B-52

I'm over 3 years out, soon to be 4..and still I am not hungry, no appetite...could care less about food.... But it is Imperative I get my daily protein in, no matter what! Or bad things will begin to happen....

They are doing their best to do YOU and everyone else who needs bariatric Surgery a favor....my office would be THRILLED if we did not have to deal with insurance co.'s , all the red tape, for the type of services we provide......... But no one, who is ethical, wants to see anybody have to spend their own money when they are paying premiums to the insurance co. Would not be able to sleep at night knowing they did not, or should not have to pay out of pocket for something the insurance co. would have. Plus is sets a presidence....Insurance companies will look for any excuse and reason NOT to pay for something.....and it is up to the providers to fight and force the Insurance co.'s to recognize that a particular procedure should be recognized, accepted and the cost covered..... I attended a conference once where the speaker was very adamant and insisted people stop writing costs off, stop giving freebies.....it only lets the insurance co.'s off the hook, whereas the insurance companies have to learn, have to forced to cover the cost....and that only takes a lot of unhappy people, not getting the medical care they need, complaining to all the politicians, etc,...demanding change.... I know it's tough, but insurance co.'s, and the lawmakers, have to realize that people are going to die, or go broke unless they accept the Dx and pay for the cure - treatment. This all sounds silly for one individual who wants to pay $$, but it is what is happening today in the healthcare industry....and Obama care....don't get me started......what advocates fought for for as long as 30 years, and slowly got recognition for, has or will be erased and they will have to start over from scratch with a new healthcare system....

The port is attached to the abdominal muscle wall...(or at least it is supposed to be), under all the fat, then skin.... Once all the belly fat is gone, and my stomach muscles got hard as rocks, it sits there right under the skin, for the whole world to see....as big as day. Can even see the tubing coming out the side for a few nches before it goes deep.... It actually looks like a lolly-pop under my skin. Have to be careful not to wear too tight shirts.....but at the gym everyone can see it...fortunately no one has ever commented. I can run my finger over it, and feel every single nook and cranny.... If you click my Avatar Picture to see the larger one in my profile, you can see my port right above my right hand....and that picture is small...

As a Bander....I wish I could have told myself not to take the first 4-6 months as though that's the way it was going to be...RELAX.....it's only a phase of adjustments to get through, as hellish as it is, it will get easier and easier.... I wish someone, anyone would have told me that....

It will change for the better - best...Then Magnify 100 times...and it just keeps getting better.... Words alone cannot do it justice....like you're "Born Again" Sorry. I'm not a Sleever, but I'm with the Band.....and between you and me, I do ANYTHING I want....(but i had to learn my lessons first) And only the long term veterans, whats left of them, knows what I mean....

I'm at the A. Harry Moore School once a week for clinics.....on JFK Blvd. across from the University....

"Skinny" is a loose term, and I use it all the time..... But my goal, has always not been about weight, or BMI's...but about Body Fat %.....Body Fat, the root of all sickness and diseases with the obese - overweight.....gets into and clogs your arteries, restricting blood flow resulting in Cardiac and stroke risk, high body fat is also the leading cause of Type 2 Diabetes.... Someone once said that "Not all obese people are diabetics, but all Type 2 diabetics are overweight - obese" Can't confirm that remark, but I like it.....my Diabetes, and cardiac - circulation problems all went away after I lost weight..... You don't have to be skinny to be healthy....you do have to have a low body fat %.....Professional Athletes can be measured as overweight by BMI's, yet have very low body Fat%'s and be healthy specimens.... People are always setting goals, as far as what they think their ideal weight should be...."When I reach that weight I'm going to stop".....when what they should be doing is seeing how much of their weight is comprised of fat....and worry about that #.... If a person weighs 300 lbs, and 50% of their weight is fat, that means 150 lbs is fat...and they need to focus on that 150lbs...not that you need or want to loose ALL your body fat, just get it down to a safe level, which varies by age, sex. etc.... Also, everyone is afraid of looking sickly....EAT YOUR Protein AND DRINK YOUR WATER!!!!!

I know people who swear by it, and never leave home without it.... Years ago when I worked in ER, we had common meat tenderizer on hand that we would mix with warm water and have the patient sip....

IMO, a band cannot get tighter or looser on it's own, at least nothing that would be noticeable.......It is a constant, and I believe there are other things happening, and the easiest way to describe it would be to call it tight or loose.... I am very tight early in the morning....cannot eat anything solid until closer to lunch, and by dinner things are loose.... Did my band actually get tight over night and looser as the day went along? I don't think so, but it an easy way to describe something else that is going on, that I have learned to understand...... Another one is "Vomiting"...the band, getting stuck or eating too fast to allow it to pass the band, will not cause one vomit...of course using the term vomiting is easier for everyone to get the idea across....

I fly all the time and cannot tell any difference at all....and I know my band very well......I just got back from Phoenix...and nothing! Of course, just keep them gin and tonics coming.....

Boy are they in for a surprise....of course, once successful you will always have those who are spiteful out of jealousy and envy.... So one cannot win. In the end it's all about you and what you do for yourself....everything else will follow and fall into place....it will become the "New Normal"

I invested in a few Polar watches over the years....at first inexpensive ones, then moved up to top of the line.... To be honest, for me, it all started to get old, and the novelty wore off.....and now they are in my gym bag, untouched....batteries probably dead..... I now simply run....run for time, not distance....after stretching, and a 5 minute walk, I will run for a solid 30 minutes....if I feel exceptionally good, I go 45, and sometimes 60 minutes.... I like to tack an and extra 10 minutes of 1 minute all out sprints, separated by 2 minutes of walking, but I keep forgetting this lately. So I simply run, as many times per week as I can......I do kettlebell workouts for core strengthening, and weights for body toning. And of course, plenty of crunches.... It has all become a simple daily routine.....

I can relate to that...took me 6 months before it hit me also....a few more months to figure out what the heck was happening. found my groove and it has been getting better and better.... But back to the OP....you were banded less than 2 months ago??? No offense, but has your Dr. ever explained the reasoning for getting fills - adjustments to your band? Have you had a fill yet??? 8 weeks after surgery, I went in for my 2nd fill...first the weigh in, and I GAINED WEIGHT since my first appointment, 4 weeks prior when I also had my first fill of 4cc's.... I felt perhaps worse than you...and know what??? My Dr. laughed at me....the new people just don't get it, he said....and he explained it again to me, step by step....and I still could not comprehend what he was trying to tell me....nothing can be that easy... yet, 4-6 months later....WHAM....there it was. And it has not gone away since!

I was told, that this is NOT a diet where I can turn it on or off....it is surgical intervention that has altered/changed the way I eat for the rest of my life.....since my food intake is restricted, it is up to me to eat the best I possible can....which I have... I am amazed at people on this forum who want to blow their portions in something like pizza....where's the nutrition? The benefit? I have lived an entire lifestyle of bad eating habits, bad unhealthy foods, and because of it my body went from normal to obese.....resulting in diabetes, high BP, clogged arteries resulting in a Heart Attack and Cardiac Surgery.... Now with surgery, I have a new lifestyle...NOT a diet, NO monthly challenges, and eventually my body will return to what it considers it to be normal...again it's my responsibility to feed it a high Protein nutritious food....(I have become a real health food nut) And that is exactly what it did...it surpassed every goal I have made, and kept right on going...finally settling at a weight it feels is ideal....I have not gained or lost any weight in over 2 years now...and enjoy the foods - drink I choose to enjoy... BMI chart would say I am still overweight...but a body fat analysis will show I have a very, very low body fat %, with everything being good lean muscle and bone mass.....(and water) I'm 62 years old, and have more energy now than I did 30 years ago.... Malnutrition,....you are what you eat...and since I eat so little, I need to make the very best of it....NOT Pizza! The only way I could stop this, if I wanted to, would be to get some Fluid taken out of my band...which I did a few weeks back...my Dr. thought I was nuts....don't need to fix what is not broken...but he did it anyway... he was right...turned out to be a disaster. My hunger returned along with my appetite, and I was able to eat more with less restriction.... Did not like that change in lifestyle....went back 2 weeks later and got the fluid put back in....my Dr.with that Laughing "I Told You So" Look, and here is where I'll stay for the rest of my life...... I cannot be happier and healthier....as 100% success.....No fear of ever gaining any weight back....he word DIET is no longer relevant in my life.....there is nothing left I can or need to do...(other than a little band maintenance every 6-8 weeks...) and stay active.

Same here...water - liquids DO NOT go straight thru...al least for me, just goes to prove not everybody is identical....

Post op diet of liquids, then mushies...lost weight. Who wouldn't? Then 4 weeks after surgery, got my first fill....also happened to be the time when I was allowed to go to full solid foods.... Between the first fill, and my 2nd fill 4 weeks after that, I gained weight....when i went in for my 2nd fill I felt guilty, and discouraged at the same time....\ Fortunately, my Dr. took it all in stride, laughed a little and said it was to be expected....nothing is going to be different until we get this band adjusted and working the way it was designed to do.... So I did get my 2nd fill, and things began to level off after that...not much weight loss, but stopped gaining at least...it took a 3rd fill to really start things happening in a positive way... But everyone is a little different, and their fills are to the individual...if they have a fill at all....

That's great to hear...my belief is that laying off food for a day or two will allow the pouch to come back to normal state, providing it is not severely dilated.... Also, it will only bring you back to a point where you were previously....it will it give you something you never had in the first place... I say this because I have read posts from people who are just starting out looking for that "Restriction", and say there going to do this in hopes of achieving another level...when really what they need to do is follow the Dr.'s protocol in getting their band adjusted...and learning how to live with it. I believe this practice of going liquids for a a day or two really only applies to veterans, those who have reached that point where fills are no longer needed and they know how to live day to day with their band....it is also then, as you say, when you can begin to tell subtle differences...as with your portion sizes....and experienced enough to tell when little things like this make a difference.....

I know I'm going to get blasted for this from some people, But I will say it any way.... The "Rules" are not there to lead you directly to weight loss, as though they were in reference to some diet... The "Rules" are there so we can exist with the band... They had me learning the rules even before I had surgery...and I thought some of them were down right silly...made no sense... I told them I did not need surgery in order to follow these rules...I could have done that with any diet...as a matter of fact I have in the past, with no success.... They assured me that, I have been living my whole life learning "Bad Rules"....which eventually led to my obesity....and a very unhealthy lifestyle. With the band, and with some adjusting in the upcoming months, I am going to need to apply these new rules, in order to start living a new lifestyle....things that I have been doing my whole life were going to have to change within months....so I better start learning them now, or I will wish I did when the time comes.... They were right...sure enough, first time I got stuck I quickly understood how those rules were needed....I had to put them into place or I would not be successful with the band...like chewing, size of my bites and time between swallows as an example....or drinking while eating...I cannot without adverse results.... Fortunately, these have become second nature to me....it is the only way I can live now...or I can get Fluid taken out of my band, then I can do whatever I want.....

Not to be a downer, but everybody should loose with a post op diet of liquids, then mushies, etc.... The challenge becomes when you are released to start eating normal solid foods again....I gained all that weight back....because my band was not yet adjusted....and I was the same as before I had the surgery..... It took months to get things on track with the band, and it was not very enjoyable...but down right frustrating and difficult....the hardest time with this surgery was that phase.... So yes, enjoy...just be forewarned...but not to worry...many here have gone through this and there is a end to it, eventually.

I have not eaten meat in over 3 years because of my lap band surgery....and from a health standpoint, it was one of the best things I could have done....although the surgery FORCED me to five it up, I am glad it did. For years my Dr.'s have been trying to get me to at least cut back on my meat intake, so when it became difficult for me, I seized the opportunity and reap the benefits....

I had a similar concern, but I did not loose hair..... With the band, we live a particular lifestyle....new eating habits, new foods, etc.... we also set goals, for ourselves, but they are our goals....not always the correct goals.... I became fat by living a very unhealthy lifestyle....I am now skinny and fit by living a new lifestyle..... I had set many goals for myself, and kept right on loosing past those goals that I set....I asked my Dr. when will this stop and he told me when my body feels like it wants to stop, based upon my new lifestyle. A lifestyle that I will have for the rest of my life.... It's not a diet as in the old where I can start - stop it when I want....it was life changing surgery.... It did stop loosing eventually....on it's own, and settled into a good healthy weight for me....I do not rely on BMI's, rather I get a Body Analysis done now and then...cost me $15 at the gym, where among other things, I can see what my body fat % is...and my lean muscle mass, Water content, bone, etc....and it's all good, if not excellent. Frankly, I would like toloose another 5 lbs...but there is nothing left too loose except muscle...and that would not be good. I see 3 Dr,'s on a regular basis...my PCP, my cardiologist, and my gastro surgeon, and they all agree I am healthy, and have no ill effects from my weight loss.... And because of my past medical history, I continue to get full lab work every quarter..... So yes, if your hair is falling out, and you lack strength, I would say this to your Dr. But I have learned that our goals, and what our bodies say where we should be, are 2 entirely different things... And as far as people commenting on my weight loss, etc...it all stops eventually....people start to forget I was ever fat, and over the years I meet new people everyday who never knew I was fat....so now when I get a compliment, such as "You must work out...I can see it" it is a real sincere compliment, not the patronizing lip service from people who needed to say something during my transformation.....And the compliments I get today are the best of all....because they're real!

Not sure I understand the question.....I feel the most exercise, being active, anyone can get the better.... If you are referring to how long after surgery...ask your Dr. Mine released me to do just about anything 1 week after...but that's me, every Dr. will tell his/her patients what is best for them....don't expect the correct answer here....

I have only experienced one plateau..... After my first fill, I GAINED weight.....After my Second fill things held still...no gain, no loss....that was my only plateau.....after the third and final fill I started to loose consistently until my body decided it was finished.... As far as when you need a fill...... My Dr has the Yellow-Green-Red chart on the exam room wall....it also has a rule that runs underneath. He would ask me to point to exactly where I felt I was in reference to the scale. He ask a few questions in regards to my answer, look at my current weight compared to my last visit, then determine if I needed a fill, and how much....

For some reason, not exactly sure why but I do have my own ideas, but slider foods have never made a difference to me.... Even soup, I can eat just so much and I'm finished.

The 5 day pouch test is just some one's clever protocol to lay off food and do straight liquids to give the band a rest....returning the pouch to it's normal size.... I do straight liquids every 4-6 weeks, can usually tell when it's time because things start to get to the point where my portion sizes start to increase...and I am able to eat more than usual...or foods I usually cannot tolerate... When a stretched pouch - dilation is suspected, a Dr. will empty the band, giving it a rest from eating solid foods...the Dr. can just as easily instruct the patient to stay off solids for a while, but seeing it was overeating that may have caused the dilation in the first place, he/she cannot rely on the patient following his/her directions...so it is easier and more assured to just empty the band... Based upon the OP, from what you say, it must have been very tough to over eat regardless of stress, etc...you must have endured much pain and discomfort doing so....if you say you had the restriction you say, and not will power.... If you did force food beyond what the bad was telling you to stop, then yes...you should give things a good rest.... I find it impossible to overeat, no matter what is happening around me...the band is the band is the bad...period. but just from normal everyday eating, I feel my pouch does start to enlarge to the point my portion sizes also increase. So I say go ahead and try it...what do you have to loose, can't hurt anything.....see if it makes any difference for you or not...and let everyone know your findings.