I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡

I'm sorry this has been a difficult journey thus far, and sorry to hear about your dog. It sounds like you need nausea meds to get the nausea/vomiting under control. Hopefully if the nausea and vomiting ceases the pain from vomiting will get better and you will be able to tolerate more foods and liquids. I'd talk to the doctor about meds.

Awesome progress. And what a great feeling to reach Onederland. Keep it up!

Great progress, congrats!

It sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Congrats on the contiuned weight loss!

Thanks for sharing and best wishes on your new journey!

Loridee, did you lose all of your weight while you had your band? Or did you have more to lose after you revised to bypass? And if so, did you lose your weight slower with the bypass? I'm in the process of revising to bypass from band. My band was removed 4/2021 and now I'm in the process of revising and I'm trying to get an understanding how exactly the bypass is different from the band. I see a lot of people saying it's different and better, but I'm still not exactly sure what makes it different and better. Other than the obvious lack of reflux a lot of banders experienced, myself included.

I started out with Lap Band in 2013 and eventually developed horrible GERD. I was on Protonix 2x daily and it didn't help at all. My overuse of Protonix lead to a kidney stone in 11/2020, so at that point I decided that the band had to go, I didn't want another kidney stone. So the band was removed 4/2021. So now I'm looking at revision to RNY. I wish I had never chose the Lap Band. I was going for the least invasive surgery. And now I have a permanently altered esophagus even with the band removed. I wish I would've known then what I know now about WLS's and the options. I would've chose RNY or Mini RNY from the beginning. My surgeon says that RNY is my only option now, thanks to my history of GERD.

I don't have gout, but my father does. He can't take the normal meds for gout due to his diabetes and how they affect his kidneys, so he learned about Tart Cherry extract pills. It has to be "tart cherry." He takes them as the bottle directs and it keeps him from having gout flares as frequently as he did prior to starting the supplement, and when he does flare it's not as severe. When he first started taking them he was in a major flare, and they got him back to normal within four or five days the best I can remember. You should ask your doctor if they're okay for you to take because I know how much they help my dad. You can find them on Amazon. Feel better soon!

The Bariatric doctors at Tampa General Hospital still see band patients. I'd reach out to them.

Your TDEE is 2300 per day. If you're even eating 1400 calories per day, that means you're in a calorie deficit of approximately 900 calories per day. It's recommended to eat 500 calories less than your TDEE for weight loss. So maybe you are under eating, given your 900 calorie deficit on work out days. I would diligently track everything you eat on a tracking app and play around with adjusting calories for a couple of weeks and see if the scale moves. Right now I would increase daily calorie intake to 1600-1800 per day on the days you work out, and go with 1200 calories on the days you don't work out. It's frustrating, I know. But you will break the plateau soon! Keep up the good work!

Have you utilized a BMR calculator and or TDEE calculator? They can provide some helpful insight. BMR calculator tells you how many calories your body burns at complete rest in a day. TDEE calculator tells you how many calories you burn a day at your specific activity level. These calculators can give you an idea if you're perhaps eating too few calories a day, especially if you're burning more calories than you realize when you work out. Also you mentioned weight lifting, and I was told by my trainer and bariatric surgeon to not lift heavy until I reach goal weight. Something about your body can't lose weight and build muscle simultaneously... so lower weights and higher reps is what I was told to do while losing weight. Best of luck to you! You'll get there!

My PS wanted me to try to lose more weight, but I was stuck for years as far as weight went. I was having reflux at that time and within the past two years after the tummy tuck, it got worse , I think due to all of the muscles being tightened, it put more pressure on my stomach, so I had to have the band removed. Now, I'm 8 months out of band removal and haven't gained any weight... yet. But I feel like it's only a matter of time, so I'm probably going to revise to RNY. At least when I do get to goal, I can finally do all of the plastics that I was planning to do right when Covid hit. But I understand about your age and the risks involved, and it will be a relief to get the excess skin removed. Best of luck to you!

I had a 150 pound loss with my Lap Band, but never got to goal. And now I'm contemplating revision to RNY. I did have a tummy tuck 2 years ago. My surgeon was wonderful. She submitted to my insurance for a panniculectomy, but she said what I needed was a fleur de lis tummy tuck. So insurance approved the panniculectomy, but my surgeon did the fleur de lis, hernia repair and diastasis recti repair, and she didn't charge me extra. She is amazing. ❤️ One other note that I will add is I have a friend who was never a bariatric patient, but she had 4 kids and needed a tummy tuck, and her ob/gyn did the tummy tuck. She did not have good results at all and now regrets the decision. I would highly recommend having a plastic surgeon do your surgery. I think it's just a matter of finding the right surgeon in these situations.

I am interested in finding out if those here with RA noticed less severe disease activity after losing their weight. Supposedly losing weight helps reduce the inflammation in your body that causes disease activity to be more severe. I was diagnosed with RA nearly 18 years ago, and got a Lap Band in 2013. I lost some weight but never got anywhere near goal, and then developed reflux, so my BS started discussing revision, but I was nervous about revising to bypass due to my occasional need for steroids... I was on pantoprazole twice daily for a few years for the reflux, and then I developed a kidney stone from overuse of PPI's, so it was at that point I decided that it was time to remove the band, so it was removed this past April. I'm looking at revising to RNY, as my BS says the sleeve wouldn't work for me since I had reflux with my band. My Rheumy is 100% on board with revising to RNY, she says she thinks my condition will markedly improve due to less inflammation in my body. So I've stopped the celebrex and now I'm using CBD oil daily for pain to see if I can live forever like this. Rheumy says if I do need steroids in the future after RNY, she would opt for a single injection vs a medrol dose pack like I've had in the past. I'm most curious to find out if those on the post op side have seen improvements in their conditions. It would help me to decide whether or not to go forth with the revision. Thanks in advance!

I mix some fat free milk in my magic bullet with some brewed coffee and put it in the fridge at night... in the morning I add a scoop of chocolate Protein powder and ice and blend it in my bullet. It's like a mocha frappucino.

ALWAYS follow your doctors advice! He knows your history, and that's what you're paying him for... to provide you with the best advice so you have a healthy outcome... every surgeon is different as to what advice they give their patients. Just follow your surgeons advice, he has your best interest at heart. There will plenty of time to exercise. Just focus on healing and recovery for now

My Protein shake keeps me full for about 4 hours, and I can't eat solid food in the morning, I've tried. I can't get solid food down until later in the day. With a properly adjusted band, Protein shakes can and are filling. Not like in the beginning with an unfilled band. Big difference.

I agree with 2muchfun! Definitely try to have more dense, lean sources of protein at each meal. I do have a protein shake in the mornings, cause my band is very tight the first half of the day, and sometimes I can barely finish my shake. For lunch I usually have some type of baked or grilled fish or chicken and steamed or sauteed veggies. I like to make fajita chicken bowls with 2 or 3 oz of sauteed chicken, a little sauteed onions and peppers, a dollop of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt and a Tablespoon of fresh salsa too. Dinner is usually similar. If I make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, I only have sauce and a meatball and I'm full, no pasta. I limit my carbs to non-root veggies and occasional fruits. It seems to help with cravings of sugary foods too. I have 7.5 cc's in a 10 cc band and I'm happily in the Green Zone, but as you said, everyone is different. But I think you shouldn't give up, you're still on your journey to your sweet spot, and when you find it, it'll be so worth it! Best wishes

Donna ~ http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/01/what-do-food-cravings-mean/

I'm at 7.5 cc's in a 10 cc band, but I agree with Dee, as you lose weight, you may require more fills as you lose weight and your anatomy changes. I'm happy with 7.5 for the time being though.

I just found a zero calorie, sugar free, fat free, carb free, cholesterol free, and gluten free salad dressing and I think it tastes great. Condiments can really add a lot of calories to meals, and a healthy salad can become unhealthy just by adding full fat and calorie dressings. It's called Walden Farms and I found it at Wal Mart https://www.waldenfarms.com/products/dressings.html

Stress makes my band tighter too... the last fill I got I was under a lot of stress (due to life stuff) and my band was tight for about 3 weeks, but I waited it out and stuck to liquids and mushies and now I'm just right.

I agree with B52, it helps a lot when your band is working optimally, and after 6 months of eating healthier, I crave less now than I used to, it's like the cycle has been broken finally. And I agree with Leepers too, seeing the new me makes it so worth it to stay on track. I drink tons of Water and try to stay busy, cause when I'm idle I tend to think of food more.

Kimk, I said the same things a couple months ago, I was hungry and I ate more than 4 oz at a meal, and didn't stay satisfied for very long, but it really does pass... when I got to 7cc's I noticed a dramatic decrease in the quantity that I could eat. Then I got completely unfilled the day after Thanksgiving for gallbladder surgery, Ugh! And now I've made it back and have 7.5 cc's in my band and eat probably less than 4 oz's at most meals. The waiting to get to the green zone is the hardest part of the journey so far. But once you get there everything comes into perspective and becomes crystal clear. Hang in there girlie, you got this

Dr Jessee is my doc and yeah they're sticklers for staying on their "Fill Schedules" but I think they're more aggressive with fills than some surgeons I've read about. This is when will power is key and until your band is optimally filled, it is still (sadly) just a diet, cause your band isn't working at it's fullest capacity. But it gets easier, believe me. I would say make sure you're drinking plenty of water in between meals, and eat small bites very slowly and make sure you wait between bites, it really makes a difference in feeling satisfied with less food. I know it takes a while to achieve slow eating, cause I still battle with it myself lol. My Fitness Pal is great too, it puts everything into perspective. Best wishes