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One week of bad eating has ruined an entire month of good eating and excerise for me. The first month after surgery I was going to the gym 5 to 6 days a weeks, eating right, small portions, I was doing well. Then "summer" hit and I got caught up in barbeques and party after party and night outs with friends and I gained 5 lbs. I just had my second fill (2.5 cc for a total of 5.5 cc's in a 10 cc band) and the nurse told me I had only lost 4 oz this month. I wanted to cry. I am so angry with myself. And I think the alcohol had a big part to play in me gaining weight back. It seems every other day for the past week I'm at some party and having a few drinks which makes me eat so I'm not stumbling after 1 drink. I just wasn't being calorie conscience or health wise at all this past week and I blew it. Still staying away from major fast food, but I did visit KFC twice and Olive garden once, then buying lunch at work everyday. I've even been skipping on the gym too, I'm down to 3 days a weeks now and I don't even work that hard when I'm there. It's so sad and frustrating. I know this is a lifestyle change so I'm going to brush myself off, stand up and start all over again. I had no resriction at all before, hopefully this 2.5 cc's he put in today will make some kind of change. I just needed to vent, I was literally on the brink of tears when I left the doctors today.

Just like everything... Is a life time change... Once you do your surgery everything is different, I not that you wouldn't have a beer or two, is about making a step that will stop you from losing weight... That doesn't mean you can't have beer or alcohol ever again... It just mean, you may be able to have it every now and then but after surety nothing is the same... Let me give you an example before surgery I was a "sodas" person... So I did good my 1st 5month... But since November oh lord... I just been having sodas every now n then n guess what?!? It hurts the weight process... So!! I'm not the best to give advise, but if you can't stop n let go... Is better... Good luck

I have suffered from Acanthosis nigricans since the age of 11. I was made fun of continuously because most people don't know it's a condition related to being overweight or having diabetes. Most people think it's from poor hygiene like not cleaning your neck well. I scrubbed my neck so hard with alcohol and soap so much growing up I made it rough which makes it look worse. Anyways, my question is I noticed that with the 80 pound weight loss it's better but still there. Is there anyone out there that has lost all of their weight and it cleared up significantly?

Not sure how they handle self pay, but, I would advise that you do all the nutrition consults. These consults will educate you as to what and how to eat. The change in how you eat is the toughest thing to learn and they will educate/prepare you. Insurance will require that you can prove that you've tried to lose weight on your own, but, without permanent results, so, that part is omitted with self pay and probably take the longest. The psychological evaluation looks for issues with serious dependency with food. Think of it this like an alcoholic and dependency with liquor. If you have a serious issue with food, counseling may be a requirement before the band. I would advise to find out how much fills are and how many are included with the their asking price of the surgery. Ask if they do them under floro or blind fills. Find out what kind of band they use (lapband or realize band). Find out how aggressive they are with fills (how many cc's they put in at a time) and also at what frequency (usually every 6 weeks). Find out if fills are done by the doctor or PA (makes no difference, but good to know). Ask the doc how many bands she/he has done. Is the bariatric program certified a "center of excellence" or how close they are to getting their certification. My best guess is a month or so, but, I'm just guessing. Good luck to you. This is a big step and I can assure you will help with disc issues. Jake

I am just 34 days out and the only foods on my forbidden list are raw veggies, skins of fruits and veggies, corn, nuts, seeds and alcohol or carbonated beverages. I have eaten chicken, pork and beef and have tolerated all of them in small amounts. Most of my protein is still coming from protein drink. I can only eat 1-3 oz of solid food but can drink 8oz of liquid in a few minutes. It is still hard work and planning to get my minimums in everyday.

I don't, but because the sugar alcohols in them cause me terrible bloating, gas, and diarrhea. I can't imagine that a small serving would impede weight loss; if you aren't bothered by the sugar alcohols and are losing well, I wouldn't worry at all. You can always pare them out of your intake if you run into trouble.

This is going to be a psychological question. I had my second fill on 7/16 and am up to 8 CC in a 14 CC band. The restriction is wonderful. For the first few days I was content on my old meal plan... just eating less of it. But now that I am eating even less I am making horrible choices. I ate some french fries, cookie, chinese take out, and TGI Friday's wings. Went out to the bar for the first time and had some bar food and alcohol. Since banding I have not touched any of these things. I ate significantly less that I used to, but it was still alot of calories, fat, and carbs in a very small package. 800 calories in those wings and fries when a same size healthy meal would have been around 400 calories. What tips do those of you in the green zone have to keep your smaller meals satisfying and nutritionally sound? I will not fall victim to slider foods. Too much success to have this happen. I stepped on the scale at was up 4 lbs in the past 2 weeks.

Every surgeon is different for sure... Mine let me have coffee in the recovery room.... lol Mine allows alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated beverages - carefully and in accordance with ones' tolerance - they all effect each of us differently. Personally, I'm a coffeeaholic... I drink many, many cups every day. Brad

Hello everyone! So, I've been banded over three years. Been maintaining for over a year now. Recently my scale has gone up a few pounds and I have been in a fair bit of freak-out about it. My eating habits have been the same. So, I am thinking maybe I need a fill, but with my hunger unchanged, I really didn't think I wanted one. My scale is a Health-O-Mether scale that has a non-digital read-out that is elevated to waist level. So, I do enjoy some alcoholic beverages from time to time. So I stopped that. The weight was still going up ever so slowly. I also noticed that the scale wasn't zeroing out as it should be, so I wasn't totally convinced that it was accurate any longer. My clothes have been fitting the same, which is how I normally keep track...but still. All those familiar games were coming back....oh, I had salt...oh it's TOM coming...I must be "backed up." Have I change medications? No. hhmm...not drinking enough Water? No, that is OK. Then WHY is it creeping UP??? So, after I'd put on about 5 pounds. I looked very closely at the scale. I noticed it was closer to the wall than usual. So, I decided to move it away from the wall an inch or two, I re-zeroed it and BU-BAM!!! 5 pounds gone, just like that! Apparently when DH cleaned the floor he moved it a bit. Lesson to be learned....? scales are fallible, and not the only measure of success--which I already knew...But I could not believe that as soon as I moved it a hair away from the wall, it was fine! It was just close enough to the baseboard to mess it up!

My doctor isnt so strict when it comes to drinking alcohol after having the band. He recommends staying away from carbonated drinks and only having 1-2 because you will get drunk faster. 4 weeks after the band you will be back to normal. I was about 99% back after a week

I was banded may 19th, so far I have had 2 fills. After the second fill I felt pretty good restriction, and I started eating solids slowly and a little at a time. A few days ago I took a shot of alcohol with my friends (peer pressure?) and experienced my first episode of dry heaving sinced being banded. Nothing came out and I only dry heaved a few minutes. The next day my band was tight, so I stuck to liquids then slowly went back to mushies/solids. Now everything is going down. I can eat a cup or more of food, feel little to no restriction, but i have had 2 stuck episodes but they aren't like the horror stories some people talk about when they are stuck. It only lasts a few seconds then I can eat just fine. I'm worried about slippage and stretching my pouch, but i cant get in to see my surgeon for another month. Any advice? How much are you able to eat usually with your band? Maybe I need to use a measuring cup and only eat what fits in it. I think the normal amount is about 4-6 ounces, right? Thanks in advance for your advice! P.S. Since all of this my weight loss is at a standstill, I partially blame exercise, and partially eating too much. Thoughts?

My surgeon said no alcohol of any type for a full year post op...but that's difficult to follow when there are so many family celebrations. The major concerns are the empty calories you have in the wine or other alcohol...and definitely less tolerance for the amount of alcohol you consume. Last month I attended a party and had 2 Jello shots over a 2 hour span of time. I'm glad I did not need to drive...before the band this would not have affected me...post band, I was not safe to drive. Definitely avoid any carbonation...your band does not like carbonation...

12/5/08 My first fill! Yeah! What a ton of weird feelings. I never had anyone walk me through what it was like to have a fill, so I am going to put it down here. Well first I should say that Dr. Kirshenbaum is the one that did my fill and every doctor is probably different. So I went in and they weighed me. I don’t mind getting on the scale as long as the numbers are going down. I went into the exam room and there was a sonogram machine on one side of the table. So I laid down on the exam table and the doctor came in and felt for my port. No problem. That was easy. He cleaned my tummy with alcohol and then betadine. He asked if I was ready and after I said yes her poked me with the syringe. It didn’t hurt at all. He worked on getting all the air out of the syringe/needle. I had a little stinging sensation a couple of times, but I think that was either the saline hitting the inside of the port or from the needle being in where I’m not used to having a needle. J He had 2 syringes. One had 1.7 of saline in it and the other had like 2.5 of saline. He put the 1.7 in my band and then had me stand up. So now I have a needle sticking out of my tummy. Yeah it was as weird as it seemed! I drank some water without any problem. So now he puts more saline in and says drink some more water. OMG! I it just stayed in my pouch. Just sat there! It felt so strange. I wanted to cough it up or something. He took out about .5cc and then no problem. Now we did the dance. He put in .4cc and I took a drink and there was a definite hesitation in my pouch and then a tiny burp down there and it drained. He took out .2cc and I could drink and a tiny hesitation and then it drained. He took out .1cc and no hesitation now. I can drink and it was just fine. 2.8cc for my first fill. I know the number is arbitrary, but still nice to know. I took food with me so I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat. It has been a habit that has been working pretty well. Even if DH and kids eat at McDonalds I have something to eat. So anyway I had some cottage cheese and chicken salad. No problem. I went to TGI Fridays and had a grilled chicken breast. Small mindful bites and no problem. I can’t believe that .10cc more and I would be too tight. That is only a couple of drops of saline. Amazing. I guess the band is much touchier than I thought. I think some doctors have set amounts for fill. (.5 for each one or something.) I’m glad Dr. K isn’t like that. Fill till restriction then pull back just enough. Sounds good to me. Oh then he pulled out the syringe. WEIRD!!!!! No pain though. I will go back January 9th for my second fill. I even got to meet someone from lapbandtalk.com! That was cool too. The girls in the office today recommended this thrift store for cheap in-between jeans. So I look for jeans and I finally see this one pair of petite jeans. There were a size 18P Sonoma brand for $4 so I thought I would get them and they can be a goal. I started in a size 22 and they are baggy, but my only jeans so I wore them today. So I just got home from Denver (7 hr drive) and I hold them up and say to myself that there is NO WAY, but I'll try and see how far I get...they will be my first pair of "goal jeans". Guess what...yep! THEY FIT!!!! Not comfy enough to lounge around the house, but I can wear them out if I want to. WOW! What a day. My first fill and this!

im on my 3rd fill. a little bit on the aggressive side. 1st fill .5 2nd fill .3 3rd fill .5 so... 1.3cc in a 4cc band i have been keeping a daily log of my weight. i know, i know you are supposed to weigh in once a week or so, but for now, this is what i want to do. i notice when i have an alcohol to drink, i level out on my loss. note to self: DONT DRINK. :confused: duh and double duh. iam beginning to really notice a difference with this last fill. im really excited about it. not only that, i can now walk, sit, and stand with no hip pain. i so so so wish i was not such a lazy girl and could just get to the gym on a daily basis. geez.

That's actually a 2-part question. There are foods that you shouldn't eat, because they're not healthy, contain empty calories, don't meet your nutritional goals, and/or don't provide satiety. Then there are foods that you may not be able to eat at various points (like bread, fibrous veggies, dry cooked meats, apple skins, etc.) because it's so hard to chew them enough to get them past the band. Carbonated beverages should be avoided because the carbonation supposedly can dilate the stomach (same goes for straws) and because the carbonation can be extremely uncomfortable for a bandster. Alcohol is empty calories that loosen your inhibitions, so that eating potato chips or Cookies or whatever seems like a great idea. Alcohol and caffeine can be gastric irritants. food tolerance is very individual and it changes often. Surgeons' and dietitians' nutritional instructions vary widely, and so do bandsters' willingness and/or ability to follow those instructions. None of us are perfect. So it's hard to come up with a single plan for "how to do it the right way". The best approach is to follow your surgeon's and dietitian's instructions. If they don't give you instructions, ask for them. If you don't understand their instructions, ask for clarification.

I think you misunderstood the letter. Band erosion isn't literally the band, it's the stomach. Here is the clinical definition: Erosion is a long-term complication of lap band surgery, and occurs when the Gastric Band is fastened around the upper stomach gradually erodes into the stomach wall and extends into the gastric lumen. Intragastric Lap Band Erosions have been reported at rates that vary from 0.6% to 10% depending of the operative technique, the doctor’s experience, the device used and the most important factor: the patient's followup. The use of NSAIDS, alcohol and smoking have been proposed as three of the main factors contributing to hyperacidity and irritation of the mucosal layer of the stomach. This important layer prevents us from acquiring ulcers in normal conditions. When the irritation is persistent, it can cause erosion of the wall layers of the stomach, which may allow the lap band to migrate into the stomach (“inside out” erosion theory). Repeated vomiting has also been suggested as a possible accelerant, especially when a high degree of obstruction is present (For example, an over-filling of the lap band). Due to the erosion, saliva or food leaks through the hole or ulcer in the stomach and flows along the Lap Band tubing, causing the tissue under the skin of the Lap Band Port to become infected.

My band is 3 also. I had one taken out and I gained 10 pounds in a month! Scared me, so I had it put back in. I eat about 3 cups of food a day. I try to split it up of course and put my Protein in first. I have bad days and eat sweets and some alcohol once in a while but for the most part I follow the rules. I went through what I call the candy years. I didn't eat very healthy year 4 and 5, but luckily I managed to keep weight down. It took two years to reach my goal, and this has definately been a journey. I have to tell you when my band was too loose, I ate a big mac! I got really sick though lol. You can do it, and even though my band is the same as yours, I think that varies from person to person. I must say the option to loosen or tighten has been good for me! Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

My alcoholic brother called me "a fat f#cking b#tch !!" ...story gets better though...... A year later and 5 mths after my surgery the alcoholic said "you f#ckin b#tch" I was ready and prepared. I said, "that's right you can call me a f#cking b#tch but you can't call me a fat f#cking b#th no more, can you?!?! His mouth just dropped and he walked away and now I weigh less than him ........ I may have been fat but I'm not an alcoholic hurting everyone in their path Sent from my LGL84VL using BariatricPal mobile app

It sounds like you have unrealistic expectations of the band. It is not supposed to make you feel full, nor is it suppose to restrict what you eat or how much you can eat. The only thing the band is suppose to do is help you to be satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. Satisfied meaning no longer physically hungry. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean you don't need another fill. You very well may. But if you are looking for a full feeling or for the band to restrict what you eat or how much, then you run the risk of getting over-filled. Being over-filled leads to slips and you definitely don't want that. Have you considered counseling? Food addiction is very real and very hard to overcome. I know I still struggle with it all the time. I have to constantly ask myself "Am I physically hungry or do I just want to eat?" Unlike drug or alcohol addiction, us food addicts can't just give up our addiction. We have to eat to live. I hope you consider counseling, it really can help a lot. Best wishes to you.

I've never heard of a carbonated margarita. I stick to wine myself since in small quantities it has a few health benefits. I'm careful to limit my intake of empty calories without totally depriving myself. You have to be careful because alcohol can very easily sabotage weight loss, not just with its empty calories, but also with inhibitions to eat anything and everything!

J, I haven't been banded yet but I am LI and was worried about the shakes. I also am sensitive to Sucralose and the sugar alcohol sugar substitutes. Many on this board wrote about unjury. I ordered samples of each flavor plus the unflavored. I like it. It mixes with Water and is a bit thin but tolerable. Tried all but the chicken, that one scares me....lol The great part is I had NO TUMMY TROUBLE.

I learned the hard way to not pay attention to sugar content or sugar alcohol content. They are just "fancy" ways to tell you "eat this, I'm good for you" pay attention to the carb content. That is what will raise your sugar levels. My daughter was diagnosed w juvi diabetes when she was 3, she is now 20. Letting her eat diabetic candy back when I was ill informed, I couldn't understand why her sugar was high when I watched everything she ate. Not only that....she would get very bad cramps after about 2 or 3 pieces.

My program recommends no alcohol for 1st year. Be careful of sugars in the alcohol and how you react now to liquor will be much quicker HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 173 5’6”

Funny thing regular food is not my problem, its sweets. I also had to leave the alcohol alone.

I got gas x tablets strips did not work well for me, wylers bouillon cubes chicken or beef, crystal light, alcohol wipes to sterilize area where u give yourself shots, get all prescriptions filled, get acid reducers, comfy gowns, follow doc insructions, take plenty naps allow yourself to heal. I bought cream for my incisions. Get a smallnote pad write your water intake stuff like that. I also checked my blood pressure daily. I also went and got my favorite smelling hand lotion it comforted me. Other than that sit back and enjoy the ride oh I forgot sf popcycles. Good luck