kyethra

I just started using this yesterday! I have really been struggling recently so I decided to be a good girl. I got the fill I needed and saw my nutritionist. I even started seeing a counselor to work on some of my food issues and learn better strategies. I am kyethra on there. Right now I am just ignoring the calories. My nutritionist said right now I should eat 1400 to 1800 since I am still breastfeeding. The program obviously doesn't take lactation etc. into account. And I'm supposed to eat 1200 to 1400 overall. If I go below 1200 too often then I plateau. I have found I either need to eat a really low amount like 700 or less or a more reasonable amount like 1200 to lose weight.

Hi all. I was banded in 2007 and lost those first fifty pounds in the first couple of months, and then my gall bladder came out six weeks after I was banded. Before banding my highest was 297. Then in 2010 I got down to 213. I was about 245 in 2008 so those pounds took a long time and a lot of work. Then the fertility treatments started and I did yoyo a bit from about 220 ish to 245. I got pregnant in May or June of 2011 and I weighed 220. But halfway through my pregnancy (and I had been doing well at that point) I had trouble keeping things down and got a complete unfill. Big mistake!! But it was late enough my pregnancy they didn't feel comfortable giving me a fill. So by the time I was hospitalized (severe preeclampsia) I weight 305 pounds and then I gave birth shortly after to a 5 pound 13 ounce baby. My band has been a bit tempermental after giving birth. I have had a couple of little fills and a partial unfill. Right now I weight about 240 (it varies by about five pounds). My son will be one year old in January and I want to get back to 220 by then. But I am really wanting to get down to about 165 or thereabouts. However, I don't want to spend more than five years doing that! My biggest issue is my love of junk food. I just get so hungry!! I am going to have another fill in a couple of days, but even with decent fills I just want to eat junk food. Ice cream and Cookies. Those are my big struggles. A part of me really wants to be good and eat like I should, but at the same time I feel like I should be able to have some yummy food. If I get enough restriction I can only eat about 1/4 cup of ice cream which is great, but then I am too restricted on things like apples. So that is the dilema with fill level, restriction and so forth. I really want to be a good role model for my child and not have him struggle with obesity. Both of my parents did when I was a child. And even now my mother really doesn't eat well despite losing the weight. She constantly constantly worries about calories and then eats nothing so she can have popcorn for dinner. Not healthy. And I'm trying to get my head around the not eating so much ice cream and junk food. But I get all weak and then I think I will eat a cookie and I eat the freaking box. So I made an appointment with a counselor that specializes in eating disorders and is supposed to be good at helping with cravings. Has anyone done this? What should I expect? I am wanting to do some homework ahead of time if possible. Right now I know I want to get under 200 if I were to get pregnant again since my first pregnancy was so hard and I'm in such bad shape. And I am in physical therapy and taking a fitness class and walk the dogs and trying to eat well (though I cannot manage to fit in all those fruit and veggie servings).

no problem, i was waiting on insurance approval for IVF when I got pregnant.

I have a question about loose skin. I have a bunch of it. A small pannus, arms that could fly, and more than enough belly skin to go around despite my still needing to lose another 50 after I have the bambino and only being down about 70 some pounds. Will I get more loose skin as the bump starts to grow? More stretch marks? Or will the loose skin I already have just sort of take up the slack? I'm only nine weeks and while I can't button most of my pants anymore (no weight gain yet) I am not showing at all, but I am wondering...

I did get a fill shortly after I found out-- I had been hungry and eating more it was a long time since my last fill. So I got a half sized one (for me that is .05 cc since I usually get .1 cc). I am happy with it. I will likely not get an unfill unless I am having trouble getting food/nutrition. And then I would only get a partial one.

I am glad I am not the only one wondering about this sort of thing. I just found out I was was pregnant the other day, but I have been eating a lot these past couple of weeks (I am almost six weeks) and I was worried I would need a fill so I don't gain. But according to my new what to expect, the morning sickness doesn't hit until around week six. So we will see.

It is nice to know I am not alone. I am 27 and my husband is 35, married 4.5 years and have been trying to conceive for about 8 months. We have been doing pregnancy planning for over a year, including genetic testing, etc. We started with fertility treatments right off the bat in order to do gender selection with Microsort, a clinical trial, because of Autism risk (it is much more prevalent in boys). But after five IUIs, I am not pregnant. After thinking on it we have decided to try naturally for a few months, and then if still no pregnancy, our insurance will cover IVF. I am really concerned about weight since with the fertility meds I gained so much-- 20 pounds! The injectibles were the worst, I litterally gained two inches in one week. And the weight isn't budging. I am tracking my calories and I just don't get it. So I made an apointment and it is finally comming up this week. I want a fill. I worry about things like my blood pressure and stuff being high during pregnancy. The trying to conceive is so frustrating-- I have wanted a baby for quite some time but we were waiting until I was mostly finished with grad school and done with things like student teaching. Since I am on meds now for narcolepsy and fibromyalgia, and I will be off those for at least part of pregnancy my functional level goes down. I've had the basic tests-- my HSG is normal, my hormone levels are normal, etc. My Lutenizing Phase tends to be short, (I have a short cycle, three weeks) so I got progesterone for that. DH has normal sperm analysis. So it just hasnl't happened yet. I get really sad and frustrated-- I feel like I would be a great mom-- I have a lot of education related to child development! I am at the right spot in my life too. Then I get ahead of myself and worry about time lines. I want to be done with child bearing before I turn 31. And I also need to work on developing my career and losing weight. But this fertility stuff sort of puts my life on pause. I am the sort of person who really likes rules. (Yup, I was one of those kids too). I feel like if I follow the rules, I am supposed to have things happen, e.g. A + B= C And I feel like I am doing A and B, but I don't have C. And this leads me to ask why and get all confused. I am following the rules, so to speak, I am doing what I was told I should do, I am following the steps. But still no baby. I take the folic acid, I use the fertility monitors, I take the meds, I monitor my cycle, I do this and I do that....

Thanks. I think I will go and talk to Dr. or Med Assistant about a fill at least. I recently started on follistim, and while it seems to be doing the job I am sure feeling fat and hormonal. I swear my hips have grown two inches in the past week, and I'm not even gaining any pounds. But everything feels tight or doesn't fit, etc. I'm actually doing IUIs so my cycle is monitored pretty well-- base line ultrasounds, meds, OPKS, blood work, then more ultrasounds and blood work, etc. We are using a process that sorts sperm so we can select for gender due to a genetic issues so it is all pretty high tech, but the process reduces the sperm available, so it has lower pregnancy rates. I think a fill might be a good idea as it could take a few more months and medications before I do conceive.

I'm not even pregnant yet, but have been trying to conceive for about six months, and have had a few clomid cycles. During the first two or three months I gained about 15 pounds, and I am not shaking them. I also have been on and off my narcolepsy medicine while trying to conceive (off during two week wait, on until ovulation)-- something that influences my metabolism. I'm currently eating about 1600 to 1800 calories a day and while I'd prefer that to be between 1200 and 1400 I still think I am making progress and eating healthier all the time-- I have had the band for some time, since March of 2007, and after the first six months I have lost very slowly, but always making progress. I haven't gained this much back before. This spring I was so proud of myself, getting down to a size 14 jeans-- a size I haven't worn since freshman year of high school. My band is on the loose side, but rather than get a fill I've been trying to eat more vegetables. I'm also trying to increase activity levels-- I usually go for a walk between thirty and forty-five minutes three times a week or so and I play with my dogs everyday in the yard-- throwing the frisbee, etc. I'm feeling frustrated. I've been hoping to lose more and I ended up gaining what took me a year to lose. I worry about risk levels and so forth. Should I get a fill? Any thoughts?

thanks for the ideas, so far I a doing well-- no ice cream yesterday, and today I have only had one 100 cal fudgesicle. If I do well the rest of today then I decided tomorrow I am allowed to use the cold stone creamery gift card thats burning a hole in my pocket. But then I need to be good through the weekend.

DH and I are trying to conceive. In the middle of a two week wait now. So I a wondering about weight loss strategies. If this is negative, should I go ahead and get that fill and keep working on losing? Should I work on losing during the 2 week wait?

I have had my lap band for about three years now, and I am very pleased with the results. I'm 5'8" and weighed 297 at my highest, and now I'm down to 215. I've gone from a size 22/24 to wearing a size 14 jean (something I haven't done since I was 14), size 16 top. I lose weight super slowly, about a pound a month. And until recently I was ok with that since I have been loosing and it works without gaining. But recently, I have gotten frustrated. Maybe it is because I'm trying to get pregnant and I am thinking of my health. before the band, I had high blood pressure , I took meds for GERD and a bunch of other stuff. Now I am on much less, no PPIs, no high blood pressure. I am much healthier.. but I still need to lose 30-45 pounds. That is my goal health wise and vanity wise. I haven't lost weight for a couple of months, and now that I finished student teaching and I'm taking a break this summer from research I am focusing on me. I think my ice cream addiction is a big problem. I have a good fill level, though I might want a baby fill as in the last couple of weeks I can eat small amounts of bread. But I try to focus on getting in my servings of fruit and veg. I drink plenty of milk. And then I think of healthy Snacks, etc. And I go and eat ice cream instead or later. I cant stand the thought of no ice cream ever, but I would love to limit it to 1 serving every other day, as compared to the 3 servings I had today. I try to buy less, but then I find myself going to the store or drive through to get more. I chart calories-- I try to eat less of other foods. Not healthy. My husband might be supportive if I really insist (now if I say I want ice cream, he says, ok, pick me up a malt. As I lose weight, he gains a belly). So what are some strategies to limit this o so addictive food? Cookies I can just not buy and thats ok, but this is different somehow. I need help!

I am now two years out, and I feel bad because I lost most of what I lost the first couple of months after the band-- the next 20 pounds came off over the rest of that year. Then this past year I have been at a plateau. I took an inventory. I think a big part of it is motivation and the tools to stay motivation. For me, I know a recent fill is helpful. I get busy, I start to slide. A little fill goes a long way for me. I have another 60 pounds to lose so I need to get regular fills. And to exercise regularly. I ordered a body bug, and I scheduled personal training sessions. I think with keeping track of calories these things will help.