B-52

This may be more information I need to share, and I certainly DO NOT endorse or recommend this to anyone.... We travel a lot...many times outside the country.... I am always afraid I will get food poisoning or some bug....and fear uncontrollable vomiting.... So I carry a syringe with a large bore needle with me when I travel to remove the saline from my band in an emergency. Let's just say I am more than qualified to do this, and If you think you are, you may want to speak with your Dr. about it.... Also I should say my port sticks out there under a thin layer of skin having no belly fat....a blind man could do it with one hand. tied behind his back.......

So you were able to drink liquids with no problem before you left the Dr.'s office? Then later...it became difficult to do so...when the welling started? Si when the swelling goes down you won't have a problem anymore? At least I think I understand the situation..(?)

I always finish my workouts with a "Recovery Shake"...fortunatley my health club has a Juice bar that makes different varieties from scratch....(also my breakfast because I start my workouts between 5-6 am)

Bandster Hell is that time period between surgery, and the point where your band is finally properly adjusted where your hunger, portion sizes, and all else that goes with the Green Zone finally kicks in..... It took me 4-5 months to get there, and another 1-2 to figure it out, adjust myself and get in the "groove" Until then, all you can do is "White Knuckle" it, fight the hunger and do traditional dieting...just as beforew the surgery...Bandster Hell!

Speaking for myself...the best thing I ever did was get rid of things lie fitbit, and quit counting calories altogether....I could not see the Forrest because of the trees and was getting confused and complicated.... My approach is I eat healthy foods, and a lot less tanks to the band....and I exercise and stay as active as possible..... Not something I need to be scientific about...just a "New Normal" lifestyle..... I have plenty of thin, fit, healthy friends and I NEVER see them counting calories....they just live a certain way....and that is how I want to live the rest of my life....free my diets, calories and all that stuff......Life with the band....that's all....

5 am, just finished my 2nd cup of coffee, took my Vitamins, omega's, and 15gm of liquid Protein....off to the gym as I do 5 days a week, afterwards I will have my recovery shake for Breakfast then off to work... I will also go through 32 ozs of Water during this time.... IT is ADDICTIVE.....

If you look at my profile pics...you will see I do not have all the loose skin many talk about....not sure of the exact reason but some of the things I do claim to help with skin/body tone.... Aerobic EXERCISE...5 days a week (including running).....ALWAYS get my daily required WATER and PROTEIN....and 30 minutes in a SAUNA or STEAM ROOM 5 days a week followed by an ice plunge.....(like the swedes jumping in snow) Not saying that is the answer...but something worked...and still is working for me.... I have not lost any weight in over a year...and yet I continue to drop in clothing sizes....go figure....

For me...don't sell the band short...get out of the way and let the band do what it is designed to do... I feel many people over think something and make it more difficult than it actually is.... It took me 5-6 months to figure that out....to let the band be in charge and dictate WHAT I eat, When I eat, and HOW MUCH I can eat.... After that it has become all MAGIC...the EASIEST thing I have ever done, and STILL IS...it was ME who made it difficult.... I stink at dieting, failed every time...I was a food addict, could not control myself and would eat all day...I could not follow any rules....so I had surgery to correct all that...once I learned not to fight the band and what it was trying to do....that's all it took.....my band is not a tool, it's THE BOSS....

Aside from a medical issue...the band cannot fail as long as one chooses to stay out of the way and let the band do it's magic....so all those waiting for a downfall will be in for one surproise, if not already.....

No, my Dr. always just said 24-48 hours of liquids..... But is sounds like good advice to me....I have noticed people trying to eat the wrong foods when their bands are possibly irritated, traumatized, only to continue to agitate it...then they go back and get an unfill tthinking they were too tight....then wish they had another fill because they can eat too much.... And back and forth and back and forth.... In my experience, I had to learn to co-exisit with my WLS....

Don't know the answer....but it seems a common issue that when someone gets a total un-fill, it is never quite the same.... does not make sense to me, but I hear it all the time....

Why do we need fills? What is the purpose? IMO, the purpose of getting a fill is to CHANGE, and ALTER the way we eat, what we eat, and most importantly how much we eat..... It can be very difficult to find that perfect balance..... All too often I hear about people who at the first time getting stuck, etc, they run back to the Dr. to get a un-fill because they are out of their comfort zone....when in fact it can very well be what/how they are eating..... The same people who get that un-fill are many of the same who are asking for a fill a few weeks later....and complain they are always hungry, and the band is not working.... In order for the band to do it's magic, WE ave to change...we cannot continue to be what we used to be....THAT is what got us fat in the first place and THAT has to go away..... I know a person who has had 12-13 fills, and about 6 un-fills.....she just does not get it...she cannot accept the fact that she must change and that she cannot continue doing what she did before getting banded.....

I am at the same place as you are...I am at my goal. and beyond....no reason to get another fill.....but yet at times I feel I can eat more than usual...when this happens I go on straight liquids for 2-3 days....some people call it the 5 day pouch test, which IMO is kind of silly, it's not a test and the regime is not needed....,....a few days of non solid food is all it takes....as you're eating Soup, shakes etc, you can feel the difference start to happen as the band tightens up again.... I do this at least once a month....gives the band - pouch a rest...dilated pouch returns to normal....all things get "reset" and feel I am right back where I need to be...and no need for a fill.. Before a fill, try giving the band a rest....just go all liquids for 2, maybe 3 days and see what happens....you may find what I and others have found to be the only true thing you need to do as "maintenance" .. BTW, for those Newbies reading this, you have to have good restriction in the first place for this to do any good for you....I read all the time people who have been banded only a few weeks / month and want to do this, where in fact what they need is a fill to get to the Green Zone of restriction....

AMEN!......why have WLS when you can diet???? WLS is NOT a diet...it is life altering....

Going into ANY store and buying ANY clothes in a normal to small size, and they ALL fit good....like I never had clothes fit before....ANYTHING! Going to the Gym and run on the treadmills in the front row for all to see....and notice people checking you out....not hide in the back rows, corners...

I can sense when this happens by the size of my portions increasing....when this happens, I go full liquids for at least 2 days to give it a rest and a chance to restrict....it always helps for me..... But keep in mind, I have a right band, and rely on feedback from my band for just about everything. So it is easy for me to tell if things change up a little.....

Most people I know wait..a week is not that unusual.....should treat it gentle after a fill also...it can be irritated and inflamed from the fill and continued stress will only keep it irritated....promoting you to get a unfil...then a month from now you wish you didn't.....seen this scenario 100 times.....

I have head hunger all the time....(or used to) but for me, it's all about the Band.....the band takes away my real hunger, and has changed my tastes even... I have fantasized about certain foods...went to the store, bought it, took it home and spent time preparing it.... Took one bite, and immediately the band took over and I asked myself "what am I eating this for? I don't need this...heck, I'm not even hungry" And I wind up throwing it all away in the trash.... That is one of the ways this band has developed a new lifestyle within me.....The band has taken away my hunger, and cravings, and eventually changed my thinking (Head hunger)...not entirely, but nothing I worry about any more.... Come to think of it, succumbing to head hunger is why I always failed at traditional diets....first a little cheat here, then a little cheat there...like a house of cards... But the Band...this is different....I can't really cheat, and I know I cannot fail...as long as the band is there, fully adjusted.

To me, that was / is a deterrent to learn to change my eating habits.....I was a food Addict...and episodes like that..(there were many) only happened when I was doing something I should not be,, and/or NOT listening to my band..... BTW...I have not eaten Red meat in over 20 months...too risky for me with the band, so considering the health benefits I gave it up altogether....along with other food types....much to my Dr's delight...all my Dr's.

I can't work out by myself either..... That's why I wear an Ipod and work out with U2, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Co, Bob Segar, Pink Floyd....to name just a few....(showing my age)

My 6 month diet started out good, as with any other of the many diets I have been on....then it went all downhill, also like any other diet I have been on...... If I could diet, I would not have needed the WLS and I would not be on this forum right now..... When I was considering this surgery, I was told my insurance wanted me to complete this, and have it signed off by a Dr., complete with progress notes, charts, etc....when I asked why, I was told it had to be documented that I did indeed try, and FAIL, at other traditional weight loss programs.....even though that was true, they still wanted something "Official" in my chart..... That dos not mean you should not try and do your best....you should do your best and have it on record how good you are at traditional diets.... This diet IS NOT to be be confused with the pre-op diet for liver shrinkage....the 6 month diet. with my insurance, had to be done anytime within 2 years prior to my surgery date.... Once I was approved, and a surgery date set, I then planned for the pre-op diet which took me 2 weeks of nothing but shakes....

And THAT...is what this WLS is all about....it's about the Band.... All too often I read through all the posts here on this forum, and all I read is about controlling hunger, getting back on track, falling off the wagon, counting calories, measuring portions, keeping food journal, etc, etc....all good things in their own merit... But if I did not know any better, this website can easily be interpreted for a Weight Watchers website, or any other diet support group....I've been on 100's of diets and they all say the same thing.... Sometimes you can't recognize this as a website for people who have undergone WLS, as opposed to other weight loss programs.... Granted, in the beginning before the band is properly adjusted and performing as it was designed, that is all you can do....took me 4-5 months! I did not need a band wrapped around my upper stomach so I can do all that again....I needed the WLS because I have/had a serious FOOD ADDICTION...and no diet was going to stop me from eating 24/7....out of control....large pizza's at a single sitting, all by myself, as one example, ......but the band did!!! Sometimes I just want to scream...WHAT ABOUT THE BAND!!!...this thing MUST do something why else would so many people devote so much time and $$ to have it done?? What people should be asking is whether or not the band is doing (speaking) what you have stated, and if not, WHY?

I can feel my band in the morning....as a matter of fact I can feel my band 24hrs a day, every time I swallow.... Back to your comment....I am tight every morning....I CANNOT eat solid foods..have not had a solid Breakfast in 20 months....have a high Protein smoothie....and sometimes that is difficult... When I drink my morning coffee I can hear/feel that classic "Gurgling" as the liquid circles the drain and passes through.... AS the day goes on, it does get easier.... It's not the band that actually gets tighter...that is a constant...it's a combination of things, one of them is the normal stretching and contracting of the pouch it self....the more we use it, the more it stretches, just as the normal stomach does.... It's the smaller in the morning because I have not eaten anything in over 12 hours, and had 6-8 hours of sleep on top of it....as the day goes on and I swallow more and more, it stretches and gets easier.... I prefer it this way....I am able to monitor my band's heath almost hour by hour, and predict...I can easily tell when food is still present in my pouch, and has not yet passed.... It is because of this my Dr. let's me drink beer...because I can tell/feel each swallow and determine swallow sizes and intervals with no consequences.... To me, the secret of this WLS is knowing how to "Listen to your Band"

I like your Dr. !!!!! I have NEVER felt full.....feeling full is what I used to feel when I stuffed myself and had to unsnap my pants button....it is impossible to feel that ever again....plus, if you overfill your band you are going to feel PAIN...and probably spit it all up.....unless of course you have no restriction... What the band does is send a signal to your brain telling it you are full....as though you were, but you're not so you never feel full....another way to describe it is you are "Satisfied" and have "No Interest" in eating any further, if at all..... This did not happen to me the day after surgery....it took months and fills to get there...the "Green Zone".....and even when I did get there it took me a another 1-2 months to figure out what was happening and adapt to it and learn to live and eat a different way.... As far as eating out, it's like this for me..... The band is only going to allow me to eat just so much....limit my portions for me....so I need to make the best of it and choose my foods wisely....skip the appetizers, unless they are my meal, and no bread...no sense in blowing my allotment on something not nourishing.... I order what I want (that I can eat without a problem = Band Friendly) and eat as much as I can = as much as the band will allow me.....auto portion sizes.....keep in mind that all this time I am not really hungry so I have no desire to eat in the first place..... So it all really does not matter.......and it is all not that big of deal.......

I stay away from apples.....but my band is more tighter than yours I assume....