Hi everyone--I thought I'd listen to some advice from one of the other monthly groups and start one master thread in which we have an ongoing discussion/updates. I don't know about you all but I certainly spend most of my time on these boards on the pre-op forum and the general forum, not here. It would be nice to have just one thread to go to once in this forum.

We can maybe start out with introductions?

As for me, I'm going the "online privacy" route for now (paranoid that people I haven't told about this will somehow stumble across me on this site I guess, which is crazy, I know) but I can give you the big picture:

You can call me Penny, I'm 27, single and live in the Washington, DC area. I have a background in politics (which is why I live in DC) but now I'm a librarian which is much cooler and way more fun (trust me on that). Oh, and there's no "Marion the Librarian" thing with me either. One of the things I hear most frequently (besides the cliche "you have such a pretty face") is "but you don't LOOK like a librarian", which is another one of those bizarre backhanded compliments that you never really know how to take.

Personality wise, I'm kind of dorky, big into public radio and books and popular science. Oh, I'm also a little on the paranoid side (as you may be able to tell from earlier in this post). Beyond that I'm just kind of silly and friendly, VERY much so into traveling and I'm an aspiring "green" domestic diva (but that's not going so well).

Ok, I'm more than curious. Where do I find info on the 5 day Pouch Test? I must admit that up until my last fill (I have 8.25 ml in an 11 ml band) I thought the problem might have been a stretched pouch. Since the last fill, I think it was just a matter of not having enough fill.

As of this week I've hit "One-deland" - it's a fantastic feeling. But maybe I was lucky in that I only needed 34lb lost to get there! Still it's been nearly 15 years since I've been here and I feel I can achieve my goal.

As of this week I've hit "One-deland" - it's a fantastic feeling. But maybe I was lucky in that I only needed 34lb lost to get there! Still it's been nearly 15 years since I've been here and I feel I can achieve my goal.

Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test

congrats!! on hitting wonderland!! that must be a great feeling!!

I am just trying to break 250 at the moment.. 6 lbs to that goal..

this weeks update:

just going day by day and trying to do my best and hope that at the end of the week the scale will have moved. last week (the week after my last fill) I lost 3 lbs.. and oh it so hard not to hope for that.. i wish! slow and steady wins the race!

its about 30-40 degrees here so I am just trying to be creative with getting my walking in, I have a 14 month old.. so to cold to be out to long.. so the mall it is!! that can be dangerous however... to many opportunities to buy stuff. :thumbup:

hope you all are having a great week!

this weeks update:

just going day by day and trying to do my best and hope that at the end of the week the scale will have moved. :thumbup: last week (the week after my last fill) I lost 3 lbs.. and oh it so hard not to hope for that.. i wish! slow and steady wins the race!

its about 30-40 degrees here so I am just trying to be creative with getting my walking in, I have a 14 month old.. so to cold to be out to long.. so the mall it is!! that can be dangerous however... to many opportunities to buy stuff.

hope you all are having a great week!

Nothing wrong with being a mall walker, Just leave your wallet in the trunk

I'm now on Day 3 of the 5 Day Pouch Test. You'd think after 2 days of liquids, I'd lose some weight, but NOOOOOO, not an ounce. I want to break 190 so bad I can taste it. The last day of the 5 Day Pouch Test is Friday and by Saturday moring I'd better be below 190!

That's ok Donna, I lost 3lbs while doing it and now have gained all 3 back. Can't even begin to tell you how agravated(sp?) I am. Are you going to try to go to the lap band conference?

I won't be going to the conference in NY/NJ next March. But if they have one here in Houston sometime next year, I definitely will go. I'm hoping that I will have reached goal by next summer and will be shopping for a PS specializing in WLS patients.

I'm now on Day 3 of the 5 Day Pouch Test. You'd think after 2 days of liquids, I'd lose some weight, but NOOOOOO, not an ounce. I want to break 190 so bad I can taste it. The last day of the 5 Day Pouch Test is Friday and by Saturday moring I'd better be below 190!

Hey guys.. so I just wanted to add something.. so when you switch to liquids for a few days and then slowly build back up.. you may or may not lose weight because your body is always trying to balance the fluid levels it has.. so you may initially lose but it could just be water weight. thats why they dont recommend liquids or fasting for a long period of time because it actually confuses the body and it starts to think its not going to get nutrience and starts to store everything as fat because its not sure when things will get back to normal. I am not a doctor but thats just some of the stuff I have learned from studying medicine and nutrition. so I think the pouch test could be beneficial in shrinking your stomach back to shape and help with some restriction or even calming hunger.. but you probably cant depend on it to lose weight. I think only small steady portions and excercise is going to help with that.

anyone I have talked to that has lost a larger amount of weight just with diet and excercise talks about the great 'stall'.. but then they say if you are just consistant and can push through eventually you start to lose again. also the more muscle you tone and build the more fat you will burn because tone muscle burns fat because it needs the fat for energy. so working out it takes awhile to tone and so therefore you may not see any results for awhile..

I know this is frusterating.. but we just have to hang in there.. push through and be consistant.. at least thats what i am trying to do. I find it so hard to be patient and be happy with 1 lb a week.. but thats how it goes.

you can do it!!

Thx, I really needed that pep talk. I was upset earlier but I just got back from curves and although my weight loss this month wasn't what it has been in the past month's(after ups and downs it was 6lbs)I lost 6in and another % body fat. So i felt alot better. I've got to stop getting on that blasted scale so much. I'm working on that

Thx, I really needed that pep talk. I was upset earlier but I just got back from curves and although my weight loss this month wasn't what it has been in the past month's(after ups and downs it was 6lbs)I lost 6in and another % body fat. So i felt alot better. I've got to stop getting on that blasted scale so much. I'm working on that

wow thats awesome way to go!!

Today was day 3 of the 5 day pouch test and I'm very glad I cancelled my fill appt. yesterday. I ate 3/4 cup of chicken salad for lunch (12:00) and it kept me satisfied until dinner at 7:00 PM (1 cup of tuna salad). It's definitely given me back my restriction. The next time I feel like I may need another fill, I may try liquids for a couple of days just to see if that restores it.

My doctor took a second look at the fleuroscopy pics from my band study and he now thinks I have a leak. Worst part is that he thinks it's in the band itself which means a whole new band. I'm going to go in on Tuesday for a fill and will go back in a week or two to see if it holds, but at this point I think I'm out of luck. So I'm pretty sure I'm looking at another operation uggggh!!!

lovegrapes, couldn't he use the thicker fill solution? I've heard it works for minor leaks.

Kimaly -

It really does show that we can't be slaves to the scale. Congrats on your success!

Wow! I've dropped seven pounds in eight days! I could just kiss Dr. Tran. :-D

And better yet, no PBing, no problems eating (carefully) even in the morning. Just a subtle decrease in hunger level that allows me to not eat quite as much and as often. :tongue2::thumbup:

I'll be darned, this thing actually works! :tt2:

Edited November 14, 200817 yr by orea15
spelling error!