Meliwriter

Forgot to weigh in last week. I'm at 283 on the nose today. That is two lbs down but over two weeks so still a little slower than I would like! But a loss is a loss. I will take it.

Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your journey! I'm glad to see the surgery went well and you are on your way to recovery. Best of luck and please do continue to share your updates on the board. I've had a lot of trouble with my band and my original surgeon wanted me to convert to the bypass but my insurance wouldn't cover it and my new doctor believes I can be successful with the band and has made some adjustments. It is still a very slow, learning process but I'm trying to be patient. It makes me happy to hear you are having some success again!

So I've been reading a lot of posts and many people mentioned how helpful it has been to have a therapist to help them with the mental and emotional part of this journey. Ive had two rough years with the band and even though I have not given up and am still losing weight I think taking this next step and talking with someone about the other issues both food related and non food related I will be better prepared for success. My problem is that I do not know where to start. I want someone who deals w wls patients or food related issues or addictions. How did folks find a therapist? Am I being too picky about this? I did not like the person my original surgeon recommended for pre surgery evaluation. I have no idea to start so I have been putting it off for a while.

I've been reading a lot of he posts on the boards and many folks have mentioned that they regularly see a therapist to help them with the mental challenges that come along with the surgery and weightloss. Anyone in the columbus area have recommendations? I was not comfy with the therapist my surgeon used for preop and really want someone who rgularly deals with wls patients or folks with food related issues. Thoughts? Am I being too picky?

I like them but I try to eat them in times of emergency and don't like to rely on them as part of my daily routine. Too many calories for my preference. If I can eat veggies and real protein I opt for that. Though I don't have issues hitting my protein goals.

I've been nervous about getting rid of clothes and because I'm a slow loser it has made me even more cautious. But I just went through some winter clothes this weekend and pulled out clothes that I was hanging on to. There is something mentally rewarding about letting go. It will reaffirm your commitment to this journey!

First I want to say thanks for sharing your stories!!! I know it can be hard to say, "Hey, I'm a slow loser!" when everyone else is saying "Look at me I lost 50lbs in my first two months!" It is so important for others to know that we are not alone in this journey, that for some of us it is a lot harder than others and it does not mean that you are a failure. The biggest lesson I have learned thus far is that no ones journey is exactly the same, and that is because our bodies are not the same. In life two people weighting the exact same amount, process food differently. So why is it that when we think about the Band, we compare ourselves to people who had surgery the same date or who had a starting weight the same as ours? I've been at this since Jan 2010. I switched doctors this year and was told my band was too tight. I was also given very different nutrition guidelines and general instructions on how to function with my band than I was with my first doctor. I too learned I was avoiding good foods because they got stuck and relying on bad ones to fill me up. Those foods are higher calorie and less filling than the Protein and veggies I was avoiding. I've learned a lot more about what hunger feels like, how to determine when I need a fill, etc. Ex. I time myself when I eat. If I eat in less than 20 minutes I ate too fast and there is a good chance I ate the wrong things! ex, I can't eat chicken that fast, it will get stuck! but I can eat yogurt, pudding or ice cream that fast. I love Cereal, I used to eat that, and not only can I eat a lot of it very quickly but it is one of those slider foods that go right through me and I'm hungry in an hour. I eat ever 3 hrs like clockwork. Some people say they aren't hungry for 4-5 hours and I am and I've learned for me that is normal. Its okay! If I am super busy (i.e. out of town for work or a conference or vacation) I may be able to go for longer amounts but what usually happens is that if I go for 4-5 hrs I am so hungry by the time that I realize I haven't ate that I make very bad decisions, my mind is telling me I want anything and i don't always have the willpower to say no. knowing this I don't put myself in that situation. Don't set yourself up for failure! I know this is a hard, long, journey and I know I sometimes question if it is really worth it. Should I keep going or just give up, but I know how important it is for me to be healthy. If this is the most important thing for me, how can I just give up on myself? I am worth being happy and healthy. The thing I hate more than anything is not having the freedom, the choice to do whatever I want with my body. I don't do things because I am over or close to being over the weight limit and I don't like the idea of my weight restricting my life. That will be my biggest victory in this journey and I don't need to be 130lbs to do that! Set your own goals for success, big and small and Celebrate everything! Celebrate eating a piece of chicken or steak and taking the small bites and not getting stuck! Celebrate hitting your daily calorie or protein goal. Celebrate taking a walk, stepping inside the gym, parking at the back of the lot, walking the stairs, saying no to ice cream! Celebrate it all! I'll gladly celebrate with you. If either of you need some cheering I always read the posts for these boards and you can also friend me or send private messages! They call it a support group for a reason and not feeling so alone has helped me stay focused on the bigger picture.

My two cents....for what it is worth. Remember that you are worth this and you are not a failure because your weight loss journey is different from those around you. In my three years I have come to realize that everyone is different even with the band. For example, I have great restriction, but I can eat bread. I always have been able to and waiting around for bread to get stuck to let me know that I have restriction or can't eat anymore is not going to help me at all. I lost 10 -15 lbs in the first month and basically hit a plateau that lasted nearly a year. Then I gave up, was depressed avoided my doctor and gained a lot of that weight back. My doctor wanted me to have a gastric bypass, even encouraged me to run the new testing and thankfully my insurance company denied it. He basically wrote me off as a patient. New doctor gave me very different support and aftercare. Some things I have now learned: (1) I need a low-carb diet. I eat 45-55 gms of carbs a day. Thats it, and a lot of that comes from fruits and veggies. The funny thing is that with carbs, they are either slider foods (potatoes) foods that get stuck, (doughy foods, rice) or sweets/nuts (high calorie, high sugar, high fat) and they often trigger cravings for more carbs! (2) I eat at regular intervals, every 3 hrs. Some people say they don't get hungry for 4-5 hrs. Not me. I'm hungry. If I rely on just hunger, I eat too much, if I to wait for 4-5 hrs I am starving and again I eat too much, too fast or make bad choices. Seriously figure out how long it takes you to get hungry and set your meals around that. I had an alarm on my cell the first week to remind me to eat because I am not starving at that point and sometimes miss the hunger signals, but I know if I go past the 3 hrs pt bad things happen. I also know if I am hungry between then it is probably dehydration and I'm not getting my fluids in. 3. Eat slowly. If I eat my 3/4 cup to 1 cup of food in less than 15 or 20 minutes I am eating way too fast and likely to eat way too much. You'll find if you are only eating softer foods you eat them faster because they don't get stuck. I have to force myself to eat Proteins like chicken or steak and fresh veggies because I am afraid they will get stuck and they require me to be very careful with the chewing. The other day I ate carrots too fast and they were stuck! Ugh. The old me would have stopped eating raw carrots. The new me knows I ate them too fast, and didn't chew well enough. Also know that I will get full on a smaller amount of carrots than I will lunch meat, or yogurt. If I can eat it that fast it is probably not that good for me!! Time yourself. I've done it and having that external cue to keep you on pace helps. Note: If you follow this guideline with portion size, small chews and length it takes to finish a meal and are still getting food stuck you are too tight!!! I know it sounds counterproductive, but being too tight means your body thinks it is starving and you WILL NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT!! Get the unfill, let your pouch heal and go back to the basics. My dr. does not like people relying solely upon Protein supplements for regular maintenance...so in his opinion you need to be able to eat lean meats without getting stuck.You can also be too tight and go over your calories because you tend to rely on soft mushy foods that are not going to keep you full and that are higher calorie for the volume. 4. Track your calories very very carefully. The've said it before and it is true. One of my biggest issues for me with this surgery was my slow metabolism. My body adjusts very quickly to a reduced caloric intake. You are not losing any weight because your body is adjusted to the amount of calories you are taking in. If i ate the amount of calories the calculators say I should to maintain weight (even without exercise I would be gaining 2-3 lbs a week! Trust me! I have tried.) I have to stay on a strict 1000-1200 calorie diet. If I am around 1400 or 1600 I gain. And when you break it down that is not a ton of calories and one pudding cup, cookie, or yogurt can quickly throw me over my daily goal. I may be eating what I would call a healthy diet but now post lap band for me healthy means getting lots of protein, paying strict attention to carbs, and focusing on non-starchy veggies. Very different from my BFF. If the scale is not moving I have to take a very serious look at what I am eating, own what I ate and make adjustments. My guess, if you haven't lost weight you are probably taking in the same amount of calories you were before the surgery just in a decreased volume. Again, doesn't mean you're eating ice cream all the time, but you would be amazed at how many calories you can take in even with the band. Someone said he does 3000 calories on a calorie cycling regimine for his high cal day. I know its hard and I know you may feel like people assume you aren't following the rules or are doing something to sabotage your success. Please don't give up!! I have run into plenty of guys and gals who struggle and this journey is a mental and physical one! Don't judge yourself or your success based on what others have done on the boards it will only make you feel more depressed. Set your own goals and Celebrate them, no matter how small. I celebrate tracking all my calories (especially if I have missed a day or two!) Adjusting behavior patterns and breaking internal cues and triggers can be hard. Your body does not want to lose weight, it thinks of that as starvation. You've got to outsmart your body and for some of us it takes more work than others! Good luck!

I switched doctors! For very different reasons, but it was the best thing I ever did! I originally had two doctors that I was debating between pre surgery and though I liked one better went with the other one out of convenience. It was closer, (by more than 2 hrs) and my cousin was a nurse in the surgical recovery there and had high praise for them. My mother and grandmother were also considering surgery at the same hospital so it seemed to make sense. I completely regret that decision. The surgeon was nice. He did a great job with the surgery as far as I can tell. It was the staff/facility that I had a problem with. The aftercare was horrendous. I had little support, it was a pain in the butt getting appointments and then when I would show up they would be significantly late. They would blow off any questions or concerns I had. I would request for a flouroscopy or to see the surgeon and then when I showed up they would not know anything about it and I would have made a wasted trip. I was a slow loser and quickly plateaud and they blamed me, saying I wasn't following rules and just kept giving me fills. Finally they told me the band wasn't for me and that I should get it removed and try gastric bypass. I woke up and realized the problem wasn't with me it was with them. I went back to my other choice who had since opened up a satellite office in my city (given so many patients were traveling the long distance to be treated by him) and have seen significant changes. He did not believe I was a failure or the band wouldn't work for me. He actually thought I might have an overfill and recommended removing some Fluid. He and his staff have had the surgery and been successful and the rules and guidance they provided has helped me be successful. I did have to pay about $600 for a consult, which the insurance did not cover but in my opinion it was well worth it! I wish I hadn't wasted my time ( more than 2 years!) fooling around with the other doctor and beating myself up for things that weren't in my control. I know your situation is different but I say trust your gut. You do not need to be chained down to a doctor, but good ones can be hard to find. Get recommendations, meet with the new doc and make sure you know what you're getting into. Sometimes even the good doctors run late! Probably because we all want to see them! Good luck!

I made it back to my favorite Zumba class for the first time since November when I injured my leg! I've been working up to this day for a while as my pt did not want me doing any high impact activities. I finally got the go ahead and told myself I would only do 30 min but once I got in there I was having so much fun I didn't want to stop! I am so excited I just had to share. It's perfect timing because I just changed up my diet and exercise routine this week and I'm already seeing the difference.

Thanks for the amazing post and congratulations on your success! I had my surgery in 2009 and have had a very long weight loss journey thus far. One of the most important things that I have learned is that this journey is different for everyone. I love your point about not comparing yourself to other bandsters! So much of this journey is a mental journey and I really struggled with that my first year and became a bit depressed about my lack of progress compared to other individuals who had surgery at the same time. For a while I stopped getting fills and just sort of gave up until I remembered why this surgery was so important to me. I came back at it with more passion and determination than ever. I changed doctors, (because that was also a big issue that was holding me back) and I've lost all of the weight I gained and another 8 lbs thus far since. I have a long way to go and know it is going to continue to be slow for me, but being a part of this online community and learning from and sharing with my fellow bandsters helps to keep me accountable and focused on what I have to do each and every day to keep moving forward. This is my new life and I have embraced it! Your post is great for newbies but also a nice reminder for those of us still pushing towards our goal. Your reflections are really spot on!

Name, real or screen~ Meliwriter Age~30 Weight on June1st~ 285 Goal Weight for June 29th~275 Exercise Goal for June~ Adding 3 days of weight training to workout routine Dietary Goal for June~ Embracing non-starchy veggies in diet! Personal Goal for June~ back to serious journaling my food intake. Date Banded~1/20/2009 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 50 lbs

I have a 10cc band and was at 8cc before i had any restriction at all. I was really worried about it and kept thinking something must be wrong because so many other people I talked with had restriction with much smaller amounts in their fluid. I've had two different doctors and both told me that for some people it just works that way, everyone is different and you can actually fill the band slightly beyond the size. However like most people I did get to a point where any fills now are minimal and still making a huge difference in what I can eat. My current doctor actually talked about possibly doing an unfill because I was having trouble tolerating certain foods, but honestly I think I might have been eating too fast in those cases! Unfills sound scary to me.