ElfiePoo

Maybe you could find a bariatric somewhere near you where they will do your fills for you? That's what I'd do. I used to be able to eat tuna and certain types of crackers (like melba toast). Now, I have a hard time with tuna and I've always had a hard time with saltines. If you can't gulp your water, but you're able to drink, you probably have some restriction. I'm not sure what you mean about you were able to eat small portions before but weren't losing. If you were only able to eat small portions, it seems like you should have been losing. Why do you think you weren't? How many cc's in your band and how much does it hold.?

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and actually made the appointment to see him because, since surgery, I have a constant pain in my left upper arm depending on how I'm positioned. It's much worse when I'm lying down and it's gotten worse with each fill. After doing a lot of research on the internet, I've discovered that it's something called 'phrenic nerve pain' and most likely is related to some portion of the band system rubbing against my diaphragm. With each fill it probably pulled something more taught, causing increased rubbing on the diaphragm. I told my surgeon about this last time (through his assistant) so he would have time to check on it as they'd never heard of this problem. Apparently he has, but it's not something he's ever run across. My problem is that he has limited suggestions. I can get the fill removed :wink: so that the pain is minimal, but this isn't a reasonable solution since without the fill, it's like I'm not banded. If I want to get rid of the pain completely, I can have the band removed. Or I can take pain meds to deal with it. I don't like any of these solutions but this if these are my only choices, I'll put up with the pain for as long as I can and lose as much as I can, have the band taken out and *hope* I will, by that time, have learned new food habits and can keep it off on my own. I'm praying there are other options so if anyone out there has heard of this and can help, please please, I'd like to hear it. .

If you're hungry and/or able to eat to excess, make an appointment for a fill. You may find that .25cc is fine and you may find that even though .5 was too much at once, you still need another .5 or .75 or 1cc to get to the sweet spot. I had 3cc, 3cc and then 2cc and they had to take out 1 because I was too full. A week later though they started putting it back in .5cc at a time and now I'm sitting above where I was when I was too full. .

One of the things that helped me was to run my stats through the Harris Benedict equation to calculate how many calories I would need to eat to maintain my goal weight of 140 vs my current weight. There are calculators on the 'net but some are off by hundreds of calories so I prefer to do the calculations myself. It just puts a figure in my head that I know I need to adhere to if I want to lose/maintain. I have a very set structure to my eating plan so that I don't have to do much planning and preparation beforehand. I keep it simple and I keep to a schedule which I posted in two different threads. If someone wants to see it, I'd be happy to post it again, but basically I eat my meals and mid-meals (protein shakes) at the same time every day. Breakfast is always a Protein Shake. lunch and dinner are the same: 2-3 oz of Protein (grilled, roasted or pan fried in 1 tsp olive oil), 1/4-1/2 cup steamed vegies with a pat of butter or sprinkle of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of starch carbs (potatoes, rice, Beans, pasta) OR 1/4 cup of fruit. The fruit is a new addition for me because I've been craving it, but I choose whether to have my carbs this way or through starch carbs...never both. I weigh and measure everything when I'm at home. I thought I knew what 1/4 cup was but I'm always underestimating or overestimating. The under isn't so bad. The over results in waste because I can't eat more than that these days. When I'm out, I never order my own meal. I always take my portion off my husband's meal since restaurants routinely overload the plate. If I want a bit of tomato sauce on my Pasta or sour cream on my potato, I have it. I'm not on a diet...but I use moderation. Instead of 1/4 cup of sour cream on my baked potato, I'll put a tablespoon. Occasionally, I'll have an oddball lunch like a cup of tomato Soup and 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich or a slice of pizza with a small side salad but I try to keep this type of meal for when I'm just sick of the protein/vegie/carb routine because it doesn't seem to stay with me as well. One of my favorite radio psychologists is Dr. Randy Carlson who talks about intentional living. When I first heard him a few years back, he was talking about how *we* cause most of the stressors in our life. We get angry when we get a speeding ticket...but if we had been living intentionally...thinking about what we were doing *in* that moment and making the decision to not speed because it *might* result in a ticket or accident, we wouldn't have gotten in the ticket in the first place and bypassed the whole angry/stress thing. It's the same with the way we eat. We shovel our food in our mouth while sitting in front of a tv, computer or book. We barely register what we're eating. Stop. Put some candles on the table, pretty placemats and napkins and 'dine'...even if you're alone. I've actually gotten to the point where I clean off the top of my desk in my office, lay out a placemat and candle, napkin and real cutlery, put on some enjoyable music, put my phone on mute and shut my door with a 'do not disturb' sign. My employees know someone had better be bleeding if they're going to knock on my door. I'm intentional about what I'm doing in that moment...and find that my satisfaction after eating is much more than those days where I think I'm too busy to sit and instead I'll eat while I'm doing paperwork or some such. .

Hang in there...the PB'ing and sliming becomes less frequent. After my last fill, I'd say for the first week I was doing the whole pb'ing and sliming pretty frequently. I thought about going in for a slight .25cc unfill but chose to just tough it out and give up those things that were now a problem. Turned out it was just temporary swelling because after about a week, I could eat most things (still not bread) without a problem. Congratulations!

Not yet. I should've gotten them Thursday but I was too tired to drive into town (30 minutes) after my sleepless night. I meant to go Friday but we had a winter storm. Caught me unawares. That's what happens when you don't watch tv, I guess. At any rate, my husband and I are doing our weekly trip into town today and they are at the top of my list. I hope they work as well for me as they did you! .

I eat about 1200-1400 calories per day. I do drink Protein shakes or Protein drinks between meals and one in the evening so I'm getting around 100gm of protein just in my drinks. I haven't lost any hair and, in fact, my husband commented the other day that my hair seemed fuller and shinier and was a more vibrant red than it has been. I think it has more to do with the protein than the calories I'm taking in. I like the EAS protein shakes but when I get tired of them, I drink a fruit flavored liquid Protein from newwhey.com. My favorite is the fruit punch, but they also have blueberry and other fruit flavors. You can drink them straight or diluted them in Water (which is what I do) .

Greg, If joining WW is what you need to do to get yourself back on track, then do it. Don't waste another moment! I found my motivation waning the last few days despite losing 18+ pounds over the last 3 weeks. Don't ask me why cuz I haven't figured it out myself. All I know is that I wanted to hit Carabbas and eat a big old bowl of Rigatoni Martino all my myself...even though in the past my husband and I always shared. Thankfully, it doesn't matter what I want. The band has other ideas. Hang in there. Go join WW and find your motivations! .

Well I was on solids 2 weeks after surgery so I could've eaten anything. I guess it depends on what diet her doctor has her following...what stage is she at? .

I posted this on another thread, but I think it answers your question. I think I'm one of the oddballs. I don't journal my food. However, I also believe in the K.I.S.S. principal (keep it simple stupid). When things get too complicated or task involved, I find I drop them fairly quickly so it's best to just k.i.s.s. I tend to be a creature of habit so my meals are at the same time every day. 6:30 a.m.: 1 cup hot green tea 7:00 a.m.: Breakfast and it's the same every morning...double scoop EAS protein shake in 2% milk. 9:30 a.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) 12:00 p.m.: 2-3 oz protein, 1/4-1/2 cup vegies and 1/4 cup carbs (rice, potatoes, pasta, beans) although lately I've been swapping the starch carbs out for 1/4 cup fresh fruit. 2:30 p.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) 6 p.m.: 2-3 oz protein, 1/4-1/2 cup vegies and 1/4 cup carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes, beans) 8:30 p.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) If I'm really craving a sweet treat, I'll have this about an hour after my shake. Many times, the shake takes away that craving enough that I can say, "I'll have it tomorrow if I want it." I'm in bed by 10 or 11 p.m. so I don't deal with cravings (if I have any) for too long in the evening. I do not count may shakes as part of my 64 oz liquids to I'll fill up my 20 oz water bottle (usually with crystal lite of some flavor) and I make sure to drink one between breakfast and lunch, one between lunch and dinner and another in the evening. My proteins are pan fried, grilled or roasted and when I pan fry I use minimal (like 1 tsp) of olive oil amounts of fat. Vegies are usually steamed because I happen to like them that way and I don't usually add anything to them except a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or a pat of butter (pat similar to what you'd get in a restaurant). I know this probably sounds boring to some people, but I don't have to think about my meals beyond "Do I have protein and vegies in my fridge?" and there's little to no planning of meals...or journaling.

I think I'm one of the oddballs. I don't journal my food. However, I also believe in the K.I.S.S. principal (keep it simple stupid). When things get too complicated or task involved, I find I drop them fairly quickly so it's best to just k.i.s.s. I tend to be a creature of habit so my meals are at the same time every day. 6:30 a.m.: 1 cup hot green tea 7:00 a.m.: Breakfast and it's the same every morning...double scoop EAS Protein shake in 2% milk. 9:30 a.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) 12:00 p.m.: 2-3 oz protein, 1/4-1/2 cup vegies and 1/4 cup carbs (rice, potatoes, Pasta, beans) although lately I've been swapping the starch carbs out for 1/4 cup fresh fruit. 2:30 p.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) 6 p.m.: 2-3 oz protein, 1/4-1/2 cup vegies and 1/4 cup carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes, beans) 8:30 p.m.: EAS ready made protein shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) If I'm really craving a sweet treat, I'll have this about an hour after my shake. Many times, the shake takes away that craving enough that I can say, "I'll have it tomorrow if I want it." I'm in bed by 10 or 11 p.m. so I don't deal with cravings (if I have any) for too long in the evening. I do not count may shakes as part of my 64 oz liquids to I'll fill up my 20 oz Water bottle (usually with crystal lite of some flavor) and I make sure to drink one between breakfast and lunch, one between lunch and dinner and another in the evening. My Proteins are pan fried, grilled or roasted and when I pan fry I use minimal (like 1 tsp) of olive oil amounts of fat. Vegies are usually steamed because I happen to like them that way and I don't usually add anything to them except a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or a pat of butter (pat similar to what you'd get in a restaurant). I know this probably sounds boring to some people, but I don't have to think about my meals beyond "Do I have protein and vegies in my fridge?" and there's little to no planning of meals...or journaling.

Congratulations! Now stay off that scale for a week! :eek: .

ROFLMAO...you're my kind of woman. .

I only get on the scale on Mondays, but I know what you mean. There's this sense of anticipation/dread as I step onto the scale. Anticipation that I'll be down another (at least) 1 lb...and dread that I won't have lost anything. I've lost 18+ pounds over the last 3 weeks and the sense of dread is building because I just know I'm due to step on that scale and it'll show 'nada...zip...zero...zilch' lost because you just can't keep up that kind of loss for long. I wonder if we every really get over that. .

Well color me assertive...if that was me (and I recognize we all handle things differently) I'd call them back up and tell them that, on reflection, this just is not acceptable. Sorry, but this sounds like incompetence from either the surgeon who put it in, or the person trying to do the fill (same person?). If the port was installed correctly, meaning not upside down, there should not be an issue with accessing it. .

Too funny. I did the same thing for about 3 weeks while I yoyo'd between the same flipping 6 pounds. .

You're normal. Until you get some restriction, that band is just a piece of plastic. It doesn't impart any magical properties just from being installed. Don't stress about not losing. Just try to make good food choices and start building the good habits you'll need when you do have restriction (don't drink with meals, take small bites, chew well and eat slowly). We've all 'been there, done that' and when we reach restriction, 'aren't doing it anymore'. :eek: .

I have a 12cc band and didn't reach even temporary restriction from swelling until I had 7cc in it. At 8.5cc I finally had restriction. We're all different so where we reach restriction will vary. Like you, until I had restriction, I could eat anything I wanted. Not that I necessarily did and I'm guessing you didn't either...just that I *could*. My doc's rule of thumb for fills was if I was hungry and/or *could* eat to excess, then get a fill. Sounds like you need a fill. Hang in there, you'll get to that 'sweet spot'. .

I've often wondered what the differences were in restriction on a 9cc band versus a 12cc band. How much does a 9cc band shut down the opening versus the 12cc band (for example). Is it possible that a 9cc band doesn't shut down the opening as much as a larger band? I dunno...but you might want to find out. I have 8.5cc in a 12cc band and have restriction. Why do you think you don't have restriction? Tell us a bit more about your eating habits through the day (what do you eat at a meal, how much do you eat, how long does it take you to eat, etc.). You should eat about 1 cup of food in a 20-30 minute period and it should be about 2-3 oz of Protein, 1/4-1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of carbs. You should not drink with your meals as it slides the food through (or, if you take a gulp, will cause you to slime). I have restriction and by the time I finish that amount of food (sometimes sooner), I know I'm full. My belly doesn't tell me so. My head does. On the few times I didn't listen to my head, that next bite made me uncomfortable for 10 minutes or so until some of the food from my pouch moved down. I usually drink a low carb, low cal Protein shake between meals and mid-evening to boost my protein and keep me from craving.

My doc told me that the weeks after surgery were for healing, not losing weight, and if I was hungry (or even if I 'thought' I was hungry), not to worry about it and just eat...within the guidelines. .

Isn't it funny the head games we play with ourselves...and I mean that in a nice way. My aunt and I would go to our county fair (which is the largest in the country) and we would come home 4 hours later (cuz we couldn't stand the crowds) stuffed to the gills from overeating...after swearing we wouldn't...and feeling guilty for pigging out so badly. Then one year we both decided we were going to eat our way from one side of the fair to the other and we weren't going to feel guilty. We left the fair 4 hours later and I think we each got a fry and corn dog and that was it. We laughed our way across the parking lot. When I was dieting, I found that my cravings were best controlled by giving myself permission to eat them...if I still want them in the morning. Generally, I didn't. I'm kind of doing the same thing now and, as you said, the difference now is that the band is helping with portion control and calorie restriction (as a result) all the time. Life is good. .

Increase your calories. Studies show that women who eat between 1200-1400 calories lose faster and more steadily than those who eat 1000 and below. I'm 53, 5'4" and I eat anywhere from 1200-1400. In a 7 day period, I may actually have a day where I eat about 1600 (cuz I splurged on something). I read an article a long time ago that said if you want to shake up your metabolism, change the way you eat. Don't let your body get used to it. They recommended 3 days of absolutely no carbs and then 4 days where you could have carbs. Then repeat. I had a friend who steadily lost weight with never hitting a plateau and she ate around 1600 calories a day.