rcz1966

Thank you everyone for your replies and words of encouragement. I think this can become part of the process of saying "Yes I will continue to work towards it." With it being the x-mas season my first goal will be to not gain over the holiday season (so far so good). Next I will get back to the basics and I do need to start to exercise more.

I started at 223 pounds. Got down to 187 before the getting the Lap Band. I have had the Band for 2 years. Now I am at about 150 and seem to be holding at this level. My surgeon originally forecast a weight of 140. My dietitican however stated that I have already surpassed the average percentage weight loss. My difficulty is that I want to get to 140. Right now I do have good-well actually much improved-quality of life. I do not have to focus on my diet overmuch, but with this I have fallen prey to some poor food choices at times. I want to feel successful but am not sure I have the discipline it would take to get to 140. I would like to get to this level as it would be a high normal wieght. Any motivational advice???

I know the band is a tool but when it is properly adjusted things are much easier to manage.

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate hearing your experiences and it has given me the confidence to give it a bit more time and to go easy in the meantime. This evening already I think I am feeling some improvement and will keep everyone posted on what happens in the next week. Thank you for being so supportive.

Thank you both for responding. I think I will go easy and monitor the situation over the next week. Congrats to both of you on how well you are doing with your weight loss!

Hello everyone. I had 8cc in my band and had started to be able to eat a lot more so I just had a fill of 1cc 2 days ago. I was able to drink a small sip in the office before I left however I noted on the way home that with more fluid there was much resistance to it going down. When I tried to eat it was very slow and laborious and yes I did get sick. In the past I sometimes did get sick for a while after a fill so I am now wondering what to do. I have been having reflux at night. How much I can eat depends on the food. It takes about 1/2 hour to eat an individual Greek yogurt and I find I can not eat till at least 9:30 in the morning. On the other hand I was able to eat about a cup of soup when taken slowly. I tried more dense foods like chicken and vegetables and could eat about 1/4 cup. I also note that different clinics have different recommendations after a fill. If the water in the office goes down then it is business as usual but I noted on other posts that some clinics gradually progress the diet. I am wondering if more time will help or if I should book an appointment for a bit of an unfill. Any comments would be greatly appreciated as I have not experienced this degree of difficulty before.

I lost about 40 pounds prior to being banded. I am a month away from being at the 1 year point and have only lost 20 pounds. It did take long to feel restriction-at 9.5 cc in my 14 cc band-and I think I could still use a slight amount more fill. I am feeling discouraged today. Had some other health issues that have taken some of my focus off of my eating/exercise habits in the past month or so and need to get back on track. I am still close to being on track to reach my one year goal but fear that maybe this is all the weight I will lose. Need to lose another 25 pounds to reach two year goal. Started at 223 and am now at about 165.

I have a 14 cc band with 9.5 cc in it thus far. I feel I am close to the green zone. I am eating 3 meals a day but still feel I need 2 small snacks. I do eat about 1 1/3 or so cups at lunch/supper.

At the clinic I go to they want me to reach my Protein goals without shakes by using food. It takes some getting used to but is possible. I did not need to take pain meds. for more than a couple of days but everyone is different. Good luck on your journey.

Just an update-weeks after my fill I have more restriction than I did immediately post-fill. It is apparent and so I may not need another fill after all......there is some variability and I am trying to note what I ate etc. and time of day-in order to better understand how to use my band. Feeling much more positive now.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. After reading your note I see that I was not clear on a few things. Firstly I am not blaming the doctor for anything and understand that I have to work this tool. Secondly when I was referring to the fluid I was meaning that the liquid barium did not pass through the pouch during the timeframe the flouroscopy machine was on. My doctor does take the fluid out when doing a fill but I have never asked how much it showed.

Hello everyone. Have you ever felt like you don't know what is going on??? I was banded Nov. 23, 2011. Since that time I have lost only 12 pounds. Anyways my trouble is that I was not really feeling restriction. When I got up to 8cc in my band my doctor sent me for a band fill under flouroscopy. Now here comes the questions. He added 1cc and I later noticed some restriction. He did try 1.5cc but we could see on screen that the fluid was not going through though I did not feel like it was coming up. Anyways I went home and was not satisfied with results and got another .5 fill so now I am up to 9.5. I do feel some restriction but it is inconsistent. I am worried that I am not cueing into it well. Since I did have a fill under flouroscopy is it possible that I still need a fill-I personally think I do. Has anyone had anything similar happen? Also does your band get looser in the weeks following a fill? Thanks for any responses.

Thank you everyone. I will be sure to try some of these ideas!

Does anyone have a homemade recipe for hot chocolate, perhaps one that uses skim milk and artificial sweetener?

Thanks I will look and see if I can find it.