Denamara

Of course everyone is different with their fills, but the majority of people have very little restriction after the 1st fill and can eat too much. It usually takes a few. My Dr told me I will probably need more fills, even though I felt I was at my "sweet spot" for awhile...for the same reasons noted above. I would guess after you are at your goal weight and hit a sweet spot that will last for MUCH longer, but I still have quite a bit of weight to lose. SO it definatley is not surprising you can eat a large quantity and those types of foods at this point in your journey. Good luck!

I believe it is widely known that PETA is full of whack jobs, even most animal rights activists would agree...They are WAY to far over the top to be able to help anyone/or creature.

wine, vodka cranberry, Malibu w/pineapple juice, or strawberry daquri's. That way you don't have the carbonation, but still LOTS of calories! I tend to get buzzed faster, but I attribute it to the weight loss not necessarily the band per se'.

My Dr said to try & stay with 800-1000 calories per day while losing weight. It will increase a little when you are starting to just maintain the weight you are happy at. I felt I was at my sweet spot for a while, but the Dr said it will loosen over time (they predicted 12 weeks for me) since I was still losing fat around my stomach and that your body just "gets used to" the band and adjusts accordingly. So I will eventually need another fill.

Thanks for the replys. He hit 2 lbs yesterday so that is encouraging. He developed some Fluid on his lungs so they are giving him diuretics & changed respirators again. He also has a slight heart murmur but they seem to think it will correct itself. He had his 3 week birthday yesterday too that was a milestone to us....The PIE seems to be much better though. I broke down & bought him a couple of X-mas presents, it was too hard to resist. I am from North Dakota, so the poor little guy doesn't know how lucky he is to have to stay inside! Thanks again for the info, it is very comforting to hear happy endings.

I guess what everyone is really wondering is when do you consider them "out of the woods" for surviving? We can deal w/any health issues that come after the fact as long as he makes it, we have a large very supportive family in every way.

It is of course a personal decision, but you said you wanted to do it for your health. Using the lap band as a tool along w/the new eating habits, could greatly increase your health in the long run. It is not gonna help overnight, it is a long hard journy either way. If portion control is an issue for you, the band almost always helps the process. If sweets/snacks are your downfall the band is not always as helpful. Good luck on your journey!

Thanks for your thoughts & prayers, I just got an update and he pooped for the 1st time on his own this morning! Apparently that is really good! :clap2:

OK a little background. My sister gave birth to a baby boy on the 19th. She was only 25 weeks along. He was 1 lb 8 ounces at birth. So he has been hanging in there for almost a week now. He is on a respirator (which I understand is normal at that stage). He developed a problem called P.I.E in his lungs and they switched ventilators to try and improve this condition. It has not been helping much so far by looks of the X -Rays. Can someone explain what PIE is, and if it is a common condition in premature babies, and how concerned we should actually be. They also keep taking almost daily pics of his head, they say they are checking for bleeding since his skull is not developed yet. Is this normal to check so often or are they concerned about something they are not telling us about? How about the mortality rate after they make it a whole week...when do you usually consider them "out of the woods?" I would love to do some Christmas shopping for him, but I am to scared too at this point. any input is appreciated!

Thanks for the info, it was very interesting & shocking at the same time!

Definately! I never liked sweets before, but now I eat small amounts of icecream & chocolate. It has worked the other way w/me too..I used to like wheat bread much better than regular, and now I hate the taste of wheat bread! I thought that was weird.

I think that is where you are getting confused. There is a 10 cm & a 9.75cm band and these hold 4cc (some docs go a little over that though).

Hello all, I was just wondering if any of you have come across any websites where you type in ingredients you have made at home & it calculates the nutritional values for you. Such as, the other day I made a pot of chili & could not for the life of me figure out how many calories, protein, carbs etc..were in a cup of it. I also make a lot of cassaroles and would like to know what portion is approptiate for me (some of them go down too easily:)). Most of the sites I have come across just have pre-packaged amounts etc., and apparetly I cook w/weird food combo's. Any insite would be very helpful! Thanks!