donali

Hi Betty - I loved my band too, and still would recommend it as a first option to anyone considering weightloss surgery. The band worked EXACTLY the way I expected and hoped - it was just the tool I needed to help me lose my first 100 pounds. Even though I didn't get to keep my band, I will always be grateful that I was banded.

Hi SP - Although fills are integral to band success, it is possible to continue to be successful without them. Even (gasp!) without the band itself!! Even if your weightloss slows, if you eat nutritiously 70% of the time, move your body a little bit, and eat a little less in general, you will be losing weight, albeit maybe slower than you'd like. But you're already eating less than you used to, so your weight is going to naturally go down. Focus on making healthy choices and learning to stop eating when you're full, and eat only when you're physically hungry, and those are the main battles you face, whether you are filled or not. Good luck, and I hope that you find a fill doctor soon. In the meantime, continue to make healthy permanent lifestyle changes, and they will stand you in good stead, even if the band isn't helping as much as it eventually will.

Debra, LOVE your photo!! Sal - I adore your avitar... lol

Uh... EWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

I thought this story was very interesting, and am DYING to know if MO people have the same kind of brain function reaction to the foods we eat as drug addicts. I have always said that food was my drug of choice, and for me it is definitely a sedative-type of reaction. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/health/03addi.html?pagewanted=1&th It would be swell if these drug addiction scientists could spare some time to look at the MO population and do some studies on us as well, in this kind of context. I also wonder if some of their drug addiction solutions are inspired by drugs like Meridia. I like the idea of blocking the pleasure pathways that eliminate the "high" feeling - I wonder what other senses of pleasure get affected, though... Anyway, an interesting article, I thought...

Alex, that's wonderful, and truly deserved. Taking the time to tell you that shows why he's so beloved.

OMG!!!!! ROTFLMAO!! At the same time, this is so sad.... lol

My counseling was a 50 minute session once a week for three months that ended with 5-10 minutes of hypnotherapy. Then I paid for 3 months of group support, which was 50 minutes once a week for 3 months, but about 1.5 months into it the program was discontinued. My counselor was specifically trained for this particular kind of work, and had gone through the program herself, so completely understood on a personal level what I was going through. So although her struggle was on a smaller scale (she had to lose and maintain a 40 pounds loss), she had been just as distraught over her out of control eating as I was about mine. Alex - I <3 you too...

Didn't you just say in an earlier post that you were putting yourself on warm liquids, because ICE Water wasn't working??? <thunk thunk> Try a hot popsicle... It does sound as though gastritis is a possibility, after all the possible culprits you listed. I have to join the growing crowd... PCP... If it's gastritis, wouldn't Pepto Bismal help? Something tummy soothing? Chin up, girl. You probably pulled something doing wild monkey sex like our girl DeLarla. And I agree with Leatha - what is this?? Make single women cry week??? I'm not technically single, but we're separated by a continent and an ocean... sigh...

Darcy - Wishing you all the best in this. You should NOT be feeling pain! xxoo

Wow... you can feel it all the way up into your rib cage??? **eyes wide in awe**

Marie, you are so cute to call me "so successful in your weight loss in a really short length of time." Believe it or not, I fall smack-dab in the middle of "average" as far as expected weightloss with the band, which is 1-2 pounds per WEEK (that's 4-8 pounds per MONTH). There are others on this site that have been wildly successful, as far as amount and quickness of loss - Babs and ShellyJ just to name two offhand. In the 75 weeks that I was banded, I averaged a loss of 1.34 pounds a week. The miracle to me was how easy it was. I did not count, or measure, or diet, or kill myself with exercise. I did check out what I was eating on www.fitday.com every once in a great while (usually on one of my long plateaus) just to see where I was coming in. Most of the time I consumed 1400-2000 calories a day, with most days falling between 1500-1700. I did fall into a routine that I still pretty much follow, although now that I am unbanded I am trying to add in more salads/veggies, as they were sorely lacking in my daily banded menu. I try to drink a quart of Water on my way into work each day. Somewhere around 8-10am I have a cup of lowfat cottage cheese mixed with about 1/4 cup of bruschetta sauce (diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil). For lunch I would have 4-6 ounces of meat that I had pre-cooked and vacuum packed with my FoodSaver and threw into the freezer. While I was banded I rarely had anything besides my meat for lunch (hence the usual constipation... ) I try to drink a quart of water on the way home. For dinner I would have either a quart of Protein shake (Trader Joe's unflavored soy protein) blended with ice, Vitamins, flax oil, sweet-n-low and a banana, or 1/2 of a two item combo from Panda Express (mandarin chicken, 1/2 fried rice, 1/2 noodles), or 4-6oz of meat with steamed cauliflower, that kind of stuff. I try to drink a quart of water in the evening. For Snacks I would have a SF/FF yoghurt, or some nuts, or some cheese. I regularly had sweets and high carb stuff, but not usually every day. Maybe a donut each month, 10-20 Cookies each month, 2-3 candy bars each month, a serving of rice or potatos 4-6 times each month, 2 slices of pizza each month, crackers with Peanut Butter 5-6 times a month... I go through phases of craving things - one month maybe I'll have a full bag of Cheetos, and then not have them again for three months. This month I'm craving nuts and chocolate, so I made my own bridge mix with mixed nuts, choc covered almonds, choc covered raisens, plain raisens, plain cranberry pieces and plain almonds. I've been having maybe 3-4 cups of this a week starting last week. I just try to be cognizant of what I'm eating, and where that puts me in my calorie range. Mom and I walk the mall at a brisk pace 3 times a week - takes us 20-30 minutes to make one full circuit. I think the very most important thing I learned while I was banded was that PLATEAUS ARE NORMAL. In the past if I'd been "dieting" and didn't see results each week it would send me off on a binge. With the band I couldn't do that, and I knew I was eating pretty much the same number of calories each week, give or take, and the weight was coming off. Slowly, but surely. Not every week, not every month... But it DID come off, in fits and starts. My best advice to people is to learn to eat when you are physically hungry, stop when you are full, try to find other things to do besides eating in the meantime, BE KIND AND GENTLE TO YOURSELVES, and lean towards making healthy choices. THIS JOURNEY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DRASTIC TO BE EFFECTIVE. I was always doing something drastic - my goal was always as quick as possible in the shortest amount of time possible so I could go back to "normal". Now eating as I outlined above IS normal for me, and it isn't drastic, or depriving. Many people cannot be satisfied with 1.34 pounds a week AVERAGE. They're thrilled when they lose 5 pounds one week, and then desperately unhappy when they lose nothing more the next two weeks. This is dieting mentality - letting the scale control how you feel about yourself and your progress. Don't get me wrong - I get on the scale everyday - but it doesn't affect me the way it used to when I see 5 pound fluctuations - because I know I'm doing the same thing over and over again. I still get thrilled with the -5!! But I don't get filled with angst over the +5 like I used to. I know it's normal, and I just keep paying attention to the basics. I do look forward to the day when I feel secure enough that I don't feel the need to weigh at all. Ever. I don't know that I would be able to have a calm about this journey if I hadn't had those 6 months of compulsive overeating counseling. It really and truly helped me. I don't think without it that I could now be at a semi-peaceful place about food. The band reinforced all the lessons that I learned in counseling, but the counseling is really the foundation of my new attitude about food. Banding just helped to show me how crazy I am/was, just like Sue says. It really showed me my compulsion, and how strong it is even when physical hunger is absent. I don't know if my way would work for anyone else, but it worked for me, and so far I am able to keep doing what I did while I was banded. I feel I need to be a little more vigilant about bingeing, and what I choose to binge on, but so far I haven't really had any "true" bingeing episodes like from my past. I hope this helps someone!!

Biker Babe DeLarla... Has a nice ring to it...

Whoo hooo!!! Alex!! You go girl!

AAAACCCCKKKKK!!!! !@$%%#!$#$! 9 year old husbands!! Honey, I am so sorry. I have no advice. He needs a frontal lobotomy. Or is that a bottle in front of me? You GOTTA keep your dream home - giving that up is just not an option. He's too young to be going through his midlife crisis. Perhaps this is just his way of getting more attention - you know he's been wanting attention, and children will settle for negative attention over no attention at all. **hugs**

Incorrigible... Simply incorrigible... **shakes her head in defeat**

How many times does it have to be said?!?!?! Fill amounts CAN'T be compared. You may be closed off at 1.8. tsk tsk tsk Penni, I know you know better than this...

Glad you're feeling better, Nancy!! Any excuse to have a little Peanut Butter, eh? I should have specified the creamy kind, not the chunky kind.

I know this post has nothing to do with your port - you just wanted a chance to brag about your wild escapade last night!! lol Does your doc suture your port down? If not, the port very well could have moved. As long as it's not causing you pain, no worries - it can be manipulated back upright at your next fill, or if you're not squeamish you could do it yourself if it's bothering you. Me - I'm squeamish. If your doc DOES suture the port down, and it doesn't hurt... Well, I guess it could have moved without causing pain, but I know that mine hurt like a @#$^^!@#$$@#$#!! when I tore one of my sutures. And then when the port turned it was extremely uncomfortable. My doc was able to turn it back - ah, sweet relief!!! But it wouldn't stay, so I had it resutured down, because mine was extremely uncomfortable when it wasn't lying the way it was supposed to. So... No pain? I wouldn't worry. And don't think I've forgotten your post was REALLY just to tell us about last night...

Carolyn - I am extremely worried for you - I have never heard of your symptoms before, and do not understand how air can be trapped in your stomach if your fill has been removed. I do think it's time to see your doc - this has been going on too long, and you should not be suffering. I'm sorry, I wish I had some better advice... Please keep us posted, and wishing you a quick resolution.

Chantal - There is NO giving up - you are banded. The band is there whether you want to work it or not. As frustrating as it is to wait for another fill, the reality is that you will have to deal with your psychological issues sooner or later (I know you have an appointment for that in a couple of weeks). The very best advice I can give you is: 1. You have to change how you think about your goals. If you honestly believe that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make it to 130, then don't set that as your goal. Is it possible that you could lose another 10 pounds? Yes? Then that is your goal. Once you meet that goal you can consider making a new goal. 2. You are working in the diet mentality when you talk about "giving up". There is no giving up- you are living and breathing and walking around. This is your life - you can live it fat, or you can live it thin, or you can live it somewhere in-between. But you ARE living it. 3. Really make the spreadsheet I talk about in this link. It is a legit tool, and one of the most helpful things I learned in my compulsive overeating therapy. http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=434 Know that there are ups and downs. Being up or down is not a permanent condition - there will always be fluctuations. What nice things are you doing for yourself that aren't food related? What hobbies have you taken up to burn the time that eating used to fill? We're here for you. We understand your struggle. You WILL succeed. There are no deadlines. xxoo

uhhhh.... How did I suddently lose control of my prize? lol Sorry guys - a "nice" prize from me is 1/2 off coupons, or something... lol

Peanut butter will dissolve gum - at least from hair. Good excuse to have some peanut butter...

Or, "Eating Your Way to Emotional Health" - I bet THAT would be a bestseller!!

Mine's going to be, "Why Weight? When Bigger Isn't Better".