DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

wow that does sound good, I'm well past surgery but next time I get a sweet tooth I'm trying it.

It can help the pouch shrink, but not always, it greatly depends on much it's already stretched. As for liquids, your best bet is stick to low sugar and low sodium. Once you're back on solid foods again, be sure to eat no more than 1 cup of food per meal. If you're still hungry, talk to your doctor about needing a fill, but if you want to avoid stretching the pouch again definitely stick to band sized portions regardless of hunger. Best wishes

My best advice is two things- get into a nutritionist. They can help you establish good eating guidelines to work with your lifestyle and needs. Next, possibly seek counseling. As xsentrick stated, food addiction is very real and extremely hard to conquer. Unlike someone addicted to drugs who can stay away from their addiction, we must face ours many times a day because have to eat to live. Good luck, you can do this!

Congratulations! You look wonderful!

The article states: "The surgery simply allows patients to get much more benefit out of proper eating and physical activity. But it will not do the job for them." This is VERY true, and then it goes on to talk about 20% benefiting from surgery. Nowhere does it say the other 80% fail or have complications, it simply says that is how many he approximates benefit. (not even that is based on a case study, mind you, it's his opinion only). If this doctor approximates only 20% benefit, perhaps that is in his practice. In which case it begs the question- where is he going wrong to inform patients of the facts before making their decision? Again, I stress his 20% number is NOT based on some sort double blind case study. It is simply his opinion based on his own experience. If you read these forums, you'll see a very high number of people who for lack of better words, are totally clueless about the band inside of them. They think just because they are banded they're going to somehow magically lose weight without changing their eating habits, or they walk around with their band so tight they can't eat and have a slip, or they eat way more than the portions they are supposed to have 'because they can'. The list goes on and on, and every day I am on here answering the exact same questions over and over because someone has been banded without educating themselves first. Do I agree with this doctor's 20% opinion? Not at all, there are far more than 20% here alone that very much benefit from their bands. However, I do think there is a serious problem with people rushing into this surgery without a clue and failing miserably because of it.

I'm so sorry you went through this. I would be curious in seeing that article from UCLA, do you have a link by chance? It seems to me that while some people do have problems with the bands by no fault of their own, the majority aren't successful at losing weight or have slips because of their own bad decisions. Overeating, walking around for months with over-filled bands, eating around the band, carbonation, etc. I have seen similar studies but very few take the patients part in it into account. The few that do differentiate between band errors and patient errors put the success rate at around 70%. Best wishes to you.

Definitely too tight. Always drink Water, not a sip but a gulp, before leaving the office. This way if you're too tight and it gurgles back up you can immediately get some removed. Call your surgeon and get for an unfill first thing tomorrow

Hello and welcome to the forums!!!

Everyone in my personal life knows, however when I meet strangers or see acquaintances, no I don't say anything about the band. I just don't have the energy or desire to explain it, let somehow "justify" my decision if someone starts criticizing it.

I believe there's a Sleeve specific forum associated with this one. You might want to check there because people here would've had Lap Band in Mexico not the Sleeve. You would probably have more luck getting referrals. Good luck in whatever you choose

Hello! Congrats on your decision! Just be sure to find a surgeon in your area before going to Mexico to have the Lap Band surgery. Most American doctors won't touch a patient who was banded in Mexico. There are some, but they are few and far between. I only tell you this so you don't come back with the band and no one to take care of you or do your fills. Best wishes.

Unfortunately, everyone will have a different answer because every surgeon and nutritionist has different ideas what works. I personally eat between 900-1000 a day. For me, it works. I was eating 1200 a day but ever since my last fill in May I just can't eat that much anymore. I would highly suggest seeing a nutritionist. They can help you set up good guidelines that really help a lot.

Interesting question! I know I was/am addicted to both. It's a conscious effort to ask myself "am I physically hungry, or am I head hungry?" Head hungry is when you want to eat just for the sake of eating, not for hunger. As a food addict, I still struggle with this. Thankfully, the band definitely keeps the physical hunger at bay so at least I'm not battling that anymore along with it. The big portion thing is also so true! It's funny, even now over 6 months after being banded, I still have eyes much bigger than my stomach. At home when I can measure food it's not a problem, but when I eat out I habitually end up with more food than I could possibly eat. Like today, I went out to lunch with my kids, and I had a single crab cake for lunch. I decided I also wanted a salad so ordered that too. I had about 3 bites of the salad and wasted the rest. Ordering the salad was a dumb move on my part. I couldn't even finish the crab cake! The sad part is, before being banded, the crab cake would've been just an appetizer. I would've ate it all, the entire salad, a big entree, and maybe even dessert. Now, there is just now way I could possibly eat even a quarter of all that at one meal. Any kind of weight loss surgery patients have to be very aware of trading addictions. We are definitely more at risk for drug addiction and alcoholism so it's smart to be aware of.

I would suggest counting calories for a couple weeks at least, this way you can see exactly how much you're actually getting in. People who don't count calories and stop losing are usually very shocked at how much they're really consuming once they start counting. I use an android app called Lose It to log my food, it makes it extremely easy. You don't have to be super strict with your diet, but you do have to make good food choices a way of life. Even if you're having less than a cup of food per meal, if it's high calories and fat, you still won't lose. This is another reason logging your food awhile will help, so you can see what needs to be changed. I would also highly recommend seeing a nutritionist. They help so much. Best wishes.

It's likely because as you've lost weight, the fat layer surrounding your stomach as shrunk, so now the band isn't nearly as tight. I was great for about 6 weeks after my 3rd fill then all the sudden had the same thing happen, totally starving hungry all the time. I got another fill in May and now the hunger has been gone ever since.

That's awesome and you're amazing positive attitude is sure to take you far. Congrats on your weight loss so far too! As for myself, I am doing great

Welcome to the forums!!

Coffee is fine, the only thing we can't have is carbonation. The reason being is the carbonation expands the stomach below the band, and if it happens enough or severely, it can press upward and cause the band to slip.

Dumping only occurs with Gastric Bypass, not the Lap Band or Sleeve. This is because with Gastric Bypass, they reroute your intestines so food isn't absorbed properly anymore.

Congratulations and heal soon!

A couple things, -Do you keep your meals to 1 cup or less total? If not, this is definitely a good place to start. -Do you log your food and count calories? If not, this is an excellent way to see exactly what you're eating and what you need to change. Most people who don't count calories are shocked when they do and realize how much they're really eating. -Have you seen a nutritionist? If not, I would definitely make doing so a priority. They can help you establish guidelines for successful weight loss Most people need numerous fills before they have good restriction, hang in there and stick to your fill schedule. Best wishes.

I hope you don't mind, but I am going to copy from another post because I think a lot of it could help you. Best wishes. ---------------------------------------------------- It seems to me there is a lot of misunderstanding out there when it comes to restriction. Over and over, I read post after post of the following statements: "I have had fills but can still eat whatever I want" While some people do have issues eating certain foods, there is absolutely no truth that you shouldn't be able to eat foods like breads, Pasta, and rice. If you are following a low carb diet that's one thing, but being banded doesn't mean you shouldn't be physically able to eat them anymore. Many of us can still eat absolutely everything we ate before surgery. "I have had fills but I can still eat more than 1 cup of food" This may be true, however, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you should. More often than not, if you eat slowly and stop after eating no more than 1 cup of food, you will find that you are satisfied and no longer hungry despite the fact you could still physically eat more. Quit trying to test your band to see how much you can eat, because the only one that will fail the test is you, not the band. "I have had fills but I don't feel full" Big misconception- the band will make you feel full. Wrong. It's true some people do feel full but it's a different full sensation than we had before banded. In fact, it's almost uncomfortable. The band is not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, it's supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. If you keep getting fill after fill because you don't feel stuffed full, you are going to end up one of the many people who have bands too tight and slips as a result. Being satisfied means you are no longer hungry, not that you feel as though you just ate a seven course Thanksgiving dinner. Quit trying to feel full and start listening to your body because it will tell you when it's satisfied. I encourage everyone to educate themselves on the Lap-Band, what it does, and what it doesn't do. Too many people are walking around banded completely ignorant to the facts and I fear many will have complications and slips because of it. It's your body, take responsibility for educating yourself on it. Be well all

I would try another brand, because it may not be the whey but rather another ingredient entirely. If it happens again, see an allergist to make sure it is the whey. Just fyi, the body can't process more than 20-25g of Protein per meal. So, anything more than that (like protein shots) is overkill and a waste. Best wishes

Not a dumb question at all! The reason the surgeon doesn't want you driving is because of the pain meds. If I were you, I'd gauge it on your feel that morning. If you feel like the walk will do you good, definitely give it a try. If you think you'll need to drive, just don't take your pain meds until after you get home from driving her. Best wishes.

I have a protein shake for breakfast every morning. Both my surgeon and nutritionist know this and say it's fine, but that is the only one I'm allowed a day.