2muchfun

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.

Read fight4light's post 10 posts up.

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!

So, I looked up 5 and 20 cent AU diameters. For we here in the states, that equates to approximately 3/4 in diameter filled, to 1 1/8 in unfilled. Can we assume you mean the band itself has an opening the size of 5-20 depending on how filled it is? But, to visualize this would also mean we have to include the thickness of our own stomach lining which will be different for all of us? Folds within the stoma also complicate the equation? Stomach lining thickness must equal about 5-10 millimeters which would leave the stoma on an unfilled band at approximately 2/3 inch. Not a lot of room for food to pass is it? Sorry for over analyzing this but I like to have a mental picture of what the heck is going on down there.

Great article but we don't have 20 cent pieces here in the states and a 5 cent piece is a nickel here and is bigger than I would think the hole would be? Can you think of something more universal? Marbles? Pencil diameter? 10 millimeters ID?

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!

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

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.

I've got the book and I'll take a look.

Maybe I glazed over this in your article(and I realize it's about soft calories due to overly tight bands) but using the "restriction" word again, how else can a newly banded patient grasp the satiety concept? It seems to be such a slow process for many of us. I know for me it's taken a year to finally recognize those signals. In the meantime I've seen other bandsters flounder and even fail due to not being able to find the zone. Restriction seems to be the first signal the band is in our body? This forum is a good tool for many patients who aren't getting the feedback from their support systems(docs) and yes, one must wade through the misinformation to find the truth. Now I've come to the point where I go back to one of your early articles "Restriction, the holy grail" and it seems like the heading is very prophetic. Sorry to ramble, but the green zone, sweet spot or whatever one calls it is illusory and can be non existent for some. Seems like more one on one, mano e mano would surely increase the success ratio? Dan tmf

You know, there's a couple of generations of bandsters who were told they could eat anything on the band as long as the band would allow it. They're not going to like what you just said? I see it often where people claim that the reason they got the band was that it would keep them from eating too much or eating the wrong things. We all try to re-educate of course. But, did they hear that from a professional or was it some off the cuff remark made by someone on a forum somewhere? Probably both? Anyway, I couldn't agree more. I find myself opting for soft calories when we go out so that I don't get stuck. Not a lot of fun sitting at a table with 8 people while everyone is gobbling and I can't even sip my Water. tmf

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