B-52

Loosing weight is all about calories in versus calories burned.....always has been whether your dieting, or had WLS, it is about limited your calorie intake, or burning off more..... How many calories do you burn during one of your workouts? Workout routines can vary....I have found Cardio burns the most efficiently...in my case running....I get to 85% of my max. heart rate and stay there for at least 30 minutes. 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat....that would = 500 calories burned per day, to loose 1 lb per week....that is 500 calories MORE than you consume....so if you are consuming 1200 calories per day. you need to burn 1700 calories per day to loose 1 lb. per week....increase that to loose more per week...you get the idea. You can increase your activity to burn more, eat less calories per day, or a little of both...the ratio is still the same When people say they are gaining weight, they are either consuming more calories or not burning off enough....the more calories you eat, the more you need to burn.... PS: Personally, I NEVER followed the advice you need to eat more to loose more...and have NEVER had an issue with energy levels or metabolism...burning fat. But I do understand it works for some people.

As you get closer to that "sweet Spot" as you call it...it is more important for me to learn how to "listen" to my band, that is learn the foods that are tolerable, obey all the signals unless pay the consequences....develop those new habits in order to co-exist with the band to where it is functioning at it's peak, and less of me doing the work...just learn to comply, which can be very hard at times, but rewarding in the end. Fighting the band, I never won....

So what happened when you took a bite of the Fried chicken??? You got sick? as in Stuck? Did you experience any type of pain when you swallowed? Your band can still be tender, depending on how long it has been since your surgery.... I'm not sure I'm clearly understanding what happened....I know any deep fried foods for me can be troublesome with the band....have to be very careful.... and yes...what happened to your first band...you had have been through this before?

For me,,,I am at the point where I don't diet anymore...don't like the word....I am at a point where I let my band dictate what and how much I eat....and since my eating is very limited, I make the best of what I do eat...make the best decisions possible.... An old rule from those old dieting days...."don't eat anything white" White bread, white rice, sugar, salt, flour, milk, potatoes, etc..... I don't eat anything made from flour anymore...bread, cakes, do-nuts, etc...just does not agree with my band. Rice is not band friendly for me, as the case with potatoes....sugar, milk and salt...self explanatory... I also have given up meat since surgery...another food that does not agree with my band...and since everyone was trying to get me to quit...it seemed as good a time as any... But again, that me....and I let the band be my guide....it has not failed me...

Ok, this is just MY THEORY.... First, I don't bike ride, I run...5 miles a day... I always run on a empty stomach...it has burned much fat more quicker....5 days a week at 5:30 am.... I do take my vitamins/supplements before a workout, and always plenty of Water.... We are Hunters/gatherers....and tend to store energy etc in the way of body fat for those seasons of famine..to get by and not starve.... I always felt that I am going to draw energy/fuel from that storage tank rather than eat food.....I also fought the strong urge to eat after a workout...that would defeat the purpose...did not want to replace what I just managed to burn off....so I would finish with a high Protein smoothie...recovery shake. I have been at my optimal weight for 2 years now...I have a very low body fat %...better than normal, in the "Athletic" range. NOW when I run, I NEED to fuel my body with something for the endurance and energy beforehand, usually a Protein Shake filled with other nutrients..... having nothing stored away to draw from.... I have always done it this way since my surgery...and once I found a medical study in a health magazine confirming what I was doing was the best way for men to loose fat. Not saying this is the correct way to do it...just saying this is the way I did it...successfully..

PrettyThick1....Why stop there? I only say that because for me, I had set goals along the way, met them and kept on loosing.... I spoke with my Dr. about what will happen when I met my goal...do I get a unfill? The answer for me was No...Who's goal? Mine or my body's? This is a new lifestyle....new eating, new activity level with plenty of exercise, everything is new, and I never want to go backwards... And as long as I am living this new lifestyle, my body continued to loose weight, and then settle at a place that was "Normal" for me...it is at a place I never imagined it could ever be...but it is where it should be.... That was 2 years ago....when I stopped loosing....have not gained or lost weight since then...I am convinced if I should get a un-fill, I would start to gain weight back.....why would I want to do that...just so I can eat the old way again? I am living the new lifestyle that leads to a healthy body and mind....... not the old style that was destructive and lead to obesity and numerous health problems..... I don't rely on the scale that much anymore...rather I have access to a place where I can get a "Body Analysis" for a small fee...one of the many things it tells me is my "Body Fat %"....and it reached a very healthy level....right where I am supposed to be..a little better than normal actually, is now in the "Athletic" range......it found that place all on it's own, eventually, just because of the new lifestyle I am living...and here is where I want to stay.

I don't know if this has anything to do with the ACA or not....but....Hospitals and Dr.'s are dropping certain things because even though the ACA will approve them, the reimbursement is too low for a Dr. or Hospital to continue that particular procedure.... But I don't want to get off track.....that's another topic entirely.

That was my thought as I was reading through this....if anyone should be concerned, it would be the Dr....HE would have been given plenty of notice, and time, that the Hospital was shutting down the program, giving him time to transfer his affiliation with a different hospital.....He has a career to continue, not to mention his business, his office, and his staff's salaries, etc.... It should have been a simple notice to you from your Dr.'s office of the change in venue....at worst, you would have to repeat the pre-admission testing at the new hospital.... The Surgeon I started this with decided to retire a few weeks before my surgery date, he sold his entire practice to new partners, and everything changed....but it was weeks prior, and just a formality.

It was because of my co-morbidities that quickly qualified me.....of course I needed clearances from all my Dr.'s including my Cardiologist.... I would catch my breath just carrying groceries into the house.

Welcome,,,there are a few men here, but mostly women... Bostonian living in western Oklahoma?? Interesting...I'm a New Jersyian who lived in Tulsa for about 15 years or so... You're going to get a lot of different responses to your questions...the Lap Band is adjustable, and everyone has their different comfort zones, and can choose how they want the band to work for them.... On one end of the spectrum, you can loose weight by dieting alone, with a lot of self determination...and the other end you can get the Band Adjusted to where it is doing ALL the work, and there is very little an individual needs to do except adapt to it and learn how to live with it day to day.... People who choose to live on the low end, and are good at dieting, have discipline, motivation, etc, well I'm not sure why they would need surgery in the first place if they are that good... I LOVE food, could not stop eating...had absolutely no self control....could eat an entire large pizza by myself and wash it down with 3-4 beers....hamburgers all the time....I would be driving down the street and pull into a McDonalds drive in for no good reason, and super-size myself....then go home and have dinner... It affected my health with diabetes, high BP, and just about everything else, including one Heart Attack resulting in Cardiac Surgery! I could not control myself, so I needed to have this surgery to do what I cannot do by myself....therefore I elect to have my band adjusted to the other end...I have NO HUNGER or Cravings, cannot possibly overeat no matter how hard I may try, and there are foods I will never eat again.....I have not had pizza or hamburgers in 3 years....there are many other foods I no longer eat also.... But it did not happen over night...it took a lot of hard work and frustration to get there....many times I was convinced I made a big mistake....I think the biggest obstacle was as the band was being adjusted with fills, I had to change my ways to adapt to the band...and it's hard letting your past go and accept the new....but I eventually did learn, and change....NOW I have lost all my excess weight, and I have no fear of ever gaining any of it back...ever! as long as the band continues to perform as it is... Between the 2 ends of the spectrum, I feel the majority of people choose to settle in somewhere in between...they rely on the band, but not too much....they also rely on their own dieting techniques, with some self determination and motivation...that's OK, if it works for them , then what else matters.... But these are also the people who say they "Fell off the wagon" or "Gained weight back", afraid of family get togethers and holidays, ....if their self discipline breaks down, they can give in to temptation, and eventually pick up all their old bad habits as if it was any other diet. ... If I should ever be "Weak" and tempted, it does not matter.....the band is a constant, day after day after day...regardless if I am motivated or not. If I should break down and attempt to eat something I should not, the band will let me know ASAP....so eventually I don't even bother....call it Behavior Modification if you like. Bottom line...it is not an overnight thing...people get the surgery and 3 weeks later are complaining it is not working for them......I continued to gain weight after surgery...it took a few months for me to get to that place where it all started to click, and had to learn many hard lessons along the way...3 years and I am still learning some things. BUT IT DOES WORK.....if you let it and not get in the way.....I am living proof of that! as well as many others on this Forum.

I would tend to follow your Dr.'s instructions above all people here telling you what you should and should not do....it can get confusing listening to "Too Many Voices" My Dr. had me back on regular food 4 weeks after surgery, with no restrictions. But that was MY Dr., no one else's.

I have little to no hunger not because it's a physical feeling....for me it is a mental thing.... The band tells my brain I am full, therefore there is no need to eat, and the desire to do so does not exist....yet it happens even if I have not eaten anything at all..... It is very hard to explain, but it is very real once I learned to understand it.... Then when I do eat, the band then gives me the physical feedback as to when to stop.....and I do not mind stopping, because I'm not that hungry and did not have the desire to do so in the first place..... To this day, I have NEVER felt full from eating....not sure what other people are feeling when they say so...

Check with your Doctor.....one week after surgery I was cleared for Cardio, etc....it was THEN he told me when I could start back with heavy lifting of any kind.... I would not listen to anyone here when it comes to your own ......your Dr. should be the one.

The most important point you make is that it is about YOU and YOUR Band.....I do not expect others to be like me, and others should not expect me to be like them..... The list you made, there are items that do not pertain to me and my experience, and if I was to make a list, there would be items that make no sense to you.... Does not make one right and the other wrong.... Also you list things that YOU Experience...NOT what others have told you, or read, or whatever....When people say this and that, I much rather hear how it affects THEM...what happens when THEY do or do not do something....not what they THINK will happen..... The best word of advice I ever received from my DR. was to learn to "Listen To Your Band" I had no idea what he meant at first...and now, EVERYTHING I do is from listening to my band...not a set of rules, or what others experience....

This is not a scientific answer, just an observation I have made....it seems when people have the Fluid taken out of their band, for whatever reason, they gain their weight back.....AND it would appear that after starting all over with fills again, it is never quite the same as it was the first time around.... I could be way wrong, it is just something I interpret after reading many posts....I'm sure others who have had all the fluid taken out, gained the weight back, then started over....will have some info to share...

I have often wondered what would happen if I had this band removed....has it been in control for this length of time that I am now trained to eat proper foods and small portions? Never overeat?....Did I learn a new lifestyle?? Then I remembered how little self discipline I had, no motivation, could not loose weight on my own even though my life DID depend upon it....I was a failure at every diet I ever been on, medically supervised or not.....I don't even like the word diet... Of course, the logical answer is, that even though I have gotten used to this so much I take it for granted, don't think or worry about it on most days.....it is still not me that is in control....it is the band that is ever there, operating in the background, controlling my hunger, cravings, portion sizes, and food choices 24 hrs a day....and if I step out of line, it will let me know it immediately! Take that away and I am left with...what. Just Me alone again?

I read similar articles that came out last week...primarily attacking the "HYPE" put out there by the Vitamin companies....and I agree, many if not most are false marketing, and being scrutinized by the FDA..... When I was a diabetic, I took a lot of Cinnamon...did absolutely nothing.... The big argument is that all the essential Vitamins we need can, and are obtained naturally through normal eating.....the thought to ponder though is that with WLS, What is normal eating??? Are we getting what we need naturally? So, IMO, I would not be looking for Cancer Cures or anti-depressants, but I am concerned about getting my "Normal" needs met, while maintain a very limited food intake.... It is good to see the vitamins and supplements I do take daily are at the top in the large balloons, the Omegas, Vitamin D, Green Tea, and others, All of which were recommended by my Dr.'s, and some, such as the fish oil I take (LOVAZA), is an Rx and not over the counter.... My morning smoothies are full of anti-oxidants, that I know for sure....

When the "Physical" part keeps saying NO...eventually the mental part just gives up asking....

Everyone gets head hunger, but then the band is also always there, and takes over.... I've bought do-nuts out of pure habit when getting my morning coffee...one bite and it's back to reality....spit out the bite and throw the whole thing away........3 years later, I now go into coffee shops, see the do-nuts and don't give them a second thought..no urge or cravings at all....same at parties, etc...do-nuts mean nothing... That does not mean I don't snack...I do...I'm eating a Hershey's chocolate bar right now I grabbed at the register this morning......although I don't think I'll finish it...save 1/2 for later.... Came back to edit....I just realized I have not eaten since 8am, and it's now 3:30pm....it happens, forgot to eat altogether...so I guess that hershey bar is actually my lunch! Not healthy I know, but it does happen when I'm busy with other things...

Very Well said..I can definitely relate...you are well on your way to a new lifestyle - totally in all ways. And yes, it does take a year or more...I'm still learning some things....but I'll never look back! I've burned those bridges.

It is a sad fact, but unfortunately true...obese people are discriminated against, and looked upon less than a normal weight person..... Being thin has opened more doors to me than before...I am easily and graciously accepted ... And, as much as I hate to say it,...many people do not know me when I was Obese....and now that I am on the "Other Side" I am privy to hearing other people's discussions.... And a lot of it surrounds the theory that if you are Obese, then you are high risk for serious medical problems, equaling high insurance rates, loss of work time, etc, etc... I know it is not nice to hear....

I do not count calories, measure portions, etc....since my eating is very limited, I just make sure I make the best decisions I can... I DO however keep a close eye on my Protein intake...as well as Water...I have seen severe symptoms of low protein in a persons diet to scare anyone into being extra cautious...especially when on such a limited food intake regime with WLS.... But it is not that hard to do...I start everyday with a home made high protein smoothie...about 35gm of protein right there to start the day..the rest is just making good choices...chicken fish, etc..(I no longer eat meat) Also, one of the most liberating things for me was to stop using different tracking apps that measured everything...once I stopped that, the weight really began to come off.....

As much as I hate to say this....you will find negative people who have had WLS.....same reasons. jealousy? Spite? Just be aware, they are out there and some on this forum...don't let it get you down, stay with the positive stories.....

I gained weight also...even after I started too get fills....but it all worked out in the end once the band was fully adjusted and my weight loss journey truly began....then the weight consistently started to come off on a weekly basis until my body determined it was finished.

I would not know how to begin to answer that question, other than to say YES! What is there NOT to be happy about? 1)..I'm Alive!!! Where as I should be dead right now...no exaggeration...this surgery WAS a last resort! 2) My health has been restored almost 100%...no meds, no diabetes, no high cholesterol, BP, Triglycerides, etc, etc...ALL NORMAL! 3) I go to the gym almost everyday, run 5 miles and do weights, etc...where before I would get out of breath carrying groceries into the house. 4) My Social Life has changed 180 degrees...I have never been so self confident, a positive self image, more out going....and yes, people are more friendly and acceptable to thin, fit people than they are to the Obese...sadly it's true, and discussed here many times.... now I am pulled into their social bubble....strangers act as though they have always known me... 4) Because I am more outgoing and confident, and people trend to be more friendly with me...my career has been dramatically improved, which means I have become more successful and therefore more $$$ 5) I am at a normal weight, body fat, and as long as the band remains a constant, I have no fear of ever gaining weight again!!! I have no fear of overeating!!! I have no fear, and very little interest in food or eating - No Hunger (Green Zone) DIET is a four letter word not to be spoken..... I can go on and on...but it has truly CHANGED MY LIFE.....and I am not ashamed to admit it, or make excuses to play it down.... What is there NOT to be Happy About?.......only thing I can think of is all the clothes I had to give away...I changed my entire wardrobe at least twice.... Also, I am 62 years old...if only I did this 25 years ago instead of all those silly diet schemes..... Seems that person in the article is happy because she does not worry about constantly dieting anymore to achieve something...it was hard work for her to loose weight, making the experience unpleasant? Thank heaven this WLS does not have to be that kind of struggle....but a happy new way of life...only struggle was LEARNING..... People may have a problem with my success...but that is their problem, not mine....