Slow Losers - Unite!

2thebeach · 12-30-2007, 09:48 PM

hi eapth-- congrats on getting the band soon. after your surgery you will probably be on strict liquids for a time- your doc will tell you when- but the reason why they cant fill right away is that your new "pouch" tummy will need time to heal- very important -and will help you avoid band slippage and other potential problems i the future-
also, you will not feel the full effects of the band until you have had enough fills that you have hit the "sweet spot" - and that may take several fills- some get to the sweet spot with 2 or 3 fills- and for others it takes 5 or 6 or more fills. i have had 3 fills so far and am just now starting to feel the restriction that i want.
as you can tell by the "slow losers" thread it is a long process and the weight loss can be very slow. but it will happen :)
i remeber when i finally got my surgery date.. i got so excited that i cut up my lane bryant credit card! lol... like i would be skinny right away :) i know now that it takes time but it is the best and healthiest way. congrats again!!!!

AthinnerDenise · 12-30-2007, 10:59 PM

I remember being so frustrated that people were sick of listening to me. Then I figured out that I don't lose like other people do. I go on long plateaus. I will go a couple of months and not lose. If I get into that old thinking "I am not losing, so I might as well eat (insert anything bad and sweet) then I certainly will not lose. If I keep paying attention to everything I eat, and make sure it's good protein, veggies and some fruit, after my plateau, I drop 5 lbs.

My weight loss is not steady, x amount of lbs each week. I call myself a chunk loser. I don't lose, and all of a sudden I lose a chunk.

bandster_1007 · 12-31-2007, 11:15 AM

you first fill will probably not do it either.

i have a question..how do you know if your pouch is stretched???? could that be why i am not losing?

bandster_1007 · 12-31-2007, 11:17 AM

OH GREAT...NOW ..i have my ticker to remind me that i 've been 80 days past surgery and havn't lost a damn thing..

nonad · 01-01-2008, 02:41 PM

I know how u feel bandster 1007, U have to watch what kind of calories u are eating or drinking, fruit juices have lots of calories in them, they go down easy but ar fattening-look at the labels. Ice cream, now that is my weakness and my comfort food- i gained back what little i had lost when my sister and her dogs moved in with us. The dogs thought my green carpet was grass- go figure!!! anyway, we slow losers have to watch every calorie we consume, then we have to figure out if we are eating enough to keep our body from going into starvation mode and slow down our metabolism as if we need that. it's very frustrating but we have to find that amount of calories we can consume that will allow us to lose but yet not slow down the metabolism-ya almost have to be a nutritionist to figure this out. hey if u can afford it go see one- it may be the best thing u could do for yourself. my new years resolution is to walk for 1 hour every day, i read that it is the only thing that will change your weight set point, which in my case is where i stop losing no mastter what i do or don't do, so my set point needs to be altered befor i can go below that and hopefully stay there. hang in there and evaluate your calorie consumption and where they are coming from.

4jin · 01-02-2008, 11:43 AM

bandster1007,
say what banded on 10/07 and have not lost!!! What is happening? does your Doc have any input on this?

Liz1531 · 01-02-2008, 03:35 PM

Hey everyone. Can I be queen of the slow losers? I haven't lost anything either. I just started following Weight Watchers and so far lost two pounds the first week. It can be so discouraging when other folks from August have already lost so much and I'm stuck at 0. It's nice to know that I'm not alone! =)

nonad · 01-02-2008, 05:32 PM

liz, I see thyat u are from San Diego and that Dr. Ortiz did your surgery, I am from TX but Ortiz also did my surgery. i have not gone back to him because i live too far away. did u ever get his book "Lap Band for life" it has always been on backorder every time i went to order it. is it any good? i had my surgery on 9-8-06 and havent done well, any pointers?

shortgal · 01-02-2008, 06:46 PM

NONAD and LIZ 1531

I'm no expert at just past one month post op, but sounds like you both need a fill.

At five weeks out, I'm going for my second fill tomorrow.

Liz, Unless you have not updated your signature, you've only had two fills in almost four months time?

Nonad, if you haven't been back to the Dr, then are you getting fills somewhere else?

AthinnerDenise · 01-02-2008, 11:54 PM

Having the right fill makes all the difference in the world. If you don't have the right fill, it's like driving your car on flat tires.

bandster_1007 · 01-03-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4jin

bandster1007,
say what banded on 10/07 and have not lost!!! What is happening? does your Doc have any input on this?

i have to say that wasn't a question i expected in this forum...you mean i'm the only one..even in the slow losers?????:think

my doctor's input yesterday was "i'm making you tight, you probably don't even know you have a band"..ya think.. :) he's great. well, he did, now i feel every drop that passes my lips. sip..ha..i never had to sip, i drank a whole glass of liquid in one setting 4 hours after surgery. NOW I HAVE TO SIP!!:clap2:

i'm scared to eat, but i will. tomorrow i get to move back to mushies..i'm on liquids right now.

my doctor said it is actually quite normal among...get this...smaller people. HA!!! he said, "you are a little girl"...HA!! boy i haven't heard that one in a while, that one put a soft spot in my heart... he said the band is the band and each person is different. the bigger you are, the more you feel the band right after surgery. people on the lower bmi end, tend to feel the band a bit later due to a smaller fat pad around the stomach. i have an aps band, but he said i didnt' have much of a fat pad and everything inside looked real good.

so i dont' know, but i feel my band now..hopefully it will stay this way and not go away and hopefully i start losing weight.

nonad · 01-06-2008, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortgal

NONAD and LIZ 1531 I'm no expert at just past one month post op, but sounds like you both need a fill. At five weeks out, I'm going for my second fill tomorrow. Liz, Unless you have not updated your signature, you've only had two fills in almost four months time? Nonad, if you haven't been back to the Dr, then are you getting fills somewhere else?

Surgery date-9/8/06 weight was 208. my highest is 213 current is between 192 to 195, it fluctuates alot.
My last fill was 12-15-07 and i got tight, can hardly eat any solids. i am learning alot thru reading this forum. I'm getting more educated from this than Dr. Ortiz office. I have had very little support and really did't know who to call. i finally found a Dr. at Acuna, Mexico that i could go to for my fills w/fluro for 100.00. we also have a place at Lake Amistad just 20 miles away. Well his contact person (Barbara) has helped me understand some things(this is a very frustrating and complex way to go)

anyway, at my first fill in March 07 i was not told to gulp or sip the barium, well guess what, i gulped it ONLY after he filled my band all the way. U talk about painfull. :faint:because i was so full of barium my pouch had no choice but to stretch out, the assistant mentioned that my pouch is stretched out. He sort of reprimanded me and told me to eat 4 bites and walk away. i told him i was almost doing that( more like 8 bites) but he said that my pouch would not have stretched if i was doing right. Well finally he let out some of the saline and i got relief. That whole episode confused the heck out of me and i got very confused, like "why did i do this if my pouch can stretch out so easily" and "why go for a fill if a fill will not help with a stretched out pouch" See the picture?

In Nov i decided that i have to do something so I called Barbara and she suggested that i go get a complete unfill if my pouch was actually stretched and start all over, so i made an appt on 12-15-07.
To my delight, it was a different Dr. and a very good looking one( i might add) i told him my last experience and he said that my pouch WAS NOT stretched out and that i was way past due for a fill was very thrilled to see some hope. I also sipped the barium not gulped, I can't remember how much he put in but i do have restriction. I was going to go get an unfill next weekend but i dont think i will now because at night i can eat some solids when i chew a bunch. i just need to get enough protein, drink the water, get my daily exercising in, and journal everything. I am now on the right track now so wish me luck!!!!!!!!
:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2: :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

nonad · 01-06-2008, 12:50 AM

Denise, u have helped me with the things u post I'm proud of u for the weight loss u have had i know it is not easy even with a band.

i am confused on how this forum works, do i just look on the forum every day for any reply and when i want to say something do i do a quick reply or a quote on that persons post or what??>

Just wondering how to do this correctly

AthinnerDenise · 01-06-2008, 01:11 AM

After you sign in, When you reply to a post, you should get an email that tells you that you have an answer. That's how I keep up. There is somewhere on top, too called quick links.I have never used that, but I think it will show which threads you have replied in.

If you want to post, just hit post quick reply. When you click go advanced, it just brings up the smileys that you can use in your posting. If you want to quote something someone says , in their box of their post click on quote, and it will bring you to the posting box. you can quote the entire post, or cut out the part that you don't feel is necessary. You need to leave in the beginning word quote, and the last word as quote, so it will quote what's in between those two words.

I am glad you said I have helped you in any way. I am always willing to help anyone with anything.

AthinnerDenise · 01-06-2008, 01:12 AM

Sometimes I just go to the top of the page and click on "new posts" and just read the new posts, and if there is something I want to respond to, then I do. Then after that, I get an email that there's a new post in that thread.

Slow Losers - Unite!

my first fill discouraged me