flowers

I try and take two capsules, but they are so large, they get stuck with my band, so Im not the best about taking them. Every day that goes by and the scales dont move, I have to try and not give up and start cheating with Snacks. I NEED to lose more to get into a cruise dress. For me its only into 3 weeks with no loss, but thats the first time I just stopping losing when Im trying so darn hard.

Thanks Daisy, Ill keep trying. So far I cant do any, but Im hopefull. Between my osteroperosis and fat stomach, I cant do even one, but Im trying to get to where I can. I dont care if it hurts, as long as it wouldnt hurt my band.

Good luck from me too. I have heard good things about the sleeve, that it might have been a better choice for me and others who had second thoughts they might have chosen it too. I think you will do great. You have such a good attitude toward this, you are bound to succeed.

Sit ups. Have any of you been told not to do them, that they could rip out your stitches holding your band in place? I read this in another thread, and feeling paranoid about that now. I can't do a sit up, but trying. Im doing crunchs with a twist to each side, trying to work into a real sit up. Cant with my big stomach. Im still 37 inches around the smallest part of my waist and one of my dresses I need to get into says 35 inch waist.

New hair cut this week, folks say I look like a different person. Got some dressier pant suits so I am not hiding under a large tee shirt all the time now. Still comfortable stuff. Going on cruises and planning to be more active. Iv kinda hit a plateau, into my 3rd week at this weight, hoping I lose more, that this isnt it.

I think there is another place in Dallas that is $9,995.00, so that price to me isnt that great. I guess they decided to get a little more competitive. I live in Dallas and flew to El Paso and went over the border to save more $$$. Iv seen the same commercial ..... if nothing else maybe it gets folks to researching getting a lapband.

I was self pay, and so I examed myself. I still am not sure how much the lapband has helped my appetite or not. I did it because I was very close to full blown diabetes and have no insurance, so I knew I had to do whatever to turn things around. Its going to be harder if you have to battle insulin out of control, because that put on a lot of my extra weight, not just food, but wrong food. So, the only way to succeed is to also pretty much start eating better foods, not just how much. Good luck. Its up to you how well you do. I wanted to live longer too.

Im thinking about what mimi said, and maybe I dont have reflux at all, not the way lapbanders use the term?? I do have acid indigetion at times, and its often referred to as reflux, but Im thinking it is just gas, and not what folks here call reflux and thats why everyone says I am already too tight. Some foods just give me gas, and I worry the band makes that worse. I dont have hardly any resistance from my band or the pb'ing and never threw up (thank goodness).

I dont have a blog, but I just copied my link and pasted it into the big white empty place, not the place for links on your signature. I put it where it looks like a picture should go. You dont need to touch it once its there, just update it from tickerfactory site and put it into your profile. User cp I think its called.

I think she has had a little spat with almost everyone who posts very much on these boards. She jumped on me about something and someone pm'd me and said she was well known for starting fights, to not pay attention to her. I hadnt said anything to her at that time. She seems to want to wage a one person war against the band. She probably is her own worst enenmy. Probably a lot of us come off different online than in person. I know my jokes dont come off, cant hear that Im joking online. Mimi, interesting how you feel all you had to do was cut down to solve your problem with pb'ing. I dont think Iv ever pb'd, havent been that tight. I do get gas, like from protein shakes. Glad Im not throwing up or pb'ing that some have too. Glad to see and hear from everyone.

It sure is a hard choice. I had some reflux, gas again last night, nothing bad, but a little afraid to have another fill and Im not losing. Im into my 3rd week with zero weight loss and Im walking every day, usually twice and doing some long distances. I feel like I have no restriction though at night when it comes to snacking. When Iv gotten there before I went in and had another fill and it helped. I did have some of this gas problem before I had my lapband and dont feel like this probably is because of the lapband. I think Im going to wait until after my next cruise in one month before I go in, last cruise scared me, too hard to eat dinner fast enough. I was always a slow eater. So, going in after the cruise. I hope I lose something in the next month. I never completely stalled out before like this, maybe Im not eating enough calories Iv even thought. Its sure not as easy decision to wait or not wait. I havent had a fill since last Nov.

I read here about not having coffee, so I cut back to half and half decaf, and then went back to it. My doctor never said dont drink it, so I figured why give it up just because folks on here posted they did. I hear it might increase your appetite .... Ill overcome, not the biggest deal.

Yep, I can eat them all, but the green part of the sushi, the seaweed wrap is a little hard for me to chew up and get down sometimes. We still go get tacos, no way would I be able to give them up. Just had some of the 100 calorie popcorn, but it does slow down my weight loss.

I still eat subs from subway. Some people I heard have trouble with bread, not me. I have trouble a little with fruit though. I havent given up anything. I do try more moderation of Snacks now.

I stay away from any carbonation since I was told it could cause my lapband to slip. Drinking booze, is empty calories and will impede your progress, but wouldnt hurt you the same way. Any empty calories are bad, even popcorn lol. I dont put booze in any special no no category in moderation.

For those insulin resistant (pre diabetes). I was surprised that the doctor on sunday morning on FOX mentioned Alpha Lipoic Acid. I had read up on it and seem to lose better when I make myself take it. These are larger capsules than before and harder to get down and I am terrible about taking pills. Try adding alpha lipoic acid which helps to control your blood sugar and insulin surges and Omega, both will help you lose better. Germany makes you get a prescription for it, but here in the U.S. it is sold over the counter in health food stores. Foreign studies can be found online proving that it helps control your blood sugar levels. Not much in the U.S. has been done. Iv been told there is no money in having a study for a drug sold OTC.

I know everyone keeps posting that Im too tight, and just dont know it. I still dont think so. As I just posted, maybe not chewing up my food well caused the acid indigestion to start and I didnt get after it and the reflux just got worse all week. Our waiter on the cruise at dinner was always serving us way last because we always had someone getting to the table at least 10 minutes late, then we were not served until 20 minutes past everyone else. I was always having to push my fruit aside and trying to eat it with the entree to shovel it in. I was a slow eater before the band, and with the band Im slow with fruit especially, hard to chew it up very well. I know my fill doctor uses fluro and barium swallow and doesnt get me very tight on fills, she refuses to get you really tight. I really dont think having one episode for a few weeks of reflux proves Im too tight, sorry but I still dont think thats the issue. It could have been brought on because I have a band and have to eat different and had problems on my cruise, so the band started the issue, but not every reflux issue means the person is too tight. Remember Iv seen myself on fluro. But it did scare me that it took several weeks after I got back and started to take something for the acid in my stomach .... so Ill wait for my next fill. Now that Im back to eating on my own and not having to rush thru meals, I have no problems as before the episode. No other symptoms, just that one time.

Yea Orea!!! Just had to come post this morning when I saw the news. Iv been stuck at the same weight 165 - 166 lbs for 10 days now. Im thinking of pretending I am getting a fill today. I always lose a couple of pounds when I get a fill and dont eat anything but liquid protein shakes for a day. Im only down 7 lbs in about 6 - 7 weeks, so going to shake it up today. I had gotten some 100 calorie snacks, the chocolate box from sensible portions and 100 calorie popcorn, and having those at night whereas I was just having skim milk and that probably is slowing me down too. I know 10 days isnt that long not to lose anything, but you would think with all the walking I would lose, so gotta push today and see if that helps. Hope I can be strong all day, no snacking. I got a size 12 cruise dress for July I gotta get myself into. I still dont think I am overfull, or Id have other symptoms other times, than that reflux reaction on my cruise. I had some reflux before my surgery too. I think it could have just been a reaction to all that fruit and different foods that set it off. Im always hungry again, to the point I feel like I could use another fill in fact. Reflux may be a sign your band is too tight, but it isnt always the case imo. I think with food like fresh pineapple its hard for me to really chew up well. PS another thought to why I had a reaction on my cruise. I am used to eating slowly on my own, and had dinner with others I didnt know and was trying to rush thru eating salad and fruit plates and entrees and couldnt keep up eating as fast as the others, so I wasnt chewing my food up well either Im betting. Maybe not chewing could cause reflux? Im just nervous to get another fill after that episode, so going to hold off for a while. Its been 3 months today since my last fill and I weighed 189 then, so down over 20 lbs, so I would think losing that much also makes the restriction less. How much do you guys lose before you decide to go in and get another fill, do any of you have a specific lb loss, like ok Im going to wait until Im down 30 lbs and go in?

I called them too, they wouldnt fill my band I got in Mexico. Just count yourself lucky that you found someone for $100 that will fill you. I think I have called everyone within 100 miles of my house. Dr. Maese wouldnt give me my first fill for 90 days after I got my band, but he would be ok to transfer to now, but I like Dr. Stephanie. Good luck, I hope a new fill is going to do the trick for you.

I'm with you. I had tried everything, ... because I didnt realize you could buy Miralax now over the counter. Last time I got it from a prescription. To those suggesting using something else, if you have a real problem like some of us, nothing works as well as Miralax. It regulates your system to be normal. Once you try Miralax you wouldn't go back to other things. Miralax also doesnt clump like benefiber. Just one more little plus for miralax.

I guess Im not convinced Im too tight. Luckily it was just that one episode and I was on a cruise and didnt take anything for it except ice cream for a week and gained 5 lbs. I did all my fills under fluro and barium swallow tests with a fill doctor who refuses to make you so tight you cant easily eat. I think if it was as easy as being too tight, it wouldnt have taken 2 months for that episode. Havent had reflux any other time since I was banded last July 9th, right before you. .... If you can cure the reflux by just taking out fill, then why do so many people have their bands removed because of reflux is the question Id like to know. There has to be more to reflux and its connection to the lapband, than the simple "you must be too tight". No one has answered why my seminar leader had her band removed AFTER she lost her weight and got reflux which couldnt be stopped. Surely they tried removing fill if thats all there is to this rather than the more dramatic removing her band totally.

Hey, come with us. I am coming to see NYC and staying in Manhattan before a cruise. Im doing 3 days in NYC and the 5 day QM2. I bought 2 formals. I hear they get totally decked out on the QM2. I think I might hit right below 140 lbs by the time this cruise leaves on July 1st. We have a black and white ball the 2nd night and a red white and blue ball the 4th night and see the fireworks in Boston Harbor on July 4th. Im not sure I will look "fabulous", but Im certainly going to look better than I did the same time a year before. Come along, and you can look fabulous for this July 4th weekend. You dont even have to fly there. Maybe we can both meet husbands and cross that off our lists too!!!

It worried me too. I dont know if you are right or wrong saying if someone has reflux for a continued time they need a unfill. My complaint all along has been the LACK of restriction. I can eat any amount and any foods without even knowing I have a lapband, with the exception of fruit. The fruit or a salad could have been what set off the round of reflux too. Iv lost 20 lbs since my last fill, and it had been over 2 months since my 3rd fill until I had that one episode. The reflux scared me too. As I have heard the lapband itself caused it and some had to get their bands removed completely. The lady who lead my seminar was one of them, she had her lapband removed after she lost all her weight and the reflux set in. Im going to be more carefull of fruit from now on.

I dont know if my last fill was like apples or not. The fill doctor insisted it was maybe too tight, but it didnt seem so tight. I had it the last saturday of nov, and then on my cruise the last week of January, suddenly I had trouble eating everything and BAD reflux all week. I started to have a ice cream cone every time my stomach got acid reflux going, so its not surprising I put on 5 lbs. It took me 3 or 4 weeks after the cruise of taking prilosec daily and pepcid complete or max chewables and gas X strips, everything before the reflux finally got better. Even the week after food was coming back up in my throat at night it was that bad. Scared the heck out of me. I dont think I want to have another fill anytime soon.

Debbie, I know this isnt the same reason, but I took a cruise the end of January and got indigestion ...BAD. I started having a ice cream cone every time the gas got bad. Burning gas and I gained 5 lbs in 5 days and got home and still had the gas. Wound up doing 3 kinds of stuff for the gas for the next 3 - 4 weeks and finally got it back under control. .... meanwhile I had to force myself to start walking again, I was lazy during my cruise. Start walking to get the weight back off. When I first started to walk, I wasnt sure I could, so I walked around the building, then the complex, finally around a short block, then a bigger block. Im now doing over 3 miles twice a day, but I started small. People on another board, one say "you lose weight easy" and another "you are lucky to lose so easy". Yea so easy, I just love pushing myself out the door and walking 7 - 10 miles a day. Im 58 and no one my age loses easy if you ask me. The trick when you gain suddenly is to get right back after it and it will come off easier than new weight loss in new territory.