juliansmom2003

Great job! Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

Hi there. First congratulations on your weight loss. 40 lbs is awesome! Honestly, I am pretty much at the same point you are right now. My bugg is telling me I am in a 1000 calorie deficit every day (sometimes more), I'm exercising 4 to 5 days a week and I am once again playing with the same 2 lbs, so I am interested to see what responses you get from this. How much Water are you drinking? I know that this can definitely be a factor and your Protein looks good, so maybe it could be water intake? What is your average calories? Perhaps playing with that a little regardless of what the bb is saying would help (maybe dipping lower one day and then closer to what it tells you to take in?) Just know you're not alone and this plateau WILL go away. I wish it could be easier for us all to figure out, but then again, what fun would that be ? Hang in there!

It sounds like a combination of needing a fill and the rigorous exercise causing the hunger. How many calories a day are you eating? If the doc sees that you are not losing weight, that could be a trigger that you need a fill, maybe just a small one. If your portion sizes are getting bigger and you are not satisfied for at least 4 hours in between meals, my guess is that you need a fill. (And don't worry--no loss is better than any gain!!!)

I have a 10cc band that is over half way filled. I didn't reach 'real' restriction until this last fill in May, so that would be my 4th and it took me to 5.3 ccs to feel it. Wonder why he used such a big band, given you definitely started on the lower end of the spectrum? Ah, I chalk that up to every doc is different I suppose. Good luck!!!

You never know. You just might end up getting lucky and getting an earlier date. My doctor was also booked 2 months in advance and wouldn't give you a surgery date until insurance approval was in. As luck would have it, I got approved on a Friday and the following Tuesday, the nurse called and said, "How would you like to have your surgery NEXT WEEK?" I will never forget how much I screamed and cried. Remember, everything happens for a reason. If you are meant to have it earlier, you will. I wouldn't change docs for an earlier date when you've invested so much time with your surgeon and obviously want to stick with him :-) Good luck and I will keep my fingers crossed that you get in with a very short wait (and if not, that the time flies by!!)

LOL--I thought I had a 14cc and found out after my 3rd fill I had a 10....oops!

LOL Leigha--I thought the same thing too when I got up this morning @ Anne's surgery being today. So glad we didn't miss the chance to say good luck! We're glad you're still here with us, Anne! Leigha, a wawa is a convenient store we have here on the east coast (like a 7-11 type). Sodas, subs, cigs (yuk), coffee, candy, things like that. There is almost one on every corner. You are doing freaking awesome with the running! Go girl!!! I am so excited to hear about that NSV! I wonder if my thighs will always touch at this point. You never know, but it's good to know of someone that is able to say theirs don't anymore, so you are going to be my inspiration and hope LOL! My husband is quite the smart ass too. And what is up with all the boob comments? My hubby is mad that I'm down to a 38D. I can finally shop at Victoria's Secret and he's mad???? Far cry from my 46F, but whatever. I am no longer hunchback LOL! Ummm, okay I would have been totally freaked by that dead monkey btw. HB---niiiiice!!! I'd certainly consider THAT an NSV. Very cool! LOVE the comforter set by the way. Bobbie--wanna have a slumber party at Crystl's? I'll bring the margaritas ! Jacki--congrats on getting into those 10s and zipping them up! That's an awesome feeling!! I bet in no time at all, they will turn out to be your 'comfy' jeans :-)! I am about 20 minutes from the Phila zoo too---I can't believe what a small world it is! Shammah-- Happy (belated) anniversary and congrats on 7 years of marriage! May you have a hundred more :-) Love the pic! You look great and you can see a major difference! Keep up the great work! Dottie--Don't give up on that puzzle! Maybe if you do it like Leigha says and doing it in small bits, heck you can make it into two 1,000 piece puzzles :-)! Stacie--Half way there!!! WOW! You should be SO proud of yourself! All your hard work is paying off! Christie--glad you're feeling better. More importantly, glad you're able to EAT again!!! Denise--I'm both jealous and inspired by you. 5 lbs to goal! You are amazing! How about this freaking thread about following the rules? Spartan surely handed them their a$$. Holy crap! Sometimes I think people try to stir the pot and start things like that. Not a full blown troll, but someone that likes to ignite a good sized debate. I think a lot of them are forgetting the purpose of the board in the first place. Thank God we have this thread. It's too easy to get caught up in the negative stuff. Really and truly.

Same as last week. I did indulge on some wine and perhaps ate a bit too much when we went out to dinner with friends on Saturday night, so I'm not going to complain (shocker, I know). Just going to be thankful that it's not a gain. Going to work my butt off this week to lose at least 2 stinking pounds though. Enough with being lax!!!!!

I am not sure if there is concrete info on this, however, the proof is in the pudding. The ones that follow the rules lose the weight, the ones that don't will not. I have seen it a lot at support group. Are you self pay or did your insurance pay? I can't imagine someone that paid for this surgery would disregard their surgeon's instructions and if your insurance paid, I would imagine there was some kind of waiting period, psych consult, dietary plan or something that you needed to go through to educate you about the band lifestyle before getting approved. Either way, I'm not sure what the point of having the surgery truly is if you're not following the program because the band will NOT do all the work. I have hated this band many times due to little restriction and relying solely on my willpower for losing weight, but if you work with it, it will help you. When were you banded? How much have you lost?

omg adorable!

OMG that and the --I'm on a plateau 2 weeks post op??????

Not to sound negative or anything, but to those of you who have said you're on plateaus at 2.5 and 3 weeks post-op, please remember anyone under 6 weeks post-op can't really consider these plateaus as your dietary intake has changed significantly, you are running into issues from having IVs and your body is healing at this time, so you shouldn't really be focusing on losing during this time (I know, easier said then done). After the 4 to 6 weeks when you have clearance to exercise, progress your diet and start getting fills, that is when you start to focus on the actual loss. Anything you may lose during this initial time you need to be happy with and consider it a huge bonus/head start!! That is the best advice I received from this board when I was a new bandster and wanted to pass it along for those who are feeling unsuccessful so early in the process.

I would actually check over at the Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery section of this board. You might have more luck there. I do know that you need to be at goal weight for a certain period of time before some surgeons will do it and some insurances do cover it depending on the amount of skin you have due to infections, etc. Hope this helps.

Yaay, Anne!!! SO exciting to hear! Like Leigha, I don't know anyone with the sleeve, so I'm very interested to hear all about it! Fingers crossed your approval comes in quickly and everything goes smoothly! You're in my prayers!

That's the thing, just like not having restriction can hinder weight loss, so can being too tight. As someone else mentioned, your body is not getting sufficient nutrients to sustain it. It's good that you called the doc, but if it continues, you really need to go in and get some removed. Vomiting every day is definitely dangerous and can result in your band slipping. Please keep us posted on how you're doing on the liquids.

I too notice that my restriction usually kicks in 2 or 3 weeks after a fill. I have always been tighter in the morning anyway and as the day goes on, I am able to eat more. Someone mentioned that when you're dehydrated, your band tightens, so it would make sense that most people would be tighter in the mornings, seeing as you're sleeping and not able to take any Water in. Everyone is different though, but I believe the majority of us are tighter in the morning.

Awwww, how nice Kelly! I honestly feel the same way too. I cannot tell you how invaluable this board has been throughout my journey. SO glad I found it!!!!

Well to be honest, I don't think anyone hated exercise more than me (not saying you do). I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old that are very demanding, so I will take them on huge walks with me to the custard stand to get a frozen yogurt or water ice (where I will treat myself to a nice, BIG water LOL) so they have incentive to walk with me. I am thinking of buying a bike so we can all go riding, but believe me, I get the fact that it's hard having kids and most of the responsibilities that come with having them most of the time (my hubby works all the time too). What I did do was I went onto Comcast OnDemand and hit some of the free exercise videos there. There are a couple called "Walk for Weightloss" (Leslie Sansone is the instructor)--they have a 1-mile/15 minute brisk walk and a 2-mile/30 minute brisk walk and it incorporates a bunch of other movements in there so you burn more calories than you normally would taking a regular walk or walking on the treadmill. If you don't have comcast, you can buy those dvds relatively cheap. I now do the Wii Fit, Just Dance on the Wii (which my kids LOVE doing with me) and my new favorite is Hip Hop Abs (LOVE this workout)!!! Starting to integrate the Chalean Extreme to keep things fresh, but even though sometimes I'm not motivated to exercise (tired or may have had a long day), honestly, afterward, I feel SO good when I do. It's something I do for myself and it really feels good to know I'm working hard toward my goal when I could've given in and just laid down after work (even though that's what I want to do most of the time :-))!! Swimming is also an EXCELLENT way to get your exercise in! I've been bugging hubby to get the freaking pool open--now that he has it's been in the 60s since then :-( --just can't win! I can't wait to start getting back in the pool! REALLY great exercise, something to do with the kids and lots of fun too!! You'll fall into a groove soon. You just need to find something that works for you. They say walking is the best exercise, so try to check out those Leslie Sansone DVDs!!

Wooohooo! Way to go! Of course you can do this---just wait to see how much more is in store for you :-)! Congrats!!!!!

I have a 12 to 16 ounce cup of coffee every morning. My doc says it's alright. I was on decaf initially right after being banded as instructed, but now I drink a cup a day and I'm fine. Please, if I can't smoke, drink too much alcohol, have no soda, and eat I'd be one mean b*tch without my coffee LOL!!! That is what works for me, but I am not trying to speak for all the bandsters here :-) (Again, you see from the responses, it does vary from doctor to doctor--what does yours say about it?)

Michael--Welcome to the thread!!! Way to go on your loss! You should be very proud! Amy--glad your lil fill got you to a good place! Keeping my fingers crossed that it holds steady! Denise-- LOLing at the a$$ gasket, but sorry to hear you got stuck at the meeting. Awesome that no one noticed. Palm Springs? You lucky dog!!! I would have soooo loved to have seen a clip of the karaoke night. Karaoke is tons of fun--especially when you're drunk! That's the only way I do it because my sister gives me crap about 'singing for real' when we go out, so I just stopped doing it until I get so drunk that it sounds like my tongue is tied to my freaking cheek LOL HB--Wooohooo! Look at you in those lil jeans! Congrats! Bob--congrats on your NSV too! The towel thing is one of the best feelings! It's the little things LOL Leigha--love the pic of you. You look like such a runner ! You continue to look AMAZING!!! Betsy--haven't seen a recent update from you. Everything okay in your world? How's Mark doing? I see your Bugg updates on FB. You are burning some SERIOUS calories, chica! Bobbie--haven't "seen" you around either. How's the new job? Hope you're still loving it! Dottie--I'm glad the scale is moving again for you! 25 lbs to go? Woohooo!!!!!! Look at you, still working it even with being restricted with your knees. You should be very proud of yourself, girl! Please don't apologize for whining. I'm stuck at 165, 15 away from my first goal, 20-25 away from my 'secret' goal and all I can do is obsess and get pissed about the "gain 2 lose 1" cycle. It will happen, your body is just getting so close to where it needs to be it's giving you a little reality check. Believe me, your persistence and hard work will pay off. Unfortunately, the final stretch is just the longest is all. I hope you are recovering well. Take a pic of that puzzle when you're done! Christie--how was your 'boyless' weekend? Do anything fun (not that weeding in the oppressive heat isn't LOL)? I bet you miss him though and you're ready for him to come home tomorrow. Things are okay here, can't complain. I did fail my PMP exam on Friday, but it's cool. I'm actually very proud of myself. You need to be proficient in 5 out of 6 domains to pass and I was proficient in 4 out of 6, so I came really close. Oh well, planning for getting back on the horse already. No sense in dwelling on the past. Time to turn it around make some lemonade! Have a wedding this weekend in Cape May and I have gotten into a "new" old dress that has been sitting in my closet just waiting to be worn for 6 months. Fully beaded, sequins galore and a size LARGE!! Holy crap! I am so excited to wear it! Hope everyone is doing well!

Down 1 this week to 165. I have been up and down from 164-166, so I guess I need to move my a$$ this week. It's really starting to slow down now, but what the heck do I have to complain about? 66 lbs isn't too shabby LOL Hope everyone else is doing well!

Lol Bob. You said it--we didn't

SO glad to hear that you were able to get this resolved (for now)! Crossing my fingers there is no leak and this magic 7 ccs is the level you need to be at to get to goal! Restriction is SUCH a beautiful thing!! My God, for the first time (dare I say) I HAVE IT TOO :-)!!!!

Oh believe me you will know it when you get there It is also known as the "green zone"--where you are truly full on a 6 ounce portion of food, you stay full for a minimum of 4 hours and you're not ready to eat your own pets or children during that time.....it's a beautiful thing! I'm sitting here at 3:30 making myself heat up my lunch (after having Breakfast at 10:30) because I need to get my Protein in! All the times I was starving in between meals makes this point in my band journey totally worth it !