rharriet62

I was banded in Sept 2004 so am 3.5 years out. Last year was a tough year for me and I lost only about 26 lbs the whole year. I have renewed my interest, went through a band unfill and am now going back up to where I have some decent restriction and am losing right along. I am hoping this is MY year to get closer to my goal, if not reach it! I have always exercised...just had to recommit to eating right. Feel free to ask me if you have a question. I would be happy to help if I can! Rose

I am also an amateur chef and have loved cooking my entire life...baking, too! In fact, I am still known as "the chef" and everyone in my town and family still calls me for advice, recipes, etc. So, I can totally understand your question! Truthfully, I started cooking more healthfully and still prepare some old favs for my family. Tonight, for example, I made my "famous" bbq ribs. I used to eat lots of them with rice. Tonight, I had some rice and about 2 oz of ribs and was full. So, I still got to enjoy them, just in a fraction of the amount I would have eaten before. Truthfully, my problem remains with baking! I now make things my husband loves but I could take it or leave it NOW (I would have just eaten it before w/o really dying for it). Things like blueberry muffins and bread pudding and pumpkin bread are his favs and I can make those and not think twice about eating it. BUT, honestly, I don't bake cookies every week like I used to. I do it only once in a great while because I would eat them all! HAHA. It's a rare treat for me now and honestly, it just doesn't have the hold and calling to you like it used to!!! That's the AMAZING part!!! you'll do it!!!

Yes. I fill out a form every time I see my doc and that is one of the questions: Do you cough? It is a symptom of being overfilled. Perhaps your band is pressing a nerve or something (I don't really know) or it's pressure on esophogus or something. Did you tell your band doc or a reg doc? I'd call my band doc and tell them. I've even noticed that when they draw the fill out and measure it before adding a fill, it seems like the band shifts or something an uncomfortable feeling goes away. I'd call and ask them anyway. That sucks to cough all the time!

Kevin is SO right. Don't forget that all that stuff you are afraid of letting go will not really mean that much to you!There are foods I still like to eat and you have a few bites and you are full AND not deprived AND staying on your program. LIFE IF GOOD when there is a limit like that!!! I used to LOVE sandwiches and can't really them now (like I used to piled high with meats and cheeses and big, fat bread!). Never crosses my mind now as a real food choice for me. Don't miss it and thought I would. Things will really change for you, so GO FOR IT!!! It's all good!

After reading this, I signed up for it since I've been looking for a change up in my routine. I did the first workout today. It was tough! You pick if you want Level 1 or Level 2 programs. I answered the questions and am a Level 2 because I work out 4-6 days a week now. She has it set up where you do five circuits. Each circuit has 3 exercises. For example, today one circuit was 3 sets of 15 bent over rows; 3 sets of 15 crossover lunges; 1 min of jump roping. You do some weights and then some body resistance and then some harder cardio to keep your heart rate up. I thought it was a good workout, I liked the circuits, and the way they are combined, lots of muscles are used and fatigued in the workout. You do 4 days like this (split) and then one day of just cardio with two rest days split in the week. You choose the days. Mine are Sun and Wed. The other thing is that you can cancel the membership after 5 weeks, so the worst is that you are out $20 AND have your 20 workouts you could rotate! I am definitely trying it for 5 weeks!

Wow! Hearing all these stories make me remember that everyone is different when it comes to the band! First off, the loss of 1 cc is not that unusual, especially in a new band and tube. Sometimes, the device itself absorbs fluid. I can't believe your doc didn't tell you that. I have not had it absorb one full CC but I've had it absorb .5 or less at times. The longer you have it, the less frequently this happens. The idea of drinking the water is that water SHOULD go down easily after a fill. For some bizarre reason, some fills don't kick in right away. My personal opinion is that the fluid stays in the tube that connects the port and band and over days or a week it gets into the band and you feel the full fill. For example, I got a fill on Monday of this week and M & T I was bummed, thinking I had no more real restriction. Wed. I had more and today I'm feeling great restriction. However, my doc says that if 2 weeks go by and you are not feeling good restriction AND losing weight, it's time to come back for a fill. Wait 2 weeks and go back if you don't feel it...go slowly and don't get overfilled! Good luck to you!

I've had my band 3.5 years (not as long as 4-5 as you requested) but I love my band and don't have problems. I'm still losing and working on that!

I would tell the trainer what your surgery was...when you start working out after surgery, for a while (at least for me) when I did abs, my port would get sore. It's better that he knows that so he can come up with a variety of ab exercises to work around this possibility. My trainer also really focused on interval stuff to keep my cal burn high during lifting so I would burn as many calories as possible. If he knows more, he can do his job better for you! You will need to do a combo of cardio and weight lifting. Have him design a program for you for the days when he won't be working with you 1:1. This should be part of his service to you!!!

As a person who had to have a total unfill and then slowly go back up (I'm still not at a great restriction after 2.5 months) I suggest you change your appt and go sooner than later. This way, you will not continue to irritate the tissue around your band. I had to heal mine due to irritation and it's not fun!

All these replies are true! What you will find is that FOR YOU somethings work and others don't. Like Mum, I can't eat eggs very well at all. Then, there are the little surprises in life, like I ate Food X yesterday or last week and today it's not going down. That's the band. It's a little touchy at times and so most of life is trial and error depending on your fill, how tight you are, and sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to why you can or can't eat a certain food. You'll never get bored trying to figure it out! HAHA.

Too funny! He might have had help, but how the hell did he eat all that bread? I'd still be standing over the toilet puking. Ok..bad image, sorry. I actually saw or read his story a few years ago when he was not at his goal weight yet. He actually had lost like 150 lbs or something and then wrote to Subway and told them his story...THEN came the big contracts and commercials. He lived like 8 blocks from a Subway and walked down and back twice a day and got a 12" sandwich for each meal. No chips and a water or diet coke. I think that's what he said. Oh, no cheese or mayo...and he started losing because he didn't eat anything else but the sandwich and remember he weighed like almost 400 lbs, right? So, I think he lost and then got to be a rich, fat-cat! HAHA.

WOW. The end is in sight for you! 35 lbs! That is KILLER! You sound like me ... 5'8, size 18, but I weight a lot more than you. I'm many, many pounds away from my goal! I work out 5-6 days a week, running, elliptical, lifting, etc. Now, here's an idea: go buy a CUTE pair of size 16 jeans, shorts, whatever, since that is when you are getting PS. Make yourself a deal that when they fit, you'll set up the consultation (or some other reward). Try them on 3 days a week and work out! You might have to just gut it out and start exercising...maybe you need to change your focus since you are "comfortable" at a size 18 (it's not good enough for me yet). Work out for your heart, your lung capacity, to lower your cholesterol...take the next step to health ... the weight is almost all off, so now work on the stuff you can't see that will really cause you to be the most healthy you can be. Good luck! You should be so proud of your accomplishment! I'm totally envious!!!

Sorry to hear about this! I'd look for a new fill doctor or get super assertive and DEMAND to know what your fill it. That is ridiculous. But, here is a Soup recipe that I started making when I was on Atkins. I make it all the time now and company always wants the recipe. It's fast and low calorie/low carb. 1 bundle asparagus (about 3/4-1 lb), cut into 1" pieces 2 leeks, chopped and washed well (white parts only) 2 cloves garlic 2 Tbl butter or olive oil 16 oz chicken stock, low sodium 1/3 cup cream salt & pepper to taste Melt butter and cook leeks for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and asparagus. Cook another minute. Add stock, cover and cook 10 minutes until asparagus is tender but not mushy. Put into blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in cream, salt, and pepper and warm through. This is a pretty big pot of soup and I make it often. My whole family loves it!

I also had Dr. Johnell. I thought he was a great surgeon. I really like the office in Greeley, too. I usually coordinate my fills with the nights they have support groups since I live 5 hours away in NE Wyo and have a long drive down there. Mostly, I use this forum for support. I wish they would get it set up with teleconferencing. They keep saying they will do it, but don't seem to be getting it done! Glad you're back on it!!!

When I was a school counselor and on a short break, I opted for a protein shake. I actually put an Atkins shake in the freezer at morning recess and it was icy and delish when my lunch time came around. I made sure I also had a little something at morning recess and afternoon recess so I wasn't starving. That worked for me. It takes planning, but it got pretty easy!

Get an unfill or partial unfill until you can eat again. I say this out of experience. I've been banded 3.5 years and almost ALL of last year, I was miserable. I wasn't eating solid food and found myself eating sugary stuff because I was hungry and couldn't eat stuff like chicken, etc. The "rub" is that ALL of last year, I only lost 26 lbs and was miserable. My band was too tight and it took me months to figure it out. I got "used" to living on zantac and feeling miserable with my eating. The good news is that on Dec. 14 I was totally unfilled because my stomach was so irritated. I'm now moving back up in fills and am having my third one next Monday where I will have some real restriction. Because I feel better, am eating lean proteins and salads, etc., again, I have LOST 10 lbs since 1-1-08...that is WAY better than last year!!! I was SO afraid of gaining weight and the opposite is true. I will confess that there were days I ate a lot and some days I've totally "white knuckled it," to not gorge myself, but even when I did pig out, it was FAR less than I ate when I was pre-band. DO go get evaluated and with the right plan and support, you will not gain...in fact, I'll bet you will be like me and lose!!! A tight band is MISERABLE as you know!!!! Good luck!

I wear mine all the time. It really helps me stay on track with my eating and logging my food. I LOVE it!!!

Hi, Your reaction to my losing 119 was shocking...because I keep saying to myself...WHEN I will get closer to my goal? HAHA. I've been banded since 9-21-04, so I've lost this weight very slowly. Last year, I really struggled and only lost 26 lbs all YEAR. But, I'm not gaining! Since 1-08, I've really kicked it up a notch, have lost 10 lbs so far, and plan to keep on the losing trend so I can drop the rest and get to my first goal of 185 & then re-evaluate. SO, thanks for the OMG! It made me really think of what I've done as an accomplishment instead of not being enough!

Of course I'm going to be the Devil's Advocate and ask, WHY WAIT? Running will just help you drop to 250 faster! I started running when I was about 305 and while I was slow and couldn't run that far...I believe running is like it's own exercise...because I was doing kickboxing, spinning, etc., and running was tough to get good at for me. ANYWAY, I say GO FOR IT! Start with some intervals and you'll be amazed at how good you will get. By the way, I have lots of "normal sized" runner friends. They have all told me that once you get to the point where you can run 2 miles straight, all the distances get easier after that! I have to agree...two miles took me a long time and then 3 came easily. There have been times I've run 5 miles w/o stopping...HUGE success for me!!! Good luck!!

I've been working on running on and off for about a year. When the weather is nice, I run outside on a trail where I live. In the winter (most of the time here!) I use the treadmill. Since Jan 1, I've focused more on running. I agree with the others who say go at an easy pace and work on endurance. Start with running .1, .25 or whatever you can do then walk for a bit and run again. Do these intervals at an easy pace. You will know when you speed up and have to start to run. It doesn't matter what that speed is for now...just do it. For example, when I started, I was running at 4.0 mph. Then, my easy pace became 4.8 and stayed there for a long time. I pushed it up on Jan 1 to make my "easy pace" 5.0 and am now pushing it up to 5.2 with sprints for 30 seconds at 6.0. It seems super fast to me, too! HAHA. SO, the point is...you do what you can at your own level. Now, I can run 3 miles at 5.0 (a 12-min mile) and never thought I would be able to do that! I usually run 1.5, walk .5, run 1, walk .25, run .5, walk .25 (for a few weeks anyway and then I'll change it up). I walk at 4.3, so it's a good pace. Have fun with it and enjoy it!!! You'll get addicted (WARNING!)

I started working out about 4 months before my surgery and I am a huge advocate of doing so. First, my abs, arms, and legs were strong, which helped me get up and move around far more easily right after my surgery. My oxygen levels were extremely good and my lung capacity was also higher than most patients, according to my surgeon. He was super pleased because these things that I didn't really associate with exercise helped during the surgery. Also, for me, the biggest thing is that after 4 months, I was used to exercising and it was getting to be part of my lifestyle...so I was looking forward to getting back when I could after surgery instead of sitting there going...yeah, I SHOULD exercise, but... I think it's always a good idea to exercise. Start lifting and push yourself with the cardio! You'll feel better! Good luck with your surgery! You're gonna love it!!!

Like some folks above said, I think it's time to track all your calories. I also noted that you are filled only to 2.2ccs. That just might not be enough restriction for you! I think you need a fill. THEN, track your calories and up your exercise. I am 3.5 years out and lost only 26 lbs last YEAR. I was so mad at myself that I invested in a Body Bugg. I have to say, it's KILLER! I am really keeping up on burning calories AND most importantly for me, tracking my calories. It started back...since 1-7-08, I've lost 10 lbs. That is FAB for me since last year I didn't lose much at all. I was just eating too much, even tho I was often working out 3 hours a day...I'm obviously a slow loser! Journal calories. It really helps!

I eat soup often. My doc's concern is to NOT eat canned soups as they are super high in sodium. If I make homemade soups with tons of veggies and meats, she's cool with that. I probably make some sort of soup once a week for dinner.

KAT, you crack me up! Isn't that the truth! The band is fickle. However, if you are not losing or it has really slowed down and you are able to eat a lot often, I'd go for a fill. I tend to be a fill person, so I use my band as much as possible. Give it a few days and then make your decision!

I think that is a load of crap! When you get banded, your job is to HEAL from surgery. I'm sure you didn't hurt your pouch and he won't be able to tell. I think it was some sort of threat, which I think is ridiculous. Keep your focus. Life is life and I'm sure we've all overeaten many more times than once. I know I have...early in my banding, I ate a few times and threw up because it was too much. It's all part of the learning experience. Just keep your focus. You'll be fine!! Good luck with your fill!