DizzyLizzy

There seems to be more frustration for those of us who are self paid just simply because we had to pay for it. Nobody wants to pay $10,000+ for something that doesn't work. So, I understand Akward Customer's post, BUT...the band just doesn't work like that. I am a little over 8 weeks out and have lost 21lbs since surgery so that's just a little over 2lbs a week. Some people have lost 4-5 lbs a week, some nothing at all. I really wish I could lose 4-5 lbs a week and I think initially even though I was told over and over again it would be about 2lbs a week, I still expected more. But, now I see that it varies from week to week. I will lose nothing for a couple of weeks, then lose 6 in one week. Everybody’s different, and even my body reacts different on different days. But, I will consider this worth it at this point because before I was losing 3-4lbs a MONTH and that was only on the good months….took me 2 ½ years to lose 80lbs on my own just to gain 30 back in a matter of months. At least with the band, I’m pretty confident that I won’t gain anything that I’ve lost back!

This can be very mentally challenging. I've already had my meltdown. The most frustrating part for me is seeing how well everyone else is doing, esp when you're not doing so well, double esp when you think you're doing everything right or the best you can! You just have to take it day by day and realize that everyone is different, so you really can't compare yourself to others. For instance, I didn't lose much, but all of a sudden the week before last I lost 6 lbs in one week! I didn't change my calorie intake or up my workout, I went on same as I was and all of a sudden it seemed my body gave up the fight in holding on to these pounds. I don't know why, but everybody's body is different! I know how hard the temptation is. I've never been a big sweet eater, but since being banded, it seems the jar full of chocolate minis in the office is calling my name. And I've answered a few times!!! Just had to pick myself up and move on...try harder the next time! Keep your head up, if you slip up, start over and move on. That's all you really can do! Good luck!

My motivation is music. I love music, and I love exercising to some upbeat tunes, especially latin music or those old house beats from the early 90’s. I will blast it and get busy. But, I do hate exercising right now because it’s frustrating that I can’t exercise like I want to. I try to keep up with the beat and my short fat legs just won’t go. Try to get in a 2 mile brisk walk, but I zonk out at a mile and a half. Try to jog a lap, but nearly faint after 60 seconds because my heart rate is going so fast. Try to do an extra rep of weights or crunches, my muscles say heck naw! But, it’s getting better. The more weight I lose and the more I push myself, it gets better. And even when I’m absolutely spent after a work out, I still manage to shake my booty to the beat! Then on top of that, finding the time to fit in a workout. I’ve pretty much stopped watching tv because I’ve only got 4 hours from when I get home from work to fix dinner, check homework, work out, eat my dinner, bathe the little one, bathe myself, and get set up for the next day!!! But, I know I have to fit in that workout at least every other day no matter what. If not, even if I do manage to lose the weight, without working out I’ll look like a half empty sack of bones!

Any of you ladies have problems with your menstrual cycle? I’ve had 3 in the less than 2 months since being banded and this current one I have been on for over 2 weeks! And each period started when I was taking active birth control pills. Funny (not really!) when I started this one, I finally broke 300 and lost 7 lbs that week. My PCP said it’s due to the whole estrogen storing fat and losing fat releases estrogen thing. Just wondered if anyone else is having this problem.

My periods have been crazy since being banded. It hasn’t even been 2 months and I’ve had 3 very heavy periods…this last on I’ve been on for almost 2 weeks!!!! And the last two occurred when I was taking active birth control pills. The cramps I had this weekend were the worst ever. Hurt more than when I was in labor! I’ve sent a message for my PCP but haven’t heard back yet on what/if there is anything I can do.

I was banded 12/22/09 and have lost 21 lbs since then. 8 lbs was lost in the 1st two weeks after surgery and 9 lbs was lost just this past two weeks. My body seems to fight me on weight loss. I'll go a long time with out really losing anything then suddenly drop several pounds. I even had this problem pre-band. I got my first fill on 1/22 and I'm up for my 2nd this Friday and I need it, because I could still eat like crazy if it weren't for the fact that right now I am just tired of food.

I don't miss food at all. I'm actually kind of tired of food at this point, I guess because at the beginning of my band journey I obsessed so much over what to eat and not to eat. It drove me insane especially when I wasn't losing like I thought I should. Now, I'm kind of like, eh, whatever! All the things I used to love, I just don't care anymore. I really realized this Saturday we went to Red Lobster for my brother's birthday. I LOVE Cheddar Bay Biscuits, could eat 5 no problem pre-band. But this time, I ate one, and it was just ok. I wasn't like ooooohhh, I want to eat another one soooo bad! I just ate the one and waited for my salad. Ate a few bites and then ate a piece of fish and was totally satisfied, not full, but satisfied. Because I've only had one fill, I could have ate more, I just didn't want it. Now my drinks are my new obsession. Which may get me in trouble because I found that the past couple of days I have been taking in so much Fluid, that when I'm supposed to eat, I'm full and I know you aren't supposed to get your daily calories too low. But I LOVE Crystal Light and VitaminWater10. LOVE LOVE LOVE that stuff. I don't see how I ever liked Pepsi, Coke, milk shakes and all that other junk, lol!

LOL! I second that! My cramps have been awful too, and I usually don't have cramps. I'll have to look up that whole thing on estrogen. But, if I have to put up with this to lose weight, I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll put up with it!

I believe it. My husband's aunt is very thin, like maybe a size 2 or even zero...very tiny, but very toned, somehow still curvy. She exercises several times a day everyday and she says that if she goes a few days without excercise, she'll actually lose weight! It's sooooo not fair! But, on the flip side I'm guessing the trade off is that if she doesn't excercise she'll start to look sickly, so I guess weight frustrations don't end when you get skinny!

Yay! Good job! It's a great feeling to see muscles & definition in places I've never seen before. And just the overall shrinking of my silhouette...I love it!

I recently started back on my BCP and while taking active pills, my period started and it's been going for a week and a half! Very heavy and very frustrating!!! It's the same pills I was taking prior to surgery, which when I was taking them before, I either didn't have periods or it only lasted a day or two. But, I've lost 45lbs since I stopped taking them in September, so maybe that has somthing to do with it. I see my PCP on Monday, so I'll ask her, but geez, enough already! Tomorrow's Valentine's Day! LOL!

My doctor has an excercise physiologist on staff and he ok'd me to start back light exercise at my 2 week post op visit. But, they were really heavy on exercise pre band and I've been exercising conistantly for 3 years prior to band. They said the more you exercise before band, the more quickly you can pick it back up post band. At my 1 month visit they said I could do everything except ab work. I still have a weight lifting restriction, nothing over 20lbs. I guess it would depend on your physical condition before hand and how you're healing, so I would just check with your doctor first.

Starting at size 38/40; 6X at my heaviest; 30/32 4X surgery day Current size...not sure, I can fit some 24, 26, 2x, 3x depends on what it is..clothes shopping is hard right now so I've decided to hold off until my current clothes fall off I feel .... scared, nervous, excited, frustrated, accomplished...changes every single day! I need to work on: not letting this process get to my head and just going with it. I've never had a problem with excercising, it's dieting and making good food choices that I've had problems with. Since surgery I've become so obsessed with not eating the wrong things that at times I just don't want to eat. Which then causes me to over eat later. Vicious cycle. I need to just go with the flow. Getting better every day! If only I could stay away from the mini snickers jar at work...they are little devils!!!

Don't drive yourself crazy comparing yourself to others like I did up until about 2 weeks ago! Made myself have a total meltdown. Everyone is different. Even if you and I started the same weight, ate the same thing, had the same level of activity, had the same amount of fills, we would not lose at the same rate because we are just different and our bodies react differently. That's why some people can just eat and eat and eat and never gain a pound. Meanwhile if we just look at a Snickers wrapper, we gain weight. You're losing, so you're doing great!

I was banded 12/22/09 and when I went to my PCP on Monday I was down 14lbs since surgery. 5 lbs of that was in the previous 2 weeks since my first fill. My advice to you is to expect the unexpected and don't compare your weight loss to anyone else's. I did and got myself really down because of it. You have to realize that everyone is different and will lose weight at different rates even if they eat the same thing, excercise, the same, and/or have the same amount of fluid in their band. I will even gain/lose up to 3lbs in a single day, which has prompted me to weigh myself only once a week (I try to anyway, lol) because that alone was driving me nuts! Best of luck!

I saw 299 today!!!! 299.6 with clothes and shoes on!!! If I could do a flip, I would! I haven't seen 2-anything in well over 10 years! Woohoo!!! Not going to record it since I snuck and found the scale I had my hubby hide while he was at work this evening...only supposed to weigh myself on Thursday evenings...but WOW I am sooooo happy!

I've always been overweight, but as I put more and more weight on, I didn't realize it. Maybe because most of my weight gain happend around pregnancies, I don't know. After having my last child (he's 5 1/2 now!) as I had to shop for bigger and bigger clothes, 5x, then 6x, then 7x, it still didn't click "hey girl, you are really putting it on" It wasn't until my husband took a photo of my son and I just so happended to be getting dressed in the background...all I had on was my underwear! I saw that and was like OMG!!!! WTF!!! Then it hit me, I am really really huge! YET, I still didn't do anything about my weight! I didn't do anything until my mom won a free 2 month membership for 2 to Curves. And I only went initially because it was free. But, even after losing so much weight, I still don't see myself accurately. I look in the mirror or in window as I'm passing by and think I look ok, but in photos, I'm like, UGH, why don't I look in the photos like I look in the mirror? It's very strange! I wonder if it will still be like that once I get even smaller?

I don't have any spasms, but I've developed a pain in my abs that runs from my port area down to my groin. I don't know if I slept wrong, or what but when I got out of bed this past Friday morning, I felt it and have been walking kind of hunched over and guarded since, almost like I was in the couple of weeks after surgery. I hadn't had any problems with pain for several weeks until now. I have a appt with my PCP just for a check up in the morning so I'll ask her, but I don't go see my surgeon until the 19th. I hope it's nothing serious!

Yes, I'm a stomach sleeper, but haven't been able to since banding because my port is still sore. Sleeping on my back makes my back ache and sleeping on my side I have to bend my knees and that makes my knees hurt. So, I've been doing a lot of tossing and turning since being banded! Will we ever be able to sleep on our stomachs? I forgot to ask my doctor too!

I used to have really bad loose stools pre-band, but I think that was because I was taking 2 1/2 Metformin (for insulin resistance) a day...it would always happen about 3 hours after I took it and it didn't matter when. Tried taking it before bed and would wake up in the middle of the night nauseated then a mad dash to the bathroom...pure liquid! (TMI, right!) And if I took it during the day I would have to go several times during the day! But when I started my liquid pre-op diet, they reduced me down to 1 pill a day and and post band 1/2 a pill a day. Then I got constipated really badly like I used to before I started taking Metoformin. Would only have a bowel movement twice a week and then it would hurt sometimes. And I started feeling "weighed down" so I upped it back to 1 pill a day last week and am now going regularly like normal folks. So, if you're on any type of medications, your change in eating, weightloss, etc, could be affecting how the medication is processing. And if you're not on meds, it just could be your body getting used to everything. I hope it gets better for you..I know having the runs is no fun!!!

I totally get your frustration, as I have only had 1 fill so far as well, not losing like I had hoped even though I think I’m doing everything I’m supposed to (I had really high expectations after hearing others’ stories) and am self pay as well. The waiting for things to get going is definitely killer! Fortunately for me, my doctor includes 6 months of fills & follow up for free and then tries to bill the later fills to insurance under his exam fee, so my insurance may cover those. You should check and see if that’s the case, or if your surgeon won’t do that, see if there is another one who will. Also, I heard Medifast is really expensive. Is it possible that you can hold off on trying that and save the money you would use for Medifast to pay for a fill? Or perhaps get a small loan from the bank or even family/friends? I’m just trying to offer up any ideas I can think of, because I know how frustrating it is seeing your money go out the door! But, I don’t feel you would win anything in a lawsuit, and would likely just be adding to your frustrations. Unfortunately as expensive as it is, it’s like any other weight loss program, works for some and does not work for others. I know of one person who had Lapband and a couple of people who had gastric bypass over a year ago and gained instead of losing. But, in each of those instances, they just could not change their eating habits no matter how hard they tried and stretched their pouches making the surgery ineffective. It would be so nice if it was guaranteed to work for everyone, but it’s not. I hope you can pull together some resources to get your future fills and get your weight loss going…good luck!!!

Well, more like a $20,000 failure when you add up all I spent out of pocket for pre-op testing, but anyway... I was banded 12/22/09 and I have only lost 12 lbs! Yes, I know typically for a month that's good, but 9 of that was in the first two weeks when I couldn't eat. Now, I keep my calories around 1000 - 1100 a day, 2 protien shakes, 1 protien enriched snack, and 3 small meals a day so my calories are spread out through the day. I excercise 3-4 days a week 45-75 minutes and I'm just not losing. I got my first fill last Friday, but I'm still losing about the same rate as before I had surgery when I was eating more. That in addition to trying to make good food choices is driving me crazy! I want to keep my carbs low, but I can't find truely low or no carb stuff. All the so called diet lunches like smart ones, lean pockets, etc, looking at the nutrition lable is packed with carbs and sodium (and I have high blood pressure!) and it's just really upsetting that sometimes I just don't want to eat at all and I force myself to eat something. I'm considering going back to just protien shakes just because I know those are the only things that are nutritionally safe. Then to see people who were banded in December or even January say they've lost 30 - 40lbs since surgery, it is so disappointing for me and I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I am loggin my food and excercise, etc, not eating candy, I only drink Water, crystal light, and protien shakes. I'm getting in over 75g or protien every day. I've stopped weighing every day and committed to once a week so I won't drive myself crazy. But I still feel nuts and I don't know what else I can do! I am getting so discouraged. I didn't even go to work today because I was so pissed at my weight. And this is exactly why I never did serious dieting before because I didn't want these head games or develop an eating disorder, but here I am...only thing I seem to be losing is my sanity and my money when I pay that Care Credit bill every month!

I just tell them the truth, that's all I can do. Another thing I'd like to mention in general, these forums and posts mean many different things to many different people. Some people, such as myself when I posted this, just need to vent, some want to share inspiring or encouraging news (I hope to have some of that really soon!), and some just want to tell their story. I think it's important, whatever the post is or whoever the post is from, to not belittle them in any way. Every victory and/or set back no matter how small it may seem to you obviously means something more to the poster or they wouldn't have posted! Good luck everyone!

Thank you! That is a big part of it too! My cousin had lapband, her insurance covered it, she didn't tell anybody, so it was just all of a sudden, ta da!!!! She was losing weight and losing it fast. Me, I'm a horrible liar so I don't even attempt. I of course had to tell my boss, because my surgeon is 4 hours away so every time I saw him I had to take the full day off work. I only told a couple of co-workers because I was caught in a position where our group was planning holiday outings which happened while I was on my liquid pre-op at a restaurant and I didn't want to lie about why I wasn't eating or why I didn't show up. Had to tell my immediate family and my mother in law because they watched the kids while I was out of town for surgery. So, I didn't blab, but of course people can't keep their mouths shut. I'm not ashamed of having surgery but people so, so yes, in addition to me having to watch myself, others are watching too! They don't say anything really (not to my face anyway), just ask how it's going, so it's not pressure, but just knowing, everybody's watching! Then to top it off all the money. It's just frustration after frustration after frustration, you know. And I'm normally a level headed person, always thinking things out, always got a plan A, B, C, & D, always pretty positive and seeing the silver lining, but this is just blowing my mind! No matter how hopeful I am, I cannot and will not deny my frustration with the whole thing. With that said, I have not given up, I will not give up. I'll keep working at it (in fact getting ready to work out for the 3rd day in a row) and try to have some patience. Good news is: I can now do a 1 1/2 miles on the treadmill with no problem. Before, my leg that I had 2 surgeries on used to give me fits after about 10 minutes!