How are the banded Notorious Novembers???

[gentylwind 1]

We sound so alike.. I started at 240, I am currently 213 but the scale is and has not moved for a few weeks. How many CCs do you have? I am at 6.5

6.5 cc here too

[mljalways 1]

I am hoping another fill on the 18t does the trick!!

[gentylwind 1]

They worked me in this afternoon for a fill. Thank goodness.

[mljalways 1]

Good for you!! Let me know how it goes and how much they give you. My doc has been pretty aggressive but I think he will moderate now because we are getting up there in volume.

[gentylwind 1]

Yes, here too (obviously, if we are at the same...lol!).

I am nervous to get another fill..I do have restriction...but can still eat quite a bit and hungry sooner than I would like between meals. I was starving when I got home from school last night and I had eaten before I went. Real hunger too, not head hunger. I have been struggling with head hunger and Portion Control, so this week I am tracking everything on mydailyplate.com and getting a fill. Probably will be 0.5 cc or less I would think....I will check in afterward and over the next few days to let you know how it feels. Getting filled always makes me nervous. I dread ever experiencing the vomiting or PBing/stuck episodes that people talk about here. To date I have had none of that, though a few things have gone down hard.

[Denny_C 0]

Jewels68, your stats are great! My wife has lost around 40 pounds as well and is doing about the same amount of exercise. I think the trick here is the walking combinded with the diet. I know it is a major pain to do but it seems to get us past the "weight holds" and creates a steady weight loss.

I really haven't had the problem of food getting stuck on the way down or any of the other problems people have when the band is filled but I worry that it will come sooner or later. I've been doing my best to chew, and chew some more, so, mabe that is saving me.

I see where someone is using baby spoons and forks but that doesn't do it for me. We have traded our large dinner plates for smaller plates and that seems to help make it seem like more to eat. However, I really haven't been to hungry up to this date.

Yesterday, I had a slip off the wagon and had cheese nachos at Fridays with extra peppers and had a small steak to go with it. After my walk this morning I was down another pound so it didn't hurt me too much.

Today was a new milestone for me, I'm in the 250's which is something I've been shooting for. I'm wearing pants that I haven't had on for several years and they are getting too big for me now. I'll have to get new threads soon but for now I have enough to keep me going.

It's nice, in a way, when people ask if you are OK because you have lost so much weight! They always try to do it with tact but it seems to come out badly when they worry that you are sick and that's the cause of the weight loss. Actually, I'm in better health now than I have been in years.

I wish you and eveyone else a successful weight reduction and that you look as great as you feel when it's done!

Start 11/01/08 326

day of operation 309 (11/19/08)

today (2/10/09) 259

target 210

Edited February 10, 2009 by Denny_C

[tennisgal 0]

wow, gentylwind, you are lucky you already have that much from your fills. We were both banded the same day by Dr. Castro and I have to get my fills locally now and only have 3.75. I've had to wait six weeks to get this 2nd fill. I am going to beg to only have four weeks b/f the next one (if I need another). Haven't lost any weight since my first fill of .75 (4 weeks!). He said Dr. Castro left in 3. so he was scared to put too much since I already had some restriction. Well, that went out the window and now I can eat and eat and eat. But since it's a four hour trip and I have to take off of work, I'll have to wait two more weeks!

[jms462001 9]

6.5 cc here too

I got my second fill today and he put 1.5 cc's, last time was 3.5 cc's and I don't know if there was some in to begin with so I guess I'm around 5 cc's. I haven't really had much loss either since mid Jan, about 2 weeks after the first fill. But the Dr. and the nutritionist said I was ahead of the avg weight loss and doing really well. I guess we just have to be patient, but it sucks to have it stop when it has been steady. I hope this fill gets it going. He tried to put 2 cc's in, but I felt chest pain right away and told him to take it out. I'm on liquids so I don't know how it will be. I'm much more sore than after the first fill.

[jms462001 9]

:smile::mad:I was banded 11/21 and I need help. I am so frustrated with no weightloss for three weeks that I am ready to give up on myself and the band. I was out of my house for 6 days due to the ice storm last week, but what about the two weeks before that. And, what do I do but go to food for comfort. I have had one fill and my doctor will not discuss a fill closer than 8 weeks apart. I have an appt. for 3/18. Throw me a lifeline, please. I am ready to just eat what I want and never go back to the dr. I can eat everything but bread, so my head says just forget you have the band....and I could. I could just admit I am a failure AGAIN and eat, eat, eat. I don't want to give up, but I eat small amounts, never more than half if that. I exercise and/or walk daily. What else can I do. I started using my calorie counter this week. I am staying at or less than 1200 which is what my dr. recommends. I feel like such a failure and I am ready to give up. Maybe 26 pounds is all I get to lose! Any advice other than the 5 day pouch test.

26 or 27 pounds is really a good loss. Some people do not even start losing any significant amt until they have had the band for 5 or 6 months according to my nutritionist. I was banded about the same time as you, have lost around 30 and my Dr said that is ahead of schedule. So, I would say your body is just taking a break to catch up with you. Don't give up. Keep doing the right things and you will start losing again!!

[jms462001 9]

I'm curious? Has everyone hit this mini plateau? Same here, nothing for almost two weeks and I've been GOOD!! VERY frustrating!

Yup, me too and I was also banded on 11/24!!!!!!

[elysenoland 0]

Yup, me too and I was also banded on 11/24!!!!!!

Hang in there...I think mine finally broke! I cut back strength training, added more cardio and started eating a little more, and now I'm down three lbs. It was VERY frustrating to not lose for three weeks, even though I thought I was doing everything right. I'm definitely ready for my fill on Friday, as I am getting hungry a few hours after I eat. Does anyone have any idea how many calories we are supposed to be eating?

Elyse

[Jewels68 0]

I think everyone is doing great. I had a small un-fill yesterday. They said I was really swollen for all the heartburn over the weekend from being too tight. Now I'm at 6.0cc. I can go back next wekk for .25cc's, which seems to be my sweet spot and I didn't even know it. I just had to push it a little bit more....

[gentylwind 1]

Good visit at the doc's office yesterday. They are so positive, encouraging and upbeat. He said I definitely need a fill but that they will start to be smaller and smaller now as we "tweak" the band.

He put in .6 cc, bringing me to 7.1 cc in my 10 cc band. But the Water took 15 seconds to pass all the way through the band and that made him nervous that I would be too tight, so he took .2 cc back out. So now I have 6.9 cc.

What's amazing is I finally have really awesomely good restriction!! Protein Shakes are filling me FULL feeling and I stay that way for hours. I am excited. I may stay on liquids for a few days, since obviously I am quite tight. But it feels fantastic. I have started mixing 2 TBSP of Peanut Butter into a chocolate Atkins shake...super yummy and satisfying and leaves me feeling like I ate a whole meal.

Down 2.5 lbs this morning..he said I would probably drop 3-5 pounds this week from this fill and a steady 2-3 pounds a week for the next month, and to come in sooner if my restriction fades again..he said it might. Otherwise he wants to see me in a month.

[Jewels68 0]

Gentywind, that is really good. I felt that way two weeks ago and had to push it and get a fill last week that put me over... I'm going in again next week for a small tweak too. I had lost 3 pounds after the fill two weeks ago and thought I still wanted to be tighter. I won't listen to myself again like that. Plus I had two small fills in one week and that was too much.

Good job on your weightloss.

[Glammaw 15]

Congrats, gentylwind. You are lucky to have the dr. you have. I have had ONE fill and have to wait until 3/18 for my second. You and I had surgery on the same day, so you can see the difference. My dr. says fills can be no closer than 8 weeks apart. It is very frustrating. I am doing this without the help of my band and it is very, very slow. It will be six months, at least, before I am where you are. Maybe I could come see your dr. for fills (j/k) :-) Glad to see you are happy with your decision to have surgery. At this point, I am sorry I had mne. At least before, I didn't expect to lose a measurable amount of weight. Now, I just feel like a BIG FAT FAILURE AGAIN!