SandyM

I will say if you haven't had your surgery yet, ask your surgeon if he will also do the plication. This, in my opinion has pretty much eliminated the "bandster hell" that is spoken of on this site. And, if something happened to my band, I'd still have this tool to fall back on. The band is a tool as well as the plication and the sleeve. The reason for alot of folks failure with the band is not following up with their surgeon and not following the rules. What I like about the band is that I still have some control. I hate the thought of all of the control being taken from me. As for the food, I really haven't found anything I can't eat. I have found things I have to pay closer attention to, but that's what we are supposed to be doing anyway. Mindful and not mindless eating. Good luck to those who are pending surgeries as well as those who have already had it. It does work, but it also requires you to set goals and focus. Not a bad thing. I really have no regrets. I'm 2 pounds away from my goal. This weekend, I've been doing a lot more carbs than usual so I stepped back, scolded myself and I got back on track. No harm no foul.

I relate. I just found this site but I'm here for the same reasons. Gaining weight. Powerless over food. I don't want any judgments either. Thanks. Rivergirl, I think you'll find very few folks on this site that don't understand where you are right now. Feel free to express any concerns and ask any questions. The band is a tool and sometimes takes a little more work than others. I find times that I feel the band isn't working for me, when in fact I'm not doing right. sometimes it takes stepping back and evaluating what we are doing. That's what I like about myfitnesspal. I can lie to myself, but when I see it in front of me, its hard to deny. Some foods I find are just hard for me to put down, so I try not to pick them up. This isn't always easy. You can always pm me if you need encouragement.

Guess I'm going to have to follow your lead and just make certain foods off limits. One of my demons is Peanut Butter and even though it is good for me, I have little self control when it comes to it. I have the PB2 for my shakes and will probably limit myself to that. As for bread, when I use whole grain, I don't seem to have a problem, potatoes, chips, Cereal and popcorn, don't get me started. Definitely not something I can control. There is a lot of negativity about the band. I hate that. I probably would have backed out if I had seen this negativity before making a firm decision.. I started researching after I had made my decision and got the ball rolling. After I started reading I started having second thoughts. I'm so glad I didn't let myself be talked out of it. I believe the sleeve is a good option too, and might would have considered it, but am not sorry for the decision I made. You're doing so good. As long as you stay positive, the band will work for you. I think too many people come on here hoping the band will "fix" them. The band is a tool. We can fix ourselves with the band, but we have to do our share. Good luck and keep posting your progress. This forum is great place for receiving support and you will soon be the one providing that support to others who need it.

thanks pink dahila. Those last 20 sure want to hang on don't they. I do think age and menopausal status plays a major role for me. As for exercise, I was going to the gym 4-5 days a week and really enjoyed it and I've just started cycling. Still have mixed reviews partly cuz I'm not crazy about the heat index, lol...I need some prayer. I'm a carbaholic and that is probably my biggest struggle and I guess always will be. You are doing great just keep it up, you'll get there.

I would be interested next year, this year was just too short notice for me

I have only a few regrets, one not doing it sooner. I also sorta wish I had checked into the sleeve, don't know if my stats would be different, but being maintenance free and port free would be nice. I might still would have chosen the band, Bottom line is this is a tool. How you use it will determine your success. A lot of people set themselves up for failure by setting unrealistic goals or spending too much time doing parallel comparisons with other people with WLS. This surgery has worked for many of us and not for many others. I have 2 friends who've had the surgery, 1 who lost 116lbs and for no real good reason went back to eating slider foods. I don't think she's regained, just not loosing. The other had all of her Fluid removed when she got pregnant 3 years ago and never put it back in. She gained 80 lbs with pregnancy and refuses to be restricted. On the other side I know a family of 4, 3 are banded and doing great. So, a lot of it is what you make it.

Thanks guys

Absolutely amazing. You have a lot to be proud of.

My surgeon said 30 before 1 he after. I followed for the longest...didn't seem to make a difference. I've discussed it with my surgeon and he said to keep doing what I'm doing cuz it's working.

Love it. I started riding last week after 30 years. I'm exhausted when I'm done. Sure was easier when I was young.

Fingers crossed with you.

I've thought about doing 3 days ever so often just to kind of "reboot", but every time i say I'm going to, I just cant get motiviated. I may try it too.

Glad you're getting started. Its a ride worth taking.

I used the premier Protein premixed shakes from Sams Club. For powder, I use the Pure Protein. Its not gritty. I get it in strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. I blend in my fruits

I did the 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery and found it alot easier than I thought it would be. I used a high Protein shake, Premier Protein and it kept me full. I had my worries, but it was ok. The hardest part for me was that I usually eat out with my co workers and had to cut that out for a while. I felt cut off from the world.

I just ate an apple???? it was good

Great to hear that the plication is going to be sufficient. I have plication as well and hoped this would be the case

Awesom!! The count has just begun

same here!

I bought GV sf oatmeal and cooked it watery and stirred in powder protein. I also continued shakes.

Like you said, she's in denial. If she admits it could work for her she'll feel obligated to give it a try. I'm assuming but can't remember that you had plication as well, hence the no fills,

hopefully it won't be long.

Iband is plication added. I have that and never experienced bandster hell and have heard from a few others that say the same thing. As for taking so long to eat, with Iband you also have more swelling and for longer than with band alone cuz they manipulated more of the stomach. Also if you were fortunate enough to have hiatel hernia repair, as most do, factor that in. I'd go back to liquid and give it a little more time for swelling to go down. It shouldn't take you two hours for oatmeal to go down and chances are, you might need primer fluid removed until swelling is gone. Stay hydrated and by Monday if not better it wouldn't hurt to call surgeon and see what they think.

If what you have is actually restless leg syndrome, it may not, but if it's just a vitamin deficiency it might. I get an eye twitching if I don't take calcium. I take calcium gummies, B complex gummies and multivitamin gummies.

Have you tried calcium?