Summerrain

101 cheers for you cg, wd on your awesome loss so far!!!

Yes what the other two posters said, I've had it happen to me with some fills and I've had to relearn how to eat even slower and smaller bites.

I'd say its your port if you've lost a lot of belly fat. I can now feel mine so easily now that my tummy is much much smaller. Everytime I feel it makes me smile. Only another banded person can understand that comment.

Tonight I was washing the dishes and I was like wow these look so big and to think I used to eat of them 8 months ago and even go back for seconds scared me. There is no way I could eat the amount of food that goes on normal plates these days and they looked so alien to me compared to my own little plates and bowls. Yesterday we went out for my sons 18 th birthday, I ordered prawns on saffron rice, the plate was huge, I couldn't bring myself to eat from it and had to transfer a couple of prawns and about two tablespoons of the the rice onto the smaller plate then I felt comfortable eating. Amazing how 8 months eating on smaller plates becomes a comfortable habit.

Congratulations, you're a very handsome young man!!

Looking fantastic, great job!!!

You look fantastic, to look at your after pic you wouldn't even think you had a weight problem.

Unfortunately it's a part of weightloss, even if we didn't have the band we would stumble across plateaus, you're doing everything right and I like your attitude of not letting it stop you. It will start coming off again.

Lol I can also relate, I remember I used to put skirts up against me and they would be ankle length only to get home, put them on and they'd be much shorter. All my skirts ate now the right length and a few I had to get rid off they were far too long and if course way too big. An awesome NSV!!!! Gj cg!!!

Congrats, doing a happy dance for you! I remember the morning I broke into the 200's , I got in and off the scale about 20 times just to be certain!

Yes, I was the same for the first month till hunger returned. Remember this feeling ( that's what my surgeon said), this is wait you will also be aiming for if you do need fills eventually. This is what the band is supposed to do. It's so hard going grocery shopping when you feel this way too, unless I have a list I will walk out with an empty trolley. Who woulda thought that ever possible!

If you'd accept a hug from a stranger I'd give you a big hug. So very normal for you to be feeling this way. One bit of advice I can give which I know helped me immensely is if you've been given books, sheets any handouts read and reread, keep yourself informed, ask a million and one questions with your aftercare team, success with being banded doesn't only come from the work you put into it but also from your aftercare support, also if you don't have a Bariatric nutritionist it's a great idea to meet with one. Best wishes to you!!

I've never used artificial sweeteners, whenever ive dieted I've either cut sugar out completely or if I've needed it just used a very small amount of natural sugar. The idea of taking artificial sweetener or products containing it always worried me. Since being banded I too have switched to stevia, a lot more expensive but only use it sparingly.

Oh boy you just made my eyes go all watery!! An awesome NSV!!

YES!!!!! Negative emotions definitely affect my band. I've been very stressed for the last few weeks and its like I get an instant fill. I just make sure I'm extra careful during this time and stick to softer Proteins and am even more mindful with chewing and smaller bites otherwise I'd spend the whole time getting stuck and pbing. I don't want to run and get a slight unfill as I'm happy where I am with my band and fills ATM and don't want to start getting into the habit of slight unfills and then getting it put back in once stress has left me. I just accommodate my band and work with the moody tool it can be at times.

Great study and I was given a copy of this by Professor O'Brien ( wonderful wonderful man). It's like with anything, if you stick to the rules and follow directions it works. It's good to know studies are conducted about long term results. I know personally it helps keep me positive also. Unfortunanley there are some people that have complications through no fault of their own but studies like this show when everything is working as it should and the patient and aftercare team work together the results speak for themselves.

I was feeling the same way at around three months, was getting plenty of sleep but was constantly fatigued. My issue was low iron levels, my doctor put me on iron meds and stressed taking my vitamins every day and I noticed a huge improvement within weeks.

PARIS - A new French study has found that the risk of diabetes may actually increase more with the consumption of diet or light soft drinks than with sugary ones. Researchers at Inserm, the French biomedical and public health research institution, followed the health and consumption habits of 66,188 women since 1993, with the objective to track the link between sugary drinks and type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. It was thought that drinking light drinks would reduce the risk of diabetes. But in results presented Thursday in Paris, the study found that the risk of diabetes is actually higher when drinking light drinks than with sugary drinks, French business daily Les Echos reports. The study, to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that women who consume light drinks have a higher consumption rate than those consuming normal sugary drinks (2.8 glasses/week vs. 1.6 glasses/week in average). Moreover, even when consumed in equal quantities, light drinks are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes: a 15% higher chance for a consumption of 0.5 liters/week and 59% for 1.5 liters/week. In order to know if the risk is only associated with light drinks, researchers Françoise Clavel-Chapelon and Guy Fagherazzi compared their effects to those produced with pressed fruit juices, but found no direct association with developing the disease. Fagherazzi said further study is still needed. “We still need a body of evidence," he said, according to Les Echos. "We are not here to say that people need to stop drinking this or this type of drink.” Among the mechanisms that might explain this phenomenon, they note that sugars contained in sugary drinks cause a spike in insulin and the repetition of such can produce resistance to insulin, an anomaly that causes diabetes. As for aspartame, one of the principal sweeteners used today, it can cause a high glycemic level (spike in blood glucose), and thus an increase in insulin levels, comparable to those caused by sucrose (sugar).

86 for me, what an awesome idea

I had 4.2 in my band in day if surgery, my first fill was .8 at three weeks and after that anywhere from .2 to . 5 every two weeks till I got to greenzone and each of those little fills made a difference for me especially as I approached greenzone. I remember getting just .2 in and had my first stuck episode. Some are more sensitive to the smaller fills from what I've read on the forums and some are fine with bigger amounts. It was a pain going in every two weeks but we snuck up to greenzone slowly and didn't blow right past into the redzone. No unfills for me to date and I think I'm going to be fine for a while with a total of 8cc in my 14cc band.

Congrats on being banded, give it time and you will feel so much better as the weeks go by. The only support you need is yourself as only you can make the required changes in your life and also the support of your aftercare team who will help guide you. I know personally I had to make changes, I didn't expect my family or friends to alter their eating habits in front of me. In my opinion we have to be responsible for our own actions in relation to complying with this new lifestyle with the band, sure others can be on our backs to get up and exercise, eat the right foods etc but in the end we have to want and do what is required to be successful. This forum is a great site for info and support if you need also.

Hmmm had I have been asked that question prebanding the only answer I would have given was to loose weight and get healthier. I researched for a whole year and spoke to the only person I know that was banded in that time. Also before I plucked up the courage to make my initial appointment I went on a few diets to see if I could give it one last shot to be able to do it on my own. Of course I did well for a month or so then failure, then regained the weight and again repeated the process a few more times in that year. This yoyo dieting had to stop because I truly believe it only made me fatter and fatter as the years rolled by. I knew what to expect after banding with all the research I had done and also I was given Professor Obriens book to read, I read that book over and over to help prepare myself for this new journey I was about to face. I was so nervous and so excited at the same time because finally I was going to get a tool to help with my weightloss battle. Fast forward seven months and my way of thinking is so different with what the lapband could do for me. You actually have to experience each day with the band to truly understand life with it. Not only has the yoyo dieting stopped, not only has it allowed me to loose weight but it has helped me get control back when it comes to food, it has taken away the constant hunger, it has taken away the daily obsession I had with food, it has given me back confidence, it has taken away my depression ( mainly because I was so overweight and so unhappy), it has helped me develop a healthier relationship with food, it has taught me how to eat like a healthy person, it has reminded me how good it is to be more active. Most importantly to me the band has made me feel like a normal person again not this freak that lived every day to see how much food I could shovel into my mouth. I now eat to live and be healthier not live to eat all day long and be an overweight mess. Did I think the band would have such an impact on my mental and emotional health way before being banded? The answer is no, now that I have this amazing tool it surprises me everyday how its changed me both mentally and emotionally. I no longer need to diet, I've learnt how to eat well, I no longer have to calorie count, I've learnt how to portion control, I no longer feel deprived, that's how dieting made me feel hence the dieting failures, I've learnt I can still from time to time still have a teeny bit of the unhealthy stuff if I so desire and not put myself on a guilt trip. What do I want from my fills? Answer is simple, to keep me in the greenzone that way my band is working for me as it should be and I can easily do my part. My band and I are a partnership that respect each other, if I disrespect my band it shows me authority and makes me tow the line. My tool is my life saver, I've researched, I've gone through surgery, I've made major changes, I've accepted my band, I've gone through weeks of hunger and survived, going through it all has been so worthwhile and would do it all again in a heartbeat. The band for me has so far done what it was supposed to do and what I expected it to do and a bit extra. Fingers crossed I don't develop any issues but if I do I have my wonderful aftercare team to sort things out. At 50 years of age I can finally say I have developed the lifestyle I was supposed to follow all my life. Thank you lapband.

Lol too funny and I can relate with one of my first stuck episodes. Thank goodness I was at home alone wasn't pretty at all. Linda Blair I did a much better job than you on that day!!!

I'm allowed alcohol, of course in moderation. I've never been a drinker except for a good wine when out and socializing. My nutritionist and surgeon have said if you want a glass of wine a few times per week that's fine, they did specifically say red as apparently it has some health benefits. I don't like reds, I prefer white wine and I've had it a few times and been fine but just be careful because we are eating so little it can go straight to your head so much quicker. As others have said, enjoy and count it in to your daily calories, portions. Cheers!