ElfiePoo

You're a good friend. I was asked to be a bridesmaid (this was year's ago) for a friend but she wanted all her bridesmaids to wear the exact same dress and allowed the bridesmaids to choose the style (by majority vote apparently). While it was her day, I didn't feel it was necessary for me to 'boob bobble' in a strapless, body hugging sheath that looks good (maybe) if you're 15 and without an ounce of body fat but is laughable on a 270 pound woman. I turned her down. Ask the bridal shop what the absolute last day is to order your dress. At that point, you can try it on and decide where to go from there. I'd go big because you can always take it in but you can't take it out. .

So can I...and I'm at my sweet spot. Even when I was overfilled and getting stuck on things, I *could* eat as much as I did presurgery. The question is...are you eating because you're *hungry*? If so, you need to get a fill. If you're eating just because you can or fall prey to head hunger...the band won't help with that. A lot of people find that when they eliminate carbs (particularly those found in processed foods, wheat and sugar), those head hungries disappear. You might try that if that's what you're dealing with. .

Thanks! Oh and something you might find interesting. Gastric bypass patients still have to deal with the ghrelin hormone because their digestive system is rerouted but the stomach stays intact. It is not uncommon for a gastric bypass patient to end up getting a band. I've been doing a lot of reading up on the vertical sleeve, which does remove the stomach, and have discovered that about a year or so after the stomach is removed, the body figures out how to start producing that ghrelin again...and it is not uncommon for a VS patient to get a band at some point. .

Hi Tina, What I love are the stories of anti-Atkins doctors being converted to the idea of Atkins as a healthy diet by patients who stick consistently, lose weight *and* get to the point of not having to take any of the meds they've taken for years (cholesterol, diabetes, etc.). It's hard to argue with results. .

Deb, That is wise advice! I've struggled this last year in my own band journey, learning about the band and how it's supposed to work, what my responsibilities are in this whole process, etc. I made the decision early on not to avoid my appointments just because I felt like such a failure...and I think that's what helped keep me from giving up on the band completely. When I finally saw the surgeon 10 months after surgery (fills were with his nurse), he looked at my chart and said it's pretty obvious I've been trying and I said 'really'...because my weight had been rollercoasting for the previous 10 months. He said, "Yes. the ones that don't try, don't come back." So great decision to go see your doc! .

You don't need to worry about 'shrinking' your pouch (and I doubt that's possible in any case). Ask yourself. Can you eat 3-4 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of starch and go 4-5 hours without being physically hungry? If so, then your band is working. The rest is up to you. If you can't, then you need to go in for a fill because that's what the band is supposed to do. .

Well my goal over the holidays was just to maintain and I accomplished that. I have to admit that, since being back on Atkins since the day after christmas, I do feel much better this morning. I've come to the conclusion that carbs make me stupid. It's time to stop being carb stupid though because my middle son is getting married on May 15th and, after looking at the Christmas pictures, I *DO NOT* want to still be this heavy 5 months from now! I know because of a number of reasons, I lose weight slowly, so I'd just be happy with under 200 at this point. So that's my goal right now...to stay focused and on track...no wavering (thank God there are no 'food' holidays between now and then) for the next 5 months. Melody

Morning bandsters. Welcome to everyone! It's good to see some activity here. HB: Congrats on finishing your quilt! You actually inspired me to start quilting again. Right now I'm just playing with some leftover materials while waiting for the materials for my first project to arrive. I love the materials at keepsakequilting.com (quality and patterns) so when I do a 'keepsake' quilt, that's where I go. Can't wait...but in the meantime, this play quilt is keeping my hands busy with something other than cooking. 2be: I don't have a TOM and my band still gets tight for no reason. After a year I figure it's just something I'm going to have to live with. I do think it has a mind of its own. Just about the time I think I need to get a fill due to hunger, my band tightens so that I struggle a bit with 'almost stuck' episodes. As a result I haven't had a fill since October. Last week...same thing. Considered getting a fill and almost immediately my band went tight. Go figure. Melody

Yes, it most likely is a transition into more solid foods. Don't worry about it. I'm discovering that stalls are just my body's way of saying "been there, done that, think I'll just coast"...and the way to shock it out of a stall is to change up what I'm doing. I'm reading up on carb cycling right now as I've had a number of people tell me they never hit stalls because they keep their body in a perpetual state of 'wondering'. .

Jackie: Congrats on the weight loss! Elcee & Leigha: Step away from the food. Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry, boxed up all the 'temptations' and told my husband to take them somewhere. I didn't care whether he tossed them, donated them or ate them (out of my sight) but to get them out of the house. All the goodies I baked for Christmas were left at my mother-in-law's so I never had to deal with any of that at home, thank goodness! Leigha: Keep those FB videos coming of Sugarbaby. Melody

In response to all the posts where people wonder why they were required (or not) to go on a 30 day liquid diet preop, are required (or not) to go on a 30 day postop liquid diet, are required (or not) to eat only 1/2 cup of food at a meal, (are required (or not) to eat a low fat, low carb diet, are required (or not) to wait several months between what may (or may not) be tiny fills...it just comes down to that old 'because he said so'. It's all arbitrary and each surgeon follows the belief/mindset of what he/she is most comfortable with. I interviewed a number of surgeons (actually made an appointment to talk with them) before I made my final choice. If the surgeon could not give me a good 'reason' for why they required that specific diet, amount of food, fills, etc., I moved on. I do not allow my doctors to make decisions for me. It is my body and I make the decision I feel is best after doing all the research I can...and that doctor is just one more piece of research. My final choice was partly based on the fact that he also had a lap band so he had personal knowledge/experience as well as the 'book knowledge'. It was also based on the fact that he said from his years of experience, he found that long term success of his patients was adversely affected by placing unrealistic expectations on them (eating only 1/2 cup of food). His goal for his patients was to be able to eat a normal diet (no special foods) with a normal caloric intake to get to the desired weight. His experience was that unrealistic expectations led to a higher rate of failure because when people couldn't stick to those expectations, they stopped coming in for their fills and follow-ups. Does this make my doctor better or worse in comparison to other doctors? Only to me. .

If I misunderstood your post, then my apologies. My surgeon is one who has us back on solids 2 weeks after surgery when I checked his stats (deaths, after surgery complications, etc.) and also has a very high success rate re: slippage, etc. .

The vagus is also called the pneumogastric nerve since it innervates both the lungs and the stomach (as well as other parts of the body). According to the diagram shown to me, the vagus nerves run down through the opening of our stomach which is exactly where the band is placed. .

"A calorie is a calorie" is just another lie we've been told by the nutrition industry. If it's true, then lowering my daily calories by roughly 1500 per day should result in a loss of 3 lb per week (all other things being equal)...but it hasn't. When I weighed 285 lbs I went on Optifast for a month. I didn't lose even a single pound...and was accused of closet eating and cheating. Even when I eat more than my usual daily carbs (of 20-30gm), I still avoid wheat and sugar carbs because they cause a very immediate reaction in my blood sugar...which results in insulin being produced...which results in more calories being stored as fat instead of being burned off. I don't know if this is your problem, but I'd say avoid sugar and wheat and see what happens to your losses. .

Welcome to the thread, Deb! Melody

Don't beat yourself up, but do remember that you are still healing. Most likely, your surgeon folded a piece of the stomach around your band to hold it in place and this needs some time to heal. Getting stuck on food will not help that. Not all doctors require a liquid diet postop so obviously it's not a life and death situation but you run the risk of getting stuck on something while you're still swollen. Make sure you're getting all your Protein in. If you don't like the Protein drinks, they do make protein 'shots' that come in various fruity flavors. You can shoot them straight or blend them with Water. I blended mine with water and then just sipped on it all morning. If you're still in a stage where you should be eating mushies or soft food, try thick cream based soups. The fat in the Soup will satisfy you and help with your hunger. .

I wouldn't lie to the chiropractor. As HB said, he needs to know since it will affect how he positions you. I'm a year postop and I still have a problem lying face down on a massage table. My therapist actually made a small soft, somewhat flat pillow that I can place between my port and the bed surface. .

Let's not malign doctors just because their pre or postop diets differ. According to the American Journal of Bariatric Medicine (AJBM), "the success of a patient depends on an individual’s commitment to incorporate a plan of healthful eating and physical activity." Even they don't claim it has anything to do with whether the patient is on a liquid diet for a few weeks postop. In the bariatric field, 41-61% of surgeries are considered successful with success being defined as " maintaining a weight loss of 50% of excess body weight or more for five years. Excess body weight is defined as “total preoperative weight minus ideal weight." If your doctor has an almost 100% success rate in an industry where the success rate is 41-61%...well, that's...astounding. .

Toss the Christmas food. I cleaned out my pantry and got rid of all the 'temptations'. Unopened stuff went to the homeless shelter. The rest went into the trash can...and no I didn't feel guilty with all the starving children in China. My eating the food won't help them any. .

Lacey, First, you say you don't feel 'full' but that's the wrong 'feeling' to look for. What you should be looking for is a cessation of hunger. The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves, which then tell the stomach to stop producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. If you eat 3-4 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of carbs (beans, rice, potatoes, etc.), you should be able to go 4-5 hours without feeling hungry. If you have blood sugar issues, you may need a small protein pickmeup midway between your meals (hard boiled egg, 1 oz of protein, low carb/low cal protein drink). I used to but no longer do now that my blood sugar is controlled...and without insulin these days! If you're dealing with a constant hunger, then you do need a fill. If your port is on its side, ask your doctor how this can be fixed. I know they can fix them, without surgery, even if they flip completely so one would assume if it's partially flipped, they can also fix it. In any case, get your fill if you're hungry. If you aren't hungry, then you're already at your sweet spot. If you feel you can't exercise at this time, then don't. Studies show that exercise is not necessary to lose weight so there's nothing holding you back on losing the weight right now. Hopefully, as the weight comes off, you'll feel better enough that you are able to move more. Heck, I detest exercise, but I actually have my moments when I *want* to go out for a walk now...something that never happened in the past. Rheumatism is a very generic term to cover hundreds of unidentified aches and pains and isn't really used in modern medical context anymore. As near as I can tell, they now call it fibromyalgia when you have unidentified aches and pains and they can't find a medical reason. A friend of mine was diagnosed with fibromyalgia years ago. She refused to accept that there was not a reason for her pain so, based on her reading, decided to change her diet to exclude processed foods. Protein - broiled or roasted, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. She eliminated wheat and sugar at this time as well. Within a month or so, her pain disappeared. I don't know what type of diet you're eating, but perhaps restrict your carbs to those found in vegetables and eliminate wheat and sugar and see what happens. .

Dave, Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who go on Atkins without reading the book and fall into the trap of believing this is a 'stuff yourself full of as much high fat food as you like and the weight will just woosh off'...but let's face it, that's hardly the fault of Atkins. I've gone to various medical and nutrition sites around the 'net where they promote a low carb diet, but say 'this is healthier than Atkins because you eat vegetables'. The South Beach Diet, Carbohydrate Addict's Diet and a few others that came along after Atkins made the same claims...they were healthier than Atkins because you could eat carbs. Yes, and you can *and should* eat carbs on Atkins. All of this is not out of a vehement desire to use Atkins...it is in an effort to promote truthfulness and accuracy. I really don't care whether or not others go on Atkins...but their choice should be made based on fact and not rumor. I'm sorry your friends/acquaintances died so young of heart attacks, but it obviously was not the fault of the Atkins diet because they weren't on it. They were on some diet of their own making. Melody .

I didn't have any nausea and when they asked in the recovery room if I needed pain meds, I said no. They gave me a prescription to take home, but I never filled it. The type of discomfort I had for a few days was easily taken care of by liquid tylenol. .

No clue. I've known people who were right back on solids within a day or two, although that sounds kind of extreme. My doctor had me back on solids within two weeks. I went through all the stages (liquids, mushies, etc.) but only a couple days at each stage. .

Happy New Year, bandsters. Please let's start a new thread for the new year. This one is so long and unmanageable. I went ahead and started it here.

Ok...I'm not going to get into a war about this. I would, however, suggest that before anyone makes judgments about Atkins, they at least read the book...and then please don't post how bad it is for you until you've followed it *consistently* for at least a year. For those interested, you might want to check out one of the low carb forums and talk to people who actually live this lifestyle. <END> .