vickyd

I agree with Sue that I wish I would have asked where my port would be placed. Although I'm happy with where it is now, the incision was right at waist level which caused a lot of discomfort from the waist band on my pants rubbing against it.

I've flown many times since being banded and have been through the body scanner several times and they have never even patted me down so either it doesn't show up on the scanner or they know what it is...either way, don't worry about it...

It's not that the US as a whole has gone to a larger band...different bands have different capacities. You have a Realize band (as do I) but the Allergan Lap Band has a larger capacity and different surgeons have their preference on which one they use - I've even heard of some surgeons who give the patient a choice between the two...I didn't have a choice, my surgeon only uses the Realize band.

It is very normal. You will also find that your band can tighten up during your TOM, when you're stressed out or just for no apparent reason. This is just part of life with the band...never a dull moment!

I was banded around the same time you were and I can say that over time the amount you can eat does increase so you may need another fill but to me the biggest question I have for you is...why are you eating 2 pieces of chicken parmesan? And why did you start eating again after you PB'd? Just because you can eat that much doesn't mean you should and PBing is a sign that either you ate too fast, didn't chew enough or have eaten too much. You aren't listening to your tool and by doing this you could be causing damage to your band. There are certainly different trains of thought on here about what the band should or should not do for you but I personally don't rely on my band to tell me when to stop eating...I portion (weigh and measure) my food and then eat until it is either gone or I get my "soft stop" (for me that is small burps). There are certainly times that I don't feel "full" when I'm finished but if I really listen to my body I don't feel hungry either. Just my .02...

My surgeon didn't try to change my mind but one of the nutritionists in his practice did try to sway me towards the sleeve because of how much weight I needed to lose. I just told her that I had researched each procedure and felt very strongly that the band was the best procedure for me...that pretty much shut her down and she never mentioned it again. I still see this nutritionist from time to time at my surgeon's support group and I love seeing her surprise when I tell her how much weight I've lost!

I started at 325 lbs and hit 100 lbs lost in about 7 months. I am now 13 months post surgery and have lost 136 lbs. I aim for 80-120g protein each day and less than 50g carbs. I also exercise about 5 hours a week (both cardio and strength training) - although I didn't start seriously exercising until I had lost about 80 lbs. At this point in my journey, I am about 14 lbs away from my goal and my weight loss has slowed tremendously but I am still pushing towards the finish line!!

I get something like 1/2 burp, 1/2 hiccup...I've learned that this is my "soft stop" and I know when I get those that I need to put the fork down!!

You look beautiful, Jess! If one of your goals was to look good at the wedding, I'd say you definitely accomplished that!! Congrats on your bandiversary...we've all come a long way in the past year!!

Funny you should ask about this. I had a plastic surgery consult a couple of weeks ago just to see how much it would cost, etc. I am pear shaped and carried a lot of my excess weight below the waist and am looking into a lower body lift and most likely a thigh lift. I don't think my insurance will cover it but I'm checking into it and although the surgeon said that she thinks I am a good candidate to have surgery now I plan to wait until I hit goal before seriously looking into it.

Aww honey, I'm so sorry you had to have your band removed. I agree with FLORIDAYS - you've learned a lot over the last year. Try to pretend that you still have a band and keep doing the same things you've been doing. If, for some reason, you do decide to look into the sleeve go take a look at http://jax0120.blogspot.com/ - Jacquie had to have her band removed due to some complications and had a revision to the sleeve in June. You might find some info there that helps with your decision. Let me know if I can do anything to help...regardless, you will always be my band sistah!!

I can't believe that I missed posting on here for our bandiversary!! It's been an amazing year - I'm down 128.4 lbs and made it to Onederland a few weeks ago! I am so glad I made the decision to have surgery! Joan - please let me know how you're doing after your surgery...I'll be thinking about you my sistah!

You're doing great, Joan! I'm sorry to hear that you have to have another surgery but I'm happy that they will be able to reposition your band. You've dealt with so many issues related to your band so you should be VERY proud of how you've done!!!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to pop in and post a quick update...I'm now 11 days from my one year bandiversary - I started at 325 lbs and as of this past weekend I AM IN ONEDERLAND!!! I still have about 22 lbs to reach my goal but I am so happy to see a "1" in front of the number on the scale! I am also exercising a lot - my favorite is Zumba and I am also running/walking a 5K so I'm very happy!! I hope everyone is doing well as we all approach our badiversary...

I eat soup - I had some gumbo today - but I try to make it "chunky" with lost of protein and veggies...that way it sticks with me longer.

I am almost 11 months post op and have lost 118 lbs with a little over 30 to go. I have only had 1 fill but consider myself in the green zone. Here is a typical day for me: Breakfast - 1 egg & 3 tbsp egg whites scrambled with 2% American cheese and 2 turkey sausage links. lunch - 3-4 turkey meatballs with marinara sauce and shredded part skim mozzarella cheese. dinner - 4 oz Protein (chicken, shrimp, pork), 1/2 cup veggies Snack - I usually have at least one snack a day but if I do feel hungry between meals here are some of the things I normally eat...string cheese, babybel light cheese, laughing cow cheese spread on turkey deli meat and rolled up, GG crispbread with laughing cow cheese. As you can see, I follow a fairly low carb diet (it seems to work better for me), my daily calories run between 1,100 - 1,200 for the most part and I'm not so restricted that there are any foods that are off limits. I also exercise at least 4-5 hours a week and drink over 100 oz Water each day. I hope that helps!

I can pretty much eat anything - including sushi. Now, that said, just because I can eat anything doesn't mean that I do. Rice doesn't bother me at all (and never has) but I know that it will not help me in my weight loss so I keep it to a minimum. When I want sushi (about once every two weeks), I just make sure to plan for it and am careful with whatever I eat for the other meals during the day. Your surgeon and nutritionists can give you a general idea of the types of foods that some bandsters have issues with but you really need to try them and see whether or not you can tolerate them...it's different for everyone.

I agree with the bike suggestion. I had surgery on one of my knees about 6 months before being banded and the only exercise I was able to do was the bike. I just kept increasing my time/level on the bike as I got stronger. About 6 months after surgery I had lost enough weight that my knees were no longer killing me and at that point I started doing Zumba (I kept it low impact - no jumping at all) and the elliptical.

I don't see a problem with snacking as long as you are smart about it. I go through stages...sometimes I eat 3 meals a day and nothing else and other times I eat 3 meals and 2 Snacks. I can tell you what works for me - each day, I bring my food to work. I bring enough food for lunch and two high Protein snacks (some normal snacks are Babybel light cheese, turkey roll ups with laughing cow cheese, 1/2 cup greek yogurt). Some days you made need snacks so if you plan for them then you won't end up eating crap. Oh, and BTW, get rid of the pretzels and stuff in your desk...out of sight, out of mind.

I had a total thyroidectomy 12 years ago so I will be on Synthroid for the rest of my life. One thing I can tell you from experience is to stay on top of your thyroid meds (TSH levels) as you lose weight!! My endocrinologist normally wants to see me every 6 months and I really didn't think much about moving that visit up after I had surgery but I noticed that I wasn't feeling well and mentioned it to him when I went in for my normal visit. When they tested my TSH it was .01 and my doctor almost had a heart attack! In the past several months, I have had my dosage decreased several times (I started out at .175 and am now at .112) and will be going back in a week to do some more bloodwork to see if they need to reduce it again. The last time I was tested, my TSH was still below the normal range. I really wish I had stayed on top of it more while I was losing weight because if I had waited much longer I would have probably ended up in the hospital because of it.

My surgeon doesn't want me drinking 30 minutes before, during and 30 miutes after a meal and I'm another one who drank a ton with my meal before surgery. I do pretty good with not drinking while I'm eating or 30 minutes after but I've never even tried to not drink before eating. There are a few times when I do drink while eating...if the food is spicy then I take small sips of Water but I find that if I take a big sip then I can feel it start to back up on me (and that doesn't feel good at all). It really takes a conscious effort to not do it...don't even put a drink on the table (and if you go out don't order one and don't let them bring you a glass of water either). Then, when you finish eating check the time so you know when you can drink again (it helps if you keep busy clearing the table, washing dishes, etc). Good luck!

First of all, I think it's awful that your mom played the "you don't love me" card to force you to go out...that's low... That said, if you decide to go out, my suggestion is to go online and check the menu for any restaurant you are interested in going to. Fish is normally a good choice because it is flaky and you don't normally have to deal with it being overcooked like chicken or steak can be. Also, don't be afraid to ask for them to prepare your food differently - grilled vs. fried, sauce on the side, etc. Eating out isn't difficult if you have a plan...go out and have fun! Happy Birthday!

I'm still here too...although I admit to not being on here as much as I used to. I do blog almost daily so if you ever want to know what I'm up to you can check my blog. I'm doing well. As of this morning, I have lost 113 lbs and I have 37 lbs to lose to reach my initial goal. Like Dave and Jess said, things have slowed down a lot...at this point, I am hoping to be in Onederland by my 1 year bandiversary (I have 12 lbs to go to get there). Joan - I'm so sorry to hear that you will need to have another surgery but hopefully this will finally rid you of the heartburn you have been dealing with. Please keep us updated on how things are going...

I did have a pain pump (even though I didnt really need it)...it probably depends on the surgeon.

I had to stay overnight because that's what my surgeon required. Quite frankly, I would have been fine to go home but if you have a lot of pain (I didn't) it would be nice to have the pain pump overnight to help you stay comfortable. It's not ideal...with the nurses checking on you and everything but you will most likely be tired enough to sleep in between their visits (and bring a book to read in case you can't sleep).