B-52

Heaven....welcome to the other side, where you will discover the new you.

Sorry...I'm a happily married guy in his 60's...but I am in NJ.. Who is the Dr. you are using?

Can't comment....get back to you in 3-1/2 more years, my 6 year mark.... Untill then, I'm enjoying MY sweet spot...no one else's.

Green Zone for me means: 1) No HUNGER.....or cravings...24 hrs a day... 2) PORTION CONTROL....unable to overeat...no matter how hard I try 3) STEADY CONSISTENT WEIGHT LOSS....once I hit the Green Zone, loosing weight became the easiest thing I could ever do...it all became very natural with absolutely no effort on my part, other than getting my daily Protein and Water requirements, choosing good foods to eat and exercising regularly, 4) PATIENT SATISFACTION....When you have the above going for you, how can you not be as thrilled as can be.... I hit my Green Zone about 4-5 months after my surgery...it then took me a few months to understand and adjust my behaviors to the band, not the other way around....that was over 2 years ago, have not had a fill since, and have steadily lost weight untill there is simply no excess weight (fat) to loose....everything then settles out and becomes a new lifestyle, 2nd nature, a completed journey.... I never count calories nor measure portions...have not done so in 2 years at least....and I have no fear of ever gaining any weight back, short of some complication with the bad. (knock on wood)

You have to learn for yourself, what works and what does not.....everyone has different tolerances, based upon restriction. I avoid rice, don't go near it....as well as any flour products such as bread, donuts, etc. Also melted cheese...to name just a few. There are other foods I have learned to stay away from also....but you have to learn for yourself as you get closer to the Green Zone. If you have recently been banded, then there is also a lot of info that will not make any sense.

Are you sure it is heartburn? Or is it pulmonary...a burning feeling in your lungs.... There is a common phenomena called "Exercise Induced Asthma" which happens to a lot of people who run, or do a aerobic activity... Does not mean you have Asthma... I told my Dr., he's a runner and said he has it, as does a lot of his friends.... As far as heartburn...running or not I can no longer eat spicy foods....even something like Orange juice without following with Water can trigger bad responses....

Yes...it does become second nature.....combination of the band..and new habits from following new "Rules" if you will..... Many people count calories for instance...I get it...I don't count calories anymore...it has become 2nd nature what is good and what is not...when I read a menu, I don't need to pull out my I-phone app.... Also, my band does tell me when to stop...and it has become 2nd nature to listen to it... Someone might think how can you just stop when you're still hungry? Well, the kicker is I'm not hungry... Sometimes I skip entire meals....I can go all day without eating, and I have at times....

I have a High Protein shake every morning for breakfast for 2 1/2 years now..... Start with some 100% whey, then 30ml of pure piquid protein, the add your favorite fruits, peanut butter, coffee, chocolate, just about anything your imagination can come up with.....put it all in a blender with 8-10 ozs water, or soy milk, add a ice cube or 2 in the summer.... Good to go with all the energy I need! I cannot come up with any traditional combination of eggs, cereals, yogurts, etc that would even come close.......not to mention how much I would need to eat!

Met some friends at the beach today, complimented me on my weight loss....Thank You very Much.... Then they started mentioning what other people are saying about my weight loss...all positive mind you....nothing negative...keep up the good work. However, they said that one very nice woman we know, whenever my name comes up, will say....."Oh yea, Bob....he's just a shadow of the man he used to be" She also happens to be a Trainer at the gym I belong to.... At first I smiled, picturing her saying that....then it hit me...WHAT? THIS is what I'm SUPPOSED to be! THIS is NOT a Shadow! What I USED to be was NOT ME!! THAT was someone else! Everyone laughed, said No! What she really means is you're only 1/2 the man you used to be! Wait...that didn't sound right either.... Actually I do get it...just a good day at the beach with friends having a few beers and lots of laughs (at my expense) ....

5 days a week, before 6am....run 5-6 miles, and do weights, core strengthening 2-3 days a week..... Has not always been so...when I was fat I could not walk up the stairs without getting short of breath....but you have to start....it goes hand in hand with loosing weight, burning off that fat.

I do it as maintenance at least once every 6 weeks or so, to maintain my restriction (or get it back), relieve any dilation from everyday use, and overall, just give everything a rest..... I never do it with the intention of loosing weight or "kick starting" anything.... 5 day pouch test is just someone's fancy way of saying ...go all liquids for a day or two, or three.....if you have any issues with your band, your Dr. will tell you the same thing...if you can't listen to your Dr. he will give you an un-fil which will give your band a rest whether you wanted to or not....

For beginners, be sure to purchase your running shoes from a store that specializes in running, to get your feet and stride properly evaluated.....wearing the wrong shoes, however comfortable they may feel, can do more damage than good..... I bought shoes on my own because they were popular, had cool colors, and felt good....they were also very expensive ($180) so the had to be good, right? Every time I would run, I was getting pain in both hips...I thought it was old age.... Bottom line, I was evaluated, and sold shoes less than 1/2 the price, of the ones I thought were good... and never had hip pain again.....I could have done some serious permanent hip injuries! Now that I know my needs, I can shop for running shoes and know how to read and understand the "specs" when they mention pronation, toe box, heel or toe striker, etc...

I have not been able to eat first thing in the morning for over 2 years now...I do have my morning coffee, followed by a home made high Protein smoothie, and I have to take that real slow, small sips....I'm good to go all day, usually little or no lunch! Hunger or cravings are never an issue for me.... Heartburn - reflux was an issue for me and something I had to figure out on my own...I found I am more sensitive to spicy foods, and I never eat anything past 7pm.....

Some of my Friends are Vegans...It's not my business, it's a free world....they simply believe they will NOT eat or use anything that is derived from animals....moral issues, not health.

The band will FORCE you to modify your eating behaviors, or else! Or, you can get a un-fil, eat the way you want, and complain about not loosing weight and how the band does not work....

When I was fat I could not carry groceries into the house without fatigued and short of breath....I was the one everyone had to stop and wait for while I stopped to rest.....at the gym I was lucky if I could do 15 minutes on the elliptical.... Now, I have more energy as I ever did.... I helped a friend move into his new house a few weeks back....everyone, 1/2 my age kept stopping to rest...I put them all to shame... At the gym, I am now "One of those people" who probably was never fat a day in their life and has always been athletic...yea, it's easy for them....If they only knew. I go to the gym 5 days a week, at 5:30am....BEFORE a 8-10 hour day at work, on my feet seeing patients all day in clinic.... I run at least 5 miles, do weights and core strengthening 2-3 times a week....and "Boot Camp" classes on Monday Mornings at 5am.... I am 61 years old, and without giving my FULL Medical history, I will say I did have one Heart Attack that resulted in Cardiac Surgery...all before lap band surgery and all weight related.

A few months after being banded, and after my 2nd fill, it became difficult to eat Red meat of any kind...since my Dr.'s have always been after me to cut back on Red Meat for health reasons, I decided to stop altogether....no red meat for over 2 years now.... I had already stopped dairy products, again because of health reasons, long before being banded....a little cheese here and there but that's it. I do eat chicken and fish, but I am cutting back on chicken more and more....eventually I may go all vegetarian.... I can definitely tell the difference physically....and I am sure it had a lot to do with my now "Normal" lab tests (blood work) along with loosing all my excess weight from the band. I do it for health reasons....not for moral issues....I still wear leather shoes, etc...

Since hitting the Green Zone 2 years ago...I am NEVER hungry...at least I have no interest in food or eating....so I eat very little and not as often....choosing the best healthy foods.... Some people worry about eating...I don't..yet I have more energy now than ever before. That is how I now live my life from day to day...it's no longer a diet, but a way of life....

I wish I could have voted for "all of the above" But I have to say my health....too long a story to list everything that was wrong with me.....my PCP said flat out I did not have much longer to live...this after my Brother and Sister both passed away at an early age due to every illness associated with being Obese and eating poorly....I was definitley in the same boat, following their footsteps. I'm now 61, feel like I'm 40...run 5 miles a day, 5 days a week...plus weights and core.....My Cardiologist, Endocrinologist, Pulmonologist, Dermatologist, PCP and my Bariatric Surgeon all say I am a perfect example for someone my age in perfect health and fitness level....with no excess body fat! All because of the Lap band = a New Lifestyle, NOT another diet. (My new running shoes came today UPS...can't wait for 5:30am to get here!!!)

When everyone says it is hard work, I would like to know exactly what is so hard about this WLS......don't get me wrong, there is a phase that was very difficult for me, but after that it has been all as easy as can be!!!! So, I hear it all the time how much hard work this takes...tell me, and others...what do you find so hard??? Like I said, there is an aspect that is difficult....but it is not the entire journey!! Green Zone: No Hunger, No Cravings, Head Hunger a thing of the past.......24 hrs a day.....Check! Portion sizes under control, unable to over eat without adverse side effects...Check! Steady and consistent weight loss till there was no weight left to loose...Check! NO Counting Calories, NO weighing or measuring potions....Check! Does not matter if I am at work, a party, large holiday dinner, vacation, whatever...it is always the same, the band does not change because of where I'm at or what food is available...... so there are no boobie traps or "Falling off the wagon" episodes..... It can't get any easier than That!!! Can it? Don't sell the band short!!! There was a difficult period, but I wonder what everyone else is finding so difficult....then I will share what I found difficult...but I was able to work through it.....

Did you have any symptoms of a Dilated Pouch? Or was it a side effect of being too tight and it was something they picked up on. The pouch is still part of the stomach, and has the same characteristics the stomach does....it will stretch when full and contract when empty....if your band was too tight OR you ate too much too fast even though the signals were there to slow down or stop....either way, too much food accumulated in your pouch and it stretched the same as one's stomach will when overeating.... One can closely monitor and heed the signals when eating..stop when you need to stop, slow down, time between bites....so as not to overload your pouch, OR one can get un-filled and let the food pass through faster and easier.... Speaking only for myself and my experience/observations....my pouch dilates all the time...perhaps not severe....but I can tell when it does just from experience.... My band is adjusted so, that my portions are automatically set...I cannot over eat no matter how hard I might try. But I will notice, about every 6 weeks, my portions are slowly getting larger than normal with no feedback....' When that happens, I do what some refer to as the 5 day pouch test...in other words all liquids for a few days to give the band a rest and let the pouch return to normal, and get my restriction back to where I am accustomed to. I am drinking Water right now...if I were to take 2-3 large gulps, I will get that pain! The pouch stretch!......I will also probably spit it up because I am introducing something faster than the band will allow to go through. This can happen more easily if drinking carbonated drinks and not having that relationship with your band yet...... This is why I will NEVER drink while eating....swallowing water when food is sitting there will instantly expand the volume in my pouch...resulting in bad things....some say it washes the food down...sure, if you don't have much restriction. Otherwise.... My Dr. has showed me x-rays of some serious dilated pouches....his comment was "some people just don't know when to stop!" and will eat right through any pain. The few people I know who have had severe dilations, had to get complete un-filled. Given enough time for things to return to normal, then start the slow process of band adjustment all over again....never heard of long term complications other than behavior issues where thy never learn their lesson. Never learn how to properly eat. And never loose the weight they hoped for. Again, this is all just me talking.....ask and listen to your Dr.s advice.

My Neice and her friends are really into this...they travel to event all over...she has been trying to get me to do it....MAYBE...we'll see.

Just to clarify......you had No problems for three years? Or you have not had a lot of luck with the band for three years.... Plus you say you had 10cc removed, with 3cc remaining...that was a total of 13cc's....and you felt you needed an additional fill?... And if I am reading this correctly, just recently you had your first stuck episode after eating a handful of blueberries? How long has it been since your last fill..... I have been banded for 2 1/2 years, and have had no problems...so I am just trying to understand your situation better....

It is a great feeling when the Band finally starts doing everything it was designed to do.....and takes over what we could never do on our own....FINALLY!

I cannot even presume I know anything about you or your situation, I can only speak on my own experiences.... To me, the band's intentions are to change the way I eat, the amounts, and to a certain extent the types of foods I eat....including the time of day..... It is a fine line...a true balancing act, walking a tight rope, for me to find that "magical" place between being too tight and eating differently...changing my habits....and it took a few months after my final fill to learn it....it was a very hard thing for me to learn, with many stuck episodes..sometime 2-3 times a day.....because I am stubborn, and a hard learner...not wanting to give up my old habits I picked up over the years.... The way I eat today...without giving it a second thought, 2nd nature, new habits,...I could never have imagined possible before being banded.....but change I did....I eat like a bird as the saying goes....many peoiple comment I do not eat enough, and worry I am ill or something....yet I run 5 miles a day and work 8-10 hrs with energy to spare....I put those who are concerned to shame..... if I were to attempt to eat the way I used to, it would be a stuck episode for sure...but I learned....so I no longer attempt....it has become a lifestyle... I am no in that lifetime phase, where everything new is now ingrained in me...I do not have to think about what I can and cannot do..there are certain foods I now simply ignore....I can walk right by them.... I do not need to count calories, worry about portion sizes....DIET is a 4 letter word! It is truly a lifestyle! But it took some hard knocks and hard lessons to get here....BANDSTER HELL....at any time I could have backed away and given up...the band is adjustable...fortunately my Dr. kept pushing me to go onwards...he understood that my life depended on it and I may not get a 2nd chance at this.... But again, only YOU know what is happening to you...and only YOU have control over your life....