ReadyInCT

I LOVE ice cream too! So I've limited myself to the Skinny Cows [cones or sandwiches] and only one a day. Every once in a while my husband will make me a sundae. He makes a small sundae in a jelly glass. This way I don't get too close to the quart or half gallon. Oh.... and he hides the bulk ice cream in the freezer. He knows I won't dig through to find it! Good luck!

Congrats and thanks for sharing! It's always nice to see pictures! It makes everything so much more real! Good luck with the remaining punds!

Hello All, I just had a fill. My last fill was back in Sept & supposedly I was @ 6.8cc. Since it was a long time since my last fill we decided to pull out all of the Fluid to verify the quantity & then add a touch. To our surprise, we only pulled out about 5ccs. A leak was suspected a while ago but it would be a very small, slow leak. Now it appears more probable. The PA thinks it's a leak around the port that could be addressed in the office using a local & lite 'sleep'. Anyone else experience this? The PA filled me to 7.0cc. That lasted until I reached the parking lot. She removed .5cc. Still no good. I was experiencing major muscle spasms [per the PA] in what I am assuming was the around where the band is located. The PA took out more - I'm down to 6cc. I have quite a bit of restriction & the muscle spasms have subsided. This was the first time I had any issues with a fill. I've been jerking aound with the LAP-BAND® & not really 'participating' in my weight loss. Now I'm ready to play by the rules & this little road block pops up. Any information, suggestions, etc are much appreciated! Many thanks, Cheryl

Hello All, I've been banded for a while and haven't been overly successful. I travel all week, every week which means eating out every single meal. I orignially told myself that I just needed to order the 'right' foods. That this could actually be easier than eating at home. Nope! Just the opposite. Too many choices...eating too late... grazing on room service for hours and hours. Has anyone successfully managed this type of lifestyle? Any hints and recommendations are very much appreciated! Cheers!

Hi Heidi, I travel for work and fly just about every single week. I have never had an issue with my band - no tightness and no loss of restriction. Hope this helps!

Hello All, Let me just add my two cents. The band certainly does limit the volume you are able to eat BUT.... if you are a grazer like me then things are a little different. I rarely ate huge volumes of food... I just ate all the time! The band does help but it's still all 'me'. My choices aren't always the best and ice cream just slides on through! I love Pasta and bread. The band really limits me to one piece of bread and a very small amount of pasta. If anyone had defeated or managed the 'grazing', I would love to hear about it! Cheers, Cheryl

Don't fret! I had 12 fills before I had any restriction! My DR would only give me a tiny fill each time. I was going mad waiting! I finally have restriction. But don't think restriction is the magic bullet. A lot of bad stuff just slides right past the band .... chocolate, ice cream, wine.... I thought once I got restriction the weight would just fall off! I could not have been more wrong. Be prepared to work with the band. It's something I'm just learning to do. Good Luck!

Thanks for starting this thread. It's exactly what I needed to see now! I am in the same boat. Tomorrow morning I'm back to the Protein Shakes and lots more Water. I've learned to avoid getting anything stuck but I still tend to eat too much. And then I just feel miserable! Time to get back on track! Thanks!

Hi All, I was banded one year ago. It literally took me until about a month ago to get any real restriction - TEN FILLS - 7cc in a 10cc band. Problem is... I REALLY want to eat. I LIKE eating. I enjoy sharing a bottle of wine with my husband and lingering over a meal. I haven't figured out when I'm full yet. Seems like I know about a bite too late! I just started counseling. I don't know if I'll figure out why I eat but the counselor is giving me some strategies that may help me think before I eat. That's one of my big issues - I'm generally not 'aware' that I'm putting one more Peanut Butter cup [the mini ones] in my mouth... after eating 6 or 7! We need to acknowledge that this is really tough and the band won't / can't solve our issues. We need to participate in the solution. Let's help each other get and stay on track!

Hello All, I need your help getting back on track. I had lapband surgery a year ago [9.23.2008] and have only lost 20 pounds. I have all of my bad habits - eating 'easy' foods, drinking while and after eating, eating too much and grazing most of the day. All bad - I know. I have a stressful job and food is my comfort. Yes, the band helps me from eating too much but I easily get around that by eating more often - usually in response to stress. Just like many of us, I know everything I am doing wrong but how do I stop it? I'm a reasonably intelligent, professional adult and yet I can't say no to a Reese's Peanut Butter cup? How can that be? So I'm making a committment to login use this site everyday to try to get motivated by all of the terrific people who post here. Anyone else have this challenge? Any comments, recommendations, insights are very much appreciated! Many, many thanks! Cheryl

Thanks, John. Every morning I mix a SF Instant Breakfast + 1 scoop unflavored Protein powder with an iced skim grande latte. YUMMMMM...... I get a good amount of protein, Vitamins etc from the SF instant breakfast and a caffeine kick from the iced latte. This gets me through the morning. But I tend to snack during the day. I know I just need to make sure the Snacks are not readily available. I 'know' this but tend to snack absent-mindedly. Bad. KellyO - Believe me, I'm there with ya! We all 'know' what to do - it's actually doing it that's the challenge. We're all busy and do some things out of habit so we're not really aware of our actions. I took many people's recommendation and scheduled an appointment with a counselor. I did a lot of research to make sure I found the right counselor for me. My hope is that the more I actually think about the band, my eating habits and some of the stresses that cause me to snack, the less absent-minded activitites will be happening. I hope.

Hi Paragirl, I'm going to schedule another fill as well. Seems like I can eat and eat in the evenings! Very bad behavior. We need to learn from our mistakes and get back on track. The food diary sounds like a good idea but it will be a challenge. I travel for work and eat out every single meal - 5 days a week. Only the weekends home. I know...think like the Nike commercial - 'Just do it'. Good luck!

Hi Cathy, Thanks for your informative reply. I have no issues with counseling. Other bandsters who I have termendous respect for have recommeded it as well. I was put out by the prickly response from one person. I beat myself up enough - that's not what I was looking for. Thank-you again for an educated and informative and friendly response! Cheers, Cheryl

Hi MaryRose, Your recommendation is spot on. I'm not looking for anyone else to solve my problems ~ just possibly offer some hints and techniques that may have worked for someone in the past. I really like the credit card analogy. Makes sense and is very relateable. Thank-you for sharing. Cheers, Cheryl

I fly every week from NYC to San Diego for work and never have a problem. In fact, I don't have a problem eating on the flight itself. I try to drink water during the flight - it keeps my skin hydrated as well. We even flew to New Zealand this summer [14 hrs from LA!] and no problems. As expected, everyone is different!

I'm having the same issues of self-sabotage. And I have followed RestlessMonkey's replies in the past with great respect so...immediately after this post I'm going to e-mail my PA at Bariatrics Associates and ask for the name of a therapist. Tomorrow I will call and make an appointment. I think I've proven it to myself over and over that it's head hunger now and not physical hunger. And I'm ready to deal with it. Thank-you Denouement, RestlessMonkey and LindaD!

Erykah, Thanks for your kind words and encouragement.

Hi LibbyJane, Thanks for your encouragement and I said I wouldn't make any excuses but I have a few other challenges. I travel for work which means I eat out every meal five days a week... with co-workers. I just need to be more aware of what I order and then go back and follow the basics - just like you said. Back to basics. Thanks for your help!

Food diary seems like the best idea ~ I even bought a little notebook. But I haven't taken the next step to actually write something down. Fitday.com has a terrific online food diary that does all of the calorie counting for you. I sit in front of a computer all day long so I have no excuse. I guess I just need to make the committment to myself. Every day - every hour - every minute... until it becomes a habit.

Hi All, Thanks for replying! Right now I'm at about 6.5 in a 10cc band. When I eat real food, there is definate restriction ~ a few bites and I'm done. But I really want to eat more. I mean, I may slime, spit it up and then go right back to eating. I know it's gross but I really want to continue to eat. I'm not really aware that I'm doing it until it's too late. I'm trying to stay more focused during meals. I know that the band is a tool and not a solution by itself. Now I need to change my behavior to reflect that. Thats what I am having such a hard time doing. :thumbup: Any hints and recommendations are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi there, No worries. This part is really frustrating... I know, I've been there. I was banded on 23 Sept 2008 and have only recently had some restriction - after 10 fills. I have 6.5cc in a 10cc band. I also found it very disappointing when I read about people losing 30, 40, 50 pounds and I'm STILL at 26 lbs! Yesterday I read that someone banded a month after me has lost 110 lbs. Yup...I feel like a failure too! But...stuff takes time and I know my bad eating habits are causing my problem. So be patient and follow the rules [i didn't - hence my current situation]...and be patient...really. Good Luck!

Hi AlyssaH, Sorry to hear you are struggling. I am too so I can empathize. Gone 4 Ever mentioned a food diary and I think that might help both of us. I know I'm eating the wrong things and I think a diary would force me to recognize it and deal with it. The food diary might help you identify a pattern when you suddenly stop losing. I'm going to give it a try. It couldn't hurt! Good Luck!

Hello Everyone, Can someone please tell me the symptons of band slippage or erosion? And the causes? I'm having weird sensations in my stomach / port area. Not really pain more like a burning sensation. Some told me it was probably reflux but it doesn't feel like heartburn and I thought reflux was like heartburn... Should I be worried? Your sharing is greatly appreciated! Cheers!

Hello All, I'm really glad I found this thread. I can use your advice. First, when we talk about Pb'ing are you referring to a 'small' vomit? More like spitting out all of the slime? Not a real 'I'm feeling nauseaus' [sp!] vomit? Since my last fill, about a month ago, I've been PB'ing a couple of times a week. And, as many of you had mentioned, probably due to user error - eating toooo fast, bites toooo big and eating too much. Just before the fill I had major allergies and a lot of mucus and post-nasal drip into my stomach. When I went in for my fill I told the PA that I was having a 'hot, raw' type feeling around my port area. I'm guessing this is also in the area of my pouch. She thought the post nasal drip might be irritating my stomach and told me to take Pepcid [or something similar] twice a day to help with the irritation. Could that irritation be reflux? I've never had it before so I just don't know what I'm feeling. After reading the posts, I'm going to make a very conscious effort the change me eating behaviors to reduce the PB'ing. I'm afraid I may have done some damage to the band. And yes, I know I should make an appt to see the DR...just to be safe. But your comments and recommendations are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks for the reply! I'm wondering what slippage or erosion may feel like. I know the only real way to find out is to go to the DR and perhaps that's the best recommendation. Thanks again!