barbara465

Reginia it's normal for me. It has happened every time I've gotten a fill or unfill. I found it odd since I didn't think I swelled much from the surgery. That is, I was hungry and could eat anything. The first time I chalked it up to a fluke, but the next time I realized it was a pattern. I went one time for a fill in the morning. I then went to work. That was a hard day. Now I just schedule them for late in the day. I am always "sore" for a couple of days. Can't point to one area and say Pain. Just a sore aching feeling that moves a around the area. I now know this is a trend for me. Leila, good luck on your surgery. I know you will be glad when that is behind you and you start feeling better. I was looking at your weight loss. You are really kicking a_ _. Maybe not the way you wanted, but you are 60lbs. WOW! I'm still fighting with the first 30!

You might try looking for some frozen food that could help, especially if you don't like to cook. For instance, frozen chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. are easier to fix. A piece of chicken and a veggie should be a good dinner or lunch. I portion my food out and put it on a smaller plate. That helps me visually see what I'm eating and not to overeat. At restaurants, I look at appetizers or a la carte items. You could box up what you don't eat and use it for a meal another day. Watch what you reheat as some meats get tough when microwaved and cause sticking problems.

Hi everyone, Doing my 3rd day of liquids. Moving on to mushies tonight. I think I feel some restriction. Hard to tell with liquids. I should know by early next week if this fill is OK and not too much. I'm doing well on the Oct. challenge. Drinking my water, staying at 1200 calories, and doing some exercise. Not big on this exercise, but getting there. I'm ready to lose some weight. Thanks Pinky for the kind words. I'm not stressing over the gain at the fill center. I lost on vacation and I think it was a combination of things. I do like it when lbs are lost and I don't see them again. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Genn, Yikes I know that hurt. Hope you get on the mend soon. Just do the rest of the challenge and the exercise added when you can. We are always trying to be so efficient as women. :grouphug: Went for my fill. Had .3 put in. I was home for about an hour when the fever and chills started. Lasted for several hours and now seems to be over. I am hungry, but full. I feel a little different with this fill so I might have restriction. I hope its right and not setting me up for a PB. According to their scale I gained 3 lbs. This is such a bummer. I'm not upset, but really. When does the weight loss come and stay gone? I hope I have my sweet spot now because I need to lose some serious weight.

You know, I guess I did something I didn't realize. I just started relaxing about it all. I haven't really been obsessing about what to eat, how to eat it, etc. I went on vacation and just "fit in" and tried to be good when possible. I ordered out, I ate in, I snacked. I lost 1 1/2 lbs. I didn't eat very much, but ate when I was hungry. Now somehow I have to make that work at home as well. I don't think I can work the 4-6 meals in either. I can do during the week a light Breakfast, like Activia. I could probably add a Protein shake mid morning. I already eat a light lunch and have a mid afternoon snack. dinner is harder because I want to eat with my DH. I can't stretch that into 2 eating events. I still want to get my Water in. So I guess I'll just try to stay within my 1200 calories, drink my water, and exercise. I also feel a little tight still from flying. This may turn out to be an interesting fill.

Heating pad worked wonders. I carried it from room to room. The first several months after surgery it was definitely my full signal. I get a little twinge now and then when I'm full, but not painful like it was after surgery.

Not sure I would call it a bad reaction - I usually run a little fever several hours after a fill or unfill. I get cold and sleepy. It goes away in a couple of hours.

Do what works for you. I think the most they stress is getting in the Protein, at least 60 grams. However you can count that. I do a little of both - eating a balanced meal and tallying up my caloric intake. I don't do a food diary everyday. I sometimes take a typical day and enter it in to see how I did. It helps me make choices and know what I'm eating. I do try to get the protein in and try to judge how much I've eaten of it. I also try to eat my hard Proteins first and then if still hungry eat the other items on my plate. It works for me and I don't feel consumed with counting calories and deciding what to eat. Good luck to you.

Glad to hear from some of you who haven't posted for a while. This thread used to be so active, but many are posting infrequently. I look here for my support because we are all experiencing this together. It's hard to have a conversation about our issues with non bandsters. I haven't been eating Protein bars and now wonder if I should add them to my menu. I guess I was thinking I should get my protein from "real" food, whatever that is. Now I'm thinking I should eat these as part of my smaller multiple meals. I don't care for V8 juice, but I think a nice can of tomato juice would be good. I'm on liquids the next few days so I'll try that.

What a great story. Thanks for sharing and what tremendous new experiences you are having. I'm so glad you were able to Celebrate your anniversary with your DH and friends in a beautiful setting. It is a life altering experience having this band. I hope to post an equally uplifting story when I'm at a year. Good luck to you and continued success.

On Sparkspeople today: The table below converts these percentages into grams needed each day based on calorie intake. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 border=1><TBODY><TR><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>Nutrient</CENTER></TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>Healthy Range</CENTER></TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>grams/day 1200 Calories</CENTER> </TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>grams/day 1500 Calories</CENTER> </TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>grams/day 1800 Calories</CENTER> </TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>grams/day 2100 Calories</CENTER> </TH><TH class=black10 scope=col><CENTER>grams/day 2400 Calories</CENTER> </TH></TR><TR><TD class=black10 scope=row><CENTER>Protein</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>10-35%</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>30-105</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>38-131</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>45-158</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>53-184</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>60-210</CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=black10 scope=row><CENTER>Carbohydrate</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>45-65%</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>135-195</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>169-244</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>203-293</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>236-341</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>270-390</CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=black10 scope=row><CENTER>Fat</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>20-35%</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>27-47</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>33-58</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>40-70</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>47-82</CENTER></TD><TD class=black10><CENTER>53-93</CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Monitor yourself in these ways: Eat a healthy, nutrient-packed diet. Watch your calories daily and try to keep them in the desired range. Check your Protein, carbohydrate, and fat based on your calorie intake. The number of grams may be higher or lower than your SparkPeople diet plan. However, as long as they fall in the healthy range listed on this chart below, you will be meeting your needs. Choose lean meats and plant-based Proteins over fattier cuts of meat. Choose whole grain carbohydrates like brown rice, whole wheat bread and Pasta, oats, and avoid refined carbohydrates like white rice and bread. Choose heart-healthy fats (olive and canola oils, nuts) and avoid hydrogenated oils in processed foods. Based on this I may need to up my protein some to get to the higher range for 1200 calories. Going for my fill today so back to liquids. I hope this one goes well and I can start losing again.

Everyone has given you great advice. However, the issue is within you. Do you want to lose weight? Are you happy the way you are? Is your life fullfilling to you? Do you have no health concerns? If you answer these questions and still insist on eating around the band, then you never wanted to lose weight to begin with. Your eating everything can be damaging. The band might be damaged by the time you decide you want to lose. Taking the band out until your ready may not be the answer, but gourging yourself can cause damage to the band. That could lead to the band having to come out under dire circumstances. I say you need to look within yourself for the answers. Get help if you can to determine what you want and why you are undermining your weight loss efforts. Get your head into the program or just get out. The choice is yours. If you don't get the answers and were to lose the weight, you most likely would gain it back. Why? Because you are not ready to accept the "new" you and would feel uncomfortable in your own skin. Sorry to sound so harsh, but its the reality of the situation. I am taking your post to mean that you were looking for help. Its time for you to take some positive action for yourself. You are worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck to you.

Your success is terrific. What a great feeling that must be. You will be at goal in no time at all. Thanks for sharing with us. It gives us encouragement to keep on.

Like I said, it is probably just a little too much. If you are gurgling and can't keep food down, you are too tight. I can usually sip some water, but can't drink it when I'm too full. I seem to react to a fill 6-9 days later.

Yes it sounds like you are too tight. Did you just have a fill? If you can't get water in then it is time to get an unfill.

Worst: My first of two PBs 6 days after a fill. It lasted for 6 days until I could go get an unfill. Best: Getting on a commuter plane this weekend and I had plenty of room in the seat, could cross my legs, and no lap belt extender!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I forgot to share my NRVs this week. I got on the plane and no extra belt needed and I could cross my legs. I was on a commuter flight so I thought I might have trouble since everything is smaller. I bought clothes 2 sizes smaller. I found sportswear from Fresh Produce that was actually too big and I had to get smaller sizes. We're going on a cruise in December and I wanted to get some outfits. I also found another brand, Tia's. They make cute striped shirts, t-tops, and capris. The colors are just vibrant and so fresh looking. Tia's you can order online from stores, but Fresh Produce, except for plus sizes, must be ordered from a store. OK, one of the things I'm noticing on this 4-6 meal plan today is that we will have to drink our water soon after eating. There is no other way to get the water in. I'm just eating one bite at a time and doing other things. I'm drinking my water as I go. I don't know how else to do this. I'm on my 2nd bottle of water and must keep it going to get it all in.

I wanted to tell you about one of the ladies that was with me this weekend in Hilton Head. She was banded many years ago by Dr. Molina. She lost weight and then started feeling bad. She went a year and then started gaining weight. By that time her doctor had died so she found another one. They determined that her band was eroded so they took it out. She waited 3 months and they put another one in. She lost her weight and is now maintaining. The really strange thing is she knows nothing of right or wrong eating with the band, only had 3 adjustments and no problems with them, no exercising, etc. She eats everything. She doesn't eat as much, but her daily intake includes a Dove ice cream bar everyday. She eats bread, desserts, juices, and I didn't see her drinking water. I just was shocked. Then I thought, maybe she has the right idea. Ignorance is bliss and she seems to have survived. Here we all are, worried trying to do everything right, and you meet someone like that. She never heard of websites, fluro fills, pbing. She has gotten the golf ball, but she just stops. I think she might have experienced sliming and pbing, but didn't know that's what we call it or didn't seem to suffer much. I felt a nice little tightening as a result of flying. Now if I could get this little bit of restriction from a fill I would be very happy. It was not much, not painful, and no problems. I just felt full and stopped eating. It lasts for a day or two and then gradually back to normal. I lost about 1 1/2 lbs so I'm back to where I started from the last unfill I think. I'll know tomorrow when they weigh me. I'm doing the October challenge and see what that will do for me. I will be on liquids starting tomorrow so it will be a little more difficult to get the calories in, but I will somehow. Hope this week is better for some that are having a hard time.

I'm back. Had a good time, but so glad to be home. Just unpacked and thought I would get caught up here. Haven't weighed yet. Did well on the trip. However, I missed some meals and don't feel I got my protein in as I wanted. I was able to share some meals when out so that helps. No incidents and still can eat too much. Go for a fill on Tuesday. Sorry to hear so many are having issues. I don't know what the answers are either, but here for support if you need it. I don't think we should be Pbing so much. I eat very slow. Yes, sometimes my food gets cold, but I'm learning to deal with it. Watch reheating your meals as the meat may be getting tough and that will cause a PB. I don't think I've lost weight now for a few weeks, but my clothes feel better. Maybe I'm just redistributing it! Tired so will sign off tonight. Got most of my 1st day of October challenge in.

Thick saline? What is that Melissa? Glad you had a great time. I love Hawaii as well. Today's the big 60. Feeling every bit of it too. Happy birthday to other Barbara 12 as well. I think it was yesterday. I hope I don't gain any weight while gone. I'm holding my own, but definitely not losing. I think some of us are just slow losers. The October challenge is going to be good for us all. Talk to you on Monday when I return.

I wonder if you get stressed before your fill and your body reacts? Just a thought since it has happened several times when you have a fill scheduled. If you are losing don't get a fill. Only get a fill when you are not losing.

You are asking for a PCP right and not a lapband doctor? My primary is Dr. Teresa Vicroy. She is in the Scurlock building in the heart of the medical center. She uses Methodist hospital. I have been her patient for about 20 years. She is great!

My birthday present to myself. One on each toe.

Way to go Stephanie. Your weight loss is great. Take it easy on the fill and go to liquids and mushies for a few days. You are doing great!

I like curves. I just haven't rejoined it. I found it quick and easy. It was just perfect. My trouble with them is that they are geared for stay at home women and their hours are very limited. I'll try them again as I need to get motivated.