Desi80

depends on how much time i have. I ALWAYS have a carnation instant Breakfast no matter what. When i have more time i will eat oatmeal bacon hash browns yogurt sometimes i'll just have a slice or two of turkey. breakfast doesn't always have to be "breakfast" foods

basically three thing will happen 1) you will PB (not good) 2) you will PB so bad to the point you vomit (REALLY not good) 3) you will sit around in pain for 5-10 minutes until is passes and sometimes vomiting seems like a better solution (not real good either) The idea is not to get to that point. Eat SLOW and take small bites. Its going to happen, i don't know a single bandster (who has been banded for awhile) who hasn't Pbed on occasion. The idea is to do what you can to the best of your ability not to PB. If you PB oftern (once or more a day) go on liquids for a couple days to rest your stoma/band. Then try again..if your still PB and you REALLY feel you are chewing things fully and following the band rules, make an appointment with your surgeon for a possible unfill.

let me clarify the difference between being two tight and "eating around the band" as sometimes its hard to tell the difference. I will use myself as an example. I had my first and only fill in oct. Went back a couple weeks ago and had lost 18lbs. Other then the occasional PB and vomit for eating something I either A) shouldn't have (bagel) or didn't chew/take small bite. All was well. We decided to ride out this fill and did not do another fill. Then I started doing stuff like "hey instead of eating a few bites of chicken, i can eat a whole bowl of cottage cheese. Instead of a salad, i'll have these refried Beans. It wasn't about being too tight, i just was greedy and wanted to eat more. This past week or so i began to think i needed an unfill, i was PBing, and just had a general loss of appettite. I did a liquid diet and allowed my stoma to rest, and i'm back to being able to eat. So lets review. To tight...PBing frequently , unable to keep solids down when bites are small and well chewed. Go on liquids for a day or two and problem does not resolve itself your still too tight. eating around the band... eating soft foods because you can, you enjoy eating that big bowl of ice cream instead of slowly chewing up that salad. Eating that can of refried beans (or pintos and cheese from taco bell) cause its "quicker" then baking some skinless chicken....ya'll get the point.

i love mederma, my doctor prescribed it to me (before it became otc) when i had surgery on my hand...good stuff...not perfect, but much improvement .

Harley Nana..it is harsh, but like you said soo true. I'm saying this as someone who has to struggle against it. It doesn't take long to learn what won't go down at all, what goes down well and follows the band rules, and what goes down easy. Of course the stuff that goes down real easy are the stuff that isn't good for us. ice cream, popcorn, nachos (the taco bell nacho bell grande goes down waaaay to easy) fried foods. etc I could easily live off of all the above because its easy. i can eat and eat and not have to THINK am i full? am i going to PB if i eat another bite? Unfortunately eating those things aren't going to make me loose weight. So I have a choice, i can be lazy and eat what goes down easy or i can put the effort into working my band. Somedays its not an easy choice.

congrats , it must be great to have someone who knows what your going through. My husband has talked about getting banded after we see how i do. Sometimes he totally DOES NOT get what its like and the ups and downs that go with it. I'd love for him to go through it so he could see what its like and i can say HAHA TOLD YA SO!

I'm not sure what thread its on but someone recommended goig on liquids for a day and that will help with being open only in the evenings, and let me say it worked MIRACLES for me. I did all liquids yesterday and was able to eat breakfast this morning. a nice lunch, and i plan on LIGHT dinner so i don't get myself into another bad cycle. I recommend you trying this before scdueling an unfill.

yup exactly what Alexandra said. Basically being lazy and eating things that they aren't supposed to or that go down easy so that they can eat alot. I have that bad habit with ice cream and popcorn, though i eat less then i used too i eat more then i should becuase it goes down sooo easy.

i've gone from 44 to 38 point something in almost 4 months i am sooo happy with me results so far.

i could have written that word for word. of course now that i'm loosing weight i'm slowly noticing people being nicer and friendlier, and of course i wonder if its because i'm smaller or if its because i'm becoming more happy with myself and that makes me more friendlier and aproachable.

Well atleast not for while. While out christmas shopping, my daughter and i stop at chic-filet. I decide to get a 6 piece nugget. BAD IDEA. I took to big of bite and oops stuck. So instead of just sitting there in pain, i drink some tea thinking that will help break it up and make it pass...BAD IDEA. SO i PB i was able to hide it in a napkin, but then the pain gets worse and i know i'm in for a full on vomit. So i quickly run to the womens bathroom...door is locked someone is in there. So i'm pacing the hall begging the band to be merciful , i waited as long as i could but no it insisted on coming up, So i quickly pop open the lid in my drink and proceed to vomit into my cup...as the bathroom door swing opens. Of course the lady asks if i'm ok. I just mumble something and high tail it out of there totally mortified. Can I add this to my "have you ever regreted getting the band" list LOL

thanks everyone, it made me feel better seeing i'm not the only one who has done this. I got a giggle out of alot of the stories, and hey i can look back and laugh at mine now.

yup i'm the same way. i really try to use it as my chance to get a "good meal" (lots of protein and veggies) in since i can hardly eat all day.

my doctor takes it as a case by case thing. When you ask for a adj. She will ask the typical questions 'what are you eating? How much? etc. If those answers jive with whatever she is looking to hear, then she will do the adj. But it certainly isn't a "just call and make an appointment" type of thing.

the scale can be your best friend and your worse enemy. Last week I about lost it because the scale WOULD NOT MOVE. I thought like you, that this was it for me. I hit my sweet spot on my fills, and that was it. Well I got my period and boom down 3 lbs, i guess i was just retaining a bit. So my advice is if you want to weigh everyday thats FINE ( i do) but just realise that your body will fluctuate by a pound or two and not take it to heart unless you've stalled for several weeks. IF you've stalled decide if you need a fill, need to reduce calories or start exercising. I just bought a gym membership myself so i can "take it up another notch"

my psychologist actually works in the surgeons office so she is very experienced in what to ask and what the insurance is looking for. I'm surprised your surgeon doesn't have one on staff as well, it certainly makes things easier.

i get between 800-1000 calories a day. No problems with eneregy and i'm loosing 1-2lbs a week. PROTIEN PROTIEN PROTIEN.. with my protein powder I push about 80g of protein a day.

I pb a few times a week....sometimes they are a full on vomit.

Occasionally I do. During the 2 week liquid diet, and after i've vomited i think "what am I doing" but it always passes.

thats great!!! I've been so worried about my band slipping...good to know it can be fixed without surgery !! I think God is giving you a second chance...make the most of it!

I have one, but i never use it. I just take a box home. I dont do buffets, and even if i did, i would pay the adult price. I got all i can eat, so i got my moneys worth.

like Jlynn i'm not quite sure what your talking about..can you be more specific?

I'm glad your feeling fairly well. BTW i'm Desiree, the girl that Dr. Martin gave you the phone number for and we chatted for a bit before your surgery. I had been wondering how you were doing. You will be feeling back to normal before you know it. Keep us updated on how your doing. I've lost 30lbs in 3 months!! Dr. Martin is the best isn't she!!

I have one sheltie mix Dog named Gypsy. Two black cats Charlie and Lucifer. A turtle and some fish. I work at a vet clinic and we have four pet cats there too.