Jean McMillan

It's hard to make suggestions without knowing more about your eating & exercise habits, food choices, medications & medical conditions that could affect your weight. I've encountered some bandsters whose weight loss was disappointing for a wide variety of reasons, and also quite a few who have struggled to find a good fill level because they're very sensitive to fills. Does True Results not have a dietitian on staff who can work with you on an eating plan and on strategies for avoiding eating problems? If they've told you (basically) that there's nothing more they can do to help you, I'd be looking for 2nd opinion from a more supportive clinic.

To prevent that kind of breakdown again, it might help to think about why it happened, because if you like pizza, it's likely to tempt you again and again. Were you feeling deprived because of being in the mushy food phase? Were you bored, angry, stressed, unprepared with "approved" food? If it happened because you're tired of mushies, remember that phase is temporary and solid food will appear on your plate soon. If it was a case of emotional eating, make a list of 10 things you can do instead of eat the next time you're tempted to eat for comfort. If it's because you didn't have any mushy phase foods with you (in the car, at work, etc.), make a shopping list of easily portable foods (yogurt, pudding, etc.) to keep in the fridge at home and at work.

Molly, Did your surgeon not tell you how long to stay off work? And whether you'll have a limit for how much weight you can lift while your recovering? It may depend on what kind of work you do. If you do anything physical (waitressing, nursing, etc.) you may need more time off than if your work is sedentary (office). I was working at home doing a sedentary job when I was banded. I had told my clients I was taking a month off but I was so bored after 3-4 days, I started working again. An acquaintance who's a hairdresser had surgery on a Thursday and went back to work the following Tuesday, but she wasn't real happy about that decision. Good luck with the surgery! Jean

Okey dokey! Buffalo chicken potato skins - recipe is here: http://jeanslapbandjourney.blogspot.com/2012/10/buffalo-chicken-potato-skins.html Baked shrimp w/ tomatillos - recipe is here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_shrimp_with_tomatillos/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elise%2Fsimplyrecipes+%28Simply+Recipes%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher Baked oatmeal w/ fruit & nuts - recipe is here: http://jeanslapbandjourney.blogspot.com/2012/10/baked-oatmeal.html

The new line that is being spun is actually quite hard to swallow ( excuse the pun). The way it is stated it actually sounds like a cross between utopia and/or the band doing nothing. I am still not sure which it is. Thanks, Elcee, I needed that laugh!

The best meal plan would be one made for you by your dietitian. One way to learn what other people are eating (and stave off boredom) is to start a thread entitled something like What Are You Eating Today? That way you'll get a good variety of responses. If you had posted a thread like that today, here's how I would have answered: B: Protein latte S: baked oatmeal w/ fruit & walnuts S: Greek yogurt w/ a few blueberry Fiber crisps L: baked shrimp w/ tomatillos S: tomato salad w/ Havarti cheese D: Buffalo chicken potato skin S: trail mix S: Peanut Butter banana oatmeal bar That looks like a lot of food but I'm only eating about 1/4 cup at a time (that's all I can manage right now) and I have to eat every 1-2 hours because of a blood sugar issue. But it does give you an idea of the variety of things I like eating.

Sorry - hit the wrong button - these new-fangled computers are so danged complicated for old-timers like me to understand...

First of all, to the OP (oh-la-la) - please don't let the controversy surrounding this thread discourage you from posting a question or an opinion again. To everyone who joined in the fun - y'all will have to carry on the foolishness without me, at least for a while. It's 4:50 pm where I am, way past my bedtime, and I have to get up early tomorrow to take my walker to the medical supply house for its annual tune-up.

We used to make awesome spitballs out of that cheap, soft white bread when I was a kid. Back in the Dark Ages, you know...

If ony the adjustable gastric band had been available here in the US back in the Stone Ages, when I was your age. But it wasn't, so all I can say is: better late than never. Thanks for the entertainment!

A sense of humor is like wine - it improves as it ages.

Aside from general health concerns and the challenges of safely administering general anesthesia to and maintaining respiration in a smoker, smoking can interfere with healing after surgery. That's why lots of surgeons want their patients to be smoke-free in advance of surgery. I don't know of any reason (aside from general health concerns, see above) why you couldn't smoke after you'd healed after band surgery, though.

Head for the hills, TKW, Missy, and oldsters like me! The children are rioting!

You are not a failure! It usually takes more than one fill for the band to start doing its job. In the meantime, you'll have to white-knuckle it, but believe me, it's worth it!

Speaking from 5 years experience on several online WLS forums, people who appear to be part of a clique because they are repeating the same information over and over again are doing so because they're sharing information they got from their surgeon, not because they belong to a clique and have all sworn to sing the same hymn every time they respond to a forum post. Information that doesn't vary from one surgeon to the next tends to indicate a trend in bariatric surgeon's beliefs and practices that didn't originate in the imagination of an LBT member.

It's not false information just because it doesn't line up with your personal experience up until now. The band indirectly limits food intake by doing what Missy explained. How it works (in more detail) is by pressing against the vagus nerves in the top of your stomach. The vagus nerves are responsible (among other things) for exchanging satiety messages with your brain so that you experience early and prolonged satiety after eating a small amount of food. Also, when you ingest solid food (like animal Protein, veggies, fruits), the food also activates the vagus nerves. So the net effect is that you eat less and feel less hungry and/or hungry less often. The patient Lap-Band instructions developed by Allergan years ago did explain that the band restricts how much you can eat. According to my Allergan rep, those instructions are being revised because clinical evidence shows that in the longterm, relying on eating problems (like PB'ing, puking, sliming,etc.) to tell you when to stop eating is a bad idea because it can lead to complications like esophageal or stomach dilation and band slippage.

That's often what it is for me.

I've heard the same thing. I know a bandster who revised to the bypass for that exact reason. The revision resolved her reflux but also introduced a whole new set of problems. I sure wish there were a risk-free, effective WLS surgery. Or a cure for obesity.

Hiatal hernias are common in obese people and common in people with reflux, whether or not they're obese. The band can resolve reflux by acting as a barrier between the stomach and the esophagus, but a band that's too tight can also cause reflux. You need to ask your surgeon about why. Also, it's not uncommon for hiatal hernias to develop after massive weight loss. Again, ask your surgeon why. I know several bandsters that's happened to. The gastro doc who diagnosed my hiatal hernia 20+ years ago told me that hernias usually develop in people who were born with the potential - they have a weakness in the diaphgram, and weight gain can aggravate it enough to encourage a hernia to develop. Finally, large hiatal hernias are considered a contraindication for band surgery, but most surgeons repair the hernia during band placement.

Congratulations! Have you made arrangements for fills and aftercare here in the USA, or will you have to return to Madrid for that? Jean

Good luck, and I hope you have arrangements made for fills and aftercare.

You need to ask your dietitian about that. Mine says baby food is OK in the puree/mushy phase, but you're going to have to find a way to get some protein in, and I doubt that any fruit or veggy baby food product will have enough protein to help you heal and meet your nutritional needs. As for a long term food choice, absolutely not. Pureed food is OK when you're healing post-op, but for the rest of your life, you'll need to emphasize solid food, because that's what gives you the early and prolonged satiety you'll need to lose weight and maintain your weight.

It does seem like the bigger bands need more fill before you reach optimal restriction. I would try talking to your surgeon again about your frustration and do your best to negotiate a bigger fill, but keep in mind that as you get more and more fill in your band, you'll need smaller and smaller fills to reach the infamous green zone. And as impatient as most of us get to find the green zone, getting huge fills is a bad idea because of the potential for eating problems, side effects, and complications. Hang i there!

Yes, sweets go down entirely too easily, but how to get away from them depends on a things that we don't know about you. Are you making them, buying them and bringing them home or to work, telling yourself you're buying them for your family, sneaking them, etc. etc.? Are you attending a WLS support group? Have you considered attending an OA (Overeaters Anonymous) meeting where you can find a sponsor or some new friends you can call when the sweets are calling you?