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I'm down a pound this week (which is amazing, considering the booze and the chocolate). I'm at 185 lbs, which means I have crossed the halfway mark. (And I met my first goal!) My next goal is 19.5 lbs away -- it's when my BMI crosses from "obese" into "merely overweight".

Yay Lellow that is great!! I expected to gain or at least stay the same this week due to xmas eating habits but to my suprise I lost a little! I am down another 400grams (0.88pounds). I am SOOOOOOO close to onederland!! 0.65pound away!! Christmas was great...I couldn't overindulge like I used to I was happier about getting my photo taken and I had an absolute blast!

I've got a question for the vets, did you find it was tougher to stay on plan or lose weight in the winter? I'm thinking I'm fighting evolution. I was losing pretty steady and the only stall I've hit was at three weeks, none since so it might just be a stall. With poor weather I can't get out for walks as often and I'm not very dedicated to exercise. What do you think, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

i have had a slow process with my band, i finally got better restiction at 3.0 in my 4cc band. I am still able to eat, but pb and getting meat stuck happens not as much as 2 weeks after my fill to 3.0cc . i am due to go back and i believe i still need more fill but going the 0.1cc at a time i believe would be better. have u all ever felt u were right there but not quite. 6mos into this and not much wt. lost yet. i am still keeping hope alive. kim:wink2:

Hello! I have had my band for a year. I struggled with the gas a lot after surgery. It was painful for me, but I was also sick for about two weeks. A friend of mine had hers done and she was great. She recovered like someone from out-patient-surgery will no problems. Traveled the second day after surgery and did great. She struggles with reflux a little now though. The doctors said that they had to do surgery on the hernia before they could put the lap band on, but she is doing better. Glad to see you joined the family. I just found this web page and I am so thankful. You will do great.

Hi LJ - I think we did chat. Yes, my port site hurts more now than it did last week. I go back to my doc on THursday. I worked today and was really wiped out when I got home this evening. At one point when I got up, I thought I was going to faint. Now feel better after a shower. Does your shoulder still hurt?

I have had my band now for a little over a year. I have experienced my band tightening weeks after a fill. It tightens so badly that the pain is awful and I can't even get water down without it hurting...I then need to go in and get some removed. Twice I have gone to the ER due to the pain. Has this happened to anyone else????

Paula- I had lap band surgery Dec 15th and went thru the same thoughts you are having. I ultimately went with lb becuase if I had any other type of medical problem in life the band could be unfilled and I could receive treatments. The sleeve or RNY both have restrictions I just couldn't handle. I'm probably overly concerned as various cancers run in my family and I just want to be able to 'battle' any disease w/o worrying about a surgery decision I made years ago. My thought is the band can be unfilled or removed if need be and once well, it can be filled or I can have surgery to reinstall one. The vomiting - I am a BIG freaky gagger - I mean freaky as in I can easily start to gag and lord help me if I have to vomit - I totally freak. Here I am 6 weeks post op and I had one episode where I ate to fast, I knew it the moment it happened I stayed calm, had a strange feeling and up the bite came like a big burp. Now that, that happened I am so cautious, the word didn't come to an end but at the time it did hurt - but I did it to my self. as far as food restrictions - what is it you think you'll miss? I have eaten many things and not had issues. I do heed the advice of no soft breads but I haven't missed them. Are they foods that got you here? Now something you didn't address is the amount of work each one involves on your part. The band - it doesn't do it for you- you have to follow the 'rules'- exercise, get 70 - 90 grams of Protein in and 64oz of fluids a day with less than 1k calories. So you have to work at it change your habits. Protein/Produce then starches So its a tool but you have to use, not abuse it and you will be successful. the sleeve- a perm change, an alteration to your body - but you can be lazy - it only restricts your food for you so if you put in poor food choices you can still ramp up the calories (just like the band) and still fail (just like the band) but now you are missing 85% of your stomach. In my research I found that at 5 years out the band and rny have similiar weight loss and maintanence. My reading on the sleeve said altho slightly comparable to band it is equal to RNY. In the end it comes down to what is best for you, be very honest with your medical team especially your surgeon and pysch. They should be able to guide you. My surgeon would not say 'yes do this one, not that one' - he gave me every ounce of info I could get my hands on and answered a lot of questions (I called 2 or 3 times a week for 4 or 5 weeks) Also you may want to post this on the board for gastric sleeve - as I'm pretty sure since most folks on here have the band - they may be slightly biased :smile2: Good luck in your decision. tina

Hi All, Well another crappy week and another week with no loss. You would think the fill would have worked, but only 1 lb in 3 weeks. My MD won't see me until April! I may need to call after 1 month and tell them I have not seen any loss and hope they can get me in. I know when I spoke with the MD for this fill he said that he is surprised that I needed another fill. He said that most patients are fine with just 1-2 fills and I am now looking for 3! Oh well. I did get in 4 workouts last week, but the sweets in the office and the wine at parties were my downfall. I stopped the wine on Monday, but the sweets are still getting to me. I have thrown everything out and put a note on my door NO SWEETS ALLOWED! Let's hope this works! Here are the latest results. I don't see everyone's number, so let me know. Name Start/ Finish/ Loss to date (1/29/09) Gilta 174/ 162/ 3 Accountess 231/ 218/ MistyD65 249.4/ 237.4/ 3.6 krtork 205/ 195/ 7 Charlietuna XXX/ -10/ di1138 XXX/ -15/ innotu XXX / -10/ 3 Brad 202/ 187/ 7 legdxdlr XXX/ -15/ nic XXX/ -17/ amaltha 166/ 157/ lanakila 268/ 258/ 1 Shelleyelise XXX/ ??/ Ninner 341/ 299/ heartfire 191.2/ 181.2/ 2.5 Gary B XXX/ -10/ charlie4171 208.6/ 199/ .3 k4str 213/ 200/ Mommie2 XXX/ -20/ Brendaanise XXX/ 155/ 166.8 lellow 169.8/ 159/ 8.1 maleliz777 257/ 247/ edel 195/ 185/ Kaytatree XXX/ -8/ 4.0

Down again this week. I'm not going to make my goal but I think I'm okay with that. Start: 191.2 Goal: 181.2 Today: 188.1 Total: -3.1 To Gaol: 6.9

Yes, it is very common to have a fill kick in days or even a week later.

Try to stay positive. I was 'full' on tiny portions for the first 3 weeks, and then my hunger returned with a vengeance. Embrace that tiny portion 'full' feeling and work it for all you can. With a fill or two, you'll be back to that feeling after you are healed. Stay positive and focus on that! focus on the fact you have COMPLETELY CHANGED YOUR LIFE! You have a tool that gives you control!

I am also hoping to get to the 100's. I dont expect to ever be considered "skinny"...besided my husband would probable be unhappy if i lost to much weight. Are you working out? what is your calorie intake? im asking cuz i have been feeling hungrier in the last 10 days... and i know i am eating way to much..specially in the latr afternoon. I have my 1st fill coming up this week i hope it will help.Weight is coming off very slowly. Good luck

I am 6 days out and the pain is mostly gone. Yesterday I ate some cream of mushroom soup and It tasted so good. I ate more than I should have. About 10 teaspoons and the pain was almost unbearable. I have been eating 5 or 6 teaspoons tops. I couldnt help myself. It felt good and warm going in! lol I was miserable for at least an hour. But I did not throw up! I am having a bit of a problem with my bowel movements and the gas. Only a tablespoon full comes out and soft and chocolate, from my protein shakes. Will they ever be kind of normal again? I am afraid to go out because of the gas and What if its not gas. I have not got the two sorted out yet. Has anyone else had this? My jeans have elastic waist and they go up to where my surgery was and it is uncomfortable. I have been roling them down. I went to my family dr for my first checkup. My sugar was 89 with no medication and my blood pressure was low 80/60. So, we may have to cut out my Lotrel blood pressure medication. I go back in 1 week to see how that is doing. I did not get a b12 shot, but took blood and will call with results to see if they r needed yet. I think I am doing good. I am so blessed with no diabetes medication! So HAPPY! Take care all!

Great blog! I am approaching my first fill in (2) weeks. I do believe I have been giving a false sense of what it will be like after the first fill. I do feel more informed after reading your blog! Thanks for sharing!

Hey. I'm exactly the same, I've had my band since last November, so around 7 months. I've lost around 10 or 11 kgs, and am completely discouraged, It's been so much harder for me than I thought it would be. I know the big thing for me is that I'm not eating properly, I don't eat for my full 20 minutes and often skip lunch and snack. I went to see my dietician a week ago and she told me that's probably the reason I'm not losing the weight like I should be!

I Am Having The Same Issues. I Got A Fill About A Month Ago, And At First Everything Seemed Ok But As The Days Went By The Food I Was Trying To Eat Was Not Going Down Right. One Week After The Fill I Was Eating Salads Just Fine Then The Following Week I Wasn't? I Mean It Is Weird, Some Days I Can Eat, Some Times I Can't. Does That Mean I Am Too Tight? I Spit Up Alot And Rarely Really Vomit But Spit Up All The Time. What Does That Mean. I Go To The Docotr On Wed. I Hope He Doesn't Get Mad At Me For Not Letting Him Know Sooner!

I just graduated last week from I Can Change. I'm on my way, March here I come!!

Luckily anesthesia doesn't bother or worry me. I think of it as a nice, deep sleep. I can't believe how slow (and fast) this is going. I had said a couple weeks ago that the 10 months it took between planning our trip to Hawaii and when it actually came (and went) went by SOOOOO fast, but this few weeks between meeting with my doc and my surgery is dragging... lol I guess now because stuff is actually happening, it will go by faster. Before it was just waiting. Hell, I didn't even get official approval from insurance until yesterday afternoon! I'm just... wow. The emotions will hit (you know what I mean). I see YOUR progress, for instance, and say, wow, that can be me one day. Granted, I'm starting a lot higher than you, but still... it's nice to see people working the band and doing it so well. I won't know what to do with myself. I already have short hair, so I guess I'll have to try to grow mine out to make the "hair change."

I LOVE LOVE the spaghetti with meat sauce. It has a good amount of Protein and I eat all the sauce/meat and about half the Pasta. I eat that for lunch like, 4 days a week. One day I had a turkey dinner and ended up burping for about 6 hours afterwards. So I have only stuck with the spaghetti. But I do find in general those things don't taste very good anymore. Be careful with the microwaved meat. It can give some people problems. For the cost of the meals it's probably not really worth it, unless there are one or two that seem to have high enough protein and low enough calories AND sit well in your stomach. I have tried a few others and dumped them out... they just aren't that good to me anymore....except that darn spaghetti! I buy like 5 at a time!

I made these yesterday. They are super yummy and provide Breakfast for the week. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/broccoli-and-cheese-mini-egg-omelets-2.html?m=1

When I got on the scale this morning, I was at 225 lbs. This number has always been an invisible barrier for me psychologically. I am not sure why, but a few years ago when I began this weight loss journey with Weight Watchers I started at 289 and my last weigh in I was at 225. It was all downhill (or should I say UP hill) from then. Just before banding I was 268 as my ticker states - so as you can see I gained quite a bit of it back and that is one of the reasons I chose banding. I really wanted to take off the weight for good. Well, as I said, I hit 225 again this morning (I only change my ticker once a week on Mondays) and was bursting with pride! This time I know that I will go below that and more - all the way to my goal this time. I put on a fabulous new dress for work and have received so many compliments today that it makes it all the more sweeter! Thanks for your support, I know that I would not be doing so well without you guys.

I posted this in introductions, where, technically, it belongs. I am reposting here because the people in this section have been the ones that have helped me the most. I am going to introduce myself the right way, the honest way. I dont have a metabolism problem,I dont have emotional issues, bad parents, or any other excuse. I eat too much and drink too much.That simple. I had the surgery in January of 2010, it went well, and I was off to the races. I did my fills, and did ok. I didnt excel because I would have a few beers, a chip here and there, but all in all I had gone from 350 on the first visit, 340 on day of surgery to 290 in early October. Work got busy, I got lazy, and didnt get a fill for 5 months. Two weeks ago I weighed myself and was 333. I was disgusted. THe band is pointless, I thought. I did not do ONE THING WRONG, I told myself. I had the band, I ate slow. So what if I had a few beers, some pizza, candy, more candy. No, I didnt do one thing wrong. I did everything wrong. Two weeks ago I turned myself in. At first I thought I would be humiliated, but the doctor was actually very understading. I got my fill, went on my way, and started a new life. Then came Saturday. Basketball. One beer led to two, to five, to seven, to three white castles. I was back in form. Went home, melted mozzarella cheese in the microwave And two beers, a glass of wine. No more. I decided last Saturday this is it. I have been given a chance. Not a cure, not a miracle, not a panacea, a chance. When I got the band I thought why should I go on message boards? I can do this on my own. I am here now as one of the steps I must take to accomplish what I want. Not what I deserve, not what I should have, not what I paid for, but what I want and must earn, I have read a lot of posts and am glad I am here. Some good stories, some bad, some downright troubling, and some really uplifting ones. I have been on the board almost constantly since Saturday reading. My initial purpose for reading was to see if this board was worthy of my time. Usually people pay me for my time, I figured, so why waste it here. It didn't take long to realize that I am the one who isn't worthy of your time. I hope in time I can contribute here, and assure you I will when I can. For now, though, I apprecite you guys letting me ride your coattails.

Hi all, I haven't been on in a while, but I really need some advice right now. I got my band in April of 2006. Up until January, I had no problems, with the exception of a flipped port, which was no big deal. I had a fill in January and was so overfilled that I could not even swallow my own saliva. My bad, I let this go on for a week before I finally called my doctor. He took almost all of my fill out for 4 weeks. I went in February for a fill. Same problems, real difficulty getting food to go down, although not nearly as extreme as in January. I had trouble keeping anything down during the day, but by night I was ok. So, when I went for my visit in March, he took 2 cc's back out again. I didn't go back until the first of May. Even with the 2 cc's out, I would still have occassional problems. In May, he did my fill under flouro. We got it to what we thought should be perfect for me. Well, as that was my last visit that was covered under my one year of no costs for anything, I have not been back. But, I am still having problems. I could not eat anything until late evening, and even then I would have problems. About a month ago, I discovered by accident that if I drink a cup of something that is extremely, extremely hot right before I eat, I have much better luck getting food down. I still have problems, but not near as much since I started doing this. Please don't tell me I am overfilled, because I am not. Once I drink the very hot Fluid, I can eat pretty much any amount of food I want right now. I am putting weight back on and not happy about that. I am afraid to get a fill. Someone suggsted perhaps there is something wrong with my esophagus. Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions. I know I need to see my doctor, it is just the finances are a bit tight right now. Any ideas are appreciated.

I am new to all of this and have only had one fill. Lately I have been on the go and very busy. I have not been paying attention so much to what I am eating or how fast. I have gotten stuck twice this week. The second time was this morning after eating some ham and scrambled eggs. I got stuck, it hurt like a sob, and it came back up. I really want something to drink, should I wait? If so, how long?