Search the Community

What I am finding is if I am eating until I feel "full", I am overeating on my band and I don't lose. Doing as mentioned above, having a pre-measured portion, eating it in a slow 30 minute time frame and stopping at 30 minutes whether I "finished" everything or not, I find I am satisfied but not full. I start getting hungry again around 4 hours later. Getting hungry has meant feeling physical hunger pain, not just feeling like I have room to eat more. It is my body demanding fuel. I seldom felt that as an adult...I made sure I didn't apparently. Learning that feeling full (stuffed, or a sensation of physical fullness) means I have gone too far is probably one of the hardest parts for me. I'm having to redefine what it means to have eaten a meal. I always ate until stuffed (which I interpreted as "full"). And that will stretch my pouch and hinder what I am trying to accomplish here. Having adequate fills makes this easier, without a doubt. I just had my second fill this week to 6 cc in a 10 cc band and its easier than before. I don't get hungry until right at the 4 hour mark. I am not enamoured of feeling hungry I am finding and I am learning I did a lot of eating in large portions prior to my band in order to keep from ever feeling it. I would eat until stuffed and the way I knew it was time to eat again was by no longer feeling stuffed. I thought that was hunger and am learning its not! That was getting to "not hungry". I never got down to "hungry" before. Now I do. Its uncomfortable and unmistakable when my body is asking for food. And not eating simply because more food will fit has been a challenge, but I can't deny the results. I drop weight in chunks when I use my band correctly. The food trickling slowly through the stoma (opening) is what makes you feel full on less food. Rather than a big bunch at once, the stomach is fed food in small amounts. Best of luck to you as you adjust to your new life! I am pretty new at this, so I definitely don't proclaim to be any kind of an expert. Just sharing the observations that are starting to work for me.

Ana, one thing to watch out for and you might ask your surgeon about, for the first 2 weeks, I was restricted to not lifting anything over 10 pounds to avoid developing an incisional hernia. YMMV, so be sure to ask the doctor. Good luck, it will be a great thing once you get it done!

I was told to walk as much as possible and then at 4 weeks I could add the treadmill and stationary bike only. At 6 weeks I could add light hand weights and slowly add other exercises. Right now I exercise twice a day. In the morning I walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and the stationary bike for 10 or 15 and then do the same in the afternoon. I can't tell you how much of a difference this has made for me. I do this 5 days per week but I think I will add something extra on the weekends. What ever you choose to do....keep at it and keep moving, it's the secret weapon.

Ok fellow bandsters. So I was banded on June 16 of this year. It took me awhile to actually start losing weight but once I started it was coming off pretty easily. I've lost almost 30 pounds and am quite pleased with myself for that. However, I've been fluctuating between the same two pounds for the past month. I'm at the weight I was at for about four years before I up and gained another 30 or so. So I've lost what I put on the past year and now I can't seem to get any lower. I monitor what I eat through myfitnesspal (my username is mbcr920 if you want to add me!) and I've always been doing some form of exercise. I've really kicked it up this past week trying to bust through this plateau. I've been doing an hour of strength with my husband along with cardio. So maybe I just haven't seen the results from that yet, but mostly I'm just wondering what some of y'all do to get past them. I was going to the doctor every three weeks or so but then last time she decided I was doing well on my own (which I was) and that I could wait six weeks to see her again. So I've got two weeks until my next appointment and a goal of six pounds at least (I've lost two so far). Ugh! I'm just getting so frustrated! lol. I'm going on a cruise it about a month and was hoping to be 10 pounds lighter than I am now and I need to get past this stupid plateau! Please help

Well, a lot depends on where you start, how tall you are etc. I am 5'5", was 247, and lost 19 and 11 pounds in month one and two, and almost 10 preop

Highest weight: 294 Surgery weight: 252 (10/19/15) Current weight: 206.8 Progress: October-November: -20 (232) November-December: -10 (222) December-January: -8 (214) January-February:

Hey, FluffySaysForkIt! Thanks so much for your post, and the tips for doing dip nails! I think I feel confident now to try it myself!! I'll be more gentle on my nails than they would be at a salon, and for sure save money! Does the polish stay for 10 days, too? Or do you have to repolish frequently? I always thought the colored powder was what you wanted for the color. I never thoughr about doing clear and then painting them. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

yes, I have anemia I didn't think it would take 4 months to get my levels to 10 seeing that my levels are only 7.3 but I guess I was wrong.

I felt restriction along the way after almost every fill, but it was fleeting. It was when I got my last fill at about 10 months that I knew it was the "one". The other fills gave me restriction for a few weeks but then the feeling of satiety after meals started to diminish, but this time it took. It's been a little over two months now, and it feels the restriction feels the same today as it did two months ago. It's also a stronger feeling of staying satisfied between meals then I ever had prior to this past fill.

Crod; A few things come to mind. First, congrats on your success. MANY Band Patients do not make it to those last 15. You have done very, very well. First, you said you exercise, but you did not specify what KIND of exercise you do. In a later post you agreed that you should start doing cardio. If you have not been doing much or any cardio up to this point, then you really have not been working out. Cardio is KEY to losing weight. You should spend most of the hour you dedicate to exercise on cardio, with your pulse in the correct range. That might be all you need to shed those pounds. Also, you said that you ate correctly %99 percent of the time, but you did not specify what exactly that means. To many people on this forum, "eating correctly" means having only ONE Snickers instead of 3. I have stated many times on this forum that it is the constant, small decisions we make in what we eat that will determine whether or not we are totally successful. I seem to continually get into arguments here with people on the subject of alcohol. I won't open that debate here, but in fact those couple of glasses of wine that many people have at dinner or bedtime might be inhibiting their weight loss. I saw a post recently where one member (LeighaMason, I believe) had difficulty losing her last 10 or 15 pounds. When she cut out her glass of wine, the weight came off. It is NOT always a matter of Calories in/calories burned…..different types of food have different effects on your METABOLISM. Alcohol is one of them. I am not suggesting that this is your problem, but I would encourage you to take a serious look at what you are consuming. Culturally, we are very conditioned to think that certain things are "good" for us, when in fact they are ONLY good for the people who SELL them. Milk, for instance, is one of those foods. We are the only creatures on earth who continue to consume milk after we have been weaned from our Mothers, and with all of the hormones and drugs that the dairy animals are given to promote growth (and profits), there is a good possibility the Milk we consume can be, in fact be having a detrimental effect on us. Most of the positive nutrients in Milk are destroyed during the homogenization process, so you're not getting much nutrition from your Milk, but you ARE getting some fat, calories, and other things that are NOT desirable. You can get all the Calcium you need from a small serving of vegetables. So, I would encourage to you take a close look at what you are eating. There might be some things that you can change that will make a difference. You have done very well, so you must be eating fairly well. I suspect, though, that adding in as much cardio as possible in the exercise program will be of great benefit, in a number of ways. Cardio is tough to get going on, but after you have done it for a while, you will begin to look forward to it. Best of luck; keep us posted! S.

Congrats on the weight loss...and yes, stalls are common. I have had three in the last 9 months. I also just have another 10 pounds to go and the doctor said they will be the hardest...just keep doing what you are doing. Throw in more walking, if you can, it helps a lot and make sure you are drinking lots of Water. It will start going again. the good news is you are probably loosing inches now!

30 minutes daily is minimum. MINIMUM. A great place to start. Bump it up by 10 minutes for a couple weeks. Then bump it up by another 10. I wouldn't just jump from 30 to 60 all at once. You'll end up hating it. And you don't necessarily have to walk. Try an exercise video, get some toning bands, do some pushups and situps, it all counts....

This will be the third time information has been submitted to BCBS of Illinois so I'm anxiously waiting for a yes and not another denial. I don't understand why some of us have such a hard time getting things approved......In my BCBS of Il. group contract WLS is covered with the normal conditions attached. My doctor has done the 6 month diet, etc...with several people a year for several years and has not run into a brick wall until my insurance company. BCBS stresses the need for a 6 month medically supervised diet and in depth notes at the monthly visits - we have done this twice with no luck. This time I added 10 months of Weight Watchers to the packet along with all the other requirements so I hope I get a yes. It has been a little over two years since I started this process!!! (July 1, 2009 BCBS dropped the requirements to not needing a 5 year obesity history and only needing a 3 month diet-maybe this is a good sign???) Sorry for the long winded rant - I'm frustrated and hoping for a yes this time. Thanks - Misty

I have a BMI of 34, and have only lost 3lbs since being banded 5/04/10, while another person I know banded the same day has lost 8lbs, and is like 300lbs. I had a tinge of jealousy for a quick second... Thanks

Hi! I had a Lap to RNY conversion on Wednesday. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, but the anesthesiologist pumped me up with too much gas & they had to try to do the surgery the following day. I was an add on patient for Wednesday. The procedure was supposed to be strictly a laparoscopic surgery. I noticed when I came home that I have 10 lap sites & 1 open incision on my left side. The site is puckered in VERY deep & looks like a huge/wide/ scary roll with sores inside of it. The "sinkhole" is completely disproportionate to my body. I didn't know if this was normal. It's extremely painful & I am so upset. I'm not trying to complain. I am completely grateful that i was given the opportunity for a revision... I just don't know, if this will look like this forever... Or if it should be this painful... Has anyone else went through this? I don't know if this matters, but I started out at 285. Thanks, guys!

I had no comorbidities when I got banded, but it was fear of becoming a person who was that out of shape that made me get banded. I'd gotten to 36 and I was having a nana nap in the afternoons for pete's sake. It really scared me, thinking what my life was going to be like in another 10 years. Not to mention how invisible you become in your 40's when you become just another matronly dowdy overweight mother/worker/wife/general dogsbody who nobody views as an attractive sexual being anymore. That thought scared the living daylights out of me. I'm way too addicted to the limelight to let that happen, lol. I certainly dont feel that way now.

I was banded on Friday 10-12 and had gas for 4 days--thats it! I was so scared because I read a lot of people on here saying how bad the gas was and how long it might last--I read upto 4 weeks. Clearly this is a support group and the people that have little or no gas don't post messages saying "GUESS WHAT? I HAVE NO GAS!" probably because they would be stoned to death by a mob of bloated banders. So, you might read a lot of problems people are having because they here for help and support. Everyone is different. I walk and took gas x strips and it's gone. Good luck!

Well yeah, I could do that but does that count? I mean, it could still have some tiny bits of starch left in it. 10 days pre op I'm supposed to eliminate starch. UGH this is already getting hard and I have barely started!

Got the sleeve 10/18. So far things are going well. Just wondering if any else has experienced or know what it means when your stomach makes crazy noises. Not hunger growls but just noises. it's hard to explain. Also, hurts a little but not bad. More just uncomfortable.

im 27 years old and 160 pounds over my ideal weight for my height. :rolleyes2: ive never seen a nutritionist but have had doctors for the last 10 years or so telling me that i NEED to lose weight. ive done what feels like every diet/program under the sun coupled with light exercise (i have TERRIBLE knees). i lost weight but gained it back and then some! what do i need to do to get approved for a band? im so confused as to what the process is! my hubby is in the Air Force and we have Tricare Prime. i only have my extra weight, no co-morbidities (that i know of!). does Tricare cover everything, including fills and the pre-surgery diet that im reading about? or only the procedure itself? or only part of the procedure? i have no idea what im doing. :hurray: any help/advice is very greatly appreciated!

I don't even have a surgery date yet, but they've taken the weight they are going to submit to ins, so I can start trying to lose now. I probably won't lose much, but I've heard you can drop 10-20lbs in the 2 week pre op diet alone. I think I'm going to set a goal of 20lbs pre op weight loss. My surgery will most likely be in a month, maybe/hopefully a tiny bit less. Sound unrealistic?

One year gone and took 87 pounds with it. Yupeee!!! I'm happy and sad. Happy that I feel good and have not had any complications. I feel energized with alot more self esteem and do feel like my life is in a new phase. Sad, because my goal was to loose 100 pounds in one year. It's getting much more harder now. I've caugt myself going into old bad habits. I feel like my body continues to fight me. Hunger is also against me. It's harder to loose the pounds. I stay in a range of 10 pounds. Loose 4 one week then two weeks later those same 4 or 5 are back. I have now decided to take things to another level. I enjoy walking and have put some jogging into my excercise. But feel I need the advice and encouragement of a physcial trainer. I have now looked into that and plan on starting soon. Mentally, there's been alot of confusion and alot of emotions. There's alot of ups and downs. Alot of my history has come out, for some reason. I need to continue seeing my pyschologist, who had previously warned me that many things in my head would awaken and I would have to face them. I trust that with his help and GODs presence I will work thru this. :smile2:

I'm 10 days post op and feel better than I did 10 days pre-op. Seriously, it gets much better. As far as the shots go, I feel your pain. I was giving myself multiple injections daily for infertility. My whole body looked like a poka dot! Hang in there, you can do this!

hi yes medicaid paids for everything,it, depend on your insurance, mine is bluecare family plan.some people have to pay a co-pay of maybe $10-20 dollars.