Getting them to understand.

[Nykee 13]

I have weighed about 400 pounds for many years.

I got the band on Feb. 14th. I lost 40 pounds before I left.

I have lost no weight since.

I DO have restriction, though its not much.

Example.. I can eat a peice of pizza.. I used to eat two or three peices.

I can drink about 12 ounces of milk at a sitting, i used to drink about 30 ounces or more.

I just have to chew real well and eat slow.

I havnt had a PB since the first day I was home.

Sometimes I have felt alittle funny and knew immediately to stop.

I am NOT a fan of pain of any kind.

The Pb's I had in the hospital felt like horses trampling on my chest.

The thing is, in the past 15 years, it has never worked for me to cut my portains of food and loose weight.

I dont know if they think I USED to eat a whole pizza (like some very obese people do) and now since I can only eat one slice its a big difference. Becasue its not. I never ate a ton of food to begin with.

I have three herniated discs and cant walk much on my own, I have been going to Water aerobics, BUT honestly I do not see how much it can help when my back hurts too much for me to get my heart rate up..

I need to go in April for a fill.. I want them to make it really tight.

I am going to TRY to explain to them that I will be able to handle it just fine.

I wont ever come back for a unfill unless I am dehydrating or such.

I do not have to money! To go get a fill or unfill is costing me like 500$.

My sister has already said to me "this just seems like a big waste"

When she found out I havnt lost any weight yet.

Then she saw me eating a chicken Fajita and said "YOU can eat that???"

I said 'yeah, its just takes a while' and "I need a fill!'

Thing is that normally I would have gained the 40 pounds back by now...

And I havn't.. so in a way.. IT IS WORKING??!!

Do you agree? Any advice? I kinda feel alone or like I am lettng people down. I have even had people ask my loved ones if I am skinny yet..

First of all, I wont EVER be skinny.

Second of all, its only been 5 weeks!

I just wanted to vent, Thanks.

[Mita 2]

Nykee

You are doing fine. Give it time the weight will begin to drop again in no time.

How are you doing on your Water intake?

How are you doing on your protien?

Your right you have not gained the 40lbs pounds back and that is a great plus.

When you go in for a fill you do not want them to make it too tight. Erosion could happen & vomiting will make your band slip then it could make it very bad.

You know we all want the weight to drop like as of yesterday but you know putting the weight on was a gradual process. Same with getting it off you want your body to adjust to it slowly. Take you time getting use to your band and when after your first fill hopefully you will have some restriction..

Hang in there it will get better:)

[kimalicious 5]

I had no restriction until my 3rd fill started to do the trick. I was wide open and could eat and drink anything until then. The band is only a tool and you have to count your calories in order to actually lose weight. I have found this website helpfull as I lose weight: http://www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml

It tells you how much you should be taking in and how much your body needs in order to lose weight.

I stick strictly to no more than 1000 calories a day and that has helped my weightloss tremendously. I'm hungry sometimes and I cheat sometimes, but that is all part of losing weight. I know you probably didn't want to hear this but the band will not work if you are eating pizza and other high calorie foods that hinder what your band is meant to do. We call this eating around the band. I'm sure you had this surgery as a last ditch effort to lose weight and the money you probably spent on it was probably a lot. Don't let your money go to waste by giving up. You have to watch every morsel of food and drink that passes your lips and make sure you are making good decisions. I wish you the very best with your band and the only way to get it working is to get fills. They can only fill you so much before food stops going thru. As you lose weight and your band basically gets looser they can tighten you more. The more gradual the better for you and your health to get used to the change.

What were you doing to lose the initial 40 pounds pre-band? Can you use some of those things as you try to lose weight now? Water aerobics is a big deal. They can work the crap out of you. Just keep up the hard work and don't get down that you are at a standstill. As soon as you have a fill it will be easier to make the right choices from food. GOOD LUCK!!

Kim

[MeganA 35]

Your body is fighting like crazy to stay fat. As you lower your food intake, it in turn lowers your metabolism. I know this, because I am a very slow loser and have significantly cut my calories but still lose just a little at a time.

Although the scale might not be moving like you think it should, you are already healthier...eating less, drinking less milk, etc.

If you can eat pizza, you probably need a fill...once you get some real restriction you'll be amazed at how much less you eat.

Being banded is mostly about patience and small steps. You're well on your way...heck, you already lost 40 pounds!! Yippee! You lost 10% of your starting weight! If you were at weightwatchers you would have gotten a keychain. Maybe you should buy yourself a cute keychain that will remind you of your success.

Megan

[Nykee 13]

Thank you..

Well I almost never drink Water.. (I drink skim milk, (lots of it) it has plenty of water)

and I havnt been keeping track of the Protein either. (I forgot)

I dont want the fill to be too tight.. but I keep hearing how people keep going back to get more and more fills.. I dont really understand.. does the stomach expand or what?

I will never allow my self to vomit more than a couple times.. before I get the hint and not do anything that would make it happen again.

I do that now, I could of PBed by now and I make sure I dont.

I was just fine drinking tomatoe Soup a dixie cup at a time... and a popcycle or two a day.. I can handle that.. (thats when I was watching my Protein too.. I drank some proten shake stuff..)

I guess I am worried that they see my larger than most size... and wont give me a tight enough fill because like you said 'erosion' and such.

How do I convince them I can easily live on tiny amounts of food and would NOT PB and allow vomiting and all that?

I was restricted for like two weeks like that and I was fine, I was like BRING IT ON!!! I didnt care.. Sometimes I swear, I thrive on suffering.

I surely feel I deserve to.

Patience! I know!

My whole story may change once i have the fill..

[La_madam 20]

Nykee, you are doing just fine, you are only 5 weeks post op. How are you able to eat pizza yet. I was banded by Ortiz a year ago and I was not allowed solids until 6 weeks post op, did he change his post op diet? You have not had a fill yet, once you get your fills and have good restriction, you will be on your way to weight loss, remember the first 6 weeks are for healing, any weight loss during this phase is a bonus, I'm sure Dr. Ortiz told you that didnt he? SO do not get down on your self, the band is designed to be inflated to work its best, you have no fill yet so of course you wont have much restriction, hang in there, you will notice a difference with your first fill, especially if you are going back to TJ to have Ortiz/ Martinez do your fills, they are very agressive on their fills. Dr. Ortiz use flouro and will fill you by how they see the baruim flowing through the band, they will not over fill you however you will have restriction, Do not be foolish and have it so tight you can not even swallow your own saliva, Ortiz and Maritenz will not let that happen anyways, he will most likely make you go and eat a meal after your fill before you head back home on an airplane to make sure you are not too tight. He did that for a friend of mine who lived in PA. With Good restriction, you will not be able to eat a whole piece of pizza, atleast for me it is that way. Hang in there Nykee

[kimalicious 5]

About the fill too. It doesn't just make you full after a certain amount. If you get it too tight everything hurts when it goes down and gets stuck all of the time. Just be careful and know that this is a lifetime process. You're such a pretty girl, keep smiling and working hard...you can do this!!!

[MeganA 35]

You responded right as I finished typing my last post so now I'll try to answer your new questions.

I highly doubt that your doctor or his/her staff are treating you any different than any other bandster. Most surgeons believe in sneaking up to the right fill level. They don't want you to be too tight out of the shoot for many reasons. Most doctors continue to fill you throughout the first year, and into the second year. There are some theories on why we continue to need fills...one is that the stomach has swelling for over a year after surgery so as the swelling goes down, you have less restiction. Also, as you loose weight, you lose fat around the stomach. I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea.

PBing is something to be expect but avoided. As you gain restriction, you will find that you can't always predict how things will go down.

I know that you drink milk, but have you noticed that even skim milk is 90 calaries a serving? That means that you could easily drink 1000 calories a day in milk if you drank 8 glasses of milk instead of Water. Just something to think about.

There is something you said that I want to comment on. YOu said: "I certainly feel I deserve to" when you talked about suffering. NO ONE DESERVES to suffer. You are not a bad person because you have a disease. You deserve mostly pain free success- just like the rest of us. It sounds like you may have some old tapes playing in your head that might need to be addressed on your journey. We all do/did.

You're going to be ok. It will get easier.

Megan

[Alexandra 55]

Sometimes I swear, I thrive on suffering.

I surely feel I deserve to.

Oh, sweetie, it hurts to see you say that. None of us deserve to suffer but I know exactly what you mean! Before banding I wished like crazy for something that would be guaranteed to make me sick every time I overate. :rolleyes

Banding will work for you, though, and I think you're right that a fill will help. One thing you can do right now, though, is start timing your meals. You can eat a chicken fajita but "it takes a while"--that's an indicator that you DO have restriction and you have to respond to it. Eat for no more than 15 or 20 minutes, and then STOP for an hour. Let your body accept what you've eaten, and see if by doing something else you can't totally refocus your attention. Chances are really good that if you're not trying to eat more, you won't actually want to. Let it sit until the next meal, and you may be astonished to see that half a fajita is plenty to get you through.

If you do get a super-tight fill and immediately cut your calories drastically, you might not see the dropping of weight you expect. The thing to do is really start drinking more Water (yes, WATER), and trying to stop eating sooner. When you get your fill you will have to get used to the idea of 1/2 a slice of pizza being a whole meal, which is psychologically challenging. So why not start now?

Good luck, and please know that you do not deserve to suffer. You deserve to be healthier and you're on the right track!

[New Hope 37]

Nykee, please be kind to yourself! 40 pounds is a lot of weight - gone, girl, for good. Go pick up a 40 pound bag of dog food and see how long you can carry it around. We didn't gain all of this weight overnight and it's going to take a while to lose it. But that's good because we can concentrate on what and how we're eating, exercise regularly, and drink tons of Water (but not w/meals or 1 hour afterwards). Have you tried tracking your meals on www.fitday.com? It's free and really helps show you where the calories are going. Please just try to take it one day at a time. That weight is already making things easier for your back. Come here and "talk" with us often. No matter what your question, you'll find someone that understands. You don't have to do this alone. (((Hugs)))

[Nykee 13]

LaMadam)

you are only 5 weeks post op. How are you able to eat pizza yet. I was banded by Ortiz a year ago and I was not allowed solids until 6 weeks post op, did he change his post op diet?

girl)

I dunno if he changed it.. I was told in week four I could try solids, to eat my Protein first and then veggies, then carb.. as I can tolerate.

I can tolerate a slice of pizza.. so I eat it. I have 5 kids and pizza is big here.. LOL...

LaMadam)

You have not had a fill yet, once you get your fills and have good restriction, you will be on your way to weight loss, remember the first 6 weeks are for healing, any weight loss during this phase is a bonus, I'm sure Dr. Ortiz told you that didnt he?

girl)

NO he didnt tell me any weight loss here was a bonus.. but now I know from all you nice people. HE did tell me to come in for a fill like over and over..

They were so impressed with my 41 pounds of loss, I think they werent very worried about me....

I have tried for 15 yrs to be concerned with what I eat.. and failed to do so..

I need restriction, not calorie counting.. or it will never happen for me.

BUt I know if I get enough restriction, it will be fine!

Lamadame)

TJ to have Ortiz/ Martinez do your fills, they are very agressive on their fills. Dr. Ortiz use flouro and will fill you by how they see the baruim flowing through the band, they will not over fill you however you will have restriction,

girl)

I am soooooooooooo glad to hear that!!!

Thanks for the info!!

lamadome)

Do not be foolish and have it so tight you can not even swallow your own saliva, Ortiz and Maritenz will not let that happen anyways, he will most likely make you go and eat a meal after your fill

girl)

I am not.. BUT A MEAL?? I couldnt even hold down ice chips before I went home last time. I had hoped it was tight and I would not need a fill but I guess it was just swollen

[Nykee 13]

Kima, thanks for saying i was pretty..

[Nykee 13]

Megan,

Thanks for the info on fills! That answers a lot of questions for me concerning them.

Megan)

I know that you drink milk, but have you noticed that even skim milk is 90 calaries a serving? That means that you could easily drink 1000 calories a day in milk if you drank 8 glasses of milk instead of Water. Just something to think about.

girl)

I do, and I always have.. I used to be able to drink a gallon of milk a day and also like a half a gallon of juice.

I can barely swallow my pills with about 4 ounces of juice in the AM.

I am hoping a fill will also do what that does in the AM.

megan)

You deserve mostly pain free success- just like the rest of us. It sounds like you may have some old tapes playing in your head that might need to be addressed on your journey. We all do/did.

girl)

I know.. I know

thanks for remimding me!

[Nykee 13]

alexandrea and Jack,

I really hate Water.. I know it sounds so whiney...BUT I have tried to incorporate Water like hundreds of times.. I havnt suffored for it thus far (I dont think)

Is there anything directly linked to the band that i should know about as far as water goes?

Thanks! loves

[Nykee 13]

Newhope)

Nykee, please be kind to yourself! 40 pounds is a lot of weight - gone, girl, for good. Go pick up a 40 pound bag of dog food and see how long you can carry it around.

girl)

LOL.. good point... I can barely carry my purse!

NewHope)

(but not w/meals or 1 hour afterwards). Have you tried tracking your meals on www.fitday.com? It's free and really helps show you where the calories are going.

girl)

Thanks for the site!

and all the support!