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My name is Amy Workman and I am a bandster (everyone: HI Amy). I haven't posted on here in a long time and thought I might share with you my blog post from today. If any of you watched the recent Dr. Oz show about Lapband, I thought it might be nice for those of you just beginning to see a more realistic idea of the band. I was banded January 27th, 2009. I weighed 327 and today weight 159 pounds. I love my band. My before and after pictures on here are not updated, but you can find all my pictures on my blog. If you have any questions, please email me and ask away. Sometimes we forget when we were first beginning. Do you remember the first time you googled Lapband? Or the first time you logged into the forums...frantically searching for before and afters....looking at successes and getting pumped...stumbling upon a horror story and then getting scared? Do you remember the stupid questions you asked? I remember posting on lapbandtalk.com something like "is one cup of Wendy's chili bad for you?" Well, I am going to try and remember back to when I didn't know much about the band...and what information would have been helpful. Here goes... Did you know: I started at 327 pounds. My doctor, the wonderful and handsome Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, told me that the band is not always the best choice for someone who is a grazer. They find that the band is actually more successful for men, because men tend to eat in volume (sitting down for a huge dinner and getting really full, vs eating and munching on little things all day). Some doctors say that the band will not work as well for those of us who are or were really morbidly obese. I disagree. And there are plenty of us out here who are proving them wrong. Did you know: The band may not work for you? You could have the surgery and not lose much weight at all. It is not a sure thing. BUT, if you work with the band...it can and will work for most of us.What does "work with the band mean"? Every doctor has a different regimen they want you to follow. Every doc is different, as it almost every patient. Some say no pop/soda, some say it's fine. Some have a 2 week liquid preop and scare the sweet baby jebsus out of you about not shrinking your liver enough for surgery and not being able to operate (thank you Dr. Friedman). But, you will have to do your part with the band. You will have to watch what you eat. You will have to eventually get your ass up and exercise. You will have to make healthier choices and just be better. I know you are saying WHAT? That sounds like a diet to me. And I fail at diets!!! The band is a TOOL, not the Alpha and Omega of your weight loss journey. You can "cheat" the band by eating sliders and soft food. I for one could eat cheetos all day long and the band would sleep right through it. But with the right restriction, your band prevents you from eating that large pizza, the extra value meal, the entire bovine. You have to find a doctor that you can have a relationship with. They have to be open with you and you have to be open with them. You HAVE to go see them for fills. You have to follow up. You have to be a good patient. ASK QUESTIONS. What can you eat once you are banded? At this point in my journey, I can't think of one thing I CANT eat. However, there are somethings that I try to stay away from because they are difficult with my band. Example: Bowtie Pasta. It doesnt go down well. And then it just sits in my band and expands...causing me to PB (get to that in a second). I can't eat a sandwich, or a hamburger with a bun, but I could eat a roll if I tear off little pieces at a time. Hot dogs give me problems for some reason. Dry chicken or reheated meat (with the exception of a hamburger) often give me problems as well. I still drink soda, I still drink beer. I love Soups. I can eat veggies. I can eat fruit. Eating after being banded is about going slow. It's about chewing. They say with proper restriction that 4-6 ounces of solid Protein (a piece of meat about the size of your fist) should keep you full for 3-4 hours. Most docs want their patients to avoid "slider meals". Meaning, eating a bowl of Soup for lunch or yogurt for Breakfast isn't going to keep you full or satisfied because it will SLIDE right down. You want your food to stay in your pouch, and slowly drop down. Sometimes though...food may get stuck and then you get "sick". The Dreaded PB: A couple things may happen if a piece of food gets "stuck in your pipe" as Heather refers to it. You aren't going to die. It's not like it gets stuck and you need the Heimlich. But if a piece of food gets stuck, ain't nothing else going down until it moves or comes up. The first thing that may happen is a productive burp (PB). This is not throwing up. When something gets stuck, your slobber starts to build on top of it. For me, when this happens, I get a weird sensation in the back of my jaw. And if I wait long enough, I will have to get somewhere private (hopefully) and let it come up. What comes up is this weird slime/foam combo. It doesn't hurt. And hopefully...it moves whatever is stuck. Sometimes though, it takes a little more work. Sometimes that one piece of food I didnt chew enough will be down there for hours. And then, it's not PBing. It's sort of like dry heaving until that piece comes up. There is a tightness in the chest...a pressure. It's not fun. I will say that not everyone gets stuck or PB's. And most of us would agree that when we do get stuck...it's our fault. We eat without being present, we didn't chew, we ate too fast. Restriction and Tips for Eating: Unless you are extremely lucky, you will not awake from surgery with perfect restriction. Some docs put a little liquid in your band to start with, others wait. I had to wait 6 weeks for my first fill. And again, unless you are the rare case, you probably won't get restriction with your first fill. It took me several fills before I had good restriction. ASK your doctor what his/her fill policy is. Some docs are super restrictive with their fills. They only fill on a schedule. They don't care whether or not you have restriction. All I know is if Dr. Friedman hadn't let me tell him that I was ready for a fill...and if he had made me wait regardless of what I could eat...I wouldn't have been as successful as I was. You will know you have restriction when you have it. It's sort of like having sex. If you have to wonder if you had an orgasm or not...um...you probably didn't. Restriction will keep you full and satisfied for 3-4 hours. You will be able to eat less. Restriction DOES NOT RESTRICT YOUR BRAIN. You may still mentally crave things. You will have to learn the difference between head hunger and physical hunger. This is very hard. When you do have good restriction, you will have to change the way you eat. This is easier said than done. You should be taking small bites. For example, if you are eating steak, you need to cut that sucker up into pea sized bites. You need to chew. Then, set your fork down and wait a few seconds. You should eat sitting down. You should pay attention to what you are doing. You will learn that things like eating in the car is rarely going to end well. (Always have your emergency PB kit in your car. A couple of bags, some papertowels or handywipes. Trust me.) You probably shouldnt drink with your meal or for 30 minutes after. liquids can help push your food down...thus...cheating the band. How much weight will I lose? How quickly will I lose it? Now you know that there is no one answer for this. Statistically, Lapband patients lose around 40% of their excess weight. SO, if you are 100 pounds overweight, statistically you will lose 40 pounds. I hate statistics. And remember, they are an average. 17 more pounds lost and I will have lost 100% of my excess weight...and I am not alone. It can happen. However, there are so many factors that go into how much and how fast. Genetics, age, diet history, personal support, family life, exercise. Some weeks I lost 7 pounds. Some weeks I gained 5. The weeks I gained, I gained because I ate poorly. I cheated the band The weeks I lost, I ate and made healthy choices. There are some weeks, even when I WAS doing the right thing...I didn't lose. It can be frustrating. But you can't give up. You will have to keep upping your game. At some point, even with the band, you will either have to adjust your food or exercise. But, I feel like the band is "cheating". I feel like if I have WLS, I am weak. I'm gonna tell you what. Who gives a flying monkey's ass?! Cheating what? Cheating early death? Cheating sleep apena? Cheating high blood pressure, sore joints, diabetes? I say CHEAT AWAY then. There is no shame in WLS. It's not about will power. It's not about failing. It is about trying to find a tool that works to give you some power, give you your health. I tell whoever wants to know or will listen about the band. And yes, I have heard "Oh...well...I thought you did it the hard way"...or "hmmm...that must be nice". I say listen FOOL. There ain't nothing easy about the band. It makes some things easier but it is still work. And I find that people either give you 'tude about the band bc they are afraid or jealous or because they don't understand. Either way, that is okay. I will educate or I will ignore. I feel like if I were to say "oh, I am just watching my diet and working out"...that I would be lying by omission. AND, my real fear is that someone who is overweight will think "Well, Amy did it "the old fashioned way", and they will feel like a failure when they try and do not succeed. Will my relationship fall apart if I have the surgery? We all hear the stories of what happens when someone has WLS. The divorce rate and seperation rate is a little higher for us. There are several reasons. One, for some of us....when we lose weight, we become a different person...or the person we would have been if our bodies hadn't been our enemies so long. Our expectations may change, we may want more. OR, our partners may not be able to deal with the new us. OR, as in any relationship...sometimes it's just time to move on. I don't think that having WLS should make you fear losing or changing your partner anymore than the normal person. There are tons of bandsters out there still happy and maybe even happier with their significant other. Sometimes though, even though we can't see it or don't want to admit it...we have settled. And once you start to shed your cloak of security or denial...you realize you deserve more (too bad we don't realize that to begin with. Long story short...people change and grow...with or without weightloss surgery.Are you worried about complications: No. But most days I am not a worrier about things that may or may not happen. I heard recently that the stats for band slipping are about 5% and for erosion, about 1-2%. Slipping for example, can be avoided most of the time and according to the docs...is easy to fix. Erosion is of course a little more scary. But I hope that by always paying attention to my body, my band, and how I am feeling...I can avoid it or if it ever happens...catch it early.Do fills hurt? Mine never do. My doc has never done one under fluoro. He gives me a numbing shot and then the fill.How many fills do you have to have? To get restriction, it took me 4. My first year I had around 6 fills. My second year, I had 2.Will you ever have the band taken out? Lord I hope not. Even now that I am at goal weight and weight loss is more of what I do instead of what the band does for me...it's always there. It's my safety net. It will keep me from ever being 327 pounds again.Why did you choose the band over other options? I was 28 when I decided on the surgery. I didn't want my stomach cut apart. I still wanted to be able to absorb my nutrients. I wanted to be able to eat sugar and other things without getting physcially ill. I liked that the removal of the band was a possibility if something went wrong. I liked the idea of being able to control my restriction. And even though I bitched and complained along the way, I liked the idea of a slower weight loss (vs Gastric bypass). It gave my skin and my brain a little more time to adjust.Did you know there are different brands of lapbands? I have the Allegran Lapband. Ask you doctor your choices and the differences. Mine is a 10-11cc band. Some are smaller.Were you worried about the loose skin? Barely. I figured I may look like a saggy deflated sack after I lost my weight, but I would rather be deflated then morbidly obese. And I am lucky. My skin is nowhere as bad as it could have been. Again, so many factors go into skin. Age, genes, working out, sun...etc. Would you do it again? In a heartbeat my friends. In a heartbeat. It was the best decision of my life. It was a tremedous catalyst for change. I can't think of one negative consequence of the band.

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to 4 weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to 4 weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

Hi Everyone- It has been on my mind lately to start a new post as a positive, motivational, and inspiring thread. I have noticed several threads lately where those considering surgery are asking if it is 'possible' to lose 100 pounds with the band. My answer to that is...Yes, it definitely is. Many say it is not realistic. But I have watched the amazing progress of LBT members on the board, and believe it is not only realistic, it is happening to many of our LBT members all around us. And for those that aren't quite there yet, many members are extremely close. As time goes by with lapband increasing in popularity and the number of LBT members growing everyday, I believe the list is only going to increase by leaps and bounds. Any and all weight loss is a huge accomplishment for us all. While I realize that many members don't need to lose 100 pounds or more, many do. And for those who do, it offers not only motivation to see that other bandsters have done it...but most importantly it offers the hope that it can be done with the band! This will be a running thread to offer positive motivation, inspiration, hope, and encouragement. Please PM me or post here to have your name added to the growing list when you hit 100 pounds lost, or if you want your amount lost updated. Congratulations to everyone on any and all weight loss! Member/Amount Lost A1ikou 101 Alexandra 125 Alexra 125 Angie C 110 Anillacookie 125 Apryl Showers 101 Arcael 101 :welcomeB: Audrey 188 Ausie Jode 125 Aussie chick 152 Banded in KS 120 Babsyintx 154 Beachbum 102 BeckyinTexas 148 BelBo2 106 Bermy 118 BethinSeattle 164 Big Ethel 132 Bigmom 115 Bigolalaskan 200 :wow2: Big Paul 150 Brittwoman 123 Burnsun 124 Bushbaby 101 Cadydid 102 Cambron KD 110 CaramelDiva1922 106 Carlene 130 Chunk 100 Cmstant 101 Corinnasue 125 Coyotegirl 107 Dadunwoody 132 DCPrincess 123 DebMoses (Wife of Frank) 135 DeltaDawn 132 Desertmom 132 Donali 100 Donovine 130 DowMoses (Frank) 165 Eleebana2 136 Emileekaye 104.5 Emmy27 117 Fauxnaif 110 FighterGirl 120 Firegirl 115 Fireman20 115 Firemanschic 142 Fionna 203 :wow2: Fran21497 101 Frisky 146 Fuelman 230:wow2: GayleTX 100 :welcomeB: Giveyouthemoon 100 Glossylips9084 227 :wow2: Gurly 101 Happenin'wa 240:wow2: Heathergurl 129 :welcomeB: Hodegard 113 IamCanadian25 110 Illude 376 :wow2: :wow2: :wow2: Iluvsammys 115 Itsyvonne 110 Jack 102 Jackal1209 201 :wow2: Jammin and Losin 100 Janie 132 Jqpublic 118 Julie Dizz 170 JulieK 101 JulieNYC 100 Kimmcneely 100 KLM3hrt 109 Ktbanded 100 Our 100th member!!!!!!!!!:clap2: La Madam 104 Lapbandit 105 Leighhoffman 140 Lioness81970 109 LisanJason 100 Lisaru2 118 MLJ 100 Melissalee 118 MicheleMonops 132 Michelle36 110 Molynn 100 Monymo 110 Moonshadow 132 MsButterKup23 112 Mstein 156 Muffinbirdie 125 Nigel 100 Nora33 106 Old 100 OUSooner 108 Patty103 105 PFernandez 100 Puddinpie 100 Rere49 151 Rharriet62 100 Rockin' Robyn 157 Sascijo 101 ShellyJ 133 Shirley77519 103 :welcomeB: Shirley Rohr 116 Sue72704 144 Sunni 116 Sunnykim 102 Suzan72704 154 Tamazon 59 100 Terese 156 TexasBlueBonnet 132 Thinkthin 101 Those eyes 2004 143 Tilly 128 Tracy in Texas 112 Tricia 115 Vera 115 Wheetsin 103 Whippledaddy 108 YiannisD 158 Zennie98 150 :welcomeB: 121 Members of the LBT 100 Pound Club and Growing!!! (or I should say shrinking )

So I've survived ONE entire week banded!!! After 7 long days of GAS and recovery, I'm feeling GREAT!!! Thank the stars above!!! I'm still adapting to the shakes/broths/fluid thing. Didn't know that a Multivitamin right away! Duh! I read a bit ago that someone was taking calcium! Am I supposed to be taking that too? With the gas gone, I am able to feel a. Lil hungry here and there. I've added bananas to my shakes and have been eating some soup. (so far so good, when eaten at a moderate pace!) I've failed to pay attention recently to the lifting of my child and I'm paying for it! OUCH!! (the largest of the incisions s feeling kinda achy) I have to admit I've purchased my first SCALE!!! lol and amazingly I'm down 15 lbs from my surgery date!!! This is picking up and becoming so much more positive!! Maybe even fun!! Lol thank you to all of the support and shared information!!

Help me please! I'm sure this discussion has been covered before, but I need opinions on Protein shakes about to start my post-op diet. I hate anything that has that "Diet" taste. I can tolerate "SugarFree" a little more jello's and such, but I'd like to know what you think the best tasting protein shake? I'm into anything fruity Strawberries, stuff like that. Also what should a grocery list look like what would you recommend? Thanks

Jim, the one thing the band has given me I never felt I had before is CONTROL. For the first time in my overweight life, I feel like I'm the one calling the shots. I think of the band as a helper in my weight loss journey, and it's given me the edge I never had before. I've lost nearly 120 pounds in 9 months since being banded, and I don't ever see myself going back. I could never say that before. So would I do this again? Absolutely. As you're doing your research, keep in mind that those who are having issues are the ones who post online. People not having a problem are out living their lives, and are happy with their decisions. Those who are unwilling to follow the rules a bandster needs to follow are often the ones who complain the loudest, and in the most places. They expect the band will do all the work for them, and they refuse to take responsibility for how they manage [or don't manage] their banded lives - so it's no wonder a lot of them are having problems. So take those problem posts and complaints with a huge grain of salt. (That's not to say there aren't honest issues out there, but I don't think it's as dreadful as a lot of people make it out to be. And if banding was such a terrible option, it wouldn't be promoted like it is by Medicare and all the insurance companies. Certainly not to the point that low-BMI banding is becoming an option for those who don't have as much to lose as others.) Another thing to think about is that certain boards are promoters of their version of surgery. So on a bandster board you'll hear positives about banding, and negatives about bypass or sleeve. On sleeve sites you'll hear bad stuff bout banding. And so forth. So step back and take it all in, but keep it in perspective. I think all in all, you'll find banding is a great option, if you're willing to get out of your chair and do the work it takes to be successful. If you aren't willing to be proactive in your weight loss, another surgical option may be a better choice for you. Good luck with your decision, whichever way you decide to go. Dave

If I could do it over I would do it years earlier!

Call the insurance company and ask them which would work fastest. Then call the doctors and talk to them.

So I've learned a few things about snacking lately, six years into my journey. I've always been a 3meals, no Snacks kinda dieter, only becuase once I start to snack, I really have trouble stopping. That's because I snack on snack foods, d'oh. Simple, evil, white carbs that leave you wanting more, so you suddenly decide stuff it, I've had 2 Cookies, now I'm gonna eat the rest of the packet. Recently I had an ileostomy reversal, so that now my colon is doing its job again and after nine months, I'm back to doing number 2's the regular way. This is not an easy surgery and it takes a long long time for the body to recover and adjust, I have no rectum anymore. What I've found is that my insides are just so messed up through chemotherapy, radiation and havign to adjust to working again that I simply cannot even think about eating a regular sized meal - even a regular sized bandster meal. First up, I was forced to live on white carbs - white bread, rice, Pasta, mashed potato, rice bubbles and other cereals were all I could manage, with some chicken, tuna etc and I couldnt even think about fruit and veg and yeah, I actually had trouble keeping my weight stable despite eating hardly anything - those foods pack the fat on faster than you can blink. So now I've managed to transition to healthier foods again, but in order to avoid awful bouts of gas, bloating, flatulence that would fell a horse and diarrhoea/urgency, I need to eat six small mini meals, rather than anything approaching a normal sized meal. What I've found is that it is MUCH easier to not overeat, with this constant input, I'm having trouble reaching 1200 calories a day! I'm a bit gobsmacked, but I guess the moral of the story is that if you're a snacker and want to eat this way - then you need to abandon the idea of "meals". For me, Breakfast, lunch and dinner would be too large to allow the calories for snacks as well even though I mean large by bandster definitions. So, I had a half a cup of greek yogurt with a few teaspoons of muesli for breakfast - a teeny serve of nuts and dried fruit at mid morning - a small tin of tuna, 4 crackers and some sliced cucumber for lunch, I'm planning a puree apple snackpack and babybel cheese for the afternoon and then I have whatever the family's having for dinner, but just the amount that will fit on a saucer. There's not a cookie or traditional "snack" to be seen in that plan, which is how it needs to be for me, nor is there really a "meal" which I define as containing some sort of carbohydrate. If you can do that, snacking's great. If you still want "meals" and simply add snacks, then its not so great.

I have always been a snacker. I disagree with doc.'s who say no snacking. I think healthy planned Snacks are fine. They are necessary for me to keep from getting too hungry inbetween meals. I snack mostly on nuts and lowfat cheese. I lost 107 pounds in 10 months. Now that I am maintaining I've added some fruit into my snacking/dessert. Hope this helps. I think the bottom line is that snacks are ok, even good, but they must be planned and fit into your overall eating plan. That is very different then mindlessly or impulsivly digging into a bag of chips.