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Just thought I would post in the blog. Haven't posted in a while. Today I weighed and I am down 60 pounds! Very pleased considering I had failed at every diet out there. I will say the band is not an easy way out, it definitely requires a mindset change and lots of committment. I will say though that having support from family is the best thing ever too. However, I don't think I have support from my dad. He's never really been around and when I do talk to him on the phone it was always a lecture about my weight. Well I talked to him the other night and he says to me..."you havent given up have you??...I'm like on what? And he says to me "on losing weight". He says he hasn't seen a picture of me for a couple of weeks and so he was checking to see if I have given up. Are you serious? A couple weeks he hasn't seen a picture of me and he thinks that??? Needless to say I was a little crushed by his comment. I wanted to scream to the heavens...I have lost almost 60 pounds in 3 and half months for goodness sake! Some people are never happy I guess! Well enough about him even though it did take me a few days to get over his comment because then I would just look at myself and begin the doubting part. But today I am better, the scales moved again downward of course and I couldn't be happier. This journey so far has been incredible and I don't regret the band one bit. Well, that's enough rattling on for me for now. Hope everyone has a great day and good luck to all of you as well!

It sounds as though you were not educated about how the band works prior to surgery. Having a band is not a magical cure for obesity. The band is a tool that you have to use to achieve success. It will not choose the correct foods for you, it will not stop you putting chocolate and other low nutrition, fattening foods in your mouth, it will not force you to exercise. You are the only person that can do those things. I think you need to go back to basics. Eat what you should be ating in the recommended amounts and move more than you are currently.Having your band tighter will not necessarily help. If it is too tight you gain weight and set yourself up for all sorts of complications.

Contact your insurance first and try to go through whatever hoops they are going to require of you. Insurance has gotten so much better about allowing weight loss surgery than when I went through 3 years ago... I had to do self pay.. ouch!~ but I dont regret it at all.. I figure I saved that much money in the food I was consuming without the band... I would also attend all your local seminars and see what doctor's group you like the best, look at their certificaiton and how long they have been practicing.. all that! Take the time to do your research before you jump in!

Wow... I guess Im just tolerant to pain, but I had surgery on a Wed and went back to work the next day! I didnt take any time off at all. (except surgery day)... I didnt take the pain meds or anything but used Gas X strips to help with some bloating and uncomfort. I really really REALLY think that the sooner you are up and moving and getting around the better! It works the gas out of your system faster if you are moving. Im a teacher, So I was on my feet the whole time, walking. Was it painful...? I remember just some bit of uncomfort if I would turn too quickly or try to pick up something from the floor.. but other than that I didnt have issues. I do recall thinking that I was really kinda "out of it" on that Thursday (day after surgery) probably because the meds hadnt completely left my system... But I remember that I had something going on at school that I had to attend and needed to be there... so I did it. ( I did have my husband drive me to work that first day though...)

I also think that a smaller plate will stop u piling the food up, i was brought up to eat what i was given and still find it hard to leave food and stop eating all the food on it, so i made it easier on myself and made my meals smaller in the first place. It does help. I used a teaspoon to eat with after cutting up things like meat.. i tended to put more on my fork if i used one. Takes a good while to get rid of long entrenched habits like not wasting food

I've had 3 babies. I don't care who sees my "business" as long as it doesn't involve me taking home anymore bundles of joy.

Check out my blog post today showing how even though I weighed the same a year ago, I have changed my shape (smaller!) due to all the toning and resistance training I've done. The comparison pic is here: http://lapbandgalsjourney.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-enjoy-sharing-sweaty-shoes-with.html

Im 6 days out of having the sleeve , 3 years ago i had lap band and didnt work out for me initially i did loose weight then after 2 years started to put weight on again so 9 weeks ago had it removed so here i am ..i have done alot of research and listen to alot of you tube posts and opionions and i have to say most are very very positive. its not an easy choice nothing is ...what we are doing is high risk and will have emotional days and i think i will have withdrawal symptoms from the food i have been eating but all i know is if i dont do this i will die from Obesity.... Good Luck never give up hope xx

Hello Cat, I am 17 days post-op, and I do not regret it. The benefits are tremendous, and the goal is worth the journey. You will eat very little, you will not fell hungry, you will not hallucinate about food, you will be ligher. The best time to do it, is when you are all clear from any medical condition/complications like diabetes, heart condition, pulmonary condition,... Do it while you are fit, do not wait until you become impaired with other medical conditions to do it. Good luck

My two cents....for what it is worth. Remember that you are worth this and you are not a failure because your weight loss journey is different from those around you. In my three years I have come to realize that everyone is different even with the band. For example, I have great restriction, but I can eat bread. I always have been able to and waiting around for bread to get stuck to let me know that I have restriction or can't eat anymore is not going to help me at all. I lost 10 -15 lbs in the first month and basically hit a plateau that lasted nearly a year. Then I gave up, was depressed avoided my doctor and gained a lot of that weight back. My doctor wanted me to have a gastric bypass, even encouraged me to run the new testing and thankfully my insurance company denied it. He basically wrote me off as a patient. New doctor gave me very different support and aftercare. Some things I have now learned: (1) I need a low-carb diet. I eat 45-55 gms of carbs a day. Thats it, and a lot of that comes from fruits and veggies. The funny thing is that with carbs, they are either slider foods (potatoes) foods that get stuck, (doughy foods, rice) or sweets/nuts (high calorie, high sugar, high fat) and they often trigger cravings for more carbs! (2) I eat at regular intervals, every 3 hrs. Some people say they don't get hungry for 4-5 hrs. Not me. I'm hungry. If I rely on just hunger, I eat too much, if I to wait for 4-5 hrs I am starving and again I eat too much, too fast or make bad choices. Seriously figure out how long it takes you to get hungry and set your meals around that. I had an alarm on my cell the first week to remind me to eat because I am not starving at that point and sometimes miss the hunger signals, but I know if I go past the 3 hrs pt bad things happen. I also know if I am hungry between then it is probably dehydration and I'm not getting my fluids in. 3. Eat slowly. If I eat my 3/4 cup to 1 cup of food in less than 15 or 20 minutes I am eating way too fast and likely to eat way too much. You'll find if you are only eating softer foods you eat them faster because they don't get stuck. I have to force myself to eat Proteins like chicken or steak and fresh veggies because I am afraid they will get stuck and they require me to be very careful with the chewing. The other day I ate carrots too fast and they were stuck! Ugh. The old me would have stopped eating raw carrots. The new me knows I ate them too fast, and didn't chew well enough. Also know that I will get full on a smaller amount of carrots than I will lunch meat, or yogurt. If I can eat it that fast it is probably not that good for me!! Time yourself. I've done it and having that external cue to keep you on pace helps. Note: If you follow this guideline with portion size, small chews and length it takes to finish a meal and are still getting food stuck you are too tight!!! I know it sounds counterproductive, but being too tight means your body thinks it is starving and you WILL NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT!! Get the unfill, let your pouch heal and go back to the basics. My dr. does not like people relying solely upon Protein supplements for regular maintenance...so in his opinion you need to be able to eat lean meats without getting stuck.You can also be too tight and go over your calories because you tend to rely on soft mushy foods that are not going to keep you full and that are higher calorie for the volume. 4. Track your calories very very carefully. The've said it before and it is true. One of my biggest issues for me with this surgery was my slow metabolism. My body adjusts very quickly to a reduced caloric intake. You are not losing any weight because your body is adjusted to the amount of calories you are taking in. If i ate the amount of calories the calculators say I should to maintain weight (even without exercise I would be gaining 2-3 lbs a week! Trust me! I have tried.) I have to stay on a strict 1000-1200 calorie diet. If I am around 1400 or 1600 I gain. And when you break it down that is not a ton of calories and one pudding cup, cookie, or yogurt can quickly throw me over my daily goal. I may be eating what I would call a healthy diet but now post lap band for me healthy means getting lots of protein, paying strict attention to carbs, and focusing on non-starchy veggies. Very different from my BFF. If the scale is not moving I have to take a very serious look at what I am eating, own what I ate and make adjustments. My guess, if you haven't lost weight you are probably taking in the same amount of calories you were before the surgery just in a decreased volume. Again, doesn't mean you're eating ice cream all the time, but you would be amazed at how many calories you can take in even with the band. Someone said he does 3000 calories on a calorie cycling regimine for his high cal day. I know its hard and I know you may feel like people assume you aren't following the rules or are doing something to sabotage your success. Please don't give up!! I have run into plenty of guys and gals who struggle and this journey is a mental and physical one! Don't judge yourself or your success based on what others have done on the boards it will only make you feel more depressed. Set your own goals and Celebrate them, no matter how small. I celebrate tracking all my calories (especially if I have missed a day or two!) Adjusting behavior patterns and breaking internal cues and triggers can be hard. Your body does not want to lose weight, it thinks of that as starvation. You've got to outsmart your body and for some of us it takes more work than others! Good luck!