this sucks

I have given up finding the elusive "sweet spot". It changed too much from day to day, month to month and now for the last six months ( I was banded 7/10) I just do what I'm supposed to do, okay, for the most part, I do. Most importantly, I started recording everything that I eat on an app called My Fitness Pal. My motto is "if I eat it, I own it" and I finally got serious about getting my body moving. I work out at least 3-4 times every week at the gym. It's always easier to go back to the old way of eating but writing it down has made me be a lot more serious about my choices.

A stretched pouch would not give you pain the area of your port-if that makes you feel any better. Not sure why your port would be hurting, I'm not a doctor, but have you been doing any abdominal exercises or anything that would pull a muscle in the area? Keep us posted!

Funny, I had forgotten about the post surgery dreams because its been over 2 1/2 years since I was banded but your post brought it all back. I don't know what the cause of the dreams was, whether it was the lack of food, sugar withdrawal or what, but I most definitely was scared of failure. I think all of us are... Hang in there. Hopefully once you get back to real food and have some success, the dreams will end. Just do all the things your doctor tells you and you will do fine!

I had a complete unfill last December (2012) due to band inflammation from high doses of aspirin. I gained two pounds during the two months of unfill. So...MY experience was no, you don't necessarily gain with a complete unfill. It's really easy to eat more than you should be eating, but it doesn't mean you can eat the way you did pre-banding. It's always the same equation-burn off more than you eat and continue to lose. I've noticed that you've asked this before. Are you facing an unfill and concerned about it?

Not true...peanut butter is a great slice of protein. Wouldn't recommend taking a big tablespoon out of the jar, but in moderation, there's no "band reason" not to eat it.

I like the Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Crumbles. Taste like the real deal to me. I also use them on flatbread pizzas, sautéed up with some fresh mushrooms, mmmmm-good!

After close to three years, my stomach still makes a lot of noise. It's a joke in my family that my band is just having its say-always verbal, just like me!

Butterball Turkey Breast, honey roasted carrots (the only way I can eat carrots anymore), 1/4 of a baked potato. One square of dark Ghiradelli chocolate for dessert. Delicious!

Completely understand why you left...I have found the same problems with the high school attitude. The only reason I'm back is that I discovered that I could block posts from the "perfect" ones. It has made my visits much nicer! I don't disrespect others and their journeys. We should all be in this together instead of building ourselves up by bringing other people down. Just my opinion. By the way, glad to see how long some of you have been banded. I'm at 31 months and counting. Glad I finally learned how to work the dumb thing!

I'm at more than 2 1/2 years post banding and I have not had any "mechanical" complications. The only issues that I've had are Vitamin deficiencies brought on by MY choice to continue using Meal Replacement products instead of learning to eat real food. All resolved now, but a valuable lesson was learned. I agree with the previous posters, you won't get an accurate representation of complication rates just by asking on LBT. You cannot assume that everyone has a complication after two years just because you see a number of them on this site. If that were the case, no insurance would cover the procedure. Just my opinion.

Popcorn is one of my favorite go to snacks. i don't eat the half popped kernels though. I don't want to risk it! Have never gotten stuck with popcorn in 2 1/2 years.

I started out in 24/26 pants, (but only if they had elastic) and 2x to 3x tops (Depended on the brand). Now wearing size 16 regular pants and some Large, some XL in regular department.

Me too! Just finally was able to make a clean break from the plus department a few weeks ago! Loved having to take pants back because they were too big!!!! Way to go girl!

I lost 40 lbs in the first year, nothing during the second (had some major health issues that stalled me) and am now down about 65 total at 30 months post banding. Like I said though, I'm just happy to be down this much and no more blood pressure medication, sleep apnea or pre-diabetes! I also have Hashimoto's and no, losing weight doesn't help the thyroid function, it just explains the slower loss rate. I'll take this new life over the old one, even if it has been slower than molasses. I'm out of the plus size department now too! Biggest challenge is not comparing myself to others in the rate of losing. I have worked hard for each and every pound, just like everyone else, it just takes me longer to get results.

I also have thyroid issues and in my case, it has definitely made the journey slower. I'm okay with that though. At least I'm losing! My endocrinologist is perfectly happy with the results I've had so far and frankly, so am i. Good luck!

I don't consider anything as "cheating". I don't view how I live and eat as "on a diet" either. I am one of those people who doesn't do well with being told what I can/cannot eat because it just makes me want something even more. You really need to figure out which way works for you. I had this discussion with my doctor at my last visit when I dropped 6 1/2 lbs in four weeks with no fill since July. Some people need to have rules and stick hard and fast to them for success and others work best taking the approach that I do. Good luck either way!

I agree with Missy. Night cough like you describe is definitely a sign of reflux and nothing to mess around with. You are much better off to have even a tiny unfill than to risk doing damage to your band by staying too tight. I was banded just after you in July 2010 and I have learned through the years that when my band is too tight, I end up putting weight back on because I eat more slider foods. Glad you are getting it checked out, but don't assume that an unfill means failure!

I agree with the other posters...it may be time to find a different doctor if he can't support you on your band journey. I also don't believe his 10% statistic. If this surgery was only going to work for 10%, do you believe that any insurance company would cover it??? I am 30 months out from banding and I'm still losing. I had a stall due to some health issues, but have been back to using my band since August and have lost more than 20 pounds since then. Keep tracking what you eat, drinking your Water and eating your Protein and start moving again when you can, at whatever level you can. It will kick back in... Best of luck!

I take in about 1200 calories with anywhere from 60-80 grams of protein. I use the app My Fitness Pal to journal everything so it keeps track of all the important numbers for me.

I was banded in July 2010 and had a complete unfill December 2011but I didn't find it any tougher once they started re-filling a few months later. I'm actually at a lower fill level than I was before (4.0 cc vs almost 5 cc) the unfill and haven't had any new fills since July. Are you journaling everything you eat? I started using My Fitness Pal about the time my fills started up again. I was pretty surprised to see how many calories I was taking in when I honestly wrote it all down. Also, are you eating real food or using a lot of meal replacements like protein shakes and bars? Are you getting in enough protein and water? Just my experience, but these are things that helped me to get back on track. I'm now at the lowest weight that I've been in over 23 years and still going down. Slowly losing, but still headed in the right direction. Best of luck!

Roast your veggies to make them more band friendly. I toss baby carrots ( which I cannot handle well uncooked) or Broccoli or cauliflower in olive oil and Italian seasoning (the dry herbs, not the salad dressing) and roast them at 325 for 20-25 minutes. The get soft and sweet and oh so tasty! Also, you can make honey roasted carrots or sweet potatoes by tossing in olive oil and top with a little drizzle of honey. Definitely satisfies the sweet tooth.

LOVE both of the PB2 products! I use them both. They have all the flavor of real peanut butter without the fat. You can add a little bit of water or milk and use them as a spread too.

Why can't you just get your Protein through real food? There are so many good protein sources out there... 1. eggs 2. String cheese 3: Greek yogurt 4. Nuts 5. Lean deli meats 6. Beans 7. chicken, turkey, fish My own experience has been that until I started eating real food and got rid of most of the Meal Replacement products, I didn't really learn how to live with the band. I ended up having Vitamin deficiencies because I wasn't eating food. Our bodies need fruit and vegetables and protein to stay well and be well. Good luck!

I agree with Lucy...it's WAY to early for you to decide if this is your final fill or not. At this point in my journey, I've lost track of the number of fills/unfills that I've had. My last fill was in July 2012 and I've been losing slowly and steadily since. I may be ready for another little tiny fill in the next month or so. I know this because I'm getting hungry before four hours or so and I can eat more at a time than I could.

I've been on a blueberry protein shake kick-frozen blueberries, protein shake (or protein powd), fat free milk and ground flax seed. Also chocolate banana like someone already mentioned. I tried a raspberry chocolate blend but wasn't thrilled with the little seeds.