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Tonight was the 2nd night for dance lessons. I was feeling kind of puny today. I considered staying home because we can do makeup practice on Thursdays if we miss. I talked myself into just going and not wimping out and I'm really glad. This time we worked on learning the Waltz, which I've done since I was a kid, so I didn't have to work as hard mentally as the Progressive 2 Step. It was fun! There are some guys there that really have a tough time. They've never danced at all. Trying to get a rhythm and this teacher is telling them to count (which I hate). Those of us who are single switch partners a couple of times, so at least we get to dance with different levels of leaders. Some have better rhythm than others. But, it is neat to see them learning and seeing that they can do it. What's neater is that as you look around the room, EVERYONE has a smile on their face or they're laughing. That feels good. I've always loved dancing. It just makes you feel alive all over. When you leave, your body knows it's had a workout, your hair is wet, your makeup is gone, but you just feel invigorated in every cell of your body (except your feet). This Saturday is a dance seminar at Gilley's. It lasts from 12pm til 6:30, then most everyone stays for the regular dance til 2am. Wow! Do you know how long it's been since I spent a whole day doing anything social? much less dancing and laughing and smiling til my face feels like it might crack? Actually, it brings tears to my eyes when I think of all that I have given up with my weight gain. All that I have been missing because of my lack of self-esteem and because my body simply hurt too bad to move it. :mad: This disease is so much more about depression and self-loathing than we give it credit for. What in us gets to that place that gives in and lets it take over our very existence? What hidden strength in us fights our way to the surface to reclaim all that we have given away? I wonder.. It has been a good week simply because I took this one step. My body felt better, my outlook was brighter, I smiled more, I talked more. I bought myself shoes that I never in a million years thought I could wear ever again this week. I was even able to wear them to work the whole day! It's baby steps, but it feels like giant leaps to me!

Well Miss Becky... that sure doesn't sound very good at all! I am so sorry you are having to wait on a return call form your Doc... I sure know how that feels! I'd stick with full liquids or very soft foods until you find out what is going on... if you can. If it gets worse... promise you'll go to the E.R....okay?????? ((((hugs)))) Leatha... get your butt in here and join the crowd! Lisa... I have never PB'd... but have had intense pain mid chest when I eat too much or don't chew well. Once I have an episode of pain from overeating... everthing is hyper-sensative no matter what type of food I eat. I have been on an ice-cream kick too... why does the darn stuff slide down so easily!?!? Marie... It's good to see you are alive... maybe not well... but if you are getting better... that is a good thing! I hope your Ex-Tom doesn't spend too much time searching for his McNuggets. Well... had too big bowls of ice-cream today... how's that for looking for a big weight-gain???? It was "light" ice-cream...lolol. Oh well... this week is looking like a bust for me... Hopefully I'll gain some control over myself soon! Darcy AKA "Double Scoop"

That's Awesome Teresa! WTG girl!!!!! Next weigh-in you're going to get safely below that number... I just know it! You should be pretty darn proud of yourself for accomplishing weight-loss while under so much stress! I hope the Wellbutrin does the trick for you... it turned me into a space cadet... so it was Zoloft for me! The nice thing about Wellbutrin is that taking it is not associated with weight-gain and it tends to curb any type of addictive behaviors. There is usually 0 sexual side effects which is also a bonus. Lisa... I'm going to work on my whining skills... My hubby will be thanking you. Can't wait to see picks of your digs when you're finished! Marie... where are ya sweetie pie??? Betty... Your appointment is just around the corner... YAY! Rebecca... How goes it for you? Michelle... WHere the heck is menopause when we need it eh? I know that's why I am craving naughty things... pretty soon my face will be erupting as well... ahhhhh... the joys of being a woman... do they never end??? Penni... Hope you made it home safe and sound and hopes and prayers being send for your friends on the island. I'm still a big butthead today... but... planning on hitting the road to run errands and then attack the yard with the lawnmower... maybe that'll cheer me up....LOLOL.

Hi Folks, Lisa your house will look spiffy. I love it when we get things really accomplished at our place. I get the depo shot and love it. I do attribute some of my weight gain over the years too it but it is so nice never having periods, and not having to remember to take a pill daily. I had an appointment with my family practitioner today and we decided I should try wellbutrin for a bit. We both think it is just the stress of this horrible class (which will be over with tomorrow) but it also might even out the moods. Doc said weight loss was very much like a PMS symptom. It might help me with my smoking too. Who knows... I also weighed and lost just under a pound and a half so exactly at 299.0 now (63 lbs lost). I need to be careful what I wish for. I so wanted to be under 300, but I didn't exactly mean by just one pound. LOL. Last week I was still over by .3 lbs! Talk about a major UGH! Anyway I got to go study, see you all tomorrow when I finally have a life again. Teresa

I can relate to how you are feeling Janie.. Right now I'm feeling real fat and bloated even though the scales show NO weight gain, but and my clothes are still fitting really loose I know it is from my monthly cycle getting ready to start any day now..I always feel thisway right before my cycle..its in my head I think!

Hi everyone i have a question. When you are loosing weight and you feel like your clothes are looser , and you see it in your face . You feel like your hanging down stomach is smaller ,You start feeling your ribs you look down at your legs and they look smaller. All the little things that you notice whereas other people might not notice. Guess i am rambling but You feel like you are loosing some without even getting on the scales. Do yall know what I am talking about? WELL since I have started loosing I have felt like it, except for this week. I was sure i had gained this week and was really surprised when the scales showed a half pound drop. But I am uneasy about how I feel. I am wondering if anyone else has felt this way. I dont feel like I am loosing but gaining even the scales say differently. I read on another post that a weight gain or loss could take up to 10 days to show up on the scales. This maybe one of the silliest and vague posts yet But anyway thanks...Janie

HI...I have never heard the statement that it can take up to 10 days for a weight loss or gain to show up on the scales. That is very scary to me. The weight loss part would be fine but the weight gain part OUCH...All of our nurses out there is this really true?...Janie

Hi Ladies, I am late to post and was really reluctant as well. I gained another pound this week - up to 239. I don't want to see the 240's again, so I need to get my butt in gear. I am traveling this week... writing you all from Germany right now. Travel normally does not agree with me in the weight loss department as I tend to retain a ton of fluids... but let's see if I can do a good job this week and get rid of my Water weight gain by next Monday. Have a great week everyone and congratulations to all you losers!!!

I have read these post for several days now and wanted to say that it has helped out a lot.. I read all about things that I might of had questions on and always seemed to find the answer here.. and there are so many nice and caring people out here I think thats great.. I was banded on Aug 13th yes Friday the 13th I know what most of you might be thinking that you would wait and do it the day after or the day before.. but any how I did it on that day down in Mexico Dr. Gonzalez is my Dr. and he and the staff were just great and cause I chose to do it on the 13th I had the whole floor almost to my self.. boy was I spoiled.. I went back last week to have my stitches removed and my first fill I stepped on the scale in his office and was 16lbs lighter than before the surgery but now my one question is do you all have Water weight gain when you are going to start you period and is there anything that I can take to get rid of some of this water... well thats all I really have to say for now.. I hope that one of you might have the answer for me.. thank you...

OK, what an old subject! I mean, its obviously old to those of you that are pleased with your results so far. (that sounds tacky, but I dont mean for it to be) Its the weight thing again.... I just dont understand it! I weigh every morning (and please PLEASE dont suggest for me not to do this). I lost 12 lbs right after getting the band (on liquids) and didnt lose another ounce until my first fill (fortunately I didnt gain -due to diet pills). Then it was down another 10 within 2 weeks. You didnt hear me complain about that; but now things seem to be on the up - again - like 5 pounds up. And I HATE taking those diet pills, but Im ready to get them out again. Im really getting aggravated with this band. And for the most part, the weight gain makes me WANT to eat. If I starve - I gain. So why not eat and gain... at least Im enjoying myself. And NO its NOT pms stuff. That was 2 weeks ago when I lost the 10 pounds (I know, this is crazy). And then there's the fill. Let's see... Saturday was the last time I pb'd from getting the hang of having the first fill. I called my doc today and "they" told me to come in next Tuesday for another fill... but is that the answer??? Maybe I should try the "liquids only" for a couple of days.... maybe that will help. Delarla, Theresa.... what did YOU do to get back into losing???

Not sure if I have given this to you before or not, but Yahoo has a pretty good group of Dr. Provost patients. They would be better able to tell you specifics about what he requires. Usually, you are required to document weight loss attempts from the past (not sure over what period of time), programs used, what you lost, kept off for how long, etc. ( I was able to name Diet Center, Nutri System, Weight Watchers, Cambridge Diet, HerbalLife, Weight loss Clinics, Xenical) Names, dates, how long, results. Then, you have to provide a letter from a Psych stating that you understand this surgery and are committed to making the change in your eating habits that it will require. (I hand-picked my own, took him all kinds of hard copies explaining the band. We sat down and discussed it and my problems with weight gain and depression. He typed up his findings based on our conversation and sent both me and my doc a copy. ) The docs office usually puts you in touch with a Dietician. Some require only one 1 hr visit. Others require you have an ongoing relationship. This site might answer those questions for you upfront. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/banditsUTSW/ Can you tell I'm excited for you? lol.

Betty, you're funny because I'm trying to downplay the whole Harley Girl thing. I laugh at our friend, Chuck, all the time. He's 60 years old. One day out of the blue he rode up on a brand new Harley - huge. One of those touring bikes. A month later he showed up on the bike wearing leather pants, leather vest with tons of patches, Harley hat, huge Harley belt buckle, Harley boots. I call him Harley Barbie. I think he looks like an idiot but I love him anyway! Sorry, but this one got me cracking up. The bike is fun, and we did get a few patches for a purse and a welding cap, but I don't want to be a biker mamma! Chris even tried doing weird things to the beard he's trying to grow. I told him that if I wanted to marry a biker, I would have married a bad ass dude with tons of money! I don't like driving the bike because my fingers go numb (carpal tunnel) but I'm doing it to stand up for all women across the country - gotta teach men a lesson for all womenkind! He thought he bought himself a $30,000 toy. B.S. I gotta fight fire with fire, and it gives him grey hair every time I get on that bike. As soon as I'm licensed, I'll disappear for hours at a time. I'll probably just go to a friend's house and park it in the garage, but I'll tell him I took it to the mountains or something. He will NOT win this game! I can't do the weekly weigh-in challenge. Too frustrating. I gained all my weight back that I lot in August, which means if I gain even one pound tonight, I'll have gained weight in August. I got up, walked my dogs, made my shake, had some extra water and measured out a tiny little tuna lunch. My portion control has gotten way out of hand along with my drinking. I obsess over everything, so I've even exercised more than normal. Now I don't want anyone blaming my weight gain on muscle, cuz I haven't beefed up too much. Problem is I'm a compulsive overeater. The band alone isn't doing the trick for me, so I have lots of extra brain-struggling to deal with. It's all in my head. My big, fat, stubborn head!

Hello! Best of luck and keep us posted!!! Take slip on shoes, you'll need them. I was really nervous all the way up to the moment of surgery so your perfectly normal. I also experienced the last supper syndrome. Fortuneately I had only booked mine about 10 days out from the get go so I didn't have too long to do much weight gain. Best wishes to you, Teresa

Aha! You, too, have been on the weight gain train. I needed to lose 130-150 pounds. Twenty or thirty came along with a very early surgically-related menopause. And then there were Prednisone pounds...about forty of those. And then there were Prozac pounds, p'rolly around thirty, and then there were the twenty or thirty from the Effexor/Paxil/Zoloft months. Which explains the lion's share of my weight gain. PLEASE, PLEASE tell me how the Wellbutrin works.

Is your doctor concerend that you can still drink liquids at 3.5cc's. I'm at 2cc's and if the liquid is too cold or too thick I cant drink it. I can not imagine what I would be like at 3.5..probably all closed up. 2cc's is hard enough. Does he do your fills under fluoro? Do you drink the barium so he can see your restriction? That makes a big difference for me to be able to see it for myself , to know he hit my port and to see the barium trickling down through the band... The Wellbutrin will help like the prozac did but without the weight gain, be careful, you may feel nauseas the first week or so and with the band you do not want to be throwing up. I took wellbutrin( pre band) but the nausea was so bad the first 10 days I had to stop taking it, I knew it was going to get better as it got into my system but I could not hang on for that too happen. I had no appetite what so ever..I'm glad I was able to make you feel a little better..hang in there!

Hey Sultana don't get down..getting off the Prozac will help. I was on Paxil for a year and a half and gained 65 pounds. I weaned myself off it after my doctor told me a side affect was weight gain and that it slows down your metabolic rate ( wish he would of told me this before he prescribed it for me) Once the prozac is completely out of your system you will notice a huge difference. You are not a faliure.. losing 30 pounds the first year is better then gaining 30 pounds ...would you have lost the 30 pounds without the help of your band? I'm sure the answer is NO or you would of never gotten the band right? You're doing great! The way I see it...any weight loss is better then any weight gain! Keep it up and try not to get discouraged

Hi All, Well, today I had my SIXTH fill, and I am now at 3.5--the most fill any of my Dr.'s patients has. I am 9 months out and have only lost 30 pounds. I asked Dr. K about the fact that most people lose the majority of their weight the first year, and didn't that make me a failure??? She was very kind and encouraging. I have to explain here that I am in the process of switching antidepressants (MENOPAUSE!!) because Prozac has a weight gain side effect. Right now I am weaned down to NONE for a week before I start the new ones, so I am sure that plays into this. At any rate, I then went with the dietician to have a resting metabolic rate test which was a whopping 1800+ (I have been hypothyroid since I was 19???) and in a very chastising way she said to me, "You know Sultana, most patients lose the majority of their weight the first year". Now I am crying and feeling like it is a lost cause and that I am a failure. I explained to her that I exercise, eat Protein first, don't drink until 2 hours after eating, never drink hi cal liquids, etc. All my previous fill was still there today, I just think I am a freak and need lots more fill than some others. Do you think this long fill process has made me miss my "window of opportunity"? I hated being so emotional today (I am really quite analytical by nature), but I am so frustrated and feel like such a .....NON loser. Thanks for reading this. I feel better just having typed it out.

As an RN with some health knowledge, I'm afraid I have to agree with much of what G-Sue says. I hear your distress, and I understand, I remember how distressed and crappy I felt at a BMI of 30. I knew I needed to do something, and I tried.... everything. I remember thinking if this weight gain keeps up I'm going to have to have something done...i.e. gastric bypass...it kept up... After many failed diet and exercise rollercoasters, I'm now at a nice and dangerous BMI of 43.6. After much gastric bypass research, I've decided on the lapband instead. Mostly because of the reduced risk, and ability to keep my intestines intact. Sue's right, that's a lot of money to spend, and I'm guessing you'll have a lot of trouble finding a legitimate surgeon to qualify you, and perform this, unless you have some serious co-morbidity's. Keep researching weight loss, you may find that there's something more appropriate for you than bariatric surgery. Perhaps the B.I.B? If you feel you must have bariatric surgery, and can find a doc to do it, keep reading here. The information is priceless. Good Luck, and don't lose hope.

Me, too. Me, too. The psychiatrist who prescribed Zoloft for me a few years ago warned me that she wanted me off it by the 2 year mark because, if you take it longer than 2 years, you can expect weight gain. So, with therapy and stuff, I was off at the 2 year point - gained weight, though. I think it was actually that last bunch of pounds that put me into the WLS mode of thinking. I had been hovering at about 30 pounds less than now for several years. But I think it may actually have been the Zoloft that sealed the fate of my already sluggish metabolism. Darn, that Zoloft really worked well. I could have stayed on it forever if not for the side effects.

Jeff, I think you'll find that most bandsters have a lot of things in common. We've struggled with weight gain (physical and emotional). For a lot of us, serious health concerns are present. We're tired of sitting on the sidelines. We want to enjoy our lives and not be controlled by the flavor of the week. We've found a tool to help us in that journey. A lot of what I'm doing now is sensible, common sense things that I should have been doing all along. This forum is a great source of information and encouragement. Best of luck on your neurologist visit. I hope you can get back to your garden, walking, and biking soon!

I did not take Zoloft but did take Paxil..same anti depressant family. The paxil is why I'm here today. I 'm 38 yrs old but when I was 29 yrs old I had lost 100 pounds all on my own with hard work and determination...at age 35 I was put on Paxil & Xanax for depression/ panic attacks & anxiety issues when I had MAJOR tragedy hit my family. While on the Paxil, nothing in my daily routine changed, I ate the same exercised the same, my activities were the same, but I was gaining weight, now after keeping the 100 pounds I had lost for well over 5 years I was baffled as to why I was gaining weight. I know they tell you a womans metabolism changes when she hits 35 but that could not be the reason for me to put on so much weight. SO I went back to my doctor and he told me anti depressants will slow down the bodys metabolic rate to almost zero. *sighs* wish he would of told me that before putting me on the paxil. He then prescribed me the Phen Phen, he said alot of women are now doing the Pro (for prozac) Phen (for phentermine) diet. Many women put on weight with any kind of anti depressant and no matter how hard they try it is very difficult for the weight to come off. I finally told the doctor to ween me off of the paxil, the weight gain was making me more depressed then the depression I was taking it for. I also took xanax for anxiety also, since being banded and losing some weight I have only taken it maybe 1-2 times in 4 months which I used to take it daily. Now that Im feeling good about myself and have some self esteem back I do not get my panic attacks or anxious moments. Good Luck to you Audrey.. I hope everything works out for you.

I was banded in May, 2003. My loss has been slower than some, but really better than I felt I was doing. I have lost 63lbs to date and I can't tell you how my health has changed. When I began this journey, I had been recovering from a bout with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in 2001. Between the year 2001 and 2003, my body basically just turned on me. Feet and ankles swelling to almost bursting, my lung capacity went to nothing after the embolism, my cholesterol went up to 306. I was started and stopped on several different medications which started a weight gain mode. I wound up gaining an additional 40 lbs on what was already a 210lb 5ft tall body. I was dying a slow miserable death. I had heard just bits and pieces about the lapband possibilities, but when I heard that a co-worker had gotten one and our insurance company paid. I got busy on finding out what I would have to do. I saw a doctor in Houston, who refused to band me due to my diagnosis of Systemic Lupus in 1983 and my past blood clotting problems. I was so ready to begin losing, but I had promised myself I would never do the yoyo dieting thing again. But, I was at the point of asking to be put on some sort of medical weight loss plan or consider gastric bypass. I was so depressed and out of shape, I was ready to give in, but I am single and had no one to fall back on, so I knew I HAD to do something to regain my health and be able to continue to provide for myself, so I set out on my research to find someone who would do the surgery for me. Long story a little less long, I read the yahoo message boards faithfully and everything else I could find and finally heard of a woman in San Francisco who had been banded and also had Lupus and DVT problems. My ex-husband and my son live in Northern California, so my daughter had wanted to move out there and asked me if I wanted to go with her. My job was 100% travel, so I was able to do that. I contacted the Dr and the rest is history. I was the first to ever have the lapband and a vena cava filter (to help prevent blood clots from moving to the lung, brain or heart) placed at the same time. My surgery went perfectly and along with learning how to deal with my band, I also have been able to work my health back to some semblance of normalcy. Instead of barely being able to do 10 minutes on a treadmill, I now go to Curves 3-5 times a week. I can walk much farther and I'm trying to get the guts to see if I can jog. (I don't know about that yet.) I've bought myself a bicycle, which I haven't tried in years. I have gone from 250- 187 (size 24-16). My cholesterol is no 168. I am beginning to feel more like the feminine, sexual being that I once was as opposed to the sexless blob I felt I had become. My whole outlook is back to something much better. I have had some complications recently, which I had repaired. My band was apparently positioned too low or had 'slipped' and I had a hiatal hernia repaired just 2 weeks ago, but I'm definitely not finished. I love my band and I missed the restriction when I was un-filled. I do have respect for the band, because I know it's not foolproof, but, yes. I'd definitely do it again. So, where in Texas are you located? I wish you much luck in your journey to be banded!!

Hey Teresa Ive been wondering about you also. Been missing hearing from you. I feel like we are in the same boat. I was banded on 5-6-04, and have not had a fill yet, yet I have steadily lost weight. But this weekend just went out the window eating properly. My scales show a 2 lb weight gain, so I am trying desperatly to get back on track. Keep in touch...Janie

Well, I was 18 then. I lost about 14 friends and a stepfather that summer is really the only trigger I know of. It was a very traumatic time for me. I did alot of partying during that time - self medicating, probably. Things changed. I met and married my husband - who was probably more of a rescuer than anything and I think I just turned alot of pain inside, but yea, along with the trauma of so many deaths close to me, the weight gain was devestating too, but I didn't have the tools to do much about it. I really think it was that comfort or hiding my body away from something. It was just a very tough time.

Well, I was 18 then. I lost about 14 friends and a stepfather that summer is really the only trigger I know of. It was a very traumatic time for me. I did alot of partying during that time - self medicating, probably. Things changed. I met and married my husband - who was probably more of a rescuer than anything and I think I just turned alot of pain inside, but yea, along with the trauma of so many deaths close to me, the weight gain was devestating too, but I didn't have the tools to do much about it. I really think it was that comfort or hiding my body away from something. It was just a very tough time.