B-52

We just got back from Cancun Mexico, trip paid for by my company. The food was not that good, and everyone did was complain.... Since food does not interest me, I could have cared less if it was good or bad because I just as soon get along without it. And since I never experience real hunger anymore, I was not bothered. I was a little upset I could not get my daily Protein requirement. But for 5 days it's not going to kill me. And I was out running my 5 miles every morning at 5am so I lost weight. But I expect that may not be a good weight loss. I'll know tomorrow when I get back to the gym and really weight myself. It is really nice not to be a slave to things like that, where it runs your life....not the other way around.

I started to type this in response to another post...Then stopped. I did not want that OP to feel I was criticizing her/him. I read post here everyday from people seeking "Self Control" and "You can do it", etc, etc. So I started this post, and this is in reference to ME, and MY experiences only! And also to the Lap band...don't know what other WLS's are like. Can only speak about myself and my Lap band. You're looking for self control....????? For myself, I have absolutely no self control...I could eat all day, non stop...an empty pit... That is what made me "Morbidly Obese" and was affecting my health...killing me to be specific. So, as a last resort, I had WLS, specifically Lap Band... Through restriction (as people like to refer it to), that is where I found my self control...it's the band, not me... I tried loosing weight over the past 30+ years, and failed miserably at every attempt. I had NO self control. If I did, I would not be Obese!!! And I was not Obese, then I would not have needed WLS and I would not be sitting here typing this right now. Last summer, I was feeling pretty good about myself, having been 100% successful for 3 years, and went in and asked to have 1/2 cc taken out. Dr. and staff said I was doing excellent, why mess with something if it's not broken? But they did it, because I asked them to...call it an experiment. BIG MISTAKE! The self control I thought I had, disappeared !!!...I started to eat more, a lot more with less control... It took that little to tip the cart...that perfect balance...the old ways began to swiftly come back.... I went back and had that 1/2 cc put back in ASAP! The people there had a good chuckle at my expense saying "I told you so" So yes, call it an experiment, and now I am certain...IT IS The Band! and Not Me! Without the band, I loose self control with food and eating....the band is where my control comes from. There was a post, where the OP said they had good restriction, the band was working, yet they had no self control and could not stop eating........I'm sorry. But in my experience anyway, it can't go both ways...if you have no self control, then the band is not working...or you never had surgery.... Least that is the way it is for me. Ever since then, when I read various posts about this and that problem, issue, I want to scream..."Why are you talking that way...., you did have WLS didn't you?" Yet I read posts and the discussion could easily have been cut and pasted from any weight loss site, and not that where people had surgery.... It's early, maybe I'm being nit-pickey....but like I said n the beginning as a disclaimer, , this is how I feel about My surgery....this is why I had surgery....and that's my focus when I come to this site..... WLS, specifically Lap band, has done for me what I could never have done on my own....

Is true, in theory....but one will loose more weight in the winter because your body burns more calories keeping you warm

"Eat More to Loose More"....Sorry, but how do you think I got fat in the first place?

What I got from your post(s) is that simply giving everything a rest can cure many band related problems. I never needed fluid taken out, but I do all liquids (5 day pouch test?) for a few days about every 6 weeks or so....accomplishes the same thing IMO. Perhaps that's why after 4 years I have never had any issues...

No possible way for me to know,...but your symptoms do not sound band related at all.... Nausea and vomiting are something the band dos not cause, to the best of y knowledge. I know where I live, there is a bug going around...

I was never told to stop vitamins....just NPO day before surgery Any blood thinners need to be stopped days before...

Chines foods are still one of my "go To" foods.... Early on though, I stopped eating anything Pasta, and rice...also do not eat anything heavily breaded and fried such as General tso's chicken. But I will buy something such as Kung Po Chicken...enough for two non banded people, and then separate all the things I will eat and throw away what I will not eat....wind up with about 1/2...(no rice, or at least very little mixed in you can hardly see it.... And then, I can only eat 1/2 of that 1/2....so I wind up throwing 3/4's of it away...or save a little leftover for the next day or later.... But that's how it is with just about everything I eat....can only get through a 1/3 of it at best. But since being banded, don't cook as much and Chinese/thai food is still good take-out.

This is a question - topic I read here everyday. What is, and how did you determine your weight goal? Well, I can only share what I know from my own experience....whether sound or not, it's what I went through and live by. First of all, BMI's mean absolutely nothing to me! Very unscientific. It's ok to use in general, but it is by no means accurate. What is accurate is how much of your total weight is comprised of lean muscle, Water, bone density, etc, and % of BODY FAT. We, as weight loss people, should be concerned with how much body fat our body is comprised of, and not so much what we weigh. (although it is nice) According to BMI charts, I am still 15 lbs overweight. BUT, given a full body analysis, I have a VERY LOW body fat %...if I was to loose any additional weight, it would not be fat but other things that would make me very dangerously unhealthy. Yet the BMI charts say I need to! I take note of professional athletes, such as football players, seeing their height is the same as mine, I then notice their weight....and according to the BMI Charts, they would be OBESE! But to look at them, the are ripped with no fat whatsoever. If you google Body fat % to see the charts, you can see what your body fat % should be, Anything more or less, is very unhealthy. When one finally gets into their proper zone, then they are at their optimal weight. And it will not be the same as the next persons weight. Because I am (was) a Diabetic, I learned this in relation to how body fat effects Insulin and metabolism at the cellular level. I had high Cholesterol, triglycerides, poor circulation, obstructed arteries from plaque build up (CAD) which resulted in a heart attack and subsequent cardiac surgery, ALL because of having a high body fat %....NOT being overweight. Also, the required 6 month weight loss program I had to go through for surgery, the center had the equipment to do these analysis, and emphasized it over actual weight loss (which is a perk to loosing body fat) I focused on loosing body fat, exercised with that in mind. And as long as I ate healthy, Protein and water, my body continued to loose weight - BODY FAT...until it settled at a very good % (athletic in my case) Then I was done...stopped loosing. Not because I said so, but because my body said so. Have not gained, no lost any weight in years... And all of my medical issues dissipated....no more medications. (other than cardiac meds which I will have to take for life) And I am still Overweight !!! Also, when I read where people set weight goals for themselves, I wonder what are they going to do when they reach that goal? Start eating again? But we had surgery to stop us from that, right? At least that's why I did it. Maintenance? IMO, there is no maintenance...this is a lifestyle change not a diet program...again, just my opinion. Ok, enough of my rant....I can ramble on early in the am (it's 4 am)....but there it is...agree or disagree, does not matter...just sharing how it is for me.

My surgery was 8:30 on a Monday morning. My final Dr's appointment and weigh-in was the friday before. If I did not meet the required weight loss, then no surgery Monday. Saturday, I went out for my "Last Meal" , picked a place I knew I would never step foot in again, and had a real FINAL ALL YOU CAN EAT pig out.... Sunday I fasted, nothing but Water. Monday's surgery went without a hitch.

AGREED!!!! As a Lap bander, I too am amazed. If someone could have demonstrated to me before my surgery, how little I would be eating within a 24hr period, and still be as healthy and fit as a fiddle with energy to spare, (run 5 miles a day)..there is NO WAY it could be possible...and it is just as hard to explain this to people considering WLS or just starting out. I do not even think about food all that much, so me too, if busy, just go without it forgetting I even needed to. And not just work....I can bee traveling and attending an event so I am occupied with other things. I have gone full 24hr days without eating....work all day and forget, then it is too late in the evening to eat. (my rule against reflux) It really made a difference to our grocery bills....and when we eat out, which is often because both my wife and I work crazy hours, I bring home enough for two more meals.

The only problem I have is that if I drink while there is food passing through the bad, it will immediately increase the volume and with nowhere else to go, it will come right back up! Also can cause pain, I suspect possibly causing dilation. So I learned the hard way, as with many other things with this band, to drink (anything) right to the point I begin to eat, then test it with small sips until I can feel it is safe....then I can have my after dinner coffee! But, as is the case with all topics, everything is indicative as to how much your band is adjusted.

I have been banded 4 years, and have never been sick to the point where I have vomited...to be honest, it is something that concerns me...the band was designed for food to go through it downward, not the other way around...and with as much force that it can bring.... I am also extra careful about motion sickness, drinking tap Water, strange food in foreign countries, etc etc. We are going to Cancun Mexico in a couple of days, and already I am thinking ahead about these things, and what to do if I should get sick (I do have a plan) As far as liquids.....this is something I have learned to do on my own, about every 6-8 weeks....and then I only need to do it for 1-3 days.....as preventive maintenance... I have noticed whenever people have problems, the first thing the Dr does is put the patient on full liquids..... If he/she does not think you could do it, then he/she will completely empty the band, achieving the same thing...and I have read that that brings on other possible problems.... PS:, people use the term vomiting, throwing up, along with the band....IT IS NOT the same thing! I have been stuck many times when first starting out...and have never vomited! That is something entirely different.

Welcome......and congratulations on deciding to change your life.... Why would you not be hungry...It was tough for me too..but it was coming down to the finish line and the closer I got the more I had to stick it out and not blow it now! You've got only a few days to go!....

First, as a disclaimer, this post is under "General WLS Discussion"....and my surgery was the Lap band. So different people with different surgeries will have different experiences, and different stories to tell.... No one wants to have to resort to surgery in order to loose weight...at least I didn't. But I tried and tried over years of dieting...and failing all the time...Up-down, up-down...gain weight, loose weight, gain it all back again.... Plus it was really staring to effect my health, in a very serious way.... So yes, for me it was a last resort...perhaps a desperate resort....as hesitant with 2nd thoughts as I was, what was the alternative? I wanted to be skinny and fit! I wanted to be healthy...I wanted to dance at my daughters wedding.... Know what? I got all that...AND MORE....I am absolutely ecstatic with my decision, and THE RESULTS! It CHANGED my life in ways I can't put into words at this moment. So what if it is the easy way out...EASY IS GOOD...what's wrong with that? Some people think that's a bad thing....I DON'T....and look at what I got in return! Where would I be today without this surgery? Probably 6' under, or ashes in an urn...not kidding! Weight loss surgery is not for everyone...it is not about the surgery, but it is about LOOSING WEIGHT! However you do that, it's all good. I needed my stomach tied off, restricted...after 4 years I'm still good with it! Like I said, I have been down all those other roads, and diets do not work for me. Perhaps for the first few months, then it all come back......surgery is permanent!

Who cares if it is the easy way out? I am now skinny, health, and fit....and living every minute of everyday...that's all that matters to me.

Why would you not be hungry? With the pre-op diet, than the post op eating one must go through....I'd be starving!!! incidentally, as a lap band patient, my huger did not get under control until a few months and a few fills/adjustments later....

I myself, never bought into that notion...if it were true there would not be any fat people around. To me it has always been about calories in versus calories burned. Roughly 1 lb of body fat equals 4000 calories... Every diet in the world is about getting people to eat less...and if one does not have the self discipline to diet, then weight loss surgery is an option to physically force one to eat less....not eat more. The more you eat, the more you have to burn off....which means harder work - more exercise. I am 100% successful...finishing this journey (hate that term) years ago....very little body fat % left....and it has always been about getting me to eat less, but eat healthy...and exercise as much as possible...burning off more calories per day than I consumed.... This is not sound, just a thought,....but I had a discussion about images of people in POW camps, all skin and bones from lack of food...True Starvation, not the mode people here talk about...(another term I do not care for)......and then wondered what it would be like if they were given their 75 grams of Protein a day, along with daily Vitamins, and all the Water they could drink.....

It first started when my "Tastes" for foods started to change..,foods I used to love just did not appeal for me anymore...I then became a very picky eater, and soon realized it was not any particular types of food, but that food, and eating for that matter did not appeal to me anymore....simply had no interest in it. Could care less. I can go to the grocery store and not find anything I want to purchase....go to our favorite restaurants and not see anything on the menu I would care to eat.......etc. I soon realized that this was the band taking away my hunger....not just in between meals, but 24/7 I never get hungry, and could care less if I eat or not....I have gone 24 hr periods without eating. Don't intend to, just forget to. I have to remind myself to eat. I have NEVER felt full after eating with the band, as many other people on this forum describe....it's something different for me...it's as though my brain is telling me I'm full, and I don't need to eat....even though I have not eaten and have no physical "Full Feeling"....24 hrs a day! The mere presence of the band stimulates that. There are certain foods that give me trouble, and are high risk of getting stuck (learned the hard way)...so I simply chose not to eat those foods anymore....this includes all red meats, anything made from flour such as breads, pastries, Pasta, cakes, Cookies etc. And there are a few other categories...It boggles my mind when people are determined to eat pizza...WHY? What's the value? and high risk of getting stuck? It's not worth it! Also, when I do eat, the band allows me to eat just so much...then I have to stop...but I don't care because I'm not hungry or interested in the first place. So it's all good. I think a lot of peoples problems are they just don't know when to stop...even if the band is telling them to, SCREAMING at them to stop!....they continue because that is how the used to eat...then they can't keep anything down, irritate and inflame the area making it worse....blame the band, get Fluid taken out so they can find comfort and eat the way they want to...then say the band does not work or they are failures....REALLY???? The staff at my Dr.'s office likes to tell me stories like this....some people just don't get it...either you want to loose weight or you don't...you have to accept the change or you're wasting everyone's time... Sorry, I'm getting off track.... So, for me, being in the green zone....I have no hunger, and my portions sizes are limited making it impossible to overeat. Does not matter if it's a holiday, family get together, vacation cruise....the band, and me being in the Green does not change, but remains constant 24 hours a day.... Having said the above, I quit counting, or worrying about calories....best thing I did was stop using those gadgets such as fitbit etc where I was tracking everything I do all day, making me neurotic....... And, since I eat so little so less often with very little or no struggle, all I need to do is choose to eat the best, healthy foods I can....organic, non processed, etc. Also be sure I get plenty of Protein and always be drinking Water. So being in the Green has....has taken away my hunger and cravings, automatically sets my portion sizes making it impossible to overeat, and leading me to become very health conscious. Does not mean I don't indulge in life's pleasures...I do! Just don't do it like the pig I used to be. If I'm offered ice cream, etc, I'm not going to pass it up....I'm done dieting. It's a new lifestyle one that I will live for the rest of my life, never having to "Diet" ever again.... It has become so much of a lifestyle I go through the day and don't even think about it anymore, what I need to do or not do....just live my life....my NEW life with NEW habits. (forced upon me from surgery..a physical change) I first hit the Green zone 4-6 months after surgery, my final fill, then after that it took some time to figure out what the heck was going on, why was I always getting stuck 2-3 times a day, etc, etc....but eventually I found that "Groove", that balance between everyday life, new foods, new way of eating/chewing, and the band.... With that, the weight will come off and settle out where the body wants to, not any goals I have set...I became fat/obese by living a bad lifestyle. did not set any goals to become obese! It just gradually happened over time....so the same is true in the opposite direction for living a different lifestyle...gradually came off and settled at what my body considers normal...which in fact it is. It has been 4 years now, and nothing has changed....and I am still an extremely picky eater, and still in the Green Zone, which has become blase...no big deal anymore...it just is. As is my weight loss...no one even notices or mentions it anymore...Old news.

I take i you just had surgery? And you're referring to post-op? If so, Why would you not gain weight? Pre-op we have to starve ourselves. in my case a 2 week diet of shakes only....then the surgery, after wards Clear Liquids, then mushies, etc, etc.... Eventually you will get back onto normal solid foods, and of course your body will want to return to where it was prior to surgery...as you get healthy and heal, your weight will return.... Ir has nothing to to do with the band...not yet...you simply had it installed, nothing else. After you get back on your feet, eating solid foods again, all healed up from surgery,...THEN your Dr. will start the REAL weight loss regieme - protocol...and even then, for most people, it can take months until until that happens. Just follow your Dr.'s advice and instructions. It will happen for real and permanently!

One of the very best things I did was to stop using those gadgets and paying attention to them..... As with many things, conventional thinking, nutrition teaching, etc, do not apply to people who have undergone WLS...Dieting yes, but WLS people are in a different category.... But that's my opinion, but from experience I really started loosing weight when I broke free from what "Other" non WLS people were doing.

Today is going to be a day that happens occasionally living with the band...I already can predict how it will be. First, it's 5 am, having my coffee, playing on my laptop. I will head to the gym and run my 5 miles when they open today at 6. Then I will have my high Protein smoothie. My wife and i will then drive to the train station and head into the city to see a Broadway play this afternoon...after which, we may or may not have dinner...I DID NOT make any reservations, so we will probably just head back to Penn station, then head back home. By the time we are back in our car, and have time to stop somewhere to eat, it will be about 8pm....my poor wife has to eat, so we will stop somewhere. But I have a rule about eating a meal after a certain hour, to prevent reflux and other things that can happen during the night. So I will have coffee, and maybe a snack. My point is, this is going to be one of those days that I will not eat...at all....it happens. And it does not bother me one bit because with the band things like hunger and cravings do not exist....when it comes to food or eating, I can take it or leave it. It simply does not interest me all the much. And when I am pre-ocupied, doing something else, like I know today I will be all day today....., I will go without eating and not miss it one bit...not even think about it....until that is my poor wife reminds me. It does not happen often, but it does happen... That's just the way it is with me since being banded...all hunger/cravings gone. I have to tell myself it's time to eat something rather than the other way around.

Question....when people reach the goals they set for themselves.....then what do they do? Get Fluid taken out of your band? I say this only because it was stressed to me by my Dr. that setting goals was UN-realistic. Because in the beginning I was always asking him. He would say this is surgery, not a diet. With surgery your lifestyle changes in terms of what and how much you can eat. Living that new lifestyle, your body will reverse itself and return to a "Normal" state. Ok I say, but what is normal? He asked me to think back to where I was not over weight...perhaps it was high school...that is probably where I would end up again, providing nothing goes wrong with my band. And this new lifestyle, because it is due to surgery, cannot be turned on or off...it will remain for the rest of your life. That is how I approach it....and yes, my body did return to where it was in High School...over 40 years ago!

Don't ever go away as other veterans do...people here need you and your true example.... People need to believe and see this thing does work.... Enjoy your new life, you will never go back. Congratulations.

It may or may not last, especially when just getting there.... BUT you are getting a taste of what it is like to have no hunger, and no desire to eat....given time and proper adjustments, it is possible to feel that way 24/7. And when you do eat, you eat very little and have no desire to continue. Bring on the holidays, parties, etc...it does not matter! I do not consider it as feeling full as many here has described it, it is something else... I have never had that full feeling with the band. Either way, congratulations! You and your band are on your way to a new lifestyle!