MerryHearted

In the last active thread for Sept 05ers, there were a few of us either struggling or actively still working on losing. How is it going? I'm excited that I only have 3 lbs to go and I will finally be back down to where I was in May 07. And then, finally, I will be able to start making real progress toward goal again. I am struggling with being tired a lot. I had a ton of energy at first, but now I want to sleep a lot. Getting plenty of Protein, so that's not it. I slept almost all day yesterday. My doc says maybe I'm just fighting off something.

Another one of those things that varies from surgeon to surgeon. I also was given a straw to drink liquid from right after surgery. I don't seem to swallow any more air when using a straw than otherwise -- at least, I haven't noticed any additional burping, gas, or stomach pains when I use a straw.

Yes, since my last fill I've had to alter what pills I take. While calcium citrate may supposedly be "best" available to be used by the body, the other kinds of calcium still do what they need to. I am using Viactiv chews, which are not Calcium citrate. They are calcium carbonate.

Complications requiring surgery only happens in a small % of bandsters (erosion, band leak, slippage...). Following your doctor's instructions and not getting too tight are the two most important things to do to lower your risk. However, the thing I see self-payers complain about most it seems is Fill Cost. Even if your doc offers free fills the first year, don't expect that you won't need fills after that. You probably will. And then some docs insist on always doing fills under fluoro -- which they charge more for. Some docs apparently insist on only doing small amounts of fill at a time, even in the beginning (like .5cc per fill) -- which artificially forces up the cost for self-payers who could probably just start out with 1.5ccs or more to begin with and not be too tight. And so forth. So if I were self pay, that's one thing I'd want to have all of the details on when choosing who to go with for surgery. Because the band doesn't work well without the right fill level, and it would totally suck to have the band but not have planned for the $300 per fill that my doc charges (or whatever it is -- it varies from practice to practice).

I have a size range in mind as well as a weight range goal. The problem is that sizes vary from brand to brand, and they've changed over the years. Generally speaking I'd like to be a size M -- an 8/10.

This was driving me crazy yesterday as I wanted to respond to someone but couldn't find the messages! You need to go to "my profile". Click "User CP" on the blue horizontal bar above where you are now, then on the left, look for a blue "Your Control Panel" -- the first thing in the list is a link to Your Profile and you can see the messages there.

Wow, that's great, congratulations!! Size 14 is my goal for 2008; I'm hoping to hit it by Christmas.

Decaf coffee and decaf tea ARE Water. At least, I count them as such. Same with Crystal Light & Propel. A 12-oz cup of regular coffee = about 8 oz of water once you count the diuretic effect of the caffeine. Fluids matter. It doesn't have to be cold, plain water. (and I also drink my water, Crystal Light, iced tea or Propel at room temp. Cold constricts my band) 400 cals is a lot of calories for fluids though, unless you're counting your milk in that.

Wow, that's ridiculous! 12 months documentation of sleep issues to get a sleep study done?? Are they out of their freaking minds?? I hope you get this resolved asap.

My inner gadget-geek thinks that the new EndoArt band looks pretty cool. They do have a point in that it could eliminate some of the issues with band leaks and port infections, not to mention help out people who are afraid of needles. Part of me wonders about the robustness of the technology though. The manual process of injecting saline into a port is pretty straightforward. Having something go wrong with the radio receiver inside you might happen just as often as port flips & leaks, and not really lower the rate of needing to do minor surgery to replace band parts.

Absolutely, 100%. But then, I have had no complications. And yeah, I'm a slow loser. But I feel great compared to where I was before, and I would have kept on the gain/lose cycle had I not gotten banded. My weight now is moving in the right direction -- down. :cry_smile: The other available WLSs still do not appeal compared to the relative safety of the band. Losing quickly doesn't matter nearly as much to me as staying healthy long term.

I do find that regularly taking a probiotic helps. For me, it really helps eliminate the gas, too. I was using PB8, but since my last fill standard size gelcaps make me uncomfortable so I'm taking someone else's recommendation to try the little pearls. Verdict is still out on whether those work as well as PB8 did. I might try opening the gelcap and mixing PB8 into a drink, but I think then my stomach acid might kill off the cultures. They say to find one that won't dissolve til it gets into your intestines.

The band will definitely help you feel full. So if you're one of those people, like I was, who was just never full, it'll be a huge help. Seriously, I could eat and eat and eat... and then 1/2 hr later start snacking. I never felt satisfied. Now, after banding, I do. It doesn't help with making bad food choices though, or emotional eating. As for grazers, well, a lot of time people graze because they don't feel satisfied after a meal, but the band gives you that feeling. Or it does for me anyway. I don't feel like grazing. I have been tracking my food intake online and it shows me my breakdown of protein/fat/carbs. I eat mostly protein & produce, but as it turns out, that's not low-carb at all. It's actually a balanced diet, even without adding in things like rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, and sugary treats. I aim for between 1000-1200 cals a day. You can do it -- it definitely takes work, but the band sure helps!!

When we go out to eat I rarely order my own meal. If I do, there's lots of leftovers. Usually I'll just eat a little off DH's plate, or order a small side salad for myself and then eat a little of his meat. DH cooks for our family, as he's a stay at home dad. He's been wonderfully accomodating. Like BandedMomx6, I just eat slightly differently than the family. They usually have some sort of starch - Pasta, bread, rice, potato or noodles. The simpler we keep our meals, the easier this is. i.e. a casserole with everything all mixed together doesn't work so well for me, but grilled or roasted meat served with side dishes of veggies and starch works fine -- I can eat the meat & veggies while they can add in the starch. We try to stick with whole grains anyway since it's healthier. We also like doing "build-it-yourself" type meals like tacos, burritos, baked potato bar, and stir-fry where we provide a bunch of ingredients and each person gets to pick what they want their meal to have. DH is also good at hiding goodies if I need him to. :cry_smile: Remarkably good, since there have been times that I've actually hunted in desperation for the chocolate that I know he has stashed somewhere, but have not managed to find it! :crying:

I've been wondering about it too... it's $250 right now from 24-hr fitness, with a 3-month subscription. Then $99 per year to maintain the subscription (ouch!). Right now I'm walking for exercise, but I'll be adding swimming in starting in a couple weeks, and I can't use the bodybugg for that. Once I've dropped another 20 lbs I'll probably start running, and that's when I think I'll be tempted to get one. I used to have a similar device but the company went out of business.

I'm sorry about your dad, that's really hard. Hang in there -- it's highly unlikely you messed up your band. I went through an emotionally stressful time last year and did the same thing -- gained some weight. Happily I'm back on track and losing again. A fill and a chat with your doc (and fluoro if you want extra confirmation) will make you feel a lot better and get you going again. You can do it! And congrats on your loss - you're over halfway to goal!

Sure, if you are willing to put in the work. There are plenty of bandsters down that much and more. Cool, huh?

It's been a very helpful tool, for me. Both for calorie and nutrition tracking. I think if you are consistently losing without doing it, then you needn't feel like you "should" be doing it. But if you stall, unless you know for sure that you really need more fill, you might try food tracking first. I have found TheDailyPlate.com to be very easy to use for this (I used to use fitday but this is faster). Keeps me honest about exactly what I'm putting in my mouth.

I jumped in right away, figuring that the less I had to lose after surgery, the closer I'd be to goal. How about picking one thing per week to work on between now and surgery, to prepare? i.e. Week 1: drink at least 64 oz of liquid per day Week 2: eliminate all caloric beverages (low-cal beverages like Crystal Light are fine), except 16 oz of milk per day Week 3: decide on a Multivitamin and start taking it every day Week 4: start journaling what you eat etc. Baby steps, to build up to the band guidelines. Indulging in "last big meal" happens to a lot if not most people, but remember -- chances are you will be able to eat practically everything after banding, just in much smaller quantities. (not counting the healing phase, which is very short)

Probably should ask your doc -- I know here most docs have a nurse hotline you can call to ask questions like that, so you don't have to make an appt. If it were me, I'd want to know why I craved milk so much. Is there something in it (besides the obvious calcium) that your body needs so much of it, and why?

Not really -- just be aware that foods that went down before might not now. Keep track of how long it takes til you are hungry after a meal; that will be one guide to when you need your next fill. I've seen on this board that people use their bands in different ways -- some eat until the band stops them, others track calories and eat the portions their doc has suggested. If you are in the first category, try eating a little less than before. Either way, a lot of people find their first fill doesn't do much and they need to go in for another one. So don't be too surprised if you need another fill very soon.

Yeah, you really do need to call your doc. I don't see when your surgery date was. Some docs have their patients on liquids for a full week after surgery then move them on to mushies, others don't. Better safe than sorry! Maybe you can change up what kinds of liquids you are taking in for some variety? i.e. if it's mostly Protein drinks, switch to some cream Soups, have some Jello, etc. Good luck -- only 1 more week -- you can do anything for a week!

Mine would - hope yours does, for your sake.

I just hit New Posts most of the time anyway, so haven't noticed much of a difference. But since I'm not paying anything and think this is a fantastic site for support, I'll give the update a :rolleyes2: . The new magazine articles / podcasts stuff looks like it could be interesting. Haven't had a chance to explore yet.