DizzyLizzy

I'm 5'4" and my original personal goal was 180, but my surgeon was shooting for 230. But after a set back of gaining 20lbs over the past year and back up to 270, I will be happy to get close to 200. I wear a size 20/22 now and I think my appearance of being smaller is due to my working out a lot. I never in my life wanted to be skinny, I like being curvy. And I don't want to loose too much weight because the people I have seen that have gone from over 300lbs like I was to 150 or less look very aged, probably because of all the sagging skin, not just on the body, but in their face. I'd rather be a little more plump and still look youthful. Plus I have a big head and don't want to look like a lollipop, lol. A size 12, 14, or even 16 would make me happy, but most importantly, I just want to be healthy & active!

Yes, I am another who has had to learn the hard way! Not only is the band the boss, but I need the help and support of my doctors and their team! I had surgery in December 2009 and was doing fairly well, until I went on vacation and didn't listen to my band nor follow bandster rules. I gained a few pounds and out of shame wouldn't go back to my doctor until I lost it. Well I never did! Actually gained 20lbs over the past 15 months! And I ended up with bad acid reflux which finally made me decide I really need to go back to the doctor. Turns out I stretched my pouch which has tilted my band! So I had to have all my fluid removed and will have to suffer trying not to eat everything in sight on my own now for at least 5 weeksn when I go back to have my pouch and band checked! Lesson learned! I will bow down to the mighty band!!!

Well, I went to see my surgeon yesterday. Thank goodness a friend went with me to help with the 4.5 hour drive each way! Good news is that they are going to bill my visits thru my insurance as regular office visits not related to weight loss, so all I have to pay is my $35 co-pay! Bad news.... I gained 20lbs since Feb 2011!!! I didn't realize it was that much because I stopped weighing myself and my clothes still feel pretty much the same. Only 1 pair of pants I can't fit anymore, but they were tight to begin with. So, my workouts must be helping some. But even worse, I stretched my pouch!!! And because I stretched my pouch, my band is tilted which is creating a section in my pouch for food to just sit and also the tilt is causing the reflux. So, he took all 5.5 of my fluid out so that my pouch can heal and hopefully it and my band will go back to where it's supposed to be. I go back 6/15 for another check up and xray to see how it's doing and maybe they will fill me a little. I hope so, because my tummy feels so empty! Last night a couple of hours after he took the fill out, I was STARVING!!! Like manic starving, felt like my stomach was a bottomless pit! Fortunately I didn't stuff myself, but I ate a 6 inch sub no problem! Today I don't feel as ravenous and am getting full off a little bit here an there, but the fullness doesn't last long at all! It's going to be a long 5 weeks! Pray for me!

8 That is scary! And that is my concern, as my cousin had her band slip as well. And if that is what happened and it's bad to where I have to have the band taken out I don't think my insurance woukd cover that either. I know it's stupid but I guess I'm in ignorance ia bliss kind of mode and am trying very hard to gauge if maybe I'm just doing something wrong and hoping I can correct myself so that the band will correct itself or even better just hoping I get feedback that what I'm experiencing is normal.

I'm here. Banded December 2009 and not doing so great! Where are you guys working that your insurance covers fills & visits, or do you know of any doctors with reasonable self-pay rates? My insurance doesn't cover it and I haven't seen a band doctor in over a year!

Hi all. I have not been on here in a very long time. And I am not doing well at all. I had gotten down to 245 this time last year from my surgery weight of 317. Pigged out on spring break and gained 10 lbs. Now in the last year I've gained another 10lbs, even though I work out for an hour at least 3 times a week. (I do zumba, and some weight lifting, and just anything I can think of to get my body moving, even in the elevator by myself I'll do some squats or something.) I have not been to see my surgeon in over a year. It's a 4 hour drive and with work and everything I couldn't get the time off to continue going up there every month. And he wouldn't do anything else with fills/unfill until I got a flouroscope which my isurance won't cover and I can't afford it. I can't seem to find another surgeon close by with reasonable rates for visits/fills because my insurance won't cover anything weight loss related. So I'm kinda stuck, it feels that way. Now I'm having trouble with acid reflux, and my band will make weird noise when I lay down at night, even when I haven't eaten anything for a long time. I will wake up in the middle of the night and lay back down and it will make a weird noise, like my throat is collapsing and forcing air through. And I will go through these periods where I can eat everything, then hardly nothing, starving and ravenous, to not wanting to eat at all. It seems to have become a nightmare and I'm actually starting to get scared. So, that's my story and where I'm at now.

I had my surgery in Illinois but I don't want to continue to drive up there for follow up visits. I am a self pay my insurance won't cover anything weight loss related. Can any of you recommend a doctor in Indy for fills and such that will take self pay and aren't crazy expensive or able to bill as just office visits so insurance will cover? Thanks!

Hey TracyW2! Congrats on the baby! What a blessing! Glad to hear you and baby are well. So you still lost weight being pregnant? That is awesome! I have been at a stand still with my weight for several months now. But, at least I'm not gaining! And I am still losing inches, so that is what is keeping me motivated! People are telling me that I look better than ever! I was at my parents house the other weekend and they had some old photos of me, and I looked and I thought "my goodness, I MUST have been pregnant in that photo!" Then I turned the page in the photo album and there was my youngest child with me, and he was 2 years old! I started to tear up, I couldn't believe I looked like that. My dad said I should be proud, and I am, but it was such a shock to me, I felt bad! Now I'm feeling a bit nutty, which I why I came back to check in. Well, let me do some browsing and see if I can pick up some tips to continue my journey. Again, congratulations on your bundle of joy and be sure to take lots of pics and videos because they grow up before you know it!

Is it PB ing even when it's liquids? Like I was just trying to drink some hot tea and as it went down, I'm getting the weird noises. My son tells me there's a frog in my throat, lol. Hope everyone has a good day.

Hi all! It's been a while since I've been on here. I haven't lost much over the past 6 months or so, maybe 15 lbs! But I got a fill last Friday and have lost about 6lbs over the week. But I have been extra tired, because I haven't been able to eat really and I'm wondering if I'm too tight! I did better eating yesterday and today. I actually ate a whole piece of pizza! But it was sitting at the top of my throat and I had to stand up and move around a bit because sitting was uncomfortable. Before my fill on Friday, I could down a foot long sub no problem, and now, I'm usually full off a stick of cheese! And I didn't get a huge fill either. I also wonder if this is a problem: every time I eat I can feel and hear the food go down, it takes like an hour, and it's this repetition of little "burping" sounds. I'm not actually burping, but you can hear it, mouth closed and all, sounds like it's coming from my neck. Anybody else have that problem. Is that a sign of being too tight? Hope you all are doing well.

10lbs per month...my bad...lol!

Thank you! Yes, we gotta do what we gotta do to get it done! The workouts will get easier and more enjoyable as you go. I actually like working out now and kinda get a little "high" off it!

It's funny how your mind can play tricks on you like that. Mine does it quite often...a little of this, a little of that, I'm not losing much anyway so oh what the hell, screw it, I'm eating this, stuff like that. Like anything, it doesn't really matter if you fall, what really matters is if you pick yourself back up. Pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and start over again with determination and care to not fall again. It's gonna happen, but as you see you and the band working together working for you, you'll be motivated to keep working at it, and the falls will happen less and less. One thing that helps me is food journaling - counting calories. I also use MyFitnessPal and it helps me to see what foods I need to stay away from. It's not fail proof, I still have my moments when I give in to temptation...for some reason flaming hot cheetos have been my devil here lately, but I am very conscious now of how many calories are in foods and it reallys helps to tell myself my homemade eggbeaters tortilla is just as filling and satisfying as that egg mcmuffin and about 200 calories less! And when the boss offers to buy everyone a milkshake, I pass because I know it's a 350 calorie waste! Good luck....keep striving...everyday is a new day to make it better!

I LOVE MyFitnessPal, as I am a firm believer in keeping track of my calories & stuff. It helps me to stay on track because I can look at my day and see exactly what where I "went wrong" and hopefully not repeat it. I currently have mine set to 1200 calories, 75 protein, and it automatically put in 135 carbs. I don't track the other stuff.

Thought I’d pop in to say hello to everyone. I’ll have to catch up with you all when I get a chance, but I wanted to share that I know my band is working! They brought in pizza for lunch for this team I’m on at my job. I just had 1 slice of pizza and a breadstick and I am stuffed! But, I saw others pile their plates high…2 and 3 slices, 2 and 3 breadsticks, cups of soda, and they wolfed it down! I was like, man if I did that I’d be throwing up all over the place! Then to think of all the calories! Just what I ate was over 400 calories…multiply that by 3 and that’s my calories for the day in one meal! And to think I used to eat that much every meal ever day! And I’m sure, like me before, none of them were aware! Wow! It’s just amazing when you stop and think about it! Well, back to work and more meetings! Hope everyone is doing well and having a good day!

Good morning all! I have been pretty busy with my new properties for work, so I haven't had as much time to stop in. But, glancing over the posts, looks like everyone is doing pretty well! I hit my April Fool's & Easter goal! I thought I had set it for 285, so I was totally stoked when the scale said 285 last night, but when I checked the spreadsheets, I had actually only set a goal for 289, but it's all good anyhoo! I can't stand Jillian from Biggest Loser, but I came across this post in MyFitnessPal and it makes sense...I think this is actually what I did unintentionally! Ask Jillian Michaels Dealing With Weight-Loss Plateaus Q: How can I bust through a weight-loss plateau? I've been working really hard and have been having success; however, the scale hasn't budged for the past two and a half weeks. Jillian Michaels A: Let me just tell you this, a weight-loss plateau is an integral part of weight loss. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! It is your body's way of protecting you for survival purposes. The weight-loss plateau occurs because your body thinks there is a famine and has slowed your metabolism in order to conserve calories. This will happen periodically throughout your weight-loss odyssey. That said, a plateau will usually break on its own after about three weeks, but here are several ways to help get your metabolism back on track quickly! Exercise Tips 1. Variety: Often we fall into an exercise routine — meaning that we do the same workout regimen for weeks at a time. Think of it like this: if you do 10 push-ups after not working out for months, you will be sore, but if you do 10 push-ups a day for 10 days in a row, you will no longer be sore. This is because your body adapts to your exercise program, and as it adapts, the workout becomes less challenging — and, unfortunately, less effective. The solution is variety. You have to mix up your exercise routine in order to consistently shock your system. Here are a few different ways to mix up your workout: 1. Alternate the weight — one week lift heavy, and the next week lift light. 2. Change the number of repetitions. This usually goes hand in hand with the amount of weight you are lifting: one week heavy weights, low reps; the next week light weights, high reps. 3. Change the exercise: One week do a chest press, the next week a chest fly, and the next week push-ups. 2. Intensity: The best way to speed up your metabolism is to boost the intensity of your training. By picking up the intensity, you'll burn more calories, challenge your body, and literally force your metabolism to burn a little brighter because of all the energy your body needs to complete your exercise regimen. Food Tips 1. Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body's survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing: For the next three days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me...I know what I'm doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance that I have set for you through this program. 2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks. I promise you that if you follow these tips to the letter, your plateau will be shattered by the end of week 2! Hope you all have a great day!!!

I used to say that too before I got my LAP-BAND®..."I don't think I eat a lot." But when I started logging everything I ate and the calories, I ate a lot! You'd be surprised I how many calories are in small amounts of food. Just a handful (not even a handful, 1oz) of peanut is over 160 calories. How many times have we sat somewhere and ate handfull after handfull of peanuts! A fast food meal (sandwich, fries, drink) is usually over 800 calories. One of the market fresh sandwich at Arby's that you would think (at least I thought before I checked the nutrition) would be good for you with wheat bread, turkey, tomatoes & lettuce...800 calories! So, many people don't think they eat a lot because what we thinks is a single serving, really isn't. And I was told a long time ago that all a person needs to eat at each meal could fit in the palm of your hand. In one ear and out the other for me at the time because it seemed so absurd when you look at the portions that are served and advertised. And there is no way I could have eaten that small amount consistantly without the band. Now I can. The band isn't for everyone, and it's works differently for different people. For me, it still takes hard work and dedication and exercise, for others it's nothing as if they just melt away. Good luck.

It's like you were reading my mind! People who know I've had surgery, they can tell I've lost weight, but when I tell them I've lost 30lbs, I get this sense of, "oh, that's it" like they were expecting so much more. But they don't realize all the other things I've gained in these 3 months...food literacty, increased physical activity, etc. I went from struggling to walk 2.0 mph for a quarter mile to doing a mile no problem at 2.8mph on an incline with some periods of jogging! Me jogging, I never thought I'd see that! And I feel so much better now, that's the biggest plus!

Sorry to hear that this is not working for you, but like any diet or surgery, it doesn't work for everyone, and it doesn't work the same for everyone. I am self pay as well, and am not losing as fast as many other bandsters, but I am losing better than I was without the band so I know it, rather my doctor's weight loss program, is working. I say weight loss program as opposed to the band because my surgeon, and I, recognize that the band does not work on it's own. To get optimal results, you have to change your attitude towards food and exercise as well. Before banding, I used to LOVE food...oh this was sooo good and that was sooo good. Now I don't care. I have gone from "live to eat" to "eat to live". I have my meltdowns, where some flaming hot cheetos are in my face and I can't resist, but that is where the band helps, when my will power gives out, my band takes up the slack. But you can't totally depend on the band to do that. You HAVE to have some sort of willpower or you will find a way to get around the band. And the same goes for any bariatric surgery, gastric bypass and sleeve. I know people who've had GB and are bigger now than they were before. None of it is a gaurantee for anyone. So, it's not just about getting the band, it's about your working with the band.

I have this daily “tear off” calendar at my desk at work and it has saying from a book called “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” I forget to tear off each day sometimes, but when I do, I read them anyway. Missed yesterday’s, but it had a message on there that I really like, especially after reading some of the posts on other forums of people getting discouraged or disappointed by their weight loss or lack thereof. Which I can totally relate, I had my melt down a couple months ago and still look at some of the others and am like, “man, why haven’t I lost 50lbs in 3 months? “Being trapped by comparisons is nothing more than a habit – a way of thinking about life. The solution is quite simple: Stop doing it!” Yeah, I gotta stop too! Have a good day, everyone!

Today is a turkey sandwich: Arnold select sandwich thins, deli sliced turkey, 2% cheese slice, mustard. 195 calories, 17g protein, 24g carbs. Also for breakfast I make a burrito: ½ whole wheat low carb tortilla, ¼ cup egg beaters, 1/8 cup 2% shredded cheese, 1 oz deli sliced ham, bit of hot sauce or taco sauce. That has 150 calories and 19g protein, 13g carbs. It's really good!

My NUT has not said to count calories per se, but said to keep my daily calories under 1200. The only way I can do that is to count calories, lol! I like counting calories now because it helps me to make better food choices and to search for better things to eat and to stay away from things like those darn girl scout Cookies (about 150 cals for 2 itty bitty cookies!), or eating a handfull of peanuts (about 160 calories for an oz!). There are many things I never would have guessed were loaded with calories if I hadn't been counting calories. It is helping me to have a better view of nutrition overall, which I think will come in handy as I get closer to goal (as we lose weight each calories becomes more and more important) and it's good for making better food choices for my family!

Today it was 3 oz Swanson chunk chicken breast (the kind that comes in the can) a little bit of broccoli and shredded low fat cheese all mixed together with some Taco Bell sauce on it. Sounds weird, but it's good. Sometimes I'll use hot sauce instead. And if I want it pizza-like, I'll put all that on a low carb tortilla or wheat crust.