AngieO

Unlike the others, I did not know about this website before I had the surgery. I really wish I had so you're way ahead of where I was when I started. I know I was told that I needed to start with proteins, but that was really hard for me. I tried to just eat smaller portions of what we'd always eaten. Until I was tight enough to not eat carbs, I continued eating them. Be very careful about getting too many calories from liquids. I've started counting calories on www.fitday.com but I wish I would've done that from the beginning. I just assumed that the band would keep me from eating too much, but I should've been counting calories from the very beginning. Also, start exercising as soon as possible. I'm still not great at exercising every day. Between working full time, kid stuff - baseball, piano, juggling practice, and tennis, and just daily stuff like cooking & cleaning I just haven't gotten into a regular routine. The band is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I just wish I would've worked harder in the beginning. Please learn from my mistakes and REALLY follow the rules. I've lost 55 pounds in 14 months so I'm very happy, but I know I probably should be at my goal by now. I guess 55 down is much better than 55 up!!

I'd like to hear your opinions on how to help overweight kids lose a little weight. I know that whatever I say to my daughter will stay with her forever. She knows I have the band and that I'm losing weight. She's only 8 years old but she's very mature. She's not horribly overweight, but she has fat genes and if she continues to gain weight she'll quickly become obese. Her brother is 10 and can eat more and not gain weight. Tonight he has a friend over and they each had a few cookies. My daughter walked in and immediately said that she wanted one, too. My first thought was that she doesn't need to eat cookies. I know he doesn't either, but we don't have cookies very often and they were his favorite kind. I don't want to punish him by never having any junk food but at the same time I don't want to tempt her either. As adults we understand that people are different....some gain weight easily and some don't. How do I help her without scarring her for life? Weight issues will probably be a life-long battle for her. Oh.... both of my kids are pretty active. I work on making sure she exercises, but food is my main concern.

Kim, You're an answered prayer!! I'd love to have any information you can give me. I've never even thought about taking her to a nutritionist. I'd have to bring it up gently the next time she tells me her clothes are too tight. I looked into taking her to a gym but she's too young for all the ones around here. We have a treadmill, recumbent bike and a Gazelle. Honestly, I bought most of the equipment the same day that I couldn't find a gym for her to join. I think I should hang up an exercise calendar for the whole family and we keep track of each day that we spend 30 minutes exercising. Anything can count....swimming, trampoline, bike riding, walking the dogs, exercise equipment. Maybe the calendar will help keep us motivated without me having to say anything. I'm really excited about finding a nutritionist. Having someone else explain it all to her is a great idea. I like that I can be the "what" and my daughter can be the "how much". myfoursons...I love the cooking together idea. We like to cook together but we don't really discuss the portions very often. THANKS FOR THE HELP!! Angie

I'm not sure what I think about food so I don't even know what I might need to change. Isn't it normal to worry about your kids being overweight? I like the idea of starting out with even smaller portions. Maybe just the simple act of getting up for seconds is a mental thing for her it'll cut down on her total amount of calories. Some days she is very active with sports and just playing with other kids. Other days she just sits and watches tv. We have exercise equipment that I like to use. Should I make her do it with me even when she just wants to be lazy? How do the rest of you make your kids get enough exercise and eat the right amounts of the right foods?

Thanks for all the input. I agree about cookies not needing to be in the house. It was probably the first time in several months that they were here. It was just a "red light" for me and I wanted to know how other parents handle their children. Even things like just getting another serving of food at dinner or eating again a couple of hours after dinner is an issue for my daughter. Take my son out of the picture. What does everyone think about training kids to eat responsibly and healthy? I know that being a role model is important. I'm really trying to be that for her. We keep healthy foods in the house, but too many calories from healthy food can cause weight gain, too. I just don't know how far to push it without causing lifelong emotional problems. Many of us here probably know what it's like to be a heavy child. It's not fun and we all want to spare our kids that. Do I constantly tell her no, even if it's healthy food? Do I set up very specific eating times? I'm just so torn about this issue. Angie

I like Isopure chocolate mixed with skim milk.

I just had another fill and they said that I'm very tight right now. However, I'm not feeling any difference with the soft foods. In fact, I'm pretty hungry. Does everyone else feel that way on the soft foods? I haven't had any solid food yet.

I have a fill of 2.3 right now, but they only added .2 this last time. I'm making myself stay away from mushies and now I can really tell that I'm tighter. I was concerned because I expected to feel tighter with the softer food, too. From your note, it appears that this might be your first fill. If so, it takes most people 2 or 3 fills to feel tight enough. I'd go ahead and schedule another fill and then cancel it if you don't need it. I find that if I wait to schedule a fill, it takes a couple of weeks to get in.

Should you do this??? That's a question only you can answer. It was the right decision for me. Please learn from my mistakes....You need to truly understand that you have to make better food choices right from the start. I thought the band would be my answered prayer and it would be EASY. It is not easy. I have to count calories and exercise in order to lose weight. The band just makes it easier to count calories because I don't get so hungry. I've only started exercising regularly in the past 2 months. More than anything, it's a mental change. Do your homework and go to a free seminar. Good luck to you.

Does anyone know of a free online calorie counter? I thought I found one but when I finished putting all my food for the day in it, I was told I had to pay for a membership to actually get my total calories for the day.

Thanks for all the input. This is what I love about this site!

Thanks....I'll go look it up.

I had surgery on a Friday and was back to work on a Tuesday. I had to take it slow and I was exhausted in the evenings but it was fine for me. Just wait and see how you feel.

I swallow small pills and cut up medium or large ones. I don't take any capsules so I don't have to worry with that. I've never had any problems. Angie

Kimberly....I know exactly how you feel. My year mark is this Feb. and I've only lost about 40 pounds. Everyone is different but it's very frustrating to lose so slowly. The thing I have to remind myself is that I am 40 pounds less than I was last year. It could be worse, I could have gained. I've been rereading the bandster rules a lot lately and I'm scheduled for a fill on Wednesday. I've been eating carbs and I'm going to stop. It is embarrassing when I see that some people have lost 40 pounds in a couple of months. I guess I just wasn't completely prepared to change my eating habits when I got the band. I think I'm ready now to give it 100%. I finally understand that it's just a tool and I'm going to have to work harder than the average person. I think the hardest thing for me to get through my head is that I really might only need a few bites of food at a meal. Before my band started feeling so loose, I'd eat things that go down easily so I'd feel like I'd had enough to eat. I truly understand now that I need to stay away from the mushy food as much as possible. What have you been doing or not doing that you think might be causing your slow loss? Angie

I need some advice. I've only lost 21 pounds since being banded in Feb.2006. I keep looking at how much so many of you have lost in just a few weeks or months and I'm getting so discouraged. I've been walking about 30 min on my treadmill 4 or 5 times a week. I know I could be exercising more, but considering how much more it is than I was doing a few months ago I'm surprised that the weight isn't falling off. I haven't lost any weight in the past 2 months. As far as eating, I'm eating a little less that I used to but I really don't notice a huge difference. My band is either too tight to eat or I can eat a regular size meal without any problem. I really need to know how the fast losers are eating. Are you following a certain diet, counting calories, etc...? Are you making sure to drink the water? What's your secret? I've been trying to just eat smaller portions of what I normally cook for my family. Last night we had steak and baked potatoes. The night before we had spaghetti, salad & garlic bread. We always have some kind of carb at dinner. I normally don't eat bread but I do eat potatoes, pasta and rice but less that I used to. I don't enjoy cooking so I opt for easy meals. Breakfast is usually just a protein drink. Lunch might be soup, frozen meal, sandwich, piece of pizza...whatever I'm fixing for the kids. I thought the band was going to make me eat so little that weight was going to just fall off. That's not what's happening. I didn't want to have to "diet". I didn't want to have to count calories or count Weight Watcher points. Well, my way isn't working so now what? Please help.

I told my family, a small group of coworkers and my close friends. Like you, we have a very close social group and I wanted to tell them. I knew they would be excited for me. During "mushy" stage, I always ordered a baked potato or Soup when we went out to eat. It hasn't changed our social life at all. Hope that helps. Angie

You're right about the food choices. If I'm honest with myself, I know that I'm not trying hard enough. I'm expecting the band to do it for me. I've had to do some soul searching today and I haven't liked what I've discovered. If I really want to lose the weight, I'm going to have to try harder. I appreciate the responses I've gotten reminding me that I need to change my food choices. I'd still love to hear from some of you that have been banded in 2006 and have already lost 30 or more pounds. What are you doing or not doing to help you be successful? I am blown away at how fast some of you are losing weight. Angie

Bettina....you're probably right, as much as I don't want to admit it. I need to get my act together. Thanks, Angie

Thanks for your quick response. I probably just need a kick in the butt. I want the band to be a magical tool and I know it's not. My jaw drops open when I see people who've been banded less than 2 or 3 months and have already lost 30-50 pounds. How do they do that?? Would you mind sharing your "never eat" list with me? I'm sure that logically I know these things, but I'd love to see your doctor's list.

I think I'm too tight right now, but I'm not sure if I should wait it out or go get a small unfill. I'm having a hard time eating solid foods and I'm PB'ing several times a day. After my 2nd fill (1.7) I had good restriction for a few days and then I was hungry again. I went in for a 3rd fill and they explained to me that as I lose weight the band will get looser and I will need adjustments. They were able to increase me to 2.2 and they even checked me with the fluoroscope. I was ok at first but now I'm having more trouble eating. I'm wondering if I should stick with the theory that as I lose weight the band will get looser on its own and it'll all work itself out. I've been too tight for a couple of weeks now. Has anyone else gone through this? What did you do? Also, I need to update my weight loss ticker. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

Donna....I love your disclaimer. If I start growing mold I'll definitely call my doctor. Donna & Leatha...I agree with both of you. I need to go on liquids. Maybe I'm just irritated and swollen. I had a hard time staying on liquids for the first 48 hours that my dr. required. Maybe since I have restriction now it'll be easier to stick to liquids. This is why I love this site. I only know 1 other person who has had this procedure and I really don't talk to her very often. I'm so new at this and I appreciate how fast people reply to my questions. Would yogurt or Jello count as liquids?

Thanks for your advice. I guess I should call the doctor. I'm a teacher and it's very hard to get an appt. that works without having to get a sub. The kids are crazy this time of the year and I hate to leave them with someone else. I'll try liquids for a couple of days and see if that helps. Thanks!!

I can do liquids, although not first thing in the morning. I can eat ice cream:) and yogurt. We had spaghetti tonight for supper and I was eating only meat and sauce. I took a bite, PB'd and then a few minutes later was able to eat about a 1/4 a cup of meat and sauce. At lunch today I was trying to eat vegetable soup and I couldn't eat the first bite. I PB'd and then about an hour later ate about 1/2 a cup of soup. I'm taking small bites and chewing very well. How would I know if I was close to a real medical problem? I am trying to drink protein shakes. I'm not hungry and I really don't feel weak.

I'm a patient of Dr. Spivak's, but I was wondering if any of you have tried calling the Surgicenter and asking them about it. Dr. Spivak and Dr. Spiegel both use the Surgicenter for their fills. It's worth a try.