biggestloser2be

Thank you for the links. If you buy the BioTrainer is the website free or is that additional cost? I couldn't find any information that says that it is free or charged. Thanks.

What do these devises do? I am a big fan of the Biggest Loser and I notice they wear something around their arms too. Does anyone know what it is and what do they do for you?

I have 3.9cc in my 10cc band. I did have 4.3cc in my band but was way to tight and after 2.5 weeks of not being able to drink or eat anything I went in and had 4cc taken out. I am not able to eat small amounts and drink without a problem. If I don't chew my food good it will get stuck and I will slime for about 20 minutes (not a good feeling). I go back in for another fill in 2 weeks and will only get a small fill. I am afraid that I will be to tight again if I get to much and I didn't enjoy that at all. I know that everyone is different and that everyone meets their sweet spot differently, but when I read the posts I am amazed at all the people that have a lot of cc's in their band. Is there anyone else out there that has a small amount of cc's or no cc's in their band? I would love to hear from you.

Tracy, I would very much be interested in what happened too as I know that I had my surgery done by the same surgeon as you. I have seen you on his website and talk about him. If you could send me a private message that would be great. I am just wanting to know if it is something that will affect me also. I appreciate your help. Thanks.

Imonmyway, In additon to what Shortgal said, you will lose the weight by starvation, but once your band loosens up and you are able to eat solids you will gain weight because your body will freak out and start storing the extra calories. I was to tight and couldn't eat solids. I went back in for a very small .5cc unfill. That made a huge difference in being able to eat solids. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Juleih, After my first fill of 3cc it loosened up after a couple of weeks. I went in for my second fill of 1.3cc but was to tight. After 9 days I went in for a small unfill of .5cc (total in band was 3.8cc). I got my third fill of .5cc and for two weeks was way to tight and went in for another small unfill of .3cc (now have a total of 4.0cc. This is a good fit for me. I am able to eat solids now and get my protein in without slimming or being very uncomfortable. Don't rush for big fills. Everyone is totally different. Some people need more fills than others and some don't even need any fills and they lose weight. Just make sure that you are not to tight and slime all the time because you can do more harm to your band with either eroding or slippage and then you will have to start all over again. Best of luck and luck and let us know how your doing.

I can do this. My goal was for 7 pounds because I thought that I would struggle for that. I have 3 pounds to go, so maybe I can shoot for 10 pounds (192 lbs) Want2beme 181/171 "I can do it!" wombat712 148/138 "OMG haven't seen the 130's since 1990" curr 145 Gweniper 218/211 curr 216 mamato3 233.5/223.5 "10 pounds in 21 days. Am I nutts?" cur 232.5 MANDYJO 180/172 I HOPE IT DOESN'T COME OFF MY BOOBS Biggestloser2be 202/195 "I can do this - I need the challenge!!!" currently 198 reif78 247 now/ 237 i think im crazy but i can do it!!! good luck all kyteachjules 294/288 movin' movin' movin' movin' movin' on down! mumof2boys 188/180 "If I do this, I will be 5 pounds away from 100 down" ---keeping my fingers crossed!

Cindy, I had the same thing happen to me. After my second fill of 1.3 cc which put me at a total of 4.3cc I couldn't swallow anything. I could barely drink. I went in and had a small unfill of .5cc taken out. Then I was able to eat solids without getting stuck. 2 weeks later was my scheduled appointment for a fill. I felt like I could handle a fill at that time. I had a fill of .5cc and drank some Water and felt fine. Went home and that evening I couldn't swallow hardly anything. I was eventually able to eat clear Soups without a problem. I waited for 2 weeks to see if the band would loosen up but it didn't. I went back in and had .3cc taken out. I currently have 4cc in my band but I am able to eat solids without getting stuck and slimming. The doctor told me that some people need more cc's in their bands than others and that I shouldn't judge how much I have by others. I thought that I was suppose to be that tight, but I was having major heartburn and was uncomfortable all the time. Not to mention starving. With all that said, I do think you will have better luck if you did have a small unfill because then you wouldn't be eating the extra calories in the gravies and you will be more comfortable. Then after you lose more weight you can go in for another fill. I hope this helps.

I have the new band and my first fill was 3cc. I felt a difference for about 2 weeks and then it loosened up a little. My band was empty after surgery too.

I only stayed in the hospital for the day of surgery and was released the same day. I didn't have any pain after I woke up only very dry mouthed. I didn't really have any pain when I got home either. I had the liquid tylenal and the prescribe pain medacine, but didn't need to use it after the second day. I had my surgery on Thursday and was back at work on Tuesday. I chose not to tell coworkers and friends because I didn't want to hear the negative comments they always say. I have experienced their words before on my yo-yo diets.

Name...................Start..........Current..........Goal ......To Go 1. Momto1plus1......228.2..........228.2.............218...........10 2. Mariegabrieleee...252............252................240...........12 3. TxArcher............345.............345...............325...........20 4. Trixie.................241............241................221.......... .20 5. Longhorn............204............204................199............5 6. Tralynn222.........320............320.................310..........10 7. shalee04............205............205.................197.......... 8 8.ellebrookes..........178............178.................169......... ..9 9. Skinny_Jill...........186...........186..................178.......... 8 10 Shortgal ............189...........189.................184............5 11. Sades...............201...........201..................190..........11 12.lisawach.............300...........300.................285...........15 13. BiggestLoser2be..198...........198.................188...........10 I will hope for more than a ten pound loss in 5 weeks, but it would be more realistic for 10 pounds and I don't want to feel like I failed. We all can do this.

BJean, I am terrified that my band will slip or erode because I was a self pay. I don't know if insurance would cover that expense or if I would have to pay for that too if it happened to me. I try very hard to baby my band by reading the signals that go off in my head when I eat. Now that I had a small unfill and can eat solids, I am paying attention to what I put in my mouth. You are right, I think I am at a good spot for now. But I have more than 22 pounds to go. I have 58 more to go. I have lost 22 pounds so far. But I will take it. It is much better than gaining it. Hopefully now that I am able to eat I will drop some more weight. Today, I bought a salad and I was only able to eat a quarter of it before I got full, so my band is working great. I do love this band when I am not extremely tight.

BJean, I totally agree with what you said above. I have read many post on this site and was thinking that I needed the restriction that most everyone talks about and that is where you can only take one or two bites and that is it. I have had three fills so far. After the second fill I was so tight I couldn't eat anything solid. I thought that I was suppose to be that tight. The tightness never loosened up. After 9 days I went back to the doctors and had a small unfill. Boy what a relief. I was able to eat solids but only a small portion. 2 weeks later it was my time to get another fill. I got the small amount .5cc put back in. I was able to drink the water without any issues before I left the doctors office. But later that day I was so tight again that I was unable to eat anything. I waited over 2 weeks this time to see if it would loosen up but it didn't. Yesterday I went back to the doctors and got .3cc taken out. Again, what a relief. I am on liquids for 2 days so that my stomach can heal. I did take a small bite of grilled chicken today to see if I could swallow it without it getting stuck and me standing over the sick slimming. I was able to swallow it without any problems. I look forward to tomorrow when I can eat solids. I can even drink water without any issues today. In saying all this, everything that you said in your post is very true. My doctor told me the same thing yesterday. So for anyone out there that thinks they need to be that restricted to lose weight faster it isn't wise. It is unhealthy and will only make you gain weight in the future because eventually you are going to want to eat solids and your stomach will store the extra calories because it thinks that you are starving it. Thank you for posting what you did. I felt like I was the only one out there that felt that way.

I was having this same problem with getting the first bite stuck. I couldn't eat solid foods since my last fill (2.5 weeks ago). It also cause pain and slimming. I was frustrated because I was hungry and couldn't eat. All I could get down was broth Soup. I finally went into the doctors today and had a small unfill. Instant relief. She is having me do liquids for the next 2 days to heal my stomach and then I can eat solids. I snuck today to see if I could swallow anything solid (a very small piece of grilled chicken) and it went down. I am so excited. I cannot wait for the next 2 days to go by. I was also told that if you don't eat you won't lose. Your body will go in shock and then when you can eat your body will freak out and save what you are eating in case you stop again. This is what I was told. So I am recommending that if you are to tight to go in and get a small unfill. It is much better and a relief.

All, First let me say that I am happy that I made the decision to be banded and I have no regrets. But, I have a different post than those listed above. I got banded on 11/01/07 so I am no expert. I was a major yo yo dieter. I tried everything that is out there. I did LA Weight Loss and had great success. I lost 60 pounds and weighted 140 pounds (goal). After I reached goal I stopped going because it was very expensive and I thought I could maintain it myself. WRONG!!! I gained it all back and then some. But this is my story with the lapband. I am 5'4 and weighted 220 pounds. The heaviest ever. I researched the lapband for quit sometime and read a lot of the posts. Here goes: My first fill was 3cc and everything was great. I was able to eat most things but only a small amount. I was frustrated because everything I read on the boards was that people had great restriction and was limited on what they could eat. I couldn't wait to be there. My second fill was 1.3cc. I was disappointed because I wanted to have 2 or 3cc more. I took a sip of Water and it went down good. That evening I was barely able to drink water. I had to take very very small sips. I was unable to eat anything and if I did I was slimming over the sink which was painfull. I also had heartburn (I think because I have never had heartburn or acid reflux before) everyday. I would have to sleep elevated to help from burning to bad. I was living on tums. It was like this for 5 days before I went to a support meeting and the folks there told me that I needed to get a small unfill or I would arritate my stomach even more and it wouldn't heal. I waited till Monday, eight days later, before calling the doctor to get an unfill. I didn't want an unfill because I thought it would slow down my weight loss. I want it to drop fast as I am sure most everyone does. I went in and had .5cc taken out and was able to finally eat. After eight days I was starving. When I did eat I was only able to handle a small amount so I didn't overeat. Still I was disappointed that I had to have an unfill but I felt better. My third fill 2 weeks later I got .5cc back in. I drank some water and it went down fine. Again, that night I was not even able to drink water and if I did I was taking very small sips that only made you more thirsty. I told myself that I would give it two weeks to loosen up on itself. I have been drinking Soups everyday because I can't eat anything else without it getting stuck and would cause me to run to the sick because of slimming. Again, painfull. Today was the first day that I was able to eat a grilled chicken salad. I was so excited. It took me forever to eat it but that was okay. So, I bought another grilled chicken salad for dinner. I cut it all up into small bites and took a bite. It felt like it was sitting above my band, but I took another bite thinking that it would be okay. Wrong. It got stuck and hurt. So I through it away and opened another can of soup. I am not giving up because I was able to eat one for lunch. I will try it again tomorrow and see what happens. This Monday will be two weeks. If it doesn't get any better I will go in for a small unfill. The thing that I have learned with the band is that everyone is different. Alot of people want the tight restriction where they can only take a bite or two and not be able to eat anymore. When I take a bite or two I am still hungry, but if I eat anymore it gets stuck and I am slimming. Again painfull. Not to mention that I don't enjoy eating out with my family because they are still eating long after my two bites. Also, if I go out to eat with folks from work I don't want it to be weird when I only eat a bite or two and then am done. They don't know that I had the banding done. I would like to be able to eat 1 or 2 ounces of meat and 1/4 or 1/2 cup of vegetables. I will get there I just have to find the spot. I hope this helps people realise that the lapband is work in progress until you find your spot. It is not easy or at least for me it isn't but once we get there we will be happy we made the decision. I know that the band will be there for the rest of my life and if I ever need more restriction I just go in for a fill. I hope know one takes this post in the wrong way. I would not change the fact that I had this surgery. It has cut down my eating before my last fill that was acceptable to me. I was eating small amounts and felt full. I didn't have any issues at all. The hard part is finding the happy place because you just don't know until you are there and are comfortable. I think once I find that place I will be very happy. Until then I will have to learn what I can handle for myself. Thanks.

What is really strange is that my Doctor said that people with a lower BMI (say around 36 or 37) lose weight quicker. He also said that he has seen better results with a lower BMI. So tell me why I am losing weight slower (so it seems)? Anyway, I am pretty tight right now and had to have a little unfill after my second fill because I couldn't even drink fluids. I struggle for a week and then went in for a small unfill. Since then I have had my third fill of .5cc and I am tight now. I can only eat soups and clear liquids. I really don't want to go in for another unfill. It will be two weeks this Monday from that fill. If I am unable to eat by Monday, I will probably go in for a small unfill again. I would love to be able to eat (chew) food (chicken or fish) but I can't. I am definately not getting in my protein. I would not want to go the rest of my life on soups or clear liquids. I am hoping that I will lose some more weight so the band will loosen up on its own.

I only told my husband, Mother-inlaw, my family (out of town), best friend and one co-worker. I would love to tell all my co-workers but I have been a yo-yo dieter for so many years. The most I lost was 60 pounds at LA Weight Loss and then when I went off it I gain all and then some back. I also hear from the men in my department that if I just controlled what I ate and exercised I would lose it. A couple of people at work had the gastric Bypass done and dropped the weight quickly. With the lapbad you don't and I don't need them saying I should have done the by-pass. I need the encouragement not the "you should have done this or you should do this" comments. My dad really didn't say anything bad, he just wants me to be healthy and happy. My sister asked me a lot of questions because she is overweight too. I get the support I need from the people that I have told and I don't have to hear the negative comments from co-workers. This makes it easier for me.

Want2beme 181/171 "I can do it!" wombat712 148/138 "OMG haven't seen the 130's since 1990" Gweniper 218/211 mamato3 233.5/223.5 "10 pounds in 21 days. Am I nutts?" MANDYJO 180/172 I HOPE IT DOESN'T COME OFF MY BOOBS Biggestloser2be 202/195 "I can do this - I need the challenge!!!"

Shortgal, thank you for responding. My doctor requires us to do one day of liquids and one day of mushies after each fill. I can't do the mushies yet because it makes me sick. I totally understand about trying to figure out the head hunger thing. I think that I will always have to take time before eating more to make sure that it isn't my head that is telling me I am hungry. But at this point I know that I am hungry only because I can only eat soup and the amount of soup is little. But I have the willpower to stop because of the amount of money I paid for this band (selfpay). That right there makes it easy to keep the willpower. I am going to give it till Monday to see if I can eat anything solid before calling the doctors. I know about not letting my stomach get arritated because it will cause more swelling and tightness. Again, I am hoping that it loosens up on it's own. We will see!! Again, thank you for replying.

I have been reading this forum for a few months now but this is the first time I registered as a user. I have a 10cc band and have had 3 fills and 1 little unfill. My band was empty when I had surgery. My first fill was 3cc, my second fill was 1.3cc. I couldn't eat or drink anything and if I tried it would get stuck and I would start slimming and my mouth would Water. I had heartburn everyday and didn't feel good. About a a week and a half later I went in for a little unfill of 5cc. I could eat moderatly after the unfill and felt better. My third fill was a little over a week ago and I got 5cc. For the first 7 days I could drink very little and eat broth only. For the last few days I have been able to eat chicken noodle or creamy Soups but that is it. Yesterday I thought that I could eat a little meat loaf and baked potato. Well I ate one small bite of the meat loaf and I knew it got stuck instantly so I stopped eating. About 5 minutes later I was slimming and didn't feel to good. I have heard that pinapple juice was good if you get stuck so I took a sip of it. Within a couple of minutes I knew I was going to get sick. Sure enough I threw up. Then I got some relief. I don't know about any of you but I feel like I am only going to be able to eat Soup and broth or Protein drinks. I don't want to not be able to eat and chew food ever again. I keep thinking it will loosen up and I will be able to eat. Has anyone else experienced this. Also, I have read a lot of the threads and many of you have more cc's in your band than I do. How do you eat anything. The sound of that much cc's in your band sounds painful to me. HELP ME.