leo

i totally agree with Lori. your doing great with your weightloss. you do want to give you body the time to adjust to loosing all that weight lolss

feel free to visit my site. its all about me lols..... ( selfcentered hehehe )

It fills more like a push then a prick. like someones using a knuckle to press against your port.

I went back to Tijuana for my fill. The total was $250 for airfare, $150 for fill and $220 for 2 days stay at the hotel. And I got to enjoy 2 days in Mexico which was really cool.

My experiences with having a site has been very positive. It forced me to stay on target because I am always reminded of my goals. I don't get the chance to slack off and I always am reminded by everyone on my site to keep up the spirits. And when I have a breakthrough I always get congratulated. It makes me feel I am not alone in this all and that people care and understand what I am going thru. Because except for a couple of close friends nobody else from my family seems to be noticing any difference ahahhahahah but I know that soon they will notice, when I walk in at a slender 145lbs.

yes, you can see really see the weightloss shelly. But how come the pics are so blurry???

your doing great, and the band is doing what it is supposed to do. Just don't forget to chew your food !! Welcome officially to bandster land!!!

http://www.pbase.com/leo728/09042003_first_fill_in_tijuana

Actually I wasn't the author of this piece, but I thought he really hit the nail on the head when writing this. I have other documents like this under the links section of my site, feel free to visit.

Fear of loosing the Weight Loss Battle You wont lose the battle if you are willing to work with the band and do Your part:) But I can almost guarantee: ·You will have plateaus when you first switch to solids until your body gets used to being fed instead of starved (most likely 1-2 weeks but could be 3 like mine was) ·During many plateaus you will loose inches not lbs and finally a larger loss. ·Your loss in the first 30-40 days is a never to be repeated experience so enjoy it Then you begin the long slow journey downward (not upward) ·You will learn the fine art of PB's and what causes them for you is it swallowing air when you eat. Eating too fast.. Not chewing well or too big a bite.. Eating the wrong food for you...and not recognizing the no longer hungry after 1/2 cup (satiation) versus an I want to eat more cause I can or it tastes good or I crave (head hunger). ·You will watch your body shrink and will walk a bit taller literally and figuratively... Start slipping into booths in restaurants. Sit in chairs with arms .. Stop worrying about how strong the chairs are...Not having to ask for an extender belt on airlines.. Finding it is easier to and you have more energy to walk / go up stairs/ Clean house and do a million other day to day activities ... Slip in and out of bath tubs where the Water goes all the way around you instead of damming up and it doesn’t kill you to stand up from sitting on the floor ...Wipe yourself easily in the bathroom.. Watch the years fall off your face and drivers license picture .. Go to a restaurant and order an appetizer and still end up with leftovers to take home.. ·Go through doubts and several fills/defills until you hit the sweet spot fill level for you. ·Will have to stop several times along the way to reassess your eating habits (I could eat certain foods and get away with some cheating a bit quantity wise at 359 and still lose .. That had to go at 250) ·I have also found that I have to keep reminding myself 1/2 cup of solids 3 times a day only and drink my water (1 hour after meals until the next meal but not with meals) ·Eat Protein first ..Fruit and veggies second and non-complex carbs last. (Keep the fats, sugars and non-complex carbs low ..Still have them but keep em low). And believe it or not a plateau that indicates that you need a fill is 1.No weight loss for 4 weeks. 2.You are following all the band rules (8 times out of 10 we want to be able to break the rules and still lose.figuring if we get a fill it will miraculously start us losing without us having to do our part). 3.You are eating foods that are hard and stick in your band for the 3-4 hours not drinking your calories- You are hungry an hour after eating (really hungry not cravings) and the 1/2 cup doesn't stay in the band for 2 1/2 to 4 hours. 4.You are drinking your 60+ Fl oz water a day and not drinking with your meal or for at least an hour after. 5.Once you move from mushies to solids.. As much as possible get your nourishment from food that is solid. If you have problems with it sticking in your stoma.try it again chewing it well..Cutting it up finer or chewing it with other foods to keep it from recombining in your pouch and forming a plug (e.g. potatoes).. 6.Try to avoid Soups and or Protein drinks if possible (if you are able to eat your protein you will be full longer - some people have tight bands in the morning and cant eat so have a protein drink) 7.Whenever you hit a plateau.. Keep a food diary and log everything, including water, which goes in and measure the 1/2-cup of solids. Mine grew twice from 1/2 to almost a cup without my noticing lol. 8.Try weighing in once a week to begin with not daily. Later move to once every 2 weeks or once a month. When you are losing slowly weight fluctuates daily with hydration levels etc. At least this way you normally will see a loss and not a fluctuate on or gain. Yes the loses are smaller but they are down not up. 9.Measure yourself monthly ..Often you lose inches before you lose lbs. 10.Don’t compare yourself to others.. We all lose at different rates based on age/metabolism/food choices/ activity level.. But we can all lose Hope that helps

Yes hahaha, we are all addicted to food. I don't drink alcohol or smoke so I guess I am safe in that respect. Actually it's not the band that erodes but the lining of the stomach, kinda scary thought. But I don't think something like that happens to often.

hey, don't be to hard on yourself, I bet you have been eaten a lot less then you did before you where banded. Some people say it takes 5 or more fills to reach the "sweet spot". And thats especially true when you are getting filled in the usa. The fills are like .5 or 1 cc at a time. So have patience and just try to do the best you can. As for Water, you really have to drink enough water, read the below article and you will understand why that is. btw on my site in the links section there are some wonderfull documents that I have found on the web and posted have a look there. "The Benefits of H20" By Donald S. Robertson, M.D., M. Sc. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their workload is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops. Drinking enough water is the best treatment for Fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces (outside of the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs, and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. The best way to over come the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs---plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released. If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water you system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of un-needed salt is easy---just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. The overweight person needs more water then the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water. Water helps maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss--- shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear and resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of---all the metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste. Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns. So far, we've discovered some remarkable truths about water and weight loss: - The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently. - Retained water shows up as excess weight. - To get rid of excess water you must drink more water. - Drinking water is essential to weight loss. How much water is enough? On the average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Water should preferably be cold. It's absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, it's fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the "breakthrough point." What does this mean? - Endocrine-gland function improves. - Fluid retention is alleviated, as stored water is lost. - More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat. - Natural thirst returns. - There is a loss of hunger almost overnight. If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain, and loss of natural thirst. To remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another "breakthrough."

There is a lapband FAQ on this site that explains what it is. Pbing means Productive Burp.

hi all, I had my first fill and took some pics of the actually process, feel free to have a look http://www.pbase.com/leo728/09042003_first_fill_in_tijuana

I had my first fill a couple of days ago, it's now filled with 3cc. The doctor told me that I had to do a 7 days liquid diet again.

my whole diet is posted onto my website under the links section. feel free to have a look

Actually my parents still live in Holland, wow bb you have seen a lot of famous stars in nederland, i think you might have visited hilversum then. Because there are lots of tv studios in hilversum. Jeunesse, I know what you mean with milk. You know what I miss the most a patatje oorlog and a kroket ( forget the spelling lols) yummy heheheh...

hoi jeunesse, hoe gaat het met je?? I lived in holland since i was like 8 and went to school in hilversum till i graduated highschool. I used to speak and write fluent dutch but it's all blurred away after spending nearly 15 years here is the usa. Good luck with your weightloss!!

I was banded in Tijuana and at the time of the surgery they put in 2 cc already. I have lost 31lbs in 55days. And I am still loosing. But I am scheduled for a fill on the 4th of September for another 2 cc. So I do agree with the post above, surgeons in other countries do fill more agressivly and that might be the reason why the results tend to be better and the loss faster then the people banded in the usa.

I think i am strange. I prefer to have liquidy or mushy food. I get to eat a little more and that gives me a more satisfied feeling. If I eat solid food I am full with 3 or 4 bites, feels like I didn't even start eating yet. I normally keep eating after the 4 bites and I end up Pbing everything out...

I drink a whole bowl of Soup at a sitting, since it's mostly liquid it goes right thru the band. It's not much less then what I would drink pre-band. The only difference now is that I actually feel satisfied and pre-band it would be only a snack.

2 hours seems to be a little to long to not drink Shelly... I normally drink about 1 hour after my meal....

I was banded on july 7, I will have my first fill on september 4. So far I managed to loose about 27 lbs.

hi alexandra welcome bandster land!!

Welcome to bandster land shelly. don't forget to clean the incisions. Just in case...