Doreenviv

Wow you look terrific! I'm struggling with an A-hole for a PCP. He feels I should have lost at least 20 lbs. among since 12/28. I've lost 47. I'm happy with 47 but he expected me to lose 100 by now. Slow and steady wins the race I say.

Wow! Your PCP is an A- hole, so was mine! I don't think my PCP really knew all the result numbers of the lap band either. He said something to me after a year and I only lost 30 pounds so I had to educate HIM on the lap band and what the weight loss results could be. He was much more understanding after that, ( he must have gone home and educated himself more on it lol ) I have talked to my surgeon and I'm in the process of getting an approval for Gastric bypass,

Congrats byrd. I too just purchased my first pair of size 14/16's in over 25 years and it does feel great!!!!!

There is nothing wrong with buying smaller sizes, besides, I find it to be a motivator. I to have been doing the same thing. I'm going on a Caribbean Cruise in January and I'm finding great deals on summer clothes but I'm only buying 2 sizes smaller and hopefuly I won't regret not buying smaller sizes! Or, maybe I will just in case lol. The only thing I will wait on purchasing is my LITTLE BLACK DRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I take Active Kids complete chewable (the most complete multivitamin) for kids and adults. I get it at Walmart. I also take Calcium 500mg gummy vitamins by vitafusion. These are so good tasting, I take 2 a day both at the same time and they break down really easy and I get these at Walgreens.

I'm right there with you, I too was banded in May. The other day I chewed a piece of meat and thought I chewed it enough when I swallowed it and bam!! It got stuck for 2 hours, no matter how hard I tried to get it back up I couldn't. After 2 hours I finally got it back up. Well, to me, THAT was a lesson learned and I will go that extra step to chew even longer. That was the most painful feeling I have ever gotten in my life. Good luck.

Doreen

does anyone else do this?! I take a bite of something. chew chew chew and without thinking - I will swallow. and immediately, as it's happening, know that it was too much to swallow at once. and then the need to purge ensues.

i had surgery in MAY and i'm still totally struggling with -

a) taking a small enough bite

chewing said bite into mus

c) swallowing

d) waiting a sec/taking my time/not acting like my mouth is a turned on vacuum.

is it just me?

come on brain, THINK.

Welcome Merra,

I'm also from the Boston area. Who is doing your surgery or did your surgery? I had my done by Ashley Vernon at Falkner Hospital she also works out of Brigham and Womens. I had the best care and experiance at Falkner that I have EVER received from a hospital. She keeps you overnight and you get a private room . Good luck!

Doreen

Hi everyone! I never thought I would even consider surgery for my weight condition, but as time goes on I keep getting more and more medical problems. I am very excited to think of my life as a thin person as I am 29 and have NEVER been a healthy weight!

I would talk directly to your surgeon and find out what is going on and demand answers! Remember, they work for you so don't be afraid to take up an hour of his precious time as your time to go see him is just as precious to you. This (to me) doesn't sound right what is your band size? I have a 10cc band but I have seen others that have a 12cc and 15cc band. I don't have any answers to give you but I hope you find some answers soon. Good luck!!

Doreen

HI I was banded in dec 2010 and my fill nurse said i am at my fill level at 6.5 which i got 5 at surgery and 1.5 at 6 weeks....now i am able to eat too much and gaining a lil....the ffill nurse said she cant do a fill because i am at my limit and they changed the rules,,,,,what does this mean ?? i am a failure and can have no more fills i no longer feel any restriction...i did so well at the beginning,,,,,now whats wrong.....i am so disapointed if this is the end of the journey.....any input or encouragement would be appreciated....maybe i should change drs.....thanks....

Tracie thank you for the info. I'm on ebay as soon as I thank you, lol. I take them down in 4 sips. I can't just shot them down because my lap band is higher then most people that have it because I had a floating hernia that was repaired during surgery, so they had to place the band higher leaving me with a smaller pouch. So if I drink fast it backs up . Well I'm off to ebay so thanks for the info.

Doreen

I use them too! I got them on ebay. A case (12 tubes) for $24.00 Keep an eye out for them there! Honestly, I think they taste terrible but it is less than 4 ounces. I've tried the blue raspberry and fruit punch. I just shoot em down.

Thanks Melissa I'll have to try them too. My Nutricionist said for me to stay within 1200 cals a day without going over so if I use Protein shot as a Meal Replacement then I'm ok. I love learning about new products and I love sharing them. I will definitly try one out so thanks again.

Doreen

i just found the cal count, they are 176,

i drink theese also, http://www.pureprote.../F050452-AE.pdf its less calories, my DR is calorie strict =)

Just an FYI to anyone who wants a new Protein Drink. I was at the my Vitamin Shoppe yesterday and bought a new Protein drink drink called - New Whey liquin protein. It is in a 3.8 fld ounce vile and has 42 grams of protein in it. I got the Blue Raspberry ( they have about 5 or 6 flavors and it tastes really good ( I like it ). Lactose free - Gluten Free - Caffeine free - sugar free and Fat free. It costs about $3.99 a vile but I spent more then that on coffee and Snacks at work everyday. I figure I'm worth $3.99 a day and I will have a great start to my daily protein needs. Check it out at www.newwhey.com Let me know what you think of it if you try it.

Thank you ALL for your advice it is helping me greatly and I appreciate each and every post good or bad. I had my 3rd fill today and I'm at 5 cc's now so lets see how it goes. 2days liquids and 2 days mushies before returning to solid foods. I hope I will feel restriction again. My Dr. said it's normal and my band didn't slip. So happy about that! Again thanks all .

I just take mine crushed from a spoon with Water and it goes down quite well although the metformin is bitter tasting. I was told I can mix it in the Water but not all at once. and yes it is normal to just want water. I love my water and funny thing now is I don't like flavored water as much any more lol.

As I said in an earlier post, I was banded on Thurs, Sept 8. How do those of you that crush your pills take them? I'm thinking just mix it with a spoonful of applesauce? I can't believe I haven't put more thought into the logistics of it before now. Also, is it normal to not want anything but water?

Thanks!

Alli

Thank you Elle, I too was banded in May of this year, on the 4th to be exact. I will be going for my 3rd fill this Tuesday and I will talk to my Dr. Thank you again!

Hi

I was attracted to your question because I was also feeling a little low and a lot confused. So, probably figured out by now that I dont have any advice to offer re: if you need a fill, etc. I just understand what you are feeling.

Im still not sure about what I should eat and how I should feel before, after or during meals. I was banded on 5/24/11 and have only lost 19 pounds, no make that 16 since I gained 3 pounds since last Thursday. I didnt think I would be able to eat some of the foods that eat. I mean, one of the reasons I did so much research and took almost a year to decide to get banded was because EVERYONE said that bread would get stuck. But even with this huge con, the pros won.So I said goodbye to bread... It was a long goodbye, I gained oh, about 10 pounds saying goodbye to my favorite food but I was ready to move forward.

So, Imagine my confusion when I discovered I can eat bread with noooo problem. That's confusing! I cant eat salmon ( and I know how to cook it)....that's confusing. What I can tolerate and what I cant is very confusing.

So what do I do now? I start anew. I had my 3rd fill, my Dr said something that made a lot of sense once I took some time to think. and Im going to really think about it ( and he is just great, the whole team is excellent) You see Ive been on so many diets that I think I know how many calories or how much fuel,, etc Im consuming. But what I 'Ill do is eyeball calories one day, do a little Atkins or South Beach perspective the next ( oh, this doesnt have any carbs! ) and the next day , maybe read a label and say " mmmm, let see this is how many points?" See where Im coming from? I didnt even tell him this. I left the office confused and decided to check in and try to figure this out.

What he said was something like' What are you getting your calories from? Since that varied, my smart behind was at a loss for a quick answer. But his smart behind knew and he said something like 'an Ace and a King is blackjack no matter what color the cards are, that fine for blackjack but it doesnt mean a thing if you are playing poker." I've got to give it to him. I didnt even tell him and he hit the nail on the head!

So dont beat yourself up about eating 2 burgers at a cook out. At least you remember what you ate. I cant remember all I ate at our cook out...I think I counted carbs when I ate chicken, burger, brats and then calories when I ate salad and coleslaw then carbs again when they brought out the Patrone. But the point is Im starting anew. I know I can do this and Ive got a great team! Im sure you do too, so talk it out with your team.

Good luck to you, you will do fine

Thank you I will use more detail next time! My bad! I am also 55 and have been fighting the weight ever sence I gave up smoking 20 years ago and put on 100 pounds. I was told that if you can tolerate it you can eat it but I do want to make it quit clear that I do not eat like this all the time. I mostly eat chicken, tuna and turkey. I guess if you read my post I was looking for advice as to if this could be the sign of a slipped band or the need of a fill. As you can tell I have only received advice on eating those dame hamburgs and not if I could be facing a slipped band. HOWEVER I do appreciate all the advice from everyone and yes even the blasters. Just a reminder to all, before you blast anyone next time for their post please, think about the first time you slipped but picked yourself back up and be more supportive and encouraging. Thanks.

Just try to remember, even though it sounds like people are judging...if I said I ate two hamburgers, I would think HAMBURGERS. I would say sliders..this way we know that it is not the amount you are eating when we are trying to help figure out the problem. So many of us..I am 55..have been fighting this weight battle longer than some of you have been alive. I wish I had had the opportunity to do this many years ago.

Now...I personally think, and it is MY opinion that that is still too much carbohydrates. try eating more Protein and solid foods... hamburger meat is almost like a soft food, so it won't keep you full as long. I know I can tell the difference on how long I stay satisfied.

Thank you for understanding and being supportive it helps to have support rather then ridacule as I delt with that from family for many years before the lapband. I come here for answers and support from others like myself. Why some people feel the need to blast you to get a point across is beyond me. Again thanks for the support!

Woodslass, that is GREAT information. It makes sense about the muscles contracting so much b/c they are ready to go to work. I will remember that when i begin to eat each meal. I seem to get a little stuck with the first couple of bites and now it make so much sense. It could be too that I am so hungry at meal times that I do not chew as I should. Hopefully that will change when I get to the green zone. Thank you for the time you took to give us such valuable information.

Doreenviv, I only have 4 cc in my 10 cc band too. The restriction is not there either and I am hungry a lot. I am still losing the one to two pounds weekly but that is strictly due to will power. I am not losing as much as a lot of people on here. I figure that is b/c I started at 208 and never had to do the pre op diet. I hope we both find our sweet spot soon. I have read that 10cc bandsters need 5 to 7 cc to get to the green so we still have a ways to go. Good luck to you and keep your head up. Every pound lost gets us closer to our goal than we were.

Thank you so much for your support and yes they were sliders from Whole foods. I think I will continue to get my fill next Tuesday as your right, I do get physically hungry between my lunch and dinner so I try to eat a protien. I take in at least 84 fld ozs of plain Water a day as I love Water. I also take a water pill. Again thank you so much for your support and understanding.

Doreen

Everyone go back and re-read her post plese. The only thing most are talking about is eating a hamburger. She did not say they were big hambugers. Maybe kids meals. So forget about that and give her your best advice. She I am sure she knows what she was not suppose eat, But things happen and we all lose control.

I do not think you need another fill unless you are feeling hungry beween meals, (not head hunger) but real hunger as you do not think you can wait till the meal. If you are getting hungry before the next mealtime then I think a small fill might be needed.

I think you are retaining some water. Might want to up your water intank.

Only you know how you feel. I say get one and if you need to go back for a small unfill most Dr, don't charge for the unfill.

think we all need to have out head checked out

I am 2 years out and still have trouble with head hunger and emotional eating.

Cheri

I'm glad that you are doing so wonderful and remember you wouldn't have gotten banded if your healthy diets worked for you in the past. BTW the 2 hamburgs were slider size and they were from Whole foods which are very healthy and where most of my meets come from. For your sake I hope you don't ever get anything stuck. So please don't be so quick to judge. The whole point to my question was to find out if maybe my band could have slipped. Thanks for your thoughts though.

I am shocked at what people are eating or trying to eat. Two hamburgers - REALLY? I am 2 1/2 months post op and I can't imagine even thinking about eating those types of foods. The band is only a tool. You must make the right food choices for it to work unless you want the type of restriction that prevents you from eating; via puking and or slimming. Is that really anyway to live? My surgeon has given me a diet plan and I follow it to a T. I eat eggs, Protein powders, skim milk,Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, veggies and a little bit of fruit, That's it. As you can see by my ticker it's a very slow process, but I intend to stick with the program for the duration. High protein, Low fat, low carb, tons of plain Water, and low calorie. By the way my band is providing me with satiety, not restriction of food that will or will not go down. No PBing or slimming - that's my goal. I guess my surgeon looks at things differently than many, He wants me to eat normally without fear of getting stuck. I choose not to eat burgers, not because I can't, because I could,I'm not that restricted but because it's not a healthy choice for someone trying to loose weight. I'm sure I'll get blasted for not being supportive enough, but I had to get this off my chest!

Thank you the information is very helpful!

Doreenviv, I had the same problem for a while about needing to PB right after I started eating. I think I was doing it just about every day for months, and when I talked to my surgeon about it, he explained it like this.

Your stomach has three strong muscles around it. These muscles are the ones that contract and relax, moving food through your system (and also cause your tummy to "growl" when you're hungry).

For a Bandster, we often don't have a lot in the stomach if we are not snacking between meals. When you sit down to eat a meal, these muscles are eager to go to work and are very stimulated when you smell the food, see the food, and first bite goes in and chewing starts. The stomach anticipates the food about to arrive and the muscles clench up all the way to the opening of the band. So if you eat too fast, with bites that are too large, the food can't go down at all and you'll start sliming and usually end up bringing it back up. My surgeon told me that the first 2 to 5 bites are critical in a meal.

So, what I've done is literally take a pea-sized bite as my first five bites, and take about 30 seconds between those bites with my fork down. I chew until it's disintegrated, and I'm not really swallowing as much as it just disappears. Once my stomach realizes that there's more food coming, it relaxes and I'm able to eat and not PB.

This may not work for everyone, but it took me five months to finally get some answers to this and I have not PB'd since I started doing this except for some scrambled eggs the other morning (which I'm always tight in the morning and usually I don't eat at all). I also found that definitely not drinking during a meal has helped and was also a cause of PBing - I make sure I don't accidentally drink by not even having a drink next to my plate. If I dump a bunch of liquid on top of anything I definitely will be seeing it again!

As for the two hamburgers - I haven't been able to sucessfully eat white soft bread since the day I was banded, but that's just me. With fills, your band opening is about the circumference of your pinky finger - it's not easy to get larger items down it, especially if it swells up.

Good luck, I hope this helps you as it helped me!

Hello, although I appreciate your imput I noticed that you haven't been banded yet so I'm confused that you could answer a topic that you have no experiance on yet. And how do you know I don't need another fill if you haven't even gotten your band yet? Where does your experiance come from? We all started out in the same catagory ( overweight ) and everyone finds their own way of winning their war and I will find mine. FYI I do chew my food and cut it into small bites and by the way my fork DOES get put down between bites. I'm sure YOU never ate 2 hamburgs at a cook out before RIGHT!!! Thanks for your reply though.

You dont need another fill you are 1 not chewing well enough 2 eating too fast put you fork down and swallow first then wait a few minutes before you eat the second bite. Even if you could eat two hamburgers why would you. Come on you have to do some of this yourself and your not going to lose weight eating two hamburgers on Buns.< /p>

THANKS EVERYONE I APPRECIATE THE HONESTY AND YES, SOME OF MY CHOICES ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM AND I KNOW THIS, USUALLY I MAKE GOOD CHOICES EXCEPT LATELY AS I HAVE LOST ALMOST 30 POUNDS SENCE MAY WHEN I GOT MY BANDED. I GUESS I WAS REALLY HUNGRY THAT DAY I KNOW NOT AN EXCUSE! I WILL MAKE SURE I AM MORE AWHERE OF WHAT I'M EATING AND HOW MUCHAS WELL AS CHEWING IT AND TAKING SMALLER BITES. THANKS ALL FOR YOUR INPUT. I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

Hello my fellow bandsters,

I need answers please!! I had my 2nd fill a month ago ( I have 4 cc's ) so far and will have my 3rd fill next week. My problem is that I have gained 5 lbs in the last week and when I eat after the first or 2nd bite it gets stuck ( maybe I'm not chewing enough ) I don't know. COULD my band have slipped or is it that I do need my next fill and need to chew smaller and longer? Oh and I had a floating hiatal hernia and my surgeon fixed it but my band had to go up higher then normal which is better for me she said. I'm really getting depressed about gaining the weight. A weeks ago I was able to eat 2 burgers Buns and all. SHOULD I be concerned or do I just need another fill???? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated!! Thanks.

Hello my fellow bandsters,

I need answers please!! I had my 2nd fill a month ago ( I have 4 cc's ) so far and will have my 3rd fill next week. My problem is that I have gained 5 lbs in the last week and when I eat after the first or 2nd bite it gets stuck ( maybe I'm not chewing enough ) I don't know. COULD my band have slipped or is it that I do need my next fill and need to chew smaller and longer? Oh and I had a floating hiatal hernia and my surgeon fixed it but my band had to go up higher then normal which is better for me she said. I'm really getting depressed about gaining the weight. A weeks ago I was able to eat 2 burgers Buns and all. SHOULD I be concerned or do I just need another fill???? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated!! Thanks.

I have to agree with you on some of it. Yes it WAS my stupity and maybe even an excuse but the important thing is that I'm back on the right track and doing great! The band helps me not over eat and I have more self esteem today then I had 5 years ago. May I ake when you were banded and how much have you lost? How do you maintain a good balance? Thanks.

See to me, that smacks of it being an unsustainable lifestyle - if you "blow everything" because a certain type of food is not available. I get that that's just my view and opinion on it though and that the South Beach diet is generally respected by the experts. Truly, how can you blow a lifestyle in just one weekend ?

Such studies of this only reinforce to me that you must do what you personally believe suits you best. Because just like there's a zillion studies supporting a low carb way of eating, so obviously there is just as many pointing out the possible dangers. I think anyone who truly things that their way of eating is absolutely and utterly RIGHT is a bit nuts, anyone rational will admit that its a balance and leaning one way or another might make a difference to your health but that its completely a matter of swings and roundabouts - just like vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters in some respects but less healthy in others - they may get too little Iron, they may eat too much high fat cheese and too many eggs, or if they're vegan they might not be managing to combine plant Proteins properly etc etc. If you're healthy and happy on a low carb diet and your diabetes is controlled, then I wouldnt pay any attention to this study at all.

I agree with everyone here, you shouldn't joke about cancer it is a child killer and an adult killer and I find it sad that you need to joke about it. How do the people on the receiving end of the joke react? Did you ever think that that person could have cancer? My husband servived colon cancer, my mother breast cancer and I cervical cancer. WHY would you say you had such a deadly desease? Please scrap that in your bad joke file and find something else to joke about, OR just be proud you took the steps to improve the quality of your life. Good luck with your journey!

So, whenever I see people I haven't seen in a while, they always ask how I lost my weight... I usually do the E Coli joke. Sometimes it's "Cancer does wonders with weight loss!" Sometimes it's Montezuma's Revenge.

Anyone else mess with people? I'm tired of using the same jokes.

Congrats! Keep up the great work!

I did the South Beach Diet several years ago and lost 45 lbs in 3 months. I say it is a MUST read book. South Beach diet Dr. is a Heart Specialist. He takes carbs away for 2 weeks then re-introduces you to better carbs like Whole wheat breads, whole wheat pastas ( which by the way I like better ) and other whole wheat products. You would be amazed at what you can eat the first 2 weeks. I lost 18 lbs in the first 2 weeks but I really stuck to it. My blood preasure went down, my high cholestrol went down and my type 2 diabetes was great and my Dr was going to take me off all my meds if my #'s were still low at my next 6 month check up. THEN IT HAPPENED!!!!! A weekend of weddings and parties and NO whole wheat food products, I blew everything I worked so hard to accomplish. Now I'm trying it again and I've been on it for 4 days and have lost 4 lbs but I also excercise. I walk 4 times a week for about 1/2 hour carring 3lb weights and bike 2 times a week about 3 to 5 miles. I rest on Monday's. I believe ther is good and bad in ALL diets. Which ever way you all decide to go good luck in your journey.