HeatherO

I have decided that I am definitely at my sweet spot. It has now been 36 days since my last fill, and I am still really well restricted and losing good. I hope this lasts another couple of months at this rate.

I have worked out really hard in May. I think it is my all time best month ever. I am going to try even harder in June, that is for sure. Final minutes for May are 1650 out of the original 630 goal. Most of this time was spent either bicycling or in the gym in step classes, eliptical or weight training. I am really seeing a difference in toning and also noticed that regular exercise keeps getting easier and easier. I look forward to it daily now.

OK . . . I have a question. I am on the pill and so my periods have always been like clockwork, very light, minimal cramping and finish in 2 days with a 2-3 pound weight gain and mild crabbiness due to pms. Now several months post surgery, I am still on the pill, I have spotting occasionally at weird times, they now can be very heavy at times, moderate cramping up to a deep ache and finish in 4-5 days with a similar weight gain . . . not to mention that my husband and son stay far, far away from me now a couple of days before because of pms. I eat a healthy diet, meet my nutritional goals, and work out like crazy. Does anyone else have this problem or any explanations as to why they have gotten so unpleasant?

I am busty as it is. Surprisingly my breasts don't seem to be shrinking at all in cup size but the circumference is certainly smaller. I am surprised that they still have a nice shape and wouldn't really want implants . . . . . . however, if I ever end up with the tube socks filled with tennis balls hanging past my belly button (which sometimes happens with us busty girls) I would do an implant/reduction/reshaping combo of some sort. They don't have to be perfect, I just don't want to be able to toss them over my shoulder or knock someone out if I am turning too quickly :0) I was just curious about those of us who are not shrinking as compared to those who lose almost everything. Does that mean the bustiness is not related to an excess of fat cells in our chest region??? Is it the difference between the percentage of fat cells as opposed to breast tissue the indicator for which direction you go?

The name is awesome. I am looking forward to some interesting discussions.

Sounds good to me :0)

I started after surgery with chew chew chew. I got lax over time, things went down OK. Thennn . . . restriction came and I had to relearn my bandster habits. It is good to get in the habit now . . . even if it is not as necessary due to lack of restriction, because there will be times when you will learn painful and unpleasant lessons in following the bandster rules.

Thinner feels great and I know you want to keep the weight loss going. But don't forget the results of losing too quickly . . . such as an increased need for plastics because your skin did not have enough time to bounce back and tone. Also, it is only a matter of time before you start feeling unhealthy and listless. How can you enjoy being thin if you don't have the energy to get out and get moving??? Your weight loss will stall as you move into starvation mode if you are not getting the minimum requirements of what your body needs. At the very least, you need to keep your long-term health in mind. Are you tracking how much Protein you are getting a day? How about your calorie intake?

My first fill was with flouro. I am happy I did it that way because I told her I wanted to be agressive and reach restriction as quickly as possible. She filled it to the exact level where fluid passed but passed slowly. It was a 6.8 fill in a Realize band which was very agressive. I had ok restriction for the first two weeks but I got to the point where I was hungry again and was not losing very much. I transferred to a more local doctor for my next fill. My second fill was without flouro. I told her how hungry I was and my weight loss level and that I want to be agressive with fills, she decided to see how 1.5 would work. She put it in and had me drink water. The water seemed to go down but very slowly, but it went down. I was a little scared after the second fill because I have read about fills getting much too tight a couple of days later. After I cautiously moved through liquids and mushies, I found that I had very tight restriction . . . almost to the point of wanting an unfill. I was pb'ing alot but later realized that the problem was more me than the fill. What I mean is that I was not chewing enough and eating a little too fast. It was OK before because I did not have good restriction so I could be more lax in my eating habits. My second fill was a little over a month ago and I still have great restriction. I wanted to be agressive with my fills but I can tell you there is no way I would get another fill right now because I am still tight. I am not even ready to think about scheduling another fill and my weight is slowly but surely moving in the right direction. I think I never would have been at my sweet spot now if I did not have the first fill agressive and without flouro. I reached my sweet spot in two fills.

If anything, this should help to strengthen your resolve to focus on yourself for a little while. Just think of this loss as one more change on the journey to a healthier, happier you in the future. The surgery is not really a difficult recovery. I am sure you can do it with no problem. Just remember, you have the forum here to focus on. After surgery, I practically lived on this and other forums when I had free time. You do have a support system and everyone is rooting for you to do well. You are not alone . . . most of us have been there/done that at one time or another in our lives.

I would just let it go for now. He is your brother and I am sure he cares about you. He doesn't know enough about the surgery yet, and maybe he is a little intimidated by it. As time goes on and you are seeing results, it might be a little easier to discuss it.

It is better that if you want to keep a conversation private that you let people know beforehand, even if it is family. I am sure that this surgery is a big deal to your mother and it may have been difficult for her not to share in the excitement of what is coming. I also know that there are certain people in my family that it I tell them something, they can not help but share it with others. If I say to keep it quiet, I know they will just preface it with "you really need to keep this quiet, but did you know . . . " I never hold it against them because I know it is their nature to share, I just make sure to only share what I don't mind sharing with everyone. I think you will feel much better about it once surgery is done and the pounds start melting away :0)

I think some people simply don't understand. If you have never struggled with a weight issue, it is easy to make assumptions about how people should or should not lose weight. You are doing the right thing in doing what is best for you and forgetting about any negatives that people relay. Of course there are risks and perhaps the band may not be as effective for some people as they hope. However, what is the risk of doing nothing . . . or just the same things you have always done. I would say for every naysayer there are always a ton more people that are encouraging or supportive. Focusing on the positive and forgetting everything else seems to be the way to go.

I think you would be fine. You are only pushing with your arms and walking around. I don't think it will be much of a strain on your abdominals. I know I was cleared for regular workouts at one month. Plus . . . the biggest benefit is to get moving while accomplishing something useful at the same time. All the exercise you can get certainly helps.

Dehydration is nothing to play with if you are going out several days without being able to keep anything down. At this point, since it is continuing and you have had a complete unfill I would think that it might be time to go have some testing done in case you have had a slip. Cold doesnt work for me when I am readlly tight. It has to be lukewarm or a hot beverage. I would put in an another emergency call to your doctor. Dehydration is dangerous and very easy if you can't drink anything.

I have found myself at McDonald's with my teenager on occasion. I found that I can get a grilled chicken patty on lettuce for about $1.40 which fits a sensible eating plan. The salads are sensible as well as long as you are not eating a lot of high fat/calorie dressing (there are low fat/calorie options but I like my salad plain or with a little lemon and olive oil). I stay away from the burgers and chips like the plague. I have not had a burger since banding (except for a mini burger prepared by me at home on the grill). The reason I don't eat them is because I like them too much, the fat content is too high, and I can not say that the variety you get at mcdonalds is giving any nutritional benefit. You did great keeping it at half. It is hard for me to stop with this kind of food.

Jack you crack me up :thumbup: That was brilliant.

I think it took about a month for the swelling to go down to where I was "normal" again. I still had a slightly larger bulge where the port site was at this point but I was a hair under 40 bmi at surgery so maybe it showed more. Now it looks pretty good.

I had the same problem for the first week after my second fill. I found I really didn't need an unfill. I needed to relax and go back to liquids for a day and then reevaluate how I was eating. I was looser before and so I did not have to chew as much and I did not eat slowly. I would say baby your stomach with liquids, to mushies and then eat verrry slow, chew verrry much and then see where you are. If you are still having significant problems after another week, get a slight unfill. Another thing I wanted to mention is that you went to the restaurant and had an issue every 10 minutes after another bite. Once your stomach is already irritated, you are just going to keep pb'ing and I don't think it really matters too much what you are eating or how fast. You have got to go to liquids to give your stomach a little time to go back to normal. Each fill reminds me to go back to basic bandster rules because they are more tightly enforced as restriction increases. It is almost like I have to retrain myself a little more each time. When you start off with less restriction, you can eat a little more lax and not have any negative effects.

Yep, I follow the rules for the most part. I don't follow no caffeine, i have a cup of coffee everyday offset by a cup of water. My doctor does not have the caffeine rule but i know there are different opinions out there. The other thing I have read about but my doctor has not mentioned is the no gum rule. I do chew gum, but am very careful not to swallow.

I would give it a week and if it is still the same, schedule another appointment. They should be able to check your fill level at that time. It doesn't sound like a slip at all.

I know exactly what you mean . . . I felt that way a few months ago. I am a little over halfway to goal and already I feel sooo much better and look sooo much better. Already I am more interested in meeting new people because I am just more me. I know part of it is increased confidence and nice clothes, etc. Whatever it is, it just works and I am a more happy and confident person now.

Before Surgery I was never told to give up caffeine before surgery. I drank an average of 2 cups of coffee daily before surgery and probably at least 4 caffeinated sugar-free sodas a day. The night before surgery I stopped eating and drinking everything except for Water. By the time I got to the hospital the next morning I had a terrible, pounding headache. It was caffeine withdrawal and there was nothing I could do but suffer with it. I couldn't drink additional caffeine, I couldnt take any advil, nothing but grin and bear it for hours. After surgery I didn't notice a headache, but I was on pain meds so maybe that is why. I should have known better but in all honesty I never thought about it. I wish someone would have mentioned it to me and it would have made an already difficult day a little less trying. After Surgery I probably did not drink a single cup of coffee before 6-8 weeks after banding. I no longer drink any carbonated beverages such as soda. My husband strongly suggested that I should give up the coffee because of the caffeine. I really didn't think it was necessary as long as I get an offset of water in. I drink one extra cup of water above the 64 oz's to offset a cup of coffee and it seems to work ok. I drink a cup of coffee every day. Because it was a subject of discussion for us, we brought it up at the last fill appointment. The doctor said it is good to make sure that I am not overdoing the caffeine. However, coffee is considered a "free" food in that as long as I am not putting sugar or undue amounts of cream inside there is no reason why I should not have 1-2 cups a day if I so desire. The most important thing is to make sure I am getting all my water in for the day (and coffee does not count as water) and to make sure I am not overdoing the caffeine. . . . and would you believe my husband still says I should give up coffee. There are so many different opinions but for me, I feel it is like anything else . . . used with caution and in moderation without sugar is ok.

Stress and cold beverages make a definite difference for me from time to time. I was surprised by how much it could fluctuate.

I researched this option in the beginning. The sleeve sounded better than lapband to me at first because of the elimination for the needs to fills and none of the usual lapband specific complications. I did a lot more research because it was really diffficult for me to decide. I chose the lapband. I did this primarily for the following reasons: * Eventhough getting fills may be a hassle and expense, I always can keep my lapband at just the right level for me. Some people with lapband never need a fill, some have had a dozen fills but the recurrent them is that there is no one size fits all. I have known people with R&Y who have regained weight and don't have simple options for an "adjustment." * The sleeve is considered experimental and I could never find a lot of reliable study information related to how well it worked over the long term. Most statistics were short term. I didn't want to lose weight for a year or more but find that I am in the same position 5-10 years down the road. * The deeper I looked I found mention of one primary failure of the sleeve is stretching. So what if my stomach stretches and it is no longer effective, do I turn to something like the lapband??? * FDA approval is important. It is not easy to get a drug or medical device to pass their specifications. An FDA stamp of approval indicates a higher likelihood of a quality procedure or device.