Mary Ash

Hello fellow night shift worker! Wow I completely sympathize there. It's really hard to fit complete meals around my odd working hours. It is way to easy to simply snack through the night, especially sugary items to stay awake which is not great! I was also banded 3 1/2 years ago. I've been up and down and all around with the weight. I gained over 40 lbs 2011-2012 and like you felt discouraged/frustrated/embarrassed to go back to my surgeon. BUT I went back, got a fill, met with the nutritionist and am back on track! I'm now at a new all time low. Definitely bite the billet and get the help and support you need to get back on track.

I'd also like to join in!! Banded: January 5, 2010 Starting weight: 348 pounds Current weight: 256 ! ( woohoo lowest since middle school!!) August 31 goal: 247 lbs or less for a total of 100 lbs lost!!! January 5 2014 goal: 225 lbs Long term goal: 180 lbs It's been a long four years and I've been up and down (gained 40 lbs even with the band at one point :/ ) but I'm still working towards my goals!

Awesome!! Yep consistency is the key! I've been banded 4 years and I always so beat when I have appointments scheduled with my surgeon, even if its just for a weight check. This keeps me accountable!

Hi!!! I also have PCOS and one thing that you should especially monitor is your sugar intake !! The PCOS messes with our hormone levels and makes our insulin levels spike. Definitely try to keep the daily sugar intake to under 25 g a day. Some foods that I always associated with diets and being good were recently pointed out to me by my surgeon as being bad because of very high sugar content. Namely BANANAS AND YOGURT and frequent fruit. Even Greek yogurt (besides plain) has between 12-24 of sugar In a serving!! Just wanted to let you know as I was regularly eating both of these things! When I cut them back I immediately lost 13 lbs on 2 weeks, which is very rare for me as I am almost 4 years post op!!

AWESOME!!! What an amazing achievement!!I dream of the day that I am at a BMI that is not considered obese and I've already lost 91 pounds!!!

Hi!!! I felt the urge to respond to your post because the college stuff was catching my eye. I hate to say this, but I got my band nearly four years ago while away at college and I found it EXTREMELY EXTREMELY difficult. I was living on campus and the food choices on the MANDATORY meal plan were atrocious and the vendors did little to work with me even after scheduling and meeting with managers and their nutritionists many times. Psychologically it was also hard to deal with because its hard to decide who you want to tell and who you need to tell. What I'm trying to say is you are going to face a ton of challenges being in the college setting that not everyone with a band is going to understand or foresee ( my surgeon sure didn't as I was the youngest person he has ever banded) Once you get a fill I think you will have a better handle on the over eating but there is way more to it then that, it's a mind game as well. Please feel free to message or ask me any questions about anything that comes up! I wish I had know someone else in my situation when I was newly banded!!

I think that it is a very different feeling. Feeling full with the band happens much more quickly and can be painful if you eat too much. If you eat too much too quickly it can be very uncomfortable and you may experience PBing (productive burping) in which you may "throw up" what you just ate. This being said, these feelings are NOT NORMAL or ideal. You have toward to eat more slowly and pay attention to when you have eaten enough so that you don't get to the painful point!!

Mmm the mocha and crystal light ideas sound great. My surgeon told me to absolutely avoid bananas and yogurt, even Greek. I was really surprised because I had been eating this almost every day. He said to really avoid the yogurt because Of high amount of sugar and carbs. I wasn't sold but it's been 3 wks since he told me and I've avoided both and lost 13 pounds since that day without changing much else than that. Guess he was right !

Hey all, feel free to add me! Maryashmore