RavenClaw779

Two Points: 1) My surgeon told me that there are doctors who've had the procedure who routinely have saline removed from their bands prior to medical conferences so they can indulge. Right? Wrong? Crazy? Guess it just shows they're no stronger in the will power department than the rest of us. 2) My husband and I went out to a very upscale european -style bistro for dinner last night. We "split" a small soft-shell crab salad appetizer( I had 3 bites), He had a cup of gumbo (I had a spoon full), rustic bread( He had 4 slices, I had two torn off pieces), He had a full size quail entree, I had a petite scallop plate( 3 bay scallops, a stalk of asparagus, two baby carrots and 1/8 cup field greens). For dessert - bread pudding - I had three small bites. Every bite was delish and more importantly it was enough. Bon Voyage!

Read it and found the recipes workable. Another good read is "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery".

I think the failure rate(of the product itself) is probably no different than any other medically implanted device - pacemaker, silicone breast implants...etc. Let's assume that those folks who got the placebo probably found their insurance billed as if they got the real deal. I'm sure if they self-paid, to maintain the aura of having had the real surgery, they were treated to bills for the full cost - after all, we wouldn't want to distort the placebo effect! That said, I'm not even three months out, so no real restriction or progress(I'm hopeful) but I didn't find the procedure overly painful or compromising and I would guess that if the product itself failed, I'd have it replaced if my doctor felt it was safe to do so. Ask me again in a year. The technology is changing all the time. On today's "The Doctors" show, they showed the use of the "gastric balloon". This is not yet approved in the US(is undergoing clinical trials) but is being done in Canada and Europe. Apparently a gastric balloon is inserted into the stomach in a procedure similiar to an endoscopy, then filled with Water. The patient is under a local anesthesia and the whole process takes less than 30 minutes. There's no extensive pre-cert testing, no cutting, no sutures. At this point the balloon is only left in for 6 months in which time the patient is to learn appropriate eating habits. I gather at 6 months, it is removed but can be replaced. It's filled with food colored water so that if it breaks or leaks the patient will know at the next bathroom break. The doctor can then remove and replace it at the same time. The feeling of fullness is immediate. I can honestly say that if this had been an option, I'd have gone this route first and if the FDA approves it and I need to have my band removed, I'd definately research this option.

I'm impressed with your pre & post procedure success. Me - only lost 11 pounds since surgery but I'm not even remotely restricted so I'm plodding on. Keep up the good work!

It was a promising first meeting and this therapist was much more engaging and involved than the one I saw for my bariatric clearance. I am cautiously optimistic.

Probably because like everyone else I get tired of talking about food, my procedure, how much I have/haven't lost...especially in light of all the other things I have to do. I need a 36 hour day to stay on top of everything else in my life! I still can't figure out the appeal of Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn - although I have accounts with all three, it's a major effort for me to check in, update, post. In some ways it feels very high school and it's all the same attention getting, self-serving brown-nosers as way back when - except now they're the jackasses you either work with or deal with professionally OR the people you hoped never to see or hear from again from high school or college knocking on your virtual door to play the old "look at my fabo life" one-ups-manship game. God - and I thought the sorority sister whose Christmas brag letter was over the top was bad!?! Couple that with the need to censor yourself, and the lack of privacy - I'd much rather send a personal email one-on-one than put myself out there. I've read a fair number of posts re; who to tell - yet another reason to keep your social network settings as limited and private as possible - I had someone from one of my support group meetings attempt to "friend" me and frankly, there are some people with access to my professional life who don't need to know my personal business and some people from my past I'd rather maintain a casual(at best) relationship with - i.e., not out crowing to the old hometown crowd, "OMG - did ya know Jill had weight loss surgery!?!?" Makes going home for the holidays even more dreadful!:rolleyes2:

My whole GB experience has made me more mindful of the "why" behind my complusive overeating(binging) - my abusive childhood. While I'm still searching for a local therapist to work with one-on-one, I found the Adult Survivors of Child Abuse website and a promising self-help workbook(downloadable for free from their site) titled Survivor to Thriver. I'm facing the fact that regardless of dietary changes, and my new "tool", until I address what's driving my "drive" to eat, my success may be limited.

Yes! Between my dietary counsel from my NUT and the band, the scale has finally started moving and even with just 4cc in my 11cc band I can sense when I'm full. Was actually able to enjoy a modest meal of Chinese take-out last night. What's working for me is not neccessarily the standard "3 meals - no snacks" approach. My NUT has me on a meal plan structured for me which includes real foods(inc veggies and salad), carbs(limited - not zero) and an 8oz glass of moo juice(skim) half an hour after each meal. I use it to take my vitamins. My NUT gives me lots of reading material the latest being the Journal of the American Dietetic Association - April 2010 edition (Understanding the Impact of Bariatric Surgery). One over reaching theme of everything I've read is that there is no hard and fast rule on post procedure nutrition/meal planning and the ADA is trying to nail down specific recs to be made. That said - this works for me and it feels like it's a good mesh(for now) of proper nutrition, willpower and the band.

Attended a support group meeting with a friend. There were about 80 people there and not surprising most were quite obese. What got us was when we went around the room with everyone giving their surgery date/weight loss etc and it turned out that most of the people there were a year plus out - and hadn't lost much weight or had reached a plateau. Sadly, the people running the meeting (surgeon's group)had no valuable input to give beyond the same old "60-80grams of Protein!, Exercise!, Eat Less!" Equally troubling - the number of attendees who'd had the procedure yet had no clue about proper nutrition, the presenter when fielding a question from a diabetic patient who commented that because she'd had the procedure she, "couldn't still be a diabetic...next question!..." and the push to go back on Medifast(which they sell - Buy some NOW!) when you reach a plateau. I get more from this site and my NUT - thank God my doctor had the sense to hook me up with the right person!:smile:

There are days - but I'm just 6 weeks out and the real restriction hasn't kicked in so I can eat far more than I should, but not as much as I used to, so I have lost and kept off 40 pounds. I'm trying to be optimistic that as I approach the green zone, I'll have more success. Of course over doing it with exercise and pulling a muscle at one of my incision sites resulting in getting out of chairs and the car like an old lady is an "OMG What DID I do!?" moment!:thumbup:

This aspect wasn't discussed much either by my surgeon's practice and it's only since I started getting fills(surgery 3/9; 2nd fill 4/28 - 4cc in an 11cc band) and expressing my distress at "only" losing 10 pounds that the PA's who do the fill are telling me that it takes time to get to the "green zone"...as for any feedback from the doc who did my procedure - I won't see him again unless there's a physical problem with the band - his surgery schedule is too busy... Now here's something that did freak me out. Went to a support group at my doc's practice. A lot of the folks there were a year plus out and had "only" lost 50 pounds. All were still "obese" and most were quite unhappy at their "failure"(their words not mine). All the presenters could give them for suggestions was the same old and a push to go back on Medifast. I started getting that sweaty anxiety feeling like WTF - why did I do this if I'm going to continue to be hungry and will "only" lose 50 pounds?? Since I lost 30 on my own prior to GB and 10 since, that means if I lose another 10, I'll have paid $1,200 for each post GB pound lost! Suddenly Weight Watchers looks like a bargain! I calmed myself down - I met with my NUT who worked out any eating plan for me and I've accepted that I am only 6 weeks out and need to Chillax! :thumbup:

It's called an "indirect calorimeter". You'll fast for 12 hours prior and should've been told not to exercise the day prior and no caffine the morning of the appointment. You'll have to breathe normally into a mouth piece; your nose will be clamped shut(doesn't hurt) - you'll likely sit in a comfy chair and flip through a magazine while the test is run. The reason for no food/caffine or exercise is that your NUT is trying to determine your resting calorie need at it's most essential level - exercise elevates your metabolism as does caffine and your body actively digesting food. Hope this helps.

Attended a support group meeting with a friend. There were about 80 people there and not surprising most were quite obese. What got us was when we went around the room with everyone giving their surgery date/weight loss etc and it turned out that most of the people there were a year plus out - and hadn't lost much weight or had reached a plateau. Sadly, the people running the meeting (surgeon's group)had no valuable input to give beyond the same old "60-80grams of Protein!, Exercise!, Eat Less!" Equally troubling - the number of attendees who'd had the procedure yet had no clue about proper nutrition, the presenter when fielding a question from a diabetic patient who commented that because she'd had the procedure she, "couldn't still be a diabetic...next question!..." and the push to go back on Medifast(which they sell - Buy some NOW!) when you reach a plateau. I get more from this site and my NUT - thank God my doctor had the sense to hook me up with the right person!:thumbup:

I was going to say a good nutritionist! I've got a question - is anyone tracking their food/calories/protein? I'm looking for either a good online site or a hardcopy to throw in my purse when I'm on the go? Any ideas?

"Just an ornament" - that's great and spot-on! I'm going in for fill #2 tomorrow - currently @ 2.5cc in an 11cc Realize "tummy bracelet". I'd say I'm in Bandster Hell and it seems everyone else has been there too. Meeting with my nutritionist yesterday really helped me to get a good idea of what I should be eating and when, using real food in lieu of protein shakes etc. My surgeon's office has so many different people telling me so many different things - some totally conflicting - that I brought it all to my NUT and BIG SIGH OF RELIEF - Answers! Hope! As for Victory - well, we'll see.:scared2:

My husband has neither of my demons - a history of child abuse and an addiction to food. I was normal weight when we met 15 years ago and put on 143 pounds so you'd think that he'd have been all "Rah Rah" when I said I was going to look into this. He even went to the info seminar for me. After it was over he told me that I, "just need to try harder..." and almost had me convinced not to pursue this. Is he supportive now - so-so, but still don't think he gets it - the "it" being that inside voice driving me to eat and eat and eat and probably never will. Now if he became a "total ass", I'd "Kick 'em to the curb, girl!" :scared2:

...not the one affiliated with my surgeon's practice. Got some concrete instructions, calorie goals and a framework which will hopefully get me moving in the right direction. Still seeking a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and child abuse as I realize that's the true root of my problem.

...not the one affiliated with my surgeon's practice. Got some concrete instructions, calorie goals and a framework which will hopefully get me moving in the right direction. Still seeking a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and child abuse as I realize that's the true root of my problem.

It's been over a month since I've seen any weight loss. I remain at 241 regardless of how much or how little I eat. I'm still hungry an hour or so after eating and can only hold out for so long. Prior to deciding to go with gastric banding, I reach a peak weight of 283. I was able to get down to 253 on my own, but the only time I was able to get lower was when I couldn't eat for several weeks due to a severe sinus/ear infection. It feels like it's happening again - I've reached a set point and my body is not going to let go. I guess this harkens back to the severely restricted momma mandated diets of my youth. I'm seeing my NUT today - hopefully she'll have some insight. Guess I should've gone for the GB after all.:biggrin:

It's been over a month since I've seen any weight loss. I remain at 241 regardless of how much or how little I eat. I'm still hungry an hour or so after eating and can only hold out for so long. Prior to deciding to go with gastric banding, I reach a peak weight of 283. I was able to get down to 253 on my own, but the only time I was able to get lower was when I couldn't eat for several weeks due to a severe sinus/ear infection. It feels like it's happening again - I've reached a set point and my body is not going to let go. I guess this harkens back to the severely restricted momma mandated diets of my youth. I'm seeing my NUT today - hopefully she'll have some insight. Guess I should've gone for the GB after all.:confused:

You guys are braver than me! I didn't publically wear a swimsuit when I was 130 and now at 241 there's no way! Of course I had a mother who told me I was fat at 118lbs, so it's clear to see where my body image problem came from. Now I can't imagine putting on anything revealing esp since my husband's family has never seen me anything but covered and I can just imagine those clods inviting everyone over to get a gander at me in a swimsuit - No Thanks!

This is going to sound nuts, but here goes. Had surgery on 3/9 and lost 10 lbs in the first 3 weeks , then leveled off, not gaining or losing for the next two weeks. I found that if I wasn't careful; ate too much, didn't chew well enough, I paid the price with a PB+. Was getting more and more hungry so my first fill was scheduled for 4/14. Got 2.5cc in my 11cc Realize band and noted a little restriction while still in the doctor's office. Stuck to clear liquids for 24 hrs and moved through the stages in 12 hour increments per my PA's instructions. I'm now two days post fill and can eat regular food and a lot more than a cup. I had lunch at 12:30 - normal foods and now my stomach is growling so loud even the dog's afraid. Is it possible that I have a leak? I go back in two weeks for the next fill and probably won't have lost a pound!

I am so relieved to hear everyone's comments - I'm in the same boat as the prdmommyof3 and wondering what I'm doing wrong. I'll try to be more patient - fill#2 is next week.

Once again my lack of comparative restriction allowed me to eat fairly normally - just less.

We've been roped into a family dinner celebration at a very pricey and intimate restaurant tonight. This will be the first time I've eaten out since the operation and my stomach is already roiling in anticipation. I'd have prefered my first meal out to be somewhere noisy and crowded so that if I need to make a quick trip to the restroom, it won't be so obvious...think I'll have a protein shake before we leave and just pick at an appetizer....