MerryHearted

Well, my surgery was Aug 31st 05, so I'm almost a Sept 05 Bandster... I'm just popping in to say hi because nobody is showing up in the August thread. I'll be honest and say that it's nice to see that not everyone is at goal, even though I am truly happy for everyone who IS at goal. I'm still working at getting there. And I still believe getting the band was the right decision, for sure! I hope we can support each other in getting on track & staying there.

The normal weight range on the BMI chart for 5'7" is ~125-165. So your doc wants you at the bottom of that range and you want yourself at the top. I think you have the more realistic goal if you've been significantly overweight for any length of time. And once you are there, you can determine whether you want to lose more or maintain there. You can also lose down to 129 and then go back up if it's too much to maintain. It's your body! I know my doc wants me to get to 150, which is near the top of my normal weight range based on the BMI chart. I would love to be a bit lower than that. Last time I weighed 150 as an adult I was in a size 12. I'd rather be a size 8/10. But I'm not going to complain if all I can manage to maintain is 150. Even size 12 is wayyyyyy better than the snug 26/28's I was wearing at my top weight. I'll be partying when I hit size 12 and can't shop at fat stores anymore. :mad2:

Not me -- from about the 3-week mark out til my 2nd fill I didn't really feel the restriction. The good thing about NWWLS is that after your first fill (around the 6 week mark), they don't force you to wait some random length of time until you get another fill. So if your first fill doesn't help, call a week or two later and make another appt.

I don't have trouble with pills except the big ol horse pills, like is sometimes the case with Multivitamins or fish oil capsules. I do chewable and liquid multivitamins (Emergen-C strawberry Multivitamin is yummy!), and for fish oil the Coromega packets that you eat (pudding-like texture). Please be sure you verify that the pill is OK to be crushed before you do it. Some really are not meant to be and I'd hate to see anyone hurt by crushing a pill that shouldn't be. Generally, anything extended or sustained release falls into this category. I take Claritin-D 24 hr sometimes for my sinus issues and it says right on the box "do not divide, crush, chew or dissolve the tablet". Maybe your doc has seen one too many people get a pill stuck? One of the first things they gave me after surgery was Motrin pills. :mad2: I didn't have any trouble swallowing them either then or now. Although now, I always try to drink something warm first to loosen up the band. Taking a big pill with cold Water is bad news. :cool:

Hang in there -- your body is healing. You will start losing again soon. I know many people lose steadily. I tend to lose in spurts.

Welcome back Molly! How are things going since you posted this on the 5th? I had a bad almost-a-whole-year too as far as eating. If you need help getting back on track, do pick up a copy of The Beck Diet Solution and work through it. (it's not a diet) I'm working through mine now and it's so helpful. betrthnever: restriction or not, you can get a lot of calories through junk food, particularly liquids like ice cream & chocolate. In the evening a couple hours after dinner, or snacking between meals on junk foods like chips or cookies... it's pretty easy to stop losing or gain even with proper restriction if you go through a very stressful time and turn to food. The good thing is that the band is still there once we pull our heads together, and we can continue to lose. Woot!

I mostly bought stuff new, but cheap stuff, and I bought snug and wore till too loose. Of course, it depends on your job and how important it is to look nice: I work a job where we all dress casually. So things like sweaters and t-shirts can be worn across size changes because they don't require an exact fit. For jeans, I buy the kind that have a bit of spandex in them and elastic in the back of the waist. So I'm able to start out with them a little snug and wear till too loose. Gathered skirts with elastic waists work great across sizes, particularly if there are loops for a belt. I suppose it doesn't work as well if you like to tuck in your shirt, which looks neater. I won't start tucking in my shirt again til I'm down to a size 14. Hopefully this year!!

Welcome to LBT! And congratulations on having your date. Best wishes on your surgery -- the Band is a wonderful tool! BTW, don't be surprised if you start having 2nd thoughts or cold feet as the day approaches. That's normal. You'll do fine and this will work for you!

Tipped or flipped? A flipped port means that you'll need a port revision before you can get a fill. But that's generally an outpatient procedure and a lot simpler than the full surgery. If it's just tipped, they might still be able to fill you. Either way it shouldn't affect your current fill. The band should still work. I hope you mean "port" where you said "band" up above (I put it in red). I'm not sure about this. Maybe something shifted? You do need to see your doctor if you aren't experiencing restriction, because you need a fill. He/she could do a barium swallow and use fluoroscopy to make sure everything is still in place. He can also pull out the Fluid in your band to make sure you have as much as your chart says you do -- to see if you have a leak. Good luck!

Well, I'm not in pain. I'm not at goal, either, but the amount I've lost (and the amount I didn't gain!) because of being banded has changed my life for the better. I don't regret my band one bit. I'm a complications-free bandster. So far. :wink: My vote is: not delusional. And "Go For It!!"

I think most docs recommend the liquid diets because they cause rapid weight loss, which helps shrink the liver before surgery. Mine didn't care how I did it, he just wanted me to try to lose 10 lbs. They had the liquid diet available if I wanted it. After surgery, I can't remember -- I think I wasn't hungry much at all because of the swelling. Hunger hit full force sometime after the 3rd or 4th week, when I switched to solid foods but before I was allowed to get a fill.

Of course you can lose it all if you want -- the band can help you all the way to goal. It's going to take a lot of hard work and a long time, but we're all in it for the long haul anyway, right? You can do it! (and notice that I have every intention of losing 159 lbs myself. I am not going to stop at the -100 mark! It's just taking me awhile. :wink:)

Yes, it does all come down to the # of calories. But the way the Band works, you should be fine with 3 meals and a snack. If you eat 3 oz solid Protein and 1/2 C of veggies at lunch, for example, then you shouldn't feel hungry for a good 3-4 hrs. If not, you probably don't have enough fill. One way people end up "eating around the Band" is by grazing. If you eat too slowly, it doesn't help you with your portion control like it does when you sit down and purposefully eat a meal and then walk away from food until your next meal. Also: you cannot drink for at least an hour after eating with the Band, or you'll wash the food right through and get hungry too soon. So if you are grazing, it's harder to get adequate amounts of Water in unless you are chugging it. Eat a meal. Wait an hour. Then bring out the water, tea, Crystal Light, Propel, unsweetened iced tea, or whatever other low or non caloric drink you prefer to drink... that can keep you satisfied until your next meal. Like ajoneen/Amanda said, if you do decide to graze, you need to religiously count those calories to make sure you're not getting in too many.

Congratulations!! and Best Wishes on your surgery Monday. It's St. Patrick's Day -- so you'll be lucky for sure. :wink:

It's great that he brought it up if for no other reason than you now being aware and keeping an eye on it. I think what others mentioned about finding a replacement for dealing with stress is important. Even after banding you can still use food for stress -- milkshakes, chocolate, and other caloric liquids go right on down. So you have to purposefully look for other stress relievers -- exercise, knitting, soaking in the tub, crafts, reading, or something. I transfer my obsessions regularly, but I make sure to pick stuff that's positive rather than negative. Like learning Spanish. Playing online Scrabble. Reading mysteries. Book-swapping. Sewing. Cleaning the house. (yes -really! My house is in much better shape now than it has been in years) And now that it's spring, it's time to turn to beautifying the yard.

You can get PB8 online if your local health food store or drugstore doesn't carry it. Our grocery store carries it in the section with the vitamins/supplements/health food stuff. Nutrition Now PB8 Acidophilus is the website. March 12th -- it's only been a couple days and you are still feeling lousy from surgery. Don't worry -- give it a couple weeks and you'll be feeling great. Gas in particular is band those first few days. 2 oz of food at a time is less than a bandster eats for a meal. When I hear someone say that, I think they must have a doctor or nutritionist who works with Gastric bypass patients and doesn't understand how the band works. Once you are past the healing stage and eating normal food, you should be eating ~3 oz of Protein and 1/2 C or so of veggies or fruit at a meal. Keep in mind, though, it sometimes takes awhile to get to the right fill level where you'll be able to do that without being hungry between meals. If you have a long stretch, like 6 hrs, between meals, you probably want to plan a small snack to tide you over. There's the possibility of pouch stretching, for people who are tight and maybe eat just a bit too much as a matter of habit. Over time the pouch might stretch. But the idea of the band is not so much to stop you from eating (i.e. small pouch size) as it is to give you the sensation of satiety. You can get that if the fill level is right and you are eating following the bandster guidelines, regardless if your pouch has stretched a bit. It's about the stoma opening being small enough that food sits in the pouch long enough to stimulate the receptors to signal your body that your stomach is full. Hang in there -- you will feel better soon! And don't forget, the healing stage is short. Don't get too anxious about immediately losing weight during these few weeks while you are trying to heal up. You probably will anyway, but if you don't, you'll have plenty of opportunity to once you are on solid foods and get some fill in the band. You're going to do great!

Absolutely make sure to check with your pharmacist before crushing any pills. There are some that should not be crushed. Otherwise, that works, although Gelatin capsules (like for fish oil) would be nasty if cut open.

Congratulations on 65 lbs lost and maintaining -- that's great! I love having a band, and it's really helped me. It gave me hope - and still does - of having a normal, healthy life. The bad news is that while having the band does help tremendously with satiety and portion control, it doesn't help with food choices or head issues (emotional, stress, boredom eating). So there's still lots of work to do in those areas for those of us who have those issues. And for a lot of us, having to deal with those issues didn't come up for a long time. I did great on my bandster-style eating for a good year and a half before I really started to struggle. Now I'm back on track, but working hard on the head issues and making good food choices. I don't know if that helps or not. I don't regret getting my band for a second; it's a wonderful tool!

Good luck on your surgery next week! How exciting -- even if your . did drop in at an inconvenient time. My periods are almost always regular now. Regular as in once every 4-6 weeks or so. Before, I'd go months without one, then have a couple, then months again... maybe 3 or 4 per year, sometimes less. The weight loss must have caused some hormonal changes.

A cup of hot tea or decaf coffee for me. (it's usually late afternoon or at night). A splash of milk adds a little sweetness to it. Also: write up a list of the reasons why you want to lose weight. Rank them in order of importance. Print it out and keep it handy. Before you allow yourself an unplanned snack, read through your list and then decide if you still want to eat. Even if you do, it might help you choose a healthier snack. I plan for a late afternoon snack because it's too long between lunch and dinner. And generally a small snack before bed because I can't fall asleep if my stomach is growling.

Usually within a week, if I want to get a convenient time for myself. The center I go to has a policy of self-management; i.e. you don't have to wait a certain amount of time between fills. In fact, a fill adjust within a week of the last fill is done on the house, so if you are still too loose or have gotten too tight, you don't need to pay again to get it adjusted.

You only need to go for a fill if you are getting hungry too soon after eating an appropriate bandster meal, and are not losing weight. Or if you are just eating way too much and not losing, and want to restrict your eating a bit. Sounds like you are doing fine. No point asking for trouble if you are losing weight steadily still.

Three weeks postop most of your swelling should be gone and if you haven't gotten a fill, you're probably going to be fine on swallowing pills and capsules. I was fine with them up until my last fill. Large capsules now I avoid, and pills I try to take with warm Water to relax the band, otherwise I can feel them and I don't like the feeling. It'll be different for everyone though. Best you can do is give it a try and see how it goes.

Yep, sounds like you need a fill. Eating a whole pizza is definitely not the recommended bandster eating model. The idea is 3-4 oz of Protein and 1/2 to 1 C of vegetables at a meal. That should keep you feeling satiated for 3-4 hrs. If not, you probably need a fill. Congratulations on 50lbs gone, that's fantastic!:banghead:

It's not uncommon, actually. Have you tried drinking something warm in the morning - a cup of coffee or tea -- to loosen the band up so you can have some Protein for Breakfast? I've not gotten so tight yet that I can't eat in the morning. I think if I did I'd use the opportunity to get in my dairy serving for the day and have a latte. Milk has protein in it too.