Any Bandsters here??

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tati111
tati111 Posts: 14
in Introduce Yourself
Hi my name is Auria .
I had lap band surgery and have just reached my 1 year anniversary. I am struggling to keep my weight down and have not lost as much as I would like. I am looking for other Bandsters who may have suggestions and motivation to keep me going!! I really like this site and eswpecially the journals. I hate journaling but I know it will really help me so I am willing to try it again. I hope to meet new friends and I hope I can also inspire others to continue to strive for a healthy life style.It always seems so much easier when you have friends to cheer you on. I look forward to chatting with you.

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  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
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    Hi my name is Auria .
    I had lap band surgery and have just reached my 1 year anniversary. I am struggling to keep my weight down and have not lost as much as I would like. I am looking for other Bandsters who may have suggestions and motivation to keep me going!! I really like this site and eswpecially the journals. I hate journaling but I know it will really help me so I am willing to try it again. I hope to meet new friends and I hope I can also inspire others to continue to strive for a healthy life style.It always seems so much easier when you have friends to cheer you on. I look forward to chatting with you.


    Hi Auria, and welcome! :flowerforyou:
    I didn't have the surgery, so I can't help you with that. But, I CAN tell you that if you stick with MFP, you WILL be able to lose the weight that you want to! It REALLY, REALLY, DOES work!
    Between the easy to use food counter (which by the way is SUCH an eye opener!) and all the wonderfully supportive members, you WILL be able to lose the weight that you want to, AND, it'll "almost" be easy doing it! :wink:
    I recommend logging ALL your foods BEFORE you have them, rather than later, as it tends to lead to better food choices. (not to mention you'll know if you've got enough numbers left to have a night time snack, like I ALWAYS try to do!) Some people also like to weigh and measure some things, such as meats, rather than just estimating and possibly being WAY off! :noway:
    Don't go making the mistake that if you have LOTS of numbers left at the end of the day that you'll lose even faster, because that DOESN'T happen. Feel free to read any info about the site in the "help" section at the top of the home page. And also, under "all topics", then "general", and check out the first few threads. They'll really help you understand how MFP works. :smile:
    Before coming here, I had tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, TWICE, and nothing really worked until MFP! :love:
    Also, drink LOTS of water, it REALLY DOES help! :drinker:
  • faithjobes
    faithjobes Posts: 104 Member
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    Hi my name is Auria .
    I had lap band surgery and have just reached my 1 year anniversary. I am struggling to keep my weight down and have not lost as much as I would like. I am looking for other Bandsters who may have suggestions and motivation to keep me going!! I really like this site and eswpecially the journals. I hate journaling but I know it will really help me so I am willing to try it again. I hope to meet new friends and I hope I can also inspire others to continue to strive for a healthy life style.It always seems so much easier when you have friends to cheer you on. I look forward to chatting with you.

    I almost had the surgery a few months ago but because friends and family weren't supportive of surgery, I decided to try the old fashioned way. I log all my food and exercise on here and stay under 1500 cals and exercise 3-5 times a week and I've lost 30 lbs in less than two months! I have changed my whole lifestyle. I know I can lose the weight. I know it! I know you can too! Good luck and keep in touch!
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
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    Hello and welcome to MFP, the best website ever. You will love this site if you don't already. I :heart: it here. This site is so motivational, helpful, supportive, easy to use, and everyone is so nice and friendly here. I just wanted to tell you that I hope you have a lot of success on your weight loss journey. You can do this!!!! :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    There's the problem with the surgeries and lap bands - it's not guaranteed, and if you dont' follow very strict dietary rules, you can gain it all back and then some (I personaly don't think they tell people that as emphatically as they should!). MFP will help you, if you follow the guidelines and set reasonable goals. I've been on here for 5 mos and lost 40+ pounds (I had lost another 26 before starting MFP by doing Weight Watchers, then I plateaued for a year). Now I have the information I needed to lose the weight the right way and keep it off. Sometimes its hard, but mostly it's not. If your goals are reasonable, you can suceed if you stick to your goals!
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    There's the problem with the surgeries and lap bands - it's not guaranteed, and if you dont' follow very strict dietary rules, you can gain it all back and then some
    I don't get these sorts of comments. The success rate for losing 50 lb. or more with diet & exercise alone ranges from 1-5% (depending on the study). The success rate for WLS ranges from 75-90% depending on the study and surgery type.

    Yes, there are no guarantees either way, but I'd rather go with 75-90% odds than 1-5% odds.

    And I did. :laugh:

    Tati: I didn't have lapband surgery, but I did have weight loss surgery back in Sept. I've found journaling to be an immense help. It's just a habit now, like brushing my teeth!

    The other thing that's been a big help to me is exercise. It kept my weight loss from slowing down as happens to many people after the "honeymoon" period is over and it's given me more leeway with my eating.
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    Hi BrenNew,
    Thanks for the suggestions!! I feel really good about this site and I am really glad I found it! :smile:
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    hi Faitjobes,
    30 lbs in 2 months thats awesome!!:happy: Well u are doing great and I know I will too!! You are inspiring!!
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    Hi Momooftwo29, Thanks for taking time to send me such nice motivating words!! your children are beautiful! I really am gonna stick to it this time!!
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    hi Adopt4,
    I thought that the weight loss would continue no matter what, unfortunately i went back to old habits and that is why I gained. I still believe that had I not gotten the surgery I would have been much heavier by now, so it's still a plus for me, I just have to go back to that mental state that I was in when I first got the surgery. Thanks for your good advice!:smile:
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    hi MacMadame,
    I agree that journaling is key!! I lost more when I was conscious of what I had eaten. I am making a point of listing everything and this site certainly makes that very easy to do. U are doing great with your weight loss!! Congratulations!!:happy:
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    hi Adopt4,
    I thought that the weight loss would continue no matter what, unfortunately i went back to old habits and that is why I gained. I still believe that had I not gotten the surgery I would have been much heavier by now, so it's still a plus for me, I just have to go back to that mental state that I was in when I first got the surgery. Thanks for your good advice!:smile:
    Is it possible you also need a fill?
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    [/quote]
    Is it possible you also need a fill?
    [/quote]

    I did have a problem with over-fill but i think i am almost where i have to be now. Time will tell:smile:
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    It just seems like my friends with bands get to a point where they stop losing and a fill helps. It's like over time the band loosens or something and needs to be tightened up. But overfills suck too...
  • tati111
    tati111 Posts: 14
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    It just seems like my friends with bands get to a point where they stop losing and a fill helps. It's like over time the band loosens or something and needs to be tightened up. But overfills suck too...
    [/quote
    That is exactly right! that's why we have to be in tune with our bodies and get those fill ins. That makes it difficult because sometimes you are so happy to keep things down you tend to wait to long to get a fill, then if you are overfilled you have to start from scratch to find that so called sweet spot.]
  • sineadm09
    sineadm09 Posts: 113
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    welcome!
  • Mary_Burris
    Mary_Burris Posts: 120
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    Hello!! I had my lapband surgery a little over a year ago and Ive followed my doctors instruction to the T and has lost over 140lbs! I added you as a friend and if your food diary is public I can look and see what I may be able to help you change to jump start you again! are you exersizing? I hope I can help!!! :flowerforyou:
  • abutterflyemerges
    abutterflyemerges Posts: 101 Member
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    Bandster here. I had lap band surgery 3/11/09. My port failed (leaked badly) and had revision 9/18/09. I have struggled also. I have a 9cc band and I am apparently filled to 9cc and still can eat. I have had numerous visits to the doctor and they did a upper GI and told me everything is looking good in there and that nothing is wrong with the band. I cannot get anymore fills as they do not recommend it-whatever! Anyways I do have some restriction but not like I read online or from others. I am expected to eat only half a sandwich and be completely full! I can eat half a cow and maybe I will be full! But anyways since then I have taken upon myself to just forget that my band may or may not be working, this hell is up to me anyways. So I exercise 3 times a day and eat 1200 calories a day. To date I am 65lbs lighter. I average 2 lbs a week loss but that's if I eat 1200 or less and do my exercises. The way I look at it I have to do this and not rely soley on surgeries and such. But I am also teaching myself to eat right and exercise. I have my days that I hate myself and my body and the fact that I am eating less but then there are those days I look in the mirror and my clothes are loose and I am having to buy smaller clothes.

    Add me as your friend as I am a good listener and we can band together!
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
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    I'm also a bandster and experienced the same issue with not losing weight for a year. I lost weight in the initial 6 months... and then I plateaued for a year. I got below 200 pounds and just stayed at the same weight for a year. And then over this past winter holiday season, I gained 15 pounds.

    At the start of the new year, I went back to my weight loss surgeon's office. They refused to give me a new fill, because I was already maxed out. They gave me a lecture and prescribed some medication to help me with my hunger, and told me to get back here on MFP to track what I eat, exercise, and make sure to eat 6 small meals a day at 2 to 3 hour intervals, get plenty of protein, etc.

    They also replaced the saline in my band with fresh saline. They said that the salt dissolves after a while and needs to be replaced to keep its effectiveness. They put in the exact same amount of saline. But it felt like the tightest fill I've ever had.

    Long story short, I've lost about 30 pounds since January this year. And I stopped taking the medication after only a few weeks because after I got back on track and ate well and spaced out my meals through the day, I didn't feel so hungry anymore.

    We can do this together. We just have to keep tracking what we eat, getting in plenty of exercise, and follow our doctors' orders (at least follow them better than I had last year!).
  • 33KIKI
    33KIKI Posts: 304
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    Hello and welcome.

    I got banded 10-5-09 and as today am 70.5lbs down. I was told the band wasn't going to be a quick fix it is a tool and that is what I have used it as. I workout 3-4Xweek and eat smarter now. Hardly have soda and try to limit the carbs. Now coming from a latin home pan and rice are a big deal but in moderation it's ok. The point is we are here and although tough at times you need to keep going forward. It is okay to eat some of your favs but in moderation and really something that always helps me is when I order something I kind of cut up into a reasonable portion and put the rest away so I am not tempted to go back for more. Anyways if you need to talk, vent, or just be silly - I am here.

    -Kristy

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