kandiceb

I've been back to the NWLSS center 11 times for fills/unfills. Other than always giving me back 1/2 of what they took out on my emergency unfills, they let me do what I want. I can't eat eggs or most chicken unless I am very careful. I'm not much of a meat eater so I don't miss that. I've taken up spicey tofu and seem to survive on that and cheese. I also still use my Protein powder (Isopure) twice a day which gives me 50 grams of protein. I mix that with Brown Cow whole plain yogurt. I don't do bread but I can eat small amounts of rice. I eat out daily so that makes lunches a challenge. Chili works or cheese casadias. Looking at what I just wrote, I guess I am probably too tight...but it works for me. I just have to eat slowly, which I usually don't. All this only works because I walk at least one mile every week day and sometimes two if it isn't raining. Also, I drink fluids constantly. I don't eat sweets except my sugar free pudding. Prunes play a big part too. :wink2: Bottom line, I've never lost 66 pounds before so I am very pleased. Hang in there everyone. It all takes time and the journey is different for each of us.

In my jillion fills and unfills, or so it seems, I've found that we aren't always where we think we are. I've had the Fluid taken out about three times and completely put back in to test my level. Some nurses can pull all the fluid out and some can't so it isn't as cut and dried as we think. That having been said, I think I'm at 7.5 now. 8.25 and I couldn't swallow spit. 7.75 and I couldn't swallow mushies. To be honest, I can't eat much in the way of solid things now. I can eat very rare steak and extremely moist chicken. I can eat some ground beef if I'm careful. I can definitely fill up on mushies if I am not careful. I am never really hungry. Head hungry...yes, but not hungry. I still have to make the decision to eat what is good for me. I was upset when one nurse told me it is 10% band and 90% won't power. But she was right in a way. However, I've never lost 65 pounds in my life so I don't care if it is me or my band. It is working.

Name..............Start...........Current..............Goal........ To Go CindyG..............210................210..................198....... ....12 TxArcher...........308................308...................285....... ....23 Foofy...............235.................235..................225...... .....10 Skinny_Jill..........173................173..................163...... .....10 Hollyberries.........257...............257..................247....... ....10 Stephanie...........173...............173.................159......... ...14 gabeekeeper........246..............246.................236.......... ...10 Sades................197...............197.................185..............12 shortgal..............175...............175.................165....... ......10 Momto1plus1........210..............210..................198.............12 Shalee04.............187...............187..................177.............10 osangriared..........248................248.................228..............20 lindata................181.5.............181.5...............176.5............5 kuchiegrl1............262.5.............262.5...............252...........10.5 kandiceb.............175................175..................165.............10 Just got back from my cruise to Alaska. I didn't gain any weight!!!! I am very pleased because they had so much food there. I couldn't eat much and didn't feel deprived because I ate a small bit of my favorites a couple times and that worked. Not sure I can do 10 pounds but I'm going to try!! I'm going in for a small fill tomorrow morning...maybe .1 or .2 if I can.

Name..............Start...........Current..............Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.....................220 .........8 Osangriared.....252...............245.5.....................232 .....13.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............175.....................168....... ....7 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... ..12 kandiceb..........187...............175.....................175....... ...0 shortgal............183..............175....................175....... ....0 TxArcher..........328..............315......................308....... ...7 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... 10 Momto1plus1.....223..............212.6..................210......... 2.6 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........209.....................199...... ..10 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6...................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............208.....................199.......9 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239...... 11 Foofy..............239.5............236.....................230....... ...6 Shalee04..........196..............187......................185....... ..2 Hollyberries......267...............257......................254...... ...3 CindyG............215...............211......................199...... .12 MollyBrown......258...............251.......................245....... .8 lindata............189?.............185.......................180..... ...5 Finally!!! I've been on a plateau and now I've made my goal. YES!!

I asked the same question a couple weeks ago and my fill was so tight that I couldn't eat "real" food. I'm going on a cruise this coming Sunday. I was at 8.75 in a 10 cc band and now am at 8.25. I can actually eat some food. I am stuck on a plateau but after loosing 63 pounds that is to be expected I guess. I'm certainly not going to stuff myself on the cruise, but I didn't want to throw up everything all the time while on the trip as I was. So as soon as I return, I've set an appointment for another fill though it will be very small. It is counter productive to be too tight. It also really annoys your friends that go to lunch with you when you have to run to the john every couple minutes. I knew you would get flamed. Everyone means well but we are all coming from differing experiences so do what works for you. Have a good vacation.

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy..............37.5..................14%.................38 Sades.............31.5..................14%.................36 Shalee04.........61.....................24%.................31.1 Bandpal...........66.8..................24%................36 Skinny_Jill.......48....................22%..................32.7 Stephanie.......60....................26%..................27.1 Hollyberries.....95....................27%.................38 linda..............42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood.......53....................23%.................?? want2lose.......76.4.................26%..................33.5 kandiceb.........63...................26%...................27.6 I'm stuck on a plateau and I only have one more pound to loose for the Cinco de Mayo contest. Nice time to be stuck. Oh well. I've 37 to go.

Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.5.....................220 ..........8.5 Osangriared.....252...............249.5.....................232 ..........19 Skinny_Jill.......180...............176.....................168....... .....8 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............176.....................175....... ....1 shortgal............183..............177....................175....... .....2 TxArcher..........328..............318......................308....... ....10 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............217.2..................210........... 7.2 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........209.....................199...... ....10 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6.....................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............209.....................199........1 0 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............189......................185....... .4 Hollyberries......267...............262......................254...... .8 CindyG............215...............212......................199...... ..13 MollyBrown......258...............253.......................245....... ..8 lindata............189?.............185.......................180..........5 One pound is better than none for this week.

For those of you who had an unfill for either a vacation and/or cruise, how much would you recommend? I am at 8.75 and can't really eat much that isn't mush. This restriction works for me. However, I am going on a cruise to Alaska the first of May and I would like to be able to eat something. Has anyone done an unfill for this reason and how did it work? I'm getting filled back to normal when I return. Thanks for your help.

Sorry you only read my initial post and not my clarifications down below. I got a .5 cc unfill because I couldn't eat solid food. I was going to go on my cruise in that state, but it gets embarassing when I throw up anything more solid than cream of wheat and usually the cream of wheat also. I agree, I wouldn't open up the restriction to just be able to eat MORE...but to just be able to eat PERIOD. It wasn't a good post. I just keep my restriction too tight because I am driven to reduce my weight. It is counterproductive and I didn't loose any more weight during that last week though I lost 7 pounds the week before. Sorry for the confusion.

I did get .5 cc removed Friday morning. It was a very good thing for me. I can finally eat solid foods. I also lost another pound. I still only eat very little and only Protein and veggies. Yes, I could eat garbage, but we've all worked too hard to ruin this now. No chips or Cookies or ice cream or anything like that. But eating half of a moist chicken breast tastes like the best ice cream ever when you haven't been able to eat anything solid for two months. I guess I am a slow learner. I'll be fine on my cruise. Thanks for listening.

I guess I wasn't very clear in my original post. If I could actually eat solids, I would have no desire for any amount of unfill, cruise or not. But since I can only drink, I will go for the slight unfill in a couple hours. I will ask to go down to 8.25 from 8.75. Normally fills are done by their nursing staff and these "emergency" unfills are done by the surgeons on Friday's as the fill nurses aren't there. There may be some surgical nurses but probably I'll get a surgeon and a lecture for being too tight. Sigh. Also, I wouldn't mention why I need an unfill other than to say I can't actually eat. I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. :thumbup: Take care.

Thanks Julie and everyone else who responded. I guess I am my own worst enemy when it comes to the band. I love the weight loss and don't give myself enough credit as far as making good food choices. I'm on a MISSION and I will succeed. So after throwing up after I ate three peas of my hot bean curd w/peas meal at the Chinese across the street, I called in for a slight unfill tomorrow. I'll probably get back to about 8.3 or so. Again, thanks for all your words of advice.

I would agree on both your comments. Thanks. But since I can't eat anything now, I am really running too tight. I have NO desire to overeat. I just wouldn't mind being able to eat SOMETHING. I will probably not go more loose with my current restriction. My surgeon said that doesn't really happen. I don't agree as it did happen before after about three weeks, but I'm down 62 pounds with only 38 to go to be at a weight I think I was at when I was nine months old. This isn't something I would do easily or frequently but I've been advised from others who watch me throw my food up daily that I might want to revisit my restriction...at least for the cruise.

I don't post much either though I am a Nov Nymph and I lurk almost daily. I am the type who is running my band tight. I'm at 7.75 in a 10 cc and am very limited as to what I can eat. I get my vitamins and my protein to at least 60 mgs daily, so I'm ok. I've lost 62 of my 100 pounds so I'm on track. I don't cheat. I'm on a mission. I do enjoy what I can eat so I'm not deprived. I will lighten up the restriction when I get to goal. I try to walk at least 1 mile 5 times per week. That is the limit of my energy. My 57 years is really showing up as the fat melts but hey, what can you expect? I think the wrinkles will even out eventually as my weight loss slows. I am happy and much healthier and still on a MISSION!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!! Great weight loss. My record isn't quite as good as yours, but I've lost 62 pounds. I'm at 177 and my lowest weight at 5'6 1/2" was 124. I looked pretty anorexic then and that was 30 years ago. According to the charts, I should be 139 to not be overweight. Not sure I can make it, but I'm going to give it a try! If I can get below that, I'll go for that too. I do like it when someone comes up and says..."you really are too thin!" :sad_smile: Since that only happened once from my doctor when at the 124 lb stage, I don't get to hear that very often!

Name............Start.............Current...............Goal... ...........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............233.....................220 ..........13 Osangriared.....252...............252.....................232 ..........20 Skinny_Jill.......180...............180.....................168............12 Sades.............197...............197.....................185............12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175...........03 shortgal............183..............181....................175............6 TxArcher..........328..............328......................308...........20 Peaches11........217..............217.....................199..........18 Momto1plus1.....223..............220.6...............210.............10.4 zippykat...........173..............173.....................160..........13 Trixie...............219.5...........217.....................199..........18 Shalee04..........196..............196.....................185..........11 wnt2lose..........219..............219.....................209.........10 plump_princess....215.............213.....................199........14 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230........7.5 Shalee04..........196..............195......................185........10 Well, I've had a rough couple weeks and at least I've got a good weight loss to show for it.

Can you tell me what it feels like? I had my band too tight for a week and finally wasn't able to swallow my own spit. I can't remember how many times I threw up. I finally got a small unfill and now I feel funny. I don't want eat much...just a couple bites. I have lots of heartburn...though I always used to before the band. I have to go back on my Prilosec. The nausea and heartburn remind me so much of my preband time. I've been off the Prilosec since my banding. Not sure if this is a slip symptom or not. Thanks for your help.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Thanks for all your input. I don't think mine has slipped. I really messed myself up by allowing my too tight restriction for over a week. I believe my heartburn and "odd feeling" was due to too much throwing up. I haven't gained weight. I lost seven pounds during that time and only gained one back. It was all dehydration I am sure. I am still restricted. I can just now eat a little. I can get down maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food twice a day if I take it slow. I am not close to being hungry and since my stomach was upset I just didn't eat. I have plenty of Protein drinks so I'm not starving. I am going to take it slowly and see what happens. I was at 8.0 cc's and now am back to 7.5 cc's. I think I'll just leave it for a bit as long as I'm still dropping pounds. Again, thanks for your help.

Can you tell me what it feels like? I had my band too tight for a week and finally wasn't able to swallow my own spit. I can't remember how many times I threw up. I finally got a small unfill and now I feel funny. I don't want eat much...just a couple bites. I have lots of heartburn...though I always used to before the band. I have to go back on my Prilosec. The nausea and heartburn remind me so much of my preband time. I've been off the Prilosec since my banding. Not sure if this is a slip symptom or not. Thanks for your help.

Thanks. I'll do that.

Since I eat out a lot and since I keep my band tight, I've had lots of experience with the public Pb's. I carry around a plastic sack in my purse. (Make sure it doesn't have any holes in it!) Once at a McDonalds, I just couldn't get to the outside garbage can in time. This was my first experience so since then I've got my bags. Oh well.

Like you said: Eat Healthy Foods! When I was over restricted, I certainly wouldn't consider eating ice cream or chips. I never eat ice cream or chips or candy or Cookies. I didn't pay $17,000 for this procedure for no reason. I ate Protein powder in Water which took me one hour to get down about 12 ounces. I did loose 7 pounds during the process which is at least the only plus I went through. You have to make wise food choices. At the weightloss center, they told me of a person who was over restricted for a year who would only eat ice cream. Needless to say, she didn't loose any weight.

Wow! This thread is right up my alley. I was at 8cc in my 10cc band as of 3/17. It was ok for two days...horrible for six days and almost terminal yesterday. I was thowing up for 4 hours at work and not even able to swallow my own spit so I called NWWLS and got in to see my surgeon within the hour. He gave me a .5cc unfill and a HUGE lecture...all deserved. He said if I intend to walk the fine line of being tight, I need to eat VERY SLOWLY. If I eat fast, the pressure on the pouch will stretch it out and not only be very painful, might require a band relocating surgery. The first food in the pouch causes the build up of pressure. Wait a few minutes before adding more so as to not overpressure the pouch. I know what he is talking about. I feel the pressure in my "throat" when I've eaten wrong or too fast. I'm still a little tight but that is probably the results of over a week of irritation so I am taking it easy now. I need to not focus on the 7 pounds I lost during that time. You can't run around dehydrated and be healthy!!

I can identify with the wanting to be over restricted. I KNOW I am currently over restricted. My fills always take two days to kick in. I should have known I was going to have a problem when I got into the office that morning and could only finish 1/2 a cup of coffee. Four days later, I can still only get 1/2 a very small cup of coffee down. food is out of the question. I think I hurt myself the second day when I ate my morning runny oatmeal. I can't drink my Slim-Fast Optima drinks. I can drink the Zero Carb Isopure Protein powder in Water and that gives me 50 grams of protein in one 12 oz glass. I can only drink 6 oz at a time and it takes me about 1 1/2 hours to get that down. I hope to jump my 1 pound a week loss rate a little. My fill before this one was great and lasted one month but I could eat a little then. If I can't get this one to open a little, I guess I'll have to go in. I'm still walking my mile a day. I've no energy to do the two miles. Take care

Name............Start.............Current...............Goal... ...........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............233.....................220 ................13 Osangriared.....252...............252.....................232 .................20 Skinny_Jill.......180...............180.....................168....... ..........12 Sades.............197...............197.....................185..................12 kandiceb..........187...............187.....................175..................12 Since my last fill I'm so tight I can barely drink Water. I am going to keep this though and make sure I get the Protein drink in water. The Protein Drink in a can won't stay down. I know, I'm loony. Maybe I can kickstart a better loss. Seems like I'm down to 1 pound a week. I need this challenge!!