WASaBubbleButt

Vixie... I've never heard of him either. The better docs in Mexico are usually well known to bandsters. Anyone else ever heard of him?

You are absolutely correct. With that said as a fat person I would still cover my lap with a newspaper if I feared the seatbelt would not fit. Turns out it always did but coming out of surgery and having a Buddha belly from the gas in surgery, I did it. And I'd do it again in similar situations. When it comes to safety over humiliation, I'll take the risk. I'm not suggesting others should do the same, I'm merely offering my own feelings. I've been embarrassed and humiliated due to fat for years, I won't open myself up to more if I have a choice. Again, not bright, but that is the way I feel.

It is for me! I didn't work this hard to look like a Shar Pei dog! But not everyone needs it. If you are a smoker, you'll likely want it. If you are over 40, you'll likely want it. If you have more than 50lbs, odds are, you'll want it.

Oh my goodness don't gain weight intentionally! Just weigh yourself down with objects, not fat. Put rolls of quarters in your pockets, wear small weights around your waist. Do something like that but don't gain fat weight. You'll regret it when you are trying to lose that last 10 lbs!

Sure, you can do it. You'll have to make EXTRA sure you are getting proper nutrition because as you know you'll be using more calories while breast feeding. But done right, it can certainly be done. I wouldn't do it with restriction but I understand your concern.

I have a friend who weighed 570 pounds. He's lost well over 200 of that thus far. I can point you in his direction if you wish. Bypass docs just don't know much about bands. Docs tend to prefer either bands or bypass, most docs don't seem to advocate both. Keep in mind one issue about bypass. Within a few short years your intestinal tissue will start regrowing and you will once again be absorbing fat and calories and you'll be back to diet and exercise. If you can't do that now, why would you be able to do it then? I know I couldn't. Look at who is getting revisions. Most of the time it is not band to bypass, it is people who had failed bypass and now they are getting banded. Take opinions with a grain of salt, but look at the facts. That's what matters.

You can also open a newspaper over your lap and read it so it looks like the seat belt is latched. Works wonders.

I don't know but I wish they'd come back. I still don't think there are many of us. Anyone who has surgery in December has to go through the holidays with a post op diet and who wants to do that? I didn't care, I discovered the band in November and had surgery in December. I didn't care what holidays were coming up. I've been thinking about a couple of people lately, you and Faith. So Denise, how are you doing? How was the fill? Are things better now?

Well, I just had my band unfilled Saturday and it is sooooo much nicer, for me. Each person is different. This is weird so don't take this as typical but with restriction I would eat 5oz of tuna (I do better with one food at a time, fewer textures... again, that's me and not typical). Without restriction I eat 2.5oz tuna as an example. It would take me too long to eat food before. Now without restriction I eat more like a typical bandster. I had mega problems trying to get Fiber in so I am starting a habit now of drinking a bottle of Water w/6gms of Benefiber in it before I eat a meal. So I'm also not very hungry after drinking 6gms of fiber.

Faith... I've been wondering how you are doing. You had surgery by now, didn't you? What's going on? How was the experience? Tell me everything!!!

I really agree with this. My goals depended on my new BMI numbers. In the beginning I was morbidly obese, my first goal was to get to severely obese, next goal was obese. I've met those goals and now I am just fat. No longer obese, just plain fat and I love it. 22 more pounds and I'll be normal weight. Then I'll come up with a final goal from there.

When you lose weight the fat is burned. When fat is burned it turns to various chemicals that are released from the body via sweat, urine, SALIVA, and breath. When the keytones are released via saliva it causes bad breath (such as Atkins diet makes your breath stinky??) and tastes change. During this time it's a great time to learn new habits such as foods we didn't previously like because suddenly they taste good. I used to gag just looking at oatmeal. I thought of it as baby food. Now I love the stuff. Yet Jelly Beans really honestly taste like dirt to me today were I used to like them.

None that I know of. I would suggest finding a better loan interest rate. Mexico is about 1/2 the price of the US. That's where a great many of us got our bands.

I don't want to chew and I don't want to cook. Breakfast: 2oz Tuna/Lemon-Pepper 45 Calories Lunch: Protein shake 120 Calories Dinner: Protein shake 120 Calories Snack: Protein shake 120 Calories 405 calories (No, I'm not suggesting this is good, the medical term for this behavior is LAZY)

Yep, what Cyndilou wrote.

You sound wayyyy too tight. I'll bet you feel much better after you get some saline removed.

To be really honest your concern should be the doctor you refer to. He has a pretty bad reputation and the medical community kinda laughs, giggles, and points when discussing him. No way would I go to him. But then I wouldn't have MGB either. But if I were to have MGB I would never in a million years go to Rutledge.

Nice to meet you bionicbroad. I was banded in 12/06, I'm close to goal but not there yet!

DBAGuy... I agree with you whole heartedly. It isn't really a great idea to take this stuff. I don't agree with advertising that claims Fyre or any of the other products are actually fat burners. But on days that I'm being a slug and don't want to run I take one of them and suddenly (due to caffeine, I'm sure) I want to run around the block 40 times. I probably take it once every week or two. I wouldn't WANT to take it daily, since I don't live on Diet Coke anymore I'm no longer used to the caffeine and it's a bit strong for me. So I don't take it to burn fat, I take it to give me the desire to go burn fat myself.

Keep in mind that after banding many people's tastes change. Things they used to find disgusting suddenly taste kinda good! Things that used to be good taste like dirt. I would encourage him to start trying foods again that he didn't previously care for pre-banding. Wait until he starts losing weight, that's when the taste changes start happening. Give him a list of foods you have in the kitchen. Give him a choice between meat, veggies, etc. Let him choose which one he wants, at least in the beginning. If all he'll eat are green Beans, when the green beans are gone he'll have to choose something else. If he doesn't like it, point him to the direction of the kitchen and let him cook for himself. You can only be so supportive, most of it is up to him. He needs to remember that this is a lifestyle change and that includes healthier foods. If he wants weight loss bad enough, he'll make those changes. In my mind it's all about how bad you want weight loss.

This is my PERSONAL opinion only, docs don't necessarily agree with me so I have to tell you that up front. I disagree with trying to limit someone's food before they have adequate restriction. I mean, if we could do that we wouldn't need a band. My own personal opinion is to use the time between surgery and appropriate restriction to work on bite size, chewing, no liquids w/meals, and good food choices. But I personally don't encourage anyone to hyperfocus on caloric intake during that time. There are lots of things to learn and get used to and it only makes sense to me to take it in steps. If we try to change everything overnight and limit calories, many end up failing. I'd prefer to see mini successes vs. mega failures. But that's me, and again many docs disagree with me. Now, once you have some restriction that's a whole 'nother ball game.

If you have a lot of restriction it is very painful. If you have no restriction it doesn't seem to be too bad. I tried it, I won't do it again. Hurts too much. Some think it can expand the pouch, not really sure if that is true but I can tell you, it's quite painful.

I just started taking Fyre. I have to admit, I really like it. It is Ephedrine free and I can go a lot longer on my treadmill. I don't use it daily, probably once every week or two when I'm being a slug. I really like it but I can't take more than one at a time. It's a horse pill but dissolves quickly and easily. I have no problems with it. Syntrax Fyre

I aim for about 600 calories daily, I don't really count carbs but I only eat low carb 99% of the time. I just feel better when I do that. I'm sure I'm under 20 carb grams daily. I keep things simple, I have a spreadsheet and I track the food I ate, # of calories, # of protein gms, and weight. I do track my weight on Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate because it gives me a nifty graph to watch.

Try not to get too frustrated, it really is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to anesthesia. Just give it a few days, it might not be a huge delay. What is your doc saying?