I have some questions...

[crackedpepper 0]

I posted this in the newbie section, but I guess since they are all in the same boat, they don't know how to answer my questions - here's the original post, and thanks in advance!!

Ok, so I thought instead of starting 20 threads, I'd ask many questions in one

I'm around 330, 5'6 or so, and 25 years old. Is anyone like me, if so, what is your experience with the band?

Is there anything physical you shouldn't do, that could like, cause slippage?

How can I maximize my weight loss, I'd like to lose at least 200, and frankly I don't want to wait 5 years. Anyone who has had optimal success, what did you do during to make it go so fast (I saw someone here say they lost 200 in 18 mos or something)?

If I'm all hot and sweaty, sometimes I'll just down a big glass of Water -- will I still be able to do that?

If something gets stuck, how do I get it to release?

Any other newbie tips would be much appreciated!! Thanks!!

[Dave01 0]

I posted this in the newbie section, but I guess since they are all in the same boat, they don't know how to answer my questions - here's the original post, and thanks in advance!!

Ok, so I thought instead of starting 20 threads, I'd ask many questions in one

I'm around 330, 5'6 or so, and 25 years old. Is anyone like me, if so, what is your experience with the band?

I have had mine since Aug 30th and have lost 93 lbs so far. Its a lifestyle change and the better you can adapt to it, the better your results will be.

Is there anything physical you shouldn't do, that could like, cause slippage?

Avoid eating quickly and make sure you chew good. Vomiting can cause band slippage which can be real bad. Make sure you give your body time for the band to nest around the stomach before heavy physical activity

How can I maximize my weight loss, I'd like to lose at least 200, and frankly I don't want to wait 5 years. Anyone who has had optimal success, what did you do during to make it go so fast (I saw someone here say they lost 200 in 18 mos or something)?

One word that most hate to hear...EXERCISE

If I'm all hot and sweaty, sometimes I'll just down a big glass of Water -- will I still be able to do that?

You will be sipping Water from now on. A large gulp can temporarily fill the smaller pouch and cause you to cough it back up...Not fun

If something gets stuck, how do I get it to release?

It will happen on its own. You will get this large amount of saliva in your mouth and either the food will go down, or up it comes.

Any other newbie tips would be much appreciated!! Thanks!!

Practice not drinking with meals, usually 1/2 hr before until 45 minutes after. Some times are different. Get plenty of Protein once banded, chart your food intake and your exercise and you will see good results

[TracyinKS 7]

I'm around 330, 5'6 or so, and 25 years old. Is anyone like me, if so, what is your experience with the band?

There are a lot of people of your weight, age and height, and a lot of people who STARTED with your stats, but are now 100(s) of pounds lighter....... Do a search in the monthly forums and especially check the 2006 and befores.... and the B4 and After pics thread

Is there anything physical you shouldn't do, that could like, cause slippage? Yes, best discussed with your doc.... first I would say is the initial HEALING stage to not go off your dr's plan.. you want that scar tissue to form to "cement" your band in place.

How can I maximize my weight loss, I'd like to lose at least 200, and frankly I don't want to wait 5 years. Anyone who has had optimal success, what did you do during to make it go so fast (I saw someone here say they lost 200 in 18 mos or something)? Same old same old that you've heard over and over.......... diet, exercise and Water. I focus on getting my Protein in and quite frankly that in itself lowers my carbs because I am very restricted and eat very little.

If I'm all hot and sweaty, sometimes I'll just down a big glass of Water -- will I still be able to do that? NOT REALLY.... when you fill up your stoma too fast it will just gurgle back up... sometimes I do this and the liquid comes right back up just as cold as it did going down!

If something gets stuck, how do I get it to release?...

Aweee grasshopper........ this is called PB'ng..... its like this...either that offending food sits and disolves and passes through or it come back up..... sometimes it is projectile :scales:

Newbie tips:

practice not drinking with meals......... practice slowing down.. try to work on the emotional side of eating... because even though you won't be hungry a lot....... the head hunger will try to trick into believing that you are. GOOD LUCK

[coltonwade 27]

I posted this in the newbie section, but I guess since they are all in the same boat, they don't know how to answer my questions - here's the original post, and thanks in advance!!

Ok, so I thought instead of starting 20 threads, I'd ask many questions in one

I'm around 330, 5'6 or so, and 25 years old. Is anyone like me, if so, what is your experience with the band? Like someone else said the best thing to do is read. I know its not the easiest answer but its the best one. I spent nearly a yr on hear doing nothing but reading . I did ask questions as well . But I read every night on the threads. That is the best way you can get information .

Is there anything physical you shouldn't do, that could like, cause slippage?

I agree ask your doc

How can I maximize my weight loss, I'd like to lose at least 200, and frankly I don't want to wait 5 years. Anyone who has had optimal success, what did you do during to make it go so fast (I saw someone here say they lost 200 in 18 mos or something)? Again probably reading . Look at the exercise forum and the before and after pics. Look at peoples sig lines. if you see someone that was your start weight and is at the goal you would like to be at email them ,PM them . I have yet to do that and have someone say " leave me alone" People are more than happy to tell you what they did to get to their goal. But keep in mind also what works for them , might not have the same affect for some one else .

If I'm all hot and sweaty, sometimes I'll just down a big glass of Water -- will I still be able to do that?

Yes and no . LOL Is it a good idea probably not . Will you be able to before you get proper restriction ? Maybe , i could , after i got my first fill NO WAY, not with out feeling like i had been punched in the chest . you just have to drink more slowly .

If something gets stuck, how do I get it to release? Papaya Enzymes work well for me , they are a chewable "supplement" that you can chew after getting stuck , for the most part it works to get things un stuck .

But as my doc says " there is no reason to get stuck if you follow the rules" chew chew chew and small bites. I do get stuck though !

Any other newbie tips would be much appreciated!! Thanks!!

As someone else said , practice not drinking while you eat. that was by far the hardest thing for me to get use to . Some tips i have for that. When your at home, dont even get a drink at the table with you .

at restruants , I drink up until my food comes, once it comes I ask for a to go cup with no straw, i put my drink in the to go cup and move it out of the way . After a while it is no big deal .

HTH

Mindy

PS Feel free to PM or email me

[transformer 1]

I agree with what everyone else said above. Do whatever your doctor tells you to do--they're not making stuff up just to be annoying. You have to "rearrange your brain" so you become determined to make significant lifestyle changes that will bring you to your goal. Remember that if you continue to eat crap, you're going to continue feeling like crap...

[crackedpepper 0]

What do you mean by you felt like you were being punched in the chest? Were you in any danger? How long did the pain last?

Is it painful when stuff gets stuck? What about sticky or bready stuff... can this be dangerous?

Thank you all for your help!!

[greeneyez 3]

Hi crackedpepper,

I agree with what everyone else has said. Reading the posts religously on the board has been the best way to get information. Someone else said that pineapple juice is a great drink to get food unstuck. I've stocked up on it for my banded days ahead!

I have started to practice chewing chewing and more chewing and have found myself taking smaller bites and not drinking at meal times.

It really is a mindset I guess. Oh and exercise - personally I can't stand it, but hope that by doing it, I will learn to enjoy it.

[crackedpepper 0]

Well, I would read this board with caution too, I have seen a lot of things on here that are not medically sound, and posters state them as fact like "this is what you should do". But for tips and experiences, yeah, it's great. I'm hoping stuff getting stuck won't be an issue, but I will buy pineapple juice just in case.

I love to exercise, but right now my knee is so bad that I can not. I am hoping that once I start getting weight off, I will be able to return to the gym.

[Dave01 0]

What do you mean by you felt like you were being punched in the chest? Were you in any danger? How long did the pain last?

Is it painful when stuff gets stuck? What about sticky or bready stuff... can this be dangerous?

Thank you all for your help!!

The feeling is like pressure in your chest. It does not block your ability to breath or anything, but can be somewhat painful. The times I have gotten stuck only lasted a few minutes.

I have not had any bread, other than toasted pita since my surgery. That was one of the things my dr said to give up. Soft bread can ball up and cause you to get stuck real easy. Any dry foods, like chicken, Cereal and stuff like that can easily cause you to get stuck too. Some people are able to tolerate any foods, but i am not one of them. What one person has found to be good may not work for others, so it will be a learning process for a while.

[transformer 1]

If it gives you any hope at all, I used to have a lot of joint pain throughout my body. I now only occasionally have pain and I'm only about halfway to goal! I hope that you start noticing some improvement after losing just a small amount of weight!

I know a lot of people with joint problems promote swimming as a good exercise. That may be something to consider since swimming is very low impact as compared to running, etc.

As far as "getting stuck," I've learned that I only get into trouble if I eat too fast and don't chew my food thoroughly. I try not to eat dry chicken, pork, etc. I always cook lean meats in some type of broth to keep it moist. I also use a lot of fat free mayo, salsa, and chopped tomatoes to season food so it isn't too dry. I avoid regurgitating food by not eating and drinking at the same time and by not eating too much at one time. Once you adopt these practices and they become habit, it's second nature and not hard to do at all.

It is still unbelievable to me, but I don't eat white bread anymore. As a former carb addict, I think that is remarkable! There's only two of us in the house, so the bread I buy keeps going bad (I'm thinking of not bothering to buy it anymore). Some people have reported having difficulty eating other carbs like Pasta and processed foods like doughnuts, quick breads, muffins, etc. At this point, I rarely eat Pasta and focus on more of a "South Beach" type of diet. It seems to help me keep up my energy. I noticed that when I do eat a meal that is mostly carbs (for example--if I attend a conference and all they are serving for lunch is a pasta dish), my vision gets blurry and I feel like crap the rest of the day. I can actually feel my blood sugar going out of whack. It makes me very sluggish. Ugh! :sick

As far as maximizing weight loss, I'm probably not the best person to give advice. My strategy has been "slow and steady wins the race." I would like to reach my goal weight by the end of 2008. I didn't want to lose weight really rapidly like when you have gastric bypass surgery. I'm almost twice your age, so my perspective is a little different. As you get older, I don't think you're in as big of a hurry about things--2 years out of life for a 40-year-old doesn't seem so long as compared to how a 20-year-old would view 2 years! LOL!

From my observations, I believe that those who do these things tend to lose weight the fastest (and maintain their weight loss more easily):

-have a strong commitment to living a totally different lifestyle than the one that made them overweight to begin with (they continue following their new lifestyle even when weight-loss plateaus hit rather than giving up)

-break their weight loss into smaller, easily achievable goals to keep themselves motivated (when you have a ton of weight to lose, it's easy to become discouraged)

-strictly follow "bandster" guidelines about diet (low-fat, low-sodium, low-carb, high Protein, lots of low-carb veggies)

-avoid fast-food establishments (or choose smart options like salad)

-carefully watch their calorie, fat, Protein, and carb intake

-avoid drinking "empty" calories via alcohol, soda, high-fat milkshakes, etc.

-stay away from high calorie foods that are easy for a bandster to eat like ice cream and chocolate

-take in at least 64 ounces of Water (in various forms) per day

-have a positive attitude and Celebrate their accomplishments with non-food related rewards

-exercise regularly (both aerobic exercise and weight training)

That's what I've been able to pick up from reading lots of threads and from other bandsters I've met in person for what it's worth!

[coltonwade 27]

Well, I would read this board with caution too, I have seen a lot of things on here that are not medically sound, and posters state them as fact like "this is what you should do". But for tips and experiences, yeah, it's great. I'm hoping stuff getting stuck won't be an issue, but I will buy pineapple juice just in case.

I love to exercise, but right now my knee is so bad that I can not. I am hoping that once I start getting weight off, I will be able to return to the gym.

FYI, I use pine apple juice on occasion but it sometimes makes things worse. Someone suggested Papaya Enzymes to me ( They are a chewable supplement) and I find those work better for me . If your really stuck the liquids are going to make things worse . The papaya helps more it seems if im pretty stuck . So you might want to have both on hand. I keep the Enzymes in my purse with me at all times.

I agree with everyone else about reading the boards with Caution as well

Love

MIndy