monicaleigh

Thank you! You will get there! Dont give up on yourself, Failure is only an option when you open the door to it! Keep that door closed and the one to success open and the future is yours to decide

due*

I took before shots for this reason.. so 40 pounds later when i took after shots and compared them...it was a huge difference. But when i stood in front of the mirror i did not see it. So it really does help to take befoe and after pics.. I take them every 20 pounds! I am actually do to take more pretty soon.

I am about 3 1/2 months out and i have lost 56 pounds. I am down to 197 and have never had a fill.

i love this idea

Well personally for me starvation mode exsist and has been proven in my journey..i dont have a fill.. but when i was eating 600-800 calories a day and worked out for 2 hours a day i might lose 2 pounds a week but normally more like one. So when i listened to every dieticion and trainer around me and finally upped my calorie intake to 1200, and continued to work out 2 hours a day (with weights and cardio) I started loosing anywhere from 4-6 pounds ever week and have been consistent in that since i upped my calories. So for me eating literally nothing and burning wayy more than i ate made me lose less. Eating 1200 calories a day and working out 5 days a week has made me lose more. Someone earlier asked how starvation mode exsisted since people are bulemic and anorexic. Well its like this.. anyone can starve themsleves and yes eventually lose weight.. but in the process you are not only burning fat..but you are burning muscle! your heart is a muscle...why do you think anorexic people pass out and look pale and like they are starving? Well its because they are..and in the long run it is terrible on your body and it can actually kill you. Being anorexic and starving yourself will kill you faster then being overweight. Also someone stated that dropping your calorie in take way low can get your body use to eating less, therefore if you ever eat more it will make you gain.. This is true. Thats one reason its not recommended to drop your calories below 1200 a day. In three in a half months i have lost 55 pounds (without a fill) at a daily caloric intake of 1200 calories with exercise. So yes for me upping my calories to the recommended amount worked wonders

and that is perfectly okay.. we dont have to agree...thats why we all get to make our own choices and desicions regarding our lapband.. you just asked me my reason and so i was telling you.. was in no way trying to sway you in my direction.. Good luck to you as well

so basically i dont want to get a fill right now... im not going to get one unless i feel for some reason i need one... when i get to my goal i may have one for maintence.. i havent decided.. also without a fill i dont have to worry about a slip as easliy.. and i have tourette syndrome and for some reson it is acting up pretty bad and most of my tics are body tics that are constent movment of stomach muscles. soo thats reason number two.. but the main reason is i want o go back to mexico when i have it done and i want it to be done properly to where it last and not be having to go back and get it filled all the time to where my stomach the prob;lems described in that article

You can always — always, always, always, force more food into your pouch. Imagine a long balloon when you first blow it up. The first few breaths take a lot of effort, but as soon as the balloon starts to stretch it becomes easier and easier to blow air into it. The stomach is a lot like a balloon. The larger and thinner the balloon becomes, in this case, the larger and thinner the stomach becomes — less muscular, less resistance there is less of a sensation of “fullness.” The stomach can stretch, and part of that is good, because in stretching a bit you send the brain a very subtle signal that it is satisfied. But if it keeps stretching, and keeps stretching then you can lose the effect of being satisfied with less, because the stomach will need more to fill that upper pouch up as more stomach is brought to the upper pouch. Like the balloon, you will be able to eat more and more and against a fixed Lap-band you risk dilation of the esophagus as well as a prolapse, or slip, of the stomach above the Lap-band to the point where the band is now around stomach that is thicker and thicker (in essence the food is serving as a pile driver — pulling stomach above the band and forcing the band further down the stomach). That is advice from an article from a lapband surgeon

well for me it will help with long term maintence.. one day i may get a fill.. but it will be done by Dr. Ortiz... yes i will travel back to Mexico rather than going to doctor in the us. He put my band in and knows the amount of fill i will need.. ive seen so many people have messed up fill and seem to be having more problems with their fills then they are results.. another reason im waiting to get fills is because every time you increase the number of cc in your band.. you stretch the top part of your stomach out...which i didnt know until recently. Longterm people who keep going back for fill and in three years have 6 and 7 cc in a ten cc band because they say they are never full....it can make your stomach lining thiner and thinner the more you stretch it with a fill...i really didnt understand that at first because t me it seemed if you had more fill it would mean more constriction which means less you can eat...but that isnt the case.. heres another article that explains The first bits of food you put in, after a Lap-band has been placed, or adjusted, causes a small stretch in the stomach, and it is difficult to put in more food. As time goes on, against a tight Lap-band, the upper pouch will stretch a bit, but only to a point. Wanting that feeling of resistance again, that hard stop, it takes a bit more food, or a tighter Lap-band. This is when people generally want an adjustment, coming to the office and saying, “I can eat a whole lot more.” It is becomes difficult to dissuade them that this is not the sensation we want them to have, and they become discouraged when we tell them that this may have been the last time they feel that sensation of restriction. There are a group of patients who keep their Lap-band too tight. Wanting to “feel restricted.” The problems that can result from this misguided thought can include a dilated esophagus, a dilated pouch, and a very tight Lap-band. After continuing to fill the stomach it will stretch to the point where that sensation of resistance requires more and more food. More food is required to feel the sensation your brain interprets as being full. Three things can happen — one is that you will force food out of the upper pouch into the lower pouch. Another is that you will vomit. But what is most dangerous is the stomach below the Lap-band is pulled to the upper pouch to accommodate the excess food. So, that small pouch gradually enlarges — not because it is being stretched, but because the increasing amounts of food placed into the stomach force the Lap-band down (slips) and pulls more stomach above the Lap-band – making the upper pouch larger. Ultimately the packing of food above the Lap-band leads to a band slip. We call it a slip — but the band doesn’t slip — the stomach is being pulled up to accommodate more and more food.

Lowest Recommended Intakes Just because you have the ability to ingest only 1,000 calories per day doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Medline Plus notes that the lowest per-day caloric intake recommended for women is 1,200 calories. For men, the limit is 1,500 calories. If you drop below these levels, there's a good chance you're not giving your body all the nutrients and calories it needs just to get through the day. Starvation Mode When you don't provide your body with the calories it needs, it may go into "starvation" mode. In "Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Nutrition," author Marie Dunford notes that very-low-calorie diets usually do more harm than good. The weight you lose is most often muscle mass, she notes --- not fat. Your body slows its metabolism to conserve calories, and, Dunford notes, it remains slow long after you end the starvation diet. Plus, these diets are very difficult to maintain; once you stop dieting, it's very likely you'll gain back whatever weight you lost. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/296783-will-eating-1000-calories-a-day-cause-weight-loss/#ixzz1sGywFn8j

Your welcome! and thank you! Ive got about 45 to 50 more pounds to go depending on my bmi and amount of muscle wieght since i lift regularly....but im determined to get to goal and maintain it!

well that depends in my opinion no.. i wouldnt. because for the amouint of exercise i do daily i would not be able to consume enough calories to support my exercise.. what i mean ive eaten 600-800 calories a day without the fill in the very begiining of my jounrey assuming that dropping my caloric intake and eating less would mean more weight loss...but thats not really true..i lost more weight at 1200 calories with or without exercise then i did at 600-800 a day.. im talking a three pound difference a week.. i was lose 1-2 sometimes three pounds a week eating less calories with exercise and without.. when i upped my calories to 1200 a day i started losing anywhere from 4-6 pounds a week.. what happens is if your eating 600-800 calories and your bruning 600 in exercise.. not counting the calories your body naturally burns anyway... your body thinks its starving. so you hold onto weight rather than losing.. you cant burn everything in your body and expect it to think its nourished...you want to burn more calories then you retain yes.. but not always more than you eat.. atlast not in my case and according to everything ive ever studied or read... Medically.. eating less than 1000 calories aday is consider unhealthy and its actually not good for your body according to most nutrionist and fitness experts. My doctor told me i needed to eat normal meals.. and that if the fills were done properly you would only need 2 or 3 in your lifetime...sounds crazy i know.. everyone on here seems to egt them alot more often.. i was also told and have read by other lapband doctors that you dont want the fill to make you not be able to eat much of anything.. thats not really the object..its suppose to help you eat less but not 400-700 calories.. if the fill is done right.. you should be able to eat a normal amounts of food as in a plate with 3-6 ounce of meat a veggie and maybe your starch.. not.. 1/3 of a cup of food? like i see people saying? a baby eats more than that...

sounds great! Good luck. keep your head high and your hopes higher

one more thing.. my meal plan is due to me not having a fill... all of the things i named may not be things that sit well with you..I dont plan on having a fill until after i reach goal. so i really dont have trouble with any foods at all. But with a fill it is probably different. So rice potattoes corn and bread sit fine with me...but not with most or so ive heard.. so dont use my exact meal plan.. i was just giving an example of healthy..

now dont take this as you can never have anythingb you enjoy to eat.. thats not what im saying.. i am saying moderation is key.. and for me as of now while trying to change my mindset i dont allow myself the option of junk food or sweet drinks.. but thats a personal desicion to cut those out.. i want to be as healthy as possible.. will i ever eat junk food again.. sure maybe after i get to goal one day in moderation... but as of right now.. junk food is non filling empty calories that i dont need.. same for sweet drinks. so i just avoid them.. When i fix my plate it consist of 4-5 ounces of meat the size of the palm of my hand of a green non-starchy vegitable and one starch.. such as corn, potatoes, rice and so on... when i eat my plate i eat my meat first (all of it) then move to my grean vegi and then if im still hungry physically.. i will eat my starch.. most of the time i eat half of my starch and all of the meat and veggies.. i have one meal like that a day.. normally in the evenings i get a subway (i dont have a fill so bread goes down fine) i get it on whole wheat bread or 9 grain. and then i have one to 2 snacks a day..if i have two snack one is fruit and i keep it under a hundred calories.. such as a portion of strawberries, pinapple, peaches in their own juice or a bananna (those are the only fruits i really like lol) and then my other snack is either a protien bar that is about 200 calories or a nature valley granola bar that is about 200 calories as well...so thats kind of an example of my eating in a day.. i dont eat breakfast..DONT FOLLOW THTAT EXAMPLE! I dont know why but ive never been a breakfast person.. on occasion ill eat a banana o start my metabolism because it is very impritant to eat when you wake up..but anyway...its all about control, physically and mentally

I made a decision...I just said no more.. never again and i started thinking of food as nutrition.. and not for pleasure.. i stopped letting my thoughts revolve around when i could eat again and planning out what i wanted three hours in advance..when i had just eaten.. I started focusing more on my gym time and what i was going to do at the gym everyday..what cardio workouts..what weight workouts.. i also started doing activities that didnt revolve arounmd social eating events or just sitting around..I started playing basketball rather than watching tv for 5 hours..or even going bowling rather than an activity where im sitting like at the movie theatre which also gives option to the concsession stand full of junk food and soda...Its proven that people whose daily habits are active habits and not sitting habits... makes a huge difference in a person success in weightloss and maintenence. ..At the end of the day it boils down to you not just wanting it bad enough... but being willing to do everything you need to do in order to make it a lifestyle change. like i said its mostly in our heads! Ill be honest i can finish eating a portioned out meal and still be mentally hungry which leads me to think that im still physically hungry.. but i know im not..and so i dont just keep eating because I FEEL that way. I stop eating when ive finished what i NEED to eat... Its a a choice..is it easy? absolutely not! does it get easier? Yes! Do i have temptation when i am around junk food and yummy stuff? of course! But i dont give to my temptation... Its not like my mental hunger goes away or like im never tempted by anything...I am but i choose to fight my urges and continue to make healthy decisions regardless of how i feel or if im tempted..Its not easy.. but it is and will be worth it for the long haul. There is no set way on how to get rid of emotional hunger some people never do.. they just dont act on it. So its a decision and one that you have to work on ..what are your eating habits like? what are your exercise habits like? do you eat for comfort when your having a bad day?

@ bambam Just wanted to tell you.. you look amazing! Your an inspiration! I can tell you ahev really worked hard and it has definetly paid off

You might be battling mental hunger as well...you might be physically full..and mentally hungry..I see alot of people of this site focusing on being "full" and im not saying thats all bad.. what i am saying is that i try to aim for "satisfied" and use food as a source of nutrition rather than making me feel a certain way. I was an emotional eater for years and even when i was physically full i didnt know it because i never changed my mindset and mentality about food..I dont have any fill inmy band..im about 12-13 weeks out of surgery and have lost 51 pounds...with no fill. I never eat until im full. i portion things out and always eat my protien first. another thing as far as physical hunger...you need to have protein with every meal and you need to make sure you eat your protein first. That makes a huge difference. Pasta is empty calories that really dont feel you up ..atleast not for very long.. good luck and if you have any questions or if i can help in anyway.. feel free to message me

I eat no less than 1200 a day thats with or without exercise... even though i exercise 4-5 times a week.. initially after surgery I had the eating less is best mentality and i finally convinced myself to eat the reccomended 1200 a day rather than the 600- 800 calories i was eating...and i went from losing 2 pounds a week (eating less) to losing 4-6 pounds a week (eating 1200 calories a day. Sometimes i do things to trick my body.. like not exercise for two days in a row and have a cheat day occasionally (no sweets though) by upping my card intake for one day.. i really dont do it often enough.. maybe once a month. once a week is reccomended. I do alot of reading up on fitness and have had personal success with tricking my metabolism into more weight loss by using some of these techniques on occasion. I personally do it rarely because i love to exercise and thrive on it..and because i am very set on my 1200 calories and very persistent in sticking with that (no more and no less). anyway...ill stop rambling now lol

I dont know if you were asking me or anglkrys but You dont need to be scared! You just need to go ahead and start trying to change your habits and mindset preband and it makes it so much easier post band...and i cant answer the question "is it worth it" thats something you need to ask yourself..and if you really cant say..then its probably going to be a tough thing post band..i can say it was worth it for me but i wanted it..and not just the band but i wanted to change my health overall and i was willing to do what it took in order to accomplish that. And YES it is challenging! But so are so many other things in life. Its a personal decision that only you can make and only you can decide if your ready for it!.. Like i said earlier to many people expect a miracle from the band...its not a miracle fix. its a tool, and in order for it to work you have to use it properly! You cant get the band and then continue eating junk food and fried food and other unhealthy stuff all day everyday just in smaller portions...thats not going to work for the long haul..thats why i saying its a lifestyle change and a mindset change that only we ourselves can make! Goodluck and i wish the best in your journey, both of you! And if you ever need someone to talk with or have questions about my experiences and journey please feel free to firned me and send me a message anytime!

okay...lets take a step back for a minute and try to relax! You have had the band two weeks right? and you say your failing? You havent even given yourself time to succeed! for the first 3 weeks after surgery even on a liquid diet i didnt lose a pound...my body was in shock and yours probably still is as well..So dont get extremely discouraged because your not loosing. as far as gaining two pounds, my doctor forwarned me that i might gain a few pound initially.Everyones body is different and reacts differently to surgery. As far as the foods go..you need to stick with what they told you to eat. Its challenging but no one said it would be easy right? My advice to you with feeling hungry and like you want chips and chocolate is this...Your going to want those things, especially when you (like most of us) are probably use to eating them pre-band. But you have to focus changing your mindset..how you view food and how you view yourself as a person. Ive seen so many people on here and in my town who have had the lapband and not been successful but it wasnt because they didnt have the option of success..it was because they never changed their habits. Eating habits..mind set about food..exercise..all of those things start in your mind. You have got to be mind over matter in order to have success. The lapband is not a miracle fix, it is a tool that will help you if you use it properly.. i would advise finding a buddy if you dont have one..someone to be accountable to and that can help you deal with some of these emotions..they are normal and most of us have gone thru them at one point or another in our journey!...last but no least! You only FAIL when you allow failure to be an option! If you give up and you throw in the towel..you failed. but as long as you keep trying and pushing towards that goal that you for yourself, you are NOT a failure!

@krystallynn This same exact thing happened to me. Two weeks before surgery i had a period for the first time in three years and after the first one i just conitued to bleed constantly. I started on a birth control pill and after about a week of taking it i stopped bleeding and started having monthly periods!...Talk with your doctor about some form of BC it will help!

I was banded feb 6, 2012 and it took me about a month in a half to get rid of all the pain around the prot area. I relayy think it depends on each individual person. Some peoples bodys have a harder time accepting foreign objects than others..mine had a very hard time with it! Im ten weeks out and the only time i have trouble now is if i wear jeans that are to tight and push in on my port area. But its nothing extreme, its just uncomfortable. So i just dont wear those pants and dont have any problems lol! But like i said i think you will be fine before long. I was very concerned and even called my doctor multiple times asking if it was normal. He had me take tylenol ever 6 hours and that helped tremendously!