gwins

I was banded back in January 2010 - 9 months ago - with a Realize band. I have had 8 fills and still have no restriction. My doctor has pulled out all the Fluid twice now to ensure it is all in there and there is no leak and it is fine. He also ordered an Upper GI and checked the band placement and confirmed it hasn't slipped and my pouch hasn't stretched. He said he could tell that things are flowing through quite easily with very little restriction. So he did an aggressive fill adding a full cc bringing my band to capacity (10cc band filled to 10cc). That was about a week ago and I still have little to no restriction. My doctor said that some people just have thinner stomach walls than others so it takes more fluid for them to feel restriction. (How ironic that I am overweight and have thin stomach walls! Sorry but I digressed. :laugh:) My doctor keeps saying, 'but you are losing weight." And I am happy about my weight loss (60 pounds) but feel that I have done it all on my own without the help of the band thanks to permanent diet and exercise changes. I know I need the band to keep going to reach my goals and then to maintain. I am not sure what my options are at this point if my band is already filled to capacity. Has anyone ever heard of this and/or know what options there might be? I am going back to see my doctor again in a few weeks and want to be armed with information and questions. Thank you and best of luck to all of you!

I have been hoping for a new challenge but somehow didn't see this one. Sorry I missed it and am now jumping in so late! But better late than never! Hoping for a 15 lb loss by July 4. Good luck to all!

I have an awesome personal trainer who is a godsend to me. This week while working out, he asked me how much weight I have lost and I told him 45 pounds. He then had me do a bunch of exercises with 40 pounds (two 20-pound dumbbells). And it was so incredibly hard! Even just walking around carrying those weights was difficult! Then he said to remember that I was carrying that weight around each and everyday for 24/7. (Granted that weight was distributed through my body, not all concentrated into two 20-pound fat bulges, but still....) Then he said to imagine how great you will feel when you are another 40 pounds lighter. It was very profound and meaningful to me. So try it at home or at the gym -- pick up some weights that are about the amount of weight you have lost and try to even just walk around with them for awhile. You will be amazed and really feel great about your accomplishments thus far. Best to all of you!

I don't post on here too often but I do read the threads all the time and find them very motivational and informative. I just need to share a success that I know only this group will understand and appreciate as much as I do. This weekend, I decided to clean out my closet that was stuffed with clothes in many sizes (I know you can relate!). And I was so excited as I tried on piece after piece, that most were just too big! In the past I would have kept those clothes in case I needed them again if I gained weight which I usually did (I have been a yo-yo'er my whole adult life.) But this time I have made a commitment to NEVER gain significant weight again, so I donated 8 garbage bags of clothes to various charities. What a feeling of accomplishment! My rate of weight loss has slowed a bit in the past few weeks which is frustrating, especially since I have been working out so hard. This was a great reminder that it's not all about the scale - there are other ways to see your success too. Now it's time for a little shopping to replenish my closet. (But nothing too expensive because I am not done yet!) :thumbdown:

Frustrated with no loss this week! But going through a tough time with my mom very ill and now we put her into hospice care. Think she only has a couple weeks left. She has lung cancer which such a nasty disease. I am trying very hard not to use food as an emotional outlet and am still exercising. But my stress levels are through the roof which I am sure are contributing to lack of weight loss.:thumbdown:

Down 2 more - yay! I am extra proud since I was traveling all week and always find it so hard when eating meals out. Just had my third fill a couple of days ago but unfortunately, still no restriction. Sigh!

Only down 1 lb this week -- was hoping for more since my TOM was the week before and have been working out with my personal trainer like a crazy person. He kept me in the gym for 2 1/2 hours on Thursday night - I thought I was going to die! Hopefully, all my hard work will come through this week. I am off to a strong start this week so far even though I am traveling for work and am away from my trainer. Have to learn to do it on my own too since I travel a fair bit and that's no excuse not to exercise and eat well. Good luck to all this week!

Sorry I am a day late in getting the spreadsheet updated - just updated it. I am down 2 lbs. Not bad considering it is my TOM. Hoping for a big week this week when I lose the TOM bloating and see personal trainer 3 times this week! He is going to kick my butt tonight since I haven't seen him in 2 weeks! :thumbup:

Count me in - I am going for a stretch goal of 13 lbs! I was banded on Jan. 13 and have lost 38 lbs so far. Another 13 would put me over 50 lbs lost! I have had 2 fills but no restriction yet so it is all will power baby! I have to admit I fell off the wagon a little over Easter weekend with my whole family staying at my house - drank a few glasses of wine and ate a little more than usual. Not a complete blowout but enough that I am feeling it and this Challenge will help me get back on the losers' wagon.

I had my first fill yesterday and all in all, it wasn't too bad. I read so many posts and blogs about fills and difficulties that some people have had, so I was really nervous. But one thing that was a surprise to me was that the doctor had me do a stomach crunch when he put the needle in. Does anyone else's doctor do that? He said it helps to push the muscle forward and makes it easier for him to hit the port. Well, first of all, I am a big baby when it comes to needles so I was already nervous and therefore, trying to breathe deeply to calm down. But when you do a stomach crunch you can't breathe and he expected me to hold it up there for a pretty long time! :thumbup: I had to let go twice so it actually took him 3 tries before he got the port. But luckily I had been numbed with lidocaine first so I didn't feel all these pokes. He said I would get better at it each time. Really?! I didn't know I had to exercise while a large needle is going into my abdomen! Anyone else have this experience?

Wow - that does sound extreme...but every doctor's approach is different. My doctor is opposite of yours -- he wants me back on regular foods as quickly as possible because he is afraid of liquid and slider foods being too easy to consume and not filling up the pouch so may take in more. (Not sure if I agree with that -- you can only take in so many Protein shakes!) I had a fill yesterday and he had me do liquids for the rest of the day, then soft foods today and back to regular food by tomorrow. But again...all docs are different and I can see pros and cons to both philosophies.

I was banded Jan 13 and go for my first fill next week - can't wait! Like everyone else, I also have no restriction now. I hit a plateau after 2 weeks of rapid weight loss post-surgery and then was flat for 2 weeks. I took a hard look at my food diary I keep on thedailyplate.com and realized that I had bumped up from about 800 calories to 1200-1400 calories. So I made a new pact to really eat well, reduced carbs, watched calories, and increased exercise which felt good to do since I was feeling more like myself again. I am pleased to say I have lost another 6 pounds over the past 2 weeks - but it has been pure will power and grit and nothing to do with the band right now. I am really thinking of this as a long-term thing - like most of us, I have lost weight before so I know I can do it. The issue is keeping it off - I was the biggest yo-yo around! I am hoping the band will help me minimize the yo!

This is an awesome post! I am 4 weeks post-op and lost weight the 1st 2 weeks but haven't lost any since. When I was losing, my calorie intake was about 700 per day. I think I "selectively heard" on some of these posts that my calorie count was too low and I was putting my body into starvation mode. It was license for me to eat what I wanted....combine that with the fact that the swelling had gone down and I now have no restriction. This led me to eating about 1500 calories per day. And exercise is limited right now to walking until I see the doctor again so not expending a lot of calories. So to sum up, it is no surprise I have not lost weight in the past 2 weeks! I now have a different mindset that I need to work at this as if I don't even have the band right now. In other words, I need to eat less, limit carbs, and exercise as much as I can. Been doing it for 3 days now and I think it is already working! Thank you so much to the OP for this post - it has been an inspiration to me!