kgloverii

Miralax once a day has kept it flowing rather well for me. I took a break for a couple weeks to see if I'd somehow self-regulated and umm... paid for that decision dearly.

Another vote for Miralax. That stuff is God's gift... if I stop taking it, I PAY. :tt1:

I was self-pay due to insurance not covering the procedure... YES. I would do it again. I wish I would have done it sooner. I am a new person. Not just physically, but mentally too. My brain was rewired by my band.

When I first started to get restriction and was hell-bent on eating and drinking at the same time, I could feel the food wash through my band. That physical sensation is what made me realize that the 'not eating and drinking at the same time' is no joke. I could FEEL how I was setting myself back. I stopped that sabotage immediately. When I got to my sweet spot, if I tried to drink and eat at even remotely the same time, it was NOT a pretty sight, lol. So, the short answer is: YES... you are starting to get some restriction. It gets frustrating waiting for that 'sweet spot' but just hang in there. It took me 3 fills to really get to a good point of restriction, and 4 to get to my sweet spot. Patience is a virtue. You're losing. So keep on doing what you're doing and you'll 'feel' the success in no time. (and put that drink away! )

For some people, their GERD gets worse after surgery, but no one really knows why. I have had GERD on and off for years and have taken Prilosec when I have a flare-up. A few months ago, I had a flare-up and the Prilosec did not help as usual. My doc actually recommended that I try Zantac, and that made a huge difference for me. A few weeks of the Zantac and my symptoms completely went away... now I don't need to take it... (till my next flare-up!) Call your doc for some recommendations. They may try to up your dose of Prevacid, or they may recommend you try a different remedy. GL!

My menu varies day to day. Usually I wake up in the morning and make myself some hot chai tea, mixed with 1 cup whole milk. If I am feeling like I can eat something, I may make myself one packet of organic oatmeal, but I rarely finish the whole thing. Instead of oatmeal, I may eat some yogurt, but probably 70% of the time, I only have the chai. For lunch, it varies on what my activities are for the day. I may have a small piece of veggie quiche (I make them all the time, always on hand at our house!), or 1/2 cup of egg salad. I may eat a small salad with it, or I'll have a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack. dinner varies greatly. I eat whatever I am making the family. As of late, the family has been a huge fan of various bean Soups that I make. I often make a 15 Bean Soup with ham, and I'll have 1/2 cup of that. In the evening, I still like something sweet. I may have 1/4 cup of Edy's (Dreyer's in most parts of the country!) Slow Churned Ice Cream, some yogurt, or one small piece of chocolate. My diet is varied and I don't place any restrictions on myself... I am at a really 'good place' and am rarely hungry.

Since I've hit an 8/10 size-wise, DH has been letting me shop a lot... my favorite place EVER is Ann Taylor. I couldn't wear their clothes before, and when I was a 12 or 14, the salespeople didn't give me the time of day. Well, they do now. A couple weeks ago, we did some major damage at one of the stores, and DH found a dress that he just HAD to have for me. A nice wool dress, fully lined, VERY fitted. They didn't have my size, so he found one at another store. I went there to pick it up and was shopping for a sweater to match another skirt I'd purchased earlier. A salesperson was making recommendations, and found something I liked. She looked at me, up and down and said, "You're a medium, right?" Well, YES, I am... and somebody from snooty Ann Taylor noticed! Praise be to God! I just had to share... :thumbup:

Once you get to the point of the 'sweet spot' you won't need diet pills anymore...

I consider myself a 'success' and can tell you that as you get fills and get to a 'sweeter' spot, you will not have such an issue with munching. I no longer munch because I am not hungry all of the time. I eat every 4-6 hours, in VERY small portions. And when I am satisfied I stop, and I don't think about food 'in between' meals. My brain got 'rewired' and now I deal with food like a rational person, and have no obsessions about it. I eat when I am hungry, I eat what I want, and go about my day regularly.

I know about how it is weird how people are more helpful... It would be nice not to shop in the stores with the snootier salespeople, but unfortunately, when I was obese, it seemed like a very high majority of them refused to approach or acknowledge me... It is awful how people who are overweight are treated... that is a feeling I will NEVER forget...

Yes. Went from a size 6 3/4 to a 5 1/2. I am close enough to goal I am actually going to get it done soon... I have been wearing a 'cheapo' ring in the meantime so I don't have to get my ring repeatedly re sized.

I have not had a lot of post-op experiences, but Dr. Martinez assisted on my surgery and he is EXTREMELY capable. You are in good hands. my friend Julie goes back to the OCC for her fills and LOVES Dr. Martinez... You do stay overnight in the clinic. It is VERY nice. Extremely clean and up to date. I had a preop diet. For 2 weeks I did a slimfast shake for Breakfast and lunch and lean cuisine for dinner. Make sure your son-in-law lines up his aftercare BEFORE his surgery. I am assuming he is not planning to fly to the OCC for fills. Dr. Ortiz recommended local fill docs and my doc has been great. Good luck to him. He is in great hands...

Ummm... I never want to go back cause of my shelf... No matter how carefully I ate, no matter how dainty I tried to be, I ALWAYS ended up with my dinner on my chest.

In this one, you need to stop thinking of yourself and think instead of your husband. What would you do to HIM if you did that? And how hurt would he be knowing you are entertaining the thought of it? The guy you are 'hot for...' Remember... he's having inappropriate conversations with a married woman. He's hurting HIS wife too. That means he probably can't hold a candle to the honest man you call your husband. AND, if you did something with 'other guy'... how could you ever trust him not to do the same to you? You need to COMPLETELY extricate yourself from this situation. Cut all ties with him. You're already having an emotional affair with him. Continue, and statistically, it will turn physical. Concentrate on the man who you've promised to honor and cherish. Think about it from your husband's perspective... the complete lack of honor and respect you are giving him by carrying this on. I hope you know, I am NOT flaming you. I just hope my words will help you realize that a little infatuated passion is nothing that should end up ruining lives.

For our family, there have been no real changes. I am still the cook. I LOVE to cook. I make whatever strikes my fancy. And we all eat the same thing. The only changes in our diet has been an addition of more veggies and less breads. For instance, we had 'green bean spaghetti' last night--- instead of spaghetti I used long green beans and topped them with a burgundy marinara and turkey meatballs. No one missed the pasta and we are must healthier for it. Instead of pastas and rice as sides, we tend to eat steamed veggies. No one has noticed or complained. And we are all healthier for it.

I had an interesting thing happen on Thanksgiving. My husband's aunt, whom I have had a very warm relationship with, took one look at me when I entered the room, and would barely speak to me... She answered me in a very ummm... short fashion and stared at me the whole time I ate my sweet potato pie... but didn't say a word. I became self-conscious eating it, lol. Anyway, my husband said he's sure it is because I was the 'big girl' in the family, like her. Now "The Fat girls can't roll together..." Most people have been supportive and positive throughout my transformation... this has been the first blatant disdain for my weight loss. I'd love to hear other banded peoples' experiences. :thumbup:

Brad, Most successful people do not have the problems you've stated in your post. I don't throw up all of the time. MAYBE once a week... or less. Seriously. And I don't look like death from lack of Vitamins. I eat a balanced diet... and take a multi and I look HOT if I say so myself (Hey, I'd pick me up! lol). Most of the people on the board are people who are fairly new to the band so they are just learning, or they've encountered a problem, so they come here for help... Most banded people go on their merry way and don't really think about it. Here's the thing so many people don't talk about enough... the SWEET SPOT. Once you get there, you're not thinking of food all the time. No more planning your next meal... This is the beauty of the band, and with another fill or two, I hope you discover it. A lot of people on this board become OCD with their band. They over do it. They over question. They over fill. It is all about balance... and once you find that place, you'll wonder why it took you so long to go there. Good luck...

Katie, I know you like drinks with your food... I did too. but until I realized I couldn't do that, my progress was really inhibited. I changed my actions and now I don't even think about drinking with my meals... no missing it at all. It is just the way I am now. Kick the drinking, even a little, with your food. You'll notice a HUGE difference. Stay positive!

On that Oprah, it wasn't just a couple of people who'd regained, a very large part of that show was dedicated to how people regain and even the trainers said "Life happens after the show" and it is next to impossible to keep all of the weight off. in fact, only the winner from LAST SEASON was still at the same weight; all others had regained at least SOME of the weight back. 98% of diets fail... follow up with the contestants 5 years from now, and they will all be back where they started... basically.

Here's the deal: You are going to get the band. You are going to have to follow a STRICT post-op diet if you want your band to stay in place. After fills, you are going to have to eat specifically, and follow SPECIFIC instructions if you want to be successful, and if you don't want to be puking and in pain and frustrated... So, in a nutshell, you need to make up your mind to DO IT right this second. If you can't do it now, you need to seriously reconsider having a surgery that is going to be full of rules... I hope I don't sound mean or NON-supportive. I don't mean to be. But the stuff I just told you above is what I told myself when I went on my pre-op diet so I could guarantee I was successful. And I am a success. And if you make this commitment, you will be too...

Yes, there are a large proportion of members here who have had surgery in Mexico. I'd do a ton of research about specific doctors... There is a thread about researching Mexico doctors on this site, and that is a good place to start. There are a lot of ads on this website and I do NOT agree that clicking these ads is a good place to start. The previous poster has stated that you should go with what 'feels right to you.' Medical decisions should NOT be made on 'warm fuzzy feelings' that you get from websites, banner ads, and phone calls to patient coordinators who are PAID to solicit your business. Do your homework independently. DO your homework... Don't choose a doctor because they have a good price, or because the Flash on their website is pretty, or because you get a private message from someone on this board who tells you "They got surgery in Mexico and their doctor is great and you won't be disappointed.' There are a lot of people who have made their decisions like this, and have ended up with complications, and severely maimed because they did not ask the right questions. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/researching-mexican-lap-band-doctors-101-a-66635/ Hope that helps.

I suggest you call your surgeon ASAP. An overnight type of change like that is often the result of a slip. An complete unfill may get you back in order, but you MUST call your doctor ASAP.

pizza... is an evil evil food. :smile2: Doesn't work well with me AT ALL if it is regular dough. But a super thin crust is possible for a small slice. If we have pizza, I usually scrape all the 'stuff' off and eat that, leaving the crust behind...

Katie, From one "Katy" to another... I know it is super frustrating... And don't be discouraged... but I'm going to be honest with you--- drinking with meals will SIGNIFICANTLY alter your weight loss. You can consume A LOT more calories even if you only drink a little with your meals... In the beginning of my journey, I drank a teeny bit with my meals. But, I finally buckled down, and got rid of the beverages. That made a HUGE difference. Here's the deal... once you get out of the habit, you won't even miss it or think twice about it. I sat at Thanksgiving dinner, with a huge glass of wonderful wine that my grandmother had poured for me and it didn't even cross my mind to drink it. Later on in the evening I did have a few sips though. Retrain your brain by changing your actions. I promise you that after a few weeks, you'll be so surprised you waited so long. Big HUGS!

PCH, You definitely are witnessing two ends of the banding spectrum. As for the guy who is downing a ton of calories, it sounds like there is a lack of restriction, as well as a ton of poor food choices. None of the choices he made inherently are 'bad' but all put together, they are unwise and making it very hard for him to lose weight... Your mother is being a very judicious bandster who is apparently following the rules very closely. Some may think it too strict, and there are probably bandsters out there who don't think it is strict enough. I went into my surgery figuring if I got down to a size 12 I'd be satisfied because I'd be 'normal-sized.' But once I got there, I realized it was not enough, and I am interested in milking every pound out of the band that I can. I maintain pretty tight control of my eating regimen, but nothing is off limits. I ate sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving and there was not a millisecond of guilt. I eat what I want, but am filled to a capacity where I don't need much to feel satisfied. I'd go into your surgery aiming for the stars... Make your goal NORMAL weight... Some banded patients lose 50 pounds and are 'satisfied' and stop getting additional fills. Some banded people like having tight control and want to defy expectations. Shoot for the latter. Don't shortchange yourself... but don't think you can't eat cake occasionally. You CAN. The road through Band Land is long, and you'll have a few detours... but you'll find your own way...