TheRealSouthernBelle

My surgeon is a 4 hour drive to Dallas. I only seen him during surgery. PA's at the clinic handle the fills. I haven't had any bad experiences, but then again I also haven't had any complications. Just remember anything can happen. I guess it would be ideal to be in close proximity if you needed an emergency unfill or something like that (most emergency rooms don't know how to handle that). I plan on moving even further away in about a year. I will just find a doctor's office at the new location to handle fills, etc.

Congrats on the job! Believe me I know how hard it is finding a job, especially one in your field. My problem is that I have loads of education, but no work experience and I live in Louisiana, enough said! I would wait to get a fill because you kinda don't know right now if you are just eating to eat or are truly hungry. You don't want to be over filled because that's horrible, but a fill would definitely kick start things, so maybe you do. I think it's pretty normal to be hungry after 6 hours maybe you could sneak in a snack to tide you over. Seeing a psychiatrist will do wonders. Take it from me. Moving away from friends, family, and boyfriend and having a job where co-workers suck will definitely take its toll on your mental state. Don't be ashamed or afraid to seek help or get medication. It does wonders! If you've been through that much and losing motivation I suggest it. They can probably help you put things in perspective. When you emotionally feel better you automatically get that confidence and motivation back. I've got the dreaded bat wings and my stomach is really getting in the way! It looks horrible, but it's nothing a little plastic surgery won't fix. I've got gas from both ends and it really sucks. Thank God I have my own office. I've noticed that taking a chewable probiotic (you can find them for $5 online, but I think they are a little more expensive in the store) helps with the gas a little, but nothing helps with the burping (I just deal with it). BTW Chris would definitely be my motivation! Unfortunately I can't afford him, so I have to motivate myself to exercise. This is the longest time I have consistently stuck with exercise and I am really proud of myself. I just tell myself it will be over soon when I'm on the treadmill or lifting weights. I mean what's an hour out of your day, 3 days a week? The time goes by so fast, then you can shower and get on with the rest of your day. Also, I don't overdue it. I exercise 3-4 times per week and rest on the weekends. I am trying to lose some additional weight for my b-day, so I'm getting in the gym (when it's open, it's on the campus where I work and free) 2 or 3 times per week and the rest of the days I'm doing home DVD's. I would jog/walk on the local walking trail, but it's so hot I don't want to pass out or have all those damn tan lines. I heard that the Jilian Michaels Shread is really good. I ordered it off Ebay for $10, but have yet to receive it. I have been doing the Hip Hop Abs, which I also ordered from Ebay for $10. I just had to stop making excuses and just do it. I realize I have to be a parent to myself. When I do what I'm supposed to do I reward myself and when I mess up I get punished. I usually reward myself with clothes, since everything in my closet is too big anyways and punish myself by not going out to eat or getting that 100 calorie snack I wanted. It's so hard, but we both can win the battle. Good luck!

Been on Seasonale for years. The best part (besides not getting pregnant), only get a period every 3 months. A little spotting when I first took it and no weight gain.

I know that I have faltered many times on this journey and so have many other people. We often lose sight of the final goal, which may vary according to your individual experience for immediate gratification, whether it be an extra helping of dinner, pigging out on ice cream, or skipping a workout to sleep or watch your favorite TV show. Whether you have issues with getting motivated or staying motivated you might find the article helpful. I wish everyone much success! 7 Ways to Get Motivated

Congrats! The wigs will be fine. They are much cheaper. I wore them all the time when I was growing out my hair to go natural. I just got someone to braid my hair underneath. It should make your hair grow fast just as long as you keep it washed, conditioned, and moisturized.

Just wanted to let you know I went and will keep going through the same struggles with clothes as I lose weight. I seriously do not know what size I wear. Last time I checked I was just the opposite of you. 14/16 on top and 18/20 on bottom. Just keep shopping and trying on, that's the only way you will ever know. You will regret buying something that doesn't fit properly. I bought a XXL tank top from the Gap (in my mind I was like it's the Gap their clothes run small), boy was I wrong that shirt was hanging off of me. Congrats on shopping!

Oh mine was bad. I didn't want to drink the first week. The Protein drinks made me gag and Water hurt my throat. I couldn't lay down in the bed. I was forced to the couch. I was so drugged up I kept having weird dreams, but it has all been worth it. You will see...

This has been the best 6 months of my life (as far as successful weight loss goes)! I have been given this excellent man made piece of machinery and it has enabled me to take control of my life! I could have NEVER lost 80 pounds in 6 months without the band and I thank God for the gift he has given me. I've been fat all my life and now I really feel like I have the opportunity to not be anymore! The hunger beast has been tremendously tamed with the use of my lapband. I can remember 6 months ago I was so scared to get this procedure done and wondering if I would be successful and if I could follow the "rules". I constantly dreaded the thought of eating something and throwing up. I'm glad to report that I have never thrown up! Recovery was hell, perhaps because I had a hernia repair as well and I doubted myself for making such an extreme decision, but I knew I needed help. Help is all the lapband is. I have control over food it no longer has control over me. I choose to make smart decisions when it comes to food. I also like to treat myself from time to time. I live in the south, so there is a plethora of good cooking and treats everywhere. Sometimes I mourn over the loss of tasty food every day, but I know that it is the best thing for me. I even envy those people that can eat whatever they want and not gain an ounce. I pray that I can continue down this path of successful weight loss. I know that it will only get tougher as time goes on, but I have some tricks up my sleeve to get over plateaus. I originally had a 6 month goal of 94 lbs. lost, but it's only been 80 lbs. I am still happy for that. I have some more lofty goals. I want to be 230 by my b-day in Sept., under 200 by my 1 year bandiversary, and at goal by my fiancée’s graduation (May 2012). I have great optimism and put in the hard work, counting calories, exercising, drinking Water, and turning down dessert when I go out to eat or tasty office treats, etc. I encourage everyone to share their experiences and ask questions. Also, I wish all my fellow bandsters much success in their journeys. I know the road along the way is full of bumps, roadblocks, trials, tribulations, and maybe even some dead ends, but it will be all worth it once we get to where we are going! Me fat and happy in July 2010. 320+ lbs. (I stopped weighing myself after that). Me playing in the dressing room a couple of days ago. 268 lbs. -80 lbs. since pre-op diet Just threw in another pic I like a lil' better!

It's so funny that you say that. I see newbies (although I don't consider myself an old timer by any means) posting every other day they are not losing anything or they gained weight shortly after surgery. If it hadn't been for this board I would have been posting those same things! The first two weeks when I was on liquids and mushies I lost so much weight because I didn't have an appetite, but when I went back to regular foods I gained 4 lbs. one week and 2 lbs. another. I wouldn't stress out about not losing much after 1 month, especially if you are a "lightweight". I started exercising about a month after the surgery and it makes all the difference in the world. I started walking at a walking trail that goes in a figure 8. When I first started I couldn't even walk half that figure 8. My back was hurting so bad. Now, I can jog on the treadmill at 4 mph for 5 minutes straight. Never thought I would see that day, even in my slimmer days (215 lbs.). I've had 4 fills. My first was 1.4 CCs and I think the other 3 were 1 CC, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure if I have restriction because that means different things to different people, but the hunger beast has been tamed. My last fill did the trick. At first I was like dang I need another fill, but since it's 4 hours away I had trouble going back and the more I thought about it I said it doesn't make sense to go back if I'm truly not hungry, so make sure you don't overdo it with fills and keep your head hunger in check. Good luck!

You guys are too kind! Thanks for all the compliments and encouraging words. I'm blushing now...

You would just subtract your exercise calories from the weekly caloric intake total and adjust accordingly. For example, your exercise session burns 200 calories and you do this 4 times a week, therefore you've burned an additional 800 calories that week. Remember your goal is to reduce 3500 calories per week in order to lose 1 pound. So, 3500-800=2700. This would be the number of calories that you would need to reduce from you diet per week. 2700/7 (days per week)=385.71, so you would need to cut back on about 385 calories per day. So with a BMR of 1500 and getting in 4 200 calorie burning exercise sessions per week, you would ideally need to consume 1115 calories (1500-385=1115) per day to lose a pound per week.

You should find out what your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is. You can do a Google search and come up with a good site that will help with that. You can even use this one: BMR calculator. Once you have that number you would subtract 500 calories from it and that's how many calories you should be getting in per day. The rationale is 3500 calories equal a pound so if we subtract 500 calories per from our diets per week we should lose 1 pound per week, but that does not include added exercise! You can play around with these numbers if you are getting in exercise, which will burn additional calories. For example, my BMR is around 2000 calories, therefore I try to get no more than 1500 calories a day. Most days I have way less calories. I also exercise 3-4 times per week for about 45 min. to an hour, depending on what I'm doing. Since I've been tracking this, the first week I lost 5 lbs., the second week I lost 4 lbs., and the third week I lost 4 lbs. Hope this works for you!

Thanks everyone for ALL the positive comments! That is why I keep coming back to LBT, it's the most positive lapband community on the web. Elie, my diet was pretty rough the first 5 months. I never had a meeting with a nutritionist or dietician, so I was left to my own devices. I refused to weigh my food. I still don't do that. I just didn't want to feel obsessed and abnormal. (I did buy a scale though for emergency plateaus only). I loosely counted my calories. After a 3 week "plateau" I started keeping a food journal. I wrote down everything I put in my mouth and got the food nutrition counts from fast food websites and Calorieking.com. I've been looking up info on the web as far as how many carbs and how much fat I'm supposed to have in a day. I also found my BMR by doing some calculations and I found out that I should consume 1500 calories a day in order to lose a pound a week, but I am usually under that plus I exercise 3-4 times a week. I lost 5 lbs. the first week, 4 lbs. the second week, and 4 lbs. the third week I started tracking and really watching what I ate. I do have my treats from time to time and I do go out to eat! My regular diet consists of: Breakfast a Protein drink (I'm too tight for regular food): Atkins Advantage, Mocha Latte shake or Caramel Latte shake or Muscle Milk light chocolate. They are ready to drink, so very convenient and I buy them from Wal-Mart. SNACK 1/2 of a protein bar: Special K chocolate Peanut Butter or Atkins Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie 30 mintues later 16.9 oz. bottle of Water lunch a turkey sandwich with pretzels or a small bowl of Chili from Wendy's or leftovers from the night before or some Lean Cuisine meal SNACK 1/2 of a protein bar: Special K chocolate peanut butter or Atkins Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie 30 minutes later 16.9 oz. bottle water (usually with a Special K protein water add in) WORKOUT 20 minutes on weights then 25 minutes cardio (on treadmill doing Couch to 5K, on week 4) after 16.9 oz. bottle of water dinner a 6inch Subway sandwich either turkey or blackforest ham and Lay's light chips or Wendy's salad with grilled chicken (no croutons or pecans) or some type of meat (baked chicken or baked pork chop) with a side of rice and vegetables an hour later 16.9 oz bottle of water w/ Hawaiin punch or Crystal Light My skin is okay so far. My arms are the worst. I'm still not sure if it's excess fat or skin, but it looks horrible. I got a little skin on my inner thigh, I think I need a Thighmaster. LOL! My stomach just looks bad period with the stretch marks and surgery scars, I'm sure when I lose the fat it's going to look like I gave birth to twins. I'm not too concerned about that though. I'm pretty sure I'll be going under the knife eventually. My boobs are so deflated and saggy. Other than that I'm okay.

I went through True Results originally at the Richardson location (had the actual surgery at the Ft. Worth location because of insurance) . I have a WLS exclusion on my insurance policy, so they wouldn't cover it. I had a hernia though and insurance covered that repair surgery! All I had to pay for was the actual band, which was $5,500! Also, fills are free for a year! Gotta love it!

Do you know what the slip was caused by?

It just goes to show you how different everyone's doctor is. My surgeon is very liberal and he encourages patients to try a variety of foods (I'm guessing so you won't feel deprived, then discouraged, then go on a binge). I haven't found anything I can't tolerate and I hope it stays that way!

I really had problems getting in 64 oz. of water a day in the beginning. It was mainly because following the rules prevented me from drinking close to meals, so by the time I got hungry or was ready for bed there was no time to drink. I quickly adapted and now have a routine. I bring 2 bottles (16.9 oz.) of water with me to work every morning. I drink a Protein shake for Breakfast (can't eat food in the AM) about 7:30AM or 8:00 AM. 30 minutes later I will start on my first bottle of water. By the time I'm ready for lunch it's already gone. Then after lunch (I usually wait an hour and a half) I will have my next bottle of water with Special K protein water mix. Then I go workout after work. I come home and have another bottle of water. Then fix dinner and eat. After dinner I will have another bottle of water usually mixed with a Hawaiin punch packet. That's 67.6 oz. of water a day. After a fill you may be tight and drinking will be a pain because of the air rising causing burping and gas. You just gotta sip slow.

I had surgery at the Fort Worth location and they also did my first fill, but every fill after that has been from the Richarson location. My experience has been as good as expected. The first time I went there the PA I saw told me I shouldn't be eating Cereal in the morning because it had too many carbs. Then she backtracked and said oh you're losing weight just fine, so that may be something you want to keep in mind in the future.

It is to be expected. Some people never get the feeling of satiety they are supposed to with the band (unfortunate), but others do. I would say that my level of satiety is about a 7. I am not getting another fill until I am able to start eating a real Breakfast again (I am too tight in the mornings). I wish I was a little tighter in the evenings because I can eat more than a cup as well. My PA told me to stop eating before I am full (I guess she feels that you will stuff yourself and stretch the pouch). Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Sometimes the hunger beast is just too much to conquer and I give in. I hope that the next fill does it for you, otherwise you will have to keep pumping along. I just say try to hold out if you can. Maybe you can throw in some healthy Snacks instead of eating just 3 times a day (I know most surgeons say only 3 meals a day and no snacks, maybe they feel we will go back to our old ways of eating).

I would try going to a True Results aftercare center. I don't know if you prefer an actual doctor doing your fills, but they have PAs doing the fills. Also, I'm not sure if they only accept their surgeon's patients, but it won't hurt to try. I know they have a location in Houston. This link will take you to their info page. True Results Houston location

I asked one of the PAs at the aftercare center where I get my fills and she said it was because I was eating too fast. I know that I wasn't, so I just brushed her off as she told me some other things I didn't appreciate. I like the displacing of air explanation the above poster mentioned. This sounds about right because I burp the most when I'm drinking. Burping is definately normal and so is farting (hope you haven't had any trouble with that like I have).

Almost been banded 6 months, time does fly when you're losing weight! Lol!

I had hiatal hernia repair along with placing the band and this is very common practice. I only paid $5500 (price of the band) and my insurance covered the rest due to me getting the hernia repair. Your 1st step would be to contact insurance to see if it even covers lapband (mine had a WLS exclusion). Then start calling around to bariatric surgeon' s offices and see if they will submit the hiatal hernia repair to your insurance and how much will you actually be respinsible for. You may even have to go in for a consult as I'm sure some offices won't give out any info over the phone or tell you no. People have a harder time telling you no to your face. When you find somewhere you like then you need to get an EGD done. This is where they find the hernia. I paid $98 for this and insurance paid the rest. Then you will find out if you have it or not and whether you have to pay the full amount. I used True Results. The have offices in Texas, Arizona, and I think Georgia. Included is a year of free fills with self-pays. Great deal, don't you think? LOL! Be persistent and don't give up!

I've heard that follow-up care consists of nutritional supplements, psyc visits, nutritional counseling, etc. Not sure about fills, but I'm sure they have a pretty good program for $3000 (or at least I hope so).