Lala D

Want - I totally understand what you are talking about. I have also been very blue lately. The holidays, though wonderful, are often hard and pressure filled. You and I were part of the tenacious tens but I don't really feel that "tenacious." Juli makes some really good points. Things change as we get further along with the process. I really liked her honeymoon analogy. I guess the hardest thing is to be happy and accept where we are now. If you stayed at the weight you are now, are you happier than you were when you started this journey? I know I am. That doesn't mean that I want to stop losing but if for some strange reason I have to stay at a 50 lb weight loss, that is ok. I feel better, look so much better, and my health is better. I also did the 5DPT last week and lost the 4ish lbs I gained during the holidays. That really helped. Take it one day at a time and love yourself each and every day. Some days suck but ultimately life is really good. Take care and good luck on your journey. Here's to finding our tenaciousness again!!!

Hello Everyone: I hope you don't mind if I join this thread. Even though I do not post much I read this thread faithfully daily and have since it started. I am so impressed with all the support you provide each other and how welcoming you are. I had my surgery at the end of 10/07 and have lost 55 lbs. I did gain a few pounds during the holiday season but I refuse to count that. I had to have an un-fill last month as I was so tight that I could not get much solid food down. We had several family members pass away and adding that to work stress I just tightened up until everything was a pb. I need to lose 50 more lbs and would like to do so by my bandiversary. I had a fill to put some back and will have more back in February. We go on vacation later this month and don't want to be overfilled when I am in a place I cannot get any taken out...that's why I am waiting until February. I am having a tough time getting back on track now that the holidays are over. I did the 5 day pouch test and lost 4 lbs but have been rather blue (holidays, perimenopause, who knows) and want to eat ice cream all the time. Exercise is great, I walk or jog almost every day and try to do pilates 2 - 3 times a week. So my question is, has anyone experienced depression or mood changes since they got the band? I get pms (the moody kind) every month but other than that I am usually good but since the band I notice I am edgier and generally crabbier. I also can't really talk about this to anyone as only my DH and mother know that I have the band. I am very happy with the weight loss but the mental part has me concerned. Any thoughts or ideas to share. Thanks for reading this VERY LONG post and I appreciate any words of wisdom.

Hi there - I had a similar problem though not as severe as yours. I had my last fill in April and then mysteriously in October I starting getting really tight. Fortunately I could get warm liquids down but basically no food. I thought it would loosen up on its own but in early November I had to get about .5 cc's taken out as I had no energy since I was not getting any food in. My doctor said stress was probably a contributing factor (we had a death in the family). It was instant relief. I was able to eat normally and felt so much better. I got most of it put back in last week and am back on track. You might want to think about having a small unfill and letting your body heal. Take care and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Lala

I decided to go to the mall and get some new clothes as my last set of new clothes is getting saggy baggy. I was in Macy's (great sale) and found some really cute work and casual clothes in the "regular" women's section. I had to go to another floor to look for pajamas and walked through the plus size section. I teared up when it hit me that I do not have to shop in the plus size department anymore. I tried to explain this to my DH and bless his heart he smiled and said that was great but I don't think he got it. Just wanted to share my little NSV with people who would understand.

IMHO you need to have some taken out. I was having the same problems especially around my TOM where I could not eat any food, just drink hot tea. I went on Friday and had .5 cc's taken out. I thought I had my last fill in July but my doctor said it was April. She said she thought it was stress. My job can be very stressful and we recently had a death in the family. The combination of those things was the perfect storm of my band tightening up. Just having that little bit taken out was wonderful. I can now eat like the band intends, hard protein, then veggies. You may just need a tiny bit. And if you get too much out (no restriction), you can have a tad put back in. Don't continue to be miserable, especially if you are pbing all the time as that might cause your band to slip. Let the band work as it should. It took me a month to figure that out but the relief was tremendous!!! Good luck.

It is so hard to break the habits of many years. I did the same thing last night when my DH and I were at dinner. I had a delicious piece of salmon with some veggies on the side. It was so good that I kept having just one more bite, ignoring all the signals that tell me I am full. Well the last bite had me heading to the restroom to say goodbye. I know better but I still did it. Years of conditioning take a while to undo. At least the band doesn't let us keep going indefinitely. :cool:

I did not expect to feel so emotional but obviously buying things in the plus size department affected me more than I thought. I used to pretend to have fun shopping with my friends, picking out cute clothes for them. I found my solace in shoes. Lots of shoes!!! I continue to be impressed and inspired by all the success stories people share on LBT. It is not a quick fix but it really does work. And kareng...holy cow a size 6. That is truly fabulous and you are a rock star. Size 6!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in my front yard today raking leaves and my neighbor drove by. She rolled down her window and said "you have lost a TON of weight." I think she meant it as a compliment but as she is a skinny beotch it just pissed me off. She also said that she saw me walking the dogs the other day and at first did not recognize me. I have lived two doors down from her for the last 15 years and she does not recognize me after losing 50 lbs? I know I was/and still am overweight but I only have 30 - 40 lbs left to lose (flexible goal) but apparently before the lap band I was Jabba the Hut. I want to believe that her intention was to compliment me but it just came off as an insult.

My bandiversary is today and I didn't even know it. One year down, the rest of my life to go. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this band. I have been a slowish loser (50 lbs with another 30 to go) but I would not change a thing. My husband saw my success and got banded earlier this month. I had always been active but made poor food choices and ate way too much. Did the yoyo diet thing, phenphen, etc. Now I am losing the healthy way. The band does not allow me overeat the way I used. It's built in portion control. I am healthier, happier and can shop at "normal size" clothing stores. Life is good!

I am shooting for 150ish. At 5'7", I figure that is a good weight. According to BMI calculators, that is 23.5 which is in the "normal" range. I am not sure that is where I need to be. I weighed 155 - 160 when I got married and was in good shape with lots of exercise. I am more like Amy in that the BMI figure is not as important as the weight. So I guess I will just see how I feel as I get closer to the goal and adjust as necessary.

Jack - Thanks for the good explanation. I am in the same boat as Saint. Got a fill on Friday and am getting stuck a lot. As a "newish" banded person (10/07) who has only had 2 fills, I am not sure how I am supposed to feel. But common sense tells me not being able to eat more than 2 bites of anything without it making a repeat appearance is probably not how the band is meant to work. Guess I gotta get some taken out. (heavy sigh) :thumbdown:

I've lost the average amount of pizza consumed by an American each year. I do miss pizza. Oh well Getting closer to the goal of a newborn calf!

My doctor put in 3cc during the surgery, my first fill was 2.5 and my last fill (today) was another 1.2. I did not notice any difference with the first fill, I could gulp water like I usually go and took my handful of vitamins all at once that evening. This fill is a completely different story. The water I drank at the doctors office went down very slowly but I assumed it was because of my morning appointment and I tend to be tighter in the morning. Now at 5:30 I am drinking some chicken broth and it is still moving very slowly. It is going down but I can really "feel" a difference. It will be interesting to see if this restriction lasts. So at 6.7 in a 10cc band I am hoping for the ever elusive "sweet spot". Happy losing!

My candy pushing co-workers are driving me crazy. I have a HUGE sweet tooth and have a hard time resisting sugar. Several of my co-workers feel that they have to have candy bowls on their desks with chocolate, peanut butter cups, snickers minis, basically my drug of choice. Any suggestions on keeping me away from the sugar. I have tried a variety of the sugar free candies and most are really good but I can only eat a piece or two as the sugar alcohols cause intestinal distress (understatement). Any thoughts/tips that have worked for any of you successful sugar avoiders? I am not a person who does well with "just one piece" or "only have a few". For me, one is too many and twenty is not enough. I truly appreciate any suggestions...thanks!

Aubrie - I have some port discomfort especially when I am using the stomach muscles. My pilates instructor said that made sense to her as the stomach muscles are pushing on/against the port. I had surgery in late 10/07 and as I do more exercises and strengthen my abdominal muscles the discomfort is much less. My first time back on a tread mill with an incline (after only walking outside) I thought my port had come loose it was so painful. It definitely gets better, how quickly seems to vary greatly person to person. Take care.

Kelly Fitzpatrick, a naturopath, does fills. She is out of Eugene but comes to Portland a couple of times a month. She charges $180 for fills. Her clinic is in Milwaukie, Sacred Medicine. You can google her. She is very nice...a little earthy but knowledgeable. Hope this helps. Lala

Hello fabulous forty something bandsters: I am Laurin and live in Portland Oregon. I was banded in 10/22 in Monterrey Mexico. I have managed to lose 20 lbs (no pre-op diet so all after) and have been doing really well with the exercise part. The food part is kind of hit and miss as I have little restriction. I am waiting to get my second fill until after vacation as I don't want to possibly have problems when I am out of state. Yesterday was a great food day..today I have managed to pound down three skinny cow ice cream sandwiches in addition to two pieces of pizza. CRAP :smile: On a happier note, I am married for 17 years to my wonderful DH and have several fur babies. Life is good and the DH keeps saying it's a marathon not a sprint but I would really like to lose 30 more pounds before vacation (in 3 weeks). Is that realistic...totally kidding. Oh well..next years Hawaii vacation will look totally different. Kat 817 - I really enjoy your posts. You are unfailing positive and always give good advice and information. Thanks!!! Good luck to all!!!

I exercise 5 - 6 days a week doing a variety of things. I exercised as much prior to surgery...it's the only thing that kept me from being even heavier. I walk 2 - 4 miles almost every day (though now I am jogging part of the time), take a pilates class and weight train at the gym at least twice a week for 45 minutes. I always feel so much better when I am moving. I have a minor issue with sciatica and I find that my back starts hurting if I skip more than one day a week. I get back to exercising and the back pain goes away. Weird. Exercise for some people is a mind over matter issue. If you say you hate to exercise, then you will dread it...if you keep telling yourself that you like it and love the results, eventually you will. Good luck!

I need a bit of advice. I am going on vacation (Maui) in early February and have a fill scheduled for 1/18. This will be my second fill, I currently have 5cc's in a 10cc band (3 at surgery, 10/22, and 2 with my first fill). I don't really have restriction except with dry things like chicken breast but am worried that I will get good restriction with this next fill. I know that sounds **STUPID** but the reason is we are going with my brother and his girlfriend, neither of whom know I have the lap band. I have not told anyone (except DH and my Mom) and don't want to have any PBing experiences and have to explain. I am losing steadily around 2 lbs per week but my doctor recommends getting to around 7cc's for optimum restriction. I want to keep my momentum going with losing but am worried about vacation overeating, etc. Any thoughts from "veteran" bandsters? Should I wait until after vacation or just go for it now? Thanks and Happy 2008!!! :party:

Relatives say some intereresting things. I was at my moms house during the holidays and was in her bedroom changing after working out..she said to me..."now that you have lost weight are you going to get your breasts done?" All the women in my family have humongo boobs, regardless of our weight...and mine are now DDD long, meaning they are closer to my waist than to my shoulders. I know she was not trying to be mean but geez...that hurt. :omg:

thank goodness I am not the only one...thought I was going to have to get some "help" for my LBT addiction. But everyone is so good with advice and willing to answer "stupid" questions. I suppose there are worse things I could be doing in the evening instead of being on the computer...like, uh...eating a gallon of icecream. :omg:

Your "gas" questions was a legitimate one as lots of people talk about gas. That is because during the surgery (this is what I was told by my surgery coordinator so I assume it's standard) some type of gas (no idea what kind) is put into your torso to float the organs to make getting to the stomach and placing the band easier. That's why there are gas pains after the surgery. It kind of works its way out through the body (not just the butt) :phanvan Mine only lasted a week and were not that bad. GasX worked great. As to the constipation, if you eat enough fiber and don't have an problems prior to surgery, you should be fine. Since most doctors recommend eating protein first and that usually fills you up, it might be hard to get enoughh fiber. Flax seed meal works great. High in fiber and it can be added to protein shakes. I am thrilled with my band. I have only had one fill and have limited restriction in my 10cc band but have still managed to lose 16 lbs during November and December. And I was not as good as I should have been during the holidays. I was self pay and would do it again. Good luck!

I was banded in late 10/07 and currently have 5.5 cc's. I have very little restriction, mostly just TOM and really dry chicken. I am happy to see that there are people with restriction who have only a few more cc's than I do. My surgeon said that 7 cc's seems to be the magic number but I hope to get up to 6+ with my next fill in February. sharon2u...your weight loss is inspiring and pretty impressive. Please keep us posted of your success.

Thanks MBanja for your good wishes. My DH and I try to go to Maui every February to get a dose of sunshine and warm weather. We live in Oregon and even though we love it here the gray days of winter can be a bit depressing and the Maui trip gets me through to spring. We plan on lots of long walks and as much tennis as our creaky bodies can stand :biggrin1: It's weird because the last few days I have been tighter and have to be more careful when I am eating so the decision to wait is definitely the right one. Take care and good fortune to you in 2008!

Thanks for the great advice. I have decided to wait until I get back from vacation to have a fill...especially since I was reminded that flying can cause the band to tighten. I was watching a Discovery Health Channel show yesterday and a woman who had been banded had to fly from Ohio to Texas to get an un-fill because they could not do it at the ER in Ohio (her brother is a gastric specialist and did the unfill in about 10 seconds but he lives in Texas). That would suck so I'll just wait and exercise more on vacation to make up for any additional food I may consume :nervous