La_madam

Chloe, I know how hard it is to not get discouraged. 26 lbs since Feb 23rd is fantastic! Ask yourself would you have lost 23 lbs in this ammount of time without the band? ALso you got to remember that you have no Fluid in your band, the band is designed to works it's best when there is fluid in it. An empty band , of course you will see old habits creeping back in, once you start getting your fills you should notice a huge difference. Please do not be let down if you do not notice tons of restriction after just one fill, if it is done in the US, the US doctors tend to be less agressive on their fills then docs in Mexico. It may take 1-3 fills before you notice a huge difference, just remember to eat Protein first, drink lots of Water, chew your food real good and take small bites. I was told during pre fill stage that any weight loss during this time is a bonus. You are not a faliure, you just have no fill, it does get better. Hang in there and pleaselet us know how it goes next week when you get your first fill

Yes you can!! I am proof of that. I went from a 16 to a 12 with minimal pounds lost. Iam now in a size 10 I did not stay long in the 12's > I have only lost 18 lbs since my last fill in January and in January I was in size 16, It is now May and Iam in size 10 only losing 18lbs so yes you can be losing inches. You cant not let the scale dictate to you your success or faliures. Think of all the possitive things that have happened to you since having your band, it is a mindset for all of us to focus so much on the scale , it is from years of being obese. One more thing, try not to weigh yourself more then once a week, for me it was the worst thing I could do , it sabatoged all my efforst. It does help to not weigh so often. It will happen, be strong and hang tough!

Im sorry to hear your scars do not look good but maybe after healing 100% they may look better. I'm fortunate, the only scar I can find is my port incision and that looks pretty damn good, it is about 3/4 of an inch in length and not raised at all, the other 4 I can't even find

The only thing that I had that was uncomfortable was duirng my very first fill. My doctor removes al lthe air from your tubing with the needle, it was uncomfortable, it felt like i was having a heart attack, like an elephant was sitting on my chest. He does this to make sure all of the air is gone so when he gives you a fill he is very accurate. It is only for the first fill and I must say he has been right on the money with all of my fills. What he puts in, it all comes out during my next fill, he told me if air is left in the tubing it will give a flase read of your fill level. Other then that little bit, it is no big deal, however I do not like the feeling when he closes of my throat completely and I have to drink the yucky barium, but it only lasts for about 30 seconds.

Here is my results from Tues - Thurs Tues- 8621 Wed - 9213( waitressed) I seem to get in more steps when I am working Thurs - 9457 ( waitressed)

Jenna thanks for sharing with us your pictures and your story, Im sorry it was so painful for you but in a year from now you will be looking like your before pic if not sooner. The possitive of this thread is knowing you are helping others by sharing your story. I was a 44 BMI ( Morbidly Obese)the day of surgery 4/6/2004according to Inameds BMI chart they gave me in their handout Today, 13 months later I have a BMI of 29,( overweight) Iam 4 points from having an ideal BMI according to Inamed

This came from the Inamed handbook I got from Inamed after surgery Q- How much weight will I lose ? A- The ammount of weight you may lose depends on several things: the band placement, your new lifestyle and new eating habits. In the U.S. clinical trial, 2% of patients gained some weight; 5% neither gained weight or lost weight. 61% of the patients lost atleast 25% of their excess weight; 52% of the patients lost at least 33% of their excess weight; 22% of the patients lost 50% of their excess weight; and 10% lost at least 75% of their excess weight. The goal is to lose weight gradually. Losing weight too fast creates a health risk and can lead to a number of problems. Nausea and vomiting are the most minor examples. A weight loss of 2-3 pounds a wek in the first year is possible, but one pound a week is more likely. Tweleve to eighteen months after the operation weekly weight loss is usually less. Remember that your main goal is to have wieght loss that prevents, improves or resolves health problems connectedwith sever obesity. My stats on 4/6/2004 were 5'5 265 size 20 -22 Today 13 months later 5'5 174 size 10 -91 and still losing My BMI according to Inamed's chart on 4/6/2004 was 44 ( morbidly obese) today 13 months later my BMI is 29 ( overweight) I am 4 points from being in the Ideal BMI category according to Inamed I do not know what percentage of my excess weight I have lost but I know Iam a hell of alot happier and healthier then I was 13 months ago and that is what is important to me ( looking better doesnt hurt either

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite easiets meals, it's like eating spaghetti but no carbs the I top it with a meat sauce and parmessan cheese. YUM YUM! My family loves it now, they'd rather have that then spaghetti. Spaghetti squash once it is cooked comes out of the skin looking like spaghetti, I just cut in half and bake it in the oven remove from skin, top with meat sauce and parmessan cheese, so easy, so yummy and so good for you Serve it with a romaine sald with balsamic red wine vinegar dressing with roma tomatoes and feta cheese greek olives & purple onions Great satisfying healthy meal.

Hope all goes smoothly for you tomorrow proclndoll Let us all know how is went when you are home and feel up to it!

Paula, this comes right from the Inamed handbook I recieved after surgery Q- How much weight will I lose ? A- The ammount of weight you may lose depends on several things: the band placement, your new lifestyle and new eating habits. In the U.S. clinical trial, 2% of patients gained some weight; 5% neither gained weight or lost weight. 61% of the patients lost atleast 25% of their excess weight; 52% of the patients lost at least 33% of their excess weight; 22% of the patients lost 50% of their excess weight; and 10% lost at least 75% of their excess weight. The goal is to lose weight gradually. Losing weight too fast creates a health risk and can lead to a number of problems. Nausea and vomiting are the most minor examples. A weight loss of 2-3 pounds a wek in the first year is possible, but one pound a week is more likely. Tweleve to eighteen months after the operation weekly weight loss is usually less. Remember that your main goal is to have wieght loss that prevents, improves or resolves health problems connectedwith sever obesity. Here is my stats the day of surgery on April 6th 2004 5'5 265 lbs size 20 -22 Now May 6th 2004 13 months later 5'5 174 lbs size 10 - 91 lbs I hope this information is helpful to you

I waited about 4 weeks. I was scared to and did not want to mess anything up, plus my husband was a little nervouse too not wanting to mess anything up.

Do not let anyone sabatoge your sucesss, you got this band for you and for you to have a healthier happier life. No 17yr old is worth sabatoging it, and I do have a 17yr old myself so I know what you are going through. Not to mention you need to heal, there is a post op diet for a reason, eating solids too soon after surgery can risk slippage of your band when your tummy has to digest that meat and fries. Your band needs to set into place and those stitches around your port area on the inside need to heal you do not want them to tear and have your port flip. Digestion is a very ruff process on your tummy with lots of tunrning and churning. You know what to do , now just do it, do not let anyone jeapordize your succes with this band..time to be accountable. Get back to the post op diet your doctor gave you put this past you and move forward You can do this!!!!

Hey Tuff With a name like that , it doesnt seem like you will have any problems taking care of yourself after surgery. Honestly you will be amazed at how little pain you will have and how you will be able to get around fairly easy. I know everyone is different but I was out shopping around town the very next day after surgery. You will be fine, just make sure you have enough liquids , Gas X and maybe some liquid tylenol on hand and you should do OK. Good luck

Kathy, my port is located a little below my port incision too.

I was going ot say the same thing, I usually get that feeling when I eat too fast between bites and do not chew properly and Iam 13 months out. Also somedays my fill level is tighter then other days which I know affects this.

I wish I would of known I would have gas everyday for the last year

Paula, children are resilent and yours are still young. They will make friends and adjust better then you think. My personal opinion is that if you have to move or want to move ..it is better to do it when the chilldren are younger, it would be much harder on them if they were teenagers in middle school or high school. You have to do what is best for your family at this time, they may not understand now but in the long run they will.

I fart more then ever before in my life now that I am banded.

I could not feel mine in the very beginning but as I lost weight I was able to feel it more & more.

Average Iwas told was 1-3 lbs a week. I am 13 months post op and have lost 91 lbs, I am 5'5 and started at 265 size 22 I am now 174 and a size 10. Some weeks I would lose and other I would not lose, some weeks I would lose 1 lb and others I would lose 3 lbs, some weeks I would even gain 1/2 to 1 lb ..the band works and the best thing for me personally is I do not feel like I have had to diet in the last year, I'm losing weight and still enjoying food. We all have our own pace but we all are successful in this journey and that is what is great about the band.

As hard as it is , try and not let the scale dictate to you your success. Focus on the other possitive things that have happened since banded life has started 10 weeks ago. Inches are just as great to lose as pounds. I went from a size 16 to a 12 with minimal pounds lost, it was mainly inches and from a size 12 to a 10 with a 3 lb loss.. It is frustrating not seeing the scale move, I would get on the scale everyday in the beginning but since June of 2004, 3 months after my surgery I made a promise to myself to only weigh myself once a week ( mondays) It works for me, I see a loss some weeks and other weeks I dont but I do not get discouraged becasue I know Iam doing the right things. Think possitive , it will happen

This could be your problem. Add more calories, I know it sounds carzy but it is true. Ever here of your body going itno starvation mode? It is when the body holds on to every calorie ittakes in , in fear that no more food is coming. 600 calories is not enough. OR, it could be the change from Clear Liquids to ful lliquids, body may be in a bit of confusion. I know in my own experience when I went from clear to full liquids, I saw a stall in my weight loss and when I went from full liquids to mushy foods I saw a 1-2 lb gain, and the same from mushy to solids, it took my body about 3-4 days during each phase to adjust. You know you are not overeating or drinking, so try not to fret, main thing right now is healing, you are only 8 days post op. My doctor told me to not be concerned with weight loss during the 6 weeks post op, any weight loss is a bonus, the band is designed to be filled to work its best and to lose the wieght. Once you get your fills, the wieght will come off. Hang in there. I know it is frustrating but you have a lifetime with this band

Kathy, you look very young, thats a good thing! Nice to finally put a face finally with your words How are you feeling today?

Happy Bandiversary Lisa, With all that you have endured in the last year, you have done a phenomonal job. You have every reason to feel proud.

Both are OK but I was told that chewing gum can cause more gas then pre band, since now us bandsters swallow more air due to how we have to chew our food so well. Seems to be truen in my case, I get more gas when I chew gum.