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It's not uncommon to go in and out of the Green Zone as you lose weight, so don't let that upset you. I know it seems like you have a lot in you band but you actually still have considerable room for additional fills. When you're close to the Green Zone, even a fill as small as .2cc can make a world of difference. I would simply be sure you have very small fills going forward so you don't accidentally over-shoot it right into the Red Zone. This will probably sound weird, but next time you think you're hungry, really stop and listen to your body. Just because your stomach is rumbling doesn't necessarily mean you're hungry. Banded tummies tend to make more noise overall and sometimes people mistaken a loud tummy for physical hunger. Just a thought. Best wishes to you.

Food and water aren't supposed to go down any different. The only thing the band is supposed to is satiate your hunger with less food for longer periods of time. Nothing else.

Yes, I had to replace all my shoes. I went from a 10 wide to an 8.5 regular.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have truly saggy excess skin, there is no lotion that is going to help whatsoever. I'm speaking from experience here because I have lots excess skin. Carolinagirl is right, it all depends on how much you have to lose and how elastic your skin is. I started with over 200 pounds to lose and I'm 39 years old. Needless to say, I'm just screwed because I'm not young and I have tons to lose. However, I can honestly say that so far I'll take being 143 pounds lighter with excess skin over being grossly obese and miserable any day.

Oh cool thread!! I've recently started dating again and am now seeing a guy I really like a lot. I was pretty open about the band early on. I knew I had to tell him I have MS anyway so the band would be really minor by comparison. I figured this was me, flaws and all, and if he couldn't accept it then I'd rather know sooner than later so I could move on with the least amount of emotional damage. Thankfully, he is totally fine about the band (and the MS). In fact, he's very supportive. I have even showed him pictures of what I looked like before the band and he was shocked lol. He's actually become my biggest cheerleader, too- he's always telling me how proud he is of me and how far I've come. I'm glad I told him

That's awesome, congratulations!!!!

Actually, mashed up tater tots isn't considered mushy. They're fried and solid even if smashed into smaller pieces. Try mashed potatoes, they fit in the mushy diet.

Ok first, don't EVER let a friend or anyone who isn't qualified try to give you a fill. You're just begging for some major complications messing with that. If you're throwing up daily, you don't need a fill, you need to have your band checked. You shouldn't be vomiting with the band. You need to make sure it's not too tight or slipped. Can you have one of the other doctors you found locally check the band position for you? If you can't, you might have to go back to the surgeon who placed the band to have him check it. One way or another, you need it checked by a qualified surgeon immediately because vomiting daily is very bad. Good luck.

I know some people do have issues eating certain foods, but the bad isn't supposed to prevent you from eating anything. That's not at all it's job. If you have certain foods that are too hard to eat it's not a huge deal, but please don't make the mistake of thinking the band's job is to stop you from eating. While you definitely don't want to overeat, are you sure you're taking tiny enough bites? Pausing between bites? Chewing it until mush? Here's how small of a bite I have to take now that I am in the Green Zone:

I was on 4 weeks of liquids post op. Oh my gosh it sucked lol. I was so glad when it was over.

Welcome and best wishes to you!

Every surgeon has their own idea what works so if you listen to anyone other than you're surgeon you're bound to get a lot of conflicting information. Do what your surgeon says, not a book or anyone else.

Well if you're tired after work, work out before work.

If I had to guess, you're taking too big of bites and/or eating too fast. Because of it you're not eating enough and hungry often. Try small bites, and I mean tiny. Chew it until mush and put down the fork and pause between bites. When I finally hit the Green Zone, I had about a week of relearning how to eat. Once I got my bite size small enough I was fine. Here's a picture of the bite size next to my finger nail for comparison:

Wow oddly, I don't remember. I think it's because it was gradually worked up to as I went through the different post op food stages. I do remember having thin mashed potatoes in the mushy stage and thinking it was absolute heaven after 4 weeks of liquids lol.

Because just like every aspect of this surgery, from pre op requirements to post op diet requirements and the food guidelines to follow after, every surgeon has their own ideas what works best. ...but a pre op diet to shrink the liver is pretty common.

I take Ibuprofen all the time, usually even daily. My surgeon is aware of it, too. He says if I didn't have ulcer problems before getting the Lap Band then there's no reason I should start now.

Not at all, it means they have your best interest at heart and aren't willing to risk an avoidable and life threatening injury to the liver for an elective surgery.

I was originally scheduled for Gastric Bypass, I canceled at the last minute. I just couldn't justify permanently rerouting my intestines, dealing with malnutrition issues, dumping, and a higher mortality rate when there was less drastic option available. The Lap Band is reversible, doesn't change your internal organs, no malnutrition issues, no dumping, and much lower mortality rate. To me, it was an easy decision. I chose the Lap Band and I'm so glad that I did.

I love the Unjury protein shakes, too. Their starter kit/sample packs are great because you can try all their products. I'm over 8 months post op and I still have an Unjury Chocolate Splendor shake for breakfast every morning.

It's scary to go under anesthetic, especially for the first time. But rest assured, the Lap Band is relatively minor surgery and a pretty quick recovery time. I've had four other abdominal surgeries besides Lap Band in recent years, and I have to say the recovery time for Lap Band was by far the easiest and quickest. It definitely had the least amount of pain, too. The best advice I can give you is to do your homework thoroughly before making a decision. Reading these forums to learn the experiences of others is great, however it's even more important you do the research on the actual facts. The Lap Band is an amazingly useful tool, but it's only useful if you fully understand how to best utilize it. Best wishes to you on whatever you decide

Yes, I was on full liquids for 4 weeks post op. It sucked, I won't even lie. But, somehow I made it without cheating and you will too. You're doing great, hang in there, the hard part is almost behind you

Welcome Annette! Thank you so much for sharing your story. You're both very inspirational and give great insight to long term success with the Lap Band. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom

I like the Unjury protein shakes. I had my surgery over 8 months ago and I still have one for breakfast every morning.