B-52

When I told my Dr. I like to have a beer (maybe 2) now and then, he asked me a few questions, after which he said that's fine, and that "I get it"...but for his new patients his policy is definitely NO... I agree, it can be a risk, and like so many other things with the band, it is easier just to say no and make it easy for everyone....

Once a Diabetic always a Diabetic.....but totally non existent due to weight (fat) loss, good food choices, and exercise......in other words...Lapband!

Yes...totally reversed...was taking daily injections, and Dr. kept trying different oral meds, nothing was working..... Now it is reversed, no more meds... You will find this is very common since Type 2 Myelitis and Body Fat % go hand in hand.....and you will find by many people here on this website who have had the same type of success because of the weight loss... I'm sure many will chime in.

OMG! feeling Cold! Be careful what you ask for although it is inevitable..... I cannot get warm anymore! I have electric heaters around when I'm in my office or watching TV.....I want to move to warmer climates now that I have lost all that walrus blubber.....

Contain yourself....it get's better! More than anyone can describe, or understand at this point....but it does work if we just get out of the way and let it!

Interesting how the foods that are difficult, they're not that good for us in the first place.....so I write them off and don't work at eating them....

This morning, one of the rare mornings I chose not to go to the gym.... My Wife made a mess of Blueberry pancakes and eggs....aroma filled the house.... She asked me if I would like some...YOU BET! (head talking, not hunger) Long story short...2 small swallows...band immediately said STOP! Do Not proceed or else! This is not a band Friendly food for me...... Moral of the story, in my case, even when I want to be bad and do things I should not, the band is always there preventing me from doing so....Totally in charge! It's that way all the time...does not matter where I am...parties, out to dinner..holidays...buffets...whatever....You can put anything in front of me but there is only so much the band will allow me to do..... Only thing I need to do is make wise food choices.....in other words stay away from the foods that are high in fat, sugar, etc, etc....

Because of the band, I am very seldom hungry and many times I don't feel like eating because the band is telling my brain I don't need to...and if I am busy / occupied that day, I may forget to eat..... Speaking for myself, I don't get hung up about it it....If I don't eat, I don't eat...makes up for those other days.... I do however, make sure I ALWAYS get my Protein in...do not want to mess with the basic building blocks....and I can get my protein in without eating a lot of food.... As far as metabolism and energy...never had a problem...

Happens to me all the time.....but you need to know your band intimately to tell the difference....but I won't get into that now.... I go full liquids 2-3 days to give the band, actually the pouch a rest....shakes, Soups, etc, anything but solid hard foods......the pouch will stretch and contract normally just as the rest of the stomach does..... 2-3 days is usually all it takes for routine maintenance......sometimes a little as 24 hours can make a difference.... If I tell my Dr., he will tell me to do the same thing.....if that does not work, or if I cannot follow his directions, he would give a un fill allowing food to pass more freely, again giving the pouch a rest. Fortunately I have never had that happen to me..... This is also the reason for the "5 day Pouch Test" gets everything back to normal. Works form me.....try it..what do you have to loose, and only experience to gain..... I have not had a fill in about 20 months, but I do all liquids about once a month.....BUT you have to have good restriction to begin with, know what it feels like and what to expect, to be able to return to that stage..... If someone is still in the adjustment phase, then it could mean another fill is needed.....

The Band has changed my life.......I am one of those people who never count calories, nor do I ever measure/weigh food portions.....(I did i the first 6 months) I reached my weight loss goal in 12 months.... What I do do, is live a new life...with eating totally under control...... I have many friends who are normal weight, enjoy eating/drinking things in life, and you NEVER hear them complain about dieting, counting calories, etc etc.... What you do notice is that they NEVER make total pigs of themselves, as a matter of fact they do not eat all that much at all!!! You will also observe they have very active lifestyles, filled with things like cross country cycling, hiking, running, kayaking...etc, etc.... My skinny fit friends are all also very health conscious, many vegetarians, never eat junk, into organic foods, no sugars, no artificial crap..... THIS IS THE LIFESTYLE I NOW LIVE....Dieting is a dirty word!!! The only difference between me and those who are normal weight, healthy and fit and non banded, is that in the background I have the band still in charge (not a tool) and dictating my eating behaviors. And no one needs to know this.....otherwise I am one of them.... Yes, I had to complete the lap band journey first, had to get my band properly adjusted enduring many stuck/slime episodes to get there, had to learn new eating lessons, had to learn to give up certain foods, had to learn to "Listen" to my band and stop eating when it is time to stop eating....also I had to get my band properly adjusted to where I am not only in the Green, Bug after being there for over a year I have found my "Groove", my "New Lifestyle" As long as the band is there, with no complications, I HAVE NO FEAR of ever gaining weight EVER AGAIN....... I read posts from people who say they have failed and gained all their weight back....I scratch my head and wonder if they were ever there in the first place, and were just on another diet with the band being nothing more than playing a small part in their process......(a tool) Of Course, medical problems are a different issue...... I am happy to say, along with my new life, I have no current medical conditions or concerns....Once upon a time I had diabetes with daily insulin injections, high blood pressure, cholesterol, lipids, you name it....all that went away as my life and weight changed.... I also suffered from Coronary Artery Disease, had one heart Attack resulting in Heart Surgery....but now I have no side affects, running 5 miles a day with no shortness of breath.....like my cardiologist said after my last nuclear stress test, I am as healthy as someone 30 years younger.... So, I am happy to say that I have completely and successfully traveled through the Lap band Journey, coming out on the other side a new person with a new lifestyle. BTW, with my new way of living, I have NOT gained one single pound, nor have I gotten stuck/slimed in about a year now....... I'm not loosing weight anymore either, as was explained to me my body will stop loosing when it feel it wants to, when there is nothing left to loose - Low Body Fat %.....and mine is very low..... So you see....there is a life after Lap band....Once you learn all your lessons, loose all the weight, learn to let the band do what it was designed to do, you can come out the other side a different person....but it is up to you to make the hard decisions, and not back down as I see so many people do..... I read all the posts here from other people talking about Dieting, counting calories, measuring food....are you allowed to do this or that????......I keep my mouth shut, knowing I was there in the first 6 months also.......... 80%, if not more, of the members on this forum are either just starting out, or still getting through their weight loss......so you see it is hard to take part in many discussions.....but I do belong to other groups, on in particular, that are smaller made up of people in a more advanced stage...that keeps me sane....

All anyone should do on this forum is speak and share their personal experiences...GOOD AND BAD.......I learn from both! I may say things that others do not agree with....but hey, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true for me from my experience...what I have found to work, and not work, for me.......and that's all we should expect from each other......and let the reader decide.... My respect for other people is not exactly based on what someone says, but how they say it.....if they start their discussion with " This is what I have experienced" or even a simple " This is what my Dr. told me to do", my respect for that person increases 100%. Does not matter if I agree or not because their statements carry some authority But there are people who will tell everyone what they should be doing, and condem people for what they are doing.....you look at their profiles and wonder where is this coming from? They could not possibly be there themselves to know so much about it. I also have stayed away for a while....I have also learned to simply block certain people....don't know if they can readmy posts, but I certainly cannot read theirs.... Ad I am sure there are people who have me blocked.....no big thing. But I will ALWAYS say what I have found to be my first hand experience wit,h this WLS, take it or leave it, but I have proof it is true, in my case anyway.

I did my research before getting the band....after my surgery, I stayed on my Dr. and would no be happy untill the band did EVERYTHING they said it is designed to do...... I get it when people say it is a "Tool" and you "Need to follow the rules" I won't get into all that, other to say I do not totally agree...at least it is not me that does it, but the band that Forces me to do it.... Anyway, with all this talk about research....What do people actually think the band is supposed to do??? and when people say they "Need a fill", "What do they actually think is going to happen?" Believe me, it does have a significant purpose....design.... Not everybody, but all too often I read posts, and people throw terms around like they are cliches....then I read other posts by the same people and I have to scratch my head...."Yesterday they said that, and how they needed to do so and so....today they're saying this" WHICH IS IT??? I will not elaborate, but I really wonder if people can comprehend what is actually happening here....I wonder how some people have gotten through the the pre-op Physc. Eval.... Then I hear reports how the Lap band success rate is low...I read everyday about "Failures" and "Getting back on track"........does not surprise me one bit. So yes....WE must make changes in order to let the band do it's thing....we must change, PERMANENTLY to make a life style change.....if you're not willing to do that, then stay with "Weight Watchers" or something similar.....but this is surgery....SERIOUS STUFF...not shopping for a new pair of shoes.... OK, so much for my morning rant....heading to the gym when they open a 6am today.....

I have never believed, or have I ever felt "Full" with the band, although I am always reading here other people talking about it...... The band does take away my hunger....24/7......it is hard to explain...my brain is receiving the signal from the band that I am full...but physically I never feel full...but again, my head tells me I am, and that there is no reason to eat...no hunger...sometimes I have to force myself to eat.....and if I am pre occupied, I will forget to eat at all! What I do rely on however, is the band/ pouch to tell me when to stop eating...automatic portion control....another characteristic of being in the green zone.... I would be afraid, that if I was to sip n between swallows, there would be no feedback telling me to stop and I would run the risk of over eating. Something I never experience presently. The key for me is that I have learned how to LISTEN to my band. I would be afraid to do anything to disrupt that balance.

I understand that 80% of people on this website are just starting out, and/or still desperately learning their way with this surgery hoping to loose their weight..... BUT I do want people to know that there is a new life, reward, waiting for you! THERE IS LIFE AFTER LAPBAND!!! My Dr. and I talk about different things, things he knows I do, that he would NEVER DARE let on to his newer patients....it is easier to tell them NO than to confuse and cloud the issue. So Just like my Dr., I read posts here and I have to bite my tongue....lest I be the cause of people stumbling....

Very Well said!!!! Could not agree more..... I know that over 80% of the people on this website are either just starting out, or are still desperately trying to loose their weight and once again be "Normal" My Dr. and I talk about things, things I do, that he would not DARE talk about with his newer patients...it would only confuse and cloud the primary issue..... But I do want people to know, that there is a LIFE AFTER LAPBAND! A reward you cannot imagine...a "NEW NORMAL" But just like my Dr. I have to bite my tongue, lest I make people stumble.....

I was told by my Dr. to do as little as possible for the first week....THEN I had a appointment with him, 7 days from surgery, where he inspected my incisions, etc.....it was then he answered my questions about any activities I wanted to do....also post-op diet questions, etc.... You really should be asking your Dr. these questions..... Unfortunately, there are people here that feel they need to tell you what you should and should not do.....

Last night, 10 of us went out to a 5 star restaurant....after 2 pre-dinner cocktails, skipped the appetizers ordered for the table. Then the entree's arrived....large lobster with all the fixings! One or 2 bites, and already I knew I was almost finished...so after that I just picked at my food and carried on conversation... Turns out, because of the band, I was only able to eat about 1/4th of my meal....and that was slow.... Then we had coffee, no problem, and Key Lime pie for dessert...which I was only able to have one or 2 forks.....a good taste if you will..... And that's how it is for me....I did not need to measure, weigh or count calories.....the band is there, and dictates how much, and in some regards what I can eat.... Bottom line, I ate very little...no where compared to the pig I would have made of myself prior to the surgery.... I don't get hung up on the little things...can't loose sight of the forest because of the trees...I look at the big picture and that is that as my new lifestyle, I eat like a new person, very little compared to my old self...and it is not because I will it to be so, it is because there is a band wrapped around my upper stomach that prevents me from doing so..... I read so much about people failing, falling off the wagon, needing to get back on track..... Speaking only for myself...I cannot imagine how I would be able to have that happen.....last night, if I even tried to ignore the signals sent from my band and tried to over eat...I would have been in the bathroom spitting it all up, and then feeling miserable.... I certainly do not want that...I have learned my lessons before.....

It's 4:30am, having my morning coffee.....took 15gm pure liquid Protein, Vitamins and Omegas, then off to the gym when they open at 5am....then after my workout I will have a high protein recovery shake, another 30 gm protein, which will also be my Breakfast.... I will also drink my 32oz container of Water during and after my workout..... I've been doing this for over 2 years now, and every morning I still can't wait to get to the gym..... In the beginning, you start small....but even then you have small victories......which feel so good that it makes you want to come back to experience more little victories.....then more and more and before you know it you're hooked! Working out is so rewarding, makes me feel so good and positive, motivated, that if I miss a day I am depressed...feel like crap! And the small successes feel so good that you want to achieve higher successes....so you push yourself to do a little better...even if it's only 10 minutes.....and on and on it goes.... It is very easy to understand why where ever you go, you see people jogging in all sorts of places...streets, parks...beaches...everywhere.... They do not do it because they have to....they do it because it is the one thing in their life that brings the largest victory / reward...an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment....bringing with it CONFIDENCE, STRESS RELIEF (clears your mind) INCREASE OF ENERGY, POSITIVE MENTAL STATE.... And that is not even getting into the physical rewards such as weight management, muscle/body toning.... And then there is the "Runner's High".........

Yes, I have heard many people say this......

Had to click "Like" as soon as I saw the word Bourbon.....

I had serious regrets 2-3 months after my surgery.....felt no restriction, was not loosing the weight as I thought...I actually gained weight after my first fill. They kept reminding me about counting calories, measuring portions, everything I had learned and told to do from all the previous diets I have been part of before surgery. I was very upset, felt it was a big waste of time...all that preparation, pre testing and anxiety, just to go on another diet! Fortunately, that is all behind me, it was just the Bandster Hell phase untill the band got properly adjusted..... Now, my only regret is that I did not do this sooner.....about 20 years sooner!

How dos carbonation hurt the band? Something. I'm trying to understand......

I did everything I could to "fall off the wagon" but was prohibited from doing so. Lord knows I tried.....

My point was...it's normal to get stuck the same way it's normal to burn your hand on the stove......sooner or later you learn to be more careful around the stove...not stop using the stove.... My band it TIGHT...I can feel it with everything I swallow...yet I have not gotten stuck in well over a year...because I learned. I know someone, on another group I belong to, that is going for her 13th Fill!!!! She has also had at least 6 un fills.....she is not loosing much weight.....same 1/2cc fill, same 1/2 cc un fill........maybe it's not the Fluid in her band but her eating.......there is a fine line between being too tight and not eating the way we were taught.....finding that balance is the key, IMO.

Do you believe that?? Again, speaking ONLY from my experiences, THIS BAND DOES WORK! It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE....that's not a Cliche...but to change our life means WE HAVE TO CHANGE.... My last fil, I was getting stuck like crazy.....I learned, the hard way, I had to learn to eat correctly.....I learned, the hard way, that there are certain foods I will never eat again.... I learned, the hard way, not to drink while eating.....I learned the hard way, never eat prior to going to bed, or laying horizontal....and there are many more lessons I needed to learn... All these things they were trying to teach me up to that point, but it did not make sense to me until I got that point of restriction. Bottom line...I had to break those bad eating habits...the same habits I had for years that made me "Morbidly Obese" and just about killed.... I can say, there were days I got stuck multiple time throughout the day....I remember getting stuck TWICE while eating the same meal!! My last fil was 4 months to the day after surgery, BUT it took me 2-3 more months to get things figured out, "In the Groove" I like to call it.... I'm happy to say I've been there ever since....I don't get stuck anymore because I KNOW my lessons, and I KNOW the warning signs, when to stop, etc... And for me, it all came through the school of hard knocks.... Every time I did something stupid I got a good kick in the you know what by getting stuck, slimed and whatever else you want to call it.... And today...I would never have imagined, before being banded, that I could eat so little, so slow, and how rarely....and yet feel so healthy, energetic, and positive mentally.... Speaking only for myself....I was close to asking to have some Fluid taken out,.... but I am glad I didn't....I don't think I would have adjusted myself if I was allowed to eat the way I wanted to. But read other people's posts, everyone has their own story to tell....