kelly111

I just had this pic taken last weekend and I wanted to share. Some of you may know I have been struggling with this weight loss. I have only lost 30 lbs in 9 months. I was a size 18 and now Im a 12. I weigh 199 lbs. I think I still need to lose another 30 lbs just to get back to a size 8 where I use to be. What do you think? Please, be honest.

PMS is rough for me too. I just took myself off of the pill last month. My boyfirend isnt pleased. The band, for me, gets very restricted during those few days and I have to watch every thing I eat so I dont get myself stuck. Its nice, cause I will lose 2 lbs and since Ive only lost 30 lbs in 9 months....losing 2 is pretty cool to me. Yeah, I dont know what it is but the doc says its normal. Something about our hormones and how our food is digested.... changes things.

You're doing great. Im 9 months banded and only 30 lbs down. I didnt really have too much to lose... but enough. Im currently a solid 12. I would like to get to an 8 but it is ridiculously hard. I cant believe the amount of dieting I have to do and the amount of calories I need to restrict. The band helps slightly..... but not that much. And I think all people considering this as an option should know that.

Im with you. I had a fill yesterday , too, of .3. Im filled to the same point you are after having an unfil for the same reasons. I am a little lighter than you are but our struggles seem to be the same. Hopefully this will do the trick and I will be unable to eat all those bad foods.

I typically have a protein shake with a banana and berries, then tuna sandwich with double protein bread and cheese, and a salad, fish, and something for desert. I snack on soy rice cakes. I am able to eat quite a bit so Its challenging to stop myself from eating. I still have pizza, stromboli, sandwichs and sweets. I always load up on protein. Always! Dont deprive yourself of the things you love - just try to eat clean most of the time.

Thank you to those who gave me some advise on whether or not to have another fill. I went in yesterday to talk to my surgeon and see about a fill. He was reluctant to give me a fill but said he would if I really thought I needed it. Its been 8 months and I have only lost about 30 lbs. I am 198 lbs and a size 12. I am a fanatic about my workouts ( I do 2 a day usually, high intensity)...but still I dont lose any weight. Since my unfill 2 months ago I have been able to eat whatever I want, slowly......sooooo...I have been. I eat clean 80% of the time but I have some form of sugar and fat every day. He told me that I need to be much more strict with my diet. The band only does a small portion and I have to do the rest. I realize that I am not that big , but for me, I would like to get back to a size 8 - and that is about 180 lbs. He put only .3 into my band and he said he would not fill me anymore. This requires a ridiculous amount of dieting and exercising for those of us who only need to lose 20-30 lbs. I think I have a lot of work to do! So, I must stick to 1000 cals a day even though I burn that much in my workouts. It seems strange but apparently that is what I need to do. Its ganan be very hard since Im so hungry.

I know what you mean. Im a size 12 also and I eat way more than a cup of food. Last night I at a cheesesteak. I think I need a fill also but 3 months I had fluid taken out because I was getting sick every day and I couldnt get enough cals in. I just cant seem to get to that "sweet spot". I havent lost anything in 3 months.

There is no need to join a gym. I did that for years and wasted money. I currently do DVD's at home. There are several that I do so I dont get bored ( INSANITY, P90X and TURBO JAM). They each have 13 or so DVD's per package. You can find them used on EBAY. I would not r ecommend you starting with them though. Do you have Comcast? There is "workout" TV on most TV packages... they are about 20 minutes and available whenever you want them for free.

How much weight have you lost since surgery? What types of "slider" foods have you been eating. I have only lost 30 lbs in 9 months....struggling to lose more. I dont always eat clean foods but I get lost of protein and minimal carbs. I work out 90 min 5 days a week... nothing. I sometimes have sugary treats though. I had some fluid taken out since I wasnt able to eat - and I needed to eat to get nutrients and protein in. Im debating wheather or not to get a small fill. I hate the idea of being limited to mushies and gettign sick. Please tell me more about your journey.

I have replied to several posts lately so some of you may recognize me. I have a questions for everyone who has already been banded. I am struggling with getting another fill or not. Heres my deal: I am 39 and been banded 8 months now. I currently weigh 200 and Im a size 12. I started this process at 230 lbs and a size 18. Im a strong, healthy looking woman. I use to be a model in my 20's and so I put on almost 100 lbs. I look my best at a size 8. I paid 15K for this surgery hoping it would be the tool to help me get back to a comfortable size. I have been stuck at 200 for 3 months now and I dont know what to do. I was filled pretty well but I was getting food stuck every single day and throwing up all the time. I went for 3 days throwing up my own saliva and couldnt get anything down. So I had my doc take a little fluid out. Since then...I have been able to eat whatever I want. I havent gained anything but I cant loose anything either. Before I found it VERy hard to get all my protein in and get enough cals. I do 1-2 hours of work out 5-6 days a week. I do the P90X series and walking/hills. So I burn 500-800 cals per day. I eat about 1500 cals a day now where before I could only eat about 800....BUT I WAS LOSING. Now, I enjoy my food and look forward to it. Am I eating more than I should? I have some treats every now and then but mostly I make good choices. I dont understand why this is SO hard. The doc says its simple science but I really dont think that it is. Should I have another fill?????? I hate the thought of not being able to eat right and the possiblility of getting stuck all the time despite eating slowly and chewing..... or do I need to diet more? Ive been struggling with this for months now and I need your advise PLEASE.

You did so well! Amazing. I wish I had as good of results as you. I have only lost 30 but I had less weight to lose. I started at an 18 and now Im a 12. Trying desperatly to lose more but nothing seems to be working. Great job to you!!

It is too early on for you to be stuck. You probably dont even have any fluid in your band yet. We usually only get stuck after the 3rd fill or so. Sounds like a gas pain or something. Take GasX. Being stuck is a distinctive feeling... it is uncomfortable, feels like you have something stuck in your esophegus and you will want to keep throwing up. Very different.

I had my surgery on Oct 12, 2010. I paid 13K for the surgery then about 2K more for all the testing, office visits, fills and protein supplements. I guess I will schedule a fill - a SMALL one and hope I can get all the food in that I need. I love having the band ( when I can eat anyway) but I totally thought things would be different by this point .

How do you get all your protein and nutrients in with just 1 cup of food for each meal? I train very hard and I need about 100 grams of protein to build and maintain muscle. From what you guys are saying...maybe I should just go in and pay the $200 and have a little bit put back in. It scares me but I think I will have to if I want to lose more weight since diet and exercise just dont seem to work. Im really afraid of PMS time. As it is now I get super tight then...

I just finished posting a similar story and Im asking for advise. You and I are in the same boat only you have lost more than I have. UGH......Soooo disappointing

Thats awesome. Proud of you... and envious! I weigh 200 and Im a size 12. I do the P90X series and cardio 5 days a week. I havent lost anything in 2 months. Can you tell me what your diet is like.? Do you get stuck? Sick? I had some fluid taken out because of everything getting stuck and now Im able to eat again. I dont know what to do. Advise? You seem to be doing really well

I dont really "diet" either. I pretty much eat whatever I want just small portions. However, Im not the best one to be talking since I havent lost a thing in 2 months now. I had some fluid taken out 2 months ago because I was getting stuck and throwing up every day. Now, Im enjoying food again. I know exactly what you mean. Im still deciding whether or not to have another fill. I hate being sick so much but I also hate that I spent 15K on surgery and have only lost 30lbs. Im currently a size 12 and would like to be back to an 8. Oh, what to do?

As we all are saying.... you will be able to eat your favorite foods again. Remember, you wont have restriction until 3-4 fills out so you will be able to eat what you want. The secret is to WANT to not eat those bad foods. I have had 4 fill and still eat whatever I want.... just very very slowly and small bites. I dont want you to misunderstand this band. YOU must make it work.... it only does 20% on its own.

Haha... unless you are considerably overweight.... losing 10 lbs in a month is awesome. For most of us, the weight loss is VERY slow. Ive been banded 8 months now and have only lost 30 lbs. I am a size 12 now. I work out very hard 5 days a week and I am able to eat pretty much whatever I want. I dont want another fill because then I get sick, stuck and throw up all the time. Enjoy what you have now. It seems to be working for you!

I hear ya! I've had a few times when I didnt work out for a week but I did get back into it. Its ok.... just get back to it. Your weight loss is great! Ive only lost 30 lbs in 8 months since Ive had the band!!!! There are times when I eat more than I should also. I think thats normal. Mostly, I do everything right and still I dont lose weight. Make every day a new day. Sometimes I dont feel like working out so I will just walk outside or start stretching and Ill get myself motivated. You will get there. There is no hurry.

I remember those days! Enjoy it now because it changes over time. Ive been banded 8 months now. I did not have to go on a pre-op diet at all. After surgery I had 7 days of liquids and mushies then I was eating normal meals. Dont feel like it will be your last meal with your family because it wont. It takes 3-4 fills until you actually feel restriction. I was a little over 1/2 filled and I was getting everything stuck. I was unable to get all my protein in and sometimes I would go for days throwing up my own saliva. I got sick of throwing up every 30 minutes so I had some fluid taken out. Now, I feel great. Nothing gets stuck however Im not losing weight any more. Im stuck at 200 lbs and a size 12. Ive only lost 30 lbs . I really thought I would do better than that since Im a workout rat.... but that is just not the case. Please know that having the band is an excellenct choice but it can be very hard to manage and you dont always get the results you want. My story isnt unique. Ive read similar stories time and time again. Even when you do all the right things...weight loss can be extremely hard. Stay excited! The band is a great tool. Just be warned that more often than not it can be very finicky and unpredictable. Best to you!

Me too... I was getting stuck almost every day until I had some fluid taken out. Now I can eat whatever I want but Im also not losing weight anymore. So frustrating. After many months of this I know there is really nothing that helps. At work, I would eat a high protien soup and all mushy foods. Then when I got home I would take as much time as I needed to get a meal down. I am so use to eating cold food now. So, having some fluid out and eating only soft food has kept me from getting stuck. We ALL have times when we talk ourselves out of working out. I love to workout and there are plenty of times when I just love to find something else to do instead of doing my work out. Its normal and nothing to feel guilty about. Just do an extra hard workout the next day. I think we all share many of the same struggles with this band. For me, its restriction vs. not getting sick. I cant seem to find a balance where I can eat without getting stuck AND still feel restriction. UGH.

Shelli- I couldnt imagine getting 600 cals a day! I work out and burn about 700 per hour. When I was super restricted I lsot weight when I consumed little cals like that but I found I couldnt get over 60 grams of protein in. How do you do it? Im way too hungry to get that few of cals in...... BUT I also havent lost anything in 2 months. Please tell me more about what you do.

I think many of us eat "bad" things sometimes.... so what! I know what you mean, though. I had fluid taken out too and now I eat way more than I should. I have not lost anything in 2 months. Im afraid to get it put back in because I get things stuck and then Im sick all day. I even got something stuck yesterday ( its PMS time and when our hormones changed, the band gets tighter). Did you do ok with more restriction? What is your weight at now?