ElfiePoo

How much skin sag you have will be a direct result of how overweight you were, how long you were overweight, age, genetics...and time. Commercial products only help 'minimally' with keeping the skin elastic. I lost 70 lbs when I was 47 years old. Over the last 7 years, a lot of that skin sag has resolved itself...that's the 'time'. Then again, the women in my family look younger as they get older. I'm going to be 54 and most people think I'm in my early 40's...and that spread increases as we get older. My mother is 73 and looks like she's in her 50's. My grandmother was 96 and looked like she was in her early 70's. It's because our skin retains its elasticity longer...that's genetics. The younger you are, the more elastic your skin...that's age. Drink lots of Water and keep your skin hydrated from the inside. Use a good quality lotion or body cream and keep moisturized from the outside and protected from the elements (wind, sun, etc.) and you'll have the least amount of skin sag that you're going to get, given all the other variables. .

I had the same thing happen on one of my fills. They put 2cc's in which took me up to 8 because I'd never had even temporary restriction on my other two 3cc fills. Bingo. I couldn't eat any solids and I had to drink my protein shakes slowly. A week later I was still in the same position so they took out 1 cc. Silly me. I should've left it that way because I would've been ahead of the game on weight loss. Now I'm at 7.5 cc and, after some temporary restriction, have none again. My .02...if you can get water down, then leave it for a week and do what someone else said about gradually reintroducing shakes, mushies, purees, etc. in. You may find at the end of that week that the swelling is lessening every day until finally you're at your sweet spot.

kcg, There is no reason you can't go on a diet. If you've been successful on previous diets with the problem being that you 'go off' them at some point and regain, then you may actually have some success at losing weight prior to restriction...and by the time you get restriction you'll be ahead of the game. .

If you are hungry and able to eat to excess and struggling not to do so, you do not have restriction and I'd call them up and *tell* them you want a fill. If you have restriction, then you don't need a fill. Only you know whether you have restriction and only you can determine whether or not you need a fill. .

Since I didn't get any restriction, even temporary after my first fill of 3 cc and my second fill of 3 cc, they took it all out of my band to make sure I didn't have a leak. They were able to take out 6 cc. Maybe it depends on the type of band? I have the Realize band.

Well, just having the lap band seems to be enough incentive for some people to eat less and exercise. Only you know will know whether it's enough for you. However, I *HATE* to exercise and having a band put in me didn't give me any more incentive to do so. Keep in mind that if you played three sports, you were burning a lot of calories. You might be horrified at how much time you have to spend in a gym to burn that same number of calories. A band helps in that it limits the number of calories you can eat at one sitting. It won't stop you from grazing all day or eating slider foods (and many sweets are slider foods). . .

Calories in...calories out. Unless you have a medical condition (hypothydroidism, etc.), weight loss/gain comes down to mathematics. When we take in more calories than we spend, we gain. When we take in less calories than we spend, we lose. So, as much as we like to think we're 'eating healthier, less, etc.', the reality is that if we aren't losing weight, our intake and expenditure of calories is balancing out. The amount of calories we expend is unique to each individual and is based on our age and activity level. The more sedentary you are, the fewer calories you will burn. To muddy the waters further, if you drop your calories too low, too fast, your body will drop into starvation mode. It will become more efficient at storing those calories *and* will burn lean body muscle. Studies have shown that women who eat a 1200-1400 calorie diet will lose more weight than women who drop below 1000 calories. Another factor to take into consideration is that if you are exercising regularly, your body may be building muscle. Now a pound of muscle = a pound of fat but muscle is denser so if you replace a specific 'volume' quantity of fat with an equal quantity of muscle, you might actually not lose weight even though you're losing fat. This is why so many of us will so we aren't losing weight based on the scale, but according to our clothes, we are. .

I'm looking for some feedback, particularly from those of you who have had your band for more than 6 months. I'm seeing an awful lot of posts here and on another forum from people who, post band, are still hungry and not losing weight and are being told it's because they need to suck it up regarding the hunger, exercise and go on a diet (like Watchers), implying that unless they do, they won't lose the weight. This is becoming a serious issue with me because I'm not going to go through surgery, put a foreign body into my stomach and deal with all of those issues, just to be told I still have to "go on a diet and exercise program and 'suck it up' re: the hunger." I can do all that without spending $20k or going through surgery. I don't expect the band to do it all *but* I do expect to be able to eat smaller portions of good food choices without hunger. I do expect to lose weight on these smaller portions and without spending all of my spare time exercising. In fact, I expect to lose weight without exercising at all since (a) I will be eating a fraction of what I did to keep my body this size and ( recent reports show that while exercise is good for you, it's not necessary to lose weight...it really is all about the food. I'm not saying you might not lose more, faster...but that's not the same as just losing. If these are unrealistic expectations, I'd like to know now and save myself the aggravation of the surgery and follow-up. Having serious doubts here... .

Yesterday's menu: B- protein shake made with milk and a banana L-3 oz grilled fish fillet, 1/2 cup sauteed cabbage D: 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich, 1 cup tomato soup Snack: other 1/2 of grilled cheese sandwich I only had 1 protein drink mid morning and missed the one mid afternoon, and I paid for it by an unstable blood sugar all evening, resulting in me eating the other half of the sandwich as a snack.

Maybe you could share the reason the one was successful and the other wasn't. I think that would help a lot of bandsters. .

Thanks...I misunderstood. I thought you didn't have restriction. .

Ok...this is just my .02 and my opinion based on the limited information here. If I understand correctly, her surgery was in August and she's only lost 16 pounds since then? If so, then this doesn't compute with the idea that she's eating 'very little' because it's all coming back up. She's obviously eating enough to almost maintain her pre-band weight. She may be a closet eater...eating when you aren't around. She may be throwing up her food because she 'literally' has stuffed herself. Which brings up another possibility...bulimia. A bulimic and a band are disaster. The bulimic will eat until they're stuffed, throw up and then start in again. It has nothing to do with hunger. They're feeding a psychological problem. The band won't stop them from doing this. It will just make them throw up sooner. Eventually, however, this vomiting will most likely cause problems with the band. She could possibly even have to have the band taken out and be unable to have another one put in. I know of a person who had this problem. They had so damaged the stomach where the band sat that the scar tissue prevented them from place a new band. What she needs to do is start over with the 5 day pouch test (it's below with links to the site for more info). This will allow time for any swelling (due to her vomiting) to go down and get her reacclimated to how she should be eating. A good, normal restriction is to be able to eat about 1 cup of food for each meal and be full for about 4 hours after each meal. If she's hungry and eating to excess (to the point of throwing up), then she needs a fill. If she gets things stuck frequently, she may need an unfill. Then again, she may just need to avoid those foods. I have good restriction where I can eat most foods if I chew them thoroughly and take small bites. However, there are a couple foods I simply have to avoid because they get stuck. It is what it is and I deal with it. Throwing up is not dealing with it. 5 Day Pouch Test Days One & Two: liquid Protein low-carb Protein shakes, broth, clear or cream Soups, sugar-free Gelatin [/url]and pudding. Read more. Day 3: Soft Protein canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy. Read more. Day 4: Firm Protein ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut.Read more. Day 5: Solid Protein white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game Read more.

The band will work but you have to be proactive and make sure you get to restriction. In other words, *you* set the schedule for your fills...not your doctor. You are the only one who knows if you are hungry and able to eat to excess and that is what determines whether or not you get a fill. After reading this forum for months, it's apparent that some doctors use the band as a carrot/stick motivator rather than what it was intended for. They put in a tiny little fill and then threaten not to give you another one if you don't lose weight. That's a misuse of the band. Some doctors only give tiny little .25 or .5 cc fills and space them out 6 weeks apart. Since most people don't get restriction until they have 6+ cc's in their band, it means several months of being in the same position as they were pre-band...and there's no need for it. The point I'm trying to make is that your doctor should be treating you as an individual...not just following some arbitrary schedule of fills. I shopped around for a bariatric surgeon. I chose the one I did because he has a band and knows first hand how and why they work. He allows his patients to set the fill schedule starting from 4 weeks postop but advises that fills should be no closer than 2 weeks apart to give time for any swelling to resolve itself. As a result, I'm probably going to hit my sweet spot by the time I'm 3 months postop. Some people do lose weight for no other reason than they had the surgery...but that is not true for the vast majority. We got this band because we needed something to stop us from eating to excess...and until that band is doing its job by restricting the amount I eat, I'm not losing weight. Now some people have a problem with making the wrong food choices (too much junk and not enough nutritional food). That's your job...and as someone already mentioned, Cookies go through no matter how restricted you are, so it's still up to you to make good choices. It's a partnership and both partners have to do their job for there to be success. .

Woohoo! Congratulations! .

What does restriction feel like? Is it a satiated feeling? Is it a discomfort? Is it a fullness? It's hard to describe. I just 'know' when I've had enough and know that if I take one more bite, I'll be uncomfortable. It's not and never will be the same feeling of full you had pre-band. It's just 'knowing' you're done. No discomfort. No 'fullness' like you had pre-band (i.e. stuffed feeling). If you have discomfort or feel like you ate so much you want to upchuck, then you ate too much. How long does this sensation last before the food passes through the banded area into the main part of the stomach? It should last at least 4 hours. When do you start feeling hungry again? Is it as soon as the small amount of food passes into the stomach? Or is there a satisfied sensation that lasts for some times. I'm never hungry...or wasn't until yesterday. My meals are 5 hours apart, but I drink a low carb/low cal Protein drink (100 cal, 3 carbs) midway between my meals and then one midway between dinner and bed. This keeps my blood sugar levels stable and thus no cravings or hunger. Yesterday, I forgot to drink my Protein shake and 4.5 hours after lunch I felt like I was starving. My stomach was growling and I felt like I was starving (blood sugar was most likely dropping). If my husband hadn't come home early last night and started preparing dinner and had it on the table when I got home, I probably would've stopped at a fast food place on the way home and done something incredibly stupid. .

Mine is Hilda. There's a PBS show called 'Rumpole of the Bailey'. Rumpole always refers to his wife as "She Who Must Be Obeyed"...and that's my Hilda. Doesn't matter whether I want another bite or that piece of french bread. She must be obeyed or I'll pay for it with immediate feedback. .

LOL...like Harvey the invisible rabbit? It was a great movie by the way. .

Everyone will have their own *opinion*. My doctor doesn't care if I live on shakes *as long as* they keep me from being hungry. Some will say that shakes won't keep you full and that may be true for them but it's not true for all, so that will depend on you. Your metabolism will not slow, and your weight loss will not slow down, just by drinking shakes. That has more to do with how many calories you take in. Studies have shown that when you drop your calories below 1000 per day, your body goes into starvation mode. It drops your metabolism because it thinks you are starving and begins to burn lean muscle. Your weight loss will slow. Women who keep their daily calorie count between 1200-1400 lose faster. It sounds as if your doctor is using your band as a reward/punishment. I'd have a serious sit down with them to find out if they understand *why* the band works and explain to them that fills are not based on whether or not you've filled out all their forms correctly. They are based on whether or not you are hungry and still able to eat to excess. You know...when I first started considering the band, I was told that the failure rate was high. Less than half the people who got the band lost even 1/2 of their excess weight, while 100% of bypass patients lost over 1/2 of their weight. After reading the many posts just on this forum, I'm beginning to think that failure rate has less to do with the person being banded and more to do with the doctors who misuse the band as a reward/punishment and/or who do teeny little fills over a long period of time (several months). It's no wonder these people only lose 25 pounds over a period of a year. They're still trying to lose weight without the help of the band. If you find you have a doctor who falls into this category...and isn't willing to be taught or change...I'd start looking for another place to get fills. Just my .02. .

Ummm...that's a new one on me. Cortisal is released into the body as a result of stress and these higher levels create many negative effects such as blood sugar imbalance, higher blood pressure, lower immunity (wounds healing slower), increased abdominal fat (instead of the body depositing it in other areas or all over), just to name a few. I think your doctor is pulling your leg. .

You might want to print some stuff off and take it into your doctor. He apparently believes he installed willpower and the ability to deal with constant hunger when he installed the band. If you are still able to eat to excess and are hungry sooner than 4 hours, you need a fill. The band is meant to give us physical restriction and it can't do that unless it's filled adequately for you. If that was my doc and I was hungry and able to eat to excess, I'd tell him 'give me another fill...I'll chance not eating'. I have a 12cc band and at 7.5 I have restriction, but they told me not to get too complacent since they rarely see anyone at their sweet spot before they hit 8 cc's. .

Restriction is when you eat about a cup of food and feel full for at least 4 hours afterward. I didn't get even temporary restriction from swelling on my first two fills. On my 3rd, I had restriction for about a week and a half. I just had another .5 cc put in last Thursday (for a total of 7.5) and I have restriction again, only better than last time because now I can't drink Water with my meals even if I wanted to. I'd schedule your next fill for 2 weeks from the last one. That'll give you time to make sure any swelling is gone from the last one. .

Don't stress. Some doctors don't even require a pre-op diet. .

Depending on how stuck...it can be mildly uncomfortable to downright painful. I have a hard time with fish no matter how well I chew or how small the bite. I have to take a bite and then wait a minute or two. It goes down a bit hard but usually resolves itself in less than a minute. For a truly stuck episode, I try to wait it out, but if it doesn't clear in 2-3 minutes. I'll take a gulp of Water (standing over the sink) and as soon as that water goes down, it comes right back up. Most of the time it just moves things around in there and I'm unstuck. Sometimes, particularly if I have to take a second gulp, the offending stuck item will shoot out of the esophagus like a missile. These incidents are getting rarer and rarer as I follow the rules more closely and am more concientious about the size of my bites and how well I chew. .

Doesn't make sense to me either, but I know it works. I have found that it makes a difference depending on the moistness of the food. For example, I had some tuna salad in a tomato one day for lunch. It didn't stick with me as long as other foods. I read somewhere to go easy on the mayo since it tends to turn the tuna salad into a slider food. Now I put just enough mayo to moisten it but not nearly as much as I used to...and it stays with me. I've been eating Gorton's grilled tilapia filets and I thought that would be a slider food. Not even close. I can chew it to mush and sometimes I still get a tiny bit stuck where I just have to sit and wait. No pain if I'm smart enough not to stuff another bite on top until it moves. I have to say that as much as I love fish...it's one of those foods that is disgusting when you chew it to mush. .

Manda, You are correct, but we were not discussing excess protein in urine due to a medical problem. The OP was asking if there was a problem in eating too much protein. The responses given that it is not *IF* there is no problem with the kidneys or other medical problems where this would be a symptom of that problem are right on target. I am a diabetic and my doctors get concerned when I have excess protein in my urine *if* my blood sugar levels are also out of control. They had no problem with me doing Atkins and losing 70 lbs and no problem now with me eating an extremely low carb, high protein diet because it is not due to a medical condition. After years of researching this topic and many many discussions with my caregivers at the diabetic clinic at MSU Hospital, because it directly affects my health, I believe there is a great deal of misunderstanding about protein in the urine and a high protein/low carb diet so we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. .