grizzlyrider

We visited Ramstein once while we were stationed in Italy. I was always jealous of the people stationed in Germany because I liked it a lot more than Italy. Do you have to do through the whole liquid diet and get the psychological test over there? Even though I still have TriCare, I used my insurance at work so I don't know what requirements TriCare has or, I guess, you would just be using the military hospital. It's all worth it in the end anyway!

Hi, did you find a buddy? I'm not in Germany but I am the spouse of a retired Air Force Major. I was banded on August 31, 2009 and have lost 95 lbs, most of that in the first year. It's coming off much slower now but still coming off and I think it' the best thing I have ever done! You must have been banded already. If you want write back and let me know how you are doing. I know there are always lots of questions at first. Good Luck!

whoops, I see this site is playing tricks on me. Well, two replies with the same info - good grief! I give up!

Ok, I'll try this again. I seem to type and then delete! Anyway, I was saying it usually takes about 4 fills to really feel the full effect and restriction. I did lose more in the first couple months but I had more to lose than you do. Bandster Hell is between surgery and restriction and is rightly named. From the very beginning my band helped me by keeping me from eating between meals and that has been the most valuable part of it for me. Stick with the protein, dont drink any calories if you can help it and cut back on the fruits and veg - they just slide through. Ask to get fills sooner if possible, some docs will some won't. It's the fills that will get you going. Don't give up - it will happen!

It took me about 4 fills before I really felt restriction. I did lose but I had more to lose than you and from the very beginning my band helped me by keeping me from eating between meals. Hang in there, the bandster hell period between surgery and restriction is usually at least 4 fills and is rightly named. Eat mostly protein, cut back on the fruit and veg and try to not drink any calories. It really works best with hard protein and fruits and veg, just slide through.

Sad to say, my pants falling off is one of my goals! I've wanted it ever since I saw the WW commercial years ago! I keep my BIG pants to wear around the house just hoping they fall off! Sick or what!!!!!!!

800 doesn't sound like enough, when I was first banded I was eating 900 and that only worked for a little while and I had to increase it. I also have to avoid sugar like the plague! And hey, let's all try to be a little more supportive when people come here for help. I've notice a lot of negativity on the whole site lately and that doesn't help anyone.

This may sound harsh but maybe you are not ready for the surgery. It's not like after you have it you don't have to rely on self restraint. I am not saying this to be mean but maybe you would do with a little more time to think about this and see if you are really committed to making the changes that will be necessary after the surgery. Please don't take this the wrong way.

Eat some yogurt with probiotics or drink Keifer so you don't get yeast infections with antibiotics. I drink about 4 oz of Keifer every day just for the probiotics. Works great!

Bandster hell is that period of time inbetween surgery and when you have restriction. You've had the surgery but still have to work harder to limit your eating. Fortunately you will still not be able to eat the volume you did before surgery but it is a tough time.

I don't quite see how not being able to find your port for a fill has anything to do with your band coming off or being embedded in your stomach. If this did happen, why can they not see it on the xray? Have you thought of getting a second opinion?

On my last blog, which was in July, I said I was hoping for a 100 lb loss by my bandiversary which was August 31. Well I didn't get there but I am at -95 and still happy as I can be about this band. Just recently I had occasion to ponder about this. I flew to Las Vegas for a business trip - the seat belts fit easily AND I was able to put the tray table down with 6 inches to spare between my belly and the table! Woo whooo!!! The other thing that has really hit home to me is that 3 of my friends have decided to get banded (one of them did just last Friday) and this was with no prompting from me at all. This has all made me feel very grateful and proud of all I have accomplished this past year. So, I want to tell all newly banded people - hang in there, the pain of surgery will go away, "bandster hell" will end and you will change your life forever! :smile2:

That's funny, I agree with almost everything IndioGirl55 says with the exception of 2 things. First I am the opposite, I have the feeling of being satisfied rather than full (and I am so happy about that, feeling full makes me feel like I have eaten too much like the old days - feeling satisfied feels good) and I don't track my food at all. Been there done that for years (with no success!) So you see there are many ways to do this, you have to find what works for you!

You are in Bandster Hell right now. It is the period between surgery and when you have enough fills. When you have restriction, you will probably get a "burp" when you have eaten enough. Do n't try and eat anymore after that, if I do I get wild hiccups! Anyway, the very best thing is that after you eat you will not be hungry again for at least 4 hours - that is the real magic of the band. Eat the right foods, meat and a little veg or starch and you will not be able to overeat. Eat the wrong foods - slider foods - and you will. Don't be too hard on yourself at first - especially during bandster hell - it is a learning process. You will not be perfect. Be good to yourself and feel confident that this will work for you and it will. I know that when you go through the whole long tedious process of getting surgery you want it to work right away. But your body has to heal and you have to build up with the fills. It took me 4 fills to get restriction, some people it takes fewer, some more. Some people never get a fill at all and it works for them. I do know that even before I had a fill, I was not able or interested in eating as much as I did prior surgery. So, don't feel down about it, even without restriction you can take this time to really pay attention to your body, why you are eating (head hunger is a particular enemy of mine) and know that eventually the band will kick in and work its magic!

Wow, you are lucky because I think the liquid diet the week after the surgery is actually harder than the 2 weeks before! Enjoy your soup!

Just got home. I don't suppose you see this before you go for your surgery but I'm thinking of you, wishing you all the best. I'm so excited for you and will talk to you soon!

Hi Dawn - it's me, Patty! Don't you worry about bothering me. I love talking about this stuff and there are very few people who are as interested as I am interested in talking about it! You're doing great and will never regret this!

So glad you posted. I've often wondered how you were doing as I hadn't seen a post from you since right after you were banded. You've done a great job and I wish you luck with your next surgery!

hmmm, I forget. I think about 6. Haven't had one since June and it's working great! How are you doing?

Hi, we haven't spoken before and my surgery wasnt in 9/09 but it was 8/31/09 so that is pretty close. I'm doing pretty good. I've lost a total of 92 lbs, it has been really slow for the past 5 months but still slowly moving down. How is it going for you?

Well I haven't blogged in a really long time - March I guess. Things have been crazy here. Weight loss has slowed way down from the beginning but I'm still slowly losing - 85 lbs down now and I'm really hoping for 100 by my one year bandiversary. Since March I've had knee replacement surgery, bought a house, planned a wedding for my daughter and went camping every darn spare minute I could! (Including riding my ATV - thus my name of grizzlyrider.) Anyway, through it all I have managed to maintain and even lose about 10 more lbs. Sometimes when I think of how the loss has slowed down I get worried I'm not working hard enough but then I take a look in the mirror to remind myself just how far I've come. Plus I really have been kind of glad it is slower - I look at the skin on my arms, legs, etc. Everything is kind of loose, looking a little wrinkly. I'm thinking slow is probably better! Give my 56 year old skin a chance to spring back as much as it can! Bought a new dress for my daughter's wedding - size 18. Not a "I can't eat till the wedding" 18 but a "this really fits great" 18. (at JC Penneys no less - not Lane Bryant!) I cried in the dressing room and made the clerks come in to be sure it really did fit. I told them my whole life story - geesh, I'm usually a really private person. Anyway, I am so grateful for this band. When I'm using it properly it works perfectly. When I slip, I know what I've done and can get right back working it without hating myself or reverting to the negative feelings about myself that were so much a part of my life preband. I feel like the band has corrected some part of me that was abnormal and that I can now be a "normal" person. Yay for the band, I wish I could give one to every single unhappy overweight person I see!!!!

Happy Birthday! I did eat cake on my birthday and did not feel guilty about it for a minute. One of the great things I have discovered is that when you eat "normally" you can really eat anything as long as it is in moderation. I no longer agonize over "wanting" something I know I "shouldn't" because it does not fit in a "diet." I eat everything, some things just tiny, tiny amounts but enough that I am not denying myself - so liberating! Happy Birthday again!

Oh, one more thing I forgot. Feeling full - not really what we can expect. I believe we should replace that expectation with one that says "feeling satisfied" If we are "full" we have probably eaten too much. Eat slowly and you will probably just plain get tired of eating, sounds silly but I do sometimes feel I'm just plain tired of chewing, chewing, chewing and stop. If you do that and are still "hungry" after l/2 hour or an hour - you probably need a fill. Good luck!

First of all, don't ever think you have failed. I believe that is probably the biggest pitfall of losing weight - beating ourselves up. You're on a journey and the journey isn't a failure just because you take a rest stop. You can continue on at any time, this isnt a diet where you "fail." You have already changed your life by getting the band, it's a done deal - you will have good times and bad times but you are always still "on the journey." It takes us some time to change all the habits we have accumulated over the years. Don't be so hard on yourself and hang in there.