La_madam

Paula... What is it that you are eating in a day? Do you follow the bandster rules? Like eating your Proteins first (hard proteins)? Do you drink liquid calories? DO you drink enough Water in a day? All of these things make a huge difference. Do you eat junk food? Are you getting in enough calories? What about exercise...if you can answer to yourself honestly that you are doing all the things a bandster should be doing and still are not losing weight then maybe you do need another fill, but if your answer is NO then I would definately wait on the fill and just take a look at what you are doing and see if you can make some changes as simple as adding more water & exercise to your diet.. When the body goes into starvation mode you will not lose..so if you are not consuming enough calories, that could be your problem...Starving yourself is not the answer.I'm not going to tell you to not get on the scale everyday but For me NOT getting on the scale everyday is the only thing that helps me from obsessing about my wieght loss and helped me get back on a losing trend..when I used to get on the scale everyday and did not see a loss I would get so frustrated and discouraged..all I wanted to do was eat becasue I was not losing anyways...but since then for me only weighing once a week..the last 9 weeks in a row have been a 1-3 pound loss & I'm lovin' it! Good Luck to you, I hope things get better for you Hang in there, no one ever said this was going to be easy

Productive Burping OR Painful Burping It is when the food gets stuck and it wont go down..you will gwt the golf ball feeling in your chest that will no pass and your mouth will start waterting and sliming, until the stuck piece finally comes up. Once it comes up you will feel fine...some doctors reccomend after a PB episode to go on liquids for 24hours ..

I enjoyed reading this post so much that i had to bump it up for those of us who struggle with mental hunger..Great ideas here that I'm willing to do to see if it helps Thanks Donali!

Lots of exercise for me today..it was a good day! rode the stationary bike for 3 miles then walked to pick up my 10 yr old at school 1 mile up the hill and one mile down the hill then jumped in the pool due to being overheated where I swam for 25 minutes..my legs feel shaky right now...but I feel good as I sit here and type drinking my last 24oz of water rinsing out my pouch before I go to bed...hope you all had a good day too!

Happy Birthday Malcolm... Your story is a true inspiration to all of us. Congratulations ..you have been so successful with all you have been through. Awesome!!

Way to go Lisa..sounds like you are off to a good start today..if it gets unbearable tonight...CALL ME!! I know how the evenings are the harest for you..I think they are the hardest for most of us, you're not alone there!

I have heard of women and men who have had 3cc's I have had 2 fills and am at 2.cc's. there are people who also had large fills with no restriction who had a leak in their tubing it could be something like that and not erosion if you are not getting proper restriction. Not trying to scare you but trying to let you know it may not be something as serious as erosion. Like the nurse said you may just be one of theose people who can tolerate 3cc's. There are people out there with 3cc's or more. Try not to worry and let us know if you are now getting restriction. Keep us posted and good luck to you

Yes I bought some when it was 52$ a share but as the band becomes more popular and more insurance companies start covering it I think it will be a wise investment.

I'm sorry to hear Lisa that you are struggling with mental issues..I know it is so hard..I too have times when I deal with mental hunger vs. pure physical hunger. For me getting on the scale once a week works, if I get on it everyday and I dont see a loss then I get frustrated and discouraged I feel like all of my hard work was for nothing and it makes it easier for me to binge or fall off the wagon thats just me though. Atleast you are exercising and maybe that obsession will turn things around for you. No you may not be building muscle right away but I know for me that when I start to exercise the first week or two I see no wieght loss becasue it seems as though my muscles are retaining water or something, I can feel it (does that make sense?) maybe this is what you are experiencing or your body is in shock from all of the exercise. Hang in there, if this were that easy , no one would be overweight huh? 45 pounds in 4 months is fantastic and nothing to be discouraged about. You yourself said it, you set no goals, all you want is to feel better and be healthy..I'm sure with a loss of 45lbs you are experiencing both. Don't give up! Hey and remember you can call me anytime if you need to talk or if you need someone to keep you out of the kitchen!!

Mondays work for me for that exact reason Lisa..it keeps me focused through out the weekend, weekends are the easiest to lose control since hubby and kids are home, we go out to eat more. I look forward to my Monday weigh ins..

Glad everything went well Zoe Don't push yourself..you still have alot of healingto do. We areall here for you for any questions you may have or any extra support Take Care and rest up Congratulations on officially being a bandster!!

The pre op liquid diet is so much harder thenthe post op diet. I had the biggest fears that I would not make it through the post op liquid phase, but with all the swelling and gas you are not even hungry. It is the strangest thing Hunger for me kicked in week 3..hang in there you will do great, after the post op liquid phase is gone you will be wondering why you worrried so much about it. You will see that your hunger is virtually gone right after surgery for the first week Good Luck

Way to go Betty.. I hope it is smooth sailing from here on out until surgery. Let us know what happens with your first visit!

Hey Kimberely... Hope all goes well for you today with your surgery. Please post and tell us all about it when you feel up to it.

Hi Karen Congratulations on being a bandster. I am one of those who eats sausage almost every morning for Breakfast and I am still losing For me nothing is off the menu forever (except carbonation) However there are things I stay away from now like candy, chocolate bars ,Cookies, cakes, ice cream, junk food in general. I have had a few bites of a brownie and ice cream once in 4 months. Alot of the people here do not follow any special diet other then eating their Proteins first, veggies fruits then carbs. I believe in whatever works for the individual. If your losing weight, that should be all that matters, not how you are doing it. Thats just my opinion though. Best of Luck to you Karen

I was just reading this post from start to finish Since July 19th I have lost 9 pounds. I'm very happy with those results. I really believe this scale challenge has helped me!! Without it I do no think I would have lost the 9 pounds .It definately keeps me accountable to more then just myself Darcy- you too have done an awesome job since starting this weekly scale challenge. Keep it up girl! Sassy - glad you found this post , I hope it helps you as it has helped me. I was addicted to the scale, getting on it daily. AND Congratulations to everyone else who is staying off that scale all week long and losing weight!!!

I would be more concerned with your doctors attitude as you stated "he shrugged and asked what you wanted to do about it" He is the doctor and trained professional. Shouldnt he be making that decision or reccomendation as to what to do? Let him know of all of your concersn and worries and maybe he can put your mind at ease. Good Luck to you

Way to go Darcy!!! Awesome job on the 5lb loss!!!

It could be from the lack of food and calories..I expereinced the dizziness after the first week of being on clear liquids , it went away during the 2nd week of liquids.

Monday 8/31 220 1lb loss for me this week

Shireen I had the exact same problem you are normal this is from the swelling..tha pain you are feeling is gas trapped in your diaphram from the swelling, it causes painful burps or it sometimes feels like burps are trapped in there. My Docotr told me don't worry It does get better with time and he was right ... I noticed a difference 3-4 weeks post op. The gas is not from the liquids I dont think Shireen,I think it is from the surgery..5 days post op you will have gas I had gas from surgery for about a week to 10 days or so. It is caused from the co2 they used for surgery, most of us experience the gas after surgery. Try some Gas X and walking is great to get all those gas bubbles movin and out! Good Luck to you..It does get better

Hi Heather..we all have had our share of "what if's" but I will tell you this..there was no greater " what if" then What if I do not have this surgery and I die from a heart attack before I see my kids grow old ...everything we do in life is a risk..this risk for me was so worth taking. I'm happier and healthier then I have been in years and when I'm happier and healthier, my hubby and kids are happier. This is an awesome site for support. Many of the poeple here have lots of knowledge about the band for us newbies Good Luck to you with your decision..

Sorry to hear of your first PB..they are painful I only have had it happen once and I can say I don't think it will happen again, it is something I never want to experience so I'm extra careful with the tiniest bites and I chew chew chew ....Refried Beans were a main staple for me during the mush phase...topped with chedder cheese and hot sauce and a dab of sour cream.. egg salad was also a good one for me during the mush phase..also once you hit solids..I started with dark meat chicken at first becasue it is not so dry... Good Luck to you

Ditto on what Alex said.. one reason is I don't do dresse's... the last dress I wore was my wedding dress 12 years ago and before that it was my prom dress 20 yrs ago.. You look great Rica! Congrats to you

Do like my brother does Lisa he gets on and off that damn scale 4-5 times a day..afer he eats, after he exercises, after he pees and after a bowel movement. he lives here with me , hubby and kids and has lost 72lbs on the Optifast diet in 9 weeks. his weighing all day is making me crazy since I'm doing my damdest to only weight once a week.