mypov

I like books. I have read several good books recently, "You:On a Diet" by Mehmet Oz; "Weight loss surgery For Dummies" "Lapband..." by Jessie Ahroni; and "The Insulin Resistance Diet" What I like about books is that the ones I read are by people in the medical field who know what they are talking about on the best ways to lose weight and/or succeed with lapband surgery. This board is great for opinions and shared experiences, but its good to get information from experts as well. I have read all these books cover-to-cover but I keep them by my bed and read a little bit out of them every few nights, just to remind myself of the best and healthiest ways to do this. Just MY opinion:)

I picked yes but not because its physically easier but, I'm going through this stage right now, where my appetite is pretty much gone. The thought of having a "meal" just doesn't appeal to me. The problem is, If I'm around snack foods -cookies, chips, whatever- I still get that sudden craving. I nibble on it then and then Im not hungry later for "real" food. I've got to nip this in the bud now. This is NOT why I paid all that money for surgery. I set up an appointment with the nutritionist next week. I want to be accountable to someone- not just my weight loss but with my eating habits.

I want one!!!! My gym has a program where you can rent a bodybugg for about $70 a month for at least one month- basically use it for a month to see where you are at and then give it back. I might do this sometime in the future.

Once you feel you are at a proper level of restriction, how long does it take before you will need another fill? I know everyone's different but I would like to hear some of your experiences. Is there anyone who has never needed another fill? Thanks!!!

Thank harley, but I guess what I'm asking is- I feel like I've got the perfect level of restriction right now. Will that change as I lose weight? If so, in a month? more than a month? Or will now that I feel I've gotten to the level that's just right for me, I won't need fills from now on....hope I'm making sense.

I am 3 months out and have not yet. I have slimed a few times. Ick.

I hate those charts! I think they're the devil!!! If you find a surgeon that will do it, I think weight loss may be a bit slower for you but you could probably still lose all your excess weight if you follow the band rules. How many calories/ how much do you eat currently?? If you are already on a really low caloric intake I don't really think the band will help you other than to make it easier to stick to less calories.

I don't recommend weighing every day........that said, I am a scale-addict!! I would love to keep it to only once a day! There are so many reasons not to weigh every day though, like the fact that my emotions are all tied up into that stupid number on the scale. And the fact that sometimes when you aren't losing pounds, you are still losing body fat. On the other hand.....If I hadn't been weighing myself so often I wonder if I'd be so good at being accountable for what I eat. I wonder if I'd learn about my body as much as I have. Like, that I generally weight 1.2 lbs more at the end of the night then I will the next morning. And my optimal amount of calories and exercise for optimal weight loss. I track my morning weigh in and all my calories on fitday.com. When I go back and look at the graph vs. my calorie input/output the weightloss makes sense. There are some rough times though when My husband gets frustrated that I beat myself up over a dumb number and he hides the scale from me for a couple of days.....those have been pretty nice days! Did I just confuse you more?!?!? lol

I agree that if are properly filled, your calories go down. I don't rigidly stick to a certain amount of calories. I just am not generally that hungry anymore and when I eat I eat the right things and then when I have had a few ounces I am full and done. that all adds up to not having many calories daily. Also, I am short and so if I weren't so overweight I'd be petite, so I think my body just needs fewer calories. I am losing pretty steadily right now though I fully expect that will slow down as I get closer to goal. That's the one problem if you aren't having many calories, and you stop losing, you have to change SOMETHING so I will probably have to majorly step up my exercise efforts.

Before my first fill I'd started to get up to around 1400 calories. Between 2nd and 3rd fill it was more like 1100-1300 and after my 3rd fill recently I'm between 900-1100 calories. I'm losing an average of 2 lbs a week so I'm happy at this pace.

I may be having a barium swallow in the next few weeks. To avoid a two hour drive, I asked my nurse practitioner if I could just have the local hospital do it and send the results. She told me that no, they want it done at their hospital so the doctor can actually look at it himself right then. She went on to say that they don't trust ANYone without lapband specific knowledge to read the xray's and tell them what is or is not wrong with the band. She said they have never had any success with that. I would definitely believe your surgeon over the radiologist. Or get a 2nd opinion from another lapband surgeon. I hope you are able to get restriction and start losing again!! Good luck!!

I made a new post but my doc basically thinks it is either nothing, a hiatal hernia that was undetected during surgery, or one that has come up since surgery. I'm going to do a barium swallow test at my next appt and htey SHOULD be able to tell. Of course, I'm hoping that its nothing:nervous

I posted a lil while back about having some pain. I'm frustrated because I don't know how to explain it well enough to search for an answer. The best I can describe it is that pain you get in your chest if you way overeat- only this happens first thing when I wake up in the morning, and then off and on during the day, sometimes when I take a deep breath, sometimes I can't relate it to anything- seems completely random. This has been going on for at least a week now. The pain is not as bad as when something feels stuck, more like an annoying pressure or ache right under my sternum. I still have restriction, and have never PB'd, rarely ever slime (only 3-4 times since banding and only for a short time), don't have any acid reflux problems, don't feel pain anywhere else, can eat any food including breads as long as I'm careful and sometimes eating food actually relieves it. The first time I noticed it I thought I might have some trapped air, and then when it went away the next day I figured I was right. But since then I have noticed off and on every day. WHAT IS GOING ON???? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!! My symptoms don't seem to match signs of dilation, slips, or erosions.

Okay so I've been having these weird symptoms of pain right under my sternum- like stuck air unrelated to eating/drinking etc. My NP talked to the doc who says it could be a hiatal hernia they just didn't detect it during surgery (you'd think it have to be pretty mild then) or could be the result of weakening to the muscles in that area after the surgery. OR it could be nothing and just, well, trapped air now and then. Anyone had hiatal hernia AFTER surgery??? Did you have to have additional surgery? Will I lose my band? Anyone else have these symptoms and NOT have hiatal hernia??? I posted my doc's actual email on my blog if that helps. Just click the link below.. Thanks in advance!!!

Kat brought up some excellent points. I would simply add that you think about the fact that if she is being treated for the bipolar those meds are dangerous to an unborn baby. If she isn't being treated medically, then then will the hormones or stress of the pregnancy lead to major problems for her, the baby, your family and her family? Something to think about..... I am infertile and have adopted 3 children, but I know how difficult infertilty is. I personally would thank your sister but decline the offer. Good luck on your decision!!!

Thanks bubblebutt, I'm going to start looking into that. At least it gives me something to check!

For the last 24 hours I have been having some discomfort. I had a fill about 8 days ago and all went fine. But last night I had a feeling of soreness/pressure just under my sternum (which is incidently the same place I have felt pain in the past when accidently overeating.) Now this feeling of soreness and pressure comes and goes and I feel like there is a build up of air in my stomach and every time it passes through it brings that sore feeling back. I don't know how to explain it better than that.....Just feels like I have to burp but the air is trapped or something and that trapped air is putting pressure on the band??? I don't have any clue what's going on. Any Ideas??? Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I had some liquid maalox on hand that I took in the middle of the night last night to see if that would help that trapped gas feeling. This morning I feel tons better- whatever it was. Anyway I'm going to stay on liquids most of the day so if I am swolllen or irritated as was suggested, I can let my stomach have a lil' healing time. Thanks all! I was worried, but I think I'm going to be ok!

I have had 1.5 cc's put in so far for my fill level. I can eat a lot in one sitting and with proper chewing there is really nothing that is off limits. I'm eating about 1200 calories a day and don't feel hungry between meals but I think that's because I make sure to get plenty of Protein in at meal times and drink lots of Water. So- even though I can eat "a lot" still, I'm losing 2-3 pounds weekly. I imagine this is because I started out at a very high BMI. So do i go for my fill next week so I eat much smaller portions or should I wait until I stop losing. What do you all think????

Thanks for the replies so far. See, it's not that I'm unhappy about 2-3 lbs a week. That's more than I ever could ask for. It's just that I'm eating more calories and able to easily eat larger volumes than what someone should in a sitting- ie, over 1 cup of food. So mb I will wait a while till my weight loss slows down before I get a fill. I ask because I'm trying to figure out if I should take a day off next week to travel to my fill appt or just bag it for now, ya know?

I started college last year and I'm majoring in Social Work. It's very stressful. I had surgery during Christmas Break between semesters and have scheduled all my classes this semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays so i have Mon/Wed/Fri open for fill appts etc. I really want to focus on my health right now but with raising my three kids and having endless papers, projects and studying the stress is outrageous. On School days I have a Protein shake before school and drink my Water all day but then often don't get to eat again until after school because all that's available is those icky vending machine foods. Still, the lapband is the best decision (health-wise) I've ever made and hey- at least I fit more comfortably in the desks now!!

The only thing overshadowing my success thus far with the lap band is the guilt I feel. The more I lose, the more my husband seems to gain. He is 6'1 and 274 lbs. He has gained about 10 lbs just since I've been banded. It used to be that I was the one that ate more. We used to overeat together alot. But now his portions seem to be larger than ever and he is constantly complaining about his weight. His own mother is 5'9 and weighs over 600 lbs!! I do not want that to happen to him and I know he lives in fear of it too. I don't know how to help him because without the band I wasn't able to figure out how to help myself. I told him that once we pay off my band (in two years) he can get the band if he wants but he was INCREDIBLY insulted with me that I'd even SUGGEST that HE needed weight loss surgery. I don't know how to help him. I feel like I can't share my success with him I think he now feels lonely in this struggle that he didn't even ever mention before I was banded. I really want him to be happy and healthy. Any advice??????

Thanks for the replies. My husband does worry about wasting food, so I wonder if that contributes to it. As for the money incentive- that is a great idea. he's got some rather expensive hobbies and that may be a motivating factor. We'll give it a shot. Thanks for everyone else who had and advice and/or could sympathize. I appreciate it!!!

MANY overweight people have some sort of emotional issue, so there would be a drastic reduction in the amount of people getting weight loss surgery if they didn't operate on people who had emotional issues IMHO. I have had depression for years that has been treated fairly well over the past couple of years. However, since surgery things have gotten tougher for me. I think that I felt a major source of my depression was my weight- but lately it is seeming the other way around. Without the foods to dull the emotional pain I feel sometimes- it has been difficult. It hasnt' stopped me from losing weight though. Another thing is that I think my antidepresants aren't working as well. I attribute this to the major hormonal changes that are happening in my body as a result of the weight loss. I've got a doc appt to help me change things up a bit as far as my meds. Also, talking to my gorgeous, thin, 5-year-post-op-from-bypass neighbor, she attributes having kept off all that weight by having a great therapist who has helped her not turn to the food again when times got tough. I'm going to start seeing a therapist regularly now per her advise. Be honest with your dr.'s and have a plan of action to show them you are prepared for the issues that will come up- cause I'll be honest- This has been very hard for me emotionally despite the success I'm having. Good luck!!!

Hmm...I'm surprised you haven't gotten any responses yet! I'll bite- I'm afraid of the camera. People think I'm weird. I guess its easy to be in denial if you don't have to look at yourself through the unforgiving lens of a camera. Anyway, I like taking pictures with my digital camera because then I can take a look at my progress without having to print the actual picture out and have a hard copy for me and everyone else to see. Anyway, I think that if we DON'T have pictures to remind us of how far we've come in our journey, someday we will regret it. That thought makes it a bit easier to get my photo taken. That said- there is nothing wrong with getting yourself all "dolled up" for the photo and having someone take it who's willing to work with you until you have a good angle etc. But just know, you are not alone in your phobia!!!!! Best of luck to ya!!!!