KelinTx

I also struggle at night. I usually allow myself 2, 100 calorie snacks in the evening. The 100 calorie bags of popcorn are a great treat, alot of popcorn for 100 cal's. The sugar free puddings are awsome for 60-90 cals as well. Another of my fave's is a string cheese for 60 cals.

Sometimes even the smallest amount of a fill can make such a huge difference. If you feel your portion size is increasing most definitely head in for a small fill. My last fill was .5 cc and it made such a huge difference. Im filled to 9.2 in the VG band.

I feel for ya, i am a miserable SOB when i am overly hungry. But the good news is that it does get better. Try spacing your liquids or food out so that you can have something that you are permitted every two hours. That way you will not be ravenous and therefore tempted to grab something thats not so good for ya.

I have held one to ONE item only, it was the pair of capris size 34W that i wore to my very first lap band apt. Everything else i donated to goodwill once it got to big. I will never get rid of those pants because i love seeing the look of utter SHOCK on peoples faces when i show them what i used to wear!

Alot of it depends on how much you need to lose. You did not specify that. Naturally a person needing to lose 50 pounds would have less loose skin issues then a person needing to lose 150. Age and exercising also are major factors.

In my case i have found that my restriction and loss there of directly coincides with with weight loss following the fill. In the beginning stages when i was first experiencing restriction i would drop pounds really fast following a fill, causing the restriction to fade within a months time. I was one that believed in small frequent fills. I never wanted an aggressive fill in hopes of avoiding any issues. Gradually as my band started to accumulate more fluid the restriction would last for longer periods of time. I am currently 5 weeks out from my last fill and still am SUPER restricted. My fill previous to this last one held me 5 months till i felt my portion size was increasing.

My full signal is an unpleasant sensation of pressure in my upper chest. Alot of times i will also start to get a runny nose. This is my signal not to take another bite. The thing is until one reaches some stage of restriction (at least for me this was the case) a stop eating signal may never happen. In wich case measure your food and stop eating when you have consumed your portion.

Its important to realize that you may NEVER experience the same sensation of fullness that you felt when filling your stomach pre-band. For me my new signal to stop eating (meaning im full) is a pressure in my upper chest. Hardly what one would typically describe as a "oh im so full i can not eat another bite feeling". But hey thats the band at work. As for stretched pouches, they can be remedied by a liquid diet. Im not sure as to how long one must stay on liquids to fix the situation though. A sure way to avoid one is to measure out your food and not drink with your meals. If you follow the recommended food portions, stretching your pouch should not even be an issue. Best of luck.

I have had fills done both under fluroscopy and without. I can tell you that i prefer it done with the Xray machine for the simple reason that there is NO DOUBT that they are hitting your port and the fluid is actually making its way into your band. Think about it this way, with out the Xray machine it is like they are stabbing a needle through a pillow aiming for an area the size of a quarter and hoping to hit it. (of course the size of the pillow varies) LOL

I also pretty much eat the same things i ate pre-band. With the exception of fast food. I love being able to eat what i want but being restricted enough to only handle a very small portion. If a person who did not know i was banded was dining with me they would never have a clue.

Try doing a search on this site for that topic. It has been discussed numerous times, im sure you will find lots of valuable info. Best of luck.

Both Walmart and Target sell plus size sports bras. JC Penney would be worth a try also.

Yes the choice is totally yours if you want to get a fill or not. If you do opt to get a fill at some point you also have the option to tell them to not be aggressive with the fill amount.

I actually CRAVE salad.......and it keeps me full for a long period of time. Its never hindered my weight loss in fact i would say eating salad has attributed to my success!

My belly was the last place the weight came off of. I was losing and losing and still had a large stomach and FINALLY now that im in the home stretch i can see a BIG difference in my stomach area. I actually wore a shirt tucked in over the weekend for the first time in i bet close to 13 years.

You may want to have the fluid level checked in your band to make sure in fact what you say you have is indeed what is in there. Also try measuring out your food portions and counting calories for a week to see if you have a loss by doing so. Alot of times even though it seems as if your not eating alot the calories consumed are over and above what it takes to lose weight. Best of luck to ya!

I weigh myself once a day. I get on the scale every morning at the same time in just panties. I know they say not to weigh every day but..........i find it keeps me more in check if i do it daily.

If you look down a ways on this forum you will see the title 16lbs shy of losing 200, those are my pictures at that point. I plan on posting new ones when i hit the 200 lb loss point, im inching towards it. Best of luck to you!

In the beginning stages i went for a fill every 4 weeks. I opted for small frequent fills in hopes of avoiding any issues or complications. Going frequently for less aggressive fills worked for me, i have only pb'd a few times in 2 and 1/2 years and never have had heartburn or indigestion or have had to be unfilled.

My instructions for fill days are no food 4 hours prior to the fill and no liquids 2 hours prior.

Im on board with all the others that said "FIND A NEW DOC". Not once was i ever discouraged from having my lapband procedure and i started at 359 lbs. Please do not let the issue of lose skin get in the way of making your decision. Saggy skin can be covered, trust me i know.. i do it every day. My sags and bags are covered in the fabulous new clothing i can now buy in any store of my choice! Size 34-36 womens pants i started in and last week i bought a size 12. You can do it too!

Some answers to your questions Does banding stop your hunger? No it does not stop you from getting hungry, it does however make you get fuller faster on less food. Why not just change your eating habits and save the $$? For me the lap band was a tool that enabled me to change the quantity that i eat and therefore changed my eating habits. What if i can not change my eating habits? Well chances are if you can not change your eating habits you would not have great success, would you lose some weight...probably so but without changing eating habits long term success would be doubtfull. 59 years old is not to old for lapband surgery. About the flab, you either exercise in hopes of avoiding it, cover it up with your new stunning smaller clothing, or get plastic surgery. You would have to do your research on what your individual medical coverage would allow. Every doctor has a set of pre-op rules and liquid diets differ from doctor to doctor, and yes you have to follow the diet if you are prescribed one. Tired of being hungry because its expensive? Having surgery is expensive also, medical expenses from obesity related issues are expensive also.

I am in total agreement with you, if u need a fill ya need a fill. I never understood the reasoning behind not being able to get a fill just because one is losing at the recommended pace. Its just easier to keep up a good losing pace when you feel your restricted properly enough to not have to tough it out on willpower alone. Good luck and hope you get the fill you feel you need!

Were you given a list of approved foods for each of the post-op stages? If not im sure your doc's office could provide you with one. Its not a wise decision to add foods to soon. One could argue that anything put in the mouth and chewed well enough becomes a soft food, sadly that is not the case.

I think the doc's all spit out that statistic to us to dispel any notion we may have of losing weight in the same way a gastric bypass patient may. I think there are plenty of us out there that could say we beat the stats!