va_viv

I was diagnosed with PCOS around May of this year after 5 years of not know what was happening with my body. I gained 80 lbs in less then 2 years (which felt like a snap of the fingers) and it continued going up and up. I was never overweight so gaining so fast and so much was definitely a shock to my system. I tried and tried to lose weight but couldn't. I was never able to yo-yo diet because I could never lose any weight. I remember right before my sister's wedding in 2007 I worked out with a trainer, went to the gym 5-6 times a week and ate PERFECTLY and lost 4 lbs in 3 months. TALK ABOUT DISCOURAGING!!! Anyway, fast forward to May of this year and I'm sitting at the drs office as she tells me that I have PCOS and it is a major contributor to my weight gain and lack of weight loss (along with the dozen other side affects it comes with) and there's nothing I can do about it. That's when I decided that I needed lap band surgery, not only to repair my self-esteem and confidence but to allow me to live a healthier life. I didn't want to live and feel that way any more. Come October 6th..surgery date. YAY! I can truly say it's the best thing I've ever done. To date I have lost 35 lbs, including preop, slowly but surely. Now I didn't start this post to tell my not so exciting story but to ask a question. I know that I wouldn't have been able to lose the 35 lbs without lap band surgery, but I've noticed that my weight loss has begun to slow down…wayyy down. The dr said I should be losing 1-2 lbs a week, ideally. That's not happening. Of course I've been doing my very best to follow the plan but I'm not perfect. I have my weak moments as everyone. I have been exercising 4 days a week for about 1.5 – 2 hrs a day. The scale barely moves. I'm wondering if any ladies out there with PCOS have noticed that their weight loss has been slower then what seems to be the norm. Of course I am not comparing myself to everyone else but I'm just wondering if it has to do with that, because if it doesn't then I really need to sit down and reevaluate what I'm doing. Thanks for reading guys and I hope to hear from ya'll soon.

I have to do 48 hrs of liquids ->24 hrs of mushies -> regular food. I have to do this after every fill. Is this the case for everyone? I have my 2nd fill on Monday the 20th...yay!

Girl I love the biggest loser! BUT, you have to remember that the contestants don't see their families for 3-4 months. I think that if we disappeared for that long and came back we would get a similar reaction. I also think a lot has to do with it being TV. They probably make them have a totally outrageous reaction for the sake of the show. As far as your family not noticing...don't sweat it. Sometimes it's out of jealously and meanness. I'm not saying your family is but it happens. Someone told me that I don't look 9 months pregnant anymore...just 4. REALLY?!?! Thanks a lot. One of my brothers WHO DOESN'T KNOW I HAD THE SURGERY was being nice and said "wow you've lost weight" and his wife, who doesn't know either, said "yeah you did a little but I didn't say anything because you didn't tell me you were on a diet"....REALLY? WTF? My response "I'm not on a diet, I'm simply watching what I eat and exercising more...trying to get healthy" what I really wanted to say was "sorry b$^#& that I don't have a damn sign on my forehead saying 'I'm on a diet'". Everyone deals with their issues differently. But like you mentioned your hubby is loving it and you feel amazing so that should be the only thing that matters. Don't let them define your success. You define your success....it's an amazing achievement...bet you $100 that they wouldn't be able to do it.

Yay I love these, especially because the scale hasn't been moving much. First like some of you have mentioned sex is soooo much better, not only because I've lost some weight but also because I feel more confident in myself...that's the biggest NSV I think. Confidence is something I haven't had in a VERY long time. I took a spin class and kicked its ass! I rocked at it, I know I would've never been able to do it before. My clothes fit differently now, my tops are baggy and my jeans just slide off....no need to unbutton anything. I am starting to wear cute workout clothes, LOL I guess that's the confidence thing again, but no more big long shirts. my mom put her arm around me and said "what the hell is that?" I touched where she had her hand and it was my port. OMG you can feel my port by just pressing down a bit, before you had to DIG for it. I'm wearing heels again, no hooker 6 inchers yet but I'm wearing 2-3 inches at work ALL DAY Boots that I bought a couple of years ago "in hopes to one day wear" fit up my calves...a little tight but they fit!!!

Hi all! Congrats on your success. I was banded 10/6/10 and have lost 35 lbs (including pre-op) slowly but surely I'm getting there.

TELL ME ABOUT IT! It totally sucks! I found this website, http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/abs.html, it's mainly for bodybuilders but they have a great section on ab workouts. The best thing about it is that they have videos showing what you need to be doing. Let me know if that helps. Good luck

Hey all! I want to join ya'll. Was banded October 6th. I lost 1 lb since last week. | definitely feel like I'm in bandster hell. I've been eating more then I used to and not as careful as I used to be. I'm hoping my 2nd fill on Dec 20th will do the trick. Good luck everyone!

Hi everyone I'm new to this post. I have been doing pretty well with my weight loss, until these past 2 wks. I feel like I'm in bandster hell. I heard food journaling is an important key to success...so here we go! Morning snack (if you want to call it that): unjury chocolate protein with 1% milk breakfast: activa strawberry yogurt (4 oz), and 1/2 cup of strawberries lunch: homemade veggie soup (oh so delish) 1 cup even snack (pre-workout): unjruy chocolate protein with 1% milk dinner: not sure yet, maybe more soup or tilapia with mixed veggies. exercise (i hope to do these, I'm still at work): 30 mins on elliptical and 30 mins on different machines I do have a question for you cooks out there...how do I find out how many calories is in my food. Meaning, I made the veggie soup from scratch so how can I calculate the amt of calories in the soup? Hope that makes sense! Take care and have a great Thanksgiving!!!

I think I'm in bandster hell guys! I lost 1 lb in two weeks. I have been doing well with exercising and my eating (I think at least). From reading these posts I noticed that journaling is super important. I'm having a bit of trouble with getting started but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I think that'll be the key to get the scale moving again. My biggest problem is hunger, I can't decide whether it's head hunger or real hunger. Uggh..it's a bit frustrating but I think I'll push through it. Good luck to everyone and I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hey! I had my first fill on Monday and I only got 3.7 cc's. She told me that that would be my largest fill. I feel NO difference...so I'm extremely jealous of your 4.5! LOL I hope the future fills give me some sort of restriction, I'm going on sheer will power right now and I don't know how long it will last. :blushing:)

Hi! I have to say, reading this reminded me of my boyfriend and me. I was diagnosed with PCOS in April...after 5 years of constant weight gain and not understanding why. Nobody knows the feeling you get when you're told by the dr "the biggest reason for your weight is the PCOS" (unless they've been there of course) and there’s nothing you can do about it. Let me tell you a little about my story. I had never been super skinny but I was fit and very comfortable with my body, I was a dancer and volleyball player...always weighed between 150-160 lbs. Then in the course of 2 years I gained 80 lbs and continued to gain until I had lapband surgery. In the 5 years that my weight went up (I didn't know about the PCOS) I felt disgusted by my body; I hated looking in the mirror and tried so hard to lose any weight. I joined LA Weightloss, Jenny Craig, nutrisystem, a gym and had a personal trainer....I usually averaged 3 lbs a MONTH. It was the most frustrating period of my life because I tried it all. The metformin I started taking after I got diagnosed was the worst. I had constant stomach pain from the medicine and I knew that I couldn't continue. I seeked out info about lapband and told my bf about it every step of the way. He didn't like the idea of surgery but after he saw that I was well informed he slowly gave in. Currently I've lost 30 lbs (had surgery on Oct 6th) and it is the BEST thing I have ever done because I KNOW that if I hadn't had the surgery I would have continued gaining...it's just how it works. I also know that without the surgery weight loss would've been nearly impossible. I hated feeling like the fat ugly girl amongst all my skinny friends, but I know that I truly did it to feel comfortable in my own skin (being skinny is a plus), to be the happy person I used to be, to go shopping without any reservations, to smile at myself while looking in the mirror because I think I look GOOD. I did it to be skinny yeah but I did it to feel better about myself, to love myself, to finally be able to live the life I know I was meant to live. I did it for ME. My bf finally understood that and he had not other choice but to accept it and support me. Support her, nothing but good will come out of this...take it from all of us who know. Good luck to both of you :rolleyes2:

Hey! Congrats on taking the steps to better your life. 1. How much loose skin do you have with the lap-band®..I've known people that have had the gastric, and they look like bats because of all of the skin, In my mind I thought that since the band is a longer process that there wouldn't be as much skin, is this true? I'm only a little over a month out and have only lost 30 lbs. Those 30 lbs have definitely been a blessing and my body has conformed so far. My surgeon told me that the younger you are the better your skin treats you, so we have that on our side. I'm hoping that my skin will continue to conform as I lose more weight. 2. I weigh 267 right now and I was wondering what you think would be a reasonableweight, I'm 5'7 and have a large frame on top of that. I started at 265 and I'm 5'4, currently at 234.2. My goal weight is 170 lbs. I think the closer I get to that goal I might consider changing it, but for now I'm hopeful and content with that "number". 3. Please tell me of the success you have had, it would really encourage me:thumbup:. I started gaining weight when I was around 20ish. I gained around 80 lbs in 2 years...it felt like I snap of your fingers and bam I was fat. I couldn't understand why and what happened I tried losing weight and it was nearly impossible. I would eat right, work out and I would lose like 3 lbs a month. After 5 years of struggling I found out (in April) that I have PCOS. My PCP explained to me that it is EXTREMELY difficult to lose weight having that, it can happen but very very very slowly and it's hard. Since I've had the surgery I have been able to lose 30 lbs...something I know I wouldn't of been able to do before. I'm so thankful, and I know it will continue. :wink5: 4. What's the worst thing you have expierenced as a result of being banded--I just want to be prepare!:thumbup: The gas after surgery really sucked but I eventually got through it. So I must say that everything has gone well...but if I had to mention something it's not being able to eat rice. I'm hispanic and rice to us is very important, so giving it up was a bit of a struggle but I did it. I know that maybe in the future I MIGHT be able to eat it again. I'll be fine without it. :lol2: Hope that helps! Take care!

Hey guys! I've lost 4.8 lbs since last week. YAY! I was sick for 95% of the week, maybe that's why I lost so much...but I'll take it!

I'm in, I've joined all the challenges isaviolinist has! It's helping me with my goals. I lost 4.8 lbs since last Monday! YAY! Good luck peeps!

If you like chocolate the unjury Protein shake is really good, and it's 20 grams per serving. If you drink it with 1% milk that adds another 8-9 grams. So, with one shake you'll get 28 grams already and do that twice a day and you should be almost good to go. The nutritionist told me that you should only try and get 20 grams at a time in your Protein Shake. The milk doesn't count in that. Good luck!

Congrats on your success! I can understand about not thinking your weight loss has made a big difference. I'm down 26 lbs and I still can't really tell. But I have gotten compliments which is nice. Personally, I haven't been telling anyone. To think about it I was only asked once. I didn't lie per se but I just omitted the lap band part, I said "I'm watching what I eat and exercising" which is 100% true. I just don't want people knowing because I don't want that to become the center of all our convos. I've seen it happen and I don't want it. Maybe as more weight comes off things will change but as of right now that's how I'm feeling. Congrats again and good luck, the first day of work is always the toughest!! :hi:

Hey Maria! I'm sorry to hear you're having such trouble, I was wondering how it was going with fellow band sister. I'm currently on my third week of mushies. Did your dr not make you go through this stage? I find that my hunger came back full force week 1 of the mushies stage, the swelling has definitely gone down and I'm back to feeling like I can eat anything and everything. But, I don't. What has helped for me has been measuring my food every night before I go to work. I have containers that I found at Wal-Mart that are 4 0z (1/2 cup) each. The nutritionist told me that I should only be eating up to 1 cup a meal so I measure 2 containers for Breakfast and lunch. For dinner I do the same, I cook something and measure it in my container and put it on my plate. It's been tough because I find myself hungry about 2-2.5 hrs after I eat but when I start feeling that way I drink Water. It's definitely a mind game, I constantly have to tell myself "you can do this, you'll get through this" and I move on. I also try to keep myself busy when I start thinking about food. We have practice some serious self control, but you can do it! Just try and start off slow, try by measuring your food and eating slowly...and when you're done with it you're done. Get up and do something else and you'll feel satisfied enough to last you a while. OH and I almost forgot don't forget the Protein shakes, they help a lot with the hunger in between meals. If you ever need to talk or anything just message me...here for ya band-sister! Vivian

I haven't done so well lately, I'm almost at 4 weeks post op and this last week has been weird, I only lost 1 lbs. But, I will continue to push on. I'm so excited at the idea of reaching both goals. Thanks isaviolinist for the spreadsheets! I joined both. :thumbup:

Congrats! I had a pair of jeans that were really tight and hard to zip...last weekend I tried they on and they slid right up and zipped with no problems...and no flab hanging out. They were a little loose too. YAY for us! Congrats guys!

Hey congrats! I'm 3 weeks post op and I've lost 10 lbs since the surgery and 25 lbs all together. I'm excited and nervous about my first fill. I heard it's nothing to worry about, but still. My biggest fear is that the port will flip. Every time I move fast I stop and think "crap did I just make my port flip" LOL I know I'm a loser what can I say?!?! Good luck with everything and congrats again! :thumbup:

I was told I could do elliptical and treadmill after my post-op visit (1 week post op) but no weights more then 10lbs, no ab workouts and no swimming for 6 weeks. Oh and I could resume going to zumba, but not do the ab parts. I'm almost 3 weeks post op and I haven't been doing much, however, I am starting my exercising this week. I finally feel 1000%. I'm doing the C25K (starting today) and going to the gym the rest of the days. Good luck everyone!!! Wish me luck with the C25K I'm a bit terrified because I've never been much of a runner! :huh2:

manhannant, I've had 2 previous surgeries and have never been asked to stop taking my pills. I thought it was really strange but my surgeon, nutritionist and nurses kept telling me that it was VERY IMPORTANT to stop taking them. Oh well I guess! LOL Now I'm just waiting to get my period to be back on them. I shouldn't really complain because I rarely get a period without them but I've been told that this is one way to gain weight. Oh the wonders of the female body! :wink2:

I was told the same thing. I had to stop my pills 1 month before and can't start it til 1 month post-op. It sucks because I have PCOS and getting my period monthly DOESN'T happen unless I'm on the pill. With my pill I have to wait until I get my period to start them...so I'm sure that I'll have to wait 3-4 months before I get my period so I can start my pills. |

Hey girl! I can definitely relate. I have a large family and would only hear that I was being lazy and that I can do it myself just put some effort into it...it was a struggle. I was just banded on the 6th and I have lost a total of 24 lbs so far. YAY! I KNOW I couldn't have done it without the band. My decision to have the surgery was only shared with 4 people, mom, sister, sister's hubby, and my boyfriend...the only people I KNEW would be supportive, never judged me and encouraged me all the way. It has definitely been a struggle, with the liquid diet and the surgery itself but I got through it and for once in my life I think that I am finally truly proud of myself, and I KNOW I can do it. I wish you tons of luck and just know that if you're dedicated and are willing to work at it you'll be successful. One day at a time. :smile:

Hey guys! I'm 8 days post-op, and I'm doing great. The gas has been hard from time to time but nothing that's to hard to handle. I came back to work on Tuesday...so far so good. I had my post-op appt yesterday and I've lost 20 lbs so far. YAY! I was told I can start working out on the treadmill/elliptical, still no ab work for another 6 weeks. I'm also going to mushies on Saturday....and what a relief! I've been on a liquid diet for over 2 1/2 weeks and I'm sooooo over it. My appetite is coming back and it's getting harder and harder sticking to liquids. That's it, just wanted to check in. Good luck peeps.