Frisky1

Hello All! It has been a L O N G time since I've been here. I've been having a great deal of trouble with sticking to the "Lapband Diet". It seems everything gets stuck and ends up coming back up. My vitamin D and calcium levels are way down. I eat lots of soups, ice cream. Things that go down easy. I have trouble with my calcium (EXTREME constipation) so I have a tendency not to take it. Sorry so blunt. Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what are you doing about it?

Hello. I was banded in Dec '07. I haven't taken my vitamins because they are hard to remember. After my 6 month blood work, My vitamin D is way down. The Dr. says this can cause Osteoporosis. I'm back to my vitamins.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question regarding apples. I will go back to liquids for a day or two..I've tried to eat and it's not working out to well.' On the positive side....I feel wonderful after losing 50lbs! I am no longer pre-diabetic! Woo Hoo! Now if I can get rid of the oxygen at night I'll be in heaven!

Hello! I have a question hopefully one of you will be able to help me with. I ate an apple last night and now I can't eat anything without feeling stuffed. Is there a problem with eating raw apples?

Denver, Colorado

Indio girl...You can eat POPCORN? I haven't even tried because I was told it would cause problems with the band. Oh I miss popcorn....maybe I'll try a little. CHEW, CHEW CHEW...

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement. I've been to one local support group and I felt it was kind of a waste of time. It seemed like the leaders kind of made you feel guilty for having some of the feelings and habits we still have from before. I haven't posted as often as I read what is written here. This website and all of you help me much, much more. Thanks again.

Hi IndioGirl! I definitely need to S L O W D O W N....it's so easy to eat fast and take big bites when you get distracted! I know I don't need anymore restriction. I think I need to adjust my thinking....When I get hungry...the food looks so good and I want to eat ALL of it. I think this will probably be one of my biggest challenges. Just changing the self talk...grrrr

Hi Everyone! Its been a long time since I've posted. I like seeing how everyones doing. I am down 45 lbs!!! Woo Hoo! I feel SO MUCH BETTER! I can actually shop (for smaller clothes!) and not have my feet get sore from all the weight. I haven't actually kicked in any workouts yet...I figure if I stop losing I'll kick in the exercise. (Some habits are very hard to break)

Hello All. I haven't posted in quite awhile. It's good to see the "50's" group is still going strong. Can someone tell me how you can tell when you've reached the "Sweet Spot"? I have a 10cc AP Band. I've had 3 fills and am now at 5.5cc. I can eat VERY little. I'd say 1/2 to 1 cup and I'm fine....EXCEPT...I get physically hungry often. I'm also having trouble eating my daily protein grams. I must chew, chew and chew somemore or OUCH! At 4cc I could eat 2 tacos at dinner. Is this the way it should be or does this sound like maybe I need a small unfill?

I Live in Colorado. I originally had United Healthcare but my company (Qwest) specifically excludes bariatric surgery, even if "Medically Necessary". I can't believe they can actually deny "Medically Necessary" but they do. I changed to Kaiser and they cover it. I wasn't required to lose weight. I did have to do the psych, pre-surgery labs and an 8 week "Weight Loss Surgery" class beforehand. Kaiser contracts with 2 Bariatric surgeons who are both members of clinics certified as "Center for Excellence".

Thanks for the support! I called my Dr's office and I go in for a fill tomorrow....Woo Hoo!!! My doctor tends to be very conservative with fills. (He told me to come back in May) I'll let you all know how it goes. Thanks again.

Hello everyone. I was banded 12/18/07. So far I've lost around 35lbs. I had my first fill the end of January (2ccs). I've been having a lot of trouble with portions. I can eat LOTS of food. Any kind of food. I feel like I have no band....I have a lot of stress going on in my life right now and it's becoming harder and harder not to eat, eat, eat. I was hoping the band would help me w/portion control. Is it just because I don't have enough fill? I have a 10ccAP band. HELP!!

Hi Zippycat, Thanks for the info. That sounds great! I live just a few blocks away from there. Do you know how much it costs? Frisky1:confused2: Do you go there often? Does it help to keep you on track?

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say "Hi!". It's been a long time since I've posted. I'm in Lakewood. Does anyone know of support groups close to me?

I have the Inamed new AP Small band. So far so good. The interior of the band has "Cushions" that inflate instead of one continuous band.

Welcome Rose! So what's it like being 3 yrs out? I was banded 12/18/07.

What is the difference between the APS and the Realize band?

I'm glad to hear I can still eat crackers. It will give me something to use instead of bread. I am going to miss pasta and rice. I didn't realize how bad my eating habits were until I got banded. It's very hard to make the transition from preband to now. I love green salads and I hope that I'll be able to have them someday. I haven't experienced and PBing or getting stuck. It sounds very painful. Sometimes it feels a little uncomfortable and I stop right away. If I can avoid that as long as I can it will be ok by me. Denise Hope everything feels better soon.

WOW! I don't know what happened! They were weblinks when I posted them...?

Where are you located? The Kaiser in Denver pays for lapband. They contract with Dr. Chae (my surgeon) National Bariatric Center: bariatric surgeon Colorado, bariatric surgeon Denver, bariatrics Denver, obesity surgery Colorado, obesity surgery Denver, stomach staple Denver, weight loss surgery Denver, weight loss surgery Colorado, bariatrics Colorado and Dr. Tom Brown Richard Tillquist M.D. - Welcome. Both are Centers of Excellence.

Yes. There's a link to it on the Unjury protein website.

I've heard other people say they drank meat tenderizer in a small glass of water and it helped. I don't know myself but I think it was on the food thread.

Hi all! Thanks for all the great ideas. I just want to wolf down my food. (Old habits are hard to break, that's how I got here) The small amount fills me up too. I think it's more head hunger. I will look for the Petit Toasts around here. The small plates and utensils are a good idea. It looks like so much more when it's on a small plate. Are crackers pretty easy to eat?

Hello Everyone! I will be 50 in April so I thought I'd introduce myself. I live in Colorado, I was banded on Dec 18th, I have 5 kids and 3 grandkids. (4 of those kids are still at home) I haven't begun exercising yet but I'm down 18 lbs. I haven't had a fill yet. I thought I'd wait until I quit losing. For those of you who've been banded awhile, are you able to eat everything? I don't see how anyone can have a full meal eating 1/2 to 1 cup at a meal. I usually eat only one thing per meal. Does everyone have trouble with bread? What do you use in place of bread? (sandwiches)