ser123

Nope, I haven't cut out all sugar. I eat if I am hungry, and I am still hungry enough to eat 2000+ calories a day. Which is why I probably have only lost 9lbs to date. I am not going to make any excuses as to why I am not losing more than 1 lb a week. I know why. I am hungry and I am not going on a diet. I am going to eat if I am hungry.

I am banded and had my first fill 2/23/7. I am still eating 2000-2500 calories a day. I have been losing some weight since the fill though. I haven't scheduled my next fill yet. I will also say I am eating probably half of what I was before surgery. If that tells ya anything.

Good thread though, I was wondering how I compared to everyone else. I knew I was high but didn't realize so many people eat so few calories.

Hey bikergirl,

I gained 3 lbs before my first fill too. I am losing, but slowly, for now. I weigh in tomorrow. I hope I will have finally lost 10 lbs.

Since you are the one paying for your insurance policy, it seems to me that you ought to be able to have your questions answered. Perhaps speaking to a manager would facilitate things.

Anyway, I hope that things go your way with the insurance compnay.

WOW Heather, for me, that one takes the cake! OMG.

actually it wasn't Bubblebutt, it was Cblancha9

Bubblebutt asked what MRSA was so I answered her.

Methicillin resistatn staphylococcus aureas infection also known as flesh eating bacterial infection that doesn't respond to antibiotics.

It used to happen in hospitals to immunocompromised patients. Now it happens to otherwise normal individuals and you can pick it up in the gym or anywhere (in which case it is called community acquired). Pretty much it sucks.

It lives in your nose and you can be a carrier and not have the infection. You can re-infect yourself at any time. Usually you get these skin lesions that look like a pimple gone bad. Those you can get drained at your primary care doctor's office. However, often, the infection doesn't go away and it gets much worse and then you get a trip to the hospital. When I went I was in quarantine since it is so contagious and there are sick people there.

Probably more than you wanted to know...

The 4 fs of gallbladders... Fat, Female, Forty-ish, Fertile....

I saw them and those pictures ROCK. you look absolutely great. way sexy.

I would be calling my doctor today. No need to wait on that. It may just be nasty infected gunk that you swallowed, but you never know. Better safe than sorry.

Sounds to me like there may be some blood coming up.

Does it look like or smell like actual feces? Or is it just brown material? Old blood can look brown.

If it is in fact feces, which can happen, it is a sign of bowel obstruction I think. Which is bad.

I would probably call my primary care doc for an opinion.

Hey Y'all,

I was banded on 1.5.07 and I had my first fill 2.23.07. I was a horrible patient. I did totally crappy on the pre-op diet. I did decent on post-op because I was afraid that I would injure myself. But once I was on regular food, I could eat 3000 calories a day with no problem. I lost 10lbs on liquids and then gained back almost half of it.

Since my fill, I have jump started the weight loss. I am eating less, but I know I will get another fill in a few weeks. I am eating about 2000 calories a day now.

I say while you are on the pre-fill stage, practice the bandster rules. That way you aren't focusing on the weight loss yet since you aren't restricted. I focused on smaller bites, chewing a lot, eating slowly.

Once I got the fill then I added no drinking for an hour after eating. I have lost a total of 9 lbs in 9 weeks. I am not super bandster, but I am having some results and I am not dying. I told myself when I got this band that I just don't have it in me to officially diet anymore. I am trying to eat healthy, but I eat until I am full and I eat when I am hungry. Wating to drink for an hour after eating really cuts down on the snacking. It isn't worth eating a little snack to not drink for an hour for me.

Just a couple of thoughts to get you through the next couple of weeks! You all are doing it, you just don't know it yet!

Good luck!

DonnaMarie,

What a great story. I think that it is great that you were able to get an apology from him. It also shows that a lot of the people who attack other people are really doing it out of weakness in themselves. I bet you really were able to put the whole thing to rest after that.

Well Joan,

The best part about dating is that you can go out with someone several times before they become your boyfriend. I say if you had a nice time, and you are asked out again, there is no harm in going. Hopefully you will be able to explain what happened to the other guy and you all will be able to meet.

It is very exciting to go on dates and be treated like a lady by a nice guy. It makes you tolerate a whole lot less crap from men who won't step up and be gentlemen. If Donny wants to be with you he will quit talking about it and start doing something about it.... like sending flowers, asking you to go out, etc. If he doesn't DO anything, then he is still playing mind games. And at this point, if you have all these other guys in line, then he just may have to wait... or his window of opportunity may have closed. Just my opinion, of course.

Decked out,

Yay you! I am so glad you have already lost 50 lbs. How great do you feel? I know usually when the scale it wrong, it is in the wrong direction. I bet that was awesome getting on there and finding out you had lost weight! A nice surprise.

Christina,

Good luck with your insurance company!

Erin, glad to see you here... I think this is your first post.

Lianna, YOU are ROCKIN' it with your weight loss. You have me motivated tonight!

Bikergirl, stick with it. You can do it with the liquids, mushies, etc.

The people that stare aren't the people that work out.

The people that work out know how hard it is for everyone, no matter what size or shape or age. The people that work out will encourage you every time.

Bikergirl,

That's great! I know it really helps me to keep track and sparkpeople has all kinds of cool graphs. I can definitely see the drop in calories after my fill, which has been encouraging.

Glad you are back on track!

Hi Sunflower,

Have you had a fill yet?

Hope things pick up for you...

HAHA! Knifing accident! Love it too but missed it the first time.

What about a microchip of some kind to monitor some internal process?

Way to go Toqu!

I am back down to where I was right after the liquid diet. I gained about 4 lbs after I went on regular food and never changed my ticker. Now I am back down to what my ticker says, woo hoo!

Donny is a game player. I like him less and less the more I know. You definitely don't need that in your life. These new guys sound like a lot of fun and are willing to take you out and wine and dine you. Have a ball!

Bikergirl,

They call it Bandster Hell for a reason... before your first (or second, or third for that matter) fill, most people don't feel restriction.

I lost 10 lbs right away and then gained back 4 before my first fill, which kind of sucked. I didn't do that great on any of the diet stages except for the first week of liquids. Keep trying to do the best that you can though. My fill doctor told me I could stretch my pouch in as little as two weeks.

The first six weeks are about healing. Remember that and don't focus on the weight loss just yet. Also, remember if you are losing an average of a pound a week then that is being a successful bandster so right now you right on track (especially being a lower BMI bandster).

There are a lot of bandster rules and I used my first six weeks to really practice some of those rules. I ate until I was full and didn't worry about dieting but I did practice those rules. I learned to eat more slowly, chew better and take smaller bites. After my first fill I quit drinking while eating and that has really made a big difference for me. And it is very hard for me to not drink while eating.

Remember, tomorrow is a brand new day and you CAN make it!

Hey MrsD

Sorry to hear about your MRSA. I have had it since May 2006 and was hospitalized for 4 days in October. I almost lost my arm as it was very near the joint.

It lives in your nose once you get it, and pretty much hangs around on you afterwards. Often, it is acquired in a hospital, but here in the US, it has become common as a community acquired infection. I got mine from the gym, which is a common place to pick it up in non-immuno compromised patients.

I had a Vanco drip but they did a central line with me. They didn't do vanco as a peripheral IV because it does give your veins a tough time. I also had a round of Zyvox. It is $100 a pill here in the US so my Rx was like $1500 and it wasn't covered by my insurance.

Once you get rid of it, I would do a google search and find a MRSA forum kind of like this one. The big thing is not re-infecting yourself. Doing things like wiping everything down with Clorox wipes, washing your pillowcases very frequently, changing your razor blades, NOT SHARING personal items with family members... all help.

Let me know if you have any questions or just want to commiserate. I feel your pain, literally....