B-52

AMEN!!!!! The band will change your life....my problem with being fat and unhealthy was because I ate too much and always the wrong foods.... The band has changed all that.....my portions are totally under control, it is IMPOSSIBLE to overeat.....and I am very rarely hungry or have cravings...24/7, not just some of the time like other people, but all of the time.....so all I need to do is choose good foods to eat...and when you loose weight and exercise you want to eat and be healthy.... What can be easier than that? .......Just letting the band do what it is designed to do....I don't need to count calories, measure portions, or do any of those things I used to do in the past. I had WLS and that has made the difference. I too read all the time about people "Falling Off The Wagon"....and in all respect to them, I personally do not understand how that can happen...I could if we were talking Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers or something....but this is SURGERY....I put all that nonsense that never worked behind me...........it does not matter if I am at a formal dinner....vacation cruise....parties, picnics, ball games....the band is always there...it does not change from place to place..... This too is how I eat every day, for the rest of my life....I have the same life style today, after loosing all my excess weight, as I did since first starting out in the green 2 years ago...it's not going to change..... 98% Failure rate???? I can believe it!!! I It has changed me forever.....I have absolutely no fear of ever gaining any weight back again......and "Diet" is just another four letter word....... YES...IT'S THAT SIMPLE!!! (and don't use the excuse of "Slider" foods....I can go on about how that is BS also)

Twice a day...first thing in the morning, then at the Gym with their high-tech computerized scale that also measures body fat%, body water content, and other things........have not gained or lost any weight in over a year...because I have been at my optimal weight with little body fat% Dr. confirms I am done, I have completed the program..... So getting on the scale gives me that emotional shot in the arm boost of confidence everyday!!!!

First, it is not vomiting...it is regurgitation...if you re vomiting then thereis something else going on, not band related.... Also, projectile vomiting? Really? Not even close... Regurgitation....think about a newborn, after just eating will burp and spit up on your shoulder....that's because babies don't know any better yet and they eat too much too fast.... It is the exact same thing with banded people....that's why it is called a PB- productive burp.... Only it is a lot more than a babies and chewed food, not milk or formula......

People call it "Horror Stories"....It's NOT....it's all part of the learning curve...your old eating habits versus the band's restriction.... Sooner or later you learn (Hopefully) and seldom get stuck again... Some people fear it so much they get a un-fill, instead of changing their lifestyle...then are always complaining of gaining weight and being hungry all the time... I have not been stuck in over 2 years....my band is adjusted to where I can go all day (24 hr) and NEVER be hungry or have cravings.... It's because I changed myself to adapt to what the band can do....I let the band be in charge, not the other way around. If I try to eat a T-Bone steak, I KNOW I WILL get stuck...so I don't eat red meat anymore.....I Could get a slight un-fil, then eat all the steak want....and go back to traditional measuring portion sizes just as I did before banding....and fight the hunger cravings all over again..........but then, what was the point of WLS?

Everyone has a opinion on this...I have always kept it simple...the less calories, the more I loose...AND IT HAS ALWAYS WORKED! I have always been told I'm fat because I eat too much...stop eating so much...so I did thanks to WLS, and it worked...and to really kick it off, I exercise to burn off even more! I'm just very carefull to get my Protein, Water and Vitamins....after that..... Others have different views, and if thats what worked for them, and no plateaus, etc, then that's all that matters.... I'm not meaning to step on people's toes and beliefs, but the notion to eat more to loose more makes me laugh.....but if it works, who cares....

I did not get out of my recliner because it was necessary to stay there.....I stayed there because it felt good to stay there, in front of the big screen, covered in a comforter, (Jan), sipping my broth, and thoroughly numb from all the good drugs....I don't think I could have gone anywhere else.....

Took me 3 fills in 4 months from surgery...then another 2 months to get it in the "Groove" so to speak.... I have not had a fill since, that was 2 years ago....still in the Green Zone....Not hungry, portion control, cannot over eat...

I drink carbonated drinks...gave up soda years ago for obvious health reasons..... I waited about a year before i started to drink beer again.....I waited because, as is the case with everything you do with the band, you need to learn your band, learn to listen to the feedback it gives you, and learn how to adhere to the signals the band gives you.....that does not happen right away...it takes time and practice..... With EVERYTHING I swallow, I rely on the band giving me feedback....it's the only way I can be successful with the band.... My surgeon has a standing rule where he tells all his patients no carbonation.....however, after being in the green zone for a while, I started to drink...I told him...he asked me a few questions to see if i knew what I was doing and to make sure I was not doing anything that would do harm....he consented, said Ok, just pay attention to the feedback I get from the band....and NEVER drink beer anytime near eating...

Things that are dense and heavy....the more you chew, the more soft and heavier they get...for instance anything made of dough...or rice....and cheese, especially melted globs.....I also have issues with red meat...no matter how well I chew, it remains the same, does not digest very well...you will rarley see red meat served in Nursing homes. Of course, everything depends on one's band adjustment....

No Big Deal....

Sitting in my Dr,'s office this am, (one of many) I read an interview in Peoples magazine given by my NJ Governor, who had lap band surgery early this year..... He said the following....(I'm paraphrasing) Problem I had was I ate too much..simple. I Loved food....Could not stop. NOW I can't eat Breakfast anymore, so my wife makes me a smoothie with lots of fresh fruit and plenty of Protein...other than that, food does not interest me anymore, I could care less if I eat or not....I don't think about it, and my tastes have definitley changed.....and when I do eat, I can't finish it...I'm done quickly.... BRAVO! This is a guy I can relate too...NO HUNGER is a characteristic of being in the Green Zone....I need to reach out to him somehow...

2 months...hang in there...it's still early...what's 2 months in the entire realm of a changed lifestyle.... It took me 6 months to get in the "Groove" so to speak, and even then another 6 months of learning to live in that magical place..... 2 months in, after 1st fill, began to gain weight...was told in order to loose weight I need to count calories, measure portions, keep a journal...all fine things, BUT...I didn't need surgery to do that...I was convinced it was a big waste of time, after all the pre-op hoops I had to jump through, testing, 6 month diet, the anxiety, $$ spent.....it was a big major let down to learn it was just another diet... BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!!!! Best decision I could have ever made...literally changed, and SAVED my life....only regret is that I did not do it years sooner....none the less, I'm 61 going on 35.....BRING IT!!!!

Bottom line...it's all about loosing weight..whether you rely on the band or rely on your own will power.... For mr, the band does control how uch I eat...it is physically impossible to over eat..even so called sliders....and the food does sit in my pouch, I can tell by how long it takes before I can sip liquids whether my pouch still has food in it or not and is clear.......this I say from experience, not what others have told me.... But it really does not matter that much since I am never hungry in the first place...24/7, not just between meals as some experience....the band is there 24/7, so it does it's job 24/7 Good Luck....hope you find what works best for you...

My insurance would not accept anything like WW....it had to be a program with licensed medical personnel including a MD to sign off my weekly progress notes....

I have not experienced real hunger in over 2 years now.... Most days I forget to eat anything between my breakfast smoothie and dinner.... I have gone full 24 hour days and forget to eat anything, especially if I'm pre occupied with something like hiking or out on the boat fishing....and it des not bother me

I have had one heart attack, blockages, and subsequent cardiac Surgery...So .I am required to have a Nuclear Stress test every 12 months since.... Since loosing my weight, I run 5 miles a day...so I pass my stress test with flying colors...barley break a sweat! Thank You band!!!

My insurance required a medically supervised 6 month diet, within 2 years of surgery...the reason they required this is because..... The surgery is a last resort, after attempts at traditional dieting have been tried, and failed....BUT the insurance co. did not want to simply take my word for it....they required something official..signed off by a Dr. complete with progress notes, graphs, etc, showing, for the record, that will go into my file, that I did make an attempt at a good structured diet. On this 6 month diet, I started out good, lost weight for the first 4 months, then "fell off the wagon" like I have done with every diet I have attempted, and started to gain the weight back... I felt guilty, but was reassured that if I was any good at it, why would I need weight loss surgery??? For me, WLS is not a diet, it was corrective surgery inhibiting me from doing what I could not do on my own...I could not stop overeating....WLS put an end to that....and now I have achieved what I could never have done before, and keep it off permanently...

For me, it will overfill my pouch causing everything to immediately come back up, or create a lot of pain as if the pouch was stretching....which it probably is.....it happens to me every time. Think of a funnel....where the narrow passage is the band....food accumulates in the upper portion of the funnel and passes through the narrow section slowly...depending on how much restriction you have...adding Water to whats already there overfills the funnel quickly ...what happens when you add too much to a funnel too fast? It overflows.... BTW, this is a technique used by many when they get stuck...introduce some water..slow sips...and it will come back up bringing the food with it having no where else to go.... I can see for those who do not have much restriction the water washing down the food...and they can get away with it without noticing or feeling anything.... But for me, being in the Green Zone...I do not dare drink while eating...from experience I know this is a big mistake without causing adverse effects...I do not want a dilated pouch,and pain, nor do I want it all to come up.....I have learned the hard way, as so many other things living with the band...

For me, that's a sign of the Green Zone...the band will make you "Not Hungry", but you have not eaten anything...the band sends a signal to your brain telling it you are full, and do not need to eat anymore...but you are not! Yet, just as though you just finished a Thanksgiving dinner, you cannot imagine eating anything else... In other words, you are not interestred in food....NOT HUNGRY! I get this 24/7, because the band is there 24/7...some people just get this in between meals...I don't. I have it all the time.... I can care less about food 85% of the time....my brain says I don't need it because I'm full, satisfied, whatever you want to call it.... You should see me grocery shopping...nothing in the entire store appeals to me, except for the silliest little things....

Is your band giving you any feedback at all? IMO. the secret to success is learning how to "Listen" to myour band...but, if your band is not saying anything, you may need an adjustemt untill it does... In my story, my first fill was 4cc's, and I did not tell any diffrence...as a matter of fact I gained weight after my first fill and before my 2nd... My 2nd fill was 2cc's...a little better...strated to get it and started to learn how to deal with it...it was then that the rules started tp apply... It took me one more fill after that to put me in that special place...but it was not easy at forst..I really had to manage myself, change many bad habits, change many food choices, and above all adhere to the rules very strictly if I was to suvive, or have to get a un-fill.... I survived, and it has been the easiest thing to do to loose weight...that was 2 years ago, and it has been a simple way of life ever since....don't even think about it all that much...it just is...simple. I no longer worry or think about loosing weight...no more diets, just a day to day way of life... That's the Green Zone....getting there is the struggle...not staying there....

The band is the band is the band.....should not matter where you are, and what food is offered to you...whether you are on vacation, at a party, a wedding, thanksgiving, or your favorite restaurant......whatever...the band remains the same.....

Just my 2 cents worth, and my opinion, but I read posts here everyday about people who are calling themselves failures, frustrated, etc...a lot more than 5%....I can only quess what the % is...some days that's all I read or so it seems..... But, I have found, by paying close attention and sometimes asking questions, very few of the "Failure" stories stem from some sort of medical complications, band related or not. But they do exisit...maybe 5%, no way of really knowing...all the others....well, read the posts for your self and draw your own conclusions... Of course, it is not my place to point things out to people...just because I feel it is not my approach to success.... people have to choose for themselves how to run their life...

Ask your Dr...I was set free 1 week after suegry to do whatever...just had to go easy on lifting...but running and everything else was fine..., back in the gym on a regular basis... But i did get the ok from my Dr.first....

I agree 100%...well, one of the most euphoric things you can do...