Cleo's Mom

There have been some good suggestions about talking to your doctor to see if your band has been placed and is working correctly. You didn't say what kind of sick you got but I assume it was band related - thus the 2cc unfill.
If your band is okay and you can't for whatever reason get a fill at this time, and you seem like you can eat most foods - then I recommend that you just count calories. Stay under 1500. At your weight you should be able to lose at that calorie level. And eat healthy foods that fill you up. High Fiber, salads with lots of veggies. Wraps with lite deli chicken or ham. Baked potatoes with I can't believe it's not butter spray. High Fiber cereals. And lite oatmeal. Lite Soups (progresso makes good ones). Whole grain crackers. Protein bars (special K makes a great choc. Peanut Butter Meal Replacement bar). Don't drink any calories. Just crystal lite. And Water. Use skim milk. Get lite whole wheat bread for toast. For fruit, use no sugar added cups of fruit (they come in 1/2 cup sizes).
For Snacks try sugar free pudding, Jello, or the fruit. I mix the Jello and sugar free peaches. Use a little fat free whipped topping. I hate cheese and yogurt but you could try that, too.
Try this for about 3 weeks and see how it goes. Exercise daily, too.
Do something you like. Take a walk. Join a gym. Lift weights. Take a dancing class. Whatever you like.
Good luck

It makes me so sad to read some of these posts because my husband would have been so supportive of me with my WLS. Unfortunately he didn't live long enough. He died at age 56 five years ago of cancer. He married a thin woman and watched me put on over 100 lbs over 30 years and never once said anything negative about it. Never. He supported every diet I was on. I got breast cancer in 2002 and he got his cancer in 2003. It was at that time that I looked into WLS (the RNY at that time) because I wanted to look more like the girl he married if he was going to die. But by the time I went through all the pre-op stuff he got much sicker and I had to take care of him.
So, I wasn't able to get the surgery until over 2 years ago. I have lost about 75 lbs and he would have been my biggest supporter all the way. He would never bring anything in to the house to eat if it bothered me. He would find a way to eat it away from me. He would do everything in his power to help me be successful. So, it makes me sad to see spouses who try to sabotage their partner's WLS.
I'm sorry but if you tell your spouse that bringing candy bars home or other foods bothers you and makes it difficult to stay on track and he still does it, then your marriage is in trouble and you need to address it.

Want to be thin: Why don't you get back on track in small doses instead of trying to do it all at once which might seem overwhelming and setting you up for failure. First, get rid of all the Cookies, cakes, rolls, etc..all the food that we shouldn't be eating and replace it with:
bread - lite whole wheat (toasted)
milk - skim
lunch meat - lite (low fat)
use mustard instead of mayo
make a half of sandwich with this.
fruit - buy those no sugar added 1/2 cups of peaches, pears,mixed fruit, etc..
veggies - get canned, fresh or frozen.
butter - use I can't believe it's not butter spray.
carbs - make them complex - like a high Fiber Cereal, oatmeal
eggs - use egg beaters
buy a rotissiere chicken (if available) and remove skin, chop it up and add some fat free chicken gravy.
get some rice cakes (35 cal/each) and spray them with some I can't believe and then sprinkle a mixture of splenda and cinnamon on them.
salads - use lite balsamic vinegarette - Newman's makes a good one.
baked potatoes - get those microwave ready one. A baked potato now and then isn't going to kill you.
There are some 100 calorie Protein Bars that are good.
sugar free Jello - 10 calorie
sugar free pudding - 60 calories
This should give you a good start and provide you with enough food choices.
At first just do the replacements of the unhealthy food with the healthy. Then after about a week or so, start keeping a food journal and measuring and weighing the food and decide on a calorie level (like 1500 to start and them lower over time).
Start exercising a little each day if you haven't. Just walk or if you have a treadmill, do that. Then you can increase it as time goes on. I do the Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies. My adult son makes fun of it, but it's the music I grew up with so it's fun.
You also need to see your doctor again and visit with the nutritionist. I am not going to tell you the band works for everyone because it doesn't work for me by reducing hunger and providing satiety, but I do what I can to keep the weight off. It is a constant battle and it is for life and no, it's not fair. I was the thin girl for the first part of my life and now I'm not. So don't worry about being seen as the fat girl. What others think isn't important. It's what you think.
Think about getting healthy instead of getting thin. Some of us aren't made to be thin, But we should try to be healthy. Good luck.

I think there are two different kinds of posts we are talking about here.
The first kind will be someone who wants honest, even critical, reviews of why they are having problems. They will welcome all comments since they asked for them. Am I too tight? I am having problems with this food. I am still hungry after 6 fills. What should I do? I need motivation as I am slipping back into bad habits. It is not hard to recognize these posts.
The other kind is someone for whom the band is not working, they are experiencing a lot of problems despite following the rules. They are very frustrated. They are not asking for rah, rah, we love the band because it works for us and if it doesn't work for you, then it's your fault. They don't want to hear that you lost 50lbs the first month or 100 lbs in 3 months. This is not a poster that will welcome criticism and shouldn't get any just for hating the band. It's okay to offer suggestions about some things they might try (if they haven't already). It is not okay to suggest that they are the failure.
It's okay not to like the band. It's okay to hate the band but some successful bandsters often come across as defensive, as if the attack were on them personally.

I think you make some very valid points. There is a not too subtle message out there from many sources that says if we want to be a normal weight we must eat things we don't like and don't eat things we do. Do you think thin people think this way? No. My former nutritionist said there is only one purpose for eating - nutrition. Really? Food is an integral part of our social network. Have you ever been to any social or holiday gathering that didn't involve food? And what did they serve? Tofu? No. Food has a lot of tradition with different ethnic groups, too. And carbs have been demonized. The poor baked potato is the cause of our obesity?
Obvioulsy making wrong food choices on a daily basis is wrong. But it doesn't make you a bad person for longing for your grandmother's banana bread or a big mac. And there is nothing wrong with having a bit of either once in a while. If a person's band is so tight that many or most foods are eliminated from your diet, then they should re-think about getting a slight unfill. And this is especially true if you are vomiting, have heartburn, reflux or pain.
Those of us who are obese have been made to feel guilty about eating all our lives. Food is bad. I remember doing a mental mantra "Food is evil". Food is not evil. Thin people don't look at it that way. Maybe we should quit studying about what makes us obese and study what allows adults to remain thin all their lives. Do you observe thin people when you are out eating? Aren't they eating pizza, fried foods, etc.? They are where I go. But they probably do it once a week, not every day.
We've got to stop demonizing food and our desire for things that taste good. It's okay to want to be able to eat all the stuff that tastes good. It's just not good to actually eat it on a regular basis. We can come up with a way to incorporate it into our lives without it causing a problem. Maybe some are like recovering alcoholics who can never have alcohol again, but I suspect most of us can handle the occasional cookie, piece of pizza, etc... without going overboard.

I think you make some very valid points. There is a not too subtle message out there from many sources that says if we want to be a normal weight we must eat things we don't like and don't eat things we do. Do you think thin people think this way? No. My former nutritionist said there is only one purpose for eating - nutrition. Really? Food is an integral part of our social network. Have you ever been to any social or holiday gathering that didn't involve food? And what did they serve? Tofu? No. Food has a lot of tradition with different ethnic groups, too. And carbs have been demonized. The poor baked potato is the cause of our obesity?
Obvioulsy making wrong food choices on a daily basis is wrong. But it doesn't make you a bad person for longing for your grandmother's banana bread or a big mac. And there is nothing wrong with having a bit of either once in a while. If a person's band is so tight that many or most foods are eliminated from your diet, then they should re-think about getting a slight unfill. And this is especially true if you are vomiting, have heartburn, reflux or pain.
Those of us who are obese have been made to feel guilty about eating all our lives. Food is bad. I remember doing a mental mantra "Food is evil". Food is not evil. Thin people don't look at it that way. Maybe we should quit studying about what makes us obese and study what allows adults to remain thin all their lives. Do you observe thin people when you are out eating? Aren't they eating pizza, fried foods, etc.? They are where I go. But they probably do it once a week, not every day.
We've got to stop demonizing food and our desire for things that taste good. It's okay to want to be able to eat all the stuff that tastes good. It's just not good to actually eat it on a regular basis. We can come up with a way to incorporate it into our lives without it causing a problem. Maybe some are like recovering alcoholics who can never have alcohol again, but I suspect most of us can handle the occasional cookie, piece of pizza, etc... without going overboard.

I was not talking about you specifically, I was talking in general terms. Even for those for whom the band works successfully, I don't think it works the same way for all of them. I think for some it helps to curb hunger, for others small amounts of food provides satiety, for others it has caused them to rethink the whole way they approach food and the choices they make and for some it is all of these things. Each successful person's experience is different just as each unsuccesful person's is.
I couldn't agree more about doctors. I think the WLS field is filled with surgeons who jumped on the bandwagon to make money. Expanding their general surgery practice, they assumed that they had the surgical skills. But too many are all over the place with advice from the pre-op diet to how to do adjustments, to how much to eat when starting solids, to being anti-carbs, etc.. All you have to do is read what people post about their doctor's advice. There should be a consensus about how this band works and how to approach it before and after surgery. That's called standard practice of care. If I have a certain type and stage of cancer I can probably expect the same treatment no matter what hospital of excellence I go to. That's not the same with what I have read on here about doctors and the lapband.

I think you make some very valid points. There is a not too subtle message out there from many sources that says if we want to be a normal weight we must eat things we don't like and don't eat things we do. Do you think thin people think this way? No. My former nutritionist said there is only one purpose for eating - nutrition. Really? Food is an integral part of our social network. Have you ever been to any social or holiday gathering that didn't involve food? And what did they serve? Tofu? No. Food has a lot of tradition with different ethnic groups, too. And carbs have been demonized. The poor baked potato is the cause of our obesity?
Obvioulsy making wrong food choices on a daily basis is wrong. But it doesn't make you a bad person for longing for your grandmother's banana bread or a big mac. And there is nothing wrong with having a bit of either once in a while. If a person's band is so tight that many or most foods are eliminated from your diet, then they should re-think about getting a slight unfill. And this is especially true if you are vomiting, have heartburn, reflux or pain.
Those of us who are obese have been made to feel guilty about eating all our lives. Food is bad. I remember doing a mental mantra "Food is evil". Food is not evil. Thin people don't look at it that way. Maybe we should quit studying about what makes us obese and study what allows adults to remain thin all their lives. Do you observe thin people when you are out eating? Aren't they eating pizza, fried foods, etc.? They are where I go. But they probably do it once a week, not every day.
We've got to stop demonizing food and our desire for things that taste good. It's okay to want to be able to eat all the stuff that tastes good. It's just not good to actually eat it on a regular basis. We can come up with a way to incorporate it into our lives without it causing a problem. Maybe some are like recovering alcoholics who can never have alcohol again, but I suspect most of us can handle the occasional cookie, piece of pizza, etc... without going overboard.

My thoughts on the original post:
I don't think the surgeons do a good job explaining the band at the required pre-op seminar. That is why so many are surprised that they will be hungry after surgery and before a fill. Or that they may have permanent left shoulder pain. Or that you could have significant pain after surgery Or that some would require the band to be so tight as not to be able to eat Breakfast in order to lose weight. Or - and this is the one no one would be told - that the band doesn't work for everyone like it is promoted.
It is promoted as controlling your hunger. It has never worked that way for me (and others on here) at any fill level I was at. My inability to eat due to restriction did not translate into satiety.
As to searching for things - I find the search feature on this forum to be very frustrating and not easy to find things. The old way was much better before they updated everything. So it could be that people want to find specific things but can't.
And I am not a newbie. I have been around for awhile.

The republican and conservative idea of "some oversight" was in full force under the bush administration. And the results were disatrous. We saw what happened with "some oversight" on Wall Street. If this "some oversight" had been in place when thalidomide was being given to pregnant women in other countries, we would have had deformed babies born here. But the government oversight stopped it. If this "some oversight" had been applied to cars over the years we wouldn't have seat belts or air bags. Car manufacturers are not going to voluntarily add what they think are unnecessary safety features that would increase the price. "Some oversight" might give parents the option of using car seats for infants or not. After all, we don't want the big, bad government to tell parents what to do.
Republican rep. Issa sent a letter to 125 corporations asking them which regulations they didn't like. That's like the umpire asking the pitcher where the strike zone should be as the batter (middle class) comes up to bat. Issa represents the "some (read: none) oversight" policy the new republicans are promoting.
We require licenses for people to sell things in this country. I can't just decide to sell my home baked Cookies (this is a far fetched example - I don't bake) from my home. I can't do hair styling or do make overs in my home without a license (and zoning). These laws are in place for a reason. It's regulation of commerce.
So, the republicans like to cherry pick which "oversight" is okay. They mostly want oversight of unions (no card check), trial lawyers (tort reform), welfare (get those single moms) and the minimum wage (is it constitutional?) but lets give wall street and corporate america free reign. They are not offering one concrete thing that is different from their disastrous policies that got us in this mess to begin with.
Liberals and the left wing don't want people to rely on the government for everything. We want people to be able to have a level playing field and to help the least among us. And many of those who ask "what is the government going to do" (this also applies when they use the generic -"somebody should do something" - which means government) are the same ones who yap about smaller government and the nanny state (a right wing buzz word) and I call it for what it is - hypocrisy (and not a small dose of stupidity).
You're one to talk about not addressing things. You said that if I could prove that the republicans wanted Obama to fail before he was sworn in, you would vote for him, or some other such thing. Well, I found the article from the NYT that on Jan. 11, 2009, the republicans met and did just that. I posted it, I think, on election issues.
I noticed that you didn't address any of the republican hypocrisy that I posted. Add to that that two of the freshmen republicans were at fundraisers and missed their swearing in, but none the less proceeded to be involved in committee hearings. Where's the justification for that in the constitution?

Sorry the CBO score didn't support the unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthy. Kill the messenger and all that. There is not one study that shows that tax cuts for the wealthy creates jobs, increases revenue or stimulates the economy. Trickle down doesn't work. The unemployed spend their unemployment check and the employed middle class spend money too. It''s the wealthy who already have everything they need who don't need to spend any money.
People pay into unemployment. The wealthy are taxed too low and have not been paying their fair share. We need to tax them at the Clinton rate when 22 million jobs were created thus blowing a hole in the argument that taxing the wealthy will kill jobs.
Corporate America is sitting on 2 trillion in assets. Sounds like they've really been given a bum deal by this so-called anti-business president. LOL The corporate bonuses this year are expected to exceed last year. But, as my mother used to say, they're crying with a loaf of bread under each arm. We don't know what to expect about taxes. Boo hoo. We don't know what to expect about healthcare. Boo hoo. Why should they hire when they are making record profits by making fewer american workers work more hours and longer weeks and shipping jobs overseas?
We need to penalize corporate america for sending jobs overseas and make corporations like Exxon, who paid no taxes last year and got millions back from the government, pay their fair share. We also need to raise the social security tax on 100% of a person's income. Bill Gates only pays SS on his first $106,000. How ridiculous is that?
These things will increase revenue and create jobs. Investing in the middle class will create jobs too. We have to quit talking about spending and start talking about investing. Investing in the 21st century and stop trying to take us back to the early 20th century. Investing in infrastructure, clean energy, education, research & development, technology, healthcare, etc.. if we don't want to become a third world country behind China, India, Brazil, etc..

Pres. Obama had to give in to the blackmail of the republicans and extend the unnecessary tax cuts to the rich that the republicans wanted. He knew that if he let them expire, then on Jan. 5th when the republican congress takes over, it would be a much worse deal for the middle class.
Every senate republican signed a letter stating that they would vote for NOTHING until the tax cut for the rich was passed. Not START, not DADT, not the military appropriation bill, not unemployement extentions, NOTHING.
So, while Pres. Obama is supporting this so-called compromise, he is smart enought to know that the job creation comes more from the extention of the unemployement benefits than from tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. The CBO scored this and it shows that for every dollar in unemployment the economy receives almost $2 in stimulus. For every tax dollar to the rich, we get about 30 cents.
So, when Pres. Obama said that this "tax package" would help create jobs, he was referring to the things in the package that actually do: unemployment extention, middle class tax cuts in the form of lower SS contributions and other tax incentives, not the tax cuts to the wealthy. He never says tax cuts (for the wealthy) will create jobs - he only refers to the tax package which included a lot of things.

Of course I was being facetious when I said two months, but the American people aren't going to be patient with the republicans who put getting this tax cut for the wealthy as their number one priority - constantly perpetuating the big lie that it was needed to create jobs. So, that is what the American people are going to expect.
Obama wanted to get the deal he thought he could get before they take over in January and then come up with a worse deal. Of course he could veto everything they present him with that includes a tax cut for the wealthy, but in the meantime the middle class will be paying more taxes, and the unemployed without extended benefits, which he said he wouldn't allow. The republicans were holding the middle class tax cuts and unemployment extentions hostage so they could get billions more for those don't need it.
So, let's recap:
-the republicans and their tea party candidates claim to be against increasing spending and the deficit but their #1 priority did just that -( tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires who don't need or deserve it.) to the tune of $70 billion a year
-they voted against the tax cuts for just the middle class
-they voted against unemployment benefit extentions.
So for the people who are struggling they said: Go F yourself and to their wealthy millionaire and billionaire donors they said we will hold everything up until we get you an EXTRA tax cut.
The hypocrisy and arrogance of these republicans is staggering. Great guys y'all voted for.