jensmallwood

Gosh- how long are you on liquids for? It'll be easier when you start on mushies (a little) and it'll be a lot better when you are on solids. I would add more shakes or Protein smoothies. I made mine with carnation instant breakfast, vanilla greek yogurt, a little skim milk, blended up frozen strawberries (if you're allowed) and a tablespoon or two of Peanut Butter. I made them pretty thick when I was allowed to. The combo of the protein and fat kept me pretty full for a couple/few hours. (Soup did very little for my hunger when I was on liquids.)

Do call and see if you can get a fill sooner. Maybe they'll say yes! Otherwise, there are things you can eat which will help you feel fuller more quickly. Protein, fat and Fiber all empty the stomach more slowly and keep you fuller and more satisfied for a longer period of time. So a chicken breast with veggies cooked in some oil and maybe some brown rice would keep you fuller than some simple carbohydrates (like Pasta or something.) Don't worry too much about stretching your pouch. Unless you are bingeing- you won't stretch it. The reason you're not feeling much fullness is that without restriction the food is falling right through into the big part of your stomach. So it can't stretch the pouch. It is just like dieting at this stage (if you've decided that you want weight loss during the bandster hell phase. Some do and some don't.)

I was hungry pretty quickly- I'd say about 4 or 5 days after surgery.

Mary- I wish I knew the answer to your question-- but I want to bring up something that you brought up in another post about the technician re-sticking you over and over to find the port (what probably caused the infection.) I hope people read this (or that other thread) because I sometimes read about people on this site who need to be stuck more than once to find the port, and I hope that they are INSISTING on a new, sterile needle for each stick (along with all the cleaning of skin that goes along with it.) Without your post I never would have thought twice about a doctor/nurse sticking me twice with the same needle. I also hope that you have let your surgeon know what happened that day and that the Lap Band site says specifically that new sticks should be done with a clean, sterile needle. They need to fix that problem so it does not re-occur with someone else. I'm so sorry that you're going through this!!

I'm nearly 6 months out and am still afraid of failure. I recently was cleaning out my spare room closet and found a box of clothes that I haven't worn in a while but mostly fit, or soon will. That made me realize that I have a bunch of "too big" clothes that also need to go. But I worry -- keep them or give them away? Last time I lost, I gave it all away and when I gained again I had to buy new fat-clothes (uggg). A church near my house has posted outside a sign that says "Thoughts become things." Basically that what we think becomes our reality. That helped me to decide to give my too-big clothes away. I won't be needing them anymore!! MUST stay positive!

That is one of the COOLEST finisher's medals I've ever seen! LOVE it! Where and when is your event?

My guess is that you are adding muscle! Since you said that you are also biking 10 hours a week, and you are losing inches- it seems that fat is coming off, and lean muscle is coming on. That equals the same number on the scale, but a leaner, slimmer body. That's a good thing-- AND the scale will start to move again. I have to really watch when I exercise a lot that I don't overeat (because I have the exercise excuse.)

Hooray! Wonderful news on all counts! It's so fun to shop in the normal section. When I recently went shopping I spent waaaaay too much money because everything FIT!!!

You can do it! Hey-- I'm impressed with the 2 year maintenance as well. If you were my client at the gym, I'd recommend that you make a short term SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.) One or two small things that you know you CAN do, but haven't been doing. For example- I will eat 3 servings of high Protein foods each day. Or, I will walk for 15 minutes 5 days this week. When you have accomplished those first one or two, add another one or two small goals for the next week in addition to the two from last week(or goals can be longer than that.) A goal like "I will lose 2 pounds this week" isn't a good one-- it's too nebulous. You want to choose goals that are action-oriented. 2 pounds doesn't just fall off. You have to eat specific things, exercise a specific amoutn, etc. Hopefully that makes sense. Other than that-- for me, getting the bad carbs out of the diet works wonders for me in terms of kick starting weight loss. You might also start tracking food if you haven't been. Good luck!

Great job!!! I've been teetering since June. I hope I have a breakthrough soon, too!

If you can eat small amounts of real food, then stay where you are. If you can only do liquids/mushies, then go get a slight unfill.

Frankly, I wouldn't rely on pilates as a huge weight loss tool. As a form of exercise, it is great for correcting postural muscles and creating a lot of endurance for the core, as well as some limb strength. Be sure that you are also getting some good, old-fashioned cardiovascular exercise (walking, dancing, swimming, etc). The rebounder move that is available on that machine will get your heart up (I watched a video of it), but lying down for your cardio is only going to take you so far. You need to be up on your feet to get the really good bang-for-your-buck fat burning that you want. Good luck!

Another reason that Peanut Butter might make you feel full is that it's got a lot of fat. Fat slows down gastric emptying (lap band or not). So does Protein, and so does Fiber. Just remember -- eating a TB of peanut butter will add 90 calories and 8 g of fat to your meal. Just be sure to account for it. I suggest trying to get some healthy fat at each meal- whether it be from a nut butter (and of course natural is healthier), avocado , olive oil or fatty fish. Often, we lap-banders forego as much fat as possible when really we need some to be healthy and satisfied.

I am a Pilates teacher at my local Y, and just love it! I teach mat pilates with and without props (magic circle, flex band, mini and stability balls), but I also take classes on the reformer, wunda chair, etc. I also teach Pilates on a machine called "Gravity." It's basically a Total Gym-type piece, if you know what that is. I enjoy it a lot. I'll have to look up the piece of equipment you bought-- I'm not familiar with it specifically. Did it come with a dvd or a book? Are you able to understand the nuances of pilates practice from the material that came with the machine (since there's no teacher present)? I wouldn't mind getting a home reformer if it's not too crazy expensive!

That's awesome! Congrats!

Hang in there! What are you drinking? Get plenty of Protein shakes, and I would suggest some with some carbohydrates in them. That dizzy feeling may be because of a lack of carbs, not protein. (I'm NOT a doctor, though, so ymmv.) If you're drinking juice, and milk, you could stick with a more protein/low/no carb shake. Are you getting enough calories? Another word- the band does nearly NOTHING to prevent emotional eating. It may help it stop sooner (say, when you get so full you can't eat without throwing up), but it won't stop the ice ream from going down when we're sad/mad/whatever (my nemesis.) For this problem I strongly recommend a therapist! (seriously- find a good one that deals with bariatric patients or emotional eating specifically.) You are still VERY early in this process! It's normal to feel weak and tired only 4 days out, so don't worry. You CAN do this-- up your calories, get plenty of protein from liquids (liquid yogurt, milk, shakes), get some carbs (milk, juice, yogurt, some protein shakes). And ALLOW your body to rest. You've just had major surgery and your body needs to heal. You may be getting dizzy because you're trying to do too much. Within the next couple of weeks you'll feel entirely normal again (really!) And you'll begin to eat real food again- but there will be a new "normal" with how you go about this (the old normal wasn't working very well anyway, was it?). You'll take smaller bites, ,chew lots, eat protein first, everything else second. You'll stop when you're full. That's it. Just give yourself some time!

What a horrible experience! I imagine the more times they have to poke in there, the greater the chance of infection. Hopefully the skin surrounding the area was fully disinfected, hands were washed, gloves were worn, the needle was not set down somewhere in between attempts... but even if all this was done, it seems to me that the needle is only sterile the first time it goes in. I hope you heal quickly! Will they replace your port eventually when the infection is cleared up?

How much are you able to drink/eat? It sounds like you are not even able to hold much liquid- is that right? (you said you have no more room for more water.) I'd add at LEAST one more shake to your diet. Those things are what, 150 calories, tops? During the liquid/mushy stage you don't have to restrict that so much (in my opinion.) You might also try to add some vanilla greek yogurt. 110-150 calories- 14-17 g of Protein. And it'll give you some carbs- which will help the dizzy feeling go away (your brain needs some carbs.)

If you're in pain then you need to have some fluid taken out, in my opinion. The risk of injury to your stomach from a too tight band is too great compared to the possibility of weight gain. Then you need to make an appt with a doctor/surgeon and talk about your options (including financial options.)

I disagree, actually (and respectfully)-- protein is NOT a great source of energy. Our bodies don't particularly like to burn protein for energy and only do it if nothing else is available. It also can't be burned quickly enough during an athletic event to be of much use. Our muscles can store carbohydrates that are then readily available to them during exercise. Runners need carbs- maybe not a giant "carb-loading fest" that we might like to think we deserve the night before a big race, but carbs nonetheless. (I am guilty of this.) Eat normally the night before. Have a carb breakfast in the morning that works for you. Maybe you can eat whole grain bread if it is toasted? Bananas are typically easy to get down, or maybe oatmeal. As Kamala said, you need to TRY IT OUT before you race on your long run and see how it feels. Try out different gel products. If you use gel, take it with Water. I don't use any gels during a half- but I do take Gatorade at all the water stops (or if it's tasting bad to me at that time, I take it at every-other.) But it also depends on how hot it is, and how quickly you're going to be done. If you're a two hour half-marathoner, you'll need less than if you're planning to take 3 hours (your muscles can store about 2 hours worth of carbs before becoming depleted). Then of course good nutrition afterwards. (and a cookie because you deserve it after a half!)

I've been involved in a variety of endurance sports-- including cycling-- not quite to the double century mark-- but I did the Ride Across Indiana, which is 160 miles in one day. I have also done marathon and triathlon (up to half-Iron distance.) The main problems I have found with gastric distress have been due to improper mixing of nutritional aids-- mostly not diluting them enough or taking a carb product (gel, for example) and downing that with a swallow of carbohydrate drink instead of with Water. When the carb ratio isn't right for digestion, it can cause gastric distress. Other than that-- I think endurance "insert-your-sport- here" just takes a toll. I mean, the blood normally sent to your stomach to digest food is being diverted to your working skeletal muscle, and so food sometimes sits like a rock in your gut, or alternatively, gas/diarrhea problems ensue. Mostly I think you need to experiment, experiment, experiment on your TRAINING rides to see what works best for you. Make sure you are using the Hammer products as specified (if you're mixing them yourself) and take gels, etc with water to keep the sugar ratio proper. Double century is an impressive feat! Congrats!

Well... I think that pretty soon you'll be looking VERY forward to food again! But in the meantime, it's good that you are babying your band. It needs lots of good time to heal. When you do move onto real food, start slow, chew a lot, and it'll go well. Congrats on your fabulous weight loss so far!

The nurse at my surgeon's office who does the fills is very careful to try to understand whether the amount I am eating is due to restriction or due to my own willpower. It doesn't sound like the woman at your office gets the difference. I'd see if you can see the surgeon. AND I'd see if he'll see you earlier than scheduled.

losingwgt- The other thing that has happened (at least in the US) is that with so many people overweight we have come to see overweight as the new "normal." You are doing great! Down with the haters! :cursing:

Wow! Congrats on the super- success!!