klaatu

My banding was 19 months ago and now my new weight is 'normal'. My big fear is putting weight back on, but my eating habits are so different now, and I prefer it this way. I don't eat a lot and a large number of foods I used to eat are just plain off the menu, like pizza, butter/mayo/dressing/fat, ice cream, Peanut Butter, most beef, nuts, chips, other crap. I do eat 'bad' foods once in a while but I'm careful with that. I found I really don't like pizza anymore (it tastes like chewy lard on cardboard). I'm now down lower than my wife has ever known me, and with 20 pounds more I'll weight less than I did when I got out of the military at 24. I'm in 36 trousers now. What I don't know is what happens in the next year? Once I hit my goal of 185, I expect I'll keep losing? That's true so far; still losing 4-5 pounds a month. Will I eventually hot a balance point where the calorie restriction to keep losing weight is unhealthy? Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

I agree with AnnieM... after fills I can go for several weeks with the band very tight and it's hard to find food I can eat. After a while it loosens up (settles in place?) and then I can eat more or less normally (the 'new normal'). I've also noticed it can be very restrictive in the morning so I'm careful to eat slowly. Eggs are not a problem for me in general, but peanut butter is like glue.

The hardest thing for me to learn was patience... it took a long time to put he weight on and it doesn't--and shouldn't--come off quickly. It will take some time to adjust to the band, but it is only a tool to assist you. As far as your port, mine is on my left side as well because of earlier hernia surgery that had to be avoided. I don't even notice it any more. I did not have any non-surgical pain and the surgical pain really only lasted a few days and I was pretty much back to normal except for diet. Good luck!