Padanelle

I forgot to mention, NYU added a new Bariatric Doctor to their team. Sorry, I forgot her name. She may be able to do the letter for you. If not, NYU should be able to recommend a PCP. Good luck. Joan

I use Dr Charles Paolino, Westside Medical Center on West 14th St. He was very supportive of my surgery. I believe he takes AETNA. I can send you his contact info if you're interested.

Hi Isit, I can understand your frustration, but 45 lbs is something to be proud of. I spent October gaining & loosing the same 3-5 lbs. Are you keeping a journal of everything you eat, including calories, protiens, etc? I did for the first few months, then just startewd listing the food only. I was so frustrated with my weight loss I decided to join one of the online sites where you can track your food (sparkpeople.com). After 2 days, I was shocked at how many calories a day I was consuming - 1600-1700. Yikes! When I was counting calories, I was always well under 1,000. You mentioned you miss real food. What are you eating.? I can pretty much eat anything I want, as long as its small bites & lots of chewing. If you're not eating solid foods, you should be. You need to work the band, as they say. I suggest logging your food for 1-2 weeks to see if you can figure why you have plateaued, which by the way is normal for most. If its not obvious to you, take your food log to your nutritionist to get suggestions from them. Good luck, and hang in there. Joan

Becky, Taking care of a 17 month old probably gives you plenty of exercise for now. As the pounds come off, you'll have more energy and hopefully will look forward to doing more exercise. I'm a card carrying couch potato, and because of bad knees and my weight, I found it extremely difficult to walk. Since loosing weight, I love walking, although don't do as much as I would like. My weight loss hasn't been as spectacular as some others, but I'm happy with it. I've never had much success with gym memberships (go for about 1 month, and pay for 12), so I won't go that route again. I recently tried a friend's WII and got a good workout, plus had fun, so I'm planning to treat myself to one for Christmas. Good luck on your journey.

I gained and lost the same 5 lbs in Oct. Starting to loos again. Nine lbs is a lot to loose in 3 weeks, but I'll try to get as close as I can by Turkey Day. Joan

Third's the charm. I didn't reach goal in Sept & Oct. Hoping to reach it this month. I'm keeping the same goal - 25 miles - as its getting cold here.

Close, but no cigar. I should have been able to do this. I'm really disappointed with myself. Goal: 25 miles Completed: 23 miles

Congratulations on your weightloss, Coleen. I usually feel the same way after a fill. I have a hard time drining enough Water everyday, but it is important - not only for health, but also weight loss. Besides water, the important thing is to be sure to get enough Protein. I find it very comforting to have mushies (eggs, Soups, tilapia, etc), but I found just eating them slows my weight loss. After a few days, if you can handle it, start to add solids back into your diet. The solids work the band and help you feel more satisfied after a meal. Good luck! Joan

Hi Rebecca, You probably have the LapBand APS (standard) which is 10 cc. It also comes in large - APL, which is 14 cc. You can find out more info by either clicking on the "New" tab on the upper right corner of this site, or go to www.lapband.com Regards, Joan

I've tried them, and they a a great substitute when I can't get enough protein in some days. I prefer the Isopure Zero Carb protein drinks. I usually have the Lemon Green Tea flavor & mix it with regular green tea, and have at least 1/2 bottle (20g protein) most days.

Agreee with everyone on the liquids & mushies. Also, if food is getting stuck & coming back up, its usually recommended to have liquids for 24-48 hours afterwards. And as someone pointed out, go slow after any fill, as what you were able to eat before can change.

Congratulations, Amy on reaching the 50lb milestone.

Hi Louise, The sweet spot is when your band is basically at a 'perfect fill' - you've reached the right restriction. Joan

Too much alcohol won't stretch the pouch - it goes right through - but it will put the lbs back on.

Finally lost the extra pounds I gained. Back on track. I can do it!

Hi Bob! Sliming is another term for PBing - something gets stuck, and you keep "vomiting" saliva. Hopefully, whatever food is stuck comes up, and you can beathe easy again. Sigh... It amazing how much saliva our body produces. lol. NYCgal - joan

Last week I just had some of my second fill that was taken out replaced. The scales are finally moving in the right direction again, and I finally managed to loose the 5 extra lbs I regained since the beginning of the month. I hope I can keep this up. I was hoping to loose 50 lbs by Halloween, but if I can maintain today's weight for the rest of the week, I'll be a happy camper. I now have 3.9 cc's, and am feeling a bit of restriction, especially when I drink, which never happened before, so I guess that's good. But I think it will be awhile before I hit my sweet spot.

Absolutely, Manatee. What's with all this self-sacrifice? You'll never catch Tracy sacrificing herself for the good of the team. Specially when ythere's money involved. If anyone should have sacrificed themselves it should have been Daniel, but you notice he kept his mouth shut. I'm so glad Danny voted to get rid of him, even if it was only one vote.

Woo! Woo! You go girl!

Hi Willow, I was banded in June by Dr Fielding. I've heard wonderful things about Dr Kurian. I found the entire surgical team great, and the follow-up program is really good. My only complaint was getting the approval, and dealing with the surgical assistant, who almost never returned calls. I found the best way to communicate was e-mail. When the insurance approval finally came through less than a week before surgery it was a mad dash to fit in all of the pre-surgery appointments. I would recommend you get recommendations for doctors at NYU, so the results can be sent faster. Good luck! Joan

I believe that the new bands have less slipage & erosion. The surgery for the old & new bands is probably similar, but you might want to check on that, as if there is some difference, your surgeon might not be experienced with working with it. Just a thought, but worth checking out. You might also want to check on other surgeons in Mexico that use the newer bands. I saw someone post on this site that they got a new model Realize band from Dr Ortize. Good luck with whatever you choose. The band has definately changed my life, and I am so glad I had it done.

That's what I love about this site. It's not a case of misery loves company, but one of I'm not alone in my journey, and the plateau and hard times are not only happening to me. I lve the threads of others who started around the same time as me. It was a nice feeling when I was loosing slighly quicker than others, and it motivates me when I'm lagging behind. No matter what our scales say today, we've come a long way, baby. Congratulations to all of us! Joan

It's been a bad week. I'm having trouble staying motivated - specially food wise. I thought I wouldn't have a problem meeting thois month's low goal, but its going to be close. I'm going to need to get out and get some serious walking in to reach it. Goal: 25 miles So far: 18.5 miles

I'm going through the same thing. My weight keeps hovering around the same few pounds, and I am able to eat more. I just had a fill on Tues, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm finding it hard to stay motivated, and that scares me.

I haven't picked a favorite yet, but I was sorry to see Dina go.