2muchfun

I have no idea. It really didn't matter so I never asked. I still don't know how many CCs I have?

Like the others said, no need to fret over calories until maybe 6 weeks out of surgery. Till then, heal yourself and how many calories you consume is irrelevent as long as you don't go hog wild and eat too much. tmf

What problem loading picture do you have? And what are you using as a computer?

Congrats on the surgery and the beginning of a new and better life. But, why worry about slippage and food coming back up? May never happen if you follow the rules. tmf

You're one of the lucky ones to find so much satiety so soon. You could probably go for a small fill or not. Most of us find that the restriction we have early on is not static but it's ever-changing. Again, you could be one of the lucky ones who find a lasting right amount of restriction and satiety with just a few fills. Good luck. And if you're comfortable where you are, you always have the option for another adjustment? tmf

If you didn't consult with your surgeon, you should now.

You are definitely over-thinking this. BTW- 6 lbs in a month is very good so no reason to think anything negative over "Just" 6 lbs in a few days. Actually, stop thinking. You can lead a normal life with the band if you just pay attention to the signals your band will send you. tmf

I guess I should have looked up gastroparesis before I spoke? Is it possible you had this prior to surgery and the band exacerbated the problem? Do you have diabetes, heavy smoker, bulemic? Sorry for all the questions but to truly help the forum it's good to know the nature of this condition? tmf

So, did your surgeon take responsibility for damaging the nerve or was it damaged by the band squeezing the stomach? tmf

You would know if she's prepared for this? You already know how hard it is and the sacrifices we make in the beginning? Can she make the leap? You also know that she needs to be ready just like you were? tmf

No pre surgery diet was required so no loss. I decided over a year in advance to get banded. 6 month nutrition counseling required but that requirement by BCBS was dropped near the end of the 6 months. I wasted about 3 months with a surgeon whose staff couldn't find their butts with a butt map. tmf

The green zone is incredibly subtle and transparent. But it sounds like you're there? I don't know why you're so concerned? Most all of us would like to be where you are. I'm nearly there and was once there. I could use a small fill but I'm not concerned about it. I'm just waiting for the biking season to start. I can eat 3 meals a day and 2 small Snacks and be fine. I sometimes crave something late at night and usually I ignore it but sometimes cave and have an apple or cheese stick. Jean McMillan said it a few weeks ago: "NO WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY OF ANY DESCRIPTION WILL KILL THE EATING DEMONS IN YOUR HEAD" No truer words were ever said. There may be a bandster out there who can eat 3 times a day and never experiences head hunger/cravings but I know of not one. tmf

No one losses massive lbs of fat post surgery. Most all of the weight lost is Water weight. Some of us did not have to go on a pre op diet so we lost a lot of water weight post surgery. If you lost a lot of weight presurgery, you probably won't lose much post. Unless, you have a lot to lose. Someone who is 200 lbs overweight can drop 50 lbs of excess fluids shortly after surgery. You don't seem to have to lose as much so I wouldn't expect you would lose a lot of fluids post surgery. This is a long journey and what you lose now makes little difference. Relax and don't compare yourself to anyone else. Compare yourself to you before sugery. tmf

For me, being stuck means great discomfort right under my sternum and pressure like a golf ball is lodged there. I couldn't possibly eat another bite as there is no where for the food or liquid to go. It just comes right back up. I slime and spit up as much as I can but it usually takes 30-45 minutes to pass. Feeling full means I've eaten too much, I could still eat if I wanted but I recognize this feeling and it's much much much(did I mention much?) more subtle than being stuck. I can't say I can feel it anywhere but in my stomach area and it's definitely not in my sternum area. That's just me. tmf

You've made the same mistake so many make. The band won't make you lose weight. It won't make you eat less. It will only dim your appetite so that you can gain control over your food addictions. It sounds like you gave up far too soon? It takes most of us more than 2 fills to find that one fill that gives us satiety. If you really want this it's still achievable. Some people just can't let go of their food addictions. No shame in that, but you could turn it around if you changed your mindset. tmf

Great Post and sage advice. BTW-You're one hot geezer and I know geez! tmf

Cabernet Sauvignon...Yummmm. We belong to a couple of wine clubs and get new bottles every month. Fortunately my wife can swig better than I can. But a nice cab with a small filet or rack of lamb? Or a huge chunk-o-salmon with a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is heavenly and makes for a wonderful weekend meal. tmf

Aren't you supposed to be drinking protein shakes or something? I didn't have a pre op diet so I'm not a lot of help? Usually docs or the nut will give you a pamphlet or guide to go by?

Stept, Do you really need to ask if any of us have problems losing weight? We all do or we wouldn't have this surgery! Sorry, just giving you a hard time "I read the band tricks the body into thinking it is not in starvation mode thus speeding up the metabolism" ??? Nope. The band only slows the passing of food through a small pouch. Nerve endings in the small pouch send signals to your brain that you've eaten enough and dims your appetitie. That's it in a nutshell. It doesn't restrict how much you can eat, it doesn't store food in your pouch, it doesn't make you eat less, it only helps you to know when you've eaten enough. There's so much more than just this and you will have to read this forum to learn more or buy Jean McMillans book "Bandwagon" or Alex's book "The Big Book on the Lap-Band". link is below.

Well, that's technically not totally accurate? 1 lb of fat weights the same as 1 lb of muscle. Muscle is far more dense so 1 lb of muscle will occupy less space than 1 lb of fat.

Make sure you're not eating processed foods, simple carbs, white flour or noodles. They're fine once in a while but try to keep to complex carbs that are low in glycemic value. The band works best if you're not eating slider foods. Eating your proteins first will give more satiety. But you're doing great so far. I only lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and nothing for the next 3.5 months so I'm jealous.

I first went to two seminars put on by two different docs. My 1st consult was just a weighing session and a visit with the doc. He asked me a lot of questions about my weight loss attempts and what my future plans were. We both decided on the lapband. It really only took 20 minutes tops.

First, congrats on the 6 lb loss. 6 lbs a month is about normal so if you can lose more than that it's just icing on the cake. Most of us can always eat more, the band usually won't stop this. The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied sooner so you should be looking for satiety and not fullness. And, I've never felt the green zone and I don't think that feeling exists. The signs you should be looking for is being able to eat less because your band has decreased your appetite during a meal and you should not feel hunger for 4-5 hours after a meal. Of course, we all have to deal with the head hunger/cravings, but the band won't make those go away entirely. The band can dim your cravings though. tmf

I've been stalled for about 6 months myself and I still get stuck. But, I know why I'm not losing weight. I eat the same amount of calories I burn off. So, no weight loss. Funny how that works eh? So, if you want it to work, consume fewer calories than you burn. Count your calories. If you don't have restriction or near the green zone, find out why? Talk to your bariatric WLS nutritionist too. They have great insight into how you can make this work. Like Missy said, it's not going to make you lose the lbs if you don't use it properly. tmf

I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill and finally got restriction and satiety with my 4th.