juliegeraci

No coughing will not affect your band just be careful its not too much.

I agree. Chantix makes a smoke taste like s*. It worked for me too.

My doctor said I could have anything that fit through a straw. Creamy soups really helped me.

My doctor never mentioned anything about smoking so I didn't tell him and I was fine . I just quit afterwards.

I agree with Wheetsin. Its okay to also eat a softer diet if you still want to lose.

You most likely lost part of your fill. It is quite common. Simply put, I would go back in for a fill. You shouldn't be able to eat more than 1/2 cup of food with good restriction. Good luck.

It is really important to move to mushies then solids. Its not a good idea to eat all liquids. Maybe one protein shake a day but not all day long. It deafeats the purpose of the band to consume too many liquids. You may see a slight weight gain when you move your diet to mushies then solids. That will come off when you start getting fills. Good luck.

Keep going back in for fills until you can only eat 800-1k calories or 1/2 cup of food. Make sure your diet is high in protein.

Love yourself every day no matter what weight you are. I did that even when I was morbidly obese. You need to be good to yourself. If you feel bad about yourself then others will to. Treat yourself with respect every day. You look great and don't forget that!

Your pouch is fine. I was scared too when I was initially banded. 1/2 of a baked potato is very good then you waited to eat more. You are okay. I wouldn't worry.

Wendy, 14 lbs is wonderful. You probably need a fill. Does your doctor make you wait 6 weeks?

HI Susan, I spoke to my surgeon at great lengths about this. He did say that with bariatric surgery it is quite common to not get to your goal weight and to stay at 60-65% weight reduction. The only thing that helped me was to follow a program like Weight Watchers. I eat 1k calories a day and 200 optional calories. I seem to be losing 1-2 lbs a week on that. You may want to reduce your caloric intake slightly to see if that will help.

What a great story! So motivational . Way to go!

Crystal, I am sorry you are going through this. Good luck with your endeavor. It will be worth it.

I have been struggling with my band for 6 months. I can't eat a lot of solids so I was considering a slight unfill and joining Weight Watchers to lose the last 40 lbs. Has anyone had any success with WW? Also, for a bandster do you feel like it is too much food?

What are your thoughts on McCain vs. the other nominees?

Me too! My husband thinks I'm addicted. I come here all day long! Good luck with your surgery. You will love your band!

I follow weight watchers and eat 1k a day with a 200 calorie increase if I wish daily. So that puts me at 1200 with my wine :-} I am losing at least 2 lbs a week now that I finally got it down. WW actually had me eating 1800 and I wasn't losing. So good for you if you can lose at 1500! And yes, bandsters typically eat 800-1k.

There are times you should get a fill. a. you are eating too much. To me that is more than 2-3oz at a time or 1/2 cup. b. not losing c. very hungry. Hope that helps.

With the 10cc band I have seen a lot of people anywhere from 4-7ccs. Just keep going back until you can eat 1/2 to 1 cup of food and lose 1-2 lbs per week. It took me 5 fills and 6 months to get there. Good luck.

Lauren, glad to see you! My surgeon said there are 2 types of tightness. Tightness to solids and tightness to liquids. If you are tight to liquids that is not a good sign and you should have a slight unfill .2. If you are tight to solids and can lose on a softer diet and don't mind that at your fill level then it's up to you. It really comes down to personal preference. Personally I have been where you are and now, finally after months and months, I can consume 2 oz of solid protein and I'm losing at least 2 lbs per week on 1k to 1200 calories a day. I like it on solids much better. Good luck.

Thanks for the post . I need to go drink some water now!

What an exciting time! I used Lapbantalk.com for my support. Go to the newbie thread and post a newbie post to let people know you are new and your banding date. You should get some good responses. Good luck to you!

The band can be very fickle. What you are describing is very typical. Sounds like you may need another fill. I am at my sweet spot and the cues are daily when I consume about 2 oz at a time. Good luck.

I will not kill you to have a glass of wine early on. Just remember that if you get any burning sessation which is a sign of acid reflux you should be careful. The main reason they suggest you don't drink the first year is the empty calories. So calories and additional water to hydrate. There is no other reason as it is liquid. Just sip slowly.