queenlil09

I feel like I'm in a funk. Does anybody have any good ideas for easy Proteins other than chicken? I am getting really sick of chicken right now, but I want something that I can prepare fairly easily. thanks!

You should tell that person that they look like they've been putting on some weight, haha!

Don't dwell on it. It happened and you can't make it unhappen. Move on. If you feel really bad about it, maybe use it as a learning experience and make a plan as to what you want to do instead next time. Like say you get a craving for something like that again, have something in place to distract yourself. Or maybe put some low cal popsicles in the freezer if you ever want something sweet. As Enchanted said, maybe you need a fill right now. Monitor your intake for a while and see if you're overeating more frequently.

This has been an issue for me because I'm somewhat of a fruit junkie, haha. I LOVE fruit. Like everyone else here probably, there are days I can get certain foods down better than others. I have a pretty good track record with bananas, cantelope, apples, and watermelon. I tend to have to suck the juice out of oranges, which is pointless cause I could just drink a glass of oj much more easily. If I am really craving grapes, I will eat a few by peeling them first. This doesnt' happen often though because it is so tedious to peel a grape, haha! I really love pineapple, but it tend to be pretty difficult for me to eat, and unfortunately, there are no really good tricks to eating pineapple. Anyone have any good tricks to keep bananas fresh after they've been cut? I can't eat an entire banana in one sitting and I hate to waste the leftover.

Hey all, I'm new here to the forums, although I had my surgery 5 years ago. When I had my surgery, I didn't know there were online communities like this to go to for support, so it's nice to see now. I don't know anybody else with the band, so I've pretty much gone through this journey on my own. It's interesting reading the posts here and being able to relate to what everyone is going through. I decided to have surgery 5 years ago when I was 21. I was almost 450 lbs. I know, wow. I think most people at the size I was at choose the gastric bypass, but I felt like it was too extreme and invasive for me. I do not regret my decision at all. I feel like I have had much more control over my weight loss, and while it probably took longer than it would have with a bypass, I felt like it was at a healthier pace for me. I never really had any problems until a little over a year ago. I started getting really bad and had trouble keeping food down at times. 3 times over the past year I have had blockage and have had to get my bad completely unfilled to clear it, followed by a refill about a week later. I have been really frustrated lately because this seems to be my surgeon's only solution and he isn't giving me any feedback or info on why this might be happening. My eating habits haven't changed and I'm really careful about chewing. I've really gotten to the point with my surgeon where I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall and have decided to seek a second opinion. I had made an appointment to see another doctor who was recommended to me. My appointment was scheduled for this last Thursday, the 9th. Before I was able to see him, I actually had another blockage problem over the weekend. Needless to say, I ended up in the ER on the 4th of July because I couldn't even keep Water down and I was severely dehydrated. I spend 12 and 1/2 hours in the ER with people who had no idea what they were doing. All the while, without my knowledge, my new doctor had been trying to get me transfered over to another hospital where he could treat me. To make a long story short, I finally got transfered and got an unfill. They kept me overnight in the hospital because I was so dehydrated and they wanted to have me on an IV. I have spent the last week with no Fluid in my band. I saw my new doctor on Thursday and we decided to leave the fluid out for a while to give my band a break because the area around it is probably inflamed. He also said that I'm probably really malnourished and have bad Vitamin deficiencies. He ordered some tests to try and figure out what's going on. Overall, I'm really pleased with my new doctor. He actually sits down and TALKS to me and LISTENS. Something I never experienced with my other doctor. I have gained a bit of water weight since the unfill, but it is starting to come back off. I anticipate I will probably gain a bit during this time with no fill, but I know it's just temporary and I'm trying not to let myself get too frustrated. The important thing is that I am feeling a million times better. I didn't realize in what bad shape I was until I started feeling better. I guess hindsight is really 20/20. I realize now how weak and tired I was all the time. I was so low on energy and I see that now. I was completely unhealthy. I'm glad I've lost all this weight, but I'm now most concerned with getting genuinely healthy and feeling good :-) I'm trying to look at this a small setback in my journey. I look forward to getting to know some of you and hear your stories. Thanks for listening guys!

Soma Intimates, Chico's intimates store, has an amazing strapless bra called the Traveler's Amy Bra. It is very supportive and really stays in place. And this is coming from somebody with big breasts. This is the first strapless I have felt comfortable wearing. Their bras in general are really great if you are looking for a regular bra. No, they aren't cute like Victoria's Secret. They are fairly plain, but still pretty, and very supportive and comfortable.

Y'all are so lucky. When I got my surgery done 5 years ago, it was very rare for it to be covered, and my insurance at the time, United Health Care, did not cover it at all. I have a few questions for you. I am just graduating college and I need to get a temporary insurance plan until I start working in January (taking some time off). Will I have a problem getting a plan because I have a lap-band? And while we're on the subject, where do I start looking for a temporary plan? Thanks Carmen!

The doctor missed?! WTF? Sounds like you need a new doctor! And I'm self pay also, and I do NOT pay $500 for a fill. In fact, since I'm self pay, he works it out that all my fills are only $50. Did you try to get your money back from the first fill?

Hey Stacey! I just recently joined as well, and we were both banded pretty close to each other. I got mine in July of 2004, so I'm 5 years out now. I know exactly what you mean about not having a good set of guidelines back then. There was no support groups suggested by my surgeon, and I had one 10 minute meeting with the office dietician who basically told me to eat lots of Protein. Everything I've learned has pretty much been from trial and error over the years. If you're having problems communicating with your doctor, by all means, look into other doctors. I just went through the same thing. My surgeon was no help to me, so I found someone who really listens to me. Regardless of whether you go back to your original surgeon or find a new one, get back in and get back on track. I have found over the past few days how helpful this forum is. By just looking around for a few hours I have found common ground among many people on here about issues I have, but didn't know if they were normal. I feel much better now knowing there are people out there going through the same thing as me. Last year, I went back into my doctor after not seeing him for almost three years. He was amazed by the amount of weight I had lost and said that most people who didn't keep up with their appointments ended up gaining their weight back. So congrats on being able to keep that 70 lbs off! Don't give up at this point!

Don't feel disgusted with yourself, everyone has setbacks. You need to refocus and remember why you got the band in the first place. Try talking to someone if it helps you. Also, it seems like you're eating out of boredom. Find something productive to do to get your mind off it.

I've had the same problem and decided to have an unfill. There were times where I couldn't eat anything until 9 pm. That's way too late to start eating. I was losing a lot of weight though so I was reluctant to get an unfill at first. I realized though that because of this, I started eating much more than I should at night and food that was really unhealthy for me because I was trying to get as many calories in as I could. Yes I was losing weight, but I didn't feel good. I ended up getting an unfill and I feel so much better. I'm able to take in more food, but I'm eating healthier. Lost of protein, veggies, and fruit. I feel so much better and have good energy levels now.

Listen to your body and don't let your surgeon force you into anything you are not ready for. Have you told him about your restriction? It's probably a good idea to keep the appointment anyway, just so you can see and talk to your surgeon face to face. Don't let him do the fill if you aren't ready. 5 weeks out and 40 lbs lost? Congrats! and keep up the good work!

If you are unhappy with your doctor, find another that you like. You are not going to want to go see your doctor if you don't like him, no matter how good of a doctor he is. I had a problem with my surgeon as well and I just recently found a new one that I LOVE. He is awesome and SO encouraging. Don't be afraid to go back in if you've gained back weight. That's what your doctor is there for, to assist you in the process after your surgery. Trust me, he's seen it before, and probably much more than a 30 lb weight gain, so don't worry about how he's going to react. You have it in you to do it, and it seems like you're on the right track by wanting to make it work and get this fixed. Just stick with it. You can always come here for support if you need it :-)

Be really careful, and if you are unable to drink enough fluid, get an unfill! I ended up in the hospital last weekend, and it was NOT fun. The ER doctors didn't know what they were doing and I had to be transfered to another hospital. I ended up spending two days in the hospital because I was so severely dehydrated. I know your surgeon is in Mexico, but maybe you should try to find one in your own city who can handle the fills and monitor you to make sure you are getting the right amount of fluids and nutrients. You really need someone you can rely on in case you have and emergency. Good luck!

I'm having a problem too with losing too much weight on my upper half and not enough on my lower half. I've actually gained a little back now and feel much healthier. When I was at my lowest weight I looked gaunt and sunk in at my collar bone and you could see my ribs a bit. I just didn't look healthy, and frankly didn't feel healthy. Now that I have but a little weight back on I feel stronger and have more energy. Unfortunately, I think to lose that last bit of weight in my lower half I'm going to have to have lipo and plastic surgery. The fat just doesn't want to come off my lower half, and unfortunately you can't really control where you lose fat from. You need to listen to your body. You know better than your doctor what weight you feel most healthy at. If you want a slight unfill, insist on it. It's your body, not your doctor's. Good luck!

My before and after are in my signature. I got my band in July of 2004, so I am 5 years post-op now. I plan on getting plastic surgery sometime in the fall because I have a LOT of excess skin. I'm definitely a little scared about it, but excited to get it done.

At first, I only told my family and a few really close friends. Over the years, other people/friends have found out, but I don't make it a point of discussing it. Thankfully, I haven't really had a problem with friends being negative about it. I guess I've found out that I have really good, supportive friends. It's awkward when I see people though who I haven't seen in a long time and they ask about my weight loss. Depending on who it is, I tend to try to avoid the subject because I'd rather not get into a discussion about it with someone I don't know that well. Sometimes if asked I just say, "Oh, a lot of hard work" and then try to change the subject. I'm getting ready to move to a new city where I don't know a lot of people, so it'll be nice not running into people I used to know and having people around me who didn't know me before my surgery :-).