Melissannde

Take a look at Quest bars. They're quite different than most bars. Nothing artificial and are very good microwaved. High in Fiber.

To the OP, if you'd like to talk to people who've been banded longer than 8 years, you can find some in some of the yahoo groups band support lists. In particular, look for SmartBandsters and DFWBandsters. Both of them have members banded more than 10 years and doing well. Enjoy your sleeve.

Lord, I'm an exercise freak.. and have lost a lot of weight and I cannot stand Banded Wendy. To each their own.

Try to cut back on or elminate the high glycemic carbs.. such as white flour, bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes and corn. I try to eat low glycemic foods. www.glycemicindex.com and that helps quite a bit with the hunger. 22lbs in 5 weeks is an awesome rate. Keep on keeping on.

BTW: I had 3 months (Nov 2010 to Jan 2011) where the scale didn't move much at all, but I was reshaping. Every time I went to the gym people would ask if I had lost more weight....after those 3 months, the scale started moving again.

You state that you are losing inches? That's wonderful. Take it and run with it. If you're exercising that much, you are replacing your fat with muscle.. and while a pound = pound = pound, muscle takes up less room than fat.. that's why the slow lb loss and reshaping. If you're not doing so already, start tracking your food and exercise somewhere .. www.livestrong.com or www.myfitnesspal. Do NOT use their calculations for calorie burn though.. get a Heart Rate Monitor or some other device that will calculate your personal calorie burn. You might not be eating enough with all that exercise. Good job!!

I had no pre-op diet of any kind. I went down 2lbs on the Clear liquids day before surgery.. and that's all. Did very very well after surgery. 20lbs in the first 6 weeks post-op, 100lbs gone by 7 months. Do try to follow your doctor's orders/guidelines as best you can. If they want you to lose before surgery, do it.

We need calcium citrate and it should be taken in divided doses .. not all at once. Tums are not adequate no matter who told you that. They are behind the times. I take Citracal Petites, but have to take them with something warm to make sure they go down. When I was a newer bandster and needed chewables, I used either Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate. If something similar to Viactiv is wanted.. look at Bariatric Advantages Chewy Bites. Please visit www.wlsvitagaten.com for lots of bariatric Vitamin info.

i hate that term

Empty calories. And the effect of the alcohol loosens inhibitions and may cause/allow you to eat things that you normally would avoid. I know a bariatric nurse who says that alcohol will slow weight loss for 3 days. If I really really really want a drink, I'll have one. I do avoid carbonation. Most of the time I'm happy with having a sip of my husband's drink. Everyone has to do what is right for them. For me, I wanted to get my weight off quicker. Now that it's mostly gone, I'm a little less strict on myself. YMMV.

Fish and chicken are usually lower calorie, that is why you see them referred to so often. At 2.75 years out, I can eat most meats as long as they are tender and not dry.

That maybe why our Nuts are advising to avoid popcorn.. it's a slider and we can eat way more than we should. Also if you're talking movie popcorn, if you get the butter on it, it's deadly (re: calories). Slider foods are things that slide on down past the band and don't contribute to a feeling of satisfaction or fullness. The 100 calorie microwave bags are good, but I worry about all the extra chemicals in them. You can do your own microwave bag.. take a brown lunch bag, spritz the inside with olive oil, add 2 Tbspn popping corn, fold down the top and microwave for about a minute (adjust for your oven). Take out and spray with "I can't believe it's not butter" type spray and enjoy!!

I've tried various things during my 2.75 years of being banded and working out. What works for me is to eat something about an hour before working out. If I don't fuel my body, I don't have the energy to do as well. If I know it's going to be particularly strenuous, I eat something with some low GI carb. Steelcut oatmeal is a favorite. I try to drink some protein within the first hour after working out, not always feasible .. last week I had an appointment right after gym.. so I took some jerky and ate that. Experiment and find what works for YOU as the individual.

I was banded @ 383. And no pre-op diet or weight loss required. Find a different doctor.

385 at seminar, 383 day of surgery. currently 165. You can do it!!

I lost 100lbs in 7 months and my main exercise was walking. BUT.. what I needed to lose was over 200lbs, so I lost about 1/2 of goal in that period of time. Strive for your goal, but like the previous poster said, don't be cruel to yourself if you can't get there. Any weight loss is a wonderful thing!

Every doctor has their own protocol on how to progress back to real food after surgery. Make sure you are following your doctor's guidelines as closely as you can. 1/4 cup of food is really not very much. Is that what your doctor recommends? That amount really sounds more like RnY instructions/amounts. Please make sure you were given the right directions. The first 6 weeks after surgery is NOT ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS. It's about healing. If you lose any, fine, it's a bonus.. but do not worry about weight loss during healing. Focus on recovery and making new habits. At about 6 weeks you can probably start getting fills. And even then, it may take more than one fill to get good appetite suppression. Hang in there, this will work.. but it does take time and perseverance and patience.

could even be gallbladder issues.

The little bumblebee tuna or chicken salad kits are portable and don't need refrigeration. baby carrots. string cheese. apples. meat & cheese rollups around a pickle spear. 100 calorie packs of almonds.

I know 2 people who've been banded more than 10 years and they're doing fine. One was part of clinical trials, the other flew to Europe to get it done. If you want to talk to the people yourself .. or type to them as needs be... They both post on yahoo groups band support lists. Cynthia on DFWbandsters and Jessie on SmartBandsters. Hope this helps.

Do not use the BMI as your sole measure of your goal. The BMI is not accurate for those who've been obese an extended period of time (our bones are heavier and skew the results), or athletes, or for older adults. I would also use the metric of waist size.. it should be about half of your height and how you feel and how you look. If I were solely going by the BMI, my goal should be 149 to be at the upper edge of normal. I'm about 163 now.. and starting to think about consulting with PS's... If I never lose another lb.. I'm happy where I am. Even if I gain a little.. (keyword.. LITTLE) I'm satisfied with my wt loss. If you think you will need or want Plastic surgery, you may want to leave a little wiggle room. JMO.

I've been off of all sodas since my surgery on 3/09/09. I understand wanting the taste & burny feel at the back of the throat. About 8 months after banding, I really wanted some, so I took some, poured a little into a cup and gave the rest of the can to my hubby. Drank a few sips and it was enough to satisfy me. I don't recommend drinking them a lot or frequently, as it could possibly lead to a dilated pouch. Of course, it is your body, your band and your decision.

There are 3 amounts of fill.. ~ not enough ~ too much ~ just right And these 3 amounts are different for everyone! I came out of surgery with 3cc's and had 1 cc added at my first fill. All the rest of my fills (and I've had quite few over 2 yrs time) have been .5 or even .2cc's OP, you might ask your doctor if they put any in at the time of surgery. While I rarely felt any drastic difference from my fills, they did work. I was satisfied on small amounts of food for extended periods of time. And that's what we're trying to achieve.. satisfaction .. NOT fullness. While it can be frustrating to go up slowly in fill amounts, it really is the best way. It's so much easier to learn to take small bites and chew well.. instead of almost slamming the door (to the stomach) and having issues with getting stuck, vomiting, etc. Hang in there.

If you're already eating bites the size of an english pea.. and still having difficulty, you may need a .2 or .25 unfill. Did you mean to say that you CAN eat slider foods? Frequent refunding of food can lead to a band slip, so be very careful. I'd rather have Fluid out myself and have the weight loss go a bit slower than risk a slip. You might give your doctor's office a call for their advice on what to do while waiting for your appt on the 26th.

There are 3 amounts of Fluid in the band, and they are the same for everyone: 1) Not enough 2) Too much 3) Just right I'm not trying to be a smart-aleck with that response.. it's really true. There are some who never need a fill and some who need the band at maximum capacity. I don't like to use the word restriction as it is frequently misunderstood. What you are looking for is appetite restriction. Hunger is ok.. we want normal hunger. If you are going anywhere from 3 to 5 hours without hunger, you're in a good place. When you start getting hungry 2 hours after a meal and pushing (low or no calorie) fluids isn't getting you past the hunger.. then it's probably time for an increase in fill level. This is assuming that you're maintaining a high protein/low carb intake. The professionals where you get your fills will be your best guide. Glad you're doing well.