B-52

I drink as much coffee as I ever did before, and I am a big coffee drinker! I'm not into the flavored, fraps, froths, etc, just good strong dark columbian! I will have expresso when I can also. If you could do a search here, you will find many coffee lovers refusing to give it up! And you will find many who did.

A good sandwich, is something I will never be able to have again. If I had a Cuban I would only pick at the contents, and throw away the bread. We used to get Pizza at least once a week, No More. I can eat thin crust (very thin, cracker like) but not much.

Frankly my dear, I don't give a ,,,,,well, It's ME loosing the weight for MY own health, self esteem, etc. It's really no one else's business what I do with my personal life. I have told no one but a few close family members And I am glad I did. But even out of those few, there is one person who everytime I see her has another "Horror" story to tell me about a surgery gone bad. Ironicly, She is in greater need for surgery than I am/was.

When you are FORCED to have eating habits like that, you will also notice how small your portions are. Automatic Portion Control!

IMO, that is a good place to be. It is where I like it.

Hit em up for some "Free Fills" or something.

Without getting into a lot of hypothetical s, I would simply say "Don't Worry About It" You can look at being banded into phases, and you are still in the surgery phase, not the weight loss phase. That comes after you heal. I know it's hard, you have been getting all rev'd up for this and you're ready to get it started. But trust me, it WILL happen! I GAINED weight. I was apprehensive when I went to see my Dr., and he basically called me a fool, smiled, and pulled out the biggest needle I ever saw and said "That's why I'm going to stick this in your stomach" Well, a little exaggeration, but he did laugh at me and said that is why the band gets adjusted. (I work in healthcare and I've seen some really big needles. Like the ones used to drain knees) As far as the "Starvation Mode", I'm not a believer in it. At least the way it is thrown around here. But that's another subject. Let's just say I had enough fat stored away that it would take me 6 months to starve!

I've done some Kayaking last summer. By next summer, you will know what you can eat and what you cannot. Everyone is different.

Very hard to say. I am in the "Green Zone", but I have never had that type of reaction so soon after a fill. But I have been informed that 24-48 hrs after a fill you can have some reactions like swelling. Dr. has always told me to take it easy. Did they have you drink Water before you left the office? Only 1/2 cc? What was your restriction like prior to the fill? Were you getting stuck and such?

Too Late! can't go back now! Only Joking. It was because of my lack of abilities that I got banded in the first place. It really is very easy now, although getting through the first phases was filled with doubts and a little anger. People kept telling me I have to do this and I have to do that if I wanted to loose weight. My thought was I could have done this and that without getting any surgery!!!! But then, after a while, EVERYTHING began to fall into place and it is now, 1 year later, a very normal everyday lifestyle. Hang in there, follow the rules. I think of them a "lessons" needed to be learned to live with the band, perhaps more so for later than now, but just as important.

DON'T....they're more addictive than drugs!

I can't eat bread, doughy things, pizza crust, etc. But I do not have a problem with chips or crackers. Go figure. Chips are something I do not want in the house. Once I start it's hard to stop.

It will only happen when you eat the wrong way, or put the wrong things in your mouth. You know, the reason we got fat in the first place. Getting stuck is a good deterrent to correcting bad eating habits, resulting in weight loss!

Mine are CHEETO"S that cruchy chese doodle they advertise on TV with the cartoon lion. I can't go to a convience without buying a small bag. I like chips and Salsa, especially if you make your own, and the tortilla chips are 100% natural, it's not that bad for you. It's one of the foods I eat while watching TV, especially OU FOOTBALL! (I see you're from Norman) Queso on the other hand,.....I stay away from.

I pay for my own fills also, and it cost me $125 amaerican. $80 for the Dr.s visit if I don't get a fill. I have read here about some paying outlandish amounts. It reminds me when I was a diabetic....everyone wants to give you their FREE meter, only to get you to have to buy their test strips for rediculous prices.

Let's face it, I (we) used to eat like pigs. When we would order pizza, I could eat a whole pizza all by myself, with many toppings. Not to mention all the toppings. Burgers.....French Fries.....huge steaks.....At resturantnts I would order Appetizer, Soup, salad, then the entree, dessert and coffee......not to mention what and how much I drank during the meal. It took a surgical procedure to put a band aroung my stomach, inflate it with Fluid to tighten it up, so that I cannot overeat anymore! SIMPLE.....It's not rocket science. I don't really eat Pizza anymore, because if I did I could only go through 1/2 slice, and I finished, perhaps stuck. It's that way with a lot of foods.

4 months and 76 lbs! I hereby dub you a "Veteran" and no longer a "Newbie" (well, maybe 2 more months to be sure!)

I hate when that happens! One thing that keeps me motivated is this. I have gone through new clothes, a few times now. I am now wearing "Normal" size clothes. I have a few pairs of pants, although "Skinny" pants, they fit a little too tight at the waist and it's "DejaVu" that I'm fat and need to loose weight because my clothes don't fit! I'm a mess!

Want to know what slow weight loss is like? A Plateau? I have lost maybe 3 lbs in the last 2-1/2 months. Nothing has changed on my part, other than I increased my exercising? And I have lost inches meaning I am getting a "Normal" body shape? The way clothes fit is still changing. Am I frustrated? A little, but NO!

"Delicate Balance" EXACTLY! I like that, bets describes a lot of things that interact with the band.

Not sure. It's when you stand with the fridge door open and can't find anything that interests you. So you don't eat at all. It's when your wife/husband goes to the store and asks if you need/want anything and nothing comes to mind. It's when you go to Applebees (or similar) look through the menu and NOTHING looks good. So you order an appetizer and don't finish it! (even if all you had so far that day is a shake) It's when my Wife cooks a real nice dinner then she's mad at me because I acted like a kid playing with his food. It's when some says there going out for ice cream, and what do you want, and you pass because your not interested. I can go on and on, but for me, it is simply a lack of interest in food. Again, IF I was full, the brain would say: "I don't even want to look at food right now" But I'm not full, I have not even eaten yet! But then there is Head Hunger, and that is a whole different thing!

Water does not wash the food down. There is just so much volume in your pouch for food. Drinking while eating will only increase that volume, causing pain (stretching pouch?) and probably vomiting it back up. I know, I have been there and learned the hard way. I see no reason for time limits to drink before eating because it passes right through. And for drinking after eating, there are many opinions. I have learned to tell when it is safe. As far as the band sending signal to the brain,I have that feeling 24 hrs a day, simply by being in the Green Zone. Most of the time I don't feel like eating when I know I should. And for me, it is not a feeling of being full as though I just ate the Christmas turkey. It is the signal the brain gets telling you you don't have to eat because you are full. It's a weird thing, but helpful when you learn to recognize and listen to it. Oh, I can't gulp water either.

If you have restriction, the food will sit in your pouch, passing slowly to the stomach. If you drink, while food is there, you will feel like your gonna bust,(pain) and it will come right back up, unless it stretches your pouch way out making room for both food and liquids. If you don't have any restriction, you can get away with it and wonder what all the fuss is about. I see no reason not to drink before you eat, since it will pass right on through. But while, or immediately after, well go ahead, find out the hard way like I did. It is not because it will wash the food down, as many have said. Also, as far as how long to wait, any rule given is like anything else. They have to tell you something. In actuality, you will learn to know when it is safe. I have noticed that they will have you do all sort of things that may not apply to you immediately, but they want you to get used to it because you will need to apply it sooner or later.

Ok, someone straighten me out. You were 125 lbs and upset that someone remembers you as eating all the time? I have friends who are not overweight either, but eat like a horse! I don't know how they do it!

First Fill - Never felt anything Second - took 2 weeks, then went away Third - felt it that night, next day