Jack

I've never had any issue with it...but I ain't dating.

The only way I've been able to induce 'ketosis' in myself, is to get my digestive system to switch from 'glyconeogensis' to 'glycolytic' status. And that has taken 3-4 day fast to obtain. My data is very old but has worked well at least in my own instance. The marker I've used for 'ketotic state' is foul breath and coated tongue, as the change from sugar break down of simple carbs is replaced by metabolic extraction of stored glycogen (fat). In retirement I've been too lazy to re-enter the discipline it took to obtain that state. Given the 8 pounds I've actually gained over the last 6 months the need to do such has reestablished itself yet again. I do note for myself the high protein/low carb does help move me in the direction I want to go, as food craving and sport eating nonsense are decreased.

kflan: welcome to your Quest to Find Normo eating style! I've been banded over 7 years; without it I probably would have died due to multiple complications of morbid obesity. I too had the same fears and reservations you post. Even given some rougher moments, my worst postOp Band day has remained better than the best preOp day the 10 or 15 years before I finally went for my own surgery. Yes, ask questions, do your research, find out all the options, and satisfy whatever inquiries you may have. There are more options now than when I did my surgery, as at that time only RNY or the Band was available. I remain over 100# down from my Largest Person size: 30 I lost pre consult, another 20 post consult, and over 50 directly due to the Band. I was 59 at surgery and continue to feel about 30 years younger than preBand. Life is full of all kinds of choices. Find your path and set your actions in that direction. Cheers

thanks for the sleeve information! My Band has given me an understanding of the difference between "hungry" and "not hungry"....the difference between 'sport eating' and 'satiety eating'. It's nice even 7+ years postOp to wake in the morning without the "gotta EAT" sensation.

beware grits!!!! Even though I was about week 7 or 8 IIRC, I had a mere taste of grits mixed with a little egg and had major PB episodes over the next 300 miles...yes, we were traveling down the coast & I left a trail.... The mushy phase served me mostly very well but caution, patience and going very slowly is advised.

Of course there's lots of "what if" and "why not" and "should I"..... The 'out of pocket' cost will pretty much be recovered by what you save in junk food the first 6 months. I was size 56 pants before all the other 'same stuff as you' added up, plus more medical issues, to finally going for the Band. I'm 7 years postOp. It isn't a diet. It's a Life Awareness involvement. Nothing tastes as good as being healthier feels. I was off CPAP in 10 months after 10 years on the Nose Hose. Took a bit to get used to NOT having the hiss & the straps etc. My WORST day postOp has been better than my best day the last 10 years before the Band. YMMV. Do your research. Cheers on your journey.

This is a most important question about our Bad Old Habits vs recognizing WHO and WHAT led us to those decades of over consumption. It is opportunity to face ourselves, and to learn what it takes to make Good New Habits. Much of what we have done in the illusion of 'having a good time' really wasn't....and we carried our mistaken belief into the XXXXXL size clothing stores. Even now after years postOp, at times I will suddenly realize my eating is approaching some form of autopilot unrelated to actual hunger. I too grew up with the notion eating/drinking/socializing all meant OVER indulgence and license to just eat/drink till it was all gone. Lap Band is the opportunity to learn how to train our Rational Brain so it is capable of running our Irrational Belly. Good luck.

I find when I heed the "satiety' vs "full" sensation my ability to respond rationally to Bad Old Overeating Habits improves dramatically. Cheers on returning to the New Life. I'm on the way myself. Stay busy with meaningful little chores, my own Nibbling App seems to activate when I'm just sitting around....

I agree we all are a bit different in our response to LB surgery. Not only that, but so is our response postOp in our new Life in learning how to eat like a normo. My own pain level was virtually non-existent as of Day 2...however the 'anxiety' part was maxed out. In my own 7 years of various LB episodes of "what NOW?" and "THIS isn't what I expected" etc, the really great results is the Band has helped tremendously. Sometimes its easier than others, yet there hasn't been a day the first 6 years I wasn't grateful and willing to do whatever it took to succeed and reach my goal. I did drop from BMI 47.5 down to 34, and managed to weigh less than I did since 1963...although that was still "25#" above my goal. I have been a Happy Bandster. Recently some issues have required imaging studies, which were done today. Pending results from that, I'm STILL a Happy Bandster. Good luck to all in their Journey.

I'm in my 7th year postOp and beginning to have concerns with possible slip issue. Going in tomorrow for imaging. Do not 'slip' back into old back eating habits no matter what! I once had to have all fill removed for about a year. Too tight is not good. Sometimes it's hard to decide. I think many Bandsters try to get too filled too quickly and cause themselves grief....at least that's my own impression.

cheers to the Bandsters 'of a certain age".....I'm now 67 & about 7 1/2 yrs post op. Life is good!!!

...get a smaller bucket!!!! HAR!!! OK.....it IS a surprise discovering there are whole stores that don't even HAVE XXXXL sizes! There's a bunch of stuff on my own journey that I posted long ago but will not revisit.... It is nice to be able to pick up the soap if you drop it in the shower. And I'm getting used to eating "only 1" normo sized meal (with take-home) when going to restaurant. It almost seems 'normal' now to expect that 'almost 1' sandwich really IS plenty....and that I can reliably not be hungry again for hours. I can do a lot of physical stuff once again....extensive outdoor home chores are pleasurable a lot of the time. Stacking firewood, cutting brush, gardening, building fence, a lot of around home stuff a rural lifestyle demands. I even take a walk now & then.

I spent the day doing yard chores and cleaning up my Jeep. We're still in recovery mode from the last snow storm a couple months ago, lots of tree damage. Also, the garden needed attention. Good thing I'm retired, I wouldn't have time to slave away at the honey-do list.

There's considerably different experiences for one Bandster to another during this period. For me adapting to the actual absence of 'physical hunger' the first few weeks was a blessing. I had long been unable to tell when or whether I was "hungry" so had adapted to the strategy of "eating so I won't get hungry". Strict adherence to the 3 weeks liquids/3 weeks mushie phase taught me considerable about what I needed to learn in how to recognize what was and what wasn't 'hunger'. Probably my experience is considerably different than your journey will be. In any case, you can do it, and you can find your way. Just make sure each day to take a step in the right direction. Cheers on your journey.

Best of luck in your post-band life. I hope all becomes as you hope and you enjoy your European trip. Please post your "return to non-band land" experiences. I'm 7 years in to my Bandster Life, and sometimes wonder whether I could/should/might want to have it removed myself....although not very often and I haven't had all THAT much trouble compared to others.

After 7+ full years as a Bandster, with a lot of issues of 'PB' & unexplanable irritable bowel, I was surprised, along with my internist, to learn I had developed some kind of reaction to my Metformin...which replaced the insulin injections I'd been on for 15 years preOp. So I've been off Metformin now 3 weeks with not a single episode of miseries...e.xcept now my BG level rises and my A1c is climbing. We all have a delicate balance to maintain. Hope all goes will with ALL of us.

Understand the feeling of not achieving whatever you had anticipated. In my own struggles with 'depression' I found that when I had an active "action plan" and was proceeding towards some goal about which I felt I had some control and influence in accomplishing, then those feelings disolved....like the old 'always hungry' signals' that no longer plague me. Although after 7+ full years of the Band, I may have to consider other options myself. Cheers on your journey, as each step you make in the direction you choose, is a step away from depression, IMHO. The experience of the Band most likely has left you with at least SOME kind of beneficial information you can use in your new circumstance! It sounds like you made some major headway in weight reduction. Congratulations, and keep up the good work regardless of how you do it.

I used a nose hose for 10 long years preOp. Everything improved, and 10 months postOp for me, I was off CPAP!!! It was a little odd getting used to QUIET again, and no fighting with the mask issues.

I'm a geezerBandster....now in Year 7 PostOp. A few minor incidents of not recognizing being OVER filled. A few of esophageal irritation that settled down after a while. And I still can produce PGs and slime if I don't pay attention when I eat certain foods. Yes the Band still works for me. No, I'm still "35#" from goal. The REALLY good news, is my comorbidity factors have mostly gone away. I no longer take insulin injections after 15 long years on the needle. I no longer use the noseHose after 10 years on the CPAP. I haven't reached my goal of size 40 pants either....but life is otherwise far far better than preBand. I've got the old 4cc model. Would I do it again? In a heart beat....as for 40 years I had the old CouldaShouldaWouldaeatTooMuchBlues. And nothing I did made much headway. I maxed out at 373 preOp....Been shadowing 265 for four4FOUR years!!! Life is good.

re: "should I feel a little restriction and tightness in my chest to signal stop eating..." you should stop eating before you are 'full' ...there is a nice place we've never known before, it's the 'not hungry but still eating' mode .....learn to appreciate the nuances of 'satiety'. We have never learned the MYSTERY of why thin people stay that way. Here it is: They eat until they are NOT hungry; then they stop, regardless of what's left or who entices them to eat more. We of the TOTMOs [Tribe of the Morbidly Obese] eat until 'full' and then keep eating. For an astonishing variety of reasons, we do not stop eating regardless of hunger. Most of us eat until whatever it was is gone. We have to find a way to make our Brain overcome our Belly, and train it like any other semi-domesticated creature. We need to make our Brain direct our eating habits, not our Belly. Personally I failed for decades at the 'stop when full' nonsense was the theory. We have to learn new sensory cues about HUNGER not 'fullness' or 'tightness', IMHO. Sometimes a few bites is all you will want, and then consider....why keep eating? Over the long haul of 8-12 months, we need to find a way to reprogram our eating behavior...for me it is to not eat if I'm not hungry... In the beginning, I had to rely on the Band to get a sense of what 'too full' was. Sounds like you know that one. Do some reading on appetite, satiety and eating behavior, it may give you some ideas. cheers on your journey

We all get in a hurry and lose our sense of actual timing. When I look back at long I thought "it takes" vs how long it actually "took" it's hard to believe the same amount of time passed on the calendar. It helped me to focus on my goal, in part by seeing how my clothing and body shape were changing, even during periods the scale wasn't moving. Each day is a LOT easier to do one at a time. Being consistent and measuring what we eat, taking walks, getting our Water down, etc helps build a New Life. If *I* can do it, anybody can do it. Just keep moving in the direction you want to go, one bite at a time. You can do it.

"Eating disorder" is what most of us of the Tribe of the Morbidly Obese do suffer in one form or another. There is a ton of complications and complex 'what-if' kinds of issues our Group must find a way to manage somehow. I've never found the need to 'want' to throw up, or to 'make myself' do such, but I've never been diagnosed with 'bulimia'. Apply classic diagnostic terms help some identify a potential remedy. Regardless of our various diagnostic term, over eating chronically is an issue that must be resolved. Good luck to your friend. We all labor along the path to our goal.

Being an old fan of hand thrown pottery, I've shopped for various single-serving pieces that I have pre-measured, and can absolutely fill up (providing that visual cue) while still staying in my guidelines. And after using a measuring cup carefully the first few months I got a good idea of portion control. Every now & then I recheck just to make sure. Constancy and control is a learned habit. Whatever tools we find to make it easier to comply is a good idea. I've got a hand-thrown 'Soup dish' with a handle on it that takes 1 1/2 cups level to the top. Works for an astounding amount of meals. And the "size of my palm" for 3.5-4oz hard protein" does very handy guide line too. It helped me at first using a smaller spoon too. And 4-6 oz clay mugs, instead of my old 16oz++ monsters.

Merry Christmas and cheers on your journey

This is difficult to make guesses based on the limited information you have listed. It sounds like you were too tight for a while before they removed the last fill. And 'heartburn' or a sour flavor after going to bed is often a sign. My own local providers overfilled me several times before I was able to recognize the symptoms. It took several weeks to return to my 'normal'. And I had "first bite syndrome" where I just couldn't eat in the morning. If I didn't take extra care to chew thoroughly the first bite I would be on the verge of NPB-slime-eventually throwing it out of my gullet. Thee is a very delicate balance between too much food, too fast, too tight, too dry, etc, that we all have to learn how to manage. Being out in the bush as you seem to be, means you need to get in touch with resources to help tell the 'normal' phases we go thru. My own Band has survived all my own missteps and I'm still a Happy Bandster. Ask the forum and you should get some helpful ideas....but we are not all in the same phase, and we don't all respond exactly the same. Fills IMHO should be small and careful. Any changes I've tried to rush have proven to be a clumsy uncomfortable misstep.