Jenn1214

My first thought is that your body is still trying to recover from the gallbladder removal so that may be why you're not losing. As long as you're doing everything right the weight should start coming off again soon. Good job on your weight loss so far!

I'm sure this topic has been discussed to death, but I recently realized that I don't have full control over my emotional eating. Actually I don't think I have any control. I'm going to talk about it with my therapist next week and probably will go to my surgeon's support group meeting, but I'm just curious how everyone here copes with stress eating. Thanks!

The PAs at my surgeon's office always remind me that fills don't necessarily take effect right away. It can take 1-2 weeks for it to kick in, which is probably why you're getting stuck weeks after the fact. What kind of pills are you taking? Do they come in a liquid or chewable form, or can you crush them? This might help prevent you from getting stuck in the future.

I have been debating for a while now about whether or not to join a gym. I have belonged to several gyms in the past and was never able to stick with it, so it was always a waste of money. Is a gym really the be all end all of exercise, or can I still lose weight without it? Now that winter is coming I won't be able to do my walks outside, although I do have a few exercise videos and some dumbbells for strength training. What do you think? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

All I can say is, make sure you have something in your stomach before you start drinking, i.e. eat dinner before you go to the concert. If you drink after not eating for several hours, you will be TRASHED in the blink of an eye. Seriously, I speak from experience! I did this on Halloween at one of our local bars...I had two glasses of wine over a couple hours and I was so drunk we had to leave. It's crazy how much alcohol tolerance changes after banding!

It's really great that you are committed to being so supportive of your husband! However, I must agree with sanction...no matter how good your intentions, you will never get him to do what he needs to do unless he wants to. I have a similar situation with my fiance's cousin. He got a lap band a few years ago and he did lose a heck of a lot of weight, but he is still morbidly obese. His band is way too tight, he vomits constantly, eats only slider foods, etc. I talked to both him and his wife about the fact that he NEEDS to go get an unfill and speak to his surgeon, but he won't listen. I know there isn't anything I can do about it, but it is definitely frustrating because his health is at stake. All I can do is hope he will realize that things can get better if he puts in the effort. Just keep loving and supporting your hubby and hopefully he will get there!

I'm going to pick out my wedding dress in a couple weeks and I couldn't be more confused about what size I am. I'm going to David's Bridal so I don't have to worry about all that bridal size nonsense, but I hardly know what size I am in regular clothes anymore. I just bought two new coats that are size large (12-14), I'm a 14w in pants which I think it actually a 16 in misses, no idea what I am in shirts because all of mine are too big and I haven't bought new ones yet...argh! Should I just go to a regular clothing store and start trying on clothes to see what size I am? I don't want to give the bridal consultant a blank stare when she asks me what size I need!

This year will be my first Thanksgiving with the band. We're spending it with my in laws, whom I love dearly but they are the most food centered family I have ever met! I know my band will be a big help, but I'm afraid of grazing. Any lap band veterans have some tips to help me survive Thanksgiving with my Italian in laws?

I had SILS. It really depends if you want to have 4 or 5 small incisions or one giant one. Other than that I don't think there's really any difference.

I had no idea where my port was until I had my first fill. Now that I've lost 60 pounds, I can feel my port pretty easily and the area gets sore if I'm leaning against a hard surface. Don't worry, your port is there somewhere!

For the past few weeks I've been noticing a dull pain on my left side. It's not there all the time and it's not unbearable, but it's just weird. Anyone else have this?

myfitnesspal.com is great! I don't know what I would do without it!

I had SILS so my port is below my belly button...could that still cause the pain? Could it be the tubing maybe?

I average about 1 to 1.5 pounds a week. I was told that if you lose more than 2 pounds per week you risk losing muscle, and nobody wants that!

Anyone else having trouble changing this? I try to change it but then it always reverts back to the old one.

Fixed!

I had an episode once kind of like yours where I felt nauseous, started salivating a lot, and it felt like my lower esophagus was spasming. I had some pressure in my chest but nothing horrendous. Thank goodness it only last a few minutes because it felt awful! I told my PA about it because I wasn't sure if it was a stuck episode...it didn't sound like what I had heard described. Sure enough, I was stuck! I guess it's different for everyone.

Today I was out shopping for a Christmas tree with my fiance, when I saw some cute coats in Walmart. My old winter coat is gigantic on me so I figured "What the heck." and tried a few on...in a size large. And they fit! I was so shocked I kept checking the tags to make sure I hadn't grabbed an XL by accident! This was definitely the boost I needed, since the numbers on the scale have been creeping down very slowly and I was starting to get frustrated. I love my band!

So I know I've posted before and lamented about the inaccuracy of my scale. Depending on where it is on my floor, there can be up to a 5 pound difference in my weight, which is completely infuriating. I end up having to rely on my doctor's scale, which I don't like doing because there are so many variables. Tonight I got the idea to try putting something that I know the weight of on the scale to see what I got. I took a 14 lb box of cat litter and put it on the scale in three different spots on the floor. Although the weight came up at 15.2 lbs, it was the exact same weight in all three spots. What gives? I know I shouldn't be so obsessed with the scale but I find that it's an important tool to help me know if what I'm doing is working or not. Any ideas? Should I just throw it out the window, as I really want to right now?

When I was in the mushy stage I could eat hummus, soft cheeses like cream cheese, low fat peanut butter, saltines, refried beans, soups, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, etc. I still had to drink protein shakes too until I reached the solids phase.

Nice! Their bras are expensive, but who cares? You deserve it for a job well done!

I feel the same way. I've lost 60 pounds and 3 dress sizes, and I still think I look huge! I don't run from cameras like I used to, but pictures of me are really hit or miss. I can look awesome in one, and in another I look like a beluga whale. I have to learn to be nicer to myself!

I love her workouts! As she always says, they are not "sissy stuff." I always break a good sweat after one of her DVDs, and I do a different one each day just to mix things up. I just bought a couple of her 3 mile workouts, but I have a few from the Power series too.

I know with Unjury that if you put it in liquids hotter than 130 degrees F, the proteins will coagulate and get lumpy. I assume it's probably similar with Muscle Milk and other protein powders too.

Just a part of life with the band, I'm afraid. My fiance actually finds it hilarious that I burp louder than he does!