catfish87

They use a Huber, NON coring needle. It doesn't/shouldn't leave a hole in the port access material. Does your surgeon/fill person check to see if you are losing Fluid? They should......

I ran OUTSIDE, In the cold rain when I got home from work this evening. And I enjoyed it! Now for a hot shower and a glass of wine for "dinner".

I'll give you MY perspective. I know my story is EXTREMELY uncommon...but, it happens. I was banded in Sept of 2009. At that time, my surgeon didn't use fluoro for fills/adjustments. It was just done blindly. An educated guess if you will, per manufacturers recommendations I suppose. I'd go to the office, talk about how I was doing, what/how much I was eating/exercising, etc. Then get an adjustment as needed. Never any issue finding the port, never any issue "drinking" the Water afterwards...NO issues whatsoever....or at least it seemed that way, for a few months. During those first few months how can ANYONE not be motivated, lots of willpower, excited, etc... I had surgery, this HAD to work, I thought. Then over the next few months, just like any other diet I'd been on, that motivation, willpower, etc, started to dwindle. I found myself not able to control how much I was eating...AGAIN...just like always. How could this be??? I continued to go to my surgeon, ( who I think is the best ever by the way...over 20 years of bariatric surgeries....over 2000 lapbands ) and we kept discussing what I was feeling, and we/HE just thought I was "losing faster than we were adjusting". I had my 7th "adjustment", up to 11cc's in a 14cc band on August of 2010. AND HAD NO RESTRICTION...LIKE I NEVER HAD SURGERY!! In October of 2010, my surgeons office started using Fluoroscopy for ALL lapband adjustments.....and the first time I had mine done with fluoro...BINGO, problem found immediately. My band had come "unbuckled". Lucky me! 1st one ever for my surgeon. We got it corrected ASAP. My band has worked as designed since. HOWEVER....I had lost that confidence....and that took ME time to get over. So, I'm very passionate about the reasons I support fluoroscopy. Yes, it's more expensive per visit. Kind of like a Cadillac cost more than a Yugo. You get what you pay for. Or you can just guess... Anyone wants see the office notes, send me a pm...I'll be happy to let you read.

Need motivation???? Maybe take a look at your ticker......it says you've lost 103 lbs in less than a year..... Best wishes on your continued success

AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING??? "gonna take forever".... Forever is really the goal here....at least for me. PS....not everyone is losing at a much faster rate....my average has been around .65 pounds per week....but it's been 4+ years, so it sorta adds up. Best wishes on your CONTINUED success.

FOR ME, cycling was the best cardio....especially starting. Low impact, and I enjoyed it....so I kept with it. But each person may find something different that they enjoy or will at least stick to. Whatever you choose, make it a routine...make it a priority...no excuses! Just do it! Here's an interesting article about different aerobic exercises: http://drsimpson.net/fitness/aerobic_exercise_comparison/aerobic_exercise_comparison.htm

CONGRATS! Your story is a post everybody should read.....Great attitude.

Great story Shel and very well writen. I'm also a atkins (diet) success....Ummmm, I mean failure.

Well, you asked for suggestions.....here's mine. 1. Keep up with your exercise. Awesome! 2. Track your calories, if this is something you desire to do. LESS was always better for me... 3. Get in adequate Protein....and LOTS of Water. 4. Pay little to no attention to any "starvation mode" theory....unless of course, you hear it from your DR/NUT..... 5. Enjoy the successs!

I summarized my response by what you wrote.... 1. Opinions vary most definately. (you should follow YOUR surgeons recommendation) 2. You'll have to completely change your mindset and habits, at least to be 100% successful. 3. You're newly banded and probably not at "adequate restriction"....for the longterm. 4. When you're not at adequate restriction....somewhat of a loose band, it probably does just wash the food through. 5. After you get to a tighter restriction, you'll KNOW why you don't eat solids and then drink immediately. Promise!

I'm from just outside St. Louis, Mo in Collinsville, IL. I've told several people in the last year, that Garmin is THE best fitness $$ I've ever spent!! It keeps track of anything and everything you could ever want. Its' encouraging/motivating to see where you started from and how you progress. It will be quite addicting after you start using it. I bought it for cycling to begin with, but now use it for running/cycling/swimming, even just going on hikes, (mushroom hunting last spring!) it allows you to put in "waypoints" and will lead you exactly back to where you want to go....secret mushroom spots There are several different ones available, Polar makes some good ones too. You don't have to get the watch style. Depending on if you use certain smartphones, all you may need is a heartrate strap....they will sync to various programs on most smart phones via bluetooth. Starting around $70 Go to a running or cycling store and tell them what you want to do, which smartphone you have, and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to recommend different ones. I bought mine off of Ebay and saved quite a bit compared to retail at a brick and mortar store.

IF....you are keeping your heartrate info accurate on the elliptcal some way, maybe by holding onto the sensors, etc, it will be more accurate than any non heartrate adjusted program like MFP, Loseit!, etc. I used to input the time I worked out into a couple of different apps on the smartphone...not really accurate at all. Now, I use a HRM from Garmin....and LOVE it! Heres one from yesterday.... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/430431934

Congrats to you and much continued success!

This is one of my favorite topics on here. Fluoroscopy....not because what someone told me, not because what I read, but because it happened to me. (this is from my surgeons notes on me...not sure why I can't make it larger but click on it to see) Now, you'll hear from folks telling you it's not necessary, too costly, etc....thats their opinion and I respect it. I have mine...for the above reason and others. Lots of Doctors still don't have the convienent access to a fluoro machine where they do the fills. So, they "blindly" do the fills by their experience ( or lack thereof ) and guess it'll be ok. Then have you drink some water after the fill to see if the water will pass through...."the water method" after the guessing method. By making adjustments to ones band while watching the restriction level, it provides for a more optimal result. Not saying folks can't get to the proper adjustment without it, but its' much easier to do something correctly when you can see what you're doing. Here's a link to my surgeons page describing fluoro: http://www.hoab.org/fluoroscopy-st-louis-missouri/ Heres a link to the page showing what MY fluoro adjustment looked like back in July13: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/168149-heres-what-my-restriction-level-looks-like/ Hope your doctor will at least check your band with fluoro on some interval. Best wishes!

Congrats on your loss and being off to what sounds like a great start. It's not uncommon to still hear of people having thier fills done blindly or via the "can Water go thru" method. Unfortunate, but not uncommon. As far as you not having any issues with PB'ing or sliming..., enjoy! You may be eating correctly, nice and slow, chewing well. It's not necessary to have those issues to be successful. Just for some, like me, it's a reminder to take care/eat slower/chew better.

Maybe a new pair of walking/running shoes, new workout clothes, entry fee to a charitable 5k walk/run. These are a couple of suggestions that just further promote your new healthier lifestyle....and what an great alternative to gift cards to resturants....Congrats!

Happy Bandiversary and Congratulations! Wishing you much continued success.

Hi Niki, I'll pass along what works for me... I am a BAND patient, so our ablility to "eat" the same things may vary. That being said, when I ride, if its gonna be 90 minutes or less, I dont need to eat anything more than say a half cup of oatmeal, or a half tube of "New whey liquid protein" prior to riding. If I I'm going longer than that, I'll carry a "Clif" brand bar or "GU energy gel" with me and have one at 60 minutes and about every 45 minutes. If I don't, at about 2 hours, I'm exhausted and it's too late to catch up for me. The difference between 90 minutes and 150 minutes is HUGE for me... I rode a century ( 6 hours riding ) in June with nothing more than Clif bars and G2/Powerade Zero....and felt great at the end. Although I did have some deep fried oreos the night before. And I also do not believe in any "starvation mode" for us with significant body fat reserves. Didn't work that way for me.

WTG B-52! Thanks for continuing to post your positive experience and story. Congratulations on your health and best wishes for continued happiness.

"wine and protein mix"...bandster staples! See you soon my friend!

Congrats and continued success Terry!