B-52

Last night, 10 of us went out to a 5 star restaurant....after 2 pre-dinner cocktails, skipped the appetizers ordered for the table. Then the entree's arrived....large lobster with all the fixings! One or 2 bites, and already I knew I was almost finished...so after that I just picked at my food and carried on conversation... Turns out, because of the band, I was only able to eat about 1/4th of my meal....and that was slow.... Then we had coffee, no problem, and Key Lime pie for dessert...which I was only able to have one or 2 forks.....a good taste if you will..... And that's how it is for me....I did not need to measure, weigh or count calories.....the band is there, and dictates how much, and in some regards what I can eat.... Bottom line, I ate very little...no where compared to the pig I would have made of myself prior to the surgery.... I don't get hung up on the little things...can't loose sight of the forest because of the trees...I look at the big picture and that is that as my new lifestyle, I eat like a new person, very little compared to my old self...and it is not because I will it to be so, it is because there is a band wrapped around my upper stomach that prevents me from doing so..... I read so much about people failing, falling off the wagon, needing to get back on track..... Speaking only for myself...I cannot imagine how I would be able to have that happen.....last night, if I even tried to ignore the signals sent from my band and tried to over eat...I would have been in the bathroom spitting it all up, and then feeling miserable.... I certainly do not want that...I have learned my lessons before.....

Just goes to show you....for many people, myself included....diets just do not work! I struggled with diets for 30 years.... I failed at everyone...hopeless..... I am now thrilled beyond belief that this surgery finally took care of what dieting could not..... ALL BAND ALL THE TIME!

I can't live without my coffee.......2-3 cups per day, at least....2 in the morning, and usually one more later in the day..... 24 hrs after surgery I began drinking coffee again... I'm not sure what caffene has to do with the band....I do know, in many health circles drinking coffee is always a topic of discussion, so it does not surprise me it comes up here also....

For me....early on I quit measuring and counting calories....I let the band dictate what my portions sizes are, and I only ate if I was hungry...which was/ is very seldom.... I don't know if I was eating 1, 2 or 3 cups, or perhaps less than 1 cup...sometimes the band tells me not to eat at all.......I don't force it!! if I counted, I'm sure it would have drove me nuts...I don't sweat the small stuff...I look at the big picture which is I eat LESS, WAY LESS than I used to within any given 24 hour period..... It's my new life style....to eat and live as any other (non obese) person does....I have many friends who are not over weight, and I never see them measuring their food portions or counting calories....What I do see is they choose the best, healthiest foods, and the never over eat, or eat all day long.... Because of the band, I can do that also...could not control myself before, but the band is in control so I can now behave normally again.... My goal was to learn how to "Listen to My Band"....it's going to be my life for here on in, so I better learn it! The OP speaks about getting stuck...I cannot remeber the last time I got stuck, I have learned to adhere to the band before that happens....I get a warning when to stop, or else! Of course, for people starting out and have much weight to loose, you have to learn the rules until they become second nature....I can glance at a menu or food choices and know immediatley if they are godd or bad calorie, godd or bad nutritioin, high or low Protein.....or whether or not they are "Band Friendly" And I won't get into Organic foods, something I am learning every day.......

I have wine all the time, plus cocktails and beer.....it's all in the calories.....if you are still dieting / losing then you have to be aware... Lucky to say I'm past that and try to live a "new normal life"....

I invested in a good blender....every morning for Breakfast I add i scoop of 100% whey...Plus a Protein additive, and then add different fresh fruit combo's such as a banana, pineapple, assorted berries, sometimes Peanut Butter, chocolate, and once or twice coffee..... Can also use yougurt, skim milk, or just plain water.... I also add a non-thickening Fiber supplement for colon health..... The health club I belong to charges $5.75 for one of these....I copy their recipes.... Many here should pay attention to calories.....my smoothies rarely exceed 300, but that is my breakfast.... I tried the pre-mixed Protein Drinks and can't stand them...

My first fill was exactly 4 weeks after surgery, 4cc's......4 weeks also happened to be the day I moved from the post-op mushie diet to regular food.... So guess what.... When I showed up 4 weeks after my first fill...I had gained weight!!!!

You have to understand that 99.9% of the people on this forum have ALREADY had the lap band surgery, and come here for support, and positive reinforcement...... Negativity is not accepted very easy.... That's not to say I do not want to know the negatives....but I also want to know how I can avoid them..... NOT to be told I made the biggest mistake in my life and I should have this thing taken out before it's too late.... I for one, have never had one single problem or adverse side effect.... I have heard about A-fib, but usually surgery is indicated when other cardiac issues are present.... I do not doubt your story, but after 3 years this is the first time anyone has ever come on that strong without having some pre existent medical issues complicated by this surgery......one of the reasons for the intense pre-screening and needed releases...including Physc...

I am at a point where I do not ever want and hopefully not need another fill.... I too find that there will be times when I feel that it is easier for food to go down, and I notice I am beginning to eat more than usual at a sitting..... What I have found, is that this is my pouch expanding from constant use, just as a stomach can stretch allowing more food.... Wen I encounter this, I do what some refer to the "5 day pouch test" although I do not follow the strict guidelines someone has put forth.... I find that 2-3 days of a non solid diet is enough to give my pouch a rest and shrink back to normal, restoring my restriction once again..... I go all liquids perhaps one weekend every month..... This is about the only thing I do for maintenance.... I have seen x-rays of stretched, enlarged pouches.....not very pretty...

Could not agree more....... There will be medical reasons why the band may not function as designed....common theme I hear from many people is that it is hard to get back on track after getting a complete un fill, for whatever medical reason.... But under normal conditions, the band is there....simple..either one chooses to take full advantage of it or they don't..... I am always puzzled by people who say otherwise.....

Exhilarating....isn't it? Not to mention the unbelievable things it does for your body... I have not lost or gained any weight for over a year, having been at my goal and completing this process...but since I have started to run in earnest...I have continued dropping clothing sizes.....body tone and shape always changing.....

You never know who's watching you...... A lady who works the cash register in the cafeteria at one of the Hospitals I go to, flat out said to me the other day.."Wow are you skinny...how much did you loose? 100lbs?" Mind you, this is a person who I do not know and never have a conversation with other tan to say "Thank You" But she was obviously monitoring my progress for quite some time.....

People who can do it on their own would not be here reading your post.....we're all losers here.....

Wow, sorry to hear all that...but it is also good to see you are seeing your Dr. regularly to keep on top of this so it all doesn't steam roll over you at once later on down the road.... But concerning your band and weight loss.....what do you think you did to get off track? Not judging, just that I am always curious when people have these types of setbacks....

Check with your Dr.....I had a i week post-op follow up where he checked my incisions, any complaints I may ave had, etc,,, It was then, at 1 week I was cleared to go to the gym, and also allowed to soak in a hot tub - sauna....but he told me no heavy lifting for 3 more weeks, 4 weeks total fro surgery....

THANK YOU........

To loose weight...It is all about burning more calories than you consume on any given day....always has been, always will be....... All diets (which most of us failed at otherwise we would not be here) are aimed at getting us to eat less - less calories consumed......it is up to us to burn more than we consumed, and that is something we have to do...no one can do it for us. There is no surgery for that..... 500 calories MORE than we consume per day if you want to loose 1 lb of weight per week.....talking real genuine fat weight...not the quick pre and post op weight everyone quickly looses (and gains) but genuine fat burning weight......

There are many good choices out there, high protein, good portion size, low calorie, etc..... But for me...I stay away from them because I stay away from pasta and rice...something these dinners seem to always have..... But early on in my banded journey I used to have them all the time as a meal......

Go to a reputable store that caters to runners.....have a "expert" analyze your feet and recommend shoes.....they will not necessarily be expensive..... There are too many issues anyone may have....pronation, supination, etc..... Although "Black Toe" is common, it is never desirable....and poor shoes, and socks for that matter guarantee it!

Not sure either...I have also heard this....must be averages.... I ave often asked myself if I will ever fail, and what I could possibly do to cause failure, short of a medical emergency of some kind....other than that..

I have had a few goals along the way,and surpassed everyone.... I have learned, as long as I am living this new lifestyle, my body will stop losing when it feels it needs to....... When I reached my first goal, I asked what was I supposed to do? Change this lifestyle? Get a un-fill so I can over eat again? The answer for me was no.....I will continue this new way of living the rest of my life, having learned new lessons and formed new habits, and the band becoming a common thing I don't think about all the time like I used to......

I will say, in the beginning I would have made any sacrifice needed to loose weight , get fit and healthy.....if they told me I had to eat nothing but bread and Water for 12 months, with the promise I would not be hungry and I would achieve everything I dreamed of, I would have done it in a heartbeat.....it was that important to me.... I will let you know this......once I achieved all that I wanted to achieve, everything went full circle......in other words, I am now a normal weight, healthy and fit individual.....which means I now live a normal life......just as any other normal weight person does...... I no longer worry about calories and food portions......although, just as my normal weight, healthy friends , I am very health conscious and eat good wholesome foods...no junk, no red meat, no fat, sugar, etc, etc.... Just as my skinny, healthy friends do, I also enjoy things that people on diets would never dream of doing.....think of it...you see healthy people everyday at parties, Resturants, etc, and they are not counting calories.... Because they have a certain LIFESTYLE.......healthy eating, plenty of exercising, active hobbies such as hiking, cycling, etc, and you will NEVER see them making pigs of themselves..... I made a point of observing normal weight people in different situations.....and there is a difference in behavior..... I now live THAT lifestyle....NO DIETING...NO COUNTING CALORIES....enjoying the things in I life I ewant to enjoy...along with my skinny friends....I have NO FEAR of ever gaining weight because I have successfully changed my lifestyle.... Difference between me and my friends is they do it on their own, and I do it because I have the band....but I don't need to tell anyone that.... BUT...it took me over a year to get to that point, with plenty of sacrifices, and plenty of hard lessons that neded to be learned.... To pull a macho-male attitude, I didn't 't get all whimpy...I never backed down....even when I was getting stuck, sometimes 2-3 times a day, I blamed myself and did not run to the Dr. Asking for a un-fill.... And I am happy to say I broke through to the other side of life...and it has been nothing short of Heaven ever since..... Question is, are you ready to make that choice? Make the needed sacrifices? Many, if not all people on this site are either newbies or still within their weight loss journey, so,I keep my mouth shut because most will not understand where I am coming from..... But there is a life after completing this journey.....

My first fill was 4cc, one month after surgery.....after that first fill I gained weight!! It was not till after my 2nd fill did the band start to do it's job, and then took another fill after that..... But you have to ease into it! Imagine if the band was not adjustable and right at surgery everyone got a band that is comparable to being filled to 7cc!! We all would not know what to do.....it would be a disaster...but after 3 fills that is what I have...7cc's, and each fill I HAD TO ADJUST to the band to make it happen!! And now I have been at the balance point for over 18 months now, where my portions are limited, and I am very rarely ever truly hungry.....

I remember when I first committed myself to go to a gym....Before I was banded, but right after I was Dx'd with Diabetes....... So there I was, a (fat) 56-58 year old man, sweating like a pig on the elliptical.....I'm looking around and checking out the staff members...you know, the super fit young girls who wear those super tight spandex workout clothes that say "STAFF" across the back in big yellow letters..... And you know what was going through this dirty old man's mind when I was looking at them??? "Man..I sure hope those young girls know CPR, and they weren't just hired because of their looks" No exaggeration...it really worried me....that's the shape I was in both physically and mentally.....

It's 4:30 am, having my 2nd cup of coffee....along with my Vitamins, Omega's,......I'll have 15g of pure liquid Protein then off to the gym at 5am...... Run 5 miles, maybe some weights, (not every time) sauna 30 minutes, then shower, fresh clothes. Will also drink 32oz of Water during all this.... I will have my 30g Protein shake there, (they have a juice bar) which is also my Breakfast, then head off to work.... This is my routine 5 days per week, weekends included.......I've been doing this for over a year now, and when I miss a planned day, I feel like depressed and like crap...... I am an addicted gym rat!!