MollyAnne

I have not visited for some time. I had my surgery on 10/29/09. I lost most of my weight - I had to keep it off - right around my surgery - like 25 lbs. I have lost 15 more lbs and have not lost anything since. My band is TIGHT!!! Boy do I know what restriction feels like. I have my last fill in Sep and my band did not feel this tight. I do not know what changed - but something did. It is super tight. Basically just eating soup and drinking protein drinks - low fat and low sugar ones - EAS. To make sure I get in my protein. BUT I am NOT LOSING WEIGHT. I know I need to exercise badly. I guess I would think if I am hardly eating anything why would I not be losing weight - weird! What is the magic calorie limit? What foods are ones that will trick your body - Please someone help me! I need to lose about 80 more lbs. I know exercise is an absolute - starting the WII Fit et tomorrow morning. I drink my fluids for sure. Just need some guidance. Good news is my Diabetes is totally under control! YEAH and I have lost 40 lbs - but I have been at the same weight for few months. Thanks! Molly

Ok - finally I am at restriction. I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on 10/29/08. First fill 12/01/08 3cc. Then 12/28 2cc - still not at restriction. Went in on 2/11 and the Doc put in another 1.75 cc - and then I could feel it! Obviously right after a fill you have to be on liquids then mushies - so I lost 5 lbs fast. But then of course when I started eating food - I ended up only losing 2 lbs by the next weigh in. So 5 days ago they put in another.4cc and it was tighter. Could feel it even more and now am not eating to awful much. In the morning the restriction is the tightest and loosens up more during the day - is this normal? Second - I want a good diet to follow - where can I find one. And third - I am now understanding how very important EXERCISE is to the success of the band. The weight does not just fall off like with the big Gastric Bypass. I JUST WANT TO SUCCEED DAMMIT!!! My resting metabolism is 2500 calories a day I am supposed to burn - so that is if I laid down all day and did nothing. I am not eating more than 1200 calories a day at most if that. I just need to get on the DOWN ward weight spiral. I know there are so many of you that have succeeded at this and I want to be one of you! Also - where do you get the cool lil weight sliders to add to your posts. I have lost 20 lbs and turned my diabetes around in the last 4 months since my surgery. SO that is positive - I just want this other 100lbs OFF! Any and all help WANTED and appreciated! MollyAnne

Thanks guys! The problem with me is that I am not eating that much food and not losing. I will be honest and say that at night - sometimes I get into the Peanut Butter - stress!!! I am goint to not buy it anymore. It goes down to easy and tastes to good - and is my one comfort food. It is just at restriction I thought that it would just fall off - and it is not!! The doctor said that if I am not at my "perfect" band fill I am close - and I agree. I am just so ready to see the scale go down!!!!!

I had my surgery on 10/29/08. Starting 2 weeks b4 my surgery I had to be on a full liquid diet and that lasted until 2 weeks after my surgery and then to musshy food. Between 10/15 and 11/10 I lost 24 pounds. I have maybe lost 2 lbs since then. I actually gained a couple and since Jan 1 have lost maybe 3 lbs. I have had 2 fills - one on 12/1 for 3 ccs and one on 12/28 with 2 more cc's. At first after the last fill - i felt restricted but that was probably because of the fill causing swelling or something right after. I watch what I eat and I want to start journaling online - need a recommendation on that. BUT I AM frustrated with no weight loss. Not to mention I need to start exercising. For the last 5 days I am having what I believe to be Gall Bladder pain and it hurts down by my port as well. Please someone tell me that I am not going nuts. I mean based on how I am eating I would think I would be losing weight. I am Diabetic - but my diabetes AC1 test took me from 9 to 6.6 which is excellent - so that is good news. I am Insulin resistant. I need a buddy or something. My mother constantly asks me how my weight loss is going - like it should just be falling off. I have been trying to tell her that I am not at restriction - so this is just me doing this. My band holds 11 ccs I think and I am at 5. I just need some guidance from someone who has gone thru this as well. Vitamins I could take - besides the multi or something. I got my Wii Fit out of the box and will start using tomorrow morning. Help!!!!! I need help and cannot wait to help others once I have this down - but I do not have it down. I do not eat to the point of stuffed. I am now rambling........ Help!:cursing:

I had my surgery on 10/29. When I went back in for my post-op appt on 11/10 I had lost 22 pounds. All of that was just lil ol me from the liquid diet leading up to surgery and also the liquid diet after surgery. I have not anything since. I have stayed RIGHT THERE! I had my first fill on 12/1 and a second fill on 12/28. I now have 5cc's in a band that holds 11cc's. Right after my fill on 12/28 I felt more restricted - but now I do not. I know that this band is a tool and that diet and exercise are necessary. I just want to get to that restrictive point!!!! I watch on the xray machine as they do the fill and I drink stuff to see how fast it is going thru the band. I know I am more restricted now - but not at the point where I can eat only a 1/4 cup at a time. Last night I ate a whole chicken breast and about a scoop of mash potatoes - no problem. I just am ready to really get this going!!!!! At this point it would be me doing it on my own - just eating less and exercising. Which is great - I just had this surgery for a reason - not to feel hungry and lose weight! HELP!!!! Also - I am a diabetic and this surgery really turned around my diabetes! I went from 5 pills and 2 injections to 1/2 a pill a day. That is the best thing that has come out of this surgery - now *I need the weight to come off!!!!!:thumbup:

As far as the Diabetes goes - there are the same studies that show the the Lap Band has the same results. I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic - one of the top hospitals in the World. Believe me - it works on diabetes. What are slider foods? I will start journaling my foods. I just am ready for restriction. Why do they do it a lil at a time? When they fill my band at the Clinic - I have to drink some gross stuff so they can see it go into the pouch and then see how fast it goes thru. Pretty cool. I am assuming that right after they do it there is some swelling that adds to the restriction at that very moment - but that then it goes away. Just readY!!!:thumbup:

OK! I had surgery here at The Cleveland Clinic on 10/29. I was on a liquid diet starting 10/15 leading up to my surgery. Then I followed the liquid, mushie - solid food deal. When I went in for post-op on 11/10 I had lost 22 lbs from 10/15. All of that was My doing. I went in on 12/1 for my first fill and was at the same loss. I do not know what kind of band I have - I guess I can just call them and ask? He put in 3cc's. I do not feel different. I understand it will take time. The problem is that I have been eating in the very small amount directive given in the book. I feel like in the last 2 days at lunch I can eat more than that - and have a lil. Also - at night sometimes I have a lil Peanut Butter - the nurse suggested it for my blood sugar. I am a diabetic and off ALL medicine since surgery except for a .5 a pill - WHICH IS AMAZING!!!! But sometimes my sugar gets low and she told me to use PB - and I made a lil bit of a bad habit cuz it actually tastes GOOD!!!! I need to stop. Anyway - I guess I just need some encouragement. I did not really know that it may take up to 4 fills to get this thing going. I am IMPATIENT I guess. I am a super positive person and just ready for a new ME!!!! A new healthier ME. Going from 5 pills and 2 injections per day to a .5 a pill is very positive and losing 22 lbs in 5 weeks is very positive - I just am expecting the scale to move!!!! HELP!

I had my first fill on 12/1 - 3 cc. The Doctor told me that up to that point they had done nothing to help me lose weight. My surgery was on 10/29. I have lost 22 lbs since starting a 2 week liquid diet before surgery and then up to my first post-op appt on 11/10. So that was like 3.5 weeks. That was ALL me doing it too - which was encouraging. MY FILL HURT. I have a huge ugly bruise still from that fill. It has almost been a week and a half since the fill and the bruise is Yellow, Purple and in some instance red - the red is new like something is bleeding in there. I also have pain from there. I went bowling on Sat - which was 40 days after my surgery and I strained something by my port. HURTS!!!! Just want to find out if anyone else had bruising with the fill. Thanks Molly Anne! Also do the October Bandsters have a name? Just wondered!

I had my surgery at The Cleveland Clinic on October 29, 2008. Awesome experience - great Surgeon - Dr. Matthew Kroh. I received my first fill on Dec 1, 2008 - I think 3cc's. I am wondering at what level of filling the band do you really feel the restriction? So glad to find this web site with the forums!!!! Awesome to have support! Molly:tongue2:

Brandy - What does full restriction fill like? Just wondering. Also I have seen people putting pb'ed in posts - what does that stand for? At what point did you start to lose weight - beyond being on liquids. I lost 22 lbs just from that. I feel like based on what I am eating - I should be shedding the pounds anyway - but I did lose that pretty fast. Did you lose initially and then with restriction really take it off? Let me know!