GuyMontag

Fruit interfered with my weight loss because of the increased blood sugar in my system so I cut it out of my diet.

I'm close. It will be 5 years for me in Feb. The only complication I've had was being too tight once which wasn't too big of a deal.

I had to have 18 fills to get to my 'sweet spot' so just hang in there!

For me the first four days were the worse. I took one week off and went right back to my desk job no problemo.

For me the depression would come and go. While I was losing I was on top of the world but when you hit goal and don't have that natural 'high' I definitely suffered from food withdrawal. I decided to go to therapy and found that food was a coping mechanism that I had developed. I had always told myself that I just liked to eat too much but it was deeper than that. Honestly, I think therapy should be mandatory with any weight loss surgery as I think we can all benefit from it but that's just my opinion. Just know you are not alone and you can always get help.

Man, if I ever lose my band I hope I can switch to the sleeve quickly. I'd hate to put weight back on and I KNOW I would without the restriction. Good luck!

I have over 14cc in my 14cc band. Some people just have lean stomachs, at least on the inside, and this just means the band will need more fluid for good restriction. A leak is always a possibility but be wary of having your fluid drawn out, checked, and put back in because this can cause swelling just like a normal fill can. I made the mistake of having my fluid drawn out to see how much was there and then adding extra at the same time. That was a big mistake and it made me too tight.

I have a couple rules of thumb that I go by. If I can easily and regularly eat a sandwich with bread or a cheeseburger with the bun then I need a fill. Notice that I said easily and regularly. We all have our 'loose' days and can get away with eating foods we can't normally eat on a regular basis. So being able to eat a sandwich late one night out of the entire month doesn't count. That being said, the green zone for me is being able to eat a moderate meal and be full for at least four hours. Also, the green zone for me fluctuates day by day and even hour by hour. In the morning, I can be too tight to eat most food and yet at night I can eat a small pizza. My point is that you have to realize there is some give in your band depending in the time of day and whether you're hydrated, exercised, or stressed. Don't freak out if one day you can eat more than another day and think you are out of your green zone. The green zone can 'float' so to speak. Maybe this will be helpful, I work in radio and we use satellites to receive many of our broadcasts. To do that we point a dish at the satellite and we get our programming. Now here's the problem, say you point your dish at the satellite at the beginning of the month and yet by the end of the month you're no longer getting any signal and have to point your dish at the satellite again only to lose the signal again and again. This can happen because satellites appear to swing back and forth above the Earth even though they are in geosynchronous orbit. The key is to know where the middle of the sway is and aim for that and not align the dish at the far end of either sway of the satellite. So if the satellite sways from 6-12 you don't want to point your dish when the satellite is at 6 because you'll lose the signal when it points to 12 and vice versa. The best solution is to point the dish at 9 so even when the satellite is at 6 or 12 you still can get a signal. I know that was a long analogy but I hope it helps! Good luck!

I know a lot of people avoid weighing everyday but I chose to use the scale as a helpful tool to find out how my body reacted to more effectively.

Maybe it's semantics but I'm not sure there's much difference between 'dieting' and following a diet. I know for me, if I don't follow a certain diet I gain weight quickly. When I eat 'normally' or how I want to eat I gain weight. It's only when I choose to eat foods that aren't filled with sugar and carbs can I keep the weight off. So am I dieting per se? Hard to tell...but I will honestly say that I have to live a certain diet, even with the band, if I don't want to be extremely overweight again.

Sounds like you need a fill! My rule of thumb is that if I can eat a sandwich with bread or a cheeseburger with the bun then I need a fill.

Sounds like water weight. You might think about tracking your body fat percentage instead. I believe it to be a better way to measure your progress. They even have scales that have the feature built right into them.

I've recently been eating more fish lately and let me tell you a piece of advice I learned the hard way, DO NOT SUBSTITUTE! Lol. If a recipe calls for one type of fish then use that fish. For example, I tried using haddock in place of halibut in a dish and it did NOT turn out well. Some fishes lend themselves to being fried like cod, haddock, perch. Others are better with just a light sauce on them like halibut or salmon. I get a lot of recipes online from allrecipes.com.

I never eat in the morning. I know people love to emphasize breakfast but I skip it everyday and instead drink lots of decaf coffee until it's time to eat at Noon. I usually eat around 5:30pm and then a late snack around 9pm to round off the day.

I'm with Jim in the increased libido department. Probably just from being able to move around easier! However, there are lots of ways weight loss throws off your vitamin balance so that might be worth looking into as well as the low t.

Best fish I've ever had: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/heavenly-halibut/

When it comes to fills I'm an advocate of getting smaller ones frequently as opposed to large ones infrequently. Alos, each fill can have a drastic effect on what you can eat and you should take it slow after each one. It does sound like you are too tight like Mis says and should call your doc. In the meantime you might try some liquid motrin to help with the swelling.

To hear tell from the rest of the country I'll have to sell my first born into slavery upon entering CA just to afford it though, right? Just kidding. I do hear the cost of living is very high in CA and that can be daunting to a simple Midwesterner! What are modest salaries that will get you by your state? In the Midwest, 100k/year can keep you living VERY comfortably and a five bedroom three bathroom house can easily be had for $150k.

Since I got banded I crave sweets like crazy. Chocolate is definitely my downfall and I didn't have a problem with it pre-band.

The band can definitely introduce you to emotional ups and downs but I guess weight loss in general can cause that too. All I can say is you're doing a good job and it's okay to feel frustrated sometimes. Do your best and keep working at it. I finally went and saw a therapist for awhile during my weight loss and that helped me tremendously. Good luck!

I use gummies.

I always tighten up when I exercise. This has the added upside of keeping me full for a lot longer than I usually am. When I exercise I try to make sure I hydrate plenty before and after. That's about the best advice I can give. I don't recommend eating right after you exercise. The tightness usually goes down after an hour or so for me.

Radio right now. I just earned a BS in business administration plus I'm quite handy at tech so I may try to switch careers.

Reading through these posts is great. I too love NC but I have family there and the job situation there has always scared me a litte. I'm currently in radio but I'll probably be looking to do something different so I want to have a job rich environment where I go. I do plan on finding a job before I go there but having an area with good jobs in the first place in case something falls through seems like a good backup plan. I like the idea of Oregon but I'm worried I'd miss the sun. I like the weather and fun stuff to do in Texas as well as jobs but I've heard so-so things about the beaches. Florida beaches are great but I'd hate to move there only to have to panhandle on them because I can't find a good job!