gowalking

I'm just one of those lucky few who are in the green zone without fills. Now..that doesn't mean I don't get hungry. I do. But I can usually go from meal to meal without getting ravenous and I track everything I eat. I stay at around 1,000 calories a day and so far, it's worked for me. I have alot to lose so even down 63 lbs. so far, I need to lose at least 100 lbs total. So...I went from morbidly obese to a regular fat person. But, at least this regular fat person can fit into seats that were tough to get into before, and I don't see the panic in people's eyes that I used to see when I got on the bus or subway. I knew they were hoping I wouldn't try to sit next to them...and I didn't blame them. I'm starting to feel normal again and that's a wonderful feeling.

this has never happened to me but I've read about it happening to others. they all say that it happens when eating too much so at least you know that there is a connection and you're not imagining this..

I was banded in January and have not had any fills. So far, I can eat anything though I'm sure when you get fills, that is not necessarily the case. I burp alot more since being banded and I use that as a soft stop sometimes because after the burp, I tend to feel a little full and know that I'm done. Sometimes, there's no soft stop signal and the only way I know I'm done is that I weigh and measure all my food and when the plate is clean, I'm finished. No seconds, no more food period.

you were very close...it's the vagus nerve. from what I understand, the band affects this nerve and it helps to suppress hunger.

Hi skinnybound. I was banded at NYU in Manhattan. Are you from the tri-state area?

I needed three months of a supervised weight loss plan. My PCP had to submit the documentation along with a letter recommending the surgery. Had to do the psych and cardiac stuff....including a stress test and echocardiogram. I started this journey last summer, got all my requirements in and surgery planned in October and then superstorm Sandy hit and the hospital was shut down for three months. I finally had the surgery in January and have been doing very well. 64 lbs. down with no fills. You will get through these next few months...and might even have some setbacks like I did. A hurricane....who would have thought it?? But it's true....you will soon enough find yourself having the surgery and on your way to a healthier you. Good luck!

oh yeah....that's karma for sure! LOL!!

if you logged your calories and worked out, then don't worry about the 8 lbs. it's likely water weight and will come off pretty quickly. I just got back from my vacation on Sunday and also watched what I ate though I knew that my sodium intake was higher than normal. I gained about a pound in total but watched my weight fluctuate a couple of pounds up and down the whole week I was away. Got on the scale today and lost three pounds since I'm home. I'm telling you...it's water weight....

I don't think so step. you are probably sore and swollen and that's the bloated feeling. Liquids pass right through the band.

are you tracking your calories? I do and that is a huge help in knowing how much you are taking in.

Your high BMI plus the co-morbidities should make you eligible for insurance coverage for the procedure. Good luck on your journey. I have high blood pressure as well and I've gone from two different meds plus a diuretic down to one med and at a low dosage as well. I hope to be off all hypertensive meds completely by the time I reach goal..

Welcome to the other side!

Hey Mark.....call the office to double check on the soda thing. As I recall, diet soda was OK on the pre-surgical diet but I don't remember seeing soda on the post-op guidelines. I haven't had any carbonated drinks since being banded..I thought it was a no-no..but I could be wrong. FYI, I think we're going to meet up sometime in June. just waiting for dani to be available. I'm surely going to try to make it and I hope you will as well..

I sure do understand what you are saying Angela. I've dropped over 60 lbs. and did a bunch of shopping while vacationing in Florida this week. I was super frustrated because I didn't look good in alot of stuff....especially the new styles of bathing suits out there. Plus I'm dealing with loose skin...my tummy and thighs are bad, as are my breasts. They seem to have deflated and the suits have no support on top. I am buying cheap clothes at the moment and when I get closer to goal...and maybe even after having some plastic surgery, I'll pay more attention to buying better fitting stuff. In fact, I have a wedding in July and I found a dress in the back of my closet that I liked when I bought it and it fits again. I suspect I have this dress at least ten or more years and have no idea if I will look ridiculous or not, but I'm going to wear that old dress and consider it 'vintage'.

was banded on January 14th and including the pre-surgical diet, I'm down 61 1/2 lbs. with no fills. my surgeon says that while it is not the norm, it's working for me and I shouldn't look to get a fill unless I really need one. so far, I'm doing fine without any. and I also have had no stuck or sick issues. I use myfitness pal to make sure I'm between 950-1,100 calories a day and so far, so good.

same here. less invasive and reversible. the sleeve is not. my experience has been very good with the band. had the surgery on January 14th and am down 61 1/2 lbs. with no fills as of yet. still have a ways to go (I'm hoping to lose 100 lbs.) but this is a very good start.

I just added you to the thread.

there are a bunch of us from the city and/or nearby..many of us banded at NYU as well. There's some threads you might want to join to communicate with your fellow NY'ers. I've been emailing with dani_nyc to set something up next month. Use the link below to converse with us. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/index.php?app=members&module=messaging&section=view&do=showConversation&topicID=494428&st=20#msg548112

So...I was on vacation last week and was so happy to not just fit into the seat on the plane, but I didn't need the belt extender and I had no problem buckling the belt (I even had to tighten it a little!). Then, I had no problem putting down the armrest. For the first time in years, It wasn't tight, it wasn't riding up on my hip, it just went down...and stayed there. Oh glory!! I didn't eat or drink anything other than Water but I just had to bring the tray down...and again...it went down and stayed there. I didn't have to move my belly out of the way, I didn't have to worry it wouldn't go down... Oh the happiness of the ordinary!! I'm even OK with the 1/2 lb. weight gain. I was very aware of portions and did well in that regard but we ate out alot and I know I ate items that were higher in sodium than I usually eat at home so I expect it's probably water weight. I don't care right now...I was like a regular person on the flight and that is so satisfying.

You got some great advice Mark. Everyone is rooting for you. And I know just what you mean about all the skinny b*****s in the office. Despina and Shannon do look like models and the info they provided was minimal. I got more information and insight on this forum than anything coming out of the office. For gosh sakes...have you seen how skinny Dr. Ren is too? How much do you want to bet it's not just Dr. Fielding who has a band. Just keep going to the therapist, stay on this forum, go to the support group at NYU or meet up with us as soon as we get it going. Dani and I are going to set something up next month. Go on our 'Hi' thread to talk with the other NYC folks. We're all in the same boat as you are. Oh...and I saw your post about being on the Eastside, and not UW. Sorry about that...LOL. Please don't think you won't be able to eat your favorite foods again. I can eat anything. I am learning to just eat less of it and most of the time, I can do it just fine. Plus you will learn to enjoy different foods. I go out to dinner at least once or twice a week and I've found out that fish is absolutely delicious. I went to a restaurant in the West Village the other day and had something called Monkfish. It was wonderful. I made the decision to eat that and not the short rib fettuccine (which is what I would have eaten pre-band) and I felt so good about my decision and was so pleasantly surprised at how good the fish was. Hang in there....you will be so happy with yourself as you see the transformation. It will be better than the happy you feel when you eat more than is healthy for you. I promise! Liz

excellent. good to hear. keep an eye on our 'Hi' thread...we'll probably post details there.

aww..thanks Bubie. How about yourself? How are you doing? We're going to set up a face to face next month I think. I was emailing with Dani and we're going to work on setting it up. Are you interested?

it is high in sodium. don't overdo and you'll be fine.

Thanks Ladies. The support on this forum is amazing!.

Think of this as a lessons learned thing Sweetpea. Stay away from fast food joints. There is nothing healthy for you there. Would you go into a bar if you were an alcoholic? Food is our addiction and until you see some real results, it will be hard to walk away from yummy yummy bad food. Start to investigate yummy yummy good food. It's out there...just search for it. Look up websites, make better choices. Heck, I bet there's even a healthier version of a taco salad. You can eat refried bean and tomatoes and even a dash of sour cream. This way, you can eat a taco salad and not feel bad. Good luck....you can do this!