cwm812

Congratulations on your success! I'm glad that people have noticed your hard work. As for the people at work, they may have noticed, too. Sometimes people aren't sure what to say. I've even had people tell me that it's rude to comment on someone's size (good or bad). Well, I'm always up for a compliment. I'm sure you'll be hearing alot of them. Cindy

I've always been pretty fond of my band. It has done well by me, but when I truly fell in love was after my first Christmas with the band. I had eaten lots of junk throughout the holidays. I had little restriction and gained 5 lbs. I went in for a fill just after New Years and got my restriction back. I lost the five lbs and 5 more in the next two weeks. That's when I knew, this piece of silicon was going to help me keep my weight loss. Even when I screwed up, I had a tool to get me back on track. I could always diet, but I always gained it right back. Now I had something that truly helped me. Cindy

Nancy's right...it usually just takes a day or two for the swelling to get better. In the mean time, sip your liquids and try to stay hydrated. But...if you can't keep the liquids down, you do need to see you doctor and get a small unfill. For me, I could only handle tiny fills. So I had multiple fills, but it worked out ok. My insurance covered it and my doctor is close by. Just be careful and don't be afraid to call your doctor back, if things don't resolve in a day or two. I've had the swelling last up to a week, but usually it's 24 hours. Since it's only your second fill, you haven't figured out how your body reacts yet. Cindy

I am far from a fitness guru, but here's what I do. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and all I do is the elliptical for 45 minutes. When I started going to the gym, I did weights and cardio, but after about 6 months, I really didn't like the muscles I was building. The elliptical has really firmed up my arms, legs and abs. I don't understand it, but my abs actually improved when I stopped doing the ab machines. I say do what you like at the gym, just keep going and change it up, if you get bored. The most important thing is to keep moving. Cindy

Well, I agree with your personalized view of weight loss. I eat what I want, but I'm aware of the fact that if I eat junk, I won't lose weight. So most of the time, I eat healthy. I didn't start exercising until I had lost about 80 lbs. My weight loss was starting to slow at that time, and I really wanted to keep losing weight. I decided what I thought was reasonable. I work out at least three times a week. I knew from my extensive diet history, that if I go into this full-speed ahead, I just gain all the weight back when I get sick of it. It was very important to me that I could live with my choices. I exercise some and eat less. It feels right for me. Cindy

I think this is a difficult decision and I struggle with it too. I started at 350 and set my goal for 180. This still leaves me in the overweight category, but so much better than where I used to be. Now that I'm actually approaching my goal, I'm thinking about revising it downward. I'm happy with the size I'm wearing (size 12), but I still want to be thinner. I struggle with the balance between how I want to look and how I want to live. I'm not willing to eat nothing and work out constantly. I need balance in my life and if that still leaves me a little overweight, so be it. Contrary to what most of us have been led to believe, thinness is not the same as happiness. Pick a goal that seems realistic and modify it later if you want. This is your goal. Make it fit your needs. Cindy

The good news is that you are doing alot of things right. The exercise you're getting is great. I think the unfill will help. Right now, you probably eating too many sweets because as we all know, sugar goes down without a problem. I was too tight for a month and I found myself afraid to eat anything besides chili, chocolate and ice cream. What I would try, is once you have your unfill, do the liquids for a day or 2 and then try to eat as healthy as possible until you're back on track. I not really into depriving myself, but if I eat sweets today, I just want more of them tomorrow. If you get those bad carbs out of your system, I think it might just break your plateau. Cindy

I'm no doctor and I'm not even sure about this advice, but a couple of thoughts did occur to me.... I noticed that you are the same age as me. I've got this "perimenopause" thing going on and it has done some wackiness to me. Some days I'm exhausted, but most of the time I barely need 5 hours of sleep. I don't know how everyone feels, but I can tell that the hormone fluctuations really effect me. I can imagine that if you have thyroid issues and depression, it could really throw you for a loop. I also have had some friends who needed to change all their medications during this time because of the changes to their bodies. I know that no one likes to fool around with an antidepressant that's working for them, but unfortunately, it may be something you have to consider at some point. I hope you find the answer you need. It must be awful to feel tired all the time. Cindy

My band definitely gets tighter in response to stress. I don't necessarily throw up, but I have gotten stuck. I'm also at a point where I can tell it's tight and then I stick to "safe" foods. When I'm stressed, I tend to eat alot of chili. Cindy

I definitely felt the same way that you do about bypass. Although I know some people who have been successful with it, I went to a seminar and knew it was not for me. Luckily, my doctor had no problem with my weight (350 lbs) and the band. He told me that in their practice, the bypass patients lost quicker, but at 3 years out, the weight loss was the same for both band and bypass patients. I'm almost 2 years out, 160 lbs down and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Do your research and if you still think the band is for you, I'd go for it! Cindy

It's a long time ago for me now, but I only told my husband for months. I wanted to make sure that I knew what I wanted before everyone else started weighing in with their opinion. As my surgery got closer, I told more people. By then, I was sure of my decision and their opinions didn't bother me. In my case, most people were supportive (at least to my face!). Now, I have no problem with people knowing about it, but back then, I wanted to make sure it was my decision, not someone else's. Cindy

You know, I'm not sure what'll I'll do. I've spent most of my life worrying about my weight. I'll have to get a new hobby... Cindy

I'm at the Weight Loss Clinic, too. Dr. Davidson was my surgeon. They have worked out really well for me. They're close to my house and they always fit me in when I need an appointment. Dr. Weiger is good with fills. I've never had a problem. Cindy

Hey, Sal. I'm from central PA, too, Harrisburg specifically. I know you know the answer to your question, but all the foods you mention are mushies, not full liquids. I'm glad you're doing fine after eating the inside of a donut, but it is dangerous to push your luck 5 days post-op. If you really want something else to eat, I call the doctor's office and ask them. Sometimes, they let patients move a little faster on the diet recommendations. One of the first things I ate was a soft boiled egg. It wasn't exactly solid food, but it was delicious after a week of Protein drinks, Jello and broth. The good news is that this period goes quick. You'll be on to real food in no time! Cindy

I used to worry about those damn arm chairs all the time. There is nothing more embarrassing to look around the waiting room and realize you can't sit in any of the empty chairs. Now that I'm thinner, I always take the arm chair and leave the bigger ones open. I don't want anyone to have to feel like that. Cindy

I take capsules and caplets on a regular basis without any problems. It really depends on how tight your fill is. I do not take those giant Vitamin pills, but anything else has been ok. Cindy

My lap-band® experience has far exceeded my expectations. At my last appointment, my doctor said that I have done better than most of his bypass patients. I'm still losing, but the goal is in sight. My philosophy on weight loss is different than most people on these boards. I don't follow food rules.(I did follow my post-op diet) I eat moderately and I exercise moderately. I eat the same food I cook for my family every night. I followed "food rules" in some form or another for most of my life and it got me to 350 lbs. The band allows me to eat like a normal person and not be fighting hunger or obsessing on rules. If you like rules and structure, the rules may work for you, but for me, unstructured is best. Cindy

Here's what my doctor told me: Don't eat anything with 2 hours of lying down. Double your meds. And if it's not better in 2 weeks, come in and have some fill removed. I did all that and I needed to have a really small unfill and my reflux went away. My problems started after a fill, so it may not be the same scenario for you. Another thing... We all forget on here that many of the unbanded have reflux, too. Not everything is related to our bands. You may just need some meds. I had an ulcer before I had my band and I never had reflux. I still needed my meds. Cindy

I feel your pain. I don't eat in the middle of the night, but I always seem to need a little something before bed. I know it breaks the so-called rules, but I can't seem to stop. There is always more behavior modification to work on! Cindy

If your insurance company doesn't think your history is good enough, they will probably require a 6 month (or less) medically supervised diet. At least that's what mine did. In fact, they required it regardless of your history. Your history is common around here. We've all failed repeatedly or we wouldn't be thinking about surgery. I think you'll be fine. Cindy

Well, I never thought to ask anyone if it was a good idea, but I had a nasty cold last week and I was living on Nyquil. I do so much better, if I can get some sleep. During the day, I just took Sudafed. It worked for me. Cindy

I'm with you, Bree. I think it is a medical condition and a very poorly understood one. For me, the lap-band® is the ONLY way-out. I've done the hard way repeatedly and that makes it a dead end street, not an exit from the obese life. I truly believe that someday, a researcher will discover that the obese have serious metabolic issues and this is not simply a matter of willpower. I know how different I feel with my band. It makes me feel normal, that's not a matter of willpower. I truly think there is something physically wrong with me that needed to be corrected. I've corrected my problem and I'm healthier for it. It hasn't been easy, but it works! and itwould be crazy to repeat all my past failures. Cindy

I don't think you are cheating. I think you are doing just great. I try to choose wisely about 90% of the time and the rest I don't worry about. If I have a busy day or if it's Friday night, we might order pizza. I eat a slice and I don't get too concerned. This weight loss thing is a marathon, not a sprint. I need to live my life, too. Cindy

I had the best NSV yesterday. I was trying on coats at a department store. I tried on the blue one and went for a black one. This tiny little women then asks me if the blue jacket is a medium, because that's what she's looking for. I can't believe that anyone thought I might be trying on a MEDIUM. Granted the coat I was trying on was a Large, but, you know just last year it was a 1x and 2 years ago it was a mighty tight 3x. Who knows maybe I will be a medium soon! I love my band. Cindy