lellow

Weight loss made me more confident, which made me speak up more at work, take on more and assert myself more. The other side of that was that once where I was the 'invisible' heavy girl in the room, my hard work actually got noticed, and I was encouraged and headhunted for bigger and better things. So yes, I pursued a career change that I would never have had the belief in my myself to try for before. And I've been really successful in it.

I'm going in for a fill in a few days. I can eat Breakfast, eat rice and bread, I don't even feel the band unless I've eaten way too much and it kicks back. I can't go 3 - 4 hours without hunger right now. And I'm asking for 0.25cc. If you're close, or think you're close, go slow. It doesn't hurt to go slow. In fact if you get too filled and overtight, you actually reverse all the good work by causing your stoma to swell and cause discomfort. I got a 1cc fill and was throwing up Water. I had it taken out and have since had 5 x 0.25cc fills with no issue, and I need another. If you feel like another might be in order, take it really easy, especially if you think you're close.

I have had a gooood (and in good, I mean bad) Christmas break. I don't think I stopped eating for the whole month of Dec. I've gained some weight but that's not the hard part, the hard part is getting back OUT of the habit of eating even when I'm not hungry. I have been trying to get back into good eating habits since the new year and I can feel those habits gnawing at my resolve. One cookie, one handful of nuts, just itty bitty things that all add up. I think it's one of the biggest fights we'll have, this addiction to eating. It's like being a smoker, you may not smoke anymore, but when you have a drink, or are in a social setting, you FEEL like it. And giving into the temptation of a food addiction is SO damned easy, because it's EVERYWHERE. It sucks and I wish it was easier for us all, but it's just not, so all we can do is vent to each other.

I lost almost all of my weight with a stationary bike. I sold me when I moved states and I still miss it. I eventually graduated to a real bike and even today, I love cycling! It's tough at first but keep at it, I promise you, you will get stronger, and soon you'll love how it feels!

I've gained a fair bit over Christmas. My band is loose and I've eaten around it. I won't lie, it was my choice, I own it and the bigger butt is the proof of it. But I know I need to get back on top of it. Make the decision and start NOW. If I can, you can too. We've had our fun, now is the time to set our minds to changing it. Because it's that easy, if you don't like where you are, change it. Feeling discouraged won't change a thing. We need to decide that this is something we can fix and fix it. You have to want it more than you want food, and the 'comfort' that food brings you, because it's a false comfort. You enjoy for the moment, hate yourself after. Break that cycle. I fall into the same cycle every now and again and you have to decide to change it. Only you can. I'm booking in a fill on Monday. You have yours coming up. Make the decision to not sabotage yourself any longer. I know you can do it.

Haven't read everything but wanted to say that I come, I go, I come back again. I leave when I start getting sick of the infighting, or if I am all "talked out" about the lapband, I come back when I feel like chatting again. This place isn't real life for me, it's a forum and forums are for exchanging info. If I don't feel like talking, I don't, if I feel like it, I come back and chat, sometimes in the forums when I want to help, sometimes in the chat room when I just want to shoot the breeze. I doubt I'd ever leave for good. Like the band, it's a tool for me, my weight loss and now my weight maintenance. I will always get something out of this site. I've made great friends and will probably continue to, and in that alone there is a value to me. If you piss me off (and people do, I'm only human) I walk away and realise my life is bigger than this place. So within seconds I forget to give a crap about the opinions of someone I don't know and am not invested in. So I may be MIA sometimes but no one is ever getting rid of me for good I don't think.

(((lellow)) where you been........so good to see YOU maybe after you get to feeling better, you can reschedule sexy thang I had some health issues (completely NOT band related, just to clarify) with vestibular migraines so have been laying low for a bit. But I'm feeling almost 100% so I'm baaaaccckkkk!! Muahahahahahah!! I have missed you, girl!

Banded 5 and a bit years now. I had a replacement when my band was leaking earlier this year too. If I can help it, I'll be banded forever.

This was me, until I finally did have the fill that 'stuck' and I felt nearly no hunger. Don't lose heart, it can be finicky until you get to that point.

I had to cancel my half sleeve tattoo scheduled for Feb because I've had to go on aspirin for migraines recently. Someone get a tattoo and allow me to live vicariously through you!!

I was met with some resistance after each time my port was replaced when I kept saying I still thought I had a leak. You do need to be your own advocate. You know what a working band feels like. If it's not working like that anymore, you need to find out why, and don't stop until you do. I was the biggest PITA for my doctor, but in the end, I was right about the leak, even though they never found it. I'd still be struggling with no restriction if I had given up, and trust me, there were times I felt like giving up. My insurance paid for all three surgeries. My band was faulty and they cover revisions due to faulty bands. BUT I am in Australia so it works differently here. P.S. Hi tmf!!

I'm here. Busy at work just lately but I always pop by and check in. I need this place to keep me sane, even if it sometimes drives me insane! You're not getting rid of me that easy. Been through a couple of site changes now and people always work out the kinks after a few weeks

No not all leaks are in the port or tubing. I had my port/tubing replaced twice and still had a leak. I had every test known to man to try to locate the leak but they couldn't find it. So they replaced everything about 4 months ago and I am back to having restriction. I have been told that a leak can't always be located, and while it's common to occur in the tubing or port (especially a slow leak, I was told) it's not impossible that it should occur elsewhere.

I guess not being "thrilled with the results" doesn't tell me much, so I'll hazard a guess that you can eat more than you thought, that you haven't reached a good fill level and you haven't lost (enough) weight. It's true with the sleeve you get immediate restriction. The band requires maintenance after placement. But my success is partly to do with the band removing a lot of my physical hunger, but should also be attributed to a lifestyle change. I understand when someone finds the band difficult to live with (reflux, pain, whatever) revising seems like a good idea (though sleeve surgery has it's own 'side effects) but the lack of success should be analysed for cause, because that cause MAY not have anything to do with the type of surgery you had (e.g food addictions) and may prevent your success whatever weight loss surgery you have. Just my two cents.

5.5 years with the lapband and still love it. And I guess you see haters all over the internet, because if you don't have problems, why would you go looking to talk about nothing? I got a band replacement earlier this year because of a leak, and I returned to this site. And already Im back at goal and maintaining, and I'm drifting away. So what you see on the internet is NOT representative of the bandster population. I think that's something to keep in mind. I don't argue with those who bash the band anymore because everyone is entitled to their opinion based on their experiences, but they have no right to MY opinion. I am proof the band works, works well and provides good long term prognosis. I don't need to argue my reality with someone who refuses to accept it.

Haz, this will be your first bikini of many, dollface. I remember that first bikini, I was so pleased! Now that bikini, if cut up, would make 3 of the ones I know wear! LOLOL! I complete forget I have scars most of the time, and I have some BIG scars! Gonna go perve on your bikini pics now.

I miss chatting with you too, but I will be back once they've sorted out the chat room properly. I can't work with it the way it is now!

They stop feeling like bolt on boobs after a while, I promise! They do soften and feel far more natural after just a month, and in 3 months they'll feel like part of you. Mine feel completely like me now, and I sometimes forget that I wasn't born with this freakin' awesome rack

Eating more solid foods isn't what makes you lose weight, what helps you lose weight is the fact that solid food SHOULD keep your hunger away for relatively long periods of time. Which means on solid food you should not feel hungry for 3 - 5 hours. If you do feel hungry within 3 hours despite eating solid lean Protein, then you need more fill. If you've transitioned to solids, but are eating frequently and/ or eating solids that are high in calorie content it will mean you will gain weight. It will make anyone gain weight. Solid lean protein, eat ONLY when you're really hungry, don't eat high calorie foods. If you're actually hungry despite eating solids within 3 hours or so then yes get another fill.

Not really following the goings on of this thread but Australia has universal healthcare and I can categorically say that if our government tried to dismantle it, there would be riots in the streets. Any politician that even BREATHES that they are looking at reducing Medicare coverage is crucified. No idea what Obamacare is, but I can say that there are in fact countries that have universal healthcare where the people are happy with it. I sit in an income category which requires me to have insurance or I am penalised financially for it, but I had my time where I didn't earn as much and never once had to worry about getting medical care because I couldn't afford it. And my kids, who aren't insured, all hold Medicare cards (same as every other Australian) which provides them essential medical care as soon as they need it. I hope that never changes.

Ok, the best way I can explain it is this, at the RIGHT fill level, the band works like this: You can still eat most foods, and should be eating solid food, mainly proteins, as these work best with the band. If you're eating solid food, and your band is at the right fill level, you will feel a 'soft stop' once you're had not a lot of food, and the soft stop can take the form of discomfort, or a runny nose, or hiccups, though there are others, you will start to recognise your own. You should stop eating at this point. This small amount of food should keep you from being hungry again for 3 - 4 hours. And by hunger I mean REAL hunger, not 'I feel like eating' hunger. If you follow the rationale above, and eat solid, mainly protein, foods 3 meals a day, you will be eating about 1/2 to 1 cup of lean protein plus veg and maybe carbs (if you do that) and sustaining yourself ALL day pretty much. So you could be on 1.5 to 3 cups of food all day without feeling geniune hunger.

^^ exactly, I agree. And I guess I wanted to point that out in particular because I see many MANY posts where an unbanded person sees 'it won't stop you eating' as translated to 'it won't help'. The band definitely helps. In fact without the band, I would not be at, or be maintaining, the weight I am now. As a tool, it can be incredibly effective, if the band is filled and maintained in the green zone, the bandster is mindful of what they eat (there are plenty of posts about eating the 'bandster way' so I won't bother going into it) and do some exercise. It CAN be miraculous, it was for me. But understanding how it work is very important, so as to give the patient the best chance of success. And that's what I see as missing, the understanding. I don't think the language is the problem.

Yayyyyy! I'm so excited for you!! Do you feel good? I had my body lift and I cried when I looked in the mirror on the 2nd day and my 'overhang' was gone. I can't wait to see pics!

I use the word 'restriction' in the same way that hazel does. That someone doesn't understand what I mean when I'm using it in the correct context is, to me, more their failure to understand than my failure to be contextual. Though I do get where you're coming from, sometimes disputing the contextual use of the word 'restriction' causes more confusion than not, imo. I absolutely agree with almost everything you've posted MIs but I also disagree that the band doesn't tell me when to stop eating. The signals are there, and VERY clear signals too. They can be ignored, sure, if you really are determined, but they're there. I certainly don't push past those signals - I know that stopping is a good idea, will avoid discomfort and in 10 mins I won't be hungry anymore. So I think it's important for anyone not yet banded to understand that, because sometimes I read these posts, and I walk away thinking, if I were new, that the band did nothing for me, so why bother getting one? It's not like that, it's a very very handy tool to assist you in managing your hunger, and it DOES tell you when to stop, often quite clearly too.