juliegeraci

I will be banded a year on Wednesday. I have lost 54 lbs so far. I am happy with my slow weight loss however. I have just started to exercise more so the weight is starting to come off again. I love being banded and am happy that I did it!

My weight loss has been an average of 2 lbs a week. I have lost about 54 lbs in a year. I would say 2 lbs a month is a little low. You can count on 1-2 lbs a week. You shouldn't compare yourself to those who lose 10 lbs a month because you can be someone like me. In any case, I am very happy with my weight loss to date and I would get banded again. Its a great tool, but you need to put the work into it. Right now I am upping my exercise so that is really helping me. Julie

I can't wait to get it. Barnes and Nobles didn't have it in so it will take a few days to get here. I like the fact that she was steady with her weight loss and never gave up until goal. Losing close to 200 lbs without having RNY is amazing.

Gas X strips, liquid tylenol, protein powder, soup, anything liquid, juices, soft foods like apple sauce, oatmeal, heating pad for the gas pains in the shoulder if you get them.

Lauren, I am really excited for you. I know your battle has been long and hard with the surgeon's office and insurance. You will love being banded. Congrats. Julie

You are completely normal because you do not have restriction yet. You will feel better after you start to get fills. Good luck.

You are doing fabulous. Keep up the good work.

You sound perfectly normal. If you are eating like you were prebanded it is time for you to get fills? Are you afraid to have restriction? Somedays I can eat almost everything I need to get in good nutrition. Other days, like today I can't eat much at all. It just depends on how fickle my band is. Hang in there. You can always bring your concerns to the forum. That is what we are here for. Julie

I would definitely get a slight unfill and start counting calories. Just make sure you stay from 1k-1200 a day. You should be fine. Also, bump up your exercise so you can start losing again. Good luck.

Hi Friends, Just wanted to give you a status update. I am almost banded 1 year, June 6th. I had some issues last month and I couldn't hold down solids. I went to the doctor and he said that sometimes the stomach muscles can thicken around the band tightening it. So he took out 1/2 my fill and I promptly gained 4.5 lbs in 2 weeks. I am happy to report that I have now lost that 4.5 plus an additional 2.5. I am happy with my weight loss this year, although I do feel I could have lost more. I am down to 228 from a high of 282. So that puts me at 54 lbs in 11.5 months. I am an average loser. I also rejoined my gym about 3.5 weeks ago and since then I've lost 13 lbs. It is all part of my weight gain I had last month. I am really close to getting into a size 18 now. So that is what has been going on with me.

You are doing everything right. Stay below 1k calories and you should lose at a steady pace. Good luck.

I also like GNC protein powder. I have the chocolate.

I love the nonfat, sugar free cinnamon dolce , no whipped, iced. Try it cold. You will love it.

I was filled with the thicker solution without a problem. My fill held perfectly for 3 months. When I went in recently to have my fill adjusted he was able to take all the solution out without a problem. There was no leak and now I am at the perfect level still. It is worth trying. I haven't heard anything about it getting "stuck". It is just a little thicker then saline and my doctor had no problems extracting the same amount through the needle. Good luck.

I agree with both posts. You need to make sure the pouch can hold the solids down first. If you wash it through you are defeating the purpose of the pouch. Also, you can PB if you aren't careful by adding fluid to the food inside the patch. Both ways, it is not a good idea.

Now is the time to heal. I gained 6 lbs when I went to mushies so don't feel so bad. Once you start to get your fills you will start to lose weight. It just takes time for your body to get use to solid meals. You will be fine.

I was 282 when I got banded. I had lost about 30 lbs on my own. It took me a year at least to lose that. I was fed up at not being able to lose more so that is when I looked into the lapband. Good luck to you.

I think Kaiser has a program that once approved you go through their program. I think it is either 6 or 12 months. You have to lose 10% of your weight before they will do the surgery. Go into your doctor and find out more. That is where I would start. Good luck.

Obesity is a disease just like diabetes. Take your mom to your weight loss support group or informational meeting so she can learn more about the band.

Yes! When you hit your sweet spot you will be lucky to get down 2 oz of protein at once. 4 oz is way too mucy at one sitting. Go in for a fill until you can only eat 1/2 cup of food. That is a good gauge to see if you are filled to the right level.

My husband had problems with his libido and he couldn't keep it up. Turns out his testasterone was so low that no wonder. He had shots and now uses viagra when necessary. It can be resolved. You just have to speak out. Also, remember its a muscle. The more you use it the better it gets. At least in my husband's case.

You are not crazy at all. Each one of us has that decision to make. Just beware that the hunger pangs will come back full force. You will have to consume roughly 1k=1200 calories a day to continuet to lose 1-2 lbs a week. That is if you are suppose to consume 1600 to maintain like me. Good luck with your decision. I lost my band for 2 weeks while getting an unfill and gained 4.5 lbs in that time. I know now how much my band means to me. Good luck with your decision.

These all sound like good reasons. But speaking from experience when I wasn't fill and gaining 4.5 lbs in a week. The weight will come back on if you don't limit your calories to your resting heart rate. Mine is 1600 calories a day not to gain. Just be careful.

My doctor has a support group that meets monthly. If you aren't a patient it is just $5 to join. You may want to consider Dr. Ortiz in Mexico who is a fraction of your doctor. Just make sure he will do your follow up care. You should be in good hands after that. Good luck.

I use to have to crush one of my pills but I no longer have to. The size of an M&M goes down fine. Just make sure you check with the pharmacist before you crush your meds to make sure you can. Good luck.