MelVan

I love your 6 month update. You have such a positive attitude and you will reachvyour ultimate goal with your new way of doing things. Congrats to you. MelVan

Judych, thanks so much for your well wishes. My knee surgery is scope to repair 2 tears and micro fracture to build scar tissue where I have no cartiledge. The recovery time is 6 weeks and this is supposed to last a few years before knee replacement is done. When I can exercise again or at least walk without pain and walker, my weight loss should improve. I wish you had a pool close too. I have one at my house which I can not get in because of knee. Such a waste but I enjoy looking at it. I live 2 blocks from the Atlantic ocean and I never go. Too hard to walk. The water is warm here in south Florida. My life will change soon I hope. The new me will be an island girl beach babe. Ha. Thanks again for your kind supportive answers to bandster posts. MelVan

Hi March band buddies, I haven't checked in with ya'll in awhile. I was banded march 21. I have 3cc in 10cc band( only 2 little fills ) I am down 33 Ibs since surgery and 38 Ibs since my 10 day preop diet. I can't exercise at all because of knee pain. In one week I will have knee surgery and after recovery I plan to start pool exercises. I am really pleased with my progress with my band. My bmi is 33 now....can't wait to be overweight instead of obese....it won't be much longer. I am now losing about one lb a week. That is very good for me. How are the rest of you? MelVan

Alerker, I appreciate your comments and thanks for checking in. It's good to redirect our focus and try new tools for success. I needed to be reminded. I only have 3cc in a 10cc band (1 1/2 cc in my band and 11/2cc in port tube). Even I get stuck episodes from occasionally eating too fast, food too dry, fibrous veggies. I really have good control of my hunger and don't overeat but keeping a food journal and counting calories would help me. I have been putting off adding new tools for weight loss but I am now more motivated. Thanks for sharing your plans. Melvan

Congratulations, Ladybug28, you are doing an amazing job. You must be working out too. I still am not in size 16 pants but I hope to be soon. I can wear size 16 dresses it they are very full/loose in hips.

Judych, I will email you this weekend with my recipes, eating plan, websites I like etc. I laughed at your request because I am not known as a good cook....I try to eat very healthy. No salt, sugar, healthy fats only. About 10 yrs ago I tried to be vegan and I have tried the raw food diet, juicing....I feel food can cure us of illnesses caused by the standard American diet(S.A.D.) this new way of eating according to the band has been very different from what I have been doing. I would prefer to mostly do without dairy and almost never meat. WOW am I doing things differently on this diet. Anyway I still believe in lots of veggies fruit nuts and seeds whenever possible. I think I can find your email. Melvan

Lewilli, I live in FL it's hot and I live alone, I almost never cook. I have cottage cheese with chopped veggies,Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit,low fat cheese, ricotta cheese, tuna salad, chicken salad, blended veggie, fruit, nut, drinks. I sometimes put soy, milk, or yogurt or protein powder in the blender drinks. I recently have been eating spinach salads with finely chopped veggies with feta cheese. When I do cook (rarely) I use a crock pot with chicken and veggies or pork roast with veggies. I put this outside on our screened in covered porch so I don't heat up the house. This crock pot feast will last me for many days and I just reheat in microwave in small bowl servings. I sometimes poach a couple eggs in microwave with spinach, cheese or other veggies. I made a huge meatloaf with much filler including blended onion, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, and oatmeal mixed with diet lean burger. This lasted many meals and I reheated in microwave. I made chili with lots of beans, onions tomatoes and bell pepper. I made ff refried bean dip with ff sour cream chopped tomatoes guacamole and low fat cheese. I don't like eating mostly protein so I mix veggies and fruit with about everything. I try to avoid cooking anything except about one big pot of food once a week. I hope this helped. There are lots of good band recipes online. MelVan

My Dr is not strict about what I eat after fills. I am instructed to do liquids for 24 hrs and mushies for 24 hrs. If your dr says liquids a week and mushies a week that will certainly speed up the weight loss. I wish my dr would"scare me straight " like that. As my fills get tighter, it won 't be as easy to return to normal eating. Slow but steady weight loss is OK with me. I have a goal to no longer be obese by christmas. That's about 25 lbs more. I hope that is realistic. I encourage you all to set a time/target interim goal that is realistic for you. keep you eye on the prize. Melvan

Newme2012, I was banded 3/21/12 and have had 2 fills. First was 2.1cc and second time .9 for a total of 3cc. I believe that is 1.5 in port tube and 1.5 in band. I will be out of state and next apt fill is August 6. I really tried to get dr to add more with second fill. Either he is careful so I don't swell and can't eat anything or he likes to fill very slowly to bill insurance more times. I really understand your frustration. I am going to accept my journey will be slower than others and I am still losing some. I think this is more willpower diet than restriction. Too many people know and are watching for my transformation. I feel the pressure to change because I have tried everything in the past to lose but could never keep it off. I am making better, healthy choices and I do eat less. I no longer eat junk food, no deserts, no carbonated beverages, no bread, pasta, rice, no alcohol. I eat on a small plate or bowl. I eat only when hungry. I eat slowly and chew a lot. These are a lot of behavior changes that will improve my life forever however the weight loss takes. Keep up the good work bandsters, we will we will be victorious.

Ready4changein2011, please be careful with your potassium, low can cause heart rhythm to act up. Try to eat a banana or 2 everyday. That has helped me in the past from similar problem with low potassium, mine was caused by BP pills. If yu take meds, that cold be the cause. Melvan

March bandsters, your recent conversation about how many cc fill and quantity you can eat and how often you eat....very helpful for me. I guess I consider myself a slow loser. I eat when I feel like it, don't count calories but try to make healthy choices. I certainly eat less and much healthier than preop. However my total cc is 3 and I was told that's 1.5cc in band...I think there is 1.5cc in port tube. I have a little restriction if I eat too fast, don't chew enough or eat dry food. I don't think this is the same as you who have more cc in fill. I can certainly eat 2 or 3 cups at a time of chili, soft meat and veggies. I have read other bandsters who carefully measure out 1 cup per meal. At this point I think I would be hungry all the time with that little. I guess this is just a diet of willpower until restriction green zone. Clearly I'm not there. Still, I am losing a little from my improved diet. You specific info with numbers and measurements helped me so much. Thanks. Melvan

Alerker, congratulations on weight loss. Another 5 lbs is a nice additional loss....in what amount of time? I assume that is since your last apt. I am down 27 and my surgery was 3/21/12. At best now I lose 1lb a week but I'm happy with "slow and steady" keep up good work. MelVan

Florida bandsters, I am from the treasure coast, fort pierce. My lap band was 3/21/12 and I am down 27 lbs. I have had one fill, my second fill is next week. Dr Larson at JFK is my surgeon. I would love to have a band buddy I can occasionally talk with in the area. I am 60yrs old. My BMI was 39 time of surgery, many comorbidities so this weight loss is already making a big difference improving my health. I am originally from TN and lived in OK for 30yrs. I am married, 2 grown children and 3 grand babies...they all live very far away. I wish you all the best in your transformation. MelVan

Hello march bandsters, I want to thank you all for your wisdom and encouragement. Your stories of your journey help me so much. I am down 27 lbs now and lose 1 or 1 1/2 lbs every week now. Slow but steady. My only problems are if I eat too fast , not chew enough or eat something too dry....I get a temporary discomfort above the band. This is nothing I can t handle. 2times of sliming but not PB ing. If I had not read about this on online, I would have been a little scared. Now I know this is all a learning experince about what I can eat. All in all I am pleased with how easy this has been so far. I know this could change as the band is tightened, I have read the scary horror stories but my bloodwork is better and meds are being reduced. This will buy me more time to enjoy grand babies. My skin is starting to look like a saggy baggy elephant. Melvan

I was warned by my psychologist that drinking at night before bedtime was dangerous because of possible reflux aspiration into lungs which could cause death. She must have meant if I drank a large amount and went to bed drunk. I never do that but she is intense and likes to scare people. Because of this warning I have just had one glass of wine one time early in the evening...no problem.

I have lately been missing food I used to eat and was really tired of protein drinks, ff cottage cheese,Greek plain yogurt, poached eggs and ricotta low fat cheese. So today I made a bowl of dip and had with healthy chips. Yum. The dip was a can of ff refried beans, ff sour cream and spicy salsa The chips (suggested by dr oz as high in protein) I found at health food store. They are popped black bean crisps, wheat free, gluten free, reduced fat low sodium. This was such a treat and it did not take much to satisfy me. I will have more for several days. I may add chopped avacodo one day or a chopped low fat cheese stick and chopped fresh tomatoes.

Thanks for your kind words of encouragement Ladybug28. You are right, I need to keep doing what is best for me. I have new bandster friends on this site. however prebandsters need to be cautious about who they tell. I know I should have been more guarded. Keep up your good work and progress. I wish you the best. Melvan

Hello march bandsters, I was banded 3/21/2012 and am down 24.5 lbs. I can't excercise because of disability....very pleased with my progress. However, I have been really down emotionally lately. I am a very private sensitive person. I have yoyo dieted most of my life. I made the mistake of confiding in a couple of close friends here in FL(mostly retired senior citizens live here and I am one). My trusted good friends were not to be trusted and I am the topic of gossip by the idle judgement ladies here in condo land. I also made the mistake of telling a cousin from my TN home town where I spend half the year. I haven't even been back since my surgery but my cousin has been the town crier gossiped. I may be losing weight but I am also losing anyone I can ever trust and confide in.

Great article. I am a new bandster, only 5 weeks. I too need to work on my new habits for success with my band. I just got my first fill 2days ago. I just ate half cup of fresh veggies salad,broccoli,carrots,corn. Bad choice and now I know what sliming is. At least I didn't PB. I may try again tomorrow but chew more. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.....it helps.

Congrats, you look great and you probably feel great too. I appreciate your additional advice and story of unfill and minimal refill. that was so helpful about long term outcomes for the band. I wish you the best and continued great success.

march banders, I read these posts daily and find a lot of support here. I wanted to respond to a few concerns and questions. I was banded 3-/21.At first apt I was242 and now 221. 7 lbs before surgery and 13 after. My first fill is Monday. If I eat nuts without anything else I feel discomfort for a minute. This has happened twice(almond,pecans) I can have them with cereal and milk with no problem. When I have eaten my limit, I know because of burping unless I am eating mushy foods, then no burping. I still have problems following rules like chewing and eating slowly, only eating 3meals. I am sure as band is filled this will be even more important. my weight loss seems to have stalled for a week. I want quicker results but I am 60 and can not exercise so for me, slow loss is still good. so far I am very pleased with my choice to have the band but as I read about the longer term complications and band removals, I hope I am a lucky one. I for the first time I went to a restaurant to eat out. i had a small bowl of chili and crackers, it was fine. this was such an important step for me because I can now socialize in a restaurant with friends and I was not sure before I could handle food choices.

I was on the fence for YEARS. Banded 3-21-12 . Slow loser because I can't exercise/disabled. I am so pleased. No problems yet. I was so scared and wasted time. I now have hope and have lost 20 lbs. Meds are being reduced. Bloodwork numbers better. Food cravings are gone and I never thought that was possible. I only choose healthy foods. I now eat to live...used to live to eat. All the foods I mourned that I could not ever eat again...I don t miss. When I read band friendly recipes I felt better about getting the band. There are so many ways to get the flovors and versions of foods you miss. I would do this again only years ago. Melvan

Oops, SORRY FOR TYPOS....getting used to new iPad. Melvan

Hello march banisters, I am checking in too. Down 20 lbs since preop diet. Surger date 3-21-12 . I am pleased. Not able to exercise at all because of painful knee. Slow but steady lore. I have hope for a better, healthier life. Best to you all and keep up the good work. Melvan

B52..geat post and congrats on your hard work/success. I am new on the journey. Banded 3/21/12 and am down 15lbs. I am 60 with 10+ comorbidities including all you listed. For me this is about extending my life to see granbabies grow up. My meds were not working and drs were always talking gloom and doom about my numbers. Already, my meds are being reduced and my bloodpressure and blood sugar much better. Walking or moving at all is very painful and I walk with a walker if I must walk at all. I hope this disability improves so I can start burning calories. Your story is a real inspiration of hope and please share your experience, stength and hope again. MelVan