B-52

It's all part of the normal healing process..Post Surgical Inflammation..fluid retention, although not the same most people can usually relate to. You are also pumped with fluids (saline) during surgery for that reason also, knowing your body is going to use fluids to heal....... twist your ankle and watch it swell....well your entire abdominal cavity has just undergone trauma...... Another reason people should not get on the scale for a few weeks after surgery...it's about healing and getting back to normal at this point...THEN you will go back and see your surgeon and THEN the weight loss procedure will begin once you are cleared.......

Maybe yes, maybe no.....many people feel the effects after a fill...due to inflammation, but then it goes away within a month.... Many people I Know get a little "taste" or "Tease" of the good things to come....either way you are right at the doorstep...if it goes away, maybe as little as 1/2 cc will be all you need to get you back.......... Curious...you say you feel full?? Or is it more of a feeling that you just do not want to, or cannot, continue eating....... Also, you are not hungry between meals...understood...but when it comes time for a meal, are you sincerely hungry? or is it just that you know you need to eat...and it's time to eat....

Very nice post...it is very hard for people who overeat and are obese, to comprehend just how much we actually ate, and how little we actually need to eat normally.... I never could have imagined or accept how little I eat in a day now.... nor could I have done it on my own with some diet system....but as the band progressed, I also changed gradually until a new lifestyle developed..... Like you, no matter what I may have on my plate, taco's or whatever...there is just so much I am able to eat....and as long as I'm not fighting hunger and climbing the walls, it's all Ok with me....I have never felt better....

After my first fill, (4cc's) I gained weight within that month before my 2nd fill........felt like a failure and the Dr. would be upset...turns out he laughed at me....asked me what did I expect?? He then took the time to fully explain the reasons for the fills, what the Green Zone is, and until the band is properly adjusted it will be nothing more than my own will power....(bandster hell) Which we both knew I did not have...if I did I wouldn't be in his office in the first place, having failed so many times at so many diets.....I needed WLS to do what I could not do. .. ..

My Dr. has this chart hanging on the wall in each exam room....early on, within the first 4-5 months, he would always refer to it and explained that the "Green Zone" was the goal we were to achieve by adjusting the band a little at a time..... (fills) Not Hungry....24/7 for me, not just between meals as some suggest. The band is always there, so is it's effects.... Portion Control....band lets me eat just so much per sitting...then I'm finished.... Good weight loss.... Patient Satisfaction....when you have the first three, how can you not be satisfied with the surgery.... \ \ It took me 4-5 months to get there, then another month or two to figure out what was going on and adjust myself and behaviors...Been there ever since with no additional fills needed.

I live in southern Monmouth County...few blocks from the ocean..... Delaware Water Gap....my Son-in law and his family are from Allamuchy...went tubing and kayaking a few times this summer...

First off....check out the caliber of people that belong to the gym.....also the time of day clearly segregates peoples in the gym..... I go early am, between 5-6....people there before work, mostly professional types...teachers, Dr.'s, Lawyers, Cops etc.... After 8am, it becomes mostly women, perhaps home makers? And at night you get the young "Look at me" crowd... Having said that, if the gym has serious people there (not the night crowd), then NO ONE will look at you as a "idiot" as you say...they all understand why they, and you are there and they are all after the same thing.....trust me..I see it from my viewpoint everyday and if I make eye contact I always give a small "thumbs up" We're all in this together...that is how Gym rats feel..... The night crowd, well I'm not sure what they're after..... IMO, it is worth the little extra $$ for a classier gym, along with more professional trainers/employees..... as far as inspiration, we all have to start somewhere....it is important we start....and you will get rewards...little ones at first that make you want to do a little more for the larger rewards....each small victory builds upon the next one....then the next, and so on.... Everyday, when I get on the treadmill, within the first 5 minutes I always tell myself "No way, it's just not my day today" But then I tell myself.."I can do this for 10 minutes, right? I've done 10 minutes 100's of times" Then at 10 minutes I tell myself another 5 minutes...I mean I've already done 10, what's another 5? Eventually 45-50 minutes have passed like it was nothing.... I ran 5 miles today....there is absolutely no reason I cannot do it tomorrow....I just have to keep telling myself that like I just described... The next day I repeat the process....and so on....although the little goals and rewards have grown much, much larger.....but you got to start somewhere.... Why do you think people go out of their way to run through the neighborhoods all hours of the day and in all types of weather? For their health? Well maybe, yes of course, but more importantly it is because THEY CAN! And the overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment is indescribable...not to mention the endrophines... But you have to "Get out there" and start!!! And slowly build one reward after another and keep telling yourself you did this yesterday, I can do it again, even better! One more thing....I wear noise canceling ear buds with my I-Pod....the place could burn down and I would not be aware of it!!! I'm oblivious....

Could not stay away from this one....here goes, another opinion...but this from my own personal experience.... Answer is, depends upon how tight your band is...I'm snacking right this minute and I feel the food sitting in my pouch..it will pass, slowly..that's why I take small bites and wait between swallows...put the fork down. And what I don't finish in 20 minutes goes in the trash...or my Happy Dog! (Golden Retriever) However, if the food is sitting in my pouch, it takes up a certain volume - space....now add Water and I've just INSTANTLY increased that volume...perhaps doubled it... Three things can happen that I will experience....First, it may wash it down,(maybe, but not too often).... Second it will create a lot of pain, probably dilating - expanding my pouch size (dangerous), and Third, along with pain, it will come right back up and out - overfilling and nowhere else to go.....I've learned all three the hard way... Pain is common to all three and the body's way of telling me to modify my behavior....Don't drink and eat at the same time, or immediately after... But again, what I am saying is based purely on what I have learned from experience, not what I have been told or read...it may/will be different for other people... As far as liquid passing right through the band, I do not believe that. If so carbonated drinks would not be that big of deal. But they can be if you don't know what you're doing.... When I drink straight liquids I can also feel that in my pouch and pass through the band, and hear the gurgling like water circling the drain....tighter in the morning, my first coffee when the house is dark and everyone else is still sleeping is a real trip! And if I gulp water, (at the gym and not thinking) even without food present, it too has come right back up...again with pain, I have to sip water... think of a funnel with a narrow passage. Cannot put anything in the top portion too quickly or too much.....and your pouch is elastic, it will stretch, and hurt. Everyone has a different size funnel...it's adjustable...so the experience cannot be identical from person to person, but sometimes very close. But again, it all depends upon how tight your band is...for those without a fill you can get away with more than someone who is out there on the edge..like me.

This was posted on my Surgeon's Face book page this morning.....LOVE IT! * * * *

I stayed away from here for a year...could not handle all the negativity and pessimism.....I wanted to be successful at this more than anything and all I found here was a defeatist attitude... I want to soar with the eagles, NOT stay stuck in the mud...... I belong to other groups, one in particular where all the members left this site all for the same reason...they wanted positive reinforcement, not the "Whoa is me" attitude. And I can tell you, except for the medical conditions, they are all doing very well and have no interest in ever coming back here.....again, no positive reinforcement...just how difficult and what a struggle it is.... I came back a month ago, for my anniversary to "report in" so to speak....hung around a month...... I never intend to tell other people what they should and should not do....my intention is to tell my story, throw around a few pictures here and there, and be an example of what one life with the band can be.... not what I heard someone else say, or read somewhere, but what I am living every day.... And for being what I am, successful and 100% happy, I was attacked, and branded...Goes to show you things around here have not changed all that much...people do not like to hear good things....unless of course you play by THEIR RULES....then it's Ok.... If I came back and said how miserable I was, I would have been welcomed back with open arms....part of the "Miserable" club....but successful, happy, and struggle free? NO WAY....cannot accept that...I'm surprised anyone around here is getting along without problems........ I'm glad I found this website AFTER I had my surgery, otherwise I would have had second thoughts....or have been totally screwed up and jnot where I am today..... I have seen patients everyday, for over 25 years....and I can tell you "Attitude" is the key to anyone's treatment and success..... You can identify one from the other almost immediately.... There are always those who have a negative "Gloom and Doom" self fulfilling prophecy about everything....This will never work...it's so hard....I can't do it...my friend failed....someone told me...... Understood, they have been ailing for so long that anything you can tell them comes across as "To Good to be true" When you meet these people all you can do is go through the motions with them, by the book...follow the rules and we'll see......2+2=4...HOPEFULLY...MAYBE...then we can move on to 4+4....??.... Lets hope so but don't get your hopes up....really makes a long frustrating day.... Then there are those who can't wait to "get it on"...let's go...I'm ready.....where do I start? I'll do whatever it takes....It's these people you love to work with and willing to go that extra mile above and beyond the norm, because you know it is going to be a very positive outcome, and it makes your job well worth it.... I am amazed at how many people cannot believe this lap band surgery actually works....ON THIS WEBSITE!! no matter how many times and ways they hear it, it always yes, I believe you, BUT....there's always this, and there's always that....I have to take the total calories, divide by 4, subtract this, to get that and figure in my metabolic rate...blah, blah, blah.... This is surgery...either you believe it or not!!! What's so hard to understand??? Why are so many people afraid to succeed??? Is it because you have struggled for so long that it's too good to be true? That something could actually be that easy?? Why on earth did you have surgery if that is what you believe.....and what makes matters worse, when someone complains, everyone comes to their defense and tells them it's Ok, it's normal, and should be expected......WHAT? After being here a month, and by the way I feel this morning, I may not be back until next year's anniversary when I check in....I enjoy my new life thanks to the band...why would I want to come here...to be told what I am experiencing is not true?? I rather fly with the eagles..... = =

Ah yes...one of the websites "know it all's" But that's Ok, I've been called a lot worsethan "Moron" by people I actually know.... Just because YOU have had a hard time with this band, does not mean it's true for everybody.... I happen to find this the EASIEST thing I could have done to loose all my weight and be skinny and fit again...sure, the first 6 months were tough, the white knuckle "Bandster Hell"...but once I hit that MAGICAL green zone, and I learned my lessons, it has been very simple....I hardly think about it anymore..it's a new life for me... Counting calories, measuring portions, and just plain old dieting is hard and painful...and I failed every time...But this...what can be more easy than to let the band do all the work!! Of course, it is adjustable and everyone has the freedom to use it as they feel....and no negativity is going to bring me down from this.... So, if that makes me a "Moron", as you say other people on this website are...then I guess I'm a HAPPY SKINNY and FIT MORON, ....your slur does not compare to how good and successful I feel.... Now the "ignore" list....

I just tell people I don't eat near as much as I used to...and when I do it is all high Protein....then I tell them about my gym schedule and how much I have been running lately....It's all True.....

When you feel as though you should stop, then stop....it's not necessarily a full feeling, more of "I don't feel like continuing" (mental more than physical) also, if you're not hungry, don't push it....just worry about the Protein when you do eat, and always drink Water..... That is how it works for me....learn to listen to your band.....

For me, the only hard part was the first 6 months or so...Bandster Hell...until I got the band properly adjusted, and I got myself adjusted to the band....once I found that groove it has been ALL EASY.... But getting there was the challenge...and that's where I feel most have problems....

I so badly wanted to be thin that I had Weight Loss Surgery, something artificial and foreign placed inside my body forever changing how I eat, and even feel about food....

For me...at the word Pancake a big Red Flag goes up....again for me, it is an automatic STAY AWAY...there are other foods that will give me that rapid, extreme warning..... But again, I read about all the different foods people here are eating, so different strokes for different folks I guess...

More often than not, when I hear/read stories about the Lap band being a failure...it's the other way around.....OTHER than medical issues out of our control....

Last cruise we were on, and we go frequently. I decided to put the band to the test...do not think at all about what I'm eating or how often...just try to enjoy myself as much as I can.....and I'm pleased to say, the band acted the same on a cruise as it dose anywhere I am, 24/7..... Could not over eat no matter how hard I tried, still could not eat certain foods, no solid foods for Breakfast.....and my hunger was totally under control...no cravings at all.....In the MDR they kept asking me if there was anything wrong with my food, and can they bring me something else....finally the servers understood that I'm a light eater..... I did get up early and run every morning before the sun came up., and hit the fitness center on sea days.......and we did a lot of walking - exploring while in port....so I actually lost a pound or so....in other words, no different than any other day in the life with the band..... That is why I love the band...it is there 24/7, nothing I do or anywhere I go can change it....it is not dependent on what I do or don't do, as with traditional diets....it is always there doing what it was designed to do.... In the old pre WLS days, I would have eaten myself sick..cannot believe I actually was that way....what a pig! I'm disgusted just thinking about it.....

if you go into my profile and look at my "Before and After" pic's, you'll see my port protruding on my "After Pic", slightly to my right, center. With my shirt off, you can see and feel, every nook and cranny of the port, including the tubing running towards mid-line before going deep..... A one handed blind man can do my fills....as a matter of fact I carry my own syringe (with my Dr.'s blessing) to do emergency un-fills when I travel out of the country. Dr. said he could move it more to the side if I want and when I'm ready, but for now I'm in no rush....he never said anything about a smaller port, although I believe the Realize" band already has the lower profile port....... As far as moving around and possibly flipping...it is less chance of happening now. With all the belly fat gone, it is sitting tightly, fastened to the ab muscles and covered over tightly with the skin.....I can grab it and try to move it and it is staying put. It is when there is much fat involved, the port and everything can move around more easily, and harder for the Dr. to work with....

Everything you say. sounds like something I would have said 100 times when I was dieting, before I had WLS....you did not mention anything about the band.....other than you've had it for 1-1/2 years and it did not do anything.....

I feel the popularity is increasing...I see bill boards, newspaper adds, etc, more and more everywhere I look....plus more people talking about it.... Back to your fills...you must live in a unique area...my insurance changed and felt I might need to change Dr.s...started looking and found WLS Dr.' everywhere..... Fortunately, I did not have to switch..I still pay out of pocket per visit, but they gave me a big Cash discount..... My insurance changes again this April so we'll see.

Calories in (food eaten) versus calories out (burned) Speaking for myself....not giving anyone advice...but the greatest liberation for me was when I stopped counting calories and just ate less, (but healthy) and exercised more....

First, I can eat anything, given enough time and patience, but some foods are just too risky and quite frankly not worth it......Pizza.....have not had it in over 2 years.... I used to eat an entire large pie all by myself in one seating.....plus a few beers.... Now, it would take me 20 minutes to get through one slice and still be risky....and for what? What is the good in pizza? Why blow my portion size on something risky and not good for me in the first place? Back to point, I no longer eat Red meat..intentionally...don't mind if it's in chili or Soups, etc, Bread and all things doughy....pasta, donuts, etc, ....Rice, oranges, certain veggies, french fries or anything deep fried, to name just a few..... Also, it's worth noting, things that are not band friendly for me, are not good for me in the first place.....

5 am, just finished my 2nd cup of coffee, took my Vitamins, omega's, and 15gm of liquid Protein....off to the gym as I do 5 days a week, afterwards I will have my recovery shake for Breakfast then off to work... I will also go through 32 ozs of Water during this time.... IT is ADDICTIVE.....

Like I said...other than some medical reason.....I don't get it....... But many people who complain here are not citing any medical reasons for their shortcomings........