txsmile100

I am new here, and I DID a search but this type of question is hard to find in a search, at least with the keywords I used... I have been banded for 13 months now. I should have reached out for more help over the year, but instead I was noncompliant basically and ate only once a day, NO Protein drinks, no Vitamin, etc.... Good news is, I did lose 43 pounds in a year. My question to all of you out there, when you lost say, 40 pounds, did you have changes in your clothing sizes?? I have noticed other people in their signatures, for example, someone lost 50 pounds, went from 26 to 18. I have lost 43 pounds and went from a size 26 to.......26. Nothing has changed. I understand everyone loses weight in different places and all that...but wouldn't SOMETHING be different?? People say they can see it in my face, but I can't. I've looked at pictures from the past year and can't see a difference either. I know it's not the NUMBER such as clothing size that matters, but it sure would be nice to go down in sizes. I feel like, 43 pounds, while others have lost that in a couple of MONTHS here, but given the fact I didn't do what I'm supposed to, I am happy that I lost that. 43 is significant when you look at it as 43 cans of food you know? I'm just surprised I don't have any changes in my clothing. But... I haven't bought any new clothes either. Maybe they have shrunk?? LOL.......... Do any of you have similar stories where you have lost 40+ pounds but not changed any clothing sizes??

i was banded oct 2006.... and as a matter of fact, i was there today! had to get a deflation and haha yes it makes it much nicer to get a fill LOL... can you believe his name... it was a really funny name like dr. slick or dr. s.... someting.

congrats!! oh i hear you, i cannot WAIT until I can go to a regular store!!!! ps. i see on your sig that you were banded by Dr. Adam Smith... so was i!!!

When do you go back to see your doc?

justwaitin - i saw the link WASa provided for you, that's got lots of great info, kudos to her! I do want to explain one thing though about my situation. I didn't intend to be "non compliant".. what happened was on my post op instructions it was written such as what to eat "Day 3 - Post Op Appt" I thought that meant Day 3 was my post op appt. I did ask about that and they oh no, your post op is ..and gave me a date. Okay end of story. So I go in for my post op and told them what I had been eating and they said, "didn't you follow the instructions??" I said, yes! And I showed them. Weeelllll "Day 3 - Post Op Appt" is translated to "Day 3 THROUGH/UNTIL Post Op Appt" semantics... so i kindly requested they change the dash with a word for future patients. Does that make ANY sense???? So that's what started it all...a misunderstanding. If I could go back and redo everything, of course I would. And in following WASa's guidelines, I would go back to the post op diet your doc provided for you... it just isn't worth it to do otherwise. I've been banded for over a year now and only lost 46 pounds, when others have lost quite a bit more. So if I were in your shoes and only 2 1/2 weeks post op, get back on it, dedicated and committed and be excited to see the results!!! You can do it! You know, when I very first started to eat wrong it was a severe pain, and I was puzzled. (But duh me, it was less than a week after surgery, no wonder I was in pain!!) But after the week or two of post op healing, there wasn't any pain, since there wasn't a fill. Once you get your first couple of fills, you will have a whole different "type" of pain lol - if that is, you don't eat right or eat too fast, etc. As far as your port hurts when being poked, I remembered having some tenderness around and at the port site after surgery, too. Since you are seeing your doc in a week you will be able to double check with them, but it sounds like it should be okay. Good luck to you!

aww i'm sorry you are in the same situation!! lol agreed, i wish i were size six too!! i wish you the best of luck and soon we will see results :eek:

Oh wonderful...that DEFINTELY helps!! I think along the way I forgot that foods do have good amounts of protein and that is also how we could get in our protein amounts... So with the milk, there's 30 grams right there if it's 3 times per day... I like your outline there, and that's a great tip to keep the meats at 1/2 to 3/4 of meal. Great info, thanks so much!

Thanks to Nana, Nume, and Sue for your responses. I appreciate the feedback, good to know we aren't alone!

You also make a good point...most of mine are stretchy material, that might be why...except for those jeans, ugh! LOL yeah those commercials, so ... what's the word... misleading...or misconception, or whatever it is!!

Wow, congrats on your weight loss! That's wonderful. That's true, too, no sense in buying a whole new wardrobe when you will have lost even more. Makes sense! Thanks for the response!

Ahhh perfect, thank you so much for finding that thread!! Sorry for a repost It does help, thank you!

Hi Julie, I'm very sorry to hear about your experience and having it unfilled :-( not even being able to keep down water...not a good thing. How long are you on soups and mashed potatoes for? When I went to have a fill, I explained what I had been doing and expressed my concerns of stretching the pouch since i could eat SO much! When they did my fill, they did it under the fluro (i think that's what it's called) and the x-ray machine, you know, where they can view your band and pouch and you drink that stuff as they do the fill. They were able to see the pouch and compare it to the size it was at surgery. They explained to me that there was no damage, but it was starting to stretch JUST a little tiny bit so to be careful, not lie down after eating,etc. So everything was okay. When I went back several months later, they said there is no stretching, everything looks great. Keep us updated on your progress!

Subway???? Ohhhh you are SO lucky!!! I LOVED Subway... maybe one day......... lol. Funny, Subway bread is thicker than McDonald's bread. Bands are quite peculiar, aren't they?

Like others said, yes you can do damage. But my personal story, not that I'm advocating any non compliancy, is, after I was banded, and waiting for my first fill, I could eat anything, just like before I was banded. I was like, what??? (I didn't understand that having the FILLS provided the restriction) I thought something was wrong with my band. I could eat that Wendy's spicy chicken sandwhich and fries with no problem. When I finally had a fill THAT is when I realized what it meant to be "banded". Things changed after that. I was very very VERY afraid I had stretched the pouch. Especially when even after the fills I kept throwing up all the time. LUCKILY I didn't do any damage. I am very thankful that despite my mistakes and all that, that I did no damage to my band and pouch.

so it's okay to eat proteins instead of drink them? i mean, as long as you get the 60 grams / day (or whatever your dr tells you) then...it's possible that we wouldn't have to drink that nasty stuff??? since you don't use the shakes or anything, what types of foods do you eat that get your protein?

Hello, My name is Crystal, and I'm a Slow Loser. While I haven't read through ALL 87 pages, sorry, I just wanted to say hi and that I can relate to you all in the various stories. I am truly sorry for those of us who are depressed and having a hard time with this! Things WILL get better. It was hard for me, knowing I had spent $15,000 and then going through the "running to the bathroom with deer in the headlights look" all the time. (I read that phrase on a post around here and it's perfect). I have been banded for 13 months now, and lost 40-something pounds. I however have not been following protocol, I eat once a day, no protein drinks at all, no vitamins, etc. My sister finally pointed out, "you aren't losing because you aren't eating enough". Well, before I gained all my weight I was nearly anorexic then went to binging, thus brings me here. So I am bouncing around now, barely eating, yet barely losing. I need to find a happy medium. I find myself sometimes "happy" with the fact I paid to have surgery and now am an instant bulemic. Please don't rail on me, I understand these are all serious issues. I have issues. Hmm so I just was supposed to say hi and join this thread and I ended up saying lots of stuff LOL. Thanks to all the people here on this board who gives others such encouragement and the ability to continue on and not give up. Y'all are amazing!!

Hello! I read your post and am curious, which protein drink did you buy that has 40 or 50 protein in it that gave you such a "high"?? I commend all of you for drinking so much protein. I was told 60g / day and I was banded a year ago, and haven't been doing it AT ALL. :phanvan Seriously. I tried the Isopure and it tasted like dishwashing liquid (to me). I bought the NuWhey test tube things lol and I only drank half of one. My doc told me no to slim fast, but I tonight found out about the low carb 20g slim fast drink...and then read here that someone else drinks that. I love slim fast. I could easily get in my protein if I drank that..... don't yall think that would be better than none at all? (Granted, I get some protein in food, but not very much) Thanks for any thoughts!