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Thats cute. Happy Thanksgiving to all in the US.

it's also possible that your surgeon may have prefilled the band. If this is the case it will make it harder for food to go down. So be really carefull and listen to your body as well as your surgeon. if your body is telling you that it can't handle normal foods right now then stick to mushy/soft stuff.

esv2000 I think you already know the answer to why you are not losing weight. This was something that you posted in another thread. Obviously you have to work on those issues. Remember the band is a tool - not a magic wand.

I agree with the others. To have to go on a liquid diet to lose weight basically negates the point of having a band. The band only works with solids. So if this is what you have to do to lose it seems pointless having had the band. Also if you were able to stick to a liquid diet long term you probably wouldn't have got the band - do you think it would be any easier to stick to now? I think you have to examine closely what you are doing. Are you eating correctly and following the "rules"? Are you exercising. or are you maybe cheating the band by eating high calrie slider foods or constantly snacking. Remember the band does not do all the work. You are still in control of your choices and what you put in your mouth. Speaking to a nutritionist is a very good idea. You may need to change what and how you are eating. As someone else said the number of fills is not important. Some dr's give large fills others small fills. Some people need very little to feel restriction others need a lot more.Unfortunately finding the right amount is not an exact science. Good luck I hope you manage to work out what the problem is and start losing soon.

This may be what they say but according to Lapband their omniform design whereby there are less creases in the band also decreases erosion. If you go into one of the comparison things you will know what i am talking about. Personally I think that it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other! The only thing that I have noticed is that people that have the Realize band typically require higher levels of fill to get restriction. Not saying this is good or bad.

Glad it was something relatively simple. How are they going to fix your low iron levels. Do they want you to do it by eating more red meat or will you be getting injections? I had issues with my iron levels a number of years back and had to have a course of iron injections. Not fun but sometimes more effective than trying to fix it with diet.

I am 5 foot nothing and currently weigh 121lb. I used to have natural blonde hair but it has darkened with age so now it is highlighted. I also have a couple of dark purple streaks - getting more adventurous in my old age. It is layered but a bit shorter than I would like as my hairdresser cut it wonky so to even it out it had to get cut shorter. it looks good when i can be bothered to straighten it. I have brown eyes and a small slightly upturned nose. Not too many wrinkles. I am always been told that I look much younger than i am - particularly now that I have lost weight. I have fair but not pale skin. I don't wear lost of makeup unless I am going out. Can't be bothered with painting my nails though I do my toes sometimes. The varnish always lasts longer on toes than on fingers. I have fairly nice legs. Small narrow hips and my bust is OK although a bit lopsided. LOL. My problem area is my midsection where I am still carrying a spare tyre.

Most insurance companies won't pay as they believe that obesity is a self inflicted condition. They don't recognise it as a disease. Mammograms and pap smears do not prevent cancer they are tests designed to detect changes that may lead to cancer. The costs of these tests are miniscule compared to the cost of a lapband.They also have evidence that these tests work whereas with a lapband it is only a tool - there is no guarantee that the recipient will lose weight.There is also a comparitively high risk that something may happen which could necessitate futher surgery and therefore further cost. The bottom line is that insurance companies are companies that have to make a profit for their shareholders the same as any other business so they look at what is the most cost effective . So although yes it does seem unfair they are looking after the needs of a large group of people. I hope you find a solution soon. I agree WW and all the other diet programmes suck!( Apologies to WW). For some people they work in the short term but there are very few for whom they work in the long term. That is why the weight loss industry is such big business.

Try peeling them - it may help.

I agree. i think you need to go back and get some fill taken out.

The sound is normal whatever causes you to faint. I have fainted many times in the past and generally it was preceeded by the strange noise. I would be concerned about the BP as it does sound very low. "Normal" is approx 120/80. Apart from low Bp or low blood sugar it could also be something like anaemia so get the Dr to check out your Iron levels as well. You could have some kind of mild infection which you are not aware of or it could be a ton of other things. Glad you are seeing your Dr quickly. Let us know what the outcome is.

I think it is probably because these type of meds cause an increased chance of clots forming at/after surgery. However I would have thought that the risk was minimal and the risks if you become pregnant are far greater. This is one you should discuss with your surgeon.

OMG - I was thinking that this was way too much information until i realised you were talking about your band. At least i hope you are! How did you pick the name Bruce - is your band Australian?

I weigh 121lb as I'm also short - 5'.I still have about 6lb to go to my initial goal and I will then reassess.

I'm 46 years old and needed to lose approx 48lb. I had my surgery on 2 june this year and so far have lost 42lb - only another 6lb to go to my original goal. I feel fantastic. The lapband is an amazing tool - I wish that i had the surgery years ago instead of wasting time and money on every diet known to man only to gain all the weight plus more back. Good luck

The only person that I have told is my husband. My teenage son doesn't know, my daughter is away at uni and she doesn't know.I do have support as I go to a monthly support group meeting. Not having told my friends I tend to feel a bit weird when they carry on about my weight loss which they do! It's not so bad with casual friends - I have no problem telling them that I eat less, drink less alcohol, don't eat chocolate on a daily basis etc. It just feels wrong when I tell my close friends this - almost as though I'm lying which technically I'm not- it's just not the WHOLE truth. At this stage I wouldn't know how to fess up and tell them and in reality they don't need to know. My body,my health my business! But be prepared if you don't tell people to maybe have similar feelings. My mother and sister live overseas and I am going to visit them for 6 weeks over Christmas. I will decide when I am there if I should tell them or not.I will probably have to .

I will have to try this as papaya enzyme which lots of people swear by does nothing for me.

Don't give up on a food just because it has given you trouble once. try it gaian at a later date and see what happens. Often I can eat a food one day and then the next it may cause a problem. It often depends on how it has been cooked, how dry it is etc.

I still eat carbs so don't have lots of ideas. However most italian restaurants normally have some kind of veal and chicken dishes which you could probably try.

I also only have about 3ml in a 10ml band . My last fill was .3ml and I ended up go back and having .25ml of that out as I was too tight. Optimum fill levels differ vastly from person to person. I also think there is a difference with different types of band. A lot of people with the Realize band seem to have higher fill levels than those with the Lapband. I have also been told to eat Protein + veg + a carb. I do not measure my food I eyeball it. I don't use a small plate as that makes me look different to everyone else but typically my food only covers half of the plate. I think the best measurement of restriction is not feeling full but being able to go approx 4 hrs between meals without feeling hungry. Even this will differ from day to day as it is perfectly natural to have hungry days and some not so hungry days.

That's fantastic. Lime green and orange dress sounds incredibly scary. can't say those would be my first choice of colours but each to their own.LOL

I know that by replying yet again I am not following my own advice but this whole argument is really annoying me!:scared2: I decided to go into the Realize and Lapband sites to see exactly what it is that they do say. This is what it says on the Realize site. Note it says you MAY want to avoid........... It does not say you have to . In fact the word MAY is repeated a number of times. This is what it says on the Lapband site. Note it is referring to HIGH - CALORIE liquids. It does not mention that you cannot drink diet soda. It is possible that maybe I have missed something but as far as I can see neither site say's that carbonated drinks CANNOT be drunk. I think therefore the best advice is that which has been repeated many times over. Follow the advice of YOUR DOCTOR.:confused:

I can't believe that this is still carrying on. It's almost like a competition to see who can have the last word. LOL. I make my own soda at home. I find an occassional glass of diet lime and home made soda really refreshing when its really hot. I also like to dilute white wine with soda. I am sure that 1 glass of half soda half wine is better and has less calories in than plain wine. And yes I am allowed to drink alcohol. Both my "rule" book and my Dr say its fine. Now if everyone can just stop arguing and trying to convince everyone else that they are right......................

Most days i can manage breakfast to lunch without a snack as there is roughly a 4 hr gap in between. However if I eat luch at around 12 there is no way I can make it until 7 which is when we normally eat dinner so I do have a snack in the afternoon. I also sometimes eat fruit and yogurt in the evening - at least that way I get some fruit in.

Soup does not keep you full as it slides straight past the band. What you should be eating is some form of solid Protein. This enables the band to work the way it should and should keep you full for longer. I also eat veg and carbs as i find they make a meal more satisfying. I eat things like egg on toast, tuna + salad + crackers, a toasted sandwich etc for lunch.