fluffycat

The Moultrie center is wonderful. Debbie and her 2 grown children run the center and they are very personable. My doc recommended 1cc but she felt like 1.5cc would be better. She was right! If only the drive were not so long from Jax.

I am also 5'3" (barely!). I was a chubby child but took control of my life at 16 and kept the weight off until 34. I averaged between 115-120 lbs and had a lot of muscle mass. At 34, I married and had 2 kids within 18 months. Oh, and changed jobs. Life has never been the same. I had no time to myself until recently. The past 20 years I have tried all kinds of diets, pills, therapy, exercise, etc. but it all fails and eventually the weight returns and brings some more with it. My gyn told me years ago it will never plateau and level out--it will just keep going up. I didn't want to believe that but she was right. Why go to Mexico? I do not have the patience or determination to fight Aetna. And now I can afford it. Why now? My kids are grown and I am through menopause. Why not. I have my fills done at the closest fill center. Only time will tell if my investment paid off. Good luck.

Just wondering-- you have less than 100 pounds to lose and you have a 12cc band--why? You must be a small woman if you want to weigh 100 pounds. How tall are you?

My band seems to constrict when I am not eating. So when it is meal time, it takes a while to get the band to loosen up enough to eat and pass food. Does this happen to anyone else? I usually try a few bites and then stop for a while and wait. Eventually the band opens up more. My food gets cold though.

And yet again, this site is invaluable. Who would have thought?

I love to sleep. At least one nap a day. I was even diagnosed with narclepsy and took pills for a while. I want to do things but my mind just gets so tired. I can sleep anywhere. I heard after losing weight that you get more energy. Right! I wasn't counting on it. I just spent 4 days cooped up with the family while we outlasted Tropical Storm Fay. No internet, no power for quite a while, no cable tv. Guess what??!!! I never took a nap. Not once. I ended up staying up late watching dvd's, using my laptop's battery power, etc. I didn't even realize this all important fact until yesterday when I spotted the DH laid back in the recliner taking a nap. For all the grief he has given me in the past 20 years over my napping--I just had to wake him up! Yeah to me -- this is by far the best, most significant NSV I could ever possibly imagine!

Karey, Got a question. If you have lost all your weight--what exactly is there to lipo away? I guess maybe the fat cells shrink but are still there? I would love a boob lift someday. How low can they go!!!???

I like the idea of chewing it up for the taste and then spitting it out. I may try that! If it was just a matter of eating healthy and exercising, I wouldn't need the band. The band controls portions-yes. But unfortunately, the bad foods go down just fine. I can't eat dense meats no matter how much I chew. Rice is a problem. Pasta and bread are not yet. Everyone's different. It only takes a couple of tries and you will no what to avoid.

BratKat, You are right on my goal! I am about 189 and can fit into a 16. I want to go to around 130-140 and am hoping that will put me in a size 10. I have always had a small waist so to go any lower would make my clothes not fit as good.

I have good restriction and I definitely know when I am full. It feels the same way as being full before the lap band. What makes you push away from the table after Thanksgiving? What makes you stop eating? You must have experienced that miserable feeling we all get when we eat too much. Its the same way after the lapband. You have to push away from the table and stop. You can still make yourself feel miserable if you eat too much. However, now the portions are much smaller than before the lapband. Thank goodness every meal is not Thanksgiving. We all tend to overeat at times--just don't make it a Thanksgiving dinner at every meal. Then you will stretch out the pouch. Consistently overeating to the point of feeling miserable. By the way, the full feeling is not the same as being stuck. If food is stuck in the pouch, its downright painful. Just put the fork down because it won't pass or get any better. It must come back up. Sometimes the food will pass. but now I know if it will pass or come back up because of the type of food. Dense meat (chicken, pork, etc) will have to come back up. And I chew it to death!

I have good restriction and I definitely know when I am full. It feels the same way as being full before the lap band. What makes you push away from the table after Thanksgiving? What makes you stop eating? You must have experienced that miserable feeling we all get when we eat too much. Its the same way after the lapband. You have to push away from the table and stop. You can still make yourself feel miserable if you eat too much. However, now the portions are much smaller than before the lapband. Thank goodness every meal is not Thanksgiving. We all tend to overeat at times--just don't make it a Thanksgiving dinner at every meal. Then you will stretch out the pouch. Consistently overeating to the point of feeling miserable. By the way, the full feeling is not the same as being stuck. If food is stuck in the pouch, its downright painful. Just put the fork down because it won't pass or get any better. It must come back up. Sometimes the food will pass. but now I know if it will pass or come back up because of the type of food. Dense meat (chicken, pork, etc) will have to come back up. And I chew it to death!

I have good restriction and I definitely know when I am full. It feels the same way as being full before the lap band. What makes you push away from the table after Thanksgiving? What makes you stop eating? You must have experienced that miserable feeling we all get when we eat too much. Its the same way after the lapband. You have to push away from the table and stop. You can still make yourself feel miserable if you eat too much. However, now the portions are much smaller than before the lapband. Thank goodness every meal is not Thanksgiving. We all tend to overeat at times--just don't make it a Thanksgiving dinner at every meal. Then you will stretch out the pouch. Consistently overeating to the point of feeling miserable. By the way, the full feeling is not the same as being stuck. If food is stuck in the pouch, its downright painful. Just put the fork down because it won't pass or get any better. It must come back up. Sometimes the food will pass. but now I know if it will pass or come back up because of the type of food. Dense meat (chicken, pork, etc) will have to come back up. And I chew it to death!

I got a 4 cc band in May 2008. I have had one fill of 1.4cc and am definitely restricted. It is a learning process. Your doctor will have the best answers.

You all are too funny. I enjoy reading this thread even though it doesn't concern me at all. I have always had a big round butt. So tell me girls, after weight loss does it go away; aka flat? Or is that a personal body shape thing. I can picture a hanging tummy flap but a sagging butt I can not.

this has been an interesting week getting used to my first fill. This morning I could feel the tightness of the band in my body. That's wierd. I was hungry during the night but after getting up I wasn't. I'm really not that hungry any more. I still want to eat though. Dinner time is bad for me. That band won't let anything thru. Afternoons seem to be the best time for me to eat.

What's up with weight loss and gall bladder surgery. I see that so much on the forums. Are they related somehow?

Just curious, were you a runner before lapband? How and at what point did you get started on a running routine? A whole marathon is so far out in my wildest dreams!

I had my 1st fill on Saturday and it has taken some getting used to. I have been so stuck twice that I had to upchuck the food. I now know the difference in being stuck (the pain in the chest does not go away) and being too full. (The pain in the chest will subside) When I get that feeling I have to walk away--stop eating--not another bite, no water, nothing. If it doesn't pass in about 15 minutes, I know to hang over the sink and bring it up. But the good news is that I am chewing now like never before. I don't randomly swallow--I chew some more, and more, and more--then swallow. I have to think about it. I feel like Pavlov's dog--relearning new tricks with positive and negative reinforcement.

here's a funny. got stuck on chicken and decided to turn myself upside down to dislodge it. Don't laugh--it worked! but that same small piece of chicken eventually went right back down and plugged me up again. Bottom line is this--there is a difference in being full and having chest pain and another thing to be plugged and have chest pain. If you are plugged--it will have to come back up. It's the only way. I am learning this the hard way.

I had my 1st fill on Saturday morning. My doctor recommended 1cc but she gave me 1.4cc and I think that was just right. I can't eat as much. I can't tolerate chicken at all no matter how much I chew it up. OMG its hard to get used to this banded feeling. I really have to slow down. And even without being filled and not really trying, I still lost 3 pounds. My goal is 1 or 2 lbs per week.

I researched the fill center in Moultrie and am going for my 1st visit this Saturday. I have heard good things about Darlene Zebley. Here's the thing though--she works in Atlanta also and is only available 2 Saturdays each month in Moultrie. How do you schedule that when you don't know how the fill is going to be? After reading the forum threads, I realize many people get fills regularly--every couple of weeks. Moultrie is a 3 hour drive from Jacksonville so i hope i don't have to go often. It was the best solution for the price that i could come up with.

My doctor from MX spelled out exactly how much to fill each time. I guess he sympathizes with us self-pays.

I am so looking forward to my fill!!! Hopefully, I will go back to what I was like after surgery. No hunger desires! Didn't want to eat, didn't think about eating. Now that was great.

I can not go back to Mexico for a fill so my next best choice is to find a center fairly close that has consistent pricing and hopefully will be very good!

me too. i am self pay and thought i only had to go in 3 - 4 times per year.