snowbird

For me, the sweet spot is where I can eat most types of foods (except for bread, which just about always gets stuck) but feel as though I cannot eat more than about 1/3 of what would be considered a "normal" serving--what I would have eaten preband. Sometimes I feel "full" and sometimes I feel uncomfortable, but either way my serving sizes are way down. However, my restriction changes from day to day, so for me the sweet spot is a generalization--how it usually is, but not always. Sometimes I can literally eat anything, although not often, and occasionally i have a few days where almost anything will get stuck. Even when I am at my sweet spot, I have to eat small bites and chew thoroughly, and usually take longer to eat my 1/3 meal than nonbanded people will to eat an entire meal. I guess you could say the sweet spot is where I know I am banded when I have eaten some food, but when I'm not reminded of it all the time.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport They have Alamo, Enterprise, and Hertz desks there. I fly on Allegiant Air which has flights from Redmond, Eugene, and Medford Oregon to Mesa. don't know if any of those spots work for you, but it is a whole lot easier for me. Seattle airport is a two hour drive from my northern home, and going in and out of a small airport is so much less hassle.

I may be going over to Superstition Springs. I was going to try to schedule my hair appointment the same day as our lunch. But I am totally flexible. Gateway Airport is a block south of the southern 202 loop at Power Rd. It is really easy to get to, much easier than Sky Harbor. I know they just started flights there from Bend, but I don't know about other Oregon airports.

I think this is a re run of a show she televised earlier this year. One of Dr Ortiz's patients, Cassie, who was banded at age 13 four years ago, is featured.

Hey, Denise. I'm still planning on the Landmark that week. I'm flying down from Bellingham and will arrive at the Mesa Gateway airport about 3:00 pm on the 20th. I sent an email to WasaBubbleButt last night to see if she was still planning on getting together. I'll be there until the 27th, so I'm in on whatever is planned. Anyone else?

Bread is difficult for most bandsters; it balls up in the stomach and gets stuck. If I go to a barbecue I get a hot dog or hamburger with no bun, to be safe. I do take a sip of Water if necessary. It's funny, because some people say that is such a no-no, then they say they douse their food with sauce to help it go down. Well, what do they think the sauce is made with? Its main ingredient is water.

Gina, two hours to go for fills doesn't sound that inconvenient to me. I have only needed two fills total to reach goal (or close to it) and even if I had needed twice as many, a four hour trip isn't that much. I also thought I had a problem with sweets only and didn't each that much. I was wrong. We as a society just about always eat too much, and once I was banded I was absolutely appalled at how much other people ate. Start switching away from sugary things NOW and use sugar free stuff if you need the sweet taste. You will find that you get much less hungry and don't have the urge to binge on the treats as much. Russell Stover makes good Sugar Free Chocolates, and while they aren't calorie-free, I found they satisfied my urge for chocolate but didn't make me want to eat the whole package at once. Following this advice would help you regardless of which surgery you choose, but I always knew I would not consider GB for myself--just too risky for the amount of weight I had to lose.

I, on the other hand, always thought I looked like Zippy the Pinhead with a tiny head and a great big body when I was fat. I have a feeling that both your syndrome and my impression of myself are perceptual problems, not actual physical abnormalities. We have a hard time looking in the mirror and seeing what is actually there. To me, I still look about a size 14 in the mirror, but I'm actually a 6/8. I know what the tag says on the clothes, but it ain't what I see.

Hi, Shell. I used to put some instant mashed potato flakes into my broth to give it a little body and let me pretend I was actually eating something. You might try that when you get to mushies.

If you can't keep water down, there isn't time to "wait for it to adjust." She doesn't know what she is talking about. March right back in and DEMAND an unfill!

I would give up the pain meds before I ate three days after surgery.

Susie, it sounds like we are actually advocating the same point of view--listen to your doctor and follow the rules, because they are there for a reason. I read back over the first few pages of this thread, and the OP asked for input. She got good advice, and people started attacking those giving her good advice. The tone of the posts escalated from there. No one is going to hit the right note for everyone else, but Wasa is respected for her advice and her knowledge by many on this forum. Most people would do well to consider what she says without getting overly defensive about her posts, blunt and to-the-point as they may be occasionally. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f80/anyone-else-noticed-66528/index7.html

Oh yeah, I would do that--eat several packs. So I didn't mean buying treats packaged in one serving portions, but buying one portion of treats--a single candy bar, rather than a bag of candies. One cookie, rather than a box. I can't depend on myself to say no, once it's there and the craving hits, so I have to be sure it's not there.

The basic thing I don't understand is that people are willing to risk the pain and cost of unsuccessful surgery for the little bit of gratification eating too soon will bring you. Do you think that anyone who suffers a slip and has to be rebanded or just lose the band would think it was all worth it, because they got a hamburger a week early? So maybe you didn't follow your doctor's advice and you were fine. First of all, how long have you been banded? If it's only a couple months, you don't know you are fine yet. And if you have been banded over a year and haven't slipped, well, lucky you. I've said this before: I've done some stupid things in my life that maybe should have killed me, but didn't. That doesn't mean I would suggest to anyone else that they do what I did. Why would you want to encourage dangerous behavior in others?

Good for you; that sounds like the way we all should be. For me, restriction was a more physical inability to eat more, with discomfort and a stuck feeling after a few bites. Underneath I am still and overeater and would eat to excess without the restriction. Your way is the best if you can continue it and make some good new habits for yourself.

It is tempting, isn't it? The only way I manage is to not keep any attractive food in the house. I have stuff for meals, but nothing yummy to snack on. I get my treats in one-serving portions, like a single ice cream cone or one cookie from the bakery. I don't bring home a half gallon of ice cream or a package of cookies. I know I'm still an out of control eater underneath it all, and I just would eat it all if it were around.

A half pound is so meaningless it doesn't bear noticing. It could be that you will lose it the next time you go to the bathroom. It could be the weight of the food you ate last. It is to be expected that you will gain a couple pounds when you return to solids, simply because your body will contain the food you ate and it has mass. Don't sweat the small stuff and don't be too concerned about your weight prior to your first fill.

I like Hi Health Ultimate Meal. It smells good, like cake batter, and tastes fine alone or better with flavorings, like blueberries, strawberries, or even coffee. http://shop.hihealth.com/Ultra_Plan_Ultimate_Meal_with_P3723C158.cfm?UserID=696556&jsessionid=5e30348f9507a$B5G$C7

Cut your sugar, if those popsicles etc are not sugar free, and start some protein shakes. Check out the labels on the protein powders and try to stay away from high sugar ones. Sugar will give you bad hunger pangs, but protein intake should calm them down. Upping your liquid intake may help, too.

Congratulations, CeeLee! It's great to go through this with another family member--you can have your own mini support group.

I' ve seen several people who had BMI's well in the qualifying range say they got the same response from lapband.com. I think their site is not programmed correctly. When you say "qualify" do you mean, will the doctors do the surgery, or will your insurance pay for it? Generally the rules are BMI 40 or over, or 35 and over with co morbidities (health problems stemming fom obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint problems, etc.) for insurance coverage, IF they cover it at all. My doctor recorded my BMI as 35 (5'6", 222 lb) with comorbidities of borderline high blood pressure and cholesterol, acid reflux, and pre diabetic. My insurance paid for most of my surgery.

i think if you had a bone injury the pain would be more severe. I had a stress fracture on the ball of my foot once, and I couldn't even touch it to the ground without a LOT of pain. I hyperextended my knee really bad after losing 65 lb. a couple years ago. I jumped up into the bed of our pickup truck and "forgot" I wasn't as heavy as I used to be, and applied way too much force to my jump. I think our brains take some time to relearn how to move after a weight change. Good shoes should help. If the pain subsides after a few minutes, I would guess a good stretching routine may help you, and seeing your doctor would put your mind at ease, as diva said before.

It's unlikely that you have a slip. It is more likely you just need another fill. My husband didn't reach much restriction at all until his fifth fill, at 8.6 cc in a 10 cc band. On the other hand, my daughter's boyfriend has lost 165 lb and has never had a fill. So you can't really go by the amount of your fill to tell if you "should" have restriction yet. The only way to be sure you have a slip is through fluoroscopy. If your doctor offers that with your free fills, it certainly wouldn't hurt to check.

No problem. If you want to save a couple more bucks, you can get to OCC fairly easily without using their shuttle. I don't know what they charge right now, but last year they were charging $130 for a round trip ride between OCC and the San Diego airport for fill patients. If you go on the OCC forum (lapbandforum.com) there are good instructions for getting to and from OCC via the trolley and cab.

Hi, getthin. I have a 4 cc band and did go to OCC for my fills. I had 1.7 cc with the first fill and only .2 with the second. Reaching proper restriction is an extremely personal thing. My daughter, also banded at OCC, has had about 7 fills/unfills, and only had her first one at OCC. My husband has a 10 cc band, and has needed 5 fills; only his last one was NOT at OCC, and it was the first one that really gave him much restriction. The OCC doctor who used to do fills and did my two, was fairly aggressive, but he is no longer there. Their new doctor is a bit more conservative. You might want to go back to OCC for your first fill, just so they can do a fluoroscopy and check the position of your band and your stomach. However, I really don't think it is necessary or even more advantageous to go back there if you don't live nearby. I spend part of the year in Washington state, and have a fill clinic nearby that I trust. If I really needed a fill while I was up in Washington, I would not hesitate to use the Washington clinic. If you can find someone near your home whom you trust, I would go ahead and use them.