Search the Community

10lbs a month is optimistic unless you are starting from a very high weight or are male. If you are both, go for it, if you aren't, remember the average loss for banded people is 1-2lbs a week, so less than 10lbs a month. Averages hide the extremes. So even a fast loser might lose 4lbs one month and 12 the next. For me, setting a goal at the highest end of the likely would lead to feelings of failure. In fact, I chose never to set short term goals and my ultimate goal didn't have a deadline. But I know many oeople prefer goals.

@@csg, I was a major binge eater....mostly depended on my state...was I sad bored, happy? Everything revolved around eating! I agree with @@KateP you listen to your body and you definitely have to eat slower...so it does help! Where food once filled some weird void that I thought I needed, it no longer does. @@JustWatchMe talking to someone and finding what exactly is behind the over eating in the first place is great advice!! Also congrats to all of you and your weight loss and life style change accomplishments! You are all an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and goals. I enjoy hearing others stories and I love knowing what worked for everyone!

Question....when people reach the goals they set for themselves.....then what do they do? Get Fluid taken out of your band? I say this only because it was stressed to me by my Dr. that setting goals was UN-realistic. Because in the beginning I was always asking him. He would say this is surgery, not a diet. With surgery your lifestyle changes in terms of what and how much you can eat. Living that new lifestyle, your body will reverse itself and return to a "Normal" state. Ok I say, but what is normal? He asked me to think back to where I was not over weight...perhaps it was high school...that is probably where I would end up again, providing nothing goes wrong with my band. And this new lifestyle, because it is due to surgery, cannot be turned on or off...it will remain for the rest of your life. That is how I approach it....and yes, my body did return to where it was in High School...over 40 years ago!

On this web site they call it bandster hell! You are doing great in 6 weeks you have lost alot of weight. I am 6 months out and only lost 33. My doctor told me 50 pounds is the normal for the 1st year. Relax........you will get there.

Yep, we all hit bumps in the road. And we all have bad eating habits that we need to conquer because let's face it, we didn't get fat in the first place by eating right. :eek: And it's so d@mn frustratingly ironic that chips, ice cream, shakes, pudding, and other goodies will go right on though the band without problem, but try to get healthy foods through and you get stuck. So, I guess it's a case of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." If we can't beat the band (eat what you want and lose weight) then we have to join the band (eat the right way for the band and lose weight). This is such a learning experience! And like Sarah said, we're all in this together! :mad2:

I do not know how to start the weight tickier.

That's happened to me with every weight loss campaign ever (and likely will with this one). For me it makes sense...any kind of weight loss requires me to pay attention/be conscious about food and it's effects, self-consciousness is just another facet of it. For most of my life, I wasn't actually miserable about my weight, I just completely ignored it! Once a year or so, usually after seeing a particularly unflattering photograph, I resolved to "do something", with varying successes but it wouldn't be too long until I got distracted by life. You, of course, know on your head that you look better in a swimsuit than all those pounds ago...your heart just needs to catch up. When in doubt fake it 'til you make it!

I was banded June 12th and i am supposed to do two week liquids then two week pureed!! Yea ive totally screwed myself and im kicking myself in the butt because of this. I am already eating whole food, chewing like forever, its totally liquidified before i swallow, but still i have no self control. Please someone yell at me!! My mom and boyfriend get on me so much, but im so stubborn it makes me do it more. If someone would please just tell me how dangerous it is and how i could really mess my band up i might get a lil more scared and thats what i need right now!! I am able to eat anything so far! Never got stuck, dont feel very much restriction either!! Im really dissapointed. if i dont stop soon, im gonna gain all the weight i lost pre-band! Please someone help me!! i need support, and someone to be mean and scare the heck out of me!! Thanks!! lol Elizabeth

I am only 2 days post-op. Went in at 250, now I weigh 256! I haven't had anything solid in me for over a week, and now I'm only drinking about 2 oz every couple of hours (its all I can choke down). I have heard all these stories about people who lost a great deal of weight in their first couple of weeks. I understand that the 6 extra pounds has to be water weight...how do I get it to start coming off? Btw, I'm walking 30 or more minutes a day. I can't walk 30 all at once, so I break it down into 10 minute walks.

Too tight or too loose or no band at all doesn't cause weight loss. Your diet and exercise is what causes weight loss. That being said; not eating enough can throw your body into starvation mode and it will hang onto every calorie it can. It sounds as if you are too tight and not getting enough to eat. If it were me, I'd ask them to remove a half cc and see if that helps.

Btrieger is right, not enough calories can stall weight loss. Also, if you're so tight that all you can get down are "slider" foods which are typically higher calorie, that can also stall weight loss. The third thing that can be happening is that you might be at a plateau, where weight isn't moving, but your body is reshaping. But I think Btrieger has the right suggestion.. get a small unfill. I've had a .2 unfill before. 1/2 cc might be too much, but your doc will have the best estimate of the amount that should come back out. You want enough removed to help you feel better, but not so much that you lose appetite suppression. Good luck.

I am soooo excited. I am 8 weeks out and someone finally noticed that I have been losing weight. I have lost 45 pounds and have 80 to go but I was beginning to think you could even notice the 45. I have been on top of the world since. More motivation now just because of that one compliment.

It took quite a while for the swelling to subside. I too gained 20 lbs post-op - it was frightening - I assume you had laparoscopic surgery? If so - even though you only have a few small outside wounds - you have many stitches inside that are dissolving and healing. Your body heals by sending fluid into the area - thats why it is swollen. You should only be concerned if it is red, hot, or "weeping" otherwise time will heal it. Best of healing to you (and your stomach!)

I actually gained 5 lbs at thw start of my 3rd week I felt horrible and withing the past two days I a lost the 5 plus an extra lbs I make 4 weeks tomorrow it will come off don't worry I know I did

I don't have a date but I feel the same way - I'm excited and nervous and not sure if I'm making the right decision. I'm sure you'll do great and you are making the right decision in the long run - short time pain long time gain I like to tell my self Good luck!

I am having a similar problem like this the only thing is in further out then you are (11/15/12). I keep on losing and gaining the same 4lbs. I've asked my doctor but he just shrugs and says it happens. I'm sure though that everything will work out just keep your head up ^.^

I am soooo confused. Since the fill I had in early October I have felt that I was at my "sweet spot". I was supposed to return for a doc visit just for a check up in early November but, since I didn't think I needed a fill (and since my doc moved to Beverly Hills the parking is RIDICULOUSLY expensive and impossible to find on the street - yuck), I opted not to return for a while. Well, now I can't decide if I need a fill or not. My weight loss is pretty slow but steady and in the right direction -- down. Lately though, I have been feeling hungry -- like right now -- AND, I know longer feel as tight in the morning and at lunch as I did a month or so ago. I had scheduled and appointment for December 3rd but cancelled it because I am afraid that if I get even a small fill I won't be able to swallow my breakfast (a protrein drink). My daily regimen has been pretty satisfying and filling for the last couple of months (breakfast = protein drink, lunch = Lean Cuisine, dinner = protein[meat, poultry, fish], starch, and veggie. But, of late I am getting hungry during the day AND I am able to eat more at dinner. I am sorry if my post is a bit confusing, but I am confused myself. Do I need a fill or not? Should I just stick to my current food plan and eventually the hunger will go away or what? Any and all advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Do you need to use a machine? Can you lie down on the floor and do regular crunches? I do understand that some folks have trouble getting on the floor.. I've been there myself and still have issues when my knee is hurting.. I'd think at 7 months out you'd be OK for crunches.. start gentle and at low weights and work your way up slowly. You could always consult your physician or ask a trainer who is familiar with banded folks.

That's a good question. I am less than 1/2 lb from goal however have been making choices that are not the healthiest. There's a piece of me that thinks that I should lose 10 more so that in case I gain a few ill be ok. Quite honestly, I don't know what to do if I actually hit my goal. There is a certain loss that goes along with that. I am wearing a size 4 (vanity sizing) however feel really flabby. I have an incredibly busy lifestyle with small kids, business owner and caring for a very ill parent (all by myself) who lives a state away so I do what I can but exercise I mostly walk the dog and 1-2/wk I do elliptical for 40-60 minutes. I'm eating 1000-1600 cal/day

Hi! I'm looking to find fellow Banders in Tampa. I'm scheduled for surgery at the end of August as I found out that I have H. Pylori and am taking 30 days of antibiotics prior to surgery. I'm 33 and have a 7 month old. I'm looking for some support people who are local and maybe around my age or that have kids (although I'll take anyone. I'm not too picky). I'm married, and although my husband supports my decision to have surgery, he doesn't understand being heavy. He's 6'5" and 190lbs so he thinks you should just have will power to control weight. However, he has a super fast metabolism so he's never used will power for anything! I'm new to the area. Just moved from Atlanta. I just want regular communication with someone who really understands where I'm at mentally with the process. My husband will always be by my side but he will never understand what it's like to be heavy. I don't really know anyone here. All my friends are either in Atlanta or in NC. If you're in the area and you've either been through surgery already or are going to go through it soon, I'd love to hear from you. And I know there are support groups but I'm looking for people who are more friends than just attend support groups.

Half of the battle for successful weight loss surgery is a positive attitude, and you've got that covered. I really liked the line about no longer needing "a wall of flesh between me and the world" - very apropos. ????

So I am officially 2 weeks post-op today. Thought I'd share my experience for those interested. We'll start with the stats. I've lost 18 lbs since the surgery, and 64 lbs since I started this process 8 weeks ago tomorrow. The surgery apparently went very well, doctor said it was one of the smoothest he'd had. There was awful pain post-op that lasted about 5 hours. It really was bad, probably the worst pain I've ever experience. It quickly subsided after that, and I have really had a pretty easy time with it since. I went home the day after surgery, and began adding Protein shakes and Water on day 2 post-op. Things went well, and I was able to get my required 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of water almost right away. The afternoon of Day 8, for what seemed to be no reason, I started feeling very nauseated, and extremely tired. By Day 9, I could not stomach the thought of Protein Shakes of any sort (which I absolutely hate since surgery BTW). Day 9 consisted of me just basically just getting in my water, and even that was a struggle. By mid afternoon I was feeling so horrible, and I thought I was having the beginnings of a panic attack. I was sweaty, dizzy, and felt like I was going to pass out. I decided to take my blood pressure out of curiosity, and it was 98/45. I was obviously a bit freaked out, and called the doc. He speculated that it was most likely that I had lost so much weight so fast that I was probably over-medicated now for my high blood pressure. I was taking 10mg of Amlodopine and 100-25 of Losartan-HCTZ. He had me stop the Losartan completely, and take half of my Amlodopine starting the next morning. I felt better (but not great) on Day 10, but by Day 11, I was 100% back and feeling great again. I had started a tiny bit of applesauce on Day 9, tried yogurt, but could not stand the taste. Day 11, I added in cottage cheese, and Day 13 started with some roasted sweet potatoes. food has been absolutely no issue whatsoever. With the exception of the BP issue, nothing has made me nauseous, and while I have no sense of hunger, I also have no sense of feeling full. I actually find the process frustrating as I feel I am trying to sort out quantities, frequencies, etc by myself. And while it's going very smoothly, I have a lot of self-doubt about rather I'm "doing it right." My doctor does not give quantity guidelines as he feels it varies so much from person to person. He also does not give calorie guidelines as he doesn't care about calories as long as people are putting the "right" foods in their bodies (I know this is VERY different from most). I reached out to the BariatricPal community and asked to see what their doctors recommended in regards to quantity, which has been helpful. I saw that there were recommendations not to exceed 4 oz per meal, so I have been sticking with that, but I can definitely eat 4oz of cottage cheese with no problem at all. Never get a sense of fullness (again, I'm also never hungry), never feel back pain/pressure, or pain/pressure in my chest or any of the other symptoms I hear about. All in all, I consider myself very lucky. Things have gone as close to perfect as possible. Even the blood pressure issue, while unpleasant, is exactly what I was hoping to get from the surgery. And while the food re-introduction is stressful for me, it couldn't be going better. Just thought I would share my experience to-date for those who maybe going through the same thing, or about to be! EDIT: Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, I'm only about 7 lbs away from not being morbidly obese for the first time since I can remember (probably at least 15 years). He's to being severely obese (for now)!

I went through a ton of clothes. At the beginning, I was able to shop in my own closet as I still had smaller sizes in the back. Also...it took a good 50 lbs. before I really started to go down in sizes. But then I dropped sizes quickly and realized this was going to cost alot of money. I also bought way too much...I actually gave away clothes I had only worn once or twice...or not at all. I can't imagine what I've spent on clothes in the past two years. I agree with others that you need to go to sales/clearance racks and spend some time looking for deals. I bought alot of stuff in Target and Walmart. I found very inexpensive slacks from JC Penney and bought them over and over in smaller sizes. At $25 a pair, it was a good value and I could wear them at work or around the house. It's only now that I'm finally buying more upscale or quality clothing because I'm fairly stable weight wise. I just bought separates at Lord and Taylor. Tahari and Anne Klein for instance. I must say, there is a real difference between cheap clothes and better clothes. I don't mind spending the money when I'm happy with how I look in them.

As far as I am concerned there is no slow or fast, all weight loss is to be celebrated, that said, there is too much focus on scale weight, we neglect too many times the non scale successes..one being improved health and frame of mind, sounds like you have achieved both, well done, keep up the great work.

Was banded on May 23, 2012. My surgeon says he gives everyone their first fill at 4 weeks. I've been on regular food for almost 2 weeks and I'm still losing weight (2-4lb per week). My question is if I'm losing more weight than is recommended per week do I really need this fill?