mnn2501

It has been a few years, just seeing who might still be around from the good ol' days.

Its good to see that a number of you have been successful.

Its been 3 years for me, 6 fills and I weigh 5 lbs less than I did when I started

I have restriction for the first bite or 2 of food and then the restriction goes away completly and I can eat anything. If I don't watch the first 2 bites I usually slime but after that -- anything goes.

Needless to say I am not happy with lap bands and am quite vocal about it to anyone who mentions lapbands.

Yes, it works for some people, but it doesn't for everyone. I wonder what the percentages are?

If I had it to do all over -- I wouldn't

OK, so I have been banded just over a year now, and while I lost 50 lbs right away, I really have not lost anything after that.

After 5 fills I do have restriction, but here's my question. When I first start eating I am restricted and must eat slowly and chew, chew, chew or I slime. after the first couple bites, the restriction loosens up and I can usually eat a normal sized meal (which admitedly is about 1/3 of what I used to be able to eat).

I think maybe I should stop eating before the restriction loosens, but if so I would be eating a couple bites every hour or so (hard to be able to do at work, etc).

Anyone else have this problem or notice this? What are y'all doing?

Yes, my wife had diabetes and occasionally has issues with low blood sugar, keep fruit juices around and there is alway glucose tablets - although at time she finds them hard to use - OJ or apple juice always works - in a pinch melt some sugar in a small amount of Water and drink it or even let sugar disolve in your mouth.

Hmm, no one told me anything about OJ and I've drank a lot of fresh squeezed since I got my band (Feb 08)

Never had a problem but then I drink everything slowly as even Water will give me a problem if I drink too fast

Suggestion: Don't look

Seriously, its going into the port and just a very little ways into you. like someone said - I've had much worse paper cuts for pain.

For what it's worth....my doc strongly suggested AGAINST the meat tenderizer thing....because your stomach is...well, meat.< p>She did mention the pineapple juice or papaya extract, though.

Meat tenderizer (Adolfs at least) IS Papaya

A book my surgeon hands out to all his patients suggests it.

I wish doctors would get together and come to a consensus on what is allowed etc.

I'm not allowed Protein Shakes as per my surgeon...he doesn't want me drinking my calories.

Funny that every other doctor I have ever heard about promotes Protein shakes. You need more claories, start the shakes.

disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.:thumbup: But I have had my band for almost a year.

Stick to liquids today, if you think you still have something stuck, swallow a little bit of meat tenderizer. I have also heard pineapple juice helps, but have never personally tried it.

And remember for the future -- chew, chew, chew.

duplicate post

Ask them to get aggrssive, it took 5 fills for me to feel anything at all, and the 6th finally did it for me.

Restriction will hit you like a ton of bricks once you get close to your sweet spot - but until then you may not feel much of anything..

Thats for sure, 6th fill was it -- Finally!

hmm, yeah... i thought this was a support forum... maybe i was wrong? but maybe you havent been banded long,

Been banded since Feb 2008 and I lost 6 pounds over the holidays, sorry you gained. If you want to go on a diet, farbeit from me to stop you, but if diets worked we all would not have needed to be banded.

It appears lots of people feel the same way you do, so Good luck.

I myself was banded on 12/22/08 and i fill great. All the soreness is gone and i have been eating mushey foods. I;m still having under 800 Calories a day however i feel i can go on to reg foods. Did anyone else fill this way in such a short time after being banded?

Albert

I cetainly don;t want to tell you to not follow doctors order, but I had a solid food on day 4, (Meximelt from Taco Bell) -- only time I cheated and it took a couple hours to get it down, but I really needed it and it helped me with post banding depression.

Don;t worry, it'll get better, that was about how many calories I was taking in the first 2 weeks, it'll get better. a couple weeks with low Protein won't kill you and you will be able to eat more soon, every week I added about 150 calories to what I could eat.

Unless you have little to no restriction why are you having to go on a special diet to lose weight you gained over the holidays? I didn't get banded to eat wildly and gain weight then go on a diet -- thats what life was before I was banded.

Mnn I was wondering do you need to wait 5-6 weeks with every fill? My doc already hinted that she is not agressive with fills.

My doc won't do it anymore often than every 4 weeks, but will/did get aggressive when I asked him to -- I had zero restriction my first 3 fills and I told him to get aggressive, he did and 4th fill had some restriction - not enough though, so I got my 5th last Monday -- Finally I have the restriction I expected and am losing weight I had gained back between 2nd and 4th fill.

If you have no restriction after 2 fills you need to be firm with your doctor - you are after all paying her. Now the good news, my wife had restriction from day 1 - never had a fill and has lost 85 lbs since March -- so who knows, we both had opposite results

Soup is on my list of things TO eat and right now its what I get a lot of my nutritian from (homemade veggie soup, Pasta figoli, chicken tortilla, bean soup, etc) I stay away from canned Soups myself mainly becuase of the sodium and the fact that canned soup is nothing like homemade -- and I like cooking.

Frankly I think the doctors are clueless about what works and what doesn't, every doctor says something different and many contradict each other. If you like soup and soup works for you - then eat soup.

The Wii fit board is not able to handle those that could use it the most -- it'll break if you put over 300 lbs on it.

Great idea but a very very bad design. I guess Sony is not expecting any Sumo sized people to use it.

Doctors are all over the map when it comes to vefore and after diets. Seems like it doesn't matter that much, but I would recommend for those not put on a diet to eat very lightly at least a week before and go on liquids yourself a day or 2 before, you want everything shrunk inside to make your doctors job easier.

My only questions is: What the heck is a weetabix? (from OP's breakfast list)

another small fill may do it. Frankly I had given up, I gained back 15 lbs of the 50 I lost in 9+ months. Finally decided that I was not going to gain anymore and had 1 more fill (my 6th) -- seems like that was exactly what I needed, finally I have restriction anything but liquids hurt going down unless I chew, chew, chew and even then, some foods just are not worth it -- which is exactly what I wanted

One thing I did notice is in the mornings I seem tighter

I noticed that also after my 6th fill last Monday -- finally I have the restriction I was looking for. It took me 5 fills to have any reestriction at all and the 6th has finally done it. I've lost 3 lbs in 5 day and over Christmas at that -- with lots of sweets in the house.

My doc put me on real foodat the 2 week point, many people feel no restriction at all until after a fill or 2 or 5.

I've had 5 fills and finally have restriction, my wife has never had a fill and has lost 85# - she had restriction from the lapband only right from day 1.

Not usual at all. Most people need fills -- I've had 5 so far, 4 before I felt any restriction at all -- hopefully this last one gives me the restriction I need/want

My wife never had a fill and lost 85 lbs in 9 months.

I've had 5 fills and while I initially lost 50# almost immediatly, I have since gained back 15# -- Had another fill last Monday -- I think I may finally found my fill spot -- we'll see over the next few weeks.

Everyone is different, sounds like your doctor knows what he/she is doing.

My wife was in ICU for 3 days (dka, nothing to do with lapband) that was over $500,000. Hospitals bill as much as they can as they only get a small percentage from insurance.

Sort of like a hotel posting that a room's maximum charge is $249 a night (on the card on the inside of the room) when you only paid $69. When FEMA puts hurrican vicums in the room you can believe they bill the max as they only get a percentage of it

Wow, you're going to go straight to he!$

Lighten, up, you blew it, but it sounds like you have little to no restriction. Go to phase 2: mashed potatoes with very small peices of roast beef (or chicken) and gravy, scrambled eggs with cheese and small peices of sauted sausage all scrambled together.

I got really depressed after being on liquids for 3 weeks (2 before and 1 after) I got over it when I started eating stull like the above -- just watch your portions and ask your doctor how soon you can have a fill (1 week is too soon I think, mine said I needed to heal for at least 6 weeks before he would do a fill)

Never got one of those, but if I had I doubt I would use it for a number of reasons;

1. Kids menu are no where as good as the regular menu. If I go to out to eat I don't want chicken nuggets or a hot dog and mac & cheese.

2. Its nobodies business why I only eat 1/3 of a meal and take the rest home.

3. Doggie bags and leftovers!

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Buffets are worthless to a banded person, they don't allow doggie bags and you can't eat enough to justify the money IMHO.