If you were, I'd love to hear from you and how you are doing. I've lost 40 pounds, have 30 more to go, and I've hit a plateau the size of St. Louis, MO. I've dropped five dress sizes, and all I can see when I look down is my gut. I still crave sweets, I haven't hit my "sweet spot" yet (restriction from fills lasts a week and then POOF!), and I wouldn't trade my band for anything, even world peace. I never see anything on here from people banded when I was, and would love to hear from you.

I haven't been on for sometime now. I'm wondering what others have experienced. I have had some big time ups and downs. It was all trial and error for me maybe some of you as well. I lost 50 lbs I still need 25 to get to my initial target. I haven't lost weight in about 5 months. I got so sick of throwing up all the time I decided to get most of the fluid out. I have 1.2 cc in and I'm able to eat comfortably most of the time. I am trying to do this on my own for the most part . I would like to lose the rest by exercising. Its not working though. Darn! Maybe I'm just not dedicated enough but I am definitely frustrated right now because I still feel overweight even though I'm not. I have horrible lose skin everywhere too. Does anyone else have this? I've bee sick, i lost my hair, my nails look horrible and I've been trying to get my skin back to normal. Its been a tough road for me. Anyone else agree?:blushing:

I have had some hair loss but none of the other problems you mentioned. I am sure that I would have skin issues if I lost more weight than I did.

Maybe you should continue to eat well until your hair skin and nails are better, then go for a tiny fill. If you have loose skin, more than likely only PS will help that.

I don't know what you mean about being dedicated enough to exercise. I exercise 5-6 days a week. I am sure I would have never lost all of my weight if I was not dedicated to my exercise.

Well I lost my weight without exercising. I was always sick and I didn't have enough calories to give me any sort of energy so I always felt tired. I literally starved my body because I couldn't get anything in. I was always sliming no matter what fill I had. This is the first time in a long time that I've felt so good. I just have a small fill and I can eat most foods except those tough ones obviously. I've been going to the gym for about a month but as I mentioned above, i lost my weight with the band itself. the rest is up to me now, I am now feeling a lot better and I have some skin color, I looked pretty sick all the time. Anyhow I was just wondering if anyone had a hard road like mine.

I am glad your doing well and that your so dedicated to the gym. I go three times a week and i'm getting into the hang of it because I'm sure a chunk of my weight loss was mostly muscle. boy have I learned some difficult lessons but I don't regret getting the band at all! :blushing:

it all depends on the individual i suppose.

alice

banded December 20th 2006

Dr. Huacuz

starting weight-206

current weight-148

goal-125 hopefully

I hope you don't think I am putting you down for not exercising enough. I had the opposite problem. I had a hard time getting good restriction, so I had to exercise. It took me probably 8 fills before I felt like I even had a band.

Some people are very sensitive to fills. It sounds like you are for sure. If you think getting a tiny one would make you start sliming again, you

know your body.

I wish I could be of more help.

Hey Kaboom,

I'm right there with you. I hit a major plateau when I got my calories down to practically zilch, and even exercise didn't help. It's like my body has a setpoint of 180, and nothing, not Medifast, Weight Watchers, Phen-Fen, NutriSystem, nada, got me past 180. I felt like crap, decided to eat, and gained back almost 20 pounds. Finally, I decided that enough was enough. Since I can't eat Pasta, bread, rice, tortillas, corn, or peas, I finally turned to a low-carb diet, and I'm down to 183. I'm holding my breath to see if I can slip by 180. We'll see. I know that I can finally eat, my skin is pretty good (I am old, after all), my nails and hair aren't crispy, and cutting the carb and increasing the fat is helping me a lot. It's not for everybody, but I was freaking starving to death and not losing. What good was the band? I've lost the 17 pounds in eight weeks, I have enough energy to work out again, and for me, the combination of low-carb and the band is perfect. I'm no doctor, but you sound malnourished to me.

Hope you December bandsters are still out there. My surgeon's support groups are at times that I can't make easily, so this board and Low Carb Friends have turned into my support.

BubbleButt, I love your posts. Have you made goal? I was completely off track for a year, gained 17 pounds (yikes), but am back to my lowest weight post-banding (181) and still dropping. I started out at 220, and my goal is 155.

I'd love to hear from any Dec. 06 bandsters and how yo are doing.

Thanks for the compliment! Usually people think I am mean. ;o)

Yep, met goal and I'm below goal. 128 and DONE!

Congrats on getting back on track! You can do it, you have to want it enough to get out there and do it! I don't do low carb but I do no-white-carb. That made all the difference in the world for me.

That is so cool that you are so close to goal! I belong to Low Carb Friends, and some of the people there are so reactionary about the Lap-band. It's always the ones who haven't had the band that are so vocal about how dangerous it is, and there's such a high risk of complications, and no long-term studies have been done. Rubbish. You are to be commended! (the sound of loud applause)

Pat

You know, I went to that forum and posted about lap bands. I was in the mood for some battling! LOL I didn't get it, everyone was quite supportive. I was almost disappointed. ;o)

Truthfully, I was just glad nobody was downing WLS. Maybe the tide is changing and people will soon see it as a treatment for a legit problem.

Great job everyone. I am doing well, have had a few struggles but that keeps it interesting! I work out almost every day but can eat most everything I want...just in smaller portions obviously. More great news...my husband is inspired and is getting a lap band. I am very happy for him. (Of course he is going to do everything right tho...lol...) Congrats everyone!

I am one happy bandster on an unhappy vacation. I am under a lot of stress right now with my elderly father and eating ice cream every day. I am sure I have gained quite a bit but the great thing with the band is that once I get back home and back to my routine, I know it

will come off again. I am never really hungry but dealing with too much

head hunger right now due to an overload of stress.

Hey everyone...

Just wanted to mention that I had the honor of seeing Denise again! She was in Phoenix and we got together, did a little shopping, I bought a bra that finally fits (heh), and we had a good time. She's as fantastic in real time as she is on line. It was a pleasure seeing her again and I look forward to seeing her again this fall!

You are way too sweet. It was my pleasure and I am so glad you live somewhere where we can get together!

Hi Denise and Bubble! I just reread as many of both of your posts as I could today to get a leg up on getting off this plateau. Just maddening! I'm down 115 pounds and have about 50 to go. I can't remember anytime in my adult life I've had only 50 to go but getting off this plateau is a real bugger! I just printed out Bubble's plateau busting diet by Dr. Fox. I'm going to try it starting tomorrow. I just want to thank both of you for all of your help through your posts. The first thing I do when I get on this website is do a search on you guys. Can't tell you how much it means to me. Susan

Sheesh you guys!

Can you believe it has been 18 months since we were banded??? A year and a half.

I see newbies posting with their newbie tickers and I remember how that felt! Remember when your own ticker was allll the way to the left?

Anyone have any memories? Something funny to share? Dumbest question you ever asked? Something humorous about your last 18 months?

I remember one of my dumbest posts. First time I slimed, I wrote on my docs board and I finally knew was sliming was and OMG! How disgusting!

Like everyone needed to know I slimed? ;o) It was so significant at the time!

Here's to a year and a half!

Hi Denise and Bubble! I just reread as many of both of your posts as I could today to get a leg up on getting off this plateau. Just maddening! I'm down 115 pounds and have about 50 to go. I can't remember anytime in my adult life I've had only 50 to go but getting off this plateau is a real bugger! I just printed out Bubble's plateau busting diet by Dr. Fox. I'm going to try it starting tomorrow. I just want to thank both of you for all of your help through your posts. The first thing I do when I get on this website is do a search on you guys. Can't tell you how much it means to me. Susan

Wow! I feel honored! I love my band and I am very happy if I can help anyone. It was a long road to get here in the beginning. Sometimes I got really discouraged and felt like it just wasn't going to work. I am really lucky that I only live 5 min from our doctor. If I wasn't able to get in for fills and unfills, I am sure I wouldn't have been as successful. It was tricky for me to get the right fill since Dr. T doesn't use fluro. But he got it right

through trial and error and now I am one happy bandster. I wish WasA wasn't having band problems:frown:

I have already lost 3 of the 5 lbs I gained while I was on my ice cream diet in Arizona.

By the way, where is this plateau busting diet? I am actually still in an overweight BMI and it would be great to be able to lose just a little bit more. I picked this goal weight not because of a BMI, but because I said from the beginning I would be happy just to be in a size 12.

Edited May 25, 200818 yr by Oregondaisy

I don't think this is particularly funny but I have a recent experience.

It's been a long time since I got food stuck and I got careless. I didn't chew well enough and it was time to take my dad back to his assisted living place. I was sliming like crazy. Every couple of blocks I had to stop the car open the door and spit. My dad doesn't know I am banded. Luckily, my mom had this problem where she had to have her esophagus stretched. My dad told me to go and have that surgery that my mom had when she was throwing up all the time.