fabfatgrl

You're very lucky Brittwoman! I was so shocked when this surgeon told me this. I was like... are you serious?? Even if it's troubling me?? Then I was watching some of the MGB videos on youtube and Dr. Rutledge says that he used to take out the ports, but it took too long to find it... so he doesn't bother anymore. He does remove the Band from the stomach, though. Glad to hear you're doing so well. How are you enjoying life with an RNY? Are you still on mushies and such or have you moved on to real foods?? What does the pouch feel like compared to a Band?

OK, I'm pissed. I just lost my data for today and yesterday because I said "OK" to Upgrade the firmware before I uploaded the data. I didn't think it would delete it all. Of course, this happened AFTER I worked out today. Now it's so depressing seeing barely zero steps for the day that I may work out again. Perhaps that's a good thing???

I wore the Actitrainer on my ankle today... and really liked it there. Felt very secure... totally unnoticable under my jeans. Steps and such were similar to the day before... and I'm pretty sure I did about the same amount of activity.

So far, I'm really enjoying it. I never moved it to my arm or ankle, but will hopefully try it this week. I signed up for the Virtual Trainer 15 day free trial yesterday. There was a problem with my account where it said there was more than one Actitrainer associated with it. I emailed customer service and they responded and had it fixed within 15 minutes. Awesome! I think if I commit to wearing it... and looking at my data nightly... regardless, I will make changes. It's so eye opening! I'm also thinking of using the data as part of my revision insurance appeal... showing that I stuck to an exercise program.

Yes, you can gain all the weight back with a Lap-Band... or an RNY or VSG for that matter. That's why it's really important that you work on why you overeat... emotional eating... etc. If you don't find new ways to cope with those things then yes, you really can gain back every pound and then some. As for not losing weight now that you're no longer on liquids, that's completely normal. Your Band is designed to work with fills... until you start getting them, you may not lose anything. That's normal. It may take a few fills as well before weight loss happens regularly. That's normal too.

You have to input that on the website. On the device itself, with no subscription, you can see calories burned, steps, distance traveled, and heart rate.

I don't know the promotional coupon code...sorry. So, mine arrived yesterday. I was surprised at how small it is! It really does look huge on the website. It's about the length of my middle finger, if that helps. So far, so good... although I didn't play with the polar heart rate monitor yet. I'm amazed at both how many calories it says I've burned (in a good way)... yet also by how inactive I am for long periods of time. I'll let you know more after I play with it over the weekend. Comfort wise... it's fine. Same like any other pedometer I've worn. I'm going to try the arm band tomorrow to see what that's like.

Oh cool, Steph... glad I'm not the only one. Mine is supposed to arrive today

OK, I haven't tried these as I don't have a microwave... but a lot of people on a different board I'm on are raving about them... so I thought I'd share... I'm assuming you could add your favorite muffin add-ins... Flax Muffin in a Minute 1/4 cup flax meal 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 packet splenda packet 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 large egg 1 teaspoon butter Put the dry ingredients in a coffee mug. Or a bowl for a different shape. Stir. Then add the egg and the butter. Mix. Microwave 1 minute (or more). Take out. slice, butter, eat. Set mug to soak immediately.

Hi Sandy: I was Banded in 2001... lost 95 pounds and then got unfilled for pregnancy. Was unfilled for three pregnancies... so fast forward four years, and now I've just been refilled. I gained back half over the course of four years. So I can totally relate. One doctor which may be able to help you in Michigan is Dr. Pleatman. He's in Bloomfield Hills. I had a small unfill from him about a year ago. I believe he charged $350 for the first consultation/fill...but less for each following fill. Just a thought.

And here's a yummy variation from Livin' La Vida Low Carb Discussion Forum -> One Minute Molten chocolate Flax Muffin One Minute Molten Chocolate Flax Muffin 2 tsps butter or coconut oil 1/4 cup flaxseed meal 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tbl cocoa powder (I use WonderSlim Wondercocoa-not bitter don't have to add vanilla extract) 1 egg Sweetening of choice such as 1 tbl of sf syrup of choice (my favorite is sf chocolate macadamia nut) or 1-2 pkts of Splenda or Stevia 1 square of Lindt 85% Dark Chocolate Melt the 1-2 tsps of butter or CO in a large oversize mug in the microwave-usually about 20 seconds. Add the 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1 tbl cocoa powder and mix well. Add the egg and sweetener and mix again. Float the 1 square of the dark chocolate in the middle of the batter. Nuke for about 1 minute-the top should look slightly wet and not be dried out. Turn out onto serving plate and wash mug right away as the flax can be hard to remove if it dries in the mug. Enjoy with a schmear of cream cheese or whipped cream.

That's very interesting Dr. Pleatman...I had no idea. I knew that scar tissue would form around the Band...but I never thought about it affecting the liver. I know a lot of morbidly obese people have NASH which resolves with weight loss... are they in any way related? BTW... what sort of success are you seeing among your Band to VSG patients?

All surgery poses risks... even Band removal. Having said all that, I cannot think of one death attributed to Band removal in the seven years I've been on Band boards. :confused: I would ask your consultant more about why he believed that... and seek out a different surgeon. You may also want to talk about revising to a different operation (vertical sleeve gastrectomy, RNY, or DS). Good luck

This doesn't make any sense as Inamed/Allergan makes the AP Band. :confused: The company was once known as Bioeneterics... then became Inamed...and then was bought out by Allergan...but it's ALL the same. Obtech was known as the Swedish Band but were bought by Ethicon-Endo (Johnson & Johnson)... so once again, same thing. In the States they're using the brand name Realize. Mid-Band was a French company that we don't hear about here in the States. The AP is supposed to be an improvement over previous models... but they're all based on the same basic design. I don't think the AP Band has been out long enough for them to honestly say whether or not there are a lot of complications. I hope it's better... but still... I'm a little skeptical. BTW, Allergan is recruiting people for a clinical trial of the AP Band...so I don't think they really know how this will perform long-term Clinical Trial: LAP-BAND AP Early Experience Trial (APEX)

OK...I'm very excited. My $15.00 included 2 day FedEx shipping (they don't tell you that)... and I just got my tracking number. So... I should have it by Friday. DH is out of town this weekend, so I can totally play with it and not feel guilty. I'm not worried about the chest strap as when I was at the Pritikin Longevity Center, I was quite near 300 pounds, and the Polar ones fit fine.

Your goal is your goal. You look beautiful, BTW. I also think that our goals may change. I was very happy when I hit 215 back during my first year of being banded. It was a major change from being 300 pounds I wore a size 16... I was fit... I loved running. There are many who start their weight loss surgery experience at that weight... but for me, it was very comfortable. Then a few months down the road, my weight started to drop again...without a lot of effort. So I went with the flow. BUT... had I stayed at 215, I would have been quite happy. Five pounds is not a big difference in terms of weight. But many find that the lifestyle changes necessary to get that extra five pounds (or extra 20 pounds) off aren't worth it. Embrace your goal. It's completely personal.

I ordered the Actitrainer. It's 198.00 + 15.00 shipping. I hope I like it as much as you Bodybugg users like yours! I'll definitely post my review once I get it. A few things I like about it: * It's the one used by the CDC, Harvard, Cooper Institute, etc. So I have to believe that their technology is the best. * You use it with a Polar heartrate monitor... and I've had good experiences with Polar. First used one nearly 20 years ago when I was at the Pritikin Longevity Center. * You can wear it on your waist (most accurate), arm, or ankle even. * Rechargable battery * You can see info without having a subscription...or having a wrist monitor (of course, more info if you go online) * Subscriptions to Virtual Trainer slightly cheaper * Four colors (OK...very girly of me, I know) * Cheaper So... anyways... I'm hoping it will kick my bottom into gear re: exercise. If by chance they email me any "tell a friend" type discounts, I'll post those too!

If anybody finds that the discount is working again... could you send me a PM?? Thanks

It's $350 today. I guess I shouldn't have procrastinated. Hoping it will drop again...

As long as you stay on liquids and mushies... and don't PB... your Band should be fine. You may not feel any restriction, thus your portion sizes may be more than 1 cup, because there is no fill in your Band. For many, there is no restriction until the surgeon starts filling the Band with saline.

Oops! Sorry I misread that about your doctor. :boink: I'm glad you're no longer throwing up. BUT, I will tell you, that the Band doesn't work for everybody. For people it works for, they can't imagine why it isn't working for others. It may just not be working for you. Ideally, if your Band is adjusted properly, you should be able to eat smaller portions of normal food... feel satisfied... minimal hunger... and lose weight. If not, then it's not working for you. You mention being hungry an hour later. I know a lot of Bandsters find that eating six small meals per day works well for them. Have you tried that??

I thought this was very cool. I also thought the part about your intestines reading artificial sweeteners as real sugar is very interesting. A Sweet Tooth in Your Intestine? - Diabetes Health

Hi Cindy: I've been on VSG boards for over two years now as it's the operation I plan to have done eventually. There are a lot of Band to VSGers and all seem very happy. I think the VSG works the way the Band was supposed to... people don't PB, slime, etc. They can eat anything... no food intolerances... they're just full on less. I definitely recommend the VSG board on Obesity Help as well as the Sleeve Gastrectomy Yahoo group. Peace.

Hi Carol: I'm so sorry you are going through this. I think there are a few things going on here: 1) You have a VERY inexperienced Band doctor (only 5 patients??). That not only can affect the surgical outcome, it can also affect the success of the band in terms of fills--technique, amounts, frequency, etc. I think you really need to find a more experienced Band doctor. Many will see patients that are not their own...for a fee. (Trust me, I was Banded in Mexico so am well aware of it.) Why not post on the Fills forum and see if anybody can recommend somebody? 2) Your fill level is not optimal. You may only need to add 0.1 cc, but it can make all of the difference in the world. 3) You believed that the Band would do all the work. That usually isn't the case. Many people can lose weight with the Band just by letting the Band do its job...but it does require people to make good choices. A lot of Bandsters use their Band with another diet regimen... Weight Watchers, Low-Carb, South Beach, etc. The difference is that the Band allows them to stick to those plans. Sorry thing aren't going well for you right now. I hope things get better!

I think if your body was to reject the Band, it would have happened immediately after placement... not two years later. It's probably just a normal bug of some such. Get some extra sleep... drink some chicken soup... OJ... and hopefully you'll be better in a few days.