HeatherO

Hello, I am a bit closer to Cleveland than Youngstown, but really not that far. I have been banded for a little over six months and have had great results so far. Banding is the best thing I have ever done for myself. If you would like to chat, please PM me sometimes. :0).

I would like to hear answers as well. Great question.

One more down and I am officially in the 150's!!!!! I am thrilled. For me that is such an incredibly, unbelievable number, I am still in shock. Only 4 more pounds to go, I think I might just make this challenge :0) Bunkey, congrats on being officially in Onederland! Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:rofl:********** **********:crying:******:rofl:**********:rofl:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......5.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......5.......... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6.......... Bunkey1965.........212.........195.......14.........198 Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3.......... Epm316.............209.........199.......5.......... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......13.........159 Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............160.........158.......6.......... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......5..........219 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9.......... Luu2008............219.........189.......14......... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......6.......... mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........256.......5.8........260.2 Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......10.8.......305.2 MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......0.......... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......7.......... Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......5.......... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......8..........179 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..........

I know several people with PCOS personally, although I don't have it myself. It seems that PCOS, insulin resistance and being significantly overweight all go hand-in-hand in every case. What I am not sure about is which came first, the chicken or the egg. Does being overweight lead to insulin resistance and PCOS in people that are predisposed to developing it? Or is PCOS the primary issue and weight gain and insulin resistance are side effects? In my friends that do have it, they can go on extreme diets, exercise an incredible amount and only have a very small impact on weight. It is almost as if traditional weight loss methods are minimally effective when PCOS is an issue. Does that also seem to be the case for those of you who have it?

I hope you are feeling better this morning. If you are just sliming or pb'ing, you are probably fine and we all go through this until we learn to avoid those things that get us there. Some people suggest drinking some things but I don't think this works for everyone. I have found that if I drink anything, it has to come up immediately. It just makes it worse. Even if it was a liquid that can help break things down, it doesn't stay in long enough to do anything. I have found the best thing if I am really stuck is to stand near the toilet, bend at the waist with my mouth open so things come out easier and faster. Gravity helps clear you out sometimes. I don't mean vomiting, I just mean allowing the pb and slime to escape a little easier. This has really cut down the recovery time.

I went through it too but that phase only lasted a week or two. Now I am normal now but volume is just really small compared to pre-surgery (less in, less by-products I guess). Although unpleasant, I think it is normal and not too much of a concern.

Slim-Fast is not the best option because it is high in sugar/carbs. However, I did use the Optima brand occasionally because it is just so available and easy to find. A better option would be to find high Protein and low carb shakes regardless of the brand.

I had that problem as well but I had to learn how to have "mini" burps which is just releasing a slight amount of air. I figured out how to do this with drinking water. I also try to minimize any excess air ingested with eating or drinking as well. Now it is not much of an issue because it is easily resolved but I still have some level air trapped regularly that needs to be released.

It has been a long time since I had to do one. However, I do remember that some of the primary things that they focused on or kept asking questions around related to general mental health and stability, do we truly understand what lifestyle commitments are involved and are we capable and motivated to follow through, do we have realistic expectations of what the results of surgery might be. The other thing that came up in questions in various forms were questions about our relationships with food. Do we have binge behavior, did we ever have any purging behavior such as with bulimia or overuse of laxatives. Have we been able to lose weight in the past, if so, how did we accomplish this? Are we able to follow diet plans? When we are on diets are we generally lax with them or fanatical, etc.

Your band is always ready when you are. You can do this, even after an extended hiatus. Have you been in for a fill as of yet? What is your restriction level like? Are you tracking your food?

. . . because as of yesterday, I weigh less than my lithe, athletic husband. He is still taller than me so I haven't gotten to lithe part yet . . . but I am getting there. I have been working on the athletic part for six months now and I am in the best shape of my life so I think I have got that covered. :0)

. . . because I just made it into the land of the 150's. The 150'ssssss!!!!!!!!!! I can not even remember how long it has been. :0)

. . . . because goal is getting so close and can practically see it already.

Bagels are NOT my friend anymore. Not to mention they have a gazillion carbs. I think they are so dense, they just swell inside. Drinking Water may only make it a lot worse where you have no choice but to have it come out. Good luck . . . I know what you are going through and thank goodness those things all pass in time. I feel your pain.

We are competitive by nature. I think everyone of us has these thoughts and feelings. Recently my little sister, who is 14 years old, came to stay with me for a while over the summer. We have had a rough year in that our mother passed away unexpectedly in the Spring. It was hard on all of us, but I think it was hardest on her being at such a young age. Her whole life has changed and she had to make choices regarding alternate living arrangements. She had to move to a different town with my brother's family. We have a family arrangement where she will spend her school years with my brother (most of our family lives near her original home town and she can still see her friends) and she will come several hours away up to my house in the summers. Well, weight problems run throughout my family, contributed to my mother's health issues and my sister has now put on a little weight. I have been teaching her about healthy eating and we have been doing things such as swimming, biking and going to the gym together. She is still young and impressionable and I think it is a perfect time to help her live a healthier lifestyle. She has no idea that I am banded but she has definitely noticed weight changes. So talk about competition . . . I am a little disgusted with myself on some feelings that I have had lately. We went to the gym yesterday and I showed her how to use the big slide scale after a workout and a swim. I weigh less than her by about 5 pounds . . . and how did I feel about that??? At first I was a elated but didn't show it, thinking "OMG I weigh less than my little sister, I can't believe it." Then I immediately felt sad because I was always very thin as a child and if she is already significantly overweight at 14, she may just have a rocky road ahead of her the same as me. My only other sister is 25 and weighs 300+ and has been hospitalized multiple times due to issues with her diabetes. My 14 year old sister is so young and I don't want her to have the weight woes that my other sister and I have had. So I feel like such a dork for that initial feeling of "I weigh less than you." Sibling rivalry should be irrelevant when there is a huge age difference. I am 33 and she is 14, you would think I would be a little more mature than that, right????

I started abdominals about 5 weeks out and my port area was overly sore. It was sore enough that I was worried that I might have hurt myself during the first few weeks. I took it easy for another 1-2 weeks and worked my way back in to them. I think I might have just started a little early for me. Now I do strenuous abdominals several times a week at the gym and I feel great. I don't have any soreness at all anymore and feel better than I have in eons.

Eating more just makes it hurt worse and puts more pressure on what is already stuck. Drinking something for me just makes me go from being uncomfortably stuck to a mad dash to the restroom to let it all out, which is not good if you want to avoid slippage. The only choice for me is to really wait it through.

Since I am now six months out and have already ticked alot off of my list. I dont miss . . . Hating every picture that I ever see myself in. Shopping and only finding matronly clothes that don't look right. Not being able to wear tall boots. Feeling like a whale in my swimsuit. Nervous that everyone is looking at my big behind on the bike. Not having energy. . . . and most of all, I won't miss standing next to my husband and feeling like everyone is thinking "why did he marry her???"

Tuna is shredded meat and soft breads are OK so it sounds like it fits your plan. The only questionable item to me would be the pickles but only if there were not very finely diced. It sounds fine according to what you said your instructions are. You should be safe if you are following your doctors prescribed diet. If you overdo it, long before you ever slip you will get other symptoms. Slips usually occur due to vomiting. An excess of saliva, called sliming, will occur and/or you may start burping until a little food comes up, called a pb. My only suggestion would be to take it easy with the bread until you are sure what your tolerance is. You may find at one point sometime in the future that it makes you sick. I could eat bread fine before my first fill, then I just couldn't anymore without getting sick. I have never heard of waiting six months to eat bread, but there are many different diets recommended by doctors. Your doctor know your medical history best. Whatever your doctor prescribes is the way to go :0).

I am still successful with my band as of this point in time and have had no complications. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. It scares me a little to read through this thread, because I know that all of us start off with the highest of hopes and really none of us every know what might happen in the end. It is still informative in understanding symptoms and the need for appropriate follow-up care. I will definitely get an endoscopy done at my one year bandiversary. By the way, GERD is a sufficient diagnosis for most insurances to get an endoscopy performed. If you are experiencing any symptoms of reflux you may find it covered even if banding is not.

I'm from the US and I said yes to high Protein and low-carb, but this is by no means Atkins variety plan. The goal is to make sure you get enough lean Proteins first, eat healthy fruits and vegetables second and carbs are fine for whatever is left. Carbs are not restricted in that I can have them, but they should be of good quality. Whole grains, potatoes, rice, etc. are fine but they should be healthy. The carb restriction is really more for slider foods such as chips, cakes, etc . . . which I feel is perfectly reasonable. Because we have limited capacity, I think it is well and good that we focus on whole foods that are healthy and nutrient rich and limit those things that are highly processed. I know that being an American I have heard the proponents of low carb everything extolling the diet virtues in my ears for many years now. It was the low fat or sugar free craze before that. I do not feel that I am taken in with that. Too much low carb or sugar free or fat free products can still cause weight gain easily if you take in more than you burn. I think sometimes the low-carb debate is lost in our definitions of a carb. Whole fruits and vegetables are always going to be healthier for me than cakes, Cookies or chips hands down. The whole protein first, followed by fruits and vegetables and carbs for last rings true in practice as well. I do know that I love potatoes and if I eat a baked potato first, I will not have room for anything else. In real life, I take a bite of this, a bite of that, etc but try to keep a healthy balance.

I know that everyone's opinion will be different on this topic but I wanted to give you my personal thoughts. Diet pills are very hard on your body and they are only a temporary short-term solution to a long-term problem. How many diet pills from the past are now considered unhealthy? Who is to say the current batch are not going to be a thing of the past due to complications in a couple of years? I think losing weight comes secondary to being healthy. I would not want to compromise my health in any way before surgery. If you will be banded, the pills will only provide minimal gain for the potential costs. Once you are banded, hunger wont be an issue and you wont need them at all.

Your stomach is already irritated and getting a fill on top of it is not such a good idea. The fill will most likely make it worse. I think you may want to call the office and see if you can reschedule for a week later. If you do go into your appointment and let them know that you have been having a rough time, they will probably also say they will not give you a fill today. I have been banded for more than six months now. One thing I have learned is that pb's beget more pb's until you let your stomach rest. A day or two of liquids will put you back in good order once again, but if you do not take a break from eating solids to let your tummy rest, the irritation will not go away.

Small forks and spoons are good for learning to eat small but you could forgo them as long as you are careful. Pay attention and fill your spoon or fork by 1/4'ths or something similar. When I was first banded the said my Protein should be cut as small as a kernel of corn. However, a saucer is really helpful because without it, I was still overfilling my larger plate beyond my capacity. My mind was out of touch with portions and my eyes are always bigger than my stomach if you catch my drift. One problem directly after banding is if you overfill your plate, it is easy to overfill your pouch and then there is a hefty price to pay. Six months out, I still sometimes take too much but I know better than to overeat so I end up feeding my garbage disposal. I now have internal signals that tell me "you must not take another bite" and I have learned to listen to them. One of the biggest things to learn with banding is "mindful eating." Have you ever noticed that if you are eating something like a bag of chips that you truly "taste" the first few bites and as you move along you don't taste anything much anymore you are just eating to eat? What is amazing to me now six months out is that I enjoy food now more than I ever did, and that is the last thing I would have expected. When you eat so little, you truly learn to appreciate the tastes and textures of what you are eating. If you are preparing for banding, you can also start this now as well. Take a bite of something and really discover the taste and textures of what you are eating.

Some people get by without ever needing a fill. Some people avoid getting fills because they are nervous about what eating will be like afterwards. Some people get huge numbers of fills going back and forth. I was told that as long as the following holds true, my fill level is appropriate: 1) I can eat solid Proteins with appropriate chewing and speed. It is important not to be so restricted that I have to rely on soft calories. 2) I am losing 1-2 pounds per week on average. 3) I can eat three meals a day without being excessively hungry in between meals. If you feel good where you are now and are losing weight, you probably don't need a fill. Also, you are only 4 weeks out . . . you may find that in another 2-4 weeks you may be ready for the first fill. The healthiest fill level is the least amount of restriction that still allows you to lose weight at an appropriate rate and keep hunger at bay between meals.