westcoastmom

I was about 225 when I started & I am only 5'3" - that put me at just below the 40 bmi mark. I don't know if that is close to you? I didn't do any real diet prior to surgery, the doctor didn't think it was necessary. I had surgery on 3/17 and am about 163 or 164 right now. I lost weight pretty fast at first - I think mostly because I was afraid to eat much. Now I lose about 3 to 4 pounds a month, which I know is probably not enough for some, but is fine with me. I have only had one fill and probably won't get more for now, so I do struggle at times with real hunger. But I have just tried to manage things by eating much smaller portions. I still do eat the types of foods I really like - I just don't eat as much. When I was losing more quickly, I was probably eating between 1000 and 1200 calories. I am eating a bit more than that now. I have found that I feel better when I eat enough and really need enough calories to want to be active. I also don't lose more weight be restricting my food choices or restricting my calories too much. My body really does seem to fight back when I do that. Now that I have rambled too much before knowing if I could help...

6 month Bandiversary NAME.........................surgery date.....todays date....Lbs lost 1. SpecialK ...................3/17/08.........9/7/08............53.9 lbs 2. scrappy_friend ..........3/17/08.........9/4/08............54.0 lbs 3. aJoneen....................3/04/08.........9/4/08............31.0 lbs 4. WestCoastMom..........3/27/08.........9/4/08.............60.0 lbs 5. julietj1970.................3/3/08...........9/4/08.............40 lbs 6. SugarBean.................3/24/08.........9/4/08.............88 lbs (30 before surgery) 7. Tess415.....................3/10/08.........9/4/08.............60 lbs (23 before surgery) 8. jegtlf..........................3/24/08.........9/5/08..............56lbs 9. lglenn3000...................3/17/08.........9/5/08.............28 lbs instructions- copy most recent list and add your stats. It would be great if you could post on your six month bandiversary.

NAME.........................surgery date.....todays date....Lbs lost 1. SpecialK ...................3/17/08..........9/7/08..............53.9 lbs 2. scrappy_friend ...........3/17/08..........9/4/08..............54.0 lbs 3. aJoneen....................3/04/08...........9/4/08..............31.0 lbs 4. WestCoastMom...........3/27/08...........9/4/08.............60.0 lbs instructions- copy most recent list and add your stats. It would be great if you could post on your six month bandiversary.

I know everyone has to decide for themselves how tight they need to be. I try to remember that the band is there to help dim my appetite and help me feel full. I have to do the rest. I have to decide what quality of life I want to have with the band as well. I can certainly understand how after so many years of struggling with weight, we all want to just focus on doing whatever we can to get the weight off and keep it off. Sometimes it seems that can be at the detriment of overall health. For me and my band, I would try to keep adverse reactions away as much as possible. It seems that things that strain the area around the band would be things that might at some point cause it to fail. So again, for me, that means keeping PBs, sliming, and getting stuck at bay as much as I can. That is not at all to say that anything you are doing would be causing damage - you are probably still working your way to where you need to be. I also know these are things that I just don't want to be a part of my normal everyday life. I also don't want it to be a part of what my family or friends have to know or ever see. I want to be able to enjoy most foods - just in smaller quantities - and still be able to eat out with friends and family without worrying about running to the bathroom or making someone else uncomfortable. Good Luck!

Lapband or not - this is not OK. And I am not sure if you have talked to her about how you feel, but if she is a good friend and someone you wish to keep seeing, you need to let her know how you feel about this. I certainly would not feel comfortable eating with a friend that I knew would get sick each time we ate together. She needs to know that you care about her and her health - and in addition that her vomiting makes you uncomfortable. There truly is more to being healthy than just losing weight. I try to think about what I am going to do about a situation - not about what I am going to make them do. If let someone know how we are feeling without preaching or telling them what they "should" do, it can sometimes help. Good luck.

I have 2.2 cc's in my band - and I keep saying I will make an appointment for a fill. If I keep saying it, maybe one of these times I will actually do it. I am a little concerned that my port might be turning, so maybe I will go get it checked and actually have them put something in there...

Stella - I have been very nervous about the band ever since I got it and have not wanted to have any bad consequenses. Although I have not wanted to have sliming, PBs, or vomiting - so I have done everything I could to avoid that. I certainly understand your anxiety, though. Mine started as soon as I got home from surgery. I wondered if I did the right thing even though I did so much research and thought I was so educated before entering this decision. I am sorry, though, that your anxiety has taken you to this point. I don't think mine got quite as far. I don't know if this will help, but I can think of a few things that I did and that you might want to try. First - I took it really slow to the actual food stage. I moved through the mushy and soft stages really slowly until I was really comfortable about how they were going through the band. Even when I moved on to more solid food, it was on to crackers and things that are considered "slider" foods. It gave me the sense that I was eating more solid food, but I knew it was stuff that usually was easy for most banded people to eat. Moving this way through food gave me more security about being able to get food through the band. Also - I have not PB'd or thrown up, but I know that everyone says that you should go to liquids and mushy food for a while after that happens so that you can make sure you are not swollen. Could the area around your band be irritated from throwing up and be tight just from being this? I don't think there is any reason you can't have most or all the Fluid out of your band if it will help you ease your way into this. I asked them to take most of my fluid out early on and have only have 0.3 cc's put back in. I know I don't have any real restriction and I enjoy knowing that I can eat fairly normally for now. I am taking this time to eat mindfully, eat smaller amounts and get used to everything. I still worry when I hear some people talk about the frequency of side effects that I don't want to have - or possibly doing too much for the sake of losing weight. But losing 45 since 3/27 would never have happened without surgery either. Good luck with your journey.

We have a great support staff at the office and they have been really helpful and reminding us how we need to work with the band. I think we all want something that will make us stop eating (I know I do) - but that is not really what the band is there for. The band is really there to help us feel more satisfied and think less about food between meals so we can make better choices. We still have to make the choice of how much to eat, when to stop, what to eat and how often. Our fill nurse runs support groups and she says over and over that the point is not eating until you are full. We still really have to think about how much we should be eating and make choices about only eating that much. Hopefully we can recognize that we are satisfied - maybe not eating like we used to, until the point that we were really full. Since I have decided to hold off on fills and try to get a handle on eating mindfully myself for a while, I do get hungry often between meals. But I am finding that it is a much smaller amount of food that does fill me up when I really make the choice to slow down and enjoy what I am eating. Since I don't really have any restriction, I know I could stretch my pouch if I eat too much. I am sure there have been a few times I have eaten more that I should have. I think if you really have concerns, that is something to certainly discuss with your physician and staff when you have an appointment. I know I could probably have them look at my band if I had some real concerns about doing something to it at this point. Good luck!

I thought I would post a new thread here with one of the recipes I mentioned in the main thread in case anyone wanted to eat a veggie and dessert at the same time! This is the Brownie recipe - my kids love them. I do think you can sort of "feel" the spinach a bit, but the do still taste good. And if a child that only likes 7 foods will eat it, it has to at least be OK. We have made it like it reads below with spinach and carrot puree. We have also made it with carrot and sweet potato. Makes 12 brownies Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray 3 ounces semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup carrot puree 1/2 cup spinach puree 1/2 firmly packed light or dark brown sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 TBS trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 large egg whites 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 350. Coat 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Melt chocolate in double boiler or over low flame. In large bowl, combine melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and shisk until smooth and creamy. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 min. Cool completely in pan before cutting (to make sure spinach flavor disappears). Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Remember the real point of the band is to help you feel satiated for a longer periods of time - and to think less about food between meals. Not really to have lots of restriction. You do want the band to help you with cutting off your hunger and you will get there as you get fills. I have decided to hold off on them as long as I can and really try to eat thoughtfully and change as many habits as I can. I know I can use the band more when I will need to. But I also know that I have to be in control of stopping - we can always eat more than we should, even with the band. Especially the wrong types of food. It has been surprising to see how little food I actually need to get full. And how much I actually used to eat just for the sake of eating. I still struggle with wanting to eat more between meals and being hungry. And I know it can take some time to find the right balance for you and the band. But it is good to be able to eat real foods in limited quantities and NOT have them be stuck too. I don't think you should have to have that type of restriction be a goal.

I would have to say it really varies by person. I don't think you will know for sure how you will feel until you are recovering. But I would say that you should be OK to return after a week. I am not working (outside the house) - but I sent my husband back to work the next day - and took care of the kids. I was able to do pretty much what I normally did, however, I didn't feel completely back to myself until about 2 weeks after surgery. I would say that until you are eating solid food again, you don't feel completely right.

I don't know if I will get these photos to work right. I used to be so technically literate. Some women bounced right back after having children. I lost a lot of brain cells and then just never came back - my oldest is 10, so it is a lost cause. But I am great at reading books from an upside down position to a large group of kids. I actually OK'd a few pictures this weekend sailing on Puget Sound. Although it was hard to find any before shots. Feel free to just comment on the scenery, dog, or children!

I was banded on 3/27 and I am going for never...

March is one of the busiest times at our house - the kids are in the St. Pats parade and dance in so many shows. It is such a fun month for us! 1. I want to be at my goal weight. 2. I would like my waist measurement to be at a healthy size. 3. I will do more difficult hiking with the family. 4. I will do a 3 hand reel with my kids!

I have crunch knees too. I have never talked with a Dr. about them. I weigh about 183 right now - after losing about 40 pounds and they still seem about as crunchy. I keep waiting for them to lessen. I was always pretty active, and it isn't painful for me either. But I do really just notice it on stairs. I will have to ask a Dr. about it next time I see one. Sorry I don't have better info!