HeatherO

There are successes and failures with everything, however the successes seem to outweigh the failures. I do see some common themes with people who are not finding success as follows: * Failure to think of the band as a tool that must be worked with eating healthy, appropriate bandster foods coupled with moderate exercise. The band helps to prevent overeating and helps keep hunger levels in check, the rest is up to you. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. This needs to be understood and accepted before banding. * Failure to deal with emotional eating issues that caused overeating to begin with. We all have reasons why we ended up obese, these reasons don't dissapear with banding, sometimes they come to light more visably then ever before because the food crutch is taken away. * People that have a tendency to graze throughout the day rather than overeating during meal times have more difficulty with this option. * Sometimes people start "cheating" by not following their post-banding diets and doctors orders from the beginning. If you can not follow through in the very beginning stages, you can set yourself up for failure later or damage the band. Banding should be taken seriously from day one. * Ice cream . . . chips . . . slider foods, etc. will go right through the band. If you can not change your diet to focus on healthy Proteins and veggies and find that these other items are a staple of your diet, you will not be successful. These things should be avoided because sometimes eating is difficult post banding, but not with these items. It is too easy to sabotage yourself with these items, so you must go in with both eyes wide open to the risks. These are all difficult things to deal with, but definitely can be overcome with understanding and personal work taken to overcome them.

I am 7 months + out and my scars are so small and insignificant they are unnoticeable. Even my port scar is not really that bad. You can see it but you have to be looking for it. The color also matches my skin as well. I did not use anything for scars and it turned out well.

When I get my fills, they usually say there are three important questions to ask yourself in order to determine if you need a fill: 1) Are you eating the right foods, avoiding slider foods and eating healthy Proteins, veggies, etc? 2) Are you getting hungry between meals? 3) Are you losing less than 1 pound a week? If you can answer yes to these three questions, you almost definitely need a fill. It sounds to me like you need one.

Did any of you start to take a folic acid supplement before becoming pregnant? Would you suggest doing this? What is the primary difference between prenatal Vitamins and standard vitamins?

I dont understand how you can not get anything down but you also have no restriction. Can you explain a little more? Also, what kinds of things are you eating in general? What kinds of food are going down OK and which things are not going down?

Well, three days down with fasting and I was able to follow-through perfectly without feeling too bad. However, today I needed to break my fast. :0( Last night I had dinner. I started with 1 cup of Water, 1 date (traditional food to break the fast), red lentil Soup (which is my favorite post banding food by the way) which took me about 40 minutes to finish a small bowl of soup. Then I took a break and decided to eat a little of the main course. I made eggplant mussakka which is band friendly in that it contains eggplant, groundbeef, onions, peppers, garlic in a tomato based sauce which is soft and easy to eat. This is easy and filling banding food for me . . . usually . . . but not last night. I ate about 1/4th cup and then pb'd everything back up, including some of the soup that still had not gone down from more than an hour before. So a while later I had a cup of milk, which I have if I know I am not getting enough in. I later went to bed. I had a couple of coughing fits in the night, with a little reflux. Around 3:30 in the morning, I sat bolt upright and ran to the bathroom where I vomitted (not pb'd). It was one of those instantaneous things where if I had to go 5 steps further, I never would have made it in time. I went back to bed, got up at 4:15 to prepare Breakfast for my family which we ate at about 4:45. I had a cup of tea and a thin Protein shake . . . which I pb'd about 5 minutes after I got it down (trying to will myself not to pb if you know what I mean). What was more concerning is that there was more to that pb then just tea and shake, so obviously I had a blockage and not everything was going down. I could not even get water down in the morning which gave me about 1 cup for all of yesterday. Also I have gone up 1 pound, which makes me crazy since I can not ingest hardly anything for days and the scale seems to be mocking my efforts at trying to get in some nutrients and hydration. So, I am very sad but I know that today is a loss. I can not fast today because I could not get in much yesterday. Today I am getting in plenty of liquid nutrition to offset a none-to-enjoyable evening. I also do not know if I can keep fasting in coming days, but I will try. Fasting is a very important part of my life and something to look forward to, but I think I need to accept that my body is changed after surgery. I think my lesson learned is that I need to consider an unfill once a year for about a month. I am not sure why I got so sick. I am also noticing that each night is getting a little more difficult to ingest anything. Could it be the date I ate??? Is my band just a lot tighter from having not used it throughout the day??? Could reduced hydration affect my stomach???

I would go in right away as well. There is no reason to risk your health and stay in agony. I would also try again to get ahold of your doctor and see if there is an answering service that can patch you through in case of emergency.

I liked the Isopure drinks as well (or shall we say I didn't dislike them greatly). You won't need to do much shopping ahead of time so it is OK to do it closer to surgery once you have your doctors list. One thing I would do is see if you can start getting samples of different kinds of Protein shakes so you can see what tastes tolerable for you. Another thing to keep in mind is quantity. I bought too much and I still have Protein shake leftovers six months later. Buy smaller amounts to make sure you like them and can use them.

I have always heard 1/2 to 1 hour after, my doctor says an hour. Just keep in mind that it is very true that once you start drinking, everything moves through the pouch quickly and you may get hungry quicker.

I would let it come off naturally because it is not hurting anything, and you can have more damage and scarring if you try to hard to get them off. I wouldn't soak them in Water at only 8 days out. I have read elsewhere that people had the best success with baby oil if you let it sit for a minute and then wipe it away.

I started on 800 until I stalled and moved to between 1000-1200 where I have been losing well ever since.

It is the same for us. If we are sick, vomitting, pregnant, etc. we do not have to fast. If I find that I am really sick, I will break the fast. I am trying to break through discomfort or lightheadedness and getting used to fasting again. I really want to make a strong go of this but I do have it in the back of my mind that if it becomes too difficult physically I can discontinue. I also want to make sure that I am not giving in too quickly or using my band as an excuse because the first days of fasting are difficult for everyone. I won't risk my health for it, and I am not sure if I can last the 25+ days remaining without breaking fast . . . but I will try my best.

I had an issue when I first started doing vigorous abdominal exercises post banding. It went away in about two weeks. However, I was still only about 5 weeks out, while you are a couple of years out and completely healed. If it feels like everything is in place, that is a good sign. I would give the doctor a call just to see what they would say.

If you do not have too much irritation, I would go one day liquids and one day mushies and on from there depending on how things are going down.

Tea and coffee did not make me feel this way. To limit caffeine, I would drink chamomile tea, mint teas or other herbal teas and keep coffee at no more than 1 cup daily. They helped. I would drink them with splenda or without depending on how I felt.

If I am hungry, I definitely have a little something to eat. If I am not hungry, I still eat at least a little something at the regular mealtimes. I found that when I didn't do this, when I became hungry again I became overly hungry and it started triggering an urge to binge. I also found that being too hungry causes me to eat faster and I am more likely to PB or choose something "quick" that is not as healthy for me. I skipped meals for years thinking I was helping weight loss, yet I was definitely obese because it gave me a tendency to overdo it later. Now I don't skip and I lose steadily week after week.

I would get some anti nausea medication just in case you need it because that vomiting is the only thing you really need to worry about it. It would be best to get a script from your doctor. However, I did find some over the counter medicine named Nauzene chewables at Walmart that works well for this. I also saw it at my local grocery store.

I had the same problem but it only happened after week 1 until the end of week 2. I found a medicine called Nauzene chewables at Walmart that really helped with this. I also have seen them at my grocery store as well. This stage only lasted about a week for me . . . and it was definitely the Water making me nauseous.

I have been thinking about using Water in a way considered inappropriate, such as drinking after eating with a reduced timeframe to wait in this special case. Today was a lot better than yesterday, but I think that might be because I made sure to drink a lottt of water and eat healthy options. I also added a shake as well at night to bolster my calories a little because I just can't eat much in such tight timeframes. I am not sure if I can lose much weight during this unusual eating pattern. I have been losing steadily and am afraid to mess up a good thing . . . a routine that is working for me. I guess I will see how it goes.

I eat everything well done. However, it doesn't have to be very dry, it is more difficult to eat this way. I actually like a little yogurt near meat sometimes and that helps as well.

I am down my first pound for the challenge :0) _____Name______Start Weight____Current Weight____Goal________Lbs lost *****:cool2:***********:laugh:*************:tt2:************:thumbup:*********:w00t:**** 1day at a time.....263............263............243............0 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............223............213............0 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............199............180............0 Barb12590..........228............228............213............0 Bea1128............210.5..........210.5..........188............0 Caramia71..........208............208............195............0 Crzytchr...........310............281............265............0 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............245............230............0 HarleyGirl.........188............188............175............0 HeatherA...........210.5..........210.5..........200............0 HeatherO...........155............154............140............1 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............194............177............2 Leslie2Lose........220............220............205............0 LisaB..............205.5..........205.5..........180............0 livn4thm...........235............235............210............0 Long2bthin.........248............248............230............0 Luu2008............203............203............183............0 Mamanmidwife.......299............299............285............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 mominlv13..........299.8..........299.8..........275............0 nip50..............175............175............160............0 NurseNiki..........258............258............239............0 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............252............232............0 Renewedhope........171............171............150............0 SpecialK...........294............294............280............0 Tess...............304............304............280............0 Turler.............225............225............210............0 wowox7.............195............195............170............0 WyominGirl.........327............327............312............0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Instructions: Start Weight = Weight at the beginning of the challenge, Current Weight = Weight at time of posting, Goal = Goal to attain by Halloween, Lbs Lost = Difference between start weight and current weight.

Oops, I see the last post did not have Bunkey's last updates. I fixed it. Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:cool2:********** :laugh:**********:thumbup:******:tt2:**********:w00t:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......7.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......9.5........210.5 Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6.......... Bunkey1965.........212.........195.......19.........191:thumbup: Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......5..........162 Epm316.............209.........199.......7..........202 erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......18.........154:thumbup: Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............166.........158.......7..........159 KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......4..........220 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........221.........200.......16.........205 Luu2008............219.........189.......16.........203 Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......11..........188 mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........256.......14.9.......251.1:thumbup: Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......15.2.......299.8:thumbup: MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......7..........243 NANAbanded.........225.........199.......10.........215 Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........194.........180.......14.........180? Renewedhope........174.........155.......8..........171 ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......10..........177 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......0.......... tp78...............212.........195.......7.......... __________________

1 more down, which is 1 pound more than goal :0) Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:cool2:********** :laugh:**********:thumbup:******:tt2:**********:w00t:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......7.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......9.5........210.5 Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6.......... Bunkey1965.........212.........195.......17.........193:thumbup: Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......5..........162 Epm316.............209.........199.......7..........202 erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......18.........154:thumbup: Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............166.........158.......7..........159 KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......4..........220 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........221.........200.......16.........205 Luu2008............219.........189.......16.........203 Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......11..........188 mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........256.......14.9.......251.1:thumbup: Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......15.2.......299.8:thumbup: MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......7..........243 NANAbanded.........225.........199.......10.........215 Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......8..........171 ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......10..........177 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......0.......... tp78...............212.........195.......7.......... __________________

If it were me, I would go for it. However, I would schedule the surgery as close as possible to the beginning of our arrival in the US. That way you can make the most of your seven weeks before heading back out again. You also really want to schedule your fill at least a week before you leave in case there are any hiccups. Make sure you travel with your medical records for the other surgeon. If you do not want the Hong Kong surgeon to do fills, you should schedule a trip back maybe two months out to get a checkup and fill. My first fill was under flouroscopy and was an aggressive 6.8 cc. It then only took me two fills to get to my sweet spot, but I was lucky.

I think everything and anything can be eaten in moderation. The LF/SF option is a guideline. I think it also depends on what are own personal issues are as well. We will certainly be ingesting less calories with smaller portions. However, I think the LF/SF is a move to steer us towards healthier food options. Lean meats, fresh fruit and vegetables all fit into this category and should be the basis of our diets. We now have limited space to take in food and we don't want to fill our pouch with high calorie, high fat or sugary items. In the beginning, I did end up modifying my diet to eat closer to 1,000 calories for weight loss because I did stall at 800-900. However, I didn't want to use up my calorie allowance for the day on just a few things, so I ate LF/SF options. I have lost more than 60% of my excess weight, but I do so by making sure I get full at meals and I couldn't do that by making poor food choices with higher calories and still be satisfied.