bandster_1007

whosya...fantastic job. reading from people like you who are succeeding at this (the band) and the running, is what has inspired me to start this program (of course, i have to get over the fever first). thank you so much for sharing your experience.

lapgirl, it's amazing to me how different each one of us are. i CANNOT drink with my food, since my last fill. actually, i have more trouble drinking period, than i do eating. weird huh, i guess i chew really good, but i gulp. i've been sick too, but i have slimed on liquids about 8 times this weekend. none on food. if i even take one bight and then take a drink, it is coming back up.

ok, you guys, i went to the mall saturday and got some running shoes..whew hew!! i was supposed to start saturday, but i'm running 102 fever. and i haven't been able to get much down (food or liquids) because i'm sick and swollen. i know right..excuses ..excuses. if i were just running fever, i would try, but i have body aches and a headach from hell. so. i'll be starting a little later. for right now about the only exercise i feel like doing is tossing and turning in the bed (freezing then sweating, freezing, then sweating).

i have another question.. i have a treadmill, do you guys run with a treadmill or outside, and if you do run with a treadmill, do you use an incline? i'm thinking of incline 10...but want to know if anyone else did that.

ok, i'm a little behind, but i'm going to start this week (going to get some good running shoes this weekend). i need this link to the podcast things that you guys are talking about.

where do i get these pod casts that you speak of. and ..i need some good workout music for my ipod...any suggestions?

ok, so that i have to be liable to someone. i'm starting this..this week. (as soon as i get my treadmill back into the living room --had to move it for the xmas tree).

i just purchased muscle milk to help me get through this fill. i was feeling tired because i needed Protein. the calories are just too high though, it throws off my whole day. plus, it is very sweet IMO. i can get it down, but i would sure like something a little less sweet and little lower cal.

wow, i love this thread. don't have many ideas, but just wanted to say thanks for posting. i keep the light yogurt smoothies, when i'm on liquids, for Breakfast. i'm tighter now, so i don't know if these will still work, but i love egg whites and turkey sausage for breakfast. i'm going to get some canadian bacon today to cook like the turkey pepperoni. it is supposed to be low cal and good in Protein.

my doc told us not to worry about Protein until we are moved to solids. even in the 4 days after fills it is darn near impossible for me to get my protein.

i'm loving that idea. i'm currently an 18, but as i go down in size, i cannot afford to buy a lot of new clothes. so a personal e-bay would give me the option to purchase at a lower price.

i totally agree, you look best in the buzz picture (you look good in all of them, but best with the buzz). my hair is about the same texture as yours, but it is to my lower back, so i can fake people out..lol. i have wave, so when it is down it looks really thick.

my fills are done under blind fill. the average person only need about 3. then they just follow up with weight loss, etc. my doctor says that it takes a while for the stomach tissue to become hard. what they mean by this is, imagine taking a sponge and squeezing the center. you can usually squeeze for a while before the sponge becomes hard enough not to be able to squeeze anymore. our stomach have a lot of Fluid in the (the tissue), so when they tighten the band, first it swells, then we have fluid. this is the reason for morning band, when we wake up we have a lot of fluid in our organs. as the day passes the fluid moves to our extremeties. much is the same with our stomach. as we swallow food and as time passes (gravity) the fluid is pulled from stoma/pouch into the lower stomach. which is why most people can eat more at night. each person is different, but at some point in time your stomach loses that elasticity and then your fill lasts for a long time. so that is the reason for the fills up until that point.

lori this website has helped me a lot.

i put that my sig of needs to be only slightly overweight because he is a health nut, and he loves to exercise and he has a very nice body. if he let that go, his personality would change also.

lori you may want to post this is the food section. you will probably get more response there. most of us are pretty new at this, but if you are constantly vomiting and gaining, there could be a complication. the 2 just don't go well together. i would check with my doctor. also, i do not know that it is normal to have difficulty swallowing, at least i was never told about that. do you log your food? that is supposed to help a lot. as far as low fat low cal foods...HA...i'm still eating crap. Water was the first thing that came to mind that i like. but of course, salads, chilli, steak, chicken, Beans, anything not processed.

oh..and i totally agree that if we had will power then we would not have needed the surgery. my doctor has the same philosophy. he does not believe the band will work all by itself, he says we have to work it, but his idea of working the band is: getting fills, not drinking with meals, and not drinking liquid calories. he says it's that simple. if you follow those rules, you will lose weight..regardless. and he does have a very high success rate. he says even his most rebellious patient will still lose 50% of their weight when breaking the rules. however, he does want us to exercise and to log our food and to keep our calories below 800 a day (preferably 600). the reason for this is not so that we will have "self control" per se, but it is to determine when it is time for a fill. if my calories jump up by 200 within a week then it is time for a fill. he also believes it is vital to determine Protein levels. now, his big thing is that restriction makes all of the above possible. until we have restriction, it is nothing but a frustrating waiting game. the more control you have over your hunger the more control you have over what you choose to eat. as for exercise he puts it like this "you can either look like you just lost 100 lbs, or you can look 100 lbs thinner". so, i don't know, but those items that he reminded me of wednesday that i should not feel guilty. if i were able to control all of these items on my own i never would have opted for surgery in the first place. although, today and yesterday i have restriction, i'm already logging food again and thinking clearer. we will all get there, and we've all been beaten up enough in our lives, i'm sure mostly by ourselves. so, i say we all give ourselves a big fat break. and yet, i'm trying to be optimistic and i have gained 2 lbs. more than my pre surgery weight. we can do this..and i'm proud to be a member of the tenacious tens.

oh man, i guess i went through this whole thing a little earlier than you guys, but boy did i need this thread. i've lost no weight and after my first fill i could eat 4 pieces of pizza and cheese sticks with no problem. i was super frustrated. then i went to the doc for my 2nd fill and i had gained 2 lbs. he made me tight. yesterday i couldn't drink a lot, but today it is getting better. anyways, my point is, my guilt was horrible. i was so hungry. and i quit logging my food because it was way too many calories at the end of the day and i was just so hungry. i'm speaking in past tense because i'm on liquids right now, and at this point i'm not very hungry, but we will see how it goes. so being a self-pay, who hasn't started exercising, and hasn't lost any weight, i completely relate to guilt.

i agree you need another fill, but compare yourself to me...no weight loss...none at all... that should make you feel better. i know it will come, it just takes time.

i told everyone, and i totally feel your frustration. i have actually had people tell me that i wasted my money. don't worry we'll show them. (i feel like i should wear a disclaimer shirt (lap band patient: disclaimer-do not expect rapid weight loss and do not compare to gastric bypass)

i did want to add, that this is my doctor philosphy..not mine, but he says that even the most disobedient patient will still lose 50% of their weight if they do not drink with meals, do not drink liquid calories, and keep their fills up. The other 50% is what we have to work for by eating healthy and exercising.

my liquid rule is anything through a straw. last night i had pureed chicken (1/4 cup) and mashed potatoes and gravy (1/4 cup). i was stuffed.

after my fill i am on liquids for 48 hours, then mushies for 48 hours then solids. jennie.you may want to try to post a new thread it will get better response.

oh, and i told my doctor about how i could eat 4 pieces of pizza and he told me that he was going to make me tight..and boy did he. he was not happy that i had not lost, and that convinced him that he needed to be more aggressive in my fills, so he was.

becky. i posted about my fill today actually. i'm very tight. i feel everything that passes my lips. i've drank no Water today and i have only been drinking things that have Protein and i can barely get those in. i've been sipping some muscle milk for about an hour. and today for the first time ever, i had morning band. so, i know it's there now. before i could guzzle and gulp and everything...now i sip..and sip and sip. i'm sure i will have some help with this fill. thank you so much for asking.