Oregondaisy

That is such good news Crispy! I am really happy for you. You had to kiss a few frogs along the way, but it sounds like it was really worth it.:biggrin:

I don't have an answer to the question about preop diets and insurance. I was a self pay so I didn't have to fool around with the insurance company at all. I am really lucky that I can eat anything I want. I still get food stuck if I am not careful to chew enough. The other day I was craving a McDonald's cheeseburger so I ate one. It didn't give me any trouble. When I read that about the cheeseburger, it reminded me that in the almost year and a half since I was banded I have had 3 cheeseburgers. Two junior whoopers and one McDonald's. Sometimes I take some of the bread off. I just chew it up until it's liquid in my mouth. I would probably be much thinner if ice cream and candy didn't go down as easy as it does. I have been under a lot of stress these past few months and just like before, sweets are my downfall when I am upset or stressed. For the most part though, I still get full on tiny little meals and don't eat much at all. It's great not to be hungry and think about food all the time.

That is great news! I can only hope someday it will happen for me too.

I have never added water to it. I just put it in my protein shakes. I will try adding water to it and making it like regular peanut butter.

I never thought about that. Rose probably is already pregnant. For the most part, Grey's is just another soap and that is what soaps do.

Are you cutting your meat into tiny eraser sized bites and chewing it until it's liquid in your mouth? Don't forget that as you lose weight, you will lose fat around your stomach and the band will get looser. Hopefully, that will help you to enjoy your meals more.

I don't think this is particularly funny but I have a recent experience. It's been a long time since I got food stuck and I got careless. I didn't chew well enough and it was time to take my dad back to his assisted living place. I was sliming like crazy. Every couple of blocks I had to stop the car open the door and spit. My dad doesn't know I am banded. Luckily, my mom had this problem where she had to have her esophagus stretched. My dad told me to go and have that surgery that my mom had when she was throwing up all the time.

I almost did buy a truck load. I accidently ordered twice as much as I intended to. I know I will use it though!

Wow! I feel honored! I love my band and I am very happy if I can help anyone. It was a long road to get here in the beginning. Sometimes I got really discouraged and felt like it just wasn't going to work. I am really lucky that I only live 5 min from our doctor. If I wasn't able to get in for fills and unfills, I am sure I wouldn't have been as successful. It was tricky for me to get the right fill since Dr. T doesn't use fluro. But he got it right through trial and error and now I am one happy bandster. I wish WasA wasn't having band problems:frown: I have already lost 3 of the 5 lbs I gained while I was on my ice cream diet in Arizona. By the way, where is this plateau busting diet? I am actually still in an overweight BMI and it would be great to be able to lose just a little bit more. I picked this goal weight not because of a BMI, but because I said from the beginning I would be happy just to be in a size 12.

Isn't it great?! The important thing to remember is that the feeling won't last until you get close to goal. That's the reason we keep going back for fills. Wendall Edward's post about how the band works, fills and unfills explains it very well. It's a sticky on the main part of the board. The band gets looser as we lose fat around our stomach and we need another fill, until most of the fat is just plain gone!

I agree Mindy. My friend had a 5 by pass heart surgery and they told her it would only last 5-10 years. Her husband had a knee replaced and he was told the same thing. The weight loss is wonderful but it scares me when I think about having something wrapped around my stomach.

It may loosen up on it's own because as you lose weight, you lose part of the fat pad around the stomach. This causes the band to loosen. I was too tight for about 6 weeks where all I could get down was Soup or Protein shakes. I talked to my surgeon and he said if it was going to loosen, it would have done so by that time. If you are not throwing up, and able to keep soup and Protein Shakes down, you can give it about a month. If you get to a point where you are having trouble keeping liquids down, go and get a slight unfill. These things cause swelling inside which just compounds the problem. Let me know if you have any other questions.

People seem to have the impression that if they go in for an unfill, they will stop losing weight. Often it is the opposite. When you are too tight and need and unfill, your body is not going to give up any weight loss. Many people have said that they went in for an unfill and started losing again. Getting an unfill does not mean being completely unfilled. The tiniest of unfills can make the difference between being able to eat like a normal person or throwing up and sliming every day. Retriction does not mean throwing up or sliming . It means being able to eat a small amount of food, and feeling full and staying full for a few hours. It is a VERY fine line between being too tight and the sweet spot. It took me about 8 fills and unfills to get it right. Now that I am at goal, I haven't needed a fill or an unfill since December. I can eat anything I want, just not very much of anything. If anyone can't eat all day long until evening, I am telling you this is not normal. It's normal to be tighter in the daytime, but not to the point where you can't eat. Feel free to send me a private message if you are having problems and wondering if you need an unfill. Being too tight is dangerous!

Cold Stone is very dangerous! I was out of town selling all my dad's things and getting his house ready to put on the market. It was very stressful and Cold Stone hit the spot. It would be terrible for me if there was a Cold Stone where I live. I gained 5 lbs while I was gone but I have already lost 3 of them. That's the great part of the band. I am really not hungry and it's pretty easy to eat right and be satisfied on such a small amount of food.

Well that just plain stinks. I am happy that my dvr did record the new shows. We should go to that network's page and complain!

I would love to be a snow bird. I am only back from Arizona for a few days and I am freezing. It makes me sad that my dad's house is for sale and if it sells, I won't have anywhere to stay. Part of me wishes it won't sell, but he needs the money for his assited living rent. Airfare is getting ridiculous too with these gas prices. Now they are going to start charging extra if you don't want a middle seat. For anyone in bandster hell, I was able to blend in cottage cheese in tomato soup and that kept me full longer. I also blended cream of chicken soup and it felt more like dinner than a protein shake. It's worth it in the end! I have already lost 3 of the 5 lbs I gained from going crazy these past two weeks from being away from home. With the proper restriction, I am never really hungry and it's pretty great!

Sometimes I am afraid you are right. I haven't had any problems with mine, but sometimes I wonder if it's just a matter of time.

If you get the band and you did get restriction, you will feel full on a small amount of food. That is why it is different from dieting without the band. If you aren't ready to commit to not eating sugar like candy, Cookies and cake, maybe you are right. The band is not going to get rid of cravings for junk food. You do have to do your part in this in order to lose the weight. It is definitely not a magic cure.

I don't hate eating at all. I like the fact that sometimes I just forget to eat because I am not hungry. The first 6 months were hard. Now that I have been banded over a year, it's almost like I don't have a band. I know the size of portion I can eat, and that is what I fix. I can eat anything I want in small portions.

I have had problems after since getting banded. I tried the prunes, MoM, the psyllium husks and I drink over 64 oz of Water a day. Nothing seemed to help. I just got back from Arizona where it was very hot. I went to sell all of my dad's things and get him into assisted living. I was really stressed out and hot. I always crave ice cream when I am hot and stressed. I found it very strange that I had no troubles when I ate ice cream every day. I can't keep that up though!

Has anyone tried the powdered peanut butter? I like to put it in my protein shakes. It mixes in better and it's way less calories. I don't think it is possible to hijack this thread. Is anyone else having problems getting emails to their subscribed threads? I don't like having to go to my subscribed threads on the left hand side of the board. I liked clicking on my email to get to the thread. I wonder why it's changed. I checked my settings and I am supposed to be getting emails. BBK, that is awful. You already went through the surgery and it should have been done right the first time. Did you have your TT too?

They have been advertising that Private Practice is coming back in the fall. It's been really hard for me to get into Grey's since they took that long break from the strike. I hope they show the reruns over the summer. I think I might have missed some shows this season.

Yes, It's pretty common for the band to tighten up after flying. I have no idea why. Some people say it's the altitude, but it makes no sense to me. I have talked to quite a few people who have problems after flying. I have to be really careful after flying. One time I was awake most of the night with terrible heartburn. I had to go on liquids for a couple of days after flying. Now I know to be really careful, eat soft foods and eat slowly taking small bites.

You are way too sweet. It was my pleasure and I am so glad you live somewhere where we can get together!

Check out the recipe section of this board. There are a bunch of things suggested for the liquid stage.