armymom2012

I used Maderma after a C-section and you can't see my scar at all. I am now using it for lap band scars, so far it looks pretty good:)

I was thinking the same thing "Lose 100" Although it sucks when you go out to a nice dinner you have been looking forward to and you can't eat it. It has been a day to day thing lately, but I'm getting closer to my goal.

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Hello Mike Glad to see that you are doing this for your health. I started at 39 BMI, which many may think that isn't much, but 5 months later I am now 54# down and off of all my BP and cholesterol medications and I am no longer considered Pre Diabetic. That is also my biggest reason for having the surgery done. I would do it all over again. Stick with the forum and you will get a lot of great advice and ideas on how to stay on track from people who know what this is like. It is so easy to fall off the wagon from pure boredom with this type of diet routine if you can't find ways to keep it interesting. But if you do, get up and try it again. You have nothing but weight to lose:) Good Luck to You.

I have noticed that since it has been getting really hot this summer, that I can not eat the foods I normally can on a cooler day, especially towards the end of the day. One day, I can eat chicken fine, the next, I may get a bite or two down, then it gets stuck. I'm pretty sure this has something to do with the heat, but would like to hear if this has happened to anyone else. I really haven't had much of an issue with many types of food options so far, except bread and sometimes beef and my band is only at 5cc's.

I usually don'y eat more than a cup per meal, but my doctor say that I should actually be at 2/3 to 3/4 cup per meal, not a full cup. That just seems like so little food, even for a Bariatric patient.

Thanks everyone. It has been 4 days since my fill and so far I can tell a bit of a difference. I have been able to wait around 4 hours until my next meal, instead of the usual 2-3hrs. "Honk", I understand what your saying and yes, I do choose healthier options. I haven't had anything fried since before my surgery, my daily diets cokes have been replaced by bottled water and honestly I no longer crave it, which is a good thing:) But when I have no restrictions to my band, it makes it easier to eat more than what you are suppose to be able to eat. When I have a good fill, I get warning signs that tell me to stop. I know that we should be able to do that on our own, but sometimes you just need a little voice in the background to remind you not to go there. That voice so far has been partly my conscious and the other part my band. It's all a learning process I know, we didn't get to where we are by eating healthy and now we just have to learn to re-program ourselves to eat differently now, so we don't go back. And to be honest, it really is re-programming considering we grew up being tought about the 4 food groups. Now I eat my protein first and if there is any room left I eat my veggies, no bread and we eve have to watch out on our fruit choices. We no longer go by the basic food groups, like others go by. That takes some time getting used to. My friends that are skinny are amazed at what our portion sizes are supposed to be, Jen told me she even had a hard time wrapping that one around her brain.lol and she is 110# soaking wet and eats pretty much what she wants to. So when we go out for dinner together, it's usually Suchi night:) that way I don't get to watch her eat all my favorite foods I miss.lol Good luck to you all.

Thanks you guys:)

Today I just had a small fill. For the last 3 weeks I have not lost any weight and have felt like I could eat just about anything. Hopefully this one will get me through the summer, because this needle thing has not yet gotten any easier. I'm such a big baby I guess.lol I am so close to being at 50# loss, what a time to plateau out. hmmm . I am just hoping for another 20 more before Sept 8 when my son gets married. Other than that, life is good

It took me until my 3rd fill to keep me from feeling the crave all the time. I am at 5cc's right now. Most of the time I am full for about 3-4 hours, just depends on how much protein I get of the morning. Plus the heat outside seems to make my band feel tighter as well. Just portion your food out, eat your protein first and go from there. Unless I do that, it's really hard for me to know I am doing everything right and helps me determine if I need another fill or not. Good luck to you.

I agree with 2muchfun. If you force yourself to avoid certain types of foods because you are afraid of gaining, you will never truly understand the process and eventiually boredom will set in like it has for many of us here in the past. Isn't that why most of us failed at diets before surgery? The only time I am forcing myself to stay on liquids or mushy's is right before and after a fill or maybe a day if I have a really bad stuck epasode. Other than that, I like food too much to give it up out of fear. So far with the right portions and excercise and good food choices I have lost 47 #'s in 4 months. This may not seem like alot to some, but we did not opt for Gastric Bypass which would have been faster. We chose a diet that requires us to make healthy choices, which means we have to work a little harder sometimes. Don't think for a second I haven't cheated along the way. It happens. You just have to move on and start again. Hope this helps put it into perspective.

Does your doctor have a Lap Band group meeting? Ours has a monthly meeting and a weekly weigh in. That is what helps me stay on track. It really holds me accountable for what I do each week and at the meetings, you hear from people who have had the band 5 years+ or those like myself that are pretty new at this. Their stories and support help me realize I am not alone and they also have great ideas for recipes. If yours doesn't offer it, try looking up another Bariatric group in your area and see if they will let you join. I know we have some in our group now that had the realize band and were not getting the attention from their docs that they needed and transfered over to our docs and group. I pay nothing. It's kinda like AA for over weight people Support from any means, I think is crucial to your sucess, regardless of where you get it from. But you also have to want it more than anything else as well. Just the fact that I am able to get off my meds and buy new clothes feels awesome and my relationship with my husband is so much better, I have to admit, because I am a much happier person now. Good luck to you.

Up until this last fill, I was able to eat pretty much anything. Now I can't eat any bread without getting stuck. Most cuts of steak are too tough, except Filet Minon and Bob Evans breakfast sirloin. I eat alot of salmon and other types of fish and chicken as long as it's really tender. Corn so far has not been an issue, thank goodness. I can also eat rice and pasta where alot of people can not, so I guess over all I am pretty lucky. but I really do have to plan and portion my meals out or I will over eat at times. If the summer stays hot like it was last week though, that shouldn't be a problem. Seems as if the heat swells my band more, so I tend to slow down more and eat alot less, which for the most part is a good thing. Good luck to you:)

I asked the same question until about a month ago after my last fill:( I pretty much felt like there was something that got stuck in the pit of my chest and it made it hard for me to talk at times. I could not eat or drink anything and when I tried some water, shortly there after it reminded me of the movie Hooch and Turner, when the dog slimed all over the floor.lol But then I felt fine after the slime went away. I also found out this past weekend that when it gets really hot outside, my band might be swelling up more than usual as well. I couldn't eat even a couple bites of stuff that normally wouldn't bother me. After it cooled down this week, I was back to normal. Just remember, everone reacts in different ways, I had to listen to my body and how it reacted to certain foods and weather obviously:)