Diamondgirl81

Hi, I had this issue for a few weeks and my weight loss stalled. I didn't have much of a pre-op diet, so all of my loss has been since surgery. However, I noticed that after I lost 20lbs in the first 2 weeks, that I couldn't lose a pound to save my life. I called my nutritionist and we went over my meal plans. Though I was getting in at least 60 grams of Protein a day, I wasn't getting in any veggies and simply wasn't eating enough. She put me on 800-1000 calories a day and it really changed everything. I had been doing 600-700 and she said it just wasn't enough to stimulate my metabolism. So perhaps if you play around w/ changing your calories and adding in more exercise you will start to see a change. Our bodies get use to the calories we feed it and when we go too far under what we need, it can go into starvation mode and hold on to what it's got This makes it that much tougher to lose. Best, Lauren

I don't think I'll be a three meals a day gal either. I eat about 3 meals and two small protein snacks. I'm getting bet. 800-1000 calories a day and my doctor's fine w/ that. As long as I'm not eating over 4 oz of solids at a meal, he's fine with it. I had my first fill last week and it very well. One minute he's telling me to lay down and the next he's already feeling my port and injecting me. No poking around...thank goodness. However, I must say that my restriction lasted all of about 24 hours...lol. Not complaining though, I'm still losing and looking forward to my next fill. Best to everyone on this journey :thumbup: Lauren

Name***********Starting****Current******Goal******ToGo Adjua.....................347...............337...........240......... ....97 Angie64.................270...............270.............210....... ......60 Astrasmom............254...............254...........170............. .84 Babe......................265...............265...........199.... .........66 Band_Groupie........172.5.............163..........158-148........5-15 BetsyB..................226.6.............215.2.........109...... ......106.2 BobbieND..............224................218.0..........150..... .......68 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 destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5..........150............65 5 Diamondgirl81........317...............317.............250............67 ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130......... ..68.5 HummingBird.........204...............194..............150........ ...44 jenibeni.................224...............221.5............165....... .....57.5 Jennih...................232................232..............130.... .......102 KDEE....................240................240...............150...... ......90 Lady LAP...............217................217..............125...... .....95 Lisa65...................174.5............168...............145..... ......23 Liz........................193.4............193.4............155...... ......39.4 lotzasunshine.........247...............245...............175........ ...70 newdicarlo.............187...............180................135...... . ...45 ol55andahalf..........184...............184................144...... ......40 RandaPanda...........194...............187................150........ ....37 scoutmama............270...............270...............180........ ....90 skinny31................261...............258................185..... .......73 SNDYCNRD.............207...............202................150......... ...52 Tabithan...............244...............234................190....... ......44 TARASGIRL.............305...............298.5.............225....... .....73.5 tdtucker................256...............256................160...... . ......96 TeriLu....................215...............212................150.. .... ......62 TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... ......94 unshackled............277...............277................180....... ......97 Valerie.................190................190..................150... . .......40 __________________

For me, I'm an attractive, fat woman and I've always been one. With so much more to lose, I'll probably still be a fat woman by time I reach goal. Trust me that won't be a feeling, it'll be a fact, given my BMI. But at least, I'll be a stronger and healthier one :thumbup:. I'm happy each day that I make better choices for myself and it's showing on the scale and more. To me, feeling good about myself has nothing to do about whether I feel "fat or skinny" but it has everything to do with the kind of person that I am. For once in my life, I actually like the path that I'm on. I've stopped chasing quick fixes to make me "skinny", but have embraced a lifestyle that will be make me the best of version of myself that I could ask for. Best to everyone on this journey!! Lauren

Glad to hear you followed-up w/ a few centers. Regarding support groups, Lenox Hill offers one, the third Thursday of every month. I just went to my first one last week and there were people there that hadn't had surgery yet. Some of them had just attended the free orientation seminar. So that might be an option for you. It's a great, diverse group. Nothing's off limits. Best Lauren

Hi, Have you talked to your nutritionist. Perhaps you need to adjust your calories. I've been banded about 6 weeks and my nutritionist had me up my calories once I hit a stall. It's worked out well and the scale has started to move again. Best, Lauren

No problem at all. Yes, NYU can be on the high side. You might also want to try the bariatric center at NY Presybterian hospital. Years ago, a friend of mine had gastric bypass and was self-pay. The prices were "NY reasonable" and they worked out a payment plan for him. Best, Lauren

Hi, I live in NYC and had my surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital with Dr. Mitchell Roslin. The entire team there is excellent and came highly recommended. Here's a link to their website where you can check out the program and schedule an appointment. Weight Loss New York City :: Lenox Hill Hospital Also, NYU medical has a great program as well. Dr. Kurian who has been chronicled on various news magazines and has appeared on Oprah is head of their bariatric center. Regardless of what doctor you choose, please see someone soon. Follow-up care w/ any procedure is a must and you are definitely in need of that care. Best, Lauren

I like Jay Robb Whey Protein powder from Whole Foods. 1 scoop is 110 calories w/ 25 grams of protein. At times I add a cup of skim milk and half a cut of strawberries, that takes me up to about 250 cals. But that works well for me, it's filling and I don't get bored w/ it. At 800 - 1000 calories a day, fits in well. Also EAS Carbadvantage is yummy and about 150 calories - these are premade shakes. Best, Lauren

Hi, I was told to get a minimum of 50-60 grams a day and that's been a lifesaver. I actually consume around 80-90 on average. Protein aids you with healing, leaves you feeling fuller, longer w/ less food, gives you energy and hopefully will prevent lots of hairloss. I'm 5 weeks out and have lost now a total of 27lbs. The first two weeks the weight came right off, but yes it does slow down dramatically. After speaking w/ my nutritionist we increased my calories to bet. 800 - 1000 and the the scale started to move again. I've also started working out, so that's helping as well. I had only been getting in 600-700 a day and I guess my body went into starvation mode; dramatically slowing down the loss. Ultimately, in the beginning, the goal is to heal properly and protein helps that cause. There's going to be plenty of opportunities to lose weight as the weeks go by. Best, Lauren

I've been banded since Decemeber 17th and moved onto to soft solids since about two weeks out. Breakfast - 1 Protein shake or 1 scrambled egg w/ salsa lunch - 4oz of tuna or some other protein source Snack - 2oz cottage cheese, hummus, or low-fat cheese stick dinner - 4 oz of protein, usually a Veggie Burger or grilled chicken Desert - not every night. Skinny Cow dippers for about only 80 calories, 2 grams protein I trully needed to get more veggies in. Other than that just trying to get all my Vitamins and Water in. Best, Lauren

My one month anniversary :w00t: I had my band one month ago today, 12/17 and so far I am down 24 lbs. However, I' lost 21lbs of that within two weeks of my surgery and only about three lbs. since. My second follow-up and first fill is coming this week. I hope this gets me out of my weight-loss slow down. I've also just began a workout regime, so hopefully that will rev up my metabolism as well. I must say the past month has been alot easier than I imagined. I've done a fine job at sticking to my post-op diet even though I know I can eat so much more. On average my calories are between 500 - 700 daily. I don't think I ever realized how much of a mental game this all is. I'm really learning the difference between "head hunger" and "real hunger". Nonetheless, I hope all goes well with my first fill and I pray for the strength to keep my discipline. Have a great night everyone and best of luck with everyone on this journey. Lauren __________________

CONGRATS SIL... your stats are great. It looks like all of your hard work has paid off nicely this past year. You'll be in onderland in no time. Regarding rate of loss, I got banded on 12/17/09 and lost 21 lbs in the first two weeks and I've only lost 2 lbs more since then. I'm sure once I start adding more of a workout in, that will jumpstart my metabolism. But it's nice to not have put on any weight during this period of supposed "Banster Hell". We'll see what happens next week after my first fill. Take care everyone!!

Hi all... I'm about three weeks out from surgery and so far I have lost about 21 lbs since my surgery date...YAY. I'm following my doctor's lap rules to a T, somedays a small t..but all in all, I've been able to put my hunger pains on a shelf and stick to the script. I'm really learning the difference between head hunger and real hunger... not every belly rumble needs to be fed :thumbup: However, today I had my first mini stuck episode. I was very hungry in the morning and had about half a banana. From taste one, it hit my chest completely wrong and believe me I chewed and chewed. I had so much discomfort in my chest, all I could do was sip hot tea and then I remembered about the wonders of pineapple juice. Thank you all out there that have blogged about that and papaya enzymes for helping w. these stuck situations. I had a few sips and it was like MAGIC. It does make me a little scared about once I start getting fills though and have real restriction. I mean if a soft banana can get stuck, I can't imagine eating any meat or veggies. Nonetheless, I just wanted to share my small weight victory and my first mini band crisis. All the best and good luck to everyone!!! Lauren

I was banded on 12/17 and I'm 28.

New York, New York. Born and raised in Manhattan, now living in Astoria, Queens.

Hi, Thanks everyone!! Learning more and more about this lovely new tool everyday. Daphne, you can get the papaya enzymes from a Vitamin shop or a healthfood store.

Good Moring, Sorry for delayed response, I've noticed I am getting sleepy much earlier these days. I just returned back to work and after a full day of that joy, I'm lucky if I stay up past 9:30pm :thumbup: Probably the calorie restriction. Jennifer, congrats on your upcoming surgery. Your list looks good. Per my surgeons office, I also bought Gatorade G2, which is low calorie and keeps you hydrated. Fat free cottage cheese, which was about the easiest thing I could get down and it has a good amount of protein. Green tea, tuna canned in Water, ff mayo, & sugar free ice pops. Also, I bought liquid tylenol because I found that the hydrocodone they gave me after surgery to take at home did not go down well. My first night home, I took half a pill and it made my stomach so sick. I now prefer liquid painkillers if needed or I drop all non-chewables into my tea and let them dissolve. All of the food items were used during my soft mushie stage through now. I've also found that every doctor's diet progression is pretty different. As of my first follow-up appointment last week, they had me progress to soft solids...so far so good. Best of luck to everyone!!! :tt2:

I had my first follow-up appointment this week and was told to sip tea throughout the day. Warm liquids go down pretty smooth and it prohibits you from gulping. I'd say I now drink about 3-4 mugs of green tea a day and that's already about 48 oz. - 64 oz.

Hi, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow...not having a cycle for that long. I hope your doctors thoroughly checked you out. I've suffered from PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome since I was a teenager and that was attributed to my insane period schedule. The past two years, where I've been my heaviest weight the PCOS has gotten out of hand. A year ago, I literally had my period for 7 months straight before I had to have surgery, so not to have it at all would be a blessing :tongue2: PCOS is a disorder that typically affects heavier women and it's not something that can be determined w/ standard lab work. The diagnosis is based on a coupling of symptoms, weight and hormones being the key two. Now that I've had this surgery, my doctors tell me that the irregularity should stop with the loss of excess weight. The weight loss that you are doing has probably kicked your ovaries into drive and now your lovely monthly bill is right on track. :biggrin:

I'd like to do the challange as well. I just got banded about 2 weeks ago and as of my follow-up appointment yesterday, I've lost 20 lbs. Though I know the rate of my weightloss will slow, I'd like to get out the 300's by then. So for me, another 31 lbs would be great. 299lbs by the 2/14 is my goal.

Hi Tarajim, I completely agree with you. I feel that the more people I've let in and told, the more support I've gotten. When it comes to eating the "new" way in front of people, it hasn't been an issue. I mean, I never had any trouble stuffing my face infront them, so why would I have any issue eating in front of my friends now. I think that people that have been in our lives and seen our weight troubles will understand and be supportive, as they probably were throughout all of our other weightloss attempts. When it comes to strangers or co-workers, I'm not one of those that typically cares about what people think, especially those not close to me, so as long as I'm satisfied that's all that counts.