La_madam

I'm sorry for your loss, I went through this same thing having to put our family dog of 9 years down in Feb. It is tough but each day gets a little easier, Hang in there

I have replaced food with coming here to LBT I have replaced food with lots of Water I have replaced food with more reading I have replaced food with cleaning out cupboards, drawers & closets I have replaced food with going out and doing more things with my kids & husband

Juat when I think I have no restriction, the band remids me I do, I just ate three bites of a salad and had the slime but no PB, waitied for about 3 minutes for it to pass, took a couple more bites and put it away Most of the time in the morning s I know myband is here but in the evenings I feel like it is not there but tonight was different..the band is fickle

You do not need to be validated by anyone else, Iam sure you did not do this for anyone but you. Focus on you and how GREAT you are doing. You have done amazingly well so far. Do not let the little things like people not noticing your weight loss get in your way of success or sabatoge you in any way! Trust me the day will come when people will notice, but until then, be happy about your success so far WAY TO GO!!

From liquids to solids willl cause weight gain until your body adjusts, another reason is 900 calories is not enough, try keeping it between 1200-1800 and see if that helps, body goes into starvation mode with that little ammount of calories. hang inm there is will happen, you have not had a fill yet, once the fills get rollin' you will see a difference in the numbers on thescale, but alos try not to focus so much on what the scale says, look for the other possitive things goin on that have changed since your band, like more energy, feeling better, clothees getting bigger, etc..

I have had mine for almost 15 months

I was told by mr Dr. just this past week that chewing gum for us bandsters will create more gas ( because of the air we swallowwhen we chew)since the band now acts as a one way valve and I have tested it, it does for me, I used to chew gum like crazy and was gassy like crazy, but since I have stopped chewiong gum, the gas is minimal.

Hope all went well today..Congratulations to you

You are not alone, my surgeon is a hottie too! My husband told me " If I didnt know better, I'd think the two of you were having an affair" this was after Dr. Ortiz doted on me for 3 days during my bowel obstruction surgery, holding my hand telling me he loved me and everything was going to be all right and kissing my forehead, checking on me every few hours.. Don't get that kind of love & care from U.S. docs. Luckily my husband is not a jealous man and loves Dr. Ortiz as much as I do for saving my life.

Years ago when my 17yr old was about 5, he came home from school one day and told me a girl was calling him names, I asked him what names she was calling him, he said she called me the B word, I said Bitch, he said yes, he said she also called me the Sh word, I said shit and he said yes, then he told me she called him the Fra word, I said Fra word? What is the Fra word, he said Fragina, I told him, honey I think she meant vagina. To this day we still laugh about it

Babs I too remember seeing the vidoe and it is amazing how far you have come. You look fantastic and will look even better Iam sure after al lthe plastic surgery. What a huge milestone you have accomplished, Iam so happy for you

Vera girlfriend, I wish you the best during this Hugs to you

Hi & Welcome to LBT You will not have to give up food! Who told you that? The best thing about the band is you lose weight and still get to enjoy food, just do not eat as much I sitll enjoy all of the foods I ate pre-band, just alot less. Im sure others will tell you the same thing Best of luck to you I hope things work in your favor

Iam a happy Ortiz patient I have been going to him for 14 months, for my original surgery and all of my aftercare,fills, check-ups etc.. I was just there on Monday for a fill . He has givin me impecable care, he also preformed a life saving surgery on me ( not band related) 2 months ago that the Dr.'s here would not preform. I think very highly of him and the entire OCC staff. I trust him completely.

Kathy, Iam wishing you the best during all of this, been there done that, all came out good so Iam hoping the same for you too

I cant seem to find the size on the tag..give me your address and I will send it to you, if it doesnt fit, then donate it or give to someone else.

Thanks for putting my pics side by side The shirt is yours if you want it..I had not worn it in a long long time, a little too big for me now. Have only worn it 3 times Otherwise it is going in a pile of things to donate.

I've learend to let what the bypass patient say go right through me, Time will tell, when the bypass patients are having health problems bypass related and are gaining their weight back because their pouches are stretched ..I get all the satisfaction I need For every person I have told about my band, they have all known someone who had the bypass and had some kind of problems whether it be malabsorption issues, weight gain, other major organ problems, they see me and I do not look like i had weight loss surgery, my skin tone is beautiful, I do not look gaunt, nor do I look flabby like bypass patients do. Iam my best advertisement for the band

Here is a recent picture of me and a friend of mine who was banded 4 weeks ago with Dr. Ortiz, he had us over for dinner last Friday night to eat his first solid meal since banding, the other is of me.

Iam in !!! Maybe I can reach the century mark by then with these last 7 lbs

If it were me, I would wait on the fill, vacation is not a time to be miserable and worried about a PB or not being able to eat, especially if you are ina foregin country with no Lap Band Dr. near by. Go and enjoy yourself, your fill will be here waitingfor you when you get back. Iti s hard to say if .5 cc's will be too tough to handle, everyone is different , I knwo for me when I travle my restriction level changes, from water retention, climate change, time change, jet lag etc...it is not worth the stress over it. Wait til you get home

Happy Birthday Kelli, Hope your day is going good for you Celebrate !

Well tomorrow morning Iam headed down to TJ to see Dr. Ortiz for a check up for my bowel obstruction surgery and to be re-filled. It will be exactly 2 months since my surgery. I am so excited to be re-filled and get going again with my weight loss, it feels like a fresh start. I have been on a 2 month haitus. Luckily for me in the last 2 months I have been able to lose 5 lbs and not gain any weight, it has been a struggle, trust me! It will be very interesting if I can be filled to 2.5 'ccs like I was before I was unfilled. I do not think I will be able to not because he will not do it but I do not think I can jump to that level of restriction rgiht from the get go, I may have to start off slow, who knows but I am excited. I will post tomorrow afternoon and let you all know how is goes.

Huh???

Estela, everything happens for a reason is how I see it..it will happen when the time is right. I have to aks you a question though..the few Dr.s' I have spoken with about a TT have told me it is better to wait until you have reached goal weight and have been there for a few months.