Woodslass

Just checking in - how is everyone doing? I went on vacation this month for 2 weeks to visit relatives, and had a family reunion and a wedding to go to as well while I was there. I gained 5 lbs but lost it again after I got home - I think some of it was probably Water weight as well. While I was there, I took my gym clothes and went walking every other morning, so that definitely helped! I admit I ate anything and everything I wanted, just in moderation, and I only had two episodes of PBing so that was great. I weighed myself this morning and my 10 lbs for the month are now gone, and actually I lost 5 of those twice! I think things are getting easier with me. I still haven't had a fill past my third one which was 1/2 a cc, I'm still not exercising as much as I should, but I'm 60 lbs down now and still on track. The holiday season is approaching and I'm not even scared of it - how about you?

WOOHOO! Congrats Brenda, you are an inspiration

Doreenviv, I had the same problem for a while about needing to PB right after I started eating. I think I was doing it just about every day for months, and when I talked to my surgeon about it, he explained it like this. Your stomach has three strong muscles around it. These muscles are the ones that contract and relax, moving food through your system (and also cause your tummy to "growl" when you're hungry). For a Bandster, we often don't have a lot in the stomach if we are not snacking between meals. When you sit down to eat a meal, these muscles are eager to go to work and are very stimulated when you smell the food, see the food, and first bite goes in and chewing starts. The stomach anticipates the food about to arrive and the muscles clench up all the way to the opening of the band. So if you eat too fast, with bites that are too large, the food can't go down at all and you'll start sliming and usually end up bringing it back up. My surgeon told me that the first 2 to 5 bites are critical in a meal. So, what I've done is literally take a pea-sized bite as my first five bites, and take about 30 seconds between those bites with my fork down. I chew until it's disintegrated, and I'm not really swallowing as much as it just disappears. Once my stomach realizes that there's more food coming, it relaxes and I'm able to eat and not PB. This may not work for everyone, but it took me five months to finally get some answers to this and I have not PB'd since I started doing this except for some scrambled eggs the other morning (which I'm always tight in the morning and usually I don't eat at all). I also found that definitely not drinking during a meal has helped and was also a cause of PBing - I make sure I don't accidentally drink by not even having a drink next to my plate. If I dump a bunch of liquid on top of anything I definitely will be seeing it again! As for the two hamburgers - I haven't been able to sucessfully eat white soft bread since the day I was banded, but that's just me. With fills, your band opening is about the circumference of your pinky finger - it's not easy to get larger items down it, especially if it swells up. Good luck, I hope this helps you as it helped me!

Congrats, I know it's been a long frustrating road for you - I am very happy for you!

I'm still here too. I've lost a little over 50 lbs since my surgery on April 4th. I had been pretty steady at 10 lbs a month until this month when I only lost 4. I went in last Thursday and confessed that I had been PBing a lot over the last few weeks and I had fallen off the wagon a bit - was eating more carbs and exercise was pretty non-existent. I had a rough month with travelling for work - it's freaking impossible when you are in a business meeting for 9 hours and the only thing at lunch is catered Olive Garden. I had the salad but I needed the Protein to make me full - and left the Protein Bars at home - and ended up eating raviolis. I also must say that I still am not exercising hardly at all, because I just can't stand to get all sweaty. Doc told me to not get sweaty, I'm not trying to get in shape so I don't need to get the heart pumping and the sweat pouring, just get out and walk and do it for a sustained amount of time. So the next morning I took the dogs for a walk around the park near our house and back. I was a little sweaty but at least I was walking for 30 minutes. Going to do it again tomorrow I also found that I still am not eating small enough bites - it was explained to me (finally, after 5 months) that the first 3 to 5 bites have to be extra small and far apart and chewed to death. When there's nothing in the pouch or the stomach, the first bite causes the three muscles around the stomach to clench in anticipation, and that's when I found I would PB. So I've been in a near-constant state of swelling in my pouch for the last few months, which explains a lot. Since the visit (I had no fill and he didn't take any out) I haven't PB'd at all because I'm really watching those first few bites. Hurray! Swelling must be going down and I'm trying to pay more attention to eating protein. I'm finding that I'm still addicted to carbs, mainly bread. I haven't had rice or Pasta (except those two raviolis on my business trip0 or shrimp for months, but dammit I just can't stay away from the crackers and bread. Doc just flat out told me I need to get away from the bread and suck it up for a few weeks until the cravings go away - I keep trying but still find myself trying to eat it. You'd think I'd learn but I guess that's what addiction is all about. I've been good about no soda - haven't had anything carbonated since February 2nd. Not drinking my calories at all except a cup of coffee maybe twice a week with a spoonful of sugar. Otherwise I drink at least 6 16.9 oz bottles of Water a day, and even a diet Snapple here and there. It's those damn carbs! I am going to a family reunion in two weeks to Kentucky - where everything my relatives make is battered, buttered, fried and oh, so bad for me. I'm counting on my husband to yank me away from the trough...

At this point I don't think it matters how slow you are running - you're getting exercise. If you were trying to build muscle or "get fit" then actually doing it in a set time would be key; however, your goal (I assume) is weight loss. I just had a discussion with my doctor last Thursday and told him how much I hate getting sweaty. He looked surprised and told me that I didn't need to sweat, I just needed to move. He explained that just the effort of walking at a normal pace for a sustained amount of time would do me much better than going fast and getting sweaty and feeling like I'm going to pass out. So now I take the dogs for a walk around the park and come home instead of getting on the treadmill and trying to kill myself

Thought I'd share my own before and after, 52 lbs down since lap band surgery. I've gone down three sizes, from a 30/32 to a 22/24. The pants I'm wearing in my After shot were given to me by my sister, who has always (I think) consoled herself that at least she wasn't as overweight as I was....well that's no longer the case, since I'm wearing her clothes (muhuahahahah!) The before picture is from the night before I started my 2 week pre-op diet before surgery on April 5, 2011.

Thanks everyone!

If the calories are low, I say go for it

Fantastic, Rachel! I'm so proud of you - I also passed my 50 lb mark just last night. I'll see if my husband can dig out the photos he took of me before surgery and get him to take some tonight so I can do some comparison too:) You look mahvelous, dahling!

I would say it really depends on the calories, fat and nutrition you get from those vs a red snapper filet or slice of grilled salmon. Do you not usually like fish and that's why you want them in something that tastes like junk food? I haven't tried them. I usually treat myself to a really nice piece of fish - I'll go to Whole Foods and choose a salmon filet from the butcher case, or some fresh red snapper or haddock, and either grill it on a plank on the barbeque, bake it with white wine and lemon in foil, or pan sear it. I'm trying like crazy to stay away from extra carbs.

Yes, I still would have done it. I feel it was the first step in taking control of my weight and not letting it control me. I still have to watch what I eat, I still have to make decisions about exercise, calories in/calories out, and I've had to make lifestyle changes. It was all worth it.

Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum, Denver Colorado - Lapband of the Rockies. Still $9,950 for everything, including first three months of fills. Fills after that are $30. And if you go in and don't get a fill, you don't get charged anything. He's fantastic

That's like asking if I feel like a fraud because I color my hair, or wear makeup. HELL NO I don't feel like a fraud. I worked for every pound I've lost, and I want people to notice and compliment me, and tell me how good I look. It keeps me going!

That's awesome, Brenda! I have some NSV's too lately. I went shopping last Thursday and found I had dropped another size. Now I'm a 22/24 in tops and a solid 24 in pants - from a 30/32! I'm still just amazed My younger sister brought over 8 bags of clothes she doesn't wear anymore either because she lost weight (she's an 18/20 now) or stuff she just didn't like anymore. I kept 6 out of 8 bags, and can fit into most of it except a few things that I still need to drop about 10 or 15 lbs for. The look on her face when she saw me zip up a pair of jeans was simply priceless. And my husband now calls me "skinny" which isn't true, I'm not skinny, but I freaking love it I'll be going to a massive family reunion on September 10th back east, these people haven't seen me for 2 years, plus my Dad and other sister haven't seen me since the surgery, so I'm looking forward to getting some compliments, My weight loss is definitely noticeable these days!

This happened to me before surgery as well - from my sister, who is also severely obese. After my surgery was scheduled, she tried everything to change my mind, including trying and then recommending the latest diet fad, going to the gym with her regularly, and sending me emails with articles about how damaging the lap band could be. I finally just told her to knock it off, that I felt she was trying to sabotage me and was making me feel bad, and if she couldn't be supportive to stop calling me. We didn't talk for a few days, and she didn't come over at all during my recovery, but she's come around now. She's still on her crazy diet fads, but cheers my weight loss. She brought over all the clothes she doesn't fit in anymore (she's now only 1 size smaller than I am) and was amazed that I could fit into them. I think one of the real reasons she was so against it was that not just that she was jealous, but that she was really scared something would happen to me. Our mother died 7 years ago and since then I've been the "mom" to her and my other little sister. I think it brought up some bad memories of our mother dying and how alone we all felt. Now that she sees I'm fine and I'm happy and losing weight, she's more cheerful. Give your friend some time to get used to it - hopefully she will come around later on when she sees you are okay.

I bet you that's what it was, the bread. I found after my last fill that just about any bread will get stuck. I'm stubborn though, and keep trying even though it NEVER WORKS! I was a major bread-aholic before surgery and bread is what I miss the most, but even a flour tortilla will get me stuck. I've only had luck with Jewish Rye bread, sliced thin and toasted - and then only a half a slice max. Starches are what get me stuck - rice, bread, stuffing/dressing, Pasta - it just doesn't work. I can still eat potatoes and sweet potatoes, thank goodness. For a while after my last fill, eggs really made me stuck, but that seems to have gone away. Oh, and shrimp - gawd, that's just horrible, it literally projectile vomits right out of me (sorry, I know that's gross, but true!) I still can't eat in the morning, I usually have a Carnation Instant Breakfast with non-fat milk, or a small 90-calorie granola bar. Those are the only two things I can keep down. Stay away from the bread and I bet you'll do better.

I've been banded 3 1/2 months now. Doing pretty well, all told. However, I can't eat breakfast. Just can't. It comes up every single time. I've been able to get down a cup of nonfat milk now and then, maybe with some Carnation Instant Breakfast. But usually no breakfast. Lunch is iffy. Sometimes I can eat it, sometimes not. It definitely can't contain anything between two pieces of bread though - I can usually get a hamburger and eat the burger, lettuce and tomato, or have a salad with some sliced meat. I'd say at least 2 days out of the week, it all comes back up. I've mostly had success if lunch is later, around 2pm. If lunch comes back up, I eat some pistachios or pita crisp crackers which seem to stay down okay. Dinner is usually fine, and I can get down at least a cup and half, sometimes 2 cups depending what it is. I can usually eat some bread if it's something like toasted garlic bread, or a dinner roll. Sometimes it comes up, sometimes not. I will say though, not a day goes by that I don't PB in some fashion. I have 7.9cc's in a 14 cc band, and I'm due for a fill next Thursday. Last fill I only got a tenth of a cc put in, but I have noticed I'm feeling hungrier earlier lately. Even if I'm hungry in the morning, I still can't eat. I can drink just fine though, and am getting in at least five or six 16.9oz bottles each day. Do you think I'm too tight? Sometimes I think I am, but then again I'm not losing weight too fast - I average about 2 lbs a week, sometimes only 1 lb.

My surgeon told me that the band sometimes gets tighter 2 weeks after a fill. I went in last Thursday and told him what was going on, and he agreed we won't put any more in but he didn't take any out. I told him I did think it was mostly me, I probably wasn't chewing and I had some experimenting in eating bread, which I know now I just can't eat, period. And I can't eat rice, or pasta, or any kind of shrimp. So since that time, I've only PB'd once, and that again was me trying to eat a piece of garlic toast (why do I keep trying?) But I've been doing much, much better and the hot tea is definitely helping.

Good tip on the hot tea - I'm going to try that tomorrow. I think today was the first day in a long time that I didn't PB all day long - yay

I do still struggle with chewing enough, I have to admit. And I usually PB the first three or four bites. After I get rid of that, I'm usually okay and I tend to eat slower after that. There are definitely foods I can't eat and I still discover one here and there. For instance, I knew shrimp would make me PB, but two days ago I found out that crab does too. Salmon and regular fish is fine though. It's still a learning game for me.

Thanks, my appointment is next Thursday, and I do plan on telling my doctor what's going on.