klariade

Diet pills are nothing but speed in a lower dose. They are very dangerous and can cause all sorts of problems, most notably they increase your heart rate and can lead to heart attacks. Stay far far away from them!

I am definitely tighter when it's cold out! I don't know why it happens, but I know several people who have the same issue. Just another one of those finicky band things I guess.

My guess would be that since you're generally eating a lot less, the alcohol is getting absorbed into your system faster. I can handle a glass of wine (maybe two on a good day) and that's about it. The upside is it's a lot cheaper to drink! As for beer, I generally stay away from it these days. If I do have a beer (I'm a Pennsylvania girl, so I gotta have my lager once in awhile!), I let it sit for a bit before drinking it, and then I drink it VERY slowly! If I try to drink it too quickly or don't let it sit for a bit then it hurts. It's a good idea to stay away from it for the most part.

Oh yeah, I feel ya! When I'm PMSing I can eat like a bear, it's crazy almost like I have no band. BUT, when Aunt Flo comes the first two days I am shut down TIGHT! Nothing more solid than cottage cheese is getting through. Luckily it's only 2 days and I'm back to normal. You'll get used to it.

I'm a big fan of the 5-day pouch test! I've done it several times and it works like a charm every single time. The first two days will feel like forever, but stick to it! The last 3 days go by in a flash, and you will feel SO MUCH BETTER on day 6! Let us know how it works for you!

Texas have you tried supplementing with protein shakes or bars? There are some really good low carb/low sugar shakes and bars out there that are great. I have them a lot between meals, and the extra protein might spark some weight loss. Worth a try! Greek yogurt is good too, lots of extra protein but probably won't fill you up. And definitely get to your doctor and get checked out. You could very well have a medical condition that is preventing you from losing. Hang in there, it will get better!

Ditto on that one! I think holding your arms above your head helps to open you up, allowing the food to pass. And walking around definitely helps...I've had times when I got stuck and as soon as I stood up and took a couple steps the food went right on through! Great advice!

OMG, I STILL look around all the time!!! I've lost 150+ pounds and I think I'm still sometimes the heaviest person in the room! When hubby and I were in Disney this summer, I was constantly looking around while we were waiting in line for rides, trying to find people who were bigger than me that fit into the rides (there was a time I didn't have a prayer of fitting into ANY ride!). It's silly, considering that I fit in every single ride with room to spare! *sigh* I think it's something I'll always do. Plus, I think I will always have a distorted image of my body because I was heavy for so long. And honey lemme tell ya, 5'6" and 207lbs is NOT fat! I don't care what the height and weight charts say! You are doing GREAT!

I don't normally use tanning beds, but I did take a few trips just before my wedding in June (hey, gotta do what ya gotta do to look stunning in that dress!). I had no problems. It did turn my scars a whitish-greyish color right out of the tanning bed, but they went back to normal after a day or two. You should be fine!

I've done the 5-day pouch test several times, and it is the perfect jump start to get you off a plateau. It takes you through the post-surgery food phases in 5 days - 2 days liquids, 1 day mushies, 1 day soft protein, and 1 day firm protein. Works liek a charm for me every time! Everything you need is one the website: http://www.5daypouchtest.com/index.html.

I went from a 46B/C to a 38D. Figure that one out!

You're having acid reflux. IT SUCKS! I totally feel you, I battled the night time gagging and puking for months. I started getting it out of the blue too, but it's easy to control if you take the right steps. My mom is a GI nurse, so she deals with acid reflux patients every day. Here was her advice to me: First, get to your doctor (your family doc is fine if your lap band doc is too far away) and get on some acid reflux meds. It will make a HUGE difference! In the meantime, you can take some OTC Prevacid or Prilosec until you can get to the doc. Avoid anything spicy, fried/greasy, caffeine, chocolate, citrus fruits, and cut back on your dairy. Eat a lot of bland foods and stick to low-fat protein and lean veggies. Elevate the head of your bed 6 inches (you can get blocks at Walmart) or at the very least prop yourself up on pillows. I have a wedge pillow that I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond that helps me. A lot of people (myself included) won't have any reflux symptoms during the day, but as soon as you lay down flat at night all hell breaks loose. You might even have to sleep in a recliner for a few nights until meds and diet can get your reflux under control. The reflux COULD be a sign that you're too tight, but you have to get the reflux under control to really find out. I originally thought I was too tight, but after going on acid reflux meds it turned out that my reflux was irritating my stomach so much that it was swollen and made me feel tighter than I really was. Since going on the meds, my band is perfectly back to normal! Some bandsters have had reflux from the start, some develop it along the way (and the tighter you are, the higher risk of reflux I think), and some will never have reflux (lucky them!). Good luck!

I had to stay overnight, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Like others have said, you have round-the-clock care from professionals who can help you if needed. You have better access to meds and services...and definitely much better pain meds! The first 24 hours after any surgery is critical, so I think it's a good idea to be at the hospital where the experts are, and they can stabilize you. I was poked and prodded and stuck with needles more in that 24 hours than I've ever been in my life, but it went by very quickly. Remember, this is a MAJOR surgery!

When I was single, and even now that I am married, I started planning my meals for the week over the weekend. I actually sit down for a few minutes and plan everything (even snacks) that I'm going to eat until the following Sunday, and check off my portions as I go (or points, whatever type of system you're using). This way you can also account for whatever leftovers you will have (which usually end up being my lunch the next day). Sunday evening I go to the grocery store and pick up what I need for the week. I save a lot of money this way too, because I'm not buying stuff that I'll forget about and I stick to my list so I'm not buying a bunch of junk!

Haha, I STILL (2 years later) try to convince myself that I can eat in the mornings, and every stinkin' time I pay for it. I'll never learn! When I PB (which has been more frequent lately because I've been having awful acid reflux and I'm trying to get it under control) my husband knows instantly...almost as instantly as I do. Apparently I have a "stuck face" as he calls it. He just knows that I need to go to the bathroom and take care of business. I couldn't hide it from him if I wanted to!

I've done the 5-day pouch test several times, and I freakin' LOVE IT!!! When I feel myself getting out of control and falling off the wagon, it is just what I need to jumpstart myself back into weight loss mode. Works like a charm every time. I probably do it once every few months. It also gives your pouch a break for a few days and can help if your band area is irritated at all. Highly recommend it!

Whether or not you tell is your personal choice. Personally for me, I'll tell anyone who will listen about my band! I've actually had several friends from high school and college come to me for advice when they were considering lap band surgery because they knew I had done it. If these ladies seem to be looking to you for advice, then I would say go ahead and tell them your secret. You never know, maybe they're considering it themselves and you could be a person they can talk to about it! Most people I've encountered were very supportive and actually very interested in how the band actually works. When I explain it to them, they realize it's not a quick fix and takes a lot of hard work!

You bring up a great point! I always wondered how on Earth people who have had weight loss surgery ended up gaining so much weight back years later. Well, I feel like I'm at a crossroads right now and I could very easily end up one of those people! For me, restriction was something I needed at first to control my appetite. I had to have something drastic done in order to face my food addiction. When I couldn't turn to food anymore (because I physically couldn't eat as much anymore), I was forced to deal with my emotions in different ways and therefore learned to control my food addiction. You are correct, though, that BEHAVIOR is a huge part of weight loss! It's been a little over two years since my surgery, and the old habits have come back hard core. I've found ways to eat around the band and I've stopped listening to my body and gained 10 pounds back. Before I got out of control, I took my butt back to the doctor and had a very very small fill (I think it was something like .2cc's...I don't usually ask anymore and my doctor doesn't offer the info unless I ask). It made a world of difference and put me back in the post-surgery lap band mindset when I was gung-ho and watching what I ate and exercising regularly. I've come to realize that my success with the lap band is more in my head than in my stomach, meaning I have to think about what goes into my stomach. The physical restriction can only do so much. You have to keep your head in check, and when you let your head slip that's when failure happens. I would love to be able to live without a lap band someday, but I have accepted the fact that that might not be possible for me. For now, I have to get my head back in the game and lose those last bastardly 40 pounds! (which would have been 30, had I not reverted back to my old ways. Sigh. Pick up and move on baby.)

I'm not pregnant (yet - we're trying), but I do have awful night time reflux and like you, sleeping propped up is not helping. My mom is a GI nurse and told me to take twice the OTC Prilosec dose (once in the morning and once in the evening) to hold me over until I can get to the doctor to get a prescription. You need to get on a prescription strength acid reflux med. The OTC stuff is ok, but not nearly strong enough for what you're experiencing. Make sure you're on one that is pregnancy safe! I can't freakin' wait for my doctor's appointment, this gagging in the middle of the night is getting old!

I'm betting it's acid reflux. You're probably gonna need a slight unfill and some meds. I've been living with acid reflux for a long time and it SUCKS! The pain near your band is probably because your stoma is irritated. Eat some easy (and bland) foods for a few days and see if that helps. And yes, by all means get to the doctor ASAP!

Sandiburn I think you're on to something! As I was losing the bulk of my weight two years ago, I found that I had to deal with some unexpected emotions because I couldn't use food to cope with them anymore. I learned a lot about myself, that's for sure! You may have to find new ways to deal with your emotions as you lose weight. Hormones can change drastically with massive weight loss as well, especially for females and especially if you have PCOS or another reproductive issue. Time to find a new hobby to replace the eating!

It's very normal to have body image issues when you lose a lot of weight. My best friend lost 50 pounds a few years ago, and I could never understand why she didn't think she looked good in half the clothes she tried on when we went shopping. She always tried to hide herself and tried on stuff that was way too big for her. Well, fast forward a few years and I know EXACTLY how she feels! It's amazing...when I was heavier, I never really saw a heavy person in the mirror (denial maybe?). Now that I've lost over 150 pounds, I still see a 350 pound woman in the mirror. I can't wrap my brain around the fact that I look like a normal-sized person! I don't know if that will ever go away...

I started dating again about 6 months after I was banded. I was VERY upfront about my band. I figured, if I'm looking for Mr. Right and he has a problem with me having weight loss surgery, then he certainly isn't someone I want to spend the rest of my life with! In fact, I did the whole online dating thing for a few months and had a blurb about me having a lap band right on my profile. I like to get it all out in the open in the beginning, no secrets. The online dating didn't work for me, but I did end up reconnecting with a guy from high school and I told him about my band before we even considered dating each other. It didn't stop him, he fell in love with me and married me anyway! My husband knows more about the lap band than he ever thought he would know. He even says I have a "stuck" face. LOL! Whatever you decide, the point is that someone should love you for who you are, inside and out. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they react to something like weight loss surgery. The person you are meant to be with will have no problem with your decision to improve your life!

I started with a BMI of 60. Lost almost 160 pounds, now have a BMI just under 35. I was always encouraged that the band would be a great tool for me, and so far so good! The band will work if you work it!

I have no trouble flying, but I do agree that you shouldn't get a fill right before vacation. You could end up too tight and not able to get an unfill, which would make your vacation miserable! My doctor specifically scheduled me for an appointment AFTER my honeymoon for that reason. Do yourself a favor and change your appointment to after you get back. You won't have to worry about being too tight on vacation. Plus, a fill post-vacation will help you with any unwanted vacation pounds.