KarenG.

Name............starting#......current#.......goal#.....to go Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............226..........220.......6 TxArcher...........360............346..........345.......1 Candle.............218............209..........207.......2 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............179..........175.......4 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............264..........261.......3 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............191.5..........189......2.5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........228..........220.......8 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............175..........175.......0 Mandyjo............191............179..........180.......-1 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............237..........238.......-1 Rainer.............264............252..........248.......4 Redtulips3.........248............231..........226.......5 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............187..........180.......7 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............222..........220.......2 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............209..........205.......4 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........147.8........140.......7.8

Also - I want to point out that the more you have to lose the faster you lose at first.

Slow compared to what YOU want or slow compared to others? I think that it is really important not to compare yourself to others. Everyone has a different lifestyle, different capabilities and expectations. If you are happy with your progress then that is great and as long as you are going forward .. keep going. If you aren't happy and want to go fast there are ways to do it I think. I was only banded two days after you but I have really been pushing it with high intensisty cardio and getting fills frequently and staying in close contact with nutritionist and surgeon. I know that this is not possible for everyone - for example I don't have kids to take care of! Good luck.

I would do it again in a second. It is far from perfect but much better than the alternative - not losing weight!

If your doctor thinks you would be ok just stay on liquids. I am always really swollen so the first 2 weeks after a fill I can't eat much - after about 2 weeks it gets better. Good luck!

I think that most people have the what the he*@ have I done moment the first week after surgery. I scared my poor sister to death since the band was her idea! The feeling goes away pretty soon and you will have a normal life - I PROMISE! Also, I think that the anaesthesia causes some depression in some people (like me).

I eat out a lot too. I do try and check out the menu in advance to get an idea of what will be easier for me to eat. I also love the leftovers which last me for at least 2 more meals now!

I have never been told this but it makes total sense to me - in fact I might even mention it to my doctor - my first few fills were scheduled 4 weeks apart and were on my period. For those fills I was very very tight right after the fill and then lost the restriction within a week. At the time I had a feeling it had something to do with me being bloated when I got the fill - so this totally makes sense!

I don't agree with the 10-17lbs a month - it depends on your BMI and how quickly you get restricted. Just because you haven't lost 10-17lbs a month doesnt mean that there is something wrong with your band. In terms of your restriction level I am afraid I can't be of much help in taht area - are you getting hungry between meals? Are you eating a lot of food? When food gets stuck is it because you are not being careful? Just some thoughts! Good luck!

It depends on how restricted you are. As I have gotten tighter the list of things that I can't eat gets longer. I would didn't eat pancakes before but I would imagine if you aren't very restricted you might be able to get some down soaked in syrup (not suggesting that!) good luck

Sesame chicken is breaded usually and breading never goes down right for me. I can't imagine how it was the sesame seeds.

I have been totally random in my restriction - going from tight/good to horribly too tight. It is definately tied into my cycle and also stress. My nut. also said that you start knowing and not attempting certain foods at certain times of the day and you can read your body better. I guess I am a slow learner!

Why did you have to do that? I didn't have to give myself any injections.

My acid reflux was totally resolved by my lap band. I suffered for years.

Julie - I haven't stopped by your thread to say hi in a while. So sorry to hear you are having a rough time. Nobody deserves smooth sailing more than you! Let me know if there is anything I can do - if you need to meet up for a coffee and a cheer up sometime!

Do any of you look at your newer, smaller clothing sometimes and be like that can't fit me! Its so weird now that I have gone down so many sizes in less than 6 months and am totally weirded out by my clothing sometimes. It takes all my effort to remind myself not to look for the largest size in any given store. Also, I find that when I started all of this I thought that my ultimate joy would be just fitting into normal sized clothing. Now at 12/14 I feel very big still and generally not as happy about it as I thought I would be at this size. Can anyone relate?

I am about 5 1/2 months post-op and have decided to start dating again. I worry about the food thing because I am pretty restricted right now. I am worried about intimacy because of the scars. I am working on my internet profile right now. Wish me luck!

You can do it guys!! Good luck to all approaching onederland!

I felt exactly the same way. One thing I kept thinking of that made me feel better was that everyone who gets the band is a failed dieter but most people succeed in losing a lot of weight with the band. So, remember most people feel like they may fail with the band and the don't.

name.............starting#......current#......goal#.....togo# Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............232..........220.......12 TxArcher...........360............353..........345........8 Candle.............218............211..........207.......4 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............182..........175.......7 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............268..........260.......8 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............176..........166.......10 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............194..........189.......5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........231..........220.......11 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............178..........175.......3 Mandyjo............191............187..........180.......11 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............243..........238.......5 Rainer.............264............253..........248.......5 Redtulips3.........248............233..........226.......6 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............190..........180.......10 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............224..........220.......4 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............211.5........205.......6.5 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........149.4........140.......9.4

I lost about 9 the first week and then about 7 the week after this past fill.

Not loving this season - how about you guys?

Allaboutme ...... 238 ...... 165 ....... 211 ......... 46 Allison925 ...... 175 ...... 145 ....... 175 ......... 30 Angie4b1g ....... 237.8 .... 205 ....... 237.8 ....... 32.8 Ariel ........... 199 ...... 169 ....... 199 ......... 30 babs0101 ........ 216 ...... 190 ....... 216 ......... 26 Bigbaby ......... 207 ...... 167 ....... 207 ......... 40.0 CQQlgirl ........ 220 ...... 195 ....... 220 ......... 25 debihaines ...... 254....... 200 ....... 227.9 ....... 27.9 Foofy ........... 244 ...... 199 ....... 244 ......... 45 Georgia Girl .... 275 ...... 237 ....... 268 ......... 31 Hazeleyegrl1 .... 233 ...... 200 ....... 224 ....... ..24 Hungryforchange . 225 ...... 190 ....... 225 ......... 35 ivyrose325 ...... 342 ...... 215 ....... 261 ......... 46 Jeni 85 ......... 214.4 .... 184 ....... 214.4 ....... 30.4 Jfran ........... 181 ...... 145 ....... 181. ........ 36 KarenG............195........165.........195...........30 Legster ......... 216 ...... 174 ....... 216 ......... 42 Luluc ........... 166 ...... 135 ....... 166 ......... 31 Mamato3 ......... 242 ...... 199 ....... 242 ......... 43 Mary-2b150 ...... 225 ...... 150 ....... 193 ......... 43 Nadean .......... 204.6 .... 160 ....... 204.6 ....... 44.6 Nhanson ......... 226 ...... 196 ....... 226 ......... 30 Rainer .......... 256 ...... 216 ....... 256 ......... 40 Redtulips3 ...... 245 ...... 199 ....... 245 ......... 46 Smithem1 ........ 240.6 .... 190 ....... 240.6 ....... 50.6 Stacy73 ......... 226.4 .... 194 ....... 226.4 ....... 32.4 Starryeyed ...... 280 ...... 199 ....... 237 ......... 38 Suzzzie ......... 297 ...... 243 ....... 294 ......... 51 Sunny112..........215....... 130........ 143.......... 13 Trish5713 ....... 255....... 230 ....... 255.......... 25 Wombat712 ....... 152.8 .... 120 ....... 152.8 ....... 32.8 chickatee...........184..........145...........184..........39

THere is a new york times article on the same topic coming out in the morning. Obesity Surgery Found Effective in Treating Diabetes - New York Times

Woorth it? Yes - no question. Hard also a yes. You need to be very involved in the process in terms of fills/unfills. Good luck.