2muchfun

11/28/11 and only down 24 lbs. So, much slower than you and I'm on fill 5 and have a fill appt for fill 6 this Friday. I didn't start to see restriction till March and had plateaued for 3 /12 months shortly after my surgery. But it seems to be working much better now and just needing some tweaks to get to the almight green zone. tmf

I love soup. All kinds. I really miss eating soup. I work from home so it was easy to eat a low fat/calorie soup but it doesn't stick so I was back in the kitchen eating the wrong stuff 2 hours or less later. If you don't eat out a lot one small soup isn't going to blow your plans up. LOL..I could go on and on about the stuff I miss. I've been craving waffles lately. tmf

BCBS? Hurry up and wait is about all I got. tmf

TKW is probably right. If it's real thin it will go right through to your stomach so it shouldn't pose any problems other than excess calories. I find that a salad goes down easy too and with a side of low-fat, low carb dressing would be better for you. tmf

I went to the site and if you click on "View Product Label" it says 4 g a can for the frosty chocolate. tmf

Cost of fills? Protocol after a fill? Is Dr available by phone if you have an emergency or very painful stuck episode? How many CC's does the Dr put in at surgery? How strict is your Dr regarding diet and nutrition? This could be a biggy for some patients. One size fits all may be difficult for some patients? Does the Dr have a nutritionist on staff and is there a cost?(after surgery a nutritionist could be the difference between success and failure) Is there a sychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders available should you need one? I assume you've already chosen your Dr and your satisfied he/she has 2+ years experience, >250 bands placed, practiced medicine in your area for >2 years? BTW-Are you sure you have to have the 6 months supervised nutrition program? BCBS required this for many years and have eliminated this requirement last year. tmf

SMA, I do have some foods that seem to satiate me longer. And, that would be a good topic or string for a day. You have to understand, I'm only 5 months into this journey, so for me, it's like I'm still in the dark trying to feel my way around this tool in my body. I'm still learning. Salmon, meatloaf, thin sliced white meat chicken, tuna, sliced ham, low fat cheese sticks, 100 calorie bread thins w/cheese/egg, salads, cheeseburger sliders, stir fry veggies w/chicken. I try to use low fat ingredients in all that I cook and eat. I also peel away much of the excess breads on sandwiches and breaded foods. Good question and I plan on asking the same questions later today to start a new string. I'm curious about what other bandsters consume? tmf

Running scared is right and I also think as we become conditioned to our band, with each fill we become better stewards. We learn to eat slower, take smaller bites, chew more and become more selective in our food choices. tmf

Sedantary: 1.2 X 1687 = 2024 calories burned a day. Lightly active: 1.375 X 1687 = 2320 calories burned a day. So, if you are sedantary and you only consume 1600 calories a day, you will burn about 424 more calories than you consume. Or, 424X 7 = 2968 calories burned per week. That's close to 1 lb per week. So, you can see that just being slightly more active you could lose 1 lb/wk. tmf

Passion, looks like you may have missed the 2nd part of the equation that Nikki corrected after her beginning comment. Add in your AMR(active metabolic rate). Go here to see where you fit? http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm I don't see your age in your profile or I'd calculate it for you? But most likely it's around 2400 calories. So, reduce your calorie intake to 1400 or increase your activity level? tmf

Look at the forums page on the right side about half way down. There's a section called "recent magazine articles". Click on Jean McMillan's article called "Restriction, the Holy Grail". This puts a slightly different light on restriction and satiety and makes a lot of sense to me. tmf

Nikki, that's very interesting but you needed to go one step further and multiply your BMR X your AMR depending on your activity levels. About Nutrition is where you found this I assume and for me it looks logical. In your scenario, if your model is lightly active, you would have to multiply her BMR by 1.375. So she would need 2020 just to maintain her current weight. Let's see if this site allows me to paste the URL? http://nutrition.abo.../a/calguide.htm

Made a big Cinco De Mayo feast for the family and I just dived in as if I never had the band put on 5 months ago. Funny how my stomach informs me that I've eaten too big a bite and ate too fast and didn't chew enough. It also seems to tell me just after I've stuffed my cheeks with a huge next bite. So I sit there, chewing and chewing and thinking, where's this bite going to go? Stomach to brain, not in here, no way, no how. Congrats on the loss. I'm only at 24 after 5 months so you're doing well. tmf

Sounds like they want your liver to shrink as much as possible. You have to have faith your doc knows what he's doing? Or, find another doc?

What does your Dr say? Or your nutritionist? So many questions to be asked it's difficult for anyone here to diagnose why you aren't losing? Are you too tight? Do you chew your food more than before? Small bites? Are you exercising? How many calories are you consuming? Are you eating sugar? Are you consuming calorie laden soft drinks? Fats? Why did you wait 1.5 years to seek advise? See, the questions can be endless. I spent 2 hours with my nutritionist and found out why I wasn't losing the weight I had expected. She really opened my eyes to how I can lose an extra 2-3 lbs a month simply by eliminating or cutting back on some food choices I had made. Unlike GBS we bandsters can cheat on the band so we really must exercise more restraint in what and how we eat. tmf

Braggard ;o)

Smiling, unless you plan on running a 10K race every day or ride a bike 75 miles, 2500 calories will only make you fatter. It depends on how active you are, do you work, is your work physical or do you just sit at a desk? Most of us need about 1800-2200 calories a day to maintain our current weight. Your calorie intake should be below those figures. Lots of physical exercise can manipulate those numbers of course but if you're one who counts calories(I'm not) you should try to reduce your intake to under 1800 if you expect to lose. Idealy for most of bandsters, not counting calories should be a goal.imo For me, counting calories only makes me think about food more. If we moderate our choices of foods to eat, and try to only consume foods that are recommended by our nutritionist, the band is a tool that will help us to not eat as much of those foods as we have in the past. My nutritionist has helped me to choose the foods that seem to fill my band and keep me satiated longer. Most of these foods are lower in fat and more nutritious. Staying away from high fat and high simple carb foods is a must for me. tmf

Support groups may be helpful for some but for me, not ever again. Last one I went to was back in March. I made a comment that I was a little disappointed in my band as I had been plateued since 4 weeks after surgery on 11/28/11. I guess I said the wrong thing as about 4 people ganged up on me. Never again. I'd go with your Drs guidance. He/she should know best. Some folks who have had other types of WLS may feel some kind of misguided competition with bandsters. BTW-I got a fill 3 weeks later that seems to have moved me closer to my green zone and I've lost 11 lbs since. tmf

You're in "bandster hell". Almost all of us go through this. Your band was left loose on purpose as you are in the healing phase of your journey. If you want to lose weight at this point, it's mostly going to be on you and a diet. You should feel this way until you start going in for fills. One fill may help you but most likely it could be several before you find your own green zone. As far as eating solids, my doc gave me permission to eat solids 3 weeks after surgery. But each doc has their own different protocols. What you are feeling is natural and could be around for a while. I don't understand the Water intake problem though? If you can eat yogurt, shakes etc, why can't you drink water? Makes no sense? tmf

My first fill was 1.5 cc and then 4 more at 1 each. I agree with Gayla that 1 cc might be excessive for most but for me it was fine. Just make sure your doc knows you'll be back if .5 or less doesn't work. tmf

Gayla, I think most docs do know what they are doing but it appears you got one that didn't. I have a friend who got LBS and her surgeon put it on wrong and shortly afterwards lost his medical license over his alcoholism. He moved to Florida I hear. She had to have her band removed. There are some bad ones out there that's for sure. And I do agree that surgeons may embelish results or screen the % of results. My only advice for you is to somehow try to find the enthusiasm you once had for the band and try to find those positive thoughts that have been crushed by a bad doctor. Can't blame you for being pissed but the band won't work for you till you can find the silver lining in the crap you've been dealt. tmf

5 stone? Sounds like you should visit your surgeon and request an unfill? Most people who are in the green zone say they can eat pretty much anything in small bites. Some foods may cause them problems and that's mostly breads, rice, dry chicken and beef. But if all you can eat is Soup and potatoes, you need to talk to your doc and see if you need an unfill. tmf

It's hard to help since you haven't filled out your profile? No one knows when you were banded or where you started etc? It may take a half dozen or more fills before you find the green zone. Don't give up and don't panic. tmf

$10K is pretty much the norm these days and I think it's important to know you have a local surgeon you can rely on for advice and guidance. Most of these bariatric docs have nutritionists on staff or are available and they can offer invaluable advice if your band doesn't seem to be working. Most likely you will need fills after surgery and traveling to Mexico or India isn't really an option imo. Most all bariatric Docs hold seminars monthly so go to several before you decide. Check out how many surgeries they've performed and how long they've been practiced in your area. tmf

So skiddles, was that like major surgery again? Same amount of anesthisia, pre-op and post-op? Sometimes I feel the same way but then I get something stuck and come to my senses. tmf