Froggie D

Banded April 7. Lost 23 pounds pre-op. I have lost 46.2 since surgery. Doing really good. Got out my size 3x pants and 2x shirt to try them on today. I am now wearing a size 14/16 pants and large shirt. I actually bought three pairs of size 12 pants that I hope to be into within a few more weeks! I can button them! I am off my metformin, off my Nexium, off one of my cholesterol meds, off my Ibuprophen for pain, cut back my blood pressure meds. It is great! Hope everyone else is doing great too!

YES, it hurts to sit. :thumbup: I can feel my bones starting to poke through and my tailbone gets achy after a while. I also have another problem. I have loose skin on my butt and if I do not get it situated properly it sort of folds over and pinches. Anyone else have this happen? I hope that skin will tighten up more and fit my new butt after a while. :scared2: I still have a lot to lose so I hope it does not get worse! Of course, I would rather have to wiggle around frequently than be fat!:biggrin:

I was just wondering where some of our original April Bandster Bunnies are. If you are still out there, let us know how you are doing!!!!! waynoo mamasugar montynic happy day a new me for me purrple lover deedee3 oceanspirit new mrs. smith mslady happytrucker twinserley ravyn melliebelle me3

Ice cream is something you can eat any time and in any quantity you like as it is liquid and goes right through the band. But why would you want to do that? The point of getting the band is to let it help restrict your calories so you will have to eat foods that do not slide right through. Eating an occasional treat, ice cream or any other treat, is something you can chose to do. Just be aware you are chosing it, know what impact it will have on your calorie intake, and plan for it. Don't let it creep up on you!

That is wonderful. You have had a great weight loss. Congrats to you! You are an inspiration! I just got back from vacation and lost 6.8 pounds on vacation. It is a miracle! I had my band and I exercised. I actually ate more than ususal, adding a few no-no's on vacation (mashed potatoes, candy, vodka, bites of whole grain breads, etc). Now that I have some restriction, I am not as afraid to have a few extra carbs and even a sweet thing now and then. Before I had restriction, I was afraid it would start me down the slippery slope of binge eating, so I just stayed away from it all. Having restriction really makes a difference! We are getting there!

Wonderful. Keep up the great work! Four pounds to goal! What a fabulous thing to be able to say! You should be so proud of yourself!:thumbup:

MellieBellie, So glad to hear from you! Twenty five pounds is fabulous! I know you have some extra issues to deal with so that is great you have done so well. It will get better with more restriction. It shows you are dedicated to the process if you are losing without restriction. When you get restriction, you will be amazed. I cannot even imagine exercising in the Texas heat! When it started heating up here in Kansas, I joined the gym where it is air conditioned. Before I did that, I even went to WalMart and briskly walked the interior perimeter pushing a cart. I figured out that five times around the interior of our Walmart was approximately a mile. (I walked a mile outside as figured by driving my car that route and watching the odometer, then walked the same amount of time in the Walmart). I promised myself I could stop and look at things AFTER I finished my walking. I needed a reward to do the hard part! :thumbup: How has the weight loss made you feel? Are you seeing improvements? I have a lot less knee pain, better breathing, lots of positives. Hope you are seeing those things. It sure is rewarding to get those improvements. Keep up the good work and we will all get there! I am so happy for you! Keep in touch!

Molly, I absolutely love this concept of Band Restriction vs Self Restriction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally have pretty good band restriction but even with that, I have to make choices, many that I do not want to make, because Band Restriction does not restrict cake and Cookies and ice cream and candy and chips, etc. They start digesting in the mouth and slide down so easily! Thus, slider foods!!! Ravyn, One thing that has helped me in the toughest times is to eat wafer thin sliced deli meats. They are finger foods, are immediately available without cooking (like cookies and candy), chew easily and are low fat, almost all Protein. If I start craving sweets, I have an ounce of deli meat and make myself wait a while and the craving gets tamed a bit so I can make a positive choice rather than being overwhelmed by the craving. I decided early on that "The band is not going to work for me; I have to work the band!" When I look at it that way, it is wonderful tool. If I am doing the right things, getting restriction is absolutely marvelous. It makes it so much easier. But even with restriction, slider foods will slide right though! Don't give up hope. Use every day to fine tune your habits bit by bit. It is worth it in the end!

HEY, I AM BACK FROM VACATION AND LOST 6.8 POUNDS. OMG!!!!!!! I can't believe it. I am eating a bit more, more liberally than before, but in small amounts and exercising. It is working !!!!!!!!! I have NEVER lost weight on a vacation before! I am pumped!!!!!!!!!!

Glad you are checking this out. I have done the high protien very low carb dieting in the past and with ketosis I got the metallic breath, but no mouth pain. By the way, I used breath strips or breath spray for the bad breath. They worked better than gum. I do have to say that staying in ketosis for me was not easy. I had to stay under 20 grams of carbs per day. Pretty difficult. I do not believe that ketosis is harmful, from what I have read, but probably not necessary to get a good weight loss. It does help control appetite and eating large amounts of Protein keeps your pouch full longer. I am almost 5 months out form my surgery. I felt ketosis helped me pre-op and early on but now have added more carbs (try to focus on whole grains and fresh fruits) and am still getting good weight loss. Good luck in finding out if you have other issues. Weight loss is a great goal, but for me overall health is more important than the numbers on the scale. I would certainly want to know there is nothing more serious going on! Keep up the great work in weight loss and getting healthier. Hurray for my band!!!!!

Just a warning to anyone looking for a doctor in the Kansas City area. I went to the seminar and waited months to see Dr. Niazy Selim at University of Kansas Medical Center. I had one appointment and was told all my paperwork looked in good order. Dr. Selim's comment was, "I wish all my patients had things as well organized as you do. It should take about a week to get everything sent in to your insurance." I waited two weeks and heard nothing so I contacted my insurance and was told they had received nothing. I asked them to contact my surgeon and find out what was wrong. They tried for weeks without satisfactory results. I called and emailed several times trying to find out what the hold up was. Once I was told to let them handle it and relax. Twice I was told all had been sent in. Last week (nearly 3 months after my appointment), they told my insurance nurse that my case had been closed. I called the Patient Advocate at the hospital and was told, "They decided they could not develop a theraputic relationship with you, so they closed your case." I had two questions - Why? and - Why wasn't I informed? I was told (1) that my insurance was too difficult to deal with, (2) that they could not finish the paperwork as they did not have a psych eval (the insurance already had it and no one asked me for it or I would have provided it) or a dietician eval (I hand carried that in and gave it directly to the doc along with the other paper work he was so pleased with), and (3) that I was not a trusting person as I kept calling to find out why they had not sent in my paperwork. They could not explain why I was not informed. The Patient Advocate referred me to the Administrator who after talking to me a long time, told me I seemed really rational and logical, not at all what the surgeon's office described when he investigated, but there was nothing I could do. So I have filed a complaint with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield folks as KU Med Center is a Blue Distinction Center. I am sure it will not really result in anything concrete, but it made me feel better to take some action. So if you want a compassionate doctor with a responsive caring staff, DON'T LOOK AT KU MED CENTER OR DR. NIAZY SELIM! Debra :thumbup:

. Great to hear from you too. I have not eaten like I usually do since I have been on vacation. I had mashed potatoes and a few bites of bread and even some candy! I have not had any of those since a month before my surgery! I am pretty well restricted, but most of what I am doing is based on my food choices. I have a protein drink made of no sugar added soy milk, soy protein powder, Metamucil, and Crystal Light for breakfast. For lunch I often have a 5 oz can of chicken breast mixed with mayo and a no sugar added fruit cup. If I go out, I have grilled chicken or shrimp and veggies. For dinner, I have the same sort of meal. I have sugar free popsicles or jello and maybe a piece of sugar free chocolate for treats. I also sometimes have a 100 calorie bag of Healthy Pop popcorn. As long as I do not eat bread, potatoes, rice, cookies, sweets, etc. my hunger is under control. As I am getting more restriction, I have added a few things and still am not too hungry. I am afraid if I ate potatoes or bread, it would trigger my hunger. I just am not willing to do that. I hope you can get some restriction soon. It really helps. Do you find you get full quickly or get stuck? If not, you still do not have restriction. If I eat too fast or do not chew well, I get stuck. How many fills have you had? What does your doctor say about your weight loss? I really feel for you. I would be devastated if I was not losing after all this time. Good luck and keep in touch!

Well today is the last day of a two week vacation. Driving today and tomorrow. I do not have a scale so I do not know how I did weight wise for two weeks. Will know on Sunday AM. I did pretty good on exercise. Hiked the first day 3 miles with a 1000 ft change in elevation Hiked 2 miles the second day Hiked 2 miles the third day Hiked 1 mile the fourth day Hiked 1 mile and swam 30 minutes day five For the next five days I swam laps at the pool at the hot springs for 45 minutes. Eating was not as good - had martinis, mashed potatoes, some candy, and even a few bites of bread - things I have not been eating. I figure I only go on vacation occasionally and since I have done well so far, I did not stay as strict. Is that just rationalization? Back to the gym on Sunday, I hope. I have finished with my trainer for now and will just do cardio and some of the weights he showed me until after I have a surgery on my foot on Sept 17. After that, I will probably go back and work with him some more. He really keeps me moving and challenging myself. My goal is to lose another 30 pounds by Christmas. I hope I have not gained much on vacation. Hope everyone is doing well!

So great to hear from everyone. I am doing well. I have had 4 fills for a total of 3.5cc in a 10cc band. I have pretty good restriction and have had great weight loss. I am on vacation this week and not eating as well, but do not feel like I have gained a lot. It has been a great vacation and we have hiked and swam nearly everyday since there is no gym. It is amazing that I can do these things now and enjoy them! Keep up the great work everyone!

I have been banded snce April 7 and I would like to give you more information. Bandster Hell is any time when you are not restricted enough to hold down the hunger. I was really lucky. I was restricted from surgery due to swelling and this went on for weeks. I got my first fill at 5 weeks and every 4 weeks after that. I have gotten very small fills so I am still at just 3.5cc. The point here, is, everyone is different. Do not measure yourself against others. One thing that really helps is to eat your Protein first, make sure you are getting 60-75 grams of protein per day and stay away from the carbs. If you do not have restriction yet, avoiding carbs will help curb your appetite. It really does make a difference. Getting in all your fluids helps too because thirst is often mistaken for hunger. You can influence Bandster Hell quite a bit by your eating habits. Restriction, however, is the key. Slider foods are not just foods that go down easily. They are foods that digest in the mouth and quickly turn to liquids. This includes candy, white bread, sweet rolls, potatoes, Cookies, cake, all the good stuff, of course. These must be avoided as they slide right through the band and add tons of calories. Any of these things you eat should be eaten after your pouch is at least partially filled with protein as it will hold in the pouch for a long time. PBing is when food comes back up from the pouch with a burp. It is not painful, does not include much if any stomach acid as the food has not gotten to the big stomach yet. It is not like vomiting - no heaving. If you actually get stuck, you may have heaving to get it up. There are a lot of reasons I chose the band over the bi-pass. It is adjustable. Over time it has been shown that you can adjust to the bi-pass and start gaining again. You can eat around the band too, but you can also adjust it. The bi-pass is a mal-absorption technique and that just did not seem healthy to me. The band can be easily removed. The bi-pass can sometimes be reverse, but not easily. I was addicted to Diet Coke too. I drank 5-6 per day, everyday. Sometimes more. I made up my mind to do everything I needed to do to get ready. I gave up caffeine first -- be ready for head aches and grumpy mood. Then I gave up pop of all kinds and started drinking Water with Propel Vitamin mix it in. The change over was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I do not miss my Diet Coke. After I gave up the pop and caffeine, I started a high protein, low carb diet pre-op. It was not required by my surgeon, but it helps shrink your liver so surgery is easier, and I got my hunger under control before I had surgery. I think it helped the hunger after surgery a lot so I did not suffer from Bandster Hell. As far as the easy way out - that is so absurd. I was taking medications for high blood pressure. Is that the easy way out, to use medical science to help you solve a problem? And I am here to tell you, using the band is hard work and dedication. It is not EASY. It is a tool, just like my C-pap, my high blood pressure meds, my diabetes meds, and my bra to keep my boobs from sagging! :confused: I am going to use whatever tools I can find to help me be healthy, happy and look good. I am sure you can find lots of examples of tools your frinds are using, too. Don't listen to them - do what is good for you! I am off my diabetes meds, have cut back my high blood pressure meds, am getting my C-Pap adjusted, have lost over 60 pounds and have gone from a 2x couch potato to a 14/16 person who exercises everyday. It is wonderful. the band has given me the edge I needed to get the weight off and get exercising and have a life again. Good luck to you. If you have more questions, keep posting. This forum is wonderful for keeping you motivated and well informed!

I hate the word obese too, but here is how i chose to look at it. They could call me fat, obese or "pleasingly plump" as my mother used to call me. It really did not matter because when they looked at me they all saw the same thing, rolls of fat, heavy breathing, sweating, and clothes that never really fit. What they could not see was the diabetes, apnea, high blood pressure, arthritis, etc. I got my band in April and I have lost over 60 pounds. I am off my diabetes meds, cut my high blood pressure meds, am having my C-pap recalibrated, and have gone from a 2x couch potato to a size 14/16 person who exercises daily. I feel better, I look better, and they can call me whatever they chose. I call myself happier, healthier and thinner. I have a long way to go, but I will get there. If you choose the band, read a lot and get prepared. There is a lot to know and be ready for. It is quite a journey with wonderful results. My appeitite is MUCH diminished, my energy is up and I am achieving all the results I hoped for. This forum is a great place to find out all about the ups and downs of the band. Yes, there are downs, but overall, for me, it has been up, up, up. I love my band!

I don't think there is a downside, but different nutritionists might argue the point. My doctor, and many other from what I read on here, request or even require a high Protein, low carb diet preop. If you have been eating a lot of carbs, you will probably go into ketosis. From what I have read, it is not harmful and will result in the quickest weight loss and the least hunger of most any diet. I did a one month preop and did very high protein and very low carbs in order to get ready for my surgery. I lost 23 pounds. I think it really got me ready as I lost weight in my liver, had a great surgery, recovered easily, and was not hungry. On a high protein. low carb diet you may have headaches, dizziness, and hunger for the first 3-4 days and then your hunger and head aches go away and you feel really good. When is your surgery? I had mine in April and am feeling great. I have stopped taking Metformin for diabetes, cut my high blood pressure meds back, and am exercising regularly and not hurting all the time like I used to. It is great!

You need to get her some literature about Lap Band. She is dangerous if she is giving out this kind of misinformation. Don't let her distract you from your goal! The band is wonderful!

You are probably in ketosis. It is where you aim to be on the Atkins Diet as you are burning lots of fat and sparing the protein. It give you lousy tasting breath. Look it up on the internet. It is interesting. You also lose you appetite when you are in ketosis. You lose the fat in your liver first - the goal of the preop diet.

I have now lost over 60 pounds and I am having trouble with my machine. It keeps leaking into my month at night and I have to open my mouthto let little puffs of air out. They have given me a machine that is supposed to adjust to my needs and tell them what pressure I need now. I was at a 10 and by morning this machine is saying between 10.7 and 12.7. Not sure if I am reading it right, but looks like I need more pressure, not less. However, when I sleep without it, I do not snore nearly as much as I used to. I too and really anxious to get rid of it if I can.

I am curious if everyone has been losing more weight since uping their exercise? Also, have you tightened up and are your clothes looser? I have been exercising about 6 weeks now. My weight loss has not been as good since I started exercising, but I am still losing inches and looking/feeling thinner. I can feel muscles where there weren't any for years. What are you experiencing?

I set my goal for 150 minutes per week from July 1 to Sept 1. I hit my goal and I am working to see how much more I can do, even though I am going on vacation Saturday. On vacation we are going to Glacier Park and plan to hike daily and then to our vacation condo at the hot springs in Montana and I plan to swim daily. Thursday is my 12th session with my trainer and we are going to repeat the testing he did on heart rate capacity, weight, and body fat when I first started. I will see if I have improved. Hope everyone is doing great this week!

I am 58 years old and my dream when I get down to my goal weight is to put on a wet suit and let my son teach me to scuba dive! Never thought in a million years........... But now it seems like a real possibility!

Like several others, I was surprised by the blue periods in the first month or so after my surgery, but my biggest surprise was that the band truly makes me not hungry and I find myself not thinking about food all the time. I really thought that the band would make me unable, physically, to eat a lot. I thought I would try to and want to eat more, but would not be able to. I expected it to be sort of a behavior modification thing where I would eat too much and be punished by my band. Sure, there have been a few times I have pushed it and had some discomfort and it has come back up, but that is a minor part of what I have experienced. The band has really changed my constant obsession about food. For me it started right away after surgery. I have had several time periods when I got looser and my craving/obsessing returned until I got a fill. As soon as I got a fill, I was not obsessing any more. I do not think I am at my sweet spot yet, but my cravings are so diminished it is amazing. I can go from lunch to dinner without thinking about food. I truly do not think about it. It is a shock to get home and realize I have not been planning for 5 hours what I will eat. I love my band!

I take prozac capsules and have since right after surgery with no problem. Try it. I get stuck with food sometimes but never with my capsules - even early in the AM. They do make a liquid if you cannot tolerate it.