shellyj

i have 3.0 cc and have never been restricted to where a 1/2 cup was it for me. well when i was to had to get an unfill i was super tight but it only lasted a few days cause i went straight to the dr! and that wasnt something i was trying for. when i have what i consider perfect restriction for me, i eat about 3/4 cup to a cup of food in a sitting. at 3.0 i am not quite there...

EVERYONE looks FLAB-U-LESS!!! i love this thread and i am gonna add it to my obesity help profile so when people are looking for a good site and before and afters they will be directed here. KEEP POSTING thos pics ya'll!!! i picture tells a thousand words! michelle

i only gurgle when i have restriction Noises from my mouth and arse too! those seem to happen with restriction or without!!

thanks ladies!!! ya'll are sooo sweet! boring b-day planned....lots of cake and icecream planned... HA just kidding....exercising and sweating is my evening plans! michelle

thanks vera!!!! your so sweet! the dr's office called and changed it to tommorrow...one more day!!! i cant wait!!! thats the best present EVER!!! michelle

first fill was 1.6 cc in a 4.0 band

hi southerners!!! i am around nashville...i work in nashville every day but live on the outskirts. michelle

ohhhhhh and breyers (maybe its dole?) makes no sugar added popscicles....25 calories and 3 carbs!!!!!! YUUUUUUMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! michelle

hehehehe i never tried the olean chips but i'll eat a bag of SF candy and not worry about the after effect...luckily (or maybe unluckily) they dont send me RUNNING to the bathroom just make me a little gassy. yep 6 weeks on the fill...i too think its a good idea to wait. keep yourself busy at night...phone calls are great...what about taking one of those cutie pie pooches for a walk each night.....i dunno but keep yourself busy... also this is a BIG ONE for me...ALWAYS plan your meals! pack your lunch for the next day, Snacks to because when i have something good i eat it...when i am left to my own devices theres a 50/50 chance i'll make the right chioce. michelle

lisa i am alot like you...at first i would buy the single 1 oz serving of the sugar free candybars. not bad...later i discovered they sell them in 3.5 oz bags for cheaper. so i buy those and eat 1/2 one day and half the next...soon it is a 1 bag a day habit. i had to quit with them altogther. now when i do get a chocolate jones i do buy the Sugar Free Chocolate but only 1 serving and i wait till i am home to eat it. i have been unfilled since nov 4 so i totally feel you! i went from my lowest of 207 back up to 230. now after 2 weeks of diet and joining a gym i am back to 223. i am taking control too lisa....

i started at 350 so close to 380! michelle

hey michelle! i have never heard of the dead space but it makes total sense. that may be the amount it takes to fill the just the tubing in the band. who knows! my Fluid wasnt going into my band. they had filled me to 5 cc and i showed no restriction. after they broke through the pocket and the saline went into the band i only required to have 3.2 cc for real bandster restriction not anywhere near the 5 cc that just 30 minutes before was showing no restriction. (MY sweet spot ended up being 3.4) go in drink barium look at band. NO RESTRICTION. check to see what's in the band 4.1 cc. everyone is very confused how can this be yada yada. fill me to 4.5 cc. drink barium. no restriction. fill me to 5.0 cc. no restriction. the fluid in my band came out a little murky. they decide to change the t-shaped fill needle thing. when changing them out the dr wants to access the port himself (pa had done in past and today) he is poking jabbing stabbing etc. he even BENT the needle trying to get it in. switched again, got it in. removed all fill. still not happy with the connection so they switch access needles again. thank god they decide i need another numbing shot. so they fill me again to 3.0 cc and have me drink. i had a little restriction, bump me up to 3.2 cc now my opening resembles a bandster!!! remove fill, fill, swallow barium. remove fill, fill. swallow barium. they leave me at 3.2 cc. sadly after being to tight i am at 2.0 cc and WIDE OPEN!!! i get a fill on 2-7 which is my birthday!!! what a present! i have been unfilled since november 4!!!! FILLER UP PLEASE! well....because i am skeered i am only gonna ask for maybe 3 cc's and CREEP back up to the 3.4 i had once had...if i think i need it. i may go broke doing it, $150 a piece but i dont ever want extreme restriction again!!! michelle

hey lisa, i am sure this has been suggested before but i cant help but say it... THROW OUT ALL THE CRAP food IN YOUR HOUSE!!!! i mean ALL of it!!! if i had ice cream w/choc syrup, doritoes, candy bars, pies etc. in my house i would be in FOOD HELL too! i LOVE food so to have all that stuff just calling to me from the cupboard would be cruel and unusual punishment!! anything thats unopened give to a foodbank, anything opened trash or give to someone outside of your house. restock your Snacks with things like nuts, beef Jerky, fruits, apple chips (NOT the caramel ones!!) cottage cheese, yogurt, applesauce...if you feel that you NEED chocolate dont stock up and buy several candy bars...buy 1 candy bar or better yet at gas stations here they have those minatures you can buy indiviually for a dime or so each...buy like 3 or 4 take them home and eat them. when you need doritoes dont buy a 'family sized' bag just because its a better value...buy those 25-50 cent bags that are childrens portions. and only buy 1!!!! now if chris has a big SWEET-CRAP tooth...make a deal with him...you dont know how long your gonna have your band for sooooooo can he please: eat all the junk he wants away from the house AND not tell you about it! if he has a place he can keep his junk food at work then send all the junk to work with him. the only way to get control is to take it. good luck lisa!!! you can do it!!! GO GRAB A TRASH BAG RIGHT NOW!!!! THROW THAT SHIT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my dr had never filled anyone as much as me so they to couold not believe it when they had filled me so much and i didnt have restriction. this is an excerpt from my FIRST swallow study: 1-23-04 SOOOOO i had my swallow study yesterday and i was told my band is fine. it has not slipped and my pouch is not stretched. so what gives??? my dr's PA (physicians assistant) told me just stop eating at a half cup. well hello if i could do that i wouldn't have gotten to 350 lbs. i told her why don't we do lunch one day so you can see me eat!!!! i asked her what will happen when i get another fill and am at 4.0 cc there is no adjusting left?? she said we'll cross that bridge....yada yada i had an appointment i thought she would address my questions! i personally think the band may be to low on my stoma where the tissue is thinner. i am going to have my dr call me after he has had a chance to review the x rays so he can answer my questions. I AM NOT BAND BASHING HERE. I LOVE MY BAND. WITHOUT IT I WOULD HAVE GAINED BACK ALL MY WEIGHT PLUS SOME. IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR ME AS DESCRIBED. every time i have lost with the band it has been from dieting and exercise. i DID lose 10 lbs this past month but that is from starting the atkins diet. if i don't diet i just stay the same. i hear a lot of bandsters saying "why would you have gotten the band if you were gonna diet?" here is an idea of what i eat since starting atkins: 25 oz Water before i eat breakfast~ 2 eggs scrambled with cheese, 2 sausage links 25 oz water lunch~ 2-3 cups salad or 1 chicken breast with 1/2 cup veggies 25 oz water dinner~ medium new york strip with 1/2 cup veggies tea with splenda! does that seem like to much??? does it seem the band is doing what it is supposed to for me? i eat all my food within 30 minutes. do not drink with meals.

hey blossom...what ended up being my level of perfect restriction was 3.4 cc's so in the end i STILL require a pretty hefty fill. 3.0 cc's for me means no restriction. you STILL may just need a little more fill. i hope your not having any problems like i was and that another fill might do the trick. how often will your dr do fills? mine did them every 2 weeks till your at a good restriction level.

this is a link to Robin. she has been banded since 09-00 she has an online journal ith lots of insight on the stages we go through as bandsters http://lapband.diary-x.com/journal.cgi?action=archive michelle

hey lisa i couldnt explain it either...i copy'd and pasted! how are you doing? has your fill kicked in?

it is when you are doing a carb restricting diet like atkins or south beach. ketosis is what you are trying to achieve with those diets. it makes you lose weight really quick. you dont have to diet to lose with the band it is PURELY optional. i do the atkins with the band have lost A LOT! this is a link to the ONLY foods you can eat the first 2 weeks of atkins: http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html What is ketosis? Ketosis is really a shortening of the term lipolysis/ketosis. Lipolysis simply means that you're burning your fat stores and using them as the source of fuel they were meant to be. The by-products of burning fat are ketones, so ketosis is a secondary process of lipolysis. When your body releases ketones in your urine, it is chemical proof that you.re consuming your own stored fat. And the more ketones you release, the more fat you have dissolved. If you are restricting the amount of carbohydrates you eat, your body turns to fat as its alternative source of energy. In effect, lipolysis/ketosis has replaced the alternative of burning glucose for energy. Both are perfectly normal processes. People (and even some ill-informed doctors) often confuse ketosis, which is a perfectly normal metabolic process, with ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening condition. The latter is the consequence of insulin-deficient subjects having out-of-control blood sugar levels, a condition that can occur as well in alcoholics and people in a state of extreme starvation. Ketosis and ketoacidosis may sound vaguely alike, but the two conditions are virtually polar opposites and can always be distinguished from each other by the fact that the diabetic has been consuming excessive carbohydrates and has high blood sugar, in sharp contrast to the fortunate person who is doing Atkins. Why does lipolysis/ketosis work? One of insulin's jobs is to convert all your excess carbohydrate into stores of body fat. In a normally functioning body, fatty acids and ketones are readily converted from fat tissue to fuel. But in overweight people, high insulin levels prevent this from happening. Most obese people become so adept at releasing insulin that their blood is never really free of it and they.re never able to use up their fat stores. By primarily burning fat instead of carbohydrates, lipolysis breaks the cycle of excess insulin and resultant stored fat. So by following a fat containing, controlled carbohydrate regimen, you bypass the process of converting large amounts of carbohydrate into glucose. When your carbohydrate intake drops low enough to induce fat burning, abnormal insulin levels return to normal.perhaps for the first time in years or decades.

hey chris...when i was getting fills they were removing all of my previous fill too. it WAS in fact going into the port. for some reason the Fluid was getting trapped in a pocket in the port. so yes i was getting a fill and yes all the fluid always came back out BUT it never went into my actual band. my dr noticed that before they got it fixed that when he would fill me he didnt have the same resistance he got from others he filled. like when he was putting in the saline on people without problems as he got put more and more saline in he could FEEL resistance. when i got filled he couldnt feel any resistance. AFTER they got it out of the pocket and in the right spot they could feel the resistance. i dont know if any of this helps but i hope so! michelle

hey chris! well i hope i can provide some relief for you! when i was first banded i to had a BUNCH of fills atleast 10 i got filled to 4.1 and STILL had NO restriction... the band WILL hold up to 5.0 cc's mine was filled that much at one point.. this is an excerpt from my SECOND barium swallow.. "3-11-04 i had my swallow study don't today this is how it went... go in drink barium look at band. NO RESTRICTION. check to see what's in the band 4.1 cc. everyone is very confused how can this be yada yada. fill me to 4.5 cc. drink barium. no restriction. fill me to 5.0 cc. no restriction. the Fluid in my band came out a little murky. they decide to change the t-shaped fill needle thing. when changing them out the dr wants to access the port himself (pa had done in past and today) he is poking jabbing stabbing etc. he even BENT the needle trying to get it in. switched again, got it in. removed all fill. still not happy with the connection so they switch access needles again. thank god they decide i need another numbing shot. so they fill me again to 3.0 cc and have me drink. i had a little restriction, bump me up to 3.2 cc now my opening resembles a bandster!!! remove fill, fill, swallow barium. remove fill, fill. swallow barium. they leave me at 3.2 cc. they concluded that when i was getting filled before, while they were accessing the port they were not getting the fill fluid into the part of the port that would send it to the band. when they would withdraw fluid it wasn't coming from the band but a pocket in the port. i don't know. i don't care. all i care about is if i have restriction!!!! i had a can of cream of chicken Soup just now and was able to drink the entire can with relative ease but that's just soup so we'll see as i get more adventurous tomorrow and this weekend with foods of substance. they were also VERY impressed with my loss since the band hasn't been offering me any/very little restriction. my dr has banded 200+++ patients and i am the only one this has happened to so don't worry i am an oddball! i guess i am in the 4% complication rate...but not anymore!!!!! i hope!" maybe your dr could do a fill under flouro and use contrast saline so he knows the fill is going into the band? and yes the band does hold 5.o cc's. once you get close to restiction even .1 cc will make a HUGE difference. after i was filled to 4.1 cc's still with not much restriction (and AFTER my dr did the FIRST swallow study and told me nothing was wrong) i ended up contacting inamed. the contacted my dr and the VERY next day they spent 2 hours poking and prodding me BUT i left with restriction!!!! michelle

this past weekend was the winter banquet for my 2nd job...i will post last years pic and this years... *last year i wore a size 24 dress (after losing 50 lbs!)... ~this year i wore a size 14 dress (after losing 143)... *last year i had a plain jane not sexy dress... ~this year i had a VERY sexy dress (that got to tight from my unfill) so i had to buy a new dress...not super sexy but i liked it! *last year i didnt have restriction and ate like a pig.. ~this year same thing..no restriction so i had a big meal i am gonna try to post the pics...if that doesnt work you can view them on my picture trail in the last photo album...also look under lapband buddies...i met babs from texas this weekend too! my picture trail: i have had a lot of people ask for updates on me and calvin...things are going really great, he knows how to treat a lady and is such a wonderful man.

thanks betty verea and tquinoa!!! i am 5'-8" the dress is a size 14 but it is a forgiving 14...it should really be a 16... thanks becca! i got it at marshalls a discount type store...the funny thing is the dress i got originally was also a 14 (i got it for $15!!!!!!) but after i gained a few it didnt fit so nicely so i went shopping again...again looking for bargains...i got the new dress for $10!!!!! it did come with a different ribbon but i liked the pink one so i could dress up the outfit a little more... thanks trish and good luck to you!!! michelle

if you havent bought your bra yet... go to victoria secret!! get fitted! make sure you are the size you think you are! victoria secret has a HUGE clearance going on now!!! bra's from 9.99!!!! and you can try them on to see if you like how they fit. my boobs are smaller and saggin...i buy the padded push up bra its $45 regular but on sale for $20. i got all mine for $45 and it was worth EVERY penny!!! i also have 'the body by victoria' bra...they are more comfy..no padding but still a GREAT bra! have fun!

VERA!!!! CONGRATS!!!! thats awesome!!! major dicipline!!! WAY TO GO!!!! i would love to see some more progress pics MRS 184!!!!!!!!!! you are KNOCKIN on goals door!!!!

dont worry babs! you'll get those last few lbs gone in no time! i CAN NOT WAIT to meet you saturday!!! i am so glad your business was close enough to me to allow you some time for some pleasure! i have a feeling we are gonna consume MORE than our share of liquid calories saturday night! btw...i did your home and cell and saved them into my phone and put your flight info in my purse! SEE YOU saturday!!!! michelle