Need Help

Hi Everyone,

I am here again looking for some help and advice. I had my lapband surgery in April 2008.  I got pregnant in March 2009.  I had to have all of my saline taken out because i couldnt even swallow yogurt.  Well, I gained 40 of the 95 lbs back and well here i am 3 years later and havent lost any of it.  I am so mad at myself, and want to get a fill.  but the one i had after i had my daughter was tooooo tight and i ended up back in the doctor's office the next morning to take some out. And have yet to go back for any more.  The weight management clinic we were affiliated with has since closed and the other in the area seems to want to sell you their products more so than anything.  I started on Adipex, but didnt seem to find much help with that.  Any suggestions or encouraging words??

Thanks,

Tammy

I would do a food log for a few days.

if you are eating right (protein first, veggies, fruit and whole grains) and not able to be satisfied for a few hours, it is probably time for a fill.

i know that right now I have been eating too many processed carbs ...... And therefore grazing, because I can eat all day long.

i don't need a fill, I need an eating adjustment.

i am planning my strategy for a shift in plans over the next few days ..... Need to get the pantry purged

good luck!

Tammy,

I agree with Kath's suggestion that you keep a food log for a week. That will tell you what you're eating and give you some ideas of what needs adjusting. If you're making good food choices (not just healthy ones, but solid rather than soft food) and you're getting hungry between meals and able to eat more than 1 cup of food at a time, you probably need a fill. Since the last one was too much, I would ask your surgeon or fill person for a smaller fill this time. For example, if the last fill was 1 cc, request a .5 cc fill this time. I've heard several bandsters say that their experience of restriction after a pregnancy is different than it was before. The same thing happened to me after a complete unfill to treat a band slip. I felt like a brand new baby bandster starting out all over again.

Here are some other things you can do:
> If you're not exercising, start. If you're already exercising, change the intensity, duration, frequency of exercise.
> Plan all your meals in advance.
> Weigh & measure your food before you put in on your plate.
> Eat 3 small meals and 3 small snacks a day instead of 3 meals a day.
> Increase your water intake.
> Decrease your sodium intake.

A weight management clinic pushing their products on patients is annoying (though not unusual), but if they have a good medical staff including a dietitian, it might be worth giving them a try.

Good luck, and congrats on the baby!

Jean

 

Welcome back and you have gotten great advice from these ladies. I would definitely track your food and exercise to really see what you are doing.

I also became pregnant shortly after being banded.  I gained back the majority of my weight while pregnant without any fluid in my band. I had lost 60 pounds in the short 5 months of being banded before getting pregnant. Of the 60 pounds, I gained back 34 pounds.  My daughter is now 7 months old and I finally have a good enough fill to get my weight loss going again.  I am 15 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight.  It is so discouraging though!  It seemed like before getting pregnant the weight was just coming off without much effort from me.  It was like a dream. I didn't think I would get that back at all.  I started going in for very SLIGHT fills once a month for the past 7 months.  After 7 small fills, I am finally back to a good restriction level.  It has helped tremendously!  I now have the restriction that I had prior to having all my fluid removed.  I cannot eat much bread, which is my downfall.  When I got this last fill and wasn't able to eat much pasta/bread my weight has started coming off.  I would suggest going in for small fills so you do not get too tight too fast.  

I did look at my food and exercise after giving birth.  It definitely was not up to par and NOT any where close to what I was doing prior to getting pregnant.  It took some major adjusting to get my diet back on track.  The fills really helped with that.  THe band is around our stomach, not our head.  LOL  However, like I said, when the band kept me from eating those glorious carbs, it helped tremendously.  I can eat my protein with no problem as well as veggies and fruit.  I still need to find the time to get my exercise back up to where it was before, but those little babies can make it a little tricky.  I am gradually improving at it though.

Keep your head up and get some SMALL fills to help you out.  It takes time and patience, but you will get there.  In the mean time look at your baby's face and remember why you gained the weight.  It was so worth it!!!!!  Good luck with your endeavors!  

Good advice from everyone.

I also like Weigh****chers.  You have to adapt with the band.

My best advice is just to keep going and never give up.

Thanks so much everyone for all of your awesome input!!  I am definitely going to start a food journal.  I know i do NOT eat what i should be.  And my thing is that i get "stuck" quite often, but it is not from being restricted, its from me eating wrong!!!  So I am going to start there and also i think i shall get a slight fill, just to feel like i am going to have to be more careful with the bad foods.

 

Thanks again!!