HeatherO

If you are using the low-carb slim fast, 4-6 may not be too bad. Low-carb is best, Optima is middle of the road and standard is not as good. However, most doctors say slim fast isn't the best choice due to high carb/sugar content in general. If your doctor recommends it, then I would stick with it or ask for some other options.

I chew it all the time, and am chewing it now. My doctor doesn't restrict but did mention the risk of swallowing it or becoming uncomfortable due to excess air being trapped. I have been banded for more than a year and have never swallowed gum, although I almost did once while I was working out. Now I don't chew while doing aerobics, lol.

One more thing I wanted to mention, spicy means different things to different people. I like to eat curry's, lots of garlic, jalapenos, etc and that is fine. I cook with a lot of peppers and like spicy asian dishes. However, some people consider spicy eating to be punishingly hot, like eating atomic wings where you are crying and have to chug drinks to keep from choking. I think it is riskier to eat things that are so hot that you cannot taste the food itself because it can't move through your pouch quickly. Plus you are not supposed to drink while eating. I think moderation is the key.

I eat spicy food often and can't get enough. It is never a problem for me, but I am accustomed to it. I did have a little heartburn when I was too tight . . . but that was resolved with a slight unfill.

I am over a year out, but not two. I can say that my plateaus in the beginning might have lasted a couple of weeks at the most, but I was always able to break out of them by changing calorie intake or changing my exercise routine. Plateaus never last for very long if you aggressively try to break them and keep following the rules. The biggest risk is when you get discouraged and then start eating badly or not following rules. As I got closer to goal, I lost slower and slower and my plateaus might last a month or even more. However, even with those plateaus, it took me less than a year to get to goal.

For some people, 3 cc's is nothing and they don't feel any restriction at all. Everyone is so different. It seems like you just need less fill to feel the restriction, and you should build up gradually. You may eventually find once you lose weight that you can tolerate more fill. Never, never leave the office without being able to drink Water comfortable. It may go down slow, but should never be painful. I did it once as well and ended up needing an unfill right after also. Another thing I do is hang around for a while and try to drink two bottles of water, even if it takes an hour. I know if I can get that down then I am OK. I would rather use a little more time and be sure I am good then suffer for days until I can get back again to the fill doctor.

Hello Vi's, I hope everyone had a great weekend. It rained continuously all weekend here . . . which was lovely. I like rainy weekends where you can curl up with good books and hot drinks. Homemade soups for dinner. Let the rest of the world drift away. I didn't even really go online, just cuddled with my DH watching movies and such, lol. I have an OB appointment today . . . and for the first time I know the scale will not have anything positive to report. The only question is, what is the extent of the damage??? Judging by my recent appetite and food choices, I really shouldn't be too surprised by what it shows. I still think I can get back on the wagon a couple of weeks after the baby comes and get back on track. People also say they leave the hospital 20 pounds or so lighter . . . so that is also giving me hope, lol. Laura, are you seeing a chiropracter occasionally? I have to go in every so often now but I really feel significantly better for the next few weeks after I go. My chiropracter specializes in pregnancy care and has been my personal savior taking me from the depths of misery to just minor annoyance with back issues. I can't recommend it highly enough. I keep hearing about everyone's vacations both at work, with friends and online and I sooo want a vacation this year. For the last three years in a row we have spent several weeks abroad . . . but not this year. I am trying to think of something we could do this summer with a new baby that wouldn't be too difficult but still relaxing. Maybe a cabin in the woods with fishing, hiking, etc that is close to home, just in case. Perhaps we could just get a nice hotel room somewhere interesting. I am just not sure what to do.

I kept loosing until about 1 month ago. Since then I have gained maybe 5-8 pounds between 6-7 months pregnant.

I haven't gotten to that point yet . . . so I didn't have a good response for you regarding any personal experience. However, I will be breastfeeding in a few months and I am banded. I have read in other breastfeeding threads that as long as you are getting adequate calories and healthy foods in, breastfeeding shouldn't be an issue. I know some people have mentioned that they need to keep up 1600 calories of daily intake to keep breastfeeding going well . . . so you may need to work with your nutritionist, banding doctor to make sure those needs are met. I have also read that some people pump and dump for a couple of days after anesthesia, but not everyone does. You might want to set aside a store of milk right before surgery. Good luck. Search for a few more breastfeeding threads on this site and you might find more information.

I don't think so . . . it is best to wait anyway. The health of the baby should be the primary focus.

I agree with the others. Soups, potatoe choices, some veggie, cottage cheese, refried beans.

I don't think rebanding will help if he refused to follow the rules. Banding can defiitely be traumatic if you are spending your days continuously eating and vomiting. Even with a larger band . . . when compliance isn't there he might just be asking for trouble. Perhaps if he decides to go with WLS again, the sleeve might be a better option. However, I think there is no perfect WLS option if you don't follow some basic rules. Non-compliance can be a much greater risk then remaining as is without WLS. He needs to either be ready to make a change and truly commit or there is no point in moving forward.

Do you find that after several weeks, you start eating slightly different solids and pb a time or two. It is possible that a pb experience after some time out starts swelling . . . which leads to more pb'ing, until you end up closing up.

I got into the habit of drinking a lot of warm beverages such as tea and that helps. The occasional sugar free cough drop also helps.

I would check with your insurance provider first. They should have a list of providers in your area so that you can go directly to those that you know are covered. It will save you a lot of time and aggravation to go directly by their list.

Hello everyone!!! I found out late last night that I will be having company over tonight for snacks/appetizers, etc. My house is a shambles . . . aarrgghhh!!! I also have a lunch engagement today so that means that i have between 5-7:30 to clean everything, run to the store for supplies and cook something (I have no idea what). I should have gotten started last night, but I didn't find out until almost 10 PM and my energy had long since fizzled for the day. Now 2 1/2 hours should be enough time . . . but I am pregnant and tired now. I need some time to recuperate after working all day. Oh well, such is life :0). On a more positive note, I keep seeing sunshine and warmer temperatures around here. Spring is actually coming, and soon after is baby so I have a lot to look forward to. I will actually get to spend June and July at home with a new baby, what perfect timing. I am really looking forward to it.

My 2 cents worth, this happens everywhere . . . US included. Whether this particular story is true or not is irrelevant in that you have to be careful no matter where you go, whether it is Tijuana, Istanbul, Prague, New York, Houston, etc. There are thousands of muggings every day. Personally, I have had fills at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana. The front of the hospital is gated with a security guard (sometimes 2) in a booth and for somewhere between $1-$3 dollars, you can park in the guarded section a few short feet in front of the hospital . . . and I always do. Cars are frequently stolen in border towns on both sides so I like this option . . . and $1 - $3 is cheap enough for all of us I hope. This is also an area with McDonald's and TGIFriday's, a big Sam's Club, tons of people walking the streets, busy roads, etc. It is not a run-down seedy place in the middle of the slums . . . just kind of middle of the road. Not bad, not good, just normal. You can definitely find slums not far from the hospital, but I wouldn't recommend walking around in a foreign country in the bad parts of town at off hours. My name really is Heather and considering that I have posted a couple of thousands posts on this website, I don't feel like anybody can assume I am hiding anything. I am also just a banded person with no affiliation with any particular group. Being informed is the best way to protect yourself. Take precautionary measures to keep yourself safe and most likely, you will not be exposed to such things.

I agree with Spring being around the corner with Summer soon to follow. It is easier to lose when the weather is nicer and the food is lighter in general. Not to mention how busy we all get running amuck. We all slow down near goal. The last 16 pounds took me many, many months, lol. If you remain diligent, you can get there. Good luck :0)

It was the same thing for me, lol. Just an innocent box of donuts sitting unexpectedly by the coffee pot, I didn't even know they would be there . . . but there they were just a callin my name. I think pregnancy has completely affected my impulse control. If I am tired, I need to rest NOW. If I am hungry, I need to eat NOW. If I am cranky, I need to blow off steam NOW. If I am feeling emotional, I need to Cry/Laugh/Yell NOW. I used to be a middle of the road kind of gal, but no longer, lol. That poor, defenseless donut never stood a chance!!!

You could call the doctors office and see if he will take you as a direct client. However, since you have already attended a seminar, there may be some stipulation that you have to go through them since that is how your first learned about the program. It never hurts to ask directly . . . but call the doctors office first. I would definitely consider keeping your husband in the loop. It is going to be obvious when you get back after surgery that something has changed in your eating habits with the liquid diet and you will be sore and bandaged to boot. He might be hurt that you didn't let him know ahead of time and I think it is impossible to keep it from him completely.

After 4 weeks most people feel mostly back to normal and by 6 weeks you start to regaina little energy and may even begin to feel better than before. Everyone has a different body and tolerances to pain. Hang in there, once a little more time passes you will feel like a million bucks. You will definitely lose . . . it is just a matter of time. Your body is recovering from surgery and needs to adjust. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are not getting enough water/fluids in you might be retaining a little Water. Also, as you move through dietary stages you will need to pick up a few more calories. I stopped losing at 600-900 calories after a few weeks but started losing again between 900-1200 at about 6 weeks out. As long as you follow the rules, the weight loss will definitely come . . . and it should only get easier from here, especially after your first fill. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

I had this feeling too and it was just due to recovering from surgery and getting used to having the band in place. I checked with my doctor and it was fine. However, because it is in the chest area and many of us who struggle with obesity have also put extra strain on our hearts, you should definitely call your doctor to let them know. It is most likely a non-issue, but it is impossible to say for sure and that is why the doctor should be informed.

I made it to goal and had my band unfilled due to pregnancy. Banding made it easy in that I would eat and was quickly full and satisfied. I sometimes had to "remind" myself to eat and this got me to goal. Since I have been unfilled, I am hungry again and I now really understand that difference between being banded and not being banded. I can eat and an hour later be ravenous where food is definitely the top thing on my mind. I also started feeling deprived again where I had to force myself not to eat even though my body keeps telling me to do so. I have not gained much at all but I am struggling with food issues again on a daily basis. I need my band filled at least partially for hunger control. I follow the rules and do what I am supposed to do but if you are constantly hungry, it is a struggle. Banding with restriction made it feel like I had overcome my overeating issues . . . but I realize now that there was a definite physical component to my overeating . . . it wasn't all in my head afterall. If you feel overly tight, a very slight unfill may help to give you more variety in your diet. Just be careful not to undo all of your hard work but taking out too much Fluid. Also, with regular aftercare, you can always unfill a little, see how you do and get more as you need it.

If he can't get fluids down at all then he definitely needs a bit of an unfill. However, if the fluids will go down when he is not eating any solids . . . sticking to only fluids (pb'ing can cause stomach swelling making it worse) and they go down ok for two days and he can progress to mushies and then solids, he might just be OK. If he is anything like me, if something (like meds) gets really stuck, it takes a little time for my stomach to recover. Another thing that helps is liquid ibuprofen (children's motrin works and is easy to find everywhere) because it reduces the swelling in the stomach. However, ibuprofen is on the do not use list for most bandsters and I am only allowed to have it on a very limited basis for this purpose. I wouldn't suggest taking it without calling the doctor first . . . but it does work wonderfully for this purpose. I hope he feels better soon.

I want some Grady squeezing too, I think it would be very satisfying. I had a donut for breakfast . . . wth was I thinking? Also, I don't know about everyone else, but for me I set a precedent in the morning and for some reason it seems to structure how well I am eating the rest of the day. If I start badly . . . I usually end in a similar fashion or vice versa. It is like my thoughts run on one of two tracks . . . I started off good so I should stay on track or I already blew it so why bother? Does any one else think this way???