fluffycat

I have to live and part of living for me definitely enjoys food. I also have blue bell in the freezer (Birthday cake--yummm) I can eat about half a cup and really savor it. I just can't eat it every night or all the time. Ditto for chocolate chip cookies. I hosted a couple of foreign students in July and made cookies from scratch with butter -- twice!! They were all gone at one sitting and many people enjoyed them. That's it. Life goes on and food is still in mine.

I can not go back to Mexico for a fill so my next best choice is to find a center fairly close that has consistent pricing and hopefully will be very good!

me too. i am self pay and thought i only had to go in 3 - 4 times per year.

here here. i am getting sick of my ticker!

I have put off getting a fill i think because i am scared! i thought surgery would be the hardest part. I went in naive and panic'ed at the last minute when i realized what the dr was going to do. now, i think i am scared to commit to a life change. i really enjoy eating--cooking, tasting, all of it. i don't think i can give it up forever.

I can eat anything but if i am really hungry and eat too fast or swallow large pieces of food--i get the frothing,

When you get that tightness in your upper chest while eating -- the very best thing to do is STOP. Until that food passes through the pouch, you will just exacerbate the situation by eating more and filling up that pouch. At that point, there is only one way to relieve the pressure. Upchuck. And believe me, you don't want to go there!

So let me understand this. With good restriction, you eat less. Mentally, how do you handle that? don't you still want to eat more? Don't you still have cravings for the wrong types of food--like sugar? So the way to lose weight is with good restriction and physically you can't eat--right?

I too threw out the scale 3 weeks ago. I know I am not eating right and I don't want it confirmed. I just thought surgery was such a huge step in itself that surely there would be results. I know Dr. Zapata in Mexico actually filled one woman patient (she had surgery the day before I did) with 5 cc's in a 10cc band because he said US doctors were too conservative and its too easy to get discouraged early on. I like his theory.

I am so glad to read these posts. I am in the same situation; 10 weeks post-op, no fills yet, and nothing in my life has changed including my weight. I thought for sure just having the band would restrict somewhat. I read on this site where someone is still losing weight after 6 months and never had a fill. I put off getting a fill for this reason. It doesn't really restrict at all. I have experienced the PB several times, even upchucking once, and its a horrible experience. I kind of thought a fill would put me in that position most of the time. Another reason I have put off that fill for so long. And of course my husband and family remind me how much it costs and what little progress I have had and why did I do it if I am not committed, blah, blah, blah. Yes, its depressing and demotivating. Others on this site ensure me I am in bandster hell, hang in there, get a fill, everything will be all right. Just to know, I am not alone, there are others going through the same thing. I keep thinking, if all these successful bandsters are just eating protein and only 1000 calories per day and exercising regularly--why did they get the band? They could do that on their own--right?

OMG--you all have to go to that link from the Denver Post and read how people responded. I was so fired up I had to register and post my own comment. It was obvious to me that the persons reading the Post are clueless about WLS. why we do it and the benefits it has.

throw away the scale. it is a big emotional killer. 1 day at a time. 1 meal at a time. whatever. i am not going to dwell on the scale any more nor am i going to stress over my "diet." i hate diets. i am now in bandster hell. perhaps after a fill things will get better. but for now, i will do what i can and still enjoy living my life. i hope you can to.

I was banded on May 23rd but my nurse at fillcentersusa requires liquids before a fill and at least 2 days after a fill to allow swelling to subside. I find that some foods I used to crave and still want to eat just out of habit, don't even taste good to me anymore. they are just not that appealing. And even pizza, which is my favorite food, I just don't want to eat as much as before. I don't think it is because I feel that full; I just get tired of eating it.

Ditto. I need this lap band to work for me cause I am weak! I think my portions dropped in size but that is about it. I can eat anything. I only eat when I am hungry but that is still alot. I want the hunger to subside, the portions to drop dramatically, the cravings to go away for good, etc. Is that realistic? All my lost weight was a result of surgery. I suspect I will lose weight during my first fill process since I have to fast and be on liquids for days. But that is just a plain miserable existence. Not the new lifestyle I was hoping for. You all are so encouraging. Thanks for the support.

I am just not there yet but it is my own fault. I'm not working the band. i haven't had a fill yet. I am scheduled for August 9th. The closest fill center is Moultrie, GA and the nurse is only there once a month. I avoid the scale and i hate diets. Just the thought of a diet has me craving food. Sometimes I get that golf ball in my chest--it makes me realize I do have a lapband in me. What I don't understand is most times I can eat "normal"--too much food and everything is fine. other times if I rush or am anxious, I can eat 2 or 3 bites (usually meat) and have to stop or i will PB, slime, throw up. How is it possible for my pouch to only hold 2 or 3 bites sometimes and other times I can shovel the food in non stop? Also, what will happen with my eating habits after a fill? Will it be like eating those 2 or 3 bites all the time?

I get my first fill on August 9th. Can someone tell me what the difference is with eating after a fill? do you eat the same things but a lot less or do you have to change what you eat and still eat a lot less?

I encountered another problem the other day. Eating with others. I know to chew and chew, I know not to rush, not to talk and eat, etc. I have even slowed down to the point I can tell when that PB is coming--that big elephant Earl that sits on your chest and will not let anything pass. But I was on a "field trip" and lunch wasn't until 2 pm and I was starving! Some things you can't plan on. 2 bites of chicken and I must have swallowed it too fast or too whole but it stopped dead--stuck. I excused myself, went to the bathroom and stayed for a long time trying to upchuck that. of course, everyone was worried--are you ok? what's wrong? I don't want to explain a lapband to strangers. It eventually came up--in sessions. piece by piece at a time. slime. much discomfort. it wasn't even chunks--it was quite small. I don't know how it got stuck there. I now think being nervous or anxious plays a huge part in how the food goes down. For instance, how can I eat a lot (2 cups) of whatever--burgers, pizza, pasta, etc. and not feel any chest pressure and other times I can only eat a few bites (usually meat) and it stops dead. Right between the breasts or even a little higher. Is that where the abdomen is? And the lap band? I thought it would be lower. If the pouch only holds a few bites (I'm not filled yet); then how come other times the food is slipping right through? What is the purpose of not drinking with your meal if the food is slipping through the pouch anyway? Does anyone in lapband world know the answers? I am confused. Maybe my esophagus or sphinkter muscle is helping to stop the food intake. I just don't know anymore. So, in the end, I did not get to eat lunch.

Ah, the simple things like crossing my legs. It's a habit but with more weight to carry, the legs do not want to cross and stay there comfortably. Yesterday in church, I crossed my legs and voila! I can do it again.

Unlocked? Is that like the belt (band) not being put in the buckle? I never heard of that one before.

I am down 10 lbs and my lower back no longer hurts!! Also, I don't get heartburn anymore. Its the little thinkgs you take for granted and forget about.

I asked my doctor about sex 3 weeks after surgery. He said it was my abdomen that was operated on, nothing else, so why would I think sex is off limits. He said be sure the position does not put pressure on any "tender" areas.

I did WW at least 3 different times throughout my adult life. The last time I was determined to get that lifetime award. My goal weight was to be 140. The week before weigh in I was around 142. I starved the last few days, did the super dieters tea to "purge" fluid buildup, etc. and then the day of weigh in came. I was at 140 but do you think the leader gave it to me? No! She bumped it up a hair and said too bad. Conincidently, she knew i was on my last prepaid ticket and would have to buy another program. That was it for me & WW. Its all about the money.

I am a spiritual Christian. I go to church about half the time these days. I know I am a compulsive overeater. My question is: specifically how is God going to stop my behavior. What do I need to do with my faith in order to trust God to fix my behavior.

The scale is not and never ever has been my friend. I avoid it. Always have and always will. If you know you are eating right and exercising, etc. then why get on that scale just to lose all motivation. You are better off without it. Try weighing once a month instead. look for other successes.

Ha! My family's idea of a vacation is some extreme sports/fitness activities. I need the lap band so i can finally join them. That high ropes challenge/rappelling through trees/white water rafting in glacial water back in September during our Alaskan vacation was enough for me to decide on WLS.