Kalipso2

1. hit my personal goal to be in the "normal" bmi range by april 2011... my 3 year anniversary date 2. run in a 5k race by the end of 2011

1. listen to your doctor. he's there to help you succeed. yes, people here are supportive but only your doctor can tell you what's right for you and your body! 2. don't stop eating all the foods you love. give yourself treats occasionally otherwise you'll end up binging. 3. don't beat yourself up if you give in to temptation. just get back on track the next day! you didn't gain the weight over night so you won't lose it over night either!

this is the first year EVER that i haven't gained any weight around the holidays... i actually lost a pound. but don't worry... it's not because i have this overwhelming self discipline.... i'm just not a fan of my mom's cooking lol

if you're losing... then don't get a fill. eating a cup of food may be okay for you. if you can go 4 hours without feeling hungry... then you don't need a fill. also, feeling hungry is okay. its normal. its how long between meals is whats important.

keep taking your pain meds... on time as prescribed... even when you start feeling a little better. i think the first 3 days after surgery are the worst. it WILL get better!! so, just relax... take cat naps... don't do too much the first few days while your body recovers.

my advice to you is to trust your doctor. no one here can tell you if you need a fill or not... while you say you don't feel hungry but don't feel restricted... i guess i can understand that but isn't the end result the same? you stop eating either way. your doctor knows what he's doing and he wants you to succeed too!

i agree with Hummingbird.... i think you have to be covered for at least a month after you're let go. sooo you might be okay!! i'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you!

listen to everyone... you may not think it but you are definately over-filled. how do i know? i was having the same exact problems 6 months after i was banded. i was having the horrible reflux during the night... almost afraid i was going to choke to death. yet i didn't say anything to my doctor because i was losing weight. after 3 months i couldn't take it anymore. i had scared myself one too many nights. i went in and he looked at my band under flouro and my pouch was dilated but hadn't slipped... yet. he took most of the liquid out and over the next few months did small fills. thankfully my stomach went back to normal and my band didn't slip but the longer you wait the better chance it could happen to you!!

i had my surgery on a monday and went back to work that following tuesday. i probably could have gone back that monday but i was scared lol

don't be so hard on yourself. you should award yourself a "treat" once a day. that way you won't binge by holding yourself back. its okay to eat a couple chocolate covered pretzels... just don't go overboard! of course, maybe because i'm NOT so strict on myself that i'm losing weight slowly BUT i'm almost at my goal weight without EVER gaining a pound of it back! it would be silly to think that you'll never "slip". what matters is that you realize your mistake and next time maybe you'll think twice!

my surgeon said he wouldn't know which band he was going to use until he saw my stomach. i have the 10cc lapband.

i'm sorry to hear that, Mimi! i readily admit... i was VERY lucky. and you're right... it's not good to be over-filled for too long!

right after i got banded, i went through a couple of months where i was over-filled and didn't say anything to my surgeon. yes, i was throwing up and had horrible acid reflux but i was losing weight so i kept quiet. after a few months, i couldn't take the nightly acid reflux anymore. i was scared i'd actually choke to death so i went in for a flouro exam. here is a picture of my band, you can see where the top of my barium filled stomach pushes outward almost over my band... not a good thing to have happen. i'm one of the lucky ones... my band didn't slip. i got unfilled and then over a few months slowly had my band refilled and things have been fine since then.

every diet i tried in the past i lost a lot in my boobs but after the band... they're still there. i wish they'd go away like my hips and thighs did!

i had a low BMI of 36.6 and i was self pay. i wasn't always overweight. it wasn't until i was in my mid-20's that i started struggling. i have to be honest with you... this journey is HARD. had i known then what i know now... i might not have gone thru with it but let me explain. i did all the research but i thought i'd be okay with everything. i only needed to lose 75 pounds to get me to a normal BMI, so how hard could it be, right? they don't tell you about the struggles between the brain and the stomach. my stomach (and my band) tell me to stop eating after a few bites but my brain tells me to keep eating because it tastes SO good. if you listen to your band, you WILL lose weight but if you listen to your brain, you'll throw up. a lot. you have to learn to love your body and really respect the band. if i listen to my band i'm totally fine with my eating. it's when i listen to my brain that i run into problems. you also have to be aware that some foods that you LOVE might be foods you'll never eat again. i can no longer eat pizza or hamburger or bread of any kind. if i do, i throw up. have you tried everything possible to lose weight naturally? do you feel like this is your only option? think long and hard....

i don't know how long you've been pierced but i had my belly ring done 3 years before surgery and kept it out a year post-op and my ring went in just fine!

i've lost a little more than an elephant's penis !

it really depends what your doctor told you about carbonated beverages. my doctor told me no carbonation or alcohol for 3 months post-op and i literally counted the days until i could have a diet pepsi! i'm almost 3 years post-op and have had no problems drinking it but i only allow myself 20 ounces a day. when i do drink carbonation, i can feel it traveling thru my band and it does make a loud gurgling sound almost like a stomach growls when its hungry.

I'm almost at my goal weight so I wanted a place to view the before and afters during these past 3 years... Before Surgery April 2008 Post Surgery July 2008 Photo of my pouch dilation (see how the top of my stomach is folding over the band? not a good thing!) Christmas 2009 Christmas 2010

i packed like i was planning on spending the night at a hotel lol i brought pajamas, a book, my iPod, shower items including hair dryer, curling Iron,makeup etc. and new clothes for the drive home. i didn't use ANY of it. i didn't feel like i had enough energy to change out of my hospital gown. i was too drugged up to read or listen to music. the next morning there was no way i was in any shape to take a real shower and fix my hair so i felt yucky after just using a wash cloth that i ended up wearing the same clothes i can in with with my hair pulled back in a ponytail.

i give you a LOT of credit... i've never once asked a guy out... ever. GOOD FOR YOU!!! whether you end up going out or not, i think its awesome that you had enough courage to ask him!

wow... i'm sorry to hear about everything... the car accident, the band problems, the unfill. the way i see it... its only one day. eat while you can and enjoy christmas dinner! i seriously think that you've been banded long enough you won't go overboard TOO bad. and if your doctor said it was okay... then go for it! today was my work potluck lunch and i was stressing out so bad. i did not want to over eat and have to throw up while at work (ewwww!!!) i didn't give myself a calorie limit so i tried a little bit of everything that i like. i had some corn bread, a meatball, a couple of bites of fried chicken, chocolate pudding dessert. AND i didn't over eat! i stressed for nothing. i didn't even get the feeling of being over full. i just took a bite or two and moved on. since i was mingling, no one noticed that i actually didn't finish everything so i didn't feel guilty either. good luck to you and i hope you're able to get your fill back soon!

i was just talking to my sister about this last night. she thinks i look perfect the way i am but i'm not quite in the normal BMI stage right now so i'm determined to keep going with the weight loss until i think i look good. BUT i'm not sure i'll ever look in the mirror and think i look good. i still see the fat me and that worries me. on the brighter side, i went shopping about a month ago and was taking on the task of trying on jeans. i DISPISE trying on jeans. there happened to be a pair of jeans already in the dressing room when i went in and they were "skinny jeans"... a size 8. i laughed to myself and decided to try them on for shits and giggles. i was completely surprised when they actually fit.... not tight fitting but truly fitting!! that was my defining moment and it took me 2 + years to really "get" that i'm really getting skinny!

i can say "trust your doctor" because this is what he's specialized in. she's losing weight and seems to be at a decent restriction. being over-filled is not the answer. she's not stumbling. losing 15 pounds a month (which is 3.75 pounds a week) is great and healthy. WANTING a fill and NEEDING a fill are two totally different things!

i don't know much about gastric bypass so i can't help on comparing the two surgeries and their outcomes but i have been banded for almost 3 years. i'm 5'4" and weighed 213 at the time of my surgery. i chose the lapband because i didn't want my intestines rerouted and it seemed less invasive. i can't lie... it's been a struggle. i can't eat a lot of my favorite foods anymore BUT they were foods i probably shouldn't be eating anyway... like pizza and ground meat and sausage. i have lost a good amount of my weight and i feel healthier than i ever have before. i'm wearing clothes i never thought i'd ever wear. in the end, it has to be your decision. i'm sure your friends had their reasons for going with the bypass but i've also heard that with the bypass it's easy to gain the weight back and a lot of those patients end up getting the lapband on top of their bypass. there is no hurry to make your decision... there is a lot of info here and i wish you the best of luck!