vickyd

My surgeon's office does bloodwork every 3 months to check my vitamin levels but I assure you I eat more than a couple of bites (I average 1,000-1,100 calories per day) and I have never had any issues with my vitamin levels.

Absolutely! And try to do it wearing the same clothes...that will really show your progression!

You have to take everything that is said on here with a grain of salt. I've been banded almost 7 months and I haven't had anywhere near as many issues as people have posted about...I can count on 1 hand the number of times I've PBd (and each time it was because I took too big of a bite and/or didn't chew it enough), I never went through bandster hell and I've only needed one fill. I know my situation is a bit unique, but there are several of us out here with similar stories...it is just that the people with problems are a bit more vocal about it. There is a learning curve with the band...it takes some time to figure out how it will work best for you but I wouldn't let the gloom and doom posts get you down...everyone's journey is unique!

June Bug Challenge Here's the latest and greatest...good luck everyone...5 more days to go!!!

Hang in there, girl! You'll get there!!!

I'm sure you haven't slipped your band but you do need to go back to following your doctor's instructions. When your band was placed, it was sutured in place and the reason you are on liquids is to allow time for the band to "seat" well in place...when you eat solid food, your stomach churns in order to digest it which can possibly increase the possibility of band slippage in the future. You might want to contact your bariatric support team to see if they have any suggestions...I will say that having to be on liquids until your first fill is a bit aggressive but there is a reason your doctor has given you the instructions and without prior approval I would suggest you follow them.

I agree with you...I didn't get my 1st (and only) fill until 3 months after surgery. If you are losing well and happy with your level of restriction then there's no reason to get a fill. Keep up the good work!!

I set my goal to be on the high side of a normal BMI but I don't consider that goal to be set in stone. As I get closer, I will re-evaluate it and possibly change it depending on how I am feeling about my body. In the meantime, I do set short term goals - 10 lbs at a time - and I bought myself a Pandora bracelet. I started myself off with a really nice bead to represent my surgery day and now I add a bead to it everytime I reach another 10 lb goal. I also make sure I pick special beads when I hit what I considered milestones - 25 lbs, 50lbs, 75lbs etc. I wear my bracelet everyday and it is a constant reminder of how far I have come...

You don't say what you are eating after 3:00 but eating too few calories can cause you not to lose weight. Even though you aren't hungry you still need to eat something to keep your metabolism up and get your protein in. I have to track my calories daily to make sure I eat enough and I regularly eat snacks (that I'm not really hungry for) in order to hit my calorie goal.

Yes! I went from an 8 1/2W or 9 to an 8 AND my knees don't hurt anymore so I can wear heels for the first time in years!!

I also intended to keep this a very private thing - I only told my DH, my mother, my kids and my MIL (the only reason I told her is that she came to visit us for Thanksgiving while I was on my pre-op diet and I had to say something to explain why I wasn't eating) - I told each of them that I wanted to keep this private and they all promised not to tell anyone. Several months later I found out that two of them had broken their promise - my MIL and my DH. Obviously, my DH telling people was the worst blow...he didn't understand from the beginning why I wasn't willing to be open about it but I expected him to at least honor my wishes. As it turned out, he let it "slip" to 4 or 5 of his co-workers when they were talking about how good I looked when I attended a company function. Now my MIL is a different story...when I saw her at Easter, she said something about how she couldn't wait for my SIL and my husband's uncle to see me because she had been told them all about my surgery and how well I was doing...when I said something about not wanting people to know she just said "oops, I guess I have a big mouth" and started laughing. I was so furious I just turned around and left the room...and I am still upset about it today. Luckily the people who do know are people that I don't see much at all so it really hasn't been a big issue but it still bothers me.

There is no reason to feel like a failure...everyone's journey is different. Based on what you are saying, my question would be how many calories are you eating each day? If you don't track it, do it for a week and see...if you are eating well and exercising, you may be eating too few calories and believe me that can be just as bad as eating too many as far as affecting your weight loss. There are many free on-line tracking sites...I like myfitnesspal.com because it has an app for my Iphone (Blackberry too) so it is convenient. Having a journal helps me because if my weight loss stops or slows down I can look back and see if I notice any problems with my diet that can be changed...for example, recently I realized that my Protein levels had dropped significantly from the time period right after I was banded so I changed my normal pattern to have a Protein shake in the morning instead of my usual Breakfast...it's nice to know that I am starting out my day 1/2 way to my protein goal. Good luck!

Do you throw up a lot or are you just scared to throw up at work? I have only PBd a couple of times but each time I had plenty of notice where I would have been able to walk to the bathroom and take care of things. The only time I have heard of people unexpectedly throwing up is when they drink something to try to get a piece of food that is stuck to go down...from what I've heard, that can be ugly .

I agree with the others...if your band does restrict your portion sizes and you are not hungry 4 hours after eating (you didn't say if this is the case) then it sounds to me like you need to work with the band and make better choices regarding what you eat. My band doesn't prevent me from eating anything...it is up to me to control that part of things. Maybe you should try tracking what you are eating for a while...you may be surprised at how many (or few) calories you are actually eating... Also remember...YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE...you've lost 24 lbs and that's terrific!! You can't really compare your loss to the loss of others because everyone's journey is different...just evaluate what you are doing and see if your can find things that can be "tweaked" to shake things up. Good Luck!

If you don't like the taste of the clear Isopure (I didn't -I only like the chocolate and vanilla) I have heard of people adding crystal light to it to bump up the taste.

Before banding, I was a diet coke addict and when I stopped drinking it cold turkey during my pre-op diet I thought the caffeine withdrawals would be the end of me. I have been a good girl and followed my Dr's no carbonation rule but about a month ago I took my son to McDonalds to get him something to eat and I took a sip of his diet coke. It tasted NASTY!!! I couldn't believe I had been so hooked on it!! Needless to say, I no longer crave it at all.

I had the exact same thought, Dave!!

Lately, I have been doing protein shakes because I was having trouble getting all of my protein in but I used to do either greek yogurt or oatmeal...I would just throw it in my lunch bag and eat it at my desk when I got to work. Hard boiled eggs also work well...if you peel them right after you make them and store them in a ziploc then all you have to do is grab and go...

mist is correct that the band doesn't work for everyone. I can't speak to her situation but I can speak for myself... The advantages for me are being able to lose almost 90 pounds for the first time in my life and feeling confident that the weight will stay off, being completely off blood pressure meds, not feeling constant pain in my knees and feet, being able to live a more active life and not be afraid to do things, not always being the largest person in the room...and there are so many more things... As far as disadvantages go...I can't really think of any. I am one of the lucky ones who felt restriction from the beginning and have only had one fill. I don't have any foods that I can't eat and although I have been stuck a couple of times I can always look back at the situation and point to the fact that I either ate too fast, didn't chew enough or took too big of a bite. The biggest adjustment that a lot of people have to make is to realize that even though you have a band, you may still have to count calories and make healthy choices in order to have good results (which can feel a lot like normal dieting). What my band does for me is help me to be satisfied on a smaller amount of food - I rarely feel "full" but rather after eating I no longer feel hungry...that took some time to get used to since I had spent so many years eating until I couldn't eat another bite. Getting banded is the best thing I have ever done for myself but it's not for everyone. You have to be willing to do your part to be successful and not everyone is ready to do that...

June Bug Challenge Sorry this is so late, but here is the updated spreadsheet for last week.

Vicky checking in at 237 (down 3 lbs). It actually looks like I've lost more than I have...I've been bouncing up and down a couple of pounds for the past couple of weeks...last week's weight was a high point and today's is a low point...but I went to Zumba last night and worked my butt off so I was happy to see a new number on the scale...hopefully, the bouncing back and forth will stop for a while.

As you can see, it really depends on what you like. You really need to try several and find one you like. Personally, I like Isopure from GNC (chocolate and vanilla, not the fruit flavors). It is lactose free and has 25g protein per scoop. I drink it every morning for breakfast.

Same here...surgery on Thursday and back to work on Monday. I was able to work from home the first week then I went back to the office. Like the others, I have a desk job...

I have gone back to having a protein shake in the morning for a couple of reasons...because it's easy and to make sure I get my protein in. I found that my protein levels were not where they should be and the shake helps. The PA at my surgeon's office is fine with it.

There are several bandsters on myfitnesspal - you could friend some of us (I'm vickyd205)...many of us have our food journals available for friends to view. Looking at what others are eating may give you some ideas to help with the boredom part. Good luck!