September Bandsters

[lisalee 0]

No weight loss for me this week. Exercised only twice. Just got busy I guess and have out of town guests for the week. The rain doesn't help either. I've gone running in it but the lightening is a little worrisome. Still at 190 pounds. Still glad I did it this way!!!

[LindaN 0]

No weight loss for me this week, BUT did get in my exercise 3 times this week since the weather is nice again.

[sandranoelle 0]

No weight loss this week. I am going in for another fill tomorrow. I am really wondering.. If you could put into words what it feels like to be restricted what would you say. I can eat almost anything I want. not in the morning but later on in the day. bread is starting to mess me up. I get that pain that comes when you don't chew enough and feel stuck. lasts about 2-3 minutes and then I can eat another bite. but what does restriction feel like? am I getting it? I know I am a late bloomer but remember I didn't get a fill until the end of Dec. I would appreciate it if you all could let me know how you feel. what do I tell them at the docs tomorrow? restricted ? not restricted? thanks everyone for helping.

[BJean 16]

sandranoelle: I think if I could answer that question I could make a million dollars. It is a tough one. We're all doing this for the first time and learning as we go. I have had several fills and the first week or two I have decent restriction and then not much of anything. By decent restriction, I mean that I am not terribly hungry and I can't eat quickly or too much. After that restricted feeling wears off (after 1 or 2 weeks), I get hungry and think about food all the time and seem to lose ground and can even gain some.

The dietician told me today that she thinks I still don't have enough restriction. I'm just hardly losing any weight. I still get too hungry. I've had to slow down a little, but I can still eat too much at each meal.

I learned that when you first get a fill there is probably some swelling and that explains why you feel more restricted at first. Once the swelling goes down, you get the munchies and start eating too much.

The bottom line is that I still haven't reached that "sweet spot" everyone talks about. That is where you don't obsess about food, you don't get hungry unless you wait too long to eat (4 hours or more) and you have to eat very slowly and are satisfied with much less food at each meal.

Your doctor's office should have some key questions to ask you that tells them if you are restricted enough. If they are cautious with their fills, like my doc, there's not a very big chance that you will get overfilled.

[CoryW 0]

Time for my monthly update. Once I hit the 260 mark I didn't lose any weight for about a month. I knew I needed a fill and with school starting back up I was having trouble finding time to exercise.

I decided to give myself the month of Febuary to take a break from worrying about weight loss and I just maintained. I managed to fluctuate between 259-262 and ended up exactly where I started when the month came to an end.

The March refocus started with an appointment on 3/1 to get a fill. However, my 2yr old daughter got a bad virus and ended up in the hospital with dehydration so I pushed my fill off to 3/8. I was real nervous going to the dr. for my first fill but it was very quick and easy.

This looks to be a big month for me. I've lost 6lbs since my fill on 3/8. I'm 4lbs from reaching the 100lbs lost plataeu. This morning I was able to move to wearing size 40 pants and 1X shirts. That's down from size 50 pants and 4X shirts.

My wife is now going through the process of getting approved and will soon join me on this journey.

[BJean 16]

Wow Cory! Congratulations. You're doing really well!

Best of luck to your wife.

[valgal1968 0]

No weight loss this week. I am going in for another fill tomorrow. I am really wondering.. If you could put into words what it feels like to be restricted what would you say. I can eat almost anything I want. not in the morning but later on in the day. bread is starting to mess me up. I get that pain that comes when you don't chew enough and feel stuck. lasts about 2-3 minutes and then I can eat another bite. but what does restriction feel like? am I getting it? I know I am a late bloomer but remember I didn't get a fill until the end of Dec. I would appreciate it if you all could let me know how you feel. what do I tell them at the docs tomorrow? restricted ? not restricted? thanks everyone for helping.

Sandranoelle, I have had 4 fills and went to the doctor the other day fo another one. He is kind of disappointed in my weight loss as I have only lost about 22-24 pounds since my surgery. He asked me how I was eating. When I described to him what I was doing which is exactly what you said, he told me to stop eating at that point, don't wait for it to pass and continue eating, or to even spit up to relieve the pain. That should be my full point, my stopping point for that meal and not to eat any more. He said the pain will subside and that stuck feeling will pass. But he told me he thinks I am pushing it (eating) too much for my poush and that is why I am not losing like I should. He also told me that my mainstay should be Protein and to try my substancial foods and not so mushy foods so it will stay in my pouch longer and my fullness would last longer. I am so worried that (I am a self pay) my fills will be used up before I get to the sweet spot if you will. I have 2.2 cc's in my band now.

Just a little info to forward to anyone.

[MimIN 19]

Here are the results for this week's weigh in. We are down a total of 153lbs! St. Patty's day is just 2 days away!

TamifromAL – 213/-5/-2/0/-5/-2/-1/-2/-3/-2/-3

BJean – 181/0/0/-1/-1/0/0/-1/-1/0/-1

Gonnabethin – 190/0/0/-1/-2/-1.5/0/0/0/-1.5/0

MimIN – 199/-2/-2/0/-4/-2/-5/0/0/0/-1

Sandranoelle – 275/-4/+2/0/-6/-3/+4/-3/-1/0

Kareyquilts – 203/-4/-2/-3/0/0/-2/-1/-1/0

TrueBlueSue - 174.5/0/0/0/-1.5/-1/-2

LindaN – 218/-1/-3/-1/0/-3/0/-3/0/0/0

Lauriegee – 215/-2/-6/0/+2/-3

Mom of Many – 209/-1/0/0

Mariecarmen – 198/-8/0/-2/-1/-2/0/+4/0

Lisalee – 203/+2/-4/-2/-1/-3/-1/+1/-2/-3/0

Harlito – 371/-1.5/-3

April – 241/-5/0/0

Finallyonmyway – 200/-9/-3

Katt – 282/-2

TommyGirl – 246/-6<O:p</O:p

[finallyonmyway 0]

All,

I wanted to correct my stats that MimIn posted. They are incorrect.

Starting Weight: 230

Current Weight: 188

Pounds Lost to Date: 42

Sorry to seem vain, but I've noticed my stats have been wrong for the last few weeks regardless of my attempts to correct them.

Great job everyone! Keep going!

[BJean 16]

Dang girl, that ain't being vain! You have plenty of reason to crow! You've done great! Every newly lost pound is a triumph and just as important as the last one. Keep up the great work!!!

[MimIN 19]

All,

I wanted to correct my stats that MimIn posted. They are incorrect.

Starting Weight: 230

Current Weight: 188

Pounds Lost to Date: 42

Sorry to seem vain, but I've noticed my stats have been wrong for the last few weeks regardless of my attempts to correct them.

Great job everyone! Keep going!

Hey there finallyonmyway!

The start weight is the weight posted at the start of this challenge not the start of our band journey. Like my starting weight was 261 day of surgery not 199 but it was 199 at the start of this challenge. Was your starting weight 230 at the beginning of the challenge?

42lbs is fantastic, congratulations!!!

Mim

[cassandra 0]

What is the next challenge after the St. Patrick's Day challenge? I want to get involved in something. Thanks!

[MimIN 19]

Has anyone thought about what the next challenge should be? The next few holidays we have coming up are Easter (4/8 - kind of close), Memorial day (5/28) and then The 4th of July.

Any ideas?

[TamifromAL 1]

Oh, let's shoot for July 4. That's 15 weeks. How about 25 (or goal!) by July 4?

Some of you were talking about restriction. For me, a good level of restriction is when I can drink liquids when I wake up without feeling them gurgle down, I can eat Breakfast and solid foods throughout the day, but I'm satisfied by eating 1 to 1.5 c. of food per meal. I generally don't think about food during the day, but I might get hungry before meal time and have a small snack. Recently I've been having that stuck feeling more often, but I really don't think it's the fill level. I find the further out I get from a fill, the more I slack off on the "small bites/eat slowly" rules. I think I can get away with a big ol' bite, but I pay for it. But, there's no way I'd just stop eating at that point, because that usually happens on the first bite or two.

I'm heading to Cancun on Sunday, so I probably won't be checking in for the next week or so. I've promised myself that I'll drink my Water, exercise, and keep a food journal. I'm hoping I can keep my weight where it is now (185, down 3 this week).

Mim, your surgery is next week, isn't it? Best wishes for a good surgical experience and a quick recovery.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Tami

[MimIN 19]

Oh, let's shoot for July 4. That's 15 weeks. How about 25 (or goal!) by July 4?

Some of you were talking about restriction. For me, a good level of restriction is when I can drink liquids when I wake up without feeling them gurgle down, I can eat breakfast and solid foods throughout the day, but I'm satisfied by eating 1 to 1.5 c. of food per meal. I generally don't think about food during the day, but I might get hungry before meal time and have a small snack. Recently I've been having that stuck feeling more often, but I really don't think it's the fill level. I find the further out I get from a fill, the more I slack off on the "small bites/eat slowly" rules. I think I can get away with a big ol' bite, but I pay for it. But, there's no way I'd just stop eating at that point, because that usually happens on the first bite or two.

I'm heading to Cancun on Sunday, so I probably won't be checking in for the next week or so. I've promised myself that I'll drink my Water, exercise, and keep a food journal. I'm hoping I can keep my weight where it is now (185, down 3 this week).

Mim, your surgery is next week, isn't it? Best wishes for a good surgical experience and a quick recovery.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Tami

Yes Ma'am, Friday March 23rd is the day I will no longer be a pear! I'm excited in a nervous wreck kind of way:eek:

July 4th sounds good to me!

Have a wonderful time in Cancun!!!!!