annieM

Excellent job wombat!!! You are my idol. I lost a lot of weight on the liquid and mushy stages. I kept the calories way down (under 1000 per day) to achieve this. Then, when returning to regular food, thanks to some restriction, I didn't gain it back! :frown: After that the weight loss went to 1 to 2 lbs per week. When I hit 40 lbs weight loss, I hit a wall and didn't lose until getting to 3.2 cc's in my 4 cc band. Then I was in bandster hell for a few weeks, but it got me started again. I've had a .5 cc un-fill and am hungry, but will get a small fill next week which hopefully will get me to my sweet-spot. I feel well enough to include walking in my day, and I count calories (never to exceed 1200)

Lisa, yes my restriction has changed many times! I'm sure your recent fill will help you get on track again. I think as you lose weight you also lose around your stomach so you can lose restriction. After having such a long period without weight loss last year, I have resolved to be more aware of my restriction and get more fill when needed.

Your doctor can request blood tests to make sure your vitamin levels are OK. He/she would probably run a normal cbc first since vitamin tests can run into big bucks and insurance won't pay without some indication that something could be wrong.(a cbc will show the possibility of low iron) My DH had gastric bypass and has to have vitamin levels checked because of the mal-absorption. He takes a handful of vitamins a day and still can run into problems. With the band we don't have trouble absorbing vitamins. Be sure to take a chewable multi vitamin and you should be fine. As for being cold, there are lots of threads talking about being cold as the result of weight loss. I'm not cold yet, but hope to be once the summer heat begins!

You are only 37. Maybe you haven't hit the mid like metabolism slow down yet. At your age I didn't feel the aches and pains of being overweight. IT was just a cosmetic thing that I hated. After hitting 40 I gained 40 more lbs and the pain, high BP, high chloresterol etc started with a bang. Do this for yourself now. Think of it as getting your health back. You are anything but safe in a fat suit. There are plenty of normal weight people who go about their daily lives without a thought of what others are thinking of them. They can be as invisible as they feel comfortable being with the added advantage of being in good health. Getting the lap band requires hard work and patience. The weight doesn't fall off on its own. You don't wake up one day shocked to be 100 lbs lighter. The process is slow and allows you plenty of time to adjust to your new weight and mind set. Don't freak out about the thought of being thin and visible. Freak out about being unhealthy, in pain and miserable. Good luck on whatever journey you choose. I hope you make a healthful choice!

I remember the days! My son was 10 months old when my twin daughters were born and I was a sahm with them in a new city. I agree with the saying about short years and looong days! One thing that helped me (it may sound a bit psycho) was to pretend that someone was watching me and giving me encouragement or silent approval when I was alone with my babies. None of them could talk at first, they were more like triplets, and I knew that I was their only way to learn to speak; so having the thought of my dear departed father in law sitting in the corner smiling helped a lot. On other days I was showing Dr Spock a thing or two. Think of it as an attitude shift toward having more fun with them and enjoying where they are as little people. Hang in there! PS Don't go to the grocery store when they are tired and hungry...

Hi Judy! Thanks for your encouraging words! Lots of the pants that now fit were 80's style high waist, narrow ankle types so I pitched them. But, there was one pair of size 12 Gap pants that I bought when I got my surgery date that now fit. They are even long enough (gasp!) The amazing part is to not have anything to "shrink" into. I am still getting used to the idea. I'm so glad you have a fill scheduled. It makes such a difference in the amount of hunger you feel. With my .5 cc taken out I still have some restriction, but I'm so hungry! Can't wait 'till Monday when I can get some fill back. It's so great that you are using the treadmill everyday. That will make such a difference. I've seen programs like the one you were describing- so heartbreaking. It takes so long to lose weight. (unless you can get on "biggest loser"...I can't imagine how those folks drop those big numbers every week. If someone loses just 2 lbs, there is this shocked silence....) I used to have a treadmill, but there wasn't room for it here so we moved it to our Kentucky place. I never seem to be able to get there to use it. It is so cold today and I have errands so I'll do the mall walking thing. I wish they had lockers there... annie

I hit the gym today. I lasted about 35 minutes on the treadmill and lived to tell about it. I hadn't been there in a long time, but the lady at the check in desk remembered me and commented on my weight loss! I was so surprised because so few people have noticed. I also went through my closet again and now there is nothing too small in there. That is the first time I can say that because i have always had stuff in there that was too small. NSV Woo Hoo! I'm on new ground...

I agree, ditch the germ -x. Your poor skin must be so dry and chapped. I was a microbiology major and the good germs really can be killed off. You would not want to get colonized with the bad germs....

S. maltophilia used to be called Pseudomonas maltophilia and it is not a common infection. If you google either you'll get more information than you care for. It can be tough to treat and your friend may have to lose her port over it. Is she on antibiotics? This bug can be very resistant to antibiotics. I would suggest she see an infectious disease doc who knows how to treat stubborn infections. Good luck to her!

Anyone able to stop? I found doing a compulsive hobby helpful to some extent (needlepoint, knitting, sudoku, etc.). Any other solutions??????????????

When my DH and I eat out we split a meal and split a dessert. It works out very well for us.

Reach my goal weight. Have a private show of my paintings. Play with my future grandchildren. See the great wall of china.

I'm back. I've been in "bandster hell" and will probably need a slight unfill when I go in next. I had a few days where I have pb'd nearly everything and even pb'd a liquid drink. (sorry to be graphic) Fortunately, I can keep liquids down again. I might have had a bit of a bug, who knows. Firebolt, I will send you another email today.

My doc has a long list of questions about what you can eat and what you cannot eat that enables him to judge the amount of fill you need. For example, when I said I could eat a whole chicken thigh with a half cup of rice, I got a .5 cc fill on top of 2.8 cc's. Now I am at the sweet spot to a tiny bit too tight. So when you go in, be ready to answer specific questions about what you eat, the amounts and how much exercise you are doing. If you have PB'd, they will want to know how often, and if you PB'd because of not chewing well, rushing or if you are too tight. Also be aware of how you feel hunger-wise. A good fill corresponds to less hunger. The feeling of acid reflux is also an indication of being too tight. To make a long story short, be super aware of your physical symptoms and your behaviors so you can tell all that the doc needs to know in order to judge how much of a fill or un-fill to give you.

It varies by the individual how much of a fill you get at first. Some people have restriction from the surgery and go months before needing one. Others don't have restriction from the surgery and get a fill 6 weeks out. I think it just depends on how much fat you have in your stomach walls and how fast you lose that. I needed 3.3 cc's to get to the point where I feel good about what I'm eating. Other people do well with much less. It takes good communication with your doc and lots of tweaking. Patience...

Did you guys survive the holidays? After the last fill that I had (to 3.3) I'm a bit too tight, but am enjoying some weight loss for a change. If it still feels too tight when I go back in a few weeks I will have a tiny bit removed. Until then, I'm watching those pounds leave me. yea! Firebolt, I sent you an email, did you get it? We live so close together we should really get together and compare notes. After the snow that we've had, cabin fever will set in pretty quick.

12/07 I haven't had that great of a year, but I have had a great fill now and I feel that I am now on my way again. I've re-lost 6 lbs in only a week and am feeling greedy for even more weight loss. I can barely eat anything. It is a great feeling to have the monkey off my back though. I don't crave anything. I will have to be careful to get enough fluids in because if i have fluids too close to eating i pb.

12/07 I haven't had that great of a year, but I have had a great fill now and I feel that I am now on my way again. I've re-lost 6 lbs in only a week and am feeling greedy for even more weight loss. I can barely eat anything. It is a great feeling to have the monkey off my back though. I don't crave anything. I will have to be careful to get enough fluids in because if i have fluids too close to eating i pb.

Hello! I'm in Beavercreek and banded a year ago. I've just had a fill that has me losing again. (whew) If anyone knows of support groups in the area could you post the times and places? My surgeon is great, but the support group is too far for me to make it.

It was so fun to be teased about how little was on my plate over the Christmas holiday...:eek:

I have learned a lot more from this site than from my surgeons office. I also come to this site for inspiration when I'm starting to misbehave.

I've had restriction and lost it several times now. Today i got a whopping .5cc to bring me to 3.1ccs, so i'm hoping for good restriction again. With my two previous fills i really thought i was at my sweet spot and then before i knew it, i could eat too much. My weight has been stagnant because of this. My doc says i waited too long to come in between fills. I won't make that mistake again. It's just my rotten luck to have gotten up the nerve to tell a few friends about my surgery, and then stop losing. Talk about feeling like an idiot!

I also get the funniest noises. Fortunately this has only happened at home (to amuse my teen agers). I hope it passes so I can eat out without turning red

I have taken it for years and have not had any problems.

They put a starbucks in my grocery store right at the entrance. It's great, but I wish they weren't there. (I wish the candies weren't at the checkout either) I love the iced coffees and figure them into my daily calories.