CheckYes

Slow and steady. What's wrong with holding on? You're on the treadmill! You're doing it!!! Good for you!

What a horrible way to respond to someone who is scared. One day you might need some compassion. I hope you get it when you need it and remember how helpful a compassionate response can be.

Yayyyyy! Give yourself a pat on the back! Way to go!!!

Wow! Amazing!!!! I'm down 80 pounds with no fill. Only 42 left to go!

I have a bit of concern about the incision being warm to the touch. Call your doc and give them a heads up.

I was on 1/4 cup at a time for several weeks post-op.

Don't worry... just let the nurses know and they will handle it. If I remember correctly, they have some stretchy meshy underwear that you can use. You aren't the first to have that happen and definitely won't be the last! Good luck on your surgery! See you on the post-op side soon!

Hi, I have found that consistency is the key. Just keep doing what you are doing. Healthy people have healthy habits. Sometimes if the scale goes up for me (like today for example), I remember that I ate right yesterday and did a 4 mile run/walk. It can't possibly be because of something I did "wrong". It helps mentally to stay on track and then you won't be able to punish yourself because you've actually done the right thing. I don't know much about PCOS so you might have to rely on other responses for help with that. If the scale is going up, get back to what you were doing when it was going down. If you are doing that already, then it might just be that your body needs to adjust to the 15 pounds you have lost. Good job on that by the way! Best wishes!

Natalie, Please please please... do yourself a favor! Do not get on the scale (or give the scale any power over you) until you are completely healed and/or can feel a difference in your clothes. Acadia is totally right - the first few weeks are for healing and they've pumped you full of saline during surgery. Just give your body and mind a rest during the healing stage. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Also... when you switch over to mushies and real food, your loss with stall. Most everyone does at about the 2-3 week point - so please remember me telling you this. Don't get discouraged! If you follow your surgeon's orders and exercise when you have clearance to do so, this will happen for you. Best wishes!

I agree with vlp. At least you can get Protein shakes in..slowly. If you couldn't do that then I would say go get an unfill immediately but you can survive a weekend on shakes for sure. Best wishes!

Dana, Have you lost weight at all with the band? If not, I would suggest that you calorie track and see where you are. I know it is frustrating to go back and forth with the fills but it will be easier if you take some control over your intake and let the band help you rather than making the band do all the work. (If you are already doing this and not losing, please forgive me for suggesting it but your post didn't really say what you eat,etc.) I'm not going to sit here and say the band is a tool, you need to work it blah blah but what I will say is that maybe the band can't work as hard as you want it to and you need to take some of the control into your own hands. If you are hungry every two hours, are you eating enough Protein? You said you haven't been able to eat for the past month - if this is the case, you need to get some Fluid removed. You are NOT in the green zone for effective use of the band. I know you are scared to have fluid removed in case you go back to old habits but maybe change your mindset a little bit and get back to the place where the band can work for you. It can't work the way it is supposed to if it is too tight. Best wishes to you!

I used the plastic coated baby spoons during mushies! Helped a lot.

Everyone is different. Antidepressants didn't work for me but intensive therapy has been working. It's recently "clicked" for me and I'm feeling better. Ive been depressed since my teenage years... Im almost 40 now. Can you talk to someone? It honestly has changed my life to have that unconditional support of my therapist.

Based on what I read and my experience, most surgeon remove the Fluid and install an empty band. I know mine did. I really can't understand why some surgeons leave fluid in the band at install. I think it is to avoid bandsters hell but it seems to cause lots of problems.

I would say that my pain was a five immediately upon waking and they gave me something fast. I was probably at a three driving home. I only used the liquid Lortab for the day after surgery, used liquid Tylenol the next day and didn't need anything after that. I was surprised at how minimal it was because I put bandaids on papercuts! I'm usually pretty wimpy but I felt really positive about the surgery and I think the positive attitude really helped me.

I doubt you've slipped but STOP PUSHING IT! Not trying to be harsh but seriously! Please give yourself a chance to be successful. Don't screw it up before you've lost the weight. You CAN do this!

I'd be very careful with the hard candy. If you accidentally swallow it when you are swollen it would probably get stuck. Be very careful.

Sounds like a good plan, Jess! Do your best.

My band has no Fluid in it at all. I expected I would need fills and never intended to do it without getting a fill. After 80 pounds lost, I would have thought it would be loose enough to need one by now. I have changed my habits though and so I can't tell if it's me or the band doing the work. I could eat anything but have eaten properly every day since surgery. The band doesn't make me do that nor does it make me go the the gym every day. I'm totally conflicted about what to do when I get to goal... I've got time to figure it out though - 42 more pounds to go.

Sugar free Popsicles and listerine breath strips (you'll thank me for that one - I promise!!!)

Fabulousssssss! Give yourself a big pat on the back!!

Ok let me ask you guys this... If someone has no restriction, what exactly is the band doing? I don't understand this myself because I'm less hungry than most bandsters and have no fill. If I have no fill, is it still applying pressure to the vagus nerve? I could see regain being a problem if I had relied on my band for restriction but since I didn't, would I notice a difference I wonder? I can eat as much as I want - I think - I've never tested it because I now eat like I have restriction by portioning then stopping.

I wasn't saying that you specifically were only relying on your band. I know how hard this process is - even with good restriction. I did not mean for it to come across sounding like I think the band is a sure thing or a fix-all. I know it's not and applaud your success. For me, eating healthy every day and exercising has become a way of life. I got the band because I hadn't been able to do it on my own - then at around the same time the work I was doing in therapy suddenly clicked and I have a band but have never had or needed a fill. So, do I know I could have done it then on my own? No. But I suspect I will know I don't need a band when I do reach goal because all this time it has been my energy and effort and very little, if any, to do with my band. I worry about erosion and slip when I lose all this weight and fat around my stomach and I don't want my port sticking out so yeah, I might have it removed later.

I was thinking the same thing. The meals you eat seem carb heavy. Id cut back on those a bit and up your protein intake.

I don't think the original poster was being arrogant. I understand what she was saying and my take on the intent of the post is way different than yours. I think what the original poster was saying is that we can retrain ourselves when it comes to our eating habits and exercise routine. I have done that and work hard at it everyday. It can be done. If you chose not to, that's your choice but I personally feel that eating healthy and exercising daily will really help change how I feel about myself. I'd rather take that route than rely on my band to have a lot of control over how I feel. It's a personal choice for sure and either is fine. I just don't see arrogance in the original poster's comments.