Vicki J

As with any foods that are being introduced to your post-op diet, tread carefully and find out. I can eat it ok but others can't. This will hold true with ALL foods. So you can't really go by what others have done. Just be CAREFUL!

If you felt no discomfort, you are probably ok. However, when you get any restriction at all you will cause yourself MAJOR pain. So, take time and slow down. It doesn't take that long to eat at a reasonable rate.

I've been at goal for about 6 months and hadn't been in for a fill for about 5 months prior to that. So I've gone 11 months so far without a fill. Everybody's different.

How about "After thoroughly researching my WLS options, I made an informative decision that this is the best one for me."

I think I remember all the BL teams donning shirts at this point. I believe it is to make them look better. I mean, who wants to see roles of fat? Mike put the weight on his team's scales because of Papa-pressure. He's fighting for Dad even though it's clear that he doesn't respect Bob. It would do Mike good if Dad went home. I was so proud of Tara. She kicked bootie!!!!

Bare Naked granola. Unbelieveably good!!! 280 mg OMEGA-3s, 3 grams of protein, all natural. No preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, cholesterol, hydroginated oils or trans fats. I add it to my plain yogurt and sweeten it with Splenda for breakfast every day.

I felt really bad for Mandi because she always seemed to feel she had to do things for her team. I don't think she's past putting others first and that could lead to failure. I'm really so tired of Ron because he is the first one to say so and so should leave when he is the biggest slacker there is. Don't get on me about name calling. He is. His son has bore the weight of trying to keep his dad on the show for quite a while. I almost think it would be better for his son if Ron went home so the kid could quit feeling responsible for him. I also would have been really mad if I were on the blue team for the cousins being trained by my trainer. Sorry but that's the game. You may not like what they do (like changing your trainer) but you should man up and just handle it. This is training for real life and real life does coddle you. As far as their eating out, I think it was great to show people that it happens. We all have to go through those situations and we will all leave at least a few of those feeling like we messed up. However, we will also leave some of those situations feeling pretty victorious. JMHO! Vicki

How about telling people you're trying to loose weight by eating less and exercising more? Fortunately with the band we loose at a reasonable enough rate that we can say that and (if you're more comfortable not telling anyone about the band) pull it off.

Wow, how come she's more important than you are? So what if she screams, crys or wets her pants. Where are your priorities? Sound harsh? Well someone has to stick up for what you're worth. I eat most lunches in restaraunts and have since I started this journey. That's no excuse. Choose for you not for someone else. You haven't messed up your band so there is nothing to worry about there. But do yourself a favor and don't spend the time or money on a fill if you're just going to drink and let others rule the roost. This trip is not one where you have to "not live". You can have a non-carbonated drink from time to time but count the calories. Also, what's wrong with people knowing you've been banded. Everyone here at work and in my life knows. I hope that by letting everyone ask their questions maybe someone else will feel free to go and get the help I did. If someone thinks that I took the easy way out, bully for them. I took the way that worked out. If they have a problem, it is their problem. I don't mean to be harsh but you really need to put you first here. You did this for you and you really are worth it. Vicki

Don't beat yourself up over it because this is real life. What would you feel about someone else that did this? You would probably think that they had a bad day and you would UNDERSTAND. So, be understanding to yourself. Remove the thought that there are forbidden foods out there. That's way too negative of a thought. Instead PLAN for times like these. If you want to have a piece of cake, look up the calories (that's a show stopper in itself), measure out your portion, and log it in your food journal. You may be hungry later as you have used your calories on something not quite so filling but you will own what you did guilt free. Giving yourself permission to do things like this gives you power over running amok. Trust me, I had to gain this skill. Also, if you're like me and you worry about it being all gone prior to you getting another piece (my mental instability) or you want to go back because it was so very good, cut a piece and put it away. Tell yourself you can have it tomorrow. I usually forget about it. But if you don't follow the instructions above. Smile, the day is good. You're down 50 pounds. You are a winner not a failure. Vicki

Great advice. This is not supposed to strangle the hunger out of you. Trying to fit into a certain mold as far as how you break up your calories is not going to work. You must be flexible it seems everyday because this thing changes a lot. I agree you're too tight. I know that sounds crazy when you're still hungry BUT I think you are. Also, If the carbs keep you full longer and you're getting your Protein in, what the heck. Just stay in your calorie count. That's the key and eat in a way where you're happy (i.e. more than 3x a day). I know this is NOT what the surgeons and all say but hey, reality is reality. It works for me.

I'm afraid you're too tight. I personally keep my band a little on the loose side to minimize this. However, there are times (sometimes morning, sometimes just the whole day) where it is more difficult to eat. I have gone to a good yogurt (lots of protein) for my Breakfast because that is usually a harder time of day for me. I guage what I eat on how my body reacts. Sometimes I just take it easy with soft foods if things seem riled up. I keep this to a minimum though because as we all know soft foods don't keep us full too long. I've also found that if I drink something warm prior to eating that it seems to relax things. So, I've gotten in the habit of sipping on a cup of tea before meals. Do get your fill level checked out though. If you have any questions, PM me. I have a website where there is a bariactric nurse who has her own band available to answer questions. Vicki

I suggest you chew better and take smaller bites. It could also be that you're body is getting used to eating a certain food. Sometimes I can eat something and then the next time I can't This journey is a constant trial of what is going to be ok and what won't. It's not really that hard you just have to be careful. Be willing to move to something else if what you're eating isn't working. You might want to go to soft foods for 24 hours just to let things rest. Congratulations on your banding and contact me if you want to. Vicki

Kathy5150 - I went through their program and one thing that you want to do is be willing to do what they say. This surgery is viewed as elective and, therefore, being as overbooked as they are they want to see the people being cooperative. Sometimes it seems like they just don't care but they are really a good staff. I got REALLY frustrated with them and in hindsight I wish I hadn't been quite so emotional. Having said that, I also realize that this is not an elective surgery to the ones who are needing to loose weight. My advice to everyone who is embarking on Kaiser's program is to loose the weight (and more if possible) as soon as possible, be a NICE squeaky wheel since they tend to not do a lot of follow through. If someone cancels an appt for say the psychologist, they leave it open until someone calls in checking to see if there are any available. This is true with ALL of the Kaiser facilities. It took me about 6 months to get through the program. I started in June of 2007 and had surgery in December. I let them know that I would go on the surgery cancellation list (the only thing they call on to fill) and I got in 2 months prior to when they had told me I should expect surgery. I have been at goal weight since August '08. If you want to contact me, feel free. Also, the more information you arm yourself with the easier your journey will be. Good luck!

Abby - Excuse me while I snicker at Kaiser's hard line. I am a SSF Kaiser patient and had the lapband surgery. I am also a smoker and a diet rebel. Ok, all of you who are crouched and ready to pounce, cool off. I have heard that they can test for different things. I would stop those items now and stay off of them until 30 to 60 days after surgery. The reason for not smoking, drinking and such is for healing. As far as the caffine, you will want to keep it to a minimum. I used to drink a gallon of iced tea a day and have dropped it to 1 glass of non-carbonated caffine a day. No energy drinks because they are so high in caffine. Like I said, you will want to give yourself time to heal. Wine and Peanut Butter are something that adds a lot of calories. You'll have to add those into your daily calories if you want to be successful. GB patients have problems with alchol because of the digestive changes. Kaiser is still a newbie to bands and so they are being overly causious when it comes to stuff like that. As far as bread, rice and other white starchy, clumpy stuff goes, proceed with caution. If you use a whole grain bread, non-sticky rice, etc., you'll probably have better luck. Things that you can clump up in your hand can be hazardous. Mixing your textures can help and really listening to your body is essential. Normally you just end up eating a better quality of stuff. Now do you run into Kaiser boasting about how you did this or that? NO! But this is something that you can live a normal life with (the band that is) and you just have to learn to manage it. I love International Suisse Mochas. I drink a couple of them in the morning. I checked the caffine content and I would have to drink 8 of them a day to make one cup of coffee. I use the sugar-free to keep the calories down and this keeps me away from Starbucks. Have you checked the calorie count on them? WOW! I also allow myself to enjoy SF fudgescicles. Once a month I have birthday cake at the office. Otherwise I try really hard to eat the good stuff. I still journal once in a while for spot checks. I've been at goal for about 6 months now and I don't want to get lax. The band can be a wonderful tool. Some of the stuff I have said above isn't fact with GB. There is a wonderful yahoo website for bandsters that has a banded bariactric nurse on it. You should check it out. Lots of people will come back with the "why would you want to do those things when you're doing this to better your life?" Answer - you're human. Keep in mind what you want most. A calorie is a calorie and if you drink them or use them on stuff that is high calorie, you're either going to be hungry or not loose weight. PM me if you want. Vicki

swrkpt - My BMI was 46 when I started. Stats on the band are still developing because it has only been FDA approved since 2001. They have quite a lot of stats on the bands placed in Europe, Mexico and such but choose not to use them. I have talked to people who had 200+ pounds to loose that have been extremely successful with the band. The key to this is commitment. I think that you can succeed with any WLS providing you are committed. The band does have the issue of needing fills. This means that unless you journal and keep your calories under 1200 right after surgery that you probably won't be loosing weight until you get the proper fill. With the GB, sleeve and such you start loosing right away. Recovery is easier with the band and it can be removed by a pretty quick surgery if need be. They'll have to pry my band out of me though. LOL So you just have to choose what you prefer most. Quick weight loss is a real sweet thought. However, all the complications scare the pants off of me. The band has an extremely small chance of complication. April - PM me if you ever need someone to bounce off of. Vicki

April, It's good to see you're back. I only check in once in a while but it's good to see some of the group around. I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble sleeping. This may be part of why you're having trouble staying on track. Being tired tends to make us not only eat emotionally but because we're so drug out. I know this sounds a little hokie but try a good warm bath and some meditation prior to bed. That and a nice cup of decaf tea might do the trick. The nice thing about the band is you can get back on track and providing you're not eating around the band (i.e. milk shakes) then it will pretty well hold you stable until you get back in the groove. Then it's back to doing the basics like journaling and measuring. Once you start to see the weight coming off again it will get easier. Swrkpt asked if there was a surgery you can't cheat. MacMadame is right on. Not only that but if you're looking for possible ways to cheat, you had better do some soul searching on how much you want to invest in this. Please don't take that as critisim but it's true. You have to be willing to invest yourself in this or it's not worth doing. Does this mean that you will never enjoy a meal? Heck no. You just have to engage your brain before you engage your mouth. There are many times that I repeat to myself what I was once told: "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." But I do allow myself times when I eat things that I normally don't eat. Yes, I have birthday cake with my office ONCE a month. Yes, I have things on SPECIAL occassions. This is life and not a sentence to diet hell. Would I have had the bypass instead of the lapband? Nope. I personally believe that the bypass should be available only on a strict basis. It scares me. I don't have enough information on the sleeve to make a real good decission on that but I do have a friend who has had it and has done excellent. However, you can't go back on that one. They throw the unused portion of the stomach out. If you have problems, tough luck. I know that people are drawn in to the quick weight loss of some of these weight loss surgeries. I lost 128 pounds in about 14 months with my program. Yeah, I lost 70 of it prior to surgery while on Kaiser's program BUT I would not have been able to hold on without the band. Those last two months were with the knowledge that help was on the way. A properly filled band and the right mindset will get you to where you want to be. It's work. All of it is. BUT it isn't what it would be like without the band. This is all just my humble opinion. I hope it helps someone out there. Vicki