greytz

If it is, I'll take it every day of the week and then some and who really gives a crap if some idiot thinks it is the easy way out. If it works for you and you are successful with it, then that is what counts. If it is easier to park closer to the Mall if you are going to have bags to carry do you park far away just so you can say it was harder? I could go on and on with that but you get the idea. It isn't about what is easier for me. It is about making a lifestyle change that I can be successful with and be proud of.

She also said the obvious which was this will not make me full and is not intended to be meant to make me full as I would with a meal and does defeat the purpose of the band.

I consider long term effects when thinking about what my surgeon says and the restrictions such as not drinking while eating. My concern is the long term effect of drinking while eating with the band in place. My concern is that it will cause slippage long term due to the fact that you are forcing liquids with solids and stretching the pouch which is not the intention. Since I have begun a very stringent exercise routine during this latter part of my journey however, I had to discuss hydration and protein with my surgeon. The supervised gym I go to and my personal trainer strongly urged me to eat a small amount of protein before and after I work out along with hydration. This was in direct conflict with what I was taught. Having said this the outcome of the conversation with my surgeon was I can hydrate during my workout and have a small and she stressed the word small amount of protein before and after such as a couple of wedges of apple with a little peanut butter. She also stressed that I have to sip very small amounts of water during the workout. She explained sipping and not gulping.

There is much debate on this topic. Soups are slider foods however, progresso in particular for the most part has large pieces of pasta, whole pieces of chicken, carrots, etc. If it keeps you full until the next meal and you are eating the cup to cup and a half then I would think it would be ok since we aren't talking, chips and milkshakes and other high calorie foods that are sliders and do not fill you up. You just have to be careful not to eat too much and stretch the pouch with it and be aware of your satiety level. My surgeon has advised me not to eat soup with a meal as it is like drinking with the meal. There are lots of varying opinions on this topic. Have you asked your surgeon about it yet? Please let me know if you do and what they say about it. Thanks.

Congrats on your weight loss in spite of your trauma. That is something to be so proud of and I truly hope you find a way to work it all out.

Good Luck to you then. By all means, do what you intend to do and don't listen to your surgeon. I personally don't have MD behind my name and I do what my surgeon instructs and I also do my research and I AM proactive with my band. Everyone has to take responsibility for themselves and no surgeon has a crystal ball and knows exactly how the patient is feeling 24/7. They do rely on the patient to tell them what is going on with them and how they are feeling. We all have that responsibility.

You should do what your individual surgeon tells you to do. Period. Some have different requirements and waiting times than others depending on the person and their specific needs including possible medical needs and co-morbidies. You can't pile everyone into one basket. There are also specific guidlelines about what you should be eating during this time period. It is without a doubt for most the most difficult time of the journey and it shapes your behaviors and eating modifications for your future weight loss success.

To me, just cutting out certain foods until I reach my goal has done the trick. I hestitate to call it a diet and it is not a strick regimented diet but in the beginning, I didn't eat pasta, rice, bread, sweets etc. And I follow the no carbonation rules and when to drink liquids between meals very strictly. No alcohol for me either. Now that I am closer to my goal and I am working out very hard on a regular basis, I have let up on my original rules a little. I still don't eat pasta and rice but I just don't really want them. I have integrated some breads back into my eating like whole wheats and grains. I also have a sweet occasionally and found out that I can eat just one piece of chocolate and not feel like I have to have the whole box. Who Knew?

Congrats Meg! You have begun your new life today. Good Luck!

I was 120 at one time but I was in the military and worked, worked worked at it and I was a lot younger then. In my late 20's and early 30's I was healthiest at about 150 to 155. I too am struggling with the last few pounds. Although, it is coming off just much more slowly than before. I think it is because my body is shifting the weight and I am building more muscle. I joined a supervised gym and they assess me with measurements and muscle to fat ratio every two months so it gives me incentive to work out really hard but in doing so, I do stay hungrier and have had to be careful about my eating during the day. I was eating twice a day and I have switched to much smaller portions a little more often to help.

Thanks. I have a chin thing happening that I want to get rid of and I still have some stomach I am working on although it is getting much smaller. I actually decided to wipe the goal thing out of my mind now that I am further along and I am concentrating on muscle toning and trimming now. It will probably take me a little longer to get rid of the rest but that is ok. I am at a point now where I can deal with it so much better than before.

I am at 8cc's in my 10cc band and I am definitely there. I do get stuck occasionally but it is usually my fault. I am eating too fast or taking too big of bites. I am not planning on a fill for awhile but will continue to see my surgeon on a regular basis just to be sure I am doing ok.

Sorry. Yeah, I see it now. I had a senior moment. Your first post was in July.

There are only two fast food choices I allow myself. One is a Taco Bell chicken quesadilla and the other is two chicken tenders and cole slaw from Chic-Fila. Everything else makes me sick to even think about. Sometimes even now I will go through Taco Bell or Chic-Fila, pay for my items open them up, look at them and throw them away. Horrible I know but somehow I think I want them and then when I look at them and smell them, I just can't eat them. I rarely eat fast food anymore or processed food. It just doesn't taste good to me.

Congrats! I am so happy for you! I enjoyed this post. I am close to my goal and was also wondering how to maintain exactly where I want to be only my worry is not going up the scale once I reach goal.

You can also fill your pouch too much and cause slippage which is why it is so important NOT to do this. You may not have problems right away but it will cause you problems. It is very hard to get used to but second nature to me now. I don't even think about it anymore. It has become routine.

This is a topic that is near to my heart because I have stressed over it so much. I am 5 8 and everyone keeps telling me that if I lose any more I will look bad. I am 51 years old. I have three main doctors that I see now that are my bariatric surgeon, my cardiovascular surgeon and my PCP. They all changed my goal weight by 10 more pounds. I initially decided of a goal of 150 but they all said no way and insisited I only get to 160. But in reality, I think your body stops where it stops. I am to the point now where I feel pretty good and I work out heavily on a regular basis. I have found it very difficult to lose the last few pounds to get to my goal and it is going much slower but I am not obsessing any longer. I am currently in a size 12 and large tops sometimes medium depending on the design. If I get to a 10 I would be happy with that. I know that we have to have a reasonable goal to strive for but like I said I think you stop when you stop.

Erin, I am confused here. You had you're surgery a long time ago and you made posts about how sick you were and that you thought you were going to have the band removed. Are you talking about some other type of surgery? Did you have your band removed and maybe you are getting another band? Get me up to date.

I have that feeling still occasionally. It never totally goes away for me.

No matter who you are, where you are, your station in life, there is always someone hating and putting down. I love the saying "Put your big girl panties on and deal with it" no pun intended. Thick skin is best and throwing stones gets no one no where. It's ashame but part of life. Even in a forum where everyone should have the best of intentions to help others, it still exists.

I would definitely address it with the surgeon. The office manager at my surgeon's office was complained about so much that she finally fired her. My surgeon is a woman who believes in good staff and treats them and her clients like family. She hated to do it but she had to. This lady was just not in the right profession but it took all of us to complain for the surgeon to see what was happening. Otherwise, she would have just been oblivious. Regardless of what is happening in your life but particularly since you were gracious enough to tell her what was happening she should have shown more empathy and compassion.

I just wanted to address your statement about the difference between older banded people and younger banded people. I am 51 and feel I have been very successful. I am not sure why anyone particularly a doctor would use age as a measurement of success. I think that is crap. I have hypothyroid and still have been successful.

Now that you have told them you obviously can't take it back and I am sure since they are your friends you are not going to get rid of them. And, I am also sure they think they are trying to help you in some way. If you feel like they are worth saving and you think they have the capacity to understand, it might be time to educate them a little more and help them to understand why you are doing this and a little more about the process. Then, if they don't understand it might be time to ditch them. I think there are a lot of us including me that lost some friends over our life changing journey. I can honestly say, I don't miss them anymore.

I went from a size eight to a size five. I am on my 20th anniversary so I got new rings. Yeah!

I was changing underwear before I acutally changed sizes in clothing. Some people lose inches first and some people lose pounds first. It just depends on the person. I was told an average for a size change is 10 pounds. Not set in stone mind you just an average. I think you will be suprised if you go and just try on a smaller size. You might find they fit. It took me a long time to get used to wearing smaller sizes. At first, even in smaller sizes I still wore my clothing too big. I am 51 years old and I had to take my Mom with me to show me what fit me and what didn't. Too weird. I went from a size 26 to now a size 10 and mediums.