DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I know there's been a zillion threads on this, but what's one more right? I am seeing A LOT of people so hung up on the scale that they're missing the Non Scale Victories (yes that's what NSV means). So, please list your NSVs here! It doesn't matter how big or how small, we want to hear it! Mine are (in no particular order): The ability to sit in any chair I want without worrying if I'll fit or break it The ability to sit in booths at restaurants Flying without needing a seat belt extender No longer wearing plus sized clothes Trying on a size 'large' shirt and finding it's too big- and buying a size 'medium' Walking by mirrors while shopping and thinking "wow I look cute" instead of "ugh gross" Being very active in my kids' lives Going from needing a cane to get around the house to walking 2 miles a day unaided No longer having high blood pressure or high blood sugar. No longer having a sleep apnea (or even snoring anymore) Not being recognized by people who haven't seen me since getting my band (literally) Being able to wear cute, stylish clothes (I've become a shopping addict!) Sitting with my legs crossed Being told I look more like my almost 19yr old daughter's sister rather than her mother

I love the expensive (high calorie) drinks at coffee shops. One of my favorites is a caramel cafe mocha. Problem is, even a medium one at McDonalds is a whopping 280 calories. So I have been experimenting and I have finally perfected a homemade one that is simply yummy. Honestly, it's so good I don't even want a calories ridden coffee shop one anymore. Swiss Miss makes a diet hot chocolate. Now, they also make a no sugar added one, and it's not the same thing. In fact, the no sugar added one DOES still have sugar and it's 60 calories per serving whereas the diet is only 25 calories per serving. So, you need the diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate Cafe al Fresco makes a 0 calorie, 0 fat caramel shot. It's only $2 for a bottle and it's so good. It comes it many flavors like english toffee, vanilla, bailys, hazelnut, etc. so you could use whatever flavor you like. -1/4 cup skim milk -2 tbsp Cafe al Fresco caramel syrup -1 packet Stevia -1 packet Swiss Miss diet hot chocolate -cofee Combine the milk, caramel syrup, Stevia, and hot chocolate in a big mug and mix it well. Then, simply fill the mug the rest of the way with coffee. That's it! A yummy caramel mocha and the entire thing is only 46 calories and zero fat!! Also, if you're looking for a way to jazz up your Protein shakes, you can substitute your favorite Protein shake for the hot chocolate. I've done this with powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Chocolate Splendor and it's really good! Enjoy!

It's very interesting, but I'm curious how you can test the validity of the answers? Nowhere does it ask any identifiable information. How do you know people aren't just giving bogus answers? Just curious.

I do know Bactrim is known for not only a loss of appetite but nausea as well. Be VERY careful of your INR. As you know, 4.5 is really high. Bactrim is notorious for making your INR skyrocket. If I were in your shoes, I'd talk to your doctor about cutting your Coumadin in half while on the Bactrim. (btw, I just finished 6 months of Coumadin so that's why I'm familiar with the INR issues) Hang in there and feel better soon.

Beautiful and touching post. Thank you so much for sharing it.

You look wonderful- and very happy! This is such a great picture!!

You look stunning! Congratulations!!

For the most part, body shapers only have about a 6 month shelf life. They slowly stretch out then you have to buy a new one. I've used Spanx and really liked them. Plus, they offer different levels of support rather than one-for-all. Right now they have 10% off + free shipping: http://www.spanx.com/

I track every single calorie I eat and never eat more a cup of food per meal. For me, this has been crucial to successfully losing weight with the band.

If it were me, I wouldn't get the fill. You sound like you're already in the Green Zone. Remember, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you need a fill. It means you need to stick to band sized portions and be aware of when you're satisfied. The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. The saying around here is "just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should". The band will tell you that you've had enough by means of no longer being hungry. Some people even have soft stops. But if you want to eat more than a cup, you can and will, regardless of Green Zone. Many people end up too tight by making this mistake and end up with complications and slips because of it.

She's doing well on it, but we were warned it can take 4-8 weeks for it to take full effect. In the meantime, she's taking Flexeril and Ibuprofen. Pretty much toughing it out. She's not had any adverse reactions whatsover so far, so that is a huge relief. They won't give her pain meds either. I've actually given her half of my Vicodin before because she was in so much pain. Hang in there Donna, you can do this

First, it's really important to realize your ability to eat fast or even how much you can eat have nothing to do with proper restriction or the Green Zone. There is a really common saying around here "just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should". The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. Whether or not you're at the proper filled is determined by satiety, not fullness and not the amount you're eating. Are you satisfied on a cup or less of food for at least 4 hours? If yes, you're probably right where you should be. If no, you might need more Fluid. Keep in mind if you're eating until full you're likely eating to much. This is one of the reasons it's very important to stick to band sized portions. If you think the nurse leaked some of the fluid, I would go back and insist your surgeon checks the fluid level, not the nurse or anyone else. Here's a link that will help too: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

hair loss is really common after any surgery and it usually doesn't even start until 3-4 months post operation. It will stop on it's own. Make sure you get enough Protein and lots of Water, too. Hang in there.

It's not so much what we specifically eat but rather making healthy food choices. For most of us, it's also about staying within our daily calorie allowance, too. I would make an appointment with your nutritionist.

Call your surgeon, tell him about the pain and spitting up food, and let him decide. Pain is never normal. Best wishes.

Unfortunately, there is no way we can answer your question. We're not doctors. If I were you, I'd find a surgeon who does both bariatric surgery and general surgery and ask him. Only he/she could answer your question.

You'll get a very wide array of answers on this. The old way of thinking was that drinking during meals or too soon after meals would wash the food through the band too quickly. Studies now show this isn't true because food shouldn't sit above the band for more than a minute. In fact, food that does sit above the band puts you at risk for erosion. Now, in light of recent studies, a lot doctors are saying sipping between bites is ok so long as you wait a minute so the food fully passes before pouring down Water. And, sipping, not gulping. As always, it's best to do what your own surgeon recommends (if they recommend anything at all).

I had over 12 pounds of skin removed yet the scale crept up immediately after surgery. It wasn't weight gain though, it was serious Fluid retention. When they do a tummy tuck, they cut the lymphatic channels between your upper and lower torso/legs. This can cause some pretty serious fluid retention. What you're experiencing isn't uncommon at all. Give it a couple more weeks. In the meantime, stay away from salt and if you see the scale still creeping up, see if maybe your doctor will give you something for the Water weight. Btw, if you see your legs increasing in size dramatically and have leg pain? Insist you're checked for blood clots. I ended up with life threatening blood clots in both legs which landed me in the ICU for 8 days. It was pure hell. Best wishes and hang in there.

I have kids and a live-in boyfriend. All three are skinny as rails and never had a weight problem in their lives. So, they still indulge in treats daily. My trick is to only buy them stuff that I won't be tempted to graze or binge on. For instance, I can live without Little Debbie brownies and oatmeal cremes. But, I cannot resist the nutty bars. So, I will buy the others but not the nutty bars. Same with chips- I can live without potato chips but I can't resist Doritos. So again, I buy them their chips but I don't buy the Doritos. Remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong for taking a stand for yourself and telling them you're not buying....whatever...because it's too hard for you to deal with. You don't have to eliminate everything, just the select foods you know you can't resist.

Don't make the common mistake of assuming every stomach pain you have is band related. More often than not, it's not related to the band at all and as a result people miss some pretty serious medical issues because of it. I'm glad you're going to see your doctor. Good luck!

I've been banded almost 2 years and still struggle with this. For me, I find it an ongoing process. First, I had to clean my house out of all "trigger foods". The grazing you do? I do it too. I find if I get all the foods that are going to make me want to graze and leave only healthy foods, then I don't eat nearly as much and when I do at least it's a good choice. The second part of this is, if I am going to indulge on a cookie or ice cream, it's then a conscious decision requiring me to go to the store for whatever treat it is I'm going to have. 90% of the time this alone makes me not indulge because the time I get ready to go out, I realize it's not worth the calories (or money) and decide against it anyway. Bottom line- if you want to put the Cookies and chips down, get them out of your house entirely so you can't pick them up to begin with. It will help you a lot. Best wishes.

There could be a lot of reasons for this. Have you been checked for a hernia? And had your gallbladder checked? If I were you, I'd follow up with your family doctor ASAP and have him help you figure out what's going on.

I never attacked anyone. You came onto this thread spreading complete scare tactic BS. What's worse, you clearly don't understand what you're reading at all. I came on here to offer the OP advice and try to help- which is a heck of a lot more than you did.

We need A LOT more details: -when did you have surgery? -how much is in your band? -what size band do you have? -did they do a barium swallow?

I'm no doctor, but it seems to me like the problem is you're expecting the band to do things it's not supposed to do. It's not supposed to physically stop you from eating nor is it going to force you to make good food choices. Please read this link for a much better understanding of the band and realistic expectations of it: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html