B-52

And some little fat guy left his pants here......

I have never been able to manage my weight well at all. Over the last 30 years I have been on every diet known. Would start out well, then fail, sometimes gaining back more than I lost. So I needed surgical intervention, that no matter what I may want to do, the band will physically prevent me from doing the wrong thing like over eating. And I have to say that is exactly what it is and has done.....

Just don't mix with food, or after eating. The gas plus the food will really bloat you, even cause pain.

Yes it is, and yes I do. July 4th I had a few....with no food at all of course. I do not advocate it and do not recommend newbies try it. Follw your Dr.s instructions. My Dr. Knows I do and understands how I get away with it. As veteran, it s one of a few things I gave figured out how to do with no side effects (to the band) or any harm.

I just returned from a cruise...I did everything I could to eat, and drink, anything I wanted. However, because of the band, and the restriction I have, it was impossible to do and I lost weight. It was no different than any other day. But sine you are a newbie, you have no alternative but to diet the old fashioned way, counting Calories and good old will power. I don't think you have much of a risk of getting stuck. You have not had a single fill yet, let alone anything near optimal. Don't forget to get your Protein and Water, exercise every day, and use the stairs instead of the elevators. Other that that.......

The only reason to give it up would be if you were counting calories..... I don't and have not cointed calories in over a year, and I NEVER drink anything while I'm eating...even Water.

I started the day with my usual Protein smoothie. Then 1 can of Soup for lunch. After that I did not eat anything for the rest of the day. We were at a cookout where I had maybe 3 beers, and when I drink beer I NEVER have any food with or around it. I did have a protein shot in the evening to get my daily requirement.

I take a bit of Protein before a workout for a little energy boost, then after for recovery. BUT I never confuse eating along with exercising. My goal has always been to burn fat and glycogen, not replenish it. I'm currently working out 2 hrs a day at 5:30am, 5 days a week. Run for 30 minutes, then weights, finished with 20-30 minutes on the elliptical. 30 minutes in the sauna, then 15 minutes in the whirlpool. I go through 32 oz's of Water during this period. Did I mention I am 60 years old and a heart attack survivor?

I'm surprised you have 9cc in a 10cc band in the first place. I read somewhere in a medical journal at work that the band is designed to only be filled 80-85% of it's max capacity. But who knows...I hear all sorts of things on these boards so nthing surprises me here....

I just go with the flow....I'm glad as all heck the band is doing it's job. If I find it hard to eat some day, so what. I don't eat. Simple. It makes up for the days it's loose. But I like knowing it's there with every swallow. I have not been able to eat breakfast for nearly a year now. So I have a high protein smoothie every morning.

Your ticker says you have lost 51 bs in 3 years??? hmmmmmmm.... Everything you stated, I am the complete opposite. I do not count calories. I don't cook that much at home because it is waste of time to do all that work to eat just a few oz's of food. I love caffiene..drink coffee all day long. I used to use an I-Phone app but like I said, I gave up on counting calories. Sugar and soda are a thing of the past so I'm not a splenda fan either or any sweetner. I am old school.....which means I beleieve the less I eat, the more I loose. I also excercise every chance I get. Only thing I am careful about is making wise food choices. When I'm at a resturant, and have to choose between chicken fried steak or fish....it's not rocket science. I don't give much attention to the "Starvation" mode. If it was accurate for Bandsters, I would have been in trouble a long time ago. I skip meals entirely sometimes, and have even gone full 24 hrs without eating at all because I just didn't feel ike it. I'm at 7.5cc in a 10cc band. I do not ever want another fill either so I do a little maintence every few weeks by going on full iquids for a day or 2 to keep my band tight. So for me, I eat less, excercise more, making sure I get my daily reequirements of Protein, Water, Vitamins, supplements, etc. I have never felt better, and healthier. My PCP, cardiologist and endrocologist are thrilled with my progress and tell me whatever I'm doing, don't stop.

Ok, first let me say I have very good restriction and has been so for over a year. I am at my goal weight and beyond. My eating is always under control. I don't count calories or any of that stuff. I am in "maintenance" mode. I say this to make a point..... Today, other than going to the gym this morning, I stayed inside with the air conditioning all day. Sitting here, I realized I have been eating all day, and I have eaten way more than I should and normally do. Where did all the restriction go? Have not felt any all day! It is as though I was never banded. I'm not panicked, this is what "maintenance" is all about. My theory is that the band is not looser. With the restriction I have changes in humidity or whatever could not take it all away. I feel the band remains a constant. So, I feel my pouch has stretched, from all the eating I have done. So starting Monday, I am not going to eat any solids. All liquids. Then I will see how I feel Tuesday. I may need liquids for 2 days to give my pouch a rest and chance to contract. This to me is what the 5 day pouch test is all about. (I don't follow the full 5 day regime, just enough to get restriction back) This is something I go through every now and then to keep things in top working order. Example is why is my band (pouch) tigher in the mrning and looser later in the day? Is it because I have not eaten anything in at least 12 hours, giving the band a rest? And it appears to be looser later in the day because I have been eating, excercising the pouch? Also, if a Dr catches a stretched pouch, the firdst thing he/she will do is instruct the patient to go on full iquids, and maybe do a complete unfill so nothing with accumulate there.

No no no that's not the attitude.... In the beginning it's tough, with very little rewards. But eventually you start having accomplishments and victories, small at first, but enough to make you feel real good about yourself. So much so that you want to do it more to relive those small victories and aim for bigger ones, which will make you feel much more prouder about yourself. Those are the endorphins. Then you are hooked. I feel so good about myself after every workout, that when I miss a day it's almost depressing. But you have to stat somewhere. Everone's victories are not the same.

Sorry you having to struggle....for me it is the most easiet, successful thing I have ever done. And I have tried and failed at every diet under the sun over the last 35 years. Don't give up. Once you get there you will see how wonderful and easy it can be. It truly is a permanent lifestyle change. But you have to get through that band adjustment (Bandster hell) phase first. It took me 6 months. After that it is all 2nd nature and I do not even think about it all that much anymore.

Diets such as opti-fast are temporary. I have done it twice! Surgery is forever! And not a diet at all.

Phase #1 - Pre-op Phase #2 - Post op (healing) Phase #3 - Band adjustment Phase #4 - good healthy, steady, effortless weight loss.....Go and live your new "Normal Life" Everything else in between is just....what? Too often many people express dissatisfaction, frustration, anxiety because they are expecting Phase #4 when they are not even out of Phase #2 or #3 even. I wonder, did their Dr.'s tell them this would be the case 2-3 weeks, or months, right after surgery? Do people understand how the band actually works? Are they confusing corrective, invasive bariatric weight loss surgery with good old fashioned dieting?

I will change that up just a little....many people experience restriction for the first time, and automatically think they're in that "Green Zone" only to find 4 weeks later they're complaining how they are always hungry. When I had my last fill, I was getting stuck left and right, 2-3 times a day. It took me at least 4-6 weeks after that to get things straightened out, like my eating techniques, types of food, learning when to stop eating, listening to my band if I am truly hungry or not, and if I should or should not eat, and most of all...Am I satisfied!!!! If you are not pleased with what is happening, then you are not there yet. Anyhow, even though I had good restriction, it did not mean I was automatically in the zone. It took a while to find that "Groove". Then I was happy, then I was in the Green Zone and have been for some time now. I will never need another fill. The journey is complete and I am now in an entirely new phase.

I have always done things like you describe. You have just hit a plateau which is very common. After a year with no fills, and doing just fine, I came to a point where nothing changed for 2-3 months, kept gaining, then loosing the same 5 lbs. The Dr. gave me a additional 1/2 cc fill and that licked me off the cliff so to speak and the weight began coming off again. After a while it slowed down again, but I changed (intensified) my workouts at the gym. Things began to move again. Things have since slowed down yet again, but I am not sure if there is any more weight I can loose that is not muscle. I still do not care about calories, how much or how little I eat. I just "Listen" to my band and live a normal day to day life, like all normal fit people do.

You cannot loose sight of the Forrest because of the trees. In other words you have to look at the big picture. Some days I eat more, some days I eat less, and there are some days I don't feel like eating at all. But it is the total accumualtive not the small incidentals. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Regardless of what I may or may not eat, with my new total lifestyle I eat a fraction of what I would have eaten before the surgery. I used to be able to eat an entire large pizza all by myself, every Friday night. Now, if I still ate pizza which I don't, I would not be able to eat 1/2 of one slice. I have been observing skinny people eat. Very interesting. They all eat as though they were banded also. They eat pizza, ice cream, etc. they're just not pigs about it. I have come to realize I now eat the same way a skinny person does. The secret is the band is why I am forced to do it.

Been a while since I visited here...have my reasons, mainly I find it tiresome after a while, mainly dealing with the self proclaimed experts.... However.... Thought I would give a report, especially for the newbies. I go to the gym 5 days a week at 5:30 in the morning. I run for 30 minutes (3 miles), do 45 minutes of weights, then finish the workout with 20-30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical. It took me one year to reach my goal, total weight loss of 90 lbs. That was 7 months ago, and I am still loosing although very slowly now. Your body will stop loosing when it feels it is ready to. I do not count calories, measure or weigh portions. I eat when I am hungry, which is not often. I do not deny myself the little pleasures in life like desserts, ice cream, alcohol, including beer, etc, etc. I do get my daily requirements of protein, water, vitamins, amino acids, anti oxidants, etc, etc, with little or no problem every day. There are days when I just don't feel like eating at all, so i don't force it. I am not a believer in the "Starvation Mode" I have/had enough fat and glycogen stored away to use as energy, and that is what I did. All this from a man who is 60 years old, have had one heart attack that I know of, had cardiac surgery due to coronary artery disease, had diabetes that is now completely gone, had loss of circulation in lower limbs with loss of sensation (feeling) which is now a thing of the past, cholesterol, triglycerides, everything is now well within normal range. Had my stress test a few weeks back and the cardiologist could not believe he was looking at the same person. My blood work (lab results) are straight down the middle normal in every category. The band controls my eating and hunger entirely. It is NOT a tool, something that I can control. It is something that is there, constant, doing what it was designed to do. People are afraid to go to picnics, parties, etc for fear of what I'm not sure. I cannot overeat no matter how hard I try. Does not matter what food you put in front of me, the band will allow just so much then that's it. I went on a cruise a few weeks ago and I did everything I can to eat/enjoy as much as I can...Impossible! I lost weight! I do not get stuck, slimed, etc anymore. It has been a long time since that has happened. There was a phase, when transitioning into the "Green Zone" that I got stuck sometimes 2-3 times a day. But once I learned my lessons, learned how to eat like a "Skinny" person, I broke through to the other side and life has been normal ever since. The "New Normal" as my surgeon calls it. My only advice to newbies is to work the band for all it's worth. Don't settle for second best, something just to get by. Demand everything you have always expected. I make no excuses for my success and my new life...why should I care what others think? It's me they're going to put in the ground someday...then where will the critics be....I have achieved everything I ever hoped and dreamed this surgery can do for me. I was once a fat person, so i know what denial and excuses are all about.... So you may see why I don't visit here all that much any more....

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I'm now 60, and I feel like I'm under 40. Been at my goal for 6 months now and still loosing although very slowly now. I'm now in week 7 out of 9 for the couch to 5k program, and plan to run some 5K's this summer.

Actually, liquids will pass right through the band into the stomach....causing a buildup of gas BELOW the band. The band was designed for things to pass from the top down...it does not tolerate things that come from the bottom up....like vomiting which can be a sudden explosive force coming up from the bottom through a small orifice. Think of a Water balloon with a rubber band at the top, squeeze the balloon below the band with both hands and the top where the band is will pop! My biggest fear is to get violently sick like food poisoning or motion sickness...let alone drunk.... We leave for vacation in a few weeks visiting foreign countries...have to be very careful about what and where I eat - drink. Especially being 1000's of miles away from my Dr. Not going to snack on any food from street vendors, that's for sure! I drink carbonated beverages, just slowly and NEVER with food in my stomach.

Had my annual Nuclear Stress test today...and I am the happiest man on earth!! Background: I have one Cardiac artery that is completely occluded, totally blocked that resulted in my Heart Attack. It went un noticed because being a fat diabetic it was "Silent" same for women BTW. It was when I had a routine stress test 2-1/2 years ago that they found that, along with a 2nd artery that was 60% blocked requiring cardiac surgery with a full metal stent. It could have, and SHOULD have killed me! Today I had my annual Nuclear Stress Test. For you young'un's, they wire you up to all these machines, inject radioactive dye in your blood, take pictures of your heart in a machine similar to a CT Scan, and above all, they put you on a tread mill and get you to maximum heart rate for a few minutes...in other words they do all they can to make you have heart attack. (Stress) and look for any potential problems. Every Nurse, technician, I encountered today took one look at me and said "This is going to be interesting" When I asked why, they said because I was a "Athletic"!!??? When the Dr. got me on the treadmill, he said the same thing. It took them FOREVER to get my heart rate up to max. Normally you only have to walk briskly on a incline. They had me "Running" up an incline and then barley got me there. The nurse looked at me and said "That's what we mean by interesting" "It's always hard with Athletes"! Dr. said it was remarkable...not so much that I did so well, but because of my past history I still out performed 1/2 of his patients and should not be at that level. Whatever I'm doing, KEEP IT UP! Don't ever stop. He wished all his patients would do as I am. BTW, I had a resting heart rate of 46, and BP of 105 systolic. But from the above report, and the absolutely best news I can ever receive, you may understand my passion and commitment to this LIFE AND DEATH program. I feel so good about myself right now,...I can't wait to get to the gym this afternoon, and turn it up a notch! This band is the best thing I could have possibly ever done to improve, if not save, my life. It's a whole lot more than what size jeans I fit into, etc, although that is a by-product not the goal in itself. BTW, being on these boards for over a year I have learned that just about everyone has a differing opinion on how the band should or should not work. In all due respect....I know what has and is working for me and I'm sticking to it regardless of what other people may think. And I sincerley hope you find what is going to work for you!!

people only get stuck episodes, for the most part, whrn they are still fairly new and still learning to adapt to life with the band. It has been a while since I got stuck. I know what foods to avoid, and can read the warning signs very eary and have learned to stop and not push the issue.