StLouisGal

I know what you mean, I went ten years without seeing my GYN because all he did was tell me how fat I was. If I was over the last weight I was when I saw him, I just didn't go. I now go to a really sweet doc who doesn't fuss at me about my weight. I wish I had switched much sooner.

I'm not sure it is all a $$ thing. I think they like for their statistics to look good. The main thing is most surgeons are men and don't really understand how a woman's mind reacts to negative stimulation. I'm lucky, I only have to see the doctor when I am getting a fill or when I'm having a problem. The rest of the time I deal with his staff, most of whom are wonderful. They are pretty specific about not wanting us to diet. We are to eat a well rounded diet that includes Protein, fruits, veggies, starch etc. Just in much smaller portions.

Thanks Tapshoes, That is what I am hoping for too. Whatever it is, we will deal with it. My doctor is fairly conservative and won't just start treatment on something that it may be. He wants the tests to make sure. I like that about him. I'll let you know Friday evening. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Tapshoes, you make a good point. A lecture makes me feel like a failure and head straight to the nearest ice cream shop.

I'm so glad it went well. Now that you have restriction you will lose even more. I am really proud of you for not gaining while you were unfilled. I am probably going to have some of mine taken out too. Dr. wants to do an upper endoscopy before he does anything so I'm on liquids right now. I am really scared about having any fill taken out but I am obviously too tight. Test are on Friday.

I'm hooked on Crystal light peach tea. I wish I could find one with splenda because it is my sweetner of choice. A little Aspertame doesn't seem to negatively effect me but if I get too much it depresses me. (I have lots of weird side effects to things)

I don't eat bread. Any kind of yeast bread gets stuck, buscuits and quick breads I can eat in very, very small amounts Croutons and crackers work better. I find that by the time I eat my protein and veggies, there isn't room for bread. When I buy a burger I take both buns off and eat with a fork.

Oh Crystal, I feel for you. I got the "you've only lost 3.5 lbs in six months lecture from the nurse because I was sick and on steroids (which added about 4 lbs) at the time of the appointment. It wrecked my day! I was disappointed enough with the weight loss and didn't need her telling me that I should have lost more. You probably don't have enough restriction yet to really make a difference. And there isn't much you can do when your body betrays you like that. You are working hard and doing the best that you can do. You look terrific no matter what the scale says so hang in there and keep you head up. You have much to be proud of, even if the doctor can't see that. Doesn't you doctor do your fills? Does he know about the unfill? Put it back on him. Love you!

You have lost the weight with diet and exercise. The band is only a tool. It is your choice to tell people about it. People who comment, other than to tell you that you look fantastic are just rude. It really is none of their business. I have told everyone about my band. I feel like it has changed my life and if it will help someone else the way it has helped me, that is great. I was even interviewed by the local newspaper about my band. It was an interesting article and hopefully helped raise awareness about the band as a safe way to aid in weight loss.

I kept one pair of "fat jeans" and a t-shirt, just for comparison sake when I get to goal. The rest of it went to friends, the church clothes closet, and Goodwill. I'm not taking a chance on needing them again. If they are gone, I have to keep the weight off, I can't afford new clothes. I hit the end of season clearances when stuff is marked down about 75% and try to buy "classic styles" that I can mix and match. I don't want to buy the expensive stuff until I am closer to my goal.

I saw my surgeon this morning. The good news, after ten days of liquids I have lost 6 pounds. (I guess it is worth it) He said the symptoms I have could be one of three things: 1. a prolaps (I think that means a slip) where the stomach has pushed it's way up into the band. He said usually if it is that I would be able to eat a lot more. I can barely eat 1/4 cup without pain. :cool2: 2. an ulcer :thumbup: 3. band too tight I have an upper endoscopy and an upper GI scheduled for Friday so we will know then. I'm hoping for the tight band because that sounds like the easiest fix. :thumbup: I guess it will be liquids for the rest of the week.:tt2: Brings back memories of a year ago:lol: Have a great day!

I just finished a round of prednisone. I didn't think to call the surgeon because the pain was so severe that I had to do something. I am having some problems with my stomach so I stated taking Prilosec again. I don't know if it is related or not. I would suggest you call the surgeon just to get his/her take on it. Maybe they could give you a prednisone injection instead? just a thought. I've had those and they aren't hard on the stomach.

I'll have to check that out. Bariatric choice is coming out with a calcium citrate chew but they won't be here until the first of April. I'll stop at GNC on my way home.

I'm always tight in the morning. I usually have a shake with milk and fruit and protein powder. That keeps me full until lunch at least. I also drink a cup of hot tea before I start the shake and try to get at least 20 ounces of water in before lunch.

I drink an Unjury shake or a bottle of Isopure nearly every day. I can't eat in the morning so that is what I have for breakfast. When I make the shakes I use skim milk and add a serving of frozen fruit like blueberries, cherries, pineapple or banana to up my fruit intake and make the shake taste better. I also add calcium powder so I don't have to chew the calcium pills. (yuck) I lose weight better when I do the protein shakes. The other two meals I eat solid protein and veggies.

Thanks for the encouragement Rapsody. Some days it is really hard but it is still one of the best decisions I've made. As with anything worth having, the road isn't always easy. I think the winter blues have us all down a bit. Hang in there, we can do this because we are strong women. We are only one year into what I hope will be a very long and happy journey. Love ya,

Kristi, You look wonderful, Congratulations on your success. Crystal, your new picture looks great too.

LilMiss, You are doing great! I understand exactly how you feel, I think I am probably too tight, or maybe not, I have a cold and I think that is making it tighter because I have a pain in my back when I eat more than just a little. I find myself eating the wrong things for comfort because they go down easier. I know that is why I haven't lost anything lately. I love my band but there are days when I would happily rip it out. I don't say that very often because, like Crystal says, it seems to be taboo to say anything bad about it. The band is like anything else, it has it's up days and it's down days. Winter is a hard time, we aren't getting as much Vitamin D, not as much sunlight, it's cold, etc. those are all things that make us want to have a pity party for ourselves. We have to hang together and keep on keepin on. If you lose 40 pounds a year for the next six years you will be all gone. (that was a joke, so laugh, OK) I had hoped to be below 200 lbs by now but it didn't happen. Give yourself a break and hit it again. I'm glad you got an unfill and are more comfortable now. Sorry about the knees, I don't have any magic cure for that, but I have arthritis in mine too so I know what you are talking about. The cold weather is really hard on them and the limited medications we can take makes it doubly hard. You hang in there! Love you!

My bandiversary was Sunday. I was sick as a dog and spent the day in bed. Some celebration! I have been having quite a pity party for myself, I went in for my year check up on Monday only to have a nurse I had never met tell me that I am about 10 lbs behind the expected for gastric bypass??!? HELLO, I have a band, I have lost a total of 3.5 lbs since September (I already knew that). The whole thing threw me off because I was expecting my appointment to be with someone else and I don't handle change well. My depression meds are messed up too, can you tell. You get the point. . . Real pity party. Down to the positive now, Who cares what the nurse says, I can wear size 16 pants (and they are baggy), I can walk 5K in one stretch, I don't need a seatbelt extender to ride in an airplane or drive my car, My winter coat is way, way too big, I'm not hungry all the time, several people have stopped my husband to ask him who the woman he was with at the store was, (it was me) the exam gown at the X-ray place fit, with room to spare, my kids are proud of me, I'm healthier than I was this time last year, It has been a good year. Yes, I've had ups and downs, yes, I'm not losing as fast as I would like, it is all relative, I have lost a lot, and kept it off for six months. (Truth be told, I haven't made the wisest food choices possible in the last six months.) What am I going to do in year two! Keep on keepin' on. I need to get back to the basics, this is a great time to start, I am starting a weight management class at Curves on March 7, I feel like I need the structure to give me the accountability that I need. My rules are a little different than the rest of the class but it is adaptable and the encouragement from the instructor and the other ladies are important to me. I am also going to drag out the pedometer and start doing 10000 steps a day again. I need more sunlight too. Come on spring, hurry up! I'm going to stop blaming everyone else and take some responsibility for myself. I can do this. The best part of this whole experience, besides the 80 plus pounds I've lost, is meeting wonderful new friends on this site who have been through it all the way with me. I thank you all. I count it a priviledge to know you.:thumbup:

Ok, this may seem silly but it mean't a lot to me. I have been sick and after the second trip to the doctor she thought it might be a good idea to get a chest X-ray. UGh, the gowns never fit or they have to go look for a big one, you know the drill, I went over to the x-ray place, she hands me a regular sized gown, I put it on, it fits, I even had a little extra string to tie a bow. What a nice feeling. It made my day. (I know, I need a real life) Fortunately my lungs are clear and I am suffering from Pluracy so a few days of medication have cleared that up so now it is back to working out. You all have a great day:smile:

Jaimie, I am so sorry to hear of your tragic loss. I am praying that God will comfort you as only He can. Hugs to you and your family.

Don't beat yourself up. Like you said, it's one pound. Any other year I would have gained at least 10 over the holidays. This year I only gained 2 and they are already gone. One pound gain could be anything from a salty piece of ham or Soup to that time of the month. If it is consistently up for more than a day or two it might be time to take a closer look at food choices. Hang in there and keep up the good work. By the way, back to topic, I've been around, just not posting much. I find that I don't spend nearly as much time parked in front of the computer as I used to. I'm out enjoying life. It is a great feeling.

Yesterday I did my regular Curves work out. Today I went to the fitness center and did 20 minutes on the eliptical (killer) and 25 minutes on the treadmill for a total of 3 miles. Tomorrow will be back to Curves. I have to step it up because I've stopped losing. I sure would like to be at least 90 lbs off by my bandiversary and I think exercise is the only way. Thanks for all the encouragement. We can do this together.

Hang in there Crystal. Look at the positive, you have only gained two pounds. :thumbs_up: How much would you have gained in the same situation pre-band? I could pack on 10 pounds in three days before I got my band. Troubles with friends are the most stressful. Be good to yourself and get back on track. Another fill will help and you will get back where you want to be quickly. I have found that my weight loss has slowed a lot and I have been bouncing the same three or four pounds around for about two months, but hey, you know, I am in a whole different place than I was a year ago. Even if I don't lose another pound I am happy where I am. (I still plan to lose some more though)

It's so hard to get motivated this time of year! I am back at Curves after a two week vacation. I also have a co-worker who drags me to the fitness center a couple of times a week. I did 20 minutes on the eliptical and 20 on the treadmill on Tuesday. I hope to make it M-W-F at Curves and T-Th at the fitness center. Thanks for keeping me accountable.:thumbs_up: