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Hi Shamrocks, I've been stalled in a plateau for the last 3 weeks -- ever since I had to get a slight unfill. But I went to my doc to check in the other day, and they believe the reason I'm not losing any weight is that I'm simply not getting enough Protein. Instead of the 60 grams I was working at, they want me to have at least 100! So, I'll work on getting in at least 2 shakes a day in addition to whatever I can eat, and we'll see if that helps. In other news, I finally got my Wii Fit for my birthday! It's fun and a challenge -- especially competing with my kids and DH for the top spot in certain games. I hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon... For my bday treat, I opted for some Cold Stone ice cream. Not a healthy choice by a long shot, I realize, but the advantage is that it's a one day treat. There's no leftover cake to taunt me for days on end. I hope to report back that the protein increase is working and that I'll finally start losing again...

Annie, You look really CUTE! :thumbup:I imagine it's hard to see yourself in that short hair when you're not used to a girl with that haircut staring back at you in the mirror. But as someone who's not used to seeing you with longer hair (or at all other than your avatar!), I want you to know that a fresh pair of eyes just sees someone who is adorable and saucy and can carry that look off. No problem! Now if you add a smile and start believing how good you really do look, there'll be no stopping you. Aussie boys, you'd better watch out!

Tess, Thanks for the post on how to break a plateau! I think that's what I'm dealing with right now. WCM, I'm excited to hear that the sneaky recipes are working for your picky one. I have one of those too. The only vegetables he'll eat are raw red peppers and raw baby carrots (but only if absolutely forced to...), unless your pediatrician counts ketchup. Please let us know what other recipes besides brownies work out... Wait, did you actually say your picky one liked those or only agreed to try them?

Jencys, Of the 2oz of food you can get in, are you able to eat chicken or meat -- you know, hard Proteins? If you can only do mushy food, my doc would tell you that you're a little too tight. Now that we're past the long weekend, maybe you should call your doc to discuss if maybe a slight unfill is in order. It's scary when you finally get that real restriction and nothing much goes down. For me, taking out just .2cc made a big difference and gave me the room for fluctuations that happen without the fear of being too tight to swallow anything.

I do platelets and/or whole blood donations, and while I was having low Iron issues pre-banding, I've been so focused on my Protein intake (and now eat red meat more often than before) that I'm acing the iron part now! No problems at all for me -- did double platelets last week. Your pulse does sound pretty low. Have you mentioned that to your doctor?

Misty, I absolutely agree -- you get to call the shots as far as telling your doctor you're not comfortable with another fill. When you're ready, you'll know. MikeB, I sometimes struggle with scrambled eggs, so I frequently do Protein bars. My fave right now is Muscle Milk Light (chocolate peanut caramel or vanilla toffee crunch) -- they have 15g protein, 170 cals, 18g carbs. They're very tasty and keep me pretty satisfied. Also, I made an old South Beach breakfast - mock danish in a bowl. You scramble one egg with 1/2c cottage cheese, a few drops vanilla, some cinnamon, a packet of sweetener, and then top it with a couple dabs of margarine, a few chunks of low-fat cream cheese, and a sprinkling of brown sugar Splenda. Microwave for 3.5 minutes. It's very tasty, lots of protein, and doesn't seem to bother me like scrambled eggs.

Oh, my! Fenton, now you're talking sexy! I want to taste these so badly!! So, short of living in NYC to get these, I guess we'll just have to bribe you to buy 'em and send 'em? And MsCathy, I feel the same way about wanting to tell people there is hope if they'd just consider surgery. But I think we all have to come around to these things for ourselves. However, if someone asks me, I'm happy to tell them honestly how I'm doing this. I'm currently at a standstill with my weight loss, but I know it's gotta be temporary... just gotta keep making good choices and moving more.

I guess this is where the expression "paint the town red" comes from???

Penny, The great thing about having fluoroscopy is that they will be able to tell exactly how slowly or quickly stuff can pass through the band. That's very helpful. Of course, give them as much info about your concerns as possible. This will also guide them as far as what to do. With food that gets stuck in the first couple of bites, it's usually either dry (as Fenton said) or you've taken too big a bite and/or not chewed enough. It's great that at least it eventually passes without incident. (I'm way jealous!) The water... I don't know -- that makes me think you might not want to get tighter. Also, as you've experienced, the band can feel tighter or looser based on the time of day. Lots of folks here at LBT seem to report that mornings are very tight, not so much by the end of the day. So you may be having a 'normal' experience. As Jack says, "The band is a fickle bitch!" Of course, another question related to the need for a fill is how much weight loss do you typically get per week. This is all so much more complicated than "just get a fill".

Yesterday, I finally got to try out Wii Fit at a friend's house. I did hula hooping (I did okay, considering I can't do it in real life!), soccer ball headers (okay), and ski jump. Wow, I rocked that ski jump -- set a new household record my first time out! It was fun and I do look forward to getting this for my bday next month if my DH finds it... But for those of you who may have Playstation 2 (or 3) in your house... Have you ever heard of the Kinetic program? It uses the EyeToy camera with a fisheye lens (to see more of the room), and it's REALLY a workout. I think it's much more active than the things I've seen so far in Wii Fit. You have a virtual trainer, put in your stats, pick a set of routines (aerobic and/or yoga-ish), and you start and end with stretching. I got this a couple of years ago for my bday. Another great PS2 game is Anti-grav (another EyeToy game). You ride a virtual hover board and between low jumps over obstacles, reaching for targets, and half-squats to duck under stuff as well as increase your speed, it's also a great workout! And it's fun because there are several arenas, speed vs. style mode, and hidden 'wings' to find, there's definitely a game aspect to it. Just a few other indoor ideas to get us moving during the dog days of summer here...

There are no dumb questions about restriction. Really! We're all learning about this together. Last time I posted was about restriction and the struggles I've been having with it. To answer your question as best I can... I think the pain in the esophagus when you're stuck is really in your tiny little pouch now found at the very bottom of it. The only time there's true pain in my esophagus (rather than the pouch) is after vomiting. Then it's awful even just swallowing saliva. Don't expect to feel full -- just satisfied or not hungry anymore. Whether or not you need a fill is usually a combination of do you feel you can eat too much and how long is it keeping you satisfied (not full). My doctor asks a lot of questions to determine how much more Fluid to add if I think I need more. But honestly, if you're having trouble with water, you definitely do not need a fill! On Friday, I went into my doc because I'd had a couple of days where acid was coming up when I'd go to bed (and then I couldn't sleep), and sometimes water was becoming an issue if I was doing anything more than sipping. (You should be able to drink it, not just sip.) This last fill just kept getting tighter -- I don't think it's urban legend that your menstrual cycle affects the band. (Sorry, Fenton!) So they took out 0.2cc. I felt kinda foolish, but that little bit has clearly made a difference! I hope that helps...

This may be a weird question but... How long does it take you to get out whatever is stuck/bothering you? From the time the salivary response goes into overdrive and the sliming begins and then the foaming, etc., it takes me 30-90 minutes just to get to the end of the episode. Fortunately, I work at home and have only had these incidents there, so it's at least manageable. (Though my family wonders where I've gone to when I spend so much time in the bathroom...) I try hard not to force it up since retching/heaving can cause slippage. But how do the rest of you who live and work outside the home deal with this? :confused2:

Life with Real Restriction... it IS what I asked for, right? It's complicated, I'll say that. :tt2: The first week after the fill, I was doing great, following all the normal band rules, no problems, even eating out at restaurants (but mind you, very small portions). Then suddenly it got much tighter and I wasn't expecting that! Breakfast was going to be cottage cheese with pineapple, but two bites in and I heard gurgling. So, I stopped and ended up with a Protein shake. Later that day, I attempted to eat some leftovers from one of those restaurant visits, and a couple of bites in, gurgling again. An hour and half later, I had thrown up (sorry, TMI) everything from the last 6 hours with stomach acid. Back to liquids for a couple of days -- I was so swollen and tight that even Water was gurgling! Ever since, it's been a battle at most meals to avoid the overactive salivary response. No more PBs, but several near misses. I don't track my calories, carbs, or anything... The only thing I do is to just make sure I get enough Protein by supplementing with a shake a day and maybe a protein bar or protein pudding. I don't want to be a slave to tracking my meals, I just want to eat like a 'Normo'. (Okay, other than the shake and stuff...) However, I also understand that this is perhaps why I don't lose weight at quite the rapid pace some of you do. So, as for a bump in calories, who would know if I don't track them?? :thumbup: Fortunately, brownies are not too much of a weakness and 2/3 of them have nuts to which I'm allergic!:thumbup: It's the cake and ice cream that are more tempting for me. Oh well, one birthday down, three to go. Sorry this got so long... I guess that's what happens when I stay quiet too long. P.S. Congrats, Lynn, on Onederland! I, too, made it there recently, but it's not really the SV I'm waiting for -- I can't wait to report when I've finally lost all my 'pregnancy weight'... and my 'baby' is only almost 9 years old!! :biggrin2:

Hi, Everybody! Congrats to all making great progress, and especially those of you with those awesome fitness regimens (kayaking, triathlons!?!) I've been reading here (quietly) for the last couple of weeks while I deal with my tight band. :thumbup: Breakfast is almost always a challenge unless it's a shake or Protein Bar. Some days are easier than others... I see I'm not the only one struggling with restriction. It's a new learning curve, I think. I'm starting a challenging time -- birthday season. Today is my husband's and the kids wanted me to make him brownies (his fave). Three weeks later it's mine (no telling what treat will have to happen), three weeks after that is my son's (he's already asking for a chocolate cake with white frosting), and three weeks after that is my daughter's (she wants chocolate cake with chocolate frosting). Treacherous times for those of us trying to behave! :tt2:

I've had 4 fills for 7.2cc in my 10cc band. This is the first fill where I really have restriction. I'm still getting used to it right now...

Congratulations, Fenton, on a great SV! And so quickly, too. :teeth_smile: BTW, love the accent and the voice! :biggrin2:

WriteGirl, I've kinda been feeling worried about the same thing... What if I don't get restriction soon given how many cc's I already have? My doc assured me that a 10cc band has more than 10cc capacity (but he doesn't think this is a problem we need to worry about). On the other hand, the 1.2cc added today is making a big difference. It took me over an hour to drink a Protein shake! The last time that happened was right after surgery...

OMG, Anniedub, you look GREAT! I don't know why you think the Lycra is unflattering though.. And Amanda, you put thoughts in my head I didn't have on my own... so now I'm forced to ask: Fenton, where and what? And will we see photographic evidence???

Wow, I haven't been gone that long, but some of you have been very, very busy on this thread! :biggrin2: I just came back from yet another fill. I feel like I lost all of May to PBs and then travel, so I'm eager to get this show on the road. My self-pay year of free fills/patient care only has 9 months left to it, and I want to be well on my way (or better yet, at goal) before this is over. Like some others here, I suffer from the dreaded Ticker Envy. :cool2: Other than this last week when I ate some things I shouldn't have, I've been spot on and still don't see great numbers. Fortunately, my doctor says come back as frequently as you can get appointments until you feel restriction. A while back, my doc said no more Protein shakes because he wants me eating hard Proteins (keep you fuller longer). What they clarified for me today is that Protein Shakes can definitely be used between meals to curb appetite and count toward the "water" intake requirement. After I get back to solid food this weekend, I'm going to start doing that. Hope that plus this new fill helps me... Everyone is doing very well here. Keep up the great work! :w00t: A special shout out to my arm twin, Enjoylife/Diva: Don't get discouraged and eat the wrong stuff -- keep coming back here for support and post. We went through that whole impossible liquid phase for weeks.... surely we can do this!!

We have a Wii, but no Wii Fit... yet! My birthday is in July and when my family asks what I'd like for a present, that'll be it!:biggrin2:

Wow, that's some tough love! At least it was Yoplait, not ice cream...:biggrin2:

Congratulations! That's awesome!! Just remember, you may be home alone but there's lots of us to celebrate with right here... :biggrin2:

Fenton, I've never had scotch drinking with girlfriends, only with men. And that's not a puking emoticon -- it's drooling!! Bloody Caesars are quite delicious... And at the rate you're going, you'll be morbidly obese in no time flat!

Well, that was kinda my question. The PA explained that the band is taken out of the box and may have air in it to maintain the shape, so they flush it with saline to force the air out. Some of that saline may stay in the band and show up at fills. They pull out the prior fill to make sure what they put in at prior fills is still there -- less than that might indicate a leak. (Weird that the extra 1.2cc didn't show up at my second one though, but it was the surgeon and not the PA who did the fill. The surgeon doesn't do nearly as many fills...) My first 2 fills did nothing for me, but I've been focused on my Protein and exercising when I can. I did lots of walking on my trip and I think that helped a great deal in combatting the other sins (alcohol, cheesecake) I committed. Congratulations on reaching Onederland!! I hope to join you there soon...

Hi, ladies! I'm back and I survived my travels. Eating while traveling was somewhat challenging since I was with a bunch of guys and they made me eat like a man: steaks, Bloody Caesars (like a Bloody Mary made with Clamato juice), scotch and even cheesecake one night! I just made sure I drank my drinks before dinner (or much later), focused on the Protein, small bites, and chewing. I ate much slower than everyone else, but they all just assumed that's due to my gender (they don't know about the band). And btw, cheesecake is protein, right?? :wink2: Lunches were a little easier as we went to a food court most days, so I could get bean soups or salads with protein. I only had one PB moment early one morning when I must not have been awake enough to chew the single small bite of quiche enough. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to go back to my hotel room to work it out (up) before I had to leave for class. I went in for my 3rd fill today, and they pulled out an extra 1.2cc that hadn't shown up in previous fills. :frown: I guess that was from the original fill/flush they do of the brand new band to get rid of air in it prior to surgery. Anyway, I'm now at 7.2cc in a 10cc band, and I'm hoping I'm going to feel some restriction this time to help me not be hungry and eat less. But all in all, I'm thrilled because my new official (dr's office) weight loss puts me in the 'Obese' category now. :thumbup: