shortgal

Great job getting off the caffeine! It's smart to work on habits we'll need after banding, before we get banded. If you haven't started yet, Try practicing small bites and chewing well, that one will come in handy later, too.

Not completely true as the pouch keeps us satisified with solid food. liquids go right through, so foods like high calorie drinks and ice cream will go right through and add calories and not fill us. Same is true for GBP patients, they can eat "around" the band. The band does make it easier to keep our pouch full ( satisfied) and therefore we have less hunger if we feed it what stays in it.

I haven't had much crystal light since being banded, but I drank a lot before and certain flavors always gave me heartburn. Some flavors have more acid in them. Before surgery I also had heartburn in general and had a hiatal hernia, the hernia was repaired when band was placed and no more reflux now. Which flavor are you drinking?

I felt the same exact thing, but I knew this was different, this time I had a real device that would help me and it does. I can't answer long term for you because I'm not there yet, but this has been the least I have weighed in over twenty years and at my age it was getting harder and harder to lose weight at all. You're right though, I think it will always be a battle to keep the weight from coming back, but I really believe this time I have a chance. I would never have thought that four months ago.

Hi and welcome to the forum. I am happy with my band, too! If you look over the forum you'll find groups you can join based on the month you had surgery, or by age, or by how many pounds you need to lose.

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you're are doing very well only a few days after your surgery.

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you're on your way!

Congratulations!

I was told 60 to 80 gms of Protein a day. You might be consuming too many calories at one time. If your meals ( and calories) are not space throughout the day and most are consumed in one big meal later in the day, your body can't work off that meal. Bob Green ( Oprah's trainer) told a story in one of his books about a woman with the last 10 pounds to lose. He didn't change the amount of calories she consumed in a day, but he spaced the same calories out differently in the day, with more earlier in the day and fewer later in the day and she lost the weight. A lot of food at one meal can also make extra insulin release, instead of less insulin at each smaller meal.

I don;t know how it can "evaporate" but I read somewhere that over time some fill can disappear???? My nurse that does the fills says some stays in the tubing. It all is a little confusing on how much is in the "balloon" and how much is in the tubing and can the saline in the tubing suddenly do into the balloon? That might account for how some people get tighter over a couple weeks. It would be interesting to know more about this aspect of the band. I'm sure it's just too much info for the Doc and nurses to take the time to explain it all.

I'm not ready for PS yet, but plan to have it. I think the person in the second picture might have lost more overall weight than the first person. Maybe person 1 lost 60 pounds and person 2 lost 120 pounds. Not sure, just a guess looking at it. It could also be a matter of where they carried more weight. For me, I doubt ( don;t expect) to get to a "normal" BMI. For my height, I'd have to be between 100 to 125 pounds to be "normal". Even as a young adult, I never weighed less than 128. so I will still be "chubby" when I get my PS. I will probably look more like photo 1 than photo 2, but I'll still consider myself ready for surgery. And my thighs already look more like photo 2, so that's why I think it's where we carry more weight that matters. Not sure, just my observation. So hard to make these decisions, isn't it? I'm still trying to figure out what will be the biggest priority to fix.

My stomach is always making noises but I don't think it has anything to do with hunger and more noises of digestion. I don't feed my stomach because it makes noises anymore. Most likely the Dr wants to break any "grazing" habit of eating between meals. Once we get good restriction and our meal satisfies us longer, the urge to want a snack should go away. I try to be careful to not let the clock tell me is time to eat. We get so accustomed to thinking we need that mid afternoon snack when the clock says 3 or 4pm. If I really feel I need something, I try to make it an apple or something healthy. I did eat something between meals if restriction wasn;t good.

ABEAHER: How are you doing? Better?

I don;t know why it happens but some people on the forum have suddenly gotten tight months after a fill. People have mentioned stress? Change in diet ( more sodium causing Fluid retention). Is food getting stuck also? I would think that if it's just heartburn the RX would work. They are PPI ( proton pump inhibitors) and they cut down the production of acid in stomach. They don;t work immediately like tums or rolaids. They can take a day or two to work and I used to find I had to take one at least every other day for good control. I had reflux and hiatal hernia for several years and I was on these meds. The hernia was repaired when they placed the band, so more problems. I would check with the Dr. because the meds should be controlling it, if not I would have a slight unfill, to see if it helps.

It sounds like your band is too tight. Can you eat solid food? Does it get stuck? Do you slime or PB? Have you told your Dr. the meds are not working?

Banded 11/27/07. Next week is four months and can you believe I'm still waiting for my sweet spot?

Go easy and continue with softer foods until you can tolerate the more solid food. If solid foods dont eventually go down with small bites, well chewed then you might be too tight. The pouch and restriction is meant to work with solid Protein. The first few days after each fill is kind of a new trial period. From the liquids to soft to solid and then we can see how the lastest fill is working for us. My next fill is tomorrow. I'll be in the same boat!

Yup, my ins co wanted that too and I didn't have it either ( its a long story why). I could only send a history from ob/gyn that had gaps. I was denied. Self Paid. End of story.

Your PCP should know what your co-morbids are. I think for a better shot at ins paying you might want to get a real sleep apnea test. I don;t think they will accept, you think you have it. And they will probably want copies of the test for verification. I would go prepared to tell your PCP why you think the band will be helpful to you and all the other methods you've tried to lose weight ( unless he/she already knows your previous attempts) Many ins. co. want 2 co morbidities if your BMI is under 40. Good Luck with your appt.

How long do we want it to last. We could do an Aprils Fools Day to Memorial day challenge. That's about eight weeks. I'm open to anything! I'll weigh in tomorrow for Spring Challenge end. I had first set my goal at 184 and I'll make that, but I changed it mid stream to 182, won't make that one. Thankfully fill is tomorrow! My personal goal to stay on track for the "fit into a nice mother of the groom dress" is 181 by end of March. Hope this fills works!

:thumbup: :Dancing_shocked: WAY TO GO!

Have you looked through the "food and recipe" section. The online book stores have some books for receipes " for eating after WLS". I'm sure they must have a lot of high protein receipes. Or any low carb eating type cookbook, like South beach and Atkins.

Most bariatric docs suggest eating protein first, veggie second and if you have room left a small serving of carbs.

YES! we'll be waiting to see them. It's such an inspiration to see everyone's photos. I check the "Before and After" thread every day for new photos!

Ghost: Well I think you've hit the nail on the head for ALL of us! My biggest fear is not getting to goal ( I know that will be hard enough) but staying at goal. I was actually hoping for a "bumper" of five pounds lower than goal in case I "rebound" a bit. I think it's all our biggest fear. We've failed so many times before, why would it be easy for us to believe this will work, permanently! Solutions:?? Getting back to basics? Solid Protein, low carbs, eating slow. Getting rid of any junk in the house and not bringing carbs in for a while. I recently found everyday, I was so looking forward to and waiting for the moment in each day, that I could add in an Atkins Protein Bar. I mean, I was clock watching for that 3pm snack! That was it. I knew it was a food I better limit in the house for awhile or until I at least get a better fill! It was an ok food choice protein wise, but I was just spending too much time thinking of when I could fit one in to my calories. In the beginning of being banded, we are so geared up for the journey and then we start to get back into our social lives and old habits creep back in. How do we learn to control the appetizers, the wine, the meal and dessert that's being served? So much to learn and work at. I know I will have to learn all these new skills. How do naturally thin people do this? Isn't this the same as learning to ride a bike, anybody can do it? Let us know how you decide to work at this, maybe you can help someone else, like me!