bigdaddynomo

One week since second fill and man what a difference. I can't eat much at all. I've slimed and PB'd about 50% of the time. Got to eat slower and chew more. Even liquids take a while to go down. Weight should really start going down now.

I think re-learning how to eat slow and eat small bites and give yourself time between bites is the answer. Our eating habits were developed, in my case, over 54 years of eat quick, eat everything, and just eating because whatever it is tastes good. Its the behavior modification that will be the key and the band keeps giving you that reminder. My worry is that if I PB too much then I'm risking a slip or erosion. The doctor says the new way they anchor the band to the stomach has greatly reduced the chances of that but if you don't minimize those occurences of PB then your risk goes up. I'm getting better at doing all these things.

I don't regret anything. In fact I keep telling myself that when I PB or slime that is just one more reminder that I have to slow down and chew my food. That is how the bands work and we were pretty out of control with eating. I see my son who is 16 doing the same bad habits. About PB's they are not as bad a a real puke...no acid or digested food. It just kinda comes up and you spit it out. You and control when it happens which happens to be just enough time to walk to the bathroom. As for the golf swing my game is better than ever so you have a lot to look forward too. Don't worry.

I still have trouble with water or liquids when I gulp to much or too fast. They will come back up. It seems like it is a reflex action of the esophogus(sic) to bring it back up when you over do it. The pouch is only like a little bigger than a golf ball and my doctor wants to tighten it so that even with liquids the Fluid has to sit there for a second or two and then it drains through. One thing that bugs me is that I don't get a good full feeling before I get into trouble and have to PB.

It is weird but even 1/2 cc can make the difference between getting liquids down or not. My first fill was similiar to yours but just go with it and on the second one he will probably get it tuned in. This last fill was so tight that I still can't gulp liquids or I get it back and I have to eat really slow or else it comes back up. My doctor uses fluroscope to adjust. This last fill has lasted two months and I'm still pretty tight.

I went out about 4 weeks after and the dr. said try swinging a few times and make sure it feels ok and if so then go for it. I had no problem.

When you do your walking, bike, treadmill, elliptical, etc. use a heartrate monitor. Keep your heartrate between 65-85% of maximum. Take 200 minus your age to get max heartrate. You won't over exert yourself and get all the soreness and the fatique that people get when they over do it. You are more likely to keep doing your cardio exercise when you use a monitor. It also acts as a coach to let you know when to step up the pace or slow down. After a couple of weeks you will notice your resting HR will go down and more effort is required to keep up your HR. These are all signs your getting into better shape. The internet is full of info on using them to get the most from your exercise time.

Just remember, don't gulp your liquids and when you get some soft food, little bites. The gulping can cause a lot of pain. Have fun. I'm glad I did it. Now go walk.

That's why the protein is so important. You have to keep the protein intake up over 100 grams a day so you don't loose muscle and have some available to build it as your exercise increases. Sounds like your going to have to like those protein drinks.

I could not handle any of the Protein drinks till I tried "Nectar Ice tea" flavor. It is still nasty but I could get it down without too much trouble. I found slim fast and other canned Meal Replacement stuff hard to take right after surgery. Your stomach swells and you need stuff to be really thin for the first week or so till that subsides.

I'll like to get in on the competition. I was banded Jan 8th. Had two fills. The last one really has slowed me down. I can't eat much or drink too fast or up it comes. Exercise is really getting easier. I do about 50 minutes on the ellipitical trainer and the dr. is after me to start weights. I'm sorta in a plateau so I need a kick to get going again.

I was not required to have a cardiac clearance before surgery, but my wife had gastric bypass and I remembered they did a cardio-lite test. Because of my family history and being over 50 I asked if I could do it and he wrote me up. Good thing. I passed the stress test but failed the re-perfusion part of the scan after the treadmill. Had a angiogram and found the left anterior descending artery(the widow maker) to be 80% blocked. He put a stent in and man did I feel better. The only drawback is that you have to wait for about a year before you go back and get the Lap band. I think it saved my life. Don't skimp on the tests, but get the cardio-lite test rather than just a stress test.

My wife had gastric bypass(she was a sugar-a-holic)and lost about 110 lbs. Then I went and had the lap-band. I think she is jealous because the band is better in terms volume control and none of the vitamin stuff. We are getting skinny together for our retirement. It makes it easy when eating out if both of you are doing it. Bring on the warm weather!

Sounds pretty common. I had to learn to sip and not gulp liquids during the first two weeks. I had extreme stomach pain from gulping and the gas above the band is from the big gulps. Once I stopped and sipped then that all went away. Also, the stomach swells a bit right after surgury and it almost won't let anything pass and that's why they like us to stay with liquids and soft mushy stuff till that subsides. Mine lasted two weeks. I had a PB sliming thing one morining at the airport that was caused by me gulping and eating to fast trying to get breakfast in before the flight. Good Luck

Fill is working. Volume of food is way down. Staying with protein now. Scale is not moving much but clothes are falling off. Will have to go shopping soon. Restriction is such that I have to eat really really slow and very small bites. Food gets cold and I give up and stop. I PB or slime about 50% of the time. It is weird some days nothing causes problems then the next I can't keep anything down.

Fill is working. Volume of food is way down. Staying with protein now. Scale is not moving much but clothes are falling off. Will have to go shopping soon. Restriction is such that I have to eat really really slow and very small bites. Food gets cold and I give up and stop. I PB or slime about 50% of the time. It is weird some days nothing causes problems then the next I can't keep anything down.

One week since second fill and man what a difference. I can't eat much at all. I've slimed and PB'd about 50% of the time. Got to eat slower and chew more. Even liquids take a while to go down. Weight should really start going down now.

Just got back from the Dr. I'm running a little ahead of schedule for weight loss and down to 229. His scale was better today than mine, but I'll go by his. Since the first fill I never had much in the way of restriction. The only thing that would happen was if I ate too fast then I would slime and eventually puke it up. In fact I was running late at the airport yesterday and stopped to eat the inside of a breakfast burrito and then it started just as I was heading to the gate. Here I am stopping at every trash can along the way spitting up slime. I even hit the can on the jetway. Finally got to the bathroom on the plane and got it up. I'm sure I grossed out a bunch of people. Anyway it feels tighter today. When I drink liquids they go down but then I feel full and they sort of start back up like they can't make up their mind. January bansters are doing great, keep it up!:clap2:

I've been stuck since before my fill on Feb 6th. I had been walking at the gym on the treadmill and that wasn't kicking my metabolism up enough to lose weight. Keep calories at around 1200 but since the fill I had a week with restriction and sliming and PB but I never felt full. I was just eating too fast or not chewing. Got another fill scheduled for March 28th. Now at the gym twice a day for a total of 90 minutes/day and the scale just dropped a pound. It appears I'm losing inches and clothes fit loose now. I'm hoping for restriction with fullness with the next fill. Six weeks and not much to show for it.(at least on the scale)

I went back to work in three days. You might just have to eat soup. I had problems with re-training myself to eat slow, sip liquids(rather than gulp). I went the first two weeks on liquids only. Don't push to go solid till you just can stand it. Since then at business functions I stay with soup. I've had occasions where I PB'd & slimed and you don't want that in front of a group of people.

I had mine done on monday went into work for a half day thursday.

This is good information to know.

I had a fill on Feb 6th and I felt it right away. Problem was that I really did not feel full after eating. I could tell when I eat too fast or did not chew(got the slime and the pb) but the food volume did not cause me to quit eating any sooner than before. I've been eating around 1200 calories/day and it seems my metabolism has slowed to where I don't lose any weight. I'm now going to the gym twice a day for about 90 minutes total and the scale is just starting to move. But I've been plateaued for about four weeks. Dr. says to come back in two months but I'm tempted to get another one sooner.

One thing that happened after banding was when I got back on solids I just flat quit losing. I started walking(like the 10,000 step/day thing) and I started losing again. I've had on fill and right now the only thing it does is let me know that I've either eaten to fast or did not chew enough. I've kept calories at no more than 1500 and usually below 1000 and it was weird how I still did not lose any weight. But that has changed and I'm back on track. Looks like less beer, more golf, and a lot more walking.

No one liked beer more than I. I was a volume drinker and the band has changed all that. I tried to drink one at a super bowl party and could not get half of it down before I was bloated to the max. Switched to vodka and crystal lite. Dr. says carbonated stuff can stretch out the pouch so I'm careful now. When I get down to my goal maybe I might rethink it. Good Luck