poodles.me

We're all different. I had a much harder time with recovery from Lap Band then with my c-section.

Could you please share what Lap Band cookbook you are using? I would appreciate it. Poodles

Sounds to me like you do. I had the same issue, had a fill and dropped 3lbs this week. Not as hungry either. I have heard that you are tighter in the morning but to me I feel no different. Good luck.

After reading on here how quickly some people recovered, I assumed I would be the same. I wasnt. It took me a full 2 weeks to get back to sort of normal. I couldnt even ride in the car 1 week out b/c I had motion sickness. My surgeon said this was the norm, and that if you do recover quicker its a blessing but unusual. Give yourself lots of time, if you can.

I'm right there with you. I am in the midst of a divorce myself. I have no idea what life will be like after being married for 12 years and together 18. Plus newly banded! Banded on Dec. 30th, I've lost 54lbs with 50 more to go. Email me privately if you'd like to chat. I completely understand. poodles.me@gmail.com

Hello, I was banded the end of Dec. and since my pre-op diet I have lost 30lbs. Of course I am very happy to have lost that much that quick but something has changed this past week. I finally started on real food and now my weightless has completely stopped. Is it normal that once you start eating again you stall or plateau? I am being very careful of what I eat and measure and count calories and Protein. I always stay under 1200 calories, usually around 1100 sometimes less. Could this be too much food? I guess I am surprised b/c I am doing so well with my eating but just not losing. I know I have nothing to complain about with that weight loss but you all know what I mean right? I need that scale to keep moving or I lose my momentum and optimism. I am scheduled for a fill next week...(yikes, scared) but I still have restriction now and don't even know if I need it or want it. I have not experienced bandster hell either and feel like I have control, just not a loss. Anyone with advice? Sincerely, Poodles <><

I just got on the scale this morning and am shocked. I started this last year at 272, when I had the surgery on December 30th, 2008 I was 261 and now this morning I am 209. In all honesty I never thought I'd ever see 209 again in my life. For me to think that the One Hundreds are only 10lbs away is shocking to me. Yes, maybe I am being dramatic but its so HUGE to me that I had to share it. I never thought my goal of 160 was really possible but now that I am half way there I have a bit of hope that it is really something that I can achieve. I LOVE MY BAND. Oh, and I broke my plateau by EATING more! Its just what my body needed. Our bariatric office advice of 800-1000 calories a day is for the birds....lol Anyway, just wanted to share. Poodles

Oh, thank you all so much for the kind words. I just had to share my happiness and knew this was the place to do it! I have had some issues and apparently I am a slow learner b/c I have PB'd a lot but now I am getting better at just looking at something and knowing if it will be ok. Although sometimes I am still wrong or my band likes to play games with me...:thumbdown: Thank goodness, with the exception of one time, I was always at home when I had a problem. It has always been that I ate too much or that I ate something like bread. That will do it. To ahb08, I had gained and lost the same 2lbs for 3 weeks and was so frustrated. I spoke to the nutritionist and she said I was eating too much? Eating too much? hhmmmm I remembered that Wendie plan from WW and how she changes up her points to be some days really high and other days lower and that's what worked. I also read on Calorie Count that once you lose 10-20% of your body weight your body stops losing weight and rests a while. That made me feel better and since I had been in starvation mode for those weeks I just started eating more and low and behold 4lbs came off. If you start so low where do you have to go after that? I would have been like 800 calories? TO ME, and I am no expert or Dr. that is way too low. I also read that women shouldn't go below 1200 b/c it is unhealthy. I believe that. But this is what worked for me, for now. Believe me I'm not foolish enough to think that I wont be on here again crying about my newest plateau...but at least I'll get support again! lol Thanks guys, for caring. Poodles

Hello, I've only lost 60lbs and I am 45 years old and I can say that I have a lot of skin. My surgeon said it was a matter of genetics. If you genetically have good elasticity in your skin you might be ok but obviously I don't. Upper arms are bad but the worst is that my knees have fallen...lol I have the big ole knees which I didn't have before. Still I wouldn't change it. I'd rather have some skin and fit into my size 16 jeans now (that I haven't worn since 1980 something) than my 26 jeans I was in a few years ago. I also had what they call stress incontinence. It was driving me crazy but now? Not at all. It all went away. I can hold it normally again and never leak anymore. THANK GOD! So just my 2 cents...

I'm right there with you. I have lost and gained the same 2lbs for the last few weeks. What did help me, in terms of how I view it, was that I noticed I had lost 7 lbs over the last 30 day period. I used Calorie Count to log my food and weight and when I saw that I felt better....BUT still no movement for a long time is depressing. I hear you! If you find the answer please share. The Queen of Plateaus...:rolleyes2:

Yep, not trying to start anythig with anyone. Just the facts. Research needs to be done....thats all. Best Poodles

Just another point of view of milk. Milk has been made very popular by the meat and Dairy industry b/c of their lobbyists in Washington. In truth there is a lot of controversy over milk and just how healthy it is. We have been conditioned to believe its a good food but I think otherwise as do millions of others. You just cant hear our voices over the piles of cash thrown at DC yearly. Milk is meant to feed baby cows not humans. We would never consider drinking dog's milk right? YUK! Just food for thought. http://www.notmilk.com/

Here it is! The Wendie Plan

I'm right there with you! Its so frustrating. I thought I was the only one and had failed yet again with dieting...But I think, like the others said its a plateau. This morning I was reading on Calorie Count that once you lose 10-20% of excess weight you plateau. Its just how your body adjusts. The big thing I took from that article was that if you start your calories too low and then plateau well then you are stuck with those low calories b/c that will maintain you. I know we all had to be low calories for a while but I am back up to 1500 most days, some more some less and I am 1. happier and 2. FINALLY losing again. I cannot go forever on 800-1000 calories and I dont belive its healthy either. I also have read WW info...someone named Wendy or something like Wendy's WW info...where she had tracked and tracked her calories/eating for years and was always so frustrated when she wouldn't lose even though she was dieting like crazy. In looking back over all her notes she realized that the times when she broke her plateaus were the times she ate the most. Just like someone else said..you got to cheat and eat sometimes to get past it. I'll see if I cant find that article and post it here. Good luck and stay positive.

I recently read a post, that I cannot find now, about how the first few bites she took got stuck and made her PB but then after that she was fine and could eat a lot.... Anyone know who that was or where I can read that post? That is my new issue. Not with everything but with lots of things. I take a few bites, get stuck, deal with it and then can eat. Whats up with that? P

Hi there, I was banded Dec. 31st and I am so glad to hear of others having the same issues that I am. I have lost 44lbs since then but for the last month things have pretty much stopped. 2lbs in all...thats it. I'm so frustrated and I know that losing the 44 is great and that its just a plateau but geez.... I also have the sweet tooth but I have to manage it by not giving in at all most of the time b/c once I start thats it. I also am really liking my nightly bowl of chips! ARGH I hate it. I had to have a small unfill b/c of reflux which I am still dealing with. NO matter what I eat I have this throat clearing thing happening for a long time after. But I am hungry a lot of the time. I cant really eat certain things b/c lots of stuff gets stuck. I am sick of getting stuck too. Sometimes things go down easy and then the same food gets stuck next time. Very frustrating. Some days I wish I had chosen the GB as well. I know there are other issues with that procedure that I dont have to deal with now but at least you dont get food stuck all up your esophogus and PB etc.... Its not the easy way out by any means!

This was my biggest fear too! I have a huge fear of needles. I agree with others when they say dont look. It just makes it worse for no reason. My office offers NO numbing anything and its not done with any other equiptment either so I was very nervous. I felt a teeny tiny pick, way less than giving blood and then it was over. Honestly? Taking off the stupid bandaid hurt way more then the needle. That is the truth! Dont worry, kick your feet and tighten your belly.....You'll be fine! Poodles

Hi, I was wondering if anyone with the band is a vegetarian or vegan? It is something that I have been considering for a long time now and have made the move towards becoming but have not been able to fully incorporate yet. If you are would you mind sharing some sample menus with me? I know I can find a lot on line but getting info from fellow bandsters is more encouraging to me. Thanks

Hello all, I was banded at the end of Dec. and since then have lost 44lbs. (still 70 more to go) Yes, I am very happy that I have lost that much BUT for the past 2 1/2 weeks I have not lost an ounce and have actually gained 1 lb. What is up with that? I had a fill about 3 weeks ago, my first and it ended up being too tight. Go figure that 1cc would be too tight so I had .25 removed. I'm not getting as stuck anymore and the reflux has subsided but the scale still refuses to move. I also started exercising (hadnt dont anything prior to a month ago) and have been faithfuly attending the gym and swimming 4x per week and still NOTHING! ARGH! I have heard the "you're building muscle and it weighs more than fat" line but the trainer says thats bull, not that it doesnt weigh more than fat, but that if you are building muscle then you're also losing that fat so there should be some movement. What the heck am I doing wrong? I am tracking my food, exercising and trying to eat right. I'm also taking a number of really high quality Vitamins (Purchased through the Doctor) to boost my health. Anyone with advice? I am just at a loss and need some support. Thanks, Poodles

Cleo's Mom...I'm so glad you told me about the weight changing as you lose....I didn't know that. I thought that even at 150 the calories to stay the same would be similar to what it is at 220...ugh. I'm not happy to know that but I'm glad I do...LOL What the heck will I eat at 150? Holy smoke...not a lot of food! I'm a hungry girl now! So this morning the scale FINALLY moved 2lbs down. What the heck? I supposed it matters that I am also constipated (sorry to be graphic) Is this normal for bandsters? Its a constant thing with me. And adding Fiber does not help me. Still the same old thing. Now let me add junk and I'm FINE! weird... I have been working out so hard which is something that I have NEVER done in my entire 45 years of living that its discouraging to not have it show on the scae. In truth I don't want to work out. I want to watch TV with a bag of chips...lol BUT I did not go through all this to fail. I don't want to say these words but if I were to fail this I think I'd really give up b/c I looked at this as sort of my 'last chance'. Scary to write that but its true. So anyway, thank you for the excellent advice on this subject. I'll probably write again at the next plateau...lol Help!

Thank you for the book recommendation. I will look that one up at my library. As for what type of vegetarian I will be I have thought long and hard about this. I would LOVE to be a vegan but at this point I know that I cannot pull that off. I have too many old habits in me from a lifetime to just not eat any animal products. I really don't know how to cook anything but meat. But I'm learning. Breakfast was never meat really b/c I am allergic to eggs, but lunch was always sandwich meat or tuna, chicken etc. I am trying to get off the wheat too and so sandwiches are out for now. I've been doing big salads. dinner was always meat as the main ingredient and then carb and veggie. So typical. Dairy is not my thing. I like cheese but milk is gross to me. I cant get past the whole cow, baby cow yukkiness of it. I wish I could like the soy or rice cheese but its sooooo gross that I am stuck with either goat or cows milk. I'm trying slowly to change things and learn about new foods that I had previously never even heard of. Quinoa? Its fabulous! lol So that's where I'm at. I hope to keep reading more and learning more about it. Thanks for the info and any other info you come across I am interested in hearing.

My calorie intake is always under 1500, usually 1200ish. I know that some people say between 800-1000 but that is just way too low for me and I cant sustain that. And speaking of calories and intake something has made me curious. Why is it that when you are trying to lose weight like on WW etc. without weight loss surgery, they will tell you and the Dr. will tell you not to go below 1200. Everything I read says that women shouldnt go below 1200 but once you have weight loss surgery you are advised to go to 800? It doesnt make sense to me. Even a child eats over 800/day. Anyway, I am certain its a plateau but I think I am a big baby and NEED to see progress often. I am convinced that it was always plateaus that stopped me from being successful prior to the band b/c once it stopped moving...I stopped trying. Now I have no choice but thats ok, Thanks for the tips.

I wasnt sure where to post this...forgive me if its the wrong place. I was banded the end of Dec. and since my pre-op diet I have lost 30lbs. Of course I am very happy to have lost that much that quick but something has changed this past week. I finally started on real food and now my weightless has completely stopped. Is it normal that once you start eating again you stall or plateau? I am being very careful of what I eat and measure and count calories and Protein. Always getting on the high side of protein too. I always stay under 1200 calories, usually around 1100 sometimes less. Could this be too much food? I guess I am surprised b/c I am doing so well with my eating but just not losing. I know I have nothing to complain about with that weight loss but you all know what I mean right? I need that scale to keep moving or I lose my momentum and optimism. I am scheduled for a fill next week...(yikes, scared) but I still have restriction now and don't even know if I need it or want it. I have not experienced bandster hell either and feel like I have control, just not a loss. Anyone with advice? Sincerely, Poodles <><