egnebs

:unsure:Out of curiosity, since the pouch is about the size of 1/2 a cup (4 to 6 oz)....if you EAT 1/2 cup of food, by the time you chew it it's about 1/4 cup....so do you estimate how much the chewed portion will be or measure dry quantity before eating... To me it makes a difference as far as what amount goes into your pouch

I have been having lighter colored stools for a while, but not sure if that is because of what Im eating or if something is going wrong with the gall bladder or something else. I dont seem to have any problems or concerns...just lighter colored stools and occasional what seems to be like a light case of heartburn or indigestion especially on the left side below my ribs towards the front. Any one else experience this..... Oh.! By the way..not losing any weight either:frown:

when you get to perimenopause or whatever..does it seem to have an effect on houw your band reacts to food? Or when it is time for your period? Im not retaining extra fluid, it just seems like the band has gotten tighter since starting to experience some of these symptoms and Im wondering if its just coincidence

Is it just me or does your period/beginning of menopause seem to have an effect on the tightening of your band Not really sure if its just coincidence or not

I am one of those people who has to go slow with fills..I currently have 5cc in a 10cc band. I got all the way to 5.5 and couldnt eat 800 cal a day and didnt lose a thing..but yet when it was at 5.3 I had lost 9 lbs that month and got greedy and wanted it tighter so we went to 5.5 and it backfired so he took out.5 for this past month. Gained 2lbs and going back tomorrow for a fill and hopefully lose some more...Hang in there!! I was banded in March and its a slow road...but its all downhill!! I didnt gain it overnite and wont lose it that way either..but I WILL lose!!

This will be your best decision!!Hang in there! Try the GASX strips..they are great. do some things to get your attention diverted..You can eat soups, you can eat jello, there are a lot of things you CAN do..including stay occupied by other things besides eating. I had my surgery on Fri and back to work on Monday and havent looked back. Its a lifestyle change..not another fad diet that wont work more than a week or two...its the best thing you could have done for YOURSELF..this is positive!! Dont feel sorry and down in the dumps!

My doc gave me a card: Hungry? Big meals? Looking for food? Yellow zone. Add Fluid Early and prolonged satiety? Small Meals Satisfy? Satisfactory weight loss or Maintenance? Green Zone. Great! Difficulty swallowing? Reflux-heartburn? Night cough? Regurgitation? Poor Eating Behavior? Red Zone. Reduce Fluid. Its put out by the Lap Band System Australian Center for Obesity.

I guess they had the surgery and then they really got the wakeup call that something needed to be changed drastically

Ok....Im not 50 yet but its close enough to start casting a shadow! Its only 8 mos from now. My weight loss is sssoooooslow. and I was banded in March 2008. I have a doctor appt next week for a fill ( I have had 3 fills for a total of 4.3 in a 10cc band) Sometimes it feels like I have good restriction especially if I eat something too fast or dont chew well enough...other times its like I can eat everything! I know the band is only a tool, though, and even though I can eat an egg and bacon for breakfast and a half sandwich and a few chips for lunch and maybe a 3/4 chicken breast and broccoli for supper.....I still need to watch my portions and my selections and not just eat the soup cause its easy, the chips cause they disintigrate, or the ice cream cause it tastes good and goes down easy. Its hard to change my habits and watch my portions and lose weight even with the band at times....but the band is a tool that needs to be used properly and my eating habits do not always use it correctly. What Im confused about is, why I dont seem to be losing even though I have been eating the correct foods, albeit maybe sometimes more than the amount I should(calorie intake is approx 1200-1500 by keeping a food journal) I have joined a gym and am now going 5 days a week for an hour a day,,,walking at least 2 mi at 3.5 mi hr and doing the bike for at least 2 mi with 70rpm that keeps my heart rate to approx 130. Can my metabolism really be this slow??!! Is it possible I have a thyroid problem even after all the changes Ive made? I have a doctor appt next week to do some bloodwork about it.

Wow!! 80 lbs in 4 mos!!!!!

Does anyone know how much the band itsef costs?(ballpark figure) My hospital has overcharged before, but since its a preferred provider, I have to go there. They charged me approx $9,000 for the band itself, the insurance co said only about $3700 would they pay, and I have to pay 30% of that amount....whereas I think the hospital just charges so much so they can get my $1200 AND the ins co $$ $3770. Does anyone have any answers or have they had the same problems?

Maybe someone out there knows the answer to this. I had my 2nd fill last week. In the dr office they told me to swallow some water to see if it went down(my dr does fills in his office, no flouroscopy) and initially it didnt, so he removed a small amount and the water went down real slow. He only has 3.8 in a 10cc band. Since the fill, I have been able to drink real slow and eating has been almost non-existant and it seems like for the most part, its too much effort to even try eating, although the first couple days I was on liquids, then to mushies and now trying solids. My question is "why does it feel like no matter what I drink, including water, it feels like there is a knot at the end of my esophagus and if I continually swallow small drinksof water, it actually goes easier than several smaller drinks....also, it seems like no matter how little I eat or how long I chew and liquify the food, it seems almost like there is a knot about where the band is. It doesnt seem like I actually get a full feeling, just that when I swallow food, it goes straight to the band and has a hard time going through....although that part is understandable. What is the feeling like when the food just goes to the pouch and then fills and waits to digest?" I need to know exactly what to watch for because it seems like I cant swallow water as easily as something like creamed soup or mashed potatoes and I want to be able to tell my dr exactly whats happening and to be able to get the most productive fill when I am at the office. Iwas banded 3/7 and have only lost 16 lbs by the dr scale and I know Im well under 1500...more like 1000 to 1200 cal a day

What does a good fill feel like versus being too tight? I can swallow water pretty good and eat mashed potatoes REAL slow...about a teaspoon or two. I had my 2nd fill yesterday and am now at 3.8cc in a 10ccband. Eating super slow on the potatoes or else, "Here they come again!" Im thinking its because I just had it done and am probably pretty tight, but not sure. Drank warm cocoa this morning and last nite. Just have to drink REAL slow