leatha_g

My first band slipped one year out. The operative record stately clearly that the doc used the pars flaccida technique at the time. It was 2003. The doc who diagnosed the slip also stated that the band was positioned incorrectly and it was no fault of mine. I had moved and had to change docs. Who really knows why a band slips? No one.. it just does.. Others lose their bands due to erosion or esophageal symptoms that come later down the road. Others have much more severe slippages. I've even heard now of 2 cases of what was thought to be rejection of the band itself.

I ONLY lost 55 lbs my first year banded. Some of us are just slower losers. Some of us make choices that slow us down. Either we don't turn up the volume on exercise or we add to many carbs to our diet, or our metabolism just isn't conducive to weight loss. Perhaps, we have unresolved medical issues. Then, we have those darn statistics! The lapband manufacturers state very clearly that you should lose an AVERAGE of 5-10lbs per month - OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. This is not a guarantee that you WILL lose every single month or that you'll be on the higher end of that weight loss average. But, there are things you can implement, such as more exercise or different exercise. More Water, more focus on Protein, less carbs in order to help scoot that along. It is a good guide to track your intake in a program such as www.fitday.com in order to see how your carb intake really does compare to the protein. Sometimes the bad does outweigh the good. It could even be possible that you need to bump UP your intake if you're not taking enough calories. Don't give up! You're headed in the right direction!

God bless our world.. yes, I remember..

I found the surgery easier than the band, personally. I was off the bed the first hour back into the room and out and home within 3 hours.

Welcome Home!!!! So glad to see you posting and thank God for your successful surgery and recovery!!

I had my gallbladder removed just over 1 year after the band.

(((Penni))) we love ya girl. I find it sad that so many people have been hurt by such trivial things and so far out.. but it is what it is. I, for one, would have been fine with you remaining as moderator. We have all made errors in judgement, especially with influence from friends, etc. You admitted it, you haven't continued it, that should have been sufficient, but I certainly understand your position. Please continue to share your experience, moderator or not... :girl_hug:

If I'm truly choking (not breathing), my band is secondary. Please do the heimlich on me!

I'm not a big vegitarian, however, my daughter is and she's often describing some of her vegitarian foods as 'yummy', so I decided to give it a try. Goodness knows I need more veggies. Well, I can attest to the Morningstar Black bean burger, it's easy to cook quickly and it is indeed very good for something quick and light to eat! It has 140 calories per patty and 12g protein!

Good news, Babs!! I hope this doc works out for you and you get some resolution!

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Awesome job!!! This is exactly what it's all about! You go girl!!!

3 years out for me. I do recall losing maybe 10% early on, but nothing too worriesome. Keep up the protein and multivitamins, buy yourself some Nioxin products. It should recover.

um.. it's over. they've been gone now for several days..

Forgive me for asking, but will it be more of a stigma than being overweight?

Wow. I'm sorry to hear this! I guess the questions to ask are: 1. Have you had any fills? 2. Are you exercising? 3. Are you drinking at least 64oz of Water a day? 4. Are you focusing on Protein, then quality veggies first, then carbs IF you have room left? If you're doing all these things and not snacking in between, you may need to ask your doc for a referral to an endocrinologist as there are metabolic disorders that cause your body to hang onto weight. Can you give more information??

I'm not a great cook either and I live alone, but I have learned there are lots of good alternatives to boxed foods or fast foods. For example, a chicken breast takes about 30 minutes in the oven - you can buy them already seasoned and frozen. EASY EASY EASY - I open up a can of green beans or asparagus, etc to have with it. It doesn't have to be a major production, just something to eat, hopefully heavy on the protein. Another, more expensive but very handy alternative is your local Schwans man. They have great choices for proteins that are easy to prepare and are a great quality. However, you must avoid their desserts and goodies section. www.schwans.com, and they deliver!

Welcome Ladies!! Glad to hear you're doing well! McKinney, Texas here!

Just tell those that are nosy enough to ask that until you reach suitable restriction you do not expect significant weight loss. That's expected. Also, remind them you did NOT have gastric bypass so this weight loss with be slow and healthy, versus rapid and unhealthy. It's a lifestyle change, not a forced malabsorption arrangement. It's also okay to let them know you'll update THEM when you have good news to report but it's very stressful to feel under scrutiny each time you see someone.

Good luck!!

Alcohol can definitely knock alot of good work you've done with eating right in the head. I'll never forget tracking my calories on www.fitday.com. I was so proud of my success one day in my eating behaviors.. then, I got on a plane and for some reason I decided I would take advantage of the free champagne in first class. I got home, entered my intake for the day, it was all awesome UNTIL I entered that champagne. It UNDID all that I had done due to the carbs. I still have a margarita on occasion - probably too many occasions. LOL, but I have to make a deal with myself every single time that this is MY CHOICE to undo everything I've done toward losing/maintaining my weight loss. I guess it comes down to priorities, really. I wish you luck in making those decisions!

:bump2: :bump2: :bump:

:bump2: :bump: :welcome:

Here's wishing you a smooth transition into the banded life! Good luck and best wishes for a truly awesome journey!

Amen. I was in Philadelphia. My first trip to the northeast. We were in the 'clothes pin' building at Centre Square, on the 34th floor. Our information was trickling in from outside phone calls. There were no tv's nearby. At first we thought it was one single terrible tragedy, then when the second plane hit, we all knew this was not an accident. It was terrifying. All I could think of was my family in Texas looking at a map to see where I was compared to NYC. I sneaked into a conference room and called them to let them know where I was and that we were safe, but I was unsure as to what I could do to get home. Immediately, the people were all calling families and the decision was made to evacuate the building. My team walked down and outside the building. As we did this, we witnessed people drawing money from the ATM's for fear they wouldn't have access to their money. Banks were locking their doors. People were scrambling to get outside. As we got into the daylight, there was already pandemonium around Independence Hall. People running, trying to catch buses and taxis to get home to their children and loved ones. There was a green pickup, with American flags displayed and a person in the back with a bullhorn saying 'Americans need to wake up!' and on and on. I was in shock and all I wanted was to head south. We walked a ways down to the Loews Hotel where the lobby was crowded, people all gathered around a big screen tv. Speechless and in shock, wondering what to do next or what was happening next. By this time, we knew the planes had hit the Pentagon, south of us, NYC north of us and we also knew about the plane which crashed at Harrisburg, directly west of us. There were helicoptors flying low all around us and we were unsure if anything in the sky was friend or foe. It was surreal and I remember thinking of the 'War of the Worlds' book I had once read. My team gathered and discussed what we should do. I was appalled that they even had the gall to sit down at a table and order lunch, while these people at this restaurant also had families and loved ones they had on their minds. I know the last thing on my mind was food. I just wanted a car and to head home to be with my family. We headed back to our hotel, walking. Philadelphia is a city not conducive to rental cars, which is our normal mode of transportation. At this time, I weighed probably 230lbs and my health was atrocious. I had a dress on and pantyhose and I was following behind a very tall man who would not slow down and wait on me. When I returned to the hotel room, I pulled off my hose and had blood sticking them to the bottoms of my feet. I remember sitting down and writing about all the things that were going on around us and emailing my boss in Texas. We had been contacted to make sure we were safe and had been told to do anything that we needed in order to feel safe. This meant I could rent a car and head home instead of finishing our training that was scheduled. The airports were shutdown and every rental car in the city was rented. I had to wait. I called the rental car place every few hours to see if anyone had turned one in. Finally, on Sept 12 around 6 pm, I walked from my hotel to get a rental car and I loaded my bags and took off from Philadelphia headed back to Texas. I cannot fully explain how the next 3 days were simply a blur with one focus, but I heard so much patriotic music and I cried and I prayed the whole way. My life was forever changed, but I cannot, in my wildest imagination, have any idea what hell the people 90 minutes down the road must have gone through. God bless those people and God bless the USA.

My desk drawer at work has become my kitchen. lol. I buy the whole box of 6 Tuna lunch kits at a time and take them to work. I also keep a box of Frosted Mini wheats at work to snack on for Fiber and something to crunch on. I keep Protein bars and Protein drinks there as well. I have packages of Carnation Instant breakfast and some of those one cup instant soups. I think the hardest part of this journey is getting to that place of realizing we are eating to fuel our bodies. It doesn't have to be about 'enjoyment' all the time. So, if you have these types of things on hand, they will get you through the day, then when you do have some quiet time to yourself, you can focus more on something you 'enjoy'. Another thing I do often is to boil several eggs at a time. This way I can carry one to work with me. I also use the small one cup containers from Glad to cook up soups or chili, etc and carry those to work or eat at home. South Beach also makes some pretty good high protein frozen meals, as well as Lean Cuisine. It's also pretty easy to cook up chicken breasts at home and take those along in foil or a ziplock container. Just try to focus on the protein and veggies. Say NO to the carbs from breads and refined starches. Hard, I know... but you'll reap the rewards. Good luck!!