elcee

Chicken is good and healthy when you are on a diet but it's not so great with a band as you have discovered. The dark meat is easier to eat than the white and it is also better if it is cooked using a moist cooking method or with some kind of sauce. Don't give up on chicken just try different ways of cooking it.

My BMI was 32 but in Aus we have a different system.

If it has been stuck for 2 days then I would think the only option would be to go and see a Dr. The thing is they normally remove some of the fill to let the blockage go through but if as you say you have no fill then this probably won't work.Maybe they put some fill in at the time of surgery so it may be possible to remove some. You may be swollen from trying to vomit etc and the best thing to reduce swelling is ice. Try sucking on icechips and see if that helps. It is not an instant cure but for me after about an hour at the most I seem to have success. Papaya supposedly works but not for everyone, I have tried and it does nothing for me. I am concerned that maybe you have a slip and if that is the case then you definitely need to see a Dr as it is not going to sort itself out. Once you have this sorted out I think you need to take a good look at how you are using your band. It does not sound like you are using it the way in which it is intended to be used. I certainly don't think trying to push something stuck through with meat or chips is the way to go! Hope everything is OK and you get some relief soon.

2 years and 7 months.

I am gobsmacked. It seems that no matter what some people say some other person will manage to take it the wrong way and get offended. People have made comments on this thread in a nice , polite , respectful manner and they have been "blasted out of the water" . Sometimes I think people should walk away from their computer, take a couple of deep breaths, think again and then maybe even wait until the next day before they post anything!

I think it is perfectly normal to have these fears and start second guessing our decision before surgery. It is a case of fear of the unknown. Rest assured you will enjoy food again. Not in the same quantities and probably different foods to the ones you are currently eating but you will enjoy them. Any foods that you give up you will discover that you don't really miss. And what is even better is that being slim, sexy and healthy feels far better than any food ever tasted.

All the best on making the decision and taking the first steps to a new you and hopefully a longer, healthier life.

The green zone is a moving target. You get a fill and for a while it is just right. Then as you lose weight the band loosens up so you need to go for another fill. Also as honk says small amounts of the liquid evaporate over time. But it's no big deal. It is quick and easy and it is also good to be able to checkin with your Dr and be assured that everything is OK.

I don't think my opinion is more valuable than yours but what I do try to do is present facts in a balanced manner without scaring the crap out of people.If you read the original post I made on this thread you should be able to see that that is what I have tried to do. On the other hand whenever I get an email notification with the name formerlyfluffy I know before I even read it that it will be some kind of antiband rant. It is obvious that you have had a bad experience with the band, however that should not mean that you try to turn everyone off having a band. Bands have been very successfull for many people. My father had a very bad experience with hip replacement surgery. So bad that he was reoperated on many times and came close to dying. Does that mean that I should now advise people against having hip replacement surgery as they may be the unlucky person that has something go wrong? You are also keen to promote the sleeve yet it appears that you don't yet have one.Maybe you should hesitate to sing it's praises until you know for sure that it is as wonderful as you think it is. When it comes to statistics one also has to be very careful of the source. It is a well known fact that the same set of statistics can be manipulated in such a way as to prove whatever the person using the stats wants to prove.When searching on the internet lots of different stats can come up for the same query. There are also far fewer people on the VSG board than on the band board. And you would probably be pushed to find any other than Tiffykins that has been banded for more than 2 years. So yes some have been through both surgeries and have found the sleeve more to their satisfaction, but the question is will they still be happy in 2 or 3 years time? It has frequently been said that there is no one size suits all surgery. It is important for each person to look at themselves and evaluate what they are and aren't prepared to do in order to achieve success.This decision combined with the advice of the Dr should be the best guide. Sometimes however mistakes are made. people with bands discover they need the malabsorption from a bypass, people with bypasses discover how to eat around it and decide to get a band over bypass etc. There is no one size suits all absolute solution. But the best way to make an informed decision is with solid facts rather than scaremongering.

I don't know one person that has lost no weight with a band. Yes there are lots that do not lose as much as they would like or put it back on but the same is true with the other surgeries as well. The problem with the sleeve is that as it has only been around as a stand alone procedure for a couple of years we do not yet know whether the majority that have it will stay successful or if they will also regain. What is obvious from reading the sleeve board is that there are people who are struggling, who have not lost as much as they would have liked , that still struggle with hunger etc. Fluffy we know that you for some reason have not been successful with the band. This seems to make you bitter and determined to put everyone else off having the band. Whether you mean to or not you come across as some kind of missionary trying to convert people away from the evil band. It would be better if you posted your opinion in a way that outlined facts and did not come across as so judgemental. Trying to scare the c@@p out of people who are struggling to make a decision is not helpful.

This has been raised many times in the past. As this is a band board most of the replies that you get will be proband. If you asked the same question on the sleeve board most of the replies will be prosleeve. A lot of the decision comes down to whether or not you are committed to constant follow up visits to the Dr. If you are happy to do that then you will probably be successful with the band, if you are not then you are probably better off with the sleeve. As far as I am aware both surgeries are successful although the sleeve as a stand alone procedure has only been around for a couple of years so really long term results are not available. The sleeve has a higher risk of complications initially - the band has them later on. Both surgeries have a "honeymoon"period where it is easier to lose weight. The further out from surgery you are the easier it becomes to "cheat" and regain what you have lost.

I have to disagree with Xavier. It is not just about how much you eat but what you eat as well. It is not possible for the band to stop you eating the incorrect foods no matter how tight it is. chocolate, Cookies , icecream etc will always go down really easily and as they are high calorie they cause weight gain and they are also not satisfying.This is how the band is a tool - it helps to reduce hunger so that it is easier to make the correct choices but it does not make those choices for you. I think most of us would be really happy if they invented some kind of surgery where we could eat what we wanted in the quantities that we wanted and still lose weight. Unfortunately ( but probably luckily too) I don't think that this will ever happen. In order to stay healthy there are certain types of food that we should be eating a lot more of and others (the ones we would prefer to eat) that we should be eating a lot less of. As the others have said you have not failed until you have given up. Go back to your Dr and check that all is in order and that you have sufficient restriction and then recommit to making good choices. Remember it is about what you do 90% of the time that counts, no-one expects you to eat perfectly 100% of the time. Good luck

Wow that is an amazing and inspirational story. I agree that old habits are hard to change and at 76 your habits have been around for a lot longer than some of ours. I struggled enough to slow down with my eating and I was only 46 when I got my band.

I'm glad you corrected the pound a day thing. I was about to reply and tell you to get real and stop moaning at such amazing weight loss. At this point 1lb a week is well within the expected range. The band is designed to help you lose 1 - 2lb per week. The further in you are and the less you have to lose the more the loss will start to slow down. The 1lb per day loss reminds me of an episode of Dr Who. It was quite funny - at the same time every night 1lb of fat would literally leave this persons body and walk away!

Whilst you should take small bites and many do seem to follow the pencil eraser thing I find that if the bite is too small it is more likely to cause me problems. If something is too small then it is hard to get your teeth into and it can slip down without being chewed and get stuck. If I take a normal size bite it is much easier to chew properly and less likely to slide past and get stuck.

That is great. Didn't take long at all.

Maybe next time you are tempted to buy food because there is a buy one get one free offer don't think about how much money you are saving, think instead of how much money it is going to cost you to lose the weight. It may not seem like such a great bargain.

It stands for productive burp. the problem is the term doesn't really explain what happens.When I was first told about a PB I thought it sounded simple, easy and not something to worry about. Unfortunately the truth is not quite so rosy. The good news is you don't go around burping up food. The bad news is that a PB can cause quite a lot of discomfort. The important thing is to remember to take small bites, chew well, eat slowly and not overeat to try to prevent PBs happening.

You may have postural hypotension - a drop in BP when you get up from sitting or lying down. You may need your BP meds adjusted. I have been on high BP meds for ages. About 9 months after surgery I ended up in hospital as I collapsed in a hotel with extremely low BP. I was taken off my meds altogether. Over a couple of months my BP increased to the point where i am back on meds to control it ( not all high BP is due to weight, or diet or often any obvious cause).

It doesn't really matter if your scales are 100% accurate or not. So long as you use the same scales every time you should still see if you have lost or gained. Also remember to weigh at the same time every day with the same clothes on or in the nude. I normally weigh myself in the morning as soon as I get up. I know that there will be a difference if I then get weighed at the Dr's as that is later in the day (when you are naturally heavier) and with clothes on. If you really want to buy new scales fine but I would save the money and carry on using the ones you already have.

Feeling tired after a meal is fairly common.This article goes a little way to explaining it. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9272-why-we-need-a-siesta-after-dinner.html If you think about it the post lunch session at a school or on a training course is the most difficult as the students often want to fall asleep. A lot of countries recognise that it is normal to be tired after lunch and they have an official siesta. If you look at nature animals rest once they have eaten. You don't see a pride of lions running around once they have devoured their kill. But if as you say it is excessive then it may be the type of foods that you are eating. Some foods induce sleepiness more than others. If it doesn't seem to make any difference what you eat then the sensible thing to do would be to go and see a Dr and get some blood work done just to make sure that everything is OK.

If you poke and prod around the site of your largest incision you should be able to feel your port, it is hard and probably approx an inch or so in size.

These days I have 2 glasses of wine and that's it. Anything more and I am well on my way to becoming drunk.

That was how I slept for the first few nights as well. I am sure once you are healed you will be able to sleep in any position you want. sleeping on your stomach should become even easier as your stomach gets smaller!

Have you gained because you were eating larger amounts of recommended foods without being satisfied or have you gained because you ate the kind of foods that you probably shouldn't have been eating but ate anyway because it was Christmas and they were there? You are getting stuck when you eat healthy foods so it sounds to me as though you have adequate restriction. You need to relearn to take small bites and eat slowly as it sounds as though you may not be doing that. Don't get a fill if you don't need one in the belief that it will solve your problems, you could end up too tight and that starts a vicious circle of unhealthy choices and no weight loss and all sorts of other problems. Remember the band does not control your food choices , you do. I have also gained a kilo over Christmas but I know it is my fault. I have been eating chocolate and Cookies and icecream etc.I would love to think that going for a fill would be the solution but I know that it's not, that I just have to start eating properly again. I would go back to following the recommended food plan for a while and see if that helped before rushing in for a fill. If when eating the correct types of food and portions you are still getting hungry and not losing then go for a fill.