2muchfun

You're in "Bandster Hell" till you get enough fills for the band to work it's magic. Your band opening(stoma) is still very open and it's easy to eat too much. For some reason this phase seems like we're hungrier than before surgery. B-52 used to have a quote on his signature that said: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet"..... So true! tmf

If you had a stuck episode you could have caused enough trauma to cause some inflammation? That's all I got. Definitely discuss with your doctor.

It's been a while since I've posted these videos so it must be time again. Listen and see what Dr. O'Brien has to say and he's one of the foremost bariatric doctors in the world. But, follow your own doctors orders. If you're new to this WLS world, these videos will help you a lot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4jYJipQ7vc part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbdhf44ZweI&feature=relmfu Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3TCKUn3YI Part 4

I liked this one: Let go of competing Let go of judgments Let go of anger Let go of regrets Let go of worrying Let go of blame Let go of guilt Let go of fear Let go of comparing

Very refreshing to hear your story. I can feel the excitement in your writing. Keep us posted. tmf

I'll offer a one day meal plan: Bfast: 2 ozs egg beaters omelet with 2 ozs turkey sausage and 1 oz low fat cheese. About 250-300 calories. Snack: One small honeycrisp apple. 75 calories Lunch: 2-3 slices of deli turkey, 1 Oroweat thin bread, 1 slice Colby jack cheese: Sandwich = about 300 calories Snack: 1- 1.25 oz bag of Jerky or a slice of deli ham or turkey. 90 calories Dinner: 8 oz baked salmon, handful of broccoli heads, drizzle of hollandaise sauce: = 600 calories Dessert: 1 dove promises = 40 calories But I'm a guy and we usually get away with more calories.

Sorry in advance but this may seem petty and nosey? I can't help but look into other people's shopping carts to see what they're eating and of course, I tie it into their physical appearance. Petty I know? But the morbidly obese really do eat bad food. One shopping cart I saw this morning had 3 large sacks of generic cheese puffs, 3 other sacks of potato/corn chips, 4-5 boxes of highly processed sugary cereals(trix, choco puffs etc), 6-8 liters of soda pop and other sugary Fruit drinks. She was probably around 300 lbs and both kids were heading in the same direction. Yeah, I feel like a snob but I think back 3 years ago and my cart was similar except I've never been a soda pop guy or liked cheese puffs. Doritos, crackers, Cookies, dips with Velveeta cheese, sour cream, hamburger helper and Pasta were all my vices. Different strokes/vices eh? My cart today? Two 5 oz tenderloin steaks from the close out bin, one mixed salad bag, honeycrisp apples, avocados, limes, chicken tenderloins, eggs, can of tuna, celery, brown rice, jicama and some cilantro. My band has changed my life. I still like(no longer love) those old food choices but I respect my band and my commitment to be healthier. When I stray(and I do), I feel like I've cheated on my band. I try very hard not to let my band down. Silly maybe? But I'm OK with that. tmf

Good for you. Come back to the band boards occasionally and let us know how you're doing? Good or bad, we all want to beat the fat. tmf

It appears your breakfast and lunch menus are what we call slider foods and do not offer much in the way of suppression. Stir fry can give some restriction/suppression but depends on the meat or how firm you cook the veggies. I'd be hungry too if I ate your way. Most nutritionists who understand the band will suggest denser foods and always Protein first. eggs, ham, omelets mock breakfast burritos for breakfast. Lunches should be chicken, turkey(deli too) fish etc. Brown rice, whole wheat breads and especially potatoes should come after the 6 ozs of meat. Drinking while eating should be shunned too. The band won't work it's magic if food easily passes through the stoma into the lower stomach. What we strive for is satiation through stimulation of the valgus nerve and slider foods won't do this. If we're satiated, we should be eating less with much less hunger. I don't know how many CCs are in my band. I just know if I eat like a Bandster I feel less hunger and eat less food. tmf

BTW-Many of us have 14 ML/CC bands. 9 fill is on the high end but I've seen other banders post higher numbers, and, 30 days between fills is the norm. tmf

"I could be drinking 10 milk shakes a day (I’m not!)" So, what are you eating daily to not feel restriction/suppression?

Don't let the "5 day pouch test" title confuse you. She's referring to the pouch for gastric bypass. Taking the 5 day test is good for restarting or revitalizing your weight loss program but the process has little to do with our bands. It can help to shrink the pouch if it might be dilated a little but not much else. Actually, getting a fill is the perfect time to take the test. You'll be on liquids for 24-48 hours anyway so why not start tomorrow? tmf

Sleeve or band, both would have worked for me but I went with the band because I didn't want to lose 85% of my stomach. I think I could have been successful with the sleeve too. Be careful, there are several angry X banders on the sleeve forum. Since you can have the band removed and revise to another surgery, there are some folks who didn't do well with the band and revised. There are also some folks who use antiquated studies and inaccurate information to put down the band. Good luck and like I said, either one can work for you. It's a personal choice. tmf

Christy, most of us eat normal food. Like chicken, steak, fish, veggies, rice eggs, ham, turkey. Mostly try to keep to healthy foods and non slider foods.

Look at my post about 3 posts above. The link will take you to the site.

I only lost 12 lbs the first 4 months but my 3rd fill helped my journey immensely! What you're experiencing is quite normal.

You should stop comparing your journey to anyone else's. Your doctors office is spot on. What you're experiencing is normal and you shouldn't be looking for Pb or slime episodes. Not everyone experiences this. It may take up to 4-6 fills to find restriction. Eat healthy and continue to follow your doctors advice. It took me 3 fills and 4 months to find some restriction and my journey is quite normal. Took me 6 fills to find the green zone. Hang in there, I too was frustrated and pissed the weight didn't just fall off like I expected it to. tmf

lap1.....How many CCs in your band has little to do with restriction. Your personal anatomy, the thickness of your stomach lining and where the surgeon placed the band make the biggest difference. Many people go right up to the 14 CC limit before they feel restriction. Stretching your pouch should be incredibly painful unless you're impervious to pain? I did not feel any real restriction till my 3rd fill and I didn't find the green zone till fill #6 and I believe my experience is quite normal. To stretch your pouch you would have to fill it up(about 2 bites) and not have the food pass through the stoma. It would backup into your esophagus and then you would slime and experience a lot of discomfort. It would take months of this to cause a dilation of your pouch or esophagus.

lap1, I don't know. I do know it's a 14 CC band but my doctor nor I have ever tracked how many CC's are in the band. I've never been interested in knowing the amount as long as the amount that is in there is allowing the band to work it's magic. tmf

Srock, the shape of the port is easy to identify and if the tube was overlapping it would be easy to feel. With guys, the port is sewn onto our abdomen and protrudes as a lump on our chest just below the left breast.

PureVida, I love this topic and it's so different for each of us. What amount of restriction is the correct amount to be in the green zone? I think I could handle another .25 CC fill but I prefer to enjoy a little leeway with a looser band. I still struggle with the eat fast/big bite syndrome, so looser is better for me. It's going to be different for each of us. We can all adapt of course but some not as easily as others. Sounds like you were in the red zone for too long? There's no harm in sneaking up on the green zone. My doctor did it with .25 CC injections. Probably took 2 more fills to get there but in the meantime, I learned many lessons on how I should be eating with restriction. There are many on the forum who recommend getting fills under fluoro and gawd I wish my doctor had the equipment to give fills this way. tmf

Hello newbie! Don't take this the wrong way? You will be better off starting your own thread/topic. There are only 4 people following this thread at this time. Your post is what they call a "Hijack". It's not as bad as it sounds and we all do it but in your case, if you start a new topic, you'll expose your question to hundreds of eyes and not just 8. To answer your question, yes it's normal. I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill. Eating properly(Protein first) is essential. You're in what we call "Bandster Hell". It's that period of time where the band is not adjusted properly yet and we still have that old appetite before surgery. Basically, you're still on a diet if you want to lose weight until your band is adjusted properly. Good luck. Hang in there, most all of us had to endure this phase. tmf

This is often a topic of discussion. For most of us it's not a black and white issue. We live in the grey area most of the time. There's is no ding or loud noise when we should stop eating unless we've gone too far. As someone else pointed out, mindful eating is a must to find success with the band for many of us. This concept is so foreign for those who have never been banded or are newly banded. And for some, the "bird song" never appears or if it does, it's ignored or shielded from our "mindful eating" brain neurons. Once your band is adjusted properly, you will reach a point where the food no longer is appealing. That feeling that most thin people subconsciously obey, will/may strike you like a bolt of feathers and you will understand your first aha moment. Pay attention, your success may depend on it. tmf

Our bodies(including the stomach lining) ebb and flow with illness, sodium, TOM, stress, altitude and inflammation from irritants. The band doesn't really change but the stoma opening expands and contracts with these different issues. Think of your fingers and if you wear a ring, are there times the ring fits tighter or looser? Retaining Water from sodium and the other stresses work on the band the same as they do on your ring finger. tmf

I don't know how many CCs are in my band and neither does my doc. We just know it works and that's good enough for me. Maybe inquisitive minds want to know but it's unnecessary information imo. tmf