nikki505

Hi! Congratulations! I was banded in July 2010 (ignore my ticker below, because I don't remember my pin to change it and I really don't spend much time on here to bother with it) I had lost 70 lbs, but then I started gaining. I don't want to come up with excuses but bottom line is I wasn't able to exercise and then I started making bad choices. I used to wear a 22/24 and now I am wearing a 16. I was wearing a 14, but I started to gain. I just had a fill last week, so now I am back on track and working hard to stay there. It is such a mental thing, but it's good to be back here, mentally. Zumba is GREAT! I have been going to a studio for it, and I love it. It's a great workout and so much fun the time flies by! I have the DVD's too, but I work harder when I am with the group. Keep up the great work! It's so nice to see how well this is working for you and others. I LOVE MY BAND too! I never regret having it, the only regret I have is not doing it sooner. THANK YOU FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT!

I hear you! I am finally getting BACK ON TRACK myself. We chose a path and sometimes we start to veer off course, but we can get back to where we need to be. We always have to put forth the effort. I just had a fill last week, and I was a little discouraged because I stretched my pouch, but I am working on shrinking it again. I did the five day pouch test, and I feel good. Don't forget to exercise and drink lots of water. Congrats on getting back on track. WE CAN DO IT!

I stretched my pouch and I am so bummed out about it. I am on liquids after my fill and I will do the 5 day pouch test. I'm hoping it shrinks back. I am going to get back on the road to losing weight after gaining. It's TIME! I read the following on somebody's post, and it's nice to remember. "Nobody said it was going to be easy, just worth it!" And it IS worth it!

July 2010 bandsters, I just want to give you some hope, if you happen to be in the same situation I have been in since banded in July. I really hadn't felt restriction. I would look at the ultrasound when they did the fill to make sure there was in fact a band because I could eat, eat, and eat some more. I tried to do my best but my weight loss has been really slow to this point. I exercise regularly and try to eat right, but the band wasn't really helping me. Except when I ate too fast and didn't chew right, then I would get that stuck feeling. Well, last Monday, I had a fill. 1 cc. I don't even know how many CC's total, I have at this point, but usually they just give me a half CC. THIS TIME IT WORKED! I'm only able to eat small amounts of food! YAY! This is what I've wanted since I decided to have this surgery! THE BAND WORKS!!! I lost 5 lbs in 1 week! I also was on liquids for a couple days, but this is GREAT NEWS! Finally Restriction AND Weightloss! I hope it stays this way. If you feel like it's never going to work for you, you can have hope and be positive! You just need the right adjustment! I never thought I would get there, but it's possible. It's what I've been waiting for and I can relate to those who are frustrated at this point. YOU WILL GET THERE TOO!

I was also banded in July and have had slow weight loss. I work with somebody who has done wonderful losing weight with the lap band, so I know IT IS possible. And she exercises very regularly! Sometimes I feel like a failure because she has done so well, and had lost so much more weight than I have when she was 4 months out of surgery. I just had a fill Monday, so I'm going to try harder. I have not felt much restriction as of yet, and I'm really ready for it. I'm a little discouraged too, but we can encourage each other. We know we aren't alone, and we aren't failing. It's just that we need to try a little harder. We didn't go through this surgery and have our families go through it with us, to NOT BE LOSING WEIGHT. We CAN DO THIS! Sonora1, sounds like you have a year to look forward to! Set small goals and do your best to keep them. Try to have fun getting there! You are going to look beautiful for those weddings! 50 lbs by May is about 8 lbs a month. So, that's 2 lbs a week. If that's your goal, you should probably exercise more than once a week. Try 3 times a week. I bet you will see results. I'm going to focus on exercising more and eating less. We have to focus!

They weren't able to fill me last week either. My port flipped. I'm going back to the Doctor this evening to see if they are able to do it. I really don't want to have surgery again. And I'm bummed out just thinking about it. But I guess we gotta do, what we gotta do. Didn't come this far to stop at this point. But it IS frustrating! I'm sorry others are experiencing the same frustration, but at the same time I feel like I'm not alone.

I understand completely. Sometimes I even go for seconds, even though I know I shouldn't. I'm scheduled for ANOTHER fill next week and I hope it does the trick. I've decided I need to rely more on my will power, than on the band! I have been exercising, but I really need to stop eating as much and eat more of the right things. AND drink more water. One of the reasons I chose the band was because it IS adjustable, and so we just have to wait till it's adjusted the way we need it to be.

Hi! I was banded in July 2010, and I too am experiencing hair loss. I've also read that this could be a result of the anesthesia 3 to 4 months after surgery. So regardless of how much protein we eat, we still may lose hair due to the anesthesia. My hair is thin now, but I would rather have thin hair than be unhealthy and miserable. It's just one of those con's, but the pro's far outweigh it. And the good news is, it all comes back in about a year. (that's what they say, anyway) I take biotin everyday, that is suppose to help. And make sure you get your protein in.

Also, when you think something is stuck and you try to drink water to help it go down............. WRONG! You will barely have time to make it to the bathroom. You would think I would have learned the first time, but no, I've actually made this mistake a few times.