126dee

So, the past week has been horrible. Anytime I would try to eat I could feel it backing up and finally go down hours later. Got so bad that I couldn't sleep at night due to constant reflux and coughing. Today I finally went to the doctor and he took all the fluid out of my band and it was instant relief!!! I can finally eat solid foods again and I feel it going down. Thursday I see the doctor again for barium/xray to be sure the band did not slip and hoping it was just too tight. I am hoping it was just too tight and he will put fluid back in...until then I may just eat some Chinese food, I haven't had that in over 2 years!!!

To keep with my New Years goal...I am back again to report my weekly progress, and yes, it is progress! I finally beat my 178 goal!!! Weighed in at 177, I haven't weighed this little in over 9 years. My next goal is to get to pre-pregnancy weight, so I have to lose another 20 pounds but I will do it! I have tracked my food on myfitnesspal and it works great for me. Hope more of you join me on there (user name 126dee). I find it to be very useful and full of information. I love that I can just scan a barcode on the food and all the nutritional information appears for me. Makes life so much easier. I was asked to be a bridesmaid in a wedding this coming September. I fit nicely into a size 14 but I ordered a size 12. The woman said if it didn't fit I could always exchange for another size. I know she is thinking I'll need the 14 BUT I know I will need a 10 or lower! I want to be the sexiest bridesmaid! As for exercise, I did Zumba and the treadmill on Monday burning close to 600 calories. I found a site (caloriesburnedhq.com) to assist in calculating how many calories I burned in Zumba. Hope this helps all of you as well. Keep up the good work! I will have my band for 1 year next Friday...I hope to have lost 65 pounds by then. That would be awesome!!!!!! Denise

Happy New Year! So I went from 179.5 up to 181. Not bad at all. I am tracking my food intake on myfitnesspal.com. If you would like to join me, my user name is 126dee. I love that site and using it really helps! I hope to post often and to have success in losing 30 lbs by May 4th. That's the day I leave for my first cruise!!!!!! I definitely feel this is a goal I can reach without depriving myself of ice cream or sweets. I've discovered Skinny Cow mint sandwiches and I fell in love!!!! It totally kills the craving without a ton if calories. Glad they are in sale at ShopRite, time to stock up before the price is unreasonable again. Good luck to all. If you reside near South Jersey let me know. Be nice to have a walking buddy who understands my obstacles :-)

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!!!! I just had a slight scare and I thought I would share hoping that if this happens to you, you won't worry and see your doctor right away.... The last time I had an adjustment was August and I've been quite happy with my full. I haven't been hungry and I lost 10lbs despite not eating properly. The past week I experienced acid reflux while I slept. It was quite alarming so I googled what was happening and every conversation thread stated that their band slipped when this happened to them. I called my Dr. yesterday and went in for a barium swallow this morning. Turns out, my band was too tight. The fluid wouldn't pass through as quickly as it should so my Dr. took out a little fluid. Sure, if I didn't get this taken care if right away I would have must likely had a slipped band but these threads scared the crap out of me for no reason. Now I'm back on fluids and mushy food for a few days...a great excuse to kick start my food management for the new year. I hope you all enjoy saying farewell to 2012 and hello to 2013. My goal is to be more active on this site (as well as at the gym)!

I know, I'm a lurker and you probably don't remember me but I too was banded in January 2012. I started at 238 and currently weigh 179. I've been at a plateau for quite some time and its no fault of the band. In fact, without the band, I probably would have gained all the weight back. I lack motivation but I'm hoping the new year will put a light on the fire! Meredith...I too live in Jersey but luckily I was not effected by Sandy. If you need any assistance please let me know. Not sure what rooms were on your first level but I have clothes, toys and household items to give if you are willing to take. Let me know. I work in Northern Jersey so you most likely are not out of my way. Good luck to you.

I'm still at 181.5 a loss of 56.5 lbs

Getting back on track!!! Lost the few pounds I gained since May and I'm feeling great. Using myfitnesspal and my fitbit to keep the momentum going. My last adjustment, over 2 weeks ago, has been awesome! I do get stuck more often when I eat breads and lettuce. I'm cutting back on both and chewing more than ever. That stuck feeling is the worst but it makes me aware of how I am eating. Anyone have any chicken recipes they would like to share? I'm getting tired of my homemade turkey meat balls and I'm looking for something new! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!! Stay on track.

I know I statrted participating in this forum a few months ago and then dropped of the face of the earth...why??? Ashamed. I was doing so weel in the beginning. I started my journey at 238, after my surgery on Jan. 18th I was the best student my doctor ever had. Then around May (I was 186 lb) I lost my mojo. Today I stepped on the scale and I'm back up to 193 lb. Sure, I'm still down 45 pounds, and I know that is great, but then I think where I could be if I didn't lose my momentum and I get depressed...where is the ice cream? So today I had my 3rd adjustment. I don't know how many cc's are in my band but my doctor uses an x-ray machine during the adjustment and I look like I am pretty tight. I am now sitting at my desk, drinking my protein shake and realizing I need to complete the journey I started last year when I sat at the seminar and made the decision to save my life. So my goals for this weekend...stick to liquids though Saturday as instruced by my doctor. This will be difficult since I have a wedding to attend tomorrow, and a party at my house on Saturday. Luckily, beer counts as a liquid and I only need one of these to have a buzz these days. I also intend to write out a menu, via fitnesspal, for next week and stay within the 1,300 calorie budget my nutritionist has given me. Hopefully I can be close to the weight I was in May by the end of this month. Wish me luck and thank you...reading your posts has provided me with the encouragement I need.

I live in South Jersey just outside of Philadelphia. Honestly, I know nothing about my band...I don't know how big it is or how many cc's are put in. I had my adjustment today and never thought to ask...my Dr. did say I was one of his best patients though :-) Nothing has gotten stuck and I am not having any problems with the band at all. The biggest problems I am coming to is plateaus. It took me over 2 months to lose 12 lbs and I was frustrated. I'd lose 5 lbs in a week then lose nothing for 3 weeks then lose 2-3 lbs again. I know it's my fat turning to muscle and I see my weight shifting but it was frustrating not seeing the scale move. Since I became active on a regular basis about a month ago, I am seeing a steady weight loss. I use myfitnesspal to track my calorie intake. I see the nutritionist monthly to discuss changing things up...I tend to eat the same thing over and over with little to no change. I do still eat sweets and I crave greasy things during that girly time of the month. I indulge in a Dove Dark Chocolate square once in a while. I also eat a small serving of potato chips when I get the craving. I use to eat a whole bag in front of the tv, now I get the small bag and feel satisfied after. As for my clothes...I have a friend who is 100lbs heavier than me. She had gastric bypass and will be at my beginning weight (238) very soon. She is more than happy to take my old clothes. I want them out of my house and out of my life. All I kept was the outfit I wore in my before picture. It's making me teary eyed right now thinking about my "fat clothes". I hate that I got to the point I could no longer shop at my favorite store. New York and Company, buy I am also happy knowing the clothes I had are now out of my life. My closet ranged in size 6 to size 20. I am now in a 14 and can fit in some 12's. I have hit the goodwill in my area for some business pants and a pair of jeans. The stuff looked like new and I even hit a 25% off sale on the goodwill items! Whew...now that you all know more about me I will take the time to go through this entire thread so I can know more about all of you wonderful ladies. I may need to take notes so I don't confuse anyone. Good luck to all, Denise

Hi all! I'm new to this thread. I was banded on January 18th and my journey has been great. Surgery went well and I lost 20lbs in the first 2 weeks. Since then I've lost about 1-2 lbs a week for a total of 48lbs down. Im having my second fill tomorrow morning and I can't wait! Hope to be 50lbs down by the end of the weekend. I have been eating healthy and I track what I eat through myfitnesspal.com. I go to the gym 3-4 days a week for weight lifting and cardio. I also did a week of P90X...it's a great workout and I highly recommend it. I have become a frequent shopper at the Goodwill...I refuse to spend more than $10 for any clothing that will only fit me for a month :-) You all seem very supportive and I hope I can be an asset to you all. Denise

I haven't felt any restrictions. Occasionally when I do ab exercises I feel pain where the port is...my doctor told me to just cut back on how many I do but it's ok to continue exercising. I have no problems consuming and foods and now, alcohol goes straight to my head :-)

I was banded on January 18th and I'm down 47lbs! I still see a nutritionist, hit the gym 3-4 days a week for cardio and weight lifting plus I joined weight watchers because I'm better at counting points than calories. Sure I've hit plateaus and have my down moments but the good moments are far greater. Getting banded was the best thing I ever did. I'm gettingy second fill on Thursday and I'm excited about it!!! Hoping to lose 100 lb by the end of the year and reach my goal!