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!

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