pbrown

Well I am in the same boat as I had my surgery in 2006 and at my lowest was around 155. I have gained and lost weight over the last several years, but am currently 30 pounds over my lowest weight. It is really discouraging as I always order salads when everyone else is ordering things I would like to eat, when we go out. Maybe I don't eat enough at meals and snack on nuts and eat too many. I don't eat breads or potatoes or rice even though I fix them for every on else. I need to get control on my diet. I usually have oatmeal and no sugar juice for Breakfast and then exercise on the treadmill for 30 min to I hour. . Many times I will have a yogurt for dinner, Soup at lunch. I will find my self taking a bite of cheese now and then during the day. Any suggestions???? It is very depressing as I not only paid a large amount for this surgery, but I ordered two pairs of pants the other day, same brand and size and can't get into them and I refuse to buy larger ones as I am NOT going to go back to my 235 pound self that I started out as.

Medications can certainly make a differance. I was banded in August 2006. I lost about 80 pounds and then stuck at that point. I was loosing every week. I was also on Topamax for Migraines and it supressed my appetite. I was on that medication for 1 year and could not stand the side effects of being tired all of the time and like I was always in a fog. It didn't help the migraines so the neurologist said to discontinue it. I noticed a huge change in my appetite after I quit taking it. My appetite returned and I felt hungry alot more of the time than when I was on the topamax. I could not ever get to my goal weight that I was 20 pounds from. Now I have put on abput 15 pounds over the last three years.

I was going to support groups and did have a fill two years ago when I was 10 pounds heavier than my lowest, but it never helped me to loose any more weight and since have gained 5 pounds more as of now. I think I will try to get back to a support group and really think about what I am eating, as I do think I still have restriction, but have become too complacent about my eating.

Maybe a support group would help to keep you motivated and accountable, where you have to continue your medication. I guess writing down everything you eat as well. Writing down when you exercise. I tend to eat small meals, but get hungry or bored and take in several Snacks during the day , particularly unsalted peanuts.

Another remedy that I have tried at the suggestion of others on this web site is to take a small drink of pineapple juice. I think the acid in it helps to dissolve whatever you have eaten and then it just passes on down. I had read this several times and then decided to buy some in case I ever got stuck and when I did it did work. Don't drink a lot but just a couple of small swallows and then wait a minute or two. I buy the small cans and they can even be carried along in case you are out somewhere and have a problem.

I had a fill a week ago and it has helped curb my appetite a bit. So I thought I would step on the scale today since it had been a week and I did lose 2 pounds. The weight really comes off so much slower as I try to get rid of the last 20 pounds. I also went to a support group meeting here last last evening. It was a great group of people and I even knew one of the gals that was there and hadn't seen her for a long time. We sat and discussed issues that we all may be having with our journey with the lap band. It meets once a month and anyone can come that has had the surgery and wants to get ideas or ask questions etc. It is a relatively new group as my other support group met in the city where I had my surgery about a half hour away, but in the evening I really was not interested in driving out of town for that.

I was banded in August of 06 and lost 80-85 pounds. I have since gained 10-15 of them back. I got to a point where I hadn't been able to lose any for over a year. I had been working out on the treadmill 3-4 times a week for usually 45 minutes. This past December we had to get a new treadmill so I thought with a new workout program I would up my time to 60 minutes. I still could not make those scales budge. I went in for a fill last week and the nurse said I had 1.8 in my 9.75cm band. She had me drink Water and kept adding more until I was at a 2.4cc. I felt some restriction for a day or two, but I am still getting hungry. I had a cup of cold Cereal this am at 7:45 and my stomach has been growling since 11:00 this am. I don't know if that means my fill is not adequate or not. The other day I was so busy I had not even eaten lunch and really wasn't that hungry but finally had a salad at about 2:00pm. I get headaches so thought I had better eat. So....don't really know if I am filled to the "sweet spot " yet.

I had a fill of 1.8 and was banded almost 3 years ago. I hadn't been feeling any restriction, but when I went to get more yesterday I now have 2.5cc. My doctor says that 4cc is the most the band will hold?? I have been reading about people with fills over 6cc. Not sure what band I have.

Thanks for the information and I am going to try to make that April meeting. I know of someone else here in town that has had the lap band surgery and she may start to come to the meetings as well.

Thanks for the information Cyndi and I will try to make that April meeting as I have an appointment with you on the 10th. What time do you meet? I really think that the support group is kind of my "missing link" that could be very helpful to longer term success.

I was banded by Dr. Avila in Aug. of 2006. I had great results to start with and then after a year I wasn't losing anymore after my 85 pound loss. I probably should have gone back for a fill as it has been a year and a half now without a fill and I have gained back 15 or more pounds. I have been faithfully going on the treadmill 4 days a week since December for an hour and going for 3 miles at a time with no weight loss. I do have some restriction as it kicks in when I eat a piece of meat that is stringy or rice. But it seems like I can eat quite a bit of salad before feeling full. I need to get into a support group as I did attend one in Blackfoot where I had my initial surgery, but found it to be difficult to get there on a regular basis.

So I have requested my records be sent to Cyndi Rice at our Pocatello fill center and am hoping to get back on track and lose my weight I have gained back and then some. I guess I am feeling like I have lost track of how I was able to lose the weight to begin with as it didn't seem all that difficult and for the last year or better it has been a struggle. I am hoping Cyndi can be of help to me. I have an appointment for April 10th and am looking forward to it.

Hi Faybe,

I believe that my posting was not correct. I was banded on August 17th by Dr. Avila. I started at 237 and currently am at 153. My lowest was about 3 weeks ago at 149, but had to have an unfill at that point due to inflamation as I guess I may have been too tight. So I have lost a total of 84 lbs. I would like to get down a bit more. thanks for your work on this site.

Hi Faybie,Yes thanks for keeping the postings of everyones weight loss. Could you please change my dr.s name as it is not the dr. listed. It is p.brown Dr. Avilla Blackfoot Idaho. I am now down 83 lbs with 10 more to go. Thanks p. brown

I have been banded about 14 months now and have lost 80-85 lbs so far. My goal weight is to lose another 15 lbs. I enjoy fast walking on my treadmill. I have it set at a 5% grade and walk at about 3.2 mph. I can get in 2 and a half miles in 46 min. I walk as fast as I can as I am not a runner as I have some back problems. I usually listen to music as I exercise. I have noticed since I have lost weight it is easier to keep going and I can go at a faster pace without being winded. I try to do this most days of the week except on the weekends.

I know the feeling. I have lost 54 pounds and have hit a two week period since my last fill two weeks ago and I have lost nothing and actually gained a pound. I haven't eaten enough to gain that pound and should still be loosing and don't know why. I am trying to up my exercise to see if that will help. I hope that I will start to see the scales go down again, as I don't think that my eating has changed. I can't eat any less or I won't be eating much at all. I do need to drink more Water. My body used to want more water a few weeks ago, but I don't seem to be wanting the water as much as when I was loosing regularly so I am going to have to force myself to drink more.

If you self pay Dr Avila will do your fills for one year for free. So I have been continuing my journey with him. After that year the fills are 100.00.

There is a definition of the true Christian Protestant religion that runs as a thread between say Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopals etc. These religions use only the Bible as the true word no other books and do not believe that good works will earn your place in heaven but by your accepting Christ death on the cross for our sins and your belief and desire to follow in his ways is how we get there, and then the good things will follow from there if you truly do follow in his ways.

It really does bother me that some groups go door to door and call their religion Christian and mis represent themselves to other unchurched people and have many false doctrines underneath that are not shared at the time nor are they part of other Christain church beliefs. Their God or Jesus is not the same God or Jesus that the Protestant Christians believe in or we would accept one anothers baptisms, which we don't, along with many other things that the Christian religion does not profess. I was just approached before Christmas by two young girls on my door step and we got into quite a discussion. No their relgion is not Christian by the true defintion and I wish they would not mis represent themselves to the world as such.

Hi ,

I was banded in mid August by Dr. Avila. I just noticed that you said that you were banded 6 weeks ago. Just wondering if we had met. I attended the support meeting they had a couple of weeks ago there at the hospital. Have you been to any of the support meetings yet? I have just been to the one. Have you had your first fill and how are you doing?

I think I am ready for my next fill. I will see Dr. Avila again in a week or so as I haven't seen him since Oct. 30th. I have continued to lose, but it has slowed down. I look forward to hearing from you!

Paige

I lost 10 pounds before my surgery and then 14 pounds after the surgery and then another 3-4 pounds and am about at 30 pounds. Have had my first fill a week ago, 1cc, but don't feel much of any restriction so I go back in a week from today and will have another fill. Seems like the weight loss is very slow 1 pound or so a week.

wilson jw23, I would certainly go for the fill. My dr.scheduled an appointment every two weeks after my surgery and on the 6th week scheduled a fill, which was a week ago. I don't feel much of any restriction so I think he will do another fill the next time when I go. He only put in 1 cc when he did the first fill. I didn't feel any different after that , but he wants to gradually build up to the right amount of fill so that I am not over filled and end up not being able to even swallow! I had lost 24 pounds right after the surgery and then two more pounds and then at the last visit 1 more pound so he felt at the 6 week mark that I was ready due to the very few pounds I had lost in the last 4 weeks.

I am trying to exercise more too as that is very important to this whole plan.

Thanks a lot for the information. I received a link to the Sunderland U web site from another banster. We'll take a look at that soon!

Paige

yes, Everyone has to go to see the nutritionist, etc and have chest x-rays etc and for me it was at my own cost and was not included in the 11,000. My dr. was just great I see him every two weeks since surgery and had my first fill two days ago and go back in another two weeks. I always see him and not just the nurse, like some banders that have said they never see the dr. after their surgery only a nurse.

Hi to all of you bandsters in England!!! Sounds like you are all having good results. I live in the U.S. and was just banded on August 17 and went for my first fill today. I felt like I had little restriction and after a conservative fill of 1cc we will see if there is more restriction. Have lost 27 pounds so far before my fill.

We have been doing alot of research on England as our 22 year old son is applying through Idaho State University in Pocatello, where we live, to go to college at Plymouth or UCLAN in Preston. He also put in for Huddersfield?? and Sunderland. He is a Business Management Major(junior/senior status) and plans to go for a full school year and hopes to work while there for a few hours each week. I hear from people that we know that have lived in England that they would love to go back and live there if it weren't so expensive!!! People we talk to said they just loved it in England!

Any one know anything about any of these colleges??? Our son has been planning this trip for almost two year. He is an avid soccer player himself and Manchester United is his favorite team. He had the chance to see them play when they were in Seattle Washington 3 years or so ago. He loves the British way of life, he thinks, so wants to live it !

Keep up the good work all of you in the U.K. !!

Thanks,

Paige

My husband and I will hope to go to visit our son while he is there .

I love my treadmill. I fast walk for 30-40 minutes and go about 2 miles. I try to do it first thing in the morning. I like this machine because I can set the speed, and incline. I have it at a 5 % incline out of 10% and start walking at about 2.5-2.8 mph for three minutes and then up it to 3mph for the rest of the time. This really does work for loosing weight.

Hi Pink Soprano, No, I haven't had any complications! I had only lost 2 pounds when I went to my last appointment and had lost 24 at my first appointment. In the last two weeks I don't think I have lost anything according to my scales. So I am looking forward to the fill today as I don't feel like I have much if any restriction.

I have got to get back into exercising as I know that is a very important part of all of this, but have been away for two weeks from my treadmill and have got to get back on it!! 11,000 was a lot to pay and I need to do my part.

Hi,

I ended up self paying as our insurance wanted me to do another 6 month diet and I figured if I lost the weight then they wouldn't pay anyway. My main issue is that I can lose the weight, but keeping it off is not easy. The band would be a helpful tool for this.

I had my surgery done for 11,000 in Blackfoot, Idaho. This is about 30 minutes from where we live. if you are covered by insurance they charge 15,000. They also do it in Idaho Falls,Idaho for about the same price. This covers the fills and dr. appointments post op for a year. Then the fills self pay are 100.00 each. I had to pay it all up front two days prior to surgery.

I had sugery on August 17th and have lost 26 pounds thus far , and will have my first fill today!

Paige

Hi, I live in Pocatello and was banded in Blackfoot on August 17th! Dr. Avila did my surgery. I will get my first fill on this Tuesday, Sept. 26th. He is really a nice Dr. and conservative and careful about everything. I really like Bingham Memorial Hospital, being a smaller hospital you were treated like you were the only one there! They also do the surgery in Idaho Falls. I was self pay as our insurance wanted me to go on another 6 month diet and at 51 years of age I had been there and done most diets losing a little and gaining it back plus more. It was time to really do something different.

Looks like you were banded last year. How are things going for you ?

Paige