2muchfun

Been doing a little research prior to the lawsuit have ya?

If you're on a PC, go to the surgeon search engine at the top or bottom of this page. Search for his name in UK? This link may take you to what I found? http://www.bariatricpal.com/surgeons/5058-chris-de-bruyne/

I don't dare try this Looks addictive to me

I think you mean 1/2 cup per meal. And most women consume 900-1200 calories a day. 1400 could be too many if you want to lose. And, my guidelines were 1 cup of food per meal. Sorry, but this is not the time to be concerned about losing weight. It's a time to heal. Once your band is adjusted properly you will lose weight. That may be 1 fill or 6 fills? Stalls and plateaus are common and expected but nothing to be worried about unless it goes beyond 4-6 weeks. One week of not losing isn't anything to be frustrated over.

I had very little swelling and I've always been able to drink freely.

Fixed?

I hear ya. I've been wrestling with the same demon for a couple of weeks now. What's odd, it was never a problem before(except Halloween).

Pills are soluble so give it a few minutes and it will dissolve. Chew on some ice while you wait so you get a trickle of water flushing it down.

First, don't compare yourself to me or anyone here. There is no normal. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks. Mostly water/fluids loss. Then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Once my band was adjusted properly I lost 38 more lbs. Took me about 9 months to lose 50 lbs. I still have 25 to go and I'm working on it but my knees seem to have other ideas right now.

You might want to visit with a nutritionist familiar with Bariatrics? I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks post surgery and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. My nut pointed out how I could drop about 300 calories a day and what foods worked best with my band. By 5 months I was only down 20 lbs too so all is not lost. Also, if you're exercising your clothes may fit looser than before. This means you're adding muscle and losing fat. The scale can't tell the difference but how your clothes fit sure can. 10 kilos of fat weighs the same as 10 kilos of muscle, but muscle is more dense than fat so muscle takes up less space. You won't see it on the scale, but you will see it if you measure inches/cm.

My BMI was only 37 and it worked for me. In fact, I think it works better for low BMI patients. I didn't have a bingeing problem, I just ate too much most meals. Those extra 200-500 calories per meal added up. The band tells me when I've eaten enough which lowers my calorie consumption. If your problem is bingeing on chocolate cake or pop or chips/dips, you can have problems with any of the WLS techniques.

Yes, discomfort is normal if you don't chew enough or you eat too fast. Your stomach has a ring around it and it's just like a funnel, or picture an hourglass with sand in it. The smaller the hole/stoma becomes, the slower food will travel through. And, large chunks will take even longer. Food can back up into your esophagus pressing on the sides of your esophagus which is slightly painful or uncomfortable. Like having a hacky sack stuck under your sternum? There is no feeling for being in the green zone. It just means you can go 4-5 hours without being hungry and sounds like you're there? If you're eating like a Bandster and eating quality, nutritious and healthy foods, you should be losing 4-8 lbs a month. It's all about the math. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you lose fat. Most women consume between 900-1200 calories a day. How much for you?

"It feels like I don't have a fill at all but I still get stuck" I've always equated getting food stuck with restriction and along with it came satiety? Do you not feel any satiety? What feeling are you looking for?

B.B. King wrote a song about this: "The Thrill is Gone"

I would imagine the swallow test and appointment will be covered but beyond that it's up to your insurance. And the only way to tell is to go to their website and look up coverage for your plan? Look for bariatric coverage. BCBS has many different plans and although one may cover it, another employer may not have included bariatrics in their coverage due to increased cost?

The sleeve is a much more straightforward WLS. Fewer complicatins, fewer food issues, less aftercare but much more invasive and extreme when it comes to removing most of your stomach. I agree with Betty. If you're young or even an old fart like me, but you're active, the band can work for you. It also helps if you understand how this all works and don't go into it thinking the band will do it for you. Not gonna happen. You will work harder to lose weight than ever before but the band is like a your security blanket. It can soothe out those difficult times when your hunger and cravings want to just take over. Oh, you'll have to fight those cravings as before but the urges may not be nearly as extreme as before.

I hope you're wrong! I hope the band is right where it should be and maybe the surgeon can tweak the saline amount so that you're comfortable with what you have. It would be great to see you jump back on the bandwagon and ride this out and drop that weight you want to lose? Fingers crossed for ya! tmf

You should only eat if you're hungry and having a well adjusted band can help eliminate much of the hunger. As long as you aren't having stuck issues I would opt for a fill. And I'd keep going back till you can go 4 hours without being hungry. I wouldn't be real aggressive with fills amounts though. It's safer to sneak up on the green zone than to just jump right in with both feet and not have developed the eating skills you'll need once your band is working optimally.

I believe I've seen a few banders who were under 200 lbs. But usually they're BMI is probably higher than yours due to their height being less? Your questions are a little odd though? Most everyone loses about 50-60% of their excess body weight and some lose 100%. A small fraction are not successful. Time frames vary from 1 year to 2 years. Here's a couple of links to folks who have done very well: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/305070-i-cant-believe-it-is-this-reallty-happening-for-me/?p=3445432 http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/124980-☠carolinagirl☠/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/142630-gowalking/

I'm OK for Wed's

Thank you again my friend. I get so irritated when someone accuses me or others of something without knowing the full story and instead of asking...will assume someone lacks intelligence. She's gone through some tough times lately with losing her band and I think she just had a knee jerk reaction to your initial comment. I've blackened my own eyes several times reading this forum and made some(can I say) "dumb" responses . So, it happens and she'll probably be the first to say "my bad"!

Did you read the magazine article posted here today? I'll post the link below but it is so true that keeping trigger foods within arms length can only cause more bingeing. http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/mental-health/avoid-or-alter-r201

You should read the rest of her story before calling her names. She's just PBing and not vomiting. She also has an appointment tomorrow. Not everyone who works in a hospital is a nurse or medical practitioner.

"I watch it to see how many recipes I can modify to fit my lifestyle" Swerving a little off topic, let me add that your comment is one of the reasons you are so successful. I know for me, it's enabled me to maintain for the last 1.5 years. I'm no chef, but I'm a dang good cook. Watching these recipes and finding creative ways to substitute EVOO for Crisco/veggie oil or use egg beaters in place of whole eggs, and using nutrient rich veggies in place of processed flour, sugar and rice is one of the keys to keeping this lifestyle new and current. Sorry, back to your regularly programmed material

"For example, if you believe that cashews are a “trigger food” and you have no history of eating cashews responsibly, it would be silly to continue to buy the one-pound jar of cashews from the bulk food store" For me, you hit the nail on the head with this example. I'm fine with walnuts, pecans, peanuts, but cashews or macadamia nuts are trigger foods. Thinking about it, so is ice cream and a few others. And I agree wholeheartedly with your approach. I've been doing this for a few years now but never really put a label or thought to it. Maybe once a month I'll grab one of the little single serve Hagen Das from the ice cream isle and gobble it down. But having it in my freezer turns into a daily routine. So I don't. Great article and an affirmation that I'm doing something right.