B-52

Try not to get ahead of yourself, wondering if you have plateaued, etc. You are still post-surgery. The fact that you have lost any weight at all, IMO, has not had anything to do with the band at all. It's more because of the diet you have been on, liquids - mushies - soft solids - solids that you have lost weight. To be polite, you are just starting how to learn to walk......and you are worried about running marathons. For myself, yes, I lost weight pre and post surgery. Four weeks after surgery and I had my first fill, 4cc's. Also, at the 4 week mark I was allowed to go back on regular food full time. And in addition to that, at 4 weeks my hunger came roaring back like a lion, probably because I was fully healed and back to "Normal", as I was before the surgery. My 2nd fill was 4 weeks after the first, and in between my 1st and 2nd fills I GAINED weight. It wasn't until my 3rd fill did I start to live the life of someone who has been banded and on a consistent weight loss journey. I was banded in Jan 2011. I did not get properly adjusted until about May 2011, and even then, I had to go through a learning curve (and still am) to the point things did not get optimal until about late August - Sept., even though I have not had a fill since last May. Today, one year later, everyday is like any other day, the band has become 2nd nature, don't really think about it all that much.

people underestimate how important foot care is. I have had many skin problems, I go to a podiatrist every 3 months, and have seen a dermatologist on a regular basis. having lost the weight, my feet, for the most part are normal. I still go to the podiatrist......hey, if the insurance will pay for a pedicure performed by a expert....who am I to argue??

Definitley.....You can go crazy trying to figure these things out. I have been on sort of a plateau, weight loss has slowed way down, but I keep on excercising and I can see and feel a difference even though the scale is not moving that much. I am gettingt close to my personal goal. I have a appointment in feb. and may ask for a small fill, maybe 1/2 cc to see if that can give me a bump.

First thing I do is stop eating! Put the fork down, and then just wait. Sometime, eventually it will go away. A sign that it is a major blockage, is I will start with the hic-cups. It's then I know it is major. Next come the slime. When you are stuck, nothing is going to pass through the band into the stomach. Sliming is a build up of saliva, having no where to go. It also adds to the volume in your pouch, above the band. Eventually you will have to spit this all up so the saliva is a natural way of clearing any blockages. But waiting can take some time. To speed it up, all you need to do is add to the volume in your pouch. Not solids, that would be painful. If I want to get it done fast, I go to the bathroom, stand over the sink and sip some Water. The water has nowhere to go, and will come right back up, hopefully bringing what is stuck with it. May have to do this a few time till you get at the primary problem.

I use Muscle Milk Lite, vanilla. I mix it in a blender, with either water or milk, and add some frozen berries or fruit from costco. makes a good smoothie, that I have for breakfast everyday. You can research your own recipes, bananas, peanut butter, all sorts of things you can do. The Muscle Milk is only the base for the protein.

EXERCISE is definitely on the list to be successful.

Aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, What did you think of the play????

Stomach Rumbling does not mean you are hungry. Plus, the band does not give you a feeling of being full. It sends a message to your brain that you do not need to eat, as though you were full. Big Difference.

I no longer eat bread, have a hard time with meat, (about to give that up) and as far as rice, I need to mix it up real good with something, but cannot eat it straight. There are other things I have given up. But I eat more fish than ever before, and chicken. More vegetables. I suppose I could get a slight unfill to enjoy more foods, but to the contrary I can't wait till my next appointment in Feb so I can get a slight fill because weight gain has slowed way down, plateaued.

I think the term "Eat What You Want" is misunderstood. The way I see it is I could eat what I want if I wanted to, but I choose not to. If my food intake is limited, I have to make the best of it. I would not eat cupcakes all day in place of what I need to be eating. That's why everyone has to take nutrition classes, count calories, measure portions, to learn what is good and what is not, in order to make wise decisions.

If you are looking for support, you have to make the decision if you want it to work, or are you convinced you just don't want it. You say you are "freaked Out" just by having it?

Don't mean to change the subject, but I checked out your gallery and like the photo's. Especially the side by side one with your Mother.

Do you consider yourself as one of those people? I don't do Facebook.

Why not? Ok, here is a question for everyone. IF the band restricts HOW MUCH you can eat -stops you from overheating. And IF the band takes away your hunger, appetite to where you don't feel like eating most of the time. (above is the definition of "Green Zone") What else is there everyone says they must do to make it work? I know the answer, (or think i do) but I'm curious what everyone else thinks they have to do to be successful.

The biggest negative is about food. My tastes have definitely changed, and I really don't have much interest in food anymore. It drives my wife nuts when she goes food shopping. She will ask me to put anything I may want/need on the list, and I usually say "Nothing!" I find I will go the grocery store and get foods "just for myself" like stir fry ingredients, yogurt, etc. And also, I waste a lot of food. Everything I get from take out. Or whatever I cook, is always WAY too much. My family took me out to dinner for my birthday. A "Seafood Buffet" complete with a Raw Bar. I did have a few drinks before dinner, but after that I felt bad I hardly ate anything. It was a very expensive place.

I lost first my Brother at the age of 60, then my sister at the age of 64, both with numerous ailments from being obese. Diabetes, heart problems, amputations, blindness, balance issues, surgeries related to circulatory issues, infections, skin issues, you name it! My brother wound up in a nursing home after having a stroke. He was such a mess being so large and paralyzed on one side, no one can take care of him at home. My sister wound up in a nursing home, and died of renal failure after her kidneys shut down. I have always been a active person, but there I was, overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, and then cardiac issues. I needed to loose weight. I tried every diet plan I could over a 30 year span, and although did well in the beginning, wound up gaining more weight that where I started! Sitting there in my PCP office he said I was going to die soon, just as my brother and sister did before the age 65. He said if I could loose 50-60 lbs, all of this would go away! I never though of surgery, and did not think I was a candidate. But it was my PCP who suggested it to me right there and then. Had my surgery Jan. 2011. It has saved my life. All my medical ailments have been reversed. I am successful at loosing weight, for the first time in my life! For Me, the lap band is the EASIEST method for loosing weight. I know other people say it is only a tool, but for me it has been that "Magic" solution, where I could not overeat no matter how hard I try because I have this "Thing" surgically wrapped around my stomach, and adjusted "Tight" enough to prevent me less I experience pain or vomit!

Can't make any comments without knowing some history - background. You have been banded one year? How many fills? Would you say you were in the "Green Zone" Tight or loose band, every get stuck? Have you and are you keeping regular appointments with your surgeon? How much weight did you loose in that year? Was it hard work to accomplish that? I have a niece who was banded 5 years ago. She did great! Saw her last Christmas and it's hard to tell she ever had the surgery. WAY OFF TRACK! But, she went through a bad divorce, she is in now a single Mom, lost all her good health insurance, and has not been back to the Dr. in years! In her case, she knows what she needs to do. She is getting her life back together. She is working, has good health insurance now. Needs to hook up with a Surgeon and perhaps start over from square one. Like you I'm at a year also. I'm not gaining weight, but weight loss has slowed way down. My band has not been feeling as tight as it once used to. I did the 5-day pouch test which is nothing more than going back to the post-op diet of liquids for a few days, then mushies for 2 days to let your pouch tighten up and shrink from overuse. Perhaps you can try that. Stay away from solid foods for a few days. You may have stretched out your pouch, if you had any restriction in the first place. My next appointment I am going to ask for another fill/adjustment, maybe 1/2 cc.

My BMI alone was not high enough to qualify for the surgery. But if you have ANY comorbidities, then that puts you on a different scale.

Well, Like every other diet I have ever been on, I did well for the first few months, then failed miserably. By the end of the 6 months I was almost where I was when In started. I started cheating small here and there, and before you know it...... The reason my insurance co. wanted the supervised diet is to show, on record, that I have pursued every other possible diet and that surgery was/is the next/last option. If I was committed to weight loss, and successful at "Dieting" then I would not need to go through surgery. But then, that is just me.

yep, that's pretty much it. The learning process is to re-adjust your eating habits, and the type of foods you eat. For me it was trial and error, and I had to learn "The Hard Way" But I never blamed the band, instead I was me who needed to adjust to this new life. When you start to get restriction, learn to "Listen" to your band. That is, learn to differentiate between your band curbing your appetite, and head hunger (what you desire to eat, but really don't need) Also keep in mind, that it is you're first fill, and what you are now experiencing may go away. That's normal. And you will have to return for a additional fill - re-adjustment. But congratulations, You're well on your way!!!

You have just touched upon something I read here all the time. When I do I keep my mouth shut, or only state what has been successful for me. And that is; There are people who say they have no restriction. There are people, who after a fil, feel restriction, vomit, and run to the Dr for a "slight" unfil. There are people who say the band has done nothing for them. Doesn't work. There are people who say you need to bear down, bite the bullet and use your willpower. Is there a relationship between all of these. Again, whatever works for you, then great. I will proclaim what works for me.

My wife and I cruise a few times a year. There is food everywhere! Speaking for myself, I like to be sure I am in a good place to avoid all the temptations. In other words I like to see my Dr before the cruise to get a fill if needed. One suggestion: avoid the buffet(s) have breakfast and lunch in the Main Dining Room where you need to order off the menu. Portions are more manageable and you are not tempted to fill your plate with everything you see.

Humming Bird I'm in your corner also. I quess what it comes down to is, if you have a lot of will power, and can "diet" with some self discipline, then perhaps a minimal amount of fill, or even none, plus hard work on your part, you are successful using the "tool" along with your own efforts. Speaking only for myself, not anyone else, I don't have the discipline. I needed a tight band as opposed to the "tool", and it has been a easy "Magic Bullet" with little or no effort on my part. I am 60 years old, and have tried every diet known to man, plus hypnotism, and failed at each one. But being in the "green zone" for me, has been great. Like I said, whatever works for everyone is good. This is how it works for me. Surgery has been the only thing that has worked for me. To each their own, whatever works for them is Ok.

Yea, S*** Happens. I'm sure the office will have to do something. It is after all, all about making money now and the follow up long term care, and they will not let you or the other patients fall by the wayside that easy. I had a similar situation, although not as bad. My surgery was scheduled for 1/31. The surgeon retired 1/1. Everyone knew this but me. So I was introduced to the new surgeon 2 weeks prior and he asked me if I had any concerns about him taking over my case and performing the surgery. The funny thing was, for as long as I was going there for all the pre-op stuff, I never met the surgeon in the first place. All meetings were with the nurses, office staff. It was only when all the ducks are lined up do I meet with the surgeon. Bottom line though, I had worked so hard and waited so long, nothing was going to deter me. They could have done the surgery at the vetinarian's office and I would not have cared.

I agree.......You're getting way ahead of your self, conjuring up problems that really don't concern most people until they have been banded for months. Just sit back and follow you post-op diet instructions. This lap band weight loss process is slow, and takes months for it to really get started and see realistic results. I was banded a year ago, and it took me 3-4 months before I felt I was where I should be with the proper amount of Fluid, etc. That was last May. I have not had a fill since then. BUT I really did not begin to appreciate the difference in weight loss, body changes from exercising, or just plain looking in the mirror until about October of this year. So it took me 3-4 months to get things adjusted properly, and it took me 9-10 months to really feel satisfied with significant changes! Everything I went through, you are trying to bunch together in 3 weeks! To be polite.....You're not even close! RELAX!