niki

Yeap, before the band I was never mu7ch of a burping person, but now, thanks to the band I've discovered the joys of a good burp! :clap2: I do it even if I didn't have nothing to eat, no particular time of the day, and it feels quite good! There's no problem whatsoever with burping, it won't do any harm to your band. The reason why you should not drink soda when you have a band is because carbonation can make your pouch stretch too much and that's not good at all! if you're really craving for some diet coke try taking out some of the fizz/bubles with a spoon before drinking it. niki

It's been more than a year I have the band but still it amazes me how fickle it can get from time to time. Had 4 fills already and each time it feels different and last filling never kicks in the same way as previous fill. It's very weird and even though I try to pay attention to whatever is happening in my life at that moment (stressed out, relaxed, on vacation, airplane travelling, high altitude, Aunt Flo, etc, etc) I still cannot get it right. Sometimes it happens that this week I may be feeling very restricted and then, next week and completely out of the blue, it is as if I have no restriction at all. Maybe I just should let it flow and pretend I'mnot paying attention to it... niki

I know there are at least six types of different bands but I think the LAGB/Inamed-Bioenterics is the most popular in the USA (FDA approved). I've got a AMI Soft Gastric Band (surgery in Europe) - holds 10cc and I currently have 7cc in it. I think this type of band is somewhat difficult to hit the perfect optimum restriction from one patient to the other and doctor may have to do several fills before reaching your «sweet spot» which means that loosing weight is a very slow proccess (which is not so bad because it allows your body and skin the time to calmly and continuously adjust to your new self). niki

Stayed in hospital 48 hours, went home on the 3rd day, back to work on the 5th day (easy, calm desk work). niki

On my second week post-op I was already doing mushy/puree foods. I had all sorts of Soup and broth - the idea was to boil together different veggies (even with meat and fish in it) and then everything into the blender with a tablespoon of olive oil, and it felt great!!! lots of energy from there, no need for any chemical stuff (every 4 or 5 months interval I do some Centrum tablets). Try also some fruit shakes and natural juices (orange, grapefruit - lots of Vit.C is good for energy). Hope you'll feel better soon, niki

Hi, I had my band surgery 15 months ago with a BMI of approximately 35 and even though I still have more than 20 Kgs to loose (this has been a very slow and graduate proccess) I still believe that having the band is the best thing I ever did for myself! The band is just a tool that's there to help you because you're the one who has to do most of the work (exercising more, eating correctly and making the right choices, etc) but there's no comparison on the quality of life you get once you have it and you start loosing some weight! I also have a kid (7 years old) and now I can go play in the park with him, or to the swimming pool, or to the beach, etc, etc. And who says you can't eat bread or Pasta for the rest of your life??? of course you can! You can still enjoy all the same things you did before - but you should notice the difference between «can't» and «shouldn't» because it's sure you'll have some problems in loosing weight if you still stuff yourself with bread and cheese... but you can enjoy every now and then, a slice of bread and some cottage cheese (as my nutritionist says, it's not really the bread that makes us fat, it's what we put on top of it...), and instead of having a whole bunch of fries, you can have 2 or 3 along with a nice salad. I still eat pasta, but instead of having a huge quantity of tortellini, I only take a little quantity and I have them with some broccolli or zuchinni on the side. The band is there to help you to reduce the amount of food you eat per meal, that's all. In my case, it helps me to have the will power to make the right choices on what I eat and to go to the gym or take 30'min. walks every day. And I never had a PB in these 15 months or any other complication in these 15 months. Loosing weight for me has been going smoothly, calmly and very slowly - but then, it took me more than 20 years to get to the 100Kgs I had before surgery, therefore I don't expect to loose all this fat and extraweight in just a few months. Don't get scared with everything you read, do a lot of reading and research as much as you can. In the end, you'll have to be the one to decide which is best for you. Lots of luck! niki

Well, I had 3 fills already and still feel not much of a restriction which means I can eat anything I want (even Pasta, bread, shrimp, meat, etc - all the stuff that most people say they have problems with the band) so what I really try to do is to carefully choose healthy food and exercise a lot. And everytime I got for a new fill, I try not to eat too much, just maybe sipping a little Water or tea as I think it probably feels uncomfortable and kind of weird to have a full stoma when the doctor fills your band. best of luck! niki

That's the spirit! best of luck Tommy O! and for the new job,too!:clap2: niki

I usually take those huge capsules of Omega 3 (on a daily basis) and never had any problems. I get wonderful results on hair, skin and nails (and it's good for internal organs, keeping your cholesterol levels down, etc). As one of the previous posts mentioned, when in contact with Water (I take them with a full glass of water) it gets all soggy and soft. I don't really think there's a risk of getting it stuck but just in case I'll be asking my Doctor about it. niki

Eating out will become easier, believe me. Don't look at it as if you are loosing something really nice just because you're not able to eat huge portions as everyone else and as you did before getting banded because you're not. Try to look at it from the bright side: you'll be saving so much money in food and restaurants that every now and then, you'll be able to buy something extra nice just for your pleasure! :confused: Also, focus on the fact that getting out to eat it can also mean a well spent romantic moment with your darling one, or just for fun with friends. We can properly enjoy a meal and have fun even if we don't stuff ourselves with food - it took me ages to understand this... now, if I go to a restaurant with my 7 year old, I share a meal with him, or if I go out with DH or friends, I try to go for a salad and something else on the side and if I see that it is too much for me, I ask my friends to have a bite and see how good it tastes (from the portion I set aside untouched, of course...) You live in Greece? - that's great! you probably have lots of good healthy food choices from the mediterranean typical diet used in traditional greek cooking and that must be wonderful. niki

I think it is possible indeed to get restricted in just one fill but as you might now by now from reading other threads in here, each one of us can react differently and «filling policy» can be quite different from one doctor to the other. Mine for instance, never fills more than 1cc and he keeps telling me that this is a very slow proccess and the slower you loose, the better results you get on your body... I know he's probably right, but even so I keep begging him to give more fills as I don't feel restricted at all (had 3 fills and I'm currently with 6cc on a 10cc band). Also, allow a couple of weeks for the fill to kick in as you may not feel restricted right away. niki

I think it's pretty much Ok to take it off after a week, but just to make sure I'd give a quick call to the Doctor's office and try to find out if it's 100% OK or not. It will be useful to ask your doctor as well which sort of aftercare you should have with your scars (after you shower, whether you should use any sort of cream or lotion on the scar tissue, etc). Hope it will turn out Ok! niki

Maybe it's time for you to go back for another fill. I know exactly how you feel, it's very frustrating not to have any restriction at all - that's exactly how I feel for a loooong time now. Even so, I try to force myself to make healthy food choices, but I'm pretty much aware that I'm eating way too much (in quantity terms) and I never feel restriction as I should. I've had 3 fills and I am currently with 6cc in a 10cc band. Luckily I am having another fill soon (in may). It must be wonderful to have that feeling of fullness with one cup of food!... niki

I get to eat everything, bread included, without any problem whatsoever... Had 3 fills and I'm with 6cc on a 10cc band. Never got stuck with any type of food: bread, Pasta, all sorts of vegetables with lots of fibre, fruit, etc - unfortunately for me, it all goes through too well... it's been ages I don't feel any restriction at all, but I'll be having another fill in May. niki

I use a basic vinaigrette dressing for my salads: olive oil, lemon juice, little salt - just mix everything in a small bowl (or put it in a glass jar and shake it well). If you wish you can add some other stuff: mustard sauce (little spoon), garlic (sliced or thinly chopped), cilantro leaves (thinly chopped) or any other fresh herbs (we use this all the time on the mediterranean diet). I try to avoid ready made salad dressings because they all end up having sugar, too much salt or other non-natural products. Hope this will give you some nice ideas! niki

My nutrionist was firm and clear about corn: NO-NO! too much sugar, too many calories. It's surely a NO-NO if you're on a weight loss diet (independently if you are banded or not). I guess if you use just a little portion to add some colour and flavour to a greens salad, with broccoli or similar, it won't make much harm, but even so, I try to stay away from it... niki

Hi, When you're PBing does it mean that you are very restricted (tight band)? I never had a PB (not missing much from what I've read until now...), I've been banded for 15 months, but never felt much of a restriction either (had 3 fills and loosing weight very, very, very slowly...) that's why I'm wondering if one thing is directly related to the other or not. niki

No way! I mean, if you had your surgery 6 or 8 weeks ago, there should be no problem whatsoever. I asked my doctor if there was any sort of exercise (abdominals, push ups, etc) that i should avoid because of the band and he said no, on the contrary, the more you suck it in and work it out, the better. We do need to work all that area because when loosing weight ,skin and muscle tissues will become flacid and saggy. niki

Hi, I think Kathy explained it very well. We are not supposed to feel the band (it is buried down deep around your stomach) but you are supposed to feel the effect/consequence of having the band and that's where restriction or feeling tight comes in. Everytime you eat more (talking about quantity here) than you are supposed to, rest assured because the band will let you know it's time to stop eating. There are several threads about restriction and they can be very useful. You'll see how feeling restricted can vary from one person to the other and how important it is to find the correct fill. As for the port, I think most people can easily feel it under the skin just by touching it with your hand. You'll notice it as well when doing some exercises. niki

Sherrie, I fully understand you... me too, I've been loosing soooo slowly (less than 20 lbs in 15 months, my doctor refuses to to do big fills each time, and I only get to see him every 4 or 6 months...)that sometimes I feel I am a real fiasco... Things would've been even harder if I had told everybody around me, and even with those few I told, I wish i didn't have to (but that would have been impossible not to...) Loosing weight is a constant struggle for me, even with the band. niki

Not sure this will be helpful or not but this has been discussed on other threads before. I think that it really depends on how you see it and whether you believe you need to tell other people or not. Personally, I only told those who I though that really needed to know (husband, my colleague at the office that would be doing my work for that couple of days I was absent, mom & dad, and sister). From my experience, I know that the majority of people don't truly care, they might feel curious, but that is not the same as if they really care or intend to show some support, so why put up with someone else's judgemental look everytime you eat or go to the supermarket? Evidently if someone obese or suffering from overweight wants to know about it, I'll happily share all the info I can and will try to help; otherwise, other «non-overweighted» people will just feel curious about it as they probably do about so many other things, they don't really have the faintest idea of what being obese means, so I feel I don't have to share such information with them. I consider it personal stuff, and as some other things in my life, I only share it with a very few. And if you go on a diet and start exercising, it's only natural you loose some weight, and it's only normal other people notice it, right? I guess it's just a matter of finding what suits you best. niki

I remember first days were hard with gas pains, but don't worry, they will go away and soon you won't think of it anymore! a few hours after my surgery, nurses kept telling me (and others) to walk up and down the ward and not to stay in bed, so keep moving (don't force yourself, just keep going on a calm slow pace) and drink a lot (small sips each time) remember: the band is your friend, it's there to help you, not to harm you. From now on, you have a 50/50 partnership with it. Keep it up! niki

Of course you can tell a HUGE difference! specially in your tummy area and on your face, too. Keep it up, girl! you look fabulous! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: niki

WOW! Diane, this is fantastic! thanks so much for sharing these with us! It surely looks as if you've lost much more than 55 lbs. Truly amazing! I think it's true after all - there's a skinny person inside us just waiting to get out! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: niki

Jess - these are wonderful! thank you so much for sharing these. You are truly an inspiration and I hope someday i'll be as brave as you are. You have much to be proud of! If I haven't seen your picture before (the one with the white robe on the couch) when you were overweighted, I would say it was impossible, there was no way that such a body could have ever belonged to someone overweighted! congratulations and thanks again! your PS must be also very proud of his work! well done! If someday I get a waist line and great boobies as those, I'll come to the office in a different bikini everyday! niki