crystal525

My doctor says nothing heavy for several hours before a fill since it may make you appear "tighter" if your stomach is already full. I had eaten something about 2 hours before and happened to mention it on one of my first fill visits. I can understand, so I would say make sure your food has time to digest before going for your fill.

I'm ALWAYS the last one eating. When I eat slow and talk, I take even longer than normal! I don't care. Most people I eat with know and they don't mind. It's for the socializing that I usually go out anyway and they know that I won't even eat half of what I order and will take the rest home! My favorite thing to do is to go out with my other bandster friend and we'll still be nibbling after an hour. We usually have to end up telling the server that we are fine and don't need anything else. They just look at us strange when we are still not done and then ask for a box! LOL. I love going out. I can get a side salad and a baked potato and be more than satisfied. Or we go to a Mexican restaurant and I get a cheese quesadilla for $2!!! Love my band. I'm now officially a cheap-date.

My appointment last Friday was postponed...and I'm sure will be cancelled again (this Friday). Only...I need an unfill of a small amount. Can't eat much of anything and having reflux at night! I'm here in Maryland and we are having one heck of a winter storm/blizzard...even pulled the plows off the roads earlier today. That said--my dr. made me wait more than 6 weeks to heal and then only did once a month after that. It'll take time, but you'll get there. Good luck!

I did this back in August and September. It really kicked up my weight loss! But--I still don't like running. Do it...it does wonders for your self esteem, especially if you are like me and never could run even for a minute! Good Luck.

Hi everyone. Just checking in. Had my last fill of .2 in December which took me to 7.7 (or right about there). Can't remember anymore --usually always get .2 the last several visits and I go every other month. But--this last fill put me over the top. I have to be very selective with what I eat--barely get anything of substance down so I have to eat more yogurt, ff pudding and drink more milk to get more protein in. But--I have lost over 20 pounds since mid December. I will be getting a small unfil (wonder if he'll do .1???) at my appointment on Friday. The dr. will probably be a little upset I didn't call him before, but hate the extra drive when he's not at my local office. And since I'm able to keep water down for the most part... Albeit with lots of pb'ing...ugh. I knew I could wait it out, and I have... But looking forward to some relief. But--I do love the loss. I was down to 178.5 this morning!!! It took me FOREVER to get started, but until I realized that I had to exercise AND got the appropriate restriction the weight wasn't going to just fall off of me. In the last month, with this restriction, AND the fact that I have been going to the gym and weight training--the weight has been melting away. My weight loss began to kick up in August (10 months into this thing...) when I started the C25K program. Once I began exercising, it began to come off! I do love my band and I'm glad I didn't give up when I hadn't even lost 30 pounds in 6 months. I am now a size 14 (12s --within reach, just a little too tight). Glammaw--how about another SMALL unfill, rather than a large unfill. To me it sounds like you are unable to eat what you need to to lose weight, which means your body is probably holding on to everything right now. You need more protein, and maybe less calories (depending on which slider foods you are eating). I know it's hard because I'm dealing with this issue right now but thankfully I've been able to continue losing--but it's been less than a month for me and my body hasn't yet realized what's going on and sent me into starvation mode...yet. Make sure you monitor your intake. Now to figure out what my new goal will be knowing that my original size 14 goal has been achieved and I'm not there ...yet. Good Luck All!!! Crystal

The band is not a magic fix--its a tool. I felt the same way you do...until I gave myself a reality check. We didn't have the gastric bypass. Now--I'm 14 months out and 70 pounds down. I feel fabulous about where I am now. It took me 6 MONTHS to lose 30 pounds. And I didn't even have to do a pre-diet! You are doing great. Sometimes the boards help, but sometimes they will get you down on yourself when you find yourself comparing yourself to everyone else. I had to stay away for awhile! Remember the average is only 60 percent in the first 2 years. Give yourself a chance. It does work, you have to be patient and realize that why you chose this-- I'll have to find my post from a year ago when I felt this exact way... Good luck and keep your head up! Crystal

I would like to join. Start weight 199 (I keep fluctuating from right over 201 to 199...ugh, but I'll say 199). Since I'm a slow loser, my goal is 10 pounds. That's alot for me so maybe it'll make me run more often than I have been. Crystal

Friday the 13th was my one year anniversary. And...I finally broke down and went shopping for some new clothes. I had no non-work clothes at all to wear and wanted to wear something for a night out with friends. All of my work clothes are hand me downs from another friend of mine losing weight. I decided to skip trying on the size 16s. Even though I thought there was no way I was fitting in the 14s. they looked so small. I have been wearing 16's but they were all light weight "stretcy pants" --and we all know jeans are different! But even though they are all getting big, I was shocked to fit in a size 14. I fit in every pair I tried on and actually got to decide which pair I liked more, and which ones I didn't like...not only just buying the ones that my butt fit into. But--after all this. I don't feel like I'm a size 14. I don't feel like I look that much different, even though it's obvious to me in pictures and in other people's reactions. It's almost funny. When I started this journey I said I would be happy to just fit in a size 14...but now that I'm here, I'm not satisfied. I still feel like a fat chick with a cute face. Now, I've reassessed my goal --to a size 10. OMG.. it's actually a possibility. I'm one of the ones that took forever to start losing. Now that I'm at my sweet spot, 7.1 ccs in a 10 cc band (I only got small fills every couple months and had to wait 2 months before getting the first one), I finally feel the weight coming off. But my question is this...am I supposed to feel skinny now? How should a size 14 feel? I'm still struggling mentally with the loss. I have to realize that everyone's first reaction to me is not, damn she's fat. I have to realize that it's really happening for me this time. Maybe that's why I never bought new clothes...I thought I'd gain it back again??? And now that I'm a year out, maybe it's the realization that this time it's working?? How does everyone else feel after gettin down to a normal size? Sorry for the vent. My hubby just does not understand... Supportive yes, but everyone here really understands. Thanks for listening. Crystal

Thanks guys. This is exactly what I mean. I want to be able to see what everyone else sees. I have moments of clarity where I'm like wow...I really do look great. Then I see that skin on my upper thighs or the pooch-thingy at the top of my stomach (you would think one pooch is enough, right???) that I notice when I stand to the side (which has always been there, but it used to be alot bigger). Logically, I know all of this, but I guess this comes from years of body-image issues! It'll get better. I'm going to try the talking to myself thing! Thanks all! Crystal

Wow--you have done fabulous. Thanks for the words. I know we all have similar mentality issues ... if we didn't have food and weight issues, we'd be normal sizes right! Thanks again.