khath0620

Besides not looking good too thin, you have to think about malnutrition and its affects on your body. Not saying you are anorexic or anything, but people who don't have enough nutrition run into heart problems, joint issues, "feeding your brain", etc. I would definitely get some taken out and just stay on top of what foods go in.....make sure they are the good, healthy ones versus the junk that got us here to begin with.....and you should stay right on track! Good luck....

First of all, why risk the band slipping???? They would have to take out all the Fluid from around the band and now you are back at square 1. Not worth it to me.... Second, I was just reading a book last night that talked about carbonated beverages and how bad they are for ANYBODY. Carbonation is a stomach irritant. The stomach applies it's own natural "antacid" - the Calcium from your blood. Your blood replenishes it's supply by taking it from your bones so, in essence, any carbonated beverage (soda, beer, seltzer, etc) is "osteoporosis in a can/bottle"! Interesting, huh???

Thanks everyone for the support. I really needed it! I still have 3 more holiday parties to go but I am planning on Protein 1st, dropping the carbs and no alcohol. I am a total carb/sugar addict so if I can steer clear of those, I think I will be in better shape! Happy Holidays to you all! The New Year is going to be GREAT! Katie

She can take any over the counter liquid medication. If she has a fever, Tylenol liquid works well. If she is throwing up, she needs to call the surgeon right away. They may have her come in to take the Fluid out of her band to prevent band slippage or make some other recommendation. Hope she feels better soon! Katie

I was banded May 18th and am down around 50 pounds...I have more to go but am really happy at how far I have come so far! Congrats to everyone on all their hard work!

I am sure, also, that when others' looked at that photo they saw a positive change in you and were not NEARLY as critical as you are of yourself. Someone once told me that the band is around your stomach, not your brain. Not only do we have to fight head hunger and cravings but we also have to deal with the emotional side of the weight loss and self-esteem issues. Take PRIDE in your accomplishments...every good choice, every pound, every minute of exercise you may not have done in the past, every new item of smaller clothes, all the improvements in your blood pressure/blood sugar (if you had issues with that)!!! Most of us have continuous (and for me especially) unconscious negative self-talk just from YEARS of experience. It takes a lot of work to change that to positive self-talk. You are doing awesome! Keep up the good work and keep that head held high!!! Katie

Can someone tell me what is erosion and how it happens? how it can be prevented? Also, how does one prevent slippage? I don't want to have erosion and not know about it..... Thanks, Katie

Well, girls, sadly I used to be exactly like you all. If I weighed myself once a day, I did it 12 times a day! It got so bad that I would let the scale (a.k.a. "the metal beast") dictate if I was a good or bad person. My mood was up and down all day long and my self-esteem was based on the number on the scale. I ended up swinging wildly between anorexia and compulsive overeating. I have been going to therapy for over 2 years now to help me with these issues as well as going to OA to deal with the emotional side to my eating problems. The simple fact is that the scale, in a way, can lie. Yes, it will give you a number but it won't tell you the full story: 1. muscle weighs more than fat so if you are working out a lot the # may just go up a bit. It isn't because you were overeating or doing anything bad, it was because you were doing something good! If you are anything like I was, I then would see that # and start KILLING myself over-exercising to get that # back down. 2. for us women, times of the month play a factor with Water retention and all.....again,nothing you did bad, just a natural process 3. (not to be gross) maybe you didn't have a bowel movement which, after you did, would change that # on the scale. 4. time of the day matters! As the day goes on, your weight will go up slightly. I used to try to go to the earliest WW meetings I could find, even if it meant me getting up an hour earlier every Saturday morning to drive to someplace inconvenient just in the event that the scale might tell me I was 1/4 pound less.....was it worth it???? BarBee used the word obsessive. Anna89 said she was afraid to face it and losing confidence. Jen36 said it was driving her nuts and setting a bad example for her daughter. Leah Rogers said that she would discouraged if she weighed herself daily. I don't know about you but that is not how I want to live my life. I found myself missing out on the smaller things in life and finding joy in them. I don't want to appear preachy or anything. I just want to emphasize that we are more than the # on the scale or the size of our clothes. We had this surgery because we want to live a good long happy and healthy life. It takes making good choices and finding the strength to stay on track but it doesn't necessarily mean getting crazy over [multiple] daily weigh-ins however, if it works for you then have at it. Good luck and be happy on your journey! Katie

Can I put a different spin on what everyone is saying? I can appreciate and even sympathize with the level of frustration you are all going through. I have been there myself but there comes a time when you have to turn your thinking around to be more positive. EVERYONE that has made a comment on this thread has lost weight which means that EVERYONE has made some really good decisions, food choices, and lifestyle changes. Don't look at where you are going to (i.e. your goal weight or size) but where you have been!!! Take pride in every single pound, good choice, and know that this is a process. It takes time to get to good restriction and even when you get there, as you lose weight, you will need to go in for occasional adjustments. I have to take one meal at a time and can't look at the bigger picture because I get WAY too overwhelmed. Am I making perfect choices? No...I'm a human with a food addiction and I have to live on life's terms. Bottom line is to make the better choices....if you are hungry (I mean really hungry and not just bored, depressed, happy/sad or whatever emotion you are having at the time) then try a healthy choice snack or sip on ice Water or whatever... You will all be fine and successful if you believe you can be! Best of luck, Katie

I am in the same rut....I don't mind egg beaters on weekends but during the week I just want something easy. I love my cereal (which I just had) but I know I am going to be wicked hungry by 11. I just bought some deli turkey that I am going to have with a piece of fruit tomorrow for breakfast. I am just bored of my food right now... be well all....katie

First thing comes to mind is if you have been exercising you may be losing weight (fat) and building muscle (which weighs more than fat). How do your clothes fit? Do you feel more energetic? Do you sleep better? Always remember that the # on the scale is only one measure of success.... I went through a phase where I wasn't really losing anything and then all of a sudden dropped like 7 pounds in a month. Remember that your body is trying to adjust itself constantly. It is used to getting more and burning calories and it takes a while for it to realize that. As you pointed out, the "sweet spot" is very individual (in terms of how much you need in the band to be in the green zone) but also it is a moving target for you. Say you feel good restriction at 8 cc and then you lose 10 more pounds, your stomach has shrank too and so what was once good restriction is now just a little less and you may need to go in for an adjustment (which is what just happened to me....). you are doing great...good luck...katie

I am in the same EXACT position!!! I am 5 months out and have lost only about 40 pounds. I have a case of the blues and can't shake it! I would love some motivation too!

There really isn't any exact # anyone can give to you to let you know what your "sweet spot" is because everyone is so different. You will always need an adjustment the more weight you lose. So say you have 8.5 ccs and you find that is your sweet spot (with good restriction) then the next month you lose 10 pounds your band may need to be adjusted because your stomach shrunk. That is what is so frustrating (at least to me) is that the "sweet spot" is a flying target. You just need to pay attention to that Yellow/Green/Red zone sensations. I know for a fact that I was at good restriction a few weeks ago and had lost about 3 or 4 pounds and now I feel that I need another fill. I thought I was at my sweet spot but that only lasted a few weeks. Good luck, you are doing a great job! :thumbup: Katie

There really isn't any exact # anyone can give to you to let you know what your "sweet spot" is because everyone is so different. You will always need an adjustment the more weight you lose. So say you have 8.5 ccs and you find that is your sweet spot (with good restriction) then the next month you lose 10 pounds your band may need to be adjusted because your stomach shrunk. That is what is so frustrating (at least to me) is that the "sweet spot" is a flying target. You just need to pay attention to that Yellow/Green/Red zone sensations. I know for a fact that I was at good restriction a few weeks ago and had lost about 3 or 4 pounds and now I feel that I need another fill. I thought I was at my sweet spot but that only lasted a few weeks. Good luck, you are doing a great job! :thumbup: Katie

My thought is that weight loss is 99% mental, 1 % physical. For me, my band is that 1% that keeps me sane. I KNOW that ice cream will go through the band no problem so, being a food addict, I can't take that 1st bite because I won't stop. It is a slippery slope and I have worked too hard to gain back any weight. I wouldn't unfill because that band is your food police...it keeps you from overeating. Good luck and, no matter what, enjoy your cruise!!!

I am currently an OA member and, for me, it has changed my life. I, personally, think it has made life easier following my surgery. It is emotional and it is work but, for me, I am striving for not only physical but emotional wellness. It is a 12 step program and you are supposed to have a sponsor and call in your food everyday and so on but you can work the program whatever way you want. For example, I am a mother of a 3 and a 5 year old, work full time, was just banded in May, am working out 4 times a week and go to one face to face meeting a week. I can't possibly make the calls and do the homework I maybe should be doing but I am not judged either. I am entirely accepted for who I am, where my addiction has taken me, and what path of recovery I want to take. When I am feeling a binge coming on, I know I can call my sponsor or another OA member to help me talk me through it and not take that ever disasterous first bite! The other thing to know is that it can be overly spiritual for some people but you don't have to believe in "God" to be a part of it. You can try a phone meeting to see if it is for you. Go onto the oa.org website and search for a phone meeting. Just like this website, to have someone else who understands you and what you have been through makes A WORLD of difference, at least to me. Good luck, Katie

Thanks for the support! I am actually at week 17 not 21....see how I rush things! :smile: Anyway, back to the gym tomorrow, my broken toe feels better and even if I do the recumbent bike, at least I am doing something. I bet by my next appointment I will be headed in the right direction!

So just went for my follow up (at week 21) and am disappointed that I haven't lost any weight in 4 weeks! I have not gained which is great but, with all the hard work, it is very frustrating when the scale hasn't changed. I know this is a process and a lifelong commitment but I want all this weight off yesterday! The doctor was able to give me a fill and I have 8 cc in my 14 cc band now. Hopefully that will help. It didn't help, of course, that I haven't been able to exercise in 2 weeks because I broke my toe! Is this what they call bandster hell??? :smile:

I don't mean to be gross but one of the side effects from the medication from the general anesthesia is that it slows down your bowels. That, along with the stated water retention, could be playing a part to the weight gain. In any case, don't worry because all of a sudden you will be down like 5 pounds and feel better! Post op, I was on liquid Tylenol and Motrin and I was in little discomfort with that. Good Luck!

Hi everyone, I am on week 4 of C25K and I don't know whether I should continue just because my knees are bothering me a bit. Not so much that I can't walk but they ache at the end of the day. I don't want to do any permanent damage and want your suggestions......continue to just do other cardio until I lose more weight and then start running again? Thanks, Katie

I have gotten the "all you need to do is..." speech before and, for those saying it, they don't understand how hurtful and frustrating it is! I HAVE tried everything out there and some things I have tried (i.e. starvation, purging, overexercising, diaretics/laxatives, high Protein, low carb, high Fiber, grapefruits, etc) only worked for a short time and ended up hurting me. I, of course, ended up gaining what I lost plus some each time. I don't know where I got the strength from but I ended up saying to those who didn't really support my decision at first that this was MY decision, it is based on the support from my primary care physician, it is safe and this is not something I chose out of desperation but rather the determination to live a good, long, and HEALTHY life with my family. I think in my situation the person (my brother) was trying to get me not to do it just because they didn't know enough about it and were afraid that I would be doing harm to my body. He said it "wasn't natural" for people to have foreign objects in their bodies. I quickly reminded him about people with pacemakers, hip or knee replacements, etc. Take pride in the fact that you are choosing life! Remember that this is your life and, as someone else said, your dad will ultimately realize down the line when you are down 40# that this was a good thing. It is the safest surgical option with the least complications. Good luck and keep your chin up! :confused: Katie

The scale only makes me crazy!!! Why am I letting this metal monster dictate my success with the lapband??? I am down 30+ pounds from pre-op on May 8th! I need to stop looking at others' successes (weight wise) and see that I am successful in other ways. My other measureable successes ... going to the gym 4-5 times a week, putting a full trashbag of too big clothes in the Goodwill container, getting my "thin clothes" out of the attic that I haven't worn in years, sleeping peacefully at night, being happier....these are things I have to focus on. My journey can't be based on numbers but rather being healthy physically and emotionally. I got the lapband because I was tired of feeling tired...and stressed...and depressed...and feeling insecure, etc. I am in this for the rest of my life and need to start ignoring the numbers of the scale and enjoying the better things in life... Have a great day everyone!

I have concerns too about having loose skin but my surgeon says that it benefits you to lose more slowly w/ the LB because your body will have a chance to respond but, as bambam31 pointed out, there are factors which would keep the skin from tightening up. I am hoping, since I am only 35 that my body will be good to me and kind of tighten up with all the strength training I have been doing.

Hi all, I am about to start week 3 this week. I am doing my running at the gym on the treadmill and I only run at a speed of 4.5-4.6. I guess that is good considering I have never run (or as I figure JOGGED) before. Is that speed ok or should I be pushing myself to go faster? Also, I have heard it is harder to run outside. Should I be trying to train on pavement vs the treadmill? Thank for all your support! :-) Katie

I started looking at exercise like a part of my job...in other words the days that I work (which is 4-5 days a week) then I go to the gym. I don't have enough energy to go after work or else find excuses like I have to stop by the grocery store or have an appointment or need to run an errand so I go to the gym at 5 a.m. It is hard to get up that early but I am very proud of myself that I get up and get it done and over with in the morning.For some (like me), at first you have to start to make yourself do it and then it becomes part of your routine. I actually like going now. I know when I haven't been because I feel more tired, achy and so on. Good luck...you are already doing a great job! Keep up the good work!