YngGram

it does change you, and you might not like all of it . but since health is a big part, I don't think it's bad. also I think it's different if you walked the same path and now understand about bad choices and other reasons to be fat rather than one who has never had to deal with it. you will even wonder how you allowed yourself "get.like that".

I did this back in 09 and didn't have to do the 6 months, but............The first dr. I was considering told me it was required by TriCare (I am in VA with Standard), and that it had to be the program that the office offered. I think it was Medifast (?) to the tune of about 800 bucks!!! Which I was told would be out of pocket as well as another 300 for the trainer. I researched and learned that it was NOT TriCare, but the doctor. The only reason I even questioned it was because I didn't understand that if TriCare approved the surgery why wouldn't they cover the "required" elements. It was ugly, doc's office had to own up to the fact that it was them. I went south and found great care and no BS! I don't think it has changed, so do as Dave said and push if need be. Good Luck.

GAS-X is the thing. Gas was really bad of me, it woke me at night for a few days like somebody kicked me. I walked through the house like a ghost in the middle of the night. Keep moving, get up and walk a little every 20min. or so just to keep things moving. It does get better, but....gas and tummy rumbles will now be a real part of your life.

I remember how happy I was to renew my militray ID and I weighed LESS than the amount I had lied about on the last one!

THIN CRUST, KNIF FORK AND SMALL BITES! Every food that you introduce will require you to go slowly and learn how to eat it with a band. I can't eat a hard boiled or scrambled eggs, but prime rib goes down just fine. The first few months I lived on deli meat , club crackers, tuna or chicken salad (hellman's light) sharp cheader protein shakes and water. It was all I wanted to try after getting past the soup. Now I really don't eat any of because I don't want it anymore. If you eat pizza don't forget that it can swell in your tummy so don't drink at least half an hour befor or after. Good luck.

Not like you but, I will throw out these few things. First, if you find that you are having a problem with getting stuck ... stop trying to eat. I found out the hard way that even a minuet or two can cause you to irrate your thorat and cause swelling. You may have taken a bite that was to large or eaten to fast. Go on liquids for a day or two, mushies for a day and then try softer solids. This gives the swelling time to go down. Mornings you can be tighter and you might just need to sip something hot in the AM, wait an hour or so and then try to eat. My band is fickle, stress and weather can have major affect on what I can eat and how much. Don't worry about the loss yet, you have to figure out what works for you. Fills and unfills aren't going to allow you to have a good sense of what works just yet. Last but not least, get your portein in and your Water. This will help you not be hungry. Just don't give up because the band does work.

If I had had to do more than a few days of liquids somebody would have gotten hurt! It will be so worth it. You will not only look amazing, you will feel so dang good and proud of yourself. Shopping will again be fun.

Hair, nail and skin support. After about 3 months after surgery you might see some changes in your hair.

I think I am at 6cc and have never felt restiction as most seem to think it should be, other than right after a fill and I am a little swollen. I get full quickly, but it is more about what my head says than my tummy. I don't ever seem to be hungry, which is bad because I don't eat how I should. If you haven't had a fill under flor(sp) that might help to see how fast the flow is. Mine have been done this way and it really helps. My doc did my last one and he says it doesn't matter what is in the band, but how the food flows through the opening. Also, if they don't pull out all the fluid during a fill there is no way to tell how much is there. If you have a slow leak or it was mismeasured then you could have less than is reported. Get your water in daily, check your body measurements, sometimes you gain muscle and tone so inches go, but the scale doesn't go down. Remember, the band is the tool, but you are the one in controll of what happens. Even if you have to measure your food first, and only eat that..no seconds. This is so doable for you, just keep plugging away at it.

I couldn't lose without the band. I did really well in the begining, in less than a year I lost about 50lbs. But, I got lazy....not that I stopped exercising, because I never really did that. I got lazy about food; I have been able to eat most anything from the start. My basic issue is in liquid calories, I have become a coffee/creamer(heavy) addict. When I choose the band I stopped drinking sweet tea, starting eating from a smaller plate, stopped drinking with meals. I started following the rules before I had the band. Now I am sloppy about my eating. I graze at night, down all that coffee and usually don't get in enough water. Hunger is not an issue for me, I seldom am. I don't have restriction like most people speak of, I tend to forget to have real meals like I should. Also, my band is fickle and reacts to weather changes, stress and time of day. If you have had fills as needed, look at liquid calorie intake, maybe even a food journel might help. I don't do one because I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet. The band works, but we have to work with it. The 65lbs. I've lost are staying off, I just need to get it going again.

BI am writing this but I don't need to because all the answeres are here to read. I am not a failure because I did lose 65 lbs., but I didn't meet the goal I set for myself and am far from the one the doctor set. I got my band on 3/9/09, it went well, the weight had started to come off Nov. 08 because I decided to do the band at that time. I chose the band because I didn't want to be on a diet the rest of my life, I gave up sweet tea, ate smaller portions and waited for the band. Doc put in a couple of cc's in surgery and I felt great. Weight came off all over without much exercise and I was so dang happy. Had a fill in Oct. all was well until Jun or Jul and I TIGHTEN UP! Some out, waited to long and gained before a fill again in Oct. Now here I am almost 3 years out and I have never had restriction like others mention, steak, bread. rice no prolems; normally. But my band is fickle, I am tight some mornings, I don't ever seem to be hungry (I can forget to eat till I get lightheaded); temps change and nothing wants to go down for a day or so. Then I am right back to eat what I want if I do it slowly. I have goten stuck on cream soup, eaten something for lunch, but can't eat it at dinner. I have also noticed that my taste in food has changed. Chicken salad, tuna, deli meat and grilled chicken breast were my staples, now I don't want any of it. I am craving the sweet stuff and trying to bypass it with coffee (not good). I want a fill, but I don't think I really want it. I don't want to be overfilled, I think I'm at about 5cc. and I have started to do the late night graze. I need resolve and it is going in the wrong direction. Don't bother to fuss, that's not what is needed; this journey is about the mental process and I think mine has slipped.

I feel sooooooooo good! I had no idea that I looked as large as I did. I stayed away from cameras because I never liked the results; but I really didn't realize that I was that large. Now, being down about 65 lbs., I can shop in the regular womans dept. I can tuck in a shirt and I can wear dresses that show curves and not hide lumps. I love the way I look and the fact that others can see it too.

My group was introduced to a lady that had only the 2cc used to test the band and she had no fills. This lady lost like a champ with the mind control that I guess we all need to have. She said knowing that the help was there if she needed it and she worked to not need it. I always feel like a smuck when I read of those who drop 100+ and I can't find my goal ....wich is still 35lbs higher than the doc wanted for me. 3 years and I am still obese, but I feel good, down couple of sizes and I'm not hungry.

I can eat all of these things. But following a fill, my doc says liquids for two days , one of mushie and then real food. He says that the fill can cause swelling at the band as well and throat issues if you do the swallow test with the white fluid. You may be swollen and you need to give it a chance to go down before trying something solid again.

I don't seem to be able to get the mind back in the right place either. My DH recently found out that the he is diabetic. I now spend so much time worring over what goes in his mouth, I never know what's going in mine. I haven't made it to my goal of 170 and am very upset by it. Now I find the scale sliding up just a little. I don't want the foods I had in the begining like chicken or tuna salad or a protein drink doesn't get made. I get the water in but I know something really needs to change.

Hanging with you. I recomment every other day. I am 5lbs from my personal goal and just can't get there, I have come withing 2 but the 0 just won't roll over for me. I am acutally trying to eat more, I seldom feel hungry and often forget to eat. I think my body is now in startvation mode and my hair is drying out so I'm not getting the protein in. Maybe this is the leg of the journey you and I will take together. I never thought I would need to eat to make the weight move off.

I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!! The same thing happened to me, I hadn't had a fill recently and I hadn't had any problems before. I had an issue at one meal, not a big deal I thought, just sliming. I chewed some Papaya, slimed, burped and went back to eating. Same thing the next day and it continued until I got to the point I couldn't keep anything down. DH made me go in, I didn't want to because I was loosing. Doc did an unfill and I felt so much better, did all the test and nothing was wrong. Between mid June and Oct I put on about 18lbs. and was very unhappy. When I finally went back for a fill the PA explained that I had irrated my throat and it caused swelling, had I done liquids for a couple of days and worked back up to solids I would have been fine. But because I didn't, I actually made the situation worse because I kept trying to eat. The unfill required me to be on liquids and the swelling went down, I then waited to long to get a fill (FEAR) and starting eating to much. I have since learned that my band is very fickle, it reacts to changes in the weather and stress. Not only that, I might be able to eat something for lunch that I can't eat at dinner. Some mornings I can only sip hot tea, other days I can have an egg and sasuage without problem. If you have a bad episoide stop eatting right away, even if you just started. Sip some warm liquids and do soft/mushies for a day or two and it should work itself out.

Maybe I shouldn't reply to this because I am not following the adivce I'm about to give. I got my band in 09, and it has been very good for me. Restriction, as most discribe it, doesn't happen for me. I can eat bread and steak most of the time; but I have a fickle band that won't let me have an egg in the morning, or I can eat oatmeal and feel like I'll die. I choose the band because I didn't want to be on a diet the rest of my life. I understood that I would need to take responsiblity for the amounts of food I eat and that's what you will need to do. In the early stages I had a good mind set and just didn't overeat, stayed away from sugar and the weight came off. I did a shake in the morning, chicken & veggie for lunch same for dinner and lots of water. I find now that I am not hungry, so I don't eat and my body is holding on to everything. I also don't drink enough water and have gotten hooked on coffee (which has always been like eatting to me), I also find that I'm not good with my vitiams as I should be. Fills will help you find the spot, but your mind must take the lead. Once you start to listen to your body you will realize that it will tell you that you have enough and should stop eatting. Slow down when you eat so that your brain will have time to send out the right signals to you. Use the smaller plates, no seconds, measure if you can and chew slowly. All these things help but it is most important to get in the protein you need daily, Take charge of the band because it doesn't make the weight come off you do.

FLUID! Give yourself about a week of scale free time. Follow the docs instructions and all will be fine. Your body is reacting to being cut and a forgein object inserted.

Weather seems to be my big key. Some mornings I know nothing will go down so I don't try. Other days no problem. But if the weather has a big change I can get tight for days. The first time I didn't know what was going on, I hadn't had a fill in over 6 months. I thought I had eaten to fast or something, the "incidents" were daily and I had to have some fluid taken out. Now I know and just heat up the soup and roll on.

I understand, I am almost 3 years out and I am seldom hungry. Thurs., I didn't eat all day. Yes, this is very bad; but sometimes I get involved during the day, don't think about food and then it 7 oclock and my husband is pissed! Today I just said I had eaten when he asked because I didn't want to hear it. I am also stuck at this weight because of it. Before surgery I was a mindless eater/grazer, as well as stress and emotions. I learned to work that out but I just don't get hungry, especially if I have the fulids like I should. But a big deal for me is to not do the coffee, that really takes away all thoughts of food. Good Luck.

I fully understand how you're feeling. I got my band 3/09, was doing I thought great, not much work, it was just coming off and I felt so good. I had an issue in July(10) (temp changes does crazy stuff to my band) and the dr. to out a little. I waited until Oct. to go back and I had put on about 10lbs. It started to come off again, and I went back for a fill in June. Now here are my current "issues", I don't get hungry...so I don't eat. This is very bad from what I've been told. I now hover around 175lbs. but the funny thing is I can wear a pair of jeans that I couldn't wear last summer (10) when I was 4lbs. lighter. The only thought is that the weight has shifted on my body. I realized tonight that I eat to much to often when I do eat. I had 6 shrimp and some thin pasta for lunch, but dinner was 3 slices from a large pizza. To me that says fill, but my DH will lose his mind if I say I want one. The recommedation from the doc is 135lbs. I set my goal at 160lbs., hell I'm in my 50's and I don't need to be a hard body, this was about my BP and cancer. I am happy I can wear a 12 but when I hear of those who have lost 100 + lbs. I feel like I have failed. I live to far out for support groups, and I know that life stress is really kicking me hard. Many tell me how great I look now, but the "You must have lost a TON of weight!" is depressing. I always thought I look ok with what I had, the pictures tell a different story,,,and then I am ashamed. To add to my insult, eventhough I'm not loosing any weight, everything has started to saggggggggggg! We have free membership at the Y and I just can't get myself in there. If I had to look at friends who did this also, I might knock myself out. My biggest evil right now is coffee/creamers, I know it and can't stop. Keep kicking friend, we might get the dang bag off our heads and see this to the end.

I found mine last week and said....There goes my mini skirt(LOL). Guess I just have to work to get the size 10 jeans or 8 and work with it. DH says the jiggle let's him know I am happier now.

Without doubt, my band is stamped RUN BY DEMONS! Morning tightness(check), NO hunger (check), had it for lunch, won't go down for dinner (check). I am all over the place. Tonight, I got a water bubble and had to run from the room. This happens as if I took in to much air and air came from below to create the bubble in my throat. Since I got this in 09 I have been very happy with it, but it is fickel, fickel, FICKEL! Climate changes from cool to hot, I am on liquids (learned the hard way). I don't really feel tightness, I just know some mornings not to try to eat and do coffee or hot tea. I haven't come to an understanding of "restriction"; I know it doesn't take as much for me to feel statisfied. I have lost the weight with next to no exercise and would reach goal if I kicked the sugar out of my life again. There only a few foods I can't eat, but I have found that there isn't much I want to eat anymore. In the begining I loved chicken/tuna salad, deli meat & cheese or a grilled chicken breast for lunch ...NO! Everyday is a struggle to find something to eat and it's doing a job on me. To add to my worries, I had to get upper dentures and learn how to chew yet again. My weight is holding but I don't think I get enough calories in daily and I work hard for the protein. Greek yogurt is helping and I don't want smoothies or protein drinks. I am at a loss, but I did learn that if I have a bad day and stuff comes up I head to the liquids for 2 or 3 days to let the swelling go down, When I had this problem summer of '10 I didn't and I got tighter and tighter and had to get an unfill and climb back up. Each person is different and so is each person. Listen to the band, if it says no morning food, don't try it. The band knows and it is in controll.