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Sounds like you knew just what to say to her! YAY Tracy!! I had back surgery in 2004 and I can no longer run or do strenuous exercise -- but I walk and walk and walk. And with the weight loss I am able to do so much more than before. And my back doesn't hurt. The band is a GREAT tool and you will be successful! I just know it! I've heard a lot of people say that their acid reflux went away after the surgery. Tune this negative surgeon out and keep on truckin'! All the best to you on your journey! ~F

Diabetes meds CPAP inability to walk for exercise one of my BP meds the need to lie down every 10 mins when at home Tina, I LOVED your post. All the best to you.

I started seeing a therapist 8 months before my surgery and continue to see her to this day. I started seeing her when I decided I wanted to get the surgery. I wanted to understand better the reasons for my eating and how weight loss surgery could change my body, but I would have to change my mind. I found an obesity specialist through my insurance. I love going to therapy. It has helped me so much. My life is changing with the weight loss and sometimes I get a little anxious and want to eat over it. Going to therapy and using the tools I have learned there help me to change my behaviors. Therapy has been invaluable to me! All the best to you on your journey. ~F

@kdee: YOU are the one that should be givine ME advice! LOL My weight loss has been slow but steady. I have some health issues that hinder a more vigorous exercise plan, but I am sure that I could do more than I am doing. My doc seems to think that the band loosens after a while and you need a fill, particularly after a lot of weight loss. I don't know what to think. I only know that I don't want to go backwards. @kdee: I live close to LAX. PM me if you like. Would love to hear how you lost so much so fast. ~F

Thanks for the input. Yes, this band is truly fickle. Iwill be debating throughout the weekend whether or not to get a fill when I see the doc on Tuesday. If I do get one it will be miniscule, I'm sure. Thanks again and all the best to you on your journey. ~F

I think journaling could be beneficial to me. I haven't weighed myself in a couple of months; and although I feel some weight loss in my clothing, it is still very slow. Perhaps journaling could jump start a faster weight loss. Is there a particular method for journaling or several different methods and you choose the one that works for you? Thanks. ~F

Yes. I was eating Lean Cuisine's for lunch everyday during the work week for about 5 months following surgery. It was qucik, easy and I could keep up with my calories. Not so much lately because I am using Protein drinks because I have not been feeling well. But I really liked the Lean Cuisines. Good luck.

While it is noble that you are willing to "roll with the punches", 25 needle sticks had to be very hard to go through. Once, my doc stuck me 8 times + 3 doses of the numbing agent. I was so traumatized that I was shaking as I walked to my car and, I couldn't bring myself to go back for another fill for 6 weeks! (I had been going every 2 weeks). I am sorry that you had to experience this, but I am glad that you have new strength and are looking to your future success. You will probably be a more assertive patient with any doc you see now. You turned this experience around, congratulations! All the best to you on your journey.

It's good to think about NSVs ... I am so with you galiardi, I feel young again too!! It's great! I went to the doc yesterday and this is the first time in years that my bp has been in the normal range! I was so excited! I am wearing hand me down clothing that were too too small when they were given to me and now they are getting too big ... I was a size 26 when I started this journey and now I am wearing 18s that are getting too big! I put on a pair of pants this morning to wear to work and said "these pants weren't too long the last time I put them on" ... my hips are SHRINKING! It's amazing watching my pants get longer ... wow! I was wearing a 46DDD bra when I started this journey and now my 42DDs are getting too big! Even my feet are getting smaller! I park my car farther from the store entrance ON PURPOSE, so I can get more exercise. I ran into a friend that is taking night classes at the same college I am and we were walking to our cars one night. She said "I'm parked right here", I said I park up the stairs so I can get more exercise". She looked at me like I was crazy and we both laughed! We have known each other a long time so she KNOWS that is totally out of character for me. She was very happy for me though. NSVs are great. Thanks for starting this thread. I have more to be thankful for than just numbers on a scale.

Hang in there Tamra, you are NOT alone. My weight loss has been very slow and sometimes I don't want to work anymore. Because I know myself so well I don't beat myself up -- that has never worked for me. Usually, what I do is pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again. Eventually I will get tired of "sitting down" ... I'm not falling, I'm sitting. LOL I am a "night eater" and I struggle with this so much that I often lose heart. But, I'm not giving up because this is MY life and I am the one that can make a difference for me -- I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN CHANGE MY LIFE. So, I just keep getting up. There are a lot of people on this forum that will have some very good suggestions for you on exactly how to get back on track. Pick the one that suits you and get back in the game. WE CAN DO THIS! All the best to you on your journey.

Thanks for the advice Jensmall. Before I was sitting at my desk through lunch (and being interrupted more often than not), but now I take a walk at lunch. I am hoping that taking a walk will relieve some of the stress and getting extra exercise is a bonus. I do believe that things will slow down at the desk and I will become more comfortable working with this group. Once I am more comfortable I believe I will be able to eat. I plan to buy some tuna this weekend and bring it for lunch on Monday, see how it goes. Thanks much.

... drinking Protein drinks for Breakfast AND lunch. About a month ago my job responsibilities increased and I went from stress free and happy every morning to stressful and knowing there would be a "fire" when I reached the office. I am working for a new group, one of whom is very powerful and holds my job in his hands ... but, to his credit he is ALWAYS polite and courteous. Anyway, I stay so stressed that I can't get my lunch down so I have resorted to drinking a Protein Drink. In between I eat a low calorie snack when I feel the urge (or if I have the time). My doctors instructions are that I should eat solid food every meal, but that is near impossible these days. I don't think this will be forever, but this can't be good for me ... or is it? I feel like when I get home in the evening and have relaxed from my stressful day, that I may be eating a little more for dinner than I should (or at least I try to, but sometimes I just can't because my band is tight). So, too much liquid, not enough solids? All opinions/information, suggestions welcome.

I soooo understand. I am like a "food vampire". All day long I am sooooo good, but at night I act like a woman possessed! :thumbdown: You should have seen me last night. I was searching my kitchen for something to snack on. I wasn't hungry anywhere but in my head! I was sleepy but so wanted to eat something before I closed my eyes. It was crazy! I am hoping that eventually I will get a handle on myself, but it's been 10 months and food still has a hold on me. I won't give up though. Good luck to us all!

Been there, done that! Somewhere around my 6th or 7th fill my doctor changed offices. In the new office was this fancy chair for giving fills. Well, I don't know what happened but he had to numb me 3 or 4 times and he poked me, looking for my port about, 8 times. Even with the numbing agent ... I was still shaking and traumatized when I left his office. It took me 2 months to find the courage to go back for another fill! I feel your pain!

My band and I have a love/hate relationship at this point in time. I hate it because when I am stressed and overwhelmed (which is a lot lately) I can't eat to calm my nerves because of the tightness of my band. I love my band because when I am stressed and overwhelmed (which is a lot lately) I can't eat to calm my nerves because of the tightness of my band. Yeah, sounds crazy, but I'm betting somebody out there understands. My band makes me think about my choices - whether I like it or not. Because I can't stuff myself until I forget my problems ... I actually have to think about what's going on in my life and deal with it 'sans food'. I love my band!

Thanks for your story. It was truly uplifting in the otherwise stressful and overwhelming day I am having at work. I am sooo glad that I "stole" a moment to read it. All the best to you!

My food is perfection ... DURING THE DAY! At night ... not so much! In the morning I have a Protein shake - can't stomach food in the morning (I've tried) and my lunch is between 220 - 320 calories everyday. I can barely get my lunch down, some days I can only eat half of it. But in the evening I not only am able to eat more physically -- mentally the stresses of my day sit around a table in my mind and remind me that "FOOD IS THE ANSWER!" LOL Fortunately, my last fill (about 3 weeks ago) has me much, much tighter; making nigth eating uncomfortable, but I still try -- and regret it every time. It is the mental part that gives me the most problems. I must admit it was getting better, but recently I have been assigned new responsibilities at work that are very stressful, and I am worried about one of my kids that is away at school (about to start her last quarter) and is overwhelmed and calling me in tears. Whew! I'm just a little stressed. So, when I get home instead of relaxing I am a little more tense that I should be. :frown: Oh, and I'm taking a class on Wednesday nights that ends at 10 p.m.! OMG! I am too old for this! LOL Anyway, I understand about the night eating and I am working with my therapist to find ways to channel my stress so that my old "food is the answer to all my problems" voice doesn't takeover. Good luck to us all!

Sounds like your doc is a real prince! I'm sure his thinking is just warped. Not everyone is looking to lose 150 lbs in one year. I have lost about 45 lbs in nine months and I am fine with it. I would not object to myself or anyone else losing more faster, but I like the idea of letting my mind catch up to what is happening with my body. I have had this relationship with food for many, many, MANY years and it's more than a notion to change my way of thinking at my age. I am doing so much better now and prefer the band over bypass. I know a number of people that had bypass and they have gained quite a bit of their weight back. I like the idea of being in partnership with my band. I do my job and the band does its job and all is well. I am down 8 sizes and I am thrilled! I hope your doc was just having a bad day and that he apologizes for his boorish behavior the next time you see him. All the best to you!

Depends on what you have already tried. I have a Protein drink every morning for Breakfast. I use chocolate Muscle Milk. I mix the powder with half Water, half soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant). I love it! Every now and again I make a shake with my Muscle Milk using soy milk and sf pudding. Initially I used the unjury brand that I had to order through the mail. It's good too and they have one that's flavorless, but I didn't try that one. Unjury is a good brand but more expensive than Muscle Milk that I buy at costco. Good luck in your search. It is just awful when you have to eat something regularly that taste bad.

Okay, so my cold is better ...had it since Tuesday ... stayed home Wednesay back to work Thursday ... I still have a lot of mucous ... especially today. Tried to eat my lunch and work at the same time (was on the phone with the travel agent) had to hang up and literally RUN to the bathroom to give up what little of my lunch I had eaten. Is this because I am full of mucous? This is the first time I have had an episode like this. My lunch was a Lean Cuisine with soft noodles and soft chicken. Whew! I don't want to do that again. Think I'll do protein drinks for the next day or so ... what do you think? Ever had this happen when you have a cold?

Thanks for responding ... I appreciate your input. This cold has been H*LL!

I totally understand how you are feeling right now. I was banded on June 15, 2009 and have "only" lost 40lbs (maybe more, haven't weighed in a while). Due to health problems (i.e., spinal stenosis, back surgery, etc.) I wasn't really exercising much. I was so afraid of waking up my "spinal stenosis" monster that can cause me so much pain that I was paralizyed. Then I did some reading about weight loss and exercise. The value of exercising while losing weight is tremendous! So, I did some reading on exercise and spinal stenosis. I learned that certain exercises can strengthen the back muscles which in turn will make my back stronger and eliminate much of the pain. I got right on it! The numbers on the scale going down, they are not zooming down but they continue to head in the right direction. That muscle is heavier than fat is a big reason for that. My clothes, like yours, are getting smaller. Restriction is just around the corner for you, hang in there. You are already exercising, keep it up. The path in front of you already reads "success" even if you can't see it right now. Keep up the good work, you're doing great!

I was banded June 15, 2009. I have been off my diabetes meds for about 4 months. My weight loss has been slow and steady since I hit my sweet spot (I think) about 2 months ago. My blood sugar numbers had been good (100 - 105, 106) until I decided to further cut my claorie intake so that I lose more weight faster. Of late (less than a week), my blood sugar has been low, 80-90 AND I am shaky. What's up with that? My other question is, when you are off your meds does that mean you are no longer a diabetic or are you just "in remission" of sorts? Any thoughts?

I got a fill on Thursday, February 25th. My doc has me on liquids that day but food the next. I always do a Protein drink for Breakfast because i am unable to get food down in the morning. On Friday my stomach was still very swollen so I had a protrein drink for lunch too. I ate dinner, but it was difficult and a little painful. I decided to go back on liquids for a couple of days. It is now Tuesday and, while I can get some food down, it is pretty painful. Is is possible that my stomach is still swollen from the fill? Or (and I truly hope this is NOT the case), am I too tight? All opinions are welcome. Thank you.

Yes, Leigha, my doc will give me an unfill ... though I must say he is sometimes a little hard to catch (because he seems to always be in surgery). I did have an easier time this morning getting my protein drink down but, if by the end of the week I am not doing better I will call my doc. You're right, it's certainly not worth risking damage to my band. Thanks for your post.