Cynsayshun

I was off caffeine for 2 mos after my sugery but went back to my one cup in the mornings. I made the change from extra cream and heavy sugar to cream and splenda!! It works for me and my nutrition said the one cup of day won't hurt just get my Water in.. coffee suppresses my appetite in the mornings. You will find many personal opinion here and many different medical opinions from each persons surgeon. So no one can tell you what the exact black/white rules are.. You will learn your band and your body. For example my surgeon has said it's ok to go back to regular foods after a fill (some will tell you their dr says liquids only) . I have only had one problem with a fill and that was an overfill that i requested, when I was probably at my green zone at the time. I have not stopped losing since my band surgery last Oct. Some months I lose 4-5 lbs some months only 1-3, but I'm totally happy with it. I will a couple of times a month when go to the movie, have popcorn and drink a small soda,(which some people say never do) it has not hurt me once. The one thing I do with persistance is I never eat and drink at the same time. I always wait 45 min to an hour to drink something..I am consisent about getting my exercise in weekly with a minimum of 3x, but try to shoot for 4 days of workouts.
So listen to your surgeon, your team and your body when it comes to the Band. The golden rule is to allow the restriction to guide you in not stuffing yourself, I've learned you can enjoy treating yourself once in awhile, with just much smaller tastes of things will satisfy the urges,
Just my humble opinions

I was off caffeine for 2 mos after my sugery but went back to my one cup in the mornings. I made the change from extra cream and heavy sugar to cream and splenda!! It works for me and my nutrition said the one cup of day won't hurt just get my Water in.. coffee suppresses my appetite in the mornings. You will find many personal opinion here and many different medical opinions from each persons surgeon. So no one can tell you what the exact black/white rules are.. You will learn your band and your body. For example my surgeon has said it's ok to go back to regular foods after a fill (some will tell you their dr says liquids only) . I have only had one problem with a fill and that was an overfill that i requested, when I was probably at my green zone at the time. I have not stopped losing since my band surgery last Oct. Some months I lose 4-5 lbs some months only 1-3, but I'm totally happy with it. I will a couple of times a month when go to the movie, have popcorn and drink a small soda,(which some people say never do) it has not hurt me once. The one thing I do with persistance is I never eat and drink at the same time. I always wait 45 min to an hour to drink something..I am consisent about getting my exercise in weekly with a minimum of 3x, but try to shoot for 4 days of workouts.
So listen to your surgeon, your team and your body when it comes to the Band. The golden rule is to allow the restriction to guide you in not stuffing yourself, I've learned you can enjoy treating yourself once in awhile, with just much smaller tastes of things will satisfy the urges,
Just my humble opinions

I was advised by my nutritionist to keep it to one cup of day nit for erosion but dehydration. It suppresses my appetite but...I use fattening creamer!!!! So defeats the purpose. But this is the one thing I will keep...I have to be to work by 6:30 am so I enjoy that first part of morning when I sip my Creamer with coffee. I need to find a good fat free sugar free one...haven't yet.

Caffeine has absolutely no effect on the band. It increases appetite, for some people. My doctor has no problem with it as long as we keep it under control (no more than 8oz a day). I don't drink coffee anyway, but I do enjoy tea a few times a week. We have been told no carbonation because it can cause gas, which is painful, and in some people even expand your stomach pouch. We have been advised of the possibilities, but were never told we could never have it again. I take a few sips of diet pepsi here and there. No problems, but I don't gulp it or drink it with a straw, which increases the amount of air that gets into your stomach. To each there own. As long as you keep yourself under control I would think it would be ok. Obviously, follow doctors orders first and foremost. I was told you never have Pasta, rice or tortilla and that I am fine with.

coffee actually supresses my appetite! I find that having my daily cup between Breakfast and lunch really helps me avoid snacking. I did okay for the few months I quit coffee, but man, life is SO much nicer with it I didn't want to deprive myself of everything good!!

Yeah, don't do that.
I was soda free for over two years after surgery. Then one day, I took a little sippy. Then another.
In the past year I've gone from 210 (I was 350 prior to surgery) back up to 240. My food diet hasn't really changed. But guess what has? Drinking 2-3 sodas a day (okay, and my exercising has slacked but I'm getting back on that). I nixed soda again as of two days ago. Day one and two were tough. This morning, I'm golden and feel a lot better with just Water.
Soda = devil. And don't sub it with Vitamin Water or sweet tea. Drinking your calories is literally the worst thing you can do.
Your band or stomach or whatever they tell you will not explode, implode or anything similar. But it will seriously backtrack you. Don't bother. Trust me on that.

Your body or mind is asking for pure sugar. Try switching to a fruit you like. There are still carbs in fruit but they're not empty calories like candy. Try melons, bananas, peaches, blueberries are awesome. This is a great time of the year to shop for fruit. Lots of fresh local fruit almost everywhere.
tmf

In the 'skinny rules' by Bob from the biggest loser, he says that he thinks artificial sweeteners cause cravings for sweets. Maybe could you try the coffee black for a week, and see if that helps?

..more on this one. i have black coffee with no artificial sweetener but do sometimes have dietary lemon drink.

..im the same and i had no idea how bad i was before. It seems that having the band in has intensified the urges... maybe because my entire diet has changed? im not eating bread anymore and hardly ever have any white processed flour. but... if i eat as much as one square of chocolate, or have one piece of licorace.... away i go. its hard.

In my personal opinion/experience, it's the red hits and chocolate that are feeding your desire for more sugar. I believe I have a sugar addiction. When I eat the tiniest amount of sugar, I want MORE and MORE! Even a red hot could make me lose control. It's like any addiction, I can't do "just a little" and remain in control.
You may need to break your addiction ( if you think you have one) by stopping cold turkey. After a few days the cravings will stop and you won't crave it again, until you have another taste of a high-sugary food. FYI ----carbs trigger my addiction as well, because the body recognizes them as sugars. So no white food for me: Pasta, bread, potatoes, crackers, chips, etc.
Something to consider......best wishes!

I've been banded since October 4, 2011 and I've lost 44 pounds which includes 20 lbs pre-op weight loss, and I'm really enjoying the weight loss, wearing heels again & feeling so much lighter & a little sexier :-). I'm getting my first fill tomorrow as I have found my appetite increasing. The one negative I have and I hope it is something that goes away is GAS, everything makes me gassy, which is a little inconvenience when around others.. I've become a "fart" machine LOL...However, I don't regret having the surgery, wish I had done it sooner!!

I've been banded since October 4, 2011 and I've lost 44 pounds which includes 20 lbs pre-op weight loss, and I'm really enjoying the weight loss, wearing heels again & feeling so much lighter & a little sexier :-). I'm getting my first fill tomorrow as I have found my appetite increasing. The one negative I have and I hope it is something that goes away is GAS, everything makes me gassy, which is a little inconvenience when around others.. I've become a "fart" machine LOL...However, I don't regret having the surgery, wish I had done it sooner!!

Mio is really good.

The foods that you are eating, to me, sound very "hard". I have issues with sandwiches, wraps, etc. I know you may have eaten them before, but for me at least, just because I was able to eat something one day doesn't mean I could eat it another. Also, if it happens again where you are stuck in the morning, I would eat just liquids, mushies & easy to eat foods for the rest of the day. Your band was probably pretty swollen after all the sliming, so trying to eat solids & then a cheese steak sandwich was possibly very hard on it. Take it easy a couple of days and let things calm down inside. Then you can evaluate if you need a defill or not.
When I'm stuck, sometimes things just have to come up. If you've gone this long without any stuck episodes, I'm sure you're fine. I would just let things calm down for a couple of days.
AS for what to do during an episode, you could try papaya enzyme pills or some people swear by a little pineapple juice to help digest things. I have tried the papaya enzyme and it does work if I'm not TOO stuck. But as I said, if it gets to a bad point, I think it's better to just get it up than keep sliming & suffering. You're not actually vomiting, just getting that undigested food back up.
Hope you feel better!

You might have your lapband too full. I just went through that for 6 days when I finally when back to the doctor and they removed .10 cc of my band; and I feel like a new person. Believe don't wait too long!!!!! But after you do get sick my dr advises to be on liquids the next 8 hours to give your stomach some relief. Good Luck!!!!

I must say I Love lapbanders !! You all were able to say why u chose lapband with out being mean about the sleeve.i went to the sleeve support group just to check it out and they were really rude nasty and angry at the lap band.I could not believe it!! It was like the lap band was thee person that objected at their wedding ! It was horrible !! I think most of us looked at all the options and chose what we thought was best for us.wether it was bypass,plication,sleeve or lapband.
and no matter what we chose should all be commended for taking this huge step to get healthy.
With that said I chose the band instead of sleeve becauses of the the statistics listed already,the adjustability,fear of my stomach restretching ,and my fear of having any part of me removed forever and ever :-) like others have said if this fails I may have to consider the sleeve but I will work to help my band help me !!

You are so right Jean! That's funny I've never looked at it in that light. 1-2 lbs per week!! It was so stuck in my head about the You Tube folks that claimed to be down sometimes 4-7 lbs weekly. I'm on track!! That makes me smile. Thanks for pointing that out.
In regards to the egg I'm leery about trying them again I have noticed since the fill last week I can really eat less and stop!! So I'm going to see how things go until my May appointment and maybe I won't need another fill then.

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

HDQT, I was banded on Oct 4, 2011 and for 3 weeks the scale didn't move but I could tell in my clothes I was losing inches. I started to question the people I watched on YouTube over the years, that were banded and every week, they were saying they were down 3 - 4 lbs. After my 5th week, the scale moved 4 pounds, in one week. I had my 2nd surgeon follow up last Tues and because I was down 10 pounds since the surgery and have no issues with hunger, (in between my 3x a day meals), so he said I didn't need a fill. We will take it month by month.
Here is the shocker, I weighed 214 this Tuesday morning and on Saturday, I was down to 208!! The surgeon told me the first month our bodies are healing and don't worry about the scale, it proved to be true. I've been doing the treadmill and/or the Walk Away the Pounds 3 - times a week, I alternate between those two exercise routines, and I keep my caloric intake to 1200 or less, and include at least 20 grams of Protein and my Water. So far I can eat any types foods, I haven't had a stuck episode, this band is like some type of Miracle Worker I just love it!! Just be patient, it will start coming off. I'm soooo excited I'm 8 lbs away from Onederland!!! Stay encouraged!!!

I am almost 6 months out and still do not have a fill. I also can eat whatever I want, but I choose not to. I am down almost 90 pounds and have not one cc in my band. If you are losing, no need to get a fill. I go to my surgeon every 2 months, but each time they tell me that if I want a fill to just give them a call. I am happy right now without it and I am dropping pounds, so until I start gaining or am hungry in between meals, I will stick with no fluid!

Not everyone needs a fill. As long as your losing weight you are fine. I lost 14 pounds the first month after being banded and I still got a fill. I wasnt too happy about that since I didnt think I needed one. You are very lucky not to need one!

I understand that everyone's journey is different, but I have been banded since October 2009 and have had only 2 fills. One in November 2009 and one in January 2010. There is only 3.5 cc in my band. I have lost 152 pounds with 10 pounds to go to reach my goal. I still have very good restriction.
I think that if you go to your doctor regularly and follow a plan that is good for you, don't worry everything will be fine.