mbanja

Oh, also make sure to get in all your recommended water because we LBer's tend to dehydrate faster than non LBer's and dehydration can cause the band to be more tight. I don't know why but in my own personal experience I know this to be true!

Some and maybe even most LBers find that it is hard to eat anything in the morning and afternoon but by late evening they loosen up and can eat dinner. Just think of it like the slimfast diet: a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, then a sensible dinner. If you feel that you are too tight for your comfort I would suggest an unfill, but I think most find this style ok and it jumpstarts the weight loss. If you can tolerate it, I would say it is a common way to feel if you are like others and prefer the most restriction for your money " so to speak" It might help you loose weight faster, it might not. Once again if you are not comfortable with being very restricted have the doc back off some. Sometimes even the tiniest .1cc can mean all the difference in the world. It just depends on how aggressive you want to be with your band and body. I prefer to be a smigeon on the looser side cuz I got a toddler and need a little extra energy to chase her around all day. At the end of the day it is your decision on how tight or loose you personally want to be.

I personally like have the fluros when I go get a fill, and the barium drink is not all that bad. Think vanilla flavored milk of magnisia. Its not as thick but super chalky if that makes sense. I think they come in different flavors and unflavored but my doc always uses the vanilla. The reason I like having the fluro is so I can get an update on how my band and port are doing and make sure everything is aok, not because it helps the doc find the port easier. My doc is really good at doing fills and hits the port on the first stick everytime. I know she could do it without the fluro cuz I had to have 2 emergency unfills without it. I guess it depends on how comfortable/knowledgable the doc is on doing the fills. But the fluro is just reassurance for me. That is my personal opinion on them. I agree with Longhorns doc in that it isn't a good predictor of being overfilled, since my last fill, barium went down fine but 2 days later nothing would go down, hense the 2 emergency unfills (long story).

Here is a tip for the pasta. I can eat really small amounts but it is just to labor intesive so I replace pasta with squash or zuccini. For spaghetti you can use spaghetti squash. My favorite is making lasagna with thinly sliced eggplant in place of the lasagna noodles. Yum its good!!

I love milkshakes too!!! I get around it by getting the walmart brand slim fast (I like the taste better than the real slimfast) and I pour it in my magic bullet blender cup and add about 10 pieces of ice. I let it go round for about a minute and when its done it tastes just like a frosty from Wendy's!! It is really good!

Oh, just to add a quick note, make sure you know the value of the ring before you take it in. Depending on what it is, you might want to get it appraised and know exactly what the stones and metal are. If it is a high end jeweler they will probably ask for an estimated value of the ring before taking it in, incase anything should happen to it. If it is a really valuable ring you might want to get it appraised, and once you have it appraised ( if you don't already) you should go ahead and have it insured ( if I am not mistaken you can add it onto you Homeowner's policy.)

Rainer, in reference to your grandmother's ring, it depends on how thick the shank is. Usually antique rings are very thin on the underside. If this is the case you might want to wait till you loose all your weight. Sizing down is not as bad as sizing up since going up streches the metal. It is always possible to add gold or platinum to a thin shank, sometimes antique rings tend to break cuz the shank is so thin so a jeweler will add some gold/platinum to it to thicken it up. Since you will be sizing it down, the jeweler will likely cut some of the metal out and solder it back together, if it is very thin then you will probably want to go ahead and have him/her add some metal to thicken it up just so you don't run the risk of it breaking. Have a "trusted" jeweler look at it and explain that you will be loosing more weight and see what he/she says. Depending on if you want to wear it now or wait and depending on how much money you are willing to spend, It is entirely possible to size it twice. But, don't take it to a quick fix place. Take it to a high end jeweler!

I am right there with you candle and laura!!! My 2nd boobs are bigger than the real ones. I think that when my boobs were growing they got confused and thought that there were supposed to be under my arms. Ugggg I hate 2nd boob fat and back fat!!!!!!

You might try one of those exercise belts that you wrap around your middle when you work out. I think it is made out of neoprene. It makes you sweat but it also holds everything tight. I had one I bought at walmart a while back and I noticed it helped a little with my back fat, that was prebanding days so I haven't tried it now. My trainer advised me to get it and it did help a little, I got pregnant shortly there after so I didn't really get to work out intensly so I don't know the extent of how much it would have helped. It may help it may not but it is worth a try. I think I bought my at walmart for about $6.

Hmmm, do you have both the flat blade and the curved blade? I use the curved blade to chop the ice.

Oh I gotta nuther one!! I'm abosoulutely in love the the walmart brand slim fast. Put it in the bullet cup with about 10 pieces of ice and let it go for about a minute and you got a frosty that tastes just like Wendy's!!!!!! That is usually my dessert or night treat!!!

Oh, and on the family issues....it takes more than just you to work out the problems. If the others are not willing it won't work. I think this current doc is full of whoey!! He/She is probably just pushing their "I know more than you, cuz I spent all this money for school" degree!!

I agree with the others on finding a new one!! One doc isn't the end of it. There are millions out there get your doc to send you to a different one. Tell him you want a second opinion and you feel like the current one is not knowledgable enough in the lap band process. Or just tell him you don't fell comfortable with the current one! As for quitting smoking there are some great antidepressants out there especially designed for quitting smoking. I took zyban (sp?) and it really helped me. I think there is a newer one out that works just as good or maybe better. I have read about it on this site and it has gotten rave reviews on here. Search under smoking and read the posts!! There is the shot too, which I don't know much about but I have heard that it works too! Hope all goes well for you! Good luck!

If I deprive myself of something I really want, I will binge later, so I indulge and I am satisfied. I have found being banded I don't crave as many things as before, and somethings I am just turn off of. I don't diet, I eat healthy, and I eat what I want but in smaller portions. I may not be loosing weight as fast as some of the others, but it is comming off. If I get really frustrated with the slow loss I will be good for a week and it usually jump starts the loss again. I used to love fries, now, I might have one or two and be satisfied. If I go out and a restaurant has those heavenly yeast rolls with honey butter, I slather on the butter, take a bite , and I am done. I think one bite as opposed to 3 to 4 whole rolls is a good trade off! You will see in time that you probably won't indulge as much as you used too, and when you do you have a bite or two and you are satisfied. If not don't deprive yourself, 1 of something won't hurt. Its better to have a little than to binge later with alot!!

Oh yeah, you are right it travels really well and it is so small and compact. I took it on vacation with me and we had frozen margaritas at night and saved bunches of money not paying for drinks at a restaurant. It really chops that ice up better than a normal blender does so the margaritas turn out just like a restaurant style one!!

I love, love, love it!! I tried to make the salsa in the recipe book and it was nasty though. It was frothy and gross. I don't think I did it right, but it is awsome for everything else!!

Lady, give it some time and take it slow. Baby your band and stomach right now and get back to eating good before you try for another fill. He may have taken too much out, but give your body a resting period. I didn't and I really paid for it for about a month and a half. In a couple of weeks if you can eat normal again with little or no pbing then think about getting a fill. Being too tight can really irritate things down there so my advice is to make sure you can get all your foods down really well before the next fill. Hope this helps.

I got mine on Ebay for $38 dollars. It was an awsome deal! I got all the stuff included, all the cups, the blender, the juicer....it is awsome. And man does it make an awsome frozen margarita!!! I just checked on ebay and I can't find a deal like the one I got but there are some good prices on there still. I guess I got lucky. If you are looking just be careful of the shipping charges cause that is how the seller makes up the money they don't get in the bidding. The deal I found, the bullet was listed at $0.01 with no reserve and shipping charges of $38.00 so I esniped it and won it for $38.01. Man you can get some awsome deals on Ebay!

I just wanted to give all you creamer fans a tip. Instead of creamer, which I do love cuz it makes the coffee creamy, I use fat free powdered milk. It doesn't water it down the way skim milk does. Plus its got like 8 grams of protien in 1/3 a cup. Also, if you like your coffee kinda sweet, the silk creamer (soy milk stuff) in the french vanilla flavor is awsome! I haven't had it since being banded, so I can't give you the nutritional facts on it, but it is just sweet enough that you don't have to add sweetener. It probably has sugar in it, but it is soy milk so I would assume it has some kinda protien.

My hair is falling out too, but I have a thick head of hair so it could stand to shed some. Now, if I see a bald spot I am really going to freak. My energy level is really down, I am thinking about the B12 shot. My doc is kinda reserved and has the opinion that some people are fat and some are not. Hence I am a self pay for my band, since I really had no medical issues other than being overweight. I wonder what she would say if I asked her for the B12 shot?

Also your body might be trying to catch up "inchwise" with the weight loss. I find if I stall, I kick the scale under the bed for a few days and get out the tape measure. Also I have noticed that if I have a glass of wine or a "high sodium" day, I gain about a pound and it takes about two days to loose it. I think the alcohol and/or sodium makes me hold in water weight.

My hubby know if I cook and can't eat it, he is doing the dishes!! It is an unspoken rule, cuz I leave 'em there for him to look at. He finally figured it out after a meatloaf pan sat on the counter for two days unwashed. LOL!! Let me add, I HATE washing bottles. I also hate running them thru the dishwasher cause the nipples get cloudy, and it makes me think they are not clean. Thankfully, my little one is about to hit 1yr so the bottles are going soon!!

I have found that I can't eat when my little one is fussy. I get all stressed out. I have to wait till she is fed and happy or asleep. I have also found that not drinking enough water will tighten you as well. Who knows why these things happen it is crazy.

I think mine is about where yours is and it is uncomfortable too. I had know idea you could select your port position until after I had the surgery. I think maybe my doc didn't offer a choice. I have heard of one bandster having it placed between her breasts. I don't think this would be comfortable but she seems to think it is ok. I was recently trying to decide on a medical bracelet and thought about her. If she was ever in an accident and needed chest compressions (CPR), I'd think they'd do some real damage since some of the time ribs get broken doing the compressions. I also heard of one woman who had it to the side of her breast, in between her breast and arm pit. Don't remember if she liked it or not. I think she said her bra irritated it, but I could just be talking outta my head on that one. When I first got my band my waistband irritated it. Now it is not so sensitive, but if I bend a certain way, it will get sore. Plus I have cats that walk on my stomach and make biscuits in my fat, and they irritate it too. I can say though, I can deal with a little soreness or tenderness as opposed to not being able to loose weight!!! I hope some of the people I mentioned reply, so they can tell you of their experiences. If not I think there are some placement responses if you search under "medical bracelet" or "medical id" thats where I remember hearing of the boob port placements. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I was so tight I had to make a 250 mile trip twice! Once she unfilled it just a little, then it was still too tight and she had to completely take my fill out. It was not fun!