MistyD65

You are in Houston? I'm in Katy. Who did your daughter's banding? And thanks for your kind words. I've lost more weight since my surgery than I've ever been able to lose before, and I'm excited to start working on the 2nd 50 pounds. :cursing:

Is the twist between the upper pouch and the band, or between the band and the stomach below? (Trying to get a visual) I hope everything goes well for your daughter. I've said a prayer for her, and for you.

I weighed on Friday and was 254. That's down 4 pounds, only 6 to go!!!

LisaMarie, if it is taking you a whole hour to eat, the reason you are not feeling full may be that the food you are eating is already beginning to move through the band into your stomach. Eating too slowly can be as problematic as eating too quickly, for that reason. Most recommendations I've seen for meal length is 20-30 minutes. If you are taking small bites and chewing well you should not be PBing and sliming regularly. It is quite possible that you are too tight. You don't want to be so tight that you start turning to "easy" foods to escape from PBing.

Here's a link to the FAQ about abbreviations used here: Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations PB: Productive Burp -- what happens when something eaten can't go down due to restriction has to come back up. Different than vomiting, because the food is not coming back out of your stomach through the band again. And slime refers to the thick saliva that usually accompanies a pb. Your body's attempt to lubricate what is stuck in your esophagus to get it OUT! lol

Tracie, 44 pounds since October 16th is AWESOME!! A loss of 1-2 pounds a week (after the big initial post-op drop most people have) is right where we should be. Anything over that is a bonus. And weighing twice a day has the potential to be less than helpful, and even discouraging. Weight fluctuates during the day and day to day for any number of reasons. Set yourself a once a week "weigh-in day" and let THAT be your official weekly weight. I admit, I do usually step on the scale every morning, but I don't give much importance to those numbers. I certainly don't let one day's slight gain get me down because I know, if I'm doing what I'm supposed to, it will more than likely be lost and then some by Friday (my weigh-in day). You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself, as we all are! Congratulations for taking control and living the life you want.:cursing:

I only used ready-to-drink Protein drinks after my surgery. I really liked the Muscle Milk chocolate Malt flavor. Labrada Lean Body Strawberrys and Cream was also good. ANd if you are looking for something that's NOT a shake, Designer Whey's Protein Blitz drinks are excellent. They come in Orange Mango, Grape and Fruit Punch and taste like Kool-aid to me. I have to say, I hated the EAS ready-to-drink shakes. But that was just me. I've heard some people say they hated Muscle Milk. Before I had my surgery I did extensive taste-testing of Protein Drinks, since I knew I would be on them pretty much exclusively for 3 weeks post-op. I went to GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe and bought individual drinks, then sat down one day with my husband and tested each one. Found some I couldn't stand, some that would do in a pinch, and the ones that became my go-to drinks. It was well worth the money and effort for me.

This waiting time is a good chance for you to see if you can make the lifestyle/eating changes that you MUST make to be successful with the Lap Band. You will have to change your eating habits, and for many of us the band is not much help at first. It takes some time to get to the right amount of restriction after healing from surgery, and during that time you are pretty much going to be depending on the change in your eating habits for weight loss. The one thread that runs through everyone's Band experience is that the Band is only a tool. It is up to you to use the tool in a way that makes it work most effectively. But it IS a marvelous tool, and I'm so thankful I have mine. :cursing: Good luck and best wishes as you begin this journey!

There is a list of abbreviations/acronyms in the FAQ section here. You kind of have to dig for it, so here's the link: Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations

Last week: 254.8 This week: 254.0 0.8 lbs lost for a total of **50** Woohoo! I am so excited!! I really controlled my Thanksgiving eating yesterday, and took a 40 minute walk in the afternoon. I probably would have lost more, but I kind of overdid it earlier in the week. I have been very faithful about going to Curves M-F, and I know that is helping. Here's to the next 50!

I was proud of myself. I had about 3 ounces of turkey, 1/4 cup of dressing, 1/2 cup of a broccoli and cauliflower casserole, and a couple of forkfuls of apple salad. Oh, and a brown-n-serve roll. I started not to eat it, but gave in. Later, after taking a 40 minute walk, I had a small slice of lemon icebox pie made with Splenda. I'm planning to workout at Curves in the morning.

Really make an effort to eat your Proteins first. I find that proteins fill me up much faster than anything else. Salad just turns to mush and goes right on through.

Last week 258.0 This week 254.8 3.2 lbs lost for a total of 49.2 lbs since surgery. Aaaargh, so close to 50!!! But I'm not going to sneer at 3.2 lost. This is more weight than I've ever lost before, so I've gotten past the worry that I would get stuck at my previous weight-loss tries. Exercise - Worked out at Curves 5 days this week. Next week is going to be a challenge for many of us, being Thanksgiving week. My goal is to get to Friday having lost at least that 0.8 lbs. I'm going to keep repeating my favorite saying to myself....Don't put off what you want the MOST for what you want at the MOMENT.

I have the 4cc band and my dr put in 0.6 ccs at the first fill. When I had my second fill appointment we decided not to put in anymore because my loss is steady, I feel full with a cup of food, and my hunger is not unbearable. I do get hungry again in about 2 hours, but it's not a problem. I can eat just about anything as long as I chew it well, but I make good food choices the vast majority of the time. I think, right now, my success is 80% me and 20% the band. There will probably come a time in the future that I will want more fill, but for now I'm happy with my results.

Claudine, your loss may have slowed down because you are taking in too few calories. My nutritionist recommends 1000-1200, and up to 1400 if I am exercising regularly and with intensity. I have found that I lose more when I am on the high end of my calorie range. You should talk with a nutritionist about how you can get more calories. I am steadily losing - 46 pounds since my surgery. I've had one fill of .6 ccs in a 4 cc band. When I went for a second fill a couple of weeks ago, my doctor and I decided that I didn't really need one, since my loss is steady and I am controlling my eating. I'll go back in January, so this holiday time will be a real test of where I am in my lifestyle changes. My goal is to lose at least another 10 pounds by New Year's Eve.

I do Curves 5 times a week and it is really working for me!

Hi barb and linda! I'm in Katy and I was banded on 8/4. I've lost 46 pounds so far. I'd be happy to offer advice and support and a listening ear. There is also a forum here for Texas lap banders: Texas Local Lap-Band Support - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum You can find several threads in there about Houston and the surrounding area. Talk to you soon!

Last week: 258.8 Today: 258.0 0.8 lbs, and I'll take it. I really thought I was going to have gained a few pounds this week, with TOM and some less-than-careful eating. But I *have* been faithful with going to Curves daily, so I guess that 400 or so calories I burn there offsets the extras that have been sneaking in. :tongue2: Oh, I went for my 2nd fill appointment on 11/3 and the dr and I decided that I didn't need one, since my weight loss has been steady and I'm not having huge issues with hunger. I've never had a PB, only a few instances of feeling "stuck" for a couple of minutes when I don't chew something carefully, and I haven't found anything that I can't eat. I do definitely have a limit to the amount I can eat though - a little less than a cup, especially of high-Protein foods, fills me up.

I'm in! Let's see, there are 7 weeks left. AND it's the holiday season. I'm going to shoot for 10 pounds. That will put me at 56 total lost since surgery and weighing less than 250 for the first time in 15 years! Current: 11/14/08 - 258.0 Goal: 1/1/09 - 248.0 Good luck and Happy Holidays everyone!

(Cross-posted in "Looking for Bandsters in NW Houston") Hi Bandster Buddies! Let's plan a meet-up for next weekend. How does Saturday 9/13 at 2 PM strike you? Depending on how many want to attend, we may need to think of a place besides a Starbucks, but we'll cross that bridge after we get an idea of our numbers. This'll be a Katy-Cypress area meet-up, but anyone from anywhere is welcome. I'll send this out in an email to those of you I have an email address for. Hope to hear from you soon!

I had to look twice at this thread to make sure I had the right one...it's Friday, but not the 4th! :smile2: 10/17 - 265 This week - 258.8 6.2 lbs lost since last weigh-in, 45.2 total since surgery - and goodbye 260s!!!!!:thumbup: My last weigh-in was 3 weeks ago on 10/17, because I went out of town to help take care of a sick friend. I actually managed to get in 3 workouts at a Curves in the 12 days I was gone, then got right back into my 5 days a week routine once I got home. And since this wasn't really a "vacation", I didn't do as much eating out and "fun" eating as I might normally have done. I went for my second fill on Monday, and the surgeon and I decided that I didn't need one. I have 0.6 ccs in a 4 cc band, but my weight loss has averaged 1-2 pounds a week since moving to regular foods. I also get a definite full signal on about a cup of food. I'm not having a problem with pbing - I can eat just about anything as long as I chew it carefully. We figured, why mess with what is working? The next two months will be the test though, with the holidays. My next appt isn't until January.