B-52

Just got back from my appointment with my surgeon...from the moment I walked into the office I received nothing but praise and compliments from all the office staff on how well I looked...there were 2 Med students there who came out to see what all the talk was about... After an introduction and a little background story from the Nurse...one Med Student said "You're a runner! I can tell...you can always tell a runner a mile away...it shows!" Back in Exam room with the Dr., weighed in...gained 1 lb in 6 months...he looked at me with a big smile and said what did you expect? You don't have an oz. of fat on your body...there's nothing left to loose! Just keep on doing what you're doing...it definitely worked! There is nothing else I can do for you, unless you think you're having a problem...then call me... It's been 2 years....I wish I had done this sooner....to be honest, I never felt it would be this successful...sure, I knew I would loose weight...but for the Dr. (and everyone else there) to say I look fantastic, and that I cannot possibly loose anymore??? It's also a big relief to know that everything I have been doing, everything I eat and drink, all the exercise...has been 100% SPOT ON! And confirmed to keep right on doing everything the way I am now used to... Words cannot describe how great I feel right now!!!! NO MORE DIETS!!! NO MORE WORRYING ABOUT GAINING WEIGHT! Just live the new life!!! To all the newbies out there that may be reading this, I just want to say that THIS THING DOES WORK!!! All THE WAY!

Last Night I was watching one of those discovery channel shows, about Grizzly Bears..........I know, so what.... Anyhow, something interesting caught my attention... A grizzly Bear (mammal) will go into Hibernation for 6 months, and will not eat or drink ANYTHING for the entire 6 months...but will burn up 100 lbs of stored fat to maintain life and all the needed nutrition to do so.... After hibernation, the Grizzly will spend the next 6 months putting that 100lbs of extra weight back on for the next winter... What does this have to do with us? Probably nothing, other than I have always been puzzled about people stating they are not eating enough, or need to eat more when they exercise, scared of the so called starvation mode, etc, etc....I have always wondered...when are we going to use the stored fat we have to cover these things?? Isn't that what it is there for? As a stored energy source so we don't starve? I always go to the gym first thing in the morning, and have always done so on a empty stomach, other than Water and Vitamins, etc, not eating for about 10-12 hours prior..dinner night before... I have done this because I WANT my body to turn on itself and use that stored fat I been saving.....and I have to say it has worked for me...energy is not a issue.. You always hear about marathoners chowing down on extra Pasta the night before a big race...but they have no fat....they would do their bodies harm...but me, I have that extra gas tank to go the additional distance without filling up.....and I'm going to use it! Not save or hold onto it....unless I'm planning on going into hibernation.... Just early morning rambling...off to the gym....

I agree...this is very sad......

I have gone 24 hrs with no desire to eat....if I'm busy I forget to altogether....have to remind myself I have to eat most days..... As I started to get in the green zone, my tastes in food also began to change.... Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I was REALLY hungry, as before the band when I felt I am starving....have to eat or else! Does not happen anymore....he band simply tells my brain I'm full, no need to eat, even though I am not full nor have that feeling...(impossible with the band).

I never had to have my band un-filled, but whenever I feel I can eat more than usual with little effort...I go straight liquids for 2-3 days....some call this the 5 day pouch test..why I will never know... Pouches will dilate..it is normal due to over use....just as the stomach will stretch....drinking while eating will do it also....too much in pouch at one time... I have friends in your situation, and yes, the Dr. completely unfilled their band to give it a rest....then started all over again....

You'll shoot your eye out kid!

I hope this forum works out....problem with LBT is that 98% of the people are still trying to loose weight....still learning their way....dealing with the basics.. Sometimes it's hard to communicate when you know, and they don't know, that the world is not flat... I belong to another site altogether were everyone has been banded for quite some time,( they were all once members here but left) most at their goals....and we very rarely talk about the basics anymore... Mostly about how everyone is enjoying their new lives!! I hope that happens here...not all the negativity, struggles and unhappiness.... There is a life after lapband...like having total knee surgery..sooner or later you get healed, work (struggle) through the rehab, and eventually begin to live your normal life again...be it with something artificial placed by surgery.....

2 years banded.... 100 or more lbs lost....no more weight left to loose..... Gaol weight reached...journey completed, now have a normal, diet free life... Vietnam Vet..1971 Do I qualify to be a veteran??

Sinc being banded, my tatses have changed...things I used to Love...no longer appeal to me and do not have the tatse they used to... Example of this is salads...when I was always dieting, I LOVE salads, and would come up with all different ways to make them...well now, I have no desire to eat a salad, let alone lettuce! I know many people who say the same thing....as the band suppresses your appetitie, it also cahnges your tastes.....and in my case, I simply loose interest in most foods or eating at all....can take it or leave it most times.... Before being banded I could, and would, eat anything you put in front of me whether I was hungry or not..... Now, it does not matter if I ate in the past 12 hours or not...I can grab something like a chocolate bar and just stare at it....then throw it away....no taste or interest...no appeal. THANK YOU BAND!

You're going to have to get to know your band, perhaps the hard way.....I have not eaten Pasta in about 20 months.... It's not that I can't, it's because it gives me so much trouble I simply wrote it off as being a waste of time...same with rice, doughy foods such as bread, donuts, etc.... and for me...Red meat..... When I say I CAN'T eat these foods because of the band.that is not totally true....it really means they are problem foods, very easy to get stuck..... Also, it's interesting the foods that are on my "Do Not Eat List" are really not that good for you in the first place....again, why bother with the risk and hard work with something not that good for you in the first place?? Another thing I consider, the band will let me eat just so much...very limited portions because of the restriction I have, so it is important to concentrate on the good Protein foods first and not waste my allowance on something that has very little nutritional value..... then when I finish the protein, such as fish, I'll then move onto tbhe veggies and mashed potatoes....but find there is little or no room left to have some, if any at all....If I was to start my meal with the veggies and potatos, I would not have any room left for th protein....the most important thing of all for someone with WLS and very limited food intake. Sorry to ramble on, I just rememebered you are only 12 days post-op.....you have a ways to go before you get to what I just said....

I work long hours everyday....cannot go to gym in evenings... That is why I am heading to the gym in about 20 minutes, when they open at 5am....it is now 20 of......having my coffee, I'l have some nourishment after my workout (recovery) This is what I do 5 days a week, and there is a good size crowd there every morning at 5......mostly professionals..... So one can always make time to be healthy and fit....my life depends upon it....

The day I learned to "Let it Go" was the biggest breakthrough in my banded life.....I can now say I live a normal life, never count calories or worry too much about portion sizes... I just eat good healthy foods, and stay active....just like any other "Normal" person does.....TOTAL LIBERATION!!!! Difference is, in the background....I still have the band, always there dictating certain life principles.....but because of the band, I have also learned those new principles.....

When I got stuck, and I wanted to end it quickly, I would go to the bathroom and sip some Water.....if you are truly stuck, the water will only add to the volume - slime in your pouch and up it will come, having no where else to go.... If the water passes through, your not that stuck, and it will pass on through on it's own.... I have a lot of friends who swear by Papaya Enzymes.....they carry them with them everywhere they go....I have never tried it, but I hear positive things.... Also, when I worked in the ER years ago, we used to have meat Tenderizer on hand....stuff everyone has in their kitchen.....mix with a little warm water and sip....again, never tried it myself. I guess papaya does the same...you can get it in any Vitamin store....

It's 5am on a Sunday Morning.....on my second cup of Black coffee...took my Vitamins, Omega's, and 15gm of pure liquid Protein...... It's 11 degrees outside, and icey roads......... Off to the gym in a bit, be there when they open at 6am....I will run y 5 miles, then maybe some weights.....sauna, whirlpool and shower then fresh clean clothes, high protein recovery shake from the "juice Bar" at the club..... Point is, I REALLY don't want to go, what I really want to do is crawl back into a warm bed.....it's still black outside...and cold! But that's how it is...I'll go anyway, and once there I will be glad I did.....just as I have been doing since being banded.... If I did not go, I would feel like s*** all day long..... That's how it works...you got to do what you got to do....and will feel better for it in the end.... It's Addictive!!!!

If I had my band since 2007, and have been normal and successful since then...and all of a sudden out of nowhere I develop the problems you describe......... I would NOT ask those questions here but RUN STRAIGHT TO MY DR...... After all that time with a normal trouble free banded journey...then out of nowhere....something is not normal and should be checked ASAP! (worse yet...there are people on this forum that will actually think they know the answers and tell you what to do....happens everyday from the "Know it alls")

I got mine the 31st of Jan in 2011.....A good Omen! My band has been nothing but a fantastic thing ever since...EASIEST and best thing I have ever done , both for PERMANENT weight loss and a total life changing event..... I hope your journey is as pleasurable as mine is...

I get most of my supplies from a website called "Bariatric Choice" My smoothies start with 1 scoop of 100% whey = 25 gm Protein, then I add 30ml (shot glass) of pure liquid Protein called "Pro-Stat 64" which adds anoth 15gm of protein.... I then add anything to it such as banana, mixed berries, mango, Peanut Butter, coconut, pineapple, chocolate....anything your imagination can come up with.... Mixed with 8 ozs of Water...(I stay away from dairy products so no skim milk) Also be warned....I DO NOT count calories...have not for about 1-1/2 years now.....

Many people do, but it is very risky...especially for people just starting out.... My surgeon tells ALL his patients Absolutely NO... And yet, he knows I like to have a beer (or 2) from time to time, like at a ballgame, picnic, and whenever....etc.... He asked me a few questions regarding it and how I drink it, what am I doing at the time etc, etc, then he said..... "Ok, but Just be careful" He told me why he tells all his patients No, and being in the healthcare field myself, I have to agree....better off just saying No...very risky!

Everyone is different and just by reading the posts on this forum you can see all the differnt approaches people have with the band..... Speaking for myself...my success has come due to the fact that the band FORCED me to change the way I eat, the type of foods I eat, and how much I can eat.... If I tried to fight what the band was rying to accomplish, I would have stuck episodes, (many) constantly spitting everything up, including Water, along with associated pain.and discomfort...... In other words, it made me miserable.....especially in those first 4-6 months, the 2nd phase...... I could have gone for a slight un-fill, which would have let me eat the way I wanted to....but I'm glad I did not...I'm glad I can say it was a lesson in BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION when it comes to food....and the thing I loved the most, I had to turn my back on and learn to live without....food now is not very interesting...along with the hunger and cravings ( thank you band) It was killing me!

I CANNOT, so DO NOT eat anything in the morning..... I do have a High Protein shake, home made in my blender....40gms of protein.... Been doing this every day for 2 years.... My Surgeon thinks it's great, not because I'm banded, but because of the over whelming health benefits that everyone should have... Yes, they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day....but what can anyone possibly eat (especially a bandster) to match what a smoothie can offer? Believe it or not, I got the idea to do this from my cardiologist who does the same everyday.....and he is not banded....

WAY TO GO "B" !!! WE'RE ALL PROUD OF YOU!

I'm not sure i understand..... Are you concerned, because of the band restricting your food intake, that you are unable to consume enough? Or are you dieting, counting calories and afraid to consume too many calories and gain weight.... I have a few friends that do that sort of thing....one of them sponsored by a international company...and none of them are fat....last thing on their mind.... If I could have done that type of training,,activity, I don't think I would have needed to be banded..... But now, being banded, I would be concerned I would not be able to consume enough....

I use it......

I cannot exactly know what you are experiencing, nor do I know your Hx, when you were banded, any fills, restriction, experience with stuck episodes, etc.... Since you refer to "Gas pains" I can assume you we're banded recently since that is post-op complaint..... I have had pain like that, and have had it linger for a day or 2.... In my case, it was swallowing something I should not have been eating in the first place, probably not chewing enough, and maybe a too,large of swallow...all of the above.... The pain is slight trauma to the band as the food passed through...IF it passes through at all.... Imagine someone punching you in the arm.....it's going to linger for a while.... I have also had food sit there for quite a while also....but my situation is not as everyone else's is, and I doubt yours.... In any event, knowing I made have irritated that area, I am sure to take it easy for a while......not to over use the area and perhaps cause additional damage... But that's me.....again, I cannot actually know your situation.

Ditto on that....excess protein is flushed from the body through the kidneys....too much protein here and there is not to bad, but every day over a period of time......... But remember...banded people have to drink plenty of Water, and kidney health is one of the reasons.....