Holly Dolly

By no means should you feel ashamed. You have lost 60 pounds, be proud of that! You have lost 60% of your goal! Maybe you need a slight unfill if many things are getting stuck.

Everyone is different and can tolerate different things. I had no problem drinking any amount of fluids from the get go. I have friends that can't eat bread, pasta, eggs, steak. All those things I can eat and I would still choose to have the lapband.

Before the band I had a hard time limiting my portion sizes. I don't know what changed because it was a long time before I felt any restriction, but from the very beginning I measured everything out and put it on my small salad plate and accepted that was all I was going to have.

I just had my fill too. My dr recommends day 1 of liquids and day 2,3 of soft foods. Atleast that's what I think I remember since it's been almost 5 months since my last one!

Before the surgery I ate til I was stuffed. Maybe not Breakfast and lunch, but definitely dinner. I haven't felt like I have been to the greenzone yet,and I just hit my year anniversary. I measure and weigh everything and have told myself that is all I get. Of course, I have cheated along the way, snacked on chips, etc. But you can't just rely on the band to make you stop eating. Last night was the first time I had brown rice. I went out for dinner and I had what was prob 1/2 cup rice. 2 ounces salmon and half my veggies. The whole dinner was 475 calories from Mimi's Cafe and I had half. I only have 1/4 cup starch at dinner on most nights so the additional 1/4 cup was good while I was enjoying it. As soon as I got into the car I felt really full. I think it was really the first time I have felt like that since having my surgery and honestly I do not miss that feeling at all. It took a long time, but now I know that satisfaction comes from me enjoying every bite that I take instead of feeling stuffed.

I am a year out now and still waiting for that green zone. This was my 8th fill I think. I should have close to 7 in my 10 cc band now. Isn't it crazy for you to think that you only have 10 pounds to lose??? I have 12 and it was unimaginable to even think that a little more than a year ago!

Congrats to you B-52! I just got back from my visit too. My last fill was in Sept and I was so happy to get another one today. She gave me .4. I hope this one is the charm! Good luck with yours!

Well, all the above mentioned food can cause sticking issues for some people. I can eat it all, though with steak I have to stick with filet mignon. The tougher the meater, the harder to go through the pouch for me!

Here you go! www.tickerfactory.com

wow Brenda, you are a rock star!!!

HI Beach333 and welcome to the forums! I was banded on 2-4-11, so we will share our anniversary date! Good luck to you. I wish you the best of luck, I can not believe that has year has gone by so quickly!

I'm down 83 pounds in 12 months, so I averaged 6.9 pounds per month. Today I go for my 1 year check up and I am soooo excited to be getting a fill today!

woo hoo!

I eat pizza no problem. In the beginning I would make them alot with these really thin pita breads. I would put it in the toaster oven and it got pretty crispy. I would top with sauce, cheese and some low fat turkey pepperoni.

Honestly, I think I enjoy my food more now than I did before the band. Now, I have to take my time in between bites and not just wolf it down in 5 minutes! My brother had the surgery more than a year before me and my sister in law and I would talk about how we loved food too much to limit ourselves to such small portions. But after all is said and done I couldn't be happier. I thought I was going to miss bread so much, and honestly I don't. And I actually don't have a problem eating bread at all. Just that now I choose not to eat it, or atleast not very often! I still eat potatos, I measure 1/4 cup and I'm good. I still eat baked potatoes, just now the size of a golf ball. I still eat what I make for my family for dinner so my meals haven't changed that much from before. Presurgery my meal was 75% carbs, and now my dinner is 25% carbs and minimal for lunch and rarely at breakfast. I am truely amazed that I love feeling better about myself now than my love of food before.

Ok, so you have been a member going on 6 years! Just bite the bullet and do it! It took me a year for me to decide to do it. My mom offered to pay for it for me. just had to want it bad enough for myself. What is it that is stopping you from going for it? The cost of my surgery was $13,900. That included the first 3 months of fills and 6 months of seeing the psycholgist and nutritionist. Where are you located? I live in southern Calif and I LOVE my doctor! I know that money is a factor on why many people go to Mexico. I thank my lucky stars for the greatest give my mom could have given me. But I contribute a huge part of my success to the support that I get from my support group through Dr Oliak's office. I just got back from a support meeting now and afterwards had dinner with one of my lapband friends. For that reason alone, I am happy that I stuck by home for my surgery.

Wow, 6 to 7 weeks of liquids? Why so long? I had my post opt visit at 12 days and I was dying. She gave me permission to start soft food that day. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

Good luck! It is exciting, and even as much so a year later for me! It was amazing how fast this first year has gone for me. Come 2013 you will be saying the same thing! Best wishes for a successful journey!

How funny! I just checked mine myself and thought the same thing! I see stretch marks but had to look real close to see my scars! It's all good!

Good for you!

woo hoo! So excited for you!

I'm right there with you! I am just at 1 year, have 6.5 in my 10 cc band. I go in tomorrow and can't wait for a fill. I ate breakfast at 8:10 and my stomach was growling at 10:45, so I just had a piece of string cheese. I only feel restriction if I am starving and take a first couple big bites, then is when I feel it going down slow.

Sharilo, I am a big fan of soup! I do notice if I have it for dinner that my scale doesn't go down as much the next day. I try and not have it the day before my dr appt. When I get my fill, I go straight to Panera and buy myself 2 bowls of soup, 1 for lunch and the other one for dinner! Good luck to you this week. I go in tomorrow and can not wait! I haven't had a fill since late September.

Not sure if the regular soup will have enough protein in it. I did buy some high protein soup from my dr's office, but it wasn't very good!