ElfiePoo

It goes right on through the band...and I have restriction. Rice is another slider food for me. I have to eat it after I've eaten some Protein and vegies or else it goes right on through. I can actually feel it. That surprised me since many people have difficulty with rice sticking. Guess some slider foods are the same for us all (ice cream, etc.) while others will be unique to each individual. .

It means it goes right on through and I don't get the full feeling. It's like not being banded. I knew spaghetti was a slider for me, but had no clue the lasagna would be because they're bigger noodles. And yes <sigh> I did have 2 pieces. So...crossing lasagna off my list of foods for the time being since I obviously lack the self-control to deal with it. I made a big pan and cut the whole thing up into single serving pieces and froze them on a cookie sheet. Once they were solid I did the whole freezer saver vacuum pack thing so my husband and son can have lasagna when they're so inclined...but for me they're 'outta sight, outta mind.' .

You say you've overeaten but then say your calorie input is 1000 or less per day. It can't be both. :tongue_smilie: The things that will help you consistently lose every week: Make sure to drink your 64 oz of Water. Our bodies operate at peak when we keep the machinery oiled. Don't drink enough water and your organs will be too busy dealing with that problem instead of doing what they should be doing. Keep your calorie intake between 1200-1400 per day. Studies show that the farther we drop under that 1200, particularly when we drop under 1000, our bodies become more efficient and our metabolism drops to conserve energy. Women who ate 1200-1400 per day lost more weight than women who hate 1000 or less. Make sure you get your Protein. I start my day with a double scoop of EAS whey powder in 2% milk. I drink an EAS ready made shake (110 cal, 3 carbs) mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening. This boosts my protein. For meals I eat about 1 cup of food (2-3 oz protein, 1/4-1/2 cup vegies, 1/4 cup carbs) My activity level is 'light'...one step above sedentary. I do not exercise, but I do move through the day. Perhaps at some point I'll get motivated to exercise, but for now pfft...not interested. .

Wow...they took out 4cc's? When I had an overfill, they just took out 1cc and I was fine. Ah well, you'll get back there soon enough. Hang in there. .

I only weigh myself on Mondays but wasn't expecting much of a loss (if anything) at all this morning because I dropped quite a bit last week, but surprise...lost another 4 lbs! I've had real restriction now for 3 weeks and in that time I've lost something on the order of 18-20 pounds! I've forgotten exactly where I was at but I know it was somewhere between 232-235. Definitely do not underestimate the value of pushing your doctor for your fills and getting you to restriction so the band can do its job! I'm so geeked, I think I'll go out and shovel snow! .

I think it says right in the band literature (at least my Realize band did) that a fill is needed when we are hungry and/or able to eat to excess and there is nothing that says the fills need to be a month apart. I can't imagine taking 8 months to get to the sweet spot. I probably would've gained everything back and then some ;-p .

I have 8.5cc in a 12cc band and it took me about 6-7 fills to get here. We've been pretty aggressive with the fills. The first one at 4 weeks and then every 2 weeks after that with the last one being one week after the prior one. .

I forgot to eat before we went out the other day and ended up stopping at McD's. I got the Fish filet sandwich, figuring I'd just peel take off the top and bottom bun and eat the fish and cheese. *Big* mistake. There was just enough bun stuck to the cheese to 'stick'. So, rule #101...do not eat in the car, particularly when there are no restrooms around unless you want to find yourself standing outside the car on the side of a busy highway, sliming and gagging up the stuck object. .

OMG...how old is your daughter? My 17 year old son does this to me only he will say, "Eat something we shouldn't have, did we?" with this little grin on his face. Usually because he's told me beforehand, "Do you really want to eat that?" I'm usually too busy concentrating on relaxing and letting whatever it is to pass to kick his butt. .

I went to Bulgaria 6 weeks after surgery. It wasn't a big deal at all. .

Have you always been overweight...or is it just because of this pregnancy? .

No doubt...the band does help control portion size. It does not control our food choices and there are some things that slide right through. Even healthy foods can be slider foods so it's still up to us to choose wisely and practice self-control. The band isn't a magic wand that will automatically keep you from gaining weight and there's a lot of work involved with it. Contrary to the opinions of a few of my more tactless family members, the band is not an 'easy way out'. Whether or not someone should get banded when they have a minimal amount to lose (what's minimal to one may not be minimal to another) really comes down to the individual. At the age of 12 I was not overweight. I fell right into the insurance weight chart 'ideal' range. By the time I was 15, I weighed 160 pounds. In 3 years I put on 55 lbs. Based on that, knowing what I know about the band and if it had been available back then, yes, I would've gotten the band. .

This is interesting because I would've thought doing the two at the same time reduced the risks because it's one less time opening you up. Something to keep in mind. .

I love to cook...love to eat...and I read cookbooks and cooking magazines like some people read novels. I've been banded since 11/3/09 and have not regretted it for even one moment. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner. I still cook and I still eat...just less. Right now there are some foods I don't eat because they get stuck or go down hard (chicken, eggs, bread, to name a few) and I have a feeling if I get .25cc taken out of my band, some of these wouldn't give me as much trouble, but for the time being I'm ok with giving them up with the trade off being losing 18+ pounds in 3 weeks. I also know that when I'm done losing this weight, I'll be able to get Fluid taken out of my band, allowing me to eat some of these foods again, but by that time, hopefully, training myself into thinking of things like bread as a treat and not something to have at every meal along with other carbs. .

I was banded 6 days before you and I've lost 45 pounds...almost 20 of that in the last 3 weeks since I've reached restriction. Up to that time, I wasn't losing much because I could still overeat...and did often enough to keep from losing any substantial amount of weight. I have 8.5cc in a 12cc band by the way. Some will tell you it's all about willpower, but you know, that begs the question, "If they could do it just by willpower, how'd they get fat in the first place and why did they need the band." Your doc should be able to give you a fill every 2 weeks until you get to restriction. My first fill was 3cc, two weeks later another 3cc, then over the next two weeks 1 cc, then we started doing .5cc at a time and one of those was only a week after the one before because I was tired of losing restriction that second week and gaining back what I'd lost. Bingo. In the last 3 weeks I've lost around 18-20 pounds and kept it off. Hang in there. Be proactive and ask your doc for a fill every 2 weeks if you need it. My doctor defined 'need' as, "You're hungry and/or can still eat to excess...and do." .

I've known too many people who did just that and ended up either dead or with lifelong complications as a result of misguided information. Our surgeons and doctors are *nothing* more than another human being, capable of error and they are not omniscient. That MD behind their name does not necessarily mean they know more than a lay person. If I had a doctor who wouldn't give me a fill until 2 or 3 months postop and came to this board and found that people were getting fills at 4 weeks postop and restriction by 3 months postop, I'd certainly go back to my doctor and find out what the deal is. Sad to say, but it's apparent by the posts on this forum that there are way too many surgeons who obviously don't really understand the role the band plays when they tell their patients they won't give a fill *until* they lose some weight...or make their patients wait 3 months for their first fill. It's also obvious by the number of people who 'change' their doctor's minds and get their fills that the doctor didn't have a concrete reason in mind for why not to give fills. Kudos for the person for being proactive. Kudos to the doctor for keeping an open mind. .

Oh sure...these things always look like fun. Then someone (like me) trips over their feet because they're a step behind and a day late and falls on their ass. (says the woman who couldn't even keep up with Richard Simmons) :frown: .

I think the thing we have to keep in mind is that most people view getting this band as 'taking the easy way out' because they are under the impression that the band does all the work. Given that impression, they probably don't 'get it' why we don't start losing the weight from the day of surgery. Heck, even some of the people on this forum who had the surgery don't 'get it' that the band is just a piece of plastic. Until you get fills and restriction, that's all it will be. I was Im'ing with one of my aunts this morning and she asked how much I'd lost so far. I told her that since my seminar (6 weeks before my 11/3 surgery) I've lost 45 pounds. She's been on WW (for the 4th time in 10 years) and said, "I've only lost 35 pounds in the same time, but I did it the hard way". I just laughed and told her that if that misconception made her feel good about her weight loss 'suffering' then more power to her. I don't let the ignorant or malicious get to me. .

What she said. .

If you add Protein shakes in between meals, it will boost your calories. I get around 1200-1400 a day depending. For example, my calories will be closer to 1400 today because I'm having lasagna *and* homemade blue cheese dressing. I don't count fat at all to be honest, nor do I worry about it. As far as I'm concerned, carbs are *my* enemy. .

For those who asked. My activity level would be considered 'light' (one step above sedentary). I move, but nothing strenous...although I just finished an hour of shoveling 10" deep *heavy* snow which might qualify as strenuous. What do I eat? Breakfast is usually a double scoop of EAS whey powder in 1 cup 2% milk. I find that boost of Protein actually keeps me more satisfied all day than starting with solid food. A good thing too, because I'm too tight in the morning to eat. Mid-morning a ready-made EAS Protein Drink. lunch is usually 3 oz of protein, 1/4 cup vegie, 1/4 cup carbs (rice, potatoes, a few melba rounds). Mid-afternoon a ready-made EAS protein drink. dinner same as lunch. Mid-evening a ready-made EAS protein drink. My meals are *usually* distinctly protein, vegie, carb because everything else seems to be a slider food for me. Casseroles made with pastas, rice or Beans laugh at the band...at least for me they do. I start with my protein, but I find it too boring to eat all my protein, then my vegies, then my carbs. Since I know I get my daily protein requirements in just through the mid-meal shakes, I don't have to worry about eating all of my protein. I'll usually eat about half my protein, then half my vegies and then half my carbs. Then go back to the protein and repeat. Last night I ate 2 oz of chicken, 2 Tbs of brussel sprouts and 2 Tbs of rice. As I went to finish that last ounce of chicken, I realized I just didn't want to eat anything else. I dumped the rest of it and was perfectly satisfied the rest of the night. I truly believe the extra protein the mid-meal shakes are the reason I'm continuing to lose as I have been. Anyway, hope this helps. Today's menu: Lunch: 3 oz tuna (mixed with 1-1/2 tsp mayo, onion, dill), a couple slices of tomato, a bit of lettuce) Dinner: Lasagna (1/2-3/4 cup), 1/4 cup of salad with blue cheese dressing Yesterday's menu: Lunch: 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich (1 sl 'thin/diet' bread with 2 oz jarlsberg cheese), 3/4 cup tomato Soup made with milk Dinner: 2 oz chicken w/2 Tbs mushroom gravy (made with Cream of mushroom soup), 2 Tbs brussel sprouts, 2 Tbs rice .

This can't be said enough. I am so saddened when I read about people who have been banded for 6 months or more and who only have a minimal amount in their band and are struggling with hunger. The only way our caregivers can provide *good* care is if we communicate with them. .

Amy, Sorry you had to go through all of that, but glad the issue is resolved! .

I have *never* had a problem with constipation before this surgery. Now it's an ongoing problem. I'm going to guess it's because prior to being banded, I was drinking close to a gallon of Water a day. Now, I struggle to remember to drink my 64 oz. Also, my diet has changed considerably...particularly since getting restriction. I'm eating less fruits and vegies (in terms of volume) so less roughage. In the last 3+ months I've had to take a laxative 5 or 6 times because I hadn't had a BM in 4-5 days and was in pain. I finally went to the store yesterday and bought some Benefiber packets. I'll see if that helps resolve the issue. .