Kate rules

Depends in what's stuck. meat just has to come back up. No more sirloin for this girl! Softer foods I usually put hands on head and hate life until it is over. Happens more often when I first wake up and try to eat. But if I fail to chew properly it can happen. Or eat too fast. I forget sometimes about the band. Mostly because I'm an idiot. LOL. Not really, but I sometimes do the thing where I pop food in and forget to chew it enough. Only happens once and I remember really fast that I can't do that!

My bad - offices in Fair Oaks and Woodbridge. Got confused with pinnar for a minute!

Call doc and get him/her to call you in a script for sublingual prescription Prevacid. Worked well for me. Wish I could remember name of drug for you, but your doc probably is familiar with it already.

When I first got banded (after initial recovery period), I could eat what I did before banding. But it was my fitness pal that showed me why I wasn't losing weight. Amazing how calorie dense some foods are. When you have something that tells you how much a food puts a dent in your calorie allowance for the day it makes a difference. If nothing else it will let you have a record of what you are doing so you can know what you can improve on.

Try out Bluepoint surgical group. Offices in Reston and Woodbridge.

Go for it. I was a 35.7 when I weighed in but only about a 31 when I was banded. I've lost 36 pounds since I was banded and it has changed everything for me. Just remember that you will probably lose a little slower than others with a higher BMI. It took a number of fills to get me to the point where I have good restriction. I hear ya on the problems you have. Even at 24.9 BMI, no longer technically overweight, my waist to hip ratio is still not good, a risk factor for heart disease. It would be good to check out doctors in Dubai who will be willing/able to manage your aftercare. Good luck and good health.

Bump for this subject! My husband got me a ring for our anniversary and used an anniversary band from 2 years ago as a guide for the size. He didn't realize that I went from a 6 3/4 to a 5 1/4. I was actually able to flick my rings off my finger. Went to jeweler and had both rings sized. Was a great moment for me! Now rings getting loose again!

No. But if you are anything like me at times, you are probably hanging by a bare thread. I've had my band for 9 months. 6 of those months were spent in a state of chronic and often acute stress due to worn. This didn't help my weight loss efforts. In fact, it slowed me down becaus I was still stress eating. I started to see a counselor and had a 4 month stint on anti anxiety meds. I finally was able to sort out the true source of most of my stress, reduce the stress level and managed to lose 22 pounds. FYI that during periods of acute stress I did experience cheat pain and heartburn. Good luck in sorting all of this out.

I would check with insurance company on what their "allowed amount" is for the surgery and fees. They have contract rates with hospital. They will pay 80 percent of the allowed amount and that leaves you 20 percent of the allowed amount. My doc and hospital charged 36k for the procedure and 23 hour hospital stay. I think the ins co paid out all of 13k. Calls ins co with the CPT codes for the procedure, talk to a supervisor, and ask what is allowed amount for procedure. It varies by region. Keep in mind that if you go to an out of network provider you are responsible for balance because there is no contract rate.

I considered the sleeve. I liked it because it was a nice compromise between band and gastric bypass. Liked sleeve because I would have faster weight loss. I ultimately chose the band because it is reversible, adjustable and seemed less risky. Although I have had slower weight loss with the band I can say that 61 pounds in less than a year is good by any standard. Any of these surgeries have their own set of potential complications and benefits. I imagine your physician has an opinion about which of these would be the right balance of risk and reward.

I don't always obey the 30 mins before rule. I don't drink during or immediately after meals because that results in puking. While a free calorie dinner is nice in theory, I'd rather just follow the rules the best I can and avoid a slip.

I think my happy weight will be 140 My "skinny jeans" are loose at 144 so they will be falling off at 140. I will no longer be overweight. My goal weight is 130. Which is exactly that: a goal. If I don't I am not going to feel like a failure or cry. So I am almost to my happy place but if I don't make it down another 4 pounds I'm ok with that too.

FBS happens to me sometimes. Usually at first meal of the day. I do soft foods for first meal and eat slowly. Sometimes I use a tiny bit of liquid to ease it down.

I don't get fills early in day when I am tighter. That does make it very tight in mornings when I first get up. Have to be careful for first meal. I don't eat for three hours before fill.

Hi soccer mom. My story wasn't much different from yours. My husband tolerated my desire and eventual surgery but did not really provide the moral support (didn't want to talk about it at all). This was hard but when he saw me working so hard in my preop diet he changed his tune and saw I wasn't heading for the quick fix this time. U made real lifestyle changes. You may wish to consider a therapist for support through this process. You will be going through many different changes that will affect you in ways you may not expect. Would be good to be in a good state of mind when him by comes around. Just a thought ....

I drink diet sodas occasionally. Though not with food because that is uncomfortable and ill- advised. I eat bread. I was also terrified of "losing" my food. I actually cried at my shrink about it. LOL. But I find that I don't crave bread the way I used to. Probably because my diabetes has disappeared and my body processes the sugar it takes in now more efficiently. I still LIKE bread but I don't LOVE it the way I used to. I can't describe it other than to explain that I used to be the person who would go through 4 baskets of whatever bread was at the restaurant and only stop because the entree arrived. Now I grab a small bite, really enjoy the flavor and texture, carefully chew and swallow, and take a deep breath. I had bread at dinner tonight. Enjoyed it but enjoyed being a size 8/10 more.

I can eat pretty much any bread but only in very small amounts. The amount of bread I eat now is equal to or less than the size of the lump of butter I used to throw on the bread. Tiny pieces and whatever you do, don't drink. Water + bread may = stuck = sucks.

Hiccups burping chest pain. Kinda like how I used to feel after thanksgiving dinner minus 1500 calories. LOL

Hi I'm 14.2 pounds from goal weight. Considering going lower but want to see how I look and feel before I do that. I will go for a braline backlift sometime next year to have my back fat removed. But only after I have gotten to 130. I am not sure about wearing a bikini in public but I would like to wear tshirts with confidence. My weight loss has slowed but I'm still plugging away. Need a calorie deficit of 604 per day for next 85 days to meet my goal. Does anyone here have a specific goal got when they want to reach goal?

Same way I dealt with haters before I got skinny: your opinion would be best kept to yourself. The constant compliments I get far outweigh the negative ones. People are surprised when I do tell them but I also usually share that I've lost 60 pounds since last may, more than halved my triglyceride count and have almost all normal blood values. A far cry from last year. Bottom line: the decision to get banded is a medical decision that is best left between you and your physicians. The naysayers would hate on you if you didn't make the choice to take control of your weight. Now they have a different thing to pick on. They will move on eventually. Until then keep your chin up!

I had my fake nails on and it was fine. No jewelry and no skivvies though. :-)

I had same problem and doc said leave them uncovered and exposed to air.

Throwing up is possible. So is gaining all the weight all over again. It is also quite possible you will lose a lot of weight and be healthier. It was probable that I would carry an extra 50-70 pounds for the rest of my life if I did not get banded. It was certain that my weight was adversely affecting my health. It is great that your friends can be honest with you and share their concerns. They should respect your decision and provide support either way. Best of luck to you.

pizza and wings ok for me. Although I would say that planning a walk after dinner would be wise. I can do 5 flat wings and maybe one slice of pizza was on a wing kick for about a month and actually lost weight eating wings. If you are ok in kitchen, try baking flat wings. Mix 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 franks red hot thick sauce and one small capful of vinegar. Makes enough sauce for however many wings you want to cook up. Better than frying. If you can't resist crunchy skin, coat pan with olive oil and put under broiler for a few minutes. Yum.

I did Lima beans and pulled chicken. I used broth and a tiny bit of butter to moisten chicken. Cheap, easy and lots of protein. I also did Honeybaked Ham. I cut into small pieces and it went down very easily. I trimmed off fat and glaze.