2muchfun

Great Blog Leepers.

Your band must be properly adjusted to work it's magic. You may need more than one fill to reach that zone.

When my band is adjusted properly I eat a little bit of everything I like and no one really notices. I throw away food if I add too much to my plate. I try to stay away from foods that may not agree with my band but sometimes I still get stuck out in public.

I do like your attitude! Here's a comment from another bandster's blog from several years ago. I've posted this many times but it seems to hit home with me every time:

"In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

Welcome and good luck to you.

Sometimes I think we all have these episodes and I blame it on the perfect storm(s).

Storm 1: A little swelling from sodium, TOM(you girls), stomach bugs, stress.

Storm 2: Distracted eating. Like watching TV, someone calling on the phone, knock at the door, some minor emergency. All these can cause us to unwittingly swallow a chunk of food that stubbornly takes it's sweet time passing through the stoma.

Storm 3: Over eager eating too much, too quick, too little chewing. Similar to Storm 2 but activities we have more control over.

Any 2 combinations of these storms can lead to at least an hour of shallow breathing, consistent sliming and pure nausea. I just walked around the block trying to rid myself of a ham/egg bfast sandwich chunk lodged in my pouch. All better now.

Your new photos look great. Congrats!

I'm happy. I'm healthier. No worries.

tmf

My secret to being able to eat steak is, prime meat from Costco. It's costly, but it goes down better. I like rib eye steaks. Prime, not choice. I don't have them often, but when I do, it's about the only steak that my band will tolerate.

For most of us, going to solids made little difference. Your band probably has 0-3 CC's of fluid in it and the stoma is still wide. You should be able to eat most anything and may not notice a difference. Don't be surprised if it is this way? It could take several fills before you start to notice some foods not passing through as easily. Until then this is basically a diet. For me, during this period(4 months long) I did feel satisfied with less food so I did not gain weight, but for many, it's still a diet till you get some restriction.

Aint it great to have belts that reach all the way around your left side and look goofy?

Cabernet Sauvignon...Yummmm. We belong to a couple of wine clubs and get new bottles every month. Fortunately my wife can swig better than I can. But a nice cab with a small filet or rack of lamb? Or a huge chunk-o-salmon with a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is heavenly and makes for a wonderful weekend meal.

tmf

You will only fail if you decide not to follow through and fall back into old habits. Once you are banded you will have an all new mindset.

You will only fail if you decide not to follow through and fall back into your old habits. Once you are banded you will have an all new mindset.

You're the designated replier to all those topics people post that they are so sad and frustrated that they had surgery 3 weeks ago, had not lost weight for 2 days and gained 1 lb. K?

Looking good dude. LOL..great placement of the door handle in that first pic!

My experiences with plateaus is I have to be committed to a plan for at least 7-10 days before I see the scale move. That means, I eat 1200 calories a day, exercise strong for at least 5 days and no slips. One or two slips in that time span will doom me to staying at a plateau.

"I guess I will give up"........This is the only negative comment on this page.

Let me be the contrarian here. This is a pity party and I'm not buying it? I agree with Dylan that your PCP may have some sway over getting you in. And I know if it were me, I'd demand they get me in or at the very least put me on a waiting list if someone should cancel. Hard to believe that an opening won't happen in the next 6 weeks?

You can't expect them to take your band right to where you were before the illness. Your stomach lining could be different now and you also need to show a willingness to eat like a bandster. You're starting all over again and that's the way I would approach it if I were your physician.

Have you looked at other clinics for a fill? It's easy to give up and if that's what you want you will. But if you really want this, you will find a way. I don't mean to be cruel but there's no way in hell I'd give up my dream so easily.

tmf

You are such a loser

What is billed and what is paid can be thousand$ apart.

My nut also suggested jerky. I buy these packages of beef jerky at Costco. Each package has about 20 individual 3-4 oz packets with about 90 calories each. Great for a snack and helps with stimulating the vagus nerve so it keeps me satisfied.

tmf

You're the envy of many on the board. I recommend passing on the fill and working on the small bites, big chews and slowing down. Learning to eat with the band can be the hardest to overcome.

tmf

One slice once in a while won't harm your journey. Once slice every day is a different story but sounds like you already know that. Tomorrow my daughter will be 24 and two of our cats will be 13. Yay!! Happy Birthday!

tmf

Relax, it takes some of us months to finally get restriction. Like Missy said, it's normal. It sucks, but it's normal. Took me 4 months to finally get enough restriction to start losing weight. It will come, just be patient and follow your Drs orders.

tmf

LOL...I found some spots on my scale that give me 2 lbs less. I don't use them but sometimes I flirt with that spot. I remember when I dropped below 200 last May. Great feeling. It had been about 8 years for me and it was so painful back then. I literally starved myself to 198. Add the endless biking, running and walking and I never did it again. Of course I gained 30 of it back in a few months. Not now though.

Good for you!

Lots of good advice up there. I double vouch for the nutritionist. I was 4 months into my journey and had only lost 12 lbs. I sat down with my nutritionist and she pointed out some mistakes I was making. i started losing almost immediately. Of course, I got a few fills and the extra restriction enabled me to eat less. So now I'm down 50 lbs and loving it.

Sounds like you are not near the green zone yet? Do you eat solid food? I'm talking about seafood, lean hamburger, chicken breast, veggies? I know even now that I could sit down and down half a pan of hamburger helper easily. I can eat slider food almost like I could a year ago. But, if I eat a lean chicken breast, broccoli, salad I can eat much less. I feel satisfied so much sooner.

If you are eating right you really need a good fill. Don't give up, I've seen so many here who didn't really kick it in gear until year 2 or later. See a nutritionist!!

tmf