B-52

I would ask....that after the surgery and the band is placed,...Then What? What is your Dr.'s post op protocol? Frequency of visits? What happens at these visits? What is your Dr.'s, and yours for that matter, expectations and how soon can you expect results? I say this because my Dr. had no reservations telling me EXACTLY what he expected of me and what he expected the band to do for me...he also was very clear on how he / we, are going to get there, and within what time frame....and I don't mean the amount of weight loss, although he did say what he expected per week, but he was more concerned with getting the band, (an me) properly adjusted so the true weight loss can begin. He has the Yellow-Green-Red Zone chart on the wall, and he would refer to it and THIS is where I want you to be. And every visit he would say point to the chart and show him where I felt I was, and then explain why. I'll be blunt....I read posts here from people who have had the surgery, and months later they still don't get it...the questions they ask are so fundamental for people who have been banded so long.... It's good they come here and ask the right questions, I'm not criticizing them for that....but I am wondering "Where the heck is their Dr. ??" and Isn't their Dr.'s telling them anything? Getting the band is only the first step...a very small step considering it is something for the rest of your life. Surgery is not the end, but just the beginning... Sorry for the rant....

Been banded over 4 years....and I am addicted to flavored waters...it's never been an issue.... Reflux is a common issue with the band, and not sure the reason why. I feel it varies from person to person. I had issues, and discovered for myself what the root causes were.....and it was not flavored Water...I will also drink carbonated water such as Pellegrino, or seltzers (flavored) also...but with caution and experience how to do it.

I live in NJ, but married for 35 years...sorry

It feels GREAT!!!!

If you're truly stuck, then anything you add in addition has no where to go....hence the sliming, you can't even swallow your own spit. So I simply take a few sips of Water, and make sure I am in the bathroom.... Can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to leave the table while in restaurants, let alone at home. But it's all part of the learning curve, breaking those old habits that made me fat and unhealthy....of course I could have gotten Fluid taken out of my band, then I would have no fear of ever getting stuck.....or having the band do anything and not loosing weight either!

No, I cannot....I used to have a glass once a day, but no more. It takes a long time for me to drink anything too fast, and with Metamucil, the longer you wait the thicker it gets. There are alternatives that do not thicken, and I sometimes add it to my morning smoothie.

Sounds a lot like my experience with my last and final fill.... After a week of not being able to eat anything solid, I called my Dr. He talked me into waiting it out....it took me a month to get used to it and everything to settle out. the more I tried to eat, the more irritated and tight the band remained... But keep in mind, my Dr. knows ME...Knows my bad habits...Knows what I needed to change about myself if I wanted the band to work. So he may not give the same advice to all his patients. BTW, over 4 years later, and there are still days I have to sip Water...especially first thing in the morning....get that infamous gurgling sound. I can never gulp water down...I can never drink fast.

And that's what it is all about!!! Now you have to explore better foods, better ways to ensure your Protein...It's all about developing a new lifestyle!! Since I eat so little, so less often, I try to make the best of what I eat...I have become a very picky eater...sure, you may try to have a slice of pizza (I can't BTW) but then you soon realize you're going to blow the portion the band will allow on something not very essential. I look at Burger and pizza commercials on tv, and ask myself.... WHY! For what good reason..!(?) This is why one of the "Rules" is to start with the protein first before moving on to the rest on the plate...because you might not even get through the protein!! My last fill was 3-1/2 years ago...and I feel just as great today as I did after my last fill...and I am still exploring newer, healthier foods, little tricks here and there......and lots of exercise... From your description, wouldn't you say this is easy?? Sure, getting there was tough, but then finally... A New Life!!! A New way of Living!!! (never have to diet again!) Congratulations!!

In over 4 years with the band, I have never felt full....

I told no one...I took a week off of vacation for my surgery and recovery. I lost all my weight. Everyday I go about my business like it's just another day. And now, 4 years later, it's all old news...people don't even think of me as ever being fat, and new people who I meet never knew I was fat.... Even my wife doesn't bring it up anymore...the surgery is a memory. So who cares if it was easy?? All I care is that I did something to take care of myself and my family. It's done, finished, and since moved on to a (New improved) normal life. In the beginning as the pounds were melting away, people did ask me all the time how I was doing it....I told them the truth: "I eat less, a lot less, concentrate on high Protein foods, given up certain foods such as red meat, flour based foods such as bread, Pasta, and other things, start the day with high protein smoothies, drink Water all day, and I go to the gym every chance I get" I sincerely turned my life around! Told them I had no choice...Dr.'s orders...it was either that or die (literally) Today, people don't compliment me on my weight loss, (old news) Today I get plenty of compliments on what great shape and how good I look for someone my age....my answer is still the same (it's a lifestyle) as it was in the beginning.

Varies, usually 2 days does it....sometimes only one day... I am tightest first thing in the morning, and I can tell when I'm good just by drinking my coffee....

IMO it is not a complication, but normal....the stomach is designed to stretch and contract with the amount put into it, and the pouch is still part of the stomach. I've been banded over 4 years....the band sets limits on how much I can eat - portion control....don't need to measure or count calories.... From time to time I realize I just ate more than usual with little problem....(throughout a day) It is then I will go all liquids for 2-3 days, after which I feel back to normal again. Letting my pouch return to normal. Some people call this the 5 day pouch test (why, I'll never know) but your Dr. is doing the same thing by removing the Fluid...he could just as easily instructed you to lay off solid foods for a week, but would you have? Every 5-6 weeks, I lay off solid foods and stick with liquids including Soups, shakes, etc....this is the only maintenance I am aware of with the band...(since I am not dieting) But of course, this is me and what I do...other people have different opinions and different experiences....

Never understood the concept of "eating more to loose more"... Have never found it to work for me, but have always found the opposite to be true. You have to burn more calories per day than you consume to loose weight. Also, as hunters-gatherers, we have stored excess energy away as fat to get us through periods of famine.... When i was loosing weight, I always pictured myself utilizing that stored source of energy.....so if my body needs more calories, and I'm not supplying it with food, it turns to that storehouse I've been carrying around for years. And it must be true, in my case anyway, because I currently have very little fat left, there is nothing left to loose. We are/were fat because we ate too much......we cannot get our eating under control....so we have WLS to stop us from eating too much.....Simple! If you feel you need to eat more, then I would re-consider getting a fill...

After loosing 100+ lbs of whale blubber that used to insulate and keep me warm, I am always complaining of being too cold now. Whenever I'm sitting around watching TV, etc, I have an electric blanket wrapped around me,,, Last week or so the temps here have been in the single digits...brutal for us non-fat people.

First, this is exactly why I have never told anyone about my surgery.... Why is easy such a bad thing??? I was morbidly obese and my health was deteriorating because of it... Just like any other surgery, it was needed to fix a medical problem after all other avenues where explored. And the surgery was a success. Maybe they could have put on my Grave Stone..."He chose the hard way instead" Good thing he didn't take the easy way out, then he would be thin, healthy and fit! And we certainly can't have that, Can we? It's better he be as miserable as the rest of us.....Maybe that is why people are so critical...misery loves company...they don't like to see other people happier and thinner and ultimately more successful all around than they are... This time every year everyone is talking about this and that diet, wanting to loose some weight for the summer months...TV commercials are all about different diet programs, miracle cures, snake oil... My gym has bee packed since New Years...it's like that every Jan-feb...everyone with their resolutions. It will slack off come March, April or may back to normal until next Jan. I don't care what other people think, this is my life and I have to do what is best for me and my own.... And know what? Four years later not many people even remember when I was fat, and I meet new people all the time that take it for granted this is the way it's always been. This is who I am! Bottom line, I have been set free from all that....Easy Way Out??? All I know or care about is I'm the one with the big smile on my face...I'm having he last laugh....I Love it and would not choose any other way....

4 years in and still going strong without a single problem....

What about the band?? Your post says "I' just stopped, "I" stopped trying/caring, and on and on....you never mention the band. Did the band ever contribute to your weight loss? Was your band working, then suddenly stop? Only reason I say this, because in MY life, "I" could never do anything to loose weight. Your post sounds like me before surgery.,..I did well for maybe a year, then failed miserably, gaining it all back, feeling ashamed and depressed...100's of times. My health was suffering because of it...so my PCP, as a LAST RESORT, referred me to a Weight Loss surgeon...I never dreamed I was a candidate, maybe it was denial...maybe it was for failures, the easy way out.... That was 4 years ago. The band has done what I was unable to do. I may want to stop, feel less motivated, have good days and bad days, stress, grief, parties, vacations, but the band does not change because of those things...it was surgery. Something physically altered, changed, within my digestive tract... Bottom line...best decision I ever made.... So, if I was your surgeon, I would be wondering and examining why that thing I installed is not doing what was intended to do.

Should be a simple fix....how deep is your port?

It's 5:30am....9 degrees out with wind gusts of 20-30mph putting the wind chill way down below zero.... Snowed over night and the plow just went down the street.... Sitting here on my second cup of coffee.... The gym opens at 6am, and in spite of everything I will be there when they open (or shortly thereafter) THERE ARE NO EXCUSES! I could easily go back to my warm bed with my wife and sleep in....put this off to another day...perhaps another day after that, then another day after that...NO! At my age I need to take advantage of every opportunity! The more you do, the better you get, and bigger are the rewards....if I don't go, I will feel like crap all day long...and probably punish myself. Yes, I am 100% successful with my weight loss...finished this journey (if you like that term, I don't) years ago....however I do not think I would have gotten this far from surgery alone...it was the exercise that really made it complete...no sagging skin, flabby arms, etc...all tight! Exercise also covers a multitude of sins....it's probably the reason I can do some of the things dieters would never dream of doing.... Dr.'s have been preaching it forever...diet and exercise...diet and exercise.... I don't like the "D" word, counting calories, etc...that's all behind me...to me it's all part of the new, permanent lifestyle of healthy eating, staying active, enjoying the good things in life, (I'm not into self punishment), but never over indulging...all things in moderation. I cannot stress enough how fortunate and pleased I am to have had this surgery...otherwise I would have been dead by now...literally! My Dr's informed me so in direct terms I was a walking time bomb. And lets not ever forget...,behind it all the band is there quietly controlling my appetite, hunger and cravings...easy way out? WHY SHOULD I CARE OR FEEL GUILTY!!! Give me a break.....It just doesn't get any better than this! Some people give up too easily at the first sign of this or that....believe me...this DOES WORK! Don't let negative people - whiners, tell you otherwise.... Many, just about all, successful lap banders move on and leave this site...believe me, it is hard to stay with all the negativity... But that is the sole reason I stick around...somebody has to stand up to it and call it out for what it is....whether newbies want to believe it or not...

Ok, normally I don't try to tell other people what is right and wrong, only my own experiences.... So I'm going to stick my neck out at the risk of loosing my head... People throw up (regurgitate) with the band because they are eating wrong (majority of the time).....usually forcing it, trying to eat too much? Too large bites/swallows? The wrong texture/types of foods? Drinking while eating? A lot of things.....All the bad habits we picked up over a lifetime that made us fat, habits we need to break.... Example, I cannot eat pizza without a high risk of it getting stuck and coming back up...so I choose not to eat pizza anymore. A life changing event. And there have been many other changes. So.....one could go get Fluid taken out of their band, and then they can eat what and how they choose and not be forced to change their behavior...the result being they begin to gain the weight back??? Not saying this is you....but this a scenario I read here all too often.... They say the band will change your life....sure, it will change when we become thin again in more ways one can imagine......BUT it will bring about change in the WAY we eat, WHAT we eat, and WHEN we eat....for Life! Our whole attitude will change....Or Not. Someone once said to me years ago...the band will bring about change, if I LET IT! Sorry to ramble, and again, not casting any stones at anyone in particular.

However it works for you is all that matters, as long as it works.... Everyone does approach it a little differently, each with their own success stories...and that's what matters...success, not theory! Congratulations

I've gone full circle....in the beginning, I avoided food, and social events surrounded by food... But now, once again I enjoy going out to a nice restaurant.... Because food no longer has control over me, and I now have have very little interest in food, and the hunger/cravings are no longer there. The people in my office go out all the time, and when I join them I may have nothing more than an appetizer. And that I am unable to finish most times. But I enjoy the social event tremendously...(not to mention the drinks). Both my Daughter and Son were born in February...add valentines day on top of that....I give everyone the choice to get together and agree on the restaurant of their choosing.... and we will have a great time!!! Can't wait!! (My son and daughter are in their 30's) I read here all the time from people afraid to go on cruises, attend weddings, dread the holidays...etc.... I have found, over time and once my band was properly adjusted....that it does not change...no matter where or what I am doing....it does not matter. So bring it on! I can and do understand how difficult it can be to get to that place in the beginning...(Talking Lap Band here with adjustments) So I have gone full circle thanks to the band!!! It has given my life back...a new life free from overeating and having to constantly diet. It is after all, the reason I went through this surgery...to do what I was never able to do before.

I come here to hear, and share my experiences with WLS....sometimes, if I did not know better, you think you stumbled upon any run of the mill weight loss sites such as jenny craig, weight watchers, etc, etc....with no mention about surgery. I have tried every diet under the sun...fell for every gimmick and listened to every snake oil salesman out there...nothing worked. I failed at every single one.....that is why, as a last resort, I was referred for Surgery.... And surgery is what worked and surgery is what I am here to share.... Sometimes, when I read things here, I wonder if the person posting has even had weight loss surgery, because they sure don't talk like it.

My first fill, 4 weeks after surgery was 4cc's....next fill was 4 weeks after that...in between I GAINED weight. It was as though I did not even have the band. 2nd fill was 2cc's...things evened out, lost a little, but not much..it was still a lot of will power... 3rd fill 4 weeks after that, 12 weeks from surgery...was a charm! As a matter of fact I had a hard time coping with the restriction. But my Dr. asked me to hang in there, slow down, apply the rules now more than ever because this is where they make sense, and to stop and think about what and how I am eating.... I had a lot of stuck episodes...at least one a day, sometimes more...but because of all that I finally came around and changed my behavior, (forced to) and now it is all second nature...don't even need to think about it. I'm glad he did...that was over 3-1/2 years ago....not a fill since, and holding steady at my body's (not mine) optimal weight. Diet is nothing but a 4 letter word.

For me, it's always been about calories In..versus...calories out (burned) To loose weight, burn fat, I have to burn more calories than I consume , per day.... I read that 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. That means burning 3500 MORE than one eats. So, to loose one pound per week, that would mean burning 500 calories more than you eat per day. If you eat 1000 calories a day, then you need to burn 1500 calories just to get that one pound per week. I don't count calories, etc. I just believe to eat less ( a lot less) and exercise more.... Plus, I am one of those who works out first thing in the morning on a empty stomach. That way, for an energy source, I burn the stored fat I have been holding onto rather than what I just consumed....and it worked. My body fat % went down very constantly. After my workout I would have a high Protein recovery shake....good to go all day. But that is just my story,and how it actually worked for me.... may not be the same experience for everyone else who has achieved success.