notateechanow

Kathleen--- I'm totally with you---I don't believe that muscle weighs more than fat, but I will tell you that when I workout, I do retain far more water than without working out. With that said, I'm about 40 pounds above being at a normal BMI. I'm not fighting it. I'm tired of fighting. Am I accepting mediocrity? Perhaps...but I'm maintaining. I've been at this weight for over a year. I think---as you've mentioned---you need to get to know your own body. Make one change every few weeks so you can accurately track how that change affects you. For me, it was increasing my protein to nearly 2 or 3 times what I was consuming before. I've never before been told to eat more, but this time I was. I found that using a journal and tracking everything and being super careful with measurements was essential for me. With that said, I don't agree with people who say it's simple math---that calories in versus those burned should be how to figure it out. We all react very differently to different kinds of food, exercise, etc. I'm sensitive to carbs, sugar, and sodium--which doesn't leave much else! I just have to limit what I take in. I'm sorry you're struggling. I hope that you are able to figure out what it is that's keeping you from losing---for me it was sleep and emotional baggage. I started sleeping more and dumped the baggage and felt physically better immediately. Hope you can find some relief. :thumbup:

OMG---that's super low in calories!!! If you're exercising, are you eating ENOUGH?! Do you guys have access to a nutritionist or dietician? Most insurance companies pay for it, and I was fortunate enough to have one in my program---who works with LB and GB patients. I felt very much the same way around 6-7 months out from surgery. I met with my nutritionist because I was working out at least 5-6 days a week for at least an hour to an hour and a half and my weight loss stalled. I was put up to 100-120 grams of protein a day instead and it made a world of difference! While this was a ton of work, it feels like you're working too hard at this and something needs to be tweaked. I'd hope that a proper fill level should rid you of that gnawing hunger, too.....have you revisited your surgeon? Someone (if not you) has paid good money for this and you should be getting support. I'm so sorry you guys are having such struggles---but please know that it is absolutely normal to have these problems! Keep in touch with others like you just to validate your efforts and to remind you that you're not crazy. Stay with it!

I realize this thread was started QUITE some time ago---but I've decided to start looking into this with real effort. I have a consult with a PS in two days---and the reality of this all is just hitting me. I should tell you that I did very little research with the LB before surgery because I can deal with pain and all that ails, but sometimes knowing what may lie ahead is overwhelming to me....and keeps me from moving forward. So I looked at your pics. OMG> it looks unbelievably painful. I was hoping to only have 2-3 weeks off from work. (I make my own schedule and can sit as much and as long as I need to----also have a very short commute!) Is that unrealistic compared to your experience? I did go back to work less than 5 days after my Lap Band surgery.... I don't even know the extent of what I'll have done---I hope to find that out this week. I'm expecting at least a tummy tuck some lipo and thinking about having my breasts done at a later time.....We'll see what the surgeon suggests!

Saw your heading and knew I had to respond. I'm about 2.5 years post banding now and am pretty sure I lost about 60-65 pounds in the first year. Yes, like you, I knew people who lost significantly more in the first year and it frustrated the heck out of me. Worse, though, I lost more than 75 pounds in 6 months on Weight Watchers 6 years prior....but found it again. As someone who has been there, made progress, and MOST importantly, KEPT OFF THE WEIGHT THIS TIME....keep at it. I hit the 100 pound mark about a year and a half after I had surgery. I would have loved to hit it faster, but when I look back at pictures, it was all worth it. The best advice I can give is----don't give up. Continue to work with your trainer. Take measurements as those will be a better indicator of your efforts. I often gain when I workout---because I retain water and gain a whole lot of muscle. Your clothes will fit you better and differently. Don't allow the scale to be your sole indicator. Do you have access to a dietician or a nutritionist? Mine has been invaluable. This is a really slow journey----it's worth it. I'm sorry you're frustrated, but as someone who has been exactly where you are, please believe me when I tell you it all adds up! :thumbup:

Hey there, Blue. So sorry to hear about your 9 pound swing. That's frustrating. I don't really agonize about the scale at this point, but remember well how often I did before---Phyllis was the first person to tell me it just wasn't normal to get on and off a scale 20+ times a day! (I left the scale right in the middle of the hallway and weighed myself every time I walked past....) Sure, it seems neurotic to me now, but in my desperation to lose weight, it all made sense to me at the time. Maybe if you weigh yourself the moment you get in from the office---to gauge the difference? Glad to hear you're doing the Couch 2 5K program. I did one similar and ran my first 5K around a year and a half after my surgery to celebrate 100 pounds lost. I found that I needed a specific goal and date to keep me motivated for the days that the scale wasn't working in my favor. SO glad to hear you met with the nutritionist and cleared up the protein thing!!! Keep plugging away--and wait til your next appointment. You'll have lost those 9 pounds plus a whole lot more!! Carol---so glad to see you found us on here! Hope you'll be at the next meeting, too! Have a great week, everyone! :thumbup:

Sorry to hear that's been your experience at the Brigham. As I said before, the group at the Faulkner is smaller. Many of us go regularly and have met, but I'd like to think we're a relatively welcoming bunch. We have a few pre-ops or recent ops in our group, but many of us have been banded for at least a year. My schedule shows 6:00 on Monday, May 10th at the Faulkner. (It's usually the week before the Brigham--on the Monday of that week. 2nd Monday of the month, maybe?!) I'm planning on being there. Hope to meet you!

I'm doing ok, though still having issues. Been away and haven't put enough thought to user error versus real band issues. At the sake of being too graphic--if I haven't been regular, my band is tighter. I tend to be very irregular when I travel. I don't take the Miralax while I'm away and it kills me. (BUT I don't want any of those--"Gotta go, gotta go" moments while in an unfamiliar place!!) I also tend to eat bad foods while traveling at the sake of not being too difficult with choosing places to eat! So....happy to be home and back in control, minus the water issues here. I was able to eat salads while I was away, though it didn't help my regularity. Gross, huh? I find that when I workout and move regularly, it keeps me regular and I'm able to drink more. I haven't worked out in a week. I walked all over Baltimore and did tons of sweating in the 90 degree weather all weekend, but still just not myself. I need to have everything working together to make this thing work---and I feel like lately, I so rarely have it all together. How are YOU doing?

ABSOLUTELY!!! My band is tighter when I'm stressed, when I haven't used the bathroom recently, when I'm retaining water, etc. Stress is the biggest issue that I have with my band....I've had to get unfills to help me make it through a really difficult month at work.....

OH, you'll give it a name alright.... :redface: Wait til your first PB or sliming. It'll come to you. Glad you're ok...but you really should try to sleep now--when you're alone and don't have kids to worry about, while you have people paid to wait on you and a pain pump at your disposal. You must be headed for your barium swallow/upper GI thing soon, right? Did they just do morning rounds? I remember so little from my hospital experience now (because it's been over 2 years...) but I do remember the morning rounds and tons of people being in my room. I wanted so badly to be wearing a bra and wanted my mascara. I must have been feeling better at that point because I actually CARED what people thought of me. LOL. Hope your morning is uneventful and that you get home safely. Get some rest while you're still able. The next few days/nights might be tough. :thumbup:

Good to hear from you, Blue! Don't be surprised by the slowing of weight loss. That's typical, but don't hesitate to make an appointment to meet with Phyllis--in fact, if you're working out, your protein intake should increase and is based on your weight---so your estimate is likely far more accurate than your wife's. When I'm working out consistently, I need between 100-120 grams of protein a day. You might consider making a quick appointment to see Phyllis on the same day you head in for your next fill. I went in for my unfill. Dr. R. never seems to understand WHY I'm having issues with my fill at THIS level because I've been far more filled before. But, what always floors me is his complete inability to look at me when he speaks! I realize that he likely won't recognize me from one appointment from the next, but chances might be better if he looks at ME, not my feet!!! He once again asked me about how my plastic surgery went. (While feeling for my port to do the unfill) I swear it's just like when I worked at the supermarket---he asks out of routine, the same way I asked "paper or plastic" but didn't realize I asked....He's just so odd!! I'm just happy to be less filled! Here's hoping that this is what I need...... :thumbup:

Hey, I'm sorry, Tiny. Didn't mean to discount your opinion about the Prilosec--but it's still medication. It isn't that I don't believe you--I don't want to take anything at all....so I'd rather have an unfill. I'm curious to see what Dr. R says to me tomorrow---I've been much more filled in the past without issues, but have been on and off of birth control in the past few months and think it might be affecting my digestion.....we'll see. I'll be there tomorrow afternoon if anyone else is at the Faulkner! :eek:

Good luck, Tova! I have been losing again without trying, but I haven't been working out--and strangely enough, that's usually how I drop 8-10 pounds. Crazy, huh?! I only take Zantac when I need it and avoid all of that stuff unless I'm desperate. Hope the fill helps! Hey, Momma---5 incisions, with the most prominent being the one where the port is placed. Mine are barely visible now and I didn't do anything special to make them heal. In fact, I can only identify 4 of them now! 3 are less than a quarter of an inch---the port incision scar is about an inch, and I can't find the other one! You won't be weighed in on the morning of your surgery. Weigh yourself on your own scale before you go for your own consistency. You won't be weighed again until your post-surgical follow ups in the offices.... Good luck!!

I take Zantac as needed---I just don't want to need it!!! I hate taking any kind of meds. I take thyroid and birth control that I'm ok with taking every day, but other than that, I don't....unless I'm dying. Singing, I've already had my band checked for slippage twice. It's very tightly anchored. When I throw stuff back up, it's not at all like normal vomiting. I just open my mouth and it comes right up----no stomach clenching, no muscles tightened, no wretching. It's like I've put something in my mouth then spat it back out. So....I'm not sure you'd even call it vomiting, per se. It looks exactly as it did right before I ate it. LOL. Gross, but true... Momma, good luck. Glad you waited to have it done. Hope the return to work on Monday is a good one. :eek:

Purging.....but as for the eating over time, I don't linger. It's the one thing that really helps me. I don't eat for long. If I can't eat something over 30-40 minutes, I won't bother. I have issues with the compulsive stuff----eating what I know won't stay down while leaning over the garbage disposal.

Thanks, Tova. The baffling part is that I've been far more filled in the past. I'm just frustrated because I never had heartburn or reflux before the band. I'm not overfilled. Last night I ate 2 pieces of Quesadilla without any issues whatsoever. I figure I'll just get an unfill until I'm comfortable again. I can't deal with eating Tums for snack every day!

How did you like the group? Many of us have started going to the meetings at the Faulkner instead because the parking is easier and the group smaller. Hope you guys are all well. I found the greatest product today--Pepperidge Farm bagel thins. I toasted mine really well to be sure, but it was my first "bagel" since banding nearly 2 1/2 years ago!!! Loved it! Was thinking I might try having a sandwich sometime on one of these--something else I haven't had in over 2 years. Headed for an unfill on Monday. I can eat just about anything now--and have little restriction; however, I'm having heartburn all the time (when I eat, when I don't eat, when I'm just waking up, when I'm out busy....all day long!) and take so many Tums that I'm tired of it. I never had any heartburn or reflux before banding. I'm ready. I'll just have to focus more on my diet to avoid the gain from loosening the band.... How are you guys doing? Jay, you've been quite quiet! Blue, how about you???

Oh, don't misunderstand, Heidi--- I'm not regretting my decision at all. I wouldn't even consider the GB surgery and this was my ticket to finding a healthier me. I know others have had different experiences than that but the reality remains the same--if you don't decrease caloric intake, you won't lose weight. It's all in the Math that I refuse to do. :ohmy: I realize that it's simple for "normal" people, but not for us. We're not wired like them--none of us would have gone to this extent if it were that simple! It's about behaviors---nearly 38 years for me to change. It won't happen overnight, but if I can change some of the, even if only for a limited time, then I have a fighting chance. At 315 pounds, I didn't have that chance.... We all have bad days when we think we've made a mistake. We're on this journey for a reason. It's something we have to figure out on our own, for ourselves.... Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. I had PIZZA for dinner last night with my family. Could only manage one piece and really ended up getting rid of most of that--no milk required! Regardless, I enjoyed it immensely. As a side note---I think we all need to find a way to accept responsibility WITHOUT using it as an excuse to beat ourselves up. Most of us are guilty of doing far too much of that. Truth be told, the way we talk to ourselves can strongly influence how we function. It's easier to put ourselves down for making bad choices than to force ourselves to make good choices. It makes me so sad when I think about all of the negative self talk we do---but it really keeps us in that horrible, non-reactive place and prevents us from progressing. Just for today, I'm going to be better to myself--treating myself the way I'd treat my friends.

Let's hope honesty NEVER bounces you from the board. It's my sincere hope that anyone seeking information about this procedure should be aware not only of the successes of the band, but also of the frustrations, disappointments, and struggles. We've all had them....and we all continue with them. If not interested in knowing "the dark side" then they shouldn't be reading. (I know I never bothered to before MY surgery!!! I just didn't want to know!!!) Hope you're all having a good day. Can't wait for the long weekend! :thumbup:

Jay, I'm so glad you finally posted. I was hoping Singing would somehow get your input. Let me begin by telling you both that this band hasn't changed--in any form--my compulsion for eating. The only thing separating my weight loss from yours is my ability to stop being such a perfectionist. During one of my many stints at Weight Watchers, I remember a leader telling me we're all perfectionists or we wouldn't be overweight---we all suffer from the "start on Monday" or "I made a mistake so the day is shot" syndromes. Jay, you've made a lot of progress lately that you failed to acknowledge in your post. Even if you've been able to keep record of your calories or kept certain behaviors under control for a little while, you've at least made those attempts. I hear both you and Singing saying something similar---that you both have huge responsibilities that are overwhelming. Let's be honest---none of us wants to be fat or we wouldn't be in this situation. You've made a commitment to yourself long enough to be banded---but other responsibilities have taken the focus you once had on yourself and placed it elsewhere. Jay, I'm really glad you've continued to go to the support meetings. Even if they haven't helped you lose weight, I hope they have helped you to realize that we're all very similar in most facets of this experience. I wish I could give you all a magic potion and make this go away. Honestly, I remember so well numerous times in my life when I believed I'd rather eat myself to death than have to face this horrible fat life for another day. Jay, I know we've talked about counseling---and I do recognize many people don't believe in it, but I hope you'll talk with someone--if for no other reason than to understand why you're eating and maybe the triggers in that. If you can isolate and avoid a few of the triggers, it will at least give you a small sense of control. Let's not sugar coat this---we all have major control issues or we wouldn't be in this position. It's how you choose to address those issues that separates us. I found that staying on a nearly liquid diet for the first year worked for me. Yep....sounds drastic, but it worked. I needed results to keep me going. I couldn't deal with the frustration of having had this and not losing weight. I couldn't fail at this too. I've certainly failed at EVERYTHING else I've tried. I just hope that Jay and Singing come to realize that we all have far more in common than things that separate us---but the thing that determines whether or not you're successful with this is whether or not you eat and the quantities you consume. It really is all mathematical. Sure, there are factors that will vary, such as how your body metabolizes food, but we were subjected to so many tests prior to surgery to be sure there aren't metabolic or physical reasons for our obesity. That leaves only 2 other reasons---psychological and behavioral. I think you'd find---even if you had GB, you'd be patients who eventually gained the weight back. Until you change your eating behaviors, you'll never have success. You've heard it a million times, but the band is merely a tool to provide you some control. If you choose to circumvent it (consciously or unconsciously) then it won't work. I share your frustrations and believe we all do. I have the utmost respect for your honesty and your willingness to put yourself out there and share your stories. Most of us won't do that. I appreciate it more than you know. Jay, I believe that acknowledging what is really going on is one major step in facing this demon---and you've been working at that. While YOU may not notice the change, the past few meetings have been progress. Every time we see you, your attitude has changed slightly. You can BS about what you're really doing behind closed doors, and only you know what's really going on. If you want support and help, we're here for you. I hope you'll come to realize we're not all about butterflies and smiles. We're fellow fighters in this battle who have had some amount of success with the same fight. Good luck---face this one meal, one hour at a time. You'll have far more success if you cut yourself some slack. :thumbup:

Singing-- I "came" upon this website and really relied on it when I felt like I couldn't make this thing work. Tiny can attest (we talk about our frustrations....) that this has been anything but easy. The last 2 or 3 support groups have actually been about our frustrations and disappointments. I understand that the group wasn't meeting your needs, but please know that we've all been frustrated and disappointed by our bands at one point or another. I don't often get hungry any more. I know that sounds so unrealistic to you, but it's true. My problem is that I love to eat. It's unconscious and completely out of control when I start bingeing. The band doesn't keep me from doing that. For a while I worried that the band has allowed me to be bulimic. While I have managed to keep a lot of my weight off, I EASILY gained nearly 20 pounds over Christmas when I didn't take the time to focus on myself---THAT is one of the things that really separates you and I....Singing, I'm single. I don't have many responsibilities. I come and go and do my own thing. I don't take care of anyone but me. People like me are bound to be successful because we have the time and energy to devote to ourselves, not our families, kids, etc....no one brings home food that I shouldn't eat. I workout because I feel guilty not doing it---certainly not because I enjoy it. I do it because otherwise I have nothing to do after work til it's time to go to work again in the morning. One thing that really helped me when I was struggling was to start going to a counselor. I needed help with my emotions that drove me to eat. I ate A LOT. I ate when I stressed, when I was happy, when I was sad---and I turned to food when I thought it would make me feel better. Counseling is covered by my insurance. I realize it's not for everyone, but with all you have going on, it might be nice for you to have someone who HAS to listen to you. The band will be there for you----when I suggested talking to P, I was thinking more along the lines of really picking her brain for a plan that works with YOUR body. She was super helpful when I needed to tweak the lap band "diet". It didn't work for me, plain and simple. I needed far more protein (and if you're hungry, it's likely YOU do, too!) and more carbs. She's good about playing around with the different combinations to help find something that will work for your body. We're all here for different reasons, and one plan will not work for everyone. Keep up the fight. Just be sure to make time for yourself. :cool: