catfish87

Yep, I grew up on a tobacco farm in Muhlenberg County. Left there in 1990 to go to the Army and ended up just outside St. Louis.... I miss that life sometimes..not necessarily the hard work of the farm, just the "country"....and of course the people. Sorry for off topic...lol As far as your restriction level, I also USED to be able to eat fish like nobodys business, it was a super slider for me. Now, I actually have to slow down and treat it as any other band food. I still eat it a few times a week.....just much slower. And much less of it. YOU GOT THIS! Certainly a call to your doc couldn't hurt, but maybe try this: Do nothing but liquids for 48 hours, you know shakes/pureed soups/etc....then try really, really slowing down, getting on that chew, chew train ( I LOVE THIS NAME Lapbandster!), and giving it another go. I was in your same boat, minus the heartburn and reflux about two months ago....thought wtf, I'm too tight. But I wasn't, I just had to refocus on the rules. Now, I am in the ZONE. And loving it! BEST of luck to you!

CG....you're welcome. I miss mine too.... At least the Tar Heels are gonna play this week. The Wildcats, not so.....

Hi Donna, You're gonna hear that you're too tight... but not from me, because I wouldn't know. My suggestion is that after your last fill, you may have gotten to the correct restriction. You may just have to slow down your eating even more, and chew even more than prior to that fill. Thats what I learned when I got to this level of restriction. I thought I was eating slow, taking small bites, chewing correctly, but I wasn't. I thought I was too tight, but I wasn't. It took a little more learning and practice on how to eat with the band for me. I don't have any heartburn or reflux....so, there is difference there. Does your doc do fills with fluoro there in Hoptown? Just a thought.....I don't eat scrambled eggs, don't work well for me. I however, have no problems with an over easy egg. Also, I don't eat toast. But do like me some RedEye gravy on grits instead...... Ah, Daddy won't you take me back to Muhlenberg county...... Where I grew up.

Good for you. I sure hope you can get some good results. You deserve them! You've been through a lot already.

Glad to hear your pain is resolving and you are finding some relief. I know it hurts...been there, done that too! Mine was caused by a rotator cuff tear, and it took an MRI to confirm. XRay showed the arthritis.

"Cannot get to "green zone" -- my surgeon refuses to use Fluro Fills; says that the research does not support its use and there are more problems with trying to fill under flouro" Well, MY research on myself, says its a GREAT idea! I cannot imagine ONE reason it could be a problem, unless of course pregnancy, etc. As far as determining if everything looks correct and restriction level, it is fantastic. Does your doctor have a fluoro machine at his practice? Has he told you any of these so called problems? I'm really not trying to be sarcastic, I'm just dumbfounded and at a loss why he/she says this. Are your fills "included" with your surgery cost by chance? Obviously, he/she didn't get it correct during this timeframe...."01/09/2013 ~ FILL appointment; add 1.0 cc (FIRST episode of severe reflux)01/21/13 ~ UNFILL appointment; REMOVE 0.75 cc02/20/13 ~ FILL appointment; ADD 2.00 cc (SECOND episode of severe reflux)03/06/13 ~ REMOVE all Fluid from band"

I don't "worry" about carbs now. I use an app called LoseIt and it tracks them, but I don't have a carb goal for myself. Some folks do. By the way, that walking is great!

I had rotator cuff surgery...fixed my shoulder pain. I had shots for a couple of years, but finally gave in a had it repaired. 100% better.

Hi! So its been three weeks since you were banded and you've lost 20 lbs? Sounds great to me. Thats almost 7 lbs per week. You're not going to show a loss every day / every week. Stick to the plan your surgeon/nutritionist give you as best you can. Sounds like you are doing just that....GREAT! As you can, exercise. Even if its walking for a few minutes at a time. Every thing you do will help. Keep in mind, lots of doc's are very conservative with fills and it MAY take you several to get out of what a lot of folks consider "bandster hell". (That period where its nothing but a diet.) If you're lucky, your doctor will progress you to a level of restriction rather quickly, where you will feel satisfied on a small, band sized portion of food. As far as MY directions, it was to try and consume a minimum of 70-80 grams of Protein per day, but yours should provide your target range. And above everything, don't get discouraged three weeks out from surgery. Congrats on your loss and just hang in there!

I did. I sometimes wonder if I'm normal though!! LOL In all reality, I really do think its often the case due to the IV's you receive during surgery.

Don't drink, and don't eat anything else for now. If I tried to drink on top of being stuck, it'd be back up in a heartbeat. Hopefully, you can try walking around for a few minutes and it may pass. Maybe others have a good home remedy, but for me, time's about the only thing. I know you're not enjoying it, but it will most likely pass soon.

I agree with what Im reading above, you've not gotten to proper restriction YET. No reason to give up....unless you want to. If you're "always hungry", and if your current doctor won't get you that level of restriction that WILL get rid of that feeling, I think it is time to be looking for a new doctor. The more I read and learn, and experience, the more I don't understand why some doctors are so conservative with fills. (after the initial healing process) If we were good at dieting, why would we get the band???

Congrats! One day at a time and you do fine.

I had some last night at the casino. I just unroll it and eat the insides. Didnt want the rice and dont like the seaweed wrap. Works well for me that way.

I think you'll find that you will be able to eat most anything you really want to eventually. Some things are a struggle for me, so I just dont "want" them now. Very few things, if any, I couldn't eat if I really tried to. I dont eat much steak, hardly no bread, so very rarely a sandwich. If I wanted to, I suppose I could. It's just not friendly to my band restriction now. I don't even think about the things I "can't" eat.....I dont miss them. Theres plenty of other options.

It sounds like you have a very, very conservative fill doctor....unless he/she used fluoro and seen you have restriction with such a tiny fill. Maybe theyre putting you through a learning/challenging phase for some period of time to ensure you can stick to a diet. I personally, my opinion & I realize everyone has their own, think it's better to get to proper restriction quickly. The reason I think this is because right now you say you are eating proper portion sizes. It's a struggle to not revert back to our past volumes of food without restriction. At least it was for me. If I could eat a band portion of food without the band providing restriction, I wouldn't have needed surgery to install it.... It's up to your willpower until you get proper restriction. Hopefully, you'll get there soon. Congrats on the loss so far!

You haven't failed.....you're just not done yet! Me either!

As an additional bit of information, just because your doctor removes the saline from your port/band and says "yes, you have ( however much ) and it looks good", they have no idea of whether its providing you restriction. I know....first hand. DON'T GIVE UP! I was so frustrated when I kept hearing "you should have restriction", "Youre just losing faster than were adjusting"...... for six months....Insist on a fill with fluoro.

Hi Tina! It sounds like you're on the right path to me....here's why. You haven't given up and you are going back to the doctor tomorrow. I'd offer this piece of advice, as TMF suggested above, GET A FILL WITH FLUOROSCOPY. It doesn't matter what your doctor thinks about how much restriction you SHOULD have, if you have 100% of the recommended fill and something is amiss with your band, say it has come undone/unsnapped....like mine did, you will have absolutely no restriction. Even less than with a band that is connected with no fill in it. I'm not saying this is your case, but it is one possibility. Then you and your doctor can SEE what your restriction level is....no guessing. Good luck, I can read determination and frustration in your post. I've been there and wish you much success!

Smaller bites and chew better. You may still be irritated from the first "stuck" episode. Give it a chance to settle down a day or so with liquids and see if it gets better. As long as you are able to get plenty of fluids in, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're still pretty early on in the process. As always, consulting with your doc is a good idea.

The good news is you are sticking with the prescribed "diet". Its not uncommon for newly banded people who are progressing to a different phase/level of foods to experience ups and downs for a few days or even a couple of weeks. You say you haven't went over 1000 calories in weeks, so no doubt you WILL see the losses starting back real soon. Simple math says that it must! Give yourself credit for the loss you have already. Before you know it, you'll be able to walk more and will see some scale movement. Hang in there! You sound like youre doing everything correct to me. CONGRATS!

Great ride guys! I've been fortunate to get in a couple outdoor rides here near st. louis so far this year. Did 33 miles yesterday, but I must say, I'm SO jealous of you guys using the HRM and keeping good track of everything. I feel lost and not really knowing where to start and/or what to buy. I think I'll just go to my local cycling shop and tell them what i want and take suggestions from there. Like yesterday, I rode 33.3 miles in 2:18 min for an avg of 14.4mph. Both programs I use show about 2300-2400 calories burned. Seems way high to me.... I'm about 230#'s and when I check my HR, it shows around 135-145 bpm.

Today I rode to Pandora "Classic Rock Power Workout" Awesome! I sometimes ride to "Country Fitness Radio" station on Pandora too. Almost always Pandora! So many choices.

Here's the most commonly used form from the Dept. of Labor website concerning FMLA: http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/WH-380-E.pdf

Hi! I wouldn't say I'm an expert on FMLA, but consider myself pretty familiar with it. I am also a union rep at my work location.If you are a covered employee, working for a covered employer, and your location has paid sick leave, YOU CAN use your paid sick leave in while you are off on FMLA leave. "The leaves run concurrently" You must use your employers normal practices for applicable leave. Meaning that if your employer offers sick pay, and you apply for FMLA, they can NOT deny your sick pay soley on the fact you requested it be protected under FMLA. This is not a company benefit, its the law. (I've got arbitrators decision's on this case if needed) Basically, you will need to inform your employer of your upcoming surgery. Your employer should provide you with their normally used form for your Doctor to fill out or may request you to have your doctor to complete a Dept. of Labor form (can be found here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/employeeguide.htm ) or possibly both. If you are covered by a union contract, ask your rep. We deal with this often.