Breeezie

Unfortuantely, or fortunately, I haven't had my gall bladder removed so I can't comment from that perspective. I can, however, tell you that I have only experienced acid reflux from being too tight. A small unfill of ~0.25 was enough to give me relief. I hope you find some relief soon. Good luck!

I will have been banded three years in october and I had a very similar situation about a year ago. Me and ice cream became the best of friends. I would generally eat a few bites of my dinner and the devour a large bowl of ice cream. Also things I had been able to eat became difficult and I started getting reflux at night. This is when I searched the internet for an answer and found this site. Seeing people with reflux that turned out the be slipped bands sent me into a panic and off to see my surgeon. He calmly told me I was likely just a little tight and explained how many people who are banded can, and do, have daily/weekly/monthly/yearly restriction cycles. So a slight unfill sorted everything out, back to healthy eating and weightloss. A few months later I went back and was filled to my previous level. *Fast foward a year* And about a month ago (the start of our winter) my reflux was back and we're seeing a pattern - my band doesn't like the cold (My doctor tells me im in the minority with this - Lucky me ) -- Probably too much story but I think it's interesting to know. Long story short an unfill isn't always a bad thing - it can be the best thing for you. Being too tight isn't fun or healthy. You dont need to struggle or accept that struggle is part of it all, we did this to make out lives better, healthier, happier. As for ice cream addiction I weined myself off. Start with smaller portions, then not everyday, then not everyweek, until you are comfortable just having a small portion every once in a while. You could even try going from ice cream to frozen yogurt/yogurt/anything with less bad stuff. Good Luck

Different people seem to tolerate food differently. Personally I can't eat too much bread, but I can eat it, only maybe one slice toasted and only after lunch, I'm fine with salad and meat. I agree that it can't be losing weight healthily if you can't eat meat and salad. I hate these shake/soup diets, for one I can't stomach them and I didn't choose to go through surgery just so I would HAVE to eat them. I like keeping my band loose enough that I can still eat good food, just in small portions, and I also seem to do better than when I am just a bit tighter. There are so many different opinions out there on restriction and such, but only you know your mind, body and band. Maybe if you got a really slight unfill you might be able to eat those foods, and perhaps be happier, as long as you are still losing, of course. It's all trial and error, the important part is that you are happy, I don't believe you should sacrifice that for a little faster weight loss. Good Luck!

Self Image is one of my biggest downfalls, I completely understand where you are coming from and often feel the same way myself. I have never seen myself or felt any smaller than I was at my biggest. Well that was until today. I woke up this morning and felt completely different, I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was until I walked past the mirror. I felt smaller, what a shock that was, I sort of just stood there for a few mintues trying to work it out. I mean I didn't look any different than I did yesterday, yet my mind told me I was smaller :redface:. When I got to work and started putting the date on things I realised that it as 2 years ago today that I got my band. It's weird that today, of all days, I felt this way. I still have weight to lose, its moving slowly and i know getting it off is all in my head, but today, for the first time in a long time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel :wink2:. Give your mind time to catch up to your body, squish any negative thoughts that might creep up and remember you are doing great:thumbup:. When I hit a rough patch I make sure to read the little mantra I stuck on the front of my diary that says: I am a BEAUTIFUL person. I am STRONG and WISE. I have so much to SHARE with the world. I am allowed to be happy, SUCCESSFUL and loved. I DESERVE good things in my life. It reminds me why I started this journey. I did it for myself and my health. Perhaps you could put something similar on your mirror, where you could read it every morning, maybe with an old picure of yourself next to it. For example: I have LOST (X amount) of pounds. (X amount of) sizes GONE. I FEEL better because ... I look FANTASTIC today.:cursing: etc etc ... Good Luck Everyone!

From my observation people seem to believe an unfill is a bad thing, but from my experience it couldn't be better. I fell off the wagon and regained 10kgs (~22lbs) of the 25kgs (~55lbs) that I had lost. I was so ashamed and avoided going back to my surgeon until I started getting acid reflux, I refused to live with that and there was certianly no need to. When I saw my surgeon he was nothing but encouraging and he suggested a slight unfill so I could eat healthier again. I felt a million times better and was eating healthly again. I went back to see him 4 weeks later and had lost 5.5kgs (~12lbs) and he replaced the 0.25mls he previously removed. A month later, I haven't had the reflux back and I'm going back to see my surgeon on friday not for a fill, just for a weigh in and some encouraging words (I mean, who doesn't need to hear them!) Moral of the story - Unfill is not a bad word, sometimes its just the thing to kick start you again. Also no matter how tight your band is those cheetos will find their way through, if I were in your position all that kind of junk would find its way to the rubbish bin. I hope you find your path - Good Luck!

First I will say my experience is not typical of the majority of people on these boards as I am in Australia and our health system is vastly different. Better or worse? I can't tell you as I haven't experienced the alternative, but I thought I would share anyway. I made my appointment with my surgeon and had a waiting time of three weeks. My first appointment with the surgeon lasted about 45 minutes. He ran through the procedure, showing where the incisions would lie etc, the risks, pre/post op regime and answered any questions I had. He also weighed me and gave me an estimate of how much weight I would lose. He said when I was ready I could schedule the surgery for thirty days from when I made my decision. The next day I called and scheduled my surgery for the next month. I can't imagine waiting the 6-12 months that I've read about people being required to, as the month I waited was the longest month ever. Good Luck!

I haven't personally tried Bikram Yoga, but I started doing beginners Yoga about a month ago. Yoga is about strength, balance, flexibility and it is not a competition. You should only go as far as you can. As your weight goes down and your muscles adapt you will be able to go further and hold the positions longer. I am really enjoying my Yoga class and I'm even looking at attending an extra one during the week. Good Luck! :thumbup:

I was in the same position as you 3 ½ weeks ago. I had lost 25kg since I was banded in Oct 07, I hadn’t seen my doctor in about 12 months, I knew I had gained … but until he weighed me I had no idea how much. I had gained 10kgs!! My heart sank. This was my wake up call, if I didn’t change things now it was only going to get worse. My fill doctor actually took some of my fill out saying it will help me to get back into healthier eating and he gave me some great advice that my surgeon hadn’t. When I went home I was somewhat saddened by the whole thing and I didn’t even turn to food for comfort, this time it was what was causing my grief. I found these forums and learnt a lot about myself and more about my tool. I went to my cupboards and hidey places and I threw out all slider foods, everything, there was nothing tempting left in my house. I made a list of healthy foods I would eat (since I’m sooooo picky with food) and went straight to the shops and stocked up, I accounted for Snacks and food on the run. I am also now putting one thing on my list each week that I will try before saying I don’t like it and I actually like them! I also used an online calorie counter just to judge how much I was eating for the first week. I enrolled in a Yoga class and am looking into more alternatives to my just walking. I really feel freaken fantastic, so healthy and more than ever I’m happy! I have an appointment to see my doctor again on Friday, when I will see how much I’ve lost (since I refuse to weigh myself at home), but I do know I’ve lost, I see it, I feel it and it feels great. I basically started again, I haven’t forgotten what happened, I learnt from it. You can do the same; remember why you started this journey, see yourself reaching your goal, have fun and don’t be ashamed, we all make mistakes, it’s how we pick ourselves up that counts. Good Luck!