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:faint: Feb 15th - total weight loss 18lbs very hungry. eating too much. It seems to just go through. I see Dr. Woodhead tomorrow. Hope he changes me to pureed.

I didn't go out to a restaurant to eat until week 5. I'm now 8 weeks post op and I've been out to dinner a total of 4 times within those 3 weeks. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

TARPHR - I usually eat around 800 calories a day. I follow the rules and eat high protein (about 3 ounces at a time always measured!) avoiding sugar and carbs. I try do drink alcohol only once a week. Also, I track everything I eat on My Fitness Pal. I'm TinaATL on there and my diary is public if you want to exactly what type of foods I eat. I still have a piece of dark chocolate almost every day but it's just one 42 calorie Dove dark promise instead of a king size Snickers like in the "old days".

But here's an update. My last weigh in 8weeks ago said I lost 25kilos. My next weigh is next week, and I'm really hoping I've lost 30. Christmas is coming up, which is exciting. I have a beautiful dress on lay-by for Christmas day. I can't wait to show you guys, I'll post a photo as soon and I've got it. I got myself a job, I'm now working for my mother as a receptionist/ beauty assistant. Shes a beauty therapist and just brought her own salon. I have just gotten a kitten, hes my little baby boy. His name is Eric. thats him. and here is a photo of my dress, well the top of it anyway. its fantastic and it looks fantastic on me! Its a maxi dress, and those are really flattering but this one is sort of a-line. It's amazing, I adore it. The white part is lace and its lovely. I can't wait to wear it on Christmas day. I also found out that my lovely mother is getting my hair extensions in a few weeks, so I'll have lovely long hair. Life is going pretty well at the moment. I'm also going back to school to do my year 11 and 12. Then I'll be studying to be a midwife, life is looking up. I'll update again once I've weighed in next week xx

Emmajane read this short paragraph. It explains a little about the variance of weight loss: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy so it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. I hope this helps.

I have been stuck on the same weight for 3 weeks. I would really like to get below the teens 209 would be good! Not seeing the 10 ten in 210 would be great! Mental thing! All I have to do is lose 3 lbs....easier said than done! Could use a little cheer leading everybody...." i think i can, i think i can!"

Hi all, I am 5 months out and have lost 88lbs which is AWESOME. The whole time though I have been constipated, trying EVERYTHING just to be able to "go" every other day or so but nothing has worked. So I have been using laxatives every weekend to "clean myself out" as I work Monday thru Friday and can''t take them during the week.So unfortunately I can go like 6 days without a BM which is not good. An issue I'm having is the past few weeks, I am not losing like I was the first 5 months and I'm going out of my mind! Example: I weigh myself in the morning when I get up and say my weight is 177.4lb.s. OKay, fine. So I eat a 6oz. yogurt and a few mini rice cakes.And weigh myself say a half hour later (just for this purpose) and my weight goes up to 178.2lb.s!!! This is NOT normal for me! Usually after eating that, my weight wouldn't move at all, or go up maybe an ounce. But now it goes way up, even if I drink a protein shake or water! What's the deal??? Is it because of the constipation and being "FOS" literally?? (I also walk 2 miles a day on top of a very active 8 hour job.) Another example is yesterday, I weighed 177.6lbs in the morning. I had 2 protein shakes,water and 8oz. oatmeal throughout the whole day. I weighed myself that night around 10pm and my weight was 179.2lbs! Now I know weight fluctuates during the day and that's fine, but this is NOT NORMAL for me. Can someone PLEASE help me figure this out?? I'm losing faith in myself and having any more weight loss and I have 47lbs still to lose! PLEASE HELP! DESPERATE! thank you Source: 5 months and HOPELESS! Please help!

Finally, I got a call confirming the all my records were faxed over.:thumbs_up: It only took 2 weeks. I am so excited about my first visit next Tuesday. Hopefully things will start falling into place. Still working on upping my protein and not snacking between meals which is something I have to get used to. Hopefully I have made some good habits before I get the band that will stick. My husband and daughter and I took family pictures. I said to myself these are the last fat pictures of me. The next time I will be slimmer. :biggrin2:

I have decided that Friday is my weigh day and today I have lost 10 pounds since May 20th or so. I am so happy that I have been able to do it all by myself. Now, I will tell you that I have gone to bed very hungury but come hell or high water..I was going to not snack after 6:00. Today , I got my phys clereance and my surgeon filed my insurance today also:biggrin: It should be 1-2 weeks until I hear back:scared2: I hope to at least mantain my weight loss until then:w00t:

I have decided that Friday is my weigh day and today I have lost 10 pounds since May 20th or so. I am so happy that I have been able to do it all by myself. Now, I will tell you that I have gone to bed very hungury but come hell or high water..I was going to not snack after 6:00. Today , I got my phys clereance and my surgeon filed my insurance today also:biggrin: It should be 1-2 weeks until I hear back:scared2: I hope to at least mantain my weight loss until then:w00t:

I would like to start off that I did walk 45 minutes and swim for an hour today. But, I did a little farewell tour to some foods this weekend. Last night it was Bojangles and today it was frozen pizza. I am done with the both of them. The Bojangles hurt my stomach this morning and the pizza wasn't really all that good as it has been in the past. I will walk tomorrow for 45 to an hour. I don't want to gain back any weight back that I have lost.:cool2: I have a girls beach weekend coming up in July 24-26. We are staying the weekend and I am so looking forward to my last beach trip as the big girl. I will bring lunch meat, fruit and low carb wraps to keep my eating in check. The hardest thing will be keeping my drinking to a minimum. I will have to sip my wine very slowy. With that being said - I don't want to be banded before the beach. I hop the week after I get back will work. I have a feeling these next couple weeks of waiting for insurance will be killer:eek:

When I was counting calories I used www.thedailyplate.com after about a week I was over it.. but some find it useful

It has been two weeks and five days since my surgery, and I am left in wonder and introspection. I have had my first post-op doctor's appointment and am scheduled to see him again in about two months. I am to lose 24 pounds by then. My scale and the scale at my doctor's are different by six pounds; I also weigh myself nude at home while I am fully clothed while at my doctor's (plus I think I had my car keys in my jeans pocket). I've realized I haven't been following the schedule that I am supposed to have set with my meals: 3 meals a day, 2oz each, and 2 protein shakes. I am still on a liquid diet; broths and protein shakes have been my meals. I've been nearly meeting my protein intake of 50g a day (I get around 46-50, depending on the kind of shake I drink). Along with my realization that I need to work on my food schedule, I also realized I need to be measuring my broth so I can get used to the 2 oz of food I am allowed, so when day 22 comes along, I will measure my soft foods out of habit. Instead of measuring my broth, I've been pouring them into my little toddler bowl and eating it slowly until I feel full. I believe that I was eating double of what I should, but then would not "eat" broth the rest of the day, but would focus on drinking my protein shakes. Even with the completion of my third week coming up and soft foods will soon be on my menu, I am still only allowed 500 calories. This is somewhat concerning to me in that a protein shake that I am loving automatically gives me 220 calories. I can reduce that by using just water to make my shake as opposed to a cup of soy milk and half a cup of water; though with the current way I make my shake, I get 33g of protein in. I'm considering having that shake as a "breakfast" and shake combo. I am also concerned about the 500 calories since I will be starting to exercise, besides the everyday walking that I do. I will start slow, but I also know that beforehand I could burn 400 calories with 30mins of cardio. I trust my doctor, so I just have to hold on to that while wrapping my head around the idea of small calorie intake and the addition of cardio and eventually strength training. With all these changes that I've been going through, I've realized that I've been focusing on the wrong numbers: instead of focusing on my number triad of 500/50/<40, I have been focusing on the number on the scale. and disappointed in that I see no difference in my body shape. Still, I know I am losing weight, and I tell/comfort myself with the idea that I may be losing slowly compared to others but that could be good for me skin wise and also, just adjustment wise. I've taken to keeping a food diary, and have set up a weight loss chart to remind myself that even if I cannot see a difference, I am losing weight and am on track. With all that being said, I am glad that I've taken this big step and am making progress on my journey. I've realized my mistakes and am seeking to correct them. I am working on my water intake, thought I do get my full amount of liquids in through the broth, shakes and bit of water I do drink. I know I need to get better at my water intake since I will be trying soft foods soon, so I will be including broth less and less in my liquid intake (and really, I am getting so freaking tired of chicken broth). I am making my way down this path and with each little step I'm realizing past mistakes in the way I ate and took care of myself, and I'm realizing the mistakes I was making now and am working on correcting those. Sometimes, things that are worthwhile must be worked for and earned so their enjoyment is that much sweeter. My life will be so much sweeter learning and meeting the new me. And for now, in the short term, the sweetness will come with my first scrambled egg!

So far so good. I got up at 5am and did 20 minutes on my treadmill at level 3 with a 2 incline. Goal is to work up to 45 minutes before surgery. I also made arrangements with my trainer to work with me after surgery to minimize the saggy skin. Bless her heart, she is only charging me $30 a week. My goal is to run a 5k, then a 10k, then a 1/2 marathon. Of course this will take lots of time, but I am determined. This morning is going well so far. Seems strange that I am not hungry. I had my first protein meal at 6am and will have my second at 9. It was orange cream flavored and I mixed it with Almond Milk. YUM. Been sucking down the water too. Since I can have Crystal Light with my water I mixes Sunrise Orange with it and it is delish. Brought some beef broth and jello with me to work so I will have some variety throughout the day with my five protein shakes. I am not stupid to not know that this is not going to be easy, but like anything else, once I get through the third day I will be on zoom. This means too much to me to screw up now. Follow up - it is not 420 pm and I am almost done with day 1. whoo whoo. My favorite part of the day was the jello. It gave me something to chew on. LOVED IT!! I think if I keep up my upbeat attitude it will go swimmingly to the end. I sure do hope so anyway. Downward here I come.

I will be starting this next week. I have concerns about it as well. I have sample diet that was given to me. But am open to more suggestions. Thank you.

Every year for Christmas, my wife and I invite our families over for Christmas Eve and we all exchange presents, talk, but most importantly, eat. That last word made me really nervous this year for a few of reasons. One, the week of Christmas, I was still on mushy food. Two, I know I'm not supposed to be eating sweets (even if they're mushy). And three, I don't want to ruin other people's holidays just because I can't eat, you know? I'm the one who had lapband surgery, not them. And you know what? For the most part, I worried over nothing. This year a lot of people made sugar-free deserts. My wife made a sugar-free peanut butter pie that was terrific! Someone brought a bean dip with cheese and salsa that I mixed together and ate with a spoon. I even had a couple of Christmas cookies that the kids made (don't tell Santa). Instead of two or three plates of food, I only had one, and instead of half a two-liter of Diet Coke, I had water. And you know what? Everybody still had a good time. Everybody ate what they wanted to eat and no one made a big deal out of what I was having. To tell the truth, everyone was walking around so much with their plates that I'm not sure anyone even noticed, or cared. I think people (co-workers and family) are losing interest in what I eat on a day to day basis, which is pressure off of me. I didn't have lapband surgery to become the center of attention. Quite the opposite, actually.

Give it a week- 10 days and you'll feel like a new person. Keep on walking and a heating pad helped me. Best wishes! -BG

Can any one give me some advise, I had a 9cc Band fitted with the hospital group 7 years ago and lost 14 stone over 18 months i kept having fills to often to loose more weight, but this made me ill as i could,t keep anything down. i was living on soft foods & liquids, i couldn't learn myself how to eat solids. I ended up in hospital as the band was too tight so they removed 2cc. i was still the same but due to bringing everything back what i drank and got down caused damage to my esophagus so was advised to have my band deflated after 2 years of struggling and suffering. slowly my weight as gained and i feel like im back to were i started, as i have let my band rest for 18 month so has u can guess i have eaten everything i should't of eaten, like a child would in a sweet shop. I have finally had a refill last week of 4cc but now feel like im at the beginning and need to learn how to work with my band, as i felt last time round i didnt learn how to work it properly and more or less starved myself as the weight was falling off way to quickly. i now feel like im a failure to people who ask me about having a band fitted, as looking at me now im nearly back to the weight when i 1st had the band fitted.And my size now stops me seeing my family & friends has they all knew i had my band fitted,and now i feel like this is the only way to lose this weight, why have a band just to sit inside me and not working,that's what the N.H.S wanted me to do, I've done it there way. And now i'm doing it my way my last chance to work my band. So now iv just finished 3 days of liquid and onto soft food, i dont feel like iv any restriction but im thankfull im keeping what i do eat down. i need advise on what i can and can't eat and what kind of feelings should i be feeling when eating. is it right i cant have a drink till 1 hour after a meal?

I don't know if this is the right forum to post but in the regular forum there are too many joyous bandsters who will put up with any problems because they are losing and love their band. I got the band because it was advertised on TV as reducing hunger. That has always been my biggest problems to successful dieting. I am 58 and I know the difference between thirst, hunger and feeling satisfied. And since I got the band I have been hungry before I eat and after I eat. Only now, eating is uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I have had two fills (my banding was 9/08). So, I am forced to stop eating before I am satisfied. And NO, IT IS NOT HEAD HUNGER!! I had lost weight on my own before this banding journey, then more weight on the 6 month diet, then more weight on the pre- and post-surgery liquids only. Total: 60 pounds. I was 186 two week out of surgery. I have probably only lost 5 pounds due to the band alone. I don't have as much weight to lose as others and at this point do not want to eat less than I am eating. (1000-1400 cal/day). I am having difficulty getting my veggies and fruits in as it is. Since my banding and fills I have developed left shoulder pain (surgeon said it is not related to band - had upper GI - everything was okay). I have also developed reflux at night despite nexium and sleeping reclined. And then there is the pain/discomfort upon eating. Yes I chew and yes I eat slowly. I tend to eat softer foods because of this. For me, it seems, the band was not a good fit because I didn't have as much to lose. I had already been eating healthy for 2 years before so the change in eating wasn't as drastic as for others. The weight is not coming off and I am still always hungry. Protein does not keep the hunger at bay. I find carbohydrates do but I don't eat a lot of them. Oh, and the main reason I wanted to lose weight was to improve my chronic back conditions. It hasn't Anyway, at this point, I am having buyer's remorse. Anyone else feel this way?:biggrin:

I am very grateful for this site. I just read this whole blog and relate to every bit of it. I was banded in Oct. 2007. Got all this the same responses from my surgeon and bariatric team...eat dime size bites, chew chew chew, shoulder pain unrelated, you're eating to fast, etc. Maybe this team should read this site. These symptoms are way to common in post-banders to say the symptoms are unrelated. To this day, I've never been able to eat much solid food. I've always had to live on a couple of bites of food...always with discomfort. I've never been able to eat sitting down. So going to dinner parties, vacations and restaurants are out of the question. I just went for my first unfill a few weeks ago. I notice mild difference. Still can't tolerate solids very well and still have to stand up. Only difference is I can eat about 2-3 extra bites than before. So I will have to probably get another unfill. Yes, the financial aspect annoys me because I am a self-pay. Paid for this surgery and fills and now have to pay again to undo what I've already paid for. BUT, I don't dwell to much because after all said and done, I am paying to try to be comfortable. This band is a love hate relationship. I've been able to lose weight but I am worried that I am not eating nutritious food. I eat whatever can get through. I can only tolerate very small amounts of meats and forget any potatoes, pasta (except small amounts of rice) and bread. My carbs most come from yogurt and crackers. Ironically, I can eat some junk food without difficulty...but hate eating the stuff. Yet when I am hungry...I am eating what I can. I hate fish and my doctor always says "Can you eat fish?" Well, I didn't get this band to live off fish....but I will say I ate swordfish last night and liked it. I sat down but could only get about 3oz of it down without anything else. Went to a movie and was able to get popcorn down. so I was thrilled just to have those two things and nothing else that night. This isn't how I want to live yet I don't want to put weight on again. If anyone out there is having the same fear of unfilling because of putting on weight, I relate...BUT it won't stop me from doing what's necessary. I say that because I don't want to eat junk...I want to be able to eat small meals and be satisified...not rade the cabinet. I also have heartburn. I know I can't remain like this because I will have further gastric issues if not treated. Again, this site and especially this blog has encouraged me to perservere and get whatever unfills necessary.

KD - I agree. I had an upper GI at the end of January (after only 1 fill) and it showed a small, sliding hiatal hernia. Then the endoscopy done last week after the second fill showed the bigger hiatal hernia and reflux and the band being up high either deliberately placed there by my surgeon or it slipped up. I am going to try to get in sooner than the 24th but he is only in on Tuesdays. I am either going to be partially or totally unfilled. And I see a second opinion in my future. Goog luck to you.

I was banded on Dec. 10th, at 259 pounds. I woke up to very little pain and never ,even, needed the pain meds. I was crazy full the first 2 wks. At my 2wk check-up I had lost 16 pounds! I am now 243. I go back for a fill in 3 wks and can't wait to get weighed in (I still don't have a scale at home lol). It is a little harder now since I haven't had a fill and the swelling is down, but I still get full after about a cup to a cup and a half of food. I'm trying to stick to liquids and soft foods still ever though I am on stage three. I figure it will help me until I get a fill. Can't wait to see whats ahead!

Week 10 and I am down 40lbs!!! I am very excited. I am hoping that I can drop as much as possible early in the pregnancy so that when I start gaining later, it won't be so bad. Hope it works! LOL

I'm 4 weeks out today and just started soft foods. I'm so happy to be eating real food! Tonight I got a burrito bowl (no rice) from Chipotle and it was amazing. Before anyone goes thinking I'm nutso for getting Chipotle, I'll get 4 meals out of it and each serving is 125 calories, 6g of fat, 6g of carbs, and 12g of Protein. I've been pinning recipes on Pinterest for months. I'm so excited to be eating meat again!

On April 24th I will be exactly 3 months out. I have lost 67 lbs since then and I feel great!!! I started out at 304 and today I am 237. I still have a long way to go but it no longer feels impossible. The one thing that I need to do that Im not is taking Vitamins. I know I know. I should be but I cant keep them down. I dont do well with Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate. Im just going to start doing the gummies I think. Some is better than none. I also dont eat a low fat or sugar free "diet". I do track everything I eat on myfitnesspal.com I try to stick to whole natural foods. Occasionally I have a cookie and its the real stuff. I try to drink either Water or unsweetened tea but there are days I will hav OJ or sweet tea. I do full fat cheeses and everything but in moderation. I figure that no that quality is so important why put cardboard tasting stuff in my mouth?? It has worked. I also try to workout 3-4 times a week and I do Zumba. I have been trying to swich to a mostly organic lifestyle. I have went from a size 24 to a 20. I thought it would be more? Can anyone tell me if this is normal? I have heard peopl say that the smaller you get the more drastic the change in sizes gets?? Any feedback on this??