Pamela

Wow! You look fabulous! I wish I could take the risk and move to Cancun. I love it there!!! I don't think my husband or children would be down to move to Mexico. Oh well, enjoy the beautiful beach for me!!

Wow Terri!!! You are doing great! I can't wait to get my first fill on April 14th. I don't have any restriction now and find myself eating big portions of food. This is not good but I am going to work out hard this week to burn some much needed calories. COME ON FILL!! I hope my first fill will help slow my roll. I want to drop so more weight before this summer. I am ready to buy some smaller clothes!!! Keep up the good work!

I found a fill doctor in Dallas Texas who will do fills for Mexico patients. He charges $250 and his name is Dr. Jayaseelan at 7777 Forest LN., Dallas Tx 972-566-2263 (ph#) His website is www.texaslapbandcenter.com I hope this helps. I have my first fill scheduled for April 14th.

Teri, My Florida vacation was fantastic. We had so much fun but my eating habits went down the tubes. I began to munch on fattening sweet items and fast food. I still ate much less than before the band but I was feeling pretty guilty. Also, we drank a margarita or two almost every night. I was relieved to find out that I only gained 2 pounds. I guess all that walking at Universal Studios and SeaWorld paid off. I got back from Florida on Monday night and I went to the gym on Tuesday and Wed. I don't think I'll go tonight because of all the stormy weather here in Oklahoma. I know it is time for a fill!! I can eat too much at a time and I am not feeling full fast enough or for very long. I am driving to Dallas Texas for my first fill on April 14th. I sure hope that it works for me because it is a 2 to 3 hour drive. The cost is $250 so I won't be getting a bunch of them. Hopefully, this will help me for a few months. I know the band is so fickle so I'll just have to wait and see. Sounds like you and Kyle are doing a great job on your weight loss. I know it hasn't been easy but it is well worth it. Obesity leads to so many health problems so any weight loss is great for your health! Keep up the good work!

The weight will start to fall off soon enough. Your body is hanging on to every pound as it is in starvation mode. I felt the same way as you at first. Avoid the scale is my advice. Wait a couple of weeks before you weigh again. Good luck!

Hello everyone!!! I am back from my 10 day vacation to Florida and I had a great time. However, my eating habits went to hell!!! I meant to weigh myself this morning but got too busy so I don't know how much damage I did. I just couldn't get on a good eating schedule and I would find myself eating all the wrong foods all the time!! It really sucks but I am back on track today and plan to workout the rest of the week. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th and I hope that will help me out!! I am a little bit frustrated with myself because I really planned to be in more control of eating while on vacation. I'm not going to keep beating myself up about it because I can't change the past. It's time to get serious again and start loosing more weight. Good luck to you all!!!!

I NEED RESTRICTION!!! Wow, I have absolutely no restriction at the present time. I also feel that I can eat way too much food at one time. I ordered a McDonalds Salad and ate the whole thing. That is much more than 1 cup of food. At one point, I felt some restriction against bread and meat but I think I can pretty much eat anything now. Here I am going on vacation tomorrow for 10 days and I have no restriction. This is almost scary. I guess I will take some diet pills that I have left over from before the band. They will help to curb my apetite until my first fill on April 14th. I feel like I am back in the diet war zone again. I don't feel satisfied when I eat a small amount and I am really trying to be good. I want to cry because I don't want to gain any weight back and I want to continue to loose!!!!! I've been thrown back in the fire and I am trying to escape untouched. I am focusing on healthy foods but I am afraid that I have stretched my pouch out because I am not getting full. Gosh, I really need to pull it together before I leave town tomorrow. I am going to see my sister who I haven't seen since my trip to Dr. Ortiz in Feb. I really wanted her to see a "new me" but I look the same. However, my face is a little bit slimmer as I have lost 17 pounds. Well, give or take a pound depending on each day that I weigh. I hope my fill will really give me the boost that I need because I did not spend this money for nothing. I plan to loose this weight but I am up against those old demons that haunt me daily. It pisses me off that food still has an ugly hold over me. WHY???? I have yet to pig out but it is getting harder to battle each passing day. My mind is breaking and food is creeping into my thoughts. I am feeling sort of low at this point but I just can't allow it to get to me like this. I can do it and I just have to hold on tight!!!

Just do your best!! I didn't loose all of the pre op weight that they wanted me to. I felt bad about it but I really tried. Dr. Miranda asked my why I didn't loose all 12 pounds and I told her that I tried but loosing weight has never been easy for me and that is why I am getting the band. I told Dr. Ortiz to watch out for my liver. He did a fabulous job!!! Hang in there and try to loose what you can. The more, the better as your liver will decrease in size.

The whole experience is really pretty awesome. There will be others there so don't worry. They probably don't know about this forum. You will really like the people at the clinic. Everyone is really great!!! I had my surgery on Feb. 9th and I am feeling fantastic!! Good luck!!!

Hang in there. We all had the same issues! Your body is holding onto each and every calorie at this point. Give your body time to heal and try to avoid the scale for a couple of weeks!!!

Thanks for the update!! You are doing good. Just add some brisk walking exercises into your weekly routine and you should be fine!! Good luck!

Hi everyone, I am doing great but my weight loss is at a stand still. I really need that first fill but it isn't scheduled until April 14th so I am using old fashioned will power until then. I can eat more than I need and I don't feel full as long as I want to. All in all, I still eat less than before the band so I can't complain. I haven't worked out like I need to because I am planning a Florida family vacation for next week and I am running errands every evening to get ready. However, I do plan to go to the gym tonight to do a dance aerobic class. This whole experience has been really great and I am lovin' my band. I am drinking more water and really watching my calorie intake. I am more aware of what I am putting in my mouth and that helps me maintain my daily calories. It is hard sometimes because you still crave some of your favorite fattening foods but it is much more managable. The future is bright!!!

I am doing pretty good but I don't have much restriction. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th so I hope it goes well. I don't want to have too much restriction like you have been experiencing. I need enough so that I feel full longer. I am at a stand still with my weight loss but that is to be expected. I need to up my exercise to boost my metabolism. I have been slacking on that because I am running errands and getting ready for a family vacation to Florida over Spring Break (next week). I'll be hitting the gym up at least 4 days per week when I get back from my trip. I feel great and I am more focused on not gaining any weight back before my first fill. Keep up the good work!!!

Try to avoid junk food. You can eat those microwavable meals like Lean Cuisine or South Beach. Some have a lot of protien too. Also, you can eat a protein bar for breakfast or some eggs. Just watch out for bread as it seems to get stuck and chew meat up before you swallow. I didn't realize how uncomfortable it is to swallow meat that you haven't chewed up enough. Take it slow! Good luck!

Congrats on the weight loss!!! I hope you get the fill thing worked out soon.

Today is my one month bandiversary! I am officially down 18 pounds so I am feeling pretty good. It is getting a little bit tougher now that I don't have any restriction. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th with a doctor in Dallas. I am relying on old fashioned will power and the new eating habits I have formed over the last month. I am eating much less than before the band but I feel hungry more often and don't feel full for very long. This is to be expected as the band has healed and is in need of a fill. I hope everyone is doing well. I am not seeing very many new posts these days so I hope that means good new instead of bad. :-? More later.

My sister went with me and her husband was sooo worried. It was a breeze and fwe flew into San Deigo at 9pm. The driver is waiting for you in the baggage claim area with a your name on a sign and he takes your luggage to the van. There were two other girls on the van that had flown in also. We just drove over the boarder and didn't have to stop or anything. Leaving Mexico is when boarder control will stop the van but we didn't have to get out. The boarder control guard just asked for our I.D.'s and if we bought anything while in Mx. It took 5 minutes and there were 8 of us in the van on the way back to San Deigo. There is nothing to worry about!!!

After my PB episode, I didn't try to eat anything else until my next meal. That is what Dr. Miranda told me to do. She said that if something gets stuck or you PB, don't keep trying to eat the same meal. Discontinue eating until your next meal time. I think if you are still suffering from the episode, liquids would be best. I don't have much restriction right now as I am waiting for my first fill. I am making healthy food choices and use portion control. However, I don't feel full real fast but I do feel satisfied with less than before the band. I didn't realize how hard it would be to not drink when or after you eat. I'll catch myself reaching for something to drink to help wash down the food and then I remember the rules, wait 1 hour after eating to begin drinking water or whatever. All in all, everything is going well and I am still losing weight. My 1 month bandversary is this Friday March, 9th so I plan to weigh on that day. I'll let you all know what my scale reveals. Until then....Good luck to us all!

No catheter is used for surgery!!

Shell77, How are you doing with your post op diet? I hope all is well with you. Keep us posted!

I am scheduled for my first fill on April 14th so I am in the fight to continue to loose while waiting for a fill. I can eat almost anything but I do notice some restriction with certain foods. At this point, it is mind of matter. I paid $8500 for my band and I don't regret it one bit but I am going to fight to continue to loose weight while waiting for my first fill. I am going on vacation to Florida on March 17th for 8 days so this will be a tough time for me. I believe in myself and I know that I can eat less and be full. When we go out to eat, my sister said that she would be willing to split a plate with me everytime so we would both eat less. I can't wait and I refuse to let food get me down on this trip!!!! Focus on fun and not food!!! Hang in there!!!

I know how you feel! Sometimes I feel trapped in a fat persons body because I am so ready for this fat to drop off. However, I remember that it has only been a few weeks. Loosing 10 pounds in one week doesn't happen very often. Don't be discouraged as long as you are loosing weight. My goal is to loose 8 pounds per month. That would be 96 pounds in one year. I would be happy with 70 pounds in a year or even 50 so just be happy that you are loosing. I've lost a total of 17 pounds so far and I had surgery on Feb 9th. I was hoping that I would be down 25 pounds or more by now but we have to be patient. Our bodies are trying to figure out why they aren't getting more calories so they hang onto the stored fat. This changes eventually so just hang in there and stick to the plan! Congratulations on you weight loss so far!!! =D>

Well, I had my first PBing episode this weekend. I had hoped that I would not experience this but I also knew that my old habit of eating too fast would kick in at some point. This was my first weekend on solid foods after my post op diet. I haven't had my first fill so I thought that I wouldn't really have much restriction. I decided to eat some cold left over chicken out of the fridge which was dry as heck. I took a bite and then another and BAM, it got stuck! I couldn't swallow my own saliva after that so I was in the bathroom trying to regain my composure and sure enough.... up came the chicken. I threw up about 4 times and I'm thinking to myself.... How much dang chicken did I eat??? Once it was all said and done, I felt better and I didn't eat anything for a few hours. So, I guess I do have some restriction even though I haven't had a fill. This is good news! The moral of this story for me is that I really do need to concentrate on changing the way I eat. I need to take smaller bites and chew longer. I also need to wait a minute before taking the next bite of food. Eat your protein first because that can prevent you from eating the more fattening stuff. After that chicken episode, I wasn't thinking about eating anything else. I saved on calories that night. I think I ate too much yesterday because I made a bad snack choice (ice cream & no the low fat stuff). I am back on track today and I can salvage any wrong that I've done. I was down another pound this weekend and hope to loose a couple more this week! The week days are much easier for me because I have a schedule and I can plan my meals around it. The weekends are not scheduled at all so we eat whenever we feel like it. I have to get the weekends under control. This will be key to my success. Good luck to you all!!!

Blueskies, I did not hear anything negative about burping. I thought the band made you burp because I have some burps come up that I didn't know were there. My port was pretty sore for a whole week. You will be surprised at how well you incisions will look at 14 days post op. Good luck to you!!!

You aren't doomed so don't even think that way! Just hang in there until you get your first fill. Try to eat healthy and try to limit your portion size. I am also waiting to get my first fill on April 14th and I don't feel very much restriction. I am writing down what I eat and am sticking to 3 meals per day (most days). I haven't lost anymore weight but we can't give up yet. This is a long term investment so just hang in there!!!