carol285

Life has been a bit crazy sorry I never got back to you!!! I hit the 100.5lb loss at my appointment & I', now up to 106lbs off. I don't keep my band horribly tight like I know some folks like to because I want to be able to eat everything just in limited quantities. I am tighter in the morning then the rest of the day. I kind of coasted for 6 months bouncing up/down 15lbs but since the first of the year I have been ready & motivated to getting back to losing. It is a process after all, we are human! How have you been doing?

I'm actually at my doc right now for a check in! I'm hoping to have hit the 100lb loss mark today, but not sure if I made it. How about you? Any problems or issues with the band?

I was!

I would be as long as it's OK if I can't make it at the last minute (my son has Autism & my husband is also disabled) so sometimes I have to abandon my plans suddenly! I'm from Queens & I also can never seem to get to LI on the evenings my surgeon has support groups

So true about sizing!! I currently have everything from a size 12-18 in my closet & they all fit!!

I stayed overnight & my hospital had a very large wrap around style so nothing was showing no matter what size you were, wasn't bad at all really!!

I wonder why they said not to follow a Weight Watchers program along with having the band? I am currently doing both, quite successfully I might add since I lost 11.2lbs in 3 weeks!! I found myself eating to much band friendly bad food now that I only see the surgeon every 3 months so I wanted the weekly support of WW to go along with the band & surgeon was all for it since he totally recognizes there is as much of a mental aspect to the process besides the physical.

Congrats on your upcoming date!! When I had my surgery I was the proud owner of an Autistic teenage son & a hubby a month out of the hospital from a massive heart attack & 3 heart surgeries (he was a thin, healthy, worker so to say this was a shock is an understatement). Anyway my point is you find a way! Your boys probably won't understand it totally but you can make a lot of cuddle time with them to replace the lifting. Make the bed a cozy fun zone in the days immediately following. Let them color, draw, watch TV with you in bed & they won't notice the lack of lifting/hauling. You will find so many ways to adore them without the picking up part I promise

Ummmm you say you ONLY lost 26lbs??? You do realize that can be at least 2 clothes sizes right? Awesome job!!!!!!!!!!

OOPS I meant Total Lean from GNC....25g Protein, 6g carbs (2%daily total so good for us)

PS: They have 25g of protein & only 170 calories per 14oz shake

I love the GNC Go Lean ready to drink shakes, they come in 4 pks or a case of 12 in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry I find the vanilla especially enjoyable at breakfast time on rushed mornings!

I may be slow on the lingo/joke/sarcasm/information but are you not saying a word because my micro info is wrong? I know that is what my doctor says but I also know a lot of our doctors have differed rules & guidelines so I am curious

Microwaving dries food out terribly.

First, that is a lot of stuck episodes! I'm glad you are going to speak to your doctor about them. Second, I agree with all the logic mentioned above for all the reasons mentioned above. The band is there to help us feel satisfied with less food, a skill none of us possessed long term with permanent success. I have had a few issues with the learning curve & actually had to have a 1cc unfill this week as a Chest Cold has wrecked havoc with my ability to keep things down. The doctor explained that people don't realize how much mucus goes to our stomachs in our sleep which can block things up. So a bit of an unfill & liquid Mucinex to break up congestion & I am a new person. All that being said I did consider getting a slight unfill once this past August just before our annual family vacation. It wasn't so much for conveinence or a desire to be less vigilant with my eating as the fact that it is a family resort where meals are served "family style" and I was concerned about their cooking methods being band friendly. We all know microwaving is a no-no and I am fairly certain such a place uses one and/or a heat lamp on occasion. It was the lack of control of this that worried me. Ultimately I didn't get any fill taken out & figured I would wing it! Worst case I couldn't eat much of their food and would buy stuff for myself as the room has a refrigerator anyway. I did have one day that didn't go so well and did get sick which surprised me since I ate the same thing I did the day before but I may have eaten fast or not chewed as well since we are with friends and talking more during meals. PS I lost 2lbs on vacation from the controlled eating and more physical activity

So let's recap....You lost 55lbs in 3-4 months give or take & you have now been away from your doctor longer then you were with him & your weight has held steady during this time.......on what planet is that a failing????? I don't know about everyone else here but prior to banding I had never maintained the same weight for a year, it was always gaining or losing not maintaining. Even if your doctor is wrong or horrible (not saying he is or isn't) the band IS doing something. Yes, it may not be working to it's max potential if you are not filled enough but it clearly hasn't been useless. So find a different doctor if you don't feel you can face your old one, not I didn't call him your current doctor because he can't be considered current if you haven't seen him in over a year. None of this meant to hurt you & it can be directed to many many posters here because after reading posts for 2 years now I have come to realize many people who already have the band do not really get what the band can & can't do. Worse, they lie to their doctor about how much the can eat & their hunger levels to get filled to the point that the band is a strangulation device since that is the quickest way to weight loss. I will be banded 2 years on October 25th and have lost almost 90lbs, which is slower then some & faster then others. I have spent 2 approx 4 month stretches during these almost 2 years where my weight stayed the same. Being 100% honest I can say it was because I didn't do the level of work I needed to keep losing. I ate/drank to many things that just slide on through our little band buddy. Told my doctor flat out didn't try to pretend otherwise. Then got my S#@t back together and started going down again. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again & good luck :)

Long story short, boys can suck!!! You need to heal now so don't bottle up your feelings, vent to friends who have siblings and can understand the dynamics involved.

31% and still going

At GNC you can buy just 1 of each flavor in their refrigerator section, or by 4 pack or case. I started out with 1 of each flavor & quickly went back for more. Of course like someone else stated Protein shake tasted are very person specific! Good luck & let me know what you think of them Oh & a GNC bonus, if you sign up for their free discount card you get a 10% or 20% discount(I forget which sorry) the first week of every month!

I used the EAS Carb Advantage also, they sell it in many place including BJ's. However, I have since become addicted to GNC Total Lean ready to drink shakes, they are awesome! They come in vanilla, chocolate & strawberry. The strawberry tastes just like strawberry nestle quick, talk about a flashback to childhood lol!!

The diets Doctors use varies greatly! For instance I had no pre op diet except only clear liquids for 24hrs prior to surgery with nothing from midnight the night before. As for post op, I was not discharged from the hospital until I ate a small meal of mushy foods, was then on mushies for a month, then onto solids. My doctor also considered soft moist ground meats as part of the mushy phase, meatballs without breadcrumb fillers in sauce was a fave. With these small limitation I had a much easier time then most people I am sure. I have to wonder why the major differences? Maybe I have you lose faster with the stricter requirements but I have had no health issues with the band and am currently hovering jut under a 90lb loss.

I don't have a problem with liquids or soft food during my period, but must be careful with solids. I have bought a lot of high protein yogurts/puddings & shakes from the health food store for these occassions. Your daughter may just be very irratated now and may very well need a small unfill If not next month maybe she can stick to soft foods or liquids during her cycle.

I am in my later 40's so my period does what the hell it wants already so not sure if the band contributes! However, I can say now that my fill level is higher I can't eat as much during my period, just always feel a bit fuller during it.

OOPS didn't mean to use the phrase fairly consistently twice, sounds a bit obnoxious LOL!!

I am barely 5'3", starting weight 285lbs wearing size 26/28, still barely 5'3" (clearly wish I was taller lol), weigh 198.5lbs and fairly consistently am a size XL or 16. I shop fairly consistently at Kohl's, Dress Barn, Walmart or Kmart. Some stores can really vary in their sizing too!