Thee-O

a fill is not meant to make food harder to go down or limit what you eat. A fill is simply to get the right pressure on the vagus nerve that will then trigger the I'm not hungry response and allow you to go 4-5 hours between meals.

well please explain a stuck episode? Pressure is one thing but that is also restriction which could lead to making food harder to go down right?

Thanks everyone! I was in a really good spot until just recently, I thought once you got into green you were good and didnt need anymore fills.

As you lose more weight you will have to get fills because you also lose fat where the band is and will need to be adjusted accordingly.

That happened to me after my first fill. I thought I was going nuts because it felt like I could eat easier. I wasn't getting stuck. I had no restriction really. I felt that the fill loosened me up a bit if that makes any sense. Just got another fill yesterday...we will see how this one goes.

I have a 14cc band and just got my second fill yesterday. At about 5cc's currently.

The lap band is a tool you work with, it doesn't do all the work for you. I don't have any fills either and I am working the band like it isn't there. I am changing my life. Yes I have the band and it comes in handy, but it doesn't force me to go to the gym in the morning. It didn't force me to stop eating potatoes, beer and rice...

You are doing the work. You have a tool. It is like someone building a house, you would compliment him on the look and craftsmanship of his work, not question the tools created to get the results.

You are not a fraud. You are working hard to achieve your goals

60 lbs gone. 40 more to go.....banded since May of 2011. Plateaued but still working on it!

I also love my fitbit, I carry it wherever I go. It is a great motivator and really tells you how you are doing with your activity and sleep.

Also it now works with MyFitnessPal.com so you can log in your foods there and the FitBit will automatically send the activity data over so that you can have a more accurate look at your calorie burn per day.

I love it...it is a great tool, especially with MyFitnessPal integration

I also haven't had any fills either (although I believe 2cc's were put in during surgery). I also have had a few stuck episodes the past week. I do find the band to be tepermental. Very strange, but I am glad it reminds me that it is there.

That may be part of the reason I am trying to do this without fills, as I HATE getting stuck. It is so uncomfortable for me as I am sure it is for most of you. I can't imagine having more episodes or for longer durations. Ugh!

been to Knotts berry Farm and Disneyland since and got on every coaster I could get on and had no issues. Best thing about it now is actually not worrying about fitting in the damn coaster

Amen! Why else would I have gone through all this? The band is adjustable. It was designed to get you to the "Green Zone" with the right amount of Fluid.

Plus, there has been a misconception on these boards over the last year that it is somehow better to have less fills than the next person, and someone who needs more in their band must somehow be in worst shape than someone with less?

THAT'S DANGEROUS!!! People need to get the treatment that is best for them. The band is adjustable and by it's very basic operating design it is intended to be filled with saline to get the individual to the proper place where it will work efficiently.

If 2 people had terminal cancer, is the one who takes less chemo better (or worse) off than the one who needs higher doses?

I agree with you. We have all had the same surgery but we use it differently. It is just a tool. It should not do the work for us and for most it doesn't. To me my surgery was my rock bottom of my addiction to food. I had lost control and I needed to have surgery to wake my ass up and get my life back in control. It was never about restriction for me. It was about choices and I was making all the bad ones. So to me, I was never looking at this as I can't wait to be in the "Green Zone". I was looking at this as a wake up call to a better lifestyle. I am not advocating the way I use my band, but I am just explaining how my tool has worked for me.

I still go to my doctor appointments. If they suggested a fill, I would consider it. They are happy with the progress I am making without them though and so am I. Ultimately, it is about self control to me. I still have to be the one that lives with myself and lives with the decisions of what goes in my mouth.

So I don't agree that "Without Restriction, this is just another diet", because I don't see this as a diet at all. I just see this as the new normal for me. Lifestyle and habit changes that regardless of the lapband, or fills, or anything else will lead to a healthier me.

Again, we all use this differently....

pssstt.......... go get a fill Thee-o

LOL. I knew that was coming. But why? I am doing pretty good with out it. I am more interested in increasing my exercise and fitness than increasing the restriction to be honest. I have this thing in me for life. Plenty of time for fills if you ask me.

Damn Plateau. Well the good news is I haven’t gained any weight over the holidays. WOOT! But the bad news is I haven’t lost any weight in about 5-6 weeks. Still sticking with my regular workouts and jogging. I am not really worried about it, I know this happens to everyone. It is the body just getting used to the routine so I need to shake things up a bit in order to get past this. I am under my calorie goals every day on MyFitnessPal and I burn about 1000 calories a day with exercise, so eventually I should go back to the shedding the pounds, but the one thing I do notice is my endurance for cardio is way up and I lost a few more inches. Just got to keep pushing. I lost 55 lbs in 2011. Hoping to lose 45-55 more in 2012.

Plateaus can be discouraging…but you have to realize it is the body adjusting. You will get past this…

Until you get 4-5 fills you're in bandster hell and will be miserable I'm 14 months out, down 102 lbs and its hard...been there, done that. You can do this. You don't have to deny yourself...just control yourself.

I don't agree with this. At least personally for me. I am trying to do this without fills. I am really trying to change my behaviors with both diet and exercise. To me it is important to see this as a lifestyle change and not just eat less because I am forced to. We all use this tool differently. I however, don't think that I am miserable without fills. I feel more empowered to be honest.

What's that mean?? I am not tech-savvy. lol BUT I AM a MFP junkie... would LOVE for my BMF to synch with my MFP!!!

Fitbit has partnered with MyFitnessPal to have them both sync to each other. You can learn more here.

http://www.fitbit.com/apps

It isn't live to the public yet but it should be soon.

I have a Fit Bit and it is awesome. I am currently Beta testing FitBit syncing with MyFitnessPal and it is working great. LOVE IT!

I don't eat it often but I do snack on it at the movies. Never had a problem with it.

I had to go on a road trip the 1 week after I had my surgery. It wasn't a big deal. I just made sure where I stopped I could get either some oatmeal (Starbucks), Mashed Potatoes (KFC, POPEYES) or a Jamba juice. Just drink a lot of Protein and you should be fine. The first few weeks I barely ate anyway so it wasn't that big of a deal.

This doesn't sound right. Please go visit a doctor as soon as you can. I hope you come out of this funk soon.

I got a question. Are you working out or exercising at all. You might have to up your activity level in order to see some results. What you do know is that the same old thing isn't working for you, Your body has got used to your routine. You need to shake it up a bit. My suggest, unfill so you can eat more regularly and start exercising a bit more.

When you have your first stuck episode, trust me...YOU WILL KNOW IT. It doesn't feel like anything else and your first reaction may be to drink a glass of Water to help it down. BIG MISTAKE. The Water just pools on top...feels sooooo bad.

Usually starts off with Hiccups and burping and then bam...it hits you and you can't do anything but wait it out. I have actually stretched and also jumped up and down to let gravity help but nothing really helps other than time. I may have to try that Papaya enzyme though.

The best way to deal with it is to just SLOW DOWN and chew. I know, easier said than done, but with the pain you get from being stuck, it will teach you that lesson really fast.

Fast results are never really part of the lap band experience. Some people do lose rather fast and some don't. We all lose weight differently. But expecting to shed pounds quickly from a first fill isn't practical. For some it takes several fills to find the right level of restriction. I for example am losing weight without fills. I am fine with that. I prefer it because I feel like I am really focusing on my new habits.

You will get to your goals. To me if you lose it to fast you easily can go back to your old habits, from my experience, losing slowly, helps you keep it off long term.

Either way. Good luck and keep doing what you are doing.

I would be more concerned on healing right so you can get your exercise on. Just be patient, focus on your habits changing and not purely on restriction. You are doing great so far. Just keep going.

I was banded July 25th and have not had any fill yet. I am losing slowly but happy with the results. I lost 40 lbs so far and feel good. I don't want a fill yet since I am losing and eating much less than before the band. I would say I am averaging about 1000 - 1200 calories a day. Is that what most of you are consuming a day???

It all depends on your body and sex. Men can eat a bit more but on average I see women eating in that calorie frame. I myself eat around 1500-2000, depends on how much activity I am doing. You can see what is a good range for weight loss for you by using www.myfitnesspal.com. A lot of people on here use it. It works really well.

Sounds like you are in a good space. All you have to do now, is just change things up a little. If you aren't exercising, now would be a good time to start. I haven't had any fills yet, and while I may have some in the future, I like knowing now that it isn't just the band doing the work, that I am doing what I can to make it happen for me. You can do it. Just focus and keep motivated.

I am djtheeo on there. Please feel free to add.