erinshel

I am down 70lbs which is my midway point. I just one month shy of a year post op with the Realize Band. I am so proud of what i have accomplished and hope to lose the remaining 70lbs within this next year or less!!! Its so great to FINALLY see the difference and feel the difference all that weight made. This was the best decision of my life.

I am finally able to Wii FIT! Omg Ive lost 36lbs so I am now down to 329 lbs which is a pound under the weight limit! I am SO stinking excited I could almost burst!!! I just wanted to share my happiness!

I really like the chocolate EAS Whey Protein shakes with milk..... not so much with water though :biggrin:

Im going to be watching this thread because I am on my THIRD scale that weighs incorrectly. Its getting ready to go back to BedBathBeyond... Its a homedics digital up to 400lb capacity. It weighs me about 12-15lbs below what is accurate--however it weighs my husband perfectly (he's about 80lbs lighter than me). Back to the drawing board I suppose.

i was approved with Tricare with NO co-morbidities. I had a BMI of 43 and was over 100lbs overweight. Appeal it.

*BIG HUG* I hope things get better. Im not sure what advice to offer other than maybe trying the counseling again. It will get better though. Just try and take things one day at a time

So I have decided I need a new scale. I went out and bought a HomeMedics digital scale today and got on it. I was SHOCKED! It read the same as the scale I've been using---the one that I swear up and down is about 10lbs off. At work we use a digital scale and it consistently weighs me 10lbs heavier than I do at home. I am SO confused! I dont know which scale to believe. I havent been to weigh in at the surgeon's office in over 4 weeks so that scale is out. I guess I will try to get in there this week just to see but its driving me crazy trying to figure how much I actually weigh :blushing:

strange....the surgeon's office told me that Tricare would only cover a fill every 30 days and that was why I couldnt have it done before I left. I wish insurance companies would stay tight with their policies and not change for different people.

Okay so I had my first fill on the 20th of May. I just tried to schedule my second fill before I go on vacation on the 18th of June. Yeah, Tricare wont cover the fill if I get it done on the 17th or 18th before I leave because it wont have been exactly 30 days from my first fill. Now because I am going to be out of town I wont get my second fill until the end of July---10 weeks from when I had my first fill!!!! Seriously I felt restriction for about the first 2 days with this fill and now Im back to feeling nothing. I had 4.5 CCs on the first go around and I was really hoping that it would hold me through vacation. Now I dont know.... Ugh, I hope I dont gain a bunch of weight while down at Disney :smile:

I was banded on 4/8/09 and had my first fill 5/20/09. I had lost a totoal of 26lbs between my surgery and first fill. I dont think Ive lost anymore but I havent gained either. I felt quite a bit of restriction the first couple of days after having the fill but dont feel it at all anymore :smile:

I want to go horse back riding... everywhere i go there is a limit of abou 200-230lbs and it just makes me sad to know that I cant go riding.. I used to love to ride as a child and that Im working toward being able to do it again

i was told light foods like yogurt and shakes... some soup... NOTHING 2 hours before the fill.

i had a choice between lap band and realize and decided to go with the realize band because the port was a bit smaller. that was the only real difference i could see. i have the 14cc band and my first fill was 4.5 cc's I do feel restriction but not as much as i was hoping to get. I feel more of a chest "tightness" than restriction

I had my first fill today---no pain, no issues, no problem! It was so cool to see the barium on the screen in real time flowing through into my stomach. :cursing: Dr. C put in a total of 4.5 CCs into my band. Im already feeling huge amounts of restriction but not in a bad way. :cursing: I was down another 2 lbs for a total of 26 lbs in 6 weeks! :cursing:

for me now when Im full it feels like a very tight sensation in my chest area (top stomach) ...before it would feel like a weight in the pit of my stomach....

i had my first fill yesterday too... the Dr. put 4 CC's and I immediately felt restriction. It wasnt a bad feeling, but its definitely different. I am able to eat regular food but I have to eat it a LOT sloooowwwwwer because of the pressure I feel in my chest and around my band area. I know last night I felt hungry even after eating dinner, but it felt tighter so i stopped eating. We'll see how it goes today. Im working on a Protein shake and am not feeling anything restricting it---yes I understand its a liquid and will go right through, but there is nothing different about it from before the fill and now after. We'll see when I try and eat my lunch (chicken noodle soup) and see if I find myself more restricted.

another night eater here too.... i was brought up on the whole "dinner is the big meal of the day" thoughts. its been hard to break that cycle... I was doing really well with it but then this past weekend I got back into it. I'll even argue with myself as Im pulling the food out of the fridge. Sometimes its because Im hungry and other times its because I get the idea of something particular in mind and its like I go crazy thinking about it until I eat it. It happened last night with tortilla chips and salsa. I just couldnt stop thinking about them until finally I got up OUT OF BED to go eat some and read a book. I ate them had some Water and then went to bed for the night. Its not healthy and i know that... I just need some support to get past the binges or the times when it seems like I cant stop myself

I usually stay away from the bun because the bread doesnt agree with me... once i was allowed to eat solids I totally went and made a burger with ketchup and mustard.... it was divine!!! so long as you can tolerate it and you dont overdo your fat intake for that day I dont see a problem with it personally. oh and WTG on 38lbs down. I was banded 5 days after you and have plateaued at 24lbs. I dont get my first fill until Wed.

Im 6'4 and tend to favor flip flops HOWEVER I do love a sexy pair of heels when I go out--its just hard to find them in my size. I love being tall and knowing that its a bit of a shock to see me come through the door....its a bit empowering... and my hubby loves it too .. he's 6'4 as well

im about 5.5 weeks post op and Ive already started to stall.... Im sitting around a 2-3lb gain or loss on any given day. Today Im up 2 lbs whereas yesterday I swear I was down 2..... Im staying within calories and staying active. Im starting to get that frustration thing back. Is this a normal for this time frame? I hate being the worrier or whiner.... I just cant seem to get past the 22-24lb range. I know its not going to drop off or melt away like with gastric, but I did expect to lose at least a couple of pounds each week..... is this what they mean by bandster hell?? I always thought it was just being super hungry until you get your first fill.... Im not hungry or anything like that so I guess thats nice... but this lack of weight loss is making me unhappy

Monica thank you so much for your words of encouragement.... I know in my head that youre right... its just hard dealing with the emotional aspect to it... I guess its not just my body and the physical part thats healing.... its also the mental and emotional side to me as well that needs to heal and adjust....

banded April 8th first fill will be May 20th

i weigh in everyday... i probably shouldnt but i cant seem to help myself. i always weigh and around the same time each day.... i'd love to have the will power to get weighed once a week but its just not there yet

sounds good to me! I'd even offer to help do promo work for it or find sponsors if you needed it. I love that sort of work!

I have plateued at 23lbs and Im about 6 weeks post op. I lost really quickly but I keep bouncing around +/- a lb or so since Ive been eating food. I know I havent been making 100% fabulous food choices BUT Ive been staying within 1200 calories a day and working out 2-3 times a week at least. Im a bit frustrated but Im not going to let it get me down. This week has been especially bad because its a "woman's" week if you get my drift. I basically want to eat everything in sight--preferably deep fried and smothered in chocolate LOL I havent given in much although I did chow on a hot dog last night for dinner!! I need someone to help keep me motivated. I think we should plan a HR coffee date or something if we live close enough! I think it would be fun to bring our support group to a more personal level... what do you guys think?