B-52

Stomach Rumbling does not mean you are hungry. Plus, the band does not give you a feeling of being full. It sends a message to your brain that you do not need to eat, as though you were full. Big Difference.

I no longer eat bread, have a hard time with meat, (about to give that up) and as far as rice, I need to mix it up real good with something, but cannot eat it straight. There are other things I have given up. But I eat more fish than ever before, and chicken. More vegetables. I suppose I could get a slight unfill to enjoy more foods, but to the contrary I can't wait till my next appointment in Feb so I can get a slight fill because weight gain has slowed way down, plateaued.

I think the term "Eat What You Want" is misunderstood. The way I see it is I could eat what I want if I wanted to, but I choose not to. If my food intake is limited, I have to make the best of it. I would not eat cupcakes all day in place of what I need to be eating. That's why everyone has to take nutrition classes, count calories, measure portions, to learn what is good and what is not, in order to make wise decisions.

If you are looking for support, you have to make the decision if you want it to work, or are you convinced you just don't want it. You say you are "freaked Out" just by having it?

Don't mean to change the subject, but I checked out your gallery and like the photo's. Especially the side by side one with your Mother.

Do you consider yourself as one of those people? I don't do Facebook.

Why not? Ok, here is a question for everyone. IF the band restricts HOW MUCH you can eat -stops you from overheating. And IF the band takes away your hunger, appetite to where you don't feel like eating most of the time. (above is the definition of "Green Zone") What else is there everyone says they must do to make it work? I know the answer, (or think i do) but I'm curious what everyone else thinks they have to do to be successful.

The biggest negative is about food. My tastes have definitely changed, and I really don't have much interest in food anymore. It drives my wife nuts when she goes food shopping. She will ask me to put anything I may want/need on the list, and I usually say "Nothing!" I find I will go the grocery store and get foods "just for myself" like stir fry ingredients, yogurt, etc. And also, I waste a lot of food. Everything I get from take out. Or whatever I cook, is always WAY too much. My family took me out to dinner for my birthday. A "Seafood Buffet" complete with a Raw Bar. I did have a few drinks before dinner, but after that I felt bad I hardly ate anything. It was a very expensive place.

I lost first my Brother at the age of 60, then my sister at the age of 64, both with numerous ailments from being obese. Diabetes, heart problems, amputations, blindness, balance issues, surgeries related to circulatory issues, infections, skin issues, you name it! My brother wound up in a nursing home after having a stroke. He was such a mess being so large and paralyzed on one side, no one can take care of him at home. My sister wound up in a nursing home, and died of renal failure after her kidneys shut down. I have always been a active person, but there I was, overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, and then cardiac issues. I needed to loose weight. I tried every diet plan I could over a 30 year span, and although did well in the beginning, wound up gaining more weight that where I started! Sitting there in my PCP office he said I was going to die soon, just as my brother and sister did before the age 65. He said if I could loose 50-60 lbs, all of this would go away! I never though of surgery, and did not think I was a candidate. But it was my PCP who suggested it to me right there and then. Had my surgery Jan. 2011. It has saved my life. All my medical ailments have been reversed. I am successful at loosing weight, for the first time in my life! For Me, the lap band is the EASIEST method for loosing weight. I know other people say it is only a tool, but for me it has been that "Magic" solution, where I could not overeat no matter how hard I try because I have this "Thing" surgically wrapped around my stomach, and adjusted "Tight" enough to prevent me less I experience pain or vomit!

Can't make any comments without knowing some history - background. You have been banded one year? How many fills? Would you say you were in the "Green Zone" Tight or loose band, every get stuck? Have you and are you keeping regular appointments with your surgeon? How much weight did you loose in that year? Was it hard work to accomplish that? I have a niece who was banded 5 years ago. She did great! Saw her last Christmas and it's hard to tell she ever had the surgery. WAY OFF TRACK! But, she went through a bad divorce, she is in now a single Mom, lost all her good health insurance, and has not been back to the Dr. in years! In her case, she knows what she needs to do. She is getting her life back together. She is working, has good health insurance now. Needs to hook up with a Surgeon and perhaps start over from square one. Like you I'm at a year also. I'm not gaining weight, but weight loss has slowed way down. My band has not been feeling as tight as it once used to. I did the 5-day pouch test which is nothing more than going back to the post-op diet of liquids for a few days, then mushies for 2 days to let your pouch tighten up and shrink from overuse. Perhaps you can try that. Stay away from solid foods for a few days. You may have stretched out your pouch, if you had any restriction in the first place. My next appointment I am going to ask for another fill/adjustment, maybe 1/2 cc.

My BMI alone was not high enough to qualify for the surgery. But if you have ANY comorbidities, then that puts you on a different scale.

Well, Like every other diet I have ever been on, I did well for the first few months, then failed miserably. By the end of the 6 months I was almost where I was when In started. I started cheating small here and there, and before you know it...... The reason my insurance co. wanted the supervised diet is to show, on record, that I have pursued every other possible diet and that surgery was/is the next/last option. If I was committed to weight loss, and successful at "Dieting" then I would not need to go through surgery. But then, that is just me.

yep, that's pretty much it. The learning process is to re-adjust your eating habits, and the type of foods you eat. For me it was trial and error, and I had to learn "The Hard Way" But I never blamed the band, instead I was me who needed to adjust to this new life. When you start to get restriction, learn to "Listen" to your band. That is, learn to differentiate between your band curbing your appetite, and head hunger (what you desire to eat, but really don't need) Also keep in mind, that it is you're first fill, and what you are now experiencing may go away. That's normal. And you will have to return for a additional fill - re-adjustment. But congratulations, You're well on your way!!!

You have just touched upon something I read here all the time. When I do I keep my mouth shut, or only state what has been successful for me. And that is; There are people who say they have no restriction. There are people, who after a fil, feel restriction, vomit, and run to the Dr for a "slight" unfil. There are people who say the band has done nothing for them. Doesn't work. There are people who say you need to bear down, bite the bullet and use your willpower. Is there a relationship between all of these. Again, whatever works for you, then great. I will proclaim what works for me.

My wife and I cruise a few times a year. There is food everywhere! Speaking for myself, I like to be sure I am in a good place to avoid all the temptations. In other words I like to see my Dr before the cruise to get a fill if needed. One suggestion: avoid the buffet(s) have breakfast and lunch in the Main Dining Room where you need to order off the menu. Portions are more manageable and you are not tempted to fill your plate with everything you see.

Humming Bird I'm in your corner also. I quess what it comes down to is, if you have a lot of will power, and can "diet" with some self discipline, then perhaps a minimal amount of fill, or even none, plus hard work on your part, you are successful using the "tool" along with your own efforts. Speaking only for myself, not anyone else, I don't have the discipline. I needed a tight band as opposed to the "tool", and it has been a easy "Magic Bullet" with little or no effort on my part. I am 60 years old, and have tried every diet known to man, plus hypnotism, and failed at each one. But being in the "green zone" for me, has been great. Like I said, whatever works for everyone is good. This is how it works for me. Surgery has been the only thing that has worked for me. To each their own, whatever works for them is Ok.

Yea, S*** Happens. I'm sure the office will have to do something. It is after all, all about making money now and the follow up long term care, and they will not let you or the other patients fall by the wayside that easy. I had a similar situation, although not as bad. My surgery was scheduled for 1/31. The surgeon retired 1/1. Everyone knew this but me. So I was introduced to the new surgeon 2 weeks prior and he asked me if I had any concerns about him taking over my case and performing the surgery. The funny thing was, for as long as I was going there for all the pre-op stuff, I never met the surgeon in the first place. All meetings were with the nurses, office staff. It was only when all the ducks are lined up do I meet with the surgeon. Bottom line though, I had worked so hard and waited so long, nothing was going to deter me. They could have done the surgery at the vetinarian's office and I would not have cared.

I agree.......You're getting way ahead of your self, conjuring up problems that really don't concern most people until they have been banded for months. Just sit back and follow you post-op diet instructions. This lap band weight loss process is slow, and takes months for it to really get started and see realistic results. I was banded a year ago, and it took me 3-4 months before I felt I was where I should be with the proper amount of Fluid, etc. That was last May. I have not had a fill since then. BUT I really did not begin to appreciate the difference in weight loss, body changes from exercising, or just plain looking in the mirror until about October of this year. So it took me 3-4 months to get things adjusted properly, and it took me 9-10 months to really feel satisfied with significant changes! Everything I went through, you are trying to bunch together in 3 weeks! To be polite.....You're not even close! RELAX!

First, I don't understand how this is possible. Does the band suddenly stop doing it's function? The band gives me restriction to the point it is impossible to over eat! Does that change in 5 years? I don't know, I have only been banded for a year. Second...if I loose weight, to get to to a normal BMI which I have never had since High School....40 years ago.....THERE IS NO WAY I WILL LET MYSELF GET FAT EVER AGAIN!!!! Once I'm there, I'm not going to let it go. SIMPLE!

I don't measure my food, but with the restriction I have I can only eat 1/2 to 1 cup. Depending on what it is. If I try to force it, it will only result in pain. Probably stretching the pouch or pressure on the band. I don't count calories. Since my portion size is under control, all I need to do is make good food choices.

If you hate needles.....wait till you start getting fills. They use the biggest bore needles ever made!!! Only joking. I agree. I have not told anyone about my surgery, except close family. Read enough posts here and you see all the trouble it can bring. It's nobody's business but mine, and I do not want to be under a microscope and judged all the time.

I get it too, especially first thing in the morning when I have my Breakfast shake. Pretty Cool, Huh? Lets me know the band is right where it needs to be and is still tight, doing it's job. I get more concerned when the band does not give me any kind of feedback.

Can I get a AMEN! If I was guaranteed to never be hungry again, I would exist on bread and Water if it meant getting my life back. (well not entirely, but you get the idea)

No. Can't explain it other than it happens all the time and everyone will have a different opinion as to why. Just keep on keeping on, follow your Dr.'s instructions, and things will change!

You say you had the surgery in April, but you do not mention your progress with visits to the Dr., number of fills etc. Aside from going to the gym and following the rules, can you say the band has ever made a difference?