B-52

First I have had the Lap band.... I CANNOT drink while eating, or immediately after....there is just so much that will fit in my pouch at one time, and drinking something only adds to that volume, quickly.....creating a very unpleasant situation. At a restaurant, it is embarrassing to have to get up and run to the bathroom... I have read where many people say drinking will wash the food down, letting you eat even more....that has never been the case with me. But with the band, it is adjustable and perhaps they have their band adjusted to where they can eat more than the next person....less restriction.

I know men who work construction everyday, and what they do everyday is what some people only do for an hour at the gym...and they are still fat! In shape, yes, but also overweight. ( you can have both) It always comes down to what and how much I eat... I was fat because I ate too much...so with surgery I eat less, a lot less...and exercise to BURN MORE Calories on top of that. Before surgery I used to go to the gym, and still did not have any positive results....it was only after surgery, when I got my eating and hunger under control, did I start to see positive and rapid results. I'm also one of many who exercises on an empty stomach, relying on stored fat as my energy source..not what I may have just ate, otherwise ending up where I started.. After a workout my body is screaming for replenishment...it is here that I have to be most careful...eat something bad, and I'm back where I started...so it is then that I will have a "High Protein, Recovery" shake. I know many people who feel they have to eat before a workout, marathon run, etc, etc...but these people are not fat..they have nothing in the tank, or put away in reserve..they need to put something in the tank prior. Since I have lost all my excess body fat, I am one who needs my Protein Shake BEFORE my workout...but it was the other way around when I was still loosing. Many people have asked this same question, and many people will give their replies, all different. It comes down to what has actually worked for them, (not what they are simply repeating) and what will actually work for you. But for me, it has always been calories in, versus calories burned, with exercise to burn off more calories yet.

I start with a scoop of protein powder...everything else is extra benefits.

In my opinion, Everyone looses weight post surgery...from the post surgery diet alone, not because of the band. I did, and then had my first fill of 4cc's 4 weeks after surgery.....the next fill was 4 weeks after that... Between my first and second fill I GAINED weight...the weight I lost from the post surgery diet began to come back. It was not until my second fill that I felt that the band began to make a difference, and it took three fills before I can say it was doing something significant. So for 12 weeks from surgery, it was a struggle...probably the hardest phase of this procedure. That's why it is referred to "Banders Hell" All I could do was hang in there and apply good old fashion diet principals, which I am not very good at. The reason I needed surgery after all. But I did get through it, took some time and some hard learned lessons, and now I can say it is the greatest thing I could have ever done...5 years and it can't be any better.

Whatever it is I may do, Aerobic Activity is #1...everything else is essential, but secondary.

I no longer worry about New Years resolutions, everyday is and should be a resolution... But considering all the junk I have been eating/drinking for the past few weeks, I am going to go on a 2 week "PaleoClense" to rid my body of all these toxins I have accumulated.... Have to wait till Jan 2nd though, New Years day is still a party day..... BTW, I have been going to one Health Club - Gym for over 5 years now, and every New Years the place is packed with all those committing themselves to one resolution or another....after a few weeks it starts to fall back towards normal again... That is what I think of New years resolutions...if you're going to do it, then do it...why wait till a certain day which comes but once a year....

Who ???

never mind...delete post

First of all...my problem was I could not control my appetie and eating...diets failed everytime because I had no self-control...as a last resort, my PCP recommended surgery...to do what I was incapable of doing myself.... THAT's why I had surgery...I expected a difference. Since then, I've never felt full in the classic sense....I simply do not want to eat anymore...and have no desire to eat. My tastes have totally changed, I do not get turned on by the smells/aromas of food. The sight of it does absolutely nothing. The only way I can explain it is like this......remember when you ate more than you should, say at Thanksgiving...so much you had to unbuckle your pants. If someone put another slice of pie in front of you, you would wave your hands and say "You got to be kidding, take it away....I cannot possibly eat one more thing...I don't ever want to look at food again!" Well, I feel that way all the time..but not as drastic. Not a physical feeling, but purey a mental thing...subtle thoughts, feelings......my brain is telling me I'm not hungry, I don't need to eat, I am more than full, I am satisfied ! Yet! I haven't eaten anything yet. I may not have eaten all day... I believe the presence of the band, adjusted, is sending my brain these signals. I can go to the grocery store and wander...not seeing anything that interests me...My tastes have changed dramatically, sometimes none at all... And this is coming from a guy who could not stop eating...all day long, like a machine! I could devour a large pizza all by myself..then go looking for a snack an hour later. When we go out to eat (which is often because both my wife and I work ridiculous long hours)..I try to order something nutritious, what I know I should be eating.....and after eating about a tenth, I put the fork down...I'm done, have no desire to continue....it's like a child playing with his vegetables....I bring home more than I eat. THIS to me...is the Green Zone.....First, No hunger, no cravings...completely under control. Second, portion control...it is impossible for me to overeat, and if for some strange reason I wanted to, I would get sick. So hunger control + portion control, = weight loss....weight loss until I reached what my body felt was a good place to be...then it leveled out and stayed. I know from years experience, everyone experiences things differently with the band...some are hungry and crave food all the time...some for hours between meals....and some, like me, 24/7 When I am busy, occupied in some endeavor like an outing, travel, etc...I can go forever without eating....it usually takes the people around me to start complaining about stopping to eat. But I am always diligent to get my daily Protein in, and always drinking Water.

For me, the thing about the lap band is/was, not only getting it adjusted to work properly, but getting myself adjusted to work with the band...it's is a perfect balance, and a lot of old habits and ways of doing things in terms of food have to go. I've been stuck so many times, all my fault and not the bands....lessons learned the hard way. Eventually the lessons become second nature and a new lifestyle emerges....

Congratulations....This thing DOES WORK! A word of caution....I have been here for 5 years and have noticed all too often Banders getting frustrated because they want results right away....it is adjustable, and it is a process...took me at least 3 months before the band started to do anything for me....some people more, some less. Listening to your Dr. is key, he/she has a treatment plan for you..... And learning the rules now helps a great deal, in the future you will need them.

Been banded 5 years, never had a full feeling...not in the true meaning of the word.

juice them and drink them!!!

I make my own smoothies every morning in the blender, with fresh fruit and almond milk... 35 - 40 grams of protein every day to start the day....getting the rest is easy. Not to mention the nutritional boost I get... Been doing that for almost 5 years now.

I lost 100%...and it has nothing to do with weight, BMI's, ...it is all about Body Fat% At one point my body fat % was so high, it clogged my arteries, hindered my circulation, and was my primary cause of my Heart Problems including one heart attack.....also Diabetes was out of control. Today, my body fat % in down in the "Athletic" range....it cannot possibly get any lower, I cannot lose any additional weight, being right where I should be....which means I am 100% successful. I never heard about what % one is expected to lose, or what is average.....I did hear about what % there was with failure...maybe that was the same thing.

My health club opens at 5am...and I'm usually there.....3 days a week, then weekends. After my workout, I can shower, shave, and get dressed for work right there...they also have a small restaurant - lunch counter where I can purchase a smoothie from the juice Bar for my Breakfast. I don't think it's crazy at all, but other people say I'm nuts.... People say they would be dead on their feet for the rest of the day...but I find just the opposite to be true. At 5am there is a large crowd doing the same, so I'm in good company.

I used to love to cook, but after surgery, hardly ever cook since surgery Can only eat a few ounces so a lot of preparation goes into something that can barely fill a saucer. Plus, food just does not interest me anymore, and lack of hunger - appetite probably feeds into it also. Both my wife and I work, sometimes long hours, so we simply pick something up on the way home. Last night was Chinese, and even then threw 3/4 of it out... We go out a lot, and always bring home plenty of food, enough for the next day...so that's 2 days without cooking right there....and if we go out say twice a week, then that's 4 days of food for me. I should add I only eat one main meal a day.

I'm a lap bander...when I come onto this website, I click "New Content" specifically under the "Lap Band" surgery type section.... 99% of the people posting in that section are anything but people with the Lap band... I don't know if the bleed over is intentional, or people do not enter their specific surgery type section.... I find when someone who has had the Lap band posts, the replies are from people with other surgeries, etc. There IS a difference...when I come across a post, and I see it is from some one who has had, say the sleeve, I do not participate....my experience is not with the sleeve so my input is misdirecting. The opposite is true. Then there are people who do not list what surgery they have had at all... I do understand there are "General" discussion areas, and there are specific "Surgery Type" sections.

Congratulations!!.....and people worry about how to stay motivated...all you need to do is look in the mirror! Your smile says it all!!!

Coming up on 5 years, as good today as it's ever been... Took 6-8 months to get settled in the Green Zone, (the only true hard part about this) after which it has been a dream come true. No hunger/cravings, temptations, inability to overeat...and most important, don't miss that old gluttonous lifestyle one bit. Cannot compare with what I now have. Not a single problem, complication. Not one. I live a normal life day to day without even thinking about what I'm eating, or do I need to "Diet" and loose a few pounds....be careful what I eat...I still enjoy things in life that Dieters would cringe at...and will never understand. I can put being fat and out of shape along with all the medical issues I had behind me and get on with my new life.... I sometimes wonder if I should have had the sleeve, etc, but hey...It does not get any better than this, and I can't argue with success.

There was a time I was embarrassed to get on the scale, also in denial as to what I would see...so I cannot tell you what my highest weight was since I would not get on the scale. But now, I get on the scale first thing every morning when I'm in the bathroom....then a second time at the gym...each time is an excuse for celebration...a positive reinforcement to say the least. Makes me feel good and ready to face the day...

I'm a 64 year old male, and I go back every 6-7 months...I have injections for my forehead, and fillers for my "Marionette" cheeks. I also go for regular facial traetments, microdermabrasion. Add to that regular workouts at the gym, plus being at an optimal weight...very low body fat %.... I meet with new patients everyday, and yes, image and first impressions are important

What makes you think there might be something wrong? You say that prior to your last fill, everything you put in your mouth you would hack back up....and yet, they went ahead and gave you another fill....and now you are getting stuck way less. This tells me two things...first, you're band is working. I would be more concerned if you could eat all you wanted with no feedback. Second, when one gets their band adjusted, one also has to learn to modify their eating habits to stay in harmony with the band...you learned that also, and realized it was not the band that was too tight, but the fact you were not chewing enough...probably more careful what types of food you eat also. You're Dr. feels it was that way also, and gave you yet another fill....and now there will be more lessons to learn... And meanwhile the weight will come off. My opinion, and that's all it is, my opinion, is that you are right on track...it is a learning process, and with these lessons comes a new lifestyle...and that to me was the only thing hard about this...learning to live all over again, breaking a lifetime of bad habits.