B-52

My first fill I felt absolutley nothing....even gained weight afterward.... 2nd fill it ws 50-50....I was not hungry for a few hours between meals....but found myself craving - starving when it was time to eat...started climbing the walls..... 3rd fill...put me over the top...I do not experience hardly ever, have no interest in food or eating...it is NOT a feeling of feeling full as though I just ate....it is a mental thing for me...the band is there, 24 hrs a day, telling my brain I'm full, don't need to eat, yet I have not eaten anything.... Today is Sunday, went to the gym at 5am, had a Protein smoothie afterward, and here it is 3pm and I have not gotten around to eating anything yet....just coffee, Water, and had a beer watching football on TV.......I will eat, but I'm really not interested....we will probably go,mout for dinner.... BTW, my last fill was over 2 years ago, and it feels as good today as it did then..(with a little maintence on my part every 4-6 weeks)

Yes...congratulations....getting used to life with the band is the ultimate success, in my opinion...not thinking about or worrying about this or that little thing, calories, dieting, everything now is 2nd nature...the band has set the rules in stone....it has become a permanent part of you, a true new "Lifestyle" reaching your "Normal Weight" Also congratulations on not having a fill....I have read some people can achieve this...just proves that all people who have had this WLS are not the same, and not necessarily a "Right or Wrong"...just your personal success story.... ENJOY!!!!!!

The one thing that comes to mind with Nutrisystem....I did it before being banded...more than once, or at least a few times but by different names, same idea..... Problem was not the food, but the fact that i would eat a week worth of food in 2 days!!! That was my problem pre-banded....and that is what I had to get under control if I ever wanted to loose weight.....fortunately that is what the band accomplished..... So for me and my route to weight loss, the #1 issue was getting my hunger, appetite under control...that was the key, not so much what I ate, but thefact I ate so little of it over a 24hr period........#2 then became my food choices, picking the best healthy foods I can, making the most of what little I eat now....

Can't please all the people all the time...as with anything in life, you will meet people of all shapes and colors.... Funny, I just read a thread about how and why some people cannot stand other people who are "happy" with their bands.....interesting therories.... I use the ignore feature...works for me...that way the people simply "Do Not Exist anymore" and thy "Know it all" attitudes cannot get under my skin....never see their posts or replies.... I'd rather hear people's first hand experiences, good and bad, positive and negative, as long as it is the truth and not what other people may "Think" should be the truth because they read an article, or saw a you-tube....rather I want to know how it effects the person...what have they found to work or not work for them.....

Didn't know pineapple juice was a fix.....when I'm truly stuck, I cannot drink anything, because the passage is blocked, clogged up - stuck....sipping anything, such as Water, overfills the pouch, causing it to "Run Over"...in other words it will come right back up having no where else to go..... Least that is how I always did it...... I know many people who use Papaya Enzymes....carry it with them everywhere they go.... When I worked in the ER, and people came in with stuck meat, we would mix tenderizer with warm water and have them sip that...it worked!

When I read the title, I opened the thread having my "opinion" to add......NEVER MIND !!!!

Where are these sites??? I'd like to go there and visit... I have found that many people will attack you if you are successful...and they are not....after all, it cannot possibly be this easy, when they have been struggling....you cannot possibly be so happy, when they are so miserable...eating everything in site!! Falling off the wagon, needing to "get back on track" all the time.... Jealousy? This website - group can be very negative in it's own way...I'm glad I did not discover it until AFTER my surgery....it can also be very confusing trying to sift between what is FACT, RUMOR and OPINIONS...as opposed to actual living experience from other bandsters.... Sometimes I don't care what printed articles are posted, or You-Tube videos....I KNOW my band and what it does to me, what I can and cannot do, what has worked and what has not worked, ALL from my own experience, success and failures....you can tell me till you're blue in the face it is absolutely impossible to defy gravity, but if I'm doing it everyday, I don't care what others may say or believe..... People will post saying you can't do that with the band...etc, etc, and yet I am doing it everyday...go figure! But I won't argue with them, just posts MY STORY...that's all anyone can, and should do... My belief is the band can be a positive, and a negative thing....it all depends upon the person who has had the surgery....the band is adjustable and everyone has a different comfort level......or maybe better yet, fear factor...it is not for the faint of heart, but for those seriously looking to make a life long change and commitment.... Other surgeries there is no adjustment option...it is what it it what it is..... I read posts here everyday from people who have a healthy attitude, who "GET IT"........then I also read posts from people who, IMO, simply "DON'T GET IT".....they don't have a clue........I hope they find their way.. I'm not talking about Newbies, those banded less than 6 months...that is the learning phase we have all been, or are going through.... Granted, there can and will arise medical complications here and there we have no control over, but other than that.. WE ARE IN CONTROL......

Rice has been on my "Do not eat list" from very early on....and as far as chicken, I have found, can be very tough, hard when eating out...a place like Chang's moves a lot of chicken so I would suspect it would be Ok, but I do not trust it at most places....

When I went through this, it was up to me to get all these things accomplished...and any one eval that was over 6 months old was no good and had to be repeated... they gave me a list of all the physicians they recommended, The rest was up to me...I did all this during my 6 month required pre=op diet....and I had to repeat my cardiology exam, but I do have a history in that area... Your type of insurance can make it difficult, staying withing network, etc..... Wait till the affordable care act kicks in....when the Dr. says you need a MRI, it can take 3 months to get in....at least that's what I'm being told from some patients from Canada...they come down here because of the better healthcare, soon to change.

There are certain foods I will never be able to eat again....primarily "Rough" foods, such as anything breaded and deep fried, meat, or many raw vegetables, etc....also shrimp and lobster...certain texture, have to take very small bites and chew.....5 bites to eat one shrimp...... I don't think you can "Lube" your band, but softer foods are easier, and IMO safer for the band in terms of irritation and erosion....plus the pain is not enjoyable during a meal...

Celery?....No.....as well as other fruits and vegetables....vegetables better if cooked and not hard, also skinless with some fruits... Peanut Butter?...in my smoothies at times, along with other ingredients... But you have to experiment based upon your bands feedback...many people here can do things others cannot not, and vice=versa.... Some people can eat raw vegetables....some cannot Some people can drink carbonated drinks...some cannot Some people need to crush their meds - pills....some do not have to Some people hungry all the time, some are never hungry, and some in the middle.... And the list goes on and on and on.... The more you read these posts, the more you see just how different people tolerate and react to different things......not sure if there is a right or wrong, just what you and your band can and cannot do, along with your Doctor aware of every step... Of course, if your considering calories and dieting...then that's another area altogether...I'm speaking of the band only...

Perfectly Normal...all part of the learning curve....early on, I still had the same cravings, bad food choices, etc... Burt once the band got properly adjusted, it became impossible to eat many of those bad foods.... For instance, you mention pizza....I used to at an entire Large Pizza, with toppings, all by myself...not to mention ll the soda or beer to go with it.... NOW If I take 2 bites of a slice, it WILL BE stuck city....so I don't eat pizza anymore, and eventually the craving for pizza is gone entirely.... It is that way with many, many foods....donuts is another one, as well as anything made from flour...cake, pastries, Cookies, breads, etc... And since I have no hunger, it does not bother me to be deprived of the things that were once killing me.... I'm almost 3 years out, and I can look at some foods and don't give it a 2nd thought....office parties, picnics, whatever...food is no longer a big part of my life...take it or leave it.... So you see, it is ALL about the band...and it will take care of your head also...Behavior Modification....My #1 priority, and my Dr.'s, was to get the band adjusted, and me in the Green Zone, ASAP...because to me, that is what it is all about and why I had this surgery....to change my relationship with food and eating, both physically, AND mentally.....3 fills in 3 months...then another 3 months to learn the important lessons and properly apply the rules in the correct context, situations...not just in theory...

I have found that the band is the band is the band...no matter where I am, on vacation, a cruise, business travel...no matter if you're at a wedding, a fancy restaurant, or a holiday dinner (Thanksgiving), a sporting event....the foods I will not (cannot) eat at home are the same foods I cannot (will not) eat 3000 miles away!! This is surgery...a permanent change to my digestive system...an alteration...why, and most importantly - HOW would the band change it's function?? It is there,adjusted to work at a certain level...set by me and my Dr. through a series of fills - adjustments. When I hear about temptations with food, travel, dinner with friends, etc, etc,...it is reminiscent of diets in the past, and the prelude to eventual failure.....not the new life with the band... On our last cruise, a 12 night, I ate what and where I wanted, enjoyed myself, not worrying about calories or portions ( I never do anymore anyway).....I just let the band be in charge (as if I have a choice) and do what it does every day of the week....and I lost 2 pounds!!! If I cannot eat pizza here in NJ on a Friday night, I cannot eat Pizza in Seattle!! same goes for all the characteristics of lap bamd Surgery...portion control, inability to over eat, no hunger or cravings... I do not use the band as I wish when I wish, like a tool as many others express......the band is in charge of me and my eating lifestyle....big difference in something I can control and something that controls me... I quess I was fortunate to have a Dr. that from the get-go he never chastised me about my shortcomings pre and post op., one time I gained weight between fills and he just laughed at me saying I didn't get it yet.....he would indicate to the Yellow-Greeen-Red Poster on the wall and explain that that was his goal for me in that phase of the journey....and for me that has been all it is ever about....being in that "Perfect" place of balance...it is at the place that all the "Rules" come into play and make perfect sense to live the new life with the band....

Agreed....good fall back when you need something quick....I have to get their smoothie also...can't resist...

If you are truly stuck, then sip some Water standing over the toilet and it will all come up...since the water you drink has no where to go and only over fills the pouch.... Just my opinion, but the majority of posts I read here from people saying they're stuck, I do not think they are really stuck....when you have a stuck episode, you will know it!!! Nothing will go down if you could swallow at all....which is next to impossible to do with all the slime and mucous accumulating, working it's way back up and out....

I work out on a empty stomach....I have an article somewhere showing a study done where a higher % of fat will be burned quicker! More efficient weight loss and body toning.... Of course, if you have no excess fat, then you will need to take something.....aside from my morning coffee and Vitamins, I also take a shot 11ml of pure pre digested (enzymes) liquid Protein.....and of course, plenty of Water before, during and after....I go through 32ozs easily...... As far as light headed, puking, nausea, diaphoresis, etc....these are also signs of somethings possibly serious....if you are a newbie and not in fit shape, be careful....I know the gym I go to will, and do take people's blood pressure and vital signs whenever asked....which is often....

I'm not a Vegetarian in the strictest sense, but I have not eaten Red meat since hitting the Green Zone 2 1/2 years ago...I don't eat eggs and much in the way of dairy products and baked (flour based) goods, along with some other things... I have absolutely no problem getting 65-80 gm of Protein everyday.... As I type this I am having my Breakfast smoothie - 35gms protein to start the day, before heading to the gym at 5am....

I hear so much talk about how everyone has to follow "The Rules" if you want to be successful... I'm curious what everyone's take on this is...specifically, Do You learn and follow the rules to loose weight? Or Do you learn and follow the rules because that is the only way you can manage to live with the band.... I am also curious what people feel "The Rules" actually are... In my case, it was because following them was / is the only way I can get by day to day with the band....in the beginning, long before I even had the surgery, they started teaching me the "Rules" and telling me then I had to start adhering to them...to be honest, for me, I felt they were silly...and I told them so... They would smile am laugh, and say..."You just wait and see"...""there will come a day you will wish you knew them by heart. better to start now than wait till later" And they were right...after my 3rd fill, BAM! Could not keep anything down...suddenly I knew EXACTLY what they meant... I can now say, these "Rules" are no longer rules, but new habits that make up a new lifestyle...I don't have to be reminded about small bites and chewing...drinking while eating..etc, etc....I know...and it all is natural and part of me know...

I had my first fill 1 months after surgery...and it was a good aggressive fill....I was scheduled to come back in another month... In the time between my first fill ad the next appointment, I GAINED weight.....I felt defeated, disappointing, and angry to think I went through all this and get nothing in return...the staff were telling me I had to count calories, measure portions, and keep a food journal...all of which are sound practices to loose weight....but I DID NOT NEED SURGERY TO DO ALL THAT AGAIN!!!!! Fortunately my Dr. is very practical, and as down and discouraged as I was, he took it all in stride and laughed at me...he made me accept the fact that the band was simply installed at that point, but not really operating the way it was designed to do, an that it would take a few adjustments to get there, and at the same time, I would be forced to adjust my eating habits, foods, etc, in order to adapt to the band.... As I did get more fills, the "Silly Rules" they spoke about so much suddenly began to make sense...and to follow then at that point was the only way to live with the band....

Do the best you can.... I would say for myself that if I could have lost all that pre-op weight, why in the world would I want to go through surgery? So yes, it was very hard to do...but I kept telling myself that this surgery is the most important step I can take and I was not going to do anything to jeopardize it... Now, all Dr.'s are different...My Dr. did not care what I ate or drank, ONLY thing he wanted to see was that I had to loose X # of lbs within 2 weeks of the surgery or he would postpone it...didn't care how I did it, as long as I did....having said that, Protein shakes was the easiest way to do it...but I did cheat, eating regular food, but keeping a close eye on the scale so as not to have my surgery postponed.... But that was Me and my Dr...if you want this surgery you need to do what your Dr. wants you to do...

My Dr. has a large chart on the wall of the Yellow-Greeen-Red Zones...first I would get weighed, and he would look at my weight loss/gain fro last visit, he would ask a few questions concerning my eating, exercise, etc...and then he would ask me to show him exactly where on the chart I felt I was as far as hunger,, portion sizes, etc.... If I was fighting hunger, cravings, and not loosing much weight, (even gained after first fill) then that would indicate I needed a fill....after 3 good fills, one month apart (3months from surgery) my hunger was brought completely under control, my portion sizes were/are held in check, and I was loosing a good steady consistent amount of weight...all the characteristics of being in the Green Zone...he, and I, were happy to be at that place and I have not needed a fill since....2-1/2 years ago, and still enjoy the NEW easy life of being in the Green... Bottom line, if you are loosing weight, whether from the band or from your own dieting efforts, that is all it is about...loosing weight... But then, if we - I could loose weight from good old fashion dieting rules, I would not have needed something as drastic as Gastric Banding...

Many people are jealous or resent others success......their way HAS to be the ONLY way.....how dare you follow another path? Bottom line....who cares? You need to take care and look out for you and your own. And only you will have to pay the consequences OR reap the rewards.....no one else.... I do not believe anyone should tell anyone else what they should and should not do, what is right and what is wrong..... What people should do is lead by example based upon experience.....it's amazing how many people here are experts and have all the answers, when they have just started out themselves and could not possibly experienced what they are preaching.... That's my rant....

How do people determine what their goals are as far as weight loss, and more importantly how do you stop loosing when you reach that goal??? I read this everyday here, and it makes me think about it...I just read a post from a women who has reached 150 and decided she will stop there, and she is only 5"5" tall.....and I asked myself "Why Stop There?" and HOW are you going to stop??? I have found, along with some of my peers who have had this surgery, that this is a permanent lifestyle change that lasts forever as long as the band is there being a constant.... and it is not a diet that I can turn on or off...my food intake has been drastically reduced, and to a large extent the types of foods I eat have also changed....why else would I have wanted surgery if not to correct the things that made me fat in the first place??? Over eating and bad food choices? Having said that, with this new life style I have found the weight will continue to come off until the body reaches what IT considers the correct, normal and natural weight.......reaches a point of equilibrium, balance....only way I could have stopped loosing at a weight at my determination would have been to get an un fill when I reached my goal...enabling me to eat more? Early on my Dr. laughed at me and said I will stop loosing when my body wants to stop loosing...and as long as I continue my Protein, etc, that will be my goal... I have reached that point...and according to BMI Charts, I am still 10 lbs over weight...according to Body Fat analysis, I an in the very low, Fit and Athletic range...a little below normal... So I wonder, when people reach the goals they have been striving for, how do you determine and stop at that point???

Have to check it out...pasta of any kind had been on my "Do not eat list" for over 2 years now because of early stuck episodes....

I kept the Almond Hershey Chocolate bars....Love them....put about a dozen in the freezer to use in the future, kept a few out for immediate consumption....... all the rest of the stuff I took to work and left in in the break room....