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Welcome to the challenge Arthemise!

This month has flown by. I did not make my goal. I feel guillty about joining a Biggest Loser contest at work now that I have restriction. I joined before my last fill. The weight is coming off effortless and I feel if I add exercise the weight will come off even faster. I have an unfair advantage over everyone else that joined. I will start a new thread for April and lower my miles. The contest is over April 30th.

My goal size is also a 12. I was in a very tight 14 before surgery because I refused to buy a size 16. Some of the size 14 clothes did not fit and some did. I had several pairs of slacks where the buttons had popped off.

I saw the show and was thankful that someone is concerned enough to try and make a difference. I am an elementary school teacher. I hate what our kids are served for lunch. It is a neverchanging menu. Monday: chicken nuggets Tuesday: taco boat Wednesday: chili mac Thursday: pizza Friday: cheeseburgers The veggies are canned and dumped into a large pan to heat. The kids throw 90% of the veggies in the trash. There are days when I do not have time to make my lunch, but I refuse to eat anything my school serves. I always keep Protein powder on hand for days like that. I hope the show picks up a huge following. We really need to change our eating habits. The "chicken nugget" experiment was unbelievable.

Thank you for the list of foods. I am a seafood lover. I can eat fish seven days a week and not get bored. Your list does provide a variety of foods that I am willing to try. I was getting very weak and dehydrated. I am too weak to exercise right now. I can't wait until I feel better.

Hummingbird, I am so thankful for this post. I had a fill a week ago and I am now at restriction after 10 months. I thought I was too tight but I didn't want to get an unfill because the weight was finally coming off. The problem was I was throwing up whenever I tried to eat. I visited this thread and learned I was eating the wrong food. I took your advice and changed what I was "trying" to eat. I had chili for lunch and kept it down. I had fish for dinner and it stayed down. This is the first day out of 8 that I haven't thrown up. What do you eat in a typical day? Are you living off of chili, fish and tuna salad? Do you ever get fruits and veggies in?

This is a long story. I am not going to shorten it because it may help someone in the future. I had lapband surgery on May 28, 2009. I only wanted to lose 40lbs. I thought I would have lost that and then some by now. I was a cash patient. My surgeon used a facility that granted me free fills for a year because I paid in cash. That was a great deal since my surgeon charges $150.00 per fill. I thought I would lose my weight in a year and maintain my weight loss through the surgeon's office after my free year was up. This is where the nightmare began unbeknowst to me. At the time of my surgery my doctor gave me a fill of 2ccs. I have a 10cc Lapband. I had really good restriction for nearly 3 weeks after surgery. I went for the 1st fill at the surgical center in July. I was given 1cc. I did not feel any restriction. Over the course of 8 months I've had 7 fills for a total of 7.8ccs. Each time I went, I would get a numbing shot because the NP thought my port was flipped and she had a hard time finding it. I would be stuck a minimum of 8-10 times before she would find the port. On one visit I saw blood in the syringe. I thought that was odd, but did not press the issue. The last time I went for a fill was 1/18/10. I whined that I felt no restriction. I begged for more saline. She did not give me more. I decided it was time to call my surgeon. I saw my surgeon on 1/25/10. I voiced my concerns. He listened and said he could help. I did not believe him. I asked for numbing medication before the fill, but the nurse said I would not need it. Just as I was about to protest, my doctor found my port with one stick. He withdrew the saline to determine how much was in the band and only withdrew 4ccs. All this time the NP was not filling my band. I was told I had 7.8ccs. My doctor filled me to 5.5ccs. In only a few minutes I realized I was too tight. I could not get Water down. The small amount that went down felt like a golf ball was exploding in my chest. My doctor removed .5ccs and I went home with a total of 5ccs. The next morning I was throwing up foamy matter. I could not get a sip of water to go down. I threw up all morning .I went back to my doctor that afternoon for a complete unfill. Sometimes when bandsters post with concerns about not feeling restriction, not many, but some people can be really mean and judgemental. One person in particular posted that some of us obviously do not know how the band works. That was hurtful. It made me not want to post my concerns again, however, there were many posters who were sincerely concerned and gave great advice. Thanks to you who really care. I lost 8 months of weight loss because the trained personnel were incompetent. I now know that the band can work for me. I will go back to my surgeon the week of 2/15/10 for another fill. The swelling from throwing up so much will be down by then. My surgeon will take it slowly. I do know that my port is not flipped. My surgeon found it with one stick, twice on the day of the fill and again the very next day for the unfill. If you know you do not have restriction and you have gone several months without any weight loss do not be hard on yourself if you know you are following the plan and getting enough exercise. Talk to your doctor. Ask questions. Make sure you know how much saline you have in your band. Do not get discouraged. I have another 3 months of free fills at the surgical center, but I will not go back. It will be worth every dollar spent with my surgeon when the weight begins to fall off.

I had a fill on Friday 3/19/10. I am pretty tight right now. I can only keep liquids down. Sometimes if I drink Water too fast it will come back up. As tight as I am right now, I know I will be on liquids for a while. I am curious. If you were ever too tight, how long did you stay on liquids before the band loosened or you went in for a slight unfill? It has taken 10 months to get to restriction and I do not want to lose it. If I can endure for a fews day, then it will be worth it to see the weight come off. Thanks for your responses in advance.

I went back to the fill center yesterday and spoke with the head NP. I met her for the first time. I explained what I had gone through and she was very understanding. I told her that my surgeon had filled me to 4.5ccs. She wanted to determine how much saline was in the band because she could not believe there was such a huge discrepancy. She withdrew the saline and recovered nearly 7ccs of Fluid. I am so confused. My surgeon is the one who is wrong!!!??? I saw the saline for myself. She started with an empty syringe and withdrew the fluid and showed me how much was in it. She gave me another .5ccs for a total of 7.5ccs. At least I have restriction now.

I have an appointment at the Fill Center tomorrow morning. This will be the first opportunity to let them know that I was not being filled properly. I am going to ask them to give me an additional year of free fills. Wish me luck!

Welcome to the challenge Daqui!

WOW!!! Way to go Cassie. What is your goal for the month and how are you getting your miles?

What does everyone eat in a typical day? I have a shake for Breakfast, chili or chicken salad for lunch and Protein and veggies for dinner. I am not losing as much as I thought I would now that I have restriction. It has been hard getting my Water in. I'm wondering if that is why the weight loss is so slow. Willow how long have you had restriction and is your weight loss from restriction or willpower and exercise?

Week 1: 10 miles 30 to go

Hi Cassie. The only thing you have to do for this challenge is log your miles walked, ran or pedaled. We set a monthly goal and set out to reach it. Log your miles in every week to keep yourself motivated. Welcome aboard!

Welcome back Sparkles! Thanks Laura!

Willow, I have been so out of pocket lately. I just noticed how much weight you have lost. Congratulations! That is truly awesome. Thanks for the kind words. I have enjoyed the challenge. I more so have enjoyed pedaling to good health with you. You have been my inspiration since the start. What is it like to have lost so much weight? Have your students noticed?

I nearly forgot to set the thread for the month. My goal for February is 40 miles. Good luck everyone!

Good Morning, It has been a few weeks since I opened this post. I was not motivated to exercise at all once I realized my band had not been working for me. (See my thread under Fills: My Fills Nightmare) I have restriction as of 1/24/10 and the motivation is back. I am recommitted to the Mile Challenges.

I am losing hair. I am 9 months post op. I noticed the thinning at 5 months post op. I have always taken Biotin and I get a lot of Protein in everyday. I am on HBP meds. I think it is a combination of the HBP meds, stress and the surgery. I am a 3rd grade teacher. I am stressed because I have to prepare 20 kids for the state test. I just pray that the thinning will stop soon. I've always had a head full of hair. Now my scalp is exposed at the temples, nape and crown. I also have the Joan Rivers hair makeup. It helps, but I am self conscience when I wear it.

I went back to my surgeon's office for a fill this afternoon. I now have 4.5ccs in my band. I hope I have restriction now. Will come back and post after 3 more days on liquids. I had an unfill last month. At the time I had 5ccs in my band. I hope 4.5ccs will be enough to start my weight loss. BTW, the dr. found the port on the first try once again.

My insurance does not cover WLS. My surgeon performs surgery for anyone who needs to lose 40lbs or more. He suggested that I lose 50lbs. I only wanted to lose 40 initially, but since I am banded, I will try and get to a normal BMI. I hope I answered your question.

Thank you for your support. My surgeon wanted me to wait a month before he fills me again. My big day is 2/24/10. I'm like a kid anxiously waiting for Christmas morning.

My surgeon wants his patients to be on liquids the day of the fill. I hope this helps you.

I will be cheering you on all the way to your goal. You can do it. Good luck!