brown bear

Cathy - Congrats on finding what works for you! Hunzi - I found I was a tad too tight for a long time. I too got into the habit of eating soft foods because it was so much easier. I had 2cc removed once it got so bad that I could not eat due to temporary stress. I am getting a fill later this month but won't add more than 1.8cc and I may do that slowly rather than all at once. I have been eating things I missed like bread and bread and more bread. Needless to say, I have gained about 40 pounds in 5 months - most of it in the first month. I needed the mental break and this has reminded me of why I wanted to lose weight in the first place. My knees hurt again, my carpal tunnel has returned, I have more frequent headaches, and I can not walk up the stairs in my home without huffing and puffing - and I am still 40 lbs lighter than when I started this journey in the first place. I look forward to getting in the groove of weight loss again. It has been a long time.

Just a quick greeting. I had an unfill and can now eat anything and have found that even though I try to keep portions small, I am gaining weight. I will go in soon for a fill but cannot find time until at least 2 weeks from now and may wait until after Christmas. I need to exercise regularly also. I am trying to get into the habit of that.

Sounds as though everyone is doing well. This is just the beginning. Enjoy the journey! I am past Cypress out 290 and thrilled to be banded.

Teach, good luck. Hopefully, it all will work out well for you. Long (Great), glad to hear the surgery went so well. It will be exciting to see what you can do in the future. I went to the doctor yesterday and they did an unfill (my last fill was in December!) We hope I will have less trouble keeping food down and less tendency to eat soft foods. The really good news is that my pouch is no longer stretched!!! Last time I went in (April), they said my pouch was huge and put me on liquids for 5 days. I was supposed to go back after a couple of weeks for them to check it but I didn't go. It is always a money issue with me. I am glad I went, I feel enthused again. Now, I have to make sure I follow the rules and don't eat too much now that I have less restriction. I can go back if I need to have some put back but I will wait a while and give this some time to work.

We love it with chicken breasts and our favorite smoked sausage. Italian dressing is good to add moisture.

Too much to catch up on here. I did my best. Sounds as if everyone had a great summer. It is great to hear how well you guys are doing. I am enjoying my 2 year old granddaughter. I have not lost any weight since last doctor appt in April. Need to go back and should have done it before now. Will make appt next week. In April, my pouch was stretched and I still could not eat more than 1/2 cup of solid food at a time so I don't know if it is still stretched or not. I am not sure if I would know anymore. I will keep you posted. If nothing else, I am ready to try an unfill. I have been pbing too much and am tired of it. I kept thinking I must have not chewed well or I ate too much but now I think I was just too tight after last fill in December. I still am not as diligent as many of you. I don't exercise or always eat healthy. I have developed a love for ice cream. I am thrilled to be 85 pounds lighter. I don't do much shopping as I was this size 8 years ago and I mostly wear the clothes from then. If I lose much more I would have to shop for a new wardrobe and I don't like the idea of spending all that money. Maybe subconsciously I don't want to lose any more. I don't know. Well, one step at a time - first a doctor visit.

Lynn - 2 cups sounds like you are not very restricted. You probably are getting stuck sometimes because you are not chewing well enough or eating too fast.

Forgot to say that I believe I finally figured out what caused by stoma to stretch. It was the granola I was adding to my yogurt almost daily. It was so good! I never connected granola with bread - dumb, I know. I was making my own granola and know the oats are just toasted not cooked. It is the only thing that I really ate a lot of that could have done this so that must be it. I will think more about what I put in my mouth from now on.

Whew! Finally caught up since last post. I need to get on here more often so it is not such an undertaking to catch up. You guys have lots of good news, that is wonderful. Regarding liquids - I was blending up canned chili thinned with beef broth and vegetable beef soup. That is much better than just protein shakes which seem too sweet after a while. I did 6 days of liquids for good measure and it seems to have helped a bit. I have not been back to doc yet so only going by how I feel. I eat every 2-3 hours also but no more than a 1/2 cup at a time. I do not always eat healthy and I do not exercise so my weight loss is slow but steady. I may exercise one of these days but not yet. My scale broke so I need to replace that before I know how I am doing in that department. I am changing jobs soon! My last day here is April 29th. As long as there is nothing in my background that the new company has a problem with, I will start there sometime in May. If that falls through, I will temp and look for something else. I gave my notice too early it turns out but thought they would appreciate the extra time I was giving them. Instead, they pushed for a date so I came up with the 29th not knowing when I would start the new job. I am hoping for just 10 days or so off between jobs to clean house and such. I am really ready to part from this place. This should be a really good move for me - paycheck is the same, bonus is smaller but that is OK as atmosphere/people seem so much better.

I also have learned a lesson. I went to the doctor this morning for my fill (it's been 3 1/2 months). It turns out that I don't need a fill, my restriction is fine but I have been hungry because I have stretched my pouch! I now have to do 5 days of liquids to shrink it back. I told her I don't eat much at one time so she asked if I have been eating bread or pasta. After some thought, I realized that I had eaten some of that a while back. Maybe I went a little crazy with my daughter's delicious trail mix cookies when I was on vacation. I really didn't think I had eaten enough of anything like that to cause a problem but apparently I did. The good news is that it can be easily fixed and I did lose 19 pounds since my last fill. I thought I had lost only about 5! I need to take the advice given here and write the weight down. Hunzi- I am thrilled things are going better this time around. Angel- I do not like the idea of not using the band to lose weight. I know that philosophy is out there but I am glad it is not at my doctor's office. This is so easy when you use the band, why should you have to work harder than necessary.

Hi all! I was on vacation the latter part of last week. We went camping in a state park and the hiking was great. I am so glad I could do it this time. For some time now, I have stayed at the campsite while the others go bike riding or hiking. No more! I am back and love joining in the fun. I still have not bought clothes. I kept my old stuff and am just bringing it out of trunks. I can now fit into all of my suits for work but if I keep losing I will have to shop as these are my smallest clothes. I need a fill but am not in a hurry. I was a little tight last time and I think I was not losing for a while but have lost some recently. I am like Strike with that - I lose track watching the scale jump around. I also keep forgetting to weigh and then by the time I remember to get on the scale, I can't remember what I weighed the last time! My company changed insurance policies and this is no longer covered so I have to pay cash for fills now. My doctor will charge $300 or I could go to FillCenterUSA for $150. I am leaning toward sticking with my doctor for now as I am so comfortable with them and really like the staff. Going to strangers now is a scary thought but I probably will do it at some point. Hunzi- I am so glad you are getting a second chance. This time is bound to work out for you. Good thoughts are coming your way - keep us posted.

Allie - I also can relate to the daughter issues. I agree with you regarding forbidding her to see someone. The bright side is that she will learn from this and choose better next time. I believe the only thing you can do is keep communication open with her and hopefully remind her of the values you have instilled in her and help her (gently) to see the problems with this guy. I never thought I was getting anywhere with my daughter until the relationships were over but then I would find that she actually was listening the whole time. Yes, relationship was plural - she is a slow learner in this regard. Low self esteem caused her to take whatever came along until she ended up single and pregnant at 20. Her current boyfriend is a good guy that we really like. He is 35 and she is 22. She has always had older friends and I have no problem with the age difference because he is a good person and treats her very well. Age was more of a concern when she was 16 dating a 23 YO, though. Hang in there!

Just wanted to say hi! I have spent so much time here catching up on posts that my lunch break is over! I did take the time to measure my calves though and I am so glad to hear that 17 1/2" is normal. LOL. I think I have a pretty good attitude about this whole thing. I just take it as it comes and try to focus on how I feel rather than the numbers on the scale and such. My weight loss has been slower than some but OK with me. I am getting there even if my goal is not so agressive. I still cannot imagine myself smaller than that. I have always been muscular and large if not fat and that is how I see myself. My daughter teases me about how I used to wear shoulder pads when they were in and how I of all people do not need any padding there. Anyway, I feel so much better than before and can almost fit into all of my smaller clothes I had saved so life is good. Take care.

Glad you are better. My doc recommends liquids the day of and the day following a fill. The day after that I can have soft food and the next day eat regularly. I have never had a problem with the swelling while following this.

You are in my prayers, too. This is my worst fear. Let us know how it turns out.

Grey - hang in there. Hopefully you will be able to get the acid reflux under control and then the weight may come off again. I lose in the week after a fill and that is about it but I am doing well enough to suitme so far though I have been thinking of gearing up to lose this 12 pounds I have to go until onederland. I have had good and bad fills depending on who does it. I am also big boned and 5'7" with size 10W feet. Maybe I will lose the wide part, that would be nice as it is harder to find shoes in wide sizes. I am going out for a nice dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday early. I figure we can afford the nicer restaurants now since we can share one meal. I am looking forward to it. You guys take care-

I just wanted to say hi! It has been a while since I was here. Good to see more people coming back. I just updated my ticker and saw that I lost 6 pounds in the last 6 weeks. That is OK with me. I go for a fill in 2 weeks. After almost 6 months, I still have times when I overeat. I like to have almonds on hand. They are best when roasted - spread in single layer in pan and bake at 400 degrees for aobut 10 minutes. It really brings the flavor out. I don't know how much is lost nutritionally but I start with raw almonds so I hope it is not too bad. I may need to try Jerky, I thought it would be too difficult to eat as it is so dry. I will be on here more often as I have found that I miss you guys.

I agree about the soft foods. I can eat more if I eat soft foods or junk food. I do better by eating grilled chicken and veggies.

Many people on here swear by Biotin. It can be purchased over-the-counter at any place where they have a pharmacy (Wal-Mart, grocery store) and also at GNC, Vitamin World.

hopeful - you are not a failure. I don't know why your doc is sending mixed signals. I know some like you to diet instead of relying on the band, I am so glad I don't have one of those docs. Congrats on the fill, this will probably help you a lot. Try to only eat until no longer hungry - it is hard sometimes to adjust to the change a fill commands. It sounds like you got what you needed so be happy with that and good luck!

Don't give up yet! I saw a post recently where many people said they did not feel any restriction until they had at least 8cc's in their bands. I think you should get more fills. Get them until they work. Maybe you get stuck because you eat too fast or don't chew enough. I know I get stuck when I eat the wrong foods or am really hungry and don't chew as well as I should. It is too soon to quit - what have you got to lose by getting a fill? Good luck!:smile:

Thanks for asking this question. I hope there will be more responses. I would have said no until recently. My hair has started falling out. I know many people take biotin for that and I probably will get some but in the meantime, my family helped me to realize that I am not eating that much and may just need extra protein. I have started using the liquid protein and it keeps me from snacking as well.

I had the same problem. Had my surgery, then got the bill - can't pay all at once. I don't owe the doctor any money so his office is fine with me continuing to get fills. They are very unconcerned about it.

GreatlyBlessed - I just wanted to say that I don't think it is your fault that you were snacking. If you don't have decent restriction, you are hungry, and if you are hungry - you eat. I know we have to eat the right things but I really am of the attitude that the band should help with portion size, and that includes snacking.

I have had the PB in the car experience and TX Diva - thanks so much for passing that on. I was trying to drink water to help it down and let me tell you it would have taken a lot of napkins to absorb all that water! I'm putting sandwich bags in my car as soon as I get home.