B-52

I live in southern Monmouth County...few blocks from the ocean..... Delaware Water Gap....my Son-in law and his family are from Allamuchy...went tubing and kayaking a few times this summer...

First off....check out the caliber of people that belong to the gym.....also the time of day clearly segregates peoples in the gym..... I go early am, between 5-6....people there before work, mostly professional types...teachers, Dr.'s, Lawyers, Cops etc.... After 8am, it becomes mostly women, perhaps home makers? And at night you get the young "Look at me" crowd... Having said that, if the gym has serious people there (not the night crowd), then NO ONE will look at you as a "idiot" as you say...they all understand why they, and you are there and they are all after the same thing.....trust me..I see it from my viewpoint everyday and if I make eye contact I always give a small "thumbs up" We're all in this together...that is how Gym rats feel..... The night crowd, well I'm not sure what they're after..... IMO, it is worth the little extra $$ for a classier gym, along with more professional trainers/employees..... as far as inspiration, we all have to start somewhere....it is important we start....and you will get rewards...little ones at first that make you want to do a little more for the larger rewards....each small victory builds upon the next one....then the next, and so on.... Everyday, when I get on the treadmill, within the first 5 minutes I always tell myself "No way, it's just not my day today" But then I tell myself.."I can do this for 10 minutes, right? I've done 10 minutes 100's of times" Then at 10 minutes I tell myself another 5 minutes...I mean I've already done 10, what's another 5? Eventually 45-50 minutes have passed like it was nothing.... I ran 5 miles today....there is absolutely no reason I cannot do it tomorrow....I just have to keep telling myself that like I just described... The next day I repeat the process....and so on....although the little goals and rewards have grown much, much larger.....but you got to start somewhere.... Why do you think people go out of their way to run through the neighborhoods all hours of the day and in all types of weather? For their health? Well maybe, yes of course, but more importantly it is because THEY CAN! And the overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment is indescribable...not to mention the endrophines... But you have to "Get out there" and start!!! And slowly build one reward after another and keep telling yourself you did this yesterday, I can do it again, even better! One more thing....I wear noise canceling ear buds with my I-Pod....the place could burn down and I would not be aware of it!!! I'm oblivious....

Could not stay away from this one....here goes, another opinion...but this from my own personal experience.... Answer is, depends upon how tight your band is...I'm snacking right this minute and I feel the food sitting in my pouch..it will pass, slowly..that's why I take small bites and wait between swallows...put the fork down. And what I don't finish in 20 minutes goes in the trash...or my Happy Dog! (Golden Retriever) However, if the food is sitting in my pouch, it takes up a certain volume - space....now add Water and I've just INSTANTLY increased that volume...perhaps doubled it... Three things can happen that I will experience....First, it may wash it down,(maybe, but not too often).... Second it will create a lot of pain, probably dilating - expanding my pouch size (dangerous), and Third, along with pain, it will come right back up and out - overfilling and nowhere else to go.....I've learned all three the hard way... Pain is common to all three and the body's way of telling me to modify my behavior....Don't drink and eat at the same time, or immediately after... But again, what I am saying is based purely on what I have learned from experience, not what I have been told or read...it may/will be different for other people... As far as liquid passing right through the band, I do not believe that. If so carbonated drinks would not be that big of deal. But they can be if you don't know what you're doing.... When I drink straight liquids I can also feel that in my pouch and pass through the band, and hear the gurgling like water circling the drain....tighter in the morning, my first coffee when the house is dark and everyone else is still sleeping is a real trip! And if I gulp water, (at the gym and not thinking) even without food present, it too has come right back up...again with pain, I have to sip water... think of a funnel with a narrow passage. Cannot put anything in the top portion too quickly or too much.....and your pouch is elastic, it will stretch, and hurt. Everyone has a different size funnel...it's adjustable...so the experience cannot be identical from person to person, but sometimes very close. But again, it all depends upon how tight your band is...for those without a fill you can get away with more than someone who is out there on the edge..like me.

I stayed away from here for a year...could not handle all the negativity and pessimism.....I wanted to be successful at this more than anything and all I found here was a defeatist attitude... I want to soar with the eagles, NOT stay stuck in the mud...... I belong to other groups, one in particular where all the members left this site all for the same reason...they wanted positive reinforcement, not the "Whoa is me" attitude. And I can tell you, except for the medical conditions, they are all doing very well and have no interest in ever coming back here.....again, no positive reinforcement...just how difficult and what a struggle it is.... I came back a month ago, for my anniversary to "report in" so to speak....hung around a month...... I never intend to tell other people what they should and should not do....my intention is to tell my story, throw around a few pictures here and there, and be an example of what one life with the band can be.... not what I heard someone else say, or read somewhere, but what I am living every day.... And for being what I am, successful and 100% happy, I was attacked, and branded...Goes to show you things around here have not changed all that much...people do not like to hear good things....unless of course you play by THEIR RULES....then it's Ok.... If I came back and said how miserable I was, I would have been welcomed back with open arms....part of the "Miserable" club....but successful, happy, and struggle free? NO WAY....cannot accept that...I'm surprised anyone around here is getting along without problems........ I'm glad I found this website AFTER I had my surgery, otherwise I would have had second thoughts....or have been totally screwed up and jnot where I am today..... I have seen patients everyday, for over 25 years....and I can tell you "Attitude" is the key to anyone's treatment and success..... You can identify one from the other almost immediately.... There are always those who have a negative "Gloom and Doom" self fulfilling prophecy about everything....This will never work...it's so hard....I can't do it...my friend failed....someone told me...... Understood, they have been ailing for so long that anything you can tell them comes across as "To Good to be true" When you meet these people all you can do is go through the motions with them, by the book...follow the rules and we'll see......2+2=4...HOPEFULLY...MAYBE...then we can move on to 4+4....??.... Lets hope so but don't get your hopes up....really makes a long frustrating day.... Then there are those who can't wait to "get it on"...let's go...I'm ready.....where do I start? I'll do whatever it takes....It's these people you love to work with and willing to go that extra mile above and beyond the norm, because you know it is going to be a very positive outcome, and it makes your job well worth it.... I am amazed at how many people cannot believe this lap band surgery actually works....ON THIS WEBSITE!! no matter how many times and ways they hear it, it always yes, I believe you, BUT....there's always this, and there's always that....I have to take the total calories, divide by 4, subtract this, to get that and figure in my metabolic rate...blah, blah, blah.... This is surgery...either you believe it or not!!! What's so hard to understand??? Why are so many people afraid to succeed??? Is it because you have struggled for so long that it's too good to be true? That something could actually be that easy?? Why on earth did you have surgery if that is what you believe.....and what makes matters worse, when someone complains, everyone comes to their defense and tells them it's Ok, it's normal, and should be expected......WHAT? After being here a month, and by the way I feel this morning, I may not be back until next year's anniversary when I check in....I enjoy my new life thanks to the band...why would I want to come here...to be told what I am experiencing is not true?? I rather fly with the eagles..... = =

Ah yes...one of the websites "know it all's" But that's Ok, I've been called a lot worsethan "Moron" by people I actually know.... Just because YOU have had a hard time with this band, does not mean it's true for everybody.... I happen to find this the EASIEST thing I could have done to loose all my weight and be skinny and fit again...sure, the first 6 months were tough, the white knuckle "Bandster Hell"...but once I hit that MAGICAL green zone, and I learned my lessons, it has been very simple....I hardly think about it anymore..it's a new life for me... Counting calories, measuring portions, and just plain old dieting is hard and painful...and I failed every time...But this...what can be more easy than to let the band do all the work!! Of course, it is adjustable and everyone has the freedom to use it as they feel....and no negativity is going to bring me down from this.... So, if that makes me a "Moron", as you say other people on this website are...then I guess I'm a HAPPY SKINNY and FIT MORON, ....your slur does not compare to how good and successful I feel.... Now the "ignore" list....

I just tell people I don't eat near as much as I used to...and when I do it is all high Protein....then I tell them about my gym schedule and how much I have been running lately....It's all True.....

When you feel as though you should stop, then stop....it's not necessarily a full feeling, more of "I don't feel like continuing" (mental more than physical) also, if you're not hungry, don't push it....just worry about the Protein when you do eat, and always drink Water..... That is how it works for me....learn to listen to your band.....

For me, the only hard part was the first 6 months or so...Bandster Hell...until I got the band properly adjusted, and I got myself adjusted to the band....once I found that groove it has been ALL EASY.... But getting there was the challenge...and that's where I feel most have problems....

I so badly wanted to be thin that I had Weight Loss Surgery, something artificial and foreign placed inside my body forever changing how I eat, and even feel about food....

For me...at the word Pancake a big Red Flag goes up....again for me, it is an automatic STAY AWAY...there are other foods that will give me that rapid, extreme warning..... But again, I read about all the different foods people here are eating, so different strokes for different folks I guess...

More often than not, when I hear/read stories about the Lap band being a failure...it's the other way around.....OTHER than medical issues out of our control....

Last cruise we were on, and we go frequently. I decided to put the band to the test...do not think at all about what I'm eating or how often...just try to enjoy myself as much as I can.....and I'm pleased to say, the band acted the same on a cruise as it dose anywhere I am, 24/7..... Could not over eat no matter how hard I tried, still could not eat certain foods, no solid foods for Breakfast.....and my hunger was totally under control...no cravings at all.....In the MDR they kept asking me if there was anything wrong with my food, and can they bring me something else....finally the servers understood that I'm a light eater..... I did get up early and run every morning before the sun came up., and hit the fitness center on sea days.......and we did a lot of walking - exploring while in port....so I actually lost a pound or so....in other words, no different than any other day in the life with the band..... That is why I love the band...it is there 24/7, nothing I do or anywhere I go can change it....it is not dependent on what I do or don't do, as with traditional diets....it is always there doing what it was designed to do.... In the old pre WLS days, I would have eaten myself sick..cannot believe I actually was that way....what a pig! I'm disgusted just thinking about it.....

if you go into my profile and look at my "Before and After" pic's, you'll see my port protruding on my "After Pic", slightly to my right, center. With my shirt off, you can see and feel, every nook and cranny of the port, including the tubing running towards mid-line before going deep..... A one handed blind man can do my fills....as a matter of fact I carry my own syringe (with my Dr.'s blessing) to do emergency un-fills when I travel out of the country. Dr. said he could move it more to the side if I want and when I'm ready, but for now I'm in no rush....he never said anything about a smaller port, although I believe the Realize" band already has the lower profile port....... As far as moving around and possibly flipping...it is less chance of happening now. With all the belly fat gone, it is sitting tightly, fastened to the ab muscles and covered over tightly with the skin.....I can grab it and try to move it and it is staying put. It is when there is much fat involved, the port and everything can move around more easily, and harder for the Dr. to work with....

Everything you say. sounds like something I would have said 100 times when I was dieting, before I had WLS....you did not mention anything about the band.....other than you've had it for 1-1/2 years and it did not do anything.....

I feel the popularity is increasing...I see bill boards, newspaper adds, etc, more and more everywhere I look....plus more people talking about it.... Back to your fills...you must live in a unique area...my insurance changed and felt I might need to change Dr.s...started looking and found WLS Dr.' everywhere..... Fortunately, I did not have to switch..I still pay out of pocket per visit, but they gave me a big Cash discount..... My insurance changes again this April so we'll see.

Calories in (food eaten) versus calories out (burned) Speaking for myself....not giving anyone advice...but the greatest liberation for me was when I stopped counting calories and just ate less, (but healthy) and exercised more....

This was posted on my Surgeon's Face book page this morning.....LOVE IT! * * * *

First, I can eat anything, given enough time and patience, but some foods are just too risky and quite frankly not worth it......Pizza.....have not had it in over 2 years.... I used to eat an entire large pie all by myself in one seating.....plus a few beers.... Now, it would take me 20 minutes to get through one slice and still be risky....and for what? What is the good in pizza? Why blow my portion size on something risky and not good for me in the first place? Back to point, I no longer eat Red meat..intentionally...don't mind if it's in chili or Soups, etc, Bread and all things doughy....pasta, donuts, etc, ....Rice, oranges, certain veggies, french fries or anything deep fried, to name just a few..... Also, it's worth noting, things that are not band friendly for me, are not good for me in the first place.....

Like I said...other than some medical reason.....I don't get it....... But many people who complain here are not citing any medical reasons for their shortcomings........

Fail at what??? Nothing has changed yet....other than you have had this device installed....but it has NOT BEEN "TURNED ON" it's just sitting there...idle..... Like a new car sitting in your driveway, and you're sitting in your house upset it is not speeding down the interstate the way the advertisements said it would..... Well, MAYBE you have to put gas in it first, then MAYBE you have to "Turn the Key" , start the engine and put it in "Drive" And above all, this is your first car...MAYBE, like all of us, you have to learn "How to Drive" before you can speed down the interstate.... After my surgery, it took me 4-5 months to get this thing up to speed.....THEN it took me another 1-2 months to learn how to drive it all those crazy high speeds.....LOTS of accidents along the way...but I did not back down.....my friends are skinny and so will I be...... But learn I did...now, like driving a car...I don't even think about what I am doing anymore....even though I'm doing 85mh, it seems "easy and natural......" And yet, I cannot be careless.....OR ELSE! I'm not totally stupid..... The 15th...you don't even have your "Learners Permit" yet.......Please, calm down...it's a learning process, learn the basic rules, practice, and eventually you'll be cruising down the interstate with the top down, radio blasting and one hand on the wheel...without a care in the world....Trust me...I'm speaking from EXPERIENCE..not what I have been told or read somewhere....

I cannot eat bread let alone a footlong flat bread sub...if I could I would say the band was never in control, to loose control, in the first place..... My band is adjusted to the point, that no matter what the circumstances, parties, stress, sickness..whatever, the band is there and is unchanging.... I may change under circumstances, but the band will not change unless I were to get some Fluid taken out..... When people say things like "falling off the wagon", or "getting back on track",and "Going back to old habits" or "this is hard work and takes a lot of determination and commitment" etc, etc, it tells me it was more their will power and not the band doing the work.... this is all diet talk...not corrective WLS talk..... Short of some medial situation, I do not understand how this can happen....the band is there, it is adjusted to where I Is in Control. NOT ME....and then that's it...there is nothing I can do to change that.....impossible to overeat,.Hard to understand how I can gain weight back..... Yet..bottom line...the band is adjustable it it is up to each individual how much control they want to give the band, and how much they want to be in control.... That's the beauty of it....you can do it your way using the band as a "Tool", OR you can give up your old ways, and let the band be the "Boss" changing your life.... And as long as you are experiencing the attributes of being in the "Green Zone"....Not Hungry, Portion Control, and Patient Satisfaction....then that is all that matters.......

I don't eat red meat anymore...so it's seafood 4-5 times a week for me.....fish, crab cakes, etc... But you have to learn to live with your band....some things are very difficult...just have to learn for yourself....it is a learning experience that comes with time and tribulation For me, shrimp and lobster do not go easily because of the texture., but that is the one food I refuse to give up on........have to take it REAL slow, and very very little....crab is easier....but fish, crab cakes, crab legs, scallops..... Clams, oysters, mussels, DEFINITELY a NO for for me....they go down like STUCK BOMBS, come right back up IMMEDIATELY..... But like I said...only You can learn Your band.....also if you are still dieting, then you have to be aware of calories with all the melted butter, tarter sauce, cocktail sauce, etc....

Fortunately, the band has taken care of that for me....the big thing I needed to do is concentrate on learning to live wit the band.....

Think about the band...and ask yourself "What is the reason people get fills?" Is it to boost will power and self discipline? Is it to make this process hard? And frustrating? When I was first banded, I was VERY FRUSTRATED...I did not go through all this just to be on another diet...I was actually gaining weight after my first fill.... Fortunately I have a Dr. who calmed me down and explained in simple terms what this band is all about, and that it is a process that takes consecutive office visits and fills, over several months to get this thing "Tuned" and humming to perfection.... Many people sell this Lap Band short before they give it a chance...we want INSTANT results...I read posts here everyday from people who have had the surgery only weeks prior and can't understand why they are not loosing!!.....It does not work that way...maybe with by-pass or the sleeve, but the band has to be adjusted over time.... Until then it is just "Bandster Hell"

sounds familiar....as of yet I have not needed a fill in about 20 months.....but that could change I guess, just not sure how....