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Ugh I know exactly what you're talking about. I've lost a lot of weight over the last 19 months and I still struggle with this a lot. When shopping, I consistently pick up clothes that will be too big for me, but when I try on clothes the proper size they "feel" too small to me. It's really hard to change years (for me, decades) of trying to hide my body under clothes that are too big. My answer to this problem is bringing someone with me whenever I buy clothes. In my case, it's my daughter. Before I buy anything, I try it on for her. More often than not I'm standing there awkwardly going "are sure this isn't too tight?", but she always tells me honestly if the clothing fits properly or not. She is kind of my reality check for me when shopping because I still gravitate to clothes that are too big when on my own. Btw- something I've also learned? Properly fitting clothes will actually make you look smaller. Baggy clothes that are too big make you look bigger. (even though the baggy clothes are more comfortable emotionally) As far as the cost issue, I agree with the others above. It is really costly to try to keep up with clothes. One thing I find myself doing is buying stuff a season in advance. For instance, if you find winter stuff in the store in July, it's from last season. More often than not, it will be marked down big time to get rid of it before this year's stuff comes in. So, I buy it while it's on sale but I buy it a size or two smaller than I'm currently in. I actually just bought 5 nice sweaters for about $50- just one of them would've been $40 if they weren't on sale. Best wishes and congratulations on your success!

"My band has never restricted what I eat - I could always eat more by stop myself." The band's job isn't to restrict what you eat. Dr. Simpson explains this very well here: "When talking about the band, some patients talk about restriction. Let's first be clear about one thing: the purpose of the band is not restriction; the purpose of the band is to lose weight by suppressing the appetite. When band professionals talk about restriction we are talking about something totally different than "restricting what a person eats." In fact, many band surgeons avoid talking about restriction so as to not confuse patients. The band works by dimming the appetite, and this provides a conscious control and decision made by the patient, it does not work by "making" a person do something, or keep them from eating too much." (entire link: http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html) On the same line of thought, just because you can gulp Water, eat in the morning, and can eat foods without issue isn't a sign you need more Fluid in your band, either. Whether or not you need more fluid in the band is determined by hunger. You said you can go 3 hours without hunger, so that would be borderline Most doctors (but not all) say we should be able to go at least 4 hours without hunger when in the Green Zone. As Jim pointed out above, you'd be shocked how much even the smallest fill can make a huge difference. I've had fills as small as .1cc So, don't worry about how much is in your band. If you're not in the Green Zone now, you sound as though you're extremely close. Best wishes!

I was given one, too. It has nothing to do with the band, it's to prevent post surgical pneumonia. It's commonly given to patients any time they go under general anesthesia.

As long as both your surgeon and Rheumatologist both know about the Lupus and surgery plans, and both approve, then you should be fine.

It can be, but you can have a slip without heart burn.

Unfortunately any major weight loss, rapid or slow, can result in gallbladder issues. I just had my gallbladder removed in April.

That sounds too tight- and too tight isn't where you want to be. Too tight won't make you lose weight any faster, only put you at risk for a slip. You talk about going back to your old eating habits- you have to remember the band goes around your stomach, not your brain. It's your job to change your eating habits, not the band's job. The band is there to keep you satisfied on less food for long periods of time, not change your eating habits. Here's a link I think will help: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Best wishes

It's fine as far as consistency, but you'll want to be mindful of the calories going forward. My "treat" is a non-fat caramel mocha from McDonalds. I get one about once a week, but I'm always careful to log the calories against my daily total. In this case, a medium is 280 calories. That doesn't seem like a lot, but if I had them regularly it would add up fast. Best wishes.

I've heard doctors go to both extremes. Some say don't eat and others don't care. My doctor doesn't care, however I found not eating 2 hours before the fill helped the fill to go smoother. So, I don't eat before fills.

When was your last fill? Being too tight can lead to not only weight gain but slips. I can't tell you how many people I've seen on here who have bands too tight, don't want to have any removed despite the warnings, and end up back posting about a slip a couple months later. Tighter isn't always better, and if you're too tight, you're a ticking time bomb for complications.

If all you can eat is soft food, then either you're not chewing regular food enough and/or taking too big of bites or you're too tight. Here's a great article about being too tight and the dangers of living on only soft foods: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118

That is so amazing! I remember when I hit that milestone- it feels wonderful. Congratulations, you're doing great!!

I too have three at the very most- and that's only if you consider a Protein shake for breakfast a meal. I agree, if you're hungry that often, you may want to discuss it with your doctor and see if another fill is necessary.

Very well spoken post! I'm so glad you have taken it upon yourself to not only do the homework but talk to your doctor. If more people were as smart about this as you are, there would be lot less band failures and ignorance. As far as the scary threads and "you're doomed, doomed I tell you!" posters: Just remember, it's sad but misery loves company and ignorance isn't bliss. The ignorant won't be happy until they've made everyone as miserable as they are.

I completely understand and I've been there MANY times. In fact, I can't tell you how many times I've said to people who get snarky "just because you don't like the truth doesn't make it any less true". I get incredibly frustrated at the level of ignorance that seems to run rampant here. Either doctors are sending patients through surgery with zero education or people are totally ignoring their doctors. Either way, it's very sad that people will spend months researching a new car or new computer before buying it but won't bother doing an ounce of homework before having a medical device implanted into their body. I used to post here A LOT. Now, I ignore at least 80% of the posts because I just can't deal with them. I'm here most mornings while I wake up and drink my protein shake. I come back some evenings after my boyfriend goes to bed (I'm a night owl, he's not). Today I'm here more than usual because it's raining out so I can't do much. Otherwise, I'm way too happy with my real life to waste every moment online. Keep in touch please!!

The best way to know is if you talk to your doctor and he says you need one, If you can be satisfied on a cup or less of food for at least 4 hours, you may not need a fill. If you're hungry often and can't be satisfied on a cup of food, you may need a fill.

No, in fact nothing should cause that pain, let alone a pre-op diet. You need to call your medical doctor before seeing a chiropractor. If your doctor finds nothing wrong then try the chiropractor but you don't want a chiropractor for an actual medical issue.

Congratulations!! That's an amazing amount of weight lost in just 6 weeks!

I'm very sorry you're struggling. My first question would be, what was his specific reason for denying filling you? Did he feel your band had enough in it and why did he feel that way? What size band do you have? When you say you gained the weight back, does that mean you're back at your starting weight? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an accurate picture so we can offer advice.

You're doing awesome and look great!

I use Lose It

Welcome! You are not a failure. The only way you can fail is if you give up- you haven't given up. You hit a bump in the road that took awhile to work around, but now you have and you're getting back on the right path. I'm so glad you made the appointment with your surgeon. I guarantee you, he's seen many people in your situation over the years so your story won't shock him at all. You're huDman and us humans make mistakes. As your doctor, it's his job to help you regroup and get back on track. May I make another suggestion? I'd also make an appointment with your nutritionist. They could really help you too. You can do this!!

I really hope it didn't, either. It's really important you get into your surgeon ASAP. If your band did slip, the sooner they catch it and start to treat it the better your chances of avoiding another surgery. The biggest mistake people make is putting it off, or worse, not going in for months because they don't want an unfill. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

No, in fact it usually gets looser when you lose weight. Not tighter. Be sure to tell your doctor all your symptoms. I'm guessing he'll want to check your band.