NJGirl32

Wow! Now that's what I call a real success story-awesome!!!

I am 48 pushing 49 - and I had the band the end of May. I would say you are right that it seems to be about 7-10 pounds a month. The weight tend to come off slower as we get older-that's for sure-but at least it is coming off! I agree that exercise (although I hate it with a passion) gives you more energy and I think it boosts the metabolism.

Girl you have restriction if 8ozs feels almost like Thanksgiving! Dave is correct - you should stop before you get stuffed. Everyone else is correct too-restriction varies from person to person. Good luck!!

It's the worst feeling ever! Just be glad it didn't happen in public. A few tipes to avoid being stuck: 1. Chew, chew, chew 2. Don't stand around the kitchen pooppingthings into your mouth, you're more apt to swallow a bigger piece of something then get stuck 3. Avoid dry textured meats. Make sure your meats and moist. 4. When at a resturant avoid the bread basket. This happened to me and it ruined my entire dinner. I ran to the bathroom 5 times and vomited twice-why risk it? Any of you out in the Bandland who have never been stuck-count your blessings because it is the worst pain ever!

Oh I LOVE that quote!! I especially love the part about learning from failure.

I have had a few beers since surgery. Last week I had 3 Corona Lights while at a friend's get together. I wouldn't do it again because I felt so bloated for several days afterwards and it simply wasn't worth it when there are other options available.

It's true that it can take a few days or even a couple of weeks to feel the result...with that being said, I totally feel your frustration! I had high expectations for my first fill and again for my 2nd fill. My 2nd fill was a little better. I know that we want the band to start doing it's part- it's aggravating having to wait so long to reach that sweet spot! My doc also give fills 6 weeks apart-seriously-6 weeks??!! I booked my 2nd fill 4 weeks and I have a fill coming up next week at 3 weeks. I am not sure if they will do it with only 3 weeks passing by-but I am sure going to try and plead my case! Good luck to you!

Love the new profile pic! You are really an inspiration to al of us- that is an amazing weight loss!! How often do you get fills now? Do you feel like you still have restriction? Any tips or secret to success that you care to share?

You definitely have lost a lot of weight!! It does feel so wonderful when someone notices and often those closest to us can't see it because they see us on a daily basis.

Definitely a miracle baby! Congrats!!!

Believe it r not I can feel when I lost weight ( evn a pound or two) and I can feel if I gained. I only get on the scale when I suspect I had lost something. My scale is in my dining room and I rarely weigh myself.

Whoo Hoo!!!!!!!!! I don't think I've seen a size 10 since 4th grade! lol Great job!

I have BCBS and at a BMI of 40 you don't need any other health issues to be approved. It is really very frustrating and ridiculous-hopefully this time all will go smoothly!

I am so jealous!! I wish I had no appetite! I wouldn't question 9 pounds in 3 weeks-but make sure you are getting the protein in or you could begin to have hair loss. As long as your energy is up and you are getting the proteins and water in I don't see a problem at all. Congratualtions!! Can I ask what # fill is this and how much do you have in your band?

I don't mind the ads to the right of the posts or to the top of the posts, but when they are embedded in the actual post itself that's just crazy!! And it's not a small advertisement either-it's really large! They can do better!

I also opted to keep it from everyone. The only one that knows is my DH because he had to take me to the hospital and pick me up. I am glad I told him because at east I have 1 person to talk to about it. I did not tell my 2 daughters (ages 19 & 24) mainly because I didn't want to put the burden on them of keeping it a secret. One woman at work knows too. I have to say I am SO glad-really glad I didn't tell evryone. The weight loss has been a lot slower than I ever imagined. I feel a olt less stress not having to worry what others might think about my weight loss. This is MY journey-not theirs. I will tell my daughters and my mother once I have lost around 50-60 pounds, but I don't plan on telling anyone else. Many people think this is the easy way out and that is so far from the truth! It takes a lot of work and determination and I want credit for all my hard work. I don't want people to say "Oh she had WLS that's why she lost the weight." You will need to be very patient until you have the right amount of fills and start feeling the true effects of the band. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the reply! The only real side effect I notice is a bad taste in my mouth. I don't have any reflux or heartburn-never did-but evidently the bacteria's there anyway. Glad to hear you didn't have any side effects

When I went through all the pre-surgery tests my endoscope revealed that I had bacteria in my stomach lining. They recommended I wait untl I was on solids to take the meds to clear this up. My doc said if I don't get it cleared up that it could eventually erode the band. Well I have 1 month off so I decided to take the 2 week dose now. I picked up my prescription last night and thought it was in a rather large bag. I opened it up and OMG-seriously??!! 8 pills a day? WTH? Did anyone else have to take this? How were the side effects-I have been reading there can be lots of side effects. Did you get a yeast infection due to the high doses of amoxicillin? If anyone had to do this treatment please tell me what to expect. I am hoping that eating yogurt will help with the yeast infection? I am SO not looking forward to the next 14 days!!

During my final weeks before surgery I gained 5 pounds! I ate everything I thought I would no longer enjoy. But the truth is I can still enjoy all those foods, but just in moderation. I have steak, seafood, chinese food, BBQ-you name it! I try to stay away from sweets and limit my alchol -but I do indulge. A month after my surgery I was able to eat anything-actually I could eat the same amount as before the surgery with absolutely no problems. I have had 2 fills so far and I am not able to eat as much or as fast. I haven't hit that sweet spot yet but I am inching closer!

Girl you can get on top of this -it's still very managable! Okay so you have gained...now is the time to take control before it becomes anymore. You can lose that 29 pounds-absolutely!! You know what you need to do because you have done it before! Don't let the 29 pounds become 39 pounds and so on. Take charge of it now while it's still very controlable! Get your reflux under conrtol and get your fill. Exercise is a great stress reliever and it make you feel good mentally. 2 months from now you can write that you had a set back but you lost the weight or you can say you are deeper in a hole-the choice is really yours. Today is the day-you don't have to be perfect with this journey but you must always strive to move forward. Good luck to you-you got this girl!

I feel the same way after about a week of my first fill. I felt hungry all the time-even more so then before the fill! It didn't make sense to me. The second fill helped a little more but it's still not there yet. I am hoping fill #3 does the trick!

Thank you for letting us know what's going on. The ads in the responses are absolutely terrible. It would really caude me to think about permanantly leaving this site. There all WAY too many ads all over this site and they are very intrusive. Thanks again for keeping us in the loop!

I am SO happy you kept us updated. I have actually been thinking about you recently and wondering how you made out. You really can't control things beyond you-the only thing you truly have control over is your feelings and your actions. I know this must be a very sad and scary time for you. Please find a counselor that is a better fit for you because they all are NOT created equal. I am not sure if you are associated with a church or not, but if so you can request some counseling that route. During this time you really need to think about you. He will need to work out his own kinks himself-no one, not even you can help him. I hope he is in counseling too. And depending on where you both are perhaps down the road you can see a counselor together. My hubby and I went to 6 sessions with a counselor and it really helped our marriage survive a very difficult time. In the meantime keep busy as possible. Read some good books-go to the library. I read Eat, Love, Pray years ago and loved it and would recommend it. The only thing I truly didn't understand was why he wouldn't tell you where he was living- why was he hiding this from you if he had nothing to hide? Has he told you yet? I know you love him-love yourself more. I truly pray and hope with time that this cloud is lifted from your heart. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason-even if we aren't sure what the reason is now. Take care of yourself.

This is NORMAL! I know it's very frustrating and I totally agree with you-I didn't get the band to do another damn diet-I gotthe band to make a significant impact on my weight loss!! I am SO glad I didn't tell everyone I was getting the surgery because I am sure they would be saying 'what's the hold up?- I thought she had surgery?" I think you need to be really patient until you reach your sweet spot and then it will all make sense. I had this sweet spot for just a couple of days after my first fill (not since then)- I simply wasn't interested in eating and when I went out to eat I just ate a little bit simply because I was full I wantthat feeling back! It seems that it can take anywhere from 3-5 fills to reach it. Don't be too hard on yourself until you have that kind of restriction. Definitely talk to your doctor about it and see if he can help speed up the fills. I would really advise you to go to support meetings in your area. Call your doctor's office and ask them to recommend one. You will find you are not alone and will regain some inspiration! Hang in there-we will get to the promised Bandland!!