B-52

I can NEVER drink liquids fast....my last fill, I thought was too tight...stuck it out for a week then called the Dr....he talked me into sticking it out for another week, advised me to stay with liquids for a few days, then slowly move up to soft foods, etc, etc.... I'm glad he did....that was over 3 -1/2 years ago and things could not be better since. Before that last fill my band was doing next to nothing...if I had that last fill removed, then I would have gone back to that place... As it turned out, in my case anyway, it was a mixture of inflammation of the band area, and adjusting myself, yet once again to eating better food choices and more carefully. Cannot continue to eat the way I used to if I want the band to take control. If I did not go all liquids, then I would never have given the band time to settle down, but continue to irritate it. If I did not, yet again, give up certain foods and also change my eating habits, the band would never have had the chance to function the way it does today. Every time I got a fill, I had to change my behavior....and the last fill was the most aggressive. To this day, I still go all liquids for 2-3 days, every 6-8 weeks or so. That is the only maintenance I need having finished with my weight loss.

When (if) you sprain your ankle, you're tearing the muscle fibers...what happens? It swells..edema..because that is what the body does...it retains Water in the area to aid in the healing process.... Now you are exercising your entire body,,,your muscles are sore...thousands of micro muscle tears, (perhaps macro tears also) which is absolutely normal...but think of all the water retention from the swelling going on you may not even be aware of... I can go in the gym first thing in the morning...do a bunch of arm curls till it hurts and beyond...and it appears my biceps are larger all day long...people go in and lift weights and get "Pumped Up"..and it shows, at least for the day...hence the change in measurements... Why is that? Remember , water = weight, but is not true weight, only temporary and will pass as you get into better shape...definitely no reason to stop working out...just the opposite because if done properly, it will not only burn calories, but stored fat you've been saving.... Last but not least...it really is not about loosing weight...it's about burning fat! Fat is a killer, and the high the body fat% the higher one is at risk for all sorts of things.... Professional athletes, such as football players, according to MBI's, are all obese! However they are all in excellent shape having a very low body fat %.... The biggest "Aha" moments I* had when I was loosing weight, was that while exercising I would focus on burning fat...( I still do) That is why I am of the school to work out first thing in the morning before I eat...to use stored fat as an energy source, not what I just put in my stomach.

Kimmey!!!! (Schmidt) I did a marathon last week...love Tina fey's humor.

A little under to a little over??? I am dome loosing weight, have completed this journey (hate that term) and my weight fluctuates up and down withing the same 5-7 lbs...and I am one of those who weigh myself everyday, sometimes more. Perfectly normal...... I can be up 7 lbs today, down 3 tomorrow, down another 2 the next day, then up 3....it never stops....but the mean (average) is always the same.

Yes, as good as it feels, it is not realistic in relation to the type of surgery you had...you're loosing weight purely from the post op diet everyone follows who has had major surgery. The real weight loss is yet to come. If you gain this initial weight loss back, after you're allowed to go back to normal solid foods, please do not get discouraged and say you're failing...it is not surprising how many people say they are when in reality they have not even started yet. They get way ahead of themselves.....anxious I quess.

Most servers in restaurants think I feel there is something wrong with my dinner. One time, I hardly touched my entree, and the server was worried and kept asking me if it was ok...I kept assuring her it was... She took my plate away, and then came back with a whole new plate...said the cook felt bad and was apologetic....so he made me something "Special" not on the menu...also said hey were not going to charge me. I had to tell them a little white lie and said I was not feeling well, and had an upset, was just getting over a stomach bug... Then I turned around and ordered ice cream along with a coffee for dessert. Thats just the way it goes with the band sometimes.

Yes, but it's temporary..like anything,when your body goes through the changes it tries to catch up and adjust....same as a stall, you loose weight because of a new lower calorie intake, then your body adjusts to it. So then you change it again........and .eventually you'll have to change it up again...go from walking to running for instance, and/or even less calories. My body has adjusted and settled out...been at a stall for over 2 years now...but at the optimal place with a very low body fat % and a steady intake of food and exercise. If I wanted to loose more. (I can't really) then I would have to change it up again...less calories perhaps...but hen it would not be fat I was burning, and that would be a true starvation mode. Not the pseudo one people here use as an excuse to eat more.

My first fill was 4cc's...it did absolutely nothing...matter of fact, between the first and second fill I started to gain weight! cc's are volume, mg is mass...so I don't know how my first fill equates to yours.

Too much Protein is definitely not good....I've seen the effects on geratrics in nursing homes where it goes unchecked and they get too much protein...not very pretty. Having said that, I have always worked out on a empty stomach, (to burn off stored fat), then afterward have a high protein recovery shake. Feel great. Jocks perhaps like the trainers you're talking to, think more protein the better... Can you picture a 16 year old passing out on the football field? Or winding up in the ER with kidney failure? 16 years old? It happens.

Congratulations.... Not to be a Debbie downer, but it's still very early. Enjoy the Honeymoon....everyone looses weight post surgery simply from the diet one must follow, and for Obese people, those first pounds are easy to loose...I've done it 100's of times. Eventually, the reality of real weight loss is going to sink in, the fills and band adjustments will start, the adjustments one must learn to make to oneself and the band can be very difficult, and frustrating. You say you can chug Water...that's good....say that a year from now, if you progress with the band. Again, not want to rain on your parade, but I would not want you to be one of those who start calling themselves a failure or complain about stalls and want to give up when in reality it's all part of the program. Everyday there are people on this forum saying they failed and get down on themselves when in reality it has not even started. They're not looking at the big picture, or perhaps can't see it yet... But know this, the band DOES work. And it's for life, not just the first month or two. IT EVEN GETS BETTER than most people can ever imagine!!!, Orr want to believe! But again, congratulations...you are obviously very motivated and getting a good taste of what success can be like....and that's saying a lot.

You are right...To A Point. My office does nothing but process claims to insurance companies for pre-determination, pre-approvals, and later reimbursement. It's what we do...I attend clinics everyday, each day a different Hospital/Facility, meet with patients and their families for evaluations, then submit to their insurance co. to see if they will cover the cost of what was prescribed at the eval. Bottom line, Insurance companies do not like to part with their money...they are, after all, there to make money. Not all are bad, there are excellent ones... But sometimes, the illogical hoops they make you jump through...throw common sense out the window...you're dealing with real idiots! Sometimes I think it is a tactic, that if they make it difficult enough, you will give up and go away. And the more the federal government gets involved, the worse it gets.....then Insurance Fraud becomes more prevalent...only adding to more regulations and hoops...

No sushi...I cannot tolerate rice.... Chinese and Thai take-out is a favorite food for me...although I stopped eating meat, and breaded and fried things such as general tso's chicken are not very band friendly for me...too hard and rough. Low mein and similar are out because I cannot tolerate the noodles - (pasta) But there is a lot of chicken, fish and vegetarian choices....What I do bring home, I will dissect and pick out the things I can eat, mix it with 1 spoonful of rice, (can hardly tell it's there) and wind up throwing 50% of it away..and with that I am still unable to finish it and save it for the next day. I also like Chow mein, because that is green vegetables and cooked soft. again no rice. And I usually get a Soup, but that goes in the fridge for later. You are one month post-op, and although it's good to hear what other people can or cannot eat, everyone is a little different because everyone's band is adjusted differently. There is much I could eat when I was one month out, than what I can eat today...it's a learning curve people have to discover for themselves, unfortunately through some stuck episodes... I think I know where I'm stopping on the way home from work tonight.

I don't hold back drinking socially...either gin and tonics or bloody mary's.... Does not effect my band one way or the other.... As far as colories, I'm not a calorie counter...I look at the big picture which is I now eat 1/10th of what I used to on any given day, and when I do eat, I make the best nutritious choices I can. I also will have a beer or two from time to time...but I don't recommended it to people just starting out...there is a lot to learn first...

Go to a store that specializes in running...NOT a chain department store, but a place where avid runners get their gear. They will do a full analysis of your feet, and how you step. Then make recommendations for the type of shoe you should be using. I was always under the assumption that if it is expensive, it must be the best...WRONG! I paid much $$, in the hundreds, for the best and latest shoes on the market. After running for a few weeks, I started to get sharp left hip pain...it kept getting worse each day until I could not run for longer than 20 minutes. I also experience many episodes of black toe, and lost many toe nails. I later learned I could have done permanent damage to my hips, and perhaps knees. Finally went to a runners store near me, where they spent a good hour going over everything....the shoes I wound up buying were 1/2 the price I would have paid...and my feet never felt better when I run. So the proper shoes are not always the most $$ Also, socks are just as important as the shoes you wear...the socks I have cost $18, and there are lefts and rights...took care of my black toe, because my feet don't slide around inside my socks. I see you are in NJ...I live in Monmouth County...if you're near me I can tell you the name of the store I go to.

Only thing about the post-op diet that I would be worried about, is doing physical damage to your band...you just had major surgery under full anesthesia..... There is a reason for the food regime (liquids, mushies, etc) one has to follow, and it has NOTHING to do with loosing weight. It is about letting yourself heal so within time, it will be safe to eat things like fish tacos....I had to follow a set post-op diet for 30 days before I could return to "Normal" solid foods. THEN the fills - band adjustments started, and THEN it started to become all about loosing weight and learning what foods are band friendly or not.... It was THEN that I learned that tacos of any kind became on my "Do Not Eat" list because they are of a bad texture, too harsh, caused me reflux, and did not pass through the band very easily...high risk of getting stuck no matter how careful I am........That is why I do not eat tacos, along with a whole list of other foods I will no longer eat. Not because they are part of some kind of diet, (I'm done dieting...forever!) but because I am banded and being banded is why I lost all my excess weight. So next time you want to eat that fish taco, don't think about loosing weight or not, think about winding up back on the operating room table! Everything you worked for to get to this point in jeopardy! Sorry for ranting, but sometimes I can't help it. don't take it personal.

When I read your post, the first thing that popped into my head was "What is it that you are trying to eat that's so difficult" There are foods, because of the band, I will never eat again....just too difficult. Personally, I see nothing wrong with sipping Water while eating...I see nothing wrong with slider foods, and I have ice cream, with toppings and whipped cream, all the time. Moist, soft foods are good IMO...less chance of band irritation, erosion? I'm not on any diet...I have a new lifestyle. I cannot drink water while eating, not because it passes food easier, it is because, since food is sitting there passing slowly through the band, drinking water will add to the volume of what's already there and it will have no where to go except right back up where it came from. Incidentally, drinking water is a sure fire way to get un-stuck, and is something I have done all the time when I needed to. Preferably in the bathroom!

Never had my band unfilled, but I imagine it is just as it was in the beginning...as though the band is not there at all...so the fill process begins. People react to different fill amounts....my first fill was more than you had in total...4cc's first fill, 4 weeks after surgery...and it did nothing. As a matter of fact, I gained weight after my first fill. 2nd fill was 4 weeks after that, or 8 weeks from surgery. 2 cc's were given for a total of 6. After that, things were so-so, stopped gaining, but still always hungry and not much in the way of portion control. I suppose I could have stopped there and with the use of some good old will power and self discipline, I would have lost weight. But i don't have much of that when it comes to dieting...that's why I needed surgery in the first place. It took 3 fills for a total of 7cc's to put me over the top. That was over 3-1/2 years ago since my last fill....everything is still as good today as it was then. Why did you need to have your band emptied?

Don't know about Canada...but in the USA, anything you pay out of pocket for medical, can be figured in and determined based upon your total income.

Gas-x only works inside your digestive system...the gas used for surgery is inside your body cavity..something different entirely. Perhaps it will work as a placebo... In hospitals, they get patients up and walking asap...and as much as possible...they say that's the only thing that works. Don't ask me why, but it always migrates to the left shoulder...under the rib cage was the worse for me... I did use a heating pad...seemed to make a difference....

First thing is to get the band properly adjusted...this can take months and in the meantime you are going to be facing many challenges. I have been banded for over 4 years...because of the band I eat a fraction of what I used to...since I eat so little, I make the most of what I do eat. I'm not going to waste my meal with something like ice cream. o since I am looking for the best to eat, I have become a very picky eater, and what some people call a "Health Nut", looking for whole foods, non processed, Protein rich....I have also given up things such as Red meat, Pasta, rice, breads and just about everything made from flour/dough...plus there are other things, all because of the band, not my decision. Sprinkle all that with staying active and exercising, and you wind up with a lifestyle that will get many compliments.

First, I know nothing about the sleeve....but let me say this... I have been 100% successful with the band, and in my case, it was the easiest, most effortless thing I could have done. What was difficult was the first 4-6 months, getting the band adjusted just right, and learning to modify my eating habits to match the bands demands. A lot of people never do get to that "Magic" place....the band is adjustable, and individuals can choose how they want it adjusted. They can choose how and what they want to eat, buy how much Fluid is in the band.....There are so many variables to get it perfect, and because of that, it has been said the success rate is low. Least that's what I've heard. My Dr. once told me I was one in a thousand as a band patient....just too many variables and peoples personalities, likes and dislikes, that he now will recommend the sleeve or RNY before the band. The PA told me she is fed up with people coming in to have fluid taken out of their bands so they can enjoy weddings, vacations, etc, etc. You can't do that with the sleeve, and my Dr. understands that. With the sleeve or RNY, It is what it is....you have to live with it..there is no adjusting. So, after saying all that, IF I knew I would be as successful with such ease with the sleeve as I had with the band, I would have gone with the sleeve. But again, I don't know, have no experience, as to how the sleeve actually performs with people, and how much work, or not, one needs to put into their success. Would I have been as successful with the sleeve? I really cannot say. But the band has been nothing short of miraculous for me.

It is a very delicate balance...I had 1/2 cc taken out at my request last summer, and it threw everything out of whack. Hunger came back, started eating larger portions with much ease, etc, etc. Went back and got that 1/2cc put back in ASAP, with my Dr. grinning saying "I told you so" But it did remind, and prove to me it is the band, and nothing I'm doing....same as before surgery. I cannot imagine having all the Fluid taken out, then trying to get back and find that magic spot where it all falls into place. You also mention not having to count calories or deprive yourself....that is something I enjoy about this and would not want to loose as if I was struggling with dieting again...that route never worked for me. I stopped counting calories or worrying about portion sizes years ago...and I don't deprive myself of lifes little pleasures in the way of delectable foods that dieters can never imagine. Again, one of the things I enjoy about this, and would hate to loose that "Perfect Balance" Like I said, just 1/2 cc threw me off....cannot imagine getting it all taken out! What a struggle it must be getting back.

I went in a saw him once every month for a full year....then it was every 3 months, then 6, and now it's call me if you have any problems.

The one I make myself from scratch...any flavor I like made form all fresh ingredients.

So what if it's easy??? The fact is it works....it did something I could not have done on my own. Believe me, I've tried. I am so glad I told no one...I was once fat, and now I'm not. To me, that's all that matters. Simple. End of story. BTW, me loosing 100+ lbs id old news, and no one even cares any more....except me and my family.