LindaV

I have a good friend moving to London and she was supposed to fly from LA to Heathrow today. Needless to say her flights were cancelled. My family is going to London in May. Boy all this sure does make one think twice (or more) about traveling overseas these days.

Kato & Violet, Restriction comes with fills (it sometimes takes a few) and gets less with weight loss. Unfortunately there's no magic formula. Even when you hit that "sweet spot," it only remains sweet until you lose some of the fat in your stomach organ and the band loosens up as a result. It's actually a good thing for restriction to lessen over time. It means you're doing something right. Violet - Your doctor does not want you to feel restriction with liquids--that would mean you're too tight. You might want to try some thicker liquids and see if that helps with your hunger. You will notice the restriction when you start eating regular foods. I know it takes some people several fills to get good restriction for the first time. Sometimes it takes a few days for people to feel their restriction (I know that doesn't make sense but that's what I've experienced). Most docs will give you another fill after two weeks so if you still dont' feel enough restriction after a week, call and make another appointment. Meanwhile hang in there! When I am feeling less restriction I just try to increase my vegetable intake. That way I get filled up w/o increasing my calories too much.

I don't drink protein shakes anymore. It was great for after surgery but, like you all, I prefer to get my protein the good ol' fashion way - I EAT IT!

Welcome to LBT! This is a great site to make friends and share your weight loss journey. It's also a great place to get your questions about the band answered as they come up.

Alicia, Those are great goals! I can't even imagine being able to jog - it's been so long! I think doing one 5K a month is awesome!

Hello Everyone, Here is my update for the week: J 269 / C 262 / G 220 (-4 this week) Well, it's August and it's time to finish my Christmas shopping. While I love all of the holiday decorations and think the malls are beautiful, the malls and pretty much any other store is where I least want to be during the holidays--at least if I'm there to buy anything! Most of my shopping is done. I start with the after-Christmas-sales in January! As soon as my school room floor is finished being laminated, I will get my list together and probably order most of the rest of my gifts on-line. I enjoy the holiday season so much more when I all my gifts are purchased--even more if they are wrapped by Thanksgiving (which doesn't usually happen)--then all I have to stress about is getting the Christmas cards and letters sent out! :huggie:

He All, After last week's appointment with my nutritionist and increasing my daily Protein and calorie intake, I have good news to report! Here are my stats for the September Challenge: S 276 / C 262 / G 255 (-3 this week, -14 total)

Hi All, After a bit of tweeking my protein and calories with my nutritionist last week, I am really starting to see results again! C 262 (-53 total, -4 this week) CBMI 42.3 (-1.0)

Julie - Hang in there! It seems like the closer people get to onderland, the slower they lose. You're almost there! gjray - Welcome to the May Band Crew! Ousouner - I saw the pics you posted on the Before and After thread. What a difference. I think I should nominate you for the May Band Crew Poster Child. You are looking great! I want to see some pictures of you guys on this thread. I am planning to post some after the September challenge is over. I know what Christy, Ousouner and Stitchy look like...what about the rest of you?

Well. I finally did it...I cleaned out my closet and gave away most of my clothes yesterday! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have always kept my clothes during weight loss just in case I gain weight back. I gave the clothes (three huge thash bags full) to an aquaintance who will definately have more use for them than me and she was very grateful to get them. What a liberating experience! I did something good for myself and was able to bless someone else at the same time. While reorganizing the closet, I ran across a couple of boxes full of smaller size clothes from the last time I lost weight about 5 years ago. I don't usually have trouble getting rid of clothes that are too small--it's too depressing to have them around. I'm not sure why I kept these, but, most of them fit me right now and my wardrobe definately needed a boost. Come fall, I will definately need to to on a shopping trip. I have no fall or winter clothes left. That's definately something to look forward to. I will have to fight for my closet space back--my husband has already made use of the empty space (he had more clothes than me before I got rid of stuff).

3Loves - We are going to put laminate flooring in our school room. It's too hard to roll around on carpet. We were throwing around the idea of doing it ourselves when I read your post last week. I'm getting two quotes for installation today! Thanks for the warning

Marieforme - I just got back from running errands and I guess Penni and Argon answered your question! Good luck with your researching the band.

I'm wondering if your friend is getting corrosion and erosion mixed up. When I was researching the band and I heard about it eroding, I thought that meant the band itself eroded. I have seen other newbies on LBT make the same assumption. Either way, erosion is a complication that doesn't happen to the vast majority of banded people and it should be presented as a complication, not as a certainty!

I posted this last night but figured most of you probably didn't see it so I'm posting it here: Well. I finally did it...I cleaned out my closet and gave away most of my clothes this weekend! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have always kept my clothes during weight loss just in case I gain weight back. I gave the clothes (three huge thash bags full) to an aquaintance who will definately have more use for them than me and she was very grateful to get them. What a liberating experience! I did something good for myself and was able to bless someone else at the same time. While reorganizing the closet, I ran across a couple of boxes full of smaller size clothes from the last time I lost weight about 5 years ago. I don't usually have trouble getting rid of clothes that are too small--it's too depressing to have them around. I'm not sure why I kept these, but, most of them fit me right now and my wardrobe definately needed a boost. Come fall, I will definately need to to on a shopping trip. I have no fall or winter clothes left. That's definately something to look forward to. I will have to fight for my closet space back--my husband has already made use of the empty space (he had more clothes than me before I got rid of stuff). When he saw all the room in the closet he mentioned going clothes shopping--FOR HIM, NOT ME! :tired I think I might have to start charging him rent for my extra closet space!

Hi Michael, Welcome to LBT! I will try to answer some of your questions. I have been banded since May 1st of this year so I am hardly an expert but I will share with you from my experience so far. I usually am nausious and vomit from anesthesia but I made sure that I was given strong anti-nausea medications during and following my surgery and I actually did not vomit diretily following my surgery. As far as hunger goes, the band has really helped me with that. Even when I do get hungry, a small amount of food satisfies me. You must, however, be prepared to deal with hunger for the first several weeks after surgery until you have the proper amount of restriction in your band. Most surgeons will give you your first saline fill at about 6 weeks post-op and it can take a few adjustments to finally feel a good amount of restriction. As far as what you can eat, it is different for every person. I can eat pretty much any food but I have to be careful with breads and hard Proteins. I take small bites and chew my food very well. I also eat pretty slowly or it can be very painful. Sometimes when food gets stuck, it does come back up. You should be prepared for that if you have an aversion to vomiting. This is called a PB (productive burp). For some people it is really like burping and having food come back up. For others, like me, it is more like full-blown vomiting! It doesn't happen too often (thank God), but it does happen to most of us occassionally! Some people are very limited to what they can eat. Foods that often cause problems are breads and hard proteins like chicken or steak. I am really glad I had Lap Band surgery. It is changing the way I eat and the way I feel about food. I do make healthy food choices and I am now exercising regularly which is certainly helping with the weight loss but, having the band has really curbed my appetite and helped me control my portions which has been a HUGE help! For the first time in my life, I feel like I will successfully be able to lose the weight I want and to keep it off for good! Good luck with your journey! Keep us posted and, if you have any other questions, please feel free to send me a private message.

Donna - I made sure I took the clothes and got rid of them as soon as I was done packing them up. I figured I better follow through with my decision before I changed my mind. RKidder - What to say about my husband! I found him eying my side of the closet again this morning. He mentioned going clothes shopping too...not for me--for HIM! :scared: I am definately married to a metrosexual right down to his great wardrobe and waxed eyebrows! Oh well, I could definately think of worse mid-life crises (sp???)!

Sorry, I should have said below my rib cage. My port is easy to feel if you press and my surgeon has no problem finding my port. He doesn't use fluro. I was just curious, what is the procedure for replacing the port? Is it done in an office visit under local or is it another surgery?

Hi Josephine, Mine is about 2 inches under my rib cage on the right side and I don't even know it's there.

Hey Gellergirl - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I notice that when I get really hungry I get a side ache. It usually subsides after I eat a little something.

Hi Patticakes, Like you, I wanted the surgery to be tomorrow! I actually only had about an 8 week wait but, I decided that I wouldn't wait to start losing weight so I went on Weight Watchers and started the weight loss journey before my surgery. Since most people lose 1-2 pounds a week with a lap band, I figured I could do it too. I have a goal to ski this season so, I really didn't want to wait until my surgery to start losing because I knew I was already pushing it to make my goal. I also felt empowered to stick to the program because I knew that I would only have to last for a short time before I had the band to help me. I ended up losing about 15 pounds before my surgery and I was very happy with that! It's 15 pounds less I have to lose now! So, why wait? I am editing and adding this as an after thought. I don't want my post to sound preachy because, I totally understand the struggle with weight and I am the last one to start telling someone else the right way to lose weight. I simply meant this as an encouragement if you choose to start now. Starting early was the right choice for me because of my skiing goal. If it's not the right choice for you then keep reading, keep posting and keep thinking positively!

Hi Everyone, Well, I'm posting two in a row. I just got back from seeing my nutritionist. I know most of my banded friends don't continue to see a nutritionist once they are banded but I feel like it is $40 well spent every 3 months. Today is a good example of that money well spent. I am following my band doc's orders and getting in 60 - 80 grams of Protein a day and, guess what? According to the tests my nutritionist ran, I have started losing muscle! Not very much yet, but, I was still shocked! I have been doing deep Water aerobics 5 days a week since the middle of May and I expected to not only have lost fat but to have gained some muscle. My nutritionist suggested that I up my protein intake to at least 90 grams a day (she understands my limited intake), but said 100 - 120g would be ideal. She also suggested that I up my calorie intake to at least 1400 per day. I usually get in between 1200-1400. That should be easy enough since I have to increase my protein intake. Now I am reconsidering getting another fill next week. If not for her monitoring me, I would have continued to exercise at the same rate, take in less protein than my body needs (but what my doctor advised), would have contunued to lose muscle mass, and would soon look and feel less healthy than I could/should. The good news is that my BMR (metabolic rate) has actually increased which is good but unusual with weight loss. I have lost about 50 pounds of fat (woohoo) and she is very pleased with my progress!

Good for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I havn't had to deal with that since my college days when I lived in the dorm but I remember how frustrating it was. After a month or so, I had now qualms about taking peoples stuff out of the washer or dryer! I wouldn't really mind if I got side tracked and someone had to do the same with mine either. I'm like you, however, and I usually pay attention to the time. I must admit, I do love having my own washer and dryer!!

Wow, Diane! You have been through the ringer. I did a quick google search on Moyamoya since I had never heard of it before. The little I read was pretty scary. With your arteries 85% blocked are you going to have surgery? I applaud you for still fighting the weight issue with the rest of what is going on in your life. I have never been on steroids but I know they can wreck havoc with a person's appetite and weight. Not to mention the stress of everything else that's going on. You and your family will definately be in my prayers!

Hi Guys! The weight has been creeping off the last coupld of weeks which is frustrating when I am working so hard! Oh well, creeping off is better than creeping on. Here is my September challenge update: S 276 / C 265 / G 255 (-1 this week, -11 total) Only 10 mor pounds to go!