leatha_g

LMAOROFL... me.. I can only dream.. sigh..

Good advise, Karen. That's exactly what I did. I would have my Atkins Protein shake as 'breakfast', popsicles, Water, juice, milk, lighter things as fill in, then broth or something warm for 'lunch', fillers in between, then another shake or cream Soups for 'dinner... Jello, popsicles, broths, chai tea with milk are your friends.. My favorite chai tea is the Oregon brand premade liquid.. heat that up with some carb countdown and you have protein and great, soothing awesome taste too!

It does not sound like you're eating too little to me. 8 chicken nuggets? WOW... Are you logging your food into www.fitday.com to see exactly how many calories and where your Protein vs carbs lie?? It might be a good thing to try it just to see. You may be like me and ANY carbs/refined sugars/starches you eat stick with you. If I'm sticking with proteins/veggies, I do well with weight loss, if I add the refined sugars/starches (chips, ice cream, etc) I lose NOTHING.

The band actually DOES become tighter in some cases. Why?? Who knows.. There are theories of dehydration, menstrual issues, body chemistry, altitude, either way, it happens. I had mine get tighter one night while I was sleeping, to the point of sliming in my sleep. Often, weeks AFTER a fill suddenly restriction 'kicks in' out of the blue. I have actually FELT mine tightening, almost like a wind-up toy with a rubber band, twisting and twisting, making noises. Don't ask me why.. it's a mystery, even to the docs.

I agree with the slippage theory. Sounds like what mine was doing too..

TERRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY... so glad to see you back!

It is a tough time to be restricting your intake during holidays. Just think, you didn't go home overstuffed and feeling guilty for all the damage you did to yourself. It's still early and you'll feel much better when you can actually participate in the eating, just using more discretion and having lesser amounts. In a few months, you'll be so ecstatic about your weight loss that this will only be a memory. Hugs to you in the difficult stage. Remember, NOTHING tastes as good as being Thinner feels...

I began travelling 2 weeks after my banding and have traveled almost every week since. No problems except the people I travel with being my worst saboteurs....

THIS is what's it's all about!!!! Way to go!

Try warm apple juice

Yikes! I hope she doesn't think she looks GOOD in that bikini???

I use Clinique, but I had a dermatologist tell me to use only MAC products. Seems the older I get, the more I need and the more expensive it becomes.. I was hoping for the other way around.. lol

lobster was one of my first true pb's, scallops too. and haddock, something about that texture that just doesn't agree with the band unless it's minced to fine tiny bits. be careful of rubbery textured foods, such as large chunks of seafood and eggs.... yikes.. i hope you're better now.. after this, i'd remain on liquids for the rest of the day at least. you may even want to call your doc...

yup, eggs are often not band friendly. welcome to restriction! i would move onto something like tuna, chili, even a moist chicken breast. remember, the idea is to get restriction so that you eat LESS. Hard Proteins is the goal, but make sure you ARE able to get your liquids in. It's amazing how very little of food we can get by on, but the liquids are absolutely necessary. Good luck!

I think everyone here has gone through the same type of thinking. No one WANTED to have to go through surgery, but ALL of us tried the dieting, the exercising many times over. Facts are that unless you can make this change in behavior FOREVER your body is going to return to what it knows. 'Dieting' is somehow unnatural for us, it's not easy to maintain the motivation to constantly diet and constantly be battling your own body through exercise. With the band, you have that little added governor which dictates what you can and cannot put in your mouth. It never goes away, so you can't become discouraged and go pig out or give up on the 'diet'. It reminds you that bread is NOT your friend and since you get to have so little food, it reminds you that Protein is much more important than chips or ice cream. Of course these things are hard learned and they take some sense of dedication on your part. Of course there will be days that you mess up and you 'slip' into your destructive food behaviors, but the band doesn't let you forget and 'slip' forever. It remains loyal to it's job, whether you do or not, so eventually, you have to return to compliance. Have you ever lost weight and been able to keep it off for months? Years? Normally that is not the case with JUST 'diet and exercise'. Normally we lose the weight, then we promptly become complacent and begin to put the pounds back on along with a few of their friends. Obesity has little to do with what 'normal' people think of as 'willpower'. This is a disease, much like that of alcoholism or heroin addiction. Our bodies (and brains) have something that has gone haywire where food is concerned. Our sense of satiety went on the blink, our cravings, our emotional eating behaviors are all different. EVERYONE who has a band or a gastric bypass DID NOT choose to be overweight. NO ONE chooses that. If we had a choice we would have long ago been wearing a size 6 and swimming laps or hiking trails with vigor (insert your dream activity) instead of feeling miserable and hating to buy clothes because the large sizes all pretty much look like tents. No one chooses these things, BUT we can choose to get ourselves a band and regain our lives and get control of our out of control behaviors and at least try to salvage what life we have left instead of living it constantly battling our health or trying yet another diet gimmick or new exercise regime. With the band we CAN actually get to a place where those things ARE part of our lives because we can actually DO them now and we know that if we don't use those tools as well as the band we can still go back to where we once were and God knows we never want to go there again. I say this is not a decision made by others. This is a decision made by one's self. A hard decision. An acceptance that everything else has failed and that I truly WANT to regain my life, no matter what it takes ( NO BREAD, NO Pasta, NO POTATOES, NO RICE, NO DRINKING WITH MEALS, EXERCISE, Water, PROTEIN - CHANGE OF FOCUS). You can discuss this thing with people who you feel are safe and who will listen and you can tell them that this is ultimately your own decision. You love them and you understand their love for you and their fear of danger, but the danger of obesity far outweighs the danger of this surgery and you want to enjoy your life, not live it encumbered and miserable forever more. I wish you peace with whatever you choose..

Ladies, PLEASE PLEASE try to get as much liquids in as possible. Personally, I sipped continuously all day long. I know it's slow going and the bloat is miserable but YOU MUST remain hydrated. Dehydration will make you weak, dizzy, headachey, nauseated (which you absolutely DO NOT need) and some people have had to go to the ER for IV hydration if they did not get their liquids in. Please, sip constantly, find what works. Try warm liquids like apple juice or chai tea with a bit of milk for added protein. It is wonderful and helps to get the bowels to moving also which will help with the bloating. Please do not let yourselves get dehydrated! This too shall pass! I promise! Walk, walk, walk, even if it's just inside the house... you'll be glad you did.

That's a tough call, Teresa. I am really sorry you've had to make it. I sincerely didn't mean to make light of your situation with my above comment. I hope you didn't take it that way. Hugs to you on this tough, tough day.. Leatha

Demand to know EXACTLY which band was used on you. This should be plainly stated in your medical records as it is a requirement to document serial number and all. This information has to be reported, so it's there. I cannot believe his operative record doesn't show.. Who is this DR? and how long has he been doing bands?? You have every right to tell him that you need to know the size of the band and if it is a Vanguard/larger band you expect some extra fill FOR FREE in order to get you where you need to be. Does he use flouroscopy to do the fills or is he just finding the port himself and guessing? If so, is he pulling what Fluid is in there OUT before injecting more in?? Sounds like you are gonna have to be in control of what he is doing .. so best let him know, you understand numerous fills are good for his business but that is not your agenda. You need to get what you came for, which is restriction and in a timely manner.. Are you eating Proteins first, veggies next, no longer than 15-20 minutes at a sitting?. Are you drinking during meals? Are you exercising? Do you feel ANY restriction at all? Good luck!

I quit biting people when I started taking anti depressants too..

protein, protein, protein, water, water, water, exercise, exercise, exercise. Are your clothes getting larger? Maybe your body is compacting? You WILL NOT lose every month. Lapband's weight loss is AVERAGE 5-10lbs per month over the long haul, not guaranteed EVERY month. Eat more solid proteins.

Good luck!! Keep us posted!

You might try www.obesityhelp.com . I believe there are people there who've had VBG. This forum is mostly for those who have had lapbands placed or are researching the idea of having it done in the future. I'm sure no one would complain if you wanted to hang around, however.

Hope you have a great Birthday Greg !!

After 6 weeks, YOU NEED TO EAT HARD Proteins. There really is no reason to rely on Protein Shakes. You can get in the proteins with Beans, meats, fish, milk, many many things. The object of the band is for you to eat 'hard' proteins, not rely on soft foods which slip through your band and are way more calorie dense than real proteins. You can cook all sorts of things in your slow cooker, chicken breasts are great for Protein. I eat lots of chili. Subsidizing with protein shakes is one thing, if you are unable to get in all your protein for a day, but there really is no need to rely on them if you are choosing good hard proteins, veggies and drinking all your Water. If you just have to have protein drinks, try something new. Lean Body shakes are good, Atkins shakes are good, Isopure has some drinks that are really high in protein. Variety is the spice of life! Go for it!

Actually, the band has been the 'gold' standard in the UK for some time now. I believe the procedure has been being done for at least 10 years or more.