Hi everyone! My name is Melissa. I was banded by Dr. Zapata in Monterrey, Mexico back in the spring of 2010. This is a bit long, but I gotta get it out... Maybe it'll help people who end up in my situation. Who knows?

Unfortunately, I went into the surgery with a HORRIBLE attitude. I just sat back and expected my band to do ALL of the work for me without me actually making any changes. If I ate too much or too fast, I just threw it up. No big deal, right? Of course... I wouldn't even admit that to myself. I for the LIFE of me couldn't figure out why I was sick EVERY SINGLE TIME I ATE!

In spite of all of that, I DID manage to lose about 60 pounds, but... Because of the vomiting (that again, I just couldn't make sense of) my band was ultimately drained and I was diagnosed with gall stones and had my gall bladder removed to help with the constant sickness. Lo and behold, I had my gall bladder removed last Thanksgiving (2013) and the vomiting didn't even slow down. Stress made it worse. I'm currently in nursing school and I WAY know about stress.

We had finals a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't focus to study because I was literally throwing up everything I put in my mouth. So... To try to take my mind off of my stomach pain and puking, I switched myself to a liquid diet. That lasted from Saturday night until my final Wednesday morning. Amazingly, I felt a lot better. I wasn't throwing up. My constant sinus pain-- apparently the result of reflux while I was sleeping that was burning my sinus cavity-- vanished. I DID NOT DO THE liquid diet FOR WEIGHT LOSS. Remember? I was in denial. My band was just broken. It did nothing. Who the heck knew why I always threw up? Maybe I had stomach cancer... (LOL I swear I'm not usually so melodramatic)

When I started eating solids again, I was reluctant. I felt a lot better and was kinda sad to think I'd be giving it up. So I did was professional students do. I researched. Guess what? People who don't respect their WLS and don't change their habits tend to have the issues I was having. A more. And giving my banded stomach time to heal with no puking allowed my band to actually make its presence known. So, I figured what the heck...

I started back like I had just had surgery. Soft foods eaten slowly. No drinking with meals. Smart food choices. You know.... All the stuff I was meant to do the FIRST TIME around. And holy crap, it's like I've actually had WLS. Even with an unfilled band. I have restriction. I'm content with a cup to a cup and a half of food. I haven't thrown up in weeks. I've lost 20 pounds. Head hunger exists. I don't like it, but I can cope. Because dang it, I paid for this surgery and even if it was 4 years ago I'm gonna get my money's worth!

So, that's where I stand. That's my story. And I'm back. And this time, dang it, I'm gonna do it right!

~ Melissa ~

Hi there, so happy for you to reclaim your health -- throwing up is no way to live. Some one mentioned the YouTubes of Dr. O'Brien's Eight Golden Rules. Those really helped me, to, and also Dr. Simpson's web site with a section on how the band works. We all get the stress eating thing, that's for sure. I worked with a therapist for a while to identify my triggers. This was work I thought I had already done. I'm in my fifties and have struggled with weight and body images for so long, read so many books, some precious therapy, etc. But this time it was different because of the band and knowing it was possible to get my appetite dimmed which left the habit part to deal with. We really broke down the nuts and bolts my behaviors. It was so tedious but I did it and lo and behold I discovered new information. Basic stuff like hating the phone so every time I had to do a conference call I'd eat in advance then reward myself after. Or the phone ringing and going for food as part of picking up the receiver -- talk about Pavlov's Dog! Woof. The awareness of this kind of thing helped me stop doing it. Sometimes I have to remind myself, "I don't do that anymore!" Of course there are still struggles, like the wine and cheese party my body wants to have every damn day at five o'clock on the dot or the movie watching grazing thing, etc. But you know what? It's all working, one day at a time. And I am a different woman now that I have chosen myself. I find I am also choosing not to get all whirled up in stress that I don't really care about. I do my work but the self-awareness of my banded life has changed how I think. Other people's crises are just that now. Not mine. I'm taking care of me first. It's so empowering -- more empowering than cheese, lol, or that chocolate in the pantry. I love this thread and the determination. So inspiring!

Quick update for the day-- the scale had initially driven me nuts by going up about 3-4 pounds, but I'm back down to 230. Buuuuut, according to the measurements I took last week, I've lost an inch at the waist and almost 2 inches in the hips/lower gut area!! My "wants" are a lot more copacetic with my "needs" these days and I don't feel like I have to keep eating just out of habit or compulsion. That's life-changing right there!!!

Woo-hoo!

My first week back was a success. I am down 4 pounds!!!! I allowed myself a sweet treat at the end of each day and still lost weight. This week I will try and stick to sugar free Jello and Atkins treats. Looking forward to the next round of results. I'm feeling better about myself again.

Edited August 17, 201411 yr by 2911plans

Yay! It's so nice to feel better about ourselves, isn't it? My scale doesn't seem super cooperative, but I guess the GIGANTIC initial drop I had of about 15 pounds over the first two weeks should negate the past week of no loss. LOL I do wish I could see results like that all the time, though! Congrats on a great start!

Thank you Melissa! Don't get discouraged about the scale. You reported losing inches this week so that meant fat loss. You have a reason to Celebrate.

Dee

Edited August 12, 201411 yr by 2911plans

Even though I'm seeing inches lost..

*grumble*

So... I have a 3 pound gain today. I suspect it's because I'm not drinking enough. I can feel that I might be slightly dehydrated-- I've seriously been slacking on my Water (I don't drink anything else though). So... I reckon that might have SOMETHING to do with my gain? I'm OVER the 230s! LOL I've hit 230 3 times now and never go down past it!! I'm being meticulous with my calories (1100-1200/day). I'm starting yoga tonight and am gonna FORCE myself to get my rump on the elliptical. I'm ready to see that scale # MOVE!!

This post is great. Keep up the good work!

Had my first yoga class tonight. Wow. I used to coach competitive level gymnastics and despite being chubby I was really a very strong person. Not anymore. Woooo. That kicked my butt! LOL and yet I can't wait for next week!!

I just got goosebumps all over and started crying!! Congratulations!!

Ok. The scale and I are NOT FRIENDS. My weight is still fluctuating between 230 - 235. I'm monitoring my calories, no snacking, lots of Water, the stupid scale refuses to budge. I AM seeing a change on the tap measure (I do it daily just because it's the only change I'm seeing!), but the actual weight is refusing to budge!!

Am I fooling myself that I'm being so careful with my food? I mean, I'm eyeballing it, but your fist is about a cup, right? A desk of cards is 4oz of Protein... An ounce is the tip of your thumb...

I KNOW the tape measure is realistically more important than the pounds, but seeing the freaking scale refuse to really budge is just driving me up the wall. I'm 3.5 weeks in and the scale seriously hasn't moved since the first week and a half (which was a nice whoosh of 15 pounds!).

This is the point when I usually say, "Screw it". I'm an emotional eater afterall. But, I'm NOT gonna do that, but MAN I'm irritated!

Buy a New scale .... you are doing fine ..

Bama,

A watched pot never boils. Stop measuring and weighing every day if it causes so much pain. What you are experiencing is exactly what almost all of us experienced after surgery(I know you're re-starting). Below is a link that explains why you lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks. Now you're working on losing fat and that will be slow compared to those first two weeks.

http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

Thanks for the support, y'all. It means so much to know people have "been there, done that" and come out successful on the other side.

2muchfun, that article was AMAZING!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It helps me understand what might be going on!

@@BandedInBama Do you use an app or total the calories? Sometimes I think I'm eating right but it ends up being too many calories. Also, what kind of exercise do you do? And finally, are you getting good sleep? that is just as important as eating right and exercise.

Just do the right thing and you will see results! hang in there!