2muchfun

"Nobody likes a lecture".....Oh the irony! Lecturing the forum to not lecture in one of your first posts is quite ironic isn't it? I don't know if your comment looked good in your mind or are you just staking out your territory as the new kid on the playground? Many people come here for advice. Some may look at the advice as a lecture, others may see it as guidance to make it through some tough times. Some people come to the forum and need support, positive support, some come to inspire others with their success and others need a kick in the a$$. Many members only post supportive comments. Some of us(me) seem to lean more towards the no bull, just the facts kind of comments that can be misconstrued to be mean or lecturous. Take the comments as you want, leave the ones you don't want. Sorry if this sounds like a lecture, it's not. It's advice from just one forum member. Welcome to the forum and I look forward to your supportive comments! tmf

Symptoms of pouch enlargement include lack of satiety, heartburn, regurgitation and occasional chest pain. I've never had it, and I've only seen one other on this forum who had a dilated pouch. For most of us it would be very painful to continually overfill our pouch, so I don't think it's a very common problem with the band.

This topic comes up so often you should just use this comment(minus catfish) as a template. Or do you already?

That's just not right? If you can eat regular food and it passes through your stoma but water can't, that makes no sense? I would speak to your doctor and or nutritionist? Fluids should have no problem passing through the band.

Slider food will only give you satiety for about 1-2 hrs.imo So, if you're good for 3 or more hours you're fine. I think I look more for the low glycemic index type meals. I love the enchilada suiza but it's mostly carbs so I don't eat many of them. The turkey with green Beans is very low in carbs and low GI.

Great post!!

It's only excess fluids evacuating your body. Once you start a regular diet much of it can return. tmf

I agree with your mindset. Starting fresh and at the beginning is best. tmf

I have one or two of these a week myself and I do like the smart ones over lean cuisine. Just be aware that most of these are slider foods, so they just slide through your pouch without giving you the satiety a normal fresh meal would give you. You may feel satisfied for a shorter period of time. And yes, the sodium and carb counts are sky high so be careful. There are a couple that are lower in carbs but for the most part they're all too high in salt and carbs. tmf

Is your "Local doctor" a bariatrics surgeon or your PCP? The point here is that using an outdated/discontinued product increases the chances of a failure. I would imagine more than 50% of the 4CC band product experience success, but wouldn't it be safer to use a more reliable product? There's a reason why surgery south of the border is so much cheaper? If a Mexican surgeon has very little exposure to follow-ups, it's quite easy to offer a less effective product since there is little chance a patient will make the trek to have a revision(if that's even possible)? tmr

Bananas are one of the foods that many of us have problems with? How about real food, like fish, chicken, salads, veggies? Can you eat an apple if you chew it up good?

For you newbies, here's a post link that is a must see. It was posted by Alex the creator of this site and is loaded with information. I recommend you watch each video. Some of the information may conflict with what your doctor or nutritionist might tell you so always follow your own doctors orders: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/167435-look-at-my-face/#entry1967504

Most doctors want you to be on liquids for 24 hours and then soft/pureed for 24 hours before eating normal food? Did he not say? Most people you speak of are a few days out from a fill. A fill can cause irritation to the stomach lining at the bandsite which can also cause some swelling. This swelling minimizes the stoma/hole between pouch and stomach. That's why they want us to take it easy after a fill? Be careful. Don't eat any pizza or hard solid food right away or you may meet Mr. Stuck accompanied by Miss Slime. tmf

We have a few band bashers. Their problem is that facts are not on their side so they use hyperbole and opinions to support their claims. You will find support, advice and guidance here. Your doctor should always be your first source for diet requirements, pre and post op dietary plans, pain and fill questions? We have hundreds of successful bandsters here. We have just as many who are struggling but come here for advice. Good luck on your journey and don't fear because you won't be alone. tmf

Well, then you better learn to eat very small and chew very big if you don't want to get stuck. But, the reality is, you probably will get stuck at some time if your band is adjusted properly. There are some lucky ones who managed to lose a lot of weight with no or few fills so they don't have the restriction that some of us have. I'd like to think these patients have a very sensitive vagus nerve that doesn't need a lot of stimulation to give them the satiety feeling that seems so fleeting for many of us. For me, it's no big deal. It's uncomfortable and inconvenient, but it's also a sign your band may be near or at the ideal fill level. tmf

You'll be nervous until about 10 days after surgery Then you'll be excited to really get this rocket launched. Congrats on the 2 year research. You should be well prepared by surgery day. tmf

I had problems this morning too. Watermelon got stuck. Go figger. I guess I missed one little hunk of melon that slid behind my tongue and made it's escape just to clog me up Well, now ya know. No fun is it? It's awful if you're at someone's house and it happens? Or, out for dinner. Makes you pay closer attention though. tmf

And are you going out of country? It sounds like he got a close-out special at costco and is pocketing the difference. New bands will cost much more than a discontinued band. And his claim of fewer problems is only anecdotal since I've never heard such a thing? If it were true, wouldn't Allergen discontinue the new bands and go back to the old ones? Red flags! ps..You might tell him you'll pay the difference as you want the newest technology?

No, your story is inspiring. Well done!

Catfish. No, I already have the Polar and I'm going to keep what I've got for the time being. Just bought a lot of this stuff and some of it is Xmas presents from the wife so it's too soon to can my current technology.

Exercise is the key word for me Catfish. Seems like I maintain my weight loss through the Holidays and winter. But it's the exercise(biking) that speeds up my metabolism and weight loss. I'm so looking forward to this snow going away so I can get my regular rides in every day. It's the extra 800/day calorie loss that kicks in my program. tmf

If you already have a pretty face, check this link out. It only gets better! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/167435-look-at-my-face/#entry1967504

Your question really has no definitive answer. Everyone will be different depending on how much they had to lose after surgery, what kind of pre-op diet they had, exercise regiment and what does one consider as weight lost? Most of us lose 10-30 lbs of Water within the first 2-4 weeks. Some of it may be fat lbs but most likely not much. After the initial healing period is over(6 weeks) we can lose 1-2 lbs per week but may go a few weeks or a month with no weight loss at all. Plateaus are common, and for many of us, in the beginning it's a combination of replacing fat which consumes more space in our bodies, with muscle which is denser. Of course, exercise affects this ratio. Even though the scale isn't moving we may be losing fat and inches which is always a good thing. tmf

Here's a guy's perspective. 5' 8" you probably should weight 150 for an ideal weight. So, you're carrying around an extra 20-30 lbs. If you're OK with it that's fine. Your BMI is 27 which places you in the overweight category. You're no longer obese. Health wise, you should work on that extra 30 lbs but I wouldn't be aggressive about it. Make it a long term goal to whittle away at it. You probably look great but would feel even better if you lost a few. And for me, I like a buffer between 180 and 200. A bad holiday season could push me back above that 200 line so easily. jmo tmf

I'm already subscribed and your link won't allow me to receive the free book it looks like?