B-52

I am at a point where I do not ever want and hopefully not need another fill.... I too find that there will be times when I feel that it is easier for food to go down, and I notice I am beginning to eat more than usual at a sitting..... What I have found, is that this is my pouch expanding from constant use, just as a stomach can stretch allowing more food.... Wen I encounter this, I do what some refer to the "5 day pouch test" although I do not follow the strict guidelines someone has put forth.... I find that 2-3 days of a non solid diet is enough to give my pouch a rest and shrink back to normal, restoring my restriction once again..... I go all liquids perhaps one weekend every month..... This is about the only thing I do for maintenance.... I have seen x-rays of stretched, enlarged pouches.....not very pretty...

Could not agree more....... There will be medical reasons why the band may not function as designed....common theme I hear from many people is that it is hard to get back on track after getting a complete un fill, for whatever medical reason.... But under normal conditions, the band is there....simple..either one chooses to take full advantage of it or they don't..... I am always puzzled by people who say otherwise.....

Exhilarating....isn't it? Not to mention the unbelievable things it does for your body... I have not lost or gained any weight for over a year, having been at my goal and completing this process...but since I have started to run in earnest...I have continued dropping clothing sizes.....body tone and shape always changing.....

I read most of the posts here from all the different people, I like to hear different people's experiences, good and bad.... One thing that is always re occurring, is people saying how they "Fell off the wagon" and "Need to get back on track" Now I know I'm going to get flamed for this by the "Know it all's" But personally, I do not understand how that can happen...(Short of a medical problem).... Either your band is adjusted to where you are in the Green Zone, or it's not!! To me, that is the only thing that is important... Two characteristics of the Green Zone is HUNGER CONTROL, and PORTION CONTROL.....yet I read posts about how people say they were doing fine, then started to eat anything and everything in sight...out of control...Does Not sound like being in the Green to me.... Speaking for myself, When I eat, I eat until I cannot eat anymore...I don't measure or pre determine portion sizes...the band will let me know when to stop eating...it's that simple. The other day I brought home Chinese take-out...sat down and began to eat to where I knew I had to stop...threw the rest away!!! It was physically impossible to eat anymore...even if I wanted to.... IF I were to measure what I ate, I know I would have found it to be VERY LITTLE....some would say way too little.... The 2nd issue is Hunger....I'm sitting here, it's 4 am, and I am having my coffee....thinking about it as I type this, I AM NOT HUNGRY, and I have no desire to eat anything....the last time I ate was around 6 pm yesterday, 16 hours ago? I will take 15gm Protein along with my Vitamins and omega's, and head to the gym when they open at 6am. After my workout I will have a high protein recovery shake......then that will be it until this afternoon....(plenty of Water though) My point is, being in the Green, these things now come natural to me....circumstances such as parties, stress and emotional issues, etc, etc, cannot change what has been surgically done...... I travel all over the country on business, vacations, cruise at least once a year...have had deaths in the family,....my daughter had a big wedding.....everything everyone else experiences, but none of it can change the band....that would take an adjustment.... So when I read these stories about "Getting back On Track" or "Falling off the Wagon", I get a little confused...but out of personal respect I keep my mouth shut...it's not my place to tell anyone they are right or wrong.... But what I can do is type here MY experiences with the band and how it all works for me..... I know I'm in the green....have been for about 20 months now...and from my view point the only thing that matters is whether you are in the green or not...and if not, Why? Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes...just my opinion, now let the "Know it All Police come out of the woodwork"....

You never know who's watching you...... A lady who works the cash register in the cafeteria at one of the Hospitals I go to, flat out said to me the other day.."Wow are you skinny...how much did you loose? 100lbs?" Mind you, this is a person who I do not know and never have a conversation with other tan to say "Thank You" But she was obviously monitoring my progress for quite some time.....

People who can do it on their own would not be here reading your post.....we're all losers here.....

Wow, sorry to hear all that...but it is also good to see you are seeing your Dr. regularly to keep on top of this so it all doesn't steam roll over you at once later on down the road.... But concerning your band and weight loss.....what do you think you did to get off track? Not judging, just that I am always curious when people have these types of setbacks....

Check with your Dr.....I had a i week post-op follow up where he checked my incisions, any complaints I may ave had, etc,,, It was then, at 1 week I was cleared to go to the gym, and also allowed to soak in a hot tub - sauna....but he told me no heavy lifting for 3 more weeks, 4 weeks total fro surgery....

THANK YOU........

To loose weight...It is all about burning more calories than you consume on any given day....always has been, always will be....... All diets (which most of us failed at otherwise we would not be here) are aimed at getting us to eat less - less calories consumed......it is up to us to burn more than we consumed, and that is something we have to do...no one can do it for us. There is no surgery for that..... 500 calories MORE than we consume per day if you want to loose 1 lb of weight per week.....talking real genuine fat weight...not the quick pre and post op weight everyone quickly looses (and gains) but genuine fat burning weight......

There are many good choices out there, high protein, good portion size, low calorie, etc..... But for me...I stay away from them because I stay away from pasta and rice...something these dinners seem to always have..... But early on in my banded journey I used to have them all the time as a meal......

Go to a reputable store that caters to runners.....have a "expert" analyze your feet and recommend shoes.....they will not necessarily be expensive..... There are too many issues anyone may have....pronation, supination, etc..... Although "Black Toe" is common, it is never desirable....and poor shoes, and socks for that matter guarantee it!

Not sure either...I have also heard this....must be averages.... I ave often asked myself if I will ever fail, and what I could possibly do to cause failure, short of a medical emergency of some kind....other than that..

I have had a few goals along the way,and surpassed everyone.... I have learned, as long as I am living this new lifestyle, my body will stop losing when it feels it needs to....... When I reached my first goal, I asked what was I supposed to do? Change this lifestyle? Get a un-fill so I can over eat again? The answer for me was no.....I will continue this new way of living the rest of my life, having learned new lessons and formed new habits, and the band becoming a common thing I don't think about all the time like I used to......

I will say, in the beginning I would have made any sacrifice needed to loose weight , get fit and healthy.....if they told me I had to eat nothing but bread and Water for 12 months, with the promise I would not be hungry and I would achieve everything I dreamed of, I would have done it in a heartbeat.....it was that important to me.... I will let you know this......once I achieved all that I wanted to achieve, everything went full circle......in other words, I am now a normal weight, healthy and fit individual.....which means I now live a normal life......just as any other normal weight person does...... I no longer worry about calories and food portions......although, just as my normal weight, healthy friends , I am very health conscious and eat good wholesome foods...no junk, no red meat, no fat, sugar, etc, etc.... Just as my skinny, healthy friends do, I also enjoy things that people on diets would never dream of doing.....think of it...you see healthy people everyday at parties, Resturants, etc, and they are not counting calories.... Because they have a certain LIFESTYLE.......healthy eating, plenty of exercising, active hobbies such as hiking, cycling, etc, and you will NEVER see them making pigs of themselves..... I made a point of observing normal weight people in different situations.....and there is a difference in behavior..... I now live THAT lifestyle....NO DIETING...NO COUNTING CALORIES....enjoying the things in I life I ewant to enjoy...along with my skinny friends....I have NO FEAR of ever gaining weight because I have successfully changed my lifestyle.... Difference between me and my friends is they do it on their own, and I do it because I have the band....but I don't need to tell anyone that.... BUT...it took me over a year to get to that point, with plenty of sacrifices, and plenty of hard lessons that neded to be learned.... To pull a macho-male attitude, I didn't 't get all whimpy...I never backed down....even when I was getting stuck, sometimes 2-3 times a day, I blamed myself and did not run to the Dr. Asking for a un-fill.... And I am happy to say I broke through to the other side of life...and it has been nothing short of Heaven ever since..... Question is, are you ready to make that choice? Make the needed sacrifices? Many, if not all people on this site are either newbies or still within their weight loss journey, so,I keep my mouth shut because most will not understand where I am coming from..... But there is a life after completing this journey.....

My first fill was 4cc, one month after surgery.....after that first fill I gained weight!! It was not till after my 2nd fill did the band start to do it's job, and then took another fill after that..... But you have to ease into it! Imagine if the band was not adjustable and right at surgery everyone got a band that is comparable to being filled to 7cc!! We all would not know what to do.....it would be a disaster...but after 3 fills that is what I have...7cc's, and each fill I HAD TO ADJUST to the band to make it happen!! And now I have been at the balance point for over 18 months now, where my portions are limited, and I am very rarely ever truly hungry.....

I remember when I first committed myself to go to a gym....Before I was banded, but right after I was Dx'd with Diabetes....... So there I was, a (fat) 56-58 year old man, sweating like a pig on the elliptical.....I'm looking around and checking out the staff members...you know, the super fit young girls who wear those super tight spandex workout clothes that say "STAFF" across the back in big yellow letters..... And you know what was going through this dirty old man's mind when I was looking at them??? "Man..I sure hope those young girls know CPR, and they weren't just hired because of their looks" No exaggeration...it really worried me....that's the shape I was in both physically and mentally.....

Did you get a 2nd opinion from a different Dr.? When you said your band was "Filled to the Max" my antennae went up.... Also I am curious if he ever did any x-rays after he determined there was no solution..

Rain, Sleet, Snow and cold weather...... They say your band gets tighter with weather/barometric changes.... I am having the toughest time getting my morning smoothie in....been over 30 minutes and not finished yet...one time I had to stand over the sink thinking it was coming back up.... Between you and me...I LOVE IT! This will pass, always does, usually as the day goes on, BUT it is assuring the band is still there functioning....I would be more alarmed if I felt nothing! I learn to adjust and deal with it......

If it were me...I would go full liquids for a few days, my band would probably be very irritated after all that...also I would think about how and what I am eating....after a few days of liquids come back to regular food with mushies - soft slider foods, then ease back into solids, monitoring what is good and what is difficult to tolerate.... When my band got tight, it certainly changed the way I eat! Let's face it, I had the worst eating habits...that's why I got so fat...and all that had to change. During that learning phase...I had been stuck - slimed as you described numerous times a day...I Was Stubborn and hard to break! But change I did...there are certain foods I simply stay away from..too risky. I also had to learn when they meant by "Tiny" bites, chewing throughly, and timing between swallows to let the food pass the band...also no drinking during meals for me... The band forced me to change...forever! All these things come second nature to me now...some days I don't think about the band at all! I have not been stuck in well over a year now, yet I live with a tight band....which controls my appetite and size of my portions...whether I want it to or not! But then again, medical issues will arise, so it is you who knows yourself the best.....and has to make decisions....no one here can, or should. Just share their experiences.....

We cruise all the time....always at the beach and always at the pool....topless.... My scars are gone, bu you should see my port,,,as big as a golfball right under the layer of skin,,,,, I don't care what other people think...I don't know them and will never see them again...

I've been doing high protein smoothies - home made variety for 2 years....probably will for the rest of my life. Works well with my busy lifestyle and there is nothing I can possibly eat in small portions first thing in the morning with more protein and nutrition to give me plenty of energy to get through the day at the Hospital(s)......

I've experimented with it.....but i really depend on my high protein drinks....maybe I can work it into a kind of a snack and nothing else, just for the nutrients...

It's 4:30 am, having my 2nd cup of coffee....along with my Vitamins, Omega's,......I'll have 15g of pure liquid Protein then off to the gym at 5am...... Run 5 miles, maybe some weights, (not every time) sauna 30 minutes, then shower, fresh clothes. Will also drink 32oz of Water during all this.... I will have my 30g Protein shake there, (they have a juice bar) which is also my Breakfast, then head off to work.... This is my routine 5 days per week, weekends included.......I've been doing this for over a year now, and when I miss a planned day, I feel like depressed and like crap...... I am an addicted gym rat!!

Your story sounds like every diet I have ever been on over the past 30 years....start out good, loose weight, then after 3-5 months, old habits begin to creep in, then I rationalize....before I know it the diet is over and I begin to gain it all back, if not more than I started with...... But, speaking for myself now, the lapband is not a diet....I have this thing placed around my stomach, and adjusted tight enough, that even if I wanted to, and I have tried many times....it is impossible for me to "Fall off the wagon" If I tried to overeat it would only create problems....pain, sliming, and spitting it all up in the toilet! Even so called "slider foods"...I cannot over eat with Soup without the same results.... And that's just the portion control aspect of my band....there is also hunger / craving issues that were resolved........ So, speaking from my experience, it has always been about the band....... and whether or not the band is doing what it was designed to do, and what I expect it to do..... And I always made that clear with my Dr....fortunate for me he is aggressive also.... That's why I had this surgery in the first place.... I'm not trying to preach....just sharing the way things have been with me and maybe others can relate...if not, then that's OK too.....