TexasMama

Hi Kathy, Do you have any type of autoimmune disorder or family history of such? Hypothyroidism, Celiac, Lupus, MS, et al?

Hi Shelly, just read your story and I'm wondering how you're doing? I have been having several issues with my band since June and I have an appointment on the 26th to see what is going on. I can barely get Water through and absolutely no solid food whatsoever. I survive on CarbSmart ice cream, chicken broth, and milk. It's very depressing. The good side is, I've lost more weight, but that seems rather bittersweet now. Anyway, would love to hear an update.

Never lost another pound since August of 2011. This has been one of the most frustrating things I have ever done, almost worse than getting fat in the first place. It has taught me one thing: I can't spend money and have my problems disappear like some folks can. Why was it so easy for others and not for me? I have no idea. I can blame my thyroid, I can blame every single carbohydrate I put in my mouth, I can blame PCOS. The ultimate responsibility lies in me. I may not be able to do anything about it, but the first step in accepting my failure is learning from it. The hardest part has been watching my sister in law, who had to do me one better and have gastric bypass, lose 70 lbs and now every time she sees me she acts like she feels so f***ing sorry for me. The whole thing and her phony attitude makes me sick. I just wish I hadn't spent $12,000 on surgery and another $5,000 with a personal trainer twice a week for 6 months to learn I can't lose weight, apparently. I knew that before lap-band.

I'm just one person, but I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypo) and I had lapband done in Feb 2011. I had a personal trainer I worked out with for 6 months and worked out at Lifetime Fitness with him twice, sometimes three times a week, and worked out at home also. I bought a Polar to monitor my progress. I started jogging along with my walking regimen. lost 30 lbs--that's it. No more. Not one ounce, not one gram. It is September of 2012 now, and I'm still sitting at 30 pounds down. I went through intense feelings of guilt, disappointment, every negative you can think of, that was me. It still is to some degree. I am now coming out of my funk, well over a year later, and realizing that I have to live my life anyway, that I might just be fat the rest of my life; but I don't have to be out of breath all the time, and I don't have to be tired all the time, so the working out has started up again. Just be prepared, and be informed. Good luck.

I had my consultation, psych eval, and nutritional consultation all yesterday. I really liked everyone in the office, including Dr. Cavazos. He was just awesome! We got along really well. He's super down-to-earth and realistic. He thinks I am a great candidate for lap-band, and since I am self-pay, we can do my surgery as soon as I am given the O.K.--but the surgery day will most likely be after October 1 since I won't have the total amount until then. Very excited about this journey. Can't wait to start.

I'm not sure I can even respond. But I'm here. I'm not doing very well and am up 8 lbs....very depressed.

I've only lost 33 lbs...but I am more FIT than I have ever been! It's been a HUGE battle for me. Eating has been a challenge, but I've had to deal with a very bad, underactive thyroid. I've been seeing an endocrinologist that specializes in weight management and has me now taking my synthroid at night and eating Protein first thing when I wake up. I also had a very nasty staph infection on my hand in August that changed everything for me for at least a month. Working out twice (sometimes 3 times) a week has been key as well. It's hard not to get down on myself but I just know it's a daily challenge and I'm not going to let this beat me. There have been other good things as well--my face has shrunk! I used to have such a fat face! My knees are no longer dark and my feet no longer have splotches. I'm eating about 1500 calories a day. I'd like to cut that back to 1200 but I'm not sure I can do it without a fill and I already have problems with PBing so that's no good...lol. I wish I could say I was more than 33 pounds down but that's just unrealistic for me and always has been, even though I was hoping for a miracle. I do not have ANY regrets. My eating has improved so much. I care much more about what is going in my mouth now than I did last year at this time. I have 57 more pounds to lose and I'm off to get a tummy tuck to remove the tire around my waist that keeps drooping more with every pound lost! Oh did I mention I'm running, too? Yep! Something I'd never do before! My first 5K is in February! 3 miles--I might be crawling at the end but I'll get there! Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

If you have hypothyroidism, you will have to take it the rest of your life. It is a weight-based dosage medication, so if you weigh less than you did when you were first diagnosed, then you will most likely have your dosage reduced as well. However, it will never get to a point where you are off meds completely. Hypothyroidism is a challenge for bandsters, but it is one you can deal with. I'm in quite the rut right now, because my thyroid is off, but that's the least of my issues right now. I have to work on a HUGE sugar addiction and carb fixation....and then I might make progress again. It's very important to keep up with your thyroid numbers. TSH, Free T3, T4, etc...have a good endocrinologist who understands! Also, be sure you are taking your meds at night and NOT in the morning.

I've been stuck for two months at the same weight. I had a terrible staph infection on my finger and it screwed everything up as far as my thyroid meds (timing). I am not pleased in the least, but I am just keeping on the track. frustrating at best.

and then when I emailed the admin to say I've never signed up with them and please remove me, I get a bad email address. I don't like these tactics, and I want my membership from that site and the other site that sent me something--a sleeve site. Both are affiliated with LapBandTalk.com. Please advise...I don't like my user name being taken to another site, a membership set up, and then emails thanking me for doing all of that and I never, ever did...it kinda freaks me out.

Did you REALLY just say that!?!? 3-4 scoops of ice cream at night? Holy crap. Yes, I guess we do all lose differently, if we're scarfing down 400-800 calories before we go to bed...you do realize that's almost a pint of ice cream, right?

sophinator--big hugs!! I know how discouraging it can be, believe me!! I'm right there with you. Don't let it get you down!! You will win this battle, that's all there is to it. It is a big battle, bigger for some of us than for others. I know you will do it.

Hi everybody! Well, things have slowed a bit again in the weight loss department. I PB a lot as you all know, I am sure it is my fault--I don't chew well. But my biggest problem lately has been the SUGAR! Urgh. I was baaaaad on vacation. Bad bad bad LOL. Luckily I couldn't eat what I used to, but I was still eating at least 1800-2000 a day and not exercising other than tooling around at the beach. So, I was up 2 lbs, my trainer says it was probably water, but still! Anyway, I ended up losing that, and one more pound, so I have only lost 5 lbs since May 31. Not really happy about that. I have restriction, plenty of it--but I just think my metabolism is creeping along right now even though I am working out. It's getting better and I am not getting too discouraged, because working out is doing something for me that eating less can't do: tone me up and make my heart healthy. When I first started working out in March, my target heart rate was zone 1 (110-125) because I was SO entirely out of shape. Now, my target heart rate is zone 3 (140-150). I am so proud of myself for that. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, getting started, but I just knew with the money I put out for the lap-band I was not going to screw this up by not exercising. I think one of the things we all have to remember is that not only does everyone lose weight at their own pace (let's face it, my thyroid could be discouraging me so badly but I refuse to let it affect me that way), but people are built so differently...so one person that is 5'2" that has 100 lbs to lose is going to see that weight come off faster than someone who is 5'10" (like me). Someone in their twenties who has no endocrinological problems is going to lose faster than a thirty-something with PCOS. Someone that has Type II Diabetes/Insulinemia who continues to eat/drink sugar and sugar substitutes when they know they're sensitive to that is going to have problems losing. I cannot stress enough the importance of MOVING. If you aren't MOVING, and you are EATING, you are STORING! Unfortunately. It took me so long to figure this out. The lap-band is just a tool. It is not the answer. But look at what it allows us to do when we make just a few little changes! I am amazed, personally!! Sure, I wish I could be at the 50 pound mark like some of you, but I am THRILLED that I am at the 31 pound mark! Me--losing 31 pounds!! And to think I might be down another 20 lbs by Christmas? Really?? It just makes me so excited. It's a different mindset for me. It's little victories, not the big ones. But, I'm at a different point in my life than some folks so my victories are maybe a little different. Getting into a t-shirt (and workin' it!!) that I haven't worn in 6 years...it makes me realize how I am changing. Going to the gym twice, sometimes three times a week to work out...that's something I NEVER ever saw myself doing...so that's a HUGE change...and people are starting to comment...and I am now no longer self-conscious about posting pics of myself on my facebook page. Numbers on a scale can't do that!!

welp, TOM showed last week, left on Tuesday, and doggone it I am stuck on the scale. I guess I just need to pump it up some more. Elle, I am thinking along the same lines as you, but I have to say, I feel pretty good when I'm at BJs for lunch and I get the chicken and can only eat half of the lunch portion, but I will admit I can eat more than I could a month ago. I think I really, really need to journal my food intake so I know what exactly I am eating.

Hey! Down a pound! Good for you. I had a pity-party through the entire month of May so I TOTALLY understand. We are all going to have some weeks that are better than others no doubt!! I too am debating about a fill. Though I sometimes still have issues with food, I am starting to get hungrier between meals and I am probably definitely hitting 1500 cals now. I need to JOURNAL all my food intake. I think it is soooo important so I can see what I am doing wrong and what I am doing RIGHT! My doc said I should be able to eat the equivalent of a Happy Meal's worth of food. For those that don't know, that's 4 nuggets and a small fry. Not that we should be EATING Happy Meals lol, just the size of the food. Well, I'm eating that at dinner no prob. I might be eating a little more than that sometimes. So I probably need to check in with the nurse and see what she thinks. I also have to cut down even more on the sugar and STOP the dependency on Crystal Light. I need to drink more pure Water. I am positive that will help tremendously. My doc says: if you're losing (even a tiny bit), and you're not throwing up, and you're not feeling true hunger in between meals, then you're IN THE ZONE!

You go girl!! To answer your earlier Protein shake question, I use two different kinds: Lifetime Fitness' Fastfuel Complete (Chocolate) http://shop.lifetimefitness.com/Nutritional-Products/Chocolate-FastFuel-Complete-1234_2285-opt.aspx . It is EXCELLENT. It is a HUGE container and will last you a loooong time. I just use it with my mootopia and some crushed ice in a single smoothie blender (mine is a Hamilton Beach I found at Target for $15). It has a good, chocolatey flavor and reminds me of the oldschool Alba 77 shakes. Yum. When I am in a hurry on Tuesdays and Thursdays (trainer days at the gym) I drink a pre-made Atkins shake (Milk or Dark Chocoate). I love them super, super cold and they fill me up really well. I love my gym days because my mornings are busy, busy, busy, and I have no time to think about food until at least noon. LOL.

sophinator, exercise was the key for me. I have been exercising since day 1, but it took a LONG time for my body's metabolism to rev up enough to finally feel the effects of it. That has a lot to do with my age (40) and my sedentary life prior to lap-band, but it also has a lot to do with my very sluggish thyroid. Just walking 30 minutes at a decent pace (doesn't have to be brisk--just has to be enough to get your heart rate up just a little) every other day will hike up your metabolism significantly over the course of 2 months. You can do it!!

The weight is FINALLY starting to come off! I've been losing about 1-2 lbs a week consistently since a few weeks ago. I am so psyched!

I love my Polar. I have the RS300. I use it every day. I also did the VO2 test at the gym to personalize my results more. I have been really struggling. First of all, I have finally stopped productive burping on almost everything, but that is mainly because I have figured out what I can and can't eat. It is depressing that I can't eat salad, my favorite thing. I can eat plenty of carbs though--so I have to be very careful and watch what I am doing. I have been working my CAN off. I've paid another $1500K in personal training. I'm taking in roughly 1000-1200 calories a day. I use my Polar to figure out how many calories I burn a day. I am drinking plenty. Yet in this very thread, I posted on May 4 that I was down to 270. Well effin-A, it is May 19 and I've only lost TWO MORE POUNDS?!?! Something is not right. I do not understand this and I am so frustrated I can't see straight. My doctors office is unfortunately not much help--they are very kind, but they think I need another fill and I don't think so AT ALL. I could barely eat last month. I'm just now where I feel like I can eat and keep it down. I just want to cry.

I have been where you are. Remember that your body is going to hold on to Water when you work out. I gained 5 lbs in about three days after I started hard-core working out with a trainer for an hour twice a week and walking in between. It took FOREVER for that to start coming off. It was so discouraging. It has to do with the lactic acid and how it leaves your body. It apparently needs a LOT of water to be removed. So just keep that in mind!! Your body will adjust and the weight will start to come off. You might want to post what you're eating and when, because that's a big problem for people too. My doc says NO snacking in between meals and absolutely nothing after 8PM except water or sugar free Jello.

Well, I'm still miserable. I contacted my doctor's office who told me I was probably not chewing well enough OR small enough, and that's really impossible at this point. I'm not sure how I could do either any better than I have this week. If it ain't soup, it ain't going down. I am PBing at almost every single meal. I am hardly taking in ANY calories at all, but my scale is still stuck at actually three pounds more than it was a month ago. How can this be, you ask? I do not know. I honestly do not know. I do not "snack" because I can hardly eat to begin with! I am only trying to eat protein and very few carbs. I think I actually have to go in for an unfill. What do you think? Is anyone else having this problem? I just want to cry. I am so upset. I am so sick of this PBing nonsense! I feel paralyzed. I can't even go out to eat anymore.