Jodi_620

Fills are needed as you lose weight. When we are overweight we have fat around all our organs including the stomach. With the band, as you lose weight, the fat around your stomach goes away and the band gets looser (just like a belt would). When you find yourself eating more, not staying satifsied between meals and gaining weight then you need a fill. You are very fortunate to have made it this far without a fill, some are able to lose it all without a fill and some can go a very long time without one. Most of us need an average of four fills to really start seeing results.

I just don't understand these doctors being so discouraging. Mine was the exact opposite. When asked what my goal weight was, being overweight my whole life, I thought for a second and decided I would be very happy at 160. He was like, why would you settle for still being overweight?...you need to set you goals higher than that.

Excellent point Denise, that is something I have read in the past and knew as a Diet Pepsi addict but it was never pointed out to me since banding and I never made that connection. Another very good reason to kick the habit.

Sure, I typically have an Egg Beater omelet for Breakfast, with 1/2 cup eggbeater cooked LF ham, cheese, spinach, mushrooms...whatever I have in the house. If not eggs then oatmeal with Flax seeds cooked in skim milk, love this on sunday morning with blueberries. :tongue_smilie:but I find that it does not keep me full as long as the eggs do. lunch varies, my current favorite is to have a salmon pattie with LF miracle whip spread on top and shredded lettuce and diced tomato sprinkled over it. (I make them on the weekend and freeze them, thaw one out every day) Or some chicken salad on 1/2 slice of whole grain Carb Countdown flatbread with diced tomato and shredded lettuce. Sometimes I have some leftover Protein from the night before with a little salad greens. Chili is another good lunch For dinner I have whatever I am cooking. I cook low fat and try to stick with fish and chicken and limit beef to once a week (hubby has to watch his cholesterol) I have two prunes with lunch and two with dinner. My day starts pretty early so there is a six hour gap between breakfast and lunch. I have a small serving of fruit between breakfast and lunch. 1/2 banana w/peanut butter is my fav. I avoid white carbs (pasta, bread, crackers, rice, potato,sugar), I do have whole grain bread once or twice a week and as you can see I do eat veggies and fruits so I am not an extreme low carber. I am not much of an exerciser. I don't sit around and veg on the couch, I keep busy with projects around the house, yard work, cleaning the car...basically find a active project every day. I also have a big old German Shepherd who keeps me walking and as the weight has come off the walks have gotten longer and more intensified. (At around 100 pounds of energized muscle, he offers great added resistance to my walk :thumbup:) Now that I am getting smaller I am starting to identify areas that need toning and am trying to decide what I will do with that. I have considered Curves and I have been wanting to get the Total Gym. I just don't feel like a gym membership is for me though...

Stuck food is lodged either in your esophogus at the entry to your stoma or at the band. Typically for me if it is stuck above the stoma I get pain and will sometimes PB, if it is stuck at the band I can feel pain/discomfort and I slime. Sounds like the fries were too big to pass through the band (not chewed well enough) and you did a little sliming. Food that was eaten properly sits comfortably in the stoma.

Yeah, the story on the news recently was that she will end the show in 2011 (after her 25th year on the air). But she will not go away. Apparently she will be taking over the Discovery Health Network and changing the name to OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). I'm not sure what kind of programming they will have.

5 1/2 months out and I still weigh myself every morning. I feel like it keeps me on track too. If I overdid it for dinner last night and got up this morning to find a gain I am held accoutable for my bad behavior. And when I wake up to find that I have lost another pound, I am encouraged for the day. The plateaus can be difficult but I have learned to accept them as part of the whole process.

It really sounds like you need more restriction. I am not on a strict diet, I do not use Protein shakes as a meal and I don't count calories. I do not overeat and it is the band with good restriction that helps me there--not willpower. As far as eating the right foods, not eating between meals, not drinking with a meal etc. that takes willpower but it is much easier when you are not hungry. Per his guidlines, I see my surgeon once a month whether I need a fill or not (He likes to see his patients once a month for the first year). He evaluates what and how much I am eating and my exercise, asks questions to make sure that I am not too tight or having symtoms or slippage or erosion. Then together we determine whether I need a fill.

Brandy, Can you please re-post using the very last list?

Only with his consent...you have to have the consent of anyone over the age of 18.

Five months ago I weighed 234 pounds I am now 172 pounds and the weight is still coming off. I have no doubt that by March (less than 10 mos) I will be a total of 97 lbs lighter and at goal. There are plenty of other people here with similar stories. My concern would be whether your doctor will do well with support and after care to make sure you will be successful. If 40-50 pounds is the norm for his patients, then something is wrong somewhere. Does he provide the education, support and proper adjustments needed? Or does he just think that LB is not for you?

My doctor said that it is common for people to gain as much as 5-10 pounds after going back on solids. It will level out and once the fills start you will be back into weight loss phase.

You are probably just fine. We use our diaphragm to cough and it probably did not affect your band. Symptoms of a slipped band vary depending on how it slips and how severe the slippage is. Some people don't have any symptoms, some get reflux, some get pain when eating, some can't eat at all some lose restriction and weight loss haults. If you are really concerned, when you go in on the 20th have them do a fluro to make sure it is where it needs to be. Let them know about your concerns and they just might want to go ahead and do a fluro anyway.

It can irritate your stomach, especially immediately after banding. Also, it is a stimulant so it can hinder weight loss for some. You really HAVE to give up the soda and all things carbonated. It is hard, but we all had to do it. As was explained above, post surgery at the very least drinking it could be very painful worst case it could do damage causing the band to be less effective.

Like most here, I morally oppose prostitution but I wouldn't have a problem with it being leagalized if I thought that this plan would work well. But like BooBoo Kitty, I don't believe that the government would be able to actually regulate it or tax it. For instance, in my area, apparently one of the biggest sources of prostitution comes from gangs. MS13, 18th Street are the most prominent and many of its members are in this country illegally. They make their money from drugs and prostitution, they are dangerous criminals who have no respect for the law and they don't play by the rules. I don't see them willingly following the law in this case either.

***NAME***********START WGHT.*****CURRENT WGHT.********GOAL**********LBS. LOST ***:cool2: *************:eek:*************:tt2: ***********:thumbup:**********:w00t:* 1dayatime..........259............256............239............3 1000words..........237............235............220............0 aJoneen............213............213............199............0 alliemorris73......229............229............199............0 Ariel..............193............193............183............0 Barb12590..........207............207............187............0 Bea1129............198.5..........198.5..........183............0 Brandy.............208............208............198............0 CQQlgirl...........188............188............170............0 crzytchr...........265............265............250............0 JasonR.............366............366............351............0 Jodi_620...........174............172............159............2 KikiVal315.........229............229............215............0 laurigee...........170............168............158............2 Leslie2Lose........215............214............199............1 LilMissDiva........244............244............225............0 lindar172 .........257.8..........254.4..........240..........3.4 LisaB..............189............185............170............4 mamanmidwife.......275............275............255............0 MegMegs13..........266............266............250............0 mominlv13..........282.4..........282.4..........270............0 noosagirl..........138............138............124............0 Renee74............198............198............185............0 renewedhope........162............161............150............1 SailorChristy......251.5..........248............230..........3.5 southernmissy......209............207............195............2

I have been banded almost 5 1/2 mos...as a matter of fact, two days after you were banded. In answer to your question, I would say both. You have to watch what you eat then let the band do its part and control how much of it you can eat. I do not count calories, fat grams, carb grams etc. I do not journal my food either. But I do focus on lean meats and high Fiber veggies and fruits and some whole grains. I avoid starchy foods and I look for healthy opitions for when my sweet tooth needs something. I do have the occasional goody but I don't make a habit of it.

I suddenly lost restriction about 2-3 weeks after my second fill, then again after my third fill. I was worried that I had a leak. But my doctor said that it is common as we continue to lose weight around our internal organs including our stomach, just like a belt, our band gets looser as the weight comes off. He said I should see a more permanent restricion by fill 4 or 5 and he was right.

The three things my doctor looks for when deciding if I need a fill is: 1.) You are not overeating 2.) You are staying satisfied until your next meal 3.) You are losing weight Feeling restriction through pain, PB'ing or feeling too full are things you want to avoid while achieving the above things. If you are eating right and still feeling discomfort then you are too tight.

My doctor prescribed low carb for the pre-op diet. Post-op I was allowed carbs but told to try and get the majority of carbs from natural, unprocessed sources like fruit and milk and use whole grains. He never suggested anything extreme like Atkins. I choose to watch my carbs because I know that is what is best for me. I don't think that it is meant for everyone but there is no doubt in my mind that it best for me. I absolutely disagree that at least for me, not having carbs causes head hunger. I have had almost no issues with head hunger except the typical TOM cravings and even those aren't as bad as they used to be.

***NAME*************START WGHT.*****CURRENT WGHT.*********GOAL***********LBS. LOST ***:cool2: *************:frown:*************:tt2: ***********:thumbs_up:**********:w00t:*** 1dayatime..........259............259............239............0 1000words..........237............237............220............0 alliemorris73......229............229............199............0 Ariel..............193............193............183............0 Barb12590..........207............207............187............0 Bea1129............198.5..........198.5..........183............0 Brandy.............208............208............198............0 CQQlgirl...........188............188............170............0 JasonR.............366............366............351............0 Jodi_620...........174............173............159............1 KikiVal315.........229............229............215............0 laurigee...........170............169............158............1 Leslie2Lose........215............215............199............0 LilMissDiva........244............244............225............0 lindar172 .........257.8..........254.4..........240..........3.4 LisaB..............189............187............170............2 mamanmidwife.......275............275............255............0 MegMegs13..........266............266............250............0 mominlv13..........282.4..........282.4..........270............0 noosagirl..........138............138............124............0 Renee74............198............198............185............0 renewedhope........162............161............150............1 southernmissy......209............209............195............0

If you can't find apricot juice, you will definitely be able to find prune juice...it works great too!

Woo Hoo- Linda, you are off to a running start in this challenge! Way to go!

That just means that you eat foods that are low on the Glycemic Index. Here is a link to learn more: The Glycemic Index Database - GI of Foods Listing

The Lap Band is intended to last for life. Sometimes there are problems with port malfunctions, leaks and erosions that may make repair, replacement or removal necessary but for the most part it is for life. As far as whether it is right for you, only you can figure that one out. Learn as much as you can, understand that it is just a tool and you will need to do your part to make it work then decide if it is right for you.