lianna

LOL! I have not lost major weight in 3 and half months!!! I have lost slowly for 15 and a half months! I was banded in 05. I actually lost the first 50 in about the first 9 months, about 1.5 lbs a week...but since then it has slowed way way down and I just broke an honest to god 4 month plateau. I bounced around 170ish from Oct to Jan because I have very little restriction since I had a partial unfill (from 2.7cc to 2cc). I have been relying mostly on exercise and good food choices to maintain and lose slowly now. I am grateful for what I have lost though, and actually 68 lbs in 64 weeks is still a pretty good amount. I feel great and now that the scales are moving again I hope to reach goal by summer, and then work on surpassing it.

I took the chicken broth and boiled with carrots, celery, and onion then strained it. Much better than regular broth. For me the boredom was as bad as the hunger. Keep a wide variety of drinks on hand to give yourself choices. Celestial Seasonings has a great selection of teas, and I love Bigelows Mango green tea and Peach green tea.

How recent was your surgery? Mine was very uncomfortable for the first month. I never notice it is there anymore, unless I am feeling for it.

Carlene that is the cutest dog!!!! My dog is named Nosey, but we call her every name imaginable! Fluffy butt, butthead, gorgeous, beautiful, miss america, muttbutt, dumbbutt, snickers, moron, etc.... She answers to anything.

Still read this thread because I love your enthusiasm! Audree, you are kicking some serious butt girl! BandDiva...you are doing awesome! Like Miss Bandster, I get incredibly tight around TOM.....or I am ridiculously loose, it varies from month to month. I know right off the bat if my breasts are tender and my rings are tight that I better watch what I eat because I will have issues if I am not super careful that day.

Sweetie, you dont have to LEAVE! Just stick around and it will blow over, these things always do! This is really a great place, but with literally 100s of posters there will always be ones that dont see eye to eye. Hang around, this is a fount of information and support!

I am 15 months out and have 2ccs in my band. I dont have much restriction, but I have been happy with slow loss.

While I go through periods of slow to no loss, I have not gained since I have been banded. I may fluctuate around with the same 2-4 lbs...but it always levels out and continues downward. I think it is pretty successful just to maintain even when not losing.

I have to confess! I have bought 3 new pair this season,,,,,just because they FIT!

I have the 9.75cm band. I currently have 2 ccs in it. I was up to 2.4 but was having problems with chicken and meats and unfilled back to 2, where I have been for months now. I am over a year out and lost the first 50 lbs pretty easy. The closer I get to goal the slower it is coming off...but is still coming off.

Have one for me! The only word of caution I have is that alcohol seems to affect me much easier now! Sip slowly and enjoy!

Audree, You are doing great! I always check this thread because I get so motivated by everyone here! I like the enthusiam that everyone has!

Any time you PB make sure you follow it with at least a day of liquids to be sure that any irritation or swelling has a chance to dissipate. Many bandsters find themselves tightest in the mornings, if that is your case dont work against it....try oatmeal or a protein drink. One other thing that might be helpful is to drink something warm before meals. It really helps relax everything and makes it much easier to get good solids down!

It is totally normal to have no restriction with an empty band! Especially while you are in the clear liquids stage, they just flow through and dont do much to help you feel full. It gets much better when you can have fuller liquids, the pureed soups actually will seem quite filling.

The weight loss has helped many issues for me. I was taking Benicar for borderline high BP and am totally off it now. Blood Pressure is very good now. I still have to take Metformin for Insulin Resistance, but my sugars stay under control now. I no longer get edema in my ankles. The difference in the little aches and pains is amazing. I wear heels to work every day now, and before my poor feet would just kill me by the end of the day. My energy level is so much better! I guess I didnt realize just how hard it is for the body to carry around all that extra weight!

We are in south Texas, literally 45 minutes to Matamoros, Reynosa, or Progresso. I have no problem driving across the border but starting next year I think it will require a passport. I just think it is inconvenient to go there when I could be going to a doctor here......plus my surgeon, Dr. Sanchez, was shot and killed in a robbery. I had my surgery in Monterrey with Dr. Sanchez, and luckily I had a doctor in Matamoros that I had been referred to for aftercare by him. Still, If I could do it all over again I would pick a U.S. surgeon.

One of my favorites! I usually scoop the cheese out if it is in a blob, otherwise it is great!

Welcome to LBT!!! That is awesome that yall had the surgery done together. You will find tons of helpful information here!

I would go with the doctor in Orange County. It is so important to have EASY access to a doctor that will do all your aftercare. Most U.S. doctors dont take patients banded in Mexico...so find an aftercare doc FIRST if you go with Ortiz, or be prepared to go back to him in Mexico for all followup care. I was banded in Mexico and honestly it is a pain in the ass to go there for fills and such (and it only a 1 hour trip for me). I am over a year out and have had 4 fills, and 2 unfills, one trip where I just got a checkup and no fill, and I am scheduled for my 1 year endoscopy. It was no fun to make the trip for a fill, get home and discover after 2 days of liquids that I was a tad too restricted, and have to back for a tiny unfill. I have had to do that twice. If I could do it again I would pay more and have it done with a doctor here locally. The surgery is a onetime thing, the followup trips will be forever.

LOL Faybie!!!! "wont have to go cold turkey".

I eat by "feel" now, but I think it is a good idea to measure things at first until you get idea of portion sizes. I know I eat more than 2oz of protein for dinner......

I was a big bread lover also. I rarely eat any bread or breaded foods now. I dont really miss it. The occasions that I want a sandwich or something I just make it with toasted bread. Toast goes down fine, plain soft bread is the devil!!! The difference for me is that NOW a small meal of good foods leaves me totally satisfied and I really truly dont have room for bread anymore.

Mine is pretty much the same. Like someone else said, it is my DH that has had a major increase in his sex drive. He has always been "easily motivated" but now he is out of control, lol!

162 lbs! Finally am dropping pounds again. I think it is going to be very slow from here to goal. I have 17 more pounds to goal, and at this rate it will take me 17 weeks to lose it....4 months, and that is without anymore stalls or plateaus. Hopefully I can make it to goal by summer!

162 lbs! Finally am dropping pounds again. I think it is going to be very slow from here to goal. I have 17 more pounds to goal, and at this rate it will take me 17 weeks to lose it....4 months, and that is without anymore stalls or plateaus. Hopefully I can make it to goal by summer!