lianna

I took off one week. I teach 6th grade, and I was able to function like normal when I returned. However, I was still bloated from the gas and super tired. If you can easily take 2 weeks go for it, but after that first week I felt much better every day.

Yep....try eating just the ham and cheese as a rollup. The bread is wasted carbs and wasted calories, and most bread (even most wheats) offer very little nutritionally. If you are lucky enough to get full on small amounts already make them count nutrition wise. Go for the protein first, then veggies....carbs should be last. Enjoy having restriction so early in the game!

Do you have any fill? That will automatically limit how much you can eat and probably eliminate the bread. The band without any fill doesnt do much. Are you seeing your surgeon for followup? He will work with you on getting restriction. The rest you need to work on yourself. Could you just take it in tiny steps??? Try not drinking with meals. Once you get that down work on the carbs. Baby steps, the band is there when you decide to work it. It is not a foregone conclusion that you have failed at this.

Congrats! We want baby pics! Pleeeaaase!

Happy Weekend to you also! I dont find fills to be painful at all. My doctor does a tiny shot of numbing stuff first and the fill is just a breeze. I couldnt tell much difference after the first fill, but the second one gave me some restriction. It is definitely a process to reach that perfect spot. Good luck for you with your first fill!

173 lbs Down 56 lbs. I am not sure why the loss is going so slow now... that isnt entirely true, I have only been working out once/twice a week since school started. I have lost fairly slow the whole time, which is fine, but I have barely lost anything in the past month. I really want to hit 169 by my one year band anniversary on Oct 27. (4 lbs in 4 weeks, lol) I think I will be able to reach that for a mini-goal!!!

173 lbs Down 56 lbs. I am not sure why the loss is going so slow now... that isnt entirely true, I have only been working out once/twice a week since school started. I have lost fairly slow the whole time, which is fine, but I have barely lost anything in the past month. I really want to hit 169 by my one year band anniversary on Oct 27. (4 lbs in 4 weeks, lol) I think I will be able to reach that for a mini-goal!!!

It is such an individual thing, really. I dont really know why fill level matters so much. I might wear a size 12 at 175lbs and someone else wears a size 12 at 185.....or 165. You cant compare fill amounts because there are too many variables. I started with a BMI of 39 and when I went to 1.5cc fill it had me spitting up my saliva for days. It doesnt MATTER if you reach restriction "fast or gradual" the weight will come off. This is (IMO) not a race, it is how you can live and adapt to the process.......

So.....I Liketotally Love You! YMBAL

Yes.....I agree with the above post, it is normal to feel that way due to the gas. They literally inflate your stomach to do the surgery and it has to reasorb and work its way out, walking DOES help. The Isopure is not causing the discomfort, the remnant gas is to blame. Drink away, and in a few more days (according to YOUR docs schedule) start adding some protein and vitamin shakes, you will feel so much better.

God Bless You Also and welcome to LBT.

Yes, it is definitely an ongoing issue. For every 10-15 lbs down now it is a new size in clothing. I made $300+ on my garage sale, but I was selling from 22W down to 16W....and advertised it as plus sized career clothes. Ironically the casual denim capris and such went fast, then the nicer Dillards and Saks workworthy stuff last. The remaining stuff I donated to a local church and they gave me a reciept for taxes. I like the idea of giving it to a nursing home too......

Congrats on your band date. I noticed that this was your FIRST post!!! Welcome to LBT, you will find that this is a great resource for information and support! I send you wishes for a speedy recovery!

I had a garage sale and then donated what didnt sale to a local church. I also had 40+ pair of shoes that didnt fit anymore, odd how your shoe size can also change with the loss. It has been fairly expensive to keep my wardrobe going, lol! But it has been so much fun to shop for cute stuff, in REGULAR sizes, that I dont mind it a bit!!!

I am currently at 2.4 ccs. It has been 11 months and roughly 5 fills to get here. I took my fills in small increments: 1cc, then to 1.5, then to 1.7, then to 2, then my last fill to 2.4.

That day of the fill is liquids, the next day is mushies, and then proceed back to normal foods with caution. I havent had any problems, but I dont keep very tight restriction.

Wow....that is an agressive fill schedule. Hope your unfill gives you some relief. Have you tried sipping on warm liquids? That always seems to help me during TOM or whenever I feel tighter.

What a beautiful family...all 3 of you! She is just gorgeous!

Woo Hoo!! Happy for you!

I am currently suffering with a sinus infection and bronchitis and have been on liquids/mushies for the past 2 days. Last winter I had a bad cold and the same thing happened.... I was suddenly very tight. The increased restriction is probably related to inflamation and not due to slippage. Be sure to get plenty of liquids in until your cold passes, and maybe even stick to liquids/mushies until you are back to 100%.

Hey Mary! Greetings from Harlingen, Texas! I was also banded by Dr. Sanchez! You are doing great with the lbs. lost!!! The restriction thing is very tricky. If you feel a tad tight be super careful with food choices for a while. I have found that I prefer to be on the loose side,,,,slower weight loss for me, but I dont mind. I would be pretty sure that you have the 9.75cm 4cc band...you can look on the laminated card Dr. Sanchez gave you, it says on the top what size band you have. Welcome to LBT!

I completely remember feeling excited, nervous, and scared the closer it got to surgery day. It is totally normal to have these feelings. If it is any consolation I have no regrets at all over my decision to be banded. It has changed my life for the better in so many ways.

I prefer to work with looser restriction, and rarely rarely have problems getting anything, except bread, down with ease. I currently have a sinus infection/bronchitis and am on day 2 of my period (talk about a double whammie, lol). I am also on day 2 of liquids and mushies. For the first time in about 6 months I can actually feel and hear water slowly gurgle through first thing in the morning....I am so restricted right now I PB'd oatmeal Friday morning. I truly believe the bloating from TOM and sinus related inflamation both affect the band.

I agree that you might need an additional tiny unfill. The tiniest increments sometimes make a HUGE difference. When I was first working with restriction/fills at 1. ccs I could eat anything and everything with no problem. Was filled to 1.5 and struggled for 3 weeks, basically ending up on protien drinks and soups....and lost maybe 2 lbs the entire time. Was unfilled to 1.3 and it was perfect! I was able to eat filet, ribeye, roast, all my veggies, etc again with no problem and the weight started coming off again. Another helpful tip, many bandsters find that drinking something warm before eating helps relax the esophogus and stoma and makes it easier to get solids down issue free. I know it worked for me. I also have a "when in doubt, spit it out" rule.....anything that wont chew down completely (broccoli stems, steak fibers, pieces of ground beef, Jerky fibers, etc) will chew into tough ball, which I dont attempt to swallow. I have learned to discreetly deposit this in my napkin!

I love my steak. Like others, I find that T-bones, ribeyes, or Filet Mignons are very easy to eat. The texture is more tender and besides, they just taste better, lol. I also have no problem getting 80-100 oz of water down daily. I only had to "sip, sip, sip" for the month or so post op. Now I can drink water at about the same rate as before. For me bread has been the one thing I HAD to give up. It never works, I dont even try anymore.