MerryHearted

I am one of those people who can't go to sleep when I'm physically hungry. I'll just lie there and roll around while my body complains. So if it's 4+ hrs between dinner and bedtime, I usually have to indulge in a nibble. Calorie-wise, I just plan for it. But ever since my bout with reflux when I was on oral steroids, I do try to avoid eating immediately before lying down. An hour beforehand seems to work well for me.

Success, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not to goal yet, but where I'm at is a whole lot better than where I was. Plus without the band I'd still be gaining via the old dieting yo-yo routine. So: no regrets here, at almost 3 yrs out. And I do plan to eventually make it to goal. With how far I've come already, I know that it's possible. Good luck making your decision!

Seems like it to me -- almost like the doc was retaliating because he was upset. But then, I wasn't there, so who knows. Maybe that's normal for him -- if you have a big band and are super loose, maybe he has found with experience that people need a certain amount before they have restriction?

Getting your fill right is a tweaking process for everyone, so don't sweat it. I don't think your doc should have gotten upset with you for losing weight, even if it wasn't as fast as he would have liked. Has he been doing bands for very long? It just seems odd, as that sort of loss would have been greeted with "great job!" at the clinic I go to. 15 lbs in 10 weeks is excellent. You are doing fantastic and will succeed at this! And it now sounds like you are pretty tight. Watch out for reflux and for pbing too often -- better to lose more slowly with the band not quite so tight than to be too tight and end up with a slipped band or damage from the reflux. (imho anyway )

Jenny, if it makes you feel any better, my doc is also very against gastric bypass surgery but he is pro-band. All of his patients who have had gastric bypass have had serious complications resulting in hospitalization somewhere down the line. His patients who have had the band (including me) have been doing great. I'm hitting my 3 yr anniversary in a month. I don't regret getting the band at all. I'm not at goal, either. But I'll get there eventually. For me there are head issues involved that have been a struggle. I still feel like the band has been successful for me -- I'd probably weigh around 350 right now if I hadn't gotten it. Weighing 190 is wayyyy better, even if I still have another 50-70 lbs to lose. I'm sorry you're stuck going through the 6-month monitored weight loss thing. But I'm sure you'll be even more determined to get banded by the end of that ordeal.

Grrrr... TickerFactory doesn't seem to be working, so I guess I can't update my ticker. I'm still struggling but at least my weight went down this week. 10 lbs to go by Labor Day... Name_____________Weight Now____Goal_____lbs lost aJoneen............230.........220.......3....... Bea1128............220.........199.......3.5..... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0....... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4....... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......0....... Bunkey1965.........205.........195.......7....... Chocolate_Snaps....260.........240.......0....... Darr5380...........170.........150.......0....... Epm316.............209.........199.......0....... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0....... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0....... HeatherO...........165.........155.......7....... JennyPoo...........169.........159.......0....... KarenG.............164.........158.......2....... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0....... Lapbandfan.........260.........230.......0...... Leslie2Lose........219.........209.......5....... LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0....... LilMissBand-Aid....239.........225.......1....... Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9....... Luu2008............219.........189.......9....... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0....... luvinke............206.........190.......0....... mamato3............199.........184.......6...... mcgreen............189.........175.......0....... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0....... MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2....... mominlv13..........308.2.......300.......7.8..... MSnika3............228.........204.......4....... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......4....... Ninja..............204.........189.......5....... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6....... Ollie..............242.........210.......0....... Redtulips..........189.5.......180.......4.5..... Renewedhope........176.........155.......3....... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0....... slgandera..........185.........173.......7....... StartingOver.......220.........205.......5....... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......2.3..... want_so_bad........170.........155.......0....... Sades..............186.........180.......6.5..... Sadie..............216.........199.......4.......

What time zone? You are going to do just fine, don't worry!

I don't have any problems with fruits like those. Nowadays I do peel my apples though, and if I were to eat fresh pineapple I'd want to cut it into very small pieces first because its so fibrous. No problem with nuts, but I don't eat them very often or very many at a time.

I'm assuming you are in the liquids or mushies stage, since you mention Protein shakes. Don't forget that milk has a decent amount of protein in it -- you can do cream Soups made with nonfat milk. My fave is Tomato. Also, I'm not sure what you are using for "protein shakes" -- you can also do Meal Replacement shakes or something like Carnation Instant Breakfast, which might taste better. This phase only lasts a few weeks, so don't sweat it. Once you are on solids you don't need Protein Shakes anymore. You'll get enough protein from eating normal food.

The band being "fickle" is normal; many people have this issue. You just have to roll with it -- try to stick to eating your pre-planned amount of food when you are too loose. The other issue is a problem for most long-term bandsters: thing like ice cream, chocolate, chips and Cookies go down easily while food choices like chicken and veggies have a harder time going down. This becomes a matter of choice, since the band will not solve the problem. We have to put aside junk food and eat healthy food most of the time to lose & maintain weight. Not probably all that helpful, I know. I'll commiserate with you that it can be hard at times to stick to healthy food!

They asked me to bring mine but then it was never used. I'm on my 12-yr anniversary of getting a cpap and wow, has it ever made a difference. And yes, I was utterly miserable at first. I had panic attacks from having to wear the mask -- it just freaked me out. I used the ramp-up feature on my machine for awhile, too. It's terrific to get a good night's sleep though!! I'm hoping I eventually get to a weight where I don't need it, but I know even back when I was a size 12 in my early twenties that I snored like a hog, and I was in my normal weight range then. So I'm guessing I'm either going to have to be at the low end of the normal weight range to get rid of this thing, or I'll be stuck with it long term. Although as I near goal I might try a dental device instead and see if it works.

Here is the ticker tutorial: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

It usually starts getting better after a few days, although if I recall correcty I was sore around that port area for quite some time after surgery. Do you have pain meds to take to help with it? Vicodin, for example?

How long have you been plateaued? It's not uncommon to stay the same for a couple weeks after losing a good-sized chunk of weight. Otherwise, my recommendation is to track your food for a week and see what your actual caloric intake is. I find TheDailyPlate.com to work great for this sort of tracking. It means being more aware of serving sizes as well as hidden calories. I find, for example, that condiments can add up pretty fast: salad dressing, bbq sauce, butter, parmesan cheese, etc. even if it feels like you aren't using a lot. And then, as suggested, are you exercising at all? 5 minutes of walking is better than 0 minutes -- got to start somewhere!

I'm jumping in the challenge a little late. I'm 9 lbs up from where I was in June, due to an unfill and trigger foods getting me off track, but I'm ready to get back in the saddle and hit the trail again. Name_____________Weight Now____Goal_____lbs lost aJoneen............230.........220.......3....... Bea1128............220.........199.......3.5..... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0....... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4....... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......0....... Bunkey1965.........205.........195.......7....... Chocolate_Snaps....260.........240.......0....... Darr5380...........170.........150.......0....... Epm316.............209.........199.......0....... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0....... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0....... HeatherO...........166.........155.......6....... JennyPoo...........169.........159.......0....... KarenG.............164.........158.......2....... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0....... Leslie2Lose........221.........209.......3....... LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0....... LilMissBand-Aid....240.........225.......0....... Lunabeane..........221.........200.......5....... Luu2008............219.........189.......9....... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0....... luvinke............206.........190.......0....... mamato3............199.........184.......5.5..... mcgreen............189.........175.......0....... mdgarcia31665......225.........220.......0....... MollyMolly.........194.........182.......0....... mominlv13..........316.........300.......1....... MSnika3............228.........204.......4....... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......4....... Ninja..............207.........189.......2....... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6....... Ollie..............242.........210.......0....... Redtulips..........189.5.......180.......4.5..... Renewedhope........176.........155.......3....... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0....... slgandera..........185.........173.......0....... StartingOver.......220.........205.......5....... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......2.3..... want_so_bad........170.........155.......0....... Sades..............188.........180.......4.5..... Sadie..............216.........199.......4.......

The rules vary from doctor to doctor. I don't have any problem with gum or straws, they don't give me gas. I am encouraged to drink right up to the point when I eat, not stop 30 minutes before I eat. Caffeine in moderation is allowed by my doc, as well as NSAIDs in moderation for short periods when needed. What it comes down to is... Follow your own doctor's guidelines along with a healthy dose of common sense.

Persistent sore throat can also be a symptom of reflux. So keep an eye on it. I'd ask the doctor how long a viral sore throat will last, and if it doesn't go away by then, see if your he/she will recommend a reflux treatment to try for a couple weeks. Mine had me on Nexium + an antacid and that cleared up my problem nicely. Now I'm re-filled and have not had any reflux symptoms since. (and sore throat was one of my symptoms -- in my case, I thought it might just be sinus drainage) So you probably have to wait another week to see, because I think a viral sore throat might last a week or two. But definitely double check with your doctor. The problem is, if you start taking antacids now, you won't know whether it cleared up on its own (viral) or was reflex and the antacids took care of it.

You stay filled, or you'll almost certainly gain your weight back. It's very rare to get underweight from being banded... at some point the amount you're eating will be just the right amount to sustain you at a weight you want. And it's really easy to get in an extra 100-200 cals per day without getting unfilled, if you need it.

Oh, I feel your pain. It's so easy for me to just say what to do, but doing it is very hard esp if you need a fill. I've been having trouble lately with junk food myself; in my case it's chocolate and ice cream. But I'm slowly getting back on track and hope to have it under control this week. Some people say, if you crave something, just let yourself have it. Build it in to your regular eating. For me, I can do that with some foods, but not with my trigger foods. Trigger foods start a downward slide for me. So I have a NO CHOICE card. (just a 3x5 card with NO CHOICE written on it). I read it every day. I remind myself that I'm making the choice not to eat my trigger foods, and that when I'm confronted with the possibility of eating one, I don't even need to think about it. The answer is NO. The decision is already made. NO CHOICE. It doesn't work when I've completely gone hog wild off the wagon, but when I'm really working my band this strategy does work for me. Good luck!! And I'm sure you'll feel better after your fill, too.

Is it "that time of the month" or just before? The band can tighten up then, as well as due to stress. If it were me, I'd hold out for a week or so as long as I could stay hydrated. Stick with warm liquids, and avoid cold ones. Popsicles, blended drinks (i.e. anything with ice in in), and cold stuff in general makes me significantly tighter and it seems that's the case with you too. Water expands when it's cold, and your band is filled with water. So: warm tea, chicken broth, coffee, room temp Meal Replacement drinks like Glucerna, Medifast or SlimFast... and yeah, if you don't loosen up in a week or so then you probably do want to book a flight and get an unfill. Of course, your doc is your best guide for all of this. Congrats on being so close to goal though!! That's fantastic!!

I have a great gel seat on my Giant. Go to a bike store, they'll have suggestions for you. And wear padded bike shorts. You can find them at Junonia.com if nowhere else. Even so, there is a certain amount of getting used to riding for awhile on a bike seat -- you build up tolerance over time. For awhile, expect your tushy to get sore, especially on longer rides. I want to add that I found having shocks on my bike also helped. I used to have a cheap $99 hybrid from Target, but the Giant bike is SO much more comfortable of a ride. [might not apply to you if you already have a bike, but for anyone reading this who is thinking of getting one -- it really does make a difference!]

Watch out for dry meat, fibrous produce (the lower part of an asparagus stalk, particularly chewy pineapple, stuff like that), and doughy bread. I'm a person who has no qualms about spitting out anything that doesn't chew down to nothing, so if I get a tougher steak I end up with little pieces of chewed steak discreetly stashed under the edge of my plate. :thumbup: About the only food I won't touch anymore is french fries. Especially steak fries. I've never PB'd in the almost 3 yrs since banding, but I've gotten stuck a couple times and french fries are T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Which is fine -- they are hardly conducive to weight loss! Don't be afraid to experiment -- remember, you can always spit something out if you can't chew it down completely. And it's not the end of the world if you do end up PBing. I'd hate to see you drop foods you like just because maybe they might not go down (like steak!) Oh, and watch out for drinking something really cold -- like an frozen margarita -- right before eating. For me, it tightens my band up considerably and I can barely get anything down. Not that we should be drinking frozen margaritas anyway while trying to lose weight, but it happens from time to time. :cool2:

In the summer we mostly BBQ! Some other ideas: 1) hummus dip and veggies 2) tuna and chicken salad made with lowfat mayo -- don't need to use a lot of mayo. 3) BLTs -- I like mine made with Ry-Krisp crackers. We use lowfat turkey bacon. 4) salads with sliced cold grilled chicken breast. Can do different "themes" for the salads: southwestern, asian, italian -- just vary the salad dressing and some of the veggies in the salad. 5) cold hard-boiled eggs

I know that the goal they tell people to set is for 10,000 steps a day. That's a lot. Should You Walk 10,000 Steps Per Day for Fitness and Weight Loss? My recommendation is to wear your pedometer for a few days and see how many steps you are doing now, then slowly work your way up.

Welcome, Linda!