MerryHearted

Well, the band won't cure head hunger... you'll probably go through a "honeymoon" phase where you won't want your old favorites because you are losing well, but most folks, after awhile, do hit a stage where they really battle the same old problems as before: eating out of boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, etc. You have to eventually work on those things, just like you have to work at making good food choices. My surgeon's office recommends finding a counselor or psychiatrist who can help you work through those issues when you run into them. You're losing great right now! You should expect that to slow down once you're out of your healing phase. And if you don't lose at all for a week or so, remember that bandsters lose an average of 1-2 lbs per week during the first year. Meaning that you have to look at it over the long term - not everyone loses steadily. You might lose a bunch in one week and nothing for a week or so afterwards. But keep the faith -- the pounds sure add up over time! Here's wishing on you the speedy weight loss you want!! :clap2:

Well, we're off for our anniversary trip very early tomorrow morning so I'll post my weigh-in for the week today instead. -3 lbs! Woot! MollyMolly - H 299/ S 275/ J 240/ G 140/ C 230 (-69 lbs total) This is going to be a tough week to lose. Today's dinner will be hot dogs and potato chips. I'll eat a half a dog, no bun, count out 1 serving of chips, and maybe find some veggies to munch on if I still need more. Is it wrong that I am wishing I could pig out and not suffer the consequences?? :hungry: Wed/Thurs DH and I will be travelling. All our meals will be eating out for two days! Thankfully both days our activities include significant walking (Butchart Gardens tomorrow and wandering around Victoria on Thurs) so hopefully that will make up for the eating out. Despite my best efforts I usually don't manage to eat as lightly when in a restaurant as I do at home. :rainbow:Hope everyone (American anyway) is having a bang-up 4th of July!!:rainbow: [PoTC is out on Friday!! I can't wait!]

Have you tried Pepto Bismol? That will take care of H Pylori, if I recall correctly. (I had to do that a few years ago; I think it was a few days of taking a dose every few hours) With all the pain, what have you been able to eat/drink?

Yep, sounds like it's time for another fill!

Wow Jamie, you look great!!

I really wouldn't worry about getting it under fluoro, especially your first couple fills. The center I went to doesn't use fluoro -- fills are quick and easy; you drink a bottle of water after and if it goes down you're good to go. If you can find a center that even charges $300 for a fill -- which I still think is way too much --, it's cheaper to do that and go back for an unfill than it is to pay $650 for a fill under fluoro.

As of yet, I have not had problems with any of the foods I'm supposed to be eating (protein and produce). Asparagus tips work just fine for me, and if further down the stalk it gets a little too chewy, I just spit it out. Same with pineapple, steak and chicken. But usually just cutting those into small enough pieces solves the problem. The one thing I do have trouble with is hardboiled eggs. A shame too; they are the perfect quick-protein snack. I've never pb'd but the closest I've come to really getting stuck was on an egg. The trick is to not get overfilled. The band isn't meant to choke you or even to really stop you from eating too much in one sitting. It's meant to help with satiety, so if you choose to eat your small serving of Protein & produce you can walk away from the table feeling satisfied and not needing to eat for a few hours. [unfortunately it doesn't completely cure emotional/boredom-related head hunger -- that's stuff we're stuck working on]

Sorry your experience was not good Miko! Will you be doing a gastric bypass then, or a duodenal switch like GeezerSue did? Best wishes on the new surgery, I'm sure that you will do well and reach your goal!

Yes, that slippage rate looks really high with the newer surgery methods. Looking forward to Dr. C's data, as the data I saw at my surgeon's office was 2% slippage, 2% erosion. "Stoma blockage" -- don't we all get blocked at some point? I'd think that's one of the causes of PB'ing. You swallow a big ol hunk of food and then it gets stuck. Or do you think they only mean folks who really get something stuck and require invasive intervention to get it removed? Constipation/Diarrhea is common for a short time whenever eating habits change drastically.

Does your doc want you in ketosis? Make sure you're getting lots of water! From what I understand, you can have the benefits of ketosis without enough ketones to show up in your urine. You might also be able to tell by your breath or whether your urine has a stronger smell than usual... (gross, I know! :Banane56: ) If your weight continues to drop 1-2 lbs a week even with only the trace ketones in your urine, you are probably burning fat just fine!

Just wanted to remind everyone of something that you probably already know: weight loss is NOT a steady thing in most people. It is completely normal to drop a pile of weight and then not lose for 2-3 weeks, then drop some more... and the pattern goes on. Over time, you will likely average 1-2 lbs per week. Which means you will definitely have weeks where nothing happens on the scale, and weeks where you lose more than that. And of course the other thing: you're still in your healing stage; it's normal to drop a bunch of weight while on liquids and then see a gain or stop in weight loss for a couple weeks when you first switch to mushies or solids. Congrats on 12 lbs lost for good!!

Wow, you guys are doing AWESOME!! I'm so proud of you!

C 233 Yay, my fill is working!

Well, I'm about 10 months post banding with 2.75cc fill in a 4cc band. Breakfast was a yogurt. lunch was a small salad with a couple ounces of turkey breast. Mid-afternoon snack: an iced non-fat latte (no sugar / syrup) dinner is a bbq'd chicken leg and steamed cauliflower. Dessert later in the evening will be some cherries fresh picked off the tree in the backyard And of course, copious amounts of Water and Crystal Lite...

I went to Dr. Fox's seminar once back before banding was done in the states. (seminar for bypass). He does like "his" girls skinny. One of the things that his office would make you sign is an agreement that once you made goal that you would go to an image consultant to help you pick out a new look for yourself -- hairstyle, makeup, wardrobe, etc. I actually think that's a great idea and I will probably do it, even though I didn't get my surgery through his office. [eta: I don't know if he still does this] << snipped; I probably shouldn't state my opinion of Dr. Fox here >>

Oh no, you will do just fine!! If it's all fixed up and your ulcer is taken care of, you'll be feeling great and skinny again soon. I'm so sorry about what you went through So it wasn't really having a fill that was the real problem; it was the ulcer and a slip?

Welcome to any new members from WA! Hope everyone is doing well with their bands.

OK, so I'm a little over a month late, but I'm here!! I wasn't for awhile, and had stalled on my weight loss, but I'm back with a vengeance now -- it's time to make some major progress here. I found this post looking for an August 2005 update thread, wondering how the rest of you all are doing. I know I'm probably not the only one who stalled, and I hate to admit that I hope I'm not the slowest loser :success1: (yes I suck and am shallow sometimes) -- but at the same time I really do hope we have all had great success. So check in! Otherwise, I'm hoping we will have a big checkin thread for our bandiversaries -- coming up in a little over a month!

I did not need clearance or any sort of permission from my primary doc before having surgery. Is this an insurance requirement for you or is it the surgeon wanting to know your doc is on board? [regardless, my doc was on board and encouraged me that he'd had several patients who did really well with Lap Bands.]

:clap2: :Bunny :party: :drum: :first: :banana :banana :banana Congratulations Josephine!!! :cheer2: :success1: :woot:

I've got a band that holds 4cc. I started with 1.5cc at my 6-week fill. That didn't help much. A week later I moved up to 1.75cc; that was better and I stuck with that for a bit but I have been stalled for awhile even with a fill to 2.0 and then 2.25. So I just jumped to 2.75 last week and that's much better. The great thing is that whether it's too loose or too tight you can get it adjusted again right away. (unless you've got one of those nutty docs that insist on some arbitrary time between fills whether the fill is working for you or not)

Don't know Melanie -- give it a few weeks though. I've noticed my band is pretty fickle. I'll feel tighter for a few days then looser sometimes. Sticking to Protein & produce definitely lowers my cravings though. Roberta -- chances are you just need more fill and are still feeling hungry like you did pre-band. Getting more fill will cut down on that hunger. Some of it probably is head-hunger, but I bet not all. If your doc has an open door policy on fills, you might want to call and make another appt.

Definitely would go with the band again. And I'm a "turtle" as it were... I lost at a good pace at first, but for the last few months I've been stalled. I just got a good .5 cc fill and hopefully that'll help. But still, the stall is a stall, not a rapid re-gain of my weight lost! With a "regular" diet, I'd have regained it all by now and then some. Or be well on my way anyway. (and NewSho -- congratulations on 154 lbs lost in one year!!! I won't preach at ya though girl, because I know about the frustration of looking at how much is left to lose and getting discouraged. I am looking forward to hearing how you feel about the band when you do reach goal)

Congratulations Amy!!

I did it for 2 weeks I think, or maybe closer to 3. Honestly, it's only the first few days that are hard. After that, your body adjusts and you aren't hungry all the time. I added in veggies & fruits for something to nosh on (except the last day before surgery). Still lost a good chunk of weight and my liver looked great said the doc. I started on OptiFast, but it gave me eczema, so I switched to Glucerna. They sell that in the drugstore alongside Ensure / Boost (not with the SlimFast or diet food). It's formulated for diabetics to not spike your blood sugar and it has fiber in it to help keep you full longer.