B-52

I'm a true believer in a "tight band" with restriction - Living in the Green Zone. I'm beginning to think that the first few months, AKA "Bandster Hell" is like "Hell Week" for USA Special forces. Kind of a "Basic Training / Boot Camp" A period of time for "Indoctrination" in the proper eating habits, food recognition, excercise, (PT) before the day comes when you graduate into the "Green Zone" and you are turned loose! Where would we all be if we were in the green zone the day after surgery?? Me and my Dr get along pretty well. I'm going to pass that by him and see what response I get.

Careful!!!! Once you start you'll get addicted and won't be able to stop! Just kidding....enjoy yourself and your new life!!

I by no means meant to label "people" as negative. I have been there, in the first few weeks if not months bewildered and confused also. Wondering what I got myself into. What got to me is that this board had nothing but people stating their problems, concerns, and worries post after post. I KNOW there are many people, like myself, that are experiencing success and a changed life because of this surgery but for whatever reason were not speaking up! I want everyone to know, especially the newbies, that we are out there!

I like your attitude. You're gonna get there and you are not going to believe the change.........IN EVERYTHING!!!!!!

You're gonna do just fine! Plus you have a nice smile.....when you put the 2 together, Watch Out!

AMEN! and AMEN! Dam the torpedo's, full steam ahead. Ain't nothin' going to get in my way.

Been away from my computer for few days. Opened my e-mail and down came a long list of new posts from this website, and ALL were NEGATIVE! WHAT A DRAG! Then I find a post from a person who is considering the surgery but having 2nd thoughts because of all the info he/she is reading here. THAT got to me! So I need to vent. First, I have to give disclosure that what I say is only from my own personal experiences, and of course, everyone should follow what their Dr. says, not a stranger. I LOVE my band. It is the best thing I have ever done, and without a doubt has changed my life and probably saved it too. It is doing everything that I had hoped and imagined it would do! And I can honestly say I do not have one single complaint or problem! People say it is a "Tool" that you use and with a little hard work and determination you can make it work. Well, sorry, I have been on more diets that I can remember and this is the EASIEST weight loss experience I have ever imagined. I have undergone major bariatric surgery and had a foreign object put inside me to change my eating habits...and that is exactly what it is doing. The main discipline for me is making wise food choices. And for that there is a learning curve! First, it has controlled and curbed my hunger. There are times when I know it's time to eat and I just don't feel like it. Second, when I do eat, the amount of food I can eat is very, very small! I could not overeat if I wanted to! Recently people here have stated they dread the thought of Thanksgiving and not overeating and ruining their progress. My only anxiety is that I WON"T be able to eat my favorite foods! I've thought this through and think I am going to at least have a "Taste" of everything on the table. But I will have to save the stuffing for last because that's not going to work at all. I still go out to my favorite restaurants. I drink coffee all hours of the day. I enjoy an alcohol drink now and then. I don't measure/weigh my food. There is just so much that will fit in my pouch. If I did weigh/measure what I ate I am sure I would find it to be proportional to what I should be allowed. In other words I can't overeat no matter how much I may want to! My Diabetes is completely reversed! At one point I was taking 60 units of Lantus at bedtime, plus oral meds during the day with meals. NO MORE! GONE! I now go to the gym and workout like a madman. Not because I have to, but because the things I can now do are amazing (to me) and I can't wait to get back and do it again! I wear clothes that are "Normal" sized. Bought 2 winter coats that are MEDIUMS! I have not had a fill since May. I tell my Dr. everything I am doing. He says I am in a good place, exactly where I should be, in the Green Zone. Go and enjoy your life and I will see you in 3 months. I have to say it continues to get better every week as more old habits die away and new habits are learned and become second nature. I get up and go to work and come home everyday. There are days I do not even think about being banded. (like having bridgework) I need to say it took me 4 months from surgery to get to this place, where things started to fall in place. THAT was when my weight loss journey began. NOT when I had the surgery. And like I said, it keeps on getting better. There. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I was getting a "Burning, Painful" discomfort in my lungs that was hampering me. Spoke with my PCP who said he gets the same thing when he runs marathons. It is called "Exercise Induced Asthma" (google it) Very common with runners. Does not mean you have asthma or any other problems for that matter. It's just something that happens. He gave me a script for a inhaler that asthma patients use. Instructed me to use it 20 minutes prior. Never had a symptom since, greatly enhanced my endurance.

Can only speak from my own personal experience........ Given a certain amount of restriction, there is just so much food (or total volume) that will fit in my pouch while eating. It will pass to the stomach eventually, but slowly. If I drink while eating, then the liquid will take the place of food and I will be finished with my meal sooner than I had hoped. (not to mention pain!) Don't want the Water to take the place of what small portion of food I can take in at any one sitting. Also, if I eat first then drink on top of that too soon, I will overfill my pouch and since it cannot pass downwards, it has to go somewhere.......and that's back up. Some people will say that drinking while eating will wash it down. I have never found that to be the case with me. Either way, I have learned the hard way not to drink while eating, or too soon after eating. I have found that drinking right before a meal, with a empty pouch and stomach, is not a problem at all. But once the food arrives, then that's it or else. So for me, I CAN'T drink anything while eating no matter how much I may want to. There are many little lessons that they taught me, like drinking with meals, etc, that at first were things that I felt I had to do because I was told to do it once I had the surgery. But it never made much practical sense. But once my band got tight, and I am now in the green zone, all these little lessons happen naturally and then I remember "So that's why they said that" and "Now I understand why"

I wear a necklace / dog tag alert. But that is mainly because I have had Cardiac Surgery, Diabetes (completely reversed) and I added the Lap Band. We travel a lot, and I want something if I should pass out on a beach in the Caribbean or something.

I don't like comparing amounts of cc's from one person to another, everyone is different. That's why the band is adjustable. Having said that, it took me 3 fills to get to the point where I felt the band was doing it's job. That's 3 months after surgery! I have not had a fill since the first week of May. I am in the Green Zone, and the Dr. agrees. Said I am at the point that any future fills will be only 1/2 cc plus or minus for maintenance reasons. But like I said, it took me 3 fills = 3 months.

I have "MyNetDiary" on my I-phone. Tracks everything I want, has a large database for foods, can also scan barcodes for things I eat. MyNetDiary.com

Final 15 pounds to goal!

I'm head hungry all the time....but bottom line is, I'm just not interested in eating, if that makes any sense. Got home from work today. The only thing I ate all day was a Breakfast shake (protein) and my supplements. I kept looking for something to eat in the fridge, then pantry, then back to the fridge etc etc. NOTHING interested me although there was plenty to choose from. I should have been hungry enough to eat everything in sight, and I would have before being banded, but I just wasn't interested. I did go out a little while ago and picked up a chicken burrito to bring home. (Chipotle) Ate 1/2 of it, and that was tough with the restriction I have. Rice, Beans and corn, plus I can't eat tortillas at all, not to mention any bread products for that matter. But that's just me. Now I'm heading out the door to a football game, and I'm already thinking about the home made chili they always have (Head Hungry) but I know I won't be interested, and if I do buy it out of habit, I won't eat it. After a taste or 2 I'll throw it away.

I've seen that website before and I do not agree with it. From my own personal experience, not what others tell me how I feel, it is ALL ABOUT RESTRICTION. From the smaller portion sizes I am forced to eat due to the pouch size, to the feeling of being full 24/7.

I don't take much stock in this "Starvation" mode either. I have enough fat stored away to take care of such things as being stranded on a deserted island, etc. As long as I get my Protein and essential Vitamins, etc, I know my BMR is fine. I have plenty of energy to work out everyday and go to work 8-10 hrs. I read on another website about "Starvation" and someone said fat people, like alcoholics, will find any excuse to eat more.

Your Dr.'s office should have a list they recommend. That's what mine did. I just had to call those on the list to find one who would accept my insurance.

Don't freak out if you keep feeling that "stuck" feeling. Learn to eat differently with different types of food. Find out what is difficult to eat, and learn to stay away from those foods. Living with the band is a entirely new way of approaching food, and how you eat. Also, with restriction, do not try to eat more than you should. You will learn when to stop., which means smaller portions = weight loss. chicken for me has to be very tender. (soft) I am not successful when I try to eat beef, so I generally stay away from it. I like my band tight, and the feedback it gives me every time I eat. Learn to listen to it.

My first visit was exactly 7 days after surgery. Had nothing to do with getting a fill. Dr. just wanted to check the incisions, at which time I was told no need for bandages anymore. Was released to take baths, etc. Was released to start exercising. Reviewed where I should be as far as my post-op diet, including what I should eat for the next 2 stages. Was told to move on to mushies for the next week, then onto solids. Made an appointment to come back in 3 weeks, (4 weeks after surgery) at which time I received my first fill. This was also a time where he answered ANY questions I may have had.

That's part of the learning process. They say you should put the fork down between bites, and wait after swallowing. I find this is happening quite naturally with most foods. Too much and too fast is a hazard with the band. Also drinking while eating.

Walking is good. Do it all the time with the dog on the boardwalk. But unless my shirt is soaking wet with sweat, I don't feel I have accomplished much.

I like my band tight, but the above illustration is absurd! Believe me when I say I can feel my band with EVERY swallow, no matter what it is. I have read posts here about people freaking out that their bands may be too tight and to me this is normal. But I keep my opinions to myself. Not as bad as the above illustration, but since being banded I have adapted a whole new lifestyle when it comes to how I eat! To me, that's why I was banded. It's not just another diet, but a physical change.

I think I'm missing something........

yes, I know exactly what you mean!! I'm out the door and at the gym on some days at 5:30am! If I miss a day I feel very guilty, and if I know I have to work all day, like tomorrow, I get anxious thinking how I am going to get it in. I now understand, when staying in hotels in strange towns/cities for business trips, people will get out and run no matter what.

If everything is a go, why are you waiting??