PandorasBox92264

So you said you gained 20 then lost 6..so your 14 lbs over what you were at your lowest. NOT all that big a deal..it is 14 lbs..even if it is 20 it is doable. If you are eating a shake, cottage cheese, then fish and something for dinner my thoughts are that you are not getting in enough calories and your body is holding onto your reserves. Try getting the calories up to around 1200 and see how you do... you might have just put yourself in a starvation mode which will do you no good.

My sister had a Bypass, I got a band many years later. She had severe complications which resulted in about 5 surgeries to try to fix and almost died because of the complications. She is thankful she did have the surgery, however they do repipe your insides which if you eat things with too much sugar or something that doesn't agree with you then it can cause "Dumping"syndrome which is a massive case of diarrhea and it just comes out, or at least it did in her case. She also is not supposed to eat various foods, corn, sodas, and some other things too. It alters the absorption of both foods and medications, now when she has to be medicated it takes a Horse's dose for her to feel anything. Having the band, alot of people can eat whatever they want but you are restricted on the amounts. There are some that cannot eat certain foods, but for every one person who cannot eat something the other 10 seem to be able to. It also does not alter the absorption of medication or nutrients in your food. There is no repiping of your insides, it is just restricted which can be reversed if needed. She also after a huge depression issues overdosed on a medication intentionally. With the bypass they are unable to pump your stomach in this situation. The Gin she washed down the pills with is what saved her life because that somehow kicked her liver into overdrive to help her body burn through the medication. However she was OUT for several days. I will add that this was after the death of our Dad, her fiance cheating on her and dumping her in the hospital on two occasions (what a winner huh) and being told she would never be able to have children because she couldn't have babies. I will also note that she has son that will turn 5 in October!! With a band they can remove the Fluid in order to get to the stomach in case they need to pump the stomach.. however.. hopefully NObody needs this info.

I would try Aloe! If you have a plant grab that or just get the pure gel from the store. It is good for everything from burns, rashes, even chicken pox. My husband had a rash skin problem that he got on his legs. The various medications he got at the dermatologist didn't do much, I got fresh aloe cutting off from the plants in the yard, I cut off several pieces at a time putting them in the refrigerator to cool it down.. It finally cleared up the skin that reg medication creams didn't fix and hasn't come back!

I agree with Sojourner on keeping hydrated and the stress, I also will notice a difference when I get dehydrated or too hot. Try some hot tea also and see if that will loosen you up a bit! If you are a bit swollen inside and forcing yourself to eat it could be irritating you more and causing you to get a bit tighter. Try the hot tea in the morning, then I would try it again before dinner, or even three times a day if your eating three times. Is it possible you can try soup or soft stuff for a day? Just a thought! Also if you can put some lemon in some water might help you get ride of water retention as well.

Right after a fill I have to eat pureed foods and my husband was going to eat the leftover Pot roast and veggies. So, I wouldn't feel bad he grabbed the blender, tossed in some meat/veggies and some more broth, he did heat it all up before he did it. And Voila.. you have pureed Potroast with all the trimmings! We dry roast in a skillet onion/garlic/peppers/tomato which made a good base for tortilla soup. Toss some grilled chicken in there with broth of course and you have a sort of tortilla soup.. add seasoning to taste. You can pretty much puree anything! My Dad used to make full on reg meals for a close friend of the family who was terminally ill and pureed everything for her. So take what you want from the cooked meals that are healthy enough, toss them in a blender with either veg/beef/chicken broth and your done!

I was just reading about this stuff.. if you go to their website http://bellplantation.com/ There is a recipe section that has everything from main/sides/desserts kid friendly etc.. check them out!

Gonna tell you a little story which I am sure a few of the readers have heard. I have struggled with weight loss ALL my life, weight watchers, full on liquid diets that were promoted from my local hospital, Jenny Craig, personal trainers with low fat diets. You know the whole up and down routine, not that I ate horrible food, but I liked to eat salad, meat/potato etc..Portion control was one of my biggest issues. I met my ex husband (YES EX) and I was a size 16, then due to a skiing accident where I had to have my knee reconstructed I put on some weight and ended up a size 18. We got married and I was back east not knowing anyone and he had to travel for work sometimes up to 3 months at a time. I put on more weight eventually at a size 24. However right after we got married I started to hear you need to exercise, you need to lose weight, you can diet eat this and that. I will show you how, (mind you he had a belly and looked pregnant) But I NEEDED to get down to what he deemed to be a good size for me about a size 2 and he would show me stick women (not making fun of anyone but Women that were 5ft8-5ft 10 with LONG legs.. very lean.. I am 5ft4 with short legs, and usually an hourglass shape even when down to a size 12. No way in hell I am going to be straight up and down and look more like a gymnast. When I finally decided to go for a consult, I got the same grief. That is the easy way out, you can do it on your own, you don't have enough will power, it is all in your head and the list goes on. I heard it will cost too much money, however it was going to be covered for the most part via insurance. I had lost my Father to Cardiac Arrest suddenly, knowing heart issues, diabetes,high blood pressure etc ran in my family which made me really decide. Then my Mother ended up being diagnosed with Colon Cancer, so we add another thing to the list. I made the decision, he kinda did the support coming to the hospital etc but sort of felt like he was my hall monitor. I had to tell him to really back the hell off and I had decided at that point that I did not trust his intentions. He had made comments such as when you lose weight are you going to leave me? During the pre op diet I was on full liquids only for 2 weeks. I was at home and what magically appears in the house but him with a couple of bags of nothing but junk food. Everything from tasty cakes, ice cream, chips, dip, chocolate bars (king size Hershey the MEGA ones which he sat and ate a whole one himself) It really drove it home that for someone to love you and to try to support you that would actually make a junk food stop intentionally when you cannot eat. If this was a normal thing that was done then it would have been far more acceptable, but it was not the normal thing done in the house. I got through surgery, it was interesting how as my ass started to get smaller and I was getting more curvy vs round that he couldn't keep his hands off me. His reactions and jealous behavior when I needed to be with my family through my Mothers Cancer struggle and then when she died, It was pretty much putting me in the middle of a Dying Mother, my sister who had a child under a year old, and him who was generally gone most of the time anyway. He wanted me home even though he wouldn't be there anyway. We did go through the motions of some Marriage counseling, but honestly I was flat out DONE at that point. I was getting my ducks in a row,a last ditch effort he actually canceled all my authorized credit cards that were with him THINKING that he could stop me from doing anything. I had backup credit cards he was not aware of, socked money aside, made my game plan, got storage and moved stuff out. Finally leaving, and filing for divorce the same day. I stayed with friends in a couple of different location before moving back to California. I did have some Fluid backed out because I was unsure when I could get my band checked. Move forward to now I am happily living with the most awesome/smart wonderful man. He never really paid much attention to me having the band there wasn't much restriction. I went May 24th and had another fill and have another Doc visit July 12th. He went in with me and got some of the lowdown on how the band works, came in, knows my weight, loves me anyway. He is 6ft3 with long ole legs, and a high metabolism. He loves my short roundish stuff, he fixes us Protein shakes in the morning, he cooks band friendly foods and keeps it at smaller quantities, smaller plates and I can talk to him about my kinky relationship with food. When I went through mourning again for it, when I had a few stuck episodes, he is supportive. We hit the pool together, and he just picked us up some yoga mats because I have expressed interest. I never hear anything about my weight, how I need to lose it to be this or that, we do not fight or argue. We are best of friends and there isn't anything I cannot tell him. He went out and researched gummy Vitamins so that I can keep up on them and not have to swallow all those pills and brought them home! I guess what I want to tell you is that you might love this guy, or you might think you do. Maybe he does Love you in his own way, however sometimes people settle to be with someone and it is not the right situation. Sometimes so called LOVE can be in a manner that is not healthy. People do really bizarre and weird stuff to people they supposedly love and want to be with. There is a REALLY good chance that as you go on with the program and you learn about yourself, get stronger and lose weight you might very well find out that he is not the guy for you. Hold onto your thoughts, dreams, and your own goal. There will be so called friends, relationships, even family members that will say negative things, that will try to sabotage you on your journey. I lost a few friends over the band, I did get a divorce, I did go skydiving and put my head back on straight! I got through all my changes and losses and had some doors close behind me. However I was lucky in taking those risks, that journey that I made and found something that I NEVER thought I would find, MYSELF! So you go and find that kick ass girl that I know you have inside, be strong, be truthful, love yourself! Good luck in your journey! Hugs

I have an Allergen 10cc band, I have heard they also have the 14cc like Ric has. My 10cc is filled to 7cc now. It might be possible that when they did the surgery he might have filled you with 4cc at the time of surgery which which I have heard of happening with many surgeons. Hope this helps

YAY... good luck to you! Welcome

Homemade chili, I use organic ground bison, far less fatty and more nutritious than most other meats. Keep to darker beans.. i add in Kidney/Pinto/black Beans Black beans I mix with salad, or even with cottage cheese. You can even heat up with a bit of salsa in it..and it gives it a kick! Might sound kinda gross but if you make a spagetti sauce with low fat meat.. if you add cottage cheese to it, it actually tastes to me like lasagna. Canned tuna in Water, canned chicken breast and make a version of a salad with them both. I put in a whole grain wrap, not the huge ones but the smaller wrap. I put morningstar farms products dice them up and mix them into egg beaters or eggs.. with onions or even a salsa and make an omelet thing. Salmon, Salmon and more Salmon... I have found I LOVE this fish! Chicken Breast... YUMMY Steak, I keep to the really good cuts or I can have problems.

We keep the fudgecicles in the freezer it is 40 calories per pop. That helps if your having a chocolate ice cream craving or something cold. We also sometimes pick up "The Skinny Cow" ice cream sandwiches and they have alot of other products on the market too such as drumsticks/ice cream bars etc. They are good, my husband who is not banded LOVES them and doesn't think they taste lower calorie at all. Check those out it might help out alot!

My Day was: 1/2 Protein shake 1/2 bacon/egg/cheese croissant sandwich Small iced coffee w/ splenda 1/2 chicken breast 1/4 cup Pasta 1/2 Protein Shake

I like Isopure, and hubby loves it too and is not banded. Fav flavor is the dutch chocolate, we add Kale/Ginger/Celery in it as well for additional fiber etc along with ice cubes to make it icy.

You can always go for Fajitas, grilled chicken or steak. Most places you go to also will have cottage cheese that you can have as a side dish to meat or with fruit. Fish is always a good choice, a dinner salad with dressing on the side. If it is for breakfast eggs or egg beater you can order with just a portion of the eggs vs the usual 3 eggs if they do not have a substitute. Chili is normally a good option especially if you make it yourself but out you could do that.. black beans too. If you hit up Starbucks you can do a tall strawberries and cream blended drink with double protein added (no whip) drink it in place of a meal.

I was banded in 08 and was doing a good job losing! I also went though the devastation and loss of food, or the thought of it in my head. I remember waking up early one morning thinking WTF did I do? Why on earth would I do this to myself? I wanted to get healthier, My dad died of a Cardiac arrest big suprise..and my Mom got Diagnosed with colon cancer. I got the surgery then went through quite a series of changes including leaving my ex husband. I ended up moving back to California but had some Fluid removed prior because I was over 7cc and having some issues with food/drink etc.. and did not want to have trouble on my cross country drive. To be safe they took me down to 6cc. I still had restriction but over time I started to eat more and wasn't making good choices. I gained alot back then finally little over a month ago had another fill that brought me up to 7cc. I have dropped about 17 lbs since May 24th. Funny thing, I woke up and did the same ole thing.. What the heck have I done, let the Mourning begin.. I was all ready to dress in black, hurling myself at the fridge and balling my eyes out. That lasted for about 20 minutes of horror.. and I thought.. Susan, You have been here before, this is normal put on your big girl panties and deal with it. Which I did and have been moving forward ever since. Food is not our LOVE, It is not our Supporter.. it really is like the corner crack dealer that wants to get us hooked. For many of us it is 'Chasing the Dragon' no matter how much we eat it can never fill the hole inside.... It only seems that the more we chase that darn dragon keeps getting away. I am not by any means perfect, I have experience but have had to relearn things fast. We chose this method as a tool to help ourselves and many find that it is not the easy street that they figured it would be. Because it is not and we have to work it in order to make it work. As you go on you will find that for many you can still eat the majority of foods that you ate before. As my Doctor put it, You can have a few chips vs the whole bag, I ate 1/4th of a powdered donut today! Do I feel guilty no... because It is not the 2 or 3, 4 donuts that I might have had in my past. Bread is not my first consideration anymore when eating, in fact it rarely plays into the scenario at all. I go for the Protein first and the salad which are my favs.. followed by whatever is on the side dish. I do make a wrap sometimes out of a whole grain tortilla and it is not the JUMBO size tortilla. Last week we went to the movies and we split a small bag of popcorn and I had a small Coke Zero.drank maybe half. I know the drill about sodas.. but I had it.. no problems whatsoever.. it is also downsized from would normally have been a medium or large popcorn which I could have probably eaten myself.. when got home and needless to say neither of us felt good.. I just did not like having that junk in my system. You live, you learn... acknowledge your feelings and try to work through them because you will have them here and there. I call it my self sabatoge mode... and I feel that most everyone has it here or there. We will not be perfect, we will make mistakes, I guess I look at it if that happens I try to make the mistake not as bad as it could be, enjoy it, them forgive yourself and move forward. Seeing the clothes fit better will also help alot, it its a way to keep you more focused.. good luck you guys.. hang in there

I have a 10cc band in.. my surgeon chose it. Right now I have 7cc of Fluid in it and a good amount of restriction. I have not heard of anyone getting to choose the size of the band, I heard it had to do with the tummy size.. Besides I didn't look inside so I will let that aspect be up to the doc.

I'm not from Texas but hubby is and we go back and forth to DFW area. I was banded in 2008 but had some Fluid backed out and gained some back due to prior divorce and moving back to California from back east. I finally got another fill a Month ago so have had to relearn some things quickly again. If I can be of help to any of you guys let me know.. Just ask Susan

I think healing time for everyone is a bit different. I had the twitches and pinches when I tried to move for a bit on my port area. As far as sex I was told when you felt better... I also talked to my surgeon and was worried if sex woud damage, displace, break the port/disconnect etc... He said that it is fine and not to worry about damage to the band/port with sex. As he giggled he said KNOCK yourself out..

When I had fluid removed due to moving etc, I originally had 7. something cc in there and was borderline too tight. I was going across country so they dropped me to 6cc.. was ok for awhiile but i put some back on. I had another fill May 24th and have dropped roughly 15-17 lbs according to my new scale at home. I do not know exactly how it differs from the docs office. I got back the 12th of July for a check up. I kinda doubt I will have another fill at this point because I am losing and eating the right amount of food. Trying to make good choices and protein first. The PA in the office told me that 7cc for alot of their patients with a 10cc band seems to be the green zone, but of course it does vary. So you could be pretty close if your in that area but then again it varies from person to person.

Kinda goes back to the saying. We can lose weight.... But you Can't fix Stupid! Majority of people do not think before they speak.

If you ok with multigrain wraps you can do tuna salad, chicken salad, grill steaks, bison burgers, take string cheese, cottage cheese, canned black beans. You could probably premake chili or some of the gals on here use canned and heat that up. The grilled and sliced chicken is a good bet, or even fresh deli meats that you can roll up and eat or have it cut a bit thicker. If you can take milk, make protein shakes... or find a good canned one over the counter for a pick me up. You could probably make a pretty good salad, if you can take lettuce and black beans with some meat mixed in, then toss it, Hard boiled eggs, turkey sausage/to grill. Just some thoughts.

If you take in 1000-1200 calories a day, some days not that much. One of my first thoughts along with the Thyroid is that you might not be taking in enough calories and your body might be in some sort of a shutdown mode. Starvation type where it is holding onto what it thinks it needs. I had that happen to me years ago when I was on a hospital monitored liquid diet and it was around 800-900calories a day, and my body just shut down. Funny thing when my parents pulled me off it, and I started to eat again the weight just poured off me, it was really crazy! What is your food diary for the last few days?

One of the ladies on this site has a cookbook out http://jeanslapbandjourney.blogspot.com/ That is her blog and has some info on it. But you can find her on the Magazine articles/blog and general posts.

We do eat meat but we use the Veggie products from Morningstar farms all the time. They have a new hot dog, the original grillers (like a burger) but lots of different varietys, They have chicken nuggets, links which are small sausage shaped, or the round sausage, or buffalo wings (not wings at all and the list goes on. My Mom turned me onto them she was a Vegetarian, and I just have loved those. When I don't know what to eat I generally go for a Griller w/some NF cottage cheese on top. They are usually my first go to Protein food. I also like black Beans as well that I will mix with some of this or cottage cheese, I am a mixer!!! We like Isopure for our Protein shake, hubby is NOT banded but follows we eat the same thing he finds he feels better following along with what works for me. If your in Southern California there is also a Market at the Loma Linda University that does not carry any meat products. You can actually buy items online and find nutritional information on the items. Just google LOMA LINDA FOODS but make sure you do read the ingrediants and they have pretty much substitutes for almost anything.

I had Pancrititis in 97 which had nothing to do with the band or gall stones. I had a reaction to a medication that put me in the hospital with it and it got so bad that I ended up with Lactic Acidosis on top of it. My body pretty much turned itself into a acid factory, I couldn't keep anything down and my body was starting to shut itself down. Luckily one of the staff of Doctors which I had probably about 10-12 of them trying to figure out stuff, but a Nephrologist was able to figure it out working with my sister and they found a specialist that deals with it. Anyway My Mom also got Pancrititis because she had a couple of pea sized gall stones caught int he bile ducts. Which caused this issue on her, not fun at all. You do feel pain when it is coming on, this might sound horribly gross but when you vomit it is kind of unlike anything else you have seen. She had to be taken to the ER by Ambulance, and I did tell the Paramedics to check for Pancrititis first thing. They relayed the info and it was correct, that is kinda how distinct the vomit is Gross part: Vomit in cases that I have heard of or seen personally. It almost a flourescent green color, with what looks like multi colors of yellow and almost swirly.. think of the painting A starry night but in shades of green!!! Cannot keep anything down! I have not had any issues since being banded, however having gone through this before I am careful what I do eat and even if weight loss is a bit slower that is fine with me. The pain you feel with it is pretty severe, vomiting, alot of times a fever, and just plain wiped out. But you wont most likely be able to keep anything down.. Popsicle, Gatorade, Water, anything.... try not to be freaked out about it just get it checked out.