Lisa99

Just wondering if anyone else experiences a burning sensation in their pouch when you drink wine. Red wine is awful, white is usually ok. I have no problems with food and have no reflux issues, so not sure what would be causing it. Thanks Lisa

Interesting about the differing experiences. Next time I see my surgeon I'll ask him about it.

Hi Wheetsin, No, it didn't burn pre-band. And I've only really noticed the sensation in the last couple of months.

Sorry, never heard of them.

I've had my band for 18 months and can eat everything you've listed. I can't eat nearly as much of it as I used to, but if I choose I can eat anything. It all depends on how much of a fill you think you need to find your sweet spot and how that fill reacts to different foods. I choose to have my fill a little loose and I occasionally get hungry, but I would rather be a bit hungry now and then than to not be able to eat salad, fruit, chicken and other foods that some bandsters have problems with.

Even in maintenance it is sometimes hard to get 50-60 grams of protein. I have a protein shake every morning just to be sure I get the amount I need.

PB is a common term that we use because we don't "vomit". PB is a different physiological response from vomit. And I agree with Jack. I spent a miserable 3 months overfilled and PBed almost daily. I had .25cc removed (from a 4cc band) and I finally understand what sweet spot means. I can eat almost anything, but just not very much of it (but I still choose to not eat bread or pizza dough because it fills me up after 2 bites)

I'm 18 months after surgery and I can feel my port just below the muscle on my left side and can only feel the band when something is stuck.

Yes, but my doc put .5cc in my band during surgery and I only have a 4cc band, so my first "real" fill at 6 weeks worked.

Gibson, I confess that I'm truly worried about you landing back in the hospital with emergency surgery to remove your band. Eating what you are right now is dangerous. I hope your doctor told you why you have the restrictions you do. It isn't to make us miserable it's to help us heal. I'm sorry if this wasn't the kind of post you were expecting here but I felt compelled to say it.

You can also go anywhere that sells "open stock" dishes and buy dessert plates. I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but even WalMart carries open stock dishes.

I don't really know. I've joined WeightWatchers to help me lose the last 20 pounds. I eat "20 points" per day. The 3-month plateau seems to have been broken. I've lost 6 pounds in the last two weeks.

I have the BodyBugg but don't use it anymore. I thought it would help motivate me to exercise more and eat less so that I could meet the goals that I'd set in the program, but it just didn't work for me. After about a month of continuous use I knew how many calories I burn for each type of exercise I do. Since I consistently do the same things I know that on the days that I don't exercise I burn 1800 calories. On the days that I spin and walk the dogs I burn about 2400. For me the reason that it didn't work is that I HATE to write down the foods that I eat. I did that for years before I had surgery......having said all that I hit a plateau and went back to WeightWatchers. For some reason I enjoy the calculations involved in calculating the FlexPoints. I lost 5 pounds in my first week with WW so the plateau is over...yea!

I was self-pay, but my husband saw the surgeon pre-op, insurance approved the next day and he had surgery two weeks later. The only test he had was a chest xray and some blood work.

My BMI was 33 and I had no co-morbidities, but I was self-pay and my surgeon had no problem with it. I'd lost the same 80lbs four times in 20 years and everyone in my family is morbidly obese so my rationale was prevention as well. I've lost a little over 50 pounds and have another 20ish to go. I would do it again in a millisecond!

Don't let anyone tell you "you're not fat enough". I heard the same thing and didn't listen...thank goodness! I'm 5'6" and weighed "only" 208 pounds. I'd lost the same 80 pounds 4 times in the last 20 years and could not keep the weight off. My BMI was lower than needed for insurance to pay but I found a great doc who listened to me and understood by looking at my family history that if I didn't stop overeating that I'd be mobidly obese like the rest of my family. I paid $15k in Sept 06 and am down to 145 lbs (goal is 125). And while I look much better than I did before surgery the real payoff is that I'm ACTIVE now. I ride bikes, I enjoy the gym, I can work on remodeling my house without my back and knees killing me. So...moral of the story....only you know what is right for you. Good luck! Lisa

Hi tme, Opinion are just that and unfortunately the first one you got was not positive. While there are some who aren't successful there are many others who are. In my opinion (again just an opinion) it seems to depend partially on whether you're a "volume eater" or a "sweets eater" and whether you're willing to modify your diet until you reach goal. With a proper fill you just can't eat very much. For example I just ate 1/4 cup refried Beans mixed with about 1/4 ground beef for lunch and I'm very satisfied. In the past, lunch from the same place would have been 3 tacos, a big burrito and a large soda. What you have to be very careful of though is sweets and other junk. After the band most can eat unlimited quantities of chocolate, ice cream, chips, etc since they chew to nothing and slide right through the band. So, to lose weight you have to limit or eliminate empty calories. What I did when I was in the research stage was read every post on this board for several months....I even read the "complications" site because I wanted the full info. ....and BTW, my fills don't hurt. I've had them both with a numbing shot first and without....maybe my fill doc is just good, who knows, but the fills are a non-event....the surgery was a non-event for me as well (and from reading the posts, it's a non-event for most), but everyone is different, so read, read and read some more! Good luck on your journey, Lisa

Thanks LJM! My husband and I were discussing this very topic yesterday and it's good to know the BPM that we should have for our spinning and running days.

Yep! Day 1 of Week 3 Couch Potato to 5k just finished.

The difference is that with puree the food is liquid before it goes in your mouth and therefore places no stress on the stomach which is vital to healing. Regardless of how well one chews small bits of food are going to remain. The stomach will work harder to digest those bits that didn't get chewed to liquid. Eating this type of food too soon can hurt the healing which is why we get instructions from our docs on the progression of liquids to mushies to solids. I know right now you're probably feeling great and are wanting to eat solids as quickly as possible, but it really is important to follow our doctors instructions to ensure we have the band for life. Good luck,

HI Glynda, Congrats on your surgery. Everyone is different, but after you're healed wine shouldn't be a problem. The only issue is that it is empty calories that can add up quickly. One 5oz glass of wine has about 120 calories, and I don't know about you but I don't drink a 5oz glass of wine, my wine glasses are at least double that! :-)

Hi Anna, It's possible that you have just a tad too much fill. I've been filled to the point where it seemed that no matter what I ate or how small of a bite I took it felt stuck. I ended up eating ice cream and other junk because I rationalized "I can't eat so the calories won't hurt". After about four months of this nonsense I got a tiny unfill (.02cc) I went from not being able to eat without PBing or feeling stuck to being able to eat just about anything, but I get full quickly and the fullness lasts for hours. I eat about 1/2 cup for a meal just like the brochure says and since I've gotten the unfill I've lost about 15 pounds (I was stuck at the same weight for months).

I was 194 at surgery, down from my high of 208. I was self-pay. My surgeon took several things into account: 1. I was good at losing weight but couldn't keep it off 2. My knees and back were beginning to bother me 2. My entire family of aunts and uncles on my dad's side are morbidly obese His view was that I was taking a preventative step to get my weight under control and keep it there....I'm SO glad he was open. I've started running again and feel so much better.

Placing 3rd in the master's category of a biathalon (running and cycling) one year after being banded!

Paulax, I was hobbling around the first week too. The second week I'm not sore after a session. Good luck with your program!