Mikee57

I am seriously wishing I could get the sleeve but I am a self-pay because my insurance does not cover weight loss surgery so I don't think it will ever happen for me. AND, I am still paying for something that doesn't work. I have to hope that the day comes that I find a way to make this work...
I am glad you finally found success!!

I was banded in 2001. I weighed 272. I lost 30 pounds in the first month as my surgeon had me on a liquid diet for a whole month. It took me another 11 months to drop an additional 40 - I exercised daily and really tried hard. I never got under 200# and started having severe reflux and had to have all Fluid removed. I was not a success story. Once the Fluid was removed, I regained and hit my lifetime high of 332 by 2005.
I didn't expect it to be a cakewalk, but i really thought it would help me more with appetite control, Portion Control. I tried really hard but I needed more support and education than I received ... also, as a tool, it just didn't work that well for me.
I revised to the sleeve in December 2011 which has just worked better for me as a tool AND I sought out a surgeon with a very detailed 2 year follow up support plan that was mandatory. I am down to 140 now and maintaining...

I use myfitnesspal.com but my life gets very busy and I find having to think about and document what I eat all day every day gets to be too much. I find I am focusing too much of my time on food. So now I just focus on eating the 3 meals a day and only eating until satisfied. If I can stop snacking between when I know I'm not really hungry, I would be fine. lol
that's my big struggle.

It is NOT easily. I suspect few WLS are "easy." They all have their risks, and they have their horror stories--regardless of the surgery.
For me, the lap band required a great deal of attention... I have to track exactly what I am eating, and keep records for my daily Protein, carbs, fats and total calories. That keeps me honest and aware of whether the band is working, or needs adjustment, I also force myself to go to my gym at least six days a week. That routine burns 800 calories a day. That means I am burning about 1.5 pounds of fat per week on average. I also track how much exercise I do each day in a log on Fitday.com. I've been using it for ten years. When I get lazy and don't keep records I get lazy and I gain weight. When I pay attention and keep track of what is going on I lose weight. Nothing comes "easy," For a few, I guess they are lucky and the pounds fall off and stay off. I am one who needs to work at it, and I know becoming complacent means failure.
If a lap band patient follows the diet, and watches what they eat, and exercises, the weight will come off. This assumes they will have fills and follow up visits when problems arise.

Anyone who thought getting the lap band would make it easier to lose weight finding it isn't as easy as you thought? I have written down my thoughts on this after 8 months out from lap band. I weighed 254 before surgery and now weigh 227. That's only 27 lbs in 8 months...
here's my thoughts....
http://www.debbiedanthony.com/cake-walk-no-way/
Anyone want to weigh in??

You know if it didn't get better to contact your Surgeon , to make sure , I guess I didn't help , so PLEASE call and see if maybe they can do a fluro or barium swallow check to see , hopefully your not to filled, hope everything gets better & you are o k.

@@Mikee57 nope give the Dr. a call today. You have probably cause a bit of significant swelling in the stoma and may need to have some fill removed, but let the doctor check your band and make that determination.
The best thing to do after a stuck episode is to go to liquids for a few meals to allow any trauma to the stomach and esophagus to heal and swelling to go down. 3 days is long enough to wait and if you are having pressure when lying down and/or sleeping it is time for a call and possibly visit to the Dr.
Go to liquids and make the call my friend.

I used to think they looked surprised when I would ask if they had nutritional info. Now that I'm thinner, not as much.

Lately I've been getting this weird look from servers when I eat at restaurants and I start asking for healthy options, which they have available, it seems they don't understand how an overweight person wants to eat healthy. They can not imagine the struggles we go thru everyday. Then they will pass by the table thousands of times asking "is everything ok?" Is the food ok? Yes people I am eating slowly, i am chewing not swallowing my food. The face that I love is the one they put when I am not able to eat everything in my plate and i ask for a box. I am a regular at the neighborhood Olive Garden i use to order Soup and salad and i can easily used to eat 6 bowls of soup, now they are worry because I only eat one, they always give me one to go. I am loving this!

Can you post pictures of the Silvers/Maurices?

Hi
I have just went through all my clothes and I have a ton!!! Of mostly 18s and 14-16. I don't know the best way to get rid of them (I would like to sell them to help pay for some new clothes) but I have soooo many! Many dress, sweaters, jeans, all is brand name- american eagle, gap, old navy, lands end, Maurice's, silver! And in perfect condition. So I feel like I would like to get $200 for the whole wardrobe! But not sure if that is realistic.

I might drink 2 shakes a week but I don't really rely on them for my Protein. I get it all from meats and Beans and rice.
Went to a support group this week and the guest speaker was an endocrinologist(Dr of hormones, diabetes, metabolism issues) and he was pushing for 80-100 grams a day. I'm not sure I get that much or if I can even eat that much with my band?
So, why can't you get enough Protein?

I'm not vegan. It's just the Protein Shakes and bars nauseate me. I eat meat but I know I'm not getting what my dr told me.

adverse effects of too low a Protein would be swelling and muscle wasting.

Are you a vegan or just don't like meat? Or, are you getting Protein via shakes?

yes on the discovery at Waffle House.....I enjoyed a road trip thru the South about 4 years postOp and Bandster eating in restaurants was still a new experiment for me.....
I do recall though, even though the food was tasty and way more plentiful that ~I~ wanted, the small orders I did get shared with others in my party.....
I've never seen "pork chops" cut so thin....and if the bacon was any thinner sliced there would have been only one side to it!!!
Even now traveling, mostly I order either just appetizers or Soup, or take a box along if it will keep.
I have managed how to communicate during ordering to show the size of whatever it is I want to order.
When I was just coming into the REAL food phase postOp, I attended a banquet with a friend. My own tiny meal was plenty. I was almost nauseated by seeing the 3rd & 4th heaping plates going to some folks, and huge gooey Desserts.
It was an important part of my given up my old eating pattern, just to watch the carnage around me. My friend ate a very sensible portion, which helped center me on what MY meal really was about.

Great job everyone!
I've been nursing a pulled calf muscle the last few days, just walking and stretching it some. It finally got better Monday and I got in a little jog last night with no pain. Today is beautiful here in the midwest, so got in a nice bike ride. 42 miles at a nice easy pace.

Debbie3sons...hope all goes well with your Ortho issues as well...will keep you in my prayers and have only good thoughts going up for ya!!! Thanks for your kinds words.

Well I know I haven't posted on here in a few days, I am still going to the pool and walking, but I got some very sad news last week...I had been feeling some bad pains in my right hip...to the point some days I could hardly walk. Well old man Arthritis has really done me in...there is nothing but bone on bone in my hip joint. Waiting to hear about an appt with the Ortho doc...gonna try to see about putting off surgery as long as I possible can...I need to get the weight off before they go cutting on me again, and I am no where near green, so it is coming off slow...so folks if you keep folks in prayer...I could really use some!!! Thanks...but until I am told otherwise I am going to the pool...it makes me feel like I can do anything when I'm in that pool.

so agree with yall...I eat wayyyyyyyyyyyy less than anyone in my family and friends...so neat though...love it...even though I'm not green yet I try hard to stay as small as possible without being hungry all the time. so YOU GO GIRL NolansNana!!!

Debbie3sons...hope all goes well with your Ortho issues as well...will keep you in my prayers and have only good thoughts going up for ya!!! Thanks for your kinds words.

Just wanted to share this today....It doesn't take a marathon!
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/28/even-a-5-minute-run-can-help-prevent-heart-disease/
Even a 5-minute run can help prevent heart disease Good news for runners: A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests running, even for a few minutes a day, can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease – whether you plod along or go at race speed.
Researchers studied more than 55,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 100 over a 15-year period, looking at their overall health, whether they ran and how long they lived.
Compared to nonrunners, those who ran had a 30% lower risk of death from all causes and a 45% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, investigators found. In fact, runners on average lived three years longer than those who did not hit the pavement. When data was broken down by age, sex, body mass index, and smoking and alcohol use, the benefits were still the same.
“That’s important to note,” said Dr. Warren Levy, a cardiologist and chief medical officer of Virginia Heart in northern Virginia. “Even with all the negative factors, such as obesity, smoking and diabetes, those who were, let’s say, obese and ran had a less likely chance of dying from heart problems than those obese people who didn’t run. Same with smokers, diabetics, etc. ”
The speed and frequency of a person's running routine did not make a huge difference either. The data showed novice runners who ran less than 51 minutes, fewer than 6 miles, slower than 6 miles per hour, or only one or two times per week still had a lower risk of dying than those who did not put on running shoes.
D.C. Lee, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Iowa State University's kinesiology department in Ames, Iowa, said the researchers found runners who ran less than an hour per week have the “same mortality benefits compared to runners who ran more than three hours per week.” So more may not be better.
“Its been shown that after a certain amount of running over a certain period of time, the benefits seem to wane,” said Levy. “We aren’t quite sure why.”
However, researchers did discover that consistency was key. They found participants who ran consistently over a period of six years or more gained the most benefits, with a 29% lower risk of death for any reason and 50% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke.
There have been many studies that have shown the benefits of exercise on the heart. But this study is one of the largest to pinpoint the positive effects of running, especially for nonmarathoners or nontriathletes.
"Since time is one of the strongest barriers to participate in physical activity, the study may motivate more people to start running and continue to run as an attainable health goal for mortality benefits," Lee said.
Activities like running can lower your blood pressure and decrease the production of glucose, which cuts your risk of developing diabetes, according to the American Heart Association. Running also seems to protect the innermost lining of the arteries, keeping the walls and cells intact, which cuts the risk of blockages or clots that can cause strokes or heart attacks.
Levy, a runner himself, said people considering taking up running programs should talk to their doctors first, especially if they have chronic conditions.
“A lot of weekend warriors just go out without preparing for their run. It’s the runner who takes it gradually and trains correctly, even for a run around the block, who's the one who avoids injuries and other complications."

Just completed Jillian Michaels Metabolism Fat Burner workout...45 min. Sweaty!

Yes Debbie so much fun I going to look into doing it again they do it upstate New York I think it would be an awesome fall activity

WELL AT LEAST YOU WEREN'T IN PAIN & had fun and kept up.