B-52

"Listen" to your band....what does it say when you drink something carbonated....I don't drink soda, but I do drink carbonated drinks...I just take it easy and pay close attention to what the feedback my band gives me....

Sometimes I just order the Soup, or salad, and then something from the appetizer menu for my entree like a crab cake.... But most of the time I order whatever I want, and the band prohibits me from eating too much so I wind up bringing most of it home, for dinner the next day. For that reason I always order something high in Protein, like fish, and eat that first knowing I'll probably not get to the sides..... We eat out often, at lest twice a week....both my wife and I work long days....

All depends upon your Dr...although, I have to say for myself, the mushie stage was not that bad....and I was able to eat out and come up with things off a menu...just had to be creative sometimes...... I went from clear liquids to heavy liquids (shakes, cream soups) to mushies to solids...all in 4 weeks from surgery, then got my first fill at 4 weeks..... But you will see that all Dr.'s have different protocols....

Ever notice how some people spend more energy telling everyone what lap band surgery WILL NOT do and DID NOT do for THEM.....and therefore WILL NOT and CANNOT do for anyone else? As opposed to what Lap band Surgery HAS DONE for them therefore WILL DO for everyone else? It's as though, just because they do not have something, no one else can have it.....Mind Boggling! Is it the haves and have-nots? That is Negativity....No One should get in your way and tell you no....tell you not to try to acheive your goals, your dreams, aspirations.... For myself, as well as many others I'm sure, this was a once in a lifetime chance...a last resort...after years of dieting and failure, resulting in ill health.......I'm going to do all and not let anyone tell me it is impossible....others have acheived it, so can I.... Aside from unavoidable medical complications, the only people who can get in our way is ourselves.....not because other people say I can't.... If you want it...go for it...

See if they have any "Turkish Delight" I'm not a big narnia fan as much as I am a big CS Lewis fan....

The way I was taught from the begining, was that I neded to learn how to follow the "rules" about eating...small bite, chew chew chew, put the fork down between bites...time between swallows, etc, etc.... I was taught that these rules were not put in practice for me to loose weight as with a traditional diet, although they are taught with diets, but I was taught that the only way I was going to get my band adjusted to the point where I would be in the green without having adverse effects, was to live by these rules.....othewrwise I would have to have my band looser....if I stray from those rules, I would experience problems. In my experience, when I was at that point where I thought I was too tight, it was my Dr. who insisted I pay more attention to what and how I was eating...told me to try it for another week or so and see....I'm glad he told me that, and I'm glad I did learn a whole new way of eating...... What I thought was too tight turned out to be me still wanting to eat like I did as afat person....cannot be done. I have not been stuck, etc in well over a year now. Everyone has different experiences, but this is what has been true for me.....it is the band that is in charge, not me....the band prevents me from overeating.....and because of that I had to change my old ways in order to make it all work....eat the right foods, and stop when the band says stop....also setting my portions for me...

It's up to your Dr.....I was released to do just about anything after 1 week....then he said go easy with weight lifting for 2-3 weeks..... But now, I do whatever I want as though the band was not even there....so it does not Handicap you from your normal day to day.....

East Brunswick.....I'm 61 years old, and my whole life the Colonial Diner has been an institution....still go there! I originally grew up in South River, then moved to Sayreville, during my youth.

For me, that was the biggest lesson I could have learned with my banded experience......my Dr.and office staff kept saying it, but I never understood what they meant....and now, it is the answer to EVERYTHING!.

It happened to me....however in my case, my port is right under the skin, and you can clearly see the port and tubing. So between the 2 of us, we were able to "unkink" it.... one worked the syringe and the other massaged the tubing....

Plenty of people from Jersey here..... Passaic Cty....I travel to the Passaic Cty Elks CP Center in Clifton every Friday for clinics.....

The C2 5K program I followed was a 12 week program, took me about 18 weeks to complete...when I got stuck, say in week 6, I would go back and start over from week #5 and move into #6 again...had to do this a few times.... I started this march/April of last year..... I now run 5 times a week.....3.5 miles in 30 minutes, and a little over 5 miles in 45 minutes...... EVERYTHING I do, heart rate is the main goal for me...aerobic....so distance is not that important to me as heart rate is....., I had to increase speed to keep my heart rate at 85% of Max.....so staying within the 45 minutes, my distance is slowly increasing because I am forced to increase my speed....

Depends...at my age I am prone to bursitis and maybe a touch of arthritis....I Take 4gm of Omega 3 fish oil capsules...Rx, not over the counter, for joint.... I have access to a sauna and whirlpool which I use with every workout, 30 minutes sauna, 15 minutes whirlpool......I also run 5 miles a day and lift weights 2-3 times a week. I'm 61-1/2 years old.....going on 35 after the WLS..... I also take a baby aspirin every day...don't know if that helps..I take it because I have had a heart attack a few years back, before all this new life style began. I'llk also be on blood thinners for the rest of my life.....

I work out 5 times a week....it's 5am now and I am heading for th gym..... In the beginning I used to get hungrier after a workout...Iearned to overcome it....it was defeating what I had just accomplished...burning calories and fat....don't want to replace what I just managed to loose.... I learned to have some protein before my workout for energy, and to have a "recovery" high protein after my workout....I also drink about 32 ozs of water before all is said and done.

I simply cannot eat anymore....If I go beyond that I will start to get hic-cups.....if I go beyond that, which I cannot do and would have to be stupid to even try, or try to drink any liquids with a full pouch, then it will be coming back up...... But I have learned to "Listen" to my band and have not slimed or got stuck in well over a year now. The band does control my food intake.......and because it also takes away my hunger...it's all good!

Have you lost significant weight? I have had many people tell me that as you loose weight, you loose visceral fat...fat around the stomach....making the band looser.... just a possibility....

I belong to a variety of special interest forums.....one of them is "Travel".... I am currently interested in planning a trip to England, so I read all I can, posts from other people who have done the trip.... I read posts where people say they hads a wonderful joyous time, and others who said they were absolultely miserable....lost their luggage, was a victum of a pick pocket, hotrel did not have their reservations, etc, etc.... I read it all...good and bad...take it all under advisment, THEN MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS AND PLANS!!! Along with my Travel Agent (Doctor) I would not like it if people told me what airline I MUST use, or else I will loose my luggage....I can ask people what airlines they use, and why...but it does not mean I have to do the same.... I would not like it if people told me what hotel I MUST stay in, or else.... If someone looses their wallet, all their travel money, etc, it does not make them idiots....what it does is show me, from their experience, that I should be careful in that area....and I may ask them "How did it happen" "where was your wallet, in your purse, you pants pocket" etc.....I REALLY want to know.... And then you begin to learn that some of these people have not even been to England in the first place...they're just repeating what others have said(?), or they are planning to also, or they have been there, but only once and very briefly....they are in the early stages themselves and yet they act like they know all the answers.... And most of all, be judged by the decisions I have choose to make.... This is the internet....if it's on the internet, it must be true...right? All I, or anyone else should expect, is people sharing their stories, without embelishing, and let the readers see it all from A-Z.....

Speaking for myself, I have never felt full...but the band DOES prevent me from overeating....I used to love Chipotle...would get the Burrito in a bowl because I cannot eat the tortillas anymore...I can no longer tolerate rice anymore either so it is goodbye to Chipotle.... I only have 7.5 cc in my band, and it is all I need to have the band Physically stop me from eating too much.... I'm not going to pretend to be an expert and tell you what you should and should not do....I'm only going to share what is true in my life... And with 7.5cc's I am in the green Zone.....No Hunger, 24/7...., Cannot possibly overeat - portion sizes set by the band, and now at my ideal weight.... I know many people who thought they knew how much was in their band, only to find out they were way off for some reason and did not have near as much as they thought they did.... Many people on this forum rely on good old fashioned dieting techniques.....counting calories, measuring portions, food journals, etc...it seems to help them more than the band does....perhaps that is an area that would benefit you more at this this point.....

I look forward to reading ALL posts on this forum, good and bad, positive and negative, providing they are true and factual.... That is what this and any forum is about...people sharing their own stories and experiences....what they know to be from day to day living with WLS..... What the content of any post is does not bother me, As a matter of fact the posts containing information about complications interest me the most...I want to know these things to possibly help me avoid the same in the future.... What does bother me is when people get offended and take issue with someone simply because they don't like what they have to say....no matter how true and real it may be.... These are the same people who have to give their opinions on issuses even though they themselves have never any experience with, yet they make themselves out to be experts..... People need to know everything they can about something that can have such a large impact on their lives....whether they like hearing it or not....it does not make it any less a reality....that's just life..... Ignoring something (denial) does not make it go away and be any less true. People need to realize when they say something, it can be influencing other peoples lives, especially those new to this WLS, so it is best to speak the truth, and simply share what their life experiences are.....

My nieces husband is a fanatic, competes all over the country for $$ and his team has a big sponsor....he has a few different bikes depending upon the event.... She told me she paid about 4k for the one she was on that day, and it was not her "good" bike...it was one they built from spare parts.... Me...I still have my Pee Wee Herman bike in the garage collecting dust......

You guys started to influence me....UNTILL my neice told me what she paid ($$$$) for her bike.... And I thought I was paying a lot for running shoes every 4-6 months.....

Sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders and know what you, and your band, are doing.... Keep up the good work.

8.25 cc's??? How large is your band??

No restriction yet....but smaller portions due to fills.....that IS restriction.... Just saying...

My 1 week post op appointment was just that...a post op follow up....check my incisions, look for infections, clearances for soaking, returning to work, exercising, etc....but fills were not even talked about.