B-52

I have not had a solid breakfast in years....I have a high protein smoothie, and it gurgles when going down... Gets better as the day goes on.

It is worth noting, in your case and in many other complications I read, the remedy is for the Dr to do a complete unfil....to give the band a rest, and let everything return to normal. I give my band a rest every 6 weeks or so, just for good measure, by doing straight liquids for a few days, no solids at all.....after which I can tell - feel things are in tip top shape....(restriction if you choose) If you're worried about the risk of dilation returning, then give it a try...can't hurt. Plus I feel it is helping, possibly preventing other things I won't go into.

I had the lap band, and I was never told there was nothing I cannot eat....was told to stay away from carbonated drinks for a while, but that was about it..... I did however, learn on my own what foods were more difficult than others, and decided on my own to just write them off because they were too risky.... I would report this to my Dr., and he would nod and agree with me, tell me that was not unusual.....but I was telling him, not the other way around.... Some of the foods I no longer eat, others eat freely, and vice-verse....each person, who is banded, has to ,earn their band and theirs only....there are things I eat/drink that people on this forum would have a fit if I told them, (I am NOT on any Diets) So yes, there is a permanently banned list...but it is MY List.....

I spent considerably MORE money on clothes, because EVERYTHING feels and looks so good....and everything off the rack in any store now fits....things I couldn't wear before, or were not available - impossible to find in my size..... now I and a medium, and in some cases size small.... Plus work out clothes and expensive running shoes are now a priority. Our grocery bills have been cut by 75%....and I am sure I am saving on medical bills, if not current then what would have been I'm sure. but don't forget, and this has been mentioned many times, that with weight loss, new clothes, increased motivation and energy levels, etc, etc....many people have plainly said how they now make more money, and have advanced in their careers, jobs.

Don't worry, I was "out of sorts" for months, you could even say the first year before everything became normal, the NEW normal that is....

Believe or not, It is my job! What I do for a living. I work in pediatrics, with some very sick kids....depending on the Dx, some will never live past their teenage years and everyone knows it. To go through a day, no matter how long or busy, and make a positive contribution that impacts and changes peoples lives...not just the kids, but the parents whose entire world has crashed around them.... It's a high like no other... And yes, the Body, Soul and Spirit are all connected...and I have found that when the body can perform better, from loosing weight and getting healthier and in shape, then it only increases the performance that feeds the spirit... Your soul is an outward expression of the two.... Negativity is such a downer, it makes me angry...not at people personally, but their action and choice to do so.

What are you looking to feel? Muscle Pain?

I drink everything and anything right up to the first bite/swallow....after I'm done eating, I take a sip here and there and can tell when it is safe to drink again....if I drink too soon, it will mix with the food in my pouch, over filling it, and everything will come right back up...not to mention the pain and probable stretching of the pouch....usually 20 minutes and I'm good...but I have had feelings up to an hour later, very rare but it has happened. Incidentally, drinking warm Water when I got stuck was a sure fire way of getting unstuck! Better do it over the sink or toilet... When I drink liquids too soon at the dinner table, I have been known to run to the bathroom!!!

Can't hurt, why not give it a shot?....do it for yourself and see if you can tell - feel any benefits for yourself....if anything has changed... I have my reasons, and get the desired results. I can also pretty much tell when I need to. But everyone needs to get to know their band, and how to "Listen to it"

It's not random for me, anymore. I can pretty much predict it, and if it should expectantly feel tight, I usually can track back as to why.... But that's me...everyone needs to get to know their band...

I LOVE Pickles....a pickle, bit of cheese and a few crackers and I'm good for hours....

I see patients everyday in clinics throughout NJ....there are patients who take things soberly and to heart, a real pleasure to work with., and then there are people who will come up with every possible rationalization under the sun thinking they can get away with something, at least in their minds....but in reality they are fooling no one but themselves... I see that behavior everyday on this forum...people just searching for excuses to do something they know they shouldn't, or after consistently doing things and then look for people to tell them it's going to be OK.... How many posts are there concerning Alcohol or pizza??? WHAT does YOUR Dr. say??? Those are 2 that jump immediately to mind... After a few years you see a trend with this, and unfortunately when a Newbie asks a question they get hit between the eyes as though they were the ones asking the same question time after time.

I did not look at this as a contest, a race, etc. I looked at this as a long term "Training - conditioning" program. So I wanted to be sure I completed and got down each week thoroughly until moving on to the next. And when I finished, I had it' and could do it every day thereafter. It became a part of me. Then I moved on to the 10K program.

I have found, the daily Protein and water requirements are the most important of all....

I will soon to be 63, and also 5'8",....started out at 265-270, (not sure because I couldn't bear to weight myself), and I am now at 165 (and have been for almost 3 years).....with a 12-13% body fat %...considered "Athletic" All severe co-morbidites have been reversed, including diabetes, high BP, Triglycerides, Cholesterol, you name it. Had an MI one year before surgery, resulting in angioplasty with cardiac stents. I could not carry groceries into the house without getting short of breath. I now feel 25 years younger and feel confident and motivated to take on the world. So you see, you are never too old to take care of yourself, and above all, THIS THING DOES WORK! (in spite of all the negative posters you may read here, and eventually fade away anyway)

SWMHS Class of 1970...Go Bombers!

Many times I could not complete a session, so I would go back and start that week over...so a 8 week course took me maybe 12 weeks to complete.... But now, I run anywhere from 3-5 miles at least 5 days a week, and have been for quite some time now... It's worth noting for beginners, I did not decide one day I'll start training to run...I worked thr elliptical 5 days a week for some time until it wasn't doing anything for me (cardio wise) no matter how much resistance or speed. Then I knew I was ready to step it up.

If I never got stuck, I never would have had to change my eating methods, and would never had to change the foods I eat...which means I never would have undergone any Behavior Modification, meaning I never would have lost the weight. In other words I never should have had this surgery in the first place... Sure getting stuck is not pleasant...nor is it pleasant to touch a hot stove...sooner or later we all learn... If I had a dollar for all the times I got stuck.......but I learned, and have not had the pleasure in a long time.

Or, I can also say "You never know" OR "What Motivates You".... First, I am almost 63 years old....on Facebook I belong to groups from my hometown, also there is a group comprised of our H.S. Class of 1970 - A spin off of that is a "Memorial" page, where people from our hometown, the same era, have passed away...I know, it's depressing to say the least to read the list of names of people you grew up with that are now gone. In the last few weeks, there have been 3 names added to that page, one I read just a little while ago. A woman 6 years younger than me. Thinking about mortality, one never knows....I look at the pictures of some of the guys I knew that have passed away, and I can't believe my eyes...what happened? How can someone let themselves go like that? The obesity related health issues...Don't people know what they are doing to themselves? Look who's calling the kettle black...I had my crisis about 6 years ago...my name could have easily been on that list. I too was Obese, had cardiac issues including surgery, and a whole list of health related issues all from being obese and not eating healthy. On one hand, you never know when it's your time....I can be gone in a blink of an eye.....on the other hand, I thank God I had this surgery! I thank God I was forced to learn to eat right, and healthy. I thank God I lost all that weight, and my health issues have been reversed and some totally gone. THIS THING DOES WORK!!!! And will change, no, SAVE your life.... I know that the majority of people here are very young (in my eyes anyway)....but seriously...Think About it. Do you want to wait till you're 50 before you take action? It may be too late....it's all about "Quality of Life" and whats going to carry you into old age.... Like I said, no one has the answer to immortality, but right now, I feel more stronger and reinforced, motivated to explore newer healthier foods. and at 5 am tomorrow morning, I'm headed to the gym and I'm going to run harder that I have run in months....(even if it kills me) Thank you for letting me babble on.....

I am a believer in this, and I don't really call it the 5 day pouch test, but I do routinely go all liquids for 2, maybe 3 days which usually gives me good results. I don't do it to loose weight, I'm finished loosing. I do it for maintenance reasons and what I believe maintains good band-health.

The average person swallows 1.5 qts of saliva per day...unstimulated, meaning not while eating or drinking, but at rest. while eating, drinking, more is produced. We do this without ever giving it a thought. Now if suddenly there is a roadblock prohibiting the saliva to freely pass...(Stuck)...the saliva builds up...and given time, will trigger a reflex causing it to come back up and out...regurgitation...(Sliming) Actually, this is the body's way of freeing anything blocking the way, because whatever is there will usually (not always) come out with the slime. A trick I used to do, when I got stuck, was to speed up the process by sipping Water, causing the regurgitation that much faster and getting it over with. A PB...Productive Burp (who comes up with these phrases?)...is the act of regurgitation....think of a baby who has just finished eating...you put him/her over your shoulder and pat their back.....and then there's the burp, along with...What? That's productive!

I do not believe in BMI's...the only true measurement is Body fat %....how much of your weight is comprised of fat. According to the BMI chart, I am 15 lbs overweight. Yet my body fat% is in the athletic-fit range...I cannot loose any additional weight. There is nothing left to loose, other than essential muscle mass, organs, etc.... If I was to loose any more weight, it would be unhealthy to say the least...possibly lethal. If a person weighs 300lbs, how much must he/she loose to be healthy? If that person finds that 70% of their 300lbs is fat, then they need to get that 70% down to a healthy range, say 20%...which means they need to loose 50% of that 300lbs, in fat, to achieve their goal....which would be 150lbs to loose...IN FAT, and reach a weight of 150.... According to the BMI, height also plays a factor....in body fat index, it does not. In BMI terms, that person can still be considered overweight. 2-3 superbowls ago, I noticed a star running back for one of the teams. He happened to be the same height as I am...yet, he weighed 25 pounds more than me. But to look at him, there is not an ounce of fat on him....if I am overweight, then he must be obese according to the BMI chart. But there is no way he can be obese, let alone overweight....and I am sure his body fat% is extremely low.

I was that way for the first few days, then my appetite returned with a vengeance...even gained weight after my first fill of 4cc's... But after a few more fills, and hitting the green Zone for good, my appetite, and total lack of interest in food altogether returned and stayed...it has been that way for almost 3 years now.... So perhaps you are feeling the post op swelling, etc, mimicking what the band can do when properly adjusted in the future, if you choose to have it so.

If you are satisfied with a cup of food, and 2 bites afterwards to be what you cal "miserably full"... and you have no hunger, what is wrong with thinking about food? I think about all sorts of things, things I am unable to have...then the thoughts pass.... If the band is restricting your food intake, think about it all you want...you are still unable to eat it... I say this out of experience...like you, I am NEVER hungry, and when I do eat, it is very little until I cannot continue...although I have never felt "Full" as some people here describe.... I think about different foods, remember how good it tastes, and how enjoyable it was to eat it... True story...I was fixated on the memory of this old recipe my mother used to make when I was growing up...old country food you just can't find in any restaurant....I went to the store, purchased all the things to make it....put it all together and roasted it in the oven for 2 hours....the house smelled wonderful. Bottom line, when all was done, I ate, like you said, about a cup, if that, then realized it was not very band friendly...all that work and preparation and it wound up in the trash. I know better now. I had a craving for a McDonalds Cheeseburger the other week...I have not had a cheeseburger in almost 4 years....went through the drive thru, bought one cheeseburger...took one bite and then threw the thing away...it will probably be another 4 years untill I try that again... I have not had a solid Breakfast since being banded....only home made high Protein smoothies with fresh ingredients...lunch is always light, VERY LIGHT....more like a snack....so yes, dinner is my one meal a day...and even then, I don't eat much. My only thing I am sure to do is get my protein and Water requirements in...very important. At times it would concern me perhaps I was not getting enough....but after all these years, I have never been healthier, more fit, and more energy I know what to do with. I see 3 Dr.'s on a regular basis, including my cardiologist, and everyone of them cannot be more pleased with my status... So think away...the band is still there doing it's job, and eventually, you will think less and less about the things you can't have...

I gained weight between my first and 2nd fills, and my first fill was 4cc's......It can take some tweaking until you find that "sweet Spot" Everyone is different, some here have never had a fil and are 100% successful...and then others, ....