gingerjane

I was banded on 3/22 and had the same problem after my first fill. I felt like I could eat ANYTHING and everything. I even told them that at my last fill appointment (last week) and she went a bit more aggressive and gave me 1.5 more - so I'm at a total of 6.5 and let me tell you - HELLO RESTRICTION. Of course, I am praying that it stays that way, and so far so good. I can eat smaller amounts - I tend to do 3 smaller meals per day plus 1 or 2 Snacks. I try to keep my calories around 1000-1200 per day. I think what you're going through is normal and you're not a failure. Plus, it's 3ccs. I have the 10cc band and the 5 barely did anything. Maybe ask for a more aggressive fill at the next appointment? I saw your ticker and you're doing awesome! You've lost 37 pounds, which 1) makes me jealous :tongue2: and 2) is AWESOME! So, don't think you're a failure!

I had a strict regiment but ended up not doing the Medifast pre-op diet. I called the nutritionist and told her it was making me lightheaded and I have hypoglycemia as it is. So, I went to a low-carb, high Protein diet. I ate literally less than 15 carbs per day. Lots of turkey, chicken, etc. Not fatty meats. I dropped 15 lbs in the 2 week pre-op PLUS my liver was good and flat they said. :tongue2: Oh - and cut out any sugar. That also does it. No soda, either. That will make you bloat. I bought Sara Lee deli slices of turkey and practically lived on those and slices of low-fat cheese. Good luck! It will get here faster than you know it and it will be the most amazing thing. I LOVE my band!

That is awesome!!! :tongue2: I always get so excited when I enter a new "decade". LOL! I'm one of those also anxiously awaiting to enter Onderland one day. You are ROCKIN' the weight loss! That is so awesome!

I have to agree with the above post. You're going to find people that fail and succeed at everything. I do know a girl that had the band over a year ago and has only lost about 25 lbs. I think that something is wrong with her band or she's not following the rules. She claims that her band is completely full but I've seen her eat everything, drink soda and have no issues. When I went for my seminar, my doc talked about how in some cases, surgeons who do not specialize in the gastric procedures will forget to lock the band, so when people have fills, it actually just opens it up more. I just had a fill on Wednesday and could barely get down three chicken nuggets at lunch today. So...I think that you really have to maintain your band - get your fills, etc. And avoid slider foods. I try to go Protein first - always. My doc said it's like "plugging a drain". You eat the protein first to "plug" the drain and then your veggies, etc., afterwards. Not everyone does that. And I wait before drinking. I might have 2 sips during dinner but then I wait a half hour before actually drinking something. You'll do good. Tell her to not let other people scare her about your success. We're not all skinny today - so we can't say that the same things will happen to everyone. Good luck!

Definitely use the heating pad. I practically lived with one for the first two days after surgery. I'd take it off to get up and walk around but still carried thermacare and a portable heat pack. It really helped it to move out of the shoulder area. Trust me - in two weeks, you won't feel a thing. Maybe sooner. For me, I was sore for a week. No real pain, just sore. Like I'd done 1000 sit-ups. But, the gas pain was rough for the first few days. Hugs to you!

I have the 10 cc Allergan band and currently have 6.5 cc's in it. I just got a fill on Wednesday so I'm still pretty restricted. Seems to be much better than my last fill!

I agree with the other posters that you might need to up your calories for a bit. If you're working out more than you used to, your body could go into starvation mode and hold on to everything you eat. Does your doctor's office have a nutritionist you can talk to? They can sort of help guide you through that part because I've had trainers say to up the calories so that your body realizes that you will feed it.

Do you totally love your body bugg? I'm asking because I wanted one but a friend of mine got it and said the 'novelty" wears off after a while. She said she doesn't wear it anymore because people look at her like she's crazy. (And with warmer weather I guess it's more obvious that you have it on) I'd like to hear from bandsters to see if it helps. Because I really do want one. I'd like to have some sort of idea how many calories I'm burning.

I keep thinking about starting a blog. It's therapeutic, you know? I also had to chuckle about your donuts comments. I, like you, LOVE me some donuts. Especially fresh from the bakery. Haven't had one since the surgery. (Insert sigh here...) But, I'm handling it well. I was telling a friend of mine today that food is my crack. I need to find a new drug of choice. (Maybe broccoli? Ha!) By the way, AWESOME weight loss! How are you doing it? I hope to be down like 40 lbs by July. (Total- not from now til July)

Another quick tip - you can click on your counter whenever you need to update. Just click on it in your post and it will go straight to the ticker page. :biggrin:

Ok - so I am not quite two months out from surgery. I had my first fill and obviously I'm not at good restriction, yet. I'm able to eat a lot LESS than I was, but I have been battling the same number on the scale for almost two weeks now. I'll lose three, then gain them back. Today - get up - back to where I was last Monday even though it was coming off by Friday last week. I know I'm eating out too much. We've just had a lot going on - but I still eat kids' portions, leave food on my plate, protein first, etc. Please tell me it's just a small plateau that will probably go away next week when I have a fill. I'm annoyed by it. LOL! (I know - quit griping right?) But, truthfully - I need something to kick me back into the groove to get this off. HELP!

A lot of the past two weeks have been just going out with friends or family for various get-togethers or celebrations. I already told hubby that we're eating at home this week. Usually that's when we go out. When we have someone that's invited us, etc. Or, I haven't been to the grocery, but I try to avoid that. From the Kid's menu, I tend to pick the fresher items and always go for chicken first. (not fried, but the grilled portion) The one thing that I do is take the bun off of any sandwich I'm eating. It works because my 4 year old loves to eat buns - it's almost comical. She's pretty excited that mom no longer wants a bun. I eat everything with a knife and fork so that I don't eat too fast or overeat. I do agree - I am going to go back to journaling more. I use Lose It on my iPod touch, and I haven't been as vigilant but I'm getting back into it. Normally throughout the week, it's not as bad. It's the weekends when everyone wants to do things that it gets hairy. Ugh. It's a slow road, right? I do know I'm eating WAY less than I used to, so I have to give it time. It's just that sometimes I get so down. I think it's normal.

You know - when you look at the grand scheme of things, the 100 lbs seems like SO much. I started out with needing to lose about 124 lbs. I'm so happy to say that now I'm under the 100 lbs to lose and at around 98. Still a lot, but it's good to know that I've shaved off about 1/5th of the total. I think having it broke down in chunks makes it easier to think about. I just hope one day I can stand here and join all of you amazing bandsters that have lost 100+ lbs! You are all AWESOME and thank you for your inspiration!!!! :thumbup:

Ok - so my husband and I are going to join a gym because we want to have access to more equipment than what we have at home. We do have two girls, so we'll need something that offers childcare. Has anyone joined a gym that they REALLY like? I'm in the Cincinnati area, so we have the big boxes and of course the YMCAs, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts - if you have a good gym or one you hate. Please share - I've spent a TON of time looking for a gym that's not going to bankrupt me today. Let me know! I've got flabby arms to tone. Ha!

So, I was at work and there is a girl here who works out religiously every single day, she watches everything she eats and she had liposuction a few years ago to get rid of her excess weight that she couldn't lose. Ok cool, right? When I told her I was getting the band, she said she was totally supportive. I was happy about that. Fast forward to today. Me and another co-worker were in my office chatting about my pre-op diet because we're going walking at lunch. The girl walks by and I asked her real quick about how many calories she takes in a day. Her response to me - "I don't think you're ready for this band. You're going to be miserable." WTH? Then she proceeds to tell me that I should have tried everything else first. That it hasn't been enough time. Are you kidding me? I've worked with her for four months and she is telling me this why? I was taken aback. I mean, seriously? She doesn't know my medical history or my diet routine. I told her about how I have done weight watchers and diets only to gain it back. That I've lost the 40+ lbs before, only to gain 50+ back. That I need something to keep me stable. That before I would deny myself everything and then go crazy one day and eat everything I could. The band allows me to have things - in SMALL portions. It will help me from being hungry all the time. I've been doing good on my pre-op diet, and even my family doctor last night said she thought I was the perfect candidate for it because she's seen me succeed before. I'm just so hurt right now. :frown: She's like "Well, I'm not trying to talk you out of it but I think you should just wait a year or so and try something else and make the lifestyle change first. I did the lifestyle change. You can do the lifestyle change. You don't need a band to make you do it." I'm already making the changes. I don't get it. :frown: Anyone else have people who say things like this? I have had three people basically "shame" me over this decision, which are three people that I thought would be supportive. Sigh... I hate this. :frown:

For me it was most definitely the pre-op diet. I hated it. Beyond that, it's not been that bad at all. I've only had one fill and no real food intolerances or feelings of stuck, yet, so I might still be too early in the process. But, truthfully - if you go in with a positive attitude and follow the boards here (I think there is some GREAT info on here) it won't be that bad. :smile: Good luck and you'll be SO glad you did it!