Michelle28

Thanks losing! Congrats on your upcoming delivery date. It's so soon! How exciting. The tests have made me a little nervous because the lines will go from dark pink, to light the next day, to almost non-existent, and then back to dark pink again? I've tested twice first thing in the morning (including this morning), and both times the lines were the lightest I've seen? A few hours later much darker. I'm not even getting up to pee in the night, so it's very odd. But I guess the point is I'm still pregnant. I'm going to call my doctor on Monday for a blood test. I guess I've just read too much online and am paranoid that it won't stick. Ahh. Wish me sticky vibes!

Hi Everyone! It looks like I'll be joining all of you, I really hope it sticks!! I got my BFP 3 days ago, it was super early - my period isn't due until this coming Friday. I had a good feeling and took a test. It was a super light line, but its been getting darker - so about 5 tests later, I think I can say it's official! I'm trying to be really cautious because it is so early. When should I tell my lap band doc? I think I'll need a slight unfill. I've been really tight lately, and PBing very often no matter how careful I am. I've only told my Fiance, and best friend - I really want to wait a few more days to tell my family (at least my sister and my mom), and then TRY to make it to 12 weeks to tell everyone else, co-workers, etc. This is so hard, I have a big mouth!! Hope all is well!!

Thanks all! It's funny because I've always been told that you can get pregnant anytime you have unprotected sex, but after doing some research - you can really only get pregnant about 3 days out of the month. I knew that you were more likely to get pregnant when you are ovulating, but I didnt know it is the ONLY time you can get pregnant. Guess I'm naive. Thanks for the tips!! I have an Xmas party to go to on Friday, I've been looking forward to it for a while, and I want to have a few drinks with my friends, but I don't think I should because there is a small possibility I'm pregnant! Aunt Flo is also supposed to arrive that day, and my boobs are getting sore. Probably due to my TOM, but could be something else... I have no patience! Congrats again to all you mommies!

Hi All! Congrats to all the Pregnant banders out there. :blushing: My Fiance and I are TTC, it's only been a week since ovulation and I'm starting to feel different. I think it could just be me looking too far into every slight little feeling I have; from my research, most women don't feel anything for a few weeks, while others can tell right away. I've been super tired lately - but busy, I have had light cramping for the past few days, and a dull headache. I know it can't be that easy as we just started! I wanted to see what you're first symptoms were ? Was it a total surprise or did you feel strangley at first ? Hope to join you all soon! -Michelle

I know this is a few months old, but the exact same thing happened to me! I had about 7cc in a 10cc band and had pretty good restriction. I went to my doctor last week for a teensy bit more, and he added .5cc. I was on fluids the remainder of the day, so I didn't notice a thing. But now I've noticed I'm not as tight? I can eat with more more ease. I don't want ease! I'm angry at myself for getting greedy and asking for me. Anyways, I looked into this, and a few people have told me it happens and it can take a few weeks to settle again and gain the restriction back. I hope they're right! When doing my latest fill, he did remove all Fluid and put it back in, so it could have something to do with it. Did you get your restriction back?? Or talk to your doc??

I carry all my weight in my middle - I have thin legs (well for my size, lol) and average arms. I always have felt I wear larger sizes then other people at my height / weight because of my stomach. I started 239, 5'4 at a size 22/24, and now I'm at 195 size 18/20 (getting loose!) I've read that when you wear the larger sizes (over 20) , it takes 20-30 pounds to move down, but after that, its about 10-15. I weighed 145 about 5 years ago and was a size 10 :thumbup:. Does anyone else notice that with having a bigger middle and smaller legs/bottom that your pants are always sliding off of you like a slope? I'm blessed with this! Even if they fit decently, they're coming off! I just bought size 18 jeans two weeks ago, and I wore them yesterday - big mistake! They fit okay when I first put them on out of the dryer, but a few hours later at the grocery store, I had to hold them up with one hand and push the cart with the other. LOL. They need to be too tight so once they loosen a little, they'll fit. Or I could just remember to put a damn belt on. Haha. :smile2:

I like this thread, everyone post any that they've found, I always need good ideas! I'm a vegetarian so I'm always struggling with this. Here are my fav's: Low Fat Cottage Cheese has 14grams and is 100 calories for 1/2 cup. It's the perfect breakfast for me! Special K Protein Bars have 10g and 180 Calories, usually a mid-day snack if I haven't had a lot of protein. Special K also has a pink lemonade flavored protein powder that you add to water, 5g of protein and low in calories (30 I think)

I believe this could be normal, but wanting some reassurance here. I recently had my 3rd fill and prior to this I had pretty good restriction, but my doc and I decided I could use just .5 cc more. I felt I was almost at a perfect spot before, but could use just a teensy bit more. In the process, the doc pulled out all the Fluid to see where I was at (wasn't my usual doctor, he was out and they didn't have my file). I had 7.25 cc's in a 10cc band - and he said he was adding .5ccmore to give me 7.75 cc's total. Well - that was Tuesday, and the past two days I feel like I've lost my restriction altogether. I barely feel anything and I can't imagine why. Has this happened to anyone before? Does it take a few days to come back or "settle" ? I definitely hope so! Now I'm angry at myself for getting greedy and asking for a little more! For instance, midday I usually have a Special K Protein Bar as a snack, and before Tuesday, I'd have to eat it in very small bites and chew very well, and it still felt a little tight. Today I scarfed mine down without the slightest tight or restricted feeling! Well, not scarfed, but compared to how I ate it before - I was. I could take BIG bites and swallow fairly quickly. I even took a huge bite because I wanted to feel something, and I didn't! Please tell me that my restriction will come back!! :thumbdown:

Yea, I've heard that before, but usually with the first fill - did you have restriction before? I had good restriction before, and now it's gone! But I'm going to give it a little time before I make any calls. Yea, I think you could use more - I have a 10 cc band, and after my 2nd fill I was up to 7cc's total! All doctors are different though, some like to do it more gradually. :Dancing_sorry:

I'm 5'4 and weighed 239 when I started this journey, and 225 on the day of surgery. It's taken me a while to "get my groove" and from May-Sept I stayed the exact same wieght! I was lying to myself, and eating the wrong foods. I had good restriction, and couldn't eat very much, but I was eating junk! I had been a little down during that time and when you're depressed and not caring about yourself, you no longer care about what you put in your body. In September, I started a mild anti-depressent, and about two weeks later, without me even realizing it, my whole attitude changed. I'm not sure if its the medication, or if I just "woke-up." Since September, I've lost approx 18 more pounds and counting! Woo Hoo, back on track! I'm also a vegetarian with an extremely low metabolic rate - so for me to lose, I need to consume a maximum of 1,000 calories a day, or my weight will not budge. It's difficult, but I've learned nothing is beyond me! Anytime you have "head" hunger, or are struggling, go on LBT and read everyone's experiences. It motivates me everytime. :Dancing_sorry:

My relationship with my favorite foods has changed dramatically. Before banding, I loved pizza and this soybeef lasanga I make. After being banded for a few months, I was craving the lasanga, so I made a batch. In the past, my fiance and I would eat the whole thing between a two day period! But I took a small piece and it tasted entirely different, got stuck and I hated it. Same thing with pizza, I had pizza a few times over the summer, took a few bites and it was awful. Now when anyone mentions pizza or my fiance wants me to make lasanga I groan and refuse. Obviously these aren't the foods anyone should be eating with the band, and I haven't touched these in months, but I made some mistakes and now I've learned from then. I know what I'm missing and I don't want it!

Thanks for the response! I'm going to give it two weeks and if nothing changes, I'm calling the doctor. This morning I felt a little restriction so I think I'll be fine. I did notice last night though that I was hungrier then normal and wanted to eat more because the restriction wasn't as bad. I decided to snack on watermelon because I had major munchies and didn't want to blow my calories for the day. I was watching tv and not paying attention to how much I was eating when I realized I had too much, and I ran to the bathroom. That'll teach me for eating mindlessly while watching TV, I haven't done that since before banding! I now have a whole new relationship with watermelon.

Today was: B - 1/2 cup light cottage cheese & Coffee with sugar free creamer L - Organic frozen Cedarlane burrito - beans & soy cheese (260 cal, 1g of fat) D - Lightlife soy beef and 1/2 cup marinara mixed (spaghetti without the pasta) S- 1 cup watermelon & Special K Protein Bar

Sorry this is delayed, but congrats to you!!

I am staying on plan today because I want to see the scale continue to go down & I want to say I've lost 50 pds by my bandversary 12/10. :thumbup:

I don't know where in LA you are, but if your close to Ventura County or don't mind driving, I go to Dr. Billy. He has a Thousand Oaks and Ventura office. Thousand Oaks is about 30-40 miles from downtown LA, but I'm sure there are plenty of Doctors in the LA area. Congrats on your weightloss!

They measure mine on this machine - I stand on it, and grip these handle's and it measures every bit of me. It even tells me how much each limb weighs and whether or not my muscle mass is normal! It's amazing, I want one.

I had my third fill today, and my doctor and I were talking about my metabolic rate - it's very, very low around 1300. Most women's are much higher - it has everything to do with Genes although excercise definitely helps according to the doc. I have to stick to a very low calorie diet in order to lose, if I eat 1300 calories a day, I'll stay the same, and if I consume more, I'll gain! I've never that big of an eater, and friends / family would comment that they didn't understand why I was big when I ate the same as them (who are all average size). I think they always assumed I was a closet eater. Granted, I didn't eat well by any means, I didn't pay attention to what came in, and I pretty much ate what those around me did, not good. My caloric intake is between 700-1100 a day. I try to stay under 1000. A website I went to showed how many calories someone my height / weight should consume to lose weight, and it was around 1400! Anyone blessed with my circumstances? Does your doctor measure your metabolic rate and advise you what to eat based on this?

Hmm, today I've had: B - 1/2 cup coffee with sugar free creamer & non-fat dannon yogurt - total 95 calories L- two small triangles of grilled tofu, 1/3 cup of brown rice with 2 tblspoon teryaki sauce, 1/2 cup watermelon D - Probably going to be a boca burger, no bun with a 1/2 slice of light swiss and some light cottage cheese I've been trying to be very good, I plateaued for 4 months and didn't lose, but I've been back on track since Sept, and lost another 15 pds +. I've been losing about 1-2 pds a week, yay!! :eek:

50 pounds is great!! Just think that without the band, you would be nowhere near this, and probably would have gained a little. I'm in the same situation, I was banded 12/10/07 and I'm at 40 pounds lost. My mini goal is to lose another ten by Xmas. I was down on myself for a while because I had stopped losing after 25 pounds, and I wasn't watching what I ate (although I couldn't eat very much of it) so I stayed the same weight. I finally kicked myself into gear, and have lost another 15 since then. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that hopefully by next year, you'll be down another 50 (if you need to lose that much) and to take this one day at a time. If I get discouraged, I get depressed and when I'm depressed, I eat - so stay happy and focus on the end result! I'm with you! -Michelle

Hi All! I haven't posted in a veryy long time, but I was banded 12/10/07. I wanted to see what you all think about my weight loss. It's been very slow process for me, or at least I feel that way. I've lost 37 pds so far, I went through a period where I wasn't losing at all, but the past few months I've been losing steadily - 5 more pounds this month! My band-versary is coming up, and I'm hoping to lose 10 more pounds by then. Am I losing too slowly? I had one or two not so great months where I made some bad choices, but I'm officially back on track. After reading some other posts, it seems like this happens to a few of us. We lose rapidly in the begining and then hit a plateau, get down on yourself, cheat a little, and then find yourself again. Anyways, I know weight loss with the lap band is a pretty slow process. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. :wink_smile: -Michelle

Is it wrong that I am not taking a chewable vitamin but swallowing a daily multi-vitamin in pill form?? I was taking chewable vitamins (Centrum) after surgery for a few months, but then I switched to the pill form. My doc didn't seem to think it was a problem. Should I not be able to swallow a pill? It's not a small pill either.. I'm thinking it's time for a fill!:smile2:

As I'm sitting here eating on my lunch break, I decided I should start a blog. I was banded 12/10/07, and have only had two fills. I'm not sure exactly how much I was filled, but my doctor told me that my band was already filled slightly when it was put in. After my 1st fill in January, I didn't have too much restriction, so when I went in for my 2nd fill, they filled me up well! So well, that I felt I really didn't need a fill until recently. I still have food getting stuck, but it totally depends. One day, I can get by without anything getting stuck, the next, I drink water and it feels like it's stuck! I understand this is a common feeling with most of us bandsters. I lost 14 pds pre-op (started 239), and 25 pounds post-op. Over the summer, I went about 3 months where I didn't lose / didn't gain. I stopped logging in here and reading posts - this is what usually keeps me motivated. In September, I finally started losing again and I've lost 13 pounts since then. I've been hovering around 200-201 for the past week and it's killing me! I can't wait until I'm in onederland, but no matter what I do, it's not changing! Forty pounds doesn't seem like a lot when I read posts about people who started around my weight / same time, who've lost 60-70! But then I remind myself that I'd be 10-15 pounds heavier then when I started this process, and 40 pounds is a lot of weight! One year from now, hopefully I'll be blogging about how I'm at goal. My skinny friends / younger sister will go out to eat with me, and always notice that they eat so much more then I do. It was pretty much like this before I had the band too, I have a very sloow metabolism, and my Doctor told me that because of this, it's going to be extra difficult for me. I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, who yes, occassionally would eat fast food, and snack, but ate pretty similar to other people my age - only they were much thinner. Most women my age (I'm 25 by the way) burn close to 2,000 calories with a sedendary lifestyle. So eating, 1,300 - 1,500 calories a day is a diet and they'll lose weight. I burn 1,400, in order for me to lose weight, my doctor advised I must eat 1,000 calories a day. 1,000!!! When I stay on this plan, I lose, but slowly and then my skinny sister thinks I'm anorexic! After being accused of being anorexic, I'll start eating more just to prove that I am most definitely not and then I stay fat. Has anyone had a similar experience? With all the above, I guess 40 pounds is pretty impressive although I don't feel any thinner. A few years ago, I lost 40 pounds (only weighed 180 then), and I suddenly felt so exposed. At 180, I would show off some cleavage, or be outgoing and crazy, I guess for attention, but at 140, I would wear turtlenecks, and was quieter, and I was still getting so much attention, it sorta freaked me out. I would wear baggy sweatshirts and jeans out, which is so not like me. It was then that I stopped working-out, and caring about what I ate again, and the weight crept back on + 50 more pounds! Has anyone felt that they've subconsciously sabotaged themselves because they couldn't identify with the person they were on the outside compared to the person on the inside? I feel as if I'm past this now, and am ready to change the inside to match the out. I still know that even at 140 pds (goal), I'm going to look in the mirror and see a fat person. I know from experience, when I did weigh 140, I felt I was this fat person who was decieving everyone by being thin on the outside. Does this make any sense? I would meet a guy, and we'd end up kissing or something, and I'd think "If he only knew he was actually kissing a fat girl!" And I know it sounds / is crazy, and I knew it at the time, it was a subconscious feeling I couldn't shake. But I definitely agree that being thin and healthy outweighs the above "cons." And having been there, and back, I'm going to be much wiser and give in to my fears and embrace my thin beautiful healthy self. When I went to get my lunch from the office fridge, I passed by our super skinny, gorgeous secretary munching on Funions. I pulled out my healthy meager little lunch and was sad for a second, but then I realized, I am not that person, I'll never be that person. We are all made differently and we need to stop comparing ourselves to other people and getting angry for what we don't have. I'll bet there is someone who feels that way about me? Somewhere in the world :angry_smile:. Sorry to be so scattered and throw so many thoughts in one post, it's my first one! I had a lot to say. :cursing: xoxo, Michelle:thumbup:

As I'm sitting here eating on my lunch break, I decided I should start a blog. I was banded 12/10/07, and have only had two fills. I'm not sure exactly how much I was filled, but my doctor told me that my band was already filled slightly when it was put in. After my 1st fill in January, I didn't have too much restriction, so when I went in for my 2nd fill, they filled me up well! So well, that I felt I really didn't need a fill until recently. I still have food getting stuck, but it totally depends. One day, I can get by without anything getting stuck, the next, I drink water and it feels like it's stuck! I understand this is a common feeling with most of us bandsters. I lost 14 pds pre-op (started 239), and 25 pounds post-op. Over the summer, I went about 3 months where I didn't lose / didn't gain. I stopped logging in here and reading posts - this is what usually keeps me motivated. In September, I finally started losing again and I've lost 13 pounts since then. I've been hovering around 200-201 for the past week and it's killing me! I can't wait until I'm in onederland, but no matter what I do, it's not changing! Forty pounds doesn't seem like a lot when I read posts about people who started around my weight / same time, who've lost 60-70! But then I remind myself that I'd be 10-15 pounds heavier then when I started this process, and 40 pounds is a lot of weight! One year from now, hopefully I'll be blogging about how I'm at goal. My skinny friends / younger sister will go out to eat with me, and always notice that they eat so much more then I do. It was pretty much like this before I had the band too, I have a very sloow metabolism, and my Doctor told me that because of this, it's going to be extra difficult for me. I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, who yes, occassionally would eat fast food, and snack, but ate pretty similar to other people my age - only they were much thinner. Most women my age (I'm 25 by the way) burn close to 2,000 calories with a sedendary lifestyle. So eating, 1,300 - 1,500 calories a day is a diet and they'll lose weight. I burn 1,400, in order for me to lose weight, my doctor advised I must eat 1,000 calories a day. 1,000!!! When I stay on this plan, I lose, but slowly and then my skinny sister thinks I'm anorexic! After being accused of being anorexic, I'll start eating more just to prove that I am most definitely not and then I stay fat. Has anyone had a similar experience? With all the above, I guess 40 pounds is pretty impressive although I don't feel any thinner. A few years ago, I lost 40 pounds (only weighed 180 then), and I suddenly felt so exposed. At 180, I would show off some cleavage, or be outgoing and crazy, I guess for attention, but at 140, I would wear turtlenecks, and was quieter, and I was still getting so much attention, it sorta freaked me out. I would wear baggy sweatshirts and jeans out, which is so not like me. It was then that I stopped working-out, and caring about what I ate again, and the weight crept back on + 50 more pounds! Has anyone felt that they've subconsciously sabotaged themselves because they couldn't identify with the person they were on the outside compared to the person on the inside? I feel as if I'm past this now, and am ready to change the inside to match the out. I still know that even at 140 pds (goal), I'm going to look in the mirror and see a fat person. I know from experience, when I did weigh 140, I felt I was this fat person who was decieving everyone by being thin on the outside. Does this make any sense? I would meet a guy, and we'd end up kissing or something, and I'd think "If he only knew he was actually kissing a fat girl!" And I know it sounds / is crazy, and I knew it at the time, it was a subconscious feeling I couldn't shake. But I definitely agree that being thin and healthy outweighs the above "cons." And having been there, and back, I'm going to be much wiser and give in to my fears and embrace my thin beautiful healthy self. When I went to get my lunch from the office fridge, I passed by our super skinny, gorgeous secretary munching on Funions. I pulled out my healthy meager little lunch and was sad for a second, but then I realized, I am not that person, I'll never be that person. We are all made differently and we need to stop comparing ourselves to other people and getting angry for what we don't have. I'll bet there is someone who feels that way about me? Somewhere in the world :mad2:. Sorry to be so scattered and throw so many thoughts in one post, it's my first one! I had a lot to say. :wub: xoxo, Michelle:thumbup:

Thanks for the positive support! I know without this, I'd at least be 10 pds heavier then l was before surgery. And if it continues at this rate, hopefully I'll be another 40-50 pds down next year!