♥LovetheNewMe♥

Missy's advice is good and is what a lot of us who have been successful have done. Only eating 3 meals a day without snacks is very very hard and does not help your metabolism either. I realize a lot of people thought they would never have to count calories again but even with the band you need to understand how much your body needs in calories to maintain your current weight and you must eat 500 calories less a day than your body needs in order to lose weight. It talks 3500 calories less per week to lose one pound. I did what Missy did I had my 3 planned meals a day but I supplemented with a protein shake or bar morning and afternoon with a piece of fruit for crunch. It has worked for me tor 2 years. Even with the band there is a balance between what you intake to help you lose. If you eat too little your body will plateau and you will also lose muscle mass instead of fat. You also have to exercise daily, it can be a simple as walking, but you need to get your heart rate up so it will burn fat. All of these things are key to weight lose, the band alone just sits there like any other piece of exercise equipment we all have purchased over the years. The band is a WL aide and that is all, the only thing that can help you lose weight is you and what you put in your mouth. Good luck and know we understand your frustration but you need to analyze what your eating, how your eating, the amount your eating and how much you are moving,

What do you consider slow, 1-2 lbs a week. It took me two years to lose 120lbs.

While trying to lose weight I ate between 900 - 1000 calories for 2 years. I did not increase my calories to 1200 until the last 30 lbs and I needed the extra calories for working out and doing strength training. Not to be critical, I do not think a DQ Blizzard is on our list of healthy choices. While trying to lose weight high calorie deserts and food choices should be avoided, try a healthy alternative a banana or apple. I know boring but you have to decide what you want to lose weight and be healthy or to continue to eat the same garbage that brought you to this site. I chose to eat healthy and it pays off and so did Floridays. You can't lose the amount of weight we have lost and continue to eat the same way. Get over the guilt and tomorrows another day.

Your skin may sag depending on how long it has been stretched out over the extra weight. I lost my weight slow and I look pretty good but could still do with a mini tummy tuck.

Well, this is what I know and would do. I work with a girl who is 3 years from her original banding, she did lose 90% of her weight but she lost it not the healthiest way. She was constantly allowing her band to be to tight and she would vomit and spit up frequently. 3 weeks ago she started having abdominal pain and it had come to the point she could hardly tolerate any solid foods and only small amounts of liquids. She had a fluro exam and it reveled that her band had slipped and her stomach pouch had pulled through the band and was ganging over the band. When she would eat, the food would go into the pouch that was hanging over the band and the pain would come from the stomach trying to push the food back up through the band. I understand this exam is expensive but if your band has slipped there are more serious consequences. Maybe the hospital will allow you to make payments on the procedure. I am not going to lecture you on what you eat or why this has happened because it sounds to me like you are beating yourself up enough. I hope you can get the help you need and can get your head in the right place so you can lose the weight you desire to lose. Good luck.

Thanks for the info.

Yes you can, as stated above you are the subscriber and have right to your own info.

Mine lasted several weeks, 2-3, now I hardly know it is there unless I bump it or panty hose rub over it.

Agree with above some potatos are fine but if you want to stay satisfied you need protein. I added unflavored protein powder to cream soups, mashed potatos and yogurt. I also drank more shakes during this stage. it is important to try to get 60-70 gms of protein or at least try to get 50 gms.

I struggled with chicken for a long time and still do if it is dry. I have learned to cook so meats say moist and I rarely heat anything up in the microwave, it drys it out. I went through a phase after my third fill where for months I only ate seafood and ground turkey or deli meats. Eggs are another issue for me some days. Even after two years I still have to wait to eat in the mornings or I will get that little stuck feeling in the back of my throat and I have to eat very slow. All I can say is that it does get better.

I had a lot of reflux in the beginning and took meds for the first year, as I lost weight that got better. If you are refluxing when your sleeping you may have to have an unfil because of potential to aspirate. Good luck.

I like many had a high BMI over 40 but I wish I had done something sooner, when I was younger. I had surgery at 54 and over the past 20 years I have lost and gained the same 100lbs over and over again. I seriously hope with lap band I have finally learned how to eat and keep this weight off. Before surgery I was told your not fat enough just go on a diet you can lose the weight. (5' over 250 is fat, got pictures to prove it) Now all I hear is how skinny I am and don't lose anymore weight. I weigh 130. Well guess what, I really could care less what they think, I love me, I love how I feel about me and I am the only one I need to please. Do I sound a little selfish well it is about damn time.

Gas is normal even a couple weeks after surgery. I hate to tell you this but you are going to find out that gas, burping, farting, constipation, etc may be new things you experience as you get used to the band. Some foods can really mess my tummy up and it is trial and error. I loved broccoli before surgery but it is very hard for me to digest post surgery and gives me gas really bad, also brussel sprouts and beans. And as for is it worth it, I would say "Hell Yes!" I used to be a size 24 and now I am a size 4. So a little gas, belching, farting and tummy discomfort are well worth it to me.

Gas?? Not sure, but when i started working out with a trainer he took my dairy away also. There is a lot of calories and there is fat in dairy. Anyone else have an idea why?

Not sure how long you have been banded but what I could eat two years ago and what I can eat today are totally different. I can eat lobster if it is cooked really well, now if it is over cooked and a little over cooked I can not eat but I can't eat shrimp that is over cooked either. Maybe it was the way the lobster was cooked. But they do say shrimp and lobster are two foods that may be more difficult. If I lived in NE, I thin I would be in heaven for a while, I love seafood and yes we get fresh sea fo od in SC but no where near as fresh as NE. Oh and I do occassionaly allow myself fried clams or calamari but it is usually only 3-4 pieces, the breading fills me up and the fried foods make my stomach cramp.

Sorry your hungry but the closer it gets to your first fill the worse this can become. Concentrate on your portions and if hungry try and tick to healthy snacks, a piece of fruit, a protein shake or part of a protein bar, some yogurt or a SF snack. It is key to work on your head hungry and concentrate on your portion size even though your band has not been adjusted. Basically what I am saying is just because you may be able to eat more, don't, it only makes it harder. You are doing great but like you said you have a ways to go and you need to take this one day at a time and remember this is a life style change and there are a lot of bad behaviors to change. Good luck.

Stuck episodes are not fun but we cause them ourselves by not chewing, taking to large of a bite, etc. They do hurt and you almost always vomit and than it irritates your band and your not able to eat for 12 hours or more. Too many of these will cause your band to slip, so lessons we all learned the hard way, chew your food and take itty bitty bites.

You better start saving for some new boobs becasue I am here to tell you I used to be a D cup and now well let's just say, I think I need training bra again. I wonder if I could train them to stand up and point! Hmm, I may have to think on that one.

Never heard it called shelf butt, maybe buffet butt. I used to have a bubble butt ( my husband said it was a roll and tuck butt) but I have no butt at all these days. Well I do have an butt but it is itty bitty, hubby is always making comments about my tiny butt. So yes it is possible, I left mine with the belly and the boobs. don't have those either. But I hear you can buy a new butt and boobs. Why in the world would I want to pay money for what I just spent 2 years getting rid of. Now no comments about picking the girls up are necessary ladies and gents.

Our parents like others think they are helping by telling what we can see. i agree with above post, tell him how it makes you fell than move on.

I have a scale that talks to me it is called Wii and my husband says it is damn rude to him and he will not stand on it again. lol Great post!

lol, I have an image of this. I think you will be fine, if you are stuck really stuck you will know it.

I get asked this question all the time; How were you able to lose weight with Lap Band? Simple I followed the rules! I read on this web site all the time about every one hoping to get restriction and frustrated because their band is not tight enough, worried that they need more restriction. Well bandsters, the band and our weight loss is not about restriction, that is not the purpose of the band. The purpose is to slow down your eating so you eat less and become satisfied sooner. So if you are new or struggling, read below. I have lived by the rules of lapband throughout my 2 year journey. It has not always been easy and yes there were times I was hungry. This is not easy, it is a very emotional and personal journey. No two people react to the band alike and you have to have a lot of will power and want power. If you are on this site and had surgery, I know you have tried everything else and our now hoping the band is the answer to your prayers. Well it can be but it can also be the beginning of your nightmares if you do not make healthy choices. You and only you can make the band work and the sooner you figure this out the more successful you will be. I am now in my maintenance phase of this journey and living happy with lapband. I have worked hard and continue to work hard to make healthy choices to sustain everything I have worked hard to achieve. Is is easy no, but it gets easier everyday. You can be successful with lapband but you have to follow the rules. You have to become knowledgeable about the band and how it works. You have to deal with your behavioral issues surrounding food and you have to modify your behavior. If you do not do these things, you may lose weight but research has proved that successful WLS patients modify behavior. Below is an article from another site I wanted to share for all of you who are new and for those that are struggling and of course a reminder for us that have been successful. Good luck and success to all new and old, LovetheNewMe! EDIT/Addition added after original post: Just to give credit where credit is due this post came from Dr. Simpson's web site. This was a site I found very early in my band journey and have referenced it many times. It taught me things about the band that I was not aware of, it also is the site that helped me lose my last 30 lbs. this is the web address, check it out. He is one MD who coaches his patients that they can lose all of their weight. I read his book , "Losing the Last 30lbs" and it was very helpful. http://drsimpson.net/index.htm Weight loss surgery works by decreasing appetite-allowing people to eat less and utilize their fat stores more efficiently. What successful weight loss surgery DOES NOT stop you from eating anything. Whenever a patient says they don’t “feel restricted” it means they want the operation to do something that they won’t do for themselves. In this case, they want the operation to keep them from eating too much, or eating something. Successful patients DO NOT describe appetite suppression in that manner. This became clear when several groups showed that food remains above a well adjusted band for only a minute or less, not longer. It is not that the band keeps food from going through it - -it is the act of food going through the band that allows the satiety mechanism to go into effect. The study was simple – take a patient who is losing weight, and feels their band is at a good point. Give them food that they say satisfies them for a long time, and label the food with something we can see on an x-ray. We were shocked, and others repeated this experiment. But, then it all made sense. Whether they have a band, a bypass, a sleeve, or a DS – all of the operations allow a smaller amount of food to provide appetite suppression. Without that, appetite suppression does not occur. This is revolutionary in all aspects of patients – it is not “restrictive,” and having the band tight is not helpful. The bottom line is simple: solid food, slowly eaten, provides prolonged appetite suppression. This can be all overcome by: eating too fast (for band patients this leads to esophageal dilation, erosion, or slips or by drinking liquid calories, or soft food. What works for our patients who have had long term success: Measuring the food they eat Not depending on the band to tell them when to stop Not depending on the band to tell them when they are too full The Lap-band will NOT tell you when you are “full” The band will NOT stop you from eating “more” food So the latest revolution in weight loss is not in a new tool, it is in those four simple words that will keep your tool sharp: eat small portions slowly.

I am so sorry for your troubles and all the heartache this must have caused you. This is my advice for what it is worth. First you need to get a handle on your emotional eating, I understand you can not go back to your physician at this time but do the have free support groups? This may be a place to start, Another suggestion is to join WW, I know we are not on a diet but WW is a minimal in cost and it is a group of people who can lend support and help you get back control over your head hunger. The five day pouch test may work, I have no idea, never tried it. Maybe if you start tracking your foods on MFP this may help you realize what you are eating. First and foremost you need to start believing in yourself again and not allow the past mistakes continue to drive your future. You did this once and you can do it again.