HilaryInRC

I can definitely relate to what you are saying. Before a binge I can hear this voice inside my head telling me this is the source of all of my problems, but for some reason I don't listen to it, I push it away, and eat anyway. And, I'll pause while eating something I shouldn't and think, all you have to do is stop, throw this in the garbage, and drink a glass of Water. I'll consider it for a second and then ignore the thought! It is like I have some sort of food compulsion! The only thing I have found to take away this behavior is prescription diet pills (phentermine), which kills my desire for food. I wish I could feel that way naturally. You are not alone! Out of curiousity, do you have a sleep disorder (like sleep apnea)? My doc recently told me that if I start wearing my CPAP, these cravings (or whatever you want to call them) will go away. I'm trying to wear it. Just wondering if you have an untreated sleep disorder? -Hilary

Amy, do you ever consider revision to the sleeve because of the lack of restriction with the band? What are your thoughts?

Thanks Amy and Suzanne for the words of encouragement. I think I've just had so many jerk boyfriends that are always trying to force me to lose weight, I have a hard time believing that someone can like me just the way I am physically (even though we've been seeing eachother for 2 years!). But, I do want to be hot and sexy for him even so! But, here is a little mini victory. I wore my fitbit yesterday and walked 11,000 steps (equals a little over 5 miles). I took a walk in the morning and, when I saw I was still off by a few thousand steps of my goal (goal is 10k steps), went out for a second walk last night. I think that will be the plan for right now, curb my calories and take a morning and evening walk. Yesterday I ate 1500 calories. I am trying to get down to 1200 a day. This morning I got on the scale and saw I had lost a few pounds. I'm not sure how that is possible, maybe losing Water weight or something. But, it was good to see it anyway. And, I have gotten up at 7:00 am for two days in a row. I'm hoping I can keep getting up at the same time from here on out. Maybe my CPAP struggles are almost over? When I go in to get a fill, I will only have liquids, Soup, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese or yogurt up to a few hours pre-fill. Then, I drink water only in the hour or two until I get the fill. Question: How long after a fill do you stay on liquids and soft and mushies? My band doc said liquids for the rest of the day and soft and mushies for the day after, then back to normal. But, I have noticed on youtube on the Banded Wendy videos that her doctor keeps her on liquids and soft and mushies for two weeks post fill. As for weighing on the scale. I am kind of obsessive about it! I weigh in first thing in the morning in the nude before I have had food/after going to the bathroom. I usually weigh in at the end of the day too in my pjs, at which point I'm usually 2 lbs heavier. If I don't pay close attention to the scale I gain. In fact, the idea of not weighing myself for a week makes me feel nervous! It will be nice to feel free of the scale one day.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, teaching can be exhausting. I mostly teach 6th grade with a little bit of 8th grade thrown in. Still, it is pretty physical work. I can't imagine 3rd grade! You crack me up with the Top Gun references! It is totally like that! Your sense of humor is right up my alley. I call mine my Scuba Steve (from the movie Big Daddy).

That is a good thought. I've only been wearing my mask this time around for 2 weeks, so I'm hoping it is just my body getting adjusted. But, if the problem continues, it might warrant a new sleep study. I actually asked my PA about that. He said that since I am the same weight (3 lbs heavier) than when I got the CPAP, that the pressure should be okay.

Oh, one other thing. The Physician's Assistant (PA) that I see at my surgeon's office for the band, used to work for the doctor that did my sleep study. I actually met my PA at the sleep office. But, around the time I got my band, both the PA and sleep doctor moved over to join practices with my band surgeon. The sleep doctor now does all of the sleep studies/treatment for people pre-surgery. The PA has since been trained in bariatric medicine and does follow-up appointments and fills now. So, at least I have him as a resource. I actually sent him an email last night and am hoping to hear back soon.

Hi Bandsters, Thank you! You bring up some good insights. I was inspired to look through my sleep study report to review how bad my sleep actually is without CPAP. I actually had my sleep study done in 2005, a month before I turned 25. I weighed 203 lbs. I got my band in September 2008 (28 years old) and had been non-compliant with my CPAP for at least two years by then. I still weighed 203 lbs at the time of surgery. Now, I am 32. And, I weigh 206 lbs! Geez, I've been struggling with trying to lose and keep off the same weight for about 8 or 8.5 years now. So, I said I had a score of 150, which is what I thought my PA told me. But, looking back on the report it says only 100. So 200, Jim1987!!!! Holy cow! According to my sleep study, without CPAP, I spend a little over 50% of my sleep time in "Drowse," and the rest in "Light Sleep." I do not make it to "Slow Wave Sleep" or "REM" sleep without CPAP. So, for a majority of the last 7+ years I've been without Slow Wave or REM sleep. I can't help wondering how much time it is going to take to correct that deficit. I actually am enjoying the CPAP now. The last time I made an effort to use it, I quit because the air coming through the tubing was making my nose really cold. But, this time, a quick google search showed me how to adjust that and since doing so, it has been much easier to wear. I also have a whole box full of new supplies. Tubing, extra mask (the kind that covers the nose), cushions, new chamber, tons of filters. I do use distilled Water in the chamber. Draven, I think you are right that taking any sort of nap is counter-productive. I am hoping to do without naps completely. But, some days by around 3-5pm it feels impossible to keep my eyes open, much less do anything but sit on the couch and wish I was asleep. I am a teacher, so I get done with school at 2:20pm, creating a prime afternoon nap time. I'm hoping the sleep schedule will start to regulate itself soon... One thing I have found to be extra helpful this time around with my CPAP is that before I slide it on, I put on an eye mask. Then, I slide the CPAP mask on over. This gives me a very cozy feeling and allows me to sleep pretty much without interruption (except from my cat). I'm at the point where I'm starting to enjoy CPAP. I just want to go to bed and wake up at the same time, and have energy all day. I guess it just takes time? -Hilary

Hello Ladies, I am glad to see that this thread is really taking off! As for me, I'm 2 weeks in on wearing my CPAP (which is supposed to be integral for me getting back on track). I'm getting really good quality sleep, but my actual sleep schedule is a disaster! I get anywhere from 3-12 hours a night and I can never predict what it is going to be. Even on nights with 12 hours, I still sometimes need an afternoon nap, which further messes up my sleep schedule. I emailed my PA, Andrew, about this and hope to hear from him with some tips or encouragement or something! Since quitting weight watchers and switching over to myfitnesspal, I can see that I am eating too frequently and too many calories total over the day. All of my meals seem to come in around 300-400 calories with plenty of Protein, but the problem is that there are 5 of them! I'm hungry ever 2.5-3 hours. But, I'm hesitant to go in for a fill until I get this sleep stuff all figured out. I'm trying to be patient. I'm waiting for all of this good sleep I'm getting to make a difference in my eating. Andrew says it will take 3-4 weeks. It has only been two. I'm trying not to be hard on myself and keep my chin up. But, I feel so dang frustrated with myself and the band. On the upside, it was good to see my boyfriend this week. He never makes any comments about my body or weight, or tries to tell me what to eat or how to exercise. And, we have strong chemistry. He is extremely physically fit. He is in the Navy and is 240 lbs of solid muscle on a 5'10" frame. He talks about working out a lot and keeping his fitness on track. He is pretty inspirational, and he looks better than most 42 year old men that I know! But, I can't help thinking he'd be happier if I was thin. I somehow feel that all of our little problems would go away if I was more beautiful and fit. Last spring when I was 30 lbs thinner, he commented on how good I looked and how proud he was of me. He hasn't said he feels otherwise now, but I think he would like for me to shrink back down some. This might be too much information, but a few weeks ago I put on some lingerie for him and he had no reaction. That made me feel very un-sexy. Well, I suppose that is all for now. I got my fitbit in the mail yesterday. I'm looking forward to getting started with it. -Hilary

Oh, one thing about the sweet spot. My PA at my surgeons office (Andrew) told me last time that as you lose weight, your band loosens up because there is less fat on your stomach to push back on the band - like counter-resistance. So, he says that 4 ccs will feel tighter at this weight than it will feel at a lower weight. So, just something to consider, your sweet spot might shift as you shrink! You may not need to be at 5 or 6 ccs now, but you might later. IDK, just food for thought. I'm rooting for you! I hope you find that sweet spot ASAP. (I hope I do too! - Jeesh, I ate half a medium pizza yesterday!!!). :-) -Hilary

Wow! Great posts! Thanks for the shout out. Migraines are tough for me since I spend an average of 4-5 day a month with them. I'm working with my PCP on the issue (and I love her, she is amazing), but it may be time for me to see a neurologist. It is super awesome that you have been good all week, didn't eat snack at the movies even though you were hungry, and sacrificed your sleep (a precious commodity) in order to go to a band support group! Nice work! When I go to the movies, I know I will be tempted so I always pack my own Snacks - bottle of Water or crystal light, carrots with light ranch, 100 cal pack nuts, zip lock baggie of homemade popcorn, rice cakes...you get the idea. If I didn't go with snacks, I'd end up with soda, popcorn, and red vines. That just isn't worth it! So, I've been feeling kinda dissapointed in myself because I have been eating a lot and making bad choices. Yesterday I totally gave up and ate 1/2 a medium thin crust pizza and a pint of icecream for lunch. :-( Baaaddddd Hilary! I know for a fact I was doing stress eating. I usually work part-time as a substitute teacher, go to school full-time working on my teaching credential, and this year I have to pass my teaching exams (CSET and RICA). Well, I haven't had any time off school since last July except for two weeks at Christmas. Plus, I had to take part of the CSET on linguistics this morning (a subject I have never studied in school). So, my time has been spend on work, school, and studying for exams. I've been going and going and going without a reasonable break for too long. I was starting to feel burnt out in December, but pushed on. Then in January I knew I needed a break, but pushed through. In February, I finished my class (one a month) and got my first B ever in grad school. I was dissappointed and tired. So, I decided to take this month off. After the pizza/icecream incident yesterday, I realized that I need to take a month off. So, I contacted my advisor and dropped my March class yesterday afternoon. I got to sleep around 12:30 am, woke up at 4:00 am and drove 2 hours out of town this morning to take my linguistics exam. It has been a long and tiring day. But, the good news is that now that this part of my CSET is over I get three blissful weeks of no school and no stress. I'm so happy. Even more importantly, I feel equipped to re-focus on my health. Even though I was exhausted today, I made good food choices. I went out for Breakfast after my test and ate at Mimi's, which has great crab cake eggs benedict. But, when I saw the 900 calories on the menu for the item, I decided to go with poached eggs, lean ham, fruit, and coffee. My breakfast came in at 400 calories! Awesome! The rest of the day followed suit. I made good choices like bean Soup, yogurt, and coffee for lunch (not enough sleep means a little more caffeine today). I am excited to get a good nights sleep, and go for a long walk tomorrow and maybe even lift some weights. Also, my boyfriend is coming into town to spend next week with me. He gets in tomorrow night. I feel so happy and calm now with the test over with, a break from school, and my bf coming to town. Yay! Because yesterday, I felt super stressed and out of control. I hope I can get some control back after making so many bad choices for the past two weeks-ish. One other thing. Since quitting WW, I can't use my ActiveLink anymore to track my activity. So, I ordered a Fitbit Zip, which I can use in conjunction with myfitnesspal. I'm looking forward to using it! -Hilary

Hi Fellow Bandsters, I've been absent for about a week. Here is an update. I've been working very hard on wearing my CPAP. I am getting about 3 to 6 hours of sleep a night with it. I'd like to get to where I've got in on for 7-8 hours a night. At first it was really uncomfortable and the air was too cold. But, I did a little googling and figured out how to adjust the humidity/heat setting on it. Since then it has been significantly more comfortable. Last night I put it on and fell asleep. Then at 3:30 am, I was woken up by my cat and realized that I didn't have it on. I'd taken it off and even turned off the machine in my sleep! What the heck!!! Additionally, I've had a really bad migraine for the first few days of this week. One of the ways that I can reduce my pain is to drink lots of caffeine. Well, caffeine might work well for my migraines, but it doesn't work well for me to try to regulate my sleep cycle. My sleep schedule has been a mess this week because of it. In fact, my whole body seems to be revolting on me. This migraine week has been rough. So, basically, I'm trying to focus on getting out of pain (migraine stuff) which, today feels much better, and wearing the CPAP. Another thing I've been really making effort on is eating Breakfast and trying to eat a majority of my food during the day rather than at night. It is going okay. I've been having breakfast within 1-1.5 hours of waking up. I am finding that since I've been doing breakfast, I am more likely to eat every few hours during the day and then not really be as interested in food at night. Maybe my doctor does know what he is talking about! As for my weight, I have gained a few pounds over the past two weeks. Grrrr! Well, I'm a work in progress. I'm trying and that is what matters to me right now. One other thing I want to update on is that I quit Weight Watchers. I was dutifully tracking all of my points on the WW website. But, since my band doc says I need to track my Protein and calories, I was also tracking protein and calories on myfitnesspal. WW doesn't show you how much protein you are consuming, only points. It was frustrating because I was double tracking. And I thought, why am I paying $43 a month to track points and go to meetings. I actually love the meetings, I think they are awesome, but the meetings don't focus on band nutrition. And, right now I'm really trying to focus on my band doc's suggestions. So, I quit weight watchers for now. Who knows, I may go back to it later. As for Protein drinks, I don't have one every day. I do have two on hand that I like in case I need them. One is Primal Fuel vanilla, and the other is Syntrax nectar Cappucciono. I enjoy both of them, although I Water the Cappuccino one down a lot because it is so outrageously sweet (a little less splenda in the mix would be appreciated). But, for breakfast, I am having some combination of 2% cottage cheese, 2% greek yogurt, 1% milk, reduced-fat cheese, and split pea or bean Soup that adds up to 300 calories and 20 grams of protein. This morning I almost went straight for chicken, but I was afraid my band wouldn't like solid protein that early in the day. So, I ate 3 bites of weight watcher mac n' cheese, a chobani greek yogurt, and a bowl of Pasta fazool bean soup with a tablespoon fo fat-free sour cream. Odd breakfast, but it works for me. 372 calories, 23 grams protein. Hugs, Hilary

Hello Lap Band community, I have always been a binge eater. I remember as a child having to sell candy bars for school fundraisers. I would steal money from my parents change jar to buy candy bars for myself and then hide them in my room, and binge on them. In high school I could go through a bag of cheetos or doritos in a day or two - back then I was very athletic so it didn't show. In college, I started putting on weight. And after college, I really started putting on weight. I can be excellent at self-control until about 8:30pm. I will measure, track, and choose only the healthiest foods. Then after dinner I get the head hunger. And, binge. Now that I have the band, my binges are usually more petite then they used to be. But, I still get this crazy mental urge that I must have sugar/chips/whatever right now and find it very difficult to dissuade myself. It feels like a compulsion and makes me feel very out of control and dissapointed in myself. When I am living alone, I simply don't bring the bad stuff into the house. I can't binge on sugary foods if there aren't any in the cabinet. But, right now I live with family and they are always bringing in Cookies, cakes, icecream, candies, etc. I ask them to please keep the sugary foods in a private place and not in the common areas of the house. But, of course, that only happens on occassion. And, I really really wish I had the self-control to know it is in the kitchen at night and not eat it! Some nights I do okay and other nights I fail. I lose weight at times where I have more self-control and gain when my control falters and I binge eat daily for months on end. Is there anyone out there who has conquered binge eating? For the general community, how do you handle head hunger? -Hilary

I went to see my physicians assistant at my surgeon's office. He said he thinks my nightime binging is caused by my untreated sleep apnea. He recommends me to wear my cpap, get up at the same time every day, and eat a meal with 20 grams of protein within an hour of waking. He said that after 3-4 weeks that should stop the night time eating.

Hi Suzie, How funny that we both ended up not getting fills. I wasn't happy about not getting a fill either. I really wanted one and definitely did a little arguing with Andrew. But, he said that with my other problems/habits, a few drops in the band wasn't going to make any difference. He said if I get those habits under control, that will work way better than a fill. So, begrudgingly (and with some frustration) I said okay, we'll see how this works. At the end of the appointment he asked me if I wanted to punch him or hug him. I said, "A little of both." We both laughed about that. So, anyway, I know you must have been super frustrated to leave with nothing more than a conversation and a new appointment. I felt that way too. Did I seriously drive for 3.5 hours to talk to my clinician for an hour? But, when I mulled it over on the 3 hour drive to my next destination, I realized that that conversation was way more important than a fill. If I had known I wasn't going to get a fill, I wouldn't have done the trip. But, this feels like one of the most important appointments I've had. So, getting back to you, even though your appointment was a dissappointment because you didn't get a fill, I hope you at least had a valuable conversation and it sounds like you got a good game plan out of it. And, I'm super proud of you for getting all of your supplies to make the next few weeks a success - tuna, meat, protein drink! You should feel really good about yourself for taking this step. You go girl! On a totally seperate note, when I got home tonight, waiting for me was a package that contained my new protein drink that I ordered. It is Syntrax nectar brand in Cappuccino flavor. And, wow, it is yummy. I could see myself having one as a dessert! I used to drink Syntrax Nectar when I first had my surgery, but then stopped somewhere along the way. I like it because it doesn't upset my stomach like other brands. -Hilary

Well, 3 ccs in your band total isn't a ton. But, it isn't nothing either. When you said that you are feeling like your weight loss is due to your diet efforts and not your band, well, I can relate to that. I'm not sure how much this crazy band is helping. I told my PA that at my appointment and he said if I lose weight it is because of me, not the band. He said the band is like the spedometer in your car. The spedometer only works if you pay attention to it. But, just because you have the spedometer doesn't mean you will never get a speeding ticket. If you didn't have a spedometer, you would surely get more tickets. But, it will never keep you from speeding if you don't consciously go the speed limit. Well, he said it much more eloquently, but I hope you can see the analogy there. If not, it is my fault for not explaining it correctly. Well, 10 days until your next fill. That is exciting! It will be here before you know it. Keep up the good work on making healthy food choices and tracking your calories and nutrient values. It is hard work to be hungry and tell yourself no and stick to the plan. Sometimes, I find that to feel impossible. So, good work! You are doing exactly the right thing! Maybe you should plan a non-food reward for yourself. Massage? Mani/pedi? New movie or book? -Hilary

Thanks Kari! There was a time when I worked nights, 11pm to 7am shift. It was tough! As for the CPAP, ay yay ay! I don't wanna! But, I've got to make it happen. I can pout all I want, but I have to start wearing it. Andrew told me that being sleep deprived is managable now because I am young (32), but that if I don't get my sleep and weight under control that I will die earlier than I should. He said that the quality of my life will go down as I age, but that if I get these issues under control now he expects I will be healthy when I get older. He said that I need to decide now what my life over the next 50 years is going to be like. He said that you don't see people in their 80s or older that have crazy sleep patterns and untreated apnea, that those people are all dead. I believe him because when I met him a decade ago, he was working at the sleep center in Santa Barbara that I went to. So, wow, that was a wake up call! Getting my sleep regulated and eating breakfast are going to be really big challenges for me. My sleep pattern has been a mess since puberty. I've never ever had my sleep under control. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement! -Hilary

Well, my appointment didn't go as planned. I'm not sure if I mentioned on this thread, but my usual nurse doesn't work at my surgeon's office anymore. So, I met with a physician's assistant who I've known through a different doctor's office for about a decade now. His name is Andrew Duncan. So, I go in to see Andrew. We spent an hour together talking. He asked me how everything was going. I told him my life was going really well except for weight loss. He took a few minutes to review my paperwork and asked me if I have sleep apnea. I said yes. He then asked me if I was using my CPAP. I said no, that I hate it. He told me that my untreated sleep apnea is causing my night time eating. He went into a really long scientific explanation at my urging. At one point I told him I really wanted a fill. He told me that he doesn't think I need a fill and he wants me to 1) wear my cpap, 2) wake up at the same time every morning and put on a bright light, 3) eat a Breakfast of 300 calories and 20 grams of Protein within an hour of waking, eat a lunch of 400 calories and 20 grams of protein, and a dinner of 400 calories and 20 grams of protein. He told me that after 3-4 weeks of doing this routine that my body chemistry/metabolism would change. He says because of the sleep apnea my ghrelin is double, my leptin is nearly non-existant, and my cortisol is high as well. He also reviewed my sleep study and said that I have very severe obstructive sleep apnea and he thinks I am severely sleep deprived. He also made a very big point of me eating breakfast (which I don't) and said that I don't eat breakfast, I can expect to gain weight that day, that is how important it is. He almost went into a big speech about my current breakfast of coffee with milk, but said he wasn't going to go there. So, the plan is that I will follow his rules and see where I'm at at 4-6 weeks. If I then feel that I need a fill, he will give me one. After I get to an amount of fill that I am comfortable with, if we don't see weight loss, he thinks we should move forward with revision surgery. So, I am in Los Angeles for a few days before I head home. On Friday night I start wearing my cpap. Tomorrow, I start trying to eat breakfast (which I think is going to be a real struggle). I am looking forward to seeing how I feel at the end of March.

Maybe a fill will help me. I'm not sure, it could be psychological. I go in for a fill tomorrow.

I think a lot of bandsters are tight in the mornings. Once you get to a certain point with your fills, it is almost inevitable. I was pretty tight at one point and hating life. I had a big unfill. Since then I've had two tiny baby fills. I'm finally ready to give it another go and am heading in for a big old fill on Wednesday. Anyway, I've been doing research about how to handle this fill. Here is what someone else who has been extremely successful with the band does. After I finish post-fill liquid stage, I'm going to give it a shot. 6 "meals" 1) hot drink with Protein - tea or coffee with milk, or warm Protein Drink 2) Greek yogurt 3) One egg, or one string cheese, or another hot drink with protein 4) Firm protein meal #1 (fish, ground meat, lunchmeat, shrimp, etc) 5) Firm protein meal #2 with small salad if you want 6) Protein drink or milk or sugar free hot cocoa It appears to me that the person who follows this plan is allowing her band to "warm up" if you will. Something warm and liquid, then super soft, then a little more firm, then the next time to eat you attempt a solid. That should put it a bit later in the day. Not sure if this will work, but I'm going to give it a try.

Yes! I am sooooo proud of you for making that appointment. Even though I have been known to do it, I'm trying to teach myself that I cannot, CANNOT hide from my surgeon! Yes, they will see the weight we have put back on. And, they will give us some tough love. But, they are there to help us on our journey to success. And, a journey is just that. It has ups and downs. The band is not magic, and because of that our journey is probably not going to be perfect. I go in for my fill on Wednesday. I'm super excited and also scared. Also, regarding back problems. I used to be a ballet dancer and injured my back one day in a dance class. For the next decade I would have mild-ish back problems on and off. Last March, I tore a disc in my back pretty severely. The disc Fluid oozed out and pressed on my sciatic nerve making me unable to fully empty my bladder for a while, unable to walk, and have numbness in my foot and ankle area. It wasn't until July that I was able to walk again without a limp or without dragging my right leg behind me. It took a while after that before I could even work up to walking a mile. Now, I walk on average for 30 to 60 minutes a day on soft sand out in the desert in barefoot shoes to keep my legs and feet strong. I tried yoga, which I used to love, but found it aggravates my back too much causing it to go out for a few weeks. So, for me, walking is my exercise of choice. So, I kinda feel your pain on the back situation, although mine was not as severe as yours - no back surgery for me. -Hilary

Hi Susie, First, you are not alone. As you can see from this forum, there are many bansters that struggle with losing weight, even with the band. Second, your surgeon and his staff are there to help you be successful and sometimes for a bit of tough love. Their job is not to make you feel guilty or bad in any way. If you go see your surgeon and leave feeling worse rather than uplifted, it is time to look for a new doctor. Also, you might need a fill...they say if you are plateaued for any substantial period of time that you should get a fill. As for the support group, they are there for support. It isn't supposed to be a club of people who meet up to pat themselves on the back for all of their perfection. Third, the lap band is a journey. It isn't like you wake up the day after surgery and all of a sudden all of your habits have magically changed over night! At first, it is easy to follow the rules because you are running on the momentum of excitement. After a few months, it gets harder because the newness has worn off and you really get to the committment part of your relationship with the band. You are going to have this band for a long time. You have time to work on your habits. Heck, I've had my band for almost 5 years and I'm still trying to conquer my bad habit of nightime bingeing. Although, I haven't been the most successful bandster ever... So, my point is that you have plenty of time, but also, the sooner you start working on those bad habits, the better. Fourth, I got a little teary eyed when I read about your self talk. Please, please, please don't call yourself a lazy pig. You aren't! This is hard! I really think you need to work on your self talk. Think about getting "The Beck Diet Solution." Doctor Beck is really big on correcting negative and ineffective self talk. Fifth, I am SO proud of you for making the committment to go back to the support group meeting and see your surgeon. You go girl! Be proud. That was a hard thing to do, but you had the courage to do it. Give yourself credit for this psychological victory! Sixth, my favorite resource, other than lapbandtalk is youtube. I know, who knew there was an active community of bansters on youtube!?! Try viewing one video a day of one of the successful bandsters on there. I love BandedWendy. But, there are plenty more on ProofWLSworks on youtube. Seventh, one thing that makes me feel good about myself is going for a walk. When I get outside into nature and get a 30 minute walk, it makes me feel proud of myself. I think, hey, I did it! It shouldn't be too challenging because it is just walking. And, you might even get a little endorphin kick out of it. Please let me know how it goes this week. Hugs, Hilary

GNC Women's Ulta Mega has almost the same exact ingredients as Bariatric Advantage Vitaband chewables. Women's Ultra Mega is time released, significantly cheaper, actually higher potency of some of the Vitamins included, but you do have to swallow two big pills. I don't have a problem swalling pills. And Lord knows I take about a zillion fish oil caps a day. So, GNC Women's Ultra Mega works well for me. Back when I first got the band I used to take gummies or double dose of Flinstones chewables, but if you compare the Vitamin dose in those to Bariatric Advantage or Women's Ultra Mega, you will be dismayed to see they don't even come close! I've also decided to pick up a bottle of Bariatric Advantage Biotin supplement. Last time I lost a lot of weight, my hair kept falling out. I hear Biotin is good for help with that.

Suzanne, Thank you so much for posting your story! You are not alone. Sometimes it can be hard for us bandsters that have been around the block a few times and have put some weight back on to speak up in the forums. Another great forum, that I love, is "I have failed my band support group." I'm not saying you have. But, it is a very supportive space on this website. Since I have recently just decided to give my band another shot (been waffling on revision surgery for a while), I've also done some poking around on www.youtube.com. There is a strong support network there for bandsters too. I like to watch the BandedWendy posts. But, I think there is a channel called WLSworks, or something to that effect. Anyway, if this thread keeps going, I'll likely keep posting here too. I go in for my first fill on Wednesday since, um, maybe late 2011. I'm practically bursting with excitement. I keep telling myself, this is going to work this time. I'm a little scared too though. If it doesn't go well this time, I'll start moving forward with revision surgery. Keep posting, girl! We are here for you! -Hilary

Whoa! You were banded 4 days ago? Right now you should definitely stick to the post-op diet. The farther along you get, the head hunger might come back. But, for now, enjoy that nice tight just banded feeling! I hope your recovery is going well! :-)

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