Jim1967

Hi John, just curious what made you give up? Based on your comments I am curious to hear more of your story. Did you have complications?

Like tmf said we are all different and fills are based on individual needs. That being said I have the Realize 11cc band with 9.5cc in it. I lost weight along the way but it took really 9 months to find the sweet spot and now that I found it weight loss seems a little more steady.

That is very kind of you to say Sara. Thank you. I am 100% about paying it forward when it comes to support. I have used every support tool I could find from live meetings to this site. Although this started out as a website I would visit it has now become a place where I interact with friends. I committed to continue attending in person support meetings not so much for my own needs but because I have been asked by specific people to keep going and attending. I have been asked a few times about becoming a patient ambassador at the Center but I feel that is a big commitment and I am not sure if it will gel with my work schedule. Plus I am not going to be happy with my weight until I hit goal.

Are you in the green zone? I haven't had any cravings in a very long time...

Sounds like perfectly normal signs of post op.

Thank you everyone

Thank you...

I agree that your Nutritionist and Doc are the best guides to go by. With that said I can go 5 hours between meals if I needed to. I eat 3 meals a day with one of them being a Protein shake. Getting in your daily protein is very important. I do not snack at all nor do I get the cravings or head hunger that I once had. As for calorie count I don't worry much about it and my Nutritionist tells me not to worry about that part either. You cannot base your daily caloric intake as that of an Un-banded person. You simply cannot take in those high amount of calories once you hit the green zone. I average any where from 800 to 1200 calories daily. I know people are going to post after me and dispute the calorie part and that is fine. Everyone is entitled to opinions but as long as my weight is coming off and my Nutritionist is happy then I don't sweat the small stuff. Work with your Doc, Nutritionist and Band and do what works for you.

Welcome aboard and I wish you both the best of luck!!

I would definitely seek out your band doctor. I understand you are an experienced Nurse but who knows what could be going on in there.

Congratulations. It feels so liberating doesn't it? I can actually out walk my wife now at the grocery store. Sometimes it's the simple things in life...

the sweet spot that is known as the green zone. Some are lucky and never have to worry about it and some of us have to figure out if we are really in it or not or if it even exists. Since my last fill on Jan 29th I can certainly say it exists. I can easily go 5 hours with need to eat and I never have the cravings or desires to snack. Jan 29th I weighed 346 and this morning I was 313. Today I also had my one year follow up visit and the Center was happy with everything they seen and heard and they feel I am in a very good place right now. They decided that they only need to see me every 6 months but if I have any problems at all with anything or think I need adjustment then call sooner and get in. I still have a long way to go in my journey but sometimes it is good to take a step back and look at the big picture. My Doc took all my measurements this morning and then gave me this print out for a little perspective. I am 93lbs from my personal goal but I am more motivated then ever. My advice to all the new folks considering this option. Patience...this trip requires a lot patience but if you're true to yourself and follow your Docs advice and guidelines you can be successful. With anything there are ups and downs but you have to grind through the low points. Lapband surgery one day and weight loss the next does not happen. It can take some time for the ball to really start rolling.

Wish I had the plication done but it was something my Surgeon was just starting to introduce to patients when I was two months out from surgery day and I didn't know enough about it and I didn't want to push the surgery out to learn more about it.

I need to see this today. Thank you Cheryl.

Great advice and so true...try and find other ways to gauge success. Using just a scale to measure success will lead to some very frustrating days. I know because I am still a scale addict nearly a year out. I am not nearly as bad.

I may start doing two scoops just to get in the extra

Every morning a nice protein shake. 26grams of protein to start the day off.

B52 - I can totally related to your initial posting. It sounds like you were describing me to Tee. Portion control says it all for me. I still have those things that I enjoy from time to time because deprivation does not work period. Deprivation is just another form of dieting in my opinion. I tried that path for a time and sure I lost a lot of weight but that is not a long term or realistic approach. Thanks to the band I have learned portion control and I no longer suffer from head hunger. I still see so many banders who suffer from head hunger and I do not understand it. What I don't understand is, is it the band that took away my head hunger or am I mentally in a better place now?? It really confuses me. I totally wished that all who deal with head hunger could walk in my shoes for a day. It is so liberating that food and the desire food no longer has a grip on me. I don't journal food intake 100% of the time either. Being realistic journaling food for the rest of my life is just not going to happen. Maybe if I was taught to do it in grade school it would be a different story. If you think I am breaking a band rule for not doing it then whatever....but to me documenting food intake daily downright pain. I do it time to time so my Nut can keep tabs and make suggestions but she knows I only journal a week or so just for visits with her so she can have an idea what I am doing. Making lifestyle changes is a very individual based concept and people need to find the balance that works for them. No journey is ever the same and in my opinion there is no final end to this journey until I take my last breath. One of the other things I have found difficult is that some people in my life still do not understand my lifestyle change. I do not give one once of **** about food anymore. I will come to your cookout but you don't need to make wings, steak and burgers to impress me. Give me a cup of food and I am good to go. My Father actually said to my mother with me in the room that I am starving myself because I eat so little. I try so hard to educate people around me but most do not take that much interest. I eat like a bird and a few believe it is a cause for concern because it is so unlike the old me.

I drink a truck load of decaf coffee. I drink more coffee now than I did pre-band and I think part of it is because it has become my substitute for soda. I do drink water with crystal lite but not as much as I should.

Today is a new day. Strive to make it different than yesterday. Do not dwell on yesterday or that could lead to an unproductive new day!

Find a nice thick Protein shake that you like. I use the chocolate body fortress whey powder from Walmart. 8oz of unsweetened almond breeze milk, 1 scoop of the whey powder with a little bit of ice and blend into a nice thick smoothy. It will give you 27grams of protein. Healthy and filling.

That Dr Simpson article is great. I made it part of my signature long ago andI read it often. Even veterans need a refresher once in awhile.

So fellow vets do you ever catch yourself analyzing your stomach gurgles? Out of no where my stomach will gurgle and I start to think about when was the last time I ate and then I start asking myself if it is a sign of hunger or just typical band noise.

Actually I can take this one a bit further. 'If you can't love yourself then how can you possibly expect someone else to love you'. I was in a bad place for a very long time....I'm no longer in that place anymore but when I do look in the mirror and all I see is that 500lb person. Mentally I am there but visually I have not caught up yet. Still a long road to go but healing takes time just like weight loss does.

I was a terrible Diet Pepsi addict. I drank it day and night. I would go through two 24 packs alone per week not including the cans I would get from my office vending machine. April 14th will mark one year since I last had a drop of soda and Guinness. Missed my Guinness last weekend a little bit but I am OK without the soda. Surprised how easy it was to give it up. I guess you prepare and get your head straight leading up to Surgery that you just don't miss it or at least I didn't.