Oregondaisy

I am doing fine. I am not losing either. I saw a lady today that told me that she has had her band for 3 years and is still losing. Somehow that made me feel better. I just don't want this to be all I lose. Even if it comes off slowly, it's better than gaining and gaining more and more. Renee, I don't know what to tell you. I do the same as you and I don't lose either. I have to believe it will come off. I know other people that get stuck on plateaus, and tell me that all of a sudden they will drop a few more and they didn't do anything any differently. Audree, I can't help you out with TOM. I haven't had any of those for 4 years now, since I was 50.

JC, I have horrible insomnia so I know how it feels to stay awake. Are you doing this by choice or you just can't sleep. I am confused....doesn't take much to confuse me. I am so excited. I love Mondays because Big Medicine is on . I love that show because all the overweight people deal with the same issues that we do. Leona, Maybe you are just too young to be tied to one person. You've got your entire life ahead of you to HAVE FUN! I wish I could have gotten the band at a much younger age, although at 22, I weighed 110 lbs. It doesn't matter though. I remember being 22. I got married at 19 and was divorced at 21 because I couldn't stand being tied down and wanted to party. Chrispy, I think you are amazingly wise for your age!

I am so glad chicken doesn't give me trouble. I practically live on chicken. For those that don't understand how food gets stuck-The band is placed at the very top of the stomach. When you start eating, if the band gets plugged up, the food gets stuck in your esophagus. Picture an upside down funnel. You swallow the food, and it has to pass through that narrow part where the funnel turns into a ball. If it doesn't it's stuck in the neck of the funnel. And it hurts! That's why it's important to chew until it's liquid. I try to make a game of it. How much more could I possibly chew this until there is nothing left to chew. Doing this, I can eat mostly everything. If I forget, or think I have chewed enough and I haven't, it's a lot of pain.

I read the first page and it said during the first year. It didn't say you had to have the band a year.

Janet, hang in there. We will think positive thoughts that this is going to turn out like it did for you sister. Lessofme, you sound exactly like me. I am 54 also, and my dr. told me ahead of time that it would be slow going because I don't have as much to lose as some of the others. At the same time, I would really like to lose something instead of going on these month long plateaus.

Julie, is that Body Bugg hard to use?I heard you have to plug it into the computer to get the read out. I am not very computer literate but maybe I would have better success with my WL if I had something like that.

I have had three fills. the first one was 8 weeks after surgery. 1.25 in a 4 cc band. Then it was about 8 weeks again until my next one, which brought me to 2.0 cc's . I guess it must have been another 8 weeks later I had the last one which brought me to 2.5. I would do a lot better if sweets didn't go through the band so easily. I can do very well with small portions, then some event like a wedding will blow everything. I gain very easily, and it will take me a week to lose what I gained in one bad eating day.

thanks so much, Jen. I seem to be doing everything correctly. I just wish the scales would show it! I seem to only lose right after a fill. I wish I was losing as well as the rest of you! You Violets are hard to keep up with . I was out of town for a few days, and have a lot of reading to do!

I love this thread. I agree totally that being over 50 is different for the younger bandsters. I think I need another fill. I seem to only lose right after a fill now. I have to wait until after I get back from Arizona in the middle of August. My dad doesn't about the band because I didn't want to listen to a lecture on how I could have done this on my own bla bla.... I still get food stuck and it's much worse right after a fill. I don't want to be stuck around him.

They talk about weight on the plenty of fish website all the time, in the forums. There are so many guys on there that say they wouldn't date someone who is overweight. they have even said they don't care so much whether she is pretty or not, as long as she isn't overweight. There may be men who don't care about weight, and I would love to find one, but the majority of them that is a big issue with them and a deal breaker. Chrispy, Sounds like things are moving in the right direction with you and Mike. I am happy for you! JC, I really hope you're feeling better. You've been through the ringer.

I have lost 40 lbs in 7 months. The first 22 were while I was on the liquid stage the first 4 weeks post op. It's taken me 6 months to lose the next 18. So if I have 5 months to go, and now I seem to lose about 2 lbs a month the past 3 months, I think I will qualify to stay here. Do you think we need to start a new thread for slow losers that feel they are slow losers even if they haven't had the band a year?

Wow! That article is a little bit discouraging. I am glad I have not eliminated fruit from my diet. The dr. says 75% protein and 25% fruits and veggies. It said it can last 6 months. Mine started 4 months post op so I have a few months of it left. I hate it. Every time I wash my hair, I lose several handfuls.

I sure hope you don't have to have your band removed, JC. You've worked way too hard. I am sure they can fix it by letting it rest. I sure hope so!

JC, I am so sorry to hear that. I know you struggled last time you were unfilled. I hope so much that you're feeling better. That whole ordeal had to be extremely hard on you. I hope you're feeling well enough to get outside and do the things you've learned to love. I don't know if you've ever watched that TV show "Big Medicine" There are two doctors, who are father and son.They do bands and gastric bypass. Well their daughter/sister is banded and she had to fly all the way to Texas because she sat in the ER in her state for hours and nobody knew how to unfill her. Her brother unfilled her and in a matter of seconds, she was better. Hospitals across the US better get used to people needing doctors knowing how to take care of us. I can't even imagine what would happen in this hick town if my dr. was out of town, and I was having problems.

Oh JC, I am so glad to hear you're okay. Did they have to unfill you? How scary! Tell us what happened. Did you just start puking or something?

That sounds like a great way to do it Audree! My dr. only gives us a glass of water to drink. When he had me too tight, the water came back up. Then he took a little bit out. All I know is, I seem to lose the most right after a fill when I can barely eat. Then I get stuck on these maddening plateaus.:think

Hi Ladies, I wish I lived closer and could get together with all of you. You're all doing so well, and are great support to each other. As for hair loss, I am almost 7 months out and my hair is still falling out in handfulls. If anyone knows when that's going to stop, I'd love to hear it too. I heard it can be from the anesthesia too. If anyone had surgery before, and knows if their hair ever fell out that time too, I'd love to hear that too. I have been trying to find the nutrition plan that's posted somewhere on here. Does anyone know what page it's on? I really struggle with slow weight loss, but my dr. always tells me it's because I didn't have as much to lose. That isn't encouraging to me. I hate these plateaus!

Leona, How much weight have you lost? I am so happy for you! You sound really happy. I hope this is the relationship you're been waiting for!

It sounds like you might be a little bit too tight. If you lose a little bit more weight, you will lose fat around your stomach and you should loosen up a little bit. There were foods I couldn't eat right after a fill for a few weeks, that I can eat fine now. We need our meat!

I tried to find it and I couldn't find it. Could you direct me to it? I put shrinking violets in the search and it said the thread couldn't be found. Then I went to shrinking violets on the first page and it was only101 pages and I know that other thread had over 300 pages. If you could show me where that page where the nutrition is posted , I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much!

OH Thanks Jen, I somehow lost that thread. I'll look for it. It's on the shrinking violets thread, right?

Audree, I have lost about 45 lbs. I seem to go on plateaus too, and then all of a sudden I will drop a few, without doing anything different. I am going to wait to get another fill until after I go to Arizona to see my dad. I don't want to be stuck around him. He doesn't know I have the band. Right now I am doing pretty well, not getting stuck as often. I have learned over the last 7 months to really chew well and take the tiny bites. It took me a long time to get that right. I hate being stuck more than anything.

Margi, I am with everyone else on this. If it doesn't get better in a few days, have a slight unfill. I had to do protein drinks for a few days after my last fill because I was too tight, but it loosened up. As we lose fat around our stomach, the band gets looser.

Audree, I wasn't trying to say that you're too tight or that you're doing anything wrong. I am just worried about getting another fill and that I will be too tight. With the last fill I got, it was very difficult for a little while. I need to loosen up some more, and I'll probably get some more so I can start losing easier again. It seems to be such a fine line between being over filled, and having it just right. I am just so afraid of having problems that I've read about here at LBT. I have always been a worrier, and I worry about slippage and erosion all the time.

I have to say that I can't drink anything cold either. People always look at me strangely when I am in a restaurant and I ask for water with no ice. In the morning, when I take all my medicines, I take it with hot water.