errikadb

I'm at 57lbs after 8 months. Losing slowly, but still losing so I'm happy!

You look great!!!

That is awesome! Congrats!!!

My doctor told me just to eat 3 meals a day and that I could have a snack if I wanted. That's usually what I do. I'm ok with it because I don't have time to eat that many times a day.

I tell anyone who asks. I'm a nursing director and know many people in the hospital. Many people who want to lose weight as well. I figure that lap band is something new to a lot of people and some are afraid of it. I feel if I can be able to give information and be a motivator for weight loss with the lap band or in general it's a good thing. Everyone always has all sorts of questions for me and one of my staff members is having the procedure next week. I'm proud of her and my staff is proud of me. I also use it as a drive not to fail as well.

I can guzzle Water as well. I do wait before drinking whenever I eat. As for breads I can't do sandwiches well at all. I can eat a small amount of pizza occasionally. No cake whatsoever. For the most part, I try not to eat bread at all.

I just had my second fill today. I think it is going to help. I feel a little bit more restriction. Thank God!

what is your username and i will add you? You can already eat after a fill? my dr makes me stay on full liquids for 24-48 hours after a fill. dang.

Errikadb

Errkadb are you on myfitnesspal? are you on mine? lol i can't remember who all are on mine. i just got a fill as well...but you are doing MUCH better than me! I actually gained a couple pounds!!!!!!!!! so that makes my 3.5 month weight loss....drum roll please....THREE POUNDS!!!! lol. maybe this fill will help

I am on MyFitnessPal. I track everything I eat. Bad stuff included. It helps me to do better. I have spurts of bad days and spurts of good days. I count calories more than anything. I hope your fill helps out as well. I tell you I have been really frustrated because at times I feel like I have no restriction at all! The funny thing is, it depends on what I've had to eat that day and my stress level. Sometimes I get full really quickly and other times I feel like a bottomless pit. Still not as bad as the amount of calories I used to eat, but still frustrating. I think the fill I got today is going to help some. I had to stop eating in the middle of my meal. Felt like I would vomit. Hopefully it stays that way! LOL!

Does anyone else get irritated when other people in your family try to monitor your weight or what you eat and try to tell you what you should be losing? I know they mean well, but it just irks me! My mom wanted to know what the doctor said today and I told her that I told him that I was eating too big of portions and have been at a standstill for 5 weeks and he just said I was still doing good and gave me a fill. She actually told me I was lying and said she's gonna have to start watching what I eat! Really? I love my mom but that made me a little mad. Standstill or not, I think 40lbs in 3.5 months is pretty darn good.

Had my second full today! Hopefully it helps. I have 4 cc's in now.

What about Water with a few drops of lemon juice?

I don't mean to split hairs here...I just trying to figure out what is best for my body and what may or may not affect weight loss. I was having trouble getting all my Water in so I started using the sugar-free flavor packets. I feel like its too much artificial sweetener for some reason' date=' so I've been adding a few drops of lemon juice instead. I'm only 3 weeks post-op, so I'm not freaking out about weight loss as I'm still healing.

My doc permits the flavor packets, but he says caffeinated drinks do not count as part of the minimal 65oz I need.

Regarding the straight-forward posts from successful veteran binders...I appreciate their comments. I come to this forum looking for helpful information, not to have my emotional needs met.

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When using the flavor packets, I only use about a fourth of the packet because the whole thing or even half is way too sweet for me.

errika' date=' I have only lost 5 pounds since my surgery in december! five pounds!!! It's a long story, but i had to switch doctors and only had half as much Fluid in there as the other dr office told me i had! So it was no wonder i thought my band wasnt working. So i got another cc added to my band and i am finally starting to feel a difference, although i still have not lost any weight. I have a friend who has lost 155 pounds in one year...she told me in the first 3 months after surgery she had actually GAINED 8 pounds!!! lol. that made me feel better. I am not alone. She said when her fills finally started getting her near the green zone after 3 months the weight just started FALLING OFF. so, that encouraged me. Maybe it will encourage you. I think my problem, and possibly yours, is that we just haven't reached a good fluid level in our band yet.[/quote']

That makes me feel so much better! I was feeling really discouraged, but that lifted my spirits. Thank you, and hopefully your weight will start to fall off as well!

Does anyone feel like they hardly have any restriction? I'm getting a little discouraged. I haven't lost anything for the past month. I wonder if it may be because of my Fluid status though. I haven't been drinking as much Water, and then craving salt. I feel like my body is going through some sort of wacky stage right now. We finally got our Taebo dvds in the mail, so I'm going to try to step it up and do liquids for a couple of days to give my system a boost.

Has anyone started to crave salt? I never used to add table salt to cooked food, but I have been craving it for the last few weeks !!

A 2 week plateau is nothing. A 2 month plateau may be something to get excited about but it's very normal to go a month without losing. Especially if you exercise a lot. If you exercise you're replacing fat tissue with muscle tissue. So' date=' you are losing weight, but the weight you lose is fat.

We all lose a lot of excess retained fluids the first 6 weeks. After that it's mostly fat. New bandsters get accustomed to losing so much weight and think it's going to continue. HA! Not a chance.

I went 3.5 months without losing and I know it's frustrating, but until you get some fills that help you eat even less and you exercise, you may not lose much and may even gain.

BTW-Please fill in your profile so we know more about you and can advise you better?

tmf[/quote']

I'm glad you said this because I am frustrated as well. I've only lost 38 since surgery in December and I've actually gained 2 lbs. I'm glad to know this is normal. I do know that this isn't a race and that it is going to take some time. I ordered Billy Blanks P24-7 workout DVDs. They are all thirty minutes long. I'm going to start using that for my workout regimen. Hopefully it will give me a boost. I had even thought about doing liquids again but it's horrible trying to get the full feeling with just drinking.

I had surgery on 12/21 as well and I make some bad choices at times. Actually, I still eat popcorn and chocolate covered raisins at the movies. I told my doctor that I wasn't going to give up my popcorn because that is one of my pleasures. You don't have to give up everything.You just have to do things in moderation. Don't over do it. Count your calories so that you can monitor yourself and try to stay within your allowance as much as possible. If you slip up, try again. No need to feel guilty. This is a learning process and it will take time. Your band is your tool and it is up to us to use it. There will be an occasional slip up but if we are putting forth true effort, we will not fail.

38 for me!

Ok, so I had my first stuck episode 2 months out. I messed around and ate some steak and potatoes for dinner and the next morning I was having trouble drinking my Water. Not really painful but uncomfortable. Felt like a lump in my belly. We went on a road trip and I drove. Hot coffee helped a lot and I just didn't eat anything until the evening after I successfully was able to drink water again. It was such a weird feeling! I could feel the water trying to trickle past the lump! Don't think I'm going to have New York strip again anytime soon! Lol!

Hi erricka' date='

I did not have any insurance. This was all cash pay. I plan to sit down with the surgeon at his office (not at the place where I went yesterday) and give him a chance. But only one chance. My husband is scheduling the appointment and going with me. The least of the bad things the P.A. did was not wear gloves. I likely have a vertical hernia as a result of the P.A. sending me back to work LIFTING after only 5 days (and she complained that I wanted to take of f the 5 days, said i only needed 3 at the most). I have a physically demanding job. So i went back after 5 days and got the likely hernia my first day back near the surgery site. I am having awful pain and I keep calling and when I go in they say that is not their problem and to find another doctor to handle it...my doctor saw me but refused to touch another surgeons work (As is the case in almost every surgeon) and says I need to go back there and tell them they are going to have to treat me. Again, the p.a. says its not her problem because its not directly the band itself! And she was VERY hateful and rude. As was the nutritionist. I JUST MET the nutritionist yesterday and she came in, said she wants me to eat two eggs for breakfast everyday...and since I didn't do that yesterday morning I clearly wasn't going to listen to her and she wasn't going to let them give me a fill....I was just beside myself...i was like-I just now met you and you just now told me to do this, I haven't even had a chance to do it and I will absolutely try it. She said she didn't care and I could just come back in 2 weeks and she would decide if I could have one...just VERY hateful, not to mention she looked to be a teenager. Then the p.a. came back in and said oh well she can't help me come back in 2 weeks because I didn't eat these eggs they were talking about. AGAIN, they all admit they just then during that visit told me about the eggs, but that basically they decided to punish me for not having ate the eggs they just told me about. Seems like group of immature young women, not obese friendly, who are on some kind of power trip. I feel like they never told the doctor about my post-op injury and have been negligent in treating it.[/quote']

That is absolutely ridiculous! I wouldn't see them again either! That surgeon does need to take care of your hernia though, or recommend someone who will. Eating two eggs every morning isn't going to be an end all be all either. Makes me wonder where that idiot went to school. I would encourage you to get your office and surgical records and any images for yourself, just in case you find another doctor that's willing to help. Hate that all this has happened to you and wish you best of luck!

Well' date=' I fired my dr. office today. A years worth of fills came with the package...so that does suck. The P.A. and nutritionist are rude, negligent, do not use gloves for doing fills, etc. I will not be going back there. They say the dr who did my surgery may see me at his regular office. I will have my husband call and see what they say tomorrow as I have no intention of dealing with them anymore. I have a nurse friend who works at the hospital accessing ports who says she can do it for me no problem if i get the supplies so that is an option...I am completely capable of doing this myself BUT i am too big of a baby I think lol. Does anyone know how to find a new dr to do fills if I end up firing the surgeon as well. I have LOVED my surgeon up to this point, but just in case.[/quote']

Instead of firing the physician, why not let him know what the problem is? Then, just opt to see him only instead of the PA or Nutritionist. If you liked him that much, one bad experience, that wasn't even him personally, shouldn't keep you from getting the care you need or having someone who is qualified to do your fills. Your insurance has already approved you for that physician and if the worst thing the PA did was not wear gloves, remind them to. Sometimes in the healthcare field people get used to doing things a certain way and sometimes just need a friendly reminder that it is wrong and not best practice. Don't cause yourself extra pain for something that can be resolved.

errikadb how many calories are you eating a day? You are doing awesome! I saw my doctor and she asked me what I wanted' date=' or needed and I told her that I don't feel any restriction so she gave me 2cc and said I can come back in two weeks for another 2cc. I told her I was walking up hills for 1 hour and alternating riding my bike for 2 hours and she said I need to do more strength training. I need to incorporate that into my schedule too. Trying to focus on the Protein and water..that in itself is a big job. I'm glad all the December bandsters are starting to report in on how they're doing. I just got over that terrible flu and I'm glad I didn't have any restriction because the doctor gave me three different pills to take and I don't think I would of been able to take them if I was restricted.[/quote']

Thank you! It depends on the day. I try to stay around 1200. It depends on my stress level too. I have eaten anywhere from 400-1900 in one day.1900 is still only half of what I used to eat, so I don't worry about it too much as long as its not an every day thing. I do a lot of walking and I go down stairs a lot. I'm a nursing director for a very busy unit, so I get my activity in big time. I do tend to eat more calories on the really stressful days, probably because I can't seem to get my Water in on those days. The days I get my water in, I eat a lot less.

Hi all! Banded 12/21, had my first fill this past Monday. It didn't hurt at all. A minor pinch. Nothing like some of the horror stories I've read. I have 3cc in. Still no real restriction. Doc wants to be careful and take it slow. I'm good with that. 38lbs down so far. Feeling great!

I'm 5 weeks out. My nutritionist said that I could take stool softener a or laxatives but prefers I drink Water. I usually eat high Fiber oatmeal for Breakfast a few times a week and drink lots of water. Keeps me regular. No more Constipation. Before I had lap band, I got hooked on laxatives. For about 2 weeks when I was trying to lose weight for my wedding. I was so constipated afterwards that I haven't taken a laxative or stool softener since! That was a year ago. I never want to feel that pain again. When you rely on laxatives and stool softeners, your natural colon cleansing process can shut down and it can take quite a while to get it to function again without them. I don't like medication, so I much prefer nature. Good luck all!

It took me about 2 weeks before I could get all my Water down. Your stomach is still swollen and you will have a hard time until the swelling goes down. Just keep sipping. You'll be fine. You're body knows you can't take in as much now, so don't worry about it. Just drink what you can.