KateP

With the sleeve two things. You physically cannot eat large portions and production of the hunger hormone grehlin is greatly reduced. With bypass, you get physically reduced capacity, maiabsorption of some food for the first few years and, for around 30-40% of people a very Nast reaction to sugars. With the band, you have to eat slowly and this reduces quantity and dims hunger. With DS, you get reduced capacity and a lot of permanent maiabsorption.

You will learn!!! It can be difficult - most of us were used to shovelling food down. It is a cause for concern if you still bring food back when you really are chewing well. But otherwise it is part of the learning process. Try to remember! Too many stuck episodes can do harm. I don't know your eating style, but a good way is to cut a very small piece, put it in your mouth, put your knife and fork down, chew, swallow, pause, cut another piece etc.. It won't always be that laborious! Just till you learn.

No. Totally abnormal!!!!! Enjoy it. Once the very early loss has gone, we do well to lose 2lbs a week. As long as you are getting a balanced diet, just enjoy this faster loss- it will slow down .

I only came back here recently. Does it often happen that people are picked up for grammar? That is my pet HATE. I am actually a pedant! But boards like this are for everyone; the PhD, the kid who left school at 16; the teacher and the road-sweeper; the person with English as a first language and the one for whom it is the second language; the pedant and the person who uses txt lingo. To criticise someone for confusing loose and lose or effect and affect in these circumstances would not only be unfair, it would also frighten off those in need of support.

Nine years post-op. At or even below goal (briefly) for over 7 1/2 years. Only problem a leak repair at 4 years out. Eat normally. Eat all foods. Almost never have any issue, maybe once every few months I bring back a mouthful and it is ALWAYS through eating too fast. Never had a painful or long lasting episode. Three episodes of regain but each time I used my band to lose it again. Maintaining for me is not all that easy but it was the thing which was totally impossible for me on all pre-band diets.

@@katesuccess for some reason, I don't find this offensive. Whereas I would the Barbie thing you describe (which we don't have in the UK). See, when women talk about men, they often do so in ways which might offend men but somehow that's ok! Fair's fair, mud flaps made me laugh not feel shock and horror! And the poster made it really clear that it wasn't HIS concern but concern about how his partner might feel. I think maybe men need a separate forum which really IS just men. Apart from anything else, there is truth in the old stereotype that some men find it hard to ask health etc questions on an open board.

The bitch!! Bet she didn't lose 10lbs a month! Just restrain yourself when she starts to regain as 95% of non-wls people do.

Ah, just wait! My husband laughed like a drain the first time I got on a plane and complained because the gap between my stomach and the pull down table was so big that I had to lean right forward as everything was dropping in to my knee. Great, isn't it!!!!!

@@KindaFamiliar popcorn seemed appropriate

@@Sharpie that is 100% the right attitude! Way to go!

@@kwcrnp I am not a doctor and will never tell anyone that they should not follow their doctor's advice. The following is just what * I* have been told. Way back in 2006 when I was banded, people (professionals) were less certain about how to deal with the band and we were taught lots of things which we were later told had just been "just in case" guidelines, not in fact the absolute rules we were told they were. Never using a straw was one of those - I was told that in 2006, a few years later my doc told me advice had changed. Another like that was no carbonation. My doctor changed his advice about that around 2010.

This is one of "those" topics! Some doctors say never, some say if you want, some say good idea! I use one on occasion. Never had a problem.

@@ShellMilliner good! Glad not just me feeling a bit confused as to what was wrong!!!!!

Oops. To anyone reading this! Sorry if I have chased off a valued member! It as meant as a genuine apology but maybe the person (forget the name) who was determined to be insulted was justified to say it was a fake apology because I have nothing whatsoever for which to apologise.

@ I apologise for trying to a) say I understood and trying to say there might be a solution.

No, it didn't fall on deaf ears. I actually accepted the need for a men's board; I personally am not worried by gender issues, but I accept some are. My point was that I simply DID NOT KNOW it was a men only board and there should be some way of telling from the post itself, It seems unfair to accuse people posting totally inadvertently of failing to respect board etiquette!

Yes, I understand why a men's board is needed. The other boards do tend to be female dominated and there are some who don't feel they can open up in a general board. But I think a lot of people are like me. I never go direct to any board, I just open Recent Topics. So I have no idea where the thread originated. OK, I will check from now on! But it never incurred to me before that there even WAS a men's board. And now, of course, as I posted this on the Guys's Room, we have a whole thread with female posters on the men's board! SORRY, GUYS

I think you have made the first step by coming back here. IMO your doctor is being unhelpful! You are obviously eating too much so I can't see a food log is helpful! But if that is what he wants, do it! You need that fill. You may also need a barium swallow just to check the band and also the Fluid withdrawn to check the current volume. Did he say why he wouldn't give you a fill?

I think wasting food is one of the hardest things! And in the UK we don't have the tradition of taking left over restaurant food home with us (but we have smaller portions in the first place!). Actually, my husband suffered most as he started finishing off my food. And he started putting weight on as I lost it! Luckily he started out slim so was able to catch this in time! But he still fights not to finish it for me!

That's a really vicious pre-op diet!! I can't comment from personal exoerience as I didn't have to do any pre-op diet at all but I just wanted to say, whatever hoops your doctor makes you jump through, it will be worth it in the end!

I can't say this for sure, not being in the U.S., but from reading on various boards, I believe XRay fills are becoming less common in the U.S. as well. Many doctorsfeel that unnecessary radiation, however small a dose, should be avoided, especially when the swallow only gives a picture of the level at that precise moment - as the band is over living tissue, this is not static and so an XRay done in the morning, or at TOM or in hot weather etc, can show a different level of tightness. I have never had a fill under XRay and all my fills have taken me to a perfect level of restriction - right from the very first fill and then at each subsequent fill as my fat decreased.

That's seriously bad service! No wonder you are unsure. Trouble is, we all get different plans and so may give different advice. All I can say is most banded people start with liquids, progress to purées, then soft foods, then normal foods. This usually takes between three and six weeks, depending on the doctor.

Not only am I not in the U.S. But I am also not a tall man!!!!! Just wanted to say, you shouldn't have a problem. My husband is 6' 6" and very slim. When I first met him, back in 1970, buying clothes was a nightmare! Specialist shops or tailor-made only. And always very expensive. But these days, so many shops do extra length trousers and sleeves. My BIL is 6' 4" and can shop in most stores; DH's extra two inches make it a bit harder but even our major chains like Marks and Spencer's do extra length.

Interesting. Balloons have been in use in the UK for many years (don't know if the same sort, but the same principle). I wouid be very interested to see follow up studies say a year later. I would be surprised if the weight stayed off. I know it had at the 12 month mark in this study, so 6 months after balloon removal. I wonder if it stayed off longer!

Just one word of caution. (I am a Brit and know nothing of US financial issues!) Banding is the cheapest surgery initially but has long term, on-going costs. You can probably find a package which includes a certain number if fills but you need to allow for further expense. I paid for my own surgery and now that it is done, our national health service picks up any costs. I am NOT trying to frighten you out if being banded! I love my band! Just making sure you're aware of possible later costs. But you may need: Fills beyond the number in your package. Defills if the band tightens over the years because of scar tissue. XRays if you have problems. Leaks in the tubing or port -these require operations under general anaesthetic. Slips, can require operation to reposition. Worst case scenario, removal. My own package included my fill for a year. My band has not caused me any major problems but if I had had to pay since my package ended, it wouid have cost me maybe £4000 (£ not $). I have had two small unfills, three routine annual barium swallows, an XRay to identify a problem, an operation to repair a leak. Now none of that cost me anything. But I have a long term online American friend who is appallingly in debt because her band was causing her major problems and her insurance company (even though they initally paid for the band) refused to pay fir its removal as it wasn't an emergency.