gretchens4

My restriction is exactly the same. Too tight in the morning to eat anything. Soup at lunch, and sometimes depending on the day and time of the month I can eat more than others. I get plenty, but this is what it needs to be for me to lose weight. If I were looser i could eat anything at night. I find that stress does cause more restriction. If I am at home with my 4 kids I can't eat a thing sometimes. If I go out to a leisurely meal with a friend I find that I relax, eat very slowly and things go much better. This restriction is very tricky. I just had a flouro and all looked good otherwise.

Last season I spent a lot of time comparing the before and after weights that are like mine. I know everyone looks different, but it was nice to see on screen how different 292 is compared to 209, b/c to me it sometimes seems the same.

I have 10 more to go. I know it will take awhile, but I can't wait to never see 200 again!

I am FREEZING all the time now. It's so weird b/c I still have 50-60 pounds to go, so I still have plenty of insulation. Last year before surgery I was sweating everywhere, it was awful. I am so glad that is gone, but being cold is very uncomfortable and I don't have the right clothes for this! It's really crazy.

While I bet you've lost a lot of weight, your scale is probably light compared to the doctor's scale. I have two scales and they are completely different. I use the one that matches with my doctor's scale. I do find that my body seems to hold onto my weight and releases it all at one time, which could be the case for you. I will stay the same and lose and regain the same 3-4 pounds for a few weeks, and then drop 8-10 in the next 2 weeks. It's very strange, but I've finally realized that it is a pattern and not a fluke. It sounds like you have lost a great deal of weight this week, but I bet the scale is off a bit. Do you have an old scale you can try?

I'm not sure I ever don't feel hungry, or feel truly full. However, with the proper fill I Can't eat anymore. I truly think the problem is that you don't have any restriction. I hope you can get enough in the band to get you restricted. In my case, I simply can't eat more than a small amount before I get stuck and can't eat anymore. Good luck, I only lost 18 pounds in the 1st 3 months and then I really started losing we I got good restriciton.

I had only lost about 22 pounds after 3 months, and 8-10 pounds was from the pre-op diet. It was very frustrating. After my 1st fill i still had very little restriction. After that 1st 3 months I got my 2nd fill and it really helped!! I am 11 months out and have lost 82 pounds and had 4 fills (the last one very small). When you get the right fill the band will work for you. When I am restricted I simply can't eat much, and although I still lose slow and steady, it adds up over time. Try not to compare yourself to others. I remember thinking I was so "behind" after 3 months, but now it has really evened out.

My plantar fasciatis is gone. I have however got another new foot pain now..........ugh (up under my toes on the ball of my right foot). I have lost 82 pounds, but I think the plantar fasciatis was gone after about 30 pounds and I haven't had a problem since.

I have always liked spicy, but I find now I like it even more. I think it's b/c a small amount makes me feel like I've REALLY eaten something. It just makes those taste buds work, I guess. I was just talking to my husband about this last night. He is trying to lose some weight now that we are at the same BMI, and he feels the same and is not banded. It's an interesting phenomenon.......like more bang for your buck with the spicy food!

GNC carries a drink (Isopure) with 40 grams of protein and no carbs. I can't stand protein shakes so I used these for the pre-post op diet and after fills. They taste slightly chalky, but are in fruit flavors that are very tolerable and this is coming from someone who can't stand any of it. Good luck! I also eat a lot of egg drop soup that I make with just chicken stock and a couple of eggs.

I am in the same boat. Recently everyone has noticed the weight loss and I have started getting compliments. In the mirror though, I feel the same. I have lost 81 pounds since last February. I hardly had any pictures of myself before the surgery, but one popped up on my computer last week and I was SHOCKED. It was close to my high weight. I showed my husband and he couldn't believe it. I still have a long way to go so I just hadn't realized how far I had come. I started taking some pictures so I could compare them. It's amazing when you see the proof. You look great! I hope to look that good in 20 more pounds!

I actually think the sweet spot is different for everyone. I want my band as tight as possible, without interferring with drinking and nutrition. For me, that is the sweet spot. I want to lose weight with the lapband b/c I paid a lot of money for it. I exercise in moderation, and I eat what I want in very small portions, and that works for me. I think you have to figure out what you can live with, and what makes sense for you. You're doing great.

I felt really offended when I ran into a friend recently and she said, "you look great, I didn't realize you were so pretty". I know it was meant to be a compliment, but I at least usually get a "I mean you always look good, but now you look even prettier". I know it all means the same thing but it just makes me feel so self-conscious. I get really embarrassed with the compliments at times, but if someone who hasn't seen me in awhile doesn't comment than I feel insulted......these poor people can't win!!

This drove me CRAZY. I started at 292 and was in a 26/28 but they must have been pretty snug. After I lost about 60 pounds I was in a pair of jeans that were 26, but they got really loose, and I didn't even realize it. I actually had a few friends tell me to get some new clothes. Even though I had lost 70 pounds when I finally went shopping last month, I was still in a 18/20 on the bottom. What I realized though, is that I could wear a regular XL top (started at a 26/28). It took me a few trips to the store to realize what size I really wore. I think in our head we may still think we're bigger. You may want to try some new types of clothes. I know how unbelievably frustrating it is. It took me 70 pounds for everyone to really notice my weight loss, but now i can just lose a few pounds and people notice. You are almost to that point. It will happen soon, just be patient!

Wheetsin, I was 240 for my last 3 pregnancies and had no issues (I was 25 with my 1st and started at 223). I am 5'5". I gained a lot of weight after I had my last baby (I was 34) and ended up getting banded last year in Feb. and have gone from 292-214. I got pg very easily every time and had no health problems, so it is possible. I had my 3rd baby around your age. Good luck!! You should do great.

I definitely went through this last year. I was banded in February and just remember talking to my one friend that I told, with tears in my eyes, about how I felt so depressed and anxious. I am happy to say that at least for me, this feeling was very short lived. It is totally aggrevated by the fact that you are really deprived right now. After my post surgery diet, I realized I really could eat anything I wanted (and I did and didn't lose much weight until restriction with my 2nd fill). I still don't deprive myself, and every once in awhile I think, wow, I really wish I could stuff my face right now........but I can't, and that's why the band works so well for me. I can eat anything, but in very small portions. Give it some time, it is so much harder in the beginning. It's like anything else in life. I look back now and think, why was I so worried, miserable etc. Why didn't I do this years ago. It's not a big deal anymore, and not something I'm constantly thinking about. I do think my mind and emotions are retrained b/c of the inablility to a lot emotionally. I don't think I've substituted anything new, I just don't do it much anymore. Good luck. Be patient, and know this will all become 2nd nature in a few months.

Now that I've lost almost 80 pounds, I've noticed it's almost awkward when someone doesn't say something. There seem to be many different reasons though. For some it is b/c they feel like it's rude to say something about a person's weight. I have noticed that almost everyone says something in the past month b/c it's much more dramatic, and now I'm lower than they've ever seen me. I don't really have any overweight friends, but I notice those who are more competitive with me in general (about my kids' sports, school etc) are the ones less likely to say something. It's really interesting b/c I could almost tell my husband in advance who will say something nice, and who will say nothing...........it's a very interesting phenmenon. In my case it has never been about jealousy of the actual weight loss b/c the people I'm thinking of are thin. No one knows I got the lapband either b/c I didn't want any judgements.

I have been stuck for a few weeks too. I have realized that I lose this way almost every month. I'll lose a couple of pounds, then nothing for a few weeks, and then drop 5 or so very quickly and then it starts again. It gets frustrating, but it does balance out in the end and I lose about an average of 7-8 pounds a month. Slow but steady. Good luck!

I drink a coke everyday and have no issues. I drink a lot less than I used too, and never when I eat food. I drink it very slowly and have really had no problems. I have lost close to 80 pounds in the last 11 months.

Thyroid problem aside, your friend does not have the right fill. I lost virtually no weight in the 1st few months b/c I had no fill. When I got to the right fill point I started losing very consistently, and have lost almost 80 pounds in 11 months since surgery. She has the band now, and she can be succesful, but she has to be patient and utilize the band. It is an unbelievable blessing to the vast majority of people who have it!

Okay, Find a friend or a babysitter to help you and don't talk to them again. I was 37 last February when I did this, and I have never made a better decision. I needed help for just a few days (maybe 4 days and I could get around and take care of my 4 kids ages 3-11). I have a very helpful husband, but he only took off one day of work and I still managed. I had a really hard time physically those first few days, but by a week to 10 days out I was practically normal. No one knew that I had the surgery except for my husband and they still don't. I would never talk to your family about it again and just make some other arrangements even if you have to pay someone. It is SO worth it. I have lost 75 pounds in this first 10 months, and that is not even close to what some have lost. I was your weight a year before my surgery and 292 before the pre-op. I'd practically be to goal if I had just done this the year before. Don't wait, don't count on anyone. You can do it and it will be the best thing you ever did after that first week!! Take care.

I have the same exact problem. I can't eat breakfast at all. I am not really a breakfast person, and I do find that the later it gets the more I can eat. I'm okay with it though, because when I don't have this much restriction I don't lose consistently. Good luck!

funny, I am also 5"5' but my pant sizes are at least a size or 2 bigger at your same weights. I am bottom heavy. I wore a 28 and still have a 22 jean that are too tight and I'm down to 219, it's crazy. Thanks for your chart Sunshine2 though, it's helpful!!

Wow, this is exciting. I FINALLY found a pair of jeans that fit. It amazes me that 70+ pounds has only been about 3-4 sizes down. I did look for the "not your daughter's jeans" mentioned on another thread, but found the Calson brand at Nordstrom instead. They seem to run big and very in style and stretchy. I bought a 20 petite and an 18 regular and they both fit. This is after going back 2x because I bought them way to big at first. I'm trying not to spend so much now, but it's always hard to believe you'll really lose more, you know? I am just so happy I have 2 nice pairs of jeans that fit (and are comfortable), and I have gotten so many compliments since buying a few new clothes. I will stop spending though b/c it sounds like the sizes really go down much quicker as you get smaller.

I also can't do it myself. The Biggest Loser is very inspirational, but it's not a lifestyle that's very easy for most of us to maintain. They exercise 4 hours a day. I don't want to do the diet/exercise anymore. The band at the right fill does not allow me to overeat. I think I get plenty of nutrition, it is just impossible to overeat now. If you can do it yourself that is great. It will save some time and in my case a large self-payment. However, I've lost 73 pounds in the last 9 months and as hard as I tried before, that would never have happened. I think we all need a lot less food than we think, so it's not really starving, it's just eating the basic needs for your body and no more. Good luck!!