I just sent you a friend request. My diary is set to 1700+ cals but rarely eat that much. Can't with the band. I normally eat between 1000 and 1200 cals. My diary is open to friends and would welcome your views.

Hello Ronnie....sorry for the late response. Rules of the pouch are pretty simple. You can't (or shouldn't) put more food in there than it can hold (which is not much). The dietician will tell you meals will consist of (in this order) 1/4 cup of protein, 1/4 cup of fruits/veggies and 1/4 cup of carbs. I find that most days I can't eat more than the protein (which I still have a problem getting down). The best advice I've received lately is to make sure I'm eating every 2-3 hours....eating something. That is helping me a lot. I don't get hungry, but in order to be able to lose weight past the initial loss from drinking liquids only, I have to keep the "fires" burning with my metabolism. If you start feeling "funny" when you're eating....stop eating. That may be the warning sign that your pouch is full. I actually start feeling a bit sick so I stop immediately. Then wait about an hour and maybe attempt a snack....and most times I found that I get a couple of bits in then have to stop.

I have no apetitite and don't really get hungry. If I go way way too long due to exercise between meals, I will feel queezy and shaking and know it's time to eat. You will need to treat the pouch with "kid gloves". Take good care of it and you will be successful.

Also....my doctor preaches that the first 6 months is the optimum weight loss period. Once you are released to exercise beyond just walking, do everything you can to eat just as the dietician has directed and exercise. My initials weeks resulted in a 4 lb/week loss. Now it's down to like 1-2 lbs/week (arrghghggh). My doctor says this is normal and 4 lbs is the extreme (and he'd be concerned if it was still at that rate). Everyone is different.....but you are in control of your destiny. That's what so cool about the weight loss "tool". We control how much we lose. I have this small pouch now.....so it's up to me how I use it so I can accomplish my goal.

I am so with you as you continue this journey. You will not regret having the bypass and I wish you all the success in the world.

I'm here for you!

Hugz

Linda

You are doing so totally awesome!!!!!! What an inspiration you are!

We are 35 members strong! How is everyone doing out there!

Hi, I just joined the group and hope to gain strength and courage and determination from it! I had bariatric Roux en Y surgery on January 12,2012 and I don't seem to be doing all that well with it. I am down 19 pounds but it has been almost 4 weeks. I was stuck on 18 lbs for the last 4 days and finally lost alittle today to get to 19. Up until that, I was losing about 1lb a day. I get all my protein and eat three meals aday. My pouch is about the size of 2 medicine cups I was told and I seem to be able to put more than that in but yet I don't go over 700 or so calories a day. Snacks are sugar free jello and sugar free popsickles. Any advise? :sad: Thanks Susan

Helllooooooooooooo everybody!!!!! A special welcome and hello to Susan and Becky!!!!! We're so glad to have you part of this group. I had my RNY on 11/30/11 and it was the best decision of my life! Has it been a bed of roses??? heck no! I'm still having issues with eating, and McDonald's Strawberry Banana smoothies with my protein is my friend....LOL! But each day is getting better and I'm getting stronger. Yesterday I learned that macaroni w/cheese is off the diet plate for a while. Certain foods (like eggs too) just don't sit well with me, so it's back to peanut butter w/crackers...LOL.

I have to get ready for WW (yeah I still go to weight watchers even though I can't eat like that), but I like my leader and the meetings so it's just another tool to keep me motivated.

I will write to Susan & Becky this afternoon when I get back. I have some words of encouragement!

Hugz to my peeps,

Linda

Good morning Becky and welcome to our group. You are in the right place for encouragement and support. I had the RNY on 11/30/11 and didn't have the band (I wasn't a candidate). I hope that some of our "band" members out here will read your story and provide some advice with the band. Some of the things you are experiencing I don't experience with the RNY. I am never ever hungry right now. I have to force myself to eat only because I know I need to. As far as sweets go, I watch anything with sugar that I put into my mouth. I try to find as much as possible that is "sugar free" because I don't want to do the dumping syndrome thing. I'm not sure if band patients have that or not.

Here's some advice from the "from what it's worth department". Remember that the "band" is only a tool. The doctor has given you a tool to use to help you lose the weight faster (at the beginning) and restrict the amount of food that goes in. It appears that your band needs an adjustment and hopefully after that you will lose at a higher rate. My doctor tells me that a rate of 1-4 lbs/week could be expected. The average will be 1-2 which is a safe loss (I had hoped to keep it at 4). The tool is only half the equation.....the other half is YOU. We have a responsibility to do our part and following the guidelines set forth by our dietician and to have a robust exercise program. I would like to encourage you to put away those sweets and replace it with protein or fruits instead. Some people think the surgery is a "magic pill". It's only the beginning and part of the success story. If we don't follow the food and exercise guidelines, we won't lose weight and we'll be miserable.

I know things are greatly different in the UK than the US as far as the healthcare system. I would encourage you to work closely with your doctor and dietician to get advice to help you with your journey.

We are here for you and will encourage you along your journey. Let us know how the doctor visit goes and I hope they are able to adjust it properly so it will help you.

Hugz from the USA

Linda

p.s. My husband currently lives in South London....so I have a soft spot in my heart for the Brits!

Hiyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Rebecca and welcome to the group! This is a great place to be for encouragement and support. I will send you a friend request so we can keep up with each other's progress.

Congrats on having your surgery in 2007. Life sort of gets in the way sometimes, but with determination and a lot of hard work, I know you'll be able to accomplish your goal. You are absolutely right about the vitamins. It's an important part of our recovery and it's for a lifetime. I just had blood work done a few weeks ago, and everything is still good. I was worried about the protein because my protein intake is not what it should be. I bought some Biotin today, so hopefully that will help me keep my hair and give me energy too.

I applaud you for taking the first steps to getting back on track and for becoming a member of our group. We are here to support one another and you are amongst friends. I would encourage you to add the exercise component in, no matter how small. All it takes is 10 minutes and you'll soon be well down the road.

Good luck to you in your journey.

Hugz

Linda

Hiyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Kim and welcome to our group! I'm so sorry for not writing sooner but sometimes I forget about checking the group site to see what's going on.

I'm going to ask my friends to send you a 'friends' request.....there is a wonderful group of ladies that are on my list that are very uplifting and encouraging....and it's helping me with my success. I had my RNY on 11/30/11 so just a few months after your 2nd sugery. I had originally wanted the sleeve, but I'm so glad now that I chose the RNY. Of all the surgeries, it's probably the best choice for meeting the goals that you set for yourself. My sister's boss had the sleeve and she's lost over a hundred pounds and is doing great....so don't give up hope.

Weight loss is kind of a funky thing. The "tool" we've been blessed with is just that. It's just a tool....a smaller stomach that doesn't hold much food. What I am learning throughout this journey is the "tool" is only part of the equation. The other part is nutrition (I don't use the word diet) and exercise. The nutrition part of my journey is laughable at best. If I get 500 calories in a day it's a miracle sometimes. I just had the 2nd EGD today and hopefully that'll do the trick so I can get solids down better. My doctor wants my food choices to be because it's healthy...not because it's something that will go down easily that I don't have to worry with throwing up later. The exercise part of the journey is great. I formally work out 4 days a week with a combination of strength training and cardio. My girlfriend and I meet up on Saturday & Sunday and work out together. We just bought new bicycles and will be starting that as part of our regimen as well.

Bariatric surgery alone will not help you meet your goals. It really takes an awful lot of work. I'm just 3 months out, and I have to focus on it every single day. Here's the thing with your journey. You're past the honeymoon phase where you get the greatest weight loss. Now being a year out, it's going to be a slower progress.....but you can do it. You've taken the first step by meeting with your doctor more. That's great. Secondly, I would recommend that you get with your dietician to go over what you're eating. They can really help you with the nutrition part. Third.....you've got to move your body! I am 10 years older than you....so you need to take this opportunity before 'mentalpause' hits and work on moving more. My doctor gave me lots of little "sermons" prior to surgery about the honeymoon phase and exercise. Eating properly and exercise will be our life forever. This was a life changing event and we have to change what we were doing in the past so that the future is what we want it to be.

You CAN do this.....one pound at a time. And we are here to cheer you on every step of the way. One of the things that is helping me stay focused is that I'm training for something special. This month I'm going to do an indoor triathlon at my gym and in August I plan to do the Danskin down in Pleasant Prairie. It's so crazy....but it is keeping me focused on the exercise in order to be able to accomplish this goal. For easter I'm going home to Georgia....so that too is keeping me focused so that I'm doing the right things to continue losing weight.

I wish you all the success in the world and I know with healthy eating and an exercise plan you can accomplish your goals. Don't give up and when you're feeling blah or down, just look in the mirror.....see how far you've come.....and you'll never want to go back to the old Kim.

Look forward to following your successes on your journey. You've come to the right place!

Hugz

Linda

Hi, Kim,

My name is also Kim. I had a duodenal switch last September and the honeymoon phase is definitely over. I have to work hard for every pound I lose. I have to watch what I eat very carefully, although I, too, am an emotional eater. I haven't been able to work out like I should since I had my back adjusted 2 weeks in a row. I intend to get back on the treadmill and return to the gym this week.

I have a husband that is underweight and I have to keep cakes, muffins and donuts on the table for him to eat all day long. He is in the process of getting dentures and can eat those foods. I also prepare special food for him. That makes it difficult to say no to those things.

You can do this. Just keep focused on diet and exercise.

Kimberlee