catfish87

December wouldn't work for me....as this years vacation is scheduled. Next year....anytime! Maybe I can get Fredbird to come?...... [ATTACH]27265[/ATTACH]

Todays ride to the river: http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=11621616# Distance: 45.23 mi Time: 2:54:48 Avg Speed: 15.5 mph Elevation Gain: 244 ft Calories: 2,348 C

I've tried at least two different computers today, so I'm sure its not that. I have gotten to the login screen where you enter your screen name, entered my information, and then it takes me to a blank page. Has anyone else experienced this today?

Congrats! Awesome job!

Next week?!?!?

Glad you're feeling better!! Thanks for the good/encouraging/motivating post.

Working for me now... Thanks!

Thanks Alex!

Todays ride: http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=11621616 26.29 miles 1:32 minutes 17.1 avg speed 1489 calories

WONDERFUL advice from your doctor! "....The band will take care of the rest." Until you get to correct adjustment/restriction, the "amount" you referred to is a recommendation I hear quite often.

Todays ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/329896525 Distance: 16.16 mi Time: 1:13:03 Avg Speed: 13.3 mph Elevation Gain: 189 ft Calories: 447 C

My suggestion would be yes...definately. Not sure demand is the word I'd use, but talk with your surgeon and find out why he/she hasn't suggested it yet? Possibly just a $$$ issue? Were your adjustments "included" in your surgery cost for say a year? While it can certainly help accessing the port more easily, there are WAY MORE IMPORTANT reasons for using it. http://www.hoab.org/fluoroscopy-machine-st-louis-missouri/

Lots of different OPINIONS about this..and its evolving, just like it should as more information is gathered/studied. As far as carbonation: I don't drink soda as I have no desire to, but I can drink beer now, NO PROBLEM...almost four years post banding. I didn't for the first year or so. I'll post links from doctors and let you decide if you trust them.... Diet soda = "As much as you want", per Dr. O'Brien's Golden Rules. He's considered a lapband "pioneer" surgeon... FROM Dr. SIMPSONS website....You see his name on here touted a LOT. http://drsimpson.net...olden-rules.htm From His website: "Any calorie containing liquids will tend to flow past the restriction of the band and not give you any feeling of satiety. You are then more likely to take too much. You are only allowed to drink: Water mineral water tea or coffee (with low fat milk if you wish but no sugar) low calorie soft drinks (but be careful with the gas) An exception to the “no liquid calorie” rule is a glass of wine with meals which we have shown is good for your health and good for your weight loss when taken in a modest amount." Of course, you should consult with your doctor to determine his/her recommendation.

Todays ride: http://connect.garmi...ivity/329348735 Distance: 30.03 mi Time: 1:50:12 Avg Speed: 16.3 mph Elevation Gain: 346 ft Calories: 1,672 C

Fills for me, are completely painless. There is at least a couple of different ways fills are given. Sometimes your doc will have you lay on a table, they will locate the port by looking/feeling for it, then insert a needle into the port. Some doc's will have you stand while inserting the needle and adjusting. Thats how they can "adjust" your band...by adding saline into the port, which provides that restriction level. Some doctors adjust blindly, meaning they add a certain amount of saline depending on their experience, your timeline post banding, and talking with you about how you are progressing/hunger, etc. It may work fine, but it may not provide the best adjustment. Then theres fills using Fluoroscopy...the gold standard in my opinion. Using the fluoro machine, your surgeon and you can SEE your restriction level as he/she adjusts your band. They can also see correct placement, "pouch" size, and other information. Some also find it easier to locate the port using this method. I'm a big fan and advocate for fills using Fluoro. Without it, I'd never have reached correct restriction. http://www.hoab.org/...louis-missouri/

Todays ride: http://connect.garmi...ivity/328247340 Distance: 14.38 mi Time: 1:04:18 Avg Speed: 13.4 mph Elevation Gain: 30 ft Calories: 485 C

Todays ride: http://connect.garmi...ivity/327695919 Distance: 54.11 mi Time: 3:44:03 Avg Speed: 14.5 mph Elevation Gain: 753 ft Calories: 1,957 C June Total: Count: 7 Activities Distance: 294.81 mi Time: 19:20:21 h:m:s Elevation Gain: 3,509 ft Avg Speed: 15.2 mph Avg HR: 137 bpm Avg Bike Cadence: 71 rpm Calories: 14,330 C

Thats a ridiculous amount for ONE visit! I just checked my EOB/insurance. My insurance gets charged $35 for each follow up NUT visit... UNLESS I get an adjustment, then its included....Your's must be something super special for that fee.

It sounds like you have a good idea why your loss has slowed. "Not exercising and eating the wrong type of foods". Everybody sooner or later will have a situation in this journey where we are challenged by issues, such as your no babysitter. You can find a way to make it work for you. Maybe right now, it could be just going for a walk? Taking him/her/them with you? Or even just moving around your home...lots of folks on here talk about DVD's, video games, etc to "workout" with. As far as choosing the right type of foods, that is still a struggle sometimes for me almost 4 years post op. Not sure we'll ever get completely over that hurdle. But we just do the best we can with that. Once you've had a chance to get your band properly adjusted, it will help with that hunger. But it takes time. You're probably in whats referred to as Bandster Hell on here. That period of time, where you don't have adequate adjustment/restriction in your band. During that time, its willpower and determination that can make you successful. You're only 4 months out...don't get that "why bother" in your head...it'll haunt you. Think about why you ARE going to succeed. And you will. Best of luck...and never, ever give up.

First, thirty pounds in four months is nothing to be disappointed in. Average is 1-2 pounds a week, so you are right in there where you "should" be. Second, why do you think you're off track with your eating? Are you hungry often? Or just eating the wrong type foods?

I don't personally have plication, (wasn't offered when I had my band in 09 ) but have done a LOT of reading and talking with folks about it. There are some very successful folks on here who had both the band and plication done. It's not offered at many locations...YET. I believe it will be the standard sometime in the near future. Its still considered experimental, so difficult to get insurance to cover. Heres a link to one surgeons website explaining it and the benefits: http://drsimpson.net...ss-surgery.html "Gastric Plication PLUS Lap-band Surgery (iLap) - new surgical solution for the super obese Lap-band surgery plus Gastric Plication may be the perfect surgical combination for super morbidly obese patients. Because Gastric Plication causes a quicker more complete satiety, the patient can eat much less food. The lap-band further limits the amount of food that can be initially ingested. But its most important job is to heighten the sensitivity of the nerves at the top of the stomach. Those are the nerves that send the signal to the brain that you are full. So the combination of Gastric plication with Lap-band surgery results in fast satiety with much less food than the individual surgeries. iLap surgery is a double restrictive procedure that is adjustable to keep it working over the long run as is required by super morbidly obese patients. It can result in the same weight loss as the Lap-band over gastric bypass. But the small intestine is untouched and completely intact so it will deliver all the nutrition and energy in food consumed by the patient. The energy a super morbidly obese person desperately needs to get on their feet and move. Lap-band and Gastric Plication surgeries can be reversed because none of the stomach or intestines are surgically removed. Because both surgeries are less damaging than gastric bypass, recovery time can be much shorter. Physical therapy and exercise may be able to be done sooner after surgery and with more intensity, possibly improving the patient's prospect for living."

I'm sorry to hear of your back surgeries. That must have sucked! Not sure of your current mobility/capabilities, but there should be some form of "exercise" you could do?? Have you spoken with your doctor/surgeon to see what they will allow/you can tolerate? Maybe its just upper body "exercises" that you can do, but anything can help. There are lots of folks who can't walk that still find some way to get their heart working/burning calories. For me, it was a hard time finding that green zone....took forever! But when we finally did get me there, it helped....EVEN with the head hunger! Best of luck finding what works for you. http://www.gazette.n...69.jpg&maxw=800

I'm thinking there is something to this...drinking gatorade/electrolytes, etc. I had a long exercise yesterday...about 6 hours of riding. Purposely, I drank a lot of G2, which I normally don't. Usually its just Water for me. I felt NO dizziness...none!