Skinny_Jill

I was not overweight as a child. In high school I gained about 15 - 20 pounds but I lost it before I graduated.

I've had problems with it too. I take Benefiber when I remember. A couple of weeks ago I added Kraft LiveActive Cheese into my diet and it has actually made a difference. I've gone 3 days in a row. It is weird because you would think cheese would have the opposite affect but it says the live culture helps. I haven't had any Benefiber during that time either.

She is overweight on the show so we will be watching her lose weight, hopefully. I don't know if the actress actually had the surgery or will be having it. I don't watch the show but I read another post about it so I went to cbs.com and watched a little of Thursday's episode where she told some dude she decided to have the surgery.

Hi Bandpal, It sounds like you have a lot of restriction now but it sounds like you are handling it well. Stay strong, it will pass soon. I didn't end up getting my last fill. After discussing with the nurse we decided I didn't need one and that was the right decision. I am eating 1000 - 1200 calories per day and I'm not hungry at all. Well, maybe a little right before meal time but I can handle that. The trainer is working out great. He is really kicking my butt and the inches are falling off. The scale was stuck for a bit but it is moving again. I am down almost 4 pounds this week. It feels great! I am glad you are doing so well. Check in when you can! Jill

I never really get a full feeling. I am just satisfied and no longer hungry. I will get a little burp or hiccup to signal that I should stop. I also have pain with my first few bites and then it seems to get better. It is like the first few bites are irritating to the stoma and then once it accepts that the food is coming it is ok. It is really weird. Are you eating solid Protein? Are drinking after meals? Are you counting calories? Some people are lucky and don't have to count calories but I found that I really need to if I want to lose. Are you exercising? Are you drinking enough Water during the day? Chewing is important because large pieces of food can't go through the stoma which means it will come back up. Some foods are more dense and even though they are chewed well they will go through slowly. That is just my take on it.

It sounds like the meeting went well. That is great that she is so excited. It really sounds like you are handling it very well.

Everyone is different. Some can only eat 800 calories and some need more. I need to eat 1000 - 1200 cal per day to lose. I would start at 1000 per day and see how it goes. It seems most bandsters are in that area. I think the quality of the food makes a big difference too. You have to watch the fat grams. If I eat 1000 calories and the fat is too high I won't lose. Good luck!

That really annoys me too. Come on people. Loose is what our clothes will be when we LOSE weight. I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Looking great Foofy!

Could you have lost the 60 pounds without the band? I know I couldn't. You are doing great. You had a rough spot but it sounds like you are on your way. I had to start journaling my food and exercising to keep losing because the band can only do so much. You can lose more but it may have to work it a little harder. My doc told me before I was banded that it would only do so much. You can do it! Good luck!

I don't deprive myself of anything. I work it into my calories for the day. The reason I failed in the past was that I deprived myself and couldn't take it. With the band I can have the food I like but much less of it. That works for me. I even have Cookies and chips occasionally but I stick to a single portion so I can count the calories. I am satisified with that now. Sometimes it means I only get 200 calories for dinnier but that is easy now because a 3 oz piece of fish and some veggies is all I need. Somedays I need a snack and some days I don't. My doc doesn't want me to snack but they said if I am really hungry I should eat something small. I believe if we get to hungry we are more likey to blow it at meal time. Good luck!

It will work if you are willing to work with the band. The weight came off pretty easy at first but now I have to really work it. I count calories and exercise. It does work because without the band I was never able to do it for more than a couple of weeks. I am truly amazed at the weight I've lost as I've never lost this much before and I am not suffering or hungry. I still eat the foods I enjoy but much less of them. There will be times that the weight loss slows but just keep following the rules and the weight will come off. Be sure to take your measurements and some before pictures. When the scale isn't moving you may see that you are losing inches. I wish I would have taken my measurements. I know the inches are coming too because I have dropped a couple of sizes. It is wonderful.

Overeating is what can cause the pouch to stretch. Eat small portions as instructed by your doc. Carbonation can also cause the pouch to stretch so no beer or Diet Coke. That is hard part for me.

Cindy, That is great. Restriction is a good thing.

I don't have kids but I can share what I went through. I was thin until high school and then I was only 15 - 20 pounds over weight. My mother wanted me to lose weight. I wanted to lose it too but it wasn't killing me. She actually put me on diet pills. By the time I graduated from high school I was 105 pounds. At 5'1" I was right on target and felt great. Of course, I started gaining again in college and I gained even more back. College didn't work out for me so I was back at home. My father died when I was 19 and we had a hard time with it. She was always on my case about what I was eating and always offered to pay for another diet plan. I lived with her and didn't want to here her telling me how bad the food was I was eating so I hid it. I would be angry with her and eat just to spite her. I wanted to be thin and I would try different diet plans and lose some weight but would always gain it back plus some. Her constant harping about my weight really bothered me and I am not blaming her for my weight gain because it was my choice to eat. I know she wanted what was best for me. However, I got to the point where I would drive through some where on my way home from work and get a small cheeseburger so that when I ate my small meal I with her I would be full and not suffer. We've discussed this in the last few years and she finally learned that the person has to want to lose weight and change or it won't happen. She gained about 20 pounds a few years ago and it bothered her so I told her to join WW. She did and lost the weight and now works for them. She loves her job and is much more understanding. She sees people that lose weight and some that just can't succeed. She has been super supportive of my LB journey. I don't know if anything would have kept me from reaching 221 pounds but I feel it definitely didn't help. I was 15 pounds over weight but that wasn't good enough, I had to perfect. That attitude is not healthy. Be sure to let her be a part of the decision making in her weight loss journey. It sounds like you are doing the right thing and I wish you all the best.

Linda, I totally understand. I still love my junk food too. I've cut back a lot but I still eat it. I now make myself count calories including the junk food and work around it. Of course, if I eat too much of it even when I stay in my calorie range I don't lose. I don't gain either. I think the fat content does me in. I was getting complacent about it too because I was starting to feel "normal" again. That is when I decided I must kick up the exercise to move on. I also bought a Body Bugg and I am amazed how much that thing motivated me. I love knowing how many calories I burn a day. It makes me want to know how many calories I eat so I can have a big deficit. I made the investment of the Body Bugg and a trainer and it really helped to motivate me. I think that what you are going through is very normal. It sounds like you have a good plan with the gym and I believe that will really help with the motivation. YOU CAN DO IT! :redface:

Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............231.....................220 ..........11 Osangriared.....252...............251.....................232 ..........19 Skinny_Jill.......180...............176.....................168....... .....8 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............179....................175....... .....4 TxArcher..........328..............324......................308....... ....16 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............219.0..................210........... ..9 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 wnt2lose..........219..............217.....................209........ 8 plump_princess....215.............211.....................199........1 2 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............193......................185....... .8 Hollyberries......267...............264......................254...... .10 Lindata............189...............189.....................184...... ....5 The scale finally moved. I lost 2 pounds. It hadn't moved in 2 weeks but I started working out with a trainer 3 weeks ago so I know I was building muscle. The inches are coming off faster now!

I know you really want that 1st fill but you may want to wait until after your surgery because you don't want to be too tight and having to deal with that and your ankle surgery. Trama to the body can cause the band to tighten for some people and that would not be fun. Be sure to tell your lap band surgeon about the ankle surgery if you do get in before the 17th. You wouldn't want to risk hurting the band. Good luck!

No regrets here. Until you get restriction you may be hungry but that is just part of the journey. After you have restriction it doesn't take much to fill you up and keep you satisfied.

No liquid diet for me. All of my weightloss except for approx 5 pounds has been lost post-band and like you I have not gained except for .5 a couple of times which to me is not a gain. I lost 10 pounds the 1st month after banding and have lost at a steady pace since then. It is very hard to not gain when someone has been on a liquid diet and then introduced solid food with more calories. I think that is very hard for someone that just had WLS to accept and can be disappointing. We see the posts all the time where people are following doctor's order and staying within the calorie range and still gain. I would never tell someone to not follow the advice of their doctor, this is just my opinion.

Congrats Tina! Thanks for sharing your story. Our stories are similar except that I researched the band and fought with insurance for 2 years before I decided to self-pay. I've never PB'd or slimed. I have 4.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I've recently started excercising and I am enjoying. The inches are coming off faster and the pounds slower. Good luck over the next 6 months! I know you will reach your goal.

Hi everyone, I am just checking in. The scale is not moving. I am tracking every bite I eat and eating around 1000 calories. I am also excercising with a trainer. I know I am losing inches so I am not too frustrated. I know the scale will start going down soon.

That is just a list to choice from. It will bring up manual food entries that you have eaten at that meal. It won't add to calories consumed unless you select it.l

My doc just has his patients do low carb before surgery. I did it for 2 weeks and lost about 5 pounds. He does not believe in liquid diets except for 2 days post op because he wants his patients to learn to eat proper foods. Post-op was 2 days of full liquids and then on to soft foods for 4 weeks. It worked out great as I lost about 10 pounds before my 1st fill.

It is just a tool to help you lose weight. The band will help you eat smaller portions. My family knows and so do my friends. I told a few people at work and I'm sure others know by now too. I've only had 1 negative reaction and I handled it. I agree with others that family and medical professionals should be told. There is nothing wrong with telling people you are eating smaller portions, eating healthier foods and excercising. That is not a lie. Good luck!