taylorrae9

Hi GeezerSue, I am not sure what to do really. It seems like I need to do something but since he reduces ne by .75 I am able to eat some more and feel like I can wait to make the right decision. My daughter made a comment that she could se I was eating again and was happy for me. It is wierd because the kids seem si self absorbed I thought they did not really notice. I am most likely going to wait till the kids are in school now that I can eat some. It iwll give me some more time to make the right choice. So thanks for the idea. I did not know the RNY was similiar to the band. I am also checking into medifast as something to do at the same time to see if I can loose some that way.lets keep in touch. Take care

I did misunderstand the challenge. I am going to try and loose weight but do not really expect to loose 11 pounds by Aug 5th. So I would like to make the next one of alright.

I am sorry that your incision is infected. It seems like this procedure was presented as an easy surgery but it has been real hard. I am finally able to eat now. I am going to work out everyday as well to counter act the food I am eating. I have been in the same process as you. I went to the MD Friday and after trying for 18 months to loose wieght we desided I should have a revision. Something we have been talking about for a year although he wishes I would keep trying to make the band work. I have a choice but the revision is already approved. :think I am just torn about my options. I asked for the Duodenal Switch and he thought I would have a lot of problems... long term and suggested the Gastric bypass and then we talked about the sleeve. I am scheduled for August 15 at 7 am. I am afraid if I do not do the bypass piece I might regret it. Yet, I weigh 242 most days and he thinks no matter what I do I will loose 60-70 pounds which is okay for me. It was hard because I wanted him to take the Fluid out of the band so I could eat but the last time we did that I gained 20 pounds. He would like me to keep trying and talked about only taking a small amount of saline out and that we might hit the magic spot. I agreed because unless I wanted the band removed and no more wls he was clear loosing more weight would be ideal and that gaining so was not an option. I ended up falling apart after the appointment. I don't cry often but today I did. I am so disappointed that the band did not work for me and that I have struggled so hard with only lost 60 pounds. Now, I will face another surgery. I am torn about which one. I am so tired and I feel so discouraged most of the time but I will move forward. The doctor suggested I might be consuming more calories than I think. I offered to write it all down and let him take a look next time we meet. It seems the story of my life is someone saying are you sure your not eating more...are you exercising.... He was nice about it but it was hard for me. So for me I am facing surgery a week before school starts for my two girls and then my son goes a week later to preschool. The timing is a bit off but I am really tired of not eating and not loosing weight. We were going to put it off until they were settled in but not eating is really shoving me over the edge. If I am going to suffer I should at least be loosing weight. It is so funny because I am doing all this so I can get a hip replacement. I just want to feel better and be better for my family. I want a better quailty of life. Take care, Taylorrae9

Thanks guys, I need a little motivation:clap2: . I am in as well. I am also willing to throw in a 20.00 gift card to old Navy. I wish everyone a good month. I weigh 249 and 238 would be a welcomed site. Start weight 303. Taylorrae9

Hello lessismore, I am in the same process as you. I went to the MD today and after trying for 18 months to loose wieght we desided I should have a revision. Something we have been talking about for a year although he wishes I would keep trying to make the band work. I have a choice and the revision is already approved. I am just torn about my options. I asked for the Duodenal Switch and he thought I would have a lot of problems... long term and suggested the Gastric bypass and then we talked about the sleeve. I am scheduled for August 15 at 7 am. I am afraid if I do not do the bypass piece I might regret it. Yet, I weigh 242 most days and he thinks no matter what I do I will loose 60-70 pounds which is okay for me. It was hard today because I wanted him to take the Fluid out of the band so I could eat but the last time we did that I gained 20 pounds. He would like me to keep trying and talked about only taking a small amount of saline out and that we might hit the magic spot. I agreed because unless I wanted the band removed and no more wls he was clear loosing more weight would be ideal and that gaining so was not an option. I ended up falling apart after the appointment. I don't cry often but today I did. I am so disappointed that the band did not work for me and that I have struggled so hard with only lost 60 pounds. Now, I will face another surgery. I am torn about which one. I am so tired and I feel so discouraged most of the time but I will move forward. The doctor suggested I might be consuming more calories than I think. I offered to write it all down and let him take a look next time we meet. It seems the story of my life is someone saying are you sure your not eating more...are you exercising.... He was nice about it but it was hard for me. So for me I am facing surgery a week before school starts for my two girls and then my son goes a week later to preschool. The timing is a bit off but I am really tired of not eating and not loosing weight. We were going to put it off until they were settled in but not eating is really shoving me over the edge. If I am going to suffer I should at least be loosing weight. It is so funny because I am doing all this so I can get a hip replacement. I just want to feel better and be better for my family. I want a better quailty of life. Take care, Taylorrae9

Karel, Thank you for your post. I left the boards last Feb and have been struggling since. I had my fill undone due to a lot of vomiting. Then over the next three months I slowly gained back 20 pounds. The I felt so much panic that I called the MD and I ran back for two more fills. At this point I also eat liquids and on a good day soft foods. I have been at stage one except for when I had the fill removed. I was 303 in 11/04 and went to 232 in about a years time and now I am at 242. So I am happy about the weight loss but have been stuggling for months to loose the weight I gained. I feel like I have consumed so little food and can't imagine why I am not thinner. Now I am being offered a revision which I wanted but I feel so conflicted. I will meet with the MD this week to disuss my options. I have three children (3, 8, 20) and am scheduled for the revision on Aug 21 but that is the first day of school. I was schedule a few weeks back but the doctor canceled due to the number od surguries pending and said mine was much more risky. I scared me...a lot. This was a simple safe procedure which is so complicated now, It seems like the timing is off because of the little ones. I feel frustrated and am thinkinf I am doing well given I eat so little. I so want to eat a simple salad, a piece of fruit or a small peice of chicken. I am tired of the protien drinks and vit drinks but am afraid I'll just gain the weight all back. The MD has recommended the RNY. I am so unsure with all that I am looking at. It seems like a lot of people are stuggling and it feels good to not be alone. (although I am sorry for everyone who is struggling) I was wondering if there were struggling people like me and am so glad you shared your story. I hope you feel better soon and take the time to heal. It seems like in all of this that the message is all about self-care and support. take care and again thank you.:confused:

My doctor also stated that some people need to convert from a lapband to another procedure. I am in that process now. I started at 300 and at surgery was 282. I am not at 233. It has been over a year for me. SO I need to really look at this. I do walk and had amny fill to the point I was almost on a full liquid diet. I think I need to by pass so that my body does not absorb as much of the calories. He has been very supportive and is willing to work with me around this issue. It is me however that it disappointed. It is easy to blame the band owner but I have tried hard. So if it comes to having to go on this path try to not be hard on those who fail. Please.

Hi there - I am in Santa Rosa, CA - Northern cal. Hope you are all well.

A perfect fill is so personal. I had a 2nd fill but when I asked the doctor if I was too tight he said I was trying to eat too much and needed to keep it under 600 calories. When I kept it small is was a lot better and I started to feel like the fill was good. Now a slice of bacon can come back on me. So I started eating soft food more and more. So now I think it is too tight because I am still Pb'ing when I never did before this fill. I even tried to drink fluids in case I was swollen so now I am calling to have it reduced. I think a perfect fill is when you can actually eat what is expected even though the weight loss has been nice I am eagar to have it fixed. I am tired and hungry and am interested in feeling better and less run down. I used vit's and protien drinks but it is not enough. SO everyone can handle things differently. At least that is what I think. <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/"> <img border="0" src="<A href="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10731;125;0;0/c/-50/t/-82/k/e2a1/weight.png"></a">http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/3;10731;125;0;0/c/-50/t/-82/k/e2a1/weight.png"></a>

Wow - it's interesting how everone has such different experiences and reactions to this man's challenges. I for one felt like I was very educated and really knew what I wanted and like most paid a lot of money for it. I have lost weight, am working out but it has been harder than I ever imagined. I think a support system, a good doctor and someone in your life who has been through it really helps. I have all three but still find it hard everyday. I recently had my second fill and had been pb'ing a lot and email my MD and was told I was eating too much. So my MD says to keep it under 600 calories a day but read some eat between 800-1200. So it seems there is so much of the rules changes from MD to MD. In any event, I hope this mans reads these posts and feels inspired to try again and get some help with his resistance to letting the food go. I am grateful that I am not walking in his shoes - it must be very painful.

Hi guys - I am a little shy on the sharing end but I could really use some support. I have had a lot of stress in my life since my surgury and self care has taken a back seat. I felt so excited about the lapband and even chose to pay cash for it when I could have had the by-pass. I thought it looked harder in that you needed to stay focused but it was a healthier and safer alternative. Well. tonight I met with some dear friends and my partner. Two have has the by-pass and lost their wieght so quickly. A third is going to have the by-pass more for insurance reasons but also due to the fact that my weight loss seems harder than theirs. I feel like I made a mistake since my weight has been slower. I feel like a failure. People say I look better and now I am lying about my wieght loss. I started at 300 and surgury was 282 and now I am 250. So I was down sixty but have gained 8 in the past two months. some could be Water but I think most of it is food. Honestly, I am still having a hard time doing everything advised. I feel like all my food gets stuck in my throat unless it is a soft food like tuna. I chew well and have even cut things up small. Some days are better then others but on the harder days I sip fluids to get the food down and to avoid the uncomfortable feelings of choking. Now I have only PB's a few times and each time has been with meat. So I am eating a lot of tuna and eggs and ground meats. I am almost 4 months post-op and am scheduled for a fill next friday. I missed my last one due to a death in the family. I am GAINING weight. I was down to 242 and am at 250. I think I should go back to protien shakes for a week before my fill but am not sure. I think my band is okay but I can eat more on some days than I thought I would. I am hungry sometimes and my hair is falling out. Now... I have a mop of hair so there is no alarm here but I am wondering if I am eating to little protien. Today I had an egg and slice of whole grain bread for Breakfast. coffee and diet tea in the am. lunch was a bean and cheese burrito from taco bell. I mainly suck the Beans out because I can eat it easily and get back to work. dinner was a slice of pizza (small) and some salad. I had some nuts and 2 small Cookies for a snack around 5pm and dinner was a chucky cheese for a kid party. Normally I would have had tuna at lunch but I forgot it today and put in a 12 hour day at the office. I returned to work a month post-op and when I first went back I avoided all the Snacks but I have started eating some and think this is a problem. I was so careful and then I broke some of the rules and it seemed to become a habit so quickly. It is much harder than I expected. I want to work out but with the three kids, fulltime work and some family losses I feel lost. I am also afraid to see the MD because I am not going to be doing well when I see him in a week. Sorry for the long post I just feel like everyone I know has done the by-pass and it seems so different. Thanks so much and please if this is in anyway not an okay posting feel free to delete it.

Hi everyone. I think my wieght loss ticker was misleading so I changed the presentation and updated my new weight. I need to be honest because for so many years I lied about my wieght. I am feeling better and am going to hit the gym tomorrow and am very excited to go. I will also talk with my doctor and ask for a referral to a nutritionist. I think I need some more education about the food issues. I am eating the flinstone chewables, B12 sublingual and some Calcium chewables. I alo bought this really expensive organic liquid Vitamins and they are awful so hopefully I'll get to a place where I'll get them down. I am so glad you are all here and appreciate all the feel back. All of it helps me so much. I am feeling better about my choice and actually had some really great conversations with close friends about food and how different it all is now. We had so many people that we simply ate with and now we need to find a new way to connect. Food plays such a smaller part in our lives and it has been hard for people to adjust. When my partner had surgery there was a time I felt resentful about the shifts around eating out and food preperation so now I am glad that we are on different but similiar paths. We spent the whole weekend with the kids at the park, swimming and more swimming. The decision to have surgury truely is the best gift I could have ever given my children. They really see a difference and for that I am grateful. SO I am grounded once again and hope that you all realize how wonderful you are. Good night.

I had home made chicken noddle Soup with some larger pieces of chicken and some home made corn bread. It was from left over chicken dinner last night. We are a fat free fudge bar for desert. But I am blown away at what you all are eating. I have been eating really boring stuff and have been so afraid to eat much of anything. I think a thread of good food to eat is a wonderful idea.

Thanks gang. I am really needed a buster shot in the arm. All your posts have helped me. I am loosing a lot of hair and eating a lot of tuna. I am also trying to care for my family and eat at the same time. I am so busy that we are really trying to see if I can cut my job to 50 percent or hire a nanny. I had a much easier time taking care of myself when I was home with the baby. I have started to walk more and am choosing to walk to pick up the kids from a friends or tutoring instead of getting into the car. My daughter was shocked the other night when she came out of tutoring and she looked aroung and then asked where the car was. I ended up doing it with both of them and so we took a short walk and chatted. I even walk to the mail box and am doing more around the yards with the kids. I belong to a club and Friday they were all there and I was stuck at work. I feel like going to the club and that is a good sign. This week I will pack my cloths and things so I can go at lunch. I don't eat very much so I can at least use my time there. It seems like since I don't stop to eat long that I simply do more. Run more errands, do more tasks and take the kids more. I almost don't know how to take a break since food was my break. I remember thinking that I could tell how stressed out I was by the number of fastfood stops I had in a day. I am stopping at Taco bell and that should have been a major sign. I will pack my food - I pack the kids so I can pack mine. Yes...I am second guessing my choice, but really what it is for ME is that I have to be so conscious of what I am doing. I enjoy eating a treat and not being really ill but I need to be more careful because I don't have that behavior built in. I was worried about this but thought it would be okay and really iti is ahrder than I imagined. My partners only concern with the choice to have the band is that I might get discouraged and that I was more drawn to sugar than food. I decided today that I would not eat any treats because when I used fit day it seems that those little treats would push me right past 800. It feels different than I expected and when I see the MD I will have to have an honest account of what is going on. I need a fill and will be getting one. I hope it helps...a lot. Again, I thank you all. You all nailed a piece of it for me. thanks

Wow - how exciting that you have two choices. I get how stressful it is though. You said you could get an interview but does mean a space or would you need to be chosen? You could proceed with both and see what you feel like after the process. I imagine that they both would force you to look at yourself in a way that nothing else can. It is a win win situation. With both the focus is caring for yourself. Whatever you choose I beleive what your name says it...I'll suceed. You seem like a powerful person and that you are motivated...so good luck with whatever you choose. Keep us posted. I wish we could tell you what to do but it is such a personal choice.

Mike, You doen't say where you are from but I had a much shorter waiting period in SF Laproscopic Associates. You might call and see what the wait will be before making the chose. Good luck. Melanie

Hi - I also have PCOS and had some treatments done a few years back. I am faired skinned and dark haired so I was considered perfect. It was expensive and I was charged by each zap. I had close to 200 done so it was a lot of money. I hope to return to have some more done but I am waiting until I loose some weight. I am waiting until my wieght decreases more because I think the weight loss will help with the hormone problems that have been at the route of the problem. I read that weight loss can eliminate all the symptoms of PCOS. Good luck to those who suffer with this problem...it has been a challenge for me. As for the pain...it hurts even with the numbing cream but waxing causes me to break put. I use a shaver and hope to release that some day. It is a very hard thing for me but having the lapband was a way to ridding myself of this problem.

Hi. I would like to join in as well. I weigh 245 and that would make my goal 232. I have been in a slump and want to start exercising and this will be a great motivator.

BK: 1/2 scoop of tuna and 4 crackers 32 oz diet snapple Lunch: 1/2 scoop tuna and baked chips 1/4 cup of nuts coffee with spenda and half and half dinner chicken - boiled 1/2 sweet potatoe brussel sprouts - 4 small 32 oz of crystal light Snack (very unusual) 1 oz cheese 1 slice bread 8 oz Water I am not sure how to add it up but I was to have a fill yesterday but MD was filled up. But I need one because I am trying to eat less and less. It is hard.

Hi everyone, I am feeling discouraged about my weight loss and am feeling scared that I may be one of those who do not loose enough weight. I list easily in the 1s month. I lost 11 pounds since December 17 and that fluctuates daily. It can change 4-5 pounds a day. I have been pretty conservative around food so I don't think that is it. I have had one fill and am scheduled for another in 3 weeks. I have the smaller band and had a lot of trouble with the fills so I am wondering if it got in. The doctor said that I had some fiberous tissue that formed around the port and had trouble getting it in. The procedure was painful and took three needle sticks to get it in. I have been eating a lot of tuna and the only thing I am having trouble with is not drinking with my meals. I use to drink a lot pre-surgury and have cut it to 4 oz or so but I feel like everything gets caught in my throat. I also chew a lot so I wonder if I will have to be on liquids to loose all my weight. I was just release for exercise so maybe that will help. I have three little ones so I am not sitting around and I am also working full-time again so life so full and busy. I see a lot of people have lost a lot and I am just checking this all out. My partner had the RNY and lost so much quicker so I am just worried. Thanks in advance for any responses/information you have.

Thanks guys for all your support. I will check out the scale challenge and look at this as more than a race to the finish. I am feeling better about the whole process and need to look at the positive steps I have made. I again, am thankful for all of your help.

My first was 1 cc and he thought of putting 2 but said it was a long weekend and feared it would be to much. I have some restriction but wish I had more.

I put the chichen in a crockpot with some salsa - let it simmer all day. It is moist and tastes great. I use 4-6 breasts and one large jar of salsa. It feeds my family for two meals.

Hi guys, Thanks for your responses and just for the record I have lost 35 pounds since my banding. I lost 20 before surgury so maybe I need to adjust my little ticker.. So... I am not this super weight loss lapband person. My MD told me when I went in after six weeks that he had expected me to loose more. At that time, I had loss 25 pounds per his scale and 30 pounds from mine. In any event. I will not drink with meals like you suggest. I have tried fitday and I am unable to figure out how to adjust the portion sizes. I have been eating meat first but how do you get the calories for 1/3 tuna and 2-3 crackers or a half portion of some food. It would say - 1 ... and I ate 1/2 and couldn't adjust the size. Well, I am at work and need to head out for lunch. Yes, tuna again. Seems to be my main staple. It is one of the foods I can eat without some Water to wash it down. Oh, I am very happy that I am down 55 pound but I am still wearing the same size clothing so while it sounds huge it feels less that it is. The doctor said my stomach is still swollen and when I loose more wieght the fills will be easier. I am shaped like an apple so most of the wieght I have lost has come off my back and face. Sounds weird but it is true.

Hi, I was banded on 11/30/04 and found the food to be harder than I thought. I have been eating a lot of tuna because I can buy it almost anywhere. I have been eating mainly protien now but it took a little while to get used to it. I had eaten very little meat and it was a challenge to get it in at every meal. So good luck and check in with some other people who are banded longer. I read a lot of posts and they were very helpful.