Melissannde

You should be consulting with your doctor about what you can have at this stage. All doctors are different on what they allow their patients.

I know a few who have had theirs 10 or 11 years, original band. Still working fine.

Some other online support options: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HoustonareaBandsters http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DFWBandsters Support is really one of the mainstays of banding. If you don't feel like your doctor is supportive enough, you could change. There's lots of choices in the Houston area. I met two doctors from Houston when I attended the TABS conference in January of this year in Dallas. I don't know how they are on a doctor/patient relationship, but I enjoyed talking to them one on one. One was Dr. Davis and the other was Dr. Vuong. Dr. Vuong was really interesting.. he's very big on support. Requires that his patients attend support group or he will not do fills. And he has Saturday meetings too. I don't go to my doctor's support group every month, because of various reasons. One is that the leader of the group rubs me the wrong way at times and another is that they are held at night and I live an hours drive away and I don't like driving after dark. I do most of mine online at the yahoo groups. Make a list of questions before your appt on 4/15 and take it with you. You are entitled to know what kind of band you have, how much Fluid is in it from the time of surgery (if any) and how much they put in during any fills. You are also entitled to a copy of your surgical report if you want one. Best of luck to you.

You might also find this helpful (or at least interesting). It's a book written by Dr. Simpson about losing the last 30 lbs in pdf form. I think I need to print it out myself. http://azlapband.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Last30_book_print2.pdf

Ok.. I'd trust the polar monitor a bit more than other ways of calculating what you burned. I use one too and while my burn is lower than my friends who also use one, I think it's more accurate than other devices. Someday I want to get a fitbit or a bodymedia and compare them to the polar. As regards food intake, I too try to stay around 1200 a day, but break mine into several small meals. If you're only getting 2 meals a day, are you skipping Breakfast? Everyone I talk to says we need to eat within one or two hours of waking up to get our metabolism going. It doesn't have to be much. Most mornings I'm too busy to do anything other than a cup of yogurt or a RTD Muscle Milk light. Then when I get home from the gym, I drink a Syntrax Protein drink (you could use another brand if you like). I like syntrax cause they're fruit flavored, relatively low calorie (90 to 100) and 0 carb. 23 grams of protein. I've started doing this on the recommend of trainers who say taking in protein after working out helps rebuild the muscles we just tore down by working out. Then an hour or two after that, I have lunch. 4 hours later is dinner, but if I get hungry between lunch & dinner, I'll have a cheese stick or something.. so in effect, I really am eating about every 2 hours. I didn't realize this until I sat down and wrote it out for someone else. My weight loss is slow, but steady, if I stay on plan. Recently have had a few "not so good" choices.. but that's my fault. I might be ready for another small fill. Hope your doctor can shed some light on your dilemma for you.

Banded 03/09/09 at 383 lbs. Today I'm hovering between 191 and 188 lbs. Still working on the last 20 to 30 to 40 lbs. I'll get there eventually.

What are you using to calculate your calorie burn? Machines such as treadmills and bikes are notoriously inaccurate. So are calculators like the ones at Livestrong.com. Not saying you aren't doing 700 worth of work, just wondering where you are getting your numbers.

If your doctor told you you were supposed to be on liquids/soft things longer, well, go back to them. If you think you were supposed to be on them longer because of what you read on here or from another source..ignore that and go by what your doctor recommends. In either case, DON'T PANIC. As Mrs. Firth said, doctors vary greatly on their post-op eating instructions. Just call your doc/nutritionist/dietician/nurse.. someone at the bariatric practice you use and talk to them. Don't worry, they've heard it all before.

ok. thx.

Where in the world are you getting Tryptophan? I thought the FDA banned it in 1989. The closest I've been able to find is 5-HTP.

jack links jerky is what you're trying think of I bet. in the future, those little chicken salad or tuna salad packs by bumble bee are nice to keep on hand.

For some good recipes, look at bariatriceating.com

Thought this might add some to the discussion at hand: Researchers fed people two meals with the exact same number of calories; the only difference was how much the food was processed. Group A was treated to sandwiches made with real cheese on whole-grain bread; Group B made do with processed cheese on fiber-stripped white bread. The results, published in Food & Nutrition Research, found that the processed meal decreased the rate of diet-induced thermogenesis—the number of calories you burn when eating and digesting—by nearly 50% compared to the meal made with whole foods. Read the rest here: http://nutritionunplugged.com/2011/04/a-new-view-of-calories/?utm_source=twitter\ feed&utm_medium=facebook

Unfortunately, most doctors don't have all that much training/education on nutrition. I too have experienced a stall and came out of it by upping my calories just a hair. I wasn't doing only 500 or 600, but around 1000 and when I went up to 1200, things started moving again. Coincidence? I don't know, but it worked for me. Does your doctor have a nutritionist or dietician that works with the practice? If they do, I'd consider making an appointment with one of them to discuss your needs. Hope you get some answers.

Rose, you'll get more and better responses if you start your own thread. Amie is right, alot of how much you lose will depend on how you chose to work the band. The band doesn't do it for you.. it's only a helper.

Excellent report. I'm glad he didn't yell, that's the only reason I suggested not mentioning how long this has been going on, unless pressed. I didn't want you to avoid going in out of fear of the doctor.

Dig around on the polar site.. they have detailed suggestions for helping with the contacts on the strap. Have you tried a Water based lubricant on the contacts? I find that works MUCH better than plain water. And if you decide to go with a different device.. as well as looking at the bodybugg, look at bodyfit media (same company as bodybugg) and fitbit. Fitbit I think does almost the same as the BB, but it's a lot cheaper. Good luck

My doc says liquids day of fill, soft or mushy foods that evening, back to solids the next day. If anything gives trouble to back down to liquids and then progress back up a little slower. HOWEVER, my fills are always very small, .2 or .5, that might be the difference. I also know my doctor isn't a big fan of liquid calories.. he feels we lose better when we're on regular food.

Hot coffee or hot tea helps me when I'm tight. I'm post-menopausal so I don't experience the hormonal shifts that others deal with.. I can't advise on that. But I know what you mean about being too tight for yogurt.. I had yogurt for Breakfast this am and had to stop and take a shower before I could finish it.. not that I threw up on myself.. but that I felt tight and sometimes a warm shower will help. You didn't mention how much Fluid you received on your 2nd fill. My largest fill ever was 1cc. I don't need big fills to get results. Usually I get .2cc's, and occasionally I get .tcc's. (that's POINT 2 and POINT 5). You might be another one who needs to creep up on a fill. Sure, we have to go in more often, but the incidences of too tight/unfill are greatly reduced. Hope you get some relief in the AM.

99.99% probability it is your port. If it was something else, worrying won't fix it anyhow. So try to relax, drink a cup of soothing tea, listen to some quiet music and get your sleep. Good sleep is conducive to weight loss...

you might need to stay on liquids a little longer. Or stay with the things that you have tried and have so far worked for you.. .the cream of wheat and tomato soup. I liked bean with bacon soup whirled in the blender, but that's just me. Nothing magical about bean/bacon soup. Call your doctor's office in the morning (assuming you are in the US) and ask for guidance. I'll bet they'll tell you to back down to liquids for a day or two and then try the mushie stuff again. Best of luck.

The idea of eating till full just doesn't work for me and my band. I could eat alot more than I should if I was to eat till I was full. I measure out 3oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies. I eat that and usually that satisfies me. IF I'm still hungry in 20 minutes, I'm allowed more veggies. My nurses say eating only 1/2 a cup of food is more for a RNY patient, that a band patient is expected to eat up to a cup of food. Of course this will vary from person to person, but I wouldn't stress if you aren't satisfied on 1/4 or 1/2 cup. Try going to 3/4 or 1 cup and see if that will hold you for 3 to 4 hours. Are you waiting at least 30 minutes after eating to start drinking? If you are, try extending it to 1 hour to see if that will help. Another strategy.. if you're getting hungry 2 hours after eating.. start pushing fluids. Drink Water and other very low calorie drinks (I try to keep it to 10 calories/16 oz or less). if pushing fluids isn't doing the trick.. have a high protein/low calorie snack. Wasa crisp & light with light laughing cow, carbmaster (kroger brand) yogurt, 1/2 an apple and a weight watcher's string cheese stick, things of that nature. Sometimes when I'm just a little bit hungry between meals, taking my dogs on a walk will push the hunger back a bit. Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. And you might just need a tiny bit more fill. I've gotten as little as .2 ( point 2) cc's and it has made a difference. I know others who get point 1 (.1cc). Best of luck to you.

I LOVE broccoli and would go into deep mourning if I couldn't eat it. I have gotten stuck on it once, but that was my fault. I cook it very well now and chew it well and do fine. Try roasting it.. yummmmmmm!!!

Stay on liquids for now. Warm things like tea and coffee (if your doc allows such) should help loosen the band just a tad. If your doc prohibits caffeine, try other warm/hot things. broth, hot Water with lemon, etc. If you get to the point that liquids will not go down, or they go down and come back up again... call your surgeon for an unfill.

How much are you exercising? On days that I work out really hard, I need more food. When was your last fill and how much have you lost since then? I find when I've lost a significant amount, it's usually time for another fill. And try increasing the amount of Protein per meal. Your dinner sounds pretty good, but I'd try adding an egg white ( or 1/4 cup egg white from a carton) to the mix to increase the protein w/o adding significant calories/cholesterol. Or you could increase the amount of cheese (love the little laughing cow lights..). It could also be your menstrual cycle affecting your appetite .. if you're still menstruating. Good luck, hope you figure this out.