motivatedlap

I'm an every day weigher! I just like to do it because I feel like it keeps me on track- I don't get depressed if the number is the same or goes up a bit because if one of those is the case, I was already expecting it based on what I consumed the day before. If I'm up one morning, I try a little harder to make better choices that day and usually I see it go down the next day. However, that being said, I'm more concerned about how my clothes fit and I am very excited that almost NONE of my work clothes fit anymore! (but also sad because I have to wear professional clothes and right now I'm rotating between two pairs of pants and a dress!) I do like to watch the scale, but the big thing for me is how clothes fit, how I look and how I feel. If you haven't already done, measure yourself on the same day each month so you have some numbers to look at that will make you happy!

It varies for me too, depending on the day and the food. Last Friday I couldn't get full, but stopped myself at 1300 calories (my daily norm is under 1000- I track most days, but do have one 'cheat day' every couple of weeks where I don't track). As I'm typing this, I've just finished my lunch which was 1/4 cup of hummus with 1/2 a small bell pepper and I can't eat another bite. If you do decide to go the route of measuring, eat off little dishes and eat slowly. Looking at 1/2 cup of food on a big plate is just discouraging! But if it's in a tiny bowl and you try to make it last 15 minutes, you'll get bored about halfway through! My band is not really that tight- I can eat as much of any food I want with no sticking or vomiting, but I choose not to (most of the time!). If I'm not paying attention, I can eat and eat, but if I take my time and focus on how I'm feeling, a small amount of food does just fine for me. I do "eat" more than 3 times per day- if I do liquids at Breakfast, I have a mid-morning snack and sometimes in the afternoon I have a calorie-containing beverage.

Check with your doctor/on the package for this- some meds specifically indicate that that must be taken whole, not ground, crushed or broken into piece. I was recently looking at some different cold medicine and I wanted to make sure it was OK to do that and I noticed that packaged read NOT to do it, so I went with a liquid.

I'm a stomach sleeper and right now I'm seeing my doctor every two weeks for fills. My first fill was 5 weeks after surgery and I've had two since surgery, though I had one taken back out because it was too much for me.

Sounds crazy, but to get unstuck, do the "chicken dance" on your left side and it might help work it through. This is advice from a more experienced bander- I haven't tried it personally, but I've heard it works.

No, there was no misunderstanding and I know how the fills work because it was explained to me and I was given literature to read as well. After my first fill, I asked how much is in my band now and the doctor clearly said, "You have 10ccs in your band now". As I mentioned, this doctor is aggressive with the first fill- the few people I've spoken with who used him have all had well over 5ccs on their first fill. Just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it can't happen. I think my next fill is going to get me close to where I want to be, so I'm looking forward to it!

I'm 99% certain my band was empty after surgery and after my first fill I was at 10ccs. It made no difference in my ability to get any food I want down, but my appetite is suppressed and it's easier to ignore when I'm hungry if I can't get something to eat soon. I think my case with the first fill is a little different than the majority because I'm a low BMI'er so there is not as much fat around my stomach, therefore, such a big fill didn't do much at all. The 0.5cc he put in this week caused me major back and chest pain, so he took it back out as soon as I returned to his office about 30 minutes later. Next visit he's going to try a smaller amount to help with my hunger but so that I can still get food down. However, I have heard from other patients of his that he is aggressive with the first fill but will listen to the patient if they want something smaller. I never discuss how much he's going to put in becuase he's the doctor and he's seen inside my stomach, so he knows what he's dealing with. Any input I have would be based on something I've read online and seeing as how everyone is SO different, I trust his training and experience to do the right thing for ME. I felt even better about him when he took this week's fill out without hesitation- I was presented with the option of getting it out or 'waiting a few days for it to settle', but the staff did not try to push me either way. I was uncomfortable and he fixed me right back up!

Ohhhh...not yet. But I think I wouldn't mind it! Luckily (or unluckily?) for me, I can get anything down. I'm OK with this because only a couple of people know I'm banded, so it's not so noticable that I eat 'differently' now. Also, I'm able to eat a lot of different veggies and salad, which I love!

I was in the same place at 5 weeks. I got a 10cc fill. Was still able to eat anything and it seemed I could have as much as I wanted- I didn't test that too far, though one time I probably ate about 1.5cups of food in one meal...on a few occassions. Then, my second fill this week, I got 0.5cc and I could tell that I was REALLY tight and nothing was probably going to go down. I had it taken back out and am going to tray something smaller in a couple of weeks. Even though my band is almost full, I still get a little hungry between meals. I'm using hot tea and will power to get me through and the scale moves down a little almost every day. And I feel a little better knowing that even though my band is almost full, a slight addition of Fluid IS going to make a difference for me. Hang in there!! (<---just a different way to say the "p" word! )

Maybe your doctor could fill your band completely since you haven't gotten restriction yet and having it full could give you that. Or maybe it's been full at some point in the past and you had no restriction even then? That's obviously been very frustrating for you. My band is almost completely full and I don't have the "can't get certain foods down" restriction that I see a lot of people posting about. I also get a little hungry between meals. However, I would rather have that than the problems that result from a too-tight band. I went for my second fill and had it taken out about 45 minutes later because I didn't like the uncomfortable feeling it gave me. I'm able to use will power and hot tea to get me through those times between meals when I'm a little hungry. I know that's not an option for everyone, but a little help from the band and a little willpower CAN work for some people even if the band isn't offering the restriction that others talk about. Good luck FormerlyFluffy with finding a weight loss solution that you're happy with!

There are also 9cc and 11cc bands. Different brands offer different sizes. One good post I read mentioned that the bigger band might take longer to get to your sweet spot, depending on how aggressively your doctor fills. Also, it could depend on the size of your stomach, how much fat is there, etc. on which size they use. Also, there are different port sizes. Realize has a lower profile port than Lap-Band. Here's a page that you can compare the two brands. It may be more biased toward Realize since it's on their site... http://www.realize.com/lap-band-comparison.htm

I had this exact experience this week- I got 0.5 put in my band and within an hour returned to the doctor to get it back out because I was in pain! I had not even attempted to drink anything for fear of vomiting on the subway. I had done the 20 minute wait at the office to make sure I was OK, and I thought I was, but after I left I started having a very real pain in both my chest and the middle of my back. When the doctor took the Fluid back out, I instantly felt better. I forgot to ask how much he took back out. I stayed on liquids the next 24 hours with no problems and luckily haven't had trouble keeping things down. I'm also curious about eating before fills...I had steak and eggs (only 1/2 cup! ) about 2.5 hours before my fill. I've never been told NOT to eat before, just been told liquids after for the rest of the day and soft foods the following day. Glad you're feeling better melgreen and congrats on the loss!

After my second fill, my doctor TOLD me to drink through a straw for the rest of the evening, so I agree that drinking through a straw is OK.

I don't do Protein shakes- I prefer a glass of milk, but for a snack I sometimes have hot tea (if I need to watch my calories and don't feel TRULY hungry in my belly) or 5 almonds (if I AM actually hungry). Snacking is against my guidelines, so I try to only do no-calorie beverages between meals. But sometimes it's hard! My gap between lunch and dinner is too long, so some afternoons just call for a snack. Oh! And I take gummy Vitamins, so I sometimes use those for my "snack". I keep them on my desk at work and usually end up taking a couple around 3:00. They're great!

Maybe try adding in about 150-250 calories a day. Also, try to vary the calories you eat from day to day, like one day do closer to 1000, then the next day or two, do around 800. I was banded a couple days after you and I stalled a little because I was also keeping my calories around the same amount you mentioned- I just wasn't hungry and didn't want to force myself to eat. Once I started doing 750+ each day, the scale started moving again. Sometimes I hit the higher number of calories when I'm not hungry with the addition of a glass of milk or a cup of hot cocoa, but I'm still losing. Good luck!

I see a lot of people on the boards discussing drinking Protein shakes and cutting out food food groups to get in 70-80g of protein a day and still stay in the 1000-1200 calorie range. I feel lucky that the guidelines I received were to get 30-40g and to eat a variety of foods as long as they're good foods. I'm not very far into my journey, but I have already learned that I don't want my band so tight that I can't get down fruits and veggies. I do have to use will power sometimes because not having my band really tight means I sometimes get a little hungry between meals. Sometimes I can stave off the hunger with hot tea, but sometimes I have a few almonds. However, it's not a hunger so powerful that I want to eat a bag of chips or something! I can totally manage it, but I know that this is not the case for everyone. I'm eating a good variety of foods and my loss has been steady so far. I don't think I want the kind of restriction that would eliminate certain good foods from my diet because I think that would just cause other issues- I think mariedebbie is a great example to learn from!

I get a lot of ideas from allrecipes(dot)com. You should check that site out because there are lots of reviews for each recipe with some good modifications mentioned. A couple of my favorites from the site are chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar (I use tenders instead of breasts, onions instead of mushrooms) and Garlic and Sweet Mustard Chicken Bake (also use tenders instead of breasts and i make sure they're touching in the baking dish, actually all squished together, so that the juices keep them nice and moist). Another idea is really hearty Soups or stews- I make lentil Soup a lot. Chili is also really good in the cold months and you can add veggies and Beans to give it more variety.

Is your band full to maximum capacity?

My personal experience with the fills (I've had 2 so far) is that they have been the least painful stick with a needle I have ever had. I thought I would need a numbing shot because I am terrified of needles and don't like pain- I had read about some bad experiences others had had and I was pretty nervous. However, the stick is really quick if they hit your port on the first try. I had a somewhat tight feeling where my band was for a couple of hours after the fill, but it went away. My fill yesterday was too tight and I turned around and went back to the doctor about 20 minutes after I had left because I was in pain and didn't want to 'wait and see' if it would loosen up and he took a little out and I felt better instantly. You might be advised to drink liquids the rest of the day and eat soft foods the day or two after, but you should be able to resume normal activities.

I'm a social drinker myself and I usually try to do wine because it's not bubbly, so I can have a couple of glasses. I love champagne and was able to consume a respectable amount on NYE, but I find I just can't get through much beer in one sitting. I haven't really done any liquor since banding because where I live it's just not a common drink that people go out for- there's a local alternative that I find intolerable to get down. As far as the calories and the weight loss with drinking, I try not to eat too much on the days I know I will drink a few- which in turn helps me drink less and get a buzz quicker. I don't drink often though, so that might not be an option for you...could you possibly add some sort of extra workout to try to burn the calories?

It's different for everyone, but I went back to work on day 2 after surgery (I spend a lot of time at my desk). I was only on Tylenol for pain. I think I had a much easier time of it than most- I was lucky not to have the gas pains. I was walking my dog on day 3 or 4 but I was careful not to do any heavy lifting for a couple of weeks. Also, bending over is painful and I was advised by the doctor's office to try to do as little bending as possible.

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This was me- yesterday!!! And over the weekend with NYE festivities!! Not so much today... Seriously, I think once you've got a little more in your band, you're going to get that restriction you're looking for. Just keep on working out and trying to use as much willpower as you can until you get to your sweet spot! I too thought maybe my band had a leak or something since it was almost full and I could eat as much of anything I wanted without it getting stuck. This was not the case, I just needed a smidge more fill.

I was on full liquids the week after my surgery, soft foods the second week after my surgery and any regular food I could tolerate for week three, but that is just a difference in surgeons. Ultimately, I don't think it's terribly damaging to start eating real foods the second week as long as they're soft, otherwise my surgeon would not have advised me to do that. I sometimes think the liquids for a few weeks after is related to the surgeon's view on dropping weight a little faster up front to help you feel more motivated because your weight loss will slow once you start eating more solid food- it's probably also to keep you from going nuts and eating something that could potentially cause damage by getting stuck- not so much about healing. I've read that about a week after surgery, your healing up pretty nicely on the inside. I'm outside of North America and it seems a lot of my surgeon's advice is quite different from what I've seen many people post here. I fully trust him though and he gives advice that is from Dr. Paul O'Brien, so I feel like it's solid.

Go to tickerfactory.com to create your ticker. Once you have it, you'll get to a page that has code- use the HTML one- just copy what's in the little box. Then, come back to this site and in the top right corner pull down the menu and click on 'my settings'. Once you're at that page, look in the menu on the left for 'signature'. Click that and there's a box where you paste theHTML code you copied from the tickerfactory.com site. Save the changes and then you can preview it to see how it looks. If a bunch of text shows up in your preview, you might not have copied the whole code from the ticker site, so double check.