MerryHearted

Well, I'm up a pound. -C 231 But that's OK -- despite lots of walking, I did manage to make some pretty bad food choices and my weight went up several pounds and then down again. I'm doing better this week!

Both surgeries have potential problems; the RNY issues can be more serious and life-threatening. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do the RNY; it's a very personal decision and you need to do what's best for you. After all, it's likely that the co-morbidities of being obese will kill you if you don't do something. Keep in mind: the folks that come to this board almost all fall into 3 categories: New to banding and needing the initial support as they start the journey Struggling and needing extra support to exercise & eat right Have a problem -- erosion, slippage, reflux, etc. People who are well into their journey, losing as expected, and everything is hunky-dory -- well, there's not that many on the board as they are out living their lives. I imagine it's the same on RNY boards. Be sure to look at Band studies data that is NEWER -- the old way of placing the band resulted in a lot more slippage than now. And get data on both surgeries from different sources. I found an appalling set of misinformation on the Band at a website of a surgeon center that specializes in RNY & duodenal switch. (which is a third option by the way). Whereas you might find that a center who specializes in banding will use similar scare tactics with their RNY data. It's hard to find unbiased info. Good luck making your choice! (if you want references to the latest bandster studies, try joining the Yahoo group "SmartBandsters" and asking on there -- Jessie will likely have them handy or point you to the appropriate message archives)

I occasionally add it up, but mostly I try to focus on the content of the food -- Protein & produce + enough Water. Those foods make me feel better and I lose weight when I eat them and stay away from the pasta/rice/potatoes/bread/etc. I would probably switch to WW point-counting again before I switch back to calorie counting. That worked well for me when I was doing it.

I don't have anything further to add on the gas side of things as you've gotten great advice -- but CONGRATS on your banding!! :clap2:

Well, the band won't cure head hunger... you'll probably go through a "honeymoon" phase where you won't want your old favorites because you are losing well, but most folks, after awhile, do hit a stage where they really battle the same old problems as before: eating out of boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, etc. You have to eventually work on those things, just like you have to work at making good food choices. My surgeon's office recommends finding a counselor or psychiatrist who can help you work through those issues when you run into them. You're losing great right now! You should expect that to slow down once you're out of your healing phase. And if you don't lose at all for a week or so, remember that bandsters lose an average of 1-2 lbs per week during the first year. Meaning that you have to look at it over the long term - not everyone loses steadily. You might lose a bunch in one week and nothing for a week or so afterwards. But keep the faith -- the pounds sure add up over time! Here's wishing on you the speedy weight loss you want!! :clap2:

Well, we're off for our anniversary trip very early tomorrow morning so I'll post my weigh-in for the week today instead. -3 lbs! Woot! MollyMolly - H 299/ S 275/ J 240/ G 140/ C 230 (-69 lbs total) This is going to be a tough week to lose. Today's dinner will be hot dogs and potato chips. I'll eat a half a dog, no bun, count out 1 serving of chips, and maybe find some veggies to munch on if I still need more. Is it wrong that I am wishing I could pig out and not suffer the consequences?? :hungry: Wed/Thurs DH and I will be travelling. All our meals will be eating out for two days! Thankfully both days our activities include significant walking (Butchart Gardens tomorrow and wandering around Victoria on Thurs) so hopefully that will make up for the eating out. Despite my best efforts I usually don't manage to eat as lightly when in a restaurant as I do at home. :rainbow:Hope everyone (American anyway) is having a bang-up 4th of July!!:rainbow: [PoTC is out on Friday!! I can't wait!]

Have you tried Pepto Bismol? That will take care of H Pylori, if I recall correctly. (I had to do that a few years ago; I think it was a few days of taking a dose every few hours) With all the pain, what have you been able to eat/drink?

Boy, that much sugar these days gives me incredible stomach pain from gas. (TMI? hehe) Definitely not weight loss conducive food anyway... the guideline post-banding is no liquid calories except for your daily dairy. For optimum success, better decide now to just stay away from caloric liquids even if they won't make you die of gas pain. :phanvan

Yep, sounds like it's time for another fill!

Wow Jamie, you look great!!

I really wouldn't worry about getting it under fluoro, especially your first couple fills. The center I went to doesn't use fluoro -- fills are quick and easy; you drink a bottle of water after and if it goes down you're good to go. If you can find a center that even charges $300 for a fill -- which I still think is way too much --, it's cheaper to do that and go back for an unfill than it is to pay $650 for a fill under fluoro.

As of yet, I have not had problems with any of the foods I'm supposed to be eating (protein and produce). Asparagus tips work just fine for me, and if further down the stalk it gets a little too chewy, I just spit it out. Same with pineapple, steak and chicken. But usually just cutting those into small enough pieces solves the problem. The one thing I do have trouble with is hardboiled eggs. A shame too; they are the perfect quick-protein snack. I've never pb'd but the closest I've come to really getting stuck was on an egg. The trick is to not get overfilled. The band isn't meant to choke you or even to really stop you from eating too much in one sitting. It's meant to help with satiety, so if you choose to eat your small serving of Protein & produce you can walk away from the table feeling satisfied and not needing to eat for a few hours. [unfortunately it doesn't completely cure emotional/boredom-related head hunger -- that's stuff we're stuck working on]

Sorry your experience was not good Miko! Will you be doing a gastric bypass then, or a duodenal switch like GeezerSue did? Best wishes on the new surgery, I'm sure that you will do well and reach your goal!

Yes, that slippage rate looks really high with the newer surgery methods. Looking forward to Dr. C's data, as the data I saw at my surgeon's office was 2% slippage, 2% erosion. "Stoma blockage" -- don't we all get blocked at some point? I'd think that's one of the causes of PB'ing. You swallow a big ol hunk of food and then it gets stuck. Or do you think they only mean folks who really get something stuck and require invasive intervention to get it removed? Constipation/Diarrhea is common for a short time whenever eating habits change drastically.

Does your doc want you in ketosis? Make sure you're getting lots of water! From what I understand, you can have the benefits of ketosis without enough ketones to show up in your urine. You might also be able to tell by your breath or whether your urine has a stronger smell than usual... (gross, I know! :Banane56: ) If your weight continues to drop 1-2 lbs a week even with only the trace ketones in your urine, you are probably burning fat just fine!

Just wanted to remind everyone of something that you probably already know: weight loss is NOT a steady thing in most people. It is completely normal to drop a pile of weight and then not lose for 2-3 weeks, then drop some more... and the pattern goes on. Over time, you will likely average 1-2 lbs per week. Which means you will definitely have weeks where nothing happens on the scale, and weeks where you lose more than that. And of course the other thing: you're still in your healing stage; it's normal to drop a bunch of weight while on liquids and then see a gain or stop in weight loss for a couple weeks when you first switch to mushies or solids. Congrats on 12 lbs lost for good!!

Wow, you guys are doing AWESOME!! I'm so proud of you!

C 233 Yay, my fill is working!

Well, I'm about 10 months post banding with 2.75cc fill in a 4cc band. Breakfast was a yogurt. lunch was a small salad with a couple ounces of turkey breast. Mid-afternoon snack: an iced non-fat latte (no sugar / syrup) dinner is a bbq'd chicken leg and steamed cauliflower. Dessert later in the evening will be some cherries fresh picked off the tree in the backyard And of course, copious amounts of Water and Crystal Lite...

I went to Dr. Fox's seminar once back before banding was done in the states. (seminar for bypass). He does like "his" girls skinny. One of the things that his office would make you sign is an agreement that once you made goal that you would go to an image consultant to help you pick out a new look for yourself -- hairstyle, makeup, wardrobe, etc. I actually think that's a great idea and I will probably do it, even though I didn't get my surgery through his office. [eta: I don't know if he still does this] << snipped; I probably shouldn't state my opinion of Dr. Fox here >>

Oh no, you will do just fine!! If it's all fixed up and your ulcer is taken care of, you'll be feeling great and skinny again soon. I'm so sorry about what you went through So it wasn't really having a fill that was the real problem; it was the ulcer and a slip?

Welcome to any new members from WA! Hope everyone is doing well with their bands.

OK, so I'm a little over a month late, but I'm here!! I wasn't for awhile, and had stalled on my weight loss, but I'm back with a vengeance now -- it's time to make some major progress here. I found this post looking for an August 2005 update thread, wondering how the rest of you all are doing. I know I'm probably not the only one who stalled, and I hate to admit that I hope I'm not the slowest loser :success1: (yes I suck and am shallow sometimes) -- but at the same time I really do hope we have all had great success. So check in! Otherwise, I'm hoping we will have a big checkin thread for our bandiversaries -- coming up in a little over a month!

I did not need clearance or any sort of permission from my primary doc before having surgery. Is this an insurance requirement for you or is it the surgeon wanting to know your doc is on board? [regardless, my doc was on board and encouraged me that he'd had several patients who did really well with Lap Bands.]

:clap2: :Bunny :party: :drum: :first: :banana :banana :banana Congratulations Josephine!!! :cheer2: :success1: :woot: