magnolia

Has anyone had lap-band done by Dr. Fielding. I am scheduled for 3/5 and would love some info.

It has been almost 4 years since my surgery. At my best I had lost 60 lbs, which put me into a size 10 ans I was very happy, I maintained the weight well for about two years. In the last year I had gained back about 15 lbs, actually 10 sometimes, 15 other times. I just gained 4 more from having my band loosed because I was pbing. Today I went and had it tightened again. I need a fresh start so that I can get back on track...any suggestions? Thanks, Mags

OK, so I was doing real well at losing weight, then I started smoking pot and found that it relaxed my band and gave me the munchies, a very bad combination. I have gained back 15 of the 60 lbs that I had lost. I also find myself drinking more wine that I did before surgery. I think I may be replacing the eating with smoking pot and drinking. I have never had an addiction problem and would like to continue both smoking pot and drinking wine in moderation. Has anyone else experienced this? any ideas other than quitting both?:w00t:

hi there just trying out my ticker

I live in Westchester and Manhattan. I was banded on 3/19/07 lost 50 lbs so far, slow loser, I want to lose about 20-25 more lbs. I already feel like a new person. Spent over 3 hours in the office waiting to see Dr. Fielding today..people were backed up into the hallway. Finally I saw Gaspar instead. the practice is getting might crowded. Hopefully this more aggressive fill will speed up my weight loss and keep the hunger down. The office always seems to be full of people getting unfilled for vacations..etc...something I never plan on doing. I really want to do this right and be successful, unlike me on any previous diets:) Mags

how do you handle going out to restaurants or other peoples homes for dinner? If you either order or take just a little...or leave over most of your meal..how do you explain and how do you avoid insulting your host/chef?

I think I am at the "sweet spot" so do I still have to go monthly to get checked/filled? I will go to my next appointment and ask, but I would like to hear what others have to say. thanks, Mags

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I don't think the morning sickness would work (I am 52) It is just that I can never tell what will work on any given day. Some days I am so tight IPB anything and everything. Then tonight I was able to eat quite a bit for dinner with no problem. Also my weightloss has been very slow. Lately I am stepping up the exercise a lot so I hope I see some better results. I have a fill appointment next week..should I get one? I am going to Thailand at the end of September for two weeks and would hate to spend the whole trip pbing.

Ok, so what do you guys do when you are in public and have to PB? The other day I was walking down the street (and this is in NYC) and I had to PB into the street right out in public, then I grabbed a cab to try to make it back toi my apartment and had to PB out the window of the cab. this is all way too embarrassing for me, and I cannot predict when it will happen..all I had eaten was soup. My husband says I should buy some kind of barf bags and keep one in my purse for emergencies. Living in the city I do not always have access to a bathroom (and often there are long line)..any suggestions would be most appreciated. Magnolia

i love the slim fast optima choc chip granola..and the caramel snack bars..yum yum

is it better to throw it up, or does it eventually go down? I am nopt clear on this..since my second fill last week, I am having troble keeping anything other than liquids down. Mags

i just got my second fill on tuesday...everthying seems to get stuck and make me throw it up and it hurts...does this ease up? should i just do liquids for a bit? this really hurts and next week i have my daughtert's graduation. help

I am goign for my second fill tomorrow..the first one hardly gave me any restriction. I can eat a lot..i want to eat much less. I felt full for the first few weeks after surgery..i want that feeling back:)

i had my first fill last wed...and it took about 4-5 days to feel much different. Now I have afair amount of restriction, but i was able to eat two tacos tonight which is more than the 1/2-1 cup of food that i am supposed to be eating. I go back in 4 weeks for another fill. But i did feel the gettting stuck feeling and it was no fun..no more pizza for moi

i am having my first fill on WED. I can eat anything at this point so i am definitely in need of some serious restriction: what can i expect after the fill.. wiull it hurt? do i have to go on liquids?

I am 4 weeks post op...felt good restriction til about 5 days ago..and now i can eat anything and lots of it. I must get my self to do a regular diet until my fill. I have been exercising every day..but i have gained back atleast 3 of the lbs i have lost and this is seriously bumming me out. My Dr said no fill until after 6 weeks..I am afraid I will gain iot all back by then. yikes..I did not expect to all of a sudden be able to eat anything and everything.

So now I am finally on solid foods and beginning to figure out what works and what does not. Let me tell you, yesterday I had a real problem with MAtzah, my first PB and not fun at all. But in the last few day my appetite has increased and I have gained back two punds...this is very discouraging. Should i call the Dr and try to get a fill earlier than 6 weeks?

i was in the same boat, my doc recommended that i wait til after vacation to get my first fill. I am now 3 1/2 weeks post-op and am able to eat a lot more food recently..i went up a pound or two, my Dr. said not to panic about this since these first 6 weeks are for healing.

Sharon, yes I definitely got post-op depression. I went to the Dr and got some meds and am feeling a little better. All of a sudden in the last two days I have gotten a bit of an appetite back, and am starting to feel some of the pain in the sternum whne you eat too fast/much...ouch..although thankfully i have not had a pb yet. My dr is waiting till after 6 weeks for my fill, I am going to the carribbean for a week on 4/21 and then I will have the fill when i get back. I have just started eating real food and it is a lot of work:) chew chew chew...when i used to scarf everything down. I imagine you get usd to this at some point. let me know how you feel from the fill?

hi Sharon..i also had my surgery on 3/12. what are you eating these days? I still get pretty tired, but feeling fine otherwise.

Pam, You were banded on 3/1 and already eating solid foods? My Dr. said not till after 4 weeks. when did you start the solids? Have you tried unfried chicken at a chinese restaurant..like the kind in chow mein or chicken/broccoli? CAn you eat raw carrots and other veggies? I think I am going to have egg drop soup tonight. Ohh have you tried chinese dumplings? how about just the inside meat part?so many questions..but thanks so much ..i feel better now.

Hi, Thanks for all the support and glad people are appreciating my "recipe" if you can call it that:) Now that the operative pain has mostly subsided I am starting to question this whole thing. Everytime I read about another food that people cannot eat, I realize that as much as I read before surery I did not really know how many foods may not be tolerated with the band. I thought that the adjustment would be smaller quantities of most foods, more chewing, no drinking while eating and no soft bread or dry chicken. I was prepared for that, but didn't realize that I would not be ablle to bite into an apple and enjoy it etc etc...I am just not sure that I would have gone through with all of this if I had known the details. But on the other hand, I really need to lose weight for my health, high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Maybe I am going through a post-operative depression. anyone else questioning their decision at this point?

my first mushie was devine. I took a little ricotta cheese (like 1/3 cup) put it in a little ramekin, put a tablespoon of tomato sauce over it and 1/2 tsp parmagiano cheese, grated and baked it...yummo that filled me up which is so funny cause in the past if i went to an Italian restaurant i would have eaten a ton of bread/butter, salad, pasta etc etc.. The Dr allowed me to start mushies a few days early, and I only had to beg a little:) but let me tell you I am starting to get really frightened about having my forst PB on of these days..it seems to happen to everyone at some point..and I dread the reality of it.

actually this morning the scale showed 199.8...but i rounded up to 200:)

pe3ople are starting to notice my weight loss..this is a good thing