madmanmike

i have to laugh at the death panel theme. ditzy sarah palin didn't invent the death panel' date=' the insurance companies did. you'd get the news in a letter or over the phone from an operator paid 30-40 k a year to tell you coverage denied, you had a pre existing condition or you reached the limit of your benefits because it was cutting into the profit margin of the insurance company. you don't think unregulated insurance copanies come between you and what your dr. thinks is best for you based on their profit margin? you are living in strange paranoid world where your fellow citizens want you to die and corporations care whether you live or die. corporations only want more from you than they have to give back. obamacare removes the pre existing liitations the cap on coverage and bases what is covered on best practices not insurance companies profits. yes, i want the gov't handling big jobs. i believe in america and americans. ask a senior if they want medicare or social security privatized the overwhelming majority say no way. why? because it works. wow, IT problems on a huge roll out. it happens, it'll get fixed. no one is gettting hurt there is plenty of time to fix it. it's laughable that this is the lifeline the sinking anti obama forces cling to. not free living in america because you need to take personal responsibility for your health care? i'll bet you rail at people getting food staps and unemployment and disability for not taking responsibility. yet running up astronomical hopital bills with no way to pay them and passing that cost on to everyone else is just a perk of being an american. wanna see if obamacare will work? look at Massachusetts health care insurance reform law and their success. of course it depends on whether you gauge success as people being more healthy or corporations being unfetered.[/quote']

It appears that a few of you have been drinking the Obama KoolAid! Wait a year or two when ACA falls in on itself.

It is common, I would not worry about it yet.

Well, I weighed in yesterday and the scale finally revealed that I was at my original weight goal! I have lost 138 lbs. total since July 30, 2012. I have not reached the green zone, but I feel that I am extremely close. I had been on a plateau for about three months, hanging around +- five pounds, but I now have started to lose again. So Pleased! I had a fill about 2 weeks ago and I feel some restriction and strangely I get full signals from my lower stomach now. I have never eaten only 1 to 1-/2 cups of food at a meal, but I have tracked my calories and Protein on My Fitness Pro. After this last fill, I am not able to eat as much, which is vey good. I think this will help me lose the last pounds I want to get rid of, but maybe even more. I have found this forum to be extremely helpful as I read it regularly, not just to learn new stuff, but to reinforce sticking to the rules. I will post a before and current picture in the next couple of days. If you are a newbie, just keep with the plan and follow your doctor's instructions to the letter and let your band become the tool you need for success. I know it is hard at the beginning, but believe me it gets easier and easier once you have your first couple of fills. Good luck to all!

Great post. Newbies out there and read this as this very good information. Thanks for posting this.

I just tried Premier Protein bars. They have 30g of Protein and 8 g of sugar 25g carb. They provide protein from both whey and soy. Great tasting bars. I have tried all kinds and this seems to be the best fit for Branders. Many of the Meal Replacement bars have way too much sugar and very high in calories and carbs. You can buy these at Sam's Club along with the premier Protein shakes which are really great tasting. I highly recommend these bars.

My doctor said I had an allergen 10, but this device will hold up to 14 cc's of saline. You may want to ask your doctor what is the maximum Fluid for your specific device. I was surprised with his answer, but their is also fluid in the tubing ans port.

I am 63 and lost 135 pounds in first year. I took Biotine and made sure I got my needed Protein. Still have a full head of hair (knock on wood). Good luck with your journey.

I have an old sports injury to my knee. It was painful due to being bone on bone. I had shots and was told I need a knee replacement, but needed to lose weight. Had band surgery 11 months ago and have lost 130 pounds. My knee doesn't bother me and currently not thinking about the knee replacement at all. Best decision in my life, other than my wife and kids!

Highest was 410 and worked my way down to 340 on my own. Gained some back Ann was at 378 when I got banded on 7/30/2013.

I am now at 245 and my goal is 220.

I was banded on 7/30/12 and I am down 130 pounds, but have been plateaued for a couple of months. I know I am not eating as disciplined as before and I am Going in next week for a fill. I am at 4.8 in a 14 Realize band. Hopefully I can get back on track again. I am going to stop estimating my amounts of food because there is no foods that cause me problems. Getting the band was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It has not restricted me that much, but the decision to have surgery has made me mentally determined to make the life-long chafes in my eating habits!

Thanks for the encouragement. Tomorrow will be a better day.

37th wedding anniversary. Had 1,500 calories for just dinner! Oh well there is always tomorrow. I have lost 130 lbs since July 30, 2012, but today I splurged. I am only at 3.8 in 14 cc Realize band and have absolutely no restriction to date. I am going to get another fill next week, so hopefully I will be better off with being satisfied with smaller portions and wiser selections. On the plus side i ate a lot of Protein with dinner. Guess I will shoot for negative calories tomorrow.

I was banded on 7/30/12 and have come down from 378 to 259 since than. I have been reluctant to get on this forum because I have not had any sticking or any of the issues I read about here. I had one fill just because I was curious and I am at 3.8 with a 15 band. Did not notice any difference after the fill. I am religious in logging in on my fitness pal and try to stay under 1,200 calories. I don't measure my food, just guess on it, except Cereal in the morning, Kashi go lean with added blueberries. I am thinking of having a fill in May to see the impact. I don't want to gain anything because I feel so much better.

My doctor wasn't sure what I was talking about when i asked about the one cup limit. He was more concerned with getting maximum Protein and keep my carbs and sugars low. I have been very fortunate where I have not been stuck or any side effects. I am at 3.8 of a 15 band.