so, do any other women experience a change in your menstral cycle since being banded? i still feel like i am carrying around 2 watermelons on my chest full of water! and my period came a whole 5 days early this month. i have only lost 17lbs but in the past, when i lose weight my period changes from when i am heavier. does that make a shred of sense?

on another note. i seem to be going through alot of emotional changes lately. i don't know if they are band related or just feeling the crunch of pre-wedding stuff. i feel like i should be further along than i am with the band. i know it has been about a month. but, i really wanted to be down by more by now. well, not true. before the surgery, my one month goal was to lose 12lbs. i did that, and more. but once the scale started going down, i wanted to continue to see that until i had lost at least 30lbs. and i know that most real weight loss does not occur until the first fill, but remember, i got 3 ccs in my band at the time of band placement so, i didn't expect to be stalled for a week and a half. i should just be happy that my scale isn't going up continuously like it was pre-band. everything was too tight and my wedding dress was going to need to be let out some, now it will need to be taken in. so, i am grateful. but at the same time i want more. but, alot of my clothes fit better. so, there is progress.

another thing, someone suggested that i need to eat more calories in order to lose weight. well, let's see. honestly, most days i get between 300-500 in per day. once i eat, i am just not hungry. or thirsty. i get a little Water in first thing in the morning. then because i feel full from that, i wait about 45mins. to an hour before Breakfast. then once i eat that, i am full for another 3 or so hours. then i try the water again. then i am full til dinner. and i try to make low calorie healthy choices. i don't see how i can get more in. i don't like that stuffed feeling or the uncomfortable feeling of waiting for the stuffed feeling to go down. my fiance is constantly asking me what i had to eat today or asking about my food choices and stuff. i know he is just concerned but it is annoying sometimes too. i have told him i don't need him being the Protein police or anything else. i know the rules of the band and i intend on abiding by them!

again, maybe i am having pms or just whacked out because of the wedding.

Aussie Chick:

I know what you mean about only having flabby belly....that is the only trouble spot I will be having too. I think its prob (and I am guessing because I don't know you) is that we have most of our "fat" in our bellies --well that and my butt is in trouble too...lol. So if we lost and gained in the stomach area, it would make it stretch easier..hence be flabbier!

I want to lose the weight slowly so I can do crunches to be able to keep up the firming along with the weightloss so that I don't need a tummy tuck (no way can I afford that).

thanks everyone for your input and support. i need to chill. i AM mega stressed. i failed to mention that my mother and family are totally unsupportive of my upcoming wedding (my husband is white and i am black and he is older than me) but that is another thread!! she has not been nice during this planning phase and it hurts. but, again this is not a psychological venting thread so i won't go into the saga of it all. then i got offered a new job , accepted it and then declined it because i thought i was making too many changes at once (getting married, the ring, moving out of my apartment and preparing to move in with my husband once we are married, i do have a daughter). i don't want pity or anything from anyone i am just living and experiencing life like everyone else. but i just feel like i don't want to deal with another major life change right now. i am trying to de-stress because i know stress is a killer on the body!

thanks again for your kind words and advice. i am aiming at getting in at least 1000 healthy calories a day. i may have to start getting up earlier in the morning!!!!

Ugh family can stink sometimes can't they??

Best wishes to you!!

Bettina - I relate to the flabby belly too, I am hoping I'll be covered for a tummy tuck when I'm done. If you're looking for other options to try to add to your program, there are a few things mentioned in this article that I'm going to try myself. Take with a grain of salt, like many alternative programs, there isn't a strong medical support to them. However, none of them are harmful in any way, and some of them, like skin brushing and massage, you can do to yourself and are free, and are good for your circulation and feel good to boot. So even if it's not having a skin firming effect, it's doing you good.

Aussie Chick:

I know what you mean about only having flabby belly....that is the only trouble spot I will be having too. I think its prob (and I am guessing because I don't know you) is that we have most of our "fat" in our bellies --well that and my butt is in trouble too...lol. So if we lost and gained in the stomach area, it would make it stretch easier..hence be flabbier!

I want to lose the weight slowly so I can do crunches to be able to keep up the firming along with the weightloss so that I don't need a tummy tuck (no way can I afford that).

Welcome to the Flabby Belly Club Leila,

That was a good article, I put it in my favorites, I forgot about Lecithin!! The massaging of the skin is good to shrink cellulite (since it can't be dieted away. My sis lost 70lbs right after GB-very quickly and now she has an "apron" she wants removed...I so do not want that!!! Her mother in law has the apron in the belly area after having bypass also......and.....ugh......flat bum....she used to tell me that she would sit down and think she was sitting on something...come to find out it was her own flabby hiney....she had the surgery done and is soooo skinny now. But she said the surgeon did a crappy job, it was the bypass doc and not a plastic surgeon. (but, it was covered by her insurance) But my theory on that is she is like 65yrs old and the probabiltiy of her wearing a bikini -not that she can't--i know her and there is now way she would--so the surgery wasn't pretty....at least she is not sitting on her butt flap! Oh yeah she had wicked sores from the overhang! (sorry that was graphic I know!)

I sold Avon up until 2 months ago and I have lotion that firms your butt and stomach....so I am gonna give it a try. For the most part, Avon is pretty good, so we will see!

I agree w/the others at least 1000 calories a day. My regular doctor says that should be the minimum, you want a HEALTHY body!

I didn't have cycles without taking progesterone pre-band. Two weeks, after banding, I know have a monthly cycle without the meds! My cycles are mostly normal. So, I guess that's a change for the good...

Stress also does some weird things to the body. Don't discount that part (weight loss, marriage, future-in-law, plus life).

Good luck. Shawn