vlp1968

It's tough to eat slow! I am over a year out and still struggle with it. I have found not letting myself get to hungry helps a lot. I eat 5-6 times a day. Being concious about putting my fork down between bites seems to help some too. You will get the hang of it!

You don't mention is your doing any kind of excersise. If your not, I highly reccomend you start. It works wonders for weight loss and has lots of other benefits. Start out slow and gradually increase your intensity/duration. I also found cutting carbs helps a lot. The less flour/sugar you have, the less you crave. The South Beach diet is a good one- it calls for the healthy carbs (whole grains, fruit, dairy) and healthy fats (unsaturated such as olive oil and avacado). Good luck!

I welcome the opportunity to brag lol. I was banded Nov. 16 09. I lost 107 pounds in 10 months. I had high blood pressure, diebeties and high cholesteral. They are all gone now, no meds for any of them. That was probably the most exciting thing that happened. Well that, and fitting into some size 0 clothes- who would have thought.

I have gone through the same exact thing. I hesitated to get an ufill because I didn't want to be hungry, didn't want to pay and didn't want to drive the hour to the dr. I suffered needlessly. Each time I eventually went in for an unfill I was much better. A small unfill will probably be good. Try to give your doc. as much information on what's been going on as you can. This will help determine how much to take out.

I too struggle with cravings for junk food. I am also in maintainance mode. I have allowed myself to eat things I totally stayed away from while loosing. Things I told myself I would never eat again. I currently am working hard on loosing a few pounds that I gained. 2 more to go. I have been weighing myself every day and basing what I eat, or don't eat, on that number. So one day I eat very well, and on another eat something fried or full of carbs or dessert. One good thing is even if I cheat I don't give myself license to "eat bad" the rest of the day. I know it would be healthier to eat more consistantly. I am struggling with cravings. I didn't give into them when I was loosing, but now I am. Anyway, glad to know others are in the same boat. I guess I just have to resign myself that my weight will be a life long issue. It felt good to get my thoughts out on this post, thanks for reading.

You felt restriction for the first few days because you were swollen from the fill. You are in what is known as bandster hell- the time inbetween surgery and getting restriction. Hang in there! It took me 3 fills to feel some restriction. Until you get to restriction, I would focus on eating the right foods (low carb, low fat, high protien) , even if your portions are larger than they will be once you get restriction. You can do it! Best wishes.

I would see your surgeon for sure. Sounds like you need a fill since you don't have restriction. I don't know if you stretched your pouch- the stomach has lots of give to it, again, something to talk to your doc. about. In the meantime I would focus on eating the right things (low carb, low fat, high protien) even if your portions are larger than they will be once you have restriction. Good luck! You can do it!

You do hear different things from different surgeons. I was told 1 week of liquids, one week of mushies, than solid food. I had no issues. You might want to call and talk to someone in the office- probably a nurse and see if you can progress to mushies sooner. Congrats on your surgery.

Wow- I am sorry to hear you are having so many issues. Insurance gets so complicated, and you hear different things from different people. That's good your not throwing up anymore. I guess all you can do is keep up getting on your insurance carrier and hope they will eventually pay. I had trouble getting my prescriptions filled when my job switched companies. It took many phone calls to get it straightened out. Good luck!

8 pounds in 3 weeks is great! We are only expected to loose 1-2 pounds a week. Also, I believe they put saline in the iv you get during surgery, makes you retain fluid. I didn't loose that much the first few weeks, then bam the scale moved. How often are you weighing yourself? Try to only get on the scale once a week. It's hard, but the natural flucuations are enough to drive one crazy. Try not to feel discouraged, it's counter productive. Every pound you loose is great. Just know you are doing the right things and you will see results. Good luck!

I don't think 3 gms of fat is a big deal. I buy the 2% greek yougurt. Same with cottage cheese. I think the creaminess is worth a few gms of fat.

Happy Birthday. Congrats on the weight loss! Keep up the good work.

Wow- I am surprised he took all your fluid out, and not just the 1cc he had just put in. I agree with the above post, focus on eating the right things- low carb, low fat, high protien. You portions may be larger than they will be once you have restriction again, but at least you shouldn't gain any. That is awsome your working out, keep that up for sure. Best wishes!

Watch out for ketchup- lots of carbs and calories. Mustard is a much better option. I use light mayo- only 20 cals per Tbls. Best wishes!

I would talk to your doctor for sure. As long as you are taking small bites and chewing well, eating shouldn't be uncomfortable. Regurgitation is also not something that should be happening. I think your just a little too tight. Good luck!

Sorry you had trouble but glad you are feeling better. I hope your band repositions itself on it's own.

Going back to a liquid diet for a couple days may help get you back on track. It's probably worth a try. For me, if the scale goes up a few pounds I cut way back on the fat and carbs. I eat eggs for breakfast and chicken or fish for lunch and dinner. I snack on berries, low fat cheese sticks and nuts. My weight goes back down to where I want it in 2-3 days. I tried just doing protien shakes and just get too hungry. Good luck!

Watermelon is a fruit pretty high in carbs. I would eat it in lots of moderation. Berries are very low in carbs. I buy a frozen bag of mixed berries- Publix brand. I eat it with some mozz. cheese sticks almost every day, delecious.

Sorry you had trouble and will have to go through the process of getting fills again. I think you should focus on eating the right foods, low carb- low fat- high protien. Your portions may be larger than they will be once you have restriction again, but at least you shouldn't gain. With an increase in physical activity you might even loose a little. Good luck!

I am thinking you may simply be too tight. From what your saying, your hungry but not able to eat much. I would call your doc. and make an appointment. Say what's going on and see what he/she thinks. You may need a slight unfill. I have hesitated to do that and suffered needlessly. When I finally broke down and went in for an unfill I still had restriction. Best wishes!

Isn't it a great problem to have! You are doing great. For me, I had lots of sizes in my closet. I bought almost nothing in my journey of a 107 pound weight loss. Of course I bought a whole new wardrobe when I reached my goal. I now stay out of the stores for fear of spending more money. You might want to try thrift stores or consignment shops to get you through the rest of the school year. Happy shopping!

That's great! Fitting into smaller clothes was huge for me. What a great feeling! Keep up the good work!

I ended up going 10 pounds below my initial goal weight. I am thrilled with my results- especially after a tummy tuck and boob job. Now all I need is arms and face lol. I was lucky in a way. I started having trouble with the band- not being able to keep much down. The last 5-10 pounds came off very quickly. They are usually very stubborn from what I've heard. Sounds like you have done just great! If your happy and healthy I wouldn't sweat those last few pounds.

Frankly I don't understand what your so upset about. The point is to be smaller isn't it? Your loosing inches and that is the important thing. We want to be smaller, not neccesarily lighter. Because of the increase in protien, you may be building some muscle. One pound of muscle takes up much less room on the body than one pound of fat. Also, start excersising for sure. It will help make that scale move for sure. There are just too many benefits to pass it up. Best wishes!

Frankly I don't understand what your so upset about. The point is to be smaller isn't it? Your loosing inches and that is the important thing. We want to be smaller, not neccesarily lighter. Because of the increase in protien, you may be building some muscle. One pound of muscle takes up much less room on the body than one pound of fat. Also, start excersising for sure. It will help make that scale move for sure. There are just too many benefits to pass it up. Best wishes!