La_madam

Hi Tellie I' m sorry you are in so much pain but as Leatha said it will all be worth it in the long run. At least you got everything taken care of and are on the road to recovery Hang in there each day will get better and better. (((hugs)))

Damn Lisa you look so thin in that pic You do look hot !

I wil lbring what little clothes I have left for the exchange! I have a few tops and maybe a couple pairs of capris I can donate size 20's/22's

Hey Lisa..Happy Birthday! When I get to Vegas I will buy you a drink or two or three. We will Celebrate ! Hope you are having an great birthday. 54lbs lighter then last year is a great birthday present to yourself dont you think?

Tj Is Tiajauna Mexico and no not all of us have bee ntaken care of by Dr. Ortiz just a small few of us. This board is made up of many people both men and women who have used a variety of different surgeons in Mexico, Canada and the US.

Betty How exciting for you. I remember counting down the days with total excitement and anticipation! I'm so happy for you!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that your insurance approves you by the 27th of October! Good Luck~

I agree! I do not weigh or measure my food. I do not use a smaller plate I do not use a smaller fork or spoon. I eat until I'm satisfied I follow the bandster rules for the most part with Proteins first, no drinking during or after a meal for atleast 1 hour I drink lots of Water every day ( except last week) I do not exercise as much as I should but I'm content with my weight loss to date I must be doing something right becasue I have lost weight every single week since being banded. Waiting for the plateau! I'm ready for it

I have had 2 fills the first was 1.1cc's on June 7th 9 weeks post op I had my second fill of .9cc's on August 17th My doc does them under fluoro and I have to drink the barium and he can see the barium go through so he adjusts me according to how fast the barium goes through. this fill is working good for me. I have plenty of restriction.

You are Welcome Cindy I do eat fruits. I eat cantaloupe, honeydew & banannas but not too often. More veggies and Protein then fruit & carbs for me works best with my hunger. Well you look like you are off to a good start, Curves and a lower carb foods should both help you. DOnt get discouraged just keep telling your self "I can do this" becauseyou all ready have. It is a mental thing we all know this otherwise none of us would be here if it was that easy. Good Luck ~

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling but in My opinion is you are having too many carbs. I do not see much Protein in your daily intake. I was told 60 grams of protein a day. Also for me if I start my day wit any carbs I'm starving allday long. NO carbs for me in the morning!Try starting your day with protein only and see if it keeps you satisfied longer. Cereal w/ milk loaded w/ sugar is easily passed through the band since you are eating it with milk. pudding is a soft food that goes directly through the band. You need to focus on hard Proteins like chicken, tuna, turkey. Pop corn is all carbs..no protein. This could be why you are hungry all day long. I do not see any Water intake either ..are you drinking your daily water?Here is an example of my daily intake 6:00 am 2 cups of coffee & 20 oz of water 8:00 am 2 scrambled eggs with spinach & a slice of turkey ham 10:00 am 20 oz of water 12:00 scoop of tuna w/ wheat crackers or sliced cheese with sliced turkey 2:00 20 oz water 3:30 20 oz water 5:00 whatever I make for the family for dinner which since banding have been much healthier dinners and I eat proteins first then veggies, then fruits then carbs if I have room. 7:00 20 oz of water during my PMS days I will have 1/2 cup of sugar free fat free pudding maybe once a month Its clear to me that you know what to do..you hjave had success with the 90lbs , maybe its as simple as an food adjustment More proteins less carbs I hope this helps Hang in there~

The first several weeks is not about losing weight or dieting of any kind. I had 2 weeks of clear liquids, 1 weeks of full liquids 2 week of mushy and and then on to solids. I did not worry about any kind of carb intake or calorice intake until I was on solids. It was truly amazing for me how I was not hungry. I had so much gas discomfort and swelling from the band placement that hunger was not my issue.

Thats Great News Donali! Yes it will be an adujstment Any change in our lives takes some getting used to ..This is a good change though! How nice it will be for you to wake up each morning with him beside you . I hope the transition is a smotth one. Look forward to meeting you both in Vegas. Enjoy your long weekend this weekend We will miss you!

Hi Veronica Hey I'm glad you made it to this site. Veronica and I were banded the same day with Dr. Ortiz we have kept in touch over the months and I told her all about this site and how awesome and supportive and knowledgeable is here. My 2nd fill helped alot. I felt it kick in quicker then the first one and it seems to be still giving me plenty of restriction. I do not plan on getting a fill anytime soon. I have been losing 1-3 lbs a week with this current fill and that is the perfect pace according to Dr. Ortiz. The 2nd fill should help you but be careful, do not get filled to much since you have to fly back and forth to TJ you do not want to get home and be too tight. He will probably have you eat something before you go back home on the plane he did this for Linda when her and I went in for a fill since she was hopping on a plane back to PA. He did not want her to be too tight once she got home. So we went and ate some lobster and waited 1/2 hour and it was all OK so we headed home Veronica what is your daily intake of food look like? Are you doing the 60 grams of Proteins ? I ask becasue I know if I eat too many carbs my appetite is out of control for the day. I limit my carb intake plus the fact with this 2nd fill bread, rice & Pasta are no fun! But I do eat my wheat crackers with my dinner but I make sure I do not have ANY carbs for Breakfast otherwise I'm done..hungry all day long! hang in there~

33lbs is great! Nothing to be discouraged about. Would you have lost the 33lbs without the band in this time frame? What is a day of food like for you? How much Water are you drinking? Are you exercising? These things are important I would take a look at what you are eating in a day, write it down and track it on fitday.com. It could be too many calories or not enough calories. I find that if I do not drink my daily water or exercise 3x's a week I only lose a lb a week but if I exercise and drink my water it is 2-3 lbs a week. Hang in there~

I thought the 1/2 a cup of food thing was after a fill?? I could be wrong. Your stomach is still healing that is the reason for the pureee stage. Less digestion work for your stomach to have to do less churning and turning, helping to heal the band in place with less digestive acticity. As the weeks pass you advance to a new stage of food as you heal atleast that it what I was told by my nutritionalist & doc

You need to be EXTREMELY proud of yourself!! Are you kidding Losing 136lbs is an amazing assomplishment. So who cares, you fell off the wagon. It's done, it's over , now just get back on the wagon. Don't let it get you down. Just a little bump in the road is how I see it. You have done so good Babs..you are an inspirations to so many of us here with your 136lbs...! I'm looking forward to meeting you in Vegas.

Will your job be happy if you bring them a note from the doctor. I know another bandster who had a problem with her job but once she gave her employer a note from the doctor everything was fine. Sorry you had such a bad day I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.

Thanks Tricia for the info I emailed her and gave her his name but if you have the # handy that would be great too.

Hi Nancy Great News! Glad to hear you are home safe and all went well. Each day gets easier and easier. Do'nt push your self. You want to heal and rest as much as possible. For me I felt so good after surgery that the next day I was shopping in TJ but when I got back home It had taken its toll on me and I was exhausted. I took my time going back to work, I wanted to make sure I was feeling strong enough physically and mentally. Congratulations on being an official bandster.

I dont know how it is for you...But if I start my day with Carbs only and NO Protein I'm starving all day long and by the looks of it your breakfast consists of carbs only No protein. Maybe trying having protein in the morning that could help. and once you get off the puree stage it gets easier, you will be able to eat foods with more consistency that will stay with you longer. This is just a little bump in the road. In the big scheme of things it will all be worth it. Hang in there It does get better and the hunger will subside once you get to mushy/solid stage. Good Luck~

I used Dr. Ortiz and have been very successful. I had surgery April 6th 2004 and I have lost 52.75 lbs as of this morning. I also live in Southern California and going back to Tj for my aftercare has been very easy for me. I'm only 1.5hours from the border. I have had 2 fills and no problems, nor regrets I love my band! Dr. Ortiz & Martinez and the entire staff of Obesity Control Center have satisfied my every need. Best of Luck to you.

I would recomend an unfill like Doanli said atleast until your stress is over. Or maybe you just need a little taken out.. .5cc's removed can make the biggest difference. You do not want to do damage to your band or esphogus (sp?) Good Luck

Thanks Darcy for the Kudos! Like you said in the weekly challenge post..atleast the scale is going down instead of up. I'm happy with any loss. I did not do so well with the water and exercise this week. I did not feel good from Wednesday until Sunday night. I felt nauseus (sp?) light headed, just not right. I kept thinking it was from not enough water like I was dehydrated and maybe it was becasue last night I pushed the water big time and I feel much better today. My goal this week is to drink my water and to ride my exercise bike 3x's for 20mins. Eating too much or the wrong things is not my issue I do great with that its the exercise and water I seem to have slowed down on! I honestly believe this weekly scale challenge helps me tremendously to keep focused and accountable.When I look back to the beginning of this post on July 19th my starting weight was 229 so in a little over 2 months I have lost 17lbs! I look forward to my weekly weigh in on Monday mornings. I have yet to hit a plateua since banding.. been losing something every single week but I'm sure that day will come when I hit a plateua and I'm ready for it nor will I let it get me down becasue I know it does and will happen!!

Marie way to go..you flew right by 40! Delarla as long as you are happy with no gain at the end of themonth then we are all happy for you. We all have our own pace, no one can tell us we are doing it the right way or the long way!