B-52

I am coming up on my one year anniversary for being banded, and have 15lbs to go to reach me personal goal of 175lbs. 175lbs! I have not been at that weight for over 35 years!!! It is so close I could taste it! I have not one single complaint concerning my surgery. EVERYTHING has gone as planned and I feel I am on a POSITIVE track. I am 110% positive about this, and I will not let anything distract or deter me! That is why I have made the decision NOT to log into this website anymore. At least till after I each my goal. Everyday there is more and more "Woe is me" and "I'm Miserable", "I think I made a mistake" And to make matters worse, is that those who have been banded a while log in and agree with them! Ever hear the term "Self Fulfilled Prophecy?" I wish this was a place were everyone can rejoice about their success, but it is not. It is a place where people complain about Plateauing 2 weeks after surgery, etc. Sorry, but I'm going to stay positive and focused. I've noticed that the "Veterans" who used to be here when I first joined are now gone, or don't log in anymore. I think I now know why. There's no reason to. Good luck to all those seeking a life change! See you in the future!!

So, according to last 2 posts, all this "Surgery" and other stuff is a waste of time?? And after 1-2 years it is as though you have never been banded? No appetite suppression? No band restriction with portion control? No lessons, lifestyle changes learned? Sounds like diets I have been on before, where I loose weight only to have it come roaring back! I want to be a loser, but not that kind! Why waste my time! I should start thinking about having this thing removed and go back to a life of diabetes, coronary artery disease, $$ per month for Rx drugs, XXX clothes. I was getting ready to head to the gym this am, but after reading this good news, why bother? Me and thousands of other people have been duped! My wife and I, after I loose an additional 15-20lbs, were researching surgery to have these "Love Handles" removed. But now I am loosing all my motivation knowing I will be a failure in 2 years. There's a lot of people on the "Reached your personal goal???" thread in for a rude awakening! I'm really bummed!!

For better or for worse......For me, there are foods that I know I will NEVER be able to eat again, some were my favorites. But getting banded is a life style change so you learn new things/habits and the old ones fade away.

Most of the time, I go to the gym at 6 am. So I have my breakfast before I go so I have some energy. For breakfast I have a protein shake, a protein supplement, vitamins. Coffee Is the first thing I have when I wake up. When I workout in the afternoon, I don't eat anything prior other than my regular breakfast lunch regime. I have my dinner after my afternoon workout. I go to a gym that has a sauna, steam room and whirlpool. I consume 28-32 oz's of water after every workout while sitting in these for about 45 minutes. Mixed with that is "Special K" ice tea mix that has 5 gm protein and 0 calories.

I love these type of posts! Looking at your history, it appears you and I are on the same track, from starting weight to the reversed diabetes, to the weight loss. Congratulations! It is plenty to keep you motivated. I have said many times that it just keeps getting better and better!!! I remember the feeling that I could never be below 200, and that in itself would be a dream! NOW it is but a distant memory and I am starting to consistently weigh in below 190. To all the Newbies out there.....PATIENCE!! Don't get hung up over how much weight you may or may not be loosing 2 weeks after surgery! YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET!

My Dr. cleared me after one week to go back to the gym, and also allowed to soak in whirlpools, etc. He said I could do anything. No restrictions. Anything? I asked? Anything! He then caught himself and said "But don't overdo it" for a few more weeks. All I can say is, if I lay prone (stomach down) or press against any hard surfaces, (such as lifting weights on a machine) it presses against my port and can hurt! My port is right below my skin and looks like 1/2 golf ball bulging out. There's no fat there. Skin, port and muscle underneath so it can press hard. Sliding on a gym floor may hurt. But you will have to try it for yourself. I can see myself doing it, but I would probably wrap my mid-section with one of those neoprene belly binders or similar for protection. Just because I'm banded, I will not let it get in the way of anything I want to do. I am a active, adventurous person, and my Dr. knows it and he has never told me to avoid things.

Been there also. You have to go through the motions and try to do the best you can. I remember going to my Dr. For my monthly check and I had gained weight since last visit. I felt very guilty going in bu he just chuckled saying "that's why you're here, so we can make the needed adjustments and eventually get you were you need to be." When you get to that place, you won't believe how it will be. Many people panick because they can't eat the way they are used to and go for a un-fill. I rather eat less, and eat differently.

Make sure, after taking a break, that the pre-tests you have already taken don't expire and you have to repeat them. I had to repeat one at the last minute (2 days before surgery) and one other, we found a loophole we could use even though the primary test had time expired.

Lots of good questions. First, people call the band a "Tool". I personally do not understand this concept because a tool is something that makes work easier. Being banded has not been work for me. Well, maybe yes in the early stages. To me, the band was "surgical intervention" that, were diets have failed me in the past, this is a foreign object wrapped around my stomach and adjusted (tightened) that prevents me from doing something that I tend to do. And that is overeating. Period. Simple. The 2nd thing the band does for me, is it stimulates certain nerves signaling the brain that I am not hungry. Notice I did not say "Full". There is a difference between the 2. Example: Yesterday was thanksgiving. I sat at the table and ate till I felt full. Which was very early, eating very little because of the band and the pouch. Today, as I am typing this, I have not had a single thing to eat yet today (other than coffee and some water) and I am not hungry. I even went to the gym this am, so I should be hungry enough to eat a very large Breakfast. But I don't feel like eating. That's the band talking to my brain! Also keep in mind it took me 4 months past surgery to start to get these results. It was not instant. So yes, as you say, diets have failed before. They failed because WE have to do the work with discipline. That is why I needed to have my stomach banded! Because I could not do it. Also, keep in mind as you read all the posts on this board. As with any "Bell Curve" you will have people on both ends. Those who have had the surgery and never need a adjustment (fill) and loose weight just fine, and at the other end there are those where everything went wrong for whatever reason. But then there is the large bulge (bell) in the middle where the majority are.

For dinner I filled up my plate with a sample of everything I wanted, covered it with gravy. Ate NO TURKEY, have chicken 4 days a week so I wanted the other things. Did not measure or weigh anything. Plate looked mighty full. Started with the mashed potatoes and stuffing. Let the band do it's job, ate a very small portion, left much of it on the plate. Had 1 beer, and 3-4 glasses of wine. Also had a coffee with apple pie dessert. Only the filling, crust is on my "Do not eat or else!" list. Got up and went to the gym at 6am this morning, weighed myself and lost 1.5 Lbs!

Yesterday, Thanksgiving, I had one beer and 2-3 glasses of wine.

Exercise is beneficial for many reasons, but to be more specific to your topic: It all depends upon how much weight you need to loose. There are people who have a lot of weight to loose and they will loose more then the next person whether they exercise more or less. Then there are those whose fat that they want to loose is not so conspicuous from the outside. The fat is more within the muscles rather than an outer layer.. Think of a poor cut of steak that is heavily marbled with fat. Only strenuous exercise will get at that fat, even if it means building muscle. I have 15 lbs to go to my goal, and I know I am one of those people. My skin is tight over my belly, legs and arms. You can see the muscles and veins when I lift weights. So where is the remaining weight (fat) I have to loose? Marbled within the muscle layers I'm sure.

This is the "Learning Curve". You have to learn new eating habits. For me it was the hard way, getting stuck many times before I started to finally get it. Now I can glance at food and know what is safe and what is off limits. Also, there are foods that are off limits to me, but I read here from many other people who eat the same foods with no problem. You just have to learn foir yourself as you get more restriction in the band and head towards the green zone.

The time between the Pre-op diet and the time to reach the green zone, I like to refer to it as "Bandster Boot Camp" During this time you go through all the different food stages, learn about portion sizes, calorie values, Protein, Water, proper eating and chewing techniques, etc, etc, etc. New habits are learned, mostly from discipline because not many have much restriction. I have also found from my own personal experience, that if I stop eating for a couple - three days, my band tightens up. (liquids only) So i would suggest, IMO only, that you may want to go back to day one of "Basic Training" and repeat the process to try to re-learn what all newbies do.

My Dr. did not require me to be on a all liquid diet. What he did insist on was I loose 20 lbs prior to surgery to shrink the liver, making surgery easier and reducing the risk of damaging the liver. Having said that, the best sure fire way to loose 20 lbs was to go on a liquid shake diet, like opti-fast. And that is what I did. But I did have regular food now and then keeping a eye on the scale. My surgery was a Monday morning. I had to have a "Final Weigh-in" the Friday before to insure we were all ready. If he felt I did not loose the adequate weight, then he would have postponed surgery that day. I passed, all was set, THEN I went out for my "FINAL MEAL" I pigged out at one of my favorite eateries because I knew I will never be able to do that ever again. That was a Friday eve., and I went on a strict diet(fast) Saturday and Sunday for my Monday surgery. Knowing that I could risk not having the surgery, after all the hoops I had jumped through, was motivation enough to loose any weight he asked.

You are still very much post-op recovery. No different than anybody else having any type surgery. Do the best you can, it will get better every day. I started climbing the walls after day 3 from cabin fever and had to get out and run some errands. Stopped by my office on day 5, (payday) and hung out for a few hours. Day 7 was my one week post-op follow up visit with the surgeon, then returned to work full time. This to shall pass.

Gee.....and I was happy just being overweight (as opposed to being morbidly obese then obese) Congrats! I hope to be there soon.

The more you have to loose, the more that will come off per week. I am close to my personal goal and it is hard to squeeze out a 1/2 lb a week. But as long as I am moving in the right direction that is all that matters. Also, there becomes a issue as t what is muscle weight and what is fat. People are built differently, especially active sports orientated men. I need to get on the scale that measures fat% as well as Water, etc. my 6 month program had one and it was a different way of looking at things.

There is some confusion when "Gas" is mentioned here. There are 2 types. One is the typical gas you get within your digestive system, stomach, bowel, etc. That will result in burping etc. Gas-X and other remedies will help this along. The OTHER type of gas is air that the surgeon literally pumps under your skin - fat layers that inflate you like a balloon (exaggeration) This lifts the top layers away from your organs making it easier for the surgeon to work. After surgery they do their best to extract as much air as possible before stitching you up. Some are better than others. You may not feel anything for a few days. Then the "Bubbles" start to accumulate under you ribs, sternum, and eventually move up to your Left shoulder. There is nothing you can take orally to relieve this! It is a standing order in hospitals to get people with abdominal surgeries up and walking as soon as possible. They say that's the only thing that works. Moving around will speed up the process, not relieve it. Heating pads can help with the pain. I had wished I could have soaked so I could go to the gym and sit in the HOT whirlpool all day. That would have been great! Having said that, one can have BOTH types of gas problems after surgery. That's why people say Gas-X "worked a little" or I felt better after a good belch. But the other gas, you have to ride it out hoping the OR people got most of it out.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid!!!!

Sounds like your band is doing it's job. I may or may not say you are too tight. I would say it sounds like you are not making the right food choices. Perhaps you have picked up some bad habits, and have learned the little secrets to eating around the band. Increasing your chances of getting stuck, and vomiting. You may need to get self-motivated again. IF it was me I would go on a straight liquid diet for 2-3 days, then mushies, then solids. In other words, go back to what new bandsters have to learn during their post-op learning period from the start. (what I call boot camp - basic training) Proper food selection, calorie counting, meeting daily Protein goals(and fiber) and getting plenty of Water. If someone wants to cheat the band, they can. At the risk of getting sick all the time.

I know the feeling all too well.

No, but with a tight band I have learned to do it by necessity. I can feel the food and can tell when it has safely passed through the band. Sometimes longer than 30 seconds. Eating too fast will overload the pouch, and is a sure way to get stuck. I also put the fork down.

Thank You. But it wasn't me who did the work. I never had sleep apnea, confirmed by the pulmonary workup. Although my Wife would beg to differ!

Yes but just think of all the compliments you are going to get from all those people you have not seen for a while. That in itself will motivate anybody! With every food I love on the table, I am determined to at least TASTE everything there. I'll start with the sliders first and work my way up to the stuffing.