NanaRenan

TX you've gotten a lot of good responses here -- not a lot I can add, but this remark made me think of not one but TWO paradigm shifts I've had since being banded last August. 1) It DOES changed your "taste" for food. I came to realize that a WHOLE LOT of what we think is "really good" is only 'good' in the sense that we can slam down large quantities quickly. The truth of the matter after banding is -- a lot of that stuff which taken in small bites and really chewed well just doesn't taste good at all!! As in "Yuck, why have I eaten so much of this crap in my lifetime, it's garbage!??!!" 2) In my lifetime of dieting, my husband and I have shared Entrees for the last 7 or 8 years. Unless we simply could NOT agree on one thing or we were both starving, we would always share. I talked a big game before and immediately after surgery about how "If I can only eat 3 or 4 ounces, it's gonna be primo!!" So he would always defer to me in restuarant and entree selection. Well, that gets TIRESOME and after a few months I was sick of always having to come up with the choices. So I insisted HE choose. He tried to wiggle out of it and I said, "Look, it doesn't matter whether I'm eating filet mignon or CARDBOARD, I'm still gonna be FULL after a few bites!" And suddenly it hit me!! Too much of my relationship with food was built on pleasure/satisfaction/rewards, etc. And very little of it was about fueling my body-PERIOD. Once I got that into my head, it really helped me with the BRAIN-hunger which can still be a problem. Like you are full. The band is doing it's job and your brain is freaking out telling you "You didn't eat enough to last you until the next meal, you're gonna be STARVING." yeah.....that takes a while to work itself out. But I wouldn't give up my band for all the tea in China!

Yep -- I bought two tops yesterday in a 1X -- they were clearanced down to $8 or I wouldn't have bothered because they're both a little loose already. Oh well. Guess next time I won't bother going into the WOMEN'S dept.

BRAVA! Candle! That is SO awesome! Right now I'm just pushing to hit the -100 mark by our Bandiversary..."goal" still seems like a lifetime away. BUT -- just a year ago, 88 lbs seemed like two tons!

I'm SO right there! Since I don't work outside the home, most of my social contacts are through my church. And of course people are constantly commenting on my weight loss and asking 'How much?" But my brain says, "They're just making small talk and it's a change from discussing the weather." Then yesterday I go in for a check up -- my "9 month", but it's actually 10.5 months due to my port revision. The doctor and his staff are just GIDDY with how great I look and they show me the BEFORE photo. And I can see almost NO difference. In fact -- I still wear the top and skirt I have on in the photo!!! Okay, they're both 95% spandex and the skirt IS a tad LOOSE....but still.... :-( And for a few months buying new clothes was a lot of fun. Then all of a sudden I've hit a spell and it seems that my "in transition but smaller" body is WAY harder to dress than my old BIG body was. Reason being the extra weight I still have to loose is ALL between my ribs and my pubes (pardon my crassness!) So I'm still having to 'fit' the belly. Even when I've smooshed it into a girdle it's stll big. When I started I was pretty much a 26/28 from top to bottom. Now I can wear 14/16 on top, but I'm 20/22 on bottom and it's all because of the waist. Below that, I have no hips and suffer from NAAA. (That's No-Ass-At-All for those who don't know!) Whine-whine anyone got a good low-fat cheese to go with my WHINEfest over here?? Pam<---feeling like someone needs to talk her back in off the ledge some days!

Thank you -- I feel bad for having been AWOL for so long. But my daughter got married -- a "simple" beach wedding -- translation: to cut costs we did everything ourselves. (In truth, "I" did almost everything because she has a 2 y/o to chase around and it's just easier to do it than to keep him.) I promise to put in more appearances. And thanks for the link. I was reading and realized there was still several pages to go, so I'll finish later when I have more time. I'm just so excited for ya'll tho'!! And I realize -- I've been unintentionally sabotaging myself. I should be down 100 by now. It's the curse of the tortilla chip!!! (One BITE of a flour tortilla shuts me down two bites make me slime -- but I can 'grind up' an ungodly amount of tortilla chips and never get full!!) I always knew Tex-Mex would be the death of me!!

Hi -- I learned many years ago doing Atkins that high protein/low carb eating you're never hungry, but you do get bored to death quickly! The others gave great ideas so I don't have much to add. One of my favorite things was to buy string cheese (I get the regular/not the 'light'.) and buy Boar's Head deli meats and will roll a stick of cheese up inside a thin slices of Rosemary Ham or Mequite Turkey. It's tasty, high protein and extremely portable!

Everyone did a great job of explaining. Here's my "pat" explanation for people who don't understand. Putting the band around your stomach is like the glass blower "pinching" the hourglass in at the middle. The size of the "pinch" combined with the size of the sand (your chewed up food!) control the flow from top to bottom. All of the nerves that signal your brain that you are full are located in the upper portion of your stomach so the pinch (band) keeps the sand (food) sitting there long enough for those nerves to thoroughly convince your brain that you are without-a-doubt FULL.

Yes -- I've been using it for several years now and pretty much never buy anything BUT Barilla Plus. I just can't get past how cool it is to have PROTEIN in a 'carb'!!!!!

What's that old adage we learned in science class -- something about how the simply study of a behavior will instantly affect its outcome?? I KNOW that it works, because the minute I start to keep a record I start thinking things like, "If I unwrap that piece of candy then I will have to walk over there and write it down" and I put the candy away until later.

I went for my consult in March -- had completed the insurance companies requirements (5 yr. weight history, 90 day diet, sleep study, psych eval, etc.) and surgeon submitted request first of June, they denied and we appealed until the end of July before they caved -- surgery was August 14th. I have Aetna and was a 45 y/o diabetic heart patient with a BMI of nearly 60!" My DIL went for her consult, provided 5 yr. weight history, was approved 11 days later and had surgery like 3 days after that. She has United Health care and she's a 25 y/o with NO co-morbities. Go figure! Anyhow, now I want my son to have the surgery -- while they have such an agreeable insurance!! LOL

My hubby has put on about 20 lbs since I was banded....because we've SPLIT meals out for many years and now instead of eating my "half" I eat about 1/8th what I used to and he's been just mindlessly polishing off the remainder. Last night we went out with some friends and ended up at opposite ends of the table. I passed a small salad plate down to him to put my food on -- he was putting piece after piece of fajita meat on it, all the while chatting with the guys. I said, "HEY! who do you think is gonna eat all of that?" It took hime a while to get it - "Just give me ONE strip of beef and one strip of chicken and do something with the rest of that!"

Ok--I've been gone a while and have been reading this thread ENTHRALLED!!! I'm SO excited that so many of our CRAZY ATES have reached goal and are already having PS!!! (I'm also insanely jealous, but know I'll be there SOMEday!) But where are the updates about Frangi and TexasBecky's surgery? I feel like I read a book and the last chapter was ripped out!

Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 109.5 lbs Total weight loss: 123.5 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 114 lbs Total weight loss: 120 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 73 lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 94 Total weight loss: 94 Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63 lbs total weight loss: 69 lbs Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 68 Total weight loss: 88 Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery:102 Total weight loss:102 Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 104 lbs Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 75.5 Total weight loss: 87.5 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5 lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 105 lbs Total weight loss: 105 lbs Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs

Focus more on your hunger than on the quantity of food. If you are eating solid "normal" food and not drinking during/immediately after how long do you feel full? If you're feeling hungry too soon, then you need a fill. The purpose and intent of the band is to sustain the FULL feeling as long as possible on as little as possible. A couple of months back I went in and asked for a fill. I'm well-restricted in the morning, but I was starting to graze in the evenings after dinner. To the point I was starting to go to bed earlier to avoid temptation! I finally said, "Enough!" and went in. My doctor agreed -- it ABSOLUTELY should be controling your APPETITE as much or MORE than your quantity alone. btw -- I saw them today and he is very pleased with my results and thinks it's excellent for a lap-bander. Kept telling the nurse, "She gets it!" I said, "Hey! I worked TOO hard at diets to no avail and went thru TOO much red tape to get this thing -- why would I sabotage the very thing that is helping me to succeed!

Two Words: Neti Pot!!!! Before my lap-band surgery I had a 30+ year Sudafed/Mucinex 24/7 habit, with about three or four rounds of antibiotics a year when it went to sinusitis. I'd heard about the neti pot (Bought one called SinuCleanse from Walgreen's for about $15.) and decided post surgery was the time to use it. I'll be 9 months post-op May 14th and I've not taken a single pill for congestion or drainage or anything related to my sinus SINCE! I started out using it twice a day, but now I only use it when I needed it which is typically two or three times a week. It's worth a try -- crushed pills AND liquid meds are YUCKY! Good luck!!

We all have that sense of panic, I think. I did great and didn't gain any before my first fill DATE. But then -- I can't remember the reason, right now! -- the first fill got moved two weeks further out and I DID gain 4 lbs. I felt absolutely horrible and ashamed walking into the surgeon's office, but, guess what? They didn't know I'd gained back 4 lbs and couldn't stop raving about how GREAT I was doing! He even suggested that I could WAIT a while longer for my first fill if I wanted. I said, "NO! I'll take it now!" LOL No one can promise you that the scales will only ever move DOWN. You will see occasional spikes. But it's the LONG HAUL that you need to focus on. Over time, it WILL be a dramatic loss.

A suggestion that doesn't require a prescription. OTC Potassium supplements. back story: I started having migraines around puberty. My mother was a migraine sufferer, too. As a teen they would make me nauseous and if I could throw up, they would go away. Shortly after the birth of my second child I had a really, REALLY bad one! Three days and two trips to the ER did NOTHING. On the third day, my diaper delivery was due and I owed money. When I heard the van on the driveway I went and cracked the door ever so slightly, with my hand covering my eyes and waved the driver down. She'd already dropped my bags of clean diapers and hopped back in the van. She came back to the door to get the check and asked what was wrong. She said, "I figured you were gone since all the windows and doors were closed." I told her about the migraine from Hell. Then she told me a story that changed my life. She said she'd had severe migraines as a pre-teen. So much so that her doctor had her parents take her to a University Medical Center in another state where they were researching. After two weeks of running every imaginable test they told her parents to take her home and give her a potassium tablet every day! Her migraines went away. Desparate to try anything, I vowed to have my husband get some on the way home. She said, "Now once it gets going, potassium won't do anything. It only works as a preventative." Okay, still -- anything to never suffer through that again. Folks -- that was 25 years ago THIS month. I have had exactly FIVE migrains in 25 years. Each and every one was when I grew complacent and didn't bother to get another bottle of potassium when mine ran out. The last one (summer of 2000) was so bad I collapsed at a Sam's Club and temporarily lost my eyesight! I swore I would NEVER run out of potassium again! A word of caution: There is no RDA for potassium because it varies so much from person to person. But do not exceed ONE tablet per day -- you can cause serious problems even death from too much. And, if you're not comfortable with the thought of taking even one, just make sure to amp up your intake of potassium rich foods. I've had many people -- in the last 25 years -- come back and tell me that it DID make a difference in their migraines. I hope all of you find relief....I have felt your pain and am humbled by its magnitude!

I was like this and had a slight unfill today. I was miserable because I felt full ALL the time. And I would only eat because I knew I needed to, but even then, I could only eat a bite or two. About the only thing I could eat without PBing or sliming was -- get this -- SUNFLOWER SEEDS! I guess because I could grind them down to dust before I swallowed! But the other morning I got up, tinkled, took a sip -- A SIP, MIND YOU! -- of water, went to let the dog out, weighed, booted up the computer, let the dog in, started a load of laundry, pulled the dry towels out, folded them and put them away, was headed back through my bedroom to get dressed when I burped almost a mouthful of water! I asked my husband who was laying in bed watching CNN -- "How long ago did I walk out of here...?" He said, "25-30 minutes, why...?" I told him, "Because the one SIP of water I took STILL has not gone down." He told me "Call and make an appt. TODAY or "I" will!!!"

I feel bad for everyone who's struggling with fill after fill and not getting restriction. I got great restriction on my first fill. I had my second fill two weeks ago and had to go today and have a slight unfill as I could barely get Water down! And to think, I almost didn't mention it! But I'm blissfully ignorant of how much my band holds, how much he put in. I don't know how many Gigabites my PC has or horsepower my car has -- I just know when they don't work right, find someone who can get it working right! God bless you all!

Great job, Tim! I tho't you looked quite handsome in the BEFORE photos...but your weight loss is obvious. How tall are you? Because looking at the befores I wouldn't have guessed you were 300. Oh wait, I just realized the "befores" are really actually "Just Afters". LQTM Still -- Congrats!

1) I can eat anything I want, if I space out my really small bites and chew them well. A lot of things I THOUGHT I loved, I found were really only 'tasty' when I could slam them down quickly!! But upon actually chewing and savoring them -- they've lost a lot of their appeal! But either way, the band doesn't dictate my choices, I have to do that. Just like I chose to eat a lot of things that were really bad for me, now I choose to only eat things that are good for me. And if I have a moment of weakness and go way off normal...well, I can't fall TOO FAR off the wagon, and the band has me sort of tethered TO the wagon, so it can't go off and leave me behind as it used to. 2) I would go on Jay Leno, Larry King, Oprah -- anyone who would let me tell them about my band and how it has changed (and quite possibly SAVED) my life! I can't imagine keeping that to myself. I thank God that at least a few people were comfortable telling me, when I commented on their weight loss. If they had brushed me off with "Oh, I just dieted and exercised." I should have skulked away feeling crappy all over again because I've been such a failure at that over and over again. And for that reason, I could never risk making someone else feel that way by denying the band or avoiding the truth.

You know, nobody ever told me that, and I didn't set those as goals, but that's about what it has worked out to be. Guess I'm about on target! :thumbup: Thanks for sharing that!

Better download some pictures of some cute twins and start carrying them around! LQTM

My port was on my left, fairly close to my navel. When it flipped the doctor moved it up, still on the left, just below my bra line,

I was only banded a little while before you, but I've been dieting seriously since you were in diapers! It is very, VERY hard to break those chains of emotional eating. Mine is more of a stress thing, than other emotions. But it's so in-grained in us that it is very hard to even RECOGNIZE it. I agree with keeping the tempting foods out of reach. And every now and then I run across a NEW foodstuff that is not good for me -- and have to add it to my BANNED for the BANDED list. Last week it was these little ice cream miniatures from Schwans, like pinkie-sized Eskimo Pies! I ate a whole box in three days! They were WONDERFUL. They will never cross my threshold again!!!!!! So, when I do something like that, I don't beat myself up about it. I consider it a 'test period' -- "Yes, I've thoroughly TESTED that product and determined that it is beyond my capacity to resist, therefore, it must not be touched again." -- and go on. The GOOD NEWS, is that I didn't finish each day I succumbed to its merry wonders with a Whopper and fries or a Enchillada Combo plate.....my other meals are appropriately healthy and well-proportioned for my band.