Thats All Folks

That sounds too tight- and too tight isn't where you want to be. Too tight won't make you lose weight any faster, only put you at risk for a slip. You talk about going back to your old eating habits- you have to remember the band goes around your stomach, not your brain. It's your job to change your eating habits, not the band's job. The band is there to keep you satisfied on less food for long periods of time, not change your eating habits. Here's a link I think will help: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Best wishes

It's fine as far as consistency, but you'll want to be mindful of the calories going forward. My "treat" is a non-fat caramel mocha from McDonalds. I get one about once a week, but I'm always careful to log the calories against my daily total. In this case, a medium is 280 calories. That doesn't seem like a lot, but if I had them regularly it would add up fast. Best wishes.

I've heard doctors go to both extremes. Some say don't eat and others don't care. My doctor doesn't care, however I found not eating 2 hours before the fill helped the fill to go smoother. So, I don't eat before fills.

When was your last fill? Being too tight can lead to not only weight gain but slips. I can't tell you how many people I've seen on here who have bands too tight, don't want to have any removed despite the warnings, and end up back posting about a slip a couple months later. Tighter isn't always better, and if you're too tight, you're a ticking time bomb for complications.

If all you can eat is soft food, then either you're not chewing regular food enough and/or taking too big of bites or you're too tight. Here's a great article about being too tight and the dangers of living on only soft foods: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118

That is so amazing! I remember when I hit that milestone- it feels wonderful. Congratulations, you're doing great!!

I too have three at the very most- and that's only if you consider a Protein shake for breakfast a meal. I agree, if you're hungry that often, you may want to discuss it with your doctor and see if another fill is necessary.

Very well spoken post! I'm so glad you have taken it upon yourself to not only do the homework but talk to your doctor. If more people were as smart about this as you are, there would be lot less band failures and ignorance. As far as the scary threads and "you're doomed, doomed I tell you!" posters: Just remember, it's sad but misery loves company and ignorance isn't bliss. The ignorant won't be happy until they've made everyone as miserable as they are.

I completely understand and I've been there MANY times. In fact, I can't tell you how many times I've said to people who get snarky "just because you don't like the truth doesn't make it any less true". I get incredibly frustrated at the level of ignorance that seems to run rampant here. Either doctors are sending patients through surgery with zero education or people are totally ignoring their doctors. Either way, it's very sad that people will spend months researching a new car or new computer before buying it but won't bother doing an ounce of homework before having a medical device implanted into their body. I used to post here A LOT. Now, I ignore at least 80% of the posts because I just can't deal with them. I'm here most mornings while I wake up and drink my protein shake. I come back some evenings after my boyfriend goes to bed (I'm a night owl, he's not). Today I'm here more than usual because it's raining out so I can't do much. Otherwise, I'm way too happy with my real life to waste every moment online. Keep in touch please!!

The best way to know is if you talk to your doctor and he says you need one, If you can be satisfied on a cup or less of food for at least 4 hours, you may not need a fill. If you're hungry often and can't be satisfied on a cup of food, you may need a fill.

No, in fact nothing should cause that pain, let alone a pre-op diet. You need to call your medical doctor before seeing a chiropractor. If your doctor finds nothing wrong then try the chiropractor but you don't want a chiropractor for an actual medical issue.

Congratulations!! That's an amazing amount of weight lost in just 6 weeks!

I'm very sorry you're struggling. My first question would be, what was his specific reason for denying filling you? Did he feel your band had enough in it and why did he feel that way? What size band do you have? When you say you gained the weight back, does that mean you're back at your starting weight? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an accurate picture so we can offer advice.

You're doing awesome and look great!

I use Lose It

Welcome! You are not a failure. The only way you can fail is if you give up- you haven't given up. You hit a bump in the road that took awhile to work around, but now you have and you're getting back on the right path. I'm so glad you made the appointment with your surgeon. I guarantee you, he's seen many people in your situation over the years so your story won't shock him at all. You're huDman and us humans make mistakes. As your doctor, it's his job to help you regroup and get back on track. May I make another suggestion? I'd also make an appointment with your nutritionist. They could really help you too. You can do this!!

I really hope it didn't, either. It's really important you get into your surgeon ASAP. If your band did slip, the sooner they catch it and start to treat it the better your chances of avoiding another surgery. The biggest mistake people make is putting it off, or worse, not going in for months because they don't want an unfill. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

No, in fact it usually gets looser when you lose weight. Not tighter. Be sure to tell your doctor all your symptoms. I'm guessing he'll want to check your band.

I buy the little servings. There's a lot of brands, including Healthy Choice, that make little 2 cup containers. This way if you do binge and eat it all the damage is minimal.

This is strictly my personal opinion, but if I were you I'd start actually tracking your calories. Most people who don't track them are shocked when they start and see how much they're actually consuming. Weight loss really boils down to simple math- when you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. Tracking calories is the easiest way to make sure that happens. Best wishes.

Congratulations!! You're doing wonderful!!

How long have you been gaining/losing the same 10 pounds? Do you count calories? If so, how many are you eating a day? Do you exercise? Are you restricting your portions to a cup or less per meal? Can you go at least 4 hours between meals without hunger? Sorry for all the questions, it's so we can better help.

I love salads, in fact I've become a bit of a "salad addict" in recent months. I eat them all the time with no problems.

I agree with the posters above, all very good suggestions. What I've also started doing it buying a season in advance. For instance, whatever winter stuff that's in the store in July is from last season. They want to get rid of it before this year's stuff comes in this fall. So, I've been buying clothes as I see them in deep discount this summer. I've been buying a size smaller than I currently am because I know I'll be smaller by then. I recently bought 5 really nice sweaters for about $50 total. Just one of them would have cost me close to that if it weren't on sale. ...and this winter, I'll be buying summer stuff on sale the same way.

The metabolism definitely slows as we get older, no doubt. But, unless there is another medical issue at play, we can still lose weight despite it. You definitely can lose weight without exercising, but you will lose slower and won't lose as much in inches because you're not replacing the fat with muscle. This is just my experience, but I deal with fatigue due to having MS. MS fatigue is much different and more severe than "normal tired". So much so they give us drugs to combat it. But, I have found even with the MS fatigue, exercise helps alot. Your body releases endorphins and adrenaline when you exercise and these will give you a boost of energy. When I am really exhausted and dragging, that is when I know I need to exercise most because it helps so much. Best wishes!