2muchfun

Nervous=fear? What are you afraid of? I know for many of us it was the fear of never being able to stuff our faces with so much food and crap that we can't bend over and tie our shoes! That fear goes away in a hurry for most bandsters. Do 100% succeed. Hell no. But you've got a better chance with the band than continuing to do what you do now. Right? tmf

Ditto here for the anti-nausea meds? Doc gave me an Rx for these meds but I was fortunate and didn't need it. Call your Dr or his answering service. He made enough $ to make his Mercedes payment for 3 months so no worries. tmf

I found some 36 slacks and a belt from 1 years ago that both fit. Gotta love the band!!

Roast chicken. For me, the dark meet seems to slide down easier than the dry breast meat.

Yum, I love cheeseburgers. Can't eat a whole one anymore and seldom try, but $1 McD's double cheeseburgers were my comfort food. You're probably in the liquid only phase so drink some Protein powder mixed with milk? Some tomato Soup might work too? Are those on your plan at this time?? tmf

What is the math? I mean, how many calories a day do you consume & how many calories do you expend? Consume 1400 calories and use 2100 should mean you're using 700 calories more a day than you take in, so in one week you should have used 3500 calories which is equal to 1 lb per week. Of course, Water retention and muscle addition will cloud the picture? How long have you been plateaued? tmf

Jean, your wisdom, wit and communication skills have been invaluable to me these last few weeks. With your help and the guidance of my nutritionist I've lost 16 lbs in the last 6 weeks. But mostly, it's helped me to get a grip on this foreign object in my body and use it as it should be used. Still learning of course, but I think I'm heading in the right direction. I read every one of these and take something away from each article. Just need time to read your book now. tmf BTW-You're so right about surgeons not understanding what we go through. I ask questions of my surgeon and so often I see the "Deer in the headlights" face. Fortunately his nutritionist only works with WLS patients.

This problem seems to a common problem with most bariatric surgeon offices. I had signed on with Dr Snyder in Denver and had clearance for surgery but couldn't get anyone to call me back. I went to a different Dr and had the surgery. But even the new Dr.'s office had bad communication skills. It seems to be quite common from what I've seen. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but it's a low %. tmf

Bean, Your post is quite normal and has been posted by others every week. For me, I took an extra year to pull the trigger on surgery just because I wasn't sure I could give up cheeseburgers, chicken fried steak and overeating. Now, I know I can still eat those foods if I want(and I usually don't), but feeling healthier and wearing some of my old skinnier clothes is so worth it. The fear you have now is only in the now and a month or so after your surgery that fear will be just a silly thought from your past. tmf

What are you eating? You're not eating around your band are you? I've never used this but here's a website that may help you? http://www.5daypouchtest.com/#.T6mnS4jDHzw.facebook Have you done a barium swallow test yet? tmf

March 15th?

What is getting stuck? chicken, breads, rice, mashed potatoes, salads? Are you taking very small bites and eating very slowly? I got stuck a lot at fill 3 but it was my own fault. I ate too fast and put too much food in my face. It's a learning process and I'm still learning. I'm on fill 5 and got stuck at Breakfast this morning but only for 10 minutes. tmf I see we share the same birthday only 41 years apart.

You should still go in to speak to your Dr, even if you don't want a fill. Just because you're scheduled for a fill doesn't mean they will always give you one. I'm assuming this first fill is already paid for? tmf

How many fills and have you spoken to the nutritionist? Seems like your Dr and his staff should have a lot of insight on why you aren't losing? tmf

Cleescruggs, No average time. Sometimes you need to be aggressive with these docs or their staff to get a fill when you want one. I'd insist on it but be aware that your doctor knows what it looked like inside your body and if he feels like you need more time to heal, agree with him. But call the office and ask to be scheduled. BTW-I had my first fill at 5 weeks tmf

Show Off!

I think for me I could have pulled the trigger and had surgery a year sooner if I would have accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to eat what I ate prior to surgery. The thought that I couldn't have a Carl's Jr double cheeseburger, or go to black eyed pea and have a chicken fried steak smothered in gravy just overwhelmed me. Now, I know I can still do this, it's just going to take 3 meals to get it all down. So, I get to enjoy the luxury 3 times instead of 2. But seriously, it's no longer a priority to eat like that. Something happened mentally and now I don't crave it and have only eaten fast food once in the last 3 months(doube cheeseburger, McDs). The fear you have is real but it's only in the now. The now after surgery I only think about nutrition and thin. tmf

Butler, I see we were banded within a week of each other. I too have only lost 24 lbs. Most in the first 3 weeks and last 6 weeks. I plateaued between Mid December and late March. 5 fills for me and I go in Friday for fill 6. Hoping to get a small one to tweak the band so I'm in the green zone, I hope. My Doc was quite laid back on what we eat after surgery so I never had to endure 600 calorie days. Since it was Xmas he allowed me to eat normally but within reason and try to steer clear of sugars. I went into this with the fantasy I'd be losing 8-10 lbs a month. I thought I'd be down 50-60 lbs by summer but that's a wasted dream now. I believe I'd still have this surgery had I known then what I know now. I just wish I would have known about bandster hell and how many damn fills I'd need to get to the green zone? Those many days of frustration January-March were agonizing. tmf

If I only had a dollar for everytime I've said this? You're in bandster hell and will be for some time. It's just like you've never had surgery. Your band was not filled or was filled with a minimum amount of saline so you may not have any restriction. Not everyone is as lucky as you are. Just kidding, most all of us experience "Bandster Hell". I had it for 4 months before I finally started feeling some restriction/satiety. Follow your surgeons guidelines as much as you can. Don't beat yourself up if you don't lose much weight during this period because this is just like before surgery and we all know how well diets work. Once your tool(lapband) begins to work then you'll be on a diet, a forced one. Till then, it's pure willpower. tmf

Toddy, I went to lunch with a rep and ordered soft fish tacos. Thought I could avoid the "stuck episodes" but oh was I wrong. 2-3 bites into the meal I got a bad stuck episode. Took about 15 minutes to pass. Bites too big and too often I suppose. Anyway, the rep was so worried because I was sweating, could barely talk. I confessed to her what I had done. She was very interested in the procedure and we never talked business, just bariatric surgery from that point on. BTW-I excused myself during this episode to the bathroom where I eliminated the slime which usually speeds up the process. I'm rather extroverted and I told everyone. The UPS guy came to the door and I raised my shirt and exclaimed, "look what I did". I'd like to have some of those moments back.LOL I now regret telling everyone. There are several people who have been preaching to me how I should lose weight now. Of course, these are people who are either real skinny and always have been or they're overweight and are prescribing the latest herbalife, amway, Vitamin cottage type remedies. Be selective in who you tell. tmf

Someone else asked the same question last night. Here was my response: "No pain. Over in a few seconds. I think the only downside is my doc has us go back on liquids for 2 days, puree for 2 days and then back to solids. For me, I'm so curious to see if I get any new restriction I find it real hard to stay on that diet. Waiting 4 days to see if my fill moves me closer to the green zone is agonizing. I'm on fill 5 and going in Friday for #6. I'm getting good restriction now and just need a tweak to get me to the Holy Grail Green Zone. It's all about satiety, not restriction. Read Jean McMillan in the magazine articles. Very good author." tmf

No pain. Over in a few seconds. I think the only downside is my doc has us go back on liquids for 2 days, puree for 2 days and then back to solids. For me, I'm so curious to see if I get any new restriction I find it real hard to stay on that diet. Waiting 4 days to see if my fill moves me closer to the green zone is agonizing. I'm on fill 5 and going in Friday for #6. I'm getting good restriction now and just need a tweak to get me to the Holy Grail Green Zone. It's all about satiety, not restriction. Read Jean McMillan in the magazine articles. Very good author. tmf

LOL...Hey Tracey, she said .9 lbs. Less than 1 lb. No worries, sometimes I think the dots on my screen are periods but they're just dirt. Sounds like a fill is in order. I was in bandster hell from early December to late March. It's awful. It's like never having had the surgery and we're back to the old days and dieting. I've got some restriction now and I've lost 12 lbs since my late March fill so I'm feeling good now. tmf

Someone was looking for a site to count how many calories they need a day? http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm Banded 11/28/11: Lost 12 lbs first 3 weeks. Then I plateaued for 3.5 months. Had a consult with my nutritionist and a fill from my doc late March. I too was eating around my band, or I was making bad choices. My nutritionist sat down with me and we went through my meal choices and just by cutting out a couple of beers/wk, 4 latte's(never sugar), one slice of bread/day, Soups, and some other minor items, I was able to cut out 500 more calories per day. That's 3500 per week=1 lb. I still get a couple of beers or wine on the weekend and I'm only having 3 latte's a week now so I'm not totally depriving myself. I can live with this. I also kicked up my exercise routine a notch. I've steadily lost 12 lbs over the last 6 weeks. With just a few minor adjustments I made the band(tool) work for me. She(nutritionist) also pointed out some other foods I should be consuming that fill me and satiate my appetite. I know we're all different and I've been concentrating on finding those foods that fill and satiate me longer. I'm not quite to my green zone but I think one small fill and I could be there. Good luck. tmf

If you can walk, treadmills are fairly inexpensive and can be found used most anywhere? Or, even an elliptical. They're a little more expensive but easier on the knees and hips. I like this site for calculating calorie intake and metabolic rates. http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm And, I agree, exercising sucks. Unless it's golf, tennis, walking the dog, racquetball, hiking, skiing etc. The wife and I are really into bicycling these last few years. My knees are real bad so the biking really works. One mild 30 minute bike ride equals about 250 calories burned and if you can push it, you can burn 300+ in 30 minutes. Even if you're lightly active, you should be able to go on a 1200-1400 calorie diet and burn 700 calories a day. That's 4 lbs per month. By July 4th you could be skinny again. tmf