Soleil

Boy do I wish I had found this website right after my surgery, I might have been close to my ideal weight by now. I was banded in July of last year (I weighed in at 280) and now, one year later, I've lost only about 20 lbs. My ideal weight is anywhere between 150-140 lbs. So I have around 110 lbs. to lose. At first I did everything right and that's where my weight loss happened. I've had 5 fills to date. I don't eat a huge amount of food, not even platefuls and I don't eat high calorie/carb foods on a normal basis. But I'm not losing weight. I'm right at 260 and have been there for the past 8-9 months...I'm rather frustrated with myself. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to running around the forums and getting myself back on track.

Thank you! Well, about me...I'm currently living in Texas but I was born and raised in Asia. I've got four siblings, two brothers (23 and 12) and two sisters (18 and 15), the younger two are with my dad still overseas and the other two are in Virginia, my mom is in Heaven. I'm nearly 21, single, no kids, finishing up the last two classes to get my Associates in graphics. I currently don't have a job, I freelanced for Neiman Marcus over the summer, working on their catalogs, and am pursuing a job there in the graphics department. So yup, that's the scoop on me. :cursing: Hi thanks. :thumbdown: I have not been keeping much track of exactly what I eat, although I do tend to eat foods low in carbohydrates. I don't eat a lot of bread or rice since they don't go down well. I usually pick out my food based on how soft it is, which is a terrible way to pick it out probably. :thumbup: As far as quantity, I eat more than I should, probably about a cup and a half of food per meal. I'm working on cutting that down right now. No, I don't keep a food journal and I don't count calories. I'm more used to counting carbs. See, this is the kind of stuff I wish I had in the beginning. I'm not doing anything for exercise, and that's a problem. I work 8-9 hour days and am doing school as well, so finding time to squeeze exercise in is hard. Although I know I should be doing it. My last fill was in April. My doctor said I was "almost there" as far as fills go, then he said that unless I was getting hungry a lot, I didn't need another fill. I haven't been unusually hungry, so I haven't been back. I've only been hungry at appropriate meal times. Although, since I do eat more than I should, I'm a tad worried that I've stretched my pouch. I've eaten more than I am now and then gone in for a fill and my stomach pouch hasn't gotten any bigger, and I'm curious as to why that might be. Anyhows...

Hey people! I just wanted to drop in and say "hi" and thanks for the welcome into your group. I really wish I had found these forums initially, I think it would have been a great help. I ask for your advice on what kind of exercise you have found works best, and hopefully something I can do without paying too much money (as I am a student and currently income-less). Also, I have flat feet, I was born that way, and so staying on my feet for a long amount of time is sometimes painful. Also, any tips you can share with me as far as controlling food intake and what foods you like best. Basically I'm "hungry" for anything you can give me. :biggrin: Thanks again, SO very much!!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes. :biggrin: In response to thesuse2000, I am not sure how many cc's my band holds. But I do remember at my last fill (in April) that the doctor said I was almost to the limit, or something to that effect. I assumed he meant as much as the band could hold? And no, I haven't counted calories, I'm used to counting carbs instead. No, I have not been tested (at least to my knowledge) for anything related to my thyroid. Though I do suppose it would be a good idea. I've been able to lose up to 60lbs. before on a strict low carb diet. I can't understand why I can't do it again. Huh... Wow, there's a thread for 7/07 's? That's pretty neat! I'm going to head over there and take a look. :dita: Thanks again everyone!! Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate more now that I will have some accountability/support. :tongue: