Jim1967

I actually hated Puree stage as well. I opted to stick with liquids and the only thing I ate was cream of wheat. Not the healthiest of choice but it's all I could handle. My wife is also banded she had pureed chili and loved it. I am not a fan. LOL. Again, it was not my intent come across harsh at all. I guess we all get a little passionate when it comes to the band. So many of the failures come from Non compliance and it becomes just another failed band statistic. I have a hard time grasping how one can go through this long process and not be able to follow a 2 to 4 week limited diet. Again, best wishes

You've worked this hard to get the band and you are off to a great start BUT Is it really worth risking losing it because of a holiday? Liquid and puree was tough no doubt but we all have been through it. If it were me personally I would follow the Docs directions to the letter. This is so early in the game for you and you are still in a healing stage. Another thing and this may come across harsh: If you cannot follow a few weeks of a particular diet are you sure you're really prepared for long term success and life change?? There will always be other holidays...and they come around every year.

wow what a great blog entry. He is someone who 'gets it' and is being supportive. So many post on this website that they don't have this kind of support from significant others. Sounds like he has a very open mind about it all and too bad that open mindness was not contagious. Congratulations on your journey and I wish you both much happiness!!

LOL...agreed!! Actually my arthritic knee has not flared up in well over a year now thanks to my band and the weight loss. There was a time when I needed to walk with a Cane because it was so bad. I honestly don't know where I left my Cane. Has to be around this house somewhere.

Wow I guess I am late for the party. Very inspirational Catfish. Congratulations and I wish you many years in bandland.

Congratulations!!

I agree with CarolinaGirl on all counts. I have also been in your shoes where I nearly backed out because of the negativity. Only you can make the decision for yourself. I was 450lbs going into surgery and I nearly backed out of it as they were rolling me into the OR. I will tell you, this is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. Any and all surgeries have risks but if you follow your Doctors guidelines you can be successful.

Alex, I have no ability to liking your post. Is that by design? I am going to try and ramp up my participation here. Support and encouragement I received was and is so valuable to me. I am not even sure I would have learned about the band at all if it were not for LapbandTalk. This site is just as much responsible for my success as the band. With that said I do want to give back in anyway I can.

Just another day here. Band does all the talking I just have to listen.

My experience with the scale is a love & hate one. I weigh in every single morning as part of my daily ritual and if someone asked me if they should weigh in every day my response would be, If you can weigh in and not let the scale affect your mood for the day then great. Weighing daily is a good way to keep your head on straight but if the fluctuating scale is going upset you then your better off not stepping on it. Again only speaking from my personal experience. I have had days where I have stepped on the scale and even being up two pounds from Water weight put me in a lousy mood for the day. At this point it is such a habit but it is one I would like to change. Maybe for the first time in my life instead of making my new years resolution about weight loss I will make a resolution not to weigh in every day

It could mean different things for different people. For me it means I am eating too fast and not chewing enough.

You got this. Just hang in there and follow through with your post op visits and fills and the process will gradually work. Good luck!!

Spellchecker is working for me just fine now but I did get another update to FF. I am on 25.01 now. Looking on FF Support it looks like it was a bug.

I haven't used mine going on two months now. I do need to get re-tested but no time available until after the New Year. I no longer snore at all and I actually dream again. I cannot sleep with the CPAP now as the pressure is too strong compared to where I was 3 years ago.

I wonder how many others don't know about the filters. I didn't know I could drill down to specific forums. I just saw the check box options. I am seeing more content now that I went in and selected all lapband forums.

I suggest wearing comfortable loose clothing and maybe even shorts if you can do it. They connect a ton of leads as the others have said. Head, chest, legs, all over and shorts would make your life easier.

Again, such a personal decision and it is all about how you feel about yourself. I have a lot of loose skin and I do catch myself looking in the mirror and groan but then I look at the alternative. Weight nearly 500lbs and not able to walk more then 10 minutes at a time. Even my Wife would prefer the loose skin over me not being happy and not able to physically do anything. Perhaps if I ever hit 199 I will look into plastic surgery. Not to down play losing 18lbs but is 18lbs one way or another going to play that much of a factor in regards to loose skin?

Hey All, I am approaching 19 months (Nov 16) out and things are going great. Lately, though I have been wondering about the health of my band. I have no real reasons to be suspicious of a problem but I am curious. Since I hit the year mark and I was in the green zone my Doc started setting me up with 6 month follow up appointments instead of every 6 weeks. They always tell me if for any reason I need to come in then just call. I have never had a Fluro fill. I would just go in to the office and they would stick the needle in and be done. I am just curious if anyone else has thought much about this. I know the old saying goes "if ain't broken then don't fix it" thanks for reading...

Weird spell checker was working for me yesterday but not today. I am using FF 25.

When I started this whole process my weight center did not even offer the Sleeve as an option and in fact I didn't know anything about it. I chose Band over Bypass because I didn't want my insides re-routed and being nearly 500lbs I thought my body had more of a chance at recovery with the band. Honestly, at this point if something were to happen to my band it would be a difficult decision on whether I would revise to the Sleeve or go back to another band. Obviously the scenario would have to be something that even gives me that choice. I have a very open mind about it all at this point and now that I am experienced.

Should keep at least a pair or two of something you wore at your heaviest that way you can take an after photo of the new you holding up the old clothing. I have a pair of 62 jeans in a closet some where just for that purpose.

They put my Wife on Roxicet (liquid Perocet) after surgery and wow did she get itchy but it didn't bother me when I had it. Took a couple of days for it to go away even after being off the Med.

I have (had? TBD) sleep apnea. They told me the breathing tube would go in shortly after I was asleep. I never knew though. Didn't even have a sore throat after it was all over. Slept like crap over night at the hospital even with my cpap because my O2 levels were yo yo'ing causing the alarm to go off and wake me up. Old saying goes if you want rest do not go into the hospital

Sounds like you're doing great. I agree with the others and Hazel especially when it comes to comparing yourself to others. Everyone loses differently. Larger people such as myself tend to lose faster in the beginning but it does end up slowing down eventually. Slow and steady is the name of the game but patience is difficult. At one point I was averaging 12lbs lost per month and I was still impatient and that's just plain crazy but it is also that natural "I want it now" thinking. Missy talked about band portions. Early on I caught myself eating larger portions and my weight loss slowed down. Once I looked at it and tracked it an I realized I was not listening to my band but rather my head. Two key things that I have learned along the way and I always revert to: Do you eat only when you are truly hungry? Ask yourself is my body in need of food or is it in my head. Sometimes you have to really have a conversation with yourself to figure it out. How many hours can you go between meals? I can generally do 5 to 6 hours although I do not let it go that long if I can help it Not sure if you will find those two bullets helpful but I found breaking it down like that works for me. And when I say talk to yourself I am being totally serious. If I find myself walking around the kitchen looking for something I will start asking myself do I think I want food or do I need food. If it were me when you go back to see the Doc I would ask for 1cc and see how that goes for a day or two. Obviously 1.5 making you sick is not good. When you say sick are you throwing up? Getting food stuck? Stick with it and keep working at it and it will come.