YngGram

I don't know how to measure either; but this past weekend I tried for the first time and it worked. 1/8c each of veggies & starch and 2-3 oz of Protein. Eat the protein first (I can't so I do two bites of protein for 1 of the other), no starch then 1/4 c of veggie. I took smaller bites, took more time and found that I was very happy. The reason was because I didn't have the discomfort that I usually felt. I got a fill on Mon., first time having real restriction. I have no choice now, and I am very happy to finally be in this place. I will have to do some protein bullets and add some Protein Drinks to make sure I get in 62-65 grams daily. I haven't been able to eat all of a meal since the fill, but I haven't been stuck or uncomfortable. I am really looking forward to start loosing again.

I might be far off, I've only got 3 years in. How much have your bodies change? I don't know if babies push things around, or if shrinking organs can make a difference. I really wish I only needed to get 5-20 lbs off, ver nice job. You might just need an adjustment, small but enough to get you back to where you want to be.

Your thoughts might be right in bad choices, however I recently realized that I was tight when I didn't get enough WATER! I am tight in the AM, my day starts around 10, but that first meal is about 2. About 3 weeks ago I had a couple of days when I couldn't eat without discomfort. When I took a look at what I'd had, the Water was very short. Temps and impending stroms make me tight as well. Stress is a big one for me as well.

I got a fill on Mon. taking me to 6cc and I think I have found it finally. I don't feel tight, but three or four forks of chicken and I am done. Also, I have started the last two days with a Protein Drink just to test the waters, greek yogurt for lunch and them light dinner. NO HUNGER all day. I have to eat slower (mistake I've made in the past), but it is just great for now.

Yup, they need to be able to find it for fills . They are attached just under the skin, I have had one before and this one much easier to find, if I suck in I get an extra bellybutton.

New lessons learned just in the past week. 3 years into this you would think I had most of it figured out long ago. I lost about 65 lbs, in about 6 months and I settled in that range until about 6 weeks ago and it started to come back on and I wasn't getting it to come off. Not only that I was bloated and uncomfortable with most things healthy. I made an appointment for a fill but had to see the doc first. Fill is tomorrow, when I was in last week I asked for a copy of the book I was given after surery. Now I know that I didn't fully understand what I was trying to do. I didn't know how to (hadn't really tried) measure my Protein. I don't sip my fluids, and would get stuck on Water. I was taking bites to big, I only have about 5 cc in the band. The food would go down but I would get unfortatable after eating. My husband watches me closely to see if I need to "walk it off"; a couple of trips through the house and a big burp will have me breathing normal. I was chewing well but it was too much. Not stuck, but very heavy feeling after one or two forkfulls, and then I was hungry in no time; even scrambled eggs. This weekend I was very mindful of the bite size keeping in mind not wheather it would go down, but how I would feel. I had chicken parm w/pasta, ribeye, and veggies. I measured, took much smaller bites, and found that it was easier to swallow and NO discomfort. Now I haven't had but 3 fills and 1 unfill, thought I was to tight but had only irrated my throat then waited to long (fear) to refill. It has been a year so I really hope that this fill and understanding will get me back on track. Now I also understand that I was not being thoughtful about what, how much, and when I put things in my mouth. It the begining that seemed a lot easier to do, goodbye coffee Creamers and sweet tea will become a weekend treat. :wub:

Wow, I have been banded over 3 yrs., doc says it's only about 5cc in my band. Funny thing is I decided to get a fill next week, saw him last week and low and behold.....I realize that I don't know what I'm doing. I don't understand how to measure my food, (I haven't made much effort in doing so) and I did today. I felt very different when I ate. I am rereading the guide book I was given and I am getting a better understanding. Doc says we should be able to eat most anything, just smaller amounts. Today I had chicken parm, Pasta and broccoli, I didn"t feel stuffed or uncomfortable.

The band is supposed to help us stay full longer on less food. There are many who mange to loose without adjustments and others who don"t with many adjustments. I haven't had many problems, that's just been luck; but I am just starting to see what I should have done to keep things moving. I stopped loosing and recently started to gain. HORROR!!! This is what I have learned.

My bites are to large, no problem chewing but when I swallow it is to much and I get uncomforatble. This is what makes me eat what I shouldn't.

Hunger is not nor never has been my problem, I am a mindless eater. I nibble and such.

I forgot that I still need to sip my liquids. I can get the stuck feeling on water; now I am starting to see these things. Today, I feel very different than I had been feeling.

I got overexcited about the 63lbs. I lost. I did it without much work, just gave up lots of sugar. Occasionally I exercised, but no rotuine to it or regularity. Because of this I am slipping into some bad habits The weight is coming back, so that's why the fill on Mon. I plan to get my head in it and work with the tool I have.

Take a good look at what you're doing and you might find (as I did) that you aren't doing things the way you should. I don't drink with meals, and until today I thought the uncomfortable feeling was the way it was suppposed to be. If you don't find an answere to your problem then a fill might make you feel like it's to much and you end up going in for an unfill. Good Luck

That plate is GREAT! It should come with the band!!

It's sad, but at 3 years out I still don't know/understand how to measure my food. It was covered pre surgery, I didn't get it then. I think I "blocked" the info because I didn't want to be a slave to the band. I thought I would be able to make the changes without it running my whole life. Now that I am not loosing, and will be getting a small fill next week I have to own that I will need to do more to get (loose) more. I have a scale, it's easy to put on a chicken breast, but no idea how to deal with frozen veggies. Is is 3 oz. of meat and 1 oz of veggie for the 1/2 cup I should be eating? Some say volume, again I am lost. They showed me a deck of cards, that's easy enough for the meat but..... HELP!

Oh boy, I am right there with you! I got my band in March 09 and I was able to drop about 63 lbs. I was thrilled to be a size 12 and not have the pain in my knees and joints. I am not very happy with me right now, I have put on about 10 lbs. in the last couple of months. Off to see the doc tomorrow and a fill on Fri., it's been almost a year since a fill which put me at 5.5cc and I hope it will get me going in the right direction.

I lost about 4lbs in just over a week when I gave up the southern sweet tea. I did like you and started to make changes early to see if it would help. The things listed above really are good, I happen to like Water and I just have to remind myself now to drink, cold is best for me. I start my mornings with a full glass when I take my meds, fill a 32oz cup to sip on throughout the day. I try to refill it at least once to give me the 64 oz the doc recommends for me. I have also been told that it is very important for us to stay hydrated to help the band work correctly. My big problem now is coffee and those dang flavored creamers.<3 If I could just give those up.

My husband seems to think it is his job to make a comment every time I cross mine. I hadn't realized I could do it until he told me I did it so often. That was when I remembered when I couldn't do it. It is important to us girls.

GREAT WORK YOU

USMCR 1978-1985

USMC WIFE 1977-1997

MARINE FOR LIFE!

I am not aware of any, but I am sure that are some. I do know that there are many cons to this surgery and for many different reasons. It is a hard choice to make, and an even harder one to live with. You see, it is not a magic wand that makes the pounds disapear, it does not make chocolate chip Cookies good for you. It also does not stop you from eating more than you should. Many people learn to eat around the band, against the band and gain. Or they choose to live with their bands to tight, loose major pounds but wreck their bodies because they are constantly vomiting or not getting proper nourshiment.

The band is a lifestyle change, at least IMO and that was why I choose it. I didn't want to have my tummy cut in bypass, and I needed to know that it could be adjusted to help keep me on the right path. I also didn't want to give up all the foods I enjoy, I just needed to be able to have some controll rather that it controlling me.

Depending on your reasons for even considering WLS it might not be right for you. I needed to get the weight off because of my health. HBP just wasn't enough; being told that obesity had a side effect of cancer was what sent me searching. I did well my first two years, I feel better, sleep better and I even feel better about myself. Or at least I did until today. I had a medical procedure today and was told not to take my BP meds, well my pressure was up enough that I had to be given something so the doc could do my screening. I have been lazy the 6 or so months and have gained about 8lbs. Well I hadn't reached goal but was maintaing in an area I was happy with. I now know that the party is over and it's time to get back to it. I haven't done enough yet to be as healthy as I intended, I just got thrilled that I didn't have to shop at the fat shop.

Make your choice for you as you need it. Everything has a con, I know of people who died from yo yo dieting.

I found this today and even though I have been at this over 3 years it opened my eyes. It might help you, sure wish I had found it a year ago.

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Hello Ladies,

I had my band placed in 09 at St, Marys. If I can help either of you in anyway just hit me up and I will share.

I am tight in the morning, sometimes something hot doesn't help and I just have to wait 3 hrs. to have something other than yogurt.

IIf you aren't carrying twins, it won't happen this time. I can usually just have hot coco to get me going. I have also done castor oil without problem. Are you getting your Water in?

I guess i am just confused as to why all surgeons have a different protocol then. A good friend of mine had the surgery just one week before me. At her one week post-op apt her different surgeon told her that it was fine to start eating soft or mushy foods, as well as seeing on here all of the people posting that they can start soft foods, within the first few weeks. My question is not so much if i should continue to do it, it is if it has hurt me already from doing so, which i guess i already know.

The reason is because each surgeon seems to handle the procedure differently. My doc put 2cc in my band at surgery and wouldn't do a fill for 6 weeks. I had a liver shrink preop diet for two weeks that to me seemed like a ton of food. I was on full liquids the afternoon of surgery.

You might not have yet done damage, but you really do need to go with what you were told; there is a reason. Also, much of this is about trainning your mind as well as your body to work with your new tool. Good luck, we are here for ya.

My DH is retired and TriCare is our coverage; don't know if it is ture for your uncle. My band was covered.

I'm not sure which group they are, it is my understanding that a couple of them joined together since I had mine done. I went through Richmond Sugerical at St. Mary's, the group you mentioned I think was at VCU. If you aren't happy look elsewhere, I did. Dr. Brengman was excellent and the staff as well. It is over an hour from my home, but I am glad that I made the choice. Good luck, the medical staff will very important in your success in this journey.

10 years last month!! It has been on my mind so much lately that I can't focus on much of anything else. I am now 54, and I must say that I do have more energy with the lost weight. Years of my doc telling me to lose weight really didn't sink in, one day he casually said "You know that one of the side effects of obesity is cancer?". That was all I needed to start seriously looking at WLS. It's been 3 years and I only wish I had done it earlier. Right now I am not following the rules and paying the price. scale is going in the wrong direction, I am one who really doesn't have true restriction so I have to stay on top of things. I don't get hungry so my problem is usually due to liquid overflow (coffee creamer). I wasn't hungry befor surgery, I was a mindless eater and now a mindless drinker. I was listing surgeries the other day and was shocked by how many I've had. The breast reconstruction was 12 hours and I am so glad it was an option. No I'm not even, and the scars are unreal; I even managed to burn my fake nipple off with a heating pad. Oh well. I am reasonably healthy, very much happier and I dang sure look better

Not only heat gets me, but a storm came in early evening and I could feel it get tight. When I first went through this I thought I was crazy. I an 3 years into this and have 5.5cc in my 10cc band. I am tight in the mornings always, but more so with the heat. Yesterday I didn't feel the tightness and tried an omlete around noon. 2 great tasting bites and I was done. I wasn't able to try again until about 4 o'clock.

Please try to only eat what the doc says you can and when. Heal first, if it's full liquid and you can have popciles or creamy Soups they help a lot. It was taking me almost all day to get down my Protein Shakes the first week. I was sipping all day long. I don't think I got hungry because it took so long to do the shake and Water throughout the day.

I feel like you wrote this for me. I just got on here to tell my tale. I started at 6 months prior to surgery at 235. When I was approved and finalized, I weighed 232. Had a few great last gorges and went into surgery at 239. Of course they have me at 232. I went to my first post op with no fill, and was read the riot act for not following the diet, but she did give me a .3 cc fill. Lost 9 pounds that month, but have NEVER felt restriction EVER. She said she wouldn't fill me because I didn't NEED a fill. Went this time, and lost 3 pounds. She said she wouldn't fill me because I didn't DESERVE a fill!!! I am dead serious!

She picked apart everything I ate. According to her, you eat your portion and stop. If your stomach is growling, that is not HUNGER that is food MOVING THROUGH YOUR SYSTEM. Told me to quit thinking like a fat person and start thinking like a skinny person. I told her that if I went to a restaurant, I feel less deprived ordering a hamburger without a bun than a broiled chicken breast. She said DEPRIVED????? Do you want to be fat or skinny?

So she says I should eat what I am supposed to, and nothing more, and never cheat. But I can eat ANYTHING at ANY TIME and have NEVER had restriction, so I think I need a fill. If I could eat my portion sizes and never cheat, why would I need the surgery

I really thought when I had this surgery that I would be eating normal food, like a normal human being, and be rid of the broiled chicken breast and broiled fish and no this and no that. I figured I could eat almost like a normal person (minus the fried foods and really bad stuff), but eat 1/4th of what I normally did, and be satisfied. But she said to me, well you should have told the doctor that you wanted the MAGIC PILL!!! She was so hard on me, I was almost in tears.

I started at 239, I now weigh 206, so I've lost 33 pounds. She said that's not nearly enough this far out. But she won't fill me. I am seriously thinking of asking for another PA to fill me. Is that even possible?

FRUSTRATED!!!

BEAT DOWN!!! You got one, but that chicken head needs one bad! You can't allow anyone to treat you that way. You are paying for a service, which should come with comman curtesy and human compassion. Everyone has to report to somebody and you should find out who is supposed to keep her in her cage. If this isn't just a fill center you should request to see the doc ASAP! You difinatly deserve that.

Some of what she said is true about the noisy tummy. I was told to eat the right portion taking my time. Wait 30 min. and if I was still turly hungry then have a string cheese or a little deli meat. There is a natural delay between your brain and the full/satisfied sensation, true even without the band. It's really kind of how we got overweight. By the time messages are received we have usually gone to far with the food.

You will get to restriction (if you can steal a fill), maybe. I don't have restriction like others talk about I just have a band with a mind of it's own. I can eat pizza, some breads, waffles; yet there are days when Protein drinks or even Water can bubble in my chest. Sometimes what I eat at lunch will not go down for dinner. Hard boiled eggs are not my friend, but an omlete is fine. Most mornings I am tight, don't think about eating until 2 when the DH starts fussing. This is a lifestyle change and you do have to change how you think. I love chicken and have kids menu fingers or share them with my DH. The small changes can really make a big difference. Use a bread or salad plate for your meals and NO refils. Drink your Water at least 30 min before eating and not with the meal. The most important thing is to learn to HEAR and understand what your body is telling you.

My meals are in a poolhall about 4 nights a week and I don't get a lot of choices so I share what hubby wants or some Soup if I'm lucky. We can't eat the amount we think we want and lose, we only need to eat the amount we need. Time will help you know what that amount is.

Good luck, but ya got to report that woman.