GlenSand

Here is a low calorie drink I just came up with. I absolutely love root beer, and haven't had any soda since my surgery in January. Well, on a trip one time my hubby got a root beer float from A&W. I noticed that all the gas had gone out of it because of the ice cream. I then realized that diet root beer with a small scoop of ice cream, was something I could have and I love it, however, it has calories. Then I thought of a trick. Diet root beer and sugar free creamer (french vanilla) = very low calorie float! The creamer does the same thing to the gas, but it takes a little longer and I have to stir it more, but it tastes great! I hope you all enjoy it.

I was banded on 01/06/2008 and have lost 88 lbs. I gained a little over the last few months due to an unfill, but I'm back on track now!

Valerieee, I am so glad you decided to do this! It was by far the best thing I've ever done for myself! I am 48 and have had a weight problem since I was 14... My highest weight was 255. I had lost weight 3 different times in my life and had always gained it back. It was a constant battle, even to keep below 250! Then I heard about the lap band!!!!! I had my procedure a year and a half ago and am down 88lbs! The great part is that I will never gain it back! The band is so flexible. When it's too loose, you get it tightened...when it's too tight it can be loosed! it's wonderful! I no longer have problems with my knees or shoulders or climbing up stairs. I am active and feel 20 years younger. Know you are doing this for yourself and, in spite of others opinions, it will be the best thing you can do! Good luck and keep us posted!

When I get stuck, I take a drink of warm water. Hold it and then spew! Sounds gross, but you asked... This usually rids the offending food piece but if it's still there I will repeat the process till it's gone. Then it takes a few hours for my pouch to feel better. Later I will baby it with hot chocolate or orange tea.

Based on the "education" we just received, the choices would have been more accurately: Man Woman or shades of both. There is actually ONLY male or female, no "other" option. This is true throughout all of nature. I can understand having degrees of one or the other, but never can there be another sex! Even if you want it to be... Also, men, you are a REAL minority based on the poll results... there are almost as many others as there are men!! I'm glad I'm a woman!

I was addicted to diet pepsi vanilla before surgery. My doc and nutritionist said "absolutely no carbonation." I am a rule follower so I gave up soda. A few months after surgery, my mom said "try this drink" Well, it was carbonated and it hurt... I've never wanted any since then. However, I love root beer floats! and guess what, there is no carbonation. About once a month, I get a tall glass of diet root beer, add 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream and voila! Some ladies say to use SF ice cream. I have even used SF vanilla creamer. But if I keep it at once a month, I just use regular ice cream. The ice cream kills the carbonation (don't drink the foam at the top) It's actually a good science experiment too. All that foam rising at the top is what carbonation does to our pouches! I, for one, don't want that!!!

There are soooo many reasons that I love my band. I'll try to narrow it down... Going from a size 22 to 12 and hoping for 8 when I'm all done. 47lbs left! Being able to run upstairs when I need to instead of dreading it or sending my kids. All the many compliments I get from family and coworkers. Feeling 20 years younger when I'm almost 48! And, not taking up so much room -in elevators, airplanes, my car, restaurants etc. Look at my before and after pix! I am VERY thankful for this band!

Josie, I'm reaching out to you cause I am in trouble. I got a complete unfill 3 weeks ago and have gained 20 lbs!!!!! I think that most of it is because before my unfill I was completely empty ((my guts- I hadn't eaten for about 2 months). Now I feel backed up. Also when you can't eat for that long, then suddenly you can eat anything you want...you go crazy! I am not saying I eat like before I was banded, just more. I am making very bad choices and have no willpower! I am going in for a fill today, I know my doc will go cautiously... but I want to be like I was before. Too tight! It was what stopped me from eating. I was wondering how you and Luluc were doing? I am really needing help with this and you two were in the same boat as me. Sorry I havn't posted in a while, but my ticker is wrong. I refuse to change it to put weight back on!!! Hope all is well, Glenda

My goal is 100 lbs also. I have 23 lbs to go and 40 to get to my goal weight! (my ticker is wrong, but I don't want to add back on 10 lbs). I currently hit a snag though. I have been too tight for the last 2 months and doc took out a lot of Fluid saying My pouch needs a rest from being swollen. Now I have NO restriction! :crying: I am having trouble limiting myself, just like in the old days w/o the band! I am trying very hard though! I would love to lose 23 lbs by January! I go in for an adjustment on Nov 16th, so that's a whole month on my own. :thumbup: Good luck to you both on your journies. I will keep you in my prayers.

Here is a low calorie drink I just came up with. I absolutely love root beer, and haven't had any soda since my surgery in January. Well, on a trip one time my hubby got a root beer float from A&W. I noticed that all the gas had gone out of it because of the ice cream. I then realized that diet root beer with a small scoop of ice cream, was something I could have and I love it, however, it has calories. Then I thought of a trick. Diet root beer and sugar free creamer (french vanilla) = very low calorie float! The creamer does the same thing to the gas, but it takes a little longer and I have to stir it more, but it tastes great! I hope you all enjoy it.

I would love to join you! Thanks

Aber c, I have been there too! I was banded in January. Right afterward, after my liquids and mushies, I could eat anything and I did. I ate much less than usual though and took comfort in that. Was really looking forward to my fills. The fillls are key! They are what give us restriction. They take it slow, so our pouches can adjust to it. I had a little restriction after my first, and had to start obeying the LAP-BAND® rules. Eating slow and little bites. Before my fills, these were unnecesarry. At my third fill I reached my sweet spot! That is the time that I could only eat 1/2 to 1 cup of food at a time. Before that, there was no stoping me. I got uber tight after a month and had to get a little taken out. Now I am perfect. I know it's hard at first, but take it slow. Understand the process. It will work and you will lose weight! The rules don't make sense right now, but they will. I remember my first sliming incident. It was a few days after my 2nd fill. It was totally unexpected and was intense. However, I knew what it was because of all the information I had learned from this LBT! That's when the rules kicked in. I needed to really follow them now. I guess in a nutshell, I'm saying, hang in there and don't beat yourself up. You have no restriction yet. Right after surgery there was swelling, now there is nothing. You will see a big differance after your fills, I promise. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

My full feels the same as yours. It's a feeling that says "whoa stop eating now or you will regret it!" It is a little discomfort. Without that feeling I would never stop. I think the fill nurse is saying the "lock step line". There is no other way I know of that feels full. Until I have that feeling, I am fine and dandy, then it comes all of a sudden.

Well, that was very fun and educational! All day long I drank up until time to eat. I had no problems at all. I even had more time for getting in liquids and didn't have to watch the time. Every time I got hungry I could just eat instead of waiting a half hour. I really enjoyed it! I did find that it takes about 5 minutes for my pouch to be empty. Also I felt more lubricated and didn't get stuck or backed up! Thank you RM for asking the question!!!

Hi hon, I just thought I'd weigh in on my experience. I have had 3 fills. They were all like yours, felt it the first day then nothing! My Doc waits 6 weeks between fills and that's how I got them. I now know why he does that. 3 weeks after my third fill, I got tight. It was unexpected and weird. I couldn't figure out why it happened, but it did. I had to learn to eat the bandster way all over again. The first 5 months, I would try to eat slow and chew well, but with little or no restriction, it was easy to forget. When my restriction came all of a sudden, I really had to hunker down and actually eat the right way. I kept trying to get it right and finally realized that I probably was over tight. I got a slight unfill at the end of August. Now I am at my sweet spot and loosing good amout of weight. So what I'm saying is, wait. Practice bandster eating. Get your fills on schedule, and it will happen. Some ladies take 8 fills, some take 1. Don't worry, and when it does come, it may be 3 weeks after a fill, be ready with eating right. Good luck to you,

Hi there, I was in this situation a few months ago. I first, before getting an unfill, tried a few other things. Smaller bites, eating slower and standing/walking. It's funny but when you have little restriction it's easy to take bigger bites and eat faster. Then all of a sudden, in my case, I was tight! Eating slower takes a lot of time and practice. Try for bites the size of a pea. Chew a lot and then wait 2-3 minutes between bites. Also I found that standing and walking around helped food to go down. I also found that I had to be hydrated. Being tight makes it hard to get enough liquids, but getting enough liquids helps ease the tightness! It's a catch 22. Concentrate on liquids most of the day. Then eat slow. At one meal, it took me an hour to eat 3/4 cup of food. These steps really helped. I eventually (after a month) had an unfill because I kept getting tighter. These steps really help me now, as I am tight still but not unbearable.

OK, you guys got me all interested in this subject. I have been going along obeying all the rules and now, bam, I want to rebel! hehe. Today I am going to experiment with drinking all the way up to my meals. I think since all of us are different, if it works out for me, then I don't need to have a Dr.'s seal of approval. If it hurts or causes pbing, then I'll go back to being a good girl. I most definitely have to wait at least 30 minutes after meals to drink anything. If I even try to have a sip during or after, it is going to come back up! It's weird, but that's what happens, so that rule is easy to obey. Soda....I have been experimenting with that too. (because of another post) (Sometimes these posts are bad!) Any who, I can drink soda without pain, but I imagine my pouch expanding and flopping over my band and I can only drink a few sips. I actually have had 2 root beer floats in the past 3 months. (The ice cream flattens the soda.) But talk about empty calories!!! I know, I'm bad too! Well, I will post tomorrow and give my "scientific" results. Have a wonderful day all.

Just curious as to how all of you have been doing since ur surgery in January? I am doing great. I love life right now. Are you happy about your band? I LOVE my band. It keeps me from doing what I used to do. EAT TOO MUCH. I can only eat a little portion now, and I can't sit and eat mindlessly anymore. Thank you lap band! How do you love bandster life? Banster life has it's ups and downs... I enjoy the feeling of fullness all day long, but I don't enjoy eating out. I can't seem to find the right pace when sitting down and conversing with friends/family. I always eat too fast or something. How close are you to your goal? I am going to get there by my 1 year bandiversary! Do you exercise everyday? I try to get to it 5 days a week but always fail. I am still trying though... Do you PB alot? 3-4 times a week. It's no big deal anymore. I just get rid of the back up and then I'm fine.

Hi everyone, I just had to share on this thread, cause I'm so excited! I went shopping yesterday for clothes for the first time since surgery. ( I have gone through all my old, "smaller than now" clothes, that were in bags deep in my closet.) Well, I had some extra money, my daughter was visiting, it was the perfect storm for shopping! I HAD SO MUCH FUN! Losing weight has made my life fun again. I grabbed 3 size jeans for the dressing room. size 16 too big, size 14- too big! Ladies I got into a size 12 jeans, without any struggle and they look great!!! I can't remember the last time I wore size 12. It was before HS, I know that for sure! And the shirts--- I am big breasted so I have always bought 2X. Again I took 3 sizes in with me. All the shirts I bought were size large!!! I cannot even contain my happiness! I was jumping around for joy and just loving life yesterday! I did a fashion show for my hubby, and he REALLY enjoyed it! This lap band is THE best thing I have ever done for myself! I cannot wait to get into size 10. Won't that be just the bomb? Anyways, I just had to share with y'all. I will have a wonderful day at work today, in my new clothes! I hope you all have a good day too!

Welp, I didn't lose 10 but I dropped 7! I feel great too! I had a family reunion with 84 family members up in Northern Idaho. I got many, many compliments and I felt great w/all the activities. Hope everyone is doing great. Looking forward to next month and more weight loss!

Who wants to join me in this challenge? I really need to drop 10 more lbs, and I need a jump start. Maybe exercise is what I need. (I really hate to exercise) BUT - I really want this. Maybe after committing for 4 full weeks, I will be able to see if it really makes a difference. Any takers? PLEASE, I need help, encouragement and support as well as accountability! Thanks!

Well, I didn't make 10, but I lost 7!! I am very excited about that. I started late and had a good finish. What did you all do for Labor day? I had a family reunion with 84 members of my very large family!! It was a blast and I got LOTS of compliments! Good job everyone!!! NAME........SURGERY...START....CURRENT....TO GO Blaze21..........255.........176..........171.............7 Hdsantoni.......252.........187..........179.............7 Wyomingirl......376.........283..........275.............7 Aivey.............270.........265..........248.............3 Enchanted......241.........187..........187............17 Raelita...........331.........310..........310............15 Doramae........305.........257.5........248...........5.5 Jennybeck......252..........228..........219............9 Bella..............242.........213..........210............11 Laurr925........285.........225..........215..............5 EmsMommy....252.........242...........242............15 Healthyme....26...........215.........203.0.........3.1 syretta0728....200.........192...........186............6 8loosinit4good...327.........263...........263............16 FluffyJen.........220........183...........178............3 Zoom-Zoom.....218........206...........201............5 GlenSand.........252........185...........178............3

Josie, thanks for replying! I am feeling so much better. I was too tight and now I'm perfect! Every Wed. we go out to dinner. Yesterday was great! I was able to eat a cup of Soup and a small salad with no need to run to the potty! Before taking out .5cc, I could not even have 3 bites of soup w/o needing to slime. So, yeah, I need to use will power again, like at first. I need to make good choices and stick to them! While I was too tight I ate a lot of slider foods... Now I need to get back into the habit of eating high Protein, good for me foods. I went 2 months being too tight, It will be harder for you being that way for 2 years! I wish you good luck and success!:blushing: