B-52

Where are these sites??? I'd like to go there and visit... I have found that many people will attack you if you are successful...and they are not....after all, it cannot possibly be this easy, when they have been struggling....you cannot possibly be so happy, when they are so miserable...eating everything in site!! Falling off the wagon, needing to "get back on track" all the time.... Jealousy? This website - group can be very negative in it's own way...I'm glad I did not discover it until AFTER my surgery....it can also be very confusing trying to sift between what is FACT, RUMOR and OPINIONS...as opposed to actual living experience from other bandsters.... Sometimes I don't care what printed articles are posted, or You-Tube videos....I KNOW my band and what it does to me, what I can and cannot do, what has worked and what has not worked, ALL from my own experience, success and failures....you can tell me till you're blue in the face it is absolutely impossible to defy gravity, but if I'm doing it everyday, I don't care what others may say or believe..... People will post saying you can't do that with the band...etc, etc, and yet I am doing it everyday...go figure! But I won't argue with them, just posts MY STORY...that's all anyone can, and should do... My belief is the band can be a positive, and a negative thing....it all depends upon the person who has had the surgery....the band is adjustable and everyone has a different comfort level......or maybe better yet, fear factor...it is not for the faint of heart, but for those seriously looking to make a life long change and commitment.... Other surgeries there is no adjustment option...it is what it it what it is..... I read posts here everyday from people who have a healthy attitude, who "GET IT"........then I also read posts from people who, IMO, simply "DON'T GET IT".....they don't have a clue........I hope they find their way.. I'm not talking about Newbies, those banded less than 6 months...that is the learning phase we have all been, or are going through.... Granted, there can and will arise medical complications here and there we have no control over, but other than that.. WE ARE IN CONTROL......

Rice has been on my "Do not eat list" from very early on....and as far as chicken, I have found, can be very tough, hard when eating out...a place like Chang's moves a lot of chicken so I would suspect it would be Ok, but I do not trust it at most places....

When I went through this, it was up to me to get all these things accomplished...and any one eval that was over 6 months old was no good and had to be repeated... they gave me a list of all the physicians they recommended, The rest was up to me...I did all this during my 6 month required pre=op diet....and I had to repeat my cardiology exam, but I do have a history in that area... Your type of insurance can make it difficult, staying withing network, etc..... Wait till the affordable care act kicks in....when the Dr. says you need a MRI, it can take 3 months to get in....at least that's what I'm being told from some patients from Canada...they come down here because of the better healthcare, soon to change.

There are certain foods I will never be able to eat again....primarily "Rough" foods, such as anything breaded and deep fried, meat, or many raw vegetables, etc....also shrimp and lobster...certain texture, have to take very small bites and chew.....5 bites to eat one shrimp...... I don't think you can "Lube" your band, but softer foods are easier, and IMO safer for the band in terms of irritation and erosion....plus the pain is not enjoyable during a meal...

Celery?....No.....as well as other fruits and vegetables....vegetables better if cooked and not hard, also skinless with some fruits... Peanut Butter?...in my smoothies at times, along with other ingredients... But you have to experiment based upon your bands feedback...many people here can do things others cannot not, and vice=versa.... Some people can eat raw vegetables....some cannot Some people can drink carbonated drinks...some cannot Some people need to crush their meds - pills....some do not have to Some people hungry all the time, some are never hungry, and some in the middle.... And the list goes on and on and on.... The more you read these posts, the more you see just how different people tolerate and react to different things......not sure if there is a right or wrong, just what you and your band can and cannot do, along with your Doctor aware of every step... Of course, if your considering calories and dieting...then that's another area altogether...I'm speaking of the band only...

Perfectly Normal...all part of the learning curve....early on, I still had the same cravings, bad food choices, etc... Burt once the band got properly adjusted, it became impossible to eat many of those bad foods.... For instance, you mention pizza....I used to at an entire Large Pizza, with toppings, all by myself...not to mention ll the soda or beer to go with it.... NOW If I take 2 bites of a slice, it WILL BE stuck city....so I don't eat pizza anymore, and eventually the craving for pizza is gone entirely.... It is that way with many, many foods....donuts is another one, as well as anything made from flour...cake, pastries, Cookies, breads, etc... And since I have no hunger, it does not bother me to be deprived of the things that were once killing me.... I'm almost 3 years out, and I can look at some foods and don't give it a 2nd thought....office parties, picnics, whatever...food is no longer a big part of my life...take it or leave it.... So you see, it is ALL about the band...and it will take care of your head also...Behavior Modification....My #1 priority, and my Dr.'s, was to get the band adjusted, and me in the Green Zone, ASAP...because to me, that is what it is all about and why I had this surgery....to change my relationship with food and eating, both physically, AND mentally.....3 fills in 3 months...then another 3 months to learn the important lessons and properly apply the rules in the correct context, situations...not just in theory...

I have found that the band is the band is the band...no matter where I am, on vacation, a cruise, business travel...no matter if you're at a wedding, a fancy restaurant, or a holiday dinner (Thanksgiving), a sporting event....the foods I will not (cannot) eat at home are the same foods I cannot (will not) eat 3000 miles away!! This is surgery...a permanent change to my digestive system...an alteration...why, and most importantly - HOW would the band change it's function?? It is there,adjusted to work at a certain level...set by me and my Dr. through a series of fills - adjustments. When I hear about temptations with food, travel, dinner with friends, etc, etc,...it is reminiscent of diets in the past, and the prelude to eventual failure.....not the new life with the band... On our last cruise, a 12 night, I ate what and where I wanted, enjoyed myself, not worrying about calories or portions ( I never do anymore anyway).....I just let the band be in charge (as if I have a choice) and do what it does every day of the week....and I lost 2 pounds!!! If I cannot eat pizza here in NJ on a Friday night, I cannot eat Pizza in Seattle!! same goes for all the characteristics of lap bamd Surgery...portion control, inability to over eat, no hunger or cravings... I do not use the band as I wish when I wish, like a tool as many others express......the band is in charge of me and my eating lifestyle....big difference in something I can control and something that controls me... I quess I was fortunate to have a Dr. that from the get-go he never chastised me about my shortcomings pre and post op., one time I gained weight between fills and he just laughed at me saying I didn't get it yet.....he would indicate to the Yellow-Greeen-Red Poster on the wall and explain that that was his goal for me in that phase of the journey....and for me that has been all it is ever about....being in that "Perfect" place of balance...it is at the place that all the "Rules" come into play and make perfect sense to live the new life with the band....

Agreed....good fall back when you need something quick....I have to get their smoothie also...can't resist...

If you are truly stuck, then sip some Water standing over the toilet and it will all come up...since the water you drink has no where to go and only over fills the pouch.... Just my opinion, but the majority of posts I read here from people saying they're stuck, I do not think they are really stuck....when you have a stuck episode, you will know it!!! Nothing will go down if you could swallow at all....which is next to impossible to do with all the slime and mucous accumulating, working it's way back up and out....

I work out on a empty stomach....I have an article somewhere showing a study done where a higher % of fat will be burned quicker! More efficient weight loss and body toning.... Of course, if you have no excess fat, then you will need to take something.....aside from my morning coffee and Vitamins, I also take a shot 11ml of pure pre digested (enzymes) liquid Protein.....and of course, plenty of Water before, during and after....I go through 32ozs easily...... As far as light headed, puking, nausea, diaphoresis, etc....these are also signs of somethings possibly serious....if you are a newbie and not in fit shape, be careful....I know the gym I go to will, and do take people's blood pressure and vital signs whenever asked....which is often....

I'm not a Vegetarian in the strictest sense, but I have not eaten Red meat since hitting the Green Zone 2 1/2 years ago...I don't eat eggs and much in the way of dairy products and baked (flour based) goods, along with some other things... I have absolutely no problem getting 65-80 gm of Protein everyday.... As I type this I am having my Breakfast smoothie - 35gms protein to start the day, before heading to the gym at 5am....

I hear so much talk about how everyone has to follow "The Rules" if you want to be successful... I'm curious what everyone's take on this is...specifically, Do You learn and follow the rules to loose weight? Or Do you learn and follow the rules because that is the only way you can manage to live with the band.... I am also curious what people feel "The Rules" actually are... In my case, it was because following them was / is the only way I can get by day to day with the band....in the beginning, long before I even had the surgery, they started teaching me the "Rules" and telling me then I had to start adhering to them...to be honest, for me, I felt they were silly...and I told them so... They would smile am laugh, and say..."You just wait and see"...""there will come a day you will wish you knew them by heart. better to start now than wait till later" And they were right...after my 3rd fill, BAM! Could not keep anything down...suddenly I knew EXACTLY what they meant... I can now say, these "Rules" are no longer rules, but new habits that make up a new lifestyle...I don't have to be reminded about small bites and chewing...drinking while eating..etc, etc....I know...and it all is natural and part of me know...

I had my first fill 1 months after surgery...and it was a good aggressive fill....I was scheduled to come back in another month... In the time between my first fill ad the next appointment, I GAINED weight.....I felt defeated, disappointing, and angry to think I went through all this and get nothing in return...the staff were telling me I had to count calories, measure portions, and keep a food journal...all of which are sound practices to loose weight....but I DID NOT NEED SURGERY TO DO ALL THAT AGAIN!!!!! Fortunately my Dr. is very practical, and as down and discouraged as I was, he took it all in stride and laughed at me...he made me accept the fact that the band was simply installed at that point, but not really operating the way it was designed to do, an that it would take a few adjustments to get there, and at the same time, I would be forced to adjust my eating habits, foods, etc, in order to adapt to the band.... As I did get more fills, the "Silly Rules" they spoke about so much suddenly began to make sense...and to follow then at that point was the only way to live with the band....

Do the best you can.... I would say for myself that if I could have lost all that pre-op weight, why in the world would I want to go through surgery? So yes, it was very hard to do...but I kept telling myself that this surgery is the most important step I can take and I was not going to do anything to jeopardize it... Now, all Dr.'s are different...My Dr. did not care what I ate or drank, ONLY thing he wanted to see was that I had to loose X # of lbs within 2 weeks of the surgery or he would postpone it...didn't care how I did it, as long as I did....having said that, Protein shakes was the easiest way to do it...but I did cheat, eating regular food, but keeping a close eye on the scale so as not to have my surgery postponed.... But that was Me and my Dr...if you want this surgery you need to do what your Dr. wants you to do...

My Dr. has a large chart on the wall of the Yellow-Greeen-Red Zones...first I would get weighed, and he would look at my weight loss/gain fro last visit, he would ask a few questions concerning my eating, exercise, etc...and then he would ask me to show him exactly where on the chart I felt I was as far as hunger,, portion sizes, etc.... If I was fighting hunger, cravings, and not loosing much weight, (even gained after first fill) then that would indicate I needed a fill....after 3 good fills, one month apart (3months from surgery) my hunger was brought completely under control, my portion sizes were/are held in check, and I was loosing a good steady consistent amount of weight...all the characteristics of being in the Green Zone...he, and I, were happy to be at that place and I have not needed a fill since....2-1/2 years ago, and still enjoy the NEW easy life of being in the Green... Bottom line, if you are loosing weight, whether from the band or from your own dieting efforts, that is all it is about...loosing weight... But then, if we - I could loose weight from good old fashion dieting rules, I would not have needed something as drastic as Gastric Banding...

Many people are jealous or resent others success......their way HAS to be the ONLY way.....how dare you follow another path? Bottom line....who cares? You need to take care and look out for you and your own. And only you will have to pay the consequences OR reap the rewards.....no one else.... I do not believe anyone should tell anyone else what they should and should not do, what is right and what is wrong..... What people should do is lead by example based upon experience.....it's amazing how many people here are experts and have all the answers, when they have just started out themselves and could not possibly experienced what they are preaching.... That's my rant....

How do people determine what their goals are as far as weight loss, and more importantly how do you stop loosing when you reach that goal??? I read this everyday here, and it makes me think about it...I just read a post from a women who has reached 150 and decided she will stop there, and she is only 5"5" tall.....and I asked myself "Why Stop There?" and HOW are you going to stop??? I have found, along with some of my peers who have had this surgery, that this is a permanent lifestyle change that lasts forever as long as the band is there being a constant.... and it is not a diet that I can turn on or off...my food intake has been drastically reduced, and to a large extent the types of foods I eat have also changed....why else would I have wanted surgery if not to correct the things that made me fat in the first place??? Over eating and bad food choices? Having said that, with this new life style I have found the weight will continue to come off until the body reaches what IT considers the correct, normal and natural weight.......reaches a point of equilibrium, balance....only way I could have stopped loosing at a weight at my determination would have been to get an un fill when I reached my goal...enabling me to eat more? Early on my Dr. laughed at me and said I will stop loosing when my body wants to stop loosing...and as long as I continue my Protein, etc, that will be my goal... I have reached that point...and according to BMI Charts, I am still 10 lbs over weight...according to Body Fat analysis, I an in the very low, Fit and Athletic range...a little below normal... So I wonder, when people reach the goals they have been striving for, how do you determine and stop at that point???

Have to check it out...pasta of any kind had been on my "Do not eat list" for over 2 years now because of early stuck episodes....

I kept the Almond Hershey Chocolate bars....Love them....put about a dozen in the freezer to use in the future, kept a few out for immediate consumption....... all the rest of the stuff I took to work and left in in the break room....

Three years later...not a single visible scar....

The port is anchored to the abdominal wall with sutures....however, I very often hear of ports flipping I wonder if Doc's do not get lazy at times...especially with people who have inches of belly fat.... If the are all sutured in place, how can they flip so easily and often? One of those things to think about....

When you loose the weight it is going to open a whole new social arena for you.....hard to explain, but many people, STRANGERS, are more forward and friendly....don't quite understand why...I've read many times in many different places that our relationships can be a mirror image of what we project to others....which makes sense because after weight loss you have a high self image and very positive outlook.....I think it's contagious.....I certainly get more smiles throughout the day that's for sure I also find myself critiquing obese people more often...again not sure why, and not proud of it.......it's like Analyzing, Diagnosing or Triaging a situation....weird!

For me, it has always been about the band....if there is any commitment, it is allowing the band to dictate my food/calorie intake, controlling my hunger, which foods I can or cannot eat, etc.... I also firmly believe that loosing weight is all about burning more calories than consuming....at least 500 calories per day....so if I consume 1000 for example, then I should burn off 1500.... Very common to hear people say, after eating a large piece of cake for instance, that they "have to go run this off" I also believe, my body stores energy/calories as fat for those days of famine for us hunters-gatherers.....when I had a lot of fat to burn, I always worked out before eating anything first thing in the morning and draw from that fat storage for energy....then have a high Protein, low fat/calorie recovery shake afterwards.... It worked for me, now having a very low body fat % and little to no excess hanging skin... Seems like my whole entire adult life I have been trying to loose weight, and the response I always got, including from Dr.'s was that the reason I was fatal because I ate too much....so I had surgery to control my eating, and exercise to burn off the excess....for me, it was that simple...eat less, exercise more. All with the standards set by the bands adjustment.... I feel if I should ever need to get a un-fill, it would knock everything out of this perfect balance, and I would surely start gaining weight... Lastly, exercise was difficult in the beginning, then the small victories came along with elated feelings....now, I get absolutely depressed if I don't get a good workout in.... Guess that's why you see people running everywhere you go...they're addicted!

Sounds typical....I'm glad your Dr. is practical and did not get upset about you not losing weight before the band actually starts to do it's job, and realizing it is about healing and getting back to normal at this point...after an adjustment or 2 things will begin to change and your journey will begin in earnest.......my Dr. and I both agree, if I could loose weight by dieting without the band, why go through all the surgery in the first place....

like I spoke with my Dr...How does carbonation actually cause a band to slip? I know it can, and it can be risky...and I know how so thgat is a area I avoid....I would tell 90% of the people here not to do it, based upon the information their posts...... Never heard of it causing erosion, have to think about that one...erosion can be caused by many different things. Speaking in general, to no one in particular, but there are people here who have the "You'll Shoot your Eye Out Kid" mentality without actually thinking it through and discussing it with their Dr.'s.... Seems everything can cause band slippage....