ElfiePoo

I interviewed about 7 different doctors/clinics and 4 of them had 'program' fees and lots of pre and post-surgery requirements not required by my insurance which means my insurance would also not have paid for these tests. The clinic I finally chose has no program fee and only requires special tests based on the health of each individual, which means they can back it up to the insurance company and it will be covered. I do have to drive an hour one way to the clinic but since I only have to do it every couple weeks for a fill...and then maybe not for months...it's worth it. Personally, I'd keep looking around because there are good bariatric clinics and doctors who do not require a fee.

That's how I felt at the movie theater last week when I fell 'off the wagon'. A little popcorn would not have hurt me and I really really didn't need or want the candy, but once I got started, it was almost as if I couldn't stop. Old addictions die hard. Sadly that was also the first day where my restriction disappeared...or Hilda would've stopped me. I had another fill on Thursday and have restriction again and as much as I would have liked to have OD'd on the shrimp scampi for lunch yesterday, I knew Hilda would've slapped me hard with pain if I had tried so I stopped after about 4-5 pieces of shrimp. .

Isn't it wonderful when our band does its job? I'm hoping I've finally hit the sweet spot, but we'll see if this restriction lasts beyond a week or so <crossing fingers>. .

Delfina, Hang in there! If you're reaching for sweets, choose something sugar free...at least then the damage isn't as great. If you must eat, choose low carb options...again, the damage will not be as great. I know the tendency is to reach for those 'comfort carbs' but remember, it will be a bit like getting ticked at the city because your property taxes are high and burning down your house in retaliation. The other thing I find helpful is meditation. Nothing more than finding a quiet spot (or stick on some noise cancelling headphones with some soothing music), put on some soothing music and concentrate on relaxing. There are some spots on the web that talk about meditation for destressing. I find it helps a lot. .

TJ, How are you doing today? I have to say your post was a bit of a shock because you're usually the most upbeat person, patiently working with your band. So go ahead and have your pity party, my friend, but c'mon back afterward...and soon. You don't want to blow all the hard work you've put in so far! .

I know from my own experience that when the band is doing its job, our job becomes possible. Without restriction, I'll be honest and say that I still overeat. Oh, not as much as preband, but that had nothing to do with the band. When I have restriction, like I did after my third fill for a couple weeks and now after my 4th fill, it's easy to put down that fork because I 'feel' full...and I stay satisfied after meals. This restriction is different from my last. Now I can't even drink small amounts with my meals or I get stuck. Now I am able to stop at 1 cup of food, knowing if I take one more bite, I'll regret it. What the band does isn't magic...but it can certainly feel that way to those of us who never felt full or content without eating enough food for several adult people. Hang in there guys...and push for your fills. Don't let the doctor set the fill schedule. *YOU* set the schedule. If you're hungry and able to eat to excess...get a fill. You should be able to do this every 2 weeks until you reach restriction. I truly feel sorry for those of you who have doctors who make them wait months with teeny little fills when they know that until you reach a certain level, you won't have restriction. Take charge of your own care. Be proactive and get out of bandster hell.

Hey everyone, Just checking in. Had my 4th fill last Thursday and I now have 7.5 cc in a 12cc band. For the first time I am physically unable to drink with my meals because if I put any Water at all down, even a sip, it's almost like it moves things around and I'm immediately, and painfully, stuck. I am also physically unable to eat more than about 1 cup of food. Previously, even with my temporary restriction after my third fill, I could still overeat...just not as much as I could preband. Now I can't at all. Hilda is doing her job. I'm hoping it's the sweet spot but the tech said she hasn't seen anything reach that point until they've reached at least 8 cc...so we'll see. The good news is that I'm down two pounds just from Thursday...nice to see since blowing it at the movie theater *twice* the week before and gaining the 7 lb I lost the prior week or so. Five more pounds to go and I'll be back to where I was prior to my loss of sanity. My mother-in-law seems to have made it her mission in life to plague me with aerobics twice a week. If y'all remember, she lost her husband the day before Thanksgiving. She's doing well, but not above using (in a nice way) her 'loneliness' to get me to go to aerobics with her...despite the fact that she went by herself for 13 years prior to his death. I thought I'd get a break the next two weeks because she's visiting her daughter in Texas, since my son drives my car to school and she picks me up for aerobics...but no. She handed me the keys to her car so I could continue to go while she's gone...and believe me, the other old ladies at this class will let her know if I don't show up. Good to hear you all are getting some benefits from your bands! Keep up the good work!

If you don't have restriction yet, my .02 is that you don't set yourself up for failure through hunger by cutting your food to 1/2 cup per meal. Again, just my .02. I'll usually start my morning with either a low carb Protein shake made with skim milk and half a banana. Sometimes I'll have an egg and slice of bacon with the top half of an English muffin, although I was just filled again this past Thursday and I only made it through the egg and bacon this morning. Then 2.5 hours after Breakfast, I'll drink a low carb, low cal Protein Shake (about 110 calories and 2 carbs). 2.5 hours after that I have lunch which is usually about 2-3 oz of protein and 1/2-1 c. of steamed vegies (broccoli, cauliflower, green Beans, brussel sprouts, etc.) or I'll have 3 oz of tuna or chopped cooked chicken mixed with celery, onion and just enough mayo to moisten it a bit over about 1 cup of chopped lettuce or 3 oz of grilled chicken in a tossed salad with a homemade vinagrette (olive oil, wine vinegar, garlic, thyme, mustard). 2.5 hours after lunch I'll do another low carb, low cal protein shake. 2.5 hours after that I'll have dinner which is about 3-5 oz of protein, 1/2-1 cup of steamed vegies and 1/4-1/2 cup of carbs (potatoes, rice, Pasta, bread, etc.) 2.5 hours after that I'll have another protein shake. In between I drink my Water. I'm never hungry and I never crave. Mainly because I'm not eating a lot of carbs and I'm putting protein in my system every 3 hours. I put 1/4- 1/2 or 1/2-1 cup as a range because some days I'm tighter than others. For example, yesterday (a day after my last fill), I only had a bacon and egg for breakfast, my normal Protein shakes through the day, a few pieces of shrimp with steamed vegies for lunch and 4 chicken wings for dinner. I don't mean 4 whole wings. I cut the wing tips off and then split the drummie from the other part. I ate 4 of the pieces that have the two bones in them (don't know what you call them). After eating the 4 wings, and we know how little is on them, I just didn't have room for anything more. .

I don't think it matters how often you weight yourself...as long as you don't let those scales set you into the frame of mind of 'screw it'...which many of us have done in the past when we thought we were being really good at sticking to a diet and the scale didn't move...or worse it showed a gain. I'm a bit obsessive about my weighing. It has to be done the same time of day (literally), wearing the same clothes (nightshirt), right after I go to the bathroom and before I eat. I've found that if I weigh myself at 6 a.m. vs my usual 7 a.m., I can be 3 pounds lighter. So I weigh myself at 7 a.m. If I forget, I don't bother stepping on the scale. I have to say that the normal weight people I know do step on that scale every morning but they don't obsess about what it says. .

I used to weigh myself every day, but now I only weigh once a week on Mondays. I used to be obsessed with the scale when I dieted. I think the reason I'm not now is because I'm not dieting.

Studies prove that women lose weight faster when they stick around 1200-1400 calories per day. Less and you lose slower because your body drops your metabolism and becomes more efficient because it thinks it's starving. You'll also lose lean muscle mass instead of fat. Every nut/doc will have different nutritional requirements and there is wide disagreement on how much of your diet should be Protein vs. carbs. From experience, I do best on a diet where I limit the carbs found in Pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, etc. These types of carbs send my blood sugar skyward which leads to craving more carbs. During the day I get a limited amount of carbs...the few found in a low carb Protein shake or salad type vegies. At dinner I allow myself 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. .

Kim, Fills will not cause you to lose weight. Only reducing your calories and/or increasing your activity will do that. The only thing the fill will do...when you get to restriction...is to give you that full feeling and keep you feeling full longer. I never got the temporary restriction after my first 2 fills. After my third, I had a temporary restriction for about 2 weeks. Then it was gone. I went in yesterday for another fill of .5 cc and I have some restriction again. Before I could drink with my meals if I wanted (yes I know that's a no-no). Now, I can't even take a sip of Water during a meal without sliming or getting stuck. It's almost as if the water moves the things I've eaten around, causing a blockage. I also feel full again after a small meal. The tech said it's probably only temporary, but I'll take what I can get and I have another appointment in 2 weeks just in case I need a bit more fill. .

Do you mean you liquify your food before you eat it...or that you chew it so much that it's mush in your mouth before you swallow it? All the literature I have from my band says to chew your food so that it's like mush in the mouth. Even then, there are some foods that will still give you a problem. I do this and the food doesn't slide through right away for me. According to one website (sorry, can't remember where), they said to be careful when adding things like mayo to tuna or chicken because it wets it down and can make it into a slider food. I had to stop eating casserole type dishes for this very reason.

Y'all are killing me with the burp discussion. I never burped much before the band but now I have tiny little burps at the end of a meal. I take it as my full, but haven't overeaten, signal. I'm wondering why the huge needles? The syringe they use on me is tiny and I don't even feel it when they poke through the skin. No numbing either. .

1 - how did they check to see if you had a leak? They took all the Fluid out of the band. They knew they put 6 cc's in so they knew that 6 cc's should come back out...and it did. 2 - at 8cc's when you could only drink shakes, how long did it take you to realize that and how did you know? Did everything you ate come back up? EVERYTHING? My doctor doesn't require 24 hours of liquids after a fill, so I first knew at dinner time. I was being especially careful since I didn't know which foods would give me problems with my new fill so I took a small bite and chewed really well, but I had immediate pain. I ended up drinking a gulp of Water to bring it back up. I thought perhaps I might be swollen so I just stayed on liquids that day and the next...but even by the next day and the day after, whenever I tried to eat anything at all, it got stuck. So I stayed on Protein shakes until after the holidays rather than disturb them. 3 - were you measuring to make sure you were only eating one cup of food? How was that broken down in Proteins, fats, carbs? I didn't need to. I wasn't able to eat 'foods' at all...not even a bite. 4 - what caused the swelling that gave you the sense of restriction? Some people get a bit of swelling after a fill. It's just irritation to the stoma. No big deal. It goes down. I never had that until this last time.

Yep, it is...too early that is. I was banded on 11/3 and had my first 3 cc fill four weeks postop. Had another 3 cc fill two weeks later. A week after that, because I could still eat anything and as much as I wanted (if I chose) with no sign of restriction, I went back in and they pulled it all out to see if I had a leak. Nope, no leak. 6 cc's in the band and no restriction. So they put in another 2 cc. Oops...now I could only drink Protein shakes. So a week later they took out 1 cc. Bingo! Restriction! I felt full after eating 1 cup of food and was full for about 4 hours. On a sad note, that restriction disappeared (after two glorious weeks) yesterday or the day before so apparently I am still not at my sweet spot as I thought. My restriction was just from swelling. The good news is that I was set for another fill appointment this Thursday although I'm guessing they won't be so aggressive this time since I'm obviously getting close. .

Hi Todd, Welcome to the forum. .

I have to keep it simple. Too much thinking about food just makes me want it all the more. So here's my sample menu: Breakfast: Protein shake made with milk and 1/2 banana OR 1 scrambled egg, 1 slice of toast and I use a bit of butter on the toast Mid Meal (about 2.5 hours after breakfast and 2.5 hours before lunch): Low carb/low calorie protein shake (I do Isopure 1 scoop in a cup of water) lunch 3-4 oz tuna or chicken mixed with a bit of lite mayo and stuffed in a tomato or with some lettuce. OR 3-4 oz grilled chicken in a salad and yes I use real oil in my dressing Mid Meal (about 2.5 hours after lunch and 2.5 hours before dinner): Low carb/low calorie protein shake (I do Isopure 1 scoop in a cup of water) DINNER: 3-4 oz protein (grilled chicken or steak, baked fish) 1/2 cup low carb vegies such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, green Beans, cabbage, etc. (sometimes it's more like 3/4 c) 2 Tbs or 1/4 cup rice, potatoes, Pasta or beans AFTER dinner MINI MEAL (about 2.5 hours after) Low carb/low cal protein shake

one week I have lost 10 lbs. Is that average? Better than I did. Probably because I went through each phase of the postop diet in 2-3 days and back on regular foods at the end of 2 weeks. Which are the best Vitamins to take and what dosage? Mine told me to take a children's chewable. What are the best supplements (calcium citrate or the other, etc) Sorry, don't take them so I don't know. Best chocolate Protein drinks or powder without chalky taste? EAS Protein Powder mixed with milk. I just found the EAS ready made drinks and I like them as well. Best tasting clear liquids protein drinks? Haven't found any I like. Isopure clear drinks dry my mouth out. Any lotions or tricks to prevent saggy skin? Whether or not you end up with saggy skin has to do with your age, genetics, how much weight you have to lose and how long you've been overweight. However, it can't hurt to make sure you drink your 64 oz of Water and stay hydrated. When will I feel normal again? What's normal? I was back to work the day after surgery and I haven't looked back. Any other good tip you think I should know? Don't get into the mindset of 'once I get a fill everything will go according to plan'. Too many people have this mindset and get to restriction but don't recognize that they are there because they don't understand that the band isn't a magic wand. Even after you have restriction...which could take weeks or months after surgery...you'll still have to 'choose' to obey the band rules (e.g. no drinking with meals), still have to choose good food choices and still have to choose not to eat slider foods...so start with the good habits now.

Mine did for about 6 weeks...but then the combination of the port healing (takes about 8 weeks) and losing my belly...well...:thumbup: .

Some doctors require a preliquid diet...some don't. I doubt it's that much of a big deal that you've cheated. I asked my surgeon if he would have required a several week liquid diet if I had weighed more and he said he has put bands on people who have BMI's in the 60's and 70's and has never put any of them on liquid diets before hand because (a) it sets them up for failure since they are likely not going to stick to them anyway and ( he hasn't found that they've taken off enough weight to make much difference in the long run. *HOWEVER* any weight you can take off prior to surgery is less you'll have to worry about later *and* you'll feel better coming out of surgery. I only took off 14 pounds prior to surgery but I took off more than that in inches. I went into surgery feeling better than I had in a long time and I would guess that is what contributed to my super quick recovery time. .

I did do the 'last supper' thing a couple times by hitting my very favorite restaurants since I figured I wouldn't be able to do it after I had the band (wrong assumption). Although outside of those times, I actually ate less because I didn't want to go into surgery bloated (since my doc didn't require a presurgery diet). From the time of my seminar to my surgery (6 weeks total), I lost around 14 pounds. Go figure. .

My BMI was over 40 (still is I think) and I didn't have to do one.

My doctor said the exact same thing. No special diet before hand, except for only liquids the day before surgery and afterwards I was back on regular foods by the end of the second week. .

I will usually just try to wait it out for a few minutes, but if it doesn't resolve itself, I'll take a *gulp* (sip won't do it) of Water and it immediately comes right back out, usually with the offending item...or at least it shifts the offending item so it's not stuck anymore. If you do this, make sure you're standing over the waste basket or sink because it is a very immediate reaction. This is not throwing up, by the way. .