motivatedlap

i also started around a 32 bmi- 152cm and about 75kg. i lost about 21kg over 5 months, then i started exercising and didn't lose more weight, but dropped a dress size or two. i'm gaining again, but it's because i'm expecting. i think after the birth it will be easy to get back down because i had no trouble maintaining before i got pregnant.

i only wanted to lose about 50 too so i felt a little crazy having the sugery, but i'm so glad i did it! i didn't want to wait until my weight go a lot higher or i had other health complications. now that i'm close to goal though, i'm wondering how maintaining my weight is gonna work...

i feel the same way some times because i have discovered that if i'm stressed, it's hard to get anything down. i also don't do the whole high-protein thing because i felt the same way- i would just not eat because it disgusted me and not eating is not healthy. i try to eat more of a balanced diet including fruits and veggies with my meats- i even have small amounts of rice and Pasta, and every now and then a little bread. if i listen to my stomach and not my head, i can have what i want and enjoy eating without eating too much. don't choke down something you don't like- enjoy the tiny amount of food you get to eat!

things are going well! it's seven months since my sugery and i've almost met my goal! just had an endoscopy recently and everything looks good. i was worried because i was having pain but it has since gone away. i think maybe it was the tubing rubbing against something? it's weird because i can feel the tubing if i press on my side, but dr. kang said it was fine.

thanks for the website! i'll have to check it out for supplements. i actually don't do the high Protein diet. i eat mostly regular food, just way smaller portions! good luck on getting the last 30 off! i feel like i plateau for a couple of weeks, then suddenly a kilo will disappear. i've stopping weighing myself all the time and now i'm mostly going by the fit of my clothes. i've also recently started exercising, so i'm hoping that will get rid of some of the flab!

I have been reading conflicting stories...I received my first fill last friday. She put 5cc in my 11cc band. SHe then told me that if I didnt feel any restriction which I probably wouldnt she said I could come back next friday..which is only 1 week later for another small fill this time. That just seems like alot too soon!

Crystal

I'm not trying to start a heated debate on this, but so what if someone else or their doctor thinks what your doctor is doing is wrong? None of us have probably studied performing gastric surgery or gone to medical school, but we did do some work in selecting a doctor we trust. If you don't want the fill that your doctor will give you because you don't feel you need it, then I'm sure telling your doctor that would be just fine and she would not give it to you. However, don't base what your doctor is trying to do with you and your situation on what you read on the internet. Your doctor knows YOUR situation and is making decisions based on that. Trust your doctor and if you don't, find a new one.

I did a 14-hour, non-stop flight 3 weeks after surgery and it was fine. I made sure to get up and walk around as much as possible. The best advice will probably be your doctor's!

Agreed with Cazzy- do what your doctor says. Just for comparison though ...mine did the first fill 5 weeks after surgery then had me come in every 10 days to 2 weeks, though I think if I wanted one sooner he would.

Wow!! I can't believe so many got such big fills in the beginning. I have a 10cc band and my doc said the max she puts in for the first fill is 3cc's. She put that in on 11/21 and I couldn't get Water down. It hurt so bad and I threw up. She quickly took 1cc out and I felt much better...She has one patient with more than that (6.5cc's), but the majority of her patients are between 3 and 5cc's and are loosing.

It amazes me to see how people have 7,8, or even 9 cc's in a 10cc band......I would think all you can eat is liquids and Soup....

This just goes to show how individual- from both a patient and surgeon perspective- this journey is for everyone! We're all comparing numbers to help us feel like we're in the "right" area of where we think we should be, but there's a lot more to it. People have different amounts of fat around their stomachs and different sized stomachs, so 10ccs may put one person on a liquid only diet while another person with 10ccs can still eat pizza. With my band almost full, I could still have anything I wanted.

Also, I sometimes wonder if getting multiple tiny fills is a method used by some doctors to make more money off insurance companies/patients for those who are paying a considerable amount for them. My fills are only about $10, so I don't think my surgeon wants to see me that often (kidding!).

Hi!! I'm new here. I have had the Realize Band since June 2011. I'm at 10cc's now and still feel hungry. I feel restriction when I eat, but still feel hunger. Does anyone in here have 10cc's? I'm starting to get very, very nervous.

Fear not! I was in the same sort of situation before my 3rd fill last week. I have an 11cc SAGB (because I'm outside of the US). My first fill was 10ccs (because my doctor is more aggressive with fills) and I was still hungry and could eat ANYTHING- all of the food I tried would go through. Now I'm at 10.3ccs and I do still feel hungry every once in a while, but most of the time I can wait to eat from meal to meal and don't need Snacks anymore. And usually when I am hungry, it's not a very powerful hunger- I can ignore it for hours if I'm too busy to sit down and eat like I should. Also, I now have to eat much more slowly and chew a lot more carefully. I had my first stuck episode/PB over the weekend and it was horrible! I hope it never happens again!

It may just take a tiny bit more fill for you to get to your sweet spot- I was so shocked that such a tiny amount has made such a difference for me. I had 10.5ccs on my second fill and that was too much- it caused me to be in pain! Good luck!!

Going into my closet and not being able to wear any of it because it's too big, which led me to go shopping where I purchased dresses and tops a size or two smaller than usual. Also, my "skinny jeans" were a little saggy yesterday- but they were tight two weeks ago.

I have 10.3cc in an 11cc band. My first fill was 10cc, second was 0.5cc but I had it taken out, then I got 0.3cc the third time and I'm feeling just right!

I've only been banded a couple of months, have 10.3ccs in an 11cc band and I haven't been stuck- but it's sort of like B-52 said- I have a fear of it happening, so I'm really careful.

I feel like people from the US use a different approach than people from elsewhere in the world. You're not the only Australian who has shared similar experiences.

For sure! It seems like a lot of people are pushing the whole 70g of protein/no carbs approach to be successful. My doctor gives advice very similar to Lello's mindset- which is a GREAT read by the way! My doctor trained in Australia and gives out Dr. Paul O'Brien's book as a guide and I find it a really realistic approach for how to eat for the LONG TERM.

I'm also hoping to stop counting calories soon because I think I'm at a good place after my third fill, but it may be a little too soon to tell. I weigh every day as well, which I know many people say don't do, but it makes me more aware of what I'm putting in my mouth- and it makes me feel really good to see the number moving down each morning! And when it's not moving, I work a little harder that day to try to get it to move the next day. I never get depressed and binge if it doesn't go down or moves up a little.

Not being "judgy", just stating my opinion...people are talking about "lifestyle change"...doesn't mean keep eating the same things you ate before your surgery. ..That doesn't include pizza...we'll be the same fatties we once were...try to make better food choices is all. We're all works in progress and no one is failing. We're all struggling and learning.

It is different for everyone. And I think it is COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC to think that it will be possible for ME to cut certain foods or food groups out of my diet- bravo to those of you who can if it's the right thing for you. I feel that for me, that's just setting me up for failure- every diet in the past failed because there were all these "bad foods" that were off limits. I eat pizza and I will continue to eat pizza on occasion but now I can only handle a small slice. MODERATION is what I feel is the key. Most of my diet does consist of healthy foods, but I still want to enjoy a treat now and then (meaning once or twice a week).

Lainey M made a great point at the end of her post!! We're all learning, so learn what's right for you and don't feel guilty if someone else gives you a hard time for a food choice you make- YOU have to live with that choice, not them. Everyone is different.

My band is almost completely full and I have not found anything yet that won't go down. I only eat white meat chicken because I don't like dark meat. I eat a small bit of rice or Pasta a few times a week. I have also had bread on a few occassions and it didn't stick. I have also had pizza- I was only able to eat a small slice though because I was satisfied.

One thing you might find that will be more important than WHAT you eat is WHEN you eat it. I don't really eat anything too solid for about an hour and a half after I wake up. I've done it a couple of times and the food goes down, but after a couple of bites, I'm done and for some reason, it makes me feel yucky. I prefer milk or a smoothie in the morning and may have a little oatmeal later on.

I have an 11cc band as well and I could still eat anything I wanted even with with no vomiting or other negative consequence, though I tried to keep my amount to no more than a cup. After my first fill of 10ccs I was in the SAME situation- anything would go down with NO trouble! I would get hungry about 2.5-3 hours after a meal, but I eat about every 4 hours, so I would make myself wait or just drink something. I just got my 2nd fill yesterday- I'm at 10.3ccs and I can already tell a difference (technically it's my third because my 2nd one was 0.5cc but I had it taken back out about an hour later because I was having chest and back pain). I tried to drink some Sprite this morning and it just wouldn't go down very well (I have been drinking carbonated beverages occassionally since banding with no issues). I stopped after about 3 sips. For Breakfast I could barely eat my egg but did manage a little tuna.< /p>

Try to be strong until you get to the right spot with your fill! I've been having to use a bit of willpower so far, and I'm happy with my progress. I don't want to be at the point where food won't go down, but not getting hungry as quickly would be so nice. I'm hoping my fill yesterday did the trick!

The Realize band is marketed as being a low pressure band. What this actually means in practice is that people with a Realize band usually need a higher level of fill in order to achieve adequate restriction.

As someone with a SAGB, which is basically the Realize band, I have to agree with this. I have the 11cc band and am currently filled to 10ccs and I have a pretty low level of restriction- I get hungry between meals at least once a day but I can usually power through without eating anything until my next meal. I go for another fill tomorrow and I hope that it will get me to the point that my hunger is a little less throughout the day.

A few of things that are different between the two are: 1) the sizes they offer (both have two different options, though the Lap-Band does have a 4cc but it seems to be only outside the US from what I've read on this site- Lap-band 10 and 14, Realize- 9 and 11- one of those is the Realize C), 2) the port on the Realize band is lower profile (which may or may not be an issue with it showing as you lose weight)- the attachmend of the port also is different depending on the surgeon- Realize has a suture-less option and 3) the inner-ring of the band is divided into sections on the Lap-Band but the Realize is one big section.

Here's the comparison chart from the Realize site:

http://www.realize.com/lap-band-comparison.htm

And from the Lap-Band site:

http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/compare_lapband/ (which has somewhat misleading info about Realize IMO regarding size and the length of usage- it makes it sound like there is only one size, but there are actually two and it has been used outside the US since 1996- the "name change" came with the FDA approval in 2007):

Both companies are headquartered in the US, but I'm not sure where their bands are actually made.

I have the SAGB because I am outside the US. My doctor made the decision for me, but he also uses the Lap-Band and I could have had that one if I had requested it. To me, they both seem to do the same thing, so I left it up to his judgement of which one to use. He does more of the SAGBs, so he's more comfortable with that one and that's fine with me. Good luck with your choice!

Same here- I only told a couple of close family members, my boss and one coworker. I *only* want to lose about 50 pounds, so I don't want to hear people say, "Why go through surgery? You don't need to lose that much. You could do it with diet and exercise." Yeah, maybe I could, but then it would just come right back like it has every other time I lost it- I'm doing this not only to lose it, but to keep it off. I don't want to wait until I have diabetes or high blood pressure- both of which run in my family on both sides- or heart disease which has killed 3 out of 4 of my grandparents.

Even after I lose the weight, I still won't tell people because frankly, it's none of their business. I might tell more of my family at a later point, but again, with that will come judgement- they are all obese and made fun of me when I did Weight Watchers- can't imagine their reaction to WLS!

Wanted to add too that when people ask what I'm doing to lose the weight, I say "smaller portions, healthier choices and exercising more". Maybe that's lying by ommission, but it's also the truth. If I thought someone was *truly* interested because of their own weightloss struggle, not out of some curiosity to know a bit of gossip, I would share with them. Otherwise, I'm keeping it to myself!

Good luck! Hope your surgery goes smoothly!

I was banded 11-12-11. I've been losing slowly but steadily. I've had a couple of fills, but had the last one taken back out because it was too much. I'm going in next week for another one and the doctor is going to try something slightly smaller than last time. As far as restriction, I can eat anything and haven't been stuck. I have a day every now and then where I'm really hungry, but most days I can control my appetite pretty easily with a little willpower and hot tea! And some days I don't feel hungry at all.

I just started excercising FOR REAL...sort of a new year's resolution. So far I've only been walking my dog, but now I'm taking a dance class one day a week and doing strength training 3 days a week. I'm happy with my weight loss speed so far, but I won't complain if my new exercise program speeds it up!

I'm an every day weigher! I just like to do it because I feel like it keeps me on track- I don't get depressed if the number is the same or goes up a bit because if one of those is the case, I was already expecting it based on what I consumed the day before. If I'm up one morning, I try a little harder to make better choices that day and usually I see it go down the next day. However, that being said, I'm more concerned about how my clothes fit and I am very excited that almost NONE of my work clothes fit anymore! (but also sad because I have to wear professional clothes and right now I'm rotating between two pairs of pants and a dress!)

I do like to watch the scale, but the big thing for me is how clothes fit, how I look and how I feel. If you haven't already done, measure yourself on the same day each month so you have some numbers to look at that will make you happy!

It varies for me too, depending on the day and the food. Last Friday I couldn't get full, but stopped myself at 1300 calories (my daily norm is under 1000- I track most days, but do have one 'cheat day' every couple of weeks where I don't track). As I'm typing this, I've just finished my lunch which was 1/4 cup of hummus with 1/2 a small bell pepper and I can't eat another bite.

If you do decide to go the route of measuring, eat off little dishes and eat slowly. Looking at 1/2 cup of food on a big plate is just discouraging! But if it's in a tiny bowl and you try to make it last 15 minutes, you'll get bored about halfway through!

My band is not really that tight- I can eat as much of any food I want with no sticking or vomiting, but I choose not to (most of the time!). If I'm not paying attention, I can eat and eat, but if I take my time and focus on how I'm feeling, a small amount of food does just fine for me. I do "eat" more than 3 times per day- if I do liquids at Breakfast, I have a mid-morning snack and sometimes in the afternoon I have a calorie-containing beverage.

My first fill will be tomorrow YAY! I have a question about grinding meds. If a pill is small like Claritan do you still grind it. Do you take small chunks or ground to a powder?

Check with your doctor/on the package for this- some meds specifically indicate that that must be taken whole, not ground, crushed or broken into piece. I was recently looking at some different cold medicine and I wanted to make sure it was OK to do that and I noticed that packaged read NOT to do it, so I went with a liquid.< /p>

I'm a stomach sleeper and right now I'm seeing my doctor every two weeks for fills. My first fill was 5 weeks after surgery and I've had two since surgery, though I had one taken back out because it was too much for me.