MADE IT 2 MY GOAL..OH YEAH

I went in yesterday for my fill. I had orginally thought that when I went in last month for a slight unfill that the doctor had taken out all of my Fluid. I come to find out that he only take out 3cc. He added in 2.5cc yesterday and now after a month of no restriction, I finally have some restriction. I (as of right now) don't think I am too tight. Guess I will find out as the day goes on if I am or not. Also meet with the exercise man. Since I have a lot of problems with my back and my right hip, he helped me decide on some new types of exercises to do that wont effect my back so much. I explained to him that the fear of my back and hip hurting so bad after exercising, I hadn't been doing much not even walking. We agreed to start out with about what I can handle and slowly work in about 2 or 3 more minutes as I can. I have already done this (went to Wal-mart at 5 this morning and did the walking) I have a little bit of pain in my hip right now, but nothing major. I plan on walking the kids down the cove road (which is about a 10 minute walk down and up) to catch the bus this morning. If I have no pain or just a little pain, I am going to walk down the cove rd. to get them offf the bus this evening and walk them home. I figure this will get me started off right. My leg and stomach exercises, I will do them as much as I can 3 days a week until I know for sure I wont have to worry about pain so bad that I end up on the bed with a heating pad crying. I also met with the nutritionist. She said I had been doing good with my choices of food other than the few Cookies or something sweet I have every once in a while. She put me on a 1400 calorie a day diet and broke it down for me. Breakfast...200 cal lunch 400cal....supper 500cal....snacks 100cal....and liquids 200cal. I know I can stick to this. I have come such a long way since I had my band placed last August. There is no way I am turing back now. She and I also discussed the weight that I want to be. I want to be 130 pounds when it is all said and done. She believes in me and believes I can do it. What I am about to say next, when she told me, it brought tears to my eyes and a huge smile on my face. She said that if I stick to the 1400 calories or less a day and stick to my exercises at least 3 days a week. In 6 months, I will be at my target weight. I have been excited about losing all this excess weight since day one, but now I am more excited than ever. Hearing the words 6 months, it really gave me more reason to do the exercise and stick to the 1400 calories a day. Our oldest daughter is graduating high school this year. She is severley mentally and physically disabled. My husband and I are taking her and our other 3 kids ( it will be us a 17 yr old (who is disabled), a 8 yr old (who will be 9 when we go), an 11 yr. old, and a 15 yr. old to Disney World to Celebrate her graduating. We went to Disney World back in 2007 with all the kids and my mom. I was so over weight that while I enjoyed it majorly, a part of me did. I had to ride around in a cart cause my back hurt me so bad from walking and I was afraid to get on some of the rides because I was so big. Now, when we go this coming April, I will be skinny and able to walk and ride anything I want without any fear of being to big to get into the seats. Plus, the kids will have to keep up with me instead of me trying to keep up with them. I've had a wonderful life but I feel an even more wonderful life is in store for myself and I can't wait to live it!!!!!!!:thumbup:

1 yr ago 2day I had one of the most life changing operations. I had my band placed. This yr hasn't been the easiest I've seen. But it has been very rewarding. I have lost 80 something pounds. Sure I haven't lost as much as most people have, but I am very proud and excited about what I have lost. I have learned how to eat, what to eat, and what not to eat. I have learned to take my time while eating and have learned what can and will happen if I don't. Last month I had to go in and have all the Fluid removed from my band. The last fill I had, well, we got it way to tight and I wouldn't call my doctor to have some removed. The pain of heartburn and the frustration of not being able to eat or when I'd eat it would come right back up got to much to bare so i finally gave in and made an appointment to have some fluid removed. Little did I know that 3 months of being too tight really messed with me. My sugar was way to low, my vitiam level way extremely low. I ended up having to have a total unfill due to this. Nobodys fault but my own. I can only blame myself for not calling when I should have. I have gained about 5 pounds of my weight back since last month. I am not downing myself for this. I know if I do, I will get depressed and end up gaining more. The good news is, I go in 2morrow to start my fill process all over again. Yes, 1 yr. ago today, not only did I get my band, but my started my life all over again. I am happier than I have been in over 10 yrs., I feel better than I have in 10 yrs., and I look alot better than I have in 10 yrs..

Hey guys and gals, I have totally fell off the wagon. I had to have a complete unfill last month because my band was so tight for so long and my stomach become very irritated. It was nobodys fault but my own, I should have contacted my doctor as soon as I figured out I was too tight, but I didnt. Since I have had my unfill I have gained 4 pounds back of what I had lost. I have totally stopped any kind of exercise and am constantly feeling hungry. I often give into the hunger feeling even when I know that it is head hunger. I see other people in the house eating and I want to eat with them, so I end up doing it. I don't have an appointment until the 19th of this month and can't get in any sooner due to the fact that the day I go for my fill, I am meeting with the exercise man and nutritionist. I have been thinking for the past couple days about going to the store and buying something over the counter to help with the hunger issue but not quite sure what to get. I am not going to get down on myself and say lets through Stacy a pitty party. I know that once I do this, I will end up getting depressed and just turning more to food and end up gaining even more of the weight back. So, until my next visit, does anyone out there know how I can get through these next few days without putting more pounds back on and maybe even getting rid of the ones that I have put back on?

I know exactly what you are going through or have gone through...didn't look to see when this was posted. Up until last week, my band was way to tight. For almost 3 months, I fought with anything that I ate...I would eat it would get stuck and come right back up. I'd drink something, and it would come right back up. I knew that I was to tight, but I didn't want to believe it..you know what I mean. I was thinking, the tighter the better, the more I would lose but was totally wrong. I was so tight, that I ended up going to candy bars and anything with alot of sugar in it so that it would go down easier and I was able most of the time, to keep it down. I went last week (finally) to get an unfill and confessed to my doctor what I had been eating. He was really nice about what I had been doing and me not calling him sooner. He explained what I knew. I was so tight that I couldn't eat and my body wasn't getting the nutrution that it needed there for, I wasn't losing weight like I should had although I had lost 15lbs since the last fill. He removed 3ccs from my band and since the day after, I have had no problems what so ever. No throwing up, no PBing, no heartburn nothing. Now my problem is, I can eat with nothing happening and I get hungry way to often. I feel like I can't get enough to eat although I eat probably more than I should and it seems about an hour to an hour and half later, I feel hungry again. I now face the fact that I am to loose and need another fill. I want to get another fill because I want to start losing weight again. I am only a little over 30lbs from where my doctor wants me to be and 50 from where I want to be. I know that if I don't go get this fill, I will end up gaining some of the weight back. But, I just keep remembering the pain that i went through for right at 3 months when I was to tight. I had already made an appointment with the doctor for a slight fill for august 19th, but I really want to go before this and he told me that if I needed a fill before then, to give them a call and they would schedule me in for one. I am seriously thinking of calling 2morrow and getting in next week. I know that when I go in, he and I are going to have to have a serious talk about my being scared of becoming to tight again. Just wanted to share my story with you just to let you know, you are not alone in this situation. Hope all turns out or has turned out well for you!

I have a major case of sweet tooth going on right now. I know that I'm not suppose to have sweets anymore, but I am really wanting something. What do you all do when your sweet tooth starts acting up?

I had 3cc of Fluid removed from my band yesterday and after 24 hours of a liquid diet I got to eat a little bit of Breakfast this morning. After 3 months not hardly being able to eat and when I was able to eat, throwing it up, I was still worried about how I would do eating. I took it slow with small bites. By the time I was finished, I had ate 5 small pieces of Turkey Bacon and 1 fried eggs that was fried with non stick cooking spray. that added up to 195 calories for breakfast. I gave it a while to see what would happen and what do you know. I got it down just fine and it never has come up. I am so happy. I can finally eat and have no problems.

This is just a quick update on my unfill. I made a post a few nights ago stating that my band was to tight and I had to go in for a slight unfill. I was put under the fluro and had a drink some of that delicious liquid barium. It showed the barium going down and right when it hit the part where my band is, it shot right back up, not in one but two different parts with a small band like thingy holding the parts together. He knew right them, my band was way to tight. He took out 3cc and had me doing the liquid barium swallowing test again and it went through just fine. I believe I now only have about 3 or 4cc in my band at the moment. I have an appointment for August 18 to start filling it up again. This time, if I feel it is to tight, I will go back instead of waiting for 3 months. He explained that if I had come in sooner, I would not have had to have so much removed, but since I waited so long, my stomach was really irritated and needed some time to heal up. So, just like with a fill, I am now on a 24 hour liquid diet followed by a 24 hour mushy diet, then it's back to regular food. Meanwhile, I am not all that hungry, but my mind is playing tricks on me because my family is in the kitchen eating tacos so I have decided to come to the back of the house and put a little distance between that wonderful smell and myself.

I have posted before about the problems that I have been having since my last fill in April. I haven't been able to eat hardly at all and when I am able to eat, 90% of the time I end up throwing it back up. I constantly keep horrible heartburn and hardly ever have any energy (guess its from not being able to eat). I have been told by family, friends, people on here, and even my hubby that my band is to tight. Although I haven't been losing weight like I was before my last feel I haven't been gaining any either and didn't want to admit to myself that my band was to tight. Why I haven't wanted to admit to it, I have no earthly idea. I finally decided today to call the doctor and explain what was going on and has been going on since my last fill and the nurse said just the same as everyone else had been telling me all along. My band is to tight and I need to come in to have some of the Fluid taken from my band. So, I have a doctors appointment this coming Wednesday to have a slight unfill. I sure do hope that the doctor doesn't take to much out to where I am able to eat more than I should.

For the past couple of months, I have noticed that I am having bruises pop up all over my legs. I don't remember hitting them on anything, and cant figure out where they are coming from. Does anyone else have this problem since they had the lapband placed?

I was just wondering, does anyone know what the average weight loss is for the first year after being banded? My surgeon has told me, but it was before I have my band placed and I don't remember what he said it was. I am drawing very close to my 1 year mark and was just wondering where I fall in with the average.

food becoming stuck is a normal daily routine that happens to me. I'm not sure why. Maybe I take to big of a bite/don't chew well enough/or eat something that don't agree with my band/or maybe my band is to tight. I don't know. I have an appointment with my surgeon next month, so I will find out then.

In the mornings, your band is usually tight. Not sure why this is, but that's the way it is. I start to loosen up around noon and then around 6 in the evening, my band is pretty loose. I hope you get things figured out..good luck.

Hey everyone. I am so excited! If I wasn't so tired from putting insulation up all day, I could take off running. I set a goal for myself about 2 months ago saying that by my birthday, I wanted to be down to 175lbs. I have only 5 pounds to go to meet that goal. I am so proud of myself for how well I have been doing with my band. I'm not one to pat myself on the back or toot my horn, but toot toot baby and I'm giving myself a wonderful pat on the back. After this weight goal is met, I am going for 150, then down to 130. When I reach 130 I will be at my last and final goal. Hope everyone is doing well and is patting their own back while tooting their own horn. We all deserve it, whether we do it ourselves or someone else does it for us. :tongue2::thumbup:

I just wanted to stop by this morning and say good morning, while I am enjoying my first cup of caffeine free sugar substituted apple & cimminon flavored hot tea. I hope all of you are well.

I use my card when I go to shoneys to eat. Not all shoneys accept it though, but the ones that i have been to, they let me order off the childs menu anyways. Most places will let you order off the childs menu with or without your card. Don't be afraid to flash your card, so what if people hear or see you with it...at least they know you are doing something about your weight.

I'm almost a year out and I still eat salads. I just eat a little bit with fat free dressing. I have had no problems with it.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know a little something that happened to me Thursday. It started off a pretty normal day. Around noon Thursday, I started having some mild cramping in my stomach. I thought it was just where I had swallowed to much air drinking again and was having gas bubble pains. The pains I was having were persistent and getting worse. By around 6 that evening, I was doubled up in the fetal position on the couch crying like a baby. My husband called my surgeon and the Nurse told him to take me to the nearest ER since I was in so much pain and would not be able to make it to the hospital they use because it was 2 hours away and she thought I was having a gallblader attack. We got to the nearest ER, we waited for a half an hour, with me sitting in a wheelchair crying my eyes out and the pain getting worse and worse. After taking 3 people back that come in after I do, my husband calls the doctors office again and they tell him to take me to Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga...a longer drive but atleast they would see me, plus they have doctors and on call nurses that deal with the kind of surgery I had. About an hour later, we finally got to Memorial and about 20 minutes I was back in one of the rooms. The Doctor was a really really nice lady, and saw how much pain I was in ordered an IV for demerol (she quickly became my best friend). They did tons of blood work, an X-ray and a CT scan. When they results had finally come back, she come back in to see me. These where my following problems...I had nothing in my intestines but air...my vitiam levels were very low, and my blood sugar was at 60. OMG, I thought I was going to crap on myself. She ask if I had been eating well the last couple days. No I haven't. My band has been really tight, and I now know that it may be too tight. She explained by me not eating as I should, there was nothing behind the air in my intestines to push through and it was just building up and building up until the pain become unbearable. She then ordered a syringe of sugar water and vitiams to go into my IV and another round of Demerol because the other shot had worn off. I had been told several times, that my band was to tight that I needed to have at least a little bit taken out. But, I didn't want to do it. My not wanting to do this, lead to a 7 hour stay in an Emergency Room with really low sugar and vitiams. I have to make an appointment with my surgeon first thing Monday morning to have a little bit of my fill let out, and also let him know what happened. I am really worried that once I tell him this, I will end up having to have my band removed. I just hope that he doesn't advise that it be removed. I surely hope that my experience with this will teach everyone else, that they need to eat right and if they think their band may be a little to tight (even just a little to tight) they will meet with their surgeon and have it loosened. I DO NOT want anyone to go through the pain that I had to go through Thursday night. I slept all day yesterday and most of the morning today. I do feel alot better than what I did, but still a little tired. I guess that is expected with the major dose of pain medication that I was given. I hope all of you are doing well.

I agree with you, things should be the same. 60 here is very low.

Just thought you guys would like to hear about this. OK, I weighed myself Monday morning. I had posted a few days ago about being in a rut and not losing anything for the past few weeks. I got my hair cut off yesterday evening (man, I tell you, I haven't had it this short since I was in high school). I get up this morning and the thought run through my mind wondering if I had lost anything since I got my hair cut. So, I step back on the scales and believe it or not, I had lost 2 1/2 pounds. I couldnt do anything but laugh about that. I don't know, to me I found it a little bit funny. Wouldn't it be nice if losing weight was as simple as having your hair cut off? I called my cousin (she was the one that cut it) and told her about it. She laughed at me and then ask if I wanted her to come back up to the house and me go for the bald look...lol. Just thought maybe this little short story could be a pick me up for some of you out there.

How bout trying that sunless tanning lotion. I got some last summer and I didn't streak with it a bit. I believe it was Suave. It worked really well. I have to admit, I have been laying out in the pool this summer but mostly with my back showing. Sunless tanning is a lot more safe, but laying out on a float in the sun, it is just so relaxing. Also, if you are worried bout your scars, how bout trying the spray tan. I saw on commercial the other day that you are now able to order it and do it in your own home now.

This is total off the subject of lapband or anything to do with loosing weight. I am just so upset and home alone with nobody else to talk to. I hope nobody minds my venting about this on this site. If anyone does, I am very sorry. My 2 kids dad and I are divorced. They are spending a month of their summer vacation with him and his new bitch of a new wife. I want and need to go into just a bit of detail about their relationship. They met on the internet while I was the only one at work and supporting our family. While I would be at work, he would be on the phone with her and out seeing her. They were sleeping together when we were still married. I come home from work one day to him having his bags packed and him saying he had been unhappy for quite a while and was leaving. I tried my best to hold our family together but he was already with someone else. I don't hate either of them for what they did to me and my kids. As a matter of fact, I am grateful for them meeting and him leaving for her. If this hadn't have happened, I wouldn't be with my new husband now, the man whom I love with everything within me. I do hate Sam (his new wife) for knowing we were married, and still sleeping with him knowing he was married and had 2 children. As for my ex, he is such a dead beat ahole no good for anything piece of sh**. He doesn't pay childsupport unless the state of Tennessee finds out where he is working and takes it out of his check weekly themselves. When they start to do this, he ups and quits his job so he don't have to pay childsupport. His wife has told me they aren't paying childsupport they are smart and know how to get out of it. He has been summons to court 5 times since we have gotten divorced but has only shown up 1 time out of those 5 times he should have been there. He has her to lie when the cops show up at their door and say he isn't there cause he knows that if he don't get the summons for court, then legally they can't do anything about him not showing up, and once again gets away without paying child support. His wife tells me that my husband now, makes good enough money that the kids don't need their real daddy helping me out. I tell her she is right about the fact that my husband makes good money, but it is still their daddys responseabilty to help me support them. They both tell both of my kids that they pay child support every week and pays more that what the court has ordered. My oldest comes to me and tells me that they say this then i have to show her online where it shows the last time he paid anything and she realizes that he hasn't been paying. I hate to do that, but I can't and wont let them lie to her. They say that I spend the child support on clothes for myself and spend it on stuff that dont relate to either of them. That is such a lie. When he did pay and was forced to pay, I would pay bills, buy stuff for the house that my husband is building for us, and buy them clothes or whatever they needed or wanted. I checked with the child support office and yes, I can use the money to pay bills and to help build a house that they will live in. Right now, he is 3 months behind again, and guess what? He and his new wife just bought a new 2 story 3 bedroom 2 bath and a spare room. They got a new SUV, are always buying things for up there. He is supporting his 2 stepchildren and doesn't even care to help out his own flesh and blood. To me, he isn't their daddy, he is just a sperm donor with visitation rights. It makes me so angry to know that I can't give them stuff like he can. He trys to buy their love and let's face it my daughter is 10 and my son is 8, it's not hard to buy love for kids that young. But me, I can't afford to buy a Wii and games for it, I can't afford to go out and buy them new shoes every couple weeks, I can't afford to buy them toys and all that stuff. I can only afford to buy them the things that they NEED, and every once in a while, I am able to buy them what they want. It hurts me and makes me feel like a bad mom and failure when I tell them Idon't have the money when they ask for something. I work but don't make alot of money doing what I do. My husband pay and hours have been cut so we don't make alot of money. When we have extra money, we try to put it toward the house we are building so they will have a home to call their own. By the time we are finished building this home, we will owe NOTHING on it. It will be paid for fully. But what is a fully paid home worth to a 8 or 10 year old child. They don't understand what that means. Today, I got on myspace to send her a message to tell her I love her and to tell her brother I love him too and let them know that I will call them later this evening. I saw that she had added new albums to hers. I went to check it out, and its all pictures of her dad and her step dad. Not a single picutre of me or a single picture of her stepdad. Not a single picture of the only 2 people that actually try their best to provide for her. Not the ones that spend 100s of dollars for her for cheerleading, not the ones that stay up with her late at night when she is sick or sad cause something had happened earlier that day. Just her stepmom and dad. Her stepmom is trying to take my place. Yes I am happy that she says she loves my 2 like her own. But there is a line between loving them and trying to take my place. I know she can't take the place of me, but I am so scared that eventually, with them buying all this stuff for them and the big houses they keep buying, and the vacations they take them on, and all the stuff they can do for them that we can't, she is going to take my place and my kids are gonna want to live with them. 2 yrs. ago, they took temp. custody of the kids by going infront of a judge telling him that we hit them, and that my husband makes my daughter kiss him on the lips and saying that we make them call my husband daddy. Yes, I spank my children when they need it, but I or we dont hit on them. My daughter freely kisses my husband on the CHEEK before she goes to bed. I have never ask either of my kids to call him daddy mark or daddy for that matter and they never have. Even if they did, so what she calls her step mom moma sam. Whats the difference in her calling her step mom that and her step dad daddy mark. He is more of a daddy to both of them than their real daddy has ever been. Come to find out, he only did what he did with the whole court thing because he didn't want to pay child support (which he wasn't anyways and at that time he was almost 2 yrs behind on it), and was mad because I moved on with my life. He expected me to stay by myself, lonely for the rest of my life. It tore him up inside to know that I was finally happy and had a man that loved me and my children. OK, I'm sitting here holding back the tears. So I am going to stop now. I thank everyone that took the time to read this. If anyone would like to reply please do so.

Sometimes we all need an extra push in order to lose what weight we want and need to lose. The band is exactly the push that I needed and it has worked wonderfully for me. Whoever this lady is that is giving you down the road about getting banded. Just ignore her! She isn't in your shoes and does not know what you have gone through. You may not be as heavy as some of us started out being, but if your PCP and other Doctors think you will benefit from having this done, and you also think you will benefit, that is all you need. Some ppl just want to get up in your business and put their two cents in when it isnt wanted. Man, I thought this was suppose to be a support site for ppl wanting the band and for ppl who have already gotten the band. If you ever need someone to talk to that is on your side, send me a private message.

I totally understand with you being a self pay, how worried you are. That's a lot of money to spend and then you not being sure if it's worth it or not, well that only adds to it. Luckily I am one of the lucky ones that my insurance covered all of the surgery except for $500.00. If my insurance had not paid, I would probably not have had the lapband. A few key things to remember. 1. While the band is a tool, it is not a magic tool. It will work, but you have to help it work. You have to totally change your lifestyle, from eating healthy to exercising. 2. The band will not work over night. It takes time to lose weight. Just remember, you did not gain all this weight overnight and you wont lose it overnight. Hard work and determination will pay off. 3. Never compare yourself to someone else who has the band. We all lose at different speeds. You may be one of the ones who loses fast, then again, you may be one of the ones that loses slow. If you lose slow, don't let it get you down, SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE! There's more I could say to you, but to me, those 3 are the most important ones. I wish you all the success in the world, and trust me, as long as you do as you are suppose to, you wont regret spending the first dime for your lapband.

For the past few days, I have been getting out in the swimming pool trying to get a little bit extra time in on exercising. I have heard that water exercising is better than regular exercising. Does anyone know if this is true or not? Also, I have hit a platue (how ever you spell it) and have stopped moving on the scales for the past 3 weeks. It is really aggrevating me because I'm not eating more than I should, I actually haven't been eating as much as I should lately, but still, no movement on the scales....at least they are going up...that's good news. Can anyone help me out with this and if anyone knows of any water exercises and cares to give me a few hints I'd greatly appreciate it.

I have the realize band and love it. I really like the fact that once I lose all of my weight, I don't have to worry bout my port showing.