Fauxnaif

It depends on the person. I've had my band over 3 years and I think I have had 4 fills. Potentially, yes, we have to have fills the rest of our lives. For its adjustability (its best feature), the band does require more follow-up than any other surgery.

This board has more younger (as in, had the band a shorter time) bandsters than some of the other boards and since it can take several years we don't see that amount of success yet. There were several on Spotlight Health (seemingly defunct now) who had lost all their weight. The thing is when people lose all their weight they tend not to post as much anymore.

How funny. I know they were making tons of money with ads probably.

Are there certain places you go to feed them? Do you take a man for protection?

I really recommend Jessie Ahroni's book: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0595311148/104-8500343-6919121?v=glance]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0595311148/104-8500343-6919121?v=glance[/ame]

I'd love to know. I know there is an alternative group for Spotlight somewhere on MSN but I sure can't find it.

I really love my band. But it has taught me patience. I lost about 100 pounds then had my son still needing to lose about 35 more. Now I still need to lose about 20 pounds. I love it and it has been both easier (at times) and more challenging (at times) than I thought it would be. Dealing with emotional/compulsive eating has been the hardest but I have dealt with it and a binge to me now is one hand full of M and Ms, not an extra large pizza.

I live in Houston. I live in Westbury-near Bellaire/Meyerland/Galleria. But I don't mind driving. I really like the idea of doing the sandwiches for the homeless, too!

My Mexico experience was great also. I have never felt like a doctor was so accessible in my life. My doc is about 8 hours away by car and so I return to him for fills. He works on Saturdays. I also have his cell phone number. I do agree you are taking a risk when you go out of the country. But Mexico is not some gross, dirty place with "witchdoctors" perfoming surgery without anesthetic. Really, I prayed and prayed and got a really good feeling about having surgery in Mexico and it turned out great.

Good idea. The only people who know are my parents, my in-laws, my brother, my husband's siblings and one cousin. And I'm glad.

Hello...this is fast weight loss. You will never see weight loss this fast again with the band. One or two pounds per week will have you jumping for joy later on! I do agree, though with the rest of your message. Don't tell people. Your life will become about nothing but weight loss.

Never was told by my doc but everytime I eat rice it comes back up. I don't know why; I guess it expands. But I have learned to avoid it unless it has gravy. And I used to love fried rice.

The only problem with drinking that could actually damage the band is that it can sometimes lead to PBs. If it just pushes the food through, I think you are probably not doing damage to the band, just to the number on the scale.

You're still in the early stages. Maybe you are a slow learner. I know I was/am. But here I am 3 years later and I love my band. It really is hard and I think it is harder to deal with the more addicted to food you are. Success with the band has to be measured in years, not months. Hang in there! FN

Don't drink with meals. This is the easiest trap to fall into and will sabotage your weight loss like nothing else! I got stuck doing this and didn't stop for like 6 months. It was hard to break the habit but when I did I started losing weight again.

Yes this happens to me, too. Seems that if I eat something solid for breakfast (or much more than a little for lunch), it throws me off for the rest of the day and I eat too much and don't feel good.

This is a great attitude! I struggled for years with getting used to taking medication for my depression and so this is how I feel about the band. It is a necessary medical device.

Note to self: Don't eat a chocolate cookie (yikes!) as you are laying down for bed unless you like acidy breath and coughing and reflux all night!!! This was completely preventable.

1. Don't be such a damn slow learner. Surrender to the band early on. 2. Get more therapy to deal with food issues and the bizarreness of seeing yourself thinner than you've ever been. 3. Follow the rules all the time. 4. Avoid PBs. 5. Love yourself more-before you lose weight. 6. This is a long journey. It is a process that takes years. And you will be older whether you lose weight or not so go ahead and take the journey. 7. Go right back to your Mexican surgeon for aftercare (I went to some other docs that were very annoying and expensive). 8. Understand that you determine how successful you will be with the band. 9. With fills, the looser you can live with, the better! 10. Do not compare yourself or your weight loss with others. Wow, that was motivating. Thanks for starting the topic!!

Cut your food into really really small pieces-like the size of a fingernail. Then chew, chew, chew. This allows you to get in enough food but also not eat too fast. I also recommend some kind of distraction if you are really struggling with it. Such as holding a child while eating, eating really difficult to get at food such as crab legs, etc. A lot of it is (at least it was with me) a psychological need to get enough. A need to know the food will be there next time you want some of it and that you can really have it again. Just keep reminding yoursel you are not on a diet.

Tell me about it! That's what I've been working on and am chipping away at slowly.

If it's anything like the OH website, it would be just about worthless to us bandsters.

Hi, It sounds like you have a healthy attitude and a healthy metabolism. You are so right that we shouldn't be going under 1000 calories per day. Lots of times through this journey I have struggled to get enough calories and added a glass or two of milk so I could get over 1000 per day. None of us needs to get into this trap of trying to live on 800 calories. We may end up thinner but we will be very flabby and a skinny person who has lost tons of his or her muscle because of too few calories is not healthy either.

Hey, I thought you looked familiar. I've seen your website. It is awesome!

I've had my band 37 months! Ask any questions! I am very, very, very happy with my band and even if I never lost another pound, it would all be worth it.