Keia

Hang in there; unfortunately it's not an exact science. The other posts are right, it's different for everyone. And only you will know when you're there. To be honest, even though I've lost 80 pounds, I'm not sure that I ever hit my zone. I had some good months and then some bad ones. So...hang in there

If I drink too fast (not waiting until all of the liquid has gone down), then I get hiccups. Cold Water especially give me the hiccups if I drink it too fast. I try not to take more than two drinks at one time.

I'm a year out and still have shoulder pain if I eat too much.

I saw 212 last week and literally cried. Cried! I was like what? This isn't a major number, what's wrong with you. LOL. But now I'm officially 31.5 pounds down. The weight loss has come off very slowly for me. So I am so excited to hit a major hurdle. Gosh, now I really wonder what I'll do at 199 . Congrats to everyone, whatever milestone you hit.

Hello, Everyone. You all are doing an awesome job. I can't belive you've lost so much in 7 - 8 months. Wow! I finally broke the 30 pound mark. I'm down 31 pounds. I was too excited! I've started losing inches again. I need to purge some more clothes out of my closet, but that requires me to get off my duff, lol. I bought about six suits from the thrift store and that's helping me with my work clothes. Funny, I never shopped at thrift stores prior to the surgery. Now, I love it! I was exercsing about three times a week, but I had company a couple of weeks ago and that interrupted my schedule. I haven't quite gotten back on track. I did a 5K last weekend. And I have two scheduled for September. My family reunion is Labor Day weekend and no one has seen me since surgery (other than pic's I posted on FB). So I'm pretty excited. I'll have to go find some new shorts to wear.

My hair was coming out really bad about five months after surgery. Then it tapered off for a while. Now at 7 /12 months post op, it's still isn't right. My hairstylist noticed that it still isn't as thick as it used to be. I will start taking bioten also. Is 5000 mg the standard? I think I saw some at Walmart.

I lost 36 pounds 8 years ago and maintained 197 for 2 years. I wasn't too excited then (kind of took it for granted). But now that I KNOW it will be the last time that I cross that treshhold, I want to rejoice. So even if I don't scream, I'm going to have a big ole' . Congrats to you!

You are not a wimp! Each one of mine hurt. She always has trouble finding the middle of my port and all of that digging around is not fun. Fortunately she does numb me first, but a couple of times she had to poke me where there wasn't any lidocaine. Since she had finally found the middle, I just had to suck it up and tough it out. But ooooooooouch! lol. Good luck, just breathe a lot and pray! Oh, BTW, my hunger did not subside until my last fill (5.5 cc's). I wish I had been more dligent in getting my fills, I could have been here months ago. Good luck.

Congrats! It is amazing how much one night's sleep can change things. Continued success to you!

Me, too! Me, too!

Hi, Alex. I believe I am finally in the green zone. My hunger is at bay and I am able to eat only 3 times a day (before I had at least one or two Snacks daily). I feel restriction now and my satiety is much sooner than before. The only thing that's different and kind of weird, is that I cannot drink cold stuff anymore. Cold Water causes restriction and takes a moment to go down. This happened the day of my fill and every day since. Cool or room temperature water is fine. I posted the question on another board and one person responded and said she's been this way for six years. Ice cream and cold yogurt are also a problem for her. This isn't the end of the world for me, I was just curious. And my good news is that I'm down 4 pounds since last week! Yeah! All of the exercising and tracking food is finally paying off. Thanks!

Oh my gosh! Wow. Well, it's good that I'm not the only person with this. But six years later... Well, ok. I handle being skinny drinking lukewarm Water. :-)

Yes, food goes down fine. I do drink room temp but it's hot outside and cold water is so refreshing. Ugh.

I had a fill Thursday. Now when I drink cold stuff it makes me really tight. It takes a lot longer to go down, and sometimes it's really uncomfortable. Any ideas?

I'm just excited to be feeling anything. I think you'll just have to keep "experimenting" to see what's too much/too little for you. If you are too full, I don't think anyone will have to tell you that. Your body will let you know that a change is needed. I feel like I'm re-learning, too. But I'm glad to finally be feeling what everyone else has been talking about. This feeling is one of the features that I liked about the band. Hang in there!

I got a fill Thursday and I'm not sure if I'm at my sweet spot or too tight either. I'm delighted that I can eat less and feel restriction (first time). But really cold water takes a moment to go down; room temp is much better. I can finally go longer without eating. So I think I'm at my sweet spot. We'll see :-)

Sorry to hear that. Definitely appeal!

I think it's more emotional than physical. Take a week or two off (no weighing on the scale, no counting calories...). Focus on what you're eating; don't watch TV and eat, savor each bite. Then see if you listen to your body and stop eating when you feel restriction (not fullness). I'm only six months out. I don't blame you about not wanting to diet; I don't either. But I am willing to make some changes. Congrats in the 60 pound loss!

Lol. Could you imagine all of us in one room?

Not embarrassing, I was with friends. But definitely painful.

I had a horrible episode today. I knew the chicken was too dry (fried) and on top of that I didn't chew well. I was in a restaurant and had to go throw up in the bathroom. Gross!!!

Everyone responds differently. I was locked up for almost a week. I never had diarrhea but major constipation.

I've done all of that. I've been consistently working out three times a week since March. I use the Lose It! app on my phone to track my food intake. I can't say I'm perfect all of the time but 4 -5 days a week, I stay within my range. I have lost a lot of inches, but my body is so slow in releasing the pounds. It's quite frustrating at times. When my Nurse Practitioner and I spoke last month, I realized that I have averaged 5 pounds a month (for the first five months) but that doesn't hold true now. I'm in my sixth month and I haven't lost anything yet. I'm going to get a fill next week. I'm rarely satisfied after meals (they're measured out) and my hunger returns too quickly. Finally after my fill last month I can feel restriction. But I still need help. It's exciting to give away clothes and have to go buy new ones. So I know the surgery is working and everyone is affected differently. Good luck to you, too!

I wish I could lose 5 pounds a month.