Cazzy

I had my prescriptions for meds changed to liquid versions until i was able to eat again ..i was given this info b4 surgery so i was able to change them all before i needed to. Am not on any meds now Some pills like metformin for type 2 diabetes specifically say do not crush them so i had to change it.

thank you all for the kind words I hit 'onederland' today yayyyyyyyyy !

Given you are putting weight back on I would answer that it sounds like you need to address both issues, get back to band basic eating and go see the doc

I ate salad all summer long every day, i just cut up everything really small before eating, i can only eat hot fresh cooked chicken breast, cold chicken is a big no no for me. Salad dressing i would make myself from lemon joice, white wine vinegar, wholegrain or dijon mustard and splenda i would also put some chilli flakes on the tomatoes to save me using salt ..

I eat around 1000/1200 calories a day made up mainly of fresh veg and fish and chicken, some red meat only in small amounts, i have home made veg soup for lunch and i drink tea and weak coffee made with skimmed milk in between meals to stave off any hunger .. If i am hungry before my main meal i will have a weight watchers tomato soup before .. this always helps fill me up before i start eating. I cycle around 8 miles a day in front of the tv and do dumbells for strength training. I started off slowly just doing dumbells at first as i couldnt even sit on a bike . I dont allow myself to get sidetracked and even tho i actually dont like exercise that much i know i have to do it.

Sounds like u need another fill, it takes a few fills to get where u dont get hungry so quick, for me anyways, now i easily go 4 hours on most days in between meals, there are odd days tho that i am hungrier earlier than 4 hours, on days like that i eat a snack in between meals like some cottage cheese or some oat bran in a plain yoghurt, i also drink tea and weak coffee ad lib with skimmed milk and this helps stave off the hunger without adding many calories .. Your band becomes loser and needs a fill if u have lost weight since the last fill so it looks like u will be ok next fill. My stomach also growls at me when i am hungry, i have found the band makes your stomach noisy as hell remember most times being hungry is a state of mind, none of us will starve .... good luck

Stay positive and try and relax a little, being tense intensifies pain, i was lucky i had virtually no pain afterwards just a little gas nothing more, but if i do get pain if food gets stuck i use a heat pad on my back, warmth is very soothing and it helps the gas dissipate, so might be worth giving it a try. It will get better we are all different and our bodies react in different ways so hang in there, things will improve im sure I wish you well ...

Thanks guys it really means a lot to get some support it helps me in this long battle i have had i wanted to be 200lbs lost by christmas so i beat my target by a couple of weeks, am really happy about that. My reward will be some more new clothes, i had purchsased some and they are already too big, i had no idea that my weight loss would keep on the steady path it has, so some clothes are already redundant, i am also treating myself to a bike so i can go out for rides, using the cycle indoors is pretty boring even while watching tv. I will wait for the January sales to spend some more money..

Today i can celebrate the loss of 200 lbs and i am now exactly half the person i was when i started this journey. I have a little way to go yet and then i have to start on the plastic surgery .. even if i cant afford to get this excess skin removed i would still be happy that the weight has gone.

It must be very hard to face all we do give up to lose this weight and having to quit smoking too, seems a nightmare scenario. I would use patches the day before u go for a fill say u gave up a month previously. You at least should be able to get through the time till a fill and not smell like a smoker. Air your clothes and and use fabreeze otherwise just find another doc.

It sounds like you need more support than you are getting and really it might be wise to get back to your doctor or a different one and talk over whats going on. Is something else going on in your life that is causing you to feel this way ? from your profile you have lost 45lbs so far, that is something to be proud of and going back to old eating eating habits and no exercise will just undo all the hard work you have already put in. It feels like whatever is going on in your life needs to be addressed with help and support and hopefully that will help u discover what is making you sabotage yourself. Of course there are people that the band just doesnt work for but given your initial weight loss it doesnt seem like that is the case, motivation to make this thing work to me is key for a successful journey, what motivated you when you were losing weight ? , try and get that back. Please dont throw in the towel, even if you set yourself a goal of not putting any weight back on it will help you bide time till you can sort out the emotional side of eating. I really hope u can sort this out and find something/someone that will help u get out of this 'low' that you find yourself in ..

I was able to drink coffee and tea after surgery, coffee can dehydrate you if u have large quantities of caffine but the odd cup to 'most people' has no ill effects at all, It is essential you follow your own Doctor's advice tho ..see the Mayo clinic ...http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661 which says: Question Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not? I've been seeing ads that say cola and coffee drinks hydrate you as well as Water does. Is this true? Answer from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. It is true. Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day. Still, caffeinated drinks can make you jittery, sleepless or anxious. Water is probably your best bet to stay hydrated. It's calorie-free, caffeine-free, inexpensive and readily available. If you are allowed to drink coffee then dont make it strong and use skimmed milk. good luck on your journey.

I think many have not had much sensation of restriction after the first fill, it can take up to 3 to 4 fills before this happens, but its very individual. Pateince and moderation is the key to getting through these times till u get to your sweet spot. Most Surgeons proceed with caution for the fills so as to not cause you any problems. Just give it time and i am sure you will be ok

I can eat most dried fruit .. which i am very happy about

i have felt stuck for 5 to 6 hours a couple of times, and salmon was also the problem i eat a lot of fish and now i poach salmon, its much softer and easier to eat. You might find its better to go on mushy or liquid after a stuck episode just to let your tummy recover as it can get a little swollen after getting stuck. I cant really advise u to call the doc or not , that decision is yours, all i can say is its rare that stuck episodes lead to medical intervention .. hope that helps and hopefully u wont be stuck too much longer !

Good luck and i wish you success

Absolutely agree with all you said .. I am a 197 lbs down in 11 months !

I weighed 400 lbs when i started this journey, I am 57 yrs old and everything hurt too believe me, but i started slow and steady, i did strength training and dumbells sitting down while i watched tv, i absolutely followed a healthy eating plan, i made the effort to move more and slowly it became easier each day, you have to be of a mind set that one step at a time is still better than no steps at all, once the weight starting dropping off i increased my exercise, i am still not a walker, but i use my bike to burn calories now, i still do strength training and this keeps the weight coming off. I dont consider myself as 'on a diet' what i eat now is what my body needs, not what my brain wants, the band helps me to reduce my portion sizes and helps me not feel hungry in between meals. 11 months banded, i wouldnt change a thing !.

I hope all the finance problems get sorted out for you and you get your surgery March isnt that long away, and this journey is years long so a couple of months wait in the grand scheme of things isnt that long to be honest. Use the time wisely, get fitter and see if you can drop some weight that way the extra time u have to wait will have been worth it . Good luck !

My surgeon requested i wait 6 months to do sit - ups ..

I too adore christmas, i will allow myself to have my favourites like christmas cake, panattone and sweet mincepies but only a 1 inch square, this gives me the taste of christmas not the full on calories.

I have always been a little confused by the information regarding coffee from a few posters here, the information in the uk from my surgeon is that coffee is fine. It certainly is regarded as more of a small help to weight loss than a hinderance in the UK. I found a good article including info from the Mayo clinic which i hope will help some of you ............ The idea that drinking coffee can keep you from getting hungry and aid in losing weight is a common one, and it may be true to an extent. As you might expect, there is more to it than that. While there is some evidence to suggest that drinking coffee will ward off hunger, there is also evidence that a weight-loss plan based around excessive coffee drinking could be misguided.Related Searches: Side Effects of Coffee Coffee and Tea Appetite Suppressant Yes, coffee is a natural appetite suppressant to a certain extent, because of its caffeine content. According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time, but there is not enough evidence to state that long-term consumption will help with weight loss. When hunger strikes, coffee can come to rescue for the moment. Naturalstrongappetitesuppressants.com says that one way to stop hunger, and keep it at bay for three hours, is to eat a handful (no more than 10) of peanuts and chase them with a few sips of coffee. This combination is said to nullify hunger within minutes. However, eating a comparable 30-calorie snack of any kind may stop hunger just as well if you give it a few minutes for the signal to be relayed to your brain. How much longer the caffeine in coffee will stop hunger is the key question, and the results may vary for different people. Coffee and Weight Loss In addition to the beverage's potential ability to control hunger, there are a couple of reasons why coffee may be effective in jumpstarting a weight-loss plan. Caffeine night stimulate thermogenesis, according the Mayo Clinic. Thermogenesis is a way the body produces heat and energy by digesting food and "burning" calories. Coffee also acts as a diuretic, which may cause some people to urinate more frequently and at higher volumes. This process will eliminate Water weight from the body, and could seem to indicate quick weight loss. However, the loss does not indicate a reduction in fat deposits, and metabolic processes can be stressed by functional dehydration. Side Effects Too much coffee or other heavily caffeinated beverages can lead to nervousness, restlessness and insomnia, and while black coffee may be effective for short-term appetite control, specialty coffees with high fat and sugar content are likely cause weight gain. Read more: Does Coffee Suppress Your Appetite? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5404063_coffee-suppress-appetite.html#ixzz1eyqqgonh

I had this a couple of times from a fill, my band seemed to tighten after a couple of weeks, not sure why it happens i just was more careful after that. Eating too fast is definitely as bad as not chewing enough . I tend to just make sure i am sitting upright when eating and if it does get stuck i havent found much worked for me except walking around and sometimes a heat pad on my back would feel comforting if nothing else !.

I am close to 200lbs lost so far and 11 months banded, moderation, consitency and exercise for me is the key. It seems a daunting task at first but just take it one step at a time and have patience, i have more weight to lose yet but no giving up now Good luck !

Wishing all US 'banster's' a Happy Thanksgiving