Banded Bob

Do the 5 day pouch test and look in to south beach. It works and you have a variety of foods you can eat that taste great. Also eat sugar free sweets. Breyers fudge bars are awesome. Remember we had surgery to lose weight. That tells us that we know we have a problem and want to fix it. Find a local support group. Your doctor may offer one or be able to steer you to one. It is hard and alot of us have slipped back into our old ways. Just refocus and keep your eye on the prize. Make your desire to be thin stronger than your desire to eat.

I cannot seem to get myself on track. I had lost nearly a hundred pounds with the band and was feeling and looking better than I had in years. I guess I thought I could cheat a little and that quickly spiraled out of control. I have gained 70 pounds back and have abandoned the band completely. I drink with meals to wash the food down and eat all the wrong foods. I get up every day intending to get back on track but always fail. I am really struggling and have to find a way to put things right. Any help/encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Down 12 pounds in 11 days. I encourage everyone to look in to south beach. It's tough until you get used to it then it gets easier. And the food you can eat is what bandsters are supposed to be eating anyway. The spinach quiche are very good. I am feeling more encouraged and motivated each day. Removing the carbs and sugars has given me renewed energy and I have started being more active again. For anyone else in my situation, don't give up, do the pouch test and try south beach. Get greedy for the compliments. I am looking forward to people telling me how thin I'm looking and asking me how much I've lost again.

Thanks everyone. I did the pouch test and have been following the south beach diet since I was able to add food. My pouch is good I don't think I could handle a fill. I had a hard boiled egg and it was all my pouch could handle and I felt full for hours. I have dropped a few pounds already and am really feeling encouraged. I have a trip coming up in august and have set a goal to be under 250# by then. I'll keep this thread updated on my progress.

Most overweight people complain of being hot all the time but I am the opposite. I am cold most of the time especially my hands and feet. When I check my temperature it's usually 2 or 3 degrees under 98.6. If I exercise or do something physical I warm up but then get cold again when at rest. Anyone else experience this?

You may have caused your band to slip. You might want to see your doctor and make sure.

How long since the fill? Usually you go on liquids only for a couple days then mushies then whole food. when you get a fill (and when you overeat) the stomach swells so there is extra restriction. You should take it slow and work back up to whole foods. Chew very well (30 chews per bite, small bites).

Food addictions are quite real. Calling it overeating addictions is the same thing. We crave food the way an alcoholic craves a drink. It gives us our comfort. Our getaway. It's our way of dealing with life's stresses. The difference is, we have to eat. We can't "quit" like an alcoholic or a smoker. Our addiction is necessary to our survival. So we must approach our addiction differently. We must learn to control it rather than avoid it. I doubt there's anyone here who hasn't backslid at some point. And there are those like me who completely lost control and are struggling to regain it. I read a post on here advising another who had lost control. It said "you don't want to go the rest of your life being a failure at this". It slapped me across the face like nothing I've heard. it's a struggle we all deal with and there are some fine people here who offer their advice and encouragement. But ultimately it is ourselves who must make the right choices. We CAN do this. We must! Our very lives are at stake! Allow yourself a treat now and then. eat something decadent. or give in to your craving, but in moderation. Don't beat yourself up too badly while waiting to get back to your sweet spot. However, remember all you've gone through to lose all that weight. Do you really want to sabotage yourself and put it all back? Dig down and find that inner strength. Find something to take your mind off food. Boredom is the enemy. Good luck.

Hi Kelley, Congratulations on your weight loss so far and putting yourself first. Motivation is something a lot of us struggle with. I have made a thousand excuses to not exercise. Tired, too busy the list goes on and on. head hunger is another demon. I find myself in the kitchen when I'm not hungry. I was at a support group seminar and the speaker talked on food addiction. I didn't believe him then but have come to realize he was spot on. Food is where I seek my solace. I think the key is to find something to take the place of food. A hobby or something to keep yourself occupied. Also get greedy for the compliments. I can remember how good it felt to hear how great I looked or how thin. And how disappointing it was when it became "are you still losing weight?" or when the compliments stopped altogether. You are on the road to becoming a new you. Don't let anything or anyone stand in your way or hold you back. Good luck in having a child. Your life will be forever changed as there is nothing like it. Love will have a new meaning afterward. Take care, Bob

Try to portion small meals concentrating on proteins. take small bites and chew well. you might want to keep a sick bag handy just in case since you are a bus driver.

Glad you finally can see some results and have a positive attitude. The thing to remember is the lap band is a tool. It is not a guarantee that you will lose weight. The reason the diet pill industry is so big is because everyone is looking for the magic bean that will enable them to lose weight with no effort on their part. I too have been searching for that magic. I dropped 100 lbs after getting banded and thought I finally had the beast under control. I was wrong. If we don't make proper food choices and lifestyle choices the band or any other weight loss aid will not help us. We all know how to cheat the band. And we all know that Ice Cream doesn't get stuck. I am now working to right the ship after regaining most of the lost weight. I want to get back to all the positive comments I was getting and away from the "what happened" comments. I want to be proud of how I look and not trying to find clothes that hide my gut. I want to be able to climb a set of stairs without getting winded. I want to be around to see my kids and grand kids grow up. In order to do that I must regain control of my life. I must say no when someone offers me cake. I must say no to going to a fast food restaurant. I must say yes to renewing my gym membership. I must say yes when asked to go for a walk. The band is a wonderful tool and I don't regret getting it. I just have to learn to use it properly again. Let's all make 2011 the year we finally slayed the demons!

I think complacency is the key. As you get near your goal you trick yourself into believing you can make poor food choices and still be okay. But that is not the case. when we make poor choices our bodies take the extra calories and store them as fat because our bodies still haven't adjusted to a lower calorie diet. We don't have the luxury of a metabolism that burns off anything we eat. Our bodies have trained themselves to store all the calories they can. so its a personal war with our bodies to keep the fat off. Add cravings to the mix and it really becomes a battle to stay on track. Hang in there and keep fighting. We can all win this fight!

Hi frici, I am just up the road from you in LaVergne. Where were you banded? Baptist has a support group for it's patients. I only went to one meeting, but learned a lot and enjoyed it.

Went to the doc last Thursday after a 2 year hiatus (Didn't know it had been that long). Found out that .8cc had bled out of my band! Doc put it back in and now I feel that ole familiar restriction again. After my 48 hours of liquids Saturday for dinner we had fish. Was only able to eat one piece of fish and was full. Boy does it ever feel good to know that the band is working again. I learned a lesson and don't plan to avoid the regular checkups again.

maybe bled wasn't the best choice of words. the doc said over time some of the saline can leak out somehow. I'm sure I don't have a hole or anything because it's been a couple weeks and it's still the same.

Don't know why the nurse would tell you that. Drinking would allow you to eat more not less. You may have some swelling or less likely your band has slipped. try going on liquids for a couple days and then slowly introducing soft foods back in.

I haven't been on here in a while but I need some encouragement. After losing over a hundred pounds my life took several wrong turns. I got divorced two years ago (after the weight loss she became a paranoid beast to live with. It was crazy.) Last year I was downsized at my job of seven years. I found another job right away but it was not a good fit and I was miserable. So I haven't been taking care of myself and haven't been to the doc in over a year. needless to say I have put most of that weight back on. I have been depressed and angry over my lack of discipline but have not found the motivation to right the ship. Well now hopefully I am getting back on track. I found a really great job that I really like and two of my coworkers are banded! They have been supportive and are giving me some tough love too. I have an appointment next Thursday to hopefully get an adjustment and get back on track. I am quite embarrassed to go like this but I have to face the music. I can't continue the path I'm on right now I don't want to be fat anymore!!!!! Sorry for the long post I just needed to vent. Wish me luck!

Been on protein shakes since Monday, go to the doc tomorrow for an adjustment. I had been dreading the doc because I know he's going to beat me up, then I realized he couldn't possibly be any harder on me than I've been on myself. Now I'm looking forward to it.

To the op, You are doing this for your best interest. Don't let your mom influence your decision or care what she thinks. If she can't be supportive of you no matter what then shes not much of a mom. I will support my kids 100% unless they were to commit a crime. Even then I would do all I could to help them. Amanda5279, The green eyed monster can be brutal. My ex was very supportive of my decision but after the weight came off she became unbearable to live with. She convinced herself I was cheating on her with a coworker and badgered me night and day. Even harassing me at work to the point of it causing problems with my employer. If not for her craziness I would never have left. But now I'm glad I did. My life has improved since the divorce and my stress levels are way lower. Hopefully your husband won't react this way but since he's already concerned, be careful.

Your empowerment is that you had a problem and chose to correct it. I'd much rather be overweight than a closed minded bigot. However you made a mistake with your comment. By calling them out you put them on the defensive and in their mind they justified it by saying you were eavesdropping. Next time walk up to them and say "I'm sorry you feel the need to insult overweight people. I can see you've never had an issue with weight and hope for your sake you never do. I wouldn't wish the battle I face daily on my worst enemy." Then turn and walk away before they can respond. Maybe it will leave them with some guilt and give them something to think about. And if they laugh as you walk away, remember insulting others is their way of compensating for their own inadequacies.

I get the hiccups ALOT, especially while eating. and I HATE the hiccups. does anyone else experience this?

don't order a drink with dinner and eat from the kids menu if possible.

amazing. I came here after a hiatus to say almost the same thing except I haven't been able to get on track. I was divorced in January, have been battling for custody of my children and have alot of new stress at work. I have regained about 50 lbs I had worked soooo hard to lose. I need an adjustment but am so ashamed of myself I can't make the appointment. I met a wonderful, supportive woman and she has watched me fail. she hasn't said anything but I fear she's not happy with my weight gain wich adds more stress that the relationship could falter. I am unsure what to do. I am sick of being like this and every day tell myself I am going to get back on track only to fail. I am very depressed and the only thing holding me together right now is the love of my kids. I am hoping that coming here and reading the success stories will motivate me to call my doc and get the band adjusted and get myself out of this rut.

yesterday for breakfast I had two slices of bacon and some scrambled eggs. I couldn't finish it all and felt almost too full. then my boss took our department out for lunch. I had a pork chop, mashed potatoes and lima beans. I was able to eat all of it without feeling any restriction. I did not drink anything before or during either meal. I know the band is tighter in the morning but I can't believe it would loosen that much. anyone else experience this?

before I was banded when dieting I used to get terrible heartburn/reflux. after banding it went away and I actually thought about suggesting banding for people with that issue. but for the last month or so it has returned with a vengance. I have to take zantac twice a day to control it. not sure what has changed but it concerns me a little. I'm wondering if I'm getting an ulcer or maybe an erosion.