stefaniwg

This is awesome! I am need of a challenge. I am a slooowwww loser and feel off the band wagon over Christmas but am now ready to get back to it. Name, real or screen~ Stefani Age~ 27 Weight on January 3rd~ 179 Goal Weight for January 31st~174 Exercise Goal for January~ 3x per week for 1 hour Dietary Goal for January~ chicken, fish, salad, and repeat Personal Goal for January~ Fit into a new pair of jeans I just bought Date Banded~ 7/22/10 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 30 pounds

I do not regret my decision at all. I have very happy with my results thus far. I am one who can become very obsessive. I am one extreme or the other which drive the hubby crazy! lol Right now I am not working as hard as I could to make this band work for me since I am always so busy around the holidays. We have and go to parties almost every weekend from Thursday to Sunday so I do have much time for the gym right now. Prior to Thanksgiving I was doing very well exercising 5 days a week and eating good too but being a slow loser since I have lost only 30 pounds since July 22nd. I have gone from size 18 to 12/14 pant and XL to L-M shirt. I just had my 5th fill last week and my port and band has been very sore/tight feeling every night. Am I too tight? Is this normal? I have never has this prior to this last fill. I only have about 4.5 cc in my 10cc band. Any who I am so glad to hear from everyone and congrats to you all and your success!!! I can't wait until January 2nd and I will be right back on being strick and obsessive!!! Looking for my collarbone!!!

I'm always constipated! lol I find that if I don't take something at least every other day I will go days and days without having a bm. So as of recently I have been drinking sienna laxative tea(I mix with a tsp of honey and it doesn't taste bad at all) at bed time and I will have a bm when I get up in the morning.

I have had bowel problems ever since I was banded. I was suggested to take milk of magnesia but it is disgusting so now I just drink a cup of sienna tea which is a laxative and I usually have a bm within a few hours. Good luck ! Stefani

Congrats on your lost so far! I too am a slow loser and do get frustrated that I am not losing as fast as I think that I should. I have had my husband hide the scale from me since I was very down on myself when I would weigh several times a day. The scale has been gone for a week now and I dont even think about wanting the weigh myself. Just focus on the nsv's and keep your eye on the prize!

I am a July bandster. I was banded on 7/22. Congrats on those 41 pounds!! I have only lost 24 pounds. 15 of them being post op. I have been struggling with my addiction to food. Surprisingly I didn't realize that I had an obession with food until after I was banded. I have a problem eating 3 meals a day and drinking enough fluids. I have to force myself to eat breakfast and most of the time I lose and don't eat until around noon, then dinner around 6 and a snack around 8. With this, I have a problem getting all of my 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of water. I dont have any health problems outside of the fact that I am still obese. I try to exercise at least 4 times a week and I have been at the same weight for 2 weeks now but I go to get my 3rd fill on Wednesday the 13th and am hoping that this will help. I am afraid that I will never get to my goal. I try to make small goals for myself and I have a hard time even coming close to reaching them. I hope that everyone is doing great! Keep up the good work lovinmyband!

This is becoming pretty common for me. The first month post op I was regular. The next month I was 3 days late and this past month I was 5 days late. I too have always been regular. I was worried that I was pregnant too and took a test this past month and it was a negative. Freaked me out! My husband is just enjoying those few extra days!! lol I am thinking that it must be a normal side effect of the rapid weight loss.

One the iPhone when you seach for it you have to type LAP BAND. Not just one word but still in all caps. Let me know which one you choose.

The only way I can stay on track is if I plan everything out that I eat or I will fall off the deep end. I try to do this every Sunday. I've never heard of BJ's, is that like Sam's or costco? The tilapia & lobster sounds really good. I would eat fish just about everyday but my husband isn't crazy about it so I can only have it like once a week.

Which one did you guys choose?

I get told all the time that I carry my weight very well but know one ever knew how much I weighed. When I finally told my husband how much I weighed he was shocked. My insurance also covered my surgery but I haven't told anyone outside of my mom,dad,sister,niece and of course my husband that I even have the band. So if I told others in my family (who are almost all overweight) that I had they would have a cow! I am not ready to deal with it. Spoiltmom they are just jealous and wish that they had the courage to take the steps that you have to become a healthier you.

I was banded in Houston Texas by Dr. Kenneth Hollis with True Results on 7/22/10. I live about 45 minutes south of Houston. I have lost 24 pounds including the pre op diet.

Has anyone else's cycle changed since being banded? My cycle has been 23-25 days long for as long as I can remember. I've never ever been late except for when I was pregnant. Now for the past 2 months I am 3-5 days late( 3 days late last month and 5 days late this month) making me very nervous about being pregnant each month this has happened. I would really like to know if this is normal and it anyone else has experienced this and why does this happen. Any input would be helpful.

Tonight I am going to have baked chicken legs (on a rack so that they dont cook in its own fat) and green Beans. Tuesday- Turkey meat loaf w/spinach and yams Wednesday- Chef salad Thursday - parmesan baked tilipia w/broccoli Friday - Turkey burger w/ turkey bacon and avacado on whole wheat whole grain honey sandwich thins. Saturday - Chicken enchilada Soup (homemade not from a can) Durning my first few weeks post op I watched the food network all day just to see some good looking food wishing I could eat and to get some ideas once I was able to eat again. I wish you all the best!

My hair started coming out about 1-2 weeks post op by the handfulls when brushing. I read online where an increase of bitoin would help with hair lost so I started taking 3000 mcg of bitoin a day for the last 5 weeks and have really noticed a difference. My hair has gotten thicker and hardly comes out when I brush now.

I live in a small town called West Columbia TX about 45 minutes south of Houston. I am currently a wife/stay at home mom/full time student. I am a junior getting my BBA. My 4 year old daughter just started pre-k which frees up more time for school. Nice to see so many Texas gals!

I have been banded for a little over 2 months now and my scars have healed up nicely but they are very dark and are now making my strech marks look like nothing. So my question is what are you using or doing if anything and/if you have what have you used that didn't work? I don't like to waste money but would like do something about these 5 scars. Any help would be greatly appreciate it! Thanks! Stefani

I had a concussion about 2 weeks prior to being banded and have had migraines since then. My doctor told me that it was ok for me to continue to take excedrine migraine which works wonders for me. Hope this helps.

I agree with everyone else that she is just jealous that her insurance didn't pay and yours did. I was very lucky that my insurance did cover me without any co-moridities with a lower BMI of 38 than some others but I did have horrible acid reflux and my family has every type of disease known to man so they were sure to come with me being so overweight. I am just 5'2 and weighed 209 pounds. I have been overweight for about 8 or 9 years. I was NEVER able to lose more than 5-10 pounds pre band and to have lost 24 in the last 2 months...Can I get a WHOOT WHOOT! I am now back to what I weighed prior to having my daughter and she is 5. I spoke freely to friends and family about getting the band and then changed my mind about having it (I chieckened out) and I told myself I could do it on my own. WRONG! One month later I called to get a new surgery date. But I told no one besides my husband until after I had it. Even then I only told my mom,dad,sister and niece. My family who is mostly obese were hating on me about getting banded and I just didn't want to deal with it. So they all see me eating better and exercising and are seeing the changes in me and just assume that I am doing it on my own. I have even been an inspiration some to do better. We all want to be heathier and just being able to get skinny is just an added bonus!!!! lol

I have always been anemic ever since I had my daughter 5 years ago, but since being banded I have been whats called super anemic where my iron is extermely low which makes me tired, weak, and have lots of headaches. I just didn't feeling like doing very much at all. It gets even worse when my cycle comes along but now I take an extra iron pill on top my whats in my vitamins and that did the trick for me. I hope this helps and you feel better soon.

I noticed that too. My grocery store quit carrying the type of soy milk I like so I started using 1% and have gas and bloating like crazy. I guess I will have to travel a little longer to get to a store that does carry my brand. I'm sure its the milk thats causing that problem.

BetsyB you always have such wonderful words of encouragement to give. I have been banded a little over two months and have only lost 15 lb since surgery. I say only because I feel that I should have lost more but it is still a lost and I am loving it since it is more than I could have done on my own! Please do not compare yourself to others it will make your life miserable. I've done it and my family was starting to hate me because I was a witch all the time because I wasn't where I thought I should be compared to those who were banded around the same time as I was. What BestyB said it very true. BMI's make a huge difference in how much everyone loses but not everyone is the same, genetics and body types along with what we eat and exercise. Just be patient (I know it's easier said than done) and do what you feel is right and eventually you will be a new happier, healthier, skinny you! Good luck Amy!

I lost 1lb for the week, not crazy about it but I did get my 2nd fill yesterday and am hoping that will help me lose a few more this week.

I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well. I just had my second fill yesterday and now I am up to 2.5 cc's. I am hoping that this will give me a little restriction. I have been doing about 3 miles every day while wearing a waist trimmer belt. Let me tell you I have never sweat like that before in my life than I do when I wear that belt and to be sweating like that in my mid section I am not mad about that. Lets keep up the good work July bandsters!!

I went for my fill yesterday and was given 1cc. YAY! I spoke to the pa and she told me that what I was going thru is normal which did put me at ease. Just because I feel that I can eat whatever and how much ever I want doesn't mean that I do. Everyone's body doesn't work the same and what may work for one person doesn't always work for another. Losing 1-2 pounds per week is what is normal for most. If you can lose more than that, then hey that's great but it's not going to work that way for every body. Once you get to a good level of restriction you will not be able to eat as much and not feel nearly as hungry for what I have been told. We all got banded to look and feel heathier. Be patient and try to make good choices and exercise and the weight will come off eventually. Good luck!