bebers

I am at goal. Maybe a 1lb below. Its great!

You are not a failure. After several years you are still down 32 pounds. You probably would be 32 pounds heavier. However, not all people have the best luck with the band. You have to work with it. It certainly doesn't work without your help or doctor's help.

I went to Dr. Kuri in Tijuana. He's done thousands of these procedures. And I'm very happy with my band. He and his staff were great! Beautiful clean hospital. They pick you up at border. And fills are free, but you have to pay $95 to hospital for flouroscopy room. His price is about $7k. you can go to web site to check it out. Lap Band Surgery In Mexico: Dr. Kuri & Associates

The band is not cheating. It's a brave and aggresive way to put a tool in place to help us achieve our goals because it wasn't working before. But it's just a tool. We still have to eat proper food. Bad food like chips, ice cream, cookies, etc. have very little or no restriction. I've always told people that it is half the band and half me in order to be successful. To make the decision to get the band is a bold and brave decision to take control of your wieght. No body wants to go into surgery. And no body wants the throwing up and/or having trouble eating many foods (especially in public). But to me it is what I must endure in order to keep from getting heart disease and Type II diabetes like both my older brothers have contracted. Don't ever let anyone knock you for taking this bold step in your life. Besides, it's not like they can't do it too.

I check in now and then to see how the Nov. 2007 bandsters are doing. I really am glad I got the band 2 years ago. I've made sure to keep getting it tightened until it works for me. I still want to lose 8 more pounds and as long as I concentrate on putting good foods in my mouth (not ice cream and Cookies and chips), then I know I will achieve it. Without the band, 2 years out, I would have gained all my weight back and then some. I don't know how many calories it has saved me from consuming. But I couldn't do it without the band. Happy 2nd Anniversary Bandsters!

Don't be concerned. When I was banded I only lost 10 pounds during the first 2 months. Most of which was in the few weeks right after surgery. Later I started losing on average of 5 lbs a month after my first fill and keep getting fills every 2 to 3 months. I am on my 4th fill now. Then you hit the "sweet" spot and haven't had a fill in a while. My surgery was Nov. 2007 and I have lost 60 lbs. and am working on the last 10. You do have to watch what you put in your mouth! There are some foods that are not restricted by the band. Such as cookies, cake, ice cream, chips and the like. But if you eat healthy foods, the band works for them. However, it may take several fills to get your first restriction. Some doctors are very conservative about how much fill they give you at one time. It is true, what someone else wrote to you. You just need to get a fill. Then keep getting them until it works for you. Don't despair, good luck.

You both have done phenomenol in 16 (now 17 months)! I still have 13 pounds to lose. My weight is much slower than yours. Any tips on what you eat? Don't eat? I drink water/beverages with my meals which I know you are suppose to wait an hour plus. Any feedback on that? I like to hear from any of our Novermber bandster buddies. Congrats to all!

It has been worth it to me. I couldn't make any progress until I got the band.

I have 3.8cc in a 10cc band. That worked great for 2 months. Seemed to be my sweet spot. But this last week, I can eat more than usual. Stuff like toasted bread or cookies and fries that might cause me to get stuck right away are going down fine. Perhaps its time for another fill. I still have some restriction, but it seems it is hit and miss. One day things go down find and another day I have problems the minuete I take a bite. I wonder if anyone else has that situation.

Just do it! But baby steps are O.K., just as long as you take a step (or peddle). You're doing great!

I was interested in knowing who follows the band rule of not drinking anything for an hour or two during or after a meal? This rule is suppose to keep you fuller longer so that the food you've just eaten stays in the smaller stoma longer, thus keeping you full longer. I have a hard time with that, and can't seem to follow it. For one, I would have a hard time drinking enough Water in a day if I couldn't drink for a good hour 3 or more times a day. Plus I like to keep my whistle wet. And Besides that, I've tried to go a half hour or 45 minuetes without drinking after a meal, but it doesn't seem that I am fuller than if I drink with my meal. Please share you experiences on this subject.

I PB a couple times a week. If it's going to happen, it will happen in the first bite or two. Usually too big a bite or not chewing it enough. Also, in the morning I am tighter and also if I have been drinking the night before the next day is tight. I think drinking alcohol causes some swelling or tightness of the stoma. Then sometimes, I feel like I can eat anything no problem. When I PB, it's not too terribly bad. I start to burp and can feel the food stuck and not going down (it's quite uncomfortable). I go to the bathroom and basically spit up/throw up the obstruction. If I am having trouble bringing it up, I take a sip or two of water and that helps bring things up, since the water can't go down either, it's reaction is to come back up. The most important thing is if you feel the food stuck and your burping, get to a bathroom right away, especially if you're around people, you don't want it to happen in front of them. I have sometimes had to spit up in napkins if a bathroom isn't close at hand.

Snowbird, On another topic...I'm impressed with your weight loss. I'd love to hear how you manage you band? For instance what do you typically eat in a day? Are you exercising? Are you hungry? Etc.

Great advice. You just need to follow the band rules on how to eat and continue getting your fills until you get to the sweet spot.

I have after my first fill. I have had 3 so far on english muffin and then again on chicken. Need to chew these more or forego althogher. Well I won't forgo chicken. If it's mosit, or in soup or has sauce on it, then no problem. Still must take small bites and chew well. The PB is very uncomfortable, but it came pretty fast. Some of it would come up, then still some pressure/pain, then I take a small sip of water and that seems to give it the needed fluid boost to help it come up.

My weight loss shown below is since surgery, this graph I will keep updated well past my post date shown here. Had a first fill just 3 days ago and it seems to be working a bit. I will go for another fill in a month.

I had my first PB this morning. I was filled on Feb 7th for my first fill. So on my way to work this morning I stopped at McDonald's for a coffee and egg mcmuffin. After a few bites of that, it got stuck while I'm driving to work. I kept heaving slime and small pieces of food into a napkin. This continued for 15 minuetes, until I ran out of napkins. Good thing I keep a supply of fast food napkins in my car. Yes it is miserable. But it will remind me to take smaller bits and chew more thouroghly. And maybe even certain breads will have to be a no no. I suspect this PB'ing will get worse after I get more fills, so I will really have to be even more careful after each fill.

Kickrmom, Don't be down. For starters, when was the last time you lost 15lbs in so short of time and thru the Holidays? I usually gain 10 lbs during the Holidays. I understand it can take several fills to get good restriction. I'm in the same place. So I told myself, I will try to lose 1lb a week (on my own, since I have no restriction right now). For a short time I can do this, I am a professional dieter. However, I have the band because I can not be good forever and I always gain back. We will get there. The band does work. Just that some of us have to wait longer for the fills to work.

Thank goodness! I thought I wasn't seeing straight. You should put that on your profile so people like me don't compare our weight loss against people who started losing well before surgery. Many of us become disillusioned with our slow weight loss when we see other people's numbers. Thanks for responding and Congratulations on your very successful weight loss!

I'm jealours. I'm only down 12 pounds since surgery (no fill yet). Is there something wrong with me? Or are you all just exceptional?

Patti, Looking at your weight loss...Have you really lost 60 pounds in 2 1/2 months since surgery? And you felt no restriction until now? Please explain, I'm feeling like a loser, but in a bad way.

Cardiff is a bit far I believe. What do they charge for a fill?

I was banded in Mexico and I am looking to find a "good" fill doctor in San Diego. If the price is reasonable and he/she uses floro, then I may consider going locally rather than traveling to TJ. But, of course, I want a reccomendation from someone who has used the doctor. I don't want some yahoo, that doesn't really know what they're doing.

Seems everyone is doing well. I've only lost 9 pounds since surgery date an most of that was the first week. Clear Liquids do wonders, but boy was I hungry. Not sure why my weight loss is so slow. I'm getting a little bummed about it. I'm eating around 1,000 day. Well, maybe everyone's different. Any words of wisdom anyone?

My words got tangled there. I mean "maybe only those who lose a lot of weight are the ones who post the most. Ones that don't lose much or not at all may not post, thus making us compare ourselves to the higher weight loss bandsters.