abingdongirl

One year ago I was rolled down the isle in an 2XL gown, big ole booties and a smile because I knew my life would change. I went in prepared to face the challenges and joy that this decision would cause me. The first month I survived the liquid diet, post-surgery pain and discomfort and lost bonus 10 lbs that I have yet to see again. The second month I noticed my clothes getting looser and another 5 lbs gone, I can eat but the problem was I wanted to eat everything so I was welcomed to Bandster-Hell. The third month I had gotten my first fill 2ccs humm felt tight for like a day then back to eating it up… good thing no weight gain and another 2lbs gone. Month four, I noticed my size 22’s are falling off of me literally and another 2lbs gone, this is going slow I thought time for a fill and off I went another 2cc’s now 4ccs in a 10cc band. Month five another 2lbs goneI am still hungry and my 20’s are fitting loser, food still goes down pretty easily, and I have yet to experience a stuck episode I was so happy. Another .5 ccs in the band. 4.5 ccs Month Six no weight loss nothing, not a pound, I am starting to feel full faster but I can still eat two burritos and taco bell. And my workouts are sporadic time to make an appointment with the doctor .5cc’s he said I say more but I will see. Month Seven, Had .5cc’s in my band I don’t think that will do much of anything for me, but I took the doctor said wait another week and if it doesn’t work out then I can come back however, I got really busy with life and alas no weight loss but bread is off the menu forever, I experienced my first episode of slime and stuck with a piece of pork chop, and then a piece of bread. 5.5 ccs in the band I am halfway full that has got to count for something. Month eight, I am feeling discouraged I ended up not losing any weight this month, I lost 5lbs with my fill and I gained it back. I don’t know why because I can’t eat as much, and I am moving more it is spring and hot around here. I ended up having hernia surgery and couldn’t get a fill until I recovered from my surgery and I finally got the fill I wanted 1 cc’s now I am more than half way there 6.5cc’s and I am really feeling that day to day stuff that I have read about on the boards, feeling tight in the morning, I can eat a yogurt and be stuffed, and be satisfied for hours oh and my 20’s are now gone, I am now in a very loose fitting 18…I can’t wait. Month nine, it has been a few weeks since my fill I lost another 5lbs which is nice and my 18’s are gone I am in a 16 which I haven’t been in since 2003, I still have a ways to go I somehow thought I would have gotten further in my pounds lost but it is not that bad. I would have hit this point without my band. My eating is good I think I have hit my sweet spot but some days I am a little tighter I have learned to eat slow, I can’t eat fries, bread, and dry turkey oh and nothing on the McDonalds dollar menu goes down… so no bad foods for me. Month ten, weight loss has slowed down I think my body is doing the starvation hold, so my goal to combat it is to increase my exercise. Month eleven, I have increased my exercise and I am starting to feel better, I went shopping and no matter what store I went in I fit the 16’s and some were even loose and I lost another 5lbs this month. Now at month twelve I don’t regret my decision to have the band, my life has changed in my activity level my confidence I am still struggling or say dealing with the consequences of not planning my meals, eating too fast or trying those forbidden foods, but I know I am this for the long haul which is awesome to me. I have increased my activity level and plan to keep that up, I will be at my goal weight next year this time and with my band to use as my food tool, and my motivation as my next I will be there… Happy Bandiversary!!!

One year ago I was rolled down the isle in an 2XL gown, big ole booties and a smile because I knew my life would change. I went in prepared to face the challenges and joy that this decision would cause me. The first month I survived the liquid diet, post-surgery pain and discomfort and lost bonus 10 lbs that I have yet to see again. The second month I noticed my clothes getting looser and another 5 lbs gone, I can eat but the problem was I wanted to eat everything so I was welcomed to Bandster-Hell. The third month I had gotten my first fill 2ccs humm felt tight for like a day then back to eating it up… good thing no weight gain and another 2lbs gone. Month four, I noticed my size 22’s are falling off of me literally and another 2lbs gone, this is going slow I thought time for a fill and off I went another 2cc’s now 4ccs in a 10cc band. Month five another 2lbs goneI am still hungry and my 20’s are fitting loser, food still goes down pretty easily, and I have yet to experience a stuck episode I was so happy. Another .5 ccs in the band. 4.5 ccs Month Six no weight loss nothing, not a pound, I am starting to feel full faster but I can still eat two burritos and taco bell. And my workouts are sporadic time to make an appointment with the doctor .5cc’s he said I say more but I will see. Month Seven, Had .5cc’s in my band I don’t think that will do much of anything for me, but I took the doctor said wait another week and if it doesn’t work out then I can come back however, I got really busy with life and alas no weight loss but bread is off the menu forever, I experienced my first episode of slime and stuck with a piece of pork chop, and then a piece of bread. 5.5 ccs in the band I am halfway full that has got to count for something. Month eight, I am feeling discouraged I ended up not losing any weight this month, I lost 5lbs with my fill and I gained it back. I don’t know why because I can’t eat as much, and I am moving more it is spring and hot around here. I ended up having hernia surgery and couldn’t get a fill until I recovered from my surgery and I finally got the fill I wanted 1 cc’s now I am more than half way there 6.5cc’s and I am really feeling that day to day stuff that I have read about on the boards, feeling tight in the morning, I can eat a yogurt and be stuffed, and be satisfied for hours oh and my 20’s are now gone, I am now in a very loose fitting 18…I can’t wait. Month nine, it has been a few weeks since my fill I lost another 5lbs which is nice and my 18’s are gone I am in a 16 which I haven’t been in since 2003, I still have a ways to go I somehow thought I would have gotten further in my pounds lost but it is not that bad. I would have hit this point without my band. My eating is good I think I have hit my sweet spot but some days I am a little tighter I have learned to eat slow, I can’t eat fries, bread, and dry turkey oh and nothing on the McDonalds dollar menu goes down… so no bad foods for me. Month ten, weight loss has slowed down I think my body is doing the starvation hold, so my goal to combat it is to increase my exercise. Month eleven, I have increased my exercise and I am starting to feel better, I went shopping and no matter what store I went in I fit the 16’s and some were even loose and I lost another 5lbs this month. Now at month twelve I don’t regret my decision to have the band, my life has changed in my activity level my confidence I am still struggling or say dealing with the consequences of not planning my meals, eating too fast or trying those forbidden foods, but I know I am this for the long haul which is awesome to me. I have increased my activity level and plan to keep that up, I will be at my goal weight next year this time and with my band to use as my food tool, and my motivation as my next I will be there… Happy Bandiversary!!! :redface:

it really takes a minute once you have reached your sweet spot to figure out what foods will go down, and which will get stuck. I remember you have had a rough first six months with the band and now you are in a pattern is it the right pattern to be? I would say no you have to get in at least 1200 calories a day as everyone else has said, now the questions is how? I can eat hamburger made with ground beef with cheese on it and no bread, it takes me about 20 minutes just take your time and chew well, I can eat a cobb salad with light ranch dressing and that goes down pretty good, now I can't eat much in the morning, a shake is about all I can do first thing in the morning, so leave your shakes for the morning meal and snacks but you need to have a sensible meal maybe around lunch or dinner. Hope this helps glad to see you sticking it out.

I would say I wish I had listened more to my doctor about getting fills in a good interval, I was banded in August and I didn't hit my sweet spot till my last fill in June that is 10 months too long... As a result I am just learning you can't eat and drink at the same time, and why my surgeon doesn't like straws. My doctor was really good at preparing me for the surgery but after 10 months of skipping a few points here and there, now I have eat right or be tired, and have low energy for the days I don't. The surgery went according to plan, the discomfort was exactly 10 days and so far the ride smooth with no complications. But I wish I had returned every two to three weeks for my fills and I would have reach this point sooner..

This blog is very helpful, I have 6.5 ccs in a 10cc band and I have hit my sweet spot, but there are days I can eat alot and days when I can't eat that much, your plan sounds sensible, I have found that I can eat brocolli, corn, salad, cheese, I can't eat eggs. meats I can eat if it is topped with cheese or I put light blue cheese dressing on it. anything dry or made into a bread I can't eat which is good because my sweet tooth was pastries, cake and pies... I have learned I have got to start measuring my foods out.

I use Body magic whose company is in the South American area I love it, I first used it about six months after my lap band but it really does wounders, I lost 4 inches off my waist and 2 inches off my hips after wearing it 8 hours a day for six weeks, I still use it and it is amazing the way it puts stuff where it belongs...

Your post is awesome, that is is soo great you should be proud...

Thanks, I had Dr. Singh at St. Agnes Hospital, Love him

I will report more on August 5th...

Wow, this is awesome, I must say my heavist was January 2009 I weighed in at 254 today I am between 215-220 depending on how much Fluid I retain. which puts me at about 30-35lbs lost which I know I would not be at without my band. I have also went from a size 22 to a solid 16 and my hips went from a 50.5 to a 47, my waist went from a 39 to a 34 so I am not complaining. I finally went shopping for smaller clothes and gave away all of my 22's and 20's and soon the 18's will have to go as well... I still have 65lbs to go to reach my full goal but I want to be under 200 by thanksgiving. I too need to step up on the workouts and increase my protien intake, I can't eat a lot of meats they just won't go down, I have noticed if I put it in my magic bullet blender I can eat it better. Also I ended up having abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and that took me out of the loop for a while too. Abby - Congrats on 48lbs and going vegetarian I have noticed that fruits and veges go down well with a little dressing... Tripletmomma - Congrats you have already lost my total weight I want to lost that is awesome... Vicki- congrats to you as well 70lbs is about where I thought I would be at this time but that is so good to see you got there. PRGB - 80lbs is awesome I can't wait to get to the point I want to try life with less fluid in my band just keep active and you should be fine. LL67 - we are in the same boat but we know what we have to do get off our booties and get moving, I feel like now I have the food down now I need to get more active... Congrats everybody

It is part of the recovery process, I had the same problem and it was just my body getting use to the band. Also I had a hiatal hernia repaired during my band placement and it causes me to have a referred shoulder pain when I eat too fast or too much. You are still early in your recovery, so I would just talk to your surgeon if you are concerned or of it gets worse... Good luck

it has been 8 months since my surgery and lets say I am no where near my goal weight. I started out at 253lbs got down to 218 then went back up to 229 today, after a hernia repair surgery that put me on my butt for a little over a month. I have maintained my drop from a size 20/22 to a 14/16 which is great!!! Today I got what I think is my final fill for a while, I now have 6.5cc's in my band and I felt tight leaving the doctor's office and my shake went down pretty good. I invested in some shape-ups and renewed my gym membership, and am using the above ground pool in the yard with my children instead of watching them. I have realized that this band is a tool, not a end all be all, I have to increase my workouts and eat the right foods 90% of the time. And trying not to get stuck eating the wrong thing...

Abby, don't fret, you are 42lbs lighter than you were a year ago. People's body shapes are different, I have a big butt and small waist, my pant size is a solid 16 my dresses and skirts are a 14. I am happy but it is interesting to me having only lost 30lbs that I would shrink that much. I too thought I would be at least 50-60lbs lighter by now, but I was gauging by my husband and sister who has RNY-GBP, he lost 150lbs first year and she lost 80, so I figured I should be at least 60% of what they lost but no, I think that now my fill is in the right spot I should be much smaller this time next year. You are right about the working out part. I am just getting into exercising 3 days a week, since my last fill, and it really has made a difference, My food is in check now I have to work on body stuff. I still have 65lbs to get to my goal weight.

Thanks so much it is good to hear that I am not in this alone. The pounds are coming off really slow for me but I am losing that stored fat in the form of inches off my A$$ I can tell because I don't fit the same size I did a year ago... Last year this time I was closer to a size 22 and today I am closing in a size 14... it is getting better. I am a teacher so during the school year I am busy with work, work and more work, but now I have a little more time to focus on me with summer here, and I have been working out with my Wii Active and Wii Fit, along with swiming with my children almost daily for at least an hour or so at a time. My band is tight enough, I can only drink a protien shake in the morning, then it losens up enough to eat a salad with eggs, and broiled chicken in it for lunch but not too much, I get full really fast and for dinner I can have about the same and some fruit:drool:. It is really easy to get full off of things and that has helped me with my meal plans, because if I eat the wrong thing I have four hours till I feel hungry again and if I do that more than one day in a row I have no energy:cursing:... Learned that the hard way. It keeps me honest...:thumbup: But for me it is more time manangement to eat less, move more and lose weight... I can't believe next month is a year...wow:eek:

I had my last fill for a while June 8th, and I can only eat about 6-8 oz of solid food at a time, and maybe 10 oz of liquids at a time. and I am good for 4 hours. I agree with the rest you don't need another fill, just keep moving. I am at my sweet spot now I am looking forward to moving more eating less and losing weight. 158 is great what is your goal?

Thanks ladies :scared2: it is always nice to hear I am not the only one. It is very different having the band rather than by pass surgery, I know a lot of people who had by pass and very few with the band, and in a few months I will at my one year mark, and I havn't lost anywhere near the amount of weight they have lost at the one year mark. I am happy with losing the inches I have lost so far I have gotten rid of all of my XL clothes and 20's and I feel like I will never return to that. I am definitly at my sweet spot:biggrin: I cannot eat that much as i did in the past, and although I still crave my sweets one bite is all I can tolerate. I have also noticed that some days I can eat more than others, and in the morning my band is tighter than the evening. and for some reason during my period it is tighter too..:thumbup: I also started using the Wii Active, it is rather cool to use. I am doing the 30 day challenge right now. :scared2:

Thanks for the support, you are right, I am really happy with the dress size loss, because to me that is more important than the numbers on the scale. My fills havn't been that frequent in the past, I looked at my dates and I had my first fill 3.5cc's two months later I was up to 5 ccs then 5.5ccs in february now finally at 6.5cc on the 8th. However at the doctors office I was at 229 now I am down to 221, feeling a little better I can only eat about a 1/2 cup of solid food at a time and I have to eat it very slowly. my shakes are at about 6-8 ozs at a time and very slow in the morning. so with that I expect to lose a few more dress sizes because my body is forced to use its own body fat for energy.

Now at close to week since my fill, the swelling has gone down and I can eat, but no where near as much as I did before, and not all of the types of food I had been able to eat. I don't see the doctor for 8 weeks, but he did say come in sooner if I can still eat more than 6 ozs of food.

I would definitly have that checked out my doctor checks my fluid level at every visit to ensure that there is no leakage. I hit one year ealy August but I am just at the point where I feel like I am at my sweet spot, but we shall see.

I agree, I was banded August 2009, and I didn't have a pre-band diet, so I lost 17 lbs right away, then another 12lbs, and was really good, I have been at a stand still for a little while, however, my fills have been slow, August was surgery, 1st week of October 1st fill with 3cc's in a 10 cc band, then November another 1.5 cc, then .5cc's in December and only .5cc in February finally my doctor listened to me and gave a full cc this week which is now May and I am at 6.5cc's and I finally feel restriction, as described in the books and on this site. I have been really careful about how fast I eat and the portion size, and although it hasn't been long since my last fill. I know I have reached my sweet spot. I see the surgeon in 2 months to see how things are moving plus it will be my year anniversary... I wish I could have gotten here sooner but I am good for the ride. :thumbup:Hang in there...

Awesome job, I have lost 40lbs since my surgery in August with only 5.5cc's in my band, I am still not at my sweet spot but I have steped up my workouts so hoping to see better results really soon...