Dame J

I went for my second fill yesterday and while I was there I asked about this topic and for sure it is a stumpper. The body and band are pretty complex sometimes. There seems to be no reason as to why restriction comes and goes from day to day. Speaking of fills though this last one is better than the last. I still am not really restricted as of yet but I am aware that my band is there now. I am on softs for now but even with the soft food I just feel like my stomach is tighter (for lack of a better word). Gaffer you have a 10cc band as well right? what are you up to in terms of your fill and how do you feel with that?

Congrats on hitting the 50 pound mark. :clap2: Keep it up!

Hey Leslie I don't know what flavour of Optifast you have but I had the vanilla and when I made my Optifast shakes I would first take the cold Water and put in a couple teaspoons of instant espresso and add that to my Optifast or cold coffee instead of water and then add ice and whiz it up. I would pretend that it was an iced coffee drink. I found that the coffee was the only thing that would sort of mask the Optifast taste. Good luck with the pre-op ladies. The results from the pre-op are worth it. :clap2:

Yasmina Susan is right you are doing so well. Way to go! Tres thanks for the updates. Hopefully this 2nd fill isn't too crazy. I am becoming a lot better at chewing my food and going slowly through my meals. I am still trying to control the sizes but I have to say that is my weakness. I don't seem to have any restriction so I try to just listen harder to my body and stop eating before I damage myself. I am going for my second fill this wednesday so hopefully that will help with keeping the meal sizes down.

Sassy come back doddie I like it! Gaffer too funny. Love the Burn. Like Mr. Yoda I found my Dr. was supportive of my decision. She wanted to know more because her knowledge of the procedure was limited but we talked and she knew that I had already tried loosing weight and my results, so she was happy if I was happy is the msg I got from her. It is funny because the last time I was in her office (which is shared with 4 other Dr.s) there was a new brochure on the office desk about TLBC. so I guess they have some other patients that are getting this surgery done.

Sorry Cat my msg was not targeted to you specifically its just that over the months there have been at least a couple threads started about the 2 different clinics by various posters wanting to know why people choose the Dr's that they did and what is good or bad about them. Inevitably these discussions lead to biased opinions and sometimes false information which can cloud peoples opinions. (How helpful can that be?) The two clinics are very similar and I think that it really comes down to a personal choice based on personal feelings and comfort. IMHO I think that to know which clinic to pick from I would research them both (like you did) set up a consult with a Q&A with them (which you did) and then read the posts on here about the appointments, fills, issues and things like that. To hear what people say on a regular basis about their clinics is a much better indicator as it is a more candid look at how people really feel and how the clinics work. A thread like this one here can be deceiving. That is what I was trying to get at.

Welcome to the board. I also lurked around here before I joined the banded work. This site helped me a ton and still does. Optifast was the worst part of the banding process but I will say that I lost a lot of weight with that part of the program so it was really worth it. Plus it made the post op diet a walk in the park. Good Luck with getting the band. :biggrin1:

ummm Kraft dinner..... :hungry: I love that stuff. Long time no taste.

Leslie I have done my reseach as well. I still research the band. I am not sure where these stats are on the Inamed bands slipping more than others. I have not seen them if they do exist. I had my surgery with Dr. Cobourn and I asked him a bunch of questions on the band and slipping and odds of this happening. I would suggest that you call the office and talk to Dr. Cobourn again if you are this concerned. Frankly I hate this thread. I really dislike when people ask which clinic should I go to without looking into it themselves first and without specific questions about the clinics. It seems everyone feels the need to pit one clinic against the next and tries to make one clinic look worse than another. Especially when things are said without the physical evidence of proof and stats. The truth is the Toronto clinics are both very good clinics with great Dr.'s who take what they do and all their patients very seriously. They both have very good track records and patients who can varify this. There are many people on the Canadian thread that were treated by either of these clinics and have great and maybe some not so great things to say about them.

Apparently the band only slips in 1 or 2 out of 1000 patients. At least that is the information I found when researching the band. Also the way in which sugeons perform the surgeries and attach the band these day has assited in keeping the slippage cases down. Dr. Cobourn can explain these facts and figures in the consult and if you question the brand of band or equipment I am sure he will be able to answer your questions on those as well. I'm sure all the other Dr.'s that perform the surgery in Toronto can as well.

Sounds Crazy but sometimes I just hate reading about the new obiesity studies or watching news on obese people because I feel like they are just talking about me. And I know they are talking about me as a statistic and not personally but I am so tired of being the statistic. I'm just sick of being fat I guess. These studies always get skinny peoples backs up about medical costs in the country and how fat people are the reason why our medical care sucks. I'm just sick of it.

Hey Gaffer I hear you. I know how frustrating it is to not feel the restiction. After the first night with the last fill it was like I had never had it at all. I don't want to push myself to hard where I would hurt myself but I would like to feel some restriction. I got my first fill on the 28th and my 2nd is supposed to be on the 18th but I might change that to the 20th so I can just bump off work early on that day.

Okay so this question goes out to everyone but especially to those who have been in the weight loss game for awhile. I am wondering if it is worth it to join a gym. A gym opended up by me and it has everything pools, indoor tracks, weights plus all the great perks of hottubs steam rooms you name it. Anyway I joined a gym once before 4 years ago and I went for a few months and then stopped. I am worried I would do the same again. Friends tell me to just work out at home and walk but I really feel like I have to do more than that. What is everyones thoughts? Do you go to a gym? How often? What do you do there? Do you think it is worth it? And if you go to a gym did you create your own program or did you have a trainer? :help:

LOVE THE GYM!!! :biggrin1: :biggrin1: Went to the gym today. First time since signing up. Anyway it was great. I had a tour of the equipment and set up my free appointment for the trainer. It was really great and I feel sooooo much better. Although I worked out for an hour I feel like I have so much energy and I could just dance through my day. I hope these feelings of love for the gym stick around, but if Yoda is right and it take 17 times to make a habit then I guess 1 down 16 to go.

Thanks for posting that Yoda. I have read my material through and through and I don't remember reading that so thanks. I think I am one of those frustrated people. I try to remind myself to take it easy and not expect a quick fix but I feel like if I am not loosing like others then I am failing. I know that is silly but there you go. Since reading this post I think I will stop expecting so much and just work with it. :biggrin1: Thanks again!

Hey Yoda's glad the show was as awesome as you were hoping it would be. I have heard the the lead is a hottie. Anyway Mr. Yoda CONGRATS on the big day!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: The pre-op diet sucks but what can you do, the results are worth it. Congrats again.

I am currently following similar food ideas and things as WW but I personally would not join again. Although I liked weight Watchers and I did loose weight with them (50 pounds which I have since have put back on) the groups by me were so bad. Full of skinny teachers that had 10 pounds to loose and use the group forum as a chance to either teach everyone else on how to loose like them since they lost a pound, or whine that they miss hamburgers. Very annoying when you have over 100 pounds to loose. Also I would probably not join again because of the cost. I spent the money on the band because I never wanted to spend money again on other diet and eating plans. I figured since I kept all my WW books, cards and other things I don't need to pay to get it all again. totally a personal choice and I can understand how the weigh-in once a week motivates you. It used to for me. Good luck with what you decide to do. If only loosing weight was as easy as putting it on.

Hi Maisieben if this surgery is something that you are thinking about I would for sure look into it and do the research. Like you I wasn't sure if it was for me but I weighed the options and read the posts on here as well as doing my own research. I choose the lapband and I have no regrets to this point. It is a shame but this operation is not covered by OHIP. The surgery is pretty expensive at roughly $16,000 depending on where you go. The cost is a lot but your Dr's office can give you tips on financing if you are unable to afford the costs right off. Good luck on making your choice. Everyone here is very helpful so if you have questions this is a great forum.

Hey Becca I had my fill a week ago on the 28th. I had restriction for the first day but now nothing. Really there is no difference from before and after. So I am going to be making an appointment today for another fill. Hopefully the second fill will be better.

Congrats Donna D on the quick surgery date. I've hear great things about your clinic so I am sure you will be in great hands. Good luck with the Pre-Op diet. The 26th will be here in no time.

Becca good luck with the first fill. No biggie. I think the hardest part was just the nurse pushing to find the port. Anyway I didn't really have any restriction after the first day but I hear it is different for everyone. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/lap-band-faqs-f73.html Sorry here is the link

PB: "productive burp" -- what happens when something eaten can't go down due to restriction has to come back up I suggest checking out the Lapband FAQ and references section it will help explain what all the terms are. It helped me a lot when I started checking this site out.

Doddie I know what you mean. I have already had some "Sticky" situations without the fill. I think it is from eating too fast, not chewing enough, and taking bites that are too big. I figured it is just a none to gentle reminder that I have to change the way I eat. For me it is not restriction that did this just poor eating habits.

Everyone says they can see the weight loss in my face. Woohoo 23lbs gone from my face. Anyway I say the same thing when people ask what I am doing, I say I am watching what I eat and I eat smaller portions. This is all true, they just don't know I have a little crazy thing inside me that helps out with that a little. :mad: