MCCTLC68

Hi Jane, Please PM me. We can then decide to chat via e-mail or chat by phone. I do a lot of typing being an Admin. so phone is my number one choice. I just get so tired of typing sometimes even though I do type 60 wpm. I have met other people thorugh the suppport groups and on-line and enjoy talking to other people that have been banded because I haven't really told my family and friends. My mother, husband and 3 friends know and that is it. I have lost 100 pounds so far and things have slowed down now since I only have about 25-30 more pounds to go. Can't wait to hear about your lap band journey. Looking forward to talking witn you.

Hi Jane Crane, Are you still looking for a buddy? I also live in CT (Hartford area). I was banded on 2/4/08. I would love to hear your progress and can answer questions that you may have. We can compare notes. Let me know and we can chat. :cool2:

I was banded on 2/4/08 and have lost 100 pounds. I have another 25-30 to go and the weight is coming off slowly now. I am on my 4th fill and feel that I have reached my sweet spot. I am so happy that food doesn't control my life anymore and with the money I save by eating less food I can buy some new clothes! :cool2:

Hi Jack, I know what you mean about taking a few nibbles and then feeling full. I am still getting used to how little I eat now before I feel full. I also appreciate the way things taste now and still have a problem when I drink liquids. I tend to gulp liquids which I know is a no no. I don't gulp my food down but do not chew it as well as I should. I have to keep telling myself to slow down. :cool2:

I like how you describe your situation with "head hunger". I can totally relate. I couldn't describe what I was feeling but will do so by using the words "head hunger". My mind is always playing tricks on me with food. I wish the doctors could do something with the brain because it doesn't match up to my new stomach. :cool2: My brain still wants to do things the old way and my stomach says no way to that!

Hi JVS, I was banded 2/4/08 at Hartford Hospital in CT. I have lost 100 pounds so far and have another 25-30 to go. Almost there. What you are experiencing is normal. As you continue to go for fills you will become less hungry. It takes awhile (about 2-4) fills to really notice a difference. Just be patient you will start to see results. Try and not compare yourself to anyone else because everyone loses weight at different speeds. Please remember that how much weight you lose and how fast you lose it is up to you. You have to follow the rules like eating slow, chewing well, pay attention to when you are full and stop eating, do not drink with your meals and wait at least 1 hour to drink again after you eat, choose foods that are high in fiber so you stay full longer, etc. Remember to exercise! This is very important. You have a great tool that will control your hunger but it won't work if you do not exercise and follow the rules. I am on my 4th fill and notice a big difference in how much I can eat. I get full quickly after a few bites and stay full longer. Let me know how your first fill goes. You may notice a small difference or nothing at all. It takes time to reach your sweet spot so be patient. Good luck!

Thanks Nazzy! I am pround and feel like a new person. I feel so much better and am still trying to get used to the shape and feel of my new body. It feels so strange but in a good way and I enjoy looking at myself in the mirror again. We are always in a hurry to lose the weight fast but forget we didn't gain it overnight so we have to be patient. I heard many stories of how quickly some people dropped weight but everyone is different. Just remember, if you follow the rules you will reach your goal! The band is a great tool and I can't imagine my life without it. Good Luck! :cool2:

I was banded in February 2008 and have lost 100 pounds and have 25 more pounds to go. I had my 4th fill over a month ago and think I have reached my sweet spot. It finally feels like the band is working the way it should be and I am not eating as much and snacking inbetween meals. Breakfast - 1/2 cup fat free chocolate milk. 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal with dried fruit. Snack - 100 calorie pack of cookies Lunch - 5 slices of thinkly slice honey ham deli meat. Dinner - tomato soup and 2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese. I drink a lot of Limeaid, Fruit 2 O, Propel and water everyday.

I had lap band surgery in February this year (2008). I am 5'10" and weighed 298 and am now down to 199. Things were good for the first 5 months and I was able to eat most foods in moderation with very little problems. There wasn't much I couldn't eat but I ate smaller portions. I have had 4 fills and think the last one may have made me too tight but I am afraid of getting an unfill or if there is another type of problem wrong with me. I am drinking plenty of liquids and have never got dehydrated. I hardly eat anymore because solid foods come back up and I get full after a few bites. Breakfast consists of either yogurt, oatmeal or Cereal. lunch consists of Soup, applesauce, Meal Replacement or crackers. dinner consists of fish, hamburger, Beans, cheese, salad or string beans I stay with soft liquidy type foods becacause just about any other type of food comes back up. I throw up once a day when I try and eat dinner. The food comes up in waves. I first throw up things that are hardly digested. Then I start salivating and throw up some more. Then the rest is saliva. I hardly ever feel really hungry anymore and need very little to feel full. I am not able to eat a big variety of foods and throw up once a day when I try and eat more solid foods. Afraid that throwing up every day will cause a problem. I am eating around 700-800 calories a day but am drinking plenty of fluids, exercise often and don't feel hungry or tired. Don't feel like I am eating a well balanced meal and not getting enough Protein. Has anyone else experience this? Should I be concerned? Is my band too tight? Could my band have slipped? I just don't know what to do and am a little scared. :w00t: I have a good doctor but am afraid to talk to him about this and don't know why. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I can't believe it, something has changed! I felt that I was too tight after my last fill about 1 1/2 months ago and was having trouble getting any real food down. I was thinking of getting a small unfill but something happened yesterday. I noticed that the food is now starting to go down better :cursing: I am so happy and won't call the doctor now. I still get full after a few bites but the food isn't coming back up now. I am careful to stay away from "trouble" foods. I was so happy to eat honey ham the past 2 days and keep it down. I haven't been able to do that in a long time. Thanks for all your comments to my post.

Slin-N-Tn - to answer your question, yes I am for the most part happy that food doesn't interest me like it used to. The only time it bothers me is when we are out socializing and I can't eat with people like I used to. I usually eat something before going out and I always make sure not to drink anything while I am eating. I wait 1 hour after eating to drink. It is amazing how little food we actually need to survive. I used to love to eat and found it comforting. It would take a lot for me to feel full and I over ate. Now I just have a few bites of something and I am satisfied. It takes the mind a lot longer to catch up and get used to the new way of eating. Flipman416 - Congratulations and your weight loss. Keep up the good work. Just make sure you start exercising because it is very important and you will have more energy and firm up. I am always opening the kitchen cabinets and fridge trying to figure out what to eat. It is hard now because when I look at food I usually just walk away not interested and have trouble making my mind up. I would never want to go back to my old ways of eating but having the band does take time to get used to. It hasn't been an easy process but does get easier as time passes. I was banded February 2008 and am down 100 pounds. I have another 25 more pounds to go. It feels good to be so close to my goal.

Hi Betty, Once I find out if it is covered I will post the answer here. I am like you and it is very easy for them to find my port when giving fills. I don't even have to make it poke out, stretch or put my arms over my head. They get it on the first try every time and hardly have to insert the needle becuse it is so close to the surface. I am looking forward to getting a smaller one in February because it will be a year since the surgery and I think I have reached my sweet spot. I have no plans on getting anymore fills soon. So, this is a good time to have it done.

I had my lap band surgery February, 2008 and have lost 100 pounds. My port is starting to show and it is too high and is hitting my ribs. I wanted to have a smaller port/low profile port put in February, 2009 and have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. They paid 100% for my surgery but was wondering if they would also pay to have a smaller port put it. I will be calling them within the next couple of weeks but was wondering if anyone knew anything about this. I am thinking since they paid for the surgery that they would also pay to have a smaller port put in. What do you think?

I feel the same way you do. Thought I was the only one that felt this way. I am constantly turned off by food since my 3rd and 4th fill. I just look at food and am not interested in it. Since the lap band it feels different to eat and I just don't look at food the same way. I hardly eat but do get plenty of fluids down. Trying to remember to take a multi vitamin every day is hard but will have to make a better attempt in doing so because I know I am not getting enough nutrients. So to anser your question, yes I find food a turn off now.

Also as a little trick I do, and also happens to be on some handouts in my docs office, I eat about 2 hrs before I go anywhere. This way if I have a problem I am home for 2 hrs to deal with it. Then when I go out, I get something small like and appetizer or a soup. Mostly everyone I know, knows about my surgery, and those who dont, just think I have incredible will power........lol ___________________________________________________ That is a good idea about earing 2 hours before going anywhere and I have done that. But I can't even bring myself to have an appetizer when going out because I will most likely have an accident. I just sit there and have somethnig to drink while talking to people. Everyone ask why I am not eating and I say something like I am not hungry, I am not feeling good, I just ate, I am watching my calorie intake, etc. I continuously have to lie because I just don't feel comfortable letting peple know since most of them are very judgemental. I have a funny story that just happened 2 weeks ago. A bunch of us went on a bus trip to a casino. We paid for the tickets and it automatically included your dinner at a huge buffett restaurant. I was surrounded by all types of delicious food that I couldn't eat. I ended up eating mashed potatoes, small salad and 2 bites of an apple pie. I had to excuse myelf because a little did come back up. People were making comments and asking me if everything was OK. Someone did mention that they wished they had my incredible will power. I was thinking to myself...... if you only knew that I have a lap band controlling me. Otherwise I would have had no will power being around all that food and would have pigged out big time. I am going to a Halloween party tomorrow which should be interesting being around more food that I can't eat. I am usually not even hungry and don't even want to eat but feel that I need to in order to fit in with everyone else. Everything seems to revolve around eating. I used to enjoy socializing a lot and going out to eat. Now I don't look forward to it and would rather eat alone in my house or go to the gym to workout. Life continues.

Thanks for your responses! I am glad to see that other pepole have experienced this. I have 2 other questions now. 1. Why does your weight loss slow down when you eat too little and you lose more when you eat more? Sounds backwards to me. Even though I am very tight I am still losting 2 pounds a week and still exercise. 2. Instead of getting an unfill, can I just wait it out? Will it eventually become looser on its own as I continue to lose weight? I also find it most difficult eating at restaurants or any social event right now since I am so tight. Right now I choose not to eat when I am out because I don't want to have an accident. What makes it more difficult is that my friends and co-workers don't even know I had the surgery becuase I don't want to be judged and hear stupid comments from them. So I am very nervous when I go out to eat with people and have to make excuses as to why I am not eating or have to lie as to why I went to the bathroom to get sick when I decided to try and eat. I have a few issues going on and find it refreshing to talk about it on these postings since I have chosen to keep it a secret. Please let me know your thoughts.