B-52

I hit the Green Zone 4-5 months after surgery....then another 2-3 months to adjust myself and my habits to the band..not the other way around.....that was 2 years ago...still there...no hunger or cravings..even head hunger has gone because mentally I know it does not matter so I immediately dismiss it to the point it is merly a fleeting thought...... ...I have not had a fill since hitting the Green Zone...... Since I have been so consistent for so long, if I should feel I needed a fill, I know it would be something else rather than a band adjustment, like a dilated pouch for instance which I have come to recognize and know from experience how to deal with that as regular maintenance....

The reason we get the band is because we "Can't do it now" on our own...if we could, we would not need surgery....WLS for me was a Last Resort...I failed time after time at traditional dieting, and my health was suffering because of it...it was time for "Corrective" surgery, or else! As far as life after, it all depends upon how far after....there are different phases...I am 2 -1/2 years out, and my "life after" may sounfd like science fiction (too good to be true) to those who are still starting out or trying to find their way........

The band was the same on the 4th as it is on any other day...so food was not an issue....plus, since being banded I do not eat meat anymore so no dogs, burgers, ribs, anyway.... I did do some beer drinking...when I do I generally do not eat as a precaution.

I have not had a fill in over 2 years...and I am doing fine and steady in the Green Zone, and have also lost all the weight (fat) possible....so.....

My Fitness pal and other such apps where not designed for WLS people in mind....I know there are many people who live by it, but for me, one of the most significant turning points in my success was when I stopped obsessing with an app like that, and concentrated on the WLS itself and eveything it was intended to do for me.... But that was what worked for me.....other people have their success stories....

Whenever you mess with your band, such as getting a fill, it can be irritated, inflamed for a few day...eating will only increase the aggravation, and possibly irritate it more....this happens all the time...people will continue to try to eat and only continue to irritate the band....then they cannot understand why they cannot keep anything down.....then they feel the are too tight and get some fluid taken out,....then start complaining the band is not working!!....... When all they really needed to do is give the band a few days rest (at least) in the first place..... As far as wine, it is a liquid....drink whenever you want.....some people stay away from wine because they are still dieting and wine has too many calories for them....

I knew I was in the Green Zone because things got very easy, the band began to work as advertised.......coming out of the struggles of Bandster Hell into a healthy lifestyle, with steady weight loss and no hunger/cravings....

After being in the Green Zone for over 2 years, I have NEVER felt full.....I'm simply not hungry and have no interest in continuing. If I'm even interested in eating in the first place, which is rare since I'm not hungry most of the time, 24hrs.... Now if I eat sliders, or have more than one beer...then yes...I get that old fashioned full feeling...much faster than I used to because my stomach has shrunk from not eating as much. But eating with the band? Never.....

If it's on the internet...it must be true....why? Because I read it on the internet

First, I don't think you did anything to abuse your band and screw it up...you had a kidney stone..it's not your fault.... Vomiting and the band do not go together...it was not designed to have things forcefully go up the other way...we have to eat small and slow...there is nothing small and slow about vomiting. Since being banded, I have yet to vomit...but it is something I am very conscious of, and not looking forward to the day I do.... The only advice you should take from the psuedo-experts here would be to contact your Dr. and inform them of your symptoms and discomfort.

My Dr. never required me to count calories....it was focused on eating less, and eating healthy.....developing a new permanent lifestyle..... He would often as me what I was eating, or as the case may be, what I was no longer eating either by choice or because of the bad....as far as portions, he also stressed the band dictating portion sizes as it now does being in the green....if anything, he would make a fist and say my Protein portion should never be larger than that.... It's just my opinion, but I read enough posts about everyone's scientific theories on calories....it makes my head hurt!!! And then the same people, sometimes in the same post, complain about not loosing weight.And they're advised to eat more!!! In the beginning I used an app on my I-Phone to track all this....it drove me nuts and only fed into the Bandster hell I was going through....the most liberating thing that has ever happened to me after this surgery was when I stopped doing that and concentrated on eating right and being active.....which I will do for the rest of my life.... Just my own story and experience....you need to do whatever works for you and your Dr. advises....

This is the most accurate way of determining what is actually going on....BMI's are only reliable to a point......If you know your current BFP, and know where you want to be, say 10% lower, then determine 10% of you current weight and that would be how much more you want to loose. Fortunately, at the health club I go to, they have a very sophisticated computer operated scale the determines BF% by measuring the body's impedance...you have to stand on it barefoot, and grip metal handles with each hand....an attendant needs to enter some data such as weight, height, gender, etc....then it gives a printout of not only BF% but other information as well..... It cost $10 a shot...so I do it about once a month.... I took note of a high paid star professional football player in the NFL, who is the same height as me, but weighs 20 lbs more....if you follow BMI's, that would put him borderline Obese.....I don't think so, I don't think there is an oz. of fat on him....and he is a running back who played in the Super Bowl 2 years ago.... My BF% is at a point now, that my Dr said if I lost any more weight it would most likely be essential muscle and not fat....that would be unhealthy and dangerous....yet if I followed the BMI, I need to loose another 15 lbs and technically I am still overweight!!

I was never told no caffeine....and even if I were, I would never give it up.... I was drinking black coffee 12 hours after surgery....

I occasionally get a fresh made juice at the health club after a workout,,,,many of my friends have juicers.... My reluctance is that I focus on protein...so I stayed with making my own fresh smoothies, all types of flavors and combinations.......40gm of protein!

Body weight and BMI's are only good to a certain point....and not very accurate to begin with....according to the BMI charts, I am still overweight.....according to a Body Fat Analysis...which I can get done at the health club for $10,...I have a Body Fat % of around 14%....that puts me on the borderline of Fitness - Athletic.... (Bioelectrical impedance analysis) My surgeon says that is optimum for me at my age...and I should not loose any more weight..... But the BMI still says I am overweight and unhealthy.... And I can look at professional athletes (football-baseball players) height and weight, and they are ALL overweight, some even obese....according to their BMI.... So if you are struggling with the last 10-15 lbs, you need to find out exactly what out body composition actually is...the body need some essential fat, around 4-5% for males, to survive...I believe more for women... So it is not excess weight we need to loose, in %, it is the excess FAT we need to loose....and we burn fat by calorie intake, and burning fat for energy though exercise....that simple.

I understand a lot of people feel obesity is a disease....myself, I have a problem with that....obesity can be a epidemic, and can diretcly cause diseases. What happens is once something is labled a disease, then there becomes justification to medically treat it, opening avenues for $$ funding...and that is a good thing. So i am sure there was plenty of lobbying to get it labled as such.....it's always about the $$

I can no longer eat spicy foods....at least not the way I use to add Cholula Hot Sauce to EVERYTHING.... Early on , I had big issues with reflux, as the majority of people with WLS experience.... I simply cut back and in some cases did away with hot spicy foods and I have not had any reflux issues in a long, long time. I have read many stories about people automatically blaming the band, getting it unfilled, and eventually not loosing weight all because they blamed the band, and not their eating habits. Spoke with my surgeon about this....the thinking i with the pouch, I eat less food, confined in a smaller area, so the effects of the spicy foods is concentrated and has a more intense effect... Once I visualized this, I have had no more problems with reflux.... If people can get away with it, that's a good thing...but me, the reflux and thought of ulcers, etc and ultimate failure at this journey was enough.

It took me about 2-1/2 months after surgery before things began to turn in the other direction....I even gained weight between 4-8 weeks from surgery. Fortunately I have a surgeon with common sense, and did not get as upset as I was getting knowing at that point it was all about getting the band that was recently implanted, adjusted and working efficiently....the 2nd phase. All in all the whole process, of band adjustment, and myself adjusting to work with the band, (learning new habits, breaking the old) took 6 months....after that it has all been an effortless breeze...and still is till this day. A new life and lifestyle.

I'm not sure where I stand on this 30-50 lbs thing....most everyone I know has been much more seuccesful than that...many 100 lbs plus....but then, I also know people who never got in sync with the band, and did not loose much...so, maybe, However....if the average is 50 lbs, that means the low end is Zero and the high end would be 100...on average...so he is not telling you anything directly negative, you could be one of the 100 lbs people....would you feel succesful at or near 124???

Just a few hours ago I was eating lunch, and without thinking I took a swallow of Ice Tea..... THE PAIN WAS EXCRUCIATING!!!! I'm sure I was stetching the heck out of my pouch.... Ran to the bathroom and up it all came.... I should, and do know better from past experiences....but just as we know the stove is hot we still get burned from time to time.... If you can drink and eat at the same time then there is something else factoring in....either you don't have any restriction or your pouch is dialted allowing the extra volume....only you can know for sure.

After loosing 100 lbs, I have very little loose noticeable skin..... Don't know if this is the reason, but this is what do..... First, I run....5 miles a day. Running moves the entire body, head to toe as opposed to walking which is just legs... Second...plenty of Water....plenty Third, I have access to a sauna....sit for 30 minutes 5 days a week....opens the pores and releases toxins and impurities from the skin.....then a ice cold shower...closes the pres and tightens the skin up....the swedes jump in the snow...some gyms have a ice plunge. I have a history of dry skin (age related) so my Dr. Has me using lotions regularly.

I'm at the Passaic Cty CP Elks in Clifton once a week for clinics.

I do not doubt for one minute anyone whose posts are about their struggles and feelings of failures....when it comes to people who have been banded for a few years, have been 100% succesful, then say they started to fail and gain their weight back.....THESE are the posts I pay particular attention to...perhaps as a warning to me, something I need to be carful of....but speaking for myself, I cannot undersatand how this happens....and I hope that day never comes. As an example, I have been on cruise vacations where food is everywhere....I have thrown caution to the wind and figured I would get back to it when I get home....but I have found that the band still keeps my habits in check...and no matter what I put on my tray at thre buffet, there will always be a limit set by the band...and yes, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, or pouch as is the case, but it doesn't matter. I've lost weight on cruises because my activity level increases also... Sliders fill me up quickly...not the same way regular food now does with the band, but because after a few years of eating so little, my normal stomach has shrunk considerably and my abbs have got tighter...just can't eat the way I used to....it's all changed. Give me a pint of ice cream and I will start to get a good old fashioned tummy ache 1/2 way through! So sliders are not an excuse either.