsee myself ever eating 1000 calories a day (unless I get to goal weight and can go longer between smaller meals). My dietician and PA reccommend I eat at least 1200 a day for healthy weight loss. If you drop below that, you risk putting yourself in starvation mode. But, thanks for all the advice on weighing only once a week. I think I will hide the scales somewhere and only get them out for my weekly weigh-in. We'll see what happens....

I think I'm starting to obsess over the scales and it could be causing me to plateau. I was banded Oct 2011. Since then, I have lost 25 pounds. I lost 46 pounds pre-op. So, total, I've lost 71 pounds. Here lately, my excitement about loosing weight has caused me to become obsessed with it. I think about it all day, everyday. I weight myself twice a day everyday. Could this be causing stress and no weight loss. I have tried to stop weighing so often, but I'm pulled to it like a magnet. I've been eating around 1300-1500 calories a day (this is per myfitnesspal.com for a 2 pound a week loss). I exercise about 45 minutes everyday. I have been stuck at 255 for almost a month. It's very discouraging. The lowest I've ever been as an adult was 235. I think I'm so excited about getting there again that I'm stressing myself over it. Does anyone know if stress like this can cause your body not to lose weight? Should I hide the scales and only weight in once a month?

I hadn't noticed it myself, but my husband noticed it and told me one night. I was mortified and embarrassed. Does it ever go away or subside? I brush, floss, and rinse my mouth twice a day.

When I weighed myself at home on 2/6/12, I weighed 256. I was so happy because I had lost 2 pounds (I was 258 the previous Monday). I stuck close to my diet all week, but did cheat a few times with some crackers and sweets in the evenings. I still exercised each day though. Then, over the weekend, we had friends over and they brought Long John Silvers for dinner. I knew it was bad, but I didn't want to insult them, so I had 2 pieces of fish, 2 hushpuppies, and cole slaw. While we were playing cards, I also ended up snacking on brownies and Cookies that my husband had made. I knew it was bad and a no-no, but it had been sooooo long since I had those things. Well, Monday morning, I had an adjustment appointment and I weighed in at 261. I was so angry and mad at myself. I couldn't figure out how I gained 5 pounds in 1 week, but I bust my butt to only lose 2 pounds the previous week.... Is this possible, or was it possibly Water retention. My PA gave me a big lecture about carbs and how they affect blood sugar, insulin production, and fat storage. I felt like a little kid who had failed their science test. I weighed today and I'm back down to 258, which I'm happy about, but I'm still at a loss of the 5 pounds in 1 week. My scales are also very accurate. They are usually within 1 pound with my doctor's scales. I know there will be bumps in this road, but I didn't realize one cheat day would produce those horrible results. Needless to say, I'm back on the wagon this week and hopefully next Monday, I can see that 256 or less again....

I do eat a lot of salads (lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes), green Beans, and cauliflower. I'm not big on fruit. It is something I need to work on getting into my diet more. Until then, I get my Vitamin C from supplements. I'm hoping the next few fills I get will start to help with the constant hunger. I alway focus more on the protein because I know it's supposed to hold you over for longer.

I had surgery on 10/10/11. I have had 3 fills since then totaling 2.7cc's. My PA initally put in 3 cc's at my first fill, but Water wouldn't pass so she took 1cc out. Then, I got .5cc at my second and .2cc at my third. So far, I have noticed I need to chew well and slow down. I have gotten stuck a few times from eating too fast, but it has not helped with keeping me full for hours. I still get hungry about 2 or 3 hours after a meal. When will the band start helping me stay full? This is my biggest problem. When I force myself to wait for the next meal and struggle through the hunger pains, I find myself eating fast because I'm starving and then I get stuck. My foods consist of Protein shakes, cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt, tuna, chicken, salads, cheese sticks, Protein Bars, and nuts. I think I'm overeating sometimes because I try to eat more thinking that it will hold me over longer. I have only lost 20 pounds since surgery (about 5 pounds a month) and my stomach is still always growling. When will the physical hunger go away??

I'm so looking forward to my band taking my appetite away. My biggest problem is that I'm always starving. I eat high Protein foods and I eat 6 times a day, but I still get hungry between meals. It also makes it difficult to eat slow and chew because by the time I can eat, I'm so starved, I want to shovel it in and then I get stuck. I have had 3 fills and the only thing I notice is that food gets stuck if I eat too fast or don't chew. It has no affect on my hunger pains and how long I can go between meals. Here is a sample of my diet: Bfast: Atkins Protein Shake (15g) Mid morning snack: Cottage cheese (14g) Lunch: Campbells chunky chicken Soup (16g) Afternoon snack: Atkins Protein Bar (19g) Dinner: Chicken, brocolli, Beans (30g) Evening snack: Atkins protein bar (10g) That's 104g of protein a day, low calorie, low fat diet, but in between those meals, my stomach is making such loud rumbling noises, I swear other people can hear it. When I get to my sweet spot, will this hunger stop. That is the hardest part for me right now.

Wow!! I can't believe so many got such big fills in the beginning. I have a 10cc band and my doc said the max she puts in for the first fill is 3cc's. She put that in on 11/21 and I couldn't get Water down. It hurt so bad and I threw up. She quickly took 1cc out and I felt much better. At second fill, she put in .5cc's (2.5 cc's total). Everything was fine after this one also. I did get stuck a few times due to not chewing or eating too quickly though. At third fill, she put in .2cc's (2.7cc's total). She said she is going to take babysteps from here until I reach the green zone. She expects me to hit the green zone around 3cc to 3.5cc's. According to her, it's uncommon for her patients to need more than 5cc's in a 10cc band. She has one patient with more than that (6.5cc's), but the majority of her patients are between 3 and 5cc's and are loosing. It amazes me to see how people have 7,8, or even 9 cc's in a 10cc band......I would think all you can eat is liquids and Soup....

Prior to surgery, I had been drinking the Special K shakes because they were SOO GOOD!! After meeting with the dietician, she asked me to stay away from these because of the sugar content and low Protein. You want a Protein shake that will give you between 20 and 30g of protein for little calories. My shakes of choice are Designer whey (from Walmart), Muscle Milk Lite (from Walmart), Atkins Advantage premade shakes (Walmart), and

I have about 65 more pounds before I can say that, but it will feel great!! I have always weighed more than him. I put on 91 pounds since we met, but even when we met, I was bigger than him. I have since taken off 65 of those 91 pounds gained. I'm feeling great, but can't wait to get to goal weight!! Good luck

I wish I could report your results. I was banded 10/10/11 and from surgery date to today, I have only lost 18 pounds. I really struggled over xmas break. I wish I was further ahead than what I am, but I know it will come. I just have to get back on track. I have had 2 fills so far and have 2.5cc's in a 10cc band. I don't feel restriction, but I do get stuck sometimes and that diminishes my want for food. I hate getting stuck. I go for another fill Monday, I'm hoping to start losing 8-10 lbs a month. Since surgery, I've lost about 5-6 a month. I would be thrilled with your weight loss and you should be too!! Keep up the great work and ignore people who don't understand the process.

I have only had 2 fills (1st--2cc's and 2nd--.5cc). I couldn't tolerate the initial 3cc's she put in (Water came back up). I definitely noticed that I have to chew my food much better, eat slower, and take smaller bites. However, as long as I do all 3 of these things, it seems like I can eat as much as I want. At what point will I actually feel full on less food to the point that I stop myself? I still get hungry between meals to the point that I just want to inhale the food. I have made this mistake a few times and paid for it. My PA said she doesn't expect me to need much more Fluid in my band beyond 4cc's. She expects me to be in the green zone between 3.5 and 4cc's. I found that amazing since so many people here have 6+cc's. I'm currently at 2.5cc's and I do feel it helping some, but I still get hungry between meals and can eat more than a cup of food. I just wish the band would kick in soon. I'm starting to get discouraged....

I had surgery in October and got my first fill on November 21. My PA put 3cc's in, but I threw up the Water she had me drink, so she took 1cc out, leaving 2cc's. I do fine at meals now. I chew really well and I watch portion size. However, I still get soooo hungry between meals. For example, this morning I had a bowl of Kashi high protein/high Fiber Cereal for Breakfast at 7:30. Here it is, 9:30, and my stomach is growling something awful and I'm painfully hungry. I'm drinking my water, but it doesn't help. When you get to the green zone, does this painful hunger go away between meals? In one way, I'm afraid of getting too tight and not being able to eat hardly anything, but then on the other hand, I want this hunger pains to go away. FYI, this happens even if I have a Protein bar/shake or eggs. I don't think it matters what I eat. I'm always starving about 2 hours later..... My PA told me she can have a Protein Bar for breakfast and it keeps her full for 4 hours. She is a tiny little scrap of a woman though and does not have a band. I couldn't imagine going 4 hours between my meals right now. The other night, my stomach was cramping and growling so bad while I was trying to sleep, I had to get up and eat a little something to make it stop so I could relax and fall asleep. I know that's not normal. At least, I hope it's not....

My doctor had a max BMI that he could perform Lapband surgery, but it's because my hospital is fairly new at the procedure. So, when I started, I was 326. They required me to get down to 292 before they would do the surgery. I think it's more to see if you are committed to the changes required in your eating habits. As far as I know, there is no weight limit to the Lapband. Also, there is no machine. It's simply a silicone band placed around the upper part of the stomach and can be filled with Fluid to make it tighter or looser based on how much you can eat and how long it keeps you full. Any weight you can lose prior to surgery will help. I know it's hard, but just take it one day at a time. And exercise....that really helped me loose my needed weight before surgery.

I bought a Leslie Sansone video called "Walk Away the Pounds Express". It's one DVD with 4 workouts (1,2,3,&4 mile). Right now, I do the 2 mile walk 6 days a week. I'm hoping to work up to the 3 or 4 mille, but there's no way right now. The 2 mile kicks my butt. I've only been doing it for about 2 weeks so I can't speak to it's effectiveness. Much cheaper and more convienent than going to a gym. My dvd cost $20 and came with a stretchy band to help build upper body muscle. I love it!!

The only fruit allowed on my 2 week pre-op diet was all-natural unsweetened applesauce. I would mix some unflavored Protein powder in with it for added protein. Wasn't the best tasting, but it helped hold me over to dinner. I wasn't allowed any "foods". All my meals had to be broth, Protein shakes, oatmeal, cream of wheat, or greek yogurt. It was awful and I hated it, but I lost 18 pounds doing it. Honestly, for me the 2 week liquid diet post-surgery was worse. The first week wasn't bad because I was still in pain and didn't feel like eating, but after that, my appetite came back and I was still restricted to liquids only. I was never so happy to switch to pureed food in all my life. I'm now 7 weeks post-op and on a solid foods diet. I have lost 10 pounds since surgery and got my first fill last Monday. I still don't have good restriction, but I'm getting there. You can do it!! Just picture yourself skinny vs. food and decide which one you want more. I do this a lot in the evenings when I start craving Snacks.

When do these "signals" start. I'm 7 weeks out from surgery and have had one fill. I do have restriction on how fast and what I can eat, but as far as qty, I never hiccup during a meal or feel full. I don't have anything to tell me I'm full. Does this come later? As long as I eat slow and chew well, I can eat about 2+ cups of food.

I had my first fill on 11/21. She put in 3cc's, but I couldn't get Water down, so she took 1cc out, leaving 2cc's. Every since, I have had to really pay attention to how and what I eat. I've gotten stuck several times this past week and it's not a fun feeling. Has anyone ever gotten restriction after one fill and only 2cc's at that? Maybe this is just temporary.... I have lost about 4 pounds since last Monday.....partly because of the 2 days of liquid after the fill I guess....

My band was empty at surgery (10cc band) on 10/10. I had my first fill yesterday (6 weeks later) and she put in 3cc's. I drank 2 sips of Water and started having pains in my chest and a threw the water back up. She took 1cc out, leaving 2cc's. I think they start slow because each fill causes mild irritation and swelling. You don't want to just put in 5 or 6cc's right off the bat because it would probably make you sick. Some people can handle the max 3cc's on the first fill and some can't. I couldn't. I still don't have restriction and get hungry between meals, but I have to let my stomach adjust to the 3cc's first and then they can add more next month. That was an awful feeling that I never want to feel again!!!

1 to 2 pounds a week is optimal weight loss. It's the healthy way to do it. Some people may experience more in the beginning of their journey, but the closer you get to goal the harder the weight loss will become and at that point, you may only lose half a pound a week. Up until my surgery, I was loosing about 2 pounds a week. Since surgery, I have stalled somewhat, but my doc says it's normal. I got my first fill yesterday, so we will see where I'm at next week. I hope that if I have lost 8 pounds or more, they won't need to do another fill.

I'm with bromo. I plan on just having a few bites of everything on a smaller plate vs. everyone's elses jumbo plates. I just got my first fill yesterday, so I need to be careful and really watch what and how I eat. I'm kind of glad that I won't have that overstuffed feeling this year like all the years past.

No, I had some Viactiv leftover because my team had originally suggested I take those for calcium. Then, they changed their suggestion to calcium citrate instead, but told me I could finish the Viactiv's. I used those immediately after surger with no problems. I never took a liquid calcium supplement. I'm am considering buying a bottle of the petities though because I can't afford the calcium chews online. The one I found was Calcet (30 pieces for $13) and you have to take 2 a day. That means 2 packs a month at $26. The Citracal is the same price for 200 pills and you take 4 a day (2 at a time). That will last almost 2 months and can be bought at a store instead of online. Plus, they should be small enough to pass through the band with no problems. For the multi-Vitamin, I've been looking at the Vitacrave gummies. I would like to get down to one multi-Vitamin A day. I just have to find one with Iron...which shouldn't be too hard.

I'm currently taking 2 chewable Flintstone Vitamins a day and the Opurity Calcium citrate chewable. I'm getting tired of the chalking chewable after taste. I asked my PA if I could switch to a gummy Vitamin instead and she said yes. My question is, if I switch to an adult gummy vitamin, can I back it down to one a day instead of 2? For the calcium, I can't stand these Opurity chewables. I will finish them, but then I need to find something else. Has anyone had any luck with the Citracal petite pills? They are made small and I would much rather just take a pill instead of chewing my calcium. All of the calcium chews in the stores are carbonate. I would love to find something like the Viactiv chews but have it be citrate instead of carbonate. I liked those....

I just got my first fill today. I'm 6 weeks out from surgery. I've only lost 6 pounds since surgery. My PA put 3cc's in my band and had me sip Water. After about 2 sips, I started feeling pressure in the center of my chest, started to sweat, and my mouth was watering. I told her it was hurting and I felt like I was going to throw up. She started getting stuff ready to remove some Fluid. Before she was ready, I vomitted up the water I had drank. She then removed 1cc and I felt much better. I was able to drink the water with no pain and so far today, I have drank water, ate Soup and cottage cheese. She has me on liquids for 2 days and purees for 2 days after that. She said there is some irritation after a fill and you have to allow your body to adjust before going back to solid foods right away. I really wasn't prepared for that, but luckily had brought soup for lunch. So far, I feel fine, but I'm hoping it doesn't take many fills to get to the green zone....