ValleyGirl

..by the way, that's not my husband!

B- coffee with flavoured hazlenut creamer then an hour later, 1 cup vanilla yogurt and berries L- mini tin of garlic and pepper tuna, half an apple S- tomato broth with franks hot sauce..... it's SO cold today, brrrr!!! D- went to a movie and had a kids popcorn and I have to be up at 3am so I'm going to make that my dinner and try for a healthier meal tomorrow night! I hate eating just before bed, which is hard when bed time is 7pm.

Details, details, we want details please!!! Would love to know things like starting weight, how many fills and/or unfills, how long it took to get there, any bumps on the road etc. You're a rock star!!! Sabrina:)

Haven't been able to wear mine in months `cause it got too big but I still have almost 30 pounds to go so I don't want to size it until I'm at goal. I bought a big, fake diamond to wear after I got hit on by a dirty old man line-dancing last month, lol! Huge and sparkly, so you can't miss it! Sabrina:)

Yes, I have heard over and over that it comes on for many people when they have an empty stomach. Strange, I 'll have to start tracking when it happens for me. I'm going to try the B12 too- can't hurt! Have a great day! Sabrina:)

Carrie, whatever you are doing, keep doing it `cause it's working! You are doing this the RIGHT way and you're doing GREAT! You are right though, some of us can't afford to eat many calories without plateauing or, worse, gaining. My mom can eat and eat and eat and has been 130 pounds her entire adult life. Seriously, she goes to buffets in Reno and fills her plate sky-high three times while bigger ladies watch in disgust saying "bitch" under their breath, haha. If I eat more than 1000 calories per day, I gain. Eating about 1000 I maintain, and eating about 600 I seem to lose. It seems so unfair, but I have to count all the other blessings in my life- I will take struggling with my weight continually over other hands that I could have been dealt. Look around the world and our struggles to be slim seem so trivial. Sabrina:)

These band slipping stories scare the heck out of me and I am hearing more and more of them..the stats on slips can't be right. It seems to happen a lot more than doctors say. Were you banded by Dr. Ortiz? This is the site for his patients but anyone and everyone is welcome and we are so glad to have you!!! If you could share what led up to your slip, that would be great. I'm sure we can all learn from your story. I hope having a place to come for support will be helpful for you now that you have this second chance. I know it has helped me a lot. aSabrina:)

For those looking to mix things up during the liquid phase with flavoured waters, the Sobe Life water apple/pear flavour is fantastic!

Although left shoulder pain from gas is common right after surgery, a lot of bandsters still suffer from it months or even years after surgery. It's not from gas when you are that far out from surgery but feels the same. My understanding is that it can be caused by the band putting pressure on the diaphragm, which agrivates the phrenic nerve. For some people it is very painful. I get the shoulder pain, but mine is off and on and not very painful- just more of a dull ache. Anyway, if you also suffer from this I just heard that 2 mgs of sub-lingual B12 every morning may help. I'm going to try that and see if it works and I will report back. Sabrina:)

You're doing such a great job! We're all so happy for you! Sabrina:)

Already lost a pound over night! Hooray for having restriction back! Sabrina:)

I had a lot of swelling but no brusing- not sure if that is normal. If you were baded at OCC, you can call them with your questions 24/7!!! There is always a doctor on call. Take care. Sabrina:)

Under the direction of the OCC doctors, I went for a complete unfill three weeks ago because I kept getting stuck, even on liquids, every few days. At first I tried two slight unfills, but was still having problems so they figured I needed to completely unfill and let the swelling go down. I thought eight months in to this I would be able to control myself around food without a fill, but no luck. I gained nine pounds in three weeks, three pounds per week consistantly. I wouldn't say I was binging, but I was eating the foods that I can not when restricted, like sandwiches, and all kinds of meats that I haven't had since December (mostly chicken and beef) and found my appetite came back with full force after about 48 hours. The first thing I noticed was I was waking up hungry every morning. When filled, I don't seem to get hungry until noonish. Anyway, I'm not proud of myself but I'm not depressed about it either. I bought some great size 12 and 14 clothes this summer that now I'm going to get to wear a little longer- gotta look at the bright side, lol! I started at size 22 so this size (and shopping in normal stores) feels pretty good. I really didn't believe I'd ever be less than 200. On the flip side, I can see how quickly I could get back over 200 without this tool. I don't want to be that tight (and risk losing my band) ever again. I only got 2 cc's put back in so we'll see how I do with that. Sabrina:)

That's so funny Louise...I bought my first Lulu lemon outfit this summer and I was going to post about how happy I was but figured nobody outside of Vancouver would understand what a big deal this is for us!!!! I'm so glad you posted! LOVE Lulu Lemon! Sabrina:)

Where in Canada are you from? This is really a simple procedure. I could probably do it myself. I can't imagine why they are having so much trouble. If you don't want to post where you are from, just pm me and maybe I can help you find a competent fill doctor. Sabrina:)

I think South Beach is the only "diet" out there I haven't tried. I never lost much on Atkins. What is the difference? I definitely need some kind of plan to keep from eating everything...including the kitchen sink! This is SO brutal. It's amazing how quickly bad habits come back even when you think you had it all under control. I don't need a lap-band, I need a labotamy!!! Sabrina:)

Since I have to be unfilled for another two weeks, I decided to get out my handy-dandy Weight Watchers materials and count points to ensure I stay on track with my eating. The last time I did WW, I got well over 30 points per day but at my new, lower weight I only get 24. Yikes!!! I am starving and once again reminded why I got the band....you really do get full faster and stay full longer which makes the whole process SO much easier. Anyway, I'm staying positive and enjoying small portions of things I haven't been able to eat for months. Had a bit of a bread binge a few days ago but it is out of my system now and I've gone back to no carbs `cause I crave them too much once I start to eat them. For anyone else that has been unfilled, what did you do to get by? Sabrina:)

Hi Margaret! Nice to see you posting on here. That was very informative for other newbies. Sabrina:)

This is so normal. If you look at my ticker, I lost 19 pounds on the 21 days of liquids and then gained five back as well. It came off again pretty quickly once I started getting fills. I've gained that same five pounds back a couple times in between fills as well. In fact, I'm up 4 right now but not worried. It always comes off (and then some) as soon as I get the right fill. Don't stress. Stay positive! Sabrina:)

I'm in Vancouver and there is a fill doctor at St.Paul's Hospital who has a band himself. There's also an mD in Surrey who will do fills for out-of-town patients. Ifyou decide on the surgery, you can email me for contact info. I also try to get to the Lap Band surgery meeting at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver once per month and you are always welcome. If you walk on teh ferry from Nanaimo, I can even pick you up for it! I don't know about the medical company as I arranged my surgery myself and it was very simple. Sabrina:)

I finally got down to The States and picked them up at my POBox. They are SO cute...and fit perfect!!! Thanks Shelby. Sabrina:)

Way to go Carrie! On the weight loss AND figuring out how to post before and after pics, lol! Every time I try, it takes hours so I've given up. Agreed you always had a great smile but now there's also a real twinkle in your eye when you smile, like you are smiling with your whole face- the joy is shining through! SO proud of you. Sabrina:)

I work for 104.9's sister station, News 1130, but I do the weather on 104.9 once an hour while I am there. As for the unfill, he is in Surrey so it would be real easy for you to get to him. He charges $100 Canadian and he gets me on the first poke every time. He took out .2 cc twice but I was still having problems periodically so OCC said go with the unfill for three weeks. I should have had 3 cc's left in my band but he could only get 2.2 cc out so there may be a little fluid left in me but I have no restriction-but also no discomfort at all, which feels SO good. You don't want to slip your band! Call him at 604-580-5541. His name is Dr. Manchanda. Let me know when you come up and we can meet for coffee! Sabrina:)

Carrie! Look at those cheekbones!!! Looking good! Sabrina:)