pjd3253

How important is drinking 64 ounces of water a day to losing weight - I am not losing at all but admit to not drinking water - almost never - drink unsweetened tea during the day but not water - is it that important to losing? Thanks.

I have only seen my surgeon once since my surgery 11 months ago six weeks post-op - is that normal? I have had about 7 fills during that time and just see his PA for the fills.

I do think everyone is different and it depends a lot on how much a person has to lose - I think my main problem is that when I am starving I will eat whatever I can get down which may be mashed potatoes or something high in carbs but at least I know it won't get stuck - I also think drinking lots of water is the key and I am trying to be better at that - I guess since I had 50 to lose and am down almost half of that I shouldn't complain just thought it would come off faster with as little as it seems I am eating compared to what I ate before.

I am a year post-op on June 27th - I lost about 18-20 within the first six months then pretty much stopped losing and think I have actually gained - I have an appt in the morning to check to see if I need a fill - I feel tight and definitely feel restriction - can only drink liquids in the morning - a small lunch but at dinner-time sometime can eat as much as I want - I think part of my problem is I do not drink enough water - almost none even though I drink tea and other unsweetened drinks during the day - I do exercise about 5 days a week so I don't think that is the problem but I think my food choices aren't great - eat things that are easy to go down like mashed potatoes, soft foods. I do not eat a lot of food and I eat less than half of what I used to eat so you would think the weight would be coming off - I only needed to lose 50 lbs so not as much as some but it is still very frustrating and discouraging and not sure what to do to kickstart it again - I think I am about 6 cc's into a 9cc Realize band with fills - my husband was going to get the band but after my experience with choking, reflux and the slow weight loss he has decided not to do it.

I was on a trip out of the country last week and I am sure I gained a few lbs because my body clock is really messed up right now so I was tighter at different times than usual - anyway, I have been very discouraged lately because I am a year out June 27th and I think I have only lost about 18-20 lbs. I had 50 to lose so almost half but I thought by now I would be almost to my goal. It is very very slow so I feel like I am not losing at all. Sometimes I can eat so much and sometimes like this morning I could barely swallow my protein shake - since I was on a plane for 10 hours yesterday may have something to do with dehydration but I have been thinking a lot the past few days are the scars, the port sticking up, the choking at dinner worth it. I guess I will give it another year and see but my stomach still sticks out so much I can't believe it isn't smaller after 11 months. Thanks for letting me vent.

I had my surgery 11 months ago and the thing I hated afterwards was the lump - I was very upset about it - my scar was very deep and there was sort of a pooch like the skin wasn't pulled tight enough - In February I had a mini-arm lift and at the same time the PS revised the scar - the port is still obvious by sticking up where I can see it and feel it but the scar is straighter and not as jagged and looks much better so the port sticking out doesn't bother me as much - to be honest I loved the band as far as helping me not overeat but hated it because of the lump. I think eventually I will have the band and port removed because if I get to my goal weight it will stick out even more and it sort of creeps me out.

I never really thought of the percentage thing - I only needed to lose 50 in the first place and am down 20 after 10 1/2 months so I guess I shouldn't complain - that is almost half of my goal and I think that is what they told me is that after a year I may only be down 1/2 of what my goal is - thanks!

Mine is not loose skin on my stomach - I don't have any loose skin - it is fat underneath the muscle that makes my stomach stick out - I am wondering if it is ever going to go away and how I let it get this way in the first place - very depressing.

I have a Realize Band and have 6 cc's in. I am 11 months out and am only down 20 lbs. I have just now found the restriction I think is necessary to start losing weight at a faster pace even though everyone at my doctor's office says 1 to 2 lbs a week is what is healthy - I think I want it to come off faster than that - that is my main problem. I think your daughter will find her sweet spot eventually - I never thought I would either but this last fill did it. I can eat nothing but liquid for breakfast, just a little tuna salad or something light for lunch and a larger dinner like a lean cuisine and that is about it. Thanks.

I was told it is because during the night you get dehydrated so your band is tight in morning - by lunch I can usually eat about 1/4th of what I used to but I am like you by dinner time sometimes I think if I didn't stop myself I could eat a whole plate of food. I just have a protein shake every morning - something light at lunch like tuna salad but at dinner time I am starving. I have to stop myself.

I think I may have found the sweet spot but I still feel guilty eating what I think is a decent size meal at night because that is when I am loose enough - can't at breakfast or at lunch - maybe I am going to lose 1 lb a week but that is slow I guess it seems like you aren't losing at all. Does that make sense? I think I have a 9 or 10 cc Realize Band and I think I am at 6 cc's. Thanks.

Me too - my legs are thinner - my arms a little - down two sizes in jeans but my stomach still sticks out like I am 6 months pregnant - I guess it will be the last thing to go - very disappointing because my legs were fine just my stomach was so big - I feel like I am doing something wrong - only down 20 in 11 months - I don't think I am eating too much at all so I guess just slow metabolism.

I feel the same way - I am 10 months out and thought I would be down more than 20 lbs by now - glad about the 20 but haven't really lost any in last 3 months - stayed the same even with fills during that time - I feel tight in morning, still pretty tight for lunch but loose at dinner - I do not believe that I am over eating - I do not eat sweets except occasionally for a special treat and eat very small meals - I guess I just have a slow metabolism - I am very surprised at how slow the weight comes off.

I agree with you that sometimes when I get a fill it doesn't feel any tighter for a week or two and then it will feel tight - that is why it is hard to know whether to add or subtract - I got .5 last Friday thought it wasn't enough so went back on Monday and got .25 -doesn't feel any tighter - haven't lost any weight in 2 months and other than an occasional carb meal or a light dessert am not pigging out. I just think my metabolism is so slow takes a while - I do jog in pool 3-5 times a week so I do get exercise. Is taking way longer than I expected - will be a year late June and I thought I would be at my goal weight - needed to lose 50 - have lost about 20 but better than gaining so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I went for a fill today - I think I am around 5 cc's in a 10 cc Realize band. I honestly think I felt more restriction this morning drinking my protein shake than I did after they added .50 in and I went to lunch and could eat some yogurt and tea. So, every time I think the next fill is going to be the one it almost seems like I go backwards. I have stalled on my weight loss for last 6 weeks even though I am not eating much or anything bad and I exercise 3-5 times a week. I have definitely not found the sweet spot everyone talks about - I am tighter in the morning - a little looser at lunch and could almost eat whatever I want for dinner except I don't let myself. Thanks for listening.

I love my band but the hardest thing for me is knowing whether or not I need a fill. Sometimes I think it is at a perfect fill level and I can eat small portions but sometimes I can eat more than other times and I feel too much and then I think I need a fill so I call to make an appointment but the minute I do the next day it is tighter again - anyone else have this issue?

I agree it seems like it goes away - they say it is because you lose fat around the stomach and it loosens up but I think it somehow "evaporates" because after a fill for about 2 weeks it is great and then it loosens way up - doesn't seem like you could keep losing fat around the band for that long so maybe some of it leaks out. Does anyone know? Thanks.

Do you have a Realize Band?

I have seen a lot of scars also and my scar from the Realize band is not bigger than the Lap Band scar - I would say it is the same but not bigger and since the Realize Band has a flatter port does not stick out as far as the other - I don't understand how some people get so worked up over something that is obviously just a personal choice - does Isuza think none of us checked any of this out before letting a doctor put some foreign object in our bodies? "Thou protesteth too much". There is something else going on here.

AMEN - why is she adamantly against Realize unless there is another issue going on. I took the information she gave printed it off took it to my doctor and he said he had never seen anyone with these issues - has seen no erosion and only a few cases of slippage and he has done thousands of these surgeries. It is puzzling.

Sorry I meant Izusa not EmmaWang reply about Realize - it does seem like she is trying to talk people out of the Realize Band which is a great band - I did lots of research and chose the Realize band and have been very happy with it. I held both in my hands and spent hours on the internet learning about both. You make your own decision after doing your own research and talking to your doctor - don't let anyone make the decision for you.

I went to two of the top surgeons in Dallas, Texas - Dr. Kuhn who may be the number one ONLY uses the Realize Band now and Dr. Cribbins who is my doctor gave me the choice but told me he is leaning more to the Realize Band now than the Allergan band. I have the Realize band and love it and have not heard any of the bad things mentioned in the response I received today from EmmaWang. I think they are both good just personal choice. I will check with my doctor to confirm what she says about the Realize band is true before I believe it. I have had no issues with the Realize Band at all and am down 22 lbs since my surgery in June. Thanks.

Another thing I am doing that I think is hurting my weight loss is because I get food stuck a lot and have to throw up then I will eat soft foods because they won't get stuck like mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese - I know these are bad but I can only eat a little of it anyway and at least it makes me less hungry and feel like I have gotten to eat something - right now my stomach is growling and I am starving - I had a protein shake for breakfast like every morning and a small bowl of egg salad for lunch. That isn't much food but I knew I was going out for dinner and would eat a little more than I normally do at home so didn't want to overdo it. I know that the soft foods have more carbs but if that is what goes down easily then I think it is better eating that than starving.

I got banded the same time as you and have lost 20 lbs which I am happy for but thought I would be down more than that - it didn't start coming off until recently. I was not told I could eat normally but I was told I would not be able to eat as much because stomach is so much smaller and that I would feel full faster - what I experience is not being able to eat much without throwing up sometimes so that I get hungry again in about an hour or two and feel like I could eat everything in sight - of course when I try to eat I can only eat a little. I think I expected too much and realize that with about 6 cc's in my band like you have it just takes a long time for your body to know you are serious about dieting - I think if you hang in there it should start coming off at a faster pace - I have a friend who got banded 3 years ago and lost 150 lbs but she told me that she didn't start losing any weight at all until after six months - I thought at the time that sounded crazy and she must have been drinking a lot of calories to get them down but I now see what she means - it is a slow process.

Haven't written in a while but I am 6 months out - down about 17 lbs. I am not complaining too much because it is better than being 17 lbs heavier but I was naive to think the weight would fall off with the band. I do not eat that much but sometimes I eat too fast or too big bites and I have to throw it up but then other times I can eat way too much and it goes down - I always mention it to my doctor's PA when I go in for fills and they don't have any real explanation for why it is so different some days than others. I am discouraged in the slow loss and feel like it is never going to come off. A friend of mine who got a band 3 years ago and lost 150 lbs said she didn't start to lose for 6 months and then it started coming off faster - anyone else have any encouragemernt? Thanks.