sparkplug

i am to goal with 90 pds gone and I have and probaby will always weigh myself once a day. Each morning after having my coffee and first BM I weigh myself just to make sure I did not gain and am staying the same. This is how I caught the 3 pd gained at Christmas and got it off before it mushroomed out of control. This is my new life and I intend to keep track of this weight on a daily basis. You need to do what you feel is necessary to keep control of your weight. More than once a day is way too much to weigh and just might keep you in the worse mood since Water weight goes up and down throughout the day. If I do eat something too salty I see it on the scale in am and that is another sign to back off on the sodium. I feel I have a handle on this weight issue and my scale is my best friend, it does not lie and keeps me in check. Good luck on your journey.

I was banded on 12/20/08, I am to goal with losing 90 pds and have been maintaining for the last year or so. It is a struggle with my head hunger, it never goes away, but I love wearing a size 8-10 and having people say how nice I look and what an accomplishment I have made! I have added possibly another 10-20 years on my life by losing that weight and am off all meds. I do occasionally get hungry when it is not time to eat and I do my best to ignore it and do something to get my mind off of eating. I walk twice a day for 20 minutes on my breaks for exercise and do loads of yard work at home on weekends. Soon we will have our pool opened (live in Arizona) and exercise is more fun being thin than when I was struggling with the extra 90 pds. I had this done at Christmas time because this was my Christmas gift TO ME! I was refused the first two times by insurance and the third time only gave me 2 weeks notice before they squeezed me in on a full schedule by the surgeon. You guys can do this and will do it if you really want. I constantly get gas and have to make sure to keep my gas x strips with me at all times. In the beginning it had lodged in my shoulder and it moved all over my stomach which was painful because of the surgery combined with it. Check with your Dr. and if he says all is okay, it is that nasty gas giving you all the trouble. Once you are on solids, it should get better because it helps to move it down and out where it should be. Good luck and hang in there. If I can do it anybody can do it, I just turned 58 and would give anything to have a tt down the line.

wow, this is quite a "hot" topic on whether the band works or not. I am living proof that with some hard work and SELF CONTROL of my eating habits, the band works even at my age of 58. I am down 90 pds from being banded on 12/20/08 and at first I felt just like fluffy that this is the worst decision of my life...but after the first few months of depression on "what on earth did I do to myself", I resigned myself to get down and get to work on this battle of the weight that I have had for over 40 years. I do believe it is not for everyone, but so many people go into this band surgery thing thinking that this is a miracle cure and you just sit back and it happens. WRONG, this takes a lot of work and perserverance on watching your calories and getting exercise everyday. I am not a gym person, so I made up my mind that I would only do exercise that can be done forever, not just during the weight loss. I walk every chance I get at least twice a day at break time at work and do whatever yardwork I can at home on weekends. Keeping active is the other key besides counting calories that make the difference in this journey. I am telling you now, gastric might work at first, but I have a nephew that is steadily gaining his weight back after 4 years because he is stretching his stomach out again, so if you are looking for no control over your food, that surgery is not going to work either over the long haul. I am sorry, but I am a firm believer in the band and it literally saved my life, good luck on whatever you choose to do with your band.

My dr never said anything about not having corn. I have corn chowder every now and again and have on occasion ate out and mixed my corn with my mashed potatoes and gravy. In moderation I believe you can have almost anything. I am 2 yrs out from being banded and to goal and bread, Pasta and sugar are the only things I find cause major problems and I try to stay away from on an every day basis. Corn does usually help to regulate me since being banded has caused issues with regularity. I occasionally crave popcorn and have some at home on a weekend when you are prone to cheat. Not as fattening as chips and dip and it satisfies me and my evil twin that causes the head hunger! Good luck and keep trying different things that work for you.

I am not usually a cookie or cake eater, but most of the time I need something sweet that is not fattening. Almost every night I have a smoothie with a few blueberries, a small amount of whey Protein, a banana and my sweet and low mixed with Water and put in blender with ice. Makes a wonderful healthy smoothie that is not really high in calories and satisfys me for the sweetness I need after working so hard all day. The protein makes it frothy which I love. It works for me and I have kept my 90 pds off at goal since banded 2 yrs ago, so it must be okay to indulge with this. I do occasionally have a sugar free pudding but it does not seem to satisfy me as well. You will find something that will work for you just like I did by trial and error. Good luck

I, too am in my 50's. I just turned 58 and have been banded for 2 years. I am down 90 pds, was banded 12/20/08 and been maintaining for the last year. It is much harder maintaining then going down. I am a size 8-10 but i gained 3 pds this last christmas and can't seem to get it off. The weather has been unusually cold for Arizona and my walks are few and far between. I never have felt so good in my life as I do now and the compliments keep coming in even with my hair turning gray. I feel like a million dollars and my husband is so proud of me. I fought the band the first few months, it was so hard to give up BREAD and SUGAR but now it is a way of life for me and I do occasionally cheat but go back to good eating and good living. If I can do this, anybody can. Good luck to everyone who is on this journey because I have never regretted the decision and the outcome. LIfe is what you make of it and you are never to old to change anything you REALLY want!!!

Believe me after being a yo yo dieter for 40 years I am not going to sit here and judge anybody whether it was for choosing the wrong surgery or wrong diet. I was banded 12/20/08 and down 90 pds, still fighting the 3 pds gained at Christmas from overindulging. I have two questions, how old are you girls that are having such trouble with the band and were not aware of the work involved in getting the band. I was set on getting gastric bypass because I thought the only surgery that would help me would be something that made everything go through me without me having to work so hard on this new life. The Dr. said "NO", you are the best candidate for lap band and that is what they did against my insistence of the gastric bypass. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THIS BAND THE FIRST FEW Months that I had it and the friend that recommended it felt horrible that he suggested this surgery for me also. Well, after paying close to $3,000 out of pocket, I thought I may as well give this the best try I could and you know what, IT WORKED and it is working with NO FILLS whatsoever!!!!!! I know I am rare, but I come on this site every day to re-enforce my mental attitude and the blogs from Elfie Poo have given me a new and different outlook on the low carb diet that I need to get these few last pds back off after the holiday fiasco I made for myself. I know this is very frustrating, but please don't blame people on here that have succeeded as being judgemental, we are just stating that the lap band DOES WORK most of the time. Nothing is perfect for everybody and that is just life. I hope you girls find something that does work for you because there is a whole new world out there waiting for the "skinny" you. Good luck on your search.

very well put, lellow!!! I agree with you 100%. It got to be that I was ashamed to go any place because people would say things like, you eat like a bird, I don't understand how you could be so heavy. My body does not metabolize carbs and sugar very well so any small amounts or large amounts of that stuff was actually sabotaging any little meals I ate of good food. The band has taught me that I cannot eat breads and sugar and lose weight, it is never going to happen. I have worked since 16 yrs old and have never been lazy in my life. I have worked full time and worked for my husband's business forever, plus throw in 3 step kids and 2 dogs so the last 32 years has not been a hayride. People just don't understand that there are people like me that have to eat very little and choose very carefully what I do eat. It has taken 40 yrs of yo yo dieting and the band and talking and listening to everybody on here to figure this whole diet thing out. I just figured out that I have to cut back my carbs to get the scales moving again. I am to goal but want to knock off another 5 pds just for me. Congrats on meeting your goals and I know we all will succeed on this journey.

100 Pounds you lost, Congratulations! I thought I was great with 90 pds lost and maintaining. Yes you are so right, I never had a fill and have been maintaining for the last year was banded 12/20/08. This has a LOT to do with your frame of mind, you need to change your lifestyle and your thinking about food. I do protein first and everything else secondly. I do not get much veggies in, they get stuck without being cooked to mush, but I do use my protein in a smoothie a few times a week to insure my body is getting nutrients. Everybody is so different and it has taken this surgery and listening and talking to everybody on these forums to get the light bulb to go off in my head. It is you and you alone that will change and make this happen, the band is only a tool to help you get there. Good luck and I believe that when you make the decision to change you will succeed.

I do agree with everybody that it is still a matter of calories in and calories out. BUT... I have found for me that I do not burn carbohydrates like normal people and this is why I had to be banded to begin with. After 40 years of dieting I have found through this forum and listening to people struggling like me to lose and yet again keep it off and low carb seems to get me down and keep me down. I do cheat with a piece of pie or a cookie occasionally and I will taste anything I like but everything is in a small small amount and just keeps the urge away to overdo any one food and ruin this way of lifestyle too. I NEVER tell myself that I cannot have any food, I make it my choice to not have it or just have a bite. You can do this, I did and something will click inside of you and say "oh yeah" that is what it is all about. Good luck and keep the faith.

Please don't think of taking the band out. I had so many emotions in the beginning. for the first few months, I kept telling myself, WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING OF GETTING THIS BAND! I just had my 2nd bandiversary and am to goal and down 90 pds. You can do it, you need to get the right mental attitude on this and get over the defeat emotion! Believe me, it was a $30,000.00 investment that I did not want to lose on. Read whatever you have to and listen to what you need to hear to make this happen. I am 58 years old now and never regretted getting the band, except for the first few months. This is a new lifestyle and you need to make the changes now or never. Good luck and don't give up, I do believe you are stronger than that!!

Not sure if I responded to this yet, but I was banded 12/20/08 and am to goal with losing 90 pds with NO FILLS. I was banded by Dr. ATkinson out of Las Vegas and yes there are quite a few of us from there that made it to goal with no fills. I cannot explain it except that with every Dr appt. I had lost weight and they allowed me to decide if I wanted a fill or not and I chose not to, and before I knew it I was to goal. I have been maintaining for the last year and if I ever feel I need to change things and get a fill, I will, but for now I am comfortable the way I am and do no wish to ruin this wonderful experience and this new great body. Good luck and hope you decide what is best for you too!

Sounds like you are doing great!!! I was banded on 12/20/08 and am at goal with losing 90 pds. I have been maintaining for the last year and that is harder than seeing the scale going down every week. I go back and forth with the same two pds and this christmas I actually put on 2 pds which I will be working very hard to get off this coming week. I am not going to let this go for long, it needs to be removed as soon as possible, gaining 2 pds and then it might snowball like it has my whole life. This is a trial and error thing, keeping at the same weight every week. We can all do it and boy do I feel absolutely great, off of all meds and feel like a teenager again! Good luck and happy new year!

I agree, I don't dare tell my husband that since the weather has gotten bad and cannot walk my 1 mile a day, I have gained 3 pds while I am maintaining my weight of 90 pds lost. I would never be able to live with him without him watching my every move and every morsel I put in my mouth. He is always watching how big of a piece instead of watching himself and it drives me absolutely nuts. My husband recently had his own health scare and is concentrating on losing some weight himself, of course he does not want to listen to me on smaller portions. What do I know, I only lost 90 pds in one year by following the bandster rules. Again, the less my husband knows about me cheating for the holidays, the more happier I will be for my week off on vacation. Ignorance is bliss and that is the way I like to keep my better half!

OMG, I never knew why they said not to drink out of a straw until I had a slushie. The gas was horrible, it took 2 days to get it out of me and hurt. Mind you I have been banded 2 years so I am healed and it still gave me problems. I don't know if that ever goes away with time.

that is fantastic!!!! I just celebrated my 2 year bandiversary last week, 12/20/08. I have lost 90 pds with NO FILLS also! I cannot explain why some people need so many fills/unfills and I never wanted one. The Dr. made it my choice to fill or not to fill! Every time I went in and lost weight I decided to not upset the apple cart by getting filled and unfilled. I have been maintaining for the last year still with no fills. Good luck to all of you with no fills and believe me, my thinking is that we are less likely to have a slip with no fills and pushing the band. Just my thoughts! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I too cheated and will have to make up for it with more exercise inthe coming weeks.

Merry Christmas to everyone but I only could wish to have just 3 bites of anything and leave it at that. I am a food addict and there is no such thing for me. I have been good for the last two years and I do occasionally cheat with a piece of pie but being Christmas and to goal for my 2 year bandiversary, I ate a whole sugar cookie snowman ALL BY MYSELF! I will however, work out in my yeard tomorrow since it will be around 70 degrees, so I will enjoy today and pay tomorrow. Have a wonderful New Year too, everyone who is banded and worried about the holiday eating rituals, just remember there is always tomorrow to make amends.

The only things I was told to not have were alcoholic beverages and smoking! Definite no no's but people on here still do it so I guess you can live with that with the band. I WILL NEVER give up my coffee for anything or anybody. I love my coffee every morning and especially when we go out to eat, it helps to relax my band so that I can eat. I live for my coffee, especially in the colder temperatures of winter, even though it does not get too cold in Arizona during the winter, it is really very soothing to me and my band. As far as dehydration, I drink so much Water during the day that it really does not matter about the coffee eliminating some of it. Coffee satisfys me when I am hungry and it really helps to relax me before my meals, I try not to have it at night at home, but it is a life saver when we go out to eat. I think it depends on the individual, if it works for you, do it, my Dr. never said it was a problem. Now gum chewing makes people very hungry, did your Dr. tell you to not do anything to trigger your appetite like that? There are so many good ideas that come up on this website and I read on here every day, you will find out that what works for you, might not work for somebody else, this is an individual journey and only you can decide what works best for you. Good luck and listen to your body and your mind and you will do just fine.

I am with you all the way Cindy. I got to be a yo-yo dieter for 40 years because I went from one diet to another diet, losing 50 pds and gaining 60 back when the diet was done. The band is NOT a diet, this is a life change and I reaize where I have gone wrong all these years. Telling me I cannot have a few chips or a piece of cake forever, does not work. I need to know I can always have a bite or taste of something "forbidden" and go back to basics the next day works very well for me. I have been banded for 2 years this 12/20/10 and down 90 pds and love every single day being banded. The key is to never say you cannot have something because you will want it all the more. We are addicts and that is how the mind works, I tell myself I can have anything to eat I want but choose not to have the high fat, sugar and bread items that got me fat to begin with. This seems to be the answer to my prayers and the band has made me realize and accept the fact that I need to keep focused every day because I am a food addict.

Please bring back the old website, some days I can get on the chat and like yesterday and today I cannot get on the chat site. Even when I get on the chat site, the names are blocked except for the first two letters of their names and I cannot access their profile to see if they are kids or adults to be able to talk to them? I prefer the adults who are here for support, not the kids that use this as another outlet for their "my space" talk. It took me a while to get the ticker on and finally got that with the help of other viewers on here but all these ads are very annoying and distracting to what this website is suppose to do. I come on here every day to reenforce my mind on the band and have done so for the last two years, I really really need this on a regular basis to keep focused. I know I have to keep in touch with my band for life and this is an ongoing battle for me, so any help you give us oldies trying to get more modern would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.

I lost all my 90 pds with no fills and have been maintaining for the last year. Was banded 12/20/08 and next week will be my 2nd bandiversary with the weight loss. Still no fills, but learning not to eat too fast or too big of a bite, been good for quite a while.

I have NO FILLS in a 10 cc band and feel full. I must have a very sensitive stomach, some days get real hungry and others cannot get much down. It is the sliders that are the killers in this journey. The holidays are getting to me and I need to increase my walking to compensate for the couple of Cookies I have tasted after being so good for the last 2 years. Everybody is so different, you need to listen to your body and your Dr to decide what you want and where you are comfortable.

I was thrilled to see that someone else has lost a great amount of weight with no fills like me. I lost all 90 pds with no fills, I was banded 12/20/08 and I am still losing hair, it has gotten so thin that I have nightmares sometimes that I will go bald, but I guess it is better thin and bald then fat and bald. I was losing hair before the surgery and it has not stopped. Maybe I might look into a nice wig that doesn't look so phony or too thick to believe that it belongs on my head. Any suggestions on what to do would be appreciated.

I have never had a fill since day one 12/20/08 of being banded. I steadily lost weight, slow but surely and have maintained that if I can go another Dr. appt with no fill, then so be it. I am at goal of 90 pds and my 2nd bandiversary is around the corner. I have maintained for the last year and it is a game of still having a piece of pie now and again, but cutting back on something else to balance it out. I keep going up and down the same two pds and gave up to get another 5 pds off. I guess I will stay at the size 8-10 and just live with where I am and be thrilled that I got this far. I feel great, but over exercised in our yard work so I am taking it easy for a few days. Good luck and keep smiling.

OMG Elfie, you are so right, I tried weight watchers once and actually gained. Their regime includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables which are high in carbs and my body does not handle them well, I actually gained 15 pds the first month on weight watchers. I have to agree with you, I am baffled by this calories in and calories out thing. I believe I am to goal with losing 90 pds and at a size 8-10 but I try occasionally to cut back to see if I can get another 5 pds off and it does not budge. People just don't understand and I too, am tired of being called a liar and cheat because our weight losses do not fall into the so-called pattern of some other people's format. You are so right, making this point, Kudos to you sister for all of us that have had this battle our whole life and we DO NOT ALL Fit into the same mold.