pixistix

Here are my best tips: * Be patient with yourself until you have good restriction. Try to focus on healthy food and exercise rather than the scale during "bandster hell". It can be a frustrating time, but it doesn't last. * Once you're on regular foods, Snacks are my secret weapon. I make sure to always eat a small healthy snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon. That way I don't get too hungry and go crazy at meal times. A few almonds, some yogurt, string cheese, a piece of fruit, whatever. It helps more than anything else, because when I let myself get too hungry my judgment becomes impaired. Suddenly I'm "starving" and all I want is fast food. * I can't get solid food down in the morning, so I drink a Protein shake for Breakfast every day. I really like "Pure Protein" chocolate shakes from Trader Joe's (or other health food stores or online). They have 35 grams of protein and are pretty decent tasting in my opinion. * Fast food is my enemy. No matter what, I try to avoid it like death. Anything I make at home (no matter how unhealthy) is better than fast food. Fast food makes me gain weight, always. * Exercise helps me immensely with mood and motivation, in addition to just being all around wonderful for you. Strength training, especially, is great because muscle tissue burns more calories (all day long, even while you're sleeping) than regular tissue. Even if it's just sit-ups and wall push-ups at home, and walking around the block, exercise is terrific. * If you make a wrong turn, don't despair. Every day (every hour!) is a new chance to get up, brush yourself off, and get back on track. Perfectionistic, all-or-nothing thinking has been a liability for me. I will always make missteps. I just try to focus on getting back to the basics that work for me. Small healthy meals, small healthy snacks, lots of protein, lots of Water, go to the gym. Plenty of sleep, etc. Taking good care of myself is a new thing for me and it takes some practice to get consistently good at it. The reason I consider myself inspiring is that I have had a pretty hard time sticking to anything remotely considered a "diet." I try to eat healthy stuff, but I screw up all the time. I eat sweets. Fast food is my kryptonite. I don't get to the gym as often as I'd like. And yet I'm making slow, steady progress. I know for a fact that I never ever would have lost nearly 50 pounds without the band. I'm 4 pounds away from "onederland." My husband calls me "Skinny Bones Jones." I even feel a distinct improvement in my overall mood (I've suffered from debilitating depression my whole life). And the better things get, the more motivated I feel. I eat better because I don't need to "fix" crushing depression with food. I can get around better so I'm happier doing active things. It's like an upward spiral -- the better things get, the more I do to make them even better. I'm in this for the long haul. It's a good life. Best of luck to you.

Hello Ladies, I had a great time meeting you for coffee today for our own little support group. (For anyone just tuning in, we meet for coffee and support in the Long Beach/OC area. We'll probably get together about once a month and anyone is welcome to join us in person and/or in this thread at any time. We'll post scheduled meet times in this thread.) I think staying accountable to each other is a great idea. Sharing our struggles and victories will definitely help us know we are not alone on this journey. Talk to you soon, Pixistix

To get your own weight loss ticker, go to the Ticker Factory website: http://www.tickerfactory.com. Scroll down and select weight loss, choose the options for your ticker (you can always change these later if you want). At the end you be asked to choose a password. That is all you'll need to update your ticker in the future. When you're done creating your ticker, the site will give you a snippet of HTML code. Copy that. Then go to Lap Band Talk website, sign in, go to your profile, and click on "signature." Paste that snippet of HTML code into the box for your signature. When you post in a thread, your ticker should appear. Yay.

From the beginning of being banded, I've always had trouble eating anything in the morning. (Or even after a nap!) I have a Protein shake in the a.m. I don't think I'd be able to get in all my protein without them....

I had terrible post op nausea too. It didn't really start until 3 or 4 days after surgery and then lasted a full week. All I could stomach the thought of drinking was apple juice and maybe a little carnation instant Breakfast with milk. Hang in there. As soon as the swelling goes down, the nausea should subside completely. Be sure you're drinking something, so you don't get dehydrated. Maybe call your doc today just to let them know what's going on, before it's the weekend and hard to get ahold of anybody.

I understand completely. I found the time between surgery and restriction VERY depressing. But then, like magic, I got pretty good restriction at 7.5 CCs (Very good at 8.5). That made all the difference in the world. The hunger is much less and the amount I can eat is much less. It's still a challenge at times to eat healthy and get to the gym, but it's MUCH MUCH MUCH easier than it used to be. Don't give up till you have proper restriction. It's like the difference between night and day. Hang in there -- it will get better!

A lot of different factors can contribute to this. Genetics, age, speed of weight loss, etc. Also, it can take some time for your skin to "catch up." I've heard that you're supposed to wait for a year AFTER you're done losing weight to really assess where your skin is at. Personally, I am doing some dry brushing to stimulate circulation. I'm doing weight training to build some muscle so I'm not just (saggy) skin and bones. And I'm a bit on the older side so, while I'm hopeful, I accept the fact that I may have some skin issues. I've spent the last 30 years obviously not giving a darn what I looked like. I'm not going to get super vain now. My goal is to be healthy and happy.

You have my undying sympathy. I was okay for four days after surgery, but then I had TERRIBLE nausea for another week. I ended up in the emergency room at one point. Nothing helped. It was just post op swelling, and as soon as it went down I was fine. (Except for an insatiable craving for baked potatoes and QVC, but that's another post.) One of the most frustrating parts of it was that the docs acted like they had no idea what was going on and like they'd never seen anything like it before. Dummies. I have a rubber band around my stomach. It's swollen and I'm nauseated. I'm sure it happens. All the time. Good luck to you and I hope you're feeling much better very soon!

6 CCs at surgery is incredible. Did you have a problem with post op nausea? (I had NO fill and was sick as a dog for a week just from the swelling from surgery....) When you got this most recent fill, did your surgeon (or whoever did the fill) say "You have 8 CCs now" or just "I'm adding 2 CCs"? If there's any remote possibility that you may have misunderstood, or that someone misstated the "6 CCs" figure, consider double-checking at your next visit, just to be sure. Though it's still entirely possible not to have good restriction at 8 CCs. (I'm at 8.5 right now, but at 7.5 could eat just about anything by evening. Not anymore!) As for hunger between meals and Snacks, drink a lot of Water. Do you do Protein drinks? That can also help. Are you eating 1/2 cup of food at a meal now, even though you don't have restriction? (I'm no one to emulate, but I sure didn't do that.) Do what your doc says, of course. But if that's the case, then that explains you're hungry. You're not eating very much. Ah well, I guess they call it bandster hell for a reason. I dealt with it by eating a lot. I can tell you that this did not work out well for me. It was extremely depressing and demoralizing and I didn't start really losing weight for several months. Keep fighting the good fight. Things will improve immensely when you have good restriction (i.e. when the band actually starts working!)

The difference between restriction and not-restriction can be a very small amount of saline, but the difference is night and day. Another thing to consider is that, for some inexplicable reason, a fill can actually take a couple of weeks to "kick in." I have no idea why, but I have experienced it first hand. Both before and after restriction, I have found that focusing on nutrition and activity is most productive for me. Exercise helps my mood and motivation to eat well (oh yeah, and I guess it's also pretty good for you). And now that I can't eat nearly as much, it's really important to get my nutrition in. A nutritious snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon really helps me. I'm not starving at meal time, so I make better choices and don't eat too fast and run into trouble (now that I have good restriction). If I go to the gym in the evening and am hungry before bed, sometimes I'll have a Protein shake. Good luck on your journey -- and hang in there. It will work!

I didn't feel much restriction at all until I had 8 CCs in an 11 CC Realize band. Hang in there, get your next fill on schedule. Proper restriction will come. Until then, focus on good nutrition and exercise. For me, I only feel like I'm going to throw up if I've eaten too fast or haven't chewed well enough. Before I had good restriction, it didn't matter how fast I ate. Now, it matters a lot! I don't want to feel that way, because it indicates there's too much in the little pouch created by the band and I don't want to stretch it permanently. Also, I don't want to get into eating disorder territory. That's the last thing I need. But if I chew thoroughly and wait a couple of minutes between bites (up to 5 minutes if needed), then I'm okay. Good luck to you.

A woman in a bariatric surgery support group told me about this and it is FANTASTIC! Mix dry ranch seasoning mix with Greek yogurt and it is a delicious, nutrient-packed dip for cherry tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, baby spinach leaves, or even Ak Mak or some other whole grain cracker. Get the good stuff in your belly and you won't have any room left for junk. You can do it!

Yes, do wait till you're out of the mushy stage, and then remember to chew very well. I love Ak Mak stone ground whole wheat crackers. They're crunchy and tasty and pack some good whole grain nutrition. Serving size is 5 crackers, which is way more than I can get down. Maybe two or three tops. 110 calories, 4 grams of Fiber, 5 grams of Protein. I buy them at Trader Joe's, but I've also seen them at other grocery stores. I crumble them over tuna and it's delicious.

Another in a string of non-scale victories (which is good, because the scale has been lazy lately). I was putting fresh sheets on the bed and when I flicked my wrist, smoothing the sheets out, my wedding ring flew off. It's been feeling loose for a few weeks, but this time it flew across the room and hit the wall. I don't want to get it sized yet, because I'm only about halfway done losing weight, but I guess I'll move the ring to my middle finger for now. Yay!

My first fill (5.5 CCs in a 10 CC band) didn't do much either. Later, when I had 7 CCs, then I felt restriction and it was a whole new ball game. Until you have restriction, try to focus on good nutrition and healthy activity. Hang in there. It gets better!

They're smaller (and more comfortable), but so is my waist. I think, ultimately, I will have the same proportions. Just thinner. My husband (jokingly) warned me before surgery: Don't lose that ass! But he is pleased with the results so far.

"Patients experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. A patient who has been going along fine, with no problems, and then suddenly [without a recent fill] develops reflux symptoms or symptoms of a too-tight Band [may] have a slipped Band." http://www.laparosco.../Lapbandfaq.htm "Indications of a slipped band include light-headedness, nausea or vomiting, reflux and a feeling of pain or pressure in the abdomen... Notice if the pain or pressure increases when you breathe deeply or lie down... (or) if you are experiencing night coughs, which may be another indication of a slipped band. "If you are experience severe pain or vomiting blood, go to the emergency room immediately. "If you suspect your band has slipped, call your doctor." http://www.ehow.com/...nd-slipped.html

pumpkin Custard * 15 oz can pumpkin * 12 oz can evaporated nonfat milk * 2 eggs * 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice Mix and bake in a baking dish or pie plate at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Custard will set as it cools. Pumpkin is considered a "superfood," so it's great for you as well as being a sweet treat.

My band is always tightest in the morning, then loosens over the course of the day. But I recently discovered (now that I have very tight restriction), that after I wake up from a nap, it's like I'm back at square one. It's like it's first thing in the morning again and I have to be very careful with any solid food. Now that I know, it's fine. I'll just have a protein shake or some soy milk. But man, did I get sick....

You might want to take a look at the Peace Corp or AmeriCorps (the domestic version). Good luck to you. http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn Volunteers serve in 77 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Peace Corps Volunteers live, learn, and work with a community overseas for 27 months, providing technical assistance in six program areas: education, youth and community development, health, business and information and communications technology, agriculture, and environment. http://www.americorps.gov

Any time Sunday would work for me. PM me.

I had pretty good restriction at 7.5 CCs. Eventually I got one more fill for a total of 8.5. I think this may be it for me. I think one of the keys is to get used to the changes as you go: eating smaller amounts, taking smaller bites, chewing thoroughly and waiting between bites. It would be a drastic and very difficult change if I'd had to adjust to full restriction all at once. But since it's been 7 months since surgery, I've been able to adjust slowly over time. I'm having slow but steady progress and am able to adjust to the changes as I go. I get impatient at times, but I guess that's human nature. For me, it's working great.

Hi all, I live in Long Beach and am available for beverages Mon - Wed after 6pm and some weekend days. Feel free to pm me any time.

You say you've had four fills, but how much total fill? Do you feel discomfort when you eat too fast / too much? Your doctor said you were stretching your esophagus -- how was this determined? If you don't feel ANY restriction yet, I'm not surprised you've gained. I gained and lost the same three pounds over and over until I had 7.5 CCs in a 10 CC band..... I agree with PPs about the value of therapy, nutrition and exercise and I really hope this most recent fill makes a difference for you. If not, hang in there and keep getting them. Don't give up five minutes before the miracle!

I was sick as a dog for about 10 days after surgery. Then I could go to work and felt okay, but I was tired for about another week.