NurseShay

Welcome and good luck with your journey!!

-101lbs! WOOHOO! Damn it feels good to be a Loser!!

So far I just have the forum for support! Its hard finding people from san diego who are regulars on here. Its even a struggle to keep a workout buddy but I take support anywhere I can get it!

Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time losing weight! People with and without the band face the same issues so I tend to look at what the common factor is and thats the person and not so much the diet or tool they're using to lose weight since the band can only do so much and be filled so far but you on the other hand can do several things to boost your weight loss. Sometimes you have to get creative and find out what works for your body. Its great to get tips from other bandsters but we are all different and what works for one doesn't always work for another so dont give up just because you dont have the same results as another. Talk to your doctor, as with each fill he should be noting some concern with your lack of progress if its actually an issue as in 6mts he could only expect u to have lost 20-48lbs if you were losing a pound or 2 a week. Have you lost any weight at all or literally none? If you've lost some (but maybe not as much as you wanted to) then maybe you're just a "slow loser" and will require more effort on your part if you want to have some of the extreme results you have read about. If you've lost nothing at all I would think the problem lies more in what you're doing or not doing because the band requires certain nutritional changes be made and even someone without the band would lose something if they followed the dietary guidelines. From your description of how you feel when you're eating there's a good chance you actually are adequately filled if you find yourself choosing a diet of soft and liquid foods just so they will "go down" without pain and satiate your feelings of hunger. The pain you refer to may indicate that you're either eating too big of bites, not chewing thouroughly enough or eating foods that your band doesn't allow you to tolerate- these foods are different for most bandsters or just overeating. But either way getting a stuck feeling suggests you definitely have some restriction going on. How many fills you have had doesn't really matter so much as how full your band is (you could be getting 2ccs at a time or .2cc which is a major difference). Not to mention every bandster reaches their green zone at different points and some people prefer to be tighter than others so judging what efforts you need to make to achieve some weight loss based on how many fills you've had may be null. I find myself stuck on plateaus too more often than not these days and it can get extremely frustrating and its very easy to blame the band. But something to remember is that the band is not actually meant to get us to stop eating but to feel satiated with smaller quantities. We still have to choose the right foods and the right portions and stop eating when the measured food is gone. The hope is we'll feel satiated but not actually "full". If you're waiting for the "full" feeling everytime you eat you're doing yourself a disservice and the band will not work for you because you're not eating objectively you're still eating subjectively- with how you feel rather than whats enough for the purpose of eating. Eating a high content of "slider" foods is tempting when you're hungry and dont want to feel the pain the band causes when we're overeating, but for me personally I consider this one of those times when Im being bad and eating "around the band". I have figured out ways to eat the quantities I know I shouldnt and even almost every kind of food that supposedly "won't go down" when I want to. Its not easy and it doesnt always feel comfortable but theres a fat girl still inside me and sometimes shes louder than the skinny girl I want to be!! But doing this doesn't help my weight loss so its something Im learning to control, and at 18mts out its still doesnt come naturally. A big indicator to me would be the answer I secretly have when I ask myself why I am eating? And what kind of hunger do I feel? Is it a mental/emotional want or actual physical need? So I would suggest taking a good long honest and objective look at your lifestyle- what you're eating, how much you're eating, count calories, what times of day are you eating, are you drinking enough Water and getting enough Protein? Are you falling back into old habits? Are you excercising or at least burning more calories a day than you consume? You dont have to be a gym rat but if you naturally burn say 2k calories a day and you're eating 2k calories a day its a given you're not going to lose any weight you're just maintaining. Do the pouch test over a weekend or go on liquids for a week. Try to retrain your mind to eat for purpose and not pleasure. Avoid high caloric slider foods. shake up your routine with different low cal foods and a little more excercise. This band takes a while to get use to and weight loss doesnt come effortlessly for most of us but if you put in the work Im sure you'll find things that work for you in the long run. Talk to your doctor and nutrionist if possible and tell them exactly what you're doing and they can give you more personalized and concrete suggestions. Dont be too hard on yourself, this doesn't have to be another failed attempt at weight loss. You can still do this! Stay positive, motivated and dont give up! The band is there to help you just take the time to learn how to use it to your advantage. Best of luck to you!

Beer hurts!! Plain and simple. Maybe not early on in the begining before you get any fills but the carbanation on any like products do not feel good. I've heard people saying to let your drink sit out and sort of get flat then it's tolerable but at that point who wants it? Besides if you're getting banded to change your eating habits then plan on changing your eating habits- or you'll be one of the people who find themselves posting on how "the band doesn't work" for them a year out. But if you really need a buzz I'd suggest a distilled alcohol on the rocks over beer, they have the least amount of calories and get to the point since you wont have the capacity to gulp down multiple beers anyways!

Almost all self pay programs are just the seminar to learn about the band (as required by the band manufacturer), a couple labs to cover the surgeons butt in the event of a malpractice lawsuit, and a pre op diet to shrink the liver down due to it being an abdominal surgery. But its a usually a 2 week process to be banded depending on when their first openings are! All about the benjamins. I did it that way too. But still do your homework!

I would suggest she consult her doctor about the issue and have someone assess her bowel sounds for anything adventatious & possibly do a stool sample. Write down and monitor her diet & bowel movements (frequency, size, color, texture) for a week or so prior to her doc's visit so they can have a better picture of what her habits are and try to pinpoint what is causing it. Due to our inability to drink much fluids quickly and it can be hard to have adequate fiber in our diet with restriction constipation is often the effect and one common sign of constipation is actually diarrhea. I have never had issues with my bowels before I was banded but ever since (19mts ago) I was banded I have every kind of issue, definitely seems to be in relation to my band placement. But for the most accurate diagnosis and treatment I'd recommend she see her own physician (one familiar with the band b/c many are NOT) so that he can accurately treat her symptoms. Chronic diarrhea could be the symptoms to many different issues (infection, certain medications & antibiotics, C. Diff, IBS, Chron's disease) and not just from the band and the effects could be health hazerdous if allowed to persist unchecked. Be sure to inform the doctor that this has been a chronic condition and not just related to eating some bad food as many doctors will write off things if you dont appear too concerned about them. Hope she gets to the bottom of it soon!!

Im sorry to hear that you are having one of those days! It certainly does happen to all of us at some point unfortunately.With total empathy to your all too familiar dillemma I would suggest that you take something positive out of this minor speedbump in the road to your "B-day" with appreciation that you have good doctors with your best interest at heart that want to make sure you are fit for this surgery before you get the band. The risks of any sugery never seem worth the benefit if something does in fact go wrong while you're on the operating table. A weak heart is nothing to turn a blind eye to when you have a young family that I'm sure would rather have you here with them rather than just thinner. Also find some joy in that you have insurance thats willing to pay for your surgery- otherwise you wouldnt be going through so many hoops to be cleared for the surgery,as so many people wish they could be in the process of getting cleared for surgery but can't because they can't afford it. So that in itself a blessing. Try to stay positive and begin developing the mindset that you will need to have to be successful with the band, it will take a great deal of patience to see the specific results you're after even when that anticipated day comes and you are banded. Stay realistic about this whole experience- pre & post banding, so that you won't find yourself discouraged more often than not. Keep your hubby in the loop with how you feel so that he can be the support system that you need and be understanding during those times frustration gets the best of you. The people you read about who are banded after just 2 weeks and lose all their excess weight in just a few months are the exception and not the rule. This is a fairly long process for most people, but once you're to goal it will seem to have flown by! Before you know it you will be banded and well on your way!Stay motivated, inspired and excercise patience. Best of luck to you!

I totally agree with you bayougirlmrsc! I understand some people need to vent but sometimes it seems like people have unrealistic expectations about the band and after the 100th post about it you read from someone only weeks out it can get kinda annoying . But I guess we've all been there before and its up to us to ignore the negativity that brings us down and for those of us having a bad day and feeling that way it's best not feed into feeling sorry for ourselves. The best motivation is to stay inspired and positive about the accomplishments we make and not compare ourselves to others. Everybodys journey is different. Those lucky enough to have a "magic band" that requires little to no effort on their part are the exception and not the rule and everyone with the band needs to keep that in mind. Good post bayougirl, some people needed to hear it.