donali

I'd wait and see if the new fill helps. If it does, I wouldn't worry about the slip unless/until it starts giving you problems. (((hugs))) And congrats on all you've accomplished!! :humble:

Jonathan - Boy, you have really had a tough row to hoe. And you have done it with grace and courage. I'm sorry your roll of the dice didn't pan out this time, but we're here to help cheer you on for your next move. ((hugs))

So glad your Mom is home and doing better!!

Best wishes on an uneventful surgery!! I always think those same morbid thoughts each time I've gone under the knife. I left a last will and testament before my gallbladder removal - my first surgery ever. You'll be back in the saddle again before you know it!! xxoo

Whoo hooo!! We'll have to dub you "super rabbit".

Josy - Yes, it is a sad reality that some people will start to regain even if they get to keep their bands. In my experience it is usually due to one or more of the following: 1. As time goes by, some people are no longer able to tolerate the same level of fill they required to lose the weight. The begin to suffer from reflux, so must have an unfill to resolve that problem, and their capacity to eat increases, so they start to gain. 2. Some people's nutritious choices slip from 80-100% to 75, 60, 50, 20%.... 3. Some people are unable to maintain the activity level they required to lose the weight. They lose commitment, or start sloughing off. I also believe it is possible that some of it may be due to the fact that the body learns to adjust to smaller caloric levels, so as people go tighter and tighter, and eat less and less, their metabolisms sloooooow down further and further. At some point calories can no longer be reduced, so the body starts trying to regain its original setpoint. This is why I try and caution people to only keep the band as tight as needed to reduce hunger so they can eat "normal" portions and not go hungry between meals. I continue to read everything I can get my hands on regarding metabolism, as I believe it is really key for many of us. How are metabolisms revved up? How do you keep them revved up? Everything I read insists that you cannot starve your body for calories if you want to keep your metabolism going strong. Eating frequent, small, healthy meals is supposed to be a main factor, as well as building muscle.

((Vera)) What terrible news. Sending you and your family lots of love and prayers for peace. ((Vera))

Hi Kim - Is it safe to use long term? Some products aren't safe for long term use because the body becomes dependent on them. I think that applies more to the chemical products than the Fiber ones... I am assuming you've tried prune juice and all that as well?

K@t - Welcome, and I'm sure one of these wonderful people would love to be your band buddy. I'd offer, but... Well, you know... It's probably better to have someone who still has their band. :biggrin1:

Oh - and of course at least as important as the small frequent meals is the 45-60 minutes of LONG SLOW exercise he recommends each day, like walking or biking. Heartrate shouldn't go over 65% unless you're super fit, otherwise you're burning glucose and not fat. According to him. If I could ever move myself out of this chair...

Absolutely gorgeous!! Have you heard about Michael Thurmond's 6 day body makeover? I bought the book and am trying it (if I can get 6 days in a row?!!?**##$&$!!). He talks about repairing metabolism, and boy, I need that! The same ol' frequent small meals throughout the day, but with recommended combinations for your specific body type. I can't promise it works, but I like what he has to say, and he promises you'll drop a dress size in 6 days...

My fills didn't kick in until about 4 weeks later... Go figure...

Oh - I forgot to mention. Averaging your weightloss may be a better way to measure how you're doing. The expected weightloss is 1-2 pounds a week, which is 4-8 pounds a month. 40 pounds in 4.5 months is well above the expected average - you're doing great! Really!

Banding date: 1/23/03 Starting weight: 303 2/10-3/13 - stuck at 281 (31 days) 3/31-4/14 - stuck at 278 (14 days) 4/15-5/6 - stuck at 267 (21 days) 5/12-6/30 - stuck at 262 (49 days) 7-14-8/4 - stuck at 257 (21 days) 9/2-10/13 stuck at 247 (41 days) 12/1-12/29 - stuck at 233 (28 days) Fills dates and resulting fill level: 3/8/03 1.1cc 6/6/03 1.3cc 7/12/03 2.0cc 10/4/03 2.6cc My weight may have fluctuated up/down a couple pounds throughout the time of the plateau, but on the Monday when I weighed "officially" each week, it was the same as the week before. So throughout the first year I was banded, with 205 days of plateau, I lost 81 pounds. I think the plateaus are the hardest thing. Maybe we can think of them as what it will be like when we reach our goal weight? Hopefully at some point we will no longer be looking to see that our weight is going down, but just staying the same, day after day, year after year, for the rest of our lives. A plateau is not the time to automatically run for a fill. A plateau is a time to reflect, to regroup and to regather. The body needs it (apparently, since they seem to happen to just about everyone), and the MIND needs it. Really. However, if we are not at goal, there comes a time when the plateau no longer seems to serve a purpose in our minds. At this point, it is time to evaluate. 1. Start tracking on www.fitday.com everything you consume everyday. Be HONEST! Yes, 3 cups of fat free/sugar free ice cream counts, and MUST be logged (lol - that's a note to self :tired ) 2. Update your stats - your current weight and activity level. Then go to the "activities" section and check out the number of calories you're supposed to be burning at your basal metabolism. Aim to consume that number of calories (and up to 200 additional) everyday. 3. There is a lot of speculation about the amount of Protein required each day. Unless you're really short and tiny, it seems the bare minimum should be 60 grams. 4. Make sure you are drinking .5 oz of Water for every pound of body weight. 5. Seriously try to take a 60 minute walk at least every other day. Every day if at all possible. This does not have to be a kill yourself speed. Just walk (winter is a great excuse to walk the mall - just as hot summers are a great excuse to walk the mall - lol). If you are already exercising like the dickens, change your routine. shake it up - do something different. 6. Of the foods you are recording in fitday, be sure that you are eating SOLIDS. 7. Are you eating when you're hungry, stopping when you're full? 8. Are you eating regularly? Do this for TWO weeks. Are you still plateaued? Are you meeting your caloric/water/exercise requirements? Are you hungry/overly full? If you are unable to meet your basal calorie requirements with solid food, your fill may already be too tight. If you are PBing, you are either too tight, not chewing well enough, are eating too fast, or eating foods that don't work for your band (usually bread, rice, pasta). Fix the chewing/speed/type of food. If you are still PBing you are TOO tight. If you are exceeding your basal calorie requirements with solid food by more than 200 calories, it's time for a fill. Chances are, as soon as you start tracking on fitday and make a commitment to walking, your plateau will "magically" be busted.. <?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shape id=_x0000_i1026 style="WIDTH: 12pt; HEIGHT: 12pt" alt="" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:href="http://lapbandtalk.com/images/smilies/grin.gif" src="file:///C:DOCUME~1DPeterLOCALS~1Tempmsohtml101clip_image002.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape> Final words of advice - don't panic, evaluate yourself honestly for two weeks as outlined above, and I bet either your plateau breaks itself, or you find you need a fill/unfill.

Michelle - You have done an amazing job - I know it's frustrating to feel almost at a standstill, but you are still losing, and you are having lots of time to adjust to feeling like your current size is "normal". It's just a matter of time until you get to those size x's (whatever size it is you're aiming for!). Don't be disappointed - just keep on keeping on! *Hi! to Calvin! *

(((Vines))) I have nothing uplifting to say - I am just so very sorry, and want you to know I am thinking of you. xxoo

Ya know... I really thought all this was in fun. I really thought Dawg's threat to spell check all of Kare's posts was all in fun. I really am confused. I am not trying to PICK at anyone. I thought I was joining in on a little fun. If I had a word misspelled in my sig line I would appreciate someone pointing it out to me - particularly if I was joking about policing someone else's spelling. I thought it was all a joke. I thought we were having fun. I do not understand how so many threads lately have turned from "fun" to personal, or who gets to decide when the fun is over. I can't play by the rules if I don't know what they are. And if the rules are arbitrary, then how can anyone hope to follow them? I am disappointed, too. Never have I been accused of being petty on this board. Or picky. NEVER. So I apologize. And I'm thinking maybe Kelly and Doc are just a little smarter than me, as the revelation has come to them sooner. Perhaps this is no longer the right board for me, either.

*sighs* So it's only funny when syou say so?

I just thought if you were going to check all of Kare's posts, you might want to start with your sig line, which shows up everytime you post - not a random error that is occasionally made, but something that is repeated over and over and over and over.... Actually, I thought I've shown great restraint in not pointing out weeks ago... lol

Hi Jenn - The subject of my erosion is a hijack of this thread - I will pm you.

Mine would kick in at about 4 weeks later...

As long as the current topic is spelling, Dawg: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=lonliness No entry found for lonliness. Did you mean loneliness?

The poll was changed to drinking with meals or sooner than 1 hour after, so I am adjusting my original post: 303 pounds, 12 months, rarely to never drank with a meal - 5% of the time I drank sooner than 1 hour after eating, 30 minutes of exercise a week (tops), 4 fills, no diet drugs, caucasian, 81 pounds lost. I think most of us have only been told to wait 1 hour after eating before drinking. I think it is most important to not drink with meals, as you are constantly washing food from the pouch while you're eating, making room for more. Drinking too soon after eating is supposed to make you hungry faster, but waiting an hour to drink seemed to work for me.

Booga - have you been checked for slippage? If you were throwing up everything, I would get that checked out. Assuming you are not slipped, when was your last fill? How much weight have you lost since then? You may experience a day or two where you feel wide open, and then a return to your normal restriction. How long have you felt wide open? Try chugging some ice Water before you eat to help tighten things up and hopefully slow the passage of food somewhat, if you don't need another fill.

Are you drinking hot/very warm liquids prior to eating? That may help clear out the mucus before your first bite. There is also something known as "first bite syndrome", which I believe is attributed to esophogeal spasms. This can also be helped by drinking hot liquids first. I experienced a month or so of this phenomenon, and did the Hot drinks, then would take ONE very small, well chewed bite, and then WAIT 5-10 minutes before resuming my meal, and that helped a great deal with the pain. After about a month the problem went away.