shadst8

Have not weighed--will probably do so Wednesday--TOM struck--I gain 5-7lbs so no use stepping on that scale--I can tell from my swollen cankles--bring on the serious water retention:frown:

Easy implies I have to do nothing at all--we all know we work at weightloss even if it is simply working on good choices. I did WW and lost--twice and twice gained the weight back and then some. WLS surgery is treatment--we do not tell critically ill patients like cancer not to seek the best care they can get. I saw morbid obsesity as critical and that it was time to get help. Call it easy or whatever you like, but what you want call me is obese one day.:thumbdown:

Welcome Bobkat! Leigha--too funny chicken soup smoothing--yuck! lol Sawyer, Betsy B and Leigha--admire your bravery for C25k. I want to try, but get this, I feel like I am too overweight to begin now--I think I need to be way smaller--just not ready for my rear end to be running its own marathon trailing behind the rest of me--I admit I am not yet that comfortable with my body, however slimmer it is now! LeeAnne--glad you are doing okay:thumbup: Christy--congrats on the weight loss--the band is crazy because I can't ever remember in my whole life where eating is a problem? Hope everyone is well and figuring this restriction thing out!

1. Stopping when my body says full--so hard to leave good food 2. Eating slowly 3. Not eating and drinking at the same time My hair is thinning--not bad in that it is noticeable, but getting thinner. I have always gotten 70-100 grams of Protein in a day, so as other posters have said, I am three months out and think my body is reacting to the surgery, I know it will come back. Taking Biotin and protein treatments to hair. Plus, women's hair in the family begins getting thinner around 40.

I have to agree totally with Betsy--I was banded in January 2010--excluding 30lbs loss on the six month supervised and including,two weeks pre-op, and post-op, I am down 52lbs--with 1 fill and not alot of restriction. I am happy with every pound:biggrin:.I am actually grateful for not having restriction because I have had to reshape my thinking about the scale, eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am satisfied, and eating for nourishment and not emotions. Learning those things are 100 times more important than the number on the scale. Be very proud of your accomplishment.:smile:

Hey soror:biggrin: I used Unjury all the time--the other poster is correct--I always put unflavored in something else to boost its protein--crystal light, Soups, chilli, etc!

Congratulations for your loss, but most importantly the positive attitude about your band. I think you have captured what the journey is all about!

It reallys is a good thread. I see so many people discouraged. This forum helped me a great deal before the surgery, so I was all prepared for my 3wk plateau after surgery--was it a little disappointing, sure, but I knew it was normal and to learn patience.

I think that fact that you are reaching out is good step. Refocus is the key and some positive thinking. I think you have gotten some great advice in this thread--if you take on working on one piece of their advice a week and gradually adding on, you can get back on track. Begin with your protein--reduce some of your carbs to get in more protein one week. Then add trying to get at least 64oz Water the next two weeks. Then monitor your sodium by journaling and reducing that the next 2wks. Then try changing your exercise maybe some fun cardio like Zumba where you are dancing or another workout dvd. Dvd's are great because you can control the amount and pace you do them, so you build gradually. The one thing that you could try immediately is not to eat and drink at the same time--this is a no-no for most of us bandsters and makes you hungry faster and decrease feeling of being full. The 20lbs prove the success is in you!:thumbup:

Wonderful! :scared2:

Ate a peanut the other day--wow did not feel good

Down 2lbs--I am happy about that since I did not get my second fill as planned. However, I really have got to get back on my exercise routine. I only exercised once last week and the week before that.

I just walked a mile and was not gasping for air at all.:biggrin:

I have never been a big breakfast eater, but with the band, I try to put something in my mouth. Plus I am also tighter in the morning and have very little appetite. My staples are either a shake similar to the other poster's--non fat milk, 2 scoops of vanilla protein shake, Crystal light orange sunrise, frozen bananas and strawberries, or a quesadilla made with southwestern egg beater, fat-free cheese, and low-carb wheat tortillas or roll it up for a burrito (I add turkey bacon sometimes), and lately this protein bar I get at Wal-mart by Meta-Rx--the big 100--it has 32g of protein. They have more carbs than I like so I usually eat one when I am really in a hurry, but it is huge and I sometimes do not finish it--I am not hungry until lunch time. I also do Greek Yogurt or Carbmaster yogurt and string cheese wrapped with some ham or turkey. Whatever I eat I try to get in 25-40 grams of protein in so that at other meals, I do not have to concentrate on the protein first and can eat more veggies and fruit and whole grains.

I guess it really does vary--case in point I am the same height and was the same size on the day of my surgery as you are--yet I could not get in a 22/24--I just after now can get in that size, but still have to go up to 26 on some things. It is very frustrating. I decided it takes about 30 for me

Not saying that he was not excessive--I agree with you--just reasurring that her port has probably not flipped and I can had the same tramatic first fill with an experienced surgeon. Just want the OP to be encouraged and not let a bad first fill deter trying again. Indeed I would find a surgeon who, I guess I can give credit to now, realized after a few sticks, the area becomes so swollen, it just makes things worst to keep trying and quit and said will have to do floro next time. I was stuck over 5 times and my stomach mashed hard several times repeatedly--I was in pain so I cannot imagine 25 times being stuck. He was experienced, so I was extra baffled. I did go back thinking floro will be better and to try and work with my surgeon before I tried and switch, but guess his experienced did kick in, bedcause he did it without floro.

From my understanding it is not size per say, but body shape/make-up. My friend larger than me, same surgeon, had no problems. My surgeon has experience and a bandster himself. We are in that rare few on these boards who have difficult ports. My second fill went fine as my body shifted to allow better access. To the OP do not sabatoge yourself:thumbup:

My port was also so deep, I could not get a fill the first time and left in massive pain and no fill. It has happened to several people--your port, like ours, is so deep, you cannot access at the surface sometimes except through floro. When I went back, my weightloss had helped and he could now feel the port so I didn't have to do floro. The floro fill will be even better. It seems discouraging--I cried a little too, but with this journey, patience with my body is a must. Hang in there. I just stuck to the same eating and took being done under floro just makes it easier!

Congratulations! You are so my INSPIRATION! I started at the exact same weight at surgery, and have the goal of 175-185. Thanks for sharing. What would you say is your average weight loss every week?:thumbup:

Congrats--that is a big accomplishment!

I am just had my 3mth bandiversary last week--I am starting to lose hair--not in chunks, but slowly thinnning everyday--I get plenty of protein--70-100 grams a day and take Biotin, so I am in the same boat. I lost fast--20 in 2wk pre-op and 10--1.5 wks post-op). My hairstylist is going to start protein treatments also. I know it will grow back--until then when it starts looking really bad--of to the wig shop I go!

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Amy.....................289................264...........160.......... 104 Angie64.................270...............270...........210....... ......60 Astrasmom............254...............254...........170............. .84 Babe....................265...............265...........199.... ..........66 Band_Groupie........172.5.............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5 BetsyB.................226.6.............206.8.........109...... ......97.8 BigMomma............209.................209...........135...........74 Bklynike...............258.................258...........150.......... .108 BobbieND..............224................207...........150..... .......57 Bree99.................259................238...........155..... .......83 Brigette................198...............198............150.... ........48 Bristlecone............157...............157............130....... .....27 crzytchr................217...............217............180..... ... ...37 Dana36.................233...............229............160....... .....69 daqui26.................274...............274............200....... .....74 DDGALARZ..............185...............185............150............ .35 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5..........150............65 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............292.............250............ 42 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5..........130......... ..68.5 Fourme.................189...............180............145........... ..35 HummingBird..........204...............179............150............. .29 jenibeni.................224...............208............165........ ....43 Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... ......102 KDEE....................240................240.............150...... .....90 kyleegirl01.............245................198.............160...... .....38 Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... .....95 Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... ......20! Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19! lotzasunshine.........247...............245..............175........ ...70 MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... 30 newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... . ...39 Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... ..90 ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... ......40 Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... ..83 RandaPanda...........194...............175..............150........ ....25 RAYNE913.............234...............225..............160....... ....65 RobinAnn.............232.4...............210.4..............160...... ....50.4 scoutmama...........270...............270..............180........ ....90 shadst8................333...............303..............217........ ....86 skinny31................261...............249..............182..... .......67 SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150.......... 44.5 sueinne.................220................212.............180.... ........32 Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44 TARASGIRL.............305...............282..............225....... ......57 tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96 Teacher2010..........192...............183...............150...... . ....33 Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139 TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... ....62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94 unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97 Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40 Is there anyone who can make a spreadsheet on Google docs like for the Mother's Day Challenge--maybe just a monthly weigh-in?

Thanks--I guess I do have restriction--I just questioned my portion sizes as too large to be at my "sweet spot." I am sporadic as well. Today, 2hrs after my breakfast--I was really hungry and I ate more today at breakfast than yesterday

Okay been a way, so trying to catch up. Congrats on everyone's victories, prayers and thoughts continuously going to Stacie, BobbieND, and Betsy B(thanks for the info on potassium and BP). Karen thanks for the recipes--I am such the crockpot queen and congrats Bree and Christie. I know I missed some, but charge to my mind and not my heart as they say As far me, went for my second fill an hour ago-my doctor is super conservative on fills, so he did not give me a fill since I was having good weight loss. He is very cautious about overinflating. He says I am in the green zone because I can eat, get full off a little food, and still loosing weight (I had lost 10 since my 1st fill/last visit. I don't think I am my sweet spot--need some input because he said I could just call and make a appointment for a slight fill. I can go 3-5 hours between Breakfast and lunch (no snack). I do a snack before dinner for exercise and/or to get in more Protein. I am usually never hungry after dinner. The thing is my portion sizes--I can eat more than 1/2 cup of food--I stop at a cup of food, though depending, what it is, can do a cup and a half, then chest pain and or burping, so that is why I stop at a cup. Could easily do a slice of pizza, but I make my own on wheat pita, or low carb/wheat tortilla, so not sure of that fact. Now, in the morning, a 1/2 cup is good--tighter then. Am I at restriction?What do you think? :ohmy: Oh not stuck episodes or PBing, although one my medications gave me a fit, but that was my fault and can eat bread, potatoes, Pasta, Peanut Butter,etc

Most of my summer clothes from last year are too big although I am going to have to be creative because I am not buying new ones yet!