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First of all, let me say that I have not done as well with the lap band as I wanted to, but the band is only a tool and I haven't used my tool as wisely as I should have by making poor food choices. I'm trying to get back on track and recently got a fill, I have been unable to get very many fills over the past year due to changing of jobs. I have a 14 cc band and prior to this last fill, I have had restriction, but just not as much as I felt like I needed and never felt I was in the green zone. I know it is different for everyone. My recent fill put me to 7 ccs in my 14 cc band and my nurse told me to be very careful and that I should feel that satisfied feeling after about 2 to 3 bites of food, she said that it should keep me satisfied for a couple of hours and that it would be okay to have 2 to 3 bites more each couple of hours. So my question is this, have any of you experienced this feeling of satisfied after that little of food?

I just felt that it was unrealistic, but I can tell you, that it's been a week tomorrow, and after about 4 or 5 bites chewing really well, I'm done. Sometimes it only keeps me satisfied for a couple of hours sometimes longer.

I'm a year and half out and the gas is the worst thing of all! A friend of mine is the same way and she is 10 months out. Doesn't matter how we change our diets or all the gas x, beano, phazyme you take, it doesn't help. Fortunately, my husband just laughs and goes on about it. But it is horrible when you have to work and you have to find corners or go outside before you bust! I would love to give you a word of encouragement, but I think it's here to stay!!!

What is the protein ? It's a whey protein mix for shakes. I get the vanilla and add fresh fruit, sometimes Peanut Butter powder and sugar free chocolate syrup.

I'm 6 months post op and have 5.7 cc in my 14 cc band and am just now started to feel restriction, but that's after 6 fills. My weight stood still for 3 months but I'm finally losing again. You have to look at this as a journey, it's not quick loss. Don't get me wrong, I was getting discouraged but I have lapbander friends who are still encouraging me. Remember, it's a journey and a tool, you still have to make good food choices AND exercise. My stall was a lot of my fault, my portions were much smaller but my food choices were not good and I sat on my butt and was lazy during the holidays.

I had surgery on 9/5 and just had my sixth fill two weeks ago. I don't think I'm in the green yet, but I finally feel restriction. I now have to be careful how I eat which is a learning experience! I now know I can't eat rice or hash browns. My weight loss practically stood still for almost 3 months and finally I see scale movement again!!! One other victory..... I finally found a protein mix that I can finally actually enjoy drinking......."Delicious Protein" you can get at GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe.

I have a question, I just got a fill last Wednesday, which was my second fill. After my two days of liquids, I ate normal portion controlled amounts and had no problems and felt no more restriction than before for the past three days and then last night, I had a "stuck" episode which got my attention, I was able to get it down with some Water. I may have taken too big of a bit or didn't chew well enough. But my question is, has anyone had delayed restriction after a fill, say didn't feel the restriction until a week later? I would have thought that the stuck episode was an isolated incident but I just took a couple of Advil capsules, one at a time, and they felt very weird, as if I could still feel them in the center of my chest. Thanks in advance for your comments.

that is the one thing I don't want to have to do. I have spent my whole life tracking something whether it was carbs or calories or points. I like what CarolinaGirl said that we should eat what we want, of course making healthy choices, but limit the portions and EXERCISE. I want it to be a lifestyle, an every day thing that is done naturally, so far it has worked for me by listening to the soft signs. I am 3 months in and have lost 32 lbs, slow and steady, but it helps me to learn what to do. I still struggle with the going out to eat and portion control, so I get a to go box as soon as I order so that I can put the excess food in it right off the bat. Good luck!

I know this sounds silly but most people don't think of it, change out your toothbrush with a new to insure that you are keeping those germs around.

I've been banded almost 3 months and this was my total support team other than family and now I rarely see the "Gurus" who I so enjoyed reading their posts. I can't seem to navigate like I did on the old system, it just doesn't seem to be as user friendly. I also tried to download the app for my Iphone and I never could get it to work. This new site is very overwhelming with so much information. It's like the chat rooms, I liked having just lapband patients on their. As a "newbie" so to say, I wanted all the information I could get, now it seems that we spend most of our chat time asking "which surgery did you have?" I know some may enjoy reading about all the types of surgeries which is good when you are trying to decide which surgery to have, but once you have surgery, I really want to talk to those who had the same surgery as I did. Maybe you could have separate chat rooms??

Awesome job Wade! I hope in 4 more months I will have similar results!!! You look great, thanks for sharing your pix!

Awesome job Wade! I hope in 4 more months I will have similar results!!! You look great, thanks for sharing your pix!

Ice packs.

Psst...Me too, I was banded on 9/5 and I'm down 28 lbs, so high five gal!!! Great Job!

That's how I felt when I got into my size 20 Levis that I haven't worn in years! I have a full wardrobe of 24, 22, and 20s, can't wait until they are all too big! Keep up the good work!

My dr advised me to take a dose if milk of magnesia and follow with a hot liquid like coffee or tea and 30 mins later everything was smooth sailing, no cramps or anything. I've had to use it twice since my surgery 2 months ago.

I'm 2 months post op and am now going to Curves 3 x a week and Zumba twice a week, but what I want to do is step aerobics at home in addition to what I've been doing. It may sound silly to some but it's big to me, I started a couple of days ago with 5 mins and I was so winded I could hardly breath, so my goal will be to add a minute to each day and be at 30 mins by the end of the month, I did 7 today, so I need to catch up so I will do 9 tomorrow.

Where are you getting the Special K protein water? I used to drink it years ago and liked it but now I can't find it anywhere.

My doctor had some difficulty finding my port and it took about 6-8 sticks before he got it. Even with that many sticks, it wasn't painful. It was more like little pinches, so it wasn't bad at all. I still have very little restriction so I have to really watch my portion control; however, my food seems to last me about 4 hours so I'm not near as hungry. It's a breeze really!

Southernqt - It seems that having our port above our left breast may be unique to Dr. Bagnato, but I sure am glad that its there.

I recently found Protein 10 Smoothies, they are a 2.5 oz protein shot with 10 grams of protein, 64 calories, 0 fat, and 5 carbs, not to mention delicious and I got them at the Dollar Tree. These help fill in the protein gaps when I need them.

They do smell bad, very fishy, so you have to follow the package instructions and wash them thoroughly then dry them, then the smell is gone. I have eaten them many times prior to surgery. I need to try them now and see how they do,

I'm feeling great! Fighting the battle of emotional eating now. My old habits want to resurface so I working really hard not to eat out of boredom! I've lost 25 lbs and battle 3 lbs up and down every week but I have to remind myself that 25 lbs in two months is still great progress. I go to Curves 3x a week for workouts and to Zumba 2x a week, so that's major progress for me towards a healthier life! My clothes are getting bigger now, so I have to stop focusing on the scales and continue doing what I'm doing. I had my first fill and it had helped with the hunger level, my food now keeps me satisfied for about 4 hours . My portion control is still all me though and I can pretty much eat what I want so I am really having to boost up my self control. I won't be getting another fill until December.

Bradley - You and I are around the same surgery date and fill. I feel exactly like you do, I don't think I could eat 3 cups but I definitely can eat more than a half cup, I just try to step away after I feel that I have eaten 1/2 ~ 1 cup of food, and my food is lasting me longer since the fill. I get about 4 hours before I'm hungry. But today, I swear I have a tapeworm!!! So I'm trying to control myself. I'm also down 25 lbs and have been fighting 3 lbs up and down for weeks. I am now exercising FIVE days a week and still I'm not seeing anything but I know I'm just being impatient, so I'm just trying to follow the rules and wait for my next fill which is December 4th. I can only get them every 6 weeks. Hang in there!

B-52: can you define for me "I can eat just so much" please? I just had my first fill a week ago and now when I eat to a certain level, I feel a slight tightness in my chest so I stop. I have been eating very small portions, so I wondered if that was my "soft signal" that folks talk about.