LeighaMason

I love the word "fortnightly" I wish we used it here. The heat has finally broken, this morning when I worked out is was a lovely 77 degrees with only 45% humidity. Its amazing what a difference 10 degrees makes. However, I would like to have some of your rain if you could send it this way we are having a slight drought. I am doing well and maintaining my weight within 2 pounds. Its kind of strange because I have increased my portion sizes and loosened my band so my brain is having to readjust to eating more. When I put food on my plate my brain tells me "That's too much!". I have had to go back to measuring so I can learn my new portion sizes, again. I want to say "I am thinking of you" to Astra's, I know she probably doesn't feel like posting but if she is reading or if someone is reading to her, we are thinking of you. Let us know how you are when you feel like it.

I like it!

I have some encouragement for you, I was banded in Oct 09, and I thought that if I could get to 150 pounds and size 10 I would be happy, but I have always been overly ambitious and I set my goal at 130. I had used diet pills and Adkins to get down to the mid 130's before but I was still a size 10. Well I am now at 133, I went clothes shopping at 135 and I was scared to try on a size 6 because I would be disappointed if they didn't fit, and they were too big, I ended up buying a size 4! So I decided not to lose the last 5 pounds and maintain at 135 or so. Following the band diet and exercising has brought me back to the size I was when I was 20. Of course there is flabby skin involved now but at least it isn't filled with fat. So the moral of my story is 130 is doable! Find an exercise that you enjoy and follow your eating requirements. Your already 30% of the way there!

Bob, Tell us too!

I know a guy who had a tummy tuck and was not going to tell anyone. He took 2 weeks off but when he came back to work, he still couldn't stand upright and it was obvious he was in pain when he had to sit or stand. Seeing him 2 weeks later, I seriously doubt he could have worked after 2 days.

1) Do you have a pressure cooker? They break down the fibers in the meat better. or 2) Cook the chuck roast in the crock pot the day before you want it, put the whole thing in the fridge to cool, remove the hardened fat from the surface and then reheat in the crock pot to serve. (Works best if your Crockpot has a removable pan)

There is a lot to be said for learning to do most of the work yourself and not counting on the band to do it all. I bet once you have restriction combined with what you have learned you will do really well.

This exact thing happened to me in April. I have lots of scar tissue around my port so they had to push hard, the nurse even broke a needle (it pushed back into the syringe) and had to xray me and then start over. After the fill I had no restriction, but I didn't know until I got home. Because I am 2 hours away I had to schedule a time 2 weeks later that I could get off work to go back and have them remove all my fill and check for leaks. The day before I was going to go back, my restriction magically returned and I was at the perfect spot for 4 months! You might wait a couple of weeks before you have them check it. The nurse told me that if she had removed all my fill to check she couldn't put it all back in because I really swell during fills and emptying the band and refilling it is traumatic on the stomach. Good luck, I hope it turns out the same way for you.

It depends on how tight my band is and what I am about to eat. If my band is tight (sweet spot) and I drink right after eating it causes me pain. Also if I am about to eat something that will swell and I drink right before eating it, it swells up and creates the slime. If my band is semi loose like I have it now, I can drink right before and right after eating, I might could drink while eating but I am scared of the pain so I am not willing to try! To me not drinking right before/ during/ or right after eating is to avoid the pain and has no effect on my hunger or how long I stay full.

Are you located where you have other options for a fill, such as a fill center or another Dr's office? If so, I would pay a visit to your current Dr and demand a .2 or .3 fill instead of .5. If you are refused, inform your Dr that you intend to schedule a fill somewhere else and if they still do not cooperate, go through with it. My last few fills were all under .5, my sweet spot, where I lost the last of my weight was at 5.7. I would have never found it going back and forth from 5.5 to 6.

I have one more question to add to Plain's. Are you weighing your meat and using a measuring cup to measure your veggies and starches? I know there is an answer to your problem here somewhere.

I can jump rope for 5 min! I can't believe how strong I am getting with this program, only 10 workouts left. When I went to the shoe store the guy said I should stop my cross training and just train for the half marathon that I am going to do but I just can't stand to quit anything so I will finish this and then train for the half and then after the half I will start the intermediate cross training program. Here is what I was suppose to do: Jump rope for 5 minutes, then run/walk with purpose for 5 minutes. Repeat for 30 minutes. Here is what I did: Rode my bike to the park 1 mile Jumped rope for a total of 15 min. Ran for a total of 15 min 1.2 miles. Rode my bike home. I didn't go until about 8 am so it was already hot, boy I will be glad when fall gets here.

If you find your patience, see if your boobies are there, if they are check and see if my patience and boobies are there too and tell them to come home, I miss them!

It would suck much worse if your band got infected and had to be removed shortly after putting it in. Error on the side of caution. I would make sure I was 100% beforehand.

Astrasmom-- I am so glad to hear from you, I was thinking about you this morning. We are all pulling for you! Catherine-- I remember first seeing your pics when I signed up on this site, I used you for inspiration! Thanks for the complement! Cindy-- 100! Wow! Now that is doing something! KCG-- I hope the hungry monster backs off soon. Sometimes I have found that I am just hungry for a while and then it goes away. Dodge-- 136!?! In 10 months, that has to be a record.

Find a Dr who gives fills under Floro and get to the proper restriction. How much is in your band now?

How much was your last fill? Maybe you need just a little taken out. I just had .2 cc taken out because I am at my size goal and I need to eat more. However, the tricky thing is after my unfill I can now eat denser food and I stay full longer and so I am eating less calories and a better combination of fats/carbs/proteins. Before my unfill I could only do liquid in the morning so I would have a Protein shake and then be hungry around 10:30 and have a yogurt and be hungry again at 12. Now I can have a piece of 100% whole grain bread and an egg and I am full until lunch. (Its 1:30 now and I am just sitting down to eat) So Breakfast before was 250 calories, 3g fat 11%, 24g carb (19g sugar) 39%, 31g protein 50% Now breakfast 180 calories, 8g fat 36%, 21.4g carb (5.4g sugar) 43%, 10.g protein 21% If you can not eat lean meat and veggies you are too tight. And now for the bad news, you may not can lose any more with diet, you may have to burn the rest off with super intense exercise. I got to a point where the only way I was losing was to run a 5K, three times a week. The last 20% is a real pain in the butt!

Hey Toni, Do you do any volunteer work? If you are interested in meeting unselfish guys that might be the thing for you. Most cities have a web site or organization that lists volunteering opportunities.

Even though this is a few months old I would like to say, I got banded for vanity reasons only. I was perfectly healthy but obese. I was tired of being fat. Why should the band be reserved for "health reasons only"? Why should you wait until you are sick or morbidly obese before you seek intervention? And finding a surgeon who will do low BMI is not difficult.

If you are looking for something to monitor the portion size of the food you eat, while you monitor the type of food that you put in your mouth then lap band is what you are looking for. If you are looking for something that will stop you from eating junk food, it wont help. Sweets and carbs go through the band like its not even there. A common theme for people who are disappointed with the band is "I thought I was going to eat the same, just less of it, and lose all my weight." (This is a generalization and doesn't apply to everyone who is disappointed with the band, but I see it a lot.)

Here is how I made it through the pre and post op diets. "I can do it today, I don't know what will happen tomorrow but for today I can follow this diet!" One time I was riding my motorcycle and a cold front came through. I was about 30 miles from home and it was 40 degrees. I had ridden that road many times so I knew the road and that is how I got myself home. "I can make it to the next stop sign, then I will see if I can go on." When I got to the next stop sign, I would make another deal. "OK I can make it to the next turn and then I will see if I can go on." One step at a time. I day, 1 hour, 1 meal. Break it up into manageable parts. Good luck! Your stronger than you think.

I think your band is too tight, and you have been given unrealistic expectations about what to eat to feel full. "I was told no more than an egg amount of food"-- Nobody would be full on that, if so you could just eat 3 boiled eggs a day. I eat a 3-4 oz piece of chicken (a piece the size of my palm), 1/2 cup of veggies and 1/4 cup of starch. "Basically no matter how slow or how much i chew my food. i ALWAYS have discomfort." I was like this as well and had .2 cc removed and I can now eat without pain. The funny thing is I had mine removed because I was at goal and I wanted to be able to eat more so I could stop losing weight, but now I can eat without pain and I am eating less calories. For example, before I would start the day with a Protein shake because that is all I could get down and then a yogurt around 10:30 which is a total of 250 calories for both and 19g of sugar but now I have a piece of whole wheat bread with a fried egg and that is only 180 calories and 5.4g of sugar and I am full for 3 hours. So the calories aren't much different but the rate which my body processes it is so much better. I don't have insurance either so I am with you on the cost of maintenance, but if you can get another .2 or .3 cc removed I think you could do better. Nobody can keep a positive attitude when eating is torture.

Because you wont need as much follow up care, fills etc., you might consider traveling to a surgeon who specializes in the sleeve if you decide to go that way. I would want someone who had done several hundred before mine. That is how I picked my band Dr, by experience.