B-52

If it works for you, then great...but I was once told these apps have very little in common with obese people on a weight loss program involving something as drastic as surgery.... I've even talked with NUTS at work...and when I asked what about people who have had WLS, their remarks were that is a whole different ball game and different set of rules.... But like I said...if it works for someone, the it works...and that's all that really matters...success. Myself, I hit a wall when I was tracking everything with one of those apps....it was a breakthrough when I stopped worrying about that and concentrated on learning to live and listen to my band....

Hang in there...it's only going to get more interesting....

Not herbal life, just 100% whey Protein...then I add ANYTHING to it I am in the mood for, and my imagination can come up with... I've been making smoothies with 2 shots of Espresso and goats milk lately... High protein, high energy smoothies and juice drinks are really starting to become the health craze lately...it does not surprise me you went to a class on it...my wife and daughter went to one recently also at Williams & Sonoma.... A lot of my friends are into it now also....and to think...I have been doing it for Breakfast every day since being banded 3 years ago....

Regardless of what I have been told..I cannot drink while eating...and this is solely from personal experience... If I have food sitting there, slowly passing through a narrow opening....introducing fluids will only add to the volume in my pouch...and having no where to go...it comes right back up...not to mention the associated pain, probably from stretching the pouch.... Now imagine carbonated drinks!!!!...can you say explosion??? I can see a band slip happening there.... I drink carbonated drinks...Pellagrino, beer, etc....but ALWAYS on a empty stomach, never within hours of eating anything...before or after... I can drink right up to when I begin to eat...as far as after, I usually wait at least 10-15 minutes, then test it with a little sip...I can tell immediately if there is food still there or not...I have had to wait as long as 45 minutes.... Again I use the funnel example...food is sitting there waiting to pass through that narrow passage...then you pour Water into the funnel...where is is going to go? Personally, I never bought into the "Wash it down" theory...never fixed a clogged kitchen sink by adding water either.... But all this is just me....and what I have learned for myself...everyone will have different experiences I'm sure...and I can live with that...

My Health Club opens at 5 am M-F, 6am on weekends...I am there at 5:30am, ready to go...except on Mondays when I am in a "Advanced Training" class..(*Bootcamp") on Mondays that starts at 5:30am...it's always crowded...men and women. I'm a morning person anyway...I like to workout before I have eaten anything, and when my energy levels are at the highest...when I go after work, I am somewhat tired, and don't get as good a workout in...although I have gone twice a day...morning and after work on occasion. The health club I belong to has lockers...so I change into my workout clothes after I get there, bed head and all.....afterwards, I sit in the sauna/steam room, can shave, shower, brush my teeth, put on fresh clothes and head to work... I can also purchase one of the many different freshly made smoothie for breakfast there....or a fresh veggie juice...but I go Protein. The place is more crowded than one would think at that hour...same faces every day so I get to know many... Most people are professionals, Dr.'s, Lawyers, one or two judges I'm aware of, and even one State Senator...and they leave the gym wearing suits and ties for work...and the women I've seen leaving are dressed very professional also. You have our group at 5-6am....at 8 am the "Seniors" start showing up.....during the day it is all women...Homemakers I imagine., they use the daycare.......then you have the after work crowd, starting at 3pm......in the evening, after 6pm, you have all the Rif-Raf...the "Lounge Lizards".

Just curious - if you didn't tell anyone, who took you home from the hospital? Or did you spend the night? Well, obviously my Wife and kids know, Duh...., as well as a few close family members....but as far as the general public...it's none of their business and I did not want the bother explaining, or defending myself....

I'm 62 and a professional...I told NO ONE!....I took a week's vacation, had surgery on a Monday.....Tuesday did absolutely nothing, Wednesday I was answering e-mails, doing phone work, plus some reports all from home...by Friday I was back in the office, although I was still on Vacation, I just dropped off some paperwork, picked up my mail, etc...and hung out and BS'd for about 2 hours....by next Monday I was back in full swing.... At first, everyone was giving compliments on my weight loss, and was the top topic....but now that I have been at a "Normal" weight for 2 years, it's old news...no one talks about it anymore...it's a fading memory.....I'm even starting to forget.....and new friends and colleagues I meet, never knew me when I was fat...so it is now a new life, the old one gone.... It all eventually works out for good.... Oh, and when people used to ask me how I did it??? I would tell the truth.. I eat a FRACTION of what I used to...no red meat, no products from flour such as bread, Pasta, cakes and Cookies, what I do eat is centered around high Protein foods, start with that and usually unable to get to the Desserts.....no more big Breakfast for me, just a home made high protein smoothie every day....and I drink Water constantly.... I also go to the gym every day, and now running regularly.... ALL OF WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!! I do not need to lie about anything.... I just leave out the part that the only way any of this is possible for me was through lap band surgery...

I CAN"T eat cupcakes or cookies, not band friendly for me...and I have learned, the hard way, so I can now completely ignore those things...however, I would have gladly grabbed a few of the Mini-Reeses cups...

Three years in and I never experienced any difference....I have read that some people feel drinking something hot changes the characteristics of their band...but I never experienced anything like that......

All depends upon what you have had before....there are people who, after 2 years may never had a fill...and now find it's time... There is a scale that tips between what an individual can do from determination and motivation, and the other end is what the band actually does on it's own...id one's self discipline starts to break down, no matter what the time frame, then the band needs to do more.... I do not like people comparing fills, etc...but I have been banded 2 years...I CANNOT eat bread at all...however I am never hungry, or experience uncontrollable cravings....I've also never felt full from eating anything.....for me, that is all band doing the work...otherwise I would have those feelings and would be avoiding them through my own discipline.... I have not had a fill in 2-12 years...but I probably had more within those first 6 months than you probably have... I happen to have NO Discipline...so I need the band - pouch to control how much I eat, limit my food intake and prevent me from overeating......which it has, and is doing just fine, for me...but then that is why the band is adjustable.

After the band slaps me in the face a few times every time I do stupid things, eventually I learned....call it Behavioral Modification... You could hook me up to electrodes and shock me every time and get the same results.

Just want to say, I am with kids like your Daughter CP, Vent Kids, SMA, Dev Delayed, CHI....and things I won't mention here.... Every day I travel to Children's Hospitals, CP Centers, schools, etc.....if you've been to medical clinics, as I know you had your share...then you know what I do... Me and my Colleagues are always amazed at the Mothers who come with their kids...honestly, we don't know how you do it....and we have learned to stay out of their way...let THEM do it... Only thing more amazing, is the 80 year old grandmothers tossing these kids around.... My hat's off to you...

Varies from day to day.... But Today..... BREAKFAST....Started with my usual high Protein smoothie.....then off to the gym at 6am....after my workout I had another - RECOVERY- protein shake. Off to work...LUNCH, I has a large Styrofoam coffee cup of Cream of Mushroom soup, and some saltines...from the cafeteria at the hospital.... On my way home, I stopped at a BOSTON MARKET for a 1/2 chicken dinner with 3 sides...I'm working on that now, it's safe to say this could last me 3 more days(meals) at least...if I don't throw it away first...(probably will after 2nd day) I simply cannot eat too much....no matter how hard I may try. I had a few cups of coffee, including my morning stop at Starbucks....and when I finish here I'm going to sit in front of the TV with a glass of red wine. And of course, a bottle of Water with me all the time.

Rice was one of the first things to go..... I remember a private group I belonged to, as the veteran - mentor....where everyone else was newly banded....a month or 2 in and people were sharing stories about how the LOVED SUSHI.....I waned them,,,sure enough, after a few fills...I had to ask "What happened to all the SUSHI Lovers?" I told you so...no matter how thorough you chew it, it is one of those foods that just gets mushier and stickier....but we have to learn these things for ourselves...

Sure it's normal...just like a new born baby spits up what he/she ate too fast...the same happens to me if I eat something too fast...even water! It has no where to go, passes through the band much much slower than as fast as I swallowed....over fills the pouch, ....and up it comes! No time for the "Slime" to accumulate. Semetimes when I'm running, I forget...and take some big gulps of Water...comes right back up. Think of a funnel...as long as you pour water in at a slow rate, it will accumulate in the upper area...pouch...and then slowly pass through the narrow passageway...Band... Pour it in the funnel faster than it can pass through the passage, and what happens? And I'm using water as an example...just imagine something like mashed potatoes. ..mushy or not...does not matter. And if was something solid...then you're STUCK...it just sits there, blocking the passage completely....then the saliva starts to accumulate....SLIME!....this is the body's way and promoting it to come up and out...I used to sip water to speed up the process and get it over with.

I have a similar story....bought the most expensive shoes...if they cost more they must be the best.... After running everyday, I started to develop a pain in my left hip....the more I ran the worse it got....eventually after 15 minutes I had to stop. I figured it was my old age catching up to me with arthritis, bursitis, etc.... I was also getting chronic "Black Toe"..... Where because of improper fitting shoes, the toe nail turns black and eventually falls off....you would think that happens because the shoes are too small....quite the opposite...improper shoes allows the toe(s) to roll under the foot...you can't tell it happening, but it does....bad socks do the same thing.... In High School when I ran track, we wore no socks....and the shoes were as tight as a second layer of skin... It was my Dentist...who is the president of a local runners club, who was talking me into participating in a local 10k....when I told him I could not, and why....I got an education.... No more hip pains or foot problems....occasional black toe though, but not as much. The other thing I learned is to tell whir pen running shoes need to be replaced....as a kid you wore them until they were completely worn out....now you have to keep track ad to how many miles you put on them....then replace them even though they look like new....hard lesson to accept.

I'm a lap band patient and I would swear by it....do it every 6 weeks or so, and results area ways fantastic...can tell the difference every time.... My Dr. Who did my lap band...is the one who told me about it...although they don't call it a 5 day test...not sure where that came from....he recommends 2-3 days of all liquids to his patients who are finished loosing and on so calked "Maintence" It will not give anyone something they did not have in the first place, but restore everything to point where things were working optimally....

Very true....but for the same of all the new members....what do people exactly consider ia "Tight Band" ?

There is a perfect balance between restriction and how we eat....I for one could never eat red meat, such as steak...there are other foods I stay away from also...if I continued to try to eat these foods, it would be easy for me to say the band is too tight....then I would get a slight un-fil, allowing me to eat the way I used to before, which in my case I'm certain, would not have allowed to me loose the weight as efficiently and easily as I have.... Everyone is different, and everyone has to find their "Comfort Zone" that place of balance...where the band does what it was designed to do...but it will not do it unless we change some of our behaviors to allow the band to function... When I say, as others do..that the band has changed my life...that does not mean it is just because I am now thin...it is mainly because I do not eat the same foods as I used to..I do not eat as much and as frequently as I used to...I do not have anxiety over eating of being faced with food like I used to...and it is all because of the band...it changed my life.... I joke with the staff at my Dr.'s office, them telling me stories about people making appointments asking for Fluid to be taken out because they can no longer eat their favorite Desserts...or they're going on vacation and want to enjoy the food...or have a wedding coming up.... Of course, the staff rills their eyes and laughs...people just don't get it...either you want to loose weight or you don't...we can't have it both ways, we ave to change from what made us fat in the first place.... Sorry to rant...not implying this is you at all...it's just 4am in the morning and I have a tendency to get carried away...

Reading your post, it appears you answered your own question...you had some setbacks, resulting in Fluid being removed from the band, and now you can eat more than you should.... Which in my case anyway, is the reason I had the surgery...to control my eating...otherwise.... I am at that "perfect balance" where, for me, I have found just the right amount of restriction, and I have changed my habits..all the bad ones....to where I now live an effortless weight free life...never to diet again, and personally I have no fear of ever gaining any weight back..it is impossible for me to overeat.... I am also convinced, and fear...that if I should encounter some sort of ailment, or medical condition to where I would have to get even the slightest amount of fluid taken out that would disrupt that perfect balance.... I have been reading many posts here over the years, about people "Failing"...gaining weight back, etc...and in many of these posts the person states something happened, by no fault of their own, and had to get fluid taken out of their band.... As a side note, when I read about people "Following the Rules"....which rules are they referring to? There are Rules for dieters...same rules I have been taught for the last 30 years on how to loose weight following certain criteria regarding calories, eating techniques, portion sizes, etc....Jenny Craig has rules, Weight Watchers have rules.... Then there are "Rules" that apply to how you have to behave in order to exist with the band...do not follow these rules, would be unpleasant, and probably result in getting fluid taken out of the band....one would not be able to survive with a functioning band and not adhere to certain rules....people need to change their behavior in order to find that balance with the band...and that is achieved by adhering to certain rules.....eventually these become 2nd nature...the new normal, after time. If I did not follow THESE certain rules, I would not be able to get through a meal...or, I would have stuck episodes frequently....the rules in themselves do not allow me to loose weight...the band does that...the rules are there for me in order to live with the band... My weight loss center had me learning these rules even before being banded...I challenged them on some of them stating they made no sense...their response was learn them now, start to learn new habits.....because as you get your band adjusted in the next few months, they will start to become very important to you in order to be successful....and then they will make perfect sense.....

My daughter just got back from a week long conference for cardiologists in Miami, Florida... She tells me 70% of this conference had to do with Prevention, and a Heart Healthy Lifestyle... Specifically, they were emphasizing the Mediterranean Diet that emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains, Beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and flavorful herbs and spices; eating fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week; enjoying poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt in moderation; and saving sweets and red meat for special occasions. Top it off with a splash of red wine.... Seeing how I have had one heart attack, etc...she was all over me with this information.... Ironically, since being banded, this is what I have already gravitated to on my own, mainly because of the band.... Only difference is I never eat meat at all now, and the diet calls for once a month....and I stay away from eggs also....everything else has been spot on.... Go figure....

Hang in there, this is the beginning of the toughest part of this entire process....we all had to get through it....break through to the other side....and eventually, it starts to get easier and and easier.....eventually..... I did not have this surgery to suffer....I could have done that without surgery.

Can't tell you how many times people woUld say I'm not fat, just "Brawny" No thanks, it' feels better being skinny and light as a feather....

I don't know all that much about the sleeve....but it would appear to me there s less maintenance involved...no fills and adjustments which it seems people with the band are always struggling to get it adjusted "Perfectly" Also, I have been banded for 3 years...I am VERY PLEASED....but I am always fearful of complications such as "Erosion" which along with other possibilities, can be very serious.... But like I said...I am not knowledgeable concerning the Sleeve, and not sure what complications and maintenance is involved with it.... I also do not know the success rate with the sleeve....I am 100% successful with the band, and for me it has been a very easy, simple process....would it have been the same with the sleeve? I don't know.....but idf I ad to do it again, I would do more research....... I also do not like this big lump sticking through my skin....I cannot wear tight shirts because of the sight....not a game breaker, just annoying.

As I was going through all the pre-op testing, etc, everyone I came in contact with...including the Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, a few RN's, etc...looked at me and said "Why YOU...just go on a good diet...." I did not want to go through the whole story about how I tried and failed miserably at every diet time and time again, and my co-morbidities were killing me...I needed that "Magic Bullet" or else....this was my last resort.... and yes, I was morbidly Obese but only my PCP understood it knowing my full medical history. Incidentally, my Cardiologist, one of which who said I did not need surgery, but all I needed to do was diet....NOW calls me HIS best "Success Story"...a complete turn around for a cardiac patient.....and he takes all the credit for encouraging me to have the surgery....(he's now a believer in WLS) I can't believe how short sided Dr.'s can be....