B-52

First, that is exactly why I have not told anyone, except for close family, that I even had the surgery. When it all comes down to it, it is all about me, my health, and my well being. Everyone else can just go and ....well everyone and go and do their thing, but I had to take care of mine and my own. Second, I have tried all diets known under the sun. I'm not kidding! Medical supervised programs to cabbage soup! I started out good, lost weight, and it all came back, and then some. I'm one of those people who cannot diet, and stay with it and be succesful. I quess some people can, the celebrities on TV pushing these programs say they did so I guess it's possible, but not me. I needed surgery to alter me physically and force me to eat better and loose the weight, permanently!

Sometimes, experienceing getting stuck, then fearing geeting stuck again is a good detterrent to not overeat anymote.....thus helping you with your weight loss. For instance, I have in the past got stuck trying to eat French Fries. So now, I have this menatal block about eating french fries. I just do not ever consider eating then anymore. It is not something I have to work at or try hard not to do, I simply ignore them and move on. Is that such a bad thing? There are many foods like that for me, and the overwhelming majority of them are things not all that good for me in the first place. Just about anything breaded and fried comes to mind right away. My dr.(s) have been harping on me to lay off the greasy fried foods!! Now I CAN'T eat them.

Did I say STEVE MILLER? I meant GLENN MILLER! Seriously, I have tons of music on my I-Touch, but I keep coming back to Steve Miller. It Has to be the LIVE album. It's more upbeat and it really syncs with what I'm doing on the treadmill. (that and Led Zepplin) I also wear BOSE Quiet Comfort headphones, and I am completely oblivious to anything going on around me.

I go to the Health Club when I can, which is about 5 times a week, 3 of which is at 5:30am when they open I do 1 hour on the elliptical, 30 minutes steady state with Steve Miller Music, then 30 minutes of the Cardio Coach routine. Then a few times a week I go through the weights machines doing 2 reps of 12. I'm starting to gt into kettle weights but I need some instruction for a full routine. Then I spend 30 minutes in the Sauna, then 15 minutes in the Whirlpool. Finally a shower. They have an indoor olympic size pool, and I have everything I need to get started, I just never have. My wife does Water aerobics.

My Dr. Did not care what I ate or how much! I was told to loose 15-20 lbs before surgery, to shrink the liver, or he would not do the Surgeryand would re-schedule. Now, having said that, what is the EASIEST way to loose that much weight In a short amount of time? Liquid Shakes! So if you cheat, who are you going to hurt? It comes down to how bad do you want the surgery. I could have went on a fried chicken diet if it would work.

That's how it is for me also. I keep reading here about "Feeling Full" I never feel full, because I never overeat of stuff myself. Like you, I simply do not have a interest, or obsession with food anymore. I think, it is the signal the brain gets that you are full, without actually having the physical feeling you're full. But the brain is saying you don't need to eat, and there is no easier to do so.

It is confusing, isn't it. For every person who msays they can eat French Fries, there are just as many who say they can't. A lot of it has to do with different things such as how tight are their bands, how long have they been banded, etc, and it is hard for you to know this. Someone who has been banded for a month and has vever had a fill may be able to eat a Subway Sandwich, but someone who has had 3-4 fills wouldn't dream of it! First thing, no one here is a authority on nthe subject. What we do here, is share our pown real life personal experiences. I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do. I can (and will) only Tell you what my own experiences have been, not what I have read or been told. You really need to learn for yourself, then you will have your own experiences to share. Just be aware of 2 types of people that post here. 1st: People who tell you what you MUST or MUST NOT do. We're not your Dr., and if you get into trouble then where will these people be then? 2nd;, (and this is my pet peeve) are people who tell you how it should or will be and they have not even been there themselves yet. They talk about different experiences,and what you MUST do, and when you look deeper, they are just starting out also! This website is nothing more than one big support group, made up of people shaing their own personal experiences living with the surgery. And when you experience something for yourself, and are not sure what it is, you'll remeber "Ok, now I know what that poster meant when he/she said......."

October 27, that is still just shy of 3 months? I understand your dissapointments. I was there also, actually gained some weight within that time period. It took me 4 months, 3 fills before I could honestly say the band began to make any significant changes. There are people here that needed less, some never have had a fill and aare doing fine. I happen to be one of those who needs it. Just stay with the regieme of eating right, excercising, etc, and it will all start to fall into place eventually. I know, when people would tell me that it would make me all the angrier, but it is true!

For me, I Can't eat anything in the morning. I have a Protein smoothie mixed in the blender with some berries, etc, and I have to take small sips with that, and have it gurgle as it passes through the band. As you say, My band loosens up during the day also, but I prefer to stay with liquids of very smooth foods for lunch such as Soups, etc. I have read many posts here over the last year from people who say they can still eat what they want, and mention things like Burgers at McDonalds, and french Fries, etc, etc. If it works for them, then that's fine. I am at the point with this surgery, that the types of foods I eat has greatly changed, and if I did attempt to continue with them I feel I would be a mess! I find that when it comes to eating and choosing foods, it is like walking through a minefield sometimes. I'm by no means saying this is you, (how couild I possibly know) but I have noticed there are some people who come and go here that complain about "Vomiting" and not being able to keep food down, and then I read from people here that it appears they just cannot let go of their past eating habits and choices of foods they consume. Then they abuse their band, which becomes irratated to the point they cannot keep Water down, and complain and feel they need a unfil.

Ok, I read your original post wrong. Just for some info, I had a kinked tube once. My port and tube are very near the surface and is easily to feel. The tube snakes a little and for some reasons one curve pulled in and make a tight kink (blockage) But this was noticed when he was trying to pull the Fluid out, and was getting nothing, and the plunger kept going back in. Just the opposite as your experience. He had to massage the tube area with his finger as he pulled on the syringe.

I remember reading when I was first banded, that with all band the maximum Fluid that can be put in a band is a % of what the band's capacity is. So a 10cc band for instance, it's maximum fill would be around 8 cc's. it was in the Realize literature. Can probably look it up on their website. However: The proper procedure when giving a fill: The first step is to take a empty syringe and remove ALL of the fluid fist. By doing this the Dr. can compare the amount he takes out, to the amount that was previously put in and determine if there are any significant leaks. He is also supposed to check for discoloration. He then takes a fresh syringe, and fills it with fresh saline to the original amount PLUS any additional. This way he knows EXACTLY what he is putting in He should not be doing any pushing and guessing your max'd out.

The answer is simple.....YOU NEED TO GO SKIING MORE!! As a side note, I wish people here would give opinions based upon their own personal experiences, and then let the reader decide.

This is your PRE-SURGERY Diet?? Do you have a surgery Date??? How much you loose is between you and your Dr. Mine told me I had to loose 20lbs before surgery or he will postpone the surgery date. Did not care what I ate, or how I ate, just I needed to loose it or else. My surgery was on a Monday, and I had my final pre-op meeting with him on the Friday before. It was then I had my final weigh-in. So it was not a question if I was bad or not, it was "How Bad Did I Want This Surgery?" After jumping through hopps for a year to get approved, I was not going to let this last hurdle get in my way. Incedently, the saturday between final weigh in and surgery date, me and my family went out and did a "Last Meal" pig-out at a resturant of my choice. Then fasted all day Sunday, Monday went without a hitch.

It pays for the website. Just ignore it. I participate on other message boards, mainly "Custom Auto Clubs" where we do not have advertising, BUT we are asked to PAY an annual "Donation" $$$$$

Good. I haven't chewed anybody out all day. But I'm gonna be the good guy. Last week was my 60th birthday so I'm feeling grandfatherly. I don't see what the big deal is. You probably ate like a pig before you got banded, why would you not want to now? What has changed that would modify your behavior? It's as though you bought a new car, but t's not going to get you anywhere untill you put some gas in the tank. And your band does not have any gas in it. WELCOME TO BANDSTER HELL!!!!!! The first 4 weeks were very tough for me. I got a fill at 4 weeks. Then I went home and gained weight before I showed up for my 2nd fill 4 weeks after that. In other words, it took me 8 weeks before I started to feel any difference at all. Up to then, it was as though I was not banded at all! People kept telling me I have to do this and I have to do that....be strong...have some disipline....S***! I could do (or try to do) all that without going through all this surgery stuff. THERE HAS TO BE MORE TO IT THAN THAT!!! IT took me 3 fills, 12 weeks, after surgery before there was something real I could start to work with. But even then it took more time to learn the lessons of being a true bandster. So, be strong.....have some discipline......do this, and do that.....it will get better. And don't worry, you didn't ruin anything, and you are too newly banded to stretch anything.

Was this your 4 week checkup after surgery? Are you saying you threw out your post-op diet and did your own thing? Did you loose or gain weight during this 4 week period? Lastly, what did your Dr. say since you did not get a fil. I can give you my 2 cens worth, but. Need to know the above first.

Everybody who has the band has restriction. Everybody who has the band, runs the risk of getting stuck because the passage through the band is smaller than without being banded. It all comes down to what foods we eat, how much we eat with each swallow, how fast we eat, etc. When someone is tighter than the next person, the rules are the same. Only difference is the amount of food is less, and the types of food change. Plus it takes less food to feel satisfied. There is a fine line between being tight and too tight. It is constantly a balancing act for me, always running the risk of making mistakes. I got stuck today. I had a green salad with small cut up pieces of buffaloe chicken for lunch. Got stuck, slimed and pb'd in the sink. Rested 10 minutes, then came back and resumed where i left off, finished my salad being more careful and aware of what I did wrong. I made a mistake, I crossed that line. It happens. It's as simple as that. I could get a unfil, and that risk would be reduced. But I like it here.

Yea, that! I eat Ice cream, but mixed fruit and such can sneak by un chewed with the slider stuff and cause problems.

Will be banded exactly one year on the 31st of Jan., have not had one single problem other than getting stuck, etc., but I chalk that up to the learning process of new way of eating. Easiest weight loss program I have ever been on, and I have been on them all. Actually, surgery was my last resort and I do not regret it for one second. The band is in control! No one tells me what and how much I can eat except for the band! Listen to it and you will succeed. 10 lbs from goal, find the last few are the hardest.

Look for my bill in the mail.......

EVERYONE has experienced this. There are as many opinions here as there are........ Well, lets just say everyone's got one and there really is not any good rhyme or reason, it just is. I've been at a plateau for 2-1/2 months now. Yesterday, Sunday, it was very cold and I was completely happy watching Football all day on TV. Unfortunately, I also grazed all day with some popcorn, some chips and salsa, cheese, etc.and a Beer! I thought I probably blew it big time, and I will have to pay extra attention next day or 2, maybe go all liquids. This morning I went to the gym. After workout, I weighed myself there and I dropped 4 lbs! Go Figure! All one can do is continue doing what you're supposed to do, and be assured it will pass, sooner or later!

I would say No, IMO, in her case. The band does give some behavior modification.....over eat and you will experience pain, and/or vomiting. It has definitely changed my approach to food! It takes somewhat of a even tempered individual to understand, "This pain in my head only happens when I constantly hit myself in the head with a hammer" so "If I stop banging my head with the hammer, the pain will go away" DUH! People with addictions know all too well what the outcomes will be....they just don't care! They're either in denial or have a "Death Wish" I've known both, and lost some friends at an early age. Getting banded, Strictly IMO, would probably create more damage than help. I don't think, again IMO, that they would get the Physc. clearance which is part of the pre-op testing. Compulsive disorders are all the same, it's just the "mechanism" that changes. Eating, Alcohol, Gambling, Drugs, Smoking.....generally brough about by anxiety. I know many Dr's prescribe Welbutrin, but to what success, I don't know.

I'm just the opposite. After being in the Green Zone, I have no interest in food whatsoever. And I'm talking about the Man of the house who used to love to cook! My Lasagne is famous and still requested at family get togethers. Now, I just have no interest in food! I can go to the grocery store and just wander around and not get anything other than the absoulute essentials. I used to see things, and come with ideas on the spot. For me, I say it is the band. It does not make me feel full, but it send the signal to my brain telling it I do not need to eat, as though I was full. But I'm not. Sounds confusing I know, but one of the characteristics of being in the green zone is No Hunger between Meals! How else can I define that feeling?

I'm sure it's good, but something about the term "Mega Shake" gives me images of the old days before being banded.....attitude I suppose, pleasure in makeing anything "MEGA", such as MEGA Ice Cream Sundaes, MEGA sandwiches, MEGA Steaks, Mega order of Fries, etc, etc. Looking at your recipe, and after being banded a year, the word Mega is just not appropiate to me anymore in terms of portion size. Now it is more a Taste of this, and a Taste of that. I can take any of the 3 items you mention, Yougurt, shake, or Fruit Cup, and that can be a meal (portion size) in itself! Let alone combine all three. Like I said, after being banded a year, and living in the green zone, my attitudes, and terminology I suppose regarding food, has changed. The terms "Mega or Super Size, or Jumbo are just not used when referring to anything I eat/drink! But I read all sorts of things here, and I find everyone is different, It's the end results that are important. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

First, congratulations. My question is, if you are banded, what was it that was so "Dammmm Hard" for you in the process???