brianb

​Good luck with your surgery. As Ann Landers says, are you better off with him or without him. Will he be there if you have children, need help after the surgery? This is no joke. Do what is right for you and your future not for anyone else.

goodluck on thursday tho let us know how you do

I agree,... and really think it through.. i know i wouldn't want to be second to anything in my hubbys life... when that happens

hugs.....but you might want to think through a few things! If this person is going to be your spouse you need their full support on this journey!

That's how it was for me in the beginning...I would crave something, say a dough-nut, buy one, take one bite, and thanks to the band realize I really did not want it...it was just something in my head telling me I needed it....after about a year of this...throwing food away I thought I wanted but didn't, the cravings went away altogether....

You'll get many different opinions.....I for one CANNOT overeat with the band...and I do not understand how I can....believe me I put it to the test on cruises, etc, and when the band says stop, I need to stop...plus I'm not very hungry anymore so it is not that big of deal....
Even sliders, such as ice cream.....my normal stomach has shrunk so much from eating less and food and portion sizes, over time, that it does not take all that much to get genuinely "Stuffed" and a good old fashion "Belly Ache"
As far as people slipping back into old habits and gaining much of their weight back, IMO it would appear to me it is because they lost much of the initial weight on their own will power and discipline, just as you would with any traditional diet, which leaves you with the opportunity to fail as you would with any traditional diet....as I have done 100's of times.....may take a few years, but people fail all the time... but the band is a constant.....it's surgical intervention doing something I was unable to do on my own....
But to your first statement, if I rely on the band and not myself, then, at this point 2 1/2 years into it, I still do not understand how that can happen...short of a medical condition forcing me to get a un-fill.....but for now, the band is the band is the band and I do not see how it will change...it is a constant no matter where I am, no matter the time of day, and no matter what food is placed before me......
It is now an everyday lifestyle, something I do not think about or have to work at all that much....
I had surgery...went through the adjustment phase, both for me AND the band, (Bandster Hell) and that's it....there's not much else I need to do except follow a healthy life style with good food choices and plenty of exercise....
But then the band is adjustable...and that leaves the door wide open for individuals to choose for themselves....and there is a high failure rate....

So I went for my monthly today and I'm very happy because I have lost 5 more pounds. I have four more pounds to get to my goal of 150. I am very happy; however, I had to get a cc of solution taken out because my stoma was slightly sitting on my band. So now I'm gonna have to work twice as hard to maintain my current weight with some hope of trying to lose at least a pound or two. Ugh!!!!

Yeah I was surprised especially as I paid private I said don't u check it she said I don't need to I can feel it!

That's not a good method to do a fill. It irritates me that any office would do that. I have never had an unguided fill. You should ask for it. Not only to fill the right amount but also to see if everything looks okay in there.

It sounds like you don't have enough restriction. It can take 3 or 4 fills to reach that point. Everyone is different. I remember after everything healed from surgery that I questioned the amount of restriction I was NOT feeling and wondered how hard it was going to be to follow the plan. However, after my 3rd fill, I hit the magic "green zone" and have never had a problem since. You'll know when you're there, because you won't feel hungry and will feel that sense of satiety when you're supposed to. If your surgeon does your fills under fluoroscopy (hopefully), they'll be able to tell you if anything is stretched or out of whack.

Hi can anyone help I was banded end of jan and not lost anything!!! the weight i lost was post op and it allwent back on soon as i started eating normally after the liquid stage i am gutted but think I'm relying on band to work some miracle!! Had two fills and last one for first few weeks I had few stuck episodes and couldn't eat some stuff, however over month later I can now eat whatever and it doesn't get stuck? Is that normal or have I stretched it?! Going for another next weekend just stressed out and gutted I thought this was my answer but now not so sure thanks x

Man, that doesn't sound good. Definitely think you want to do something about it. Calling the doc sounds like a real smart thing.

Hello!
Hang in there. Keep a journal of what you're eating ~ you'd be surprised at the cal/carbs you consume unknowingly. Additionally, speak w/your doc and nutritionist. I personally didn't see the true benefits of the band until I reached my sweet spot and that took a number of fills to get there. Often the doc will take a conservative approach and only give you small fills at a time. Remember, this is your body and journey... I had to insist that they give me a larger fill, once this was done I started seeing results.
Don't suffer as I know people who get way more fill than they should, you just need to find that happy medium.
Wishing you great success.

You could be off to a slow start. Don't get discouraged. The last thing a bandster needs is negative head thoughts.... Do everything your surgeon asks of you. Work out and follow the rules. If you're eating what you feel is too much, get a fill.
Slow and steady wins the race!!!!

You don't mention if you are hungry? You state you've changed your eating habits. How much are you eating? (calories/protein)?
Great job on hitting that gym 6 days a week! Thats gonna pay off big time.
As far as Protein, if I tried to have a 54G Protein Drink all at once, I'd be sick to my stomach...about 35g is MAX for me at once. I'd suggest IF you are gonna use liquid Protein, to start at a small amount, maybe 20g max and work up as tolerated.
Best of luck!

It's been four month, two fills a change in eating habits and six days a week at the gym and I have only lost 10 pounds. When will I start seeing the benefits. As of right now, I'm regretting having this surgery.

I got a fill about three weeks ago and don't know if it was overfill. Symptoms are sore throat perhaps from regurg. Throwing up a lot but can eat normally sometimes. Not hungry except for night snacking. I can eat more than a cup of food. I just can't tell if its careless eating or too tight. It took me a while for restriction. I have 12.5 in a 14 band. I am losing very slow. Just 33 lbs from oct. should I call my doctor? He only is in on Fridays.

My surgery is June 21st. I have about 2 weeks till my liquid preop diet starts and right now all I can do is eat. I feel like i am having all my last meals. Did anyone else go through this? I am worried I won't be successful with the band. I have never been able to diet. I have never lost weight only gained.

Hi all -
My name is Shelly and in a few weeks, I will reach the 7 year mark since getting my lapband. My pre-op weight was 306 and my lowest weight was 165, which I reached about 5 years ago. About that time, I moved to another state and stopped having regular check-ins with my lapband doc. Naturally, I lost restriction and got lazy, which earned me about a 50 pound weight gain over the past 4-5 years.
I recently re-connected by finding a new bariatric doc here and had a recent fill. I'm working on getting back to where I want to be and returning to following the rules and using my band as the tool it should be. In the 2 weeks since the fill, I've lost 5 pounds, s I'm beginning to feel hopeful again. I'm hoping that by joining this group, I will be able to re-capture some of the enthusiasm and motivation I had in the beginning.
I've looked around the site and suppose I should feel fortunate that I have had no complications with my band whatsoever. I just learned over time how to defeat it and went back to old eating habits. Hopefully I can return to the successful behaviors I had before!
Shelly

Also, congrats on the 75 pounds! And your efforts with exercise! : )

I agree with lassie. Believe the fill will likely help and sounds like you never have been in the green zone. Believe most doctors have a yellow/green/red zone chart on their walls. The key thing it said to me is if you can eat anything you want as fast as you want, then you are in the yellow zone.
How is it for you? It seems like most of the successful people on these boards have to eat pretty dang slow and take small almost tiny bites. Also from watching the 8 Golden Rules, this seems to be the case.
I'm still a newbie and haven't hit the green zone either. Have a third fill scheduled in two weeks and hope it helps.

I have a 14cc band, I received 3.5cc at surgery. 1st fill was 1cc about a month out. I don't remember what the rest have been. My last fill was .05cc and it was just enough to help restrict. But I am at 9cc now and feel great - I am my sweet spot!

I just got back home after my first post-op appt. I found out I already had 5cc in a 14cc band. He put in another 1.5cc, so bite I have 6.5cc. I was dreading the needle, but it wasn't that bad. I had a little queasy feeling while he was filling it. Otherwise, it was good.

My doc doesn't fill at all during surgery. At 6 weeks postop you get your first fill of 2.5 cc then you go every 6 weeks as needed. It seems very conservative compared to what I read on here.

Dr Rehnke will be doing surgery on June 1, 2012. He has come highly recommended to me. My insurance company will only cover WLS at a facility that is certified as a Center of Excellence. He operates at Palms of Pasadena and they have that certification and he is rated as their top bariatric physician.