Thee-O

well please explain a stuck episode? Pressure is one thing but that is also restriction which could lead to making food harder to go down right?

As you lose more weight you will have to get fills because you also lose fat where the band is and will need to be adjusted accordingly.

That happened to me after my first fill. I thought I was going nuts because it felt like I could eat easier. I wasn't getting stuck. I had no restriction really. I felt that the fill loosened me up a bit if that makes any sense. Just got another fill yesterday...we will see how this one goes.

I have a 14cc band and just got my second fill yesterday. At about 5cc's currently.

Just looking for some other bandsters that still have no fills or started late in the process in getting fills. I had my surgery on May 13th, 2011 and I have seen my surgeon 3 times since and haven't had a fill yet. I am not scheduled to see him until October, unless I want to come in earlier. As he told me, "I feel good on where you are going, I feel ok in letting you loose". I feel I have good restriction. I cut out a lot of crap from my diet (Bad / White Carbs, Sugar, Processed food, Deep Fried Food) and working out a lot. I am not losing weight fast (losing a lot of inches though and gaining a lot of muscle) but I am continually seeing the scale drop...I want to avoid fills as long as I can. Not afraid of them at all but I figure I have this band inside of me for life, there is plenty of time for fills. What are your non-fill stories? How long did last without a fill and what was your keys to success in losing weight without fills.

The lap band is a tool you work with, it doesn't do all the work for you. I don't have any fills either and I am working the band like it isn't there. I am changing my life. Yes I have the band and it comes in handy, but it doesn't force me to go to the gym in the morning. It didn't force me to stop eating potatoes, beer and rice... You are doing the work. You have a tool. It is like someone building a house, you would compliment him on the look and craftsmanship of his work, not question the tools created to get the results. You are not a fraud. You are working hard to achieve your goals

60 lbs gone. 40 more to go.....banded since May of 2011. Plateaued but still working on it!

I also love my fitbit, I carry it wherever I go. It is a great motivator and really tells you how you are doing with your activity and sleep. Also it now works with MyFitnessPal.com so you can log in your foods there and the FitBit will automatically send the activity data over so that you can have a more accurate look at your calorie burn per day. I love it...it is a great tool, especially with MyFitnessPal integration

I also haven't had any fills either (although I believe 2cc's were put in during surgery). I also have had a few stuck episodes the past week. I do find the band to be tepermental. Very strange, but I am glad it reminds me that it is there. That may be part of the reason I am trying to do this without fills, as I HATE getting stuck. It is so uncomfortable for me as I am sure it is for most of you. I can't imagine having more episodes or for longer durations. Ugh!

been to Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland since and got on every coaster I could get on and had no issues. Best thing about it now is actually not worrying about fitting in the damn coaster

I agree with you. We have all had the same surgery but we use it differently. It is just a tool. It should not do the work for us and for most it doesn't. To me my surgery was my rock bottom of my addiction to food. I had lost control and I needed to have surgery to wake my ass up and get my life back in control. It was never about restriction for me. It was about choices and I was making all the bad ones. So to me, I was never looking at this as I can't wait to be in the "Green Zone". I was looking at this as a wake up call to a better lifestyle. I am not advocating the way I use my band, but I am just explaining how my tool has worked for me. I still go to my doctor appointments. If they suggested a fill, I would consider it. They are happy with the progress I am making without them though and so am I. Ultimately, it is about self control to me. I still have to be the one that lives with myself and lives with the decisions of what goes in my mouth. So I don't agree that "Without Restriction, this is just another diet", because I don't see this as a diet at all. I just see this as the new normal for me. Lifestyle and habit changes that regardless of the lapband, or fills, or anything else will lead to a healthier me. Again, we all use this differently....

Damn Plateau. Well the good news is I haven’t gained any weight over the holidays. WOOT! But the bad news is I haven’t lost any weight in about 5-6 weeks. Still sticking with my regular workouts and jogging. I am not really worried about it, I know this happens to everyone. It is the body just getting used to the routine so I need to shake things up a bit in order to get past this. I am under my calorie goals every day on MyFitnessPal and I burn about 1000 calories a day with exercise, so eventually I should go back to the shedding the pounds, but the one thing I do notice is my endurance for cardio is way up and I lost a few more inches. Just got to keep pushing. I lost 55 lbs in 2011. Hoping to lose 45-55 more in 2012. Plateaus can be discouraging…but you have to realize it is the body adjusting. You will get past this…

LOL. I knew that was coming. But why? I am doing pretty good with out it. I am more interested in increasing my exercise and fitness than increasing the restriction to be honest. I have this thing in me for life. Plenty of time for fills if you ask me.

I don't agree with this. At least personally for me. I am trying to do this without fills. I am really trying to change my behaviors with both diet and exercise. To me it is important to see this as a lifestyle change and not just eat less because I am forced to. We all use this tool differently. I however, don't think that I am miserable without fills. I feel more empowered to be honest.

Fitbit has partnered with MyFitnessPal to have them both sync to each other. You can learn more here. http://www.fitbit.com/apps It isn't live to the public yet but it should be soon.

I have a Fit Bit and it is awesome. I am currently Beta testing FitBit syncing with MyFitnessPal and it is working great. LOVE IT!

I don't eat it often but I do snack on it at the movies. Never had a problem with it.

I had to go on a road trip the 1 week after I had my surgery. It wasn't a big deal. I just made sure where I stopped I could get either some Oatmeal (Starbucks), Mashed Potatoes (KFC, POPEYES) or a Jamba Juice. Just drink a lot of protein and you should be fine. The first few weeks I barely ate anyway so it wasn't that big of a deal.

This doesn't sound right. Please go visit a doctor as soon as you can. I hope you come out of this funk soon.

I got a question. Are you working out or exercising at all. You might have to up your activity level in order to see some results. What you do know is that the same old thing isn't working for you, Your body has got used to your routine. You need to shake it up a bit. My suggest, unfill so you can eat more regularly and start exercising a bit more.

When you have your first stuck episode, trust me...YOU WILL KNOW IT. It doesn't feel like anything else and your first reaction may be to drink a glass of Water to help it down. BIG MISTAKE. The water just pools on top...feels sooooo bad. Usually starts off with Hiccups and burping and then bam...it hits you and you can't do anything but wait it out. I have actually stretched and also jumped up and down to let gravity help but nothing really helps other than time. I may have to try that Papaya enzyme though. The best way to deal with it is to just SLOW DOWN and chew. I know, easier said than done, but with the pain you get from being stuck, it will teach you that lesson really fast.

Fast results are never really part of the lap band experience. Some people do lose rather fast and some don't. We all lose weight differently. But expecting to shed pounds quickly from a first fill isn't practical. For some it takes several fills to find the right level of restriction. I for example am losing weight without fills. I am fine with that. I prefer it because I feel like I am really focusing on my new habits. You will get to your goals. To me if you lose it to fast you easily can go back to your old habits, from my experience, losing slowly, helps you keep it off long term. Either way. Good luck and keep doing what you are doing.