HeatherO

It does take some adjusting to. It took being banded for me to see how much food or thoughts of food were controlling my life. Six months out it is definitely easier. I am learning that I don't live to eat and there are other things to focus my time and energy on, surprise, surprise, surprise. I have really found exercise to be helpful with these feelings. My real weakness has always been evening and exercising has helped me to combat the desire to eat with the natural high that comes from getting a good workout. I also found that reading a book or going online or watching tv are ways to unwind without food. It was almost as if eating at the end of the day was my reward for making it through the day and the trigger for unwinding, release of tension, etc. Nothing else quite fulfilled that need for me in the beginning. In the early days, I really didnt want these other things, I just wanted to eat. I have read that you are supposed to find substitute activities, probably all of us have, but I wasn't ready at that time. I would be lying if I said that I found substitutes satisfying in the beginning or that I wasn't constantly thinking about food. I am now at the point where I crave things other than food . . . and I think that is the point where the real recovery begins. I have also now lost some restriction from my last fill in April which has helped. I can now eat normal things without pb'ing . . . but I have learned enough self-control that I don't binge or have those constant feelings of cravings leading to impulse eating followed by overwhelming guilt . . . and repeating repeatedly if you know what I mean. I also allow myself to eat special things in very limited quantities on special occasions such as a bridal shower, birthday, etc without guilt. The first few months are really, horribly, tremendously tough . . . but, if you can make your way through these and keep striving for something better there is light at the end of the tunnel. It does get a whole heck of a lot easier. Hang in there.

Caffeine withdrawal can really make you feel bad if that could be an issue. You have already made it to the halfway point. It is rough going, but you don't have much further to go. Why don't you give the doctor's office a call and see what they suggest? Good luck with everything.

I don't eat pork, but I do eat Kosher or halal beef or turkey sausages and never have a problem with casings if they are chewed well. Having them cook slowly in the crock pot will probably work great. Just go slow and you should be good to go :0).

Don't lose hope just yet. Have you tried to appeal? Many people have had an initial denial and were able to get it to pass by filing an appeal. This is especially true if you have taken all the steps required in the beginning. I hate to say this, but maybe a couple more pounds may put you over so that you can be approved. Definitely try the appeal route first. Perhaps your doctor can also help you out with a letter or a phone call to bolster your case. Another thought is to maybe post another thread (or even a poll) regarding those who have had an initial insurance denial, reasons for denial, appeal success, etc. You may still be able to make this happen if you are diligent. Good luck.

That will all change as you get smaller. Almost no-one noticed my first 40 pounds either. I didn't get much for comments or anything. Now, I constantly get comments, even from people I don't really know about my appearance. Sometimes it is not even a reference to weight, people just say how good I look these days. At first I was frustrated but now I realize that it is all a matter of percentages. At first, even though you lose a significant amount of weight, when you have alot to lose it is a small number compared to the overall amount percentage wise and, eventhough you are smaller, you may still look heavy. Later, when you are getting close to goal, every 10 pounds lost becomes really visable because it is a much larger percentage of the remaining weight left to lose. You also no longer appear heavy and so everything is much more apparent. Give it a little time, and believe me, you will get tired of the comments :0).

Yes . . . it is absolutely normal and expected. I can still feel them over six months out when they are hot or cold. This is especially true first thing in the morning. The sensation gets to be less over time, but never goes away completely. It is never the same as the "early" days unless it is very early or very late in the day. If I take a sip of Water before bed and lay down immediately after, I can not only feel it, I can hear it gurgling through. My husband always laughs at the lovely sounds I make when I am trying to go to sleep :0)

Ohh, and one more thought. If you are going to try steak for the first time, it helps to have a little something with it such as steak sauce, mushroom sauce, gravy, yogurt (if you like mediterranean cuisine) or something similar. It improves the moisture content and makes it go down really easy.

chicken is rough on a lot of bandsters depending on how it is cooked. Some have a difficult time with steak or ground beef. I have to be careful with chicken much more than steak. I have really tight restriction now but steak is not a problem as long as it is a good cut (you want to stay away from cheaper cuts that might be a little tougher) and cooked well (not over cooked and I usually go with medium, a little soft). Steak is one of my favorite foods.

I have had that feeling in the exact same place. It is not food being stuck because food doesn't get stuck in that location. My throat does occasionally get irritated there, and it is definitely right above the collar bone. I drink hot teas when it is like that and just give it a couple of days. It goes away on its own without too much fuss. pineapple juice has been known to help with stuck food, but I don't think you have stuck food by the location.

Why did you decide you wanted to convert? I know I struggled in the beginning deciding between the two. If you explain it might be useful information for those of us still trying to make a decision. WasABubbleBut is indeed an excellent resource. You should look up some of her posts.

. . . because with two weeks of house guests, traveling, bridal showers, etc I have been a little off plan. I need to kick my butt back into gear, and fast. I haven't gained, but I haven't lost which is what I need to be doing before I travel abroad in October.

I have been offered cobra before when switching jobs but it was about $1,000 a month. It can be very costly. You may want to ask now how much they expect it to be for cobra coverage.

Everyone had great suggestions. It sounds like you are under a huge amount of stress and that is an easy trigger for eating for most of us. Carbs/sugars are addicting. I had to cut them out of my diet completely so that my hunger would be in check. It was sooooo hard at first but after about 2 weeks, it became really easy. Exercising is sooo valuable and I would say it is even more important when you are stressed. I would highly recommend it for stress relief first, and for helping weight loss second. Once you get in a routine, you will find that you start wanting or even needing the release of exercise. You can do this!!!! :0)

I wouldn't want to start over with removing all fill because it takes so long to get it going again. However, this comment just made me think of a great suggestion. Have you ever heard of the 5 day pouch test? It is a pouch renewal diet that puts people back on track when they have stalled or just needed to get back on the wagon again. It takes you through liquids-mushies-solids and most people have great weight loss over those days. It is kind of like going through the post surgery diet in 5 days instead of a month. I think it could be great because not only does it get your pouch back in shape, but it also helps get your mindset back inline. If you are interested in more information, check out this address: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test. This isn't a website to buy anything, but it does give the plan for free in detail and explains alot about hunger/satiety/etc. I think anyone who is really struggling should at least read through it and give it some thought.

For me I just have to do something completely different than what I was doing. If I was working out 30 minutes a day, I can spend a few days at 1.5 hours or vice versa. If I was eating really low calorie (800-1000), I would switch to higher calorie for a couple of days (1000-1300) or vice versa. If I got on a routine of eating the same kinds of foods everyday, I would pick something new completely off of my normal menu for a few days. For instance, I went on a sushi kick for a couple of days once and that really helped. It usually takes a change for several days to take affect, but it definitely works for me. No matter what, cutting out things such as processed carbs also helps in that I know I have to avoid these things as well. These will plateau me faster than anything if I start eating them on anything more than I very rare basis. A combination of any of these things seems to shock my system into losing again for some reason. It seems like any big change in any direction works like a jump start for me. If I don't change things up (like I did in the beginning of banding) and just stay the course, my plateaus could go on for weeks. Now I never seem to have any issue lasting more than a week.

You should definitely try to get back to a workable restriction level, or as near as you can to one. It would also be good to revisit bandster rules. What you are eating can make all the difference between losing and not losing. Are you eating lean Proteins, fruits and vegetables, healthy carbs? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you battling head hunger more than physical hunger? All of these things can impact your success. You had success before, you can have it again. It will help to get back into the bandster mind-set. Good luck.

The comment your doctor made about people with the same or less of a fill losing more than you is irrelevant. I am surprised a doctor would say that. Some of us never need a fill and some of us need quite a bit. Our anatomy is different and it makes no sense to compare fill levels across different people. It sounds like you need more of a fill in that you know what it feels like to be at the appropriate restriction level and did not experience the need for more food and was not hungry in between meals. I know from personal experience that the right fill level makes all the difference in the world. I would insist on getting another fill as quickly as possible. Your doctor can also be correct in that eating six meals may be too much. It all depends on how many calories you are ingesting. There are things you can do to make this work better for you if you are still hungry. If you have to have a snack, perhaps you can stick to vegetables or something with almost no calories to tide you over until your next meal. It can also really help you to track your calories and Protein daily in something like fitday. No matter if you have a band or not, for the most part calories consumed should be less than calories burned to keep losing. Unfortunately, if your band is not restricted enough you will have to work harder on personally restricting what you are eating in order to continue losing. One last thing concerns what you are eating. In my case, it was very important for me to avoid certain things or I was constantly hungry. Pasta, breads, snack cakes, Cookies or crackers or anything along this line with processed carbs/sugars would make me instantly hungry again in an hour or less. My blood sugar will spike and then drop when I eat these things, and it does not matter what my restriction level is, I immediately crave these things after I have them. I am not sure if this is an issue at all for you, but for me I never lose a single pound regardless of restriction unless I avoid these things.

Sorry it has been so rough for you. It does sound like you will need a couple of days of liquids until you can get back and ease the pressure a little. My last fill was exactly the same and I was going to get an unfill. I went on liquids for a couple of days and was really careful. I found the fill was tolerable after the initial swelling went down. However, I know that sometimes if a fill is too much, it may not become comfortable again. If I were in your shoes, I would drink the 1% and occasional juice as well if you can find it. This has always worked for me in a jam when nothing else was passable. I read a lot about the flying thing and they say it really affects you when you are at restriction. You may just be tight enough now to really feel the effects. By the way, I have seen your pictures recently in the albums and you look wonderful. :0)

You may need another fill. If you are hungry between meals, are eating too much at meals, and you are not losing 1-2 pounds a week you should go in again. Usually there is not enough restriction at the first fill.

I am so sorry to hear that. Try not to let it get you down. Perhaps a letter will work.

I wish I knew . . . . . . some Protein shakes can taste horrible. I should have gotten a sample before I bought a very expensive barrel sized canister of Protein shake that has been gathering dust in my kitchen closet for six months now. . . . ready to drink Isopure clear shakes were tolerable to drink and helpful for protein intake directly after surgery since they fit in as a clear protein. . . . I did not realize logging all calories and protein on fitday.com would be so helpful during the early days. . . . I thought the journey really started when I was banded, but the help did not really come until after my second fill. I did not have realistic expectations of the unfilled portion in the early days where you are soooo hungry but can not eat anything much. I also did not realize that so many people had weightloss stalls (or some even gain)at this point. . . . I did not realize that weight loss comes in fits and starts. It was only easy and steady directly after surgery during the liquid phases. In general for me it looked more like this 202, 202, 201, 198, 202, 199, 202, 200, 199, 199, 198, 200, 198. I now have a rule that I don't change a ticker value unless I maintain a maximum weight for at least three days. . . . I didn't realize that plateaus can be easily broken if you know what to do, so I suffered a little more in the beginning than necessary. . . . I didn't realize that my TOM means an automatic weight gain(3-5 pounds in the beginning and 1-3 pounds now) that comes and goes in about a week. . . . I did not know that losing weight rapidly floods your body with hormones so that your TOM can be drastically worse than normal (not to mention that you can be verrrryyyy moody as well). However, six months out and I think I have stabilized somewhat. Perhaps the general tone sounds like complaints, but it is not. All of the good far, far, far outweighs the bad. If I listed all the good, I could go on for pages and pages. I love my band and I can not tell you how much better I look and feel at this stage of the game. Congratulations on selecting a most interesting journey and change in lifestyle.

I think you might be trying too hard. The glue shouldn't cause any harm but the various methods being used to get the glue off, which are causing skin irritation, are probably not helping the healing process. A couple days of tape residue are worth a lifetime of minimized scarring. Time will definitely make it come off with minimal skin irritation. After all, you will be shedding skin cells over time and most of it will come off easily in the shower.

I had one steri strip come off earlier than the rest. I kept it clean and it healed well with no infection. However, when i look at my scars now, they look great and are a pale pink thin line, not really even noticeable except for the place where the strip came off. It is a much darker pink there and the scar is bigger and more pronounced (it is also at the port incision which was a lot bigger to begin with). If I would have known then what I know now, I probably would have found a little butterfly bandage to make sure that there was a little extra support to hold it together during the healing phases. However, this is just vanity in that it really doesnt look bad at all, just not as good as the others. All in all, as long as you keep the wound clean and cared for, it is really not a big deal.

Every insurance is so different, the only way to really know is to bite the bullet and give them a call.

It is nervous to get the jitters. I remember clearly how the surgery went and how nervous I was before hand. It was really a simple process and felt like it was over in an instant. Recovery is pretty good as well. I was just a little sore. The best thing about it is that my worst day now is far better than my best day before banding. I feel absolutely wonderful. Good luck.