Momma_oz

Anyon still on here in the "Central Texas" area? I'm in Georgetown and would love to find others for conversation, comeraderie and support... ANYONE out there?:smile:

Hi! I was originally banded in 2006 - lost some, gained it all back +2 lbs due to not sticking with the appointments for fills etc and eating whatever would go down instead of what was healthy. I'm 33, married, 2 sons, 1 step daughter, I work full time and go to school part time... just joined Golds Gym and am really optimistic about this time around. Would love a mentor to help guide me and someone to help me focus a bit more than last time... I'm in Texas if that matters... Specifically, Georgetown/ Austin area so if anyone local wants to become exercise buddies let me know!

Does everyone already know about Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople I recently re-dedicated myself to it and have been amazed this week. For those that don't know about it, I highly recommend checking it out. (1) you track your food and it calculates your calories for you... you'd be amazed how many times I've been able to resist chocolate and unhealthy Snacks because I don't want to write it down so I don't eat it (2) you track your Water to make sure that you get enough of it (3) you track your exercise and it calculates how many calories burned... I don't know how accurate the calories count is on this, but still. for me, the best part is they have an iphone app for it so I can track everything whenever I am and don't have an excuse not to.... What other tools have you found to make this journey a bit easier and/ or more fun?

my band was too tight for over 2 years and not only did I not lose, I gained back all the weight I had lost plus two lbs... talk about frustrating. I was told that if you are too tight, you generally (or i did anyway) eat foods that are easy to swallow and perhaps not as 'healthy' as we need. because I wasn't eating 3 small healthy meals, I was hungry all the time and snacked WAY too much. track what you eat and talk with your doctor. it is extremely possible that you are too full. Don't avoid the doctor... that was a mistake I made and it cost me 2 years that I could have been losing. Hang in there!

I had a similar problem as far as not losing weight and avoiding my doctor. I wanted to encourage you to talk with your doctor about your lack of weight loss to ensure that there isn't an issue with your band, but to echo the rest of the comments here, it is the head hunger that is often the hardest to overcome. I recently went back to the doctor to have my band issues corrected and on the way home I bought a new dress... 8 sizes smaller than what I wear now as a way to motivate myself. it hangs near the kitchen and fridge so when I head that direction because I *think* I'm hungry, I remember a quote I read once and - "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels" If I might offer another suggestion, write down EVERYTHING you eat and what's going on when you eat. I found lots of forgotten calories in the junk food that would slide on down no matter how tight i was when I was busy at work or whatever. I found that sparkpeople.com is a great tool for that. Let me know if you ever want to talk or vent or whatever. Good luck and stick with it.

My road with Lap-Band has been rocky at best but last Thursday I met with a new doctor who told me I was too full which was not conducive to maintaining healthy eating habits... i.e. eating anything that would slide down easy... He un-filled me completely and explained that we would be starting over from ground zero. I was extremely excited and rejuvenated ready for this to be the time in my life where I could commit to a healthier lifestyle. DH and I have signed up for a gym membership and with my band completely empty, I've been watching my calories to ensure that I don't over-do it. I've been sticking to 1500-1800 calories a day - usually closer to 1500. I feel better, have more energy, and am able to eat better meals without snacking...AND YET - I've gained a pound every day since the appointment! Is this normal? Is my body just adjusting? Is there something I'm missing??? Anyone else experience this???

thanks for the responses... DaChanginQueen I was beginning to wonder if that was going on... I'm sticking with it and hopefully it will pay off... As far as 1500-1800 being too many calories, I hope not.... but time will tell... I'm so hungry! I know I need a fill and need to begin the fill/ unfill dance to find the sweet spot and have the dr appointment for next thursday, so hopefully everything will pay off and the scale will begin to tip the other direction... How do you know when you've found your sweet spot?

What a GREAT idea! count me in.. I'll be looking it up today after work to get more details....

Hi! I'm in Georgetown, TX too... just found this site but was banded several years ago... things didn't work out so well... long story but found out there was a problem so it's like I'm starting all over. love the idea of local support! I'm extremely optimistic this go-round.

I understand feeling ashamed... I'm in the same boat and just went back to the Dr after almost 4 years! I'm sure that you and I are not the first to fall off the wagon and unfortunately won't be the last either. You can do it!

There is so much great information here that I'm thankful I found this site. I was banded July 2006 - had one fill 2 months later and unfortunately, it was too full... I got frustrated and stopped going back (big mistake) so for the last few years, I've been struggling with PBs, sliming, pain and frustration... the irony of all of it was that healthy food won't go down but junk food slides like butter so all in all, I gained back all of the weight I had lost in the first couple of months... I didn't realize that all of my symptoms could be explained by being too tight... So, I just went back to the clinic where I had my banding done and met with a different Dr - mine no longer does bariatrics - and he explained that the methodology of the previous doctor was to over fill and then slowly take back out.... THANKS doc! So we unfilled and after almost 4 years, I'm starting over... I'm due for a check up in a couple of weeks for my first fill and hoping this time this will work. Biggest issue I've always faced is when I cook for my family, I tend to taste constantly so I need to address that, increase my Water intake, and watch my portions... anyone have any advice or inspiration for me? Thanks!:eek: