HolliJ

I definitely don't eat out as much as I used to. If I want restaurant food, I typically get it "to-go" and bring it home. It usually takes me 30 min to 2 hours to eat a meal. It works for my life because I can eat at my desk at work, at my house, or at my parents' house. Most of the time when I go to a restaurant, I eat a couple bites of food and box up the rest. A couple weeks ago I got Eggplant Parmesan at an Italian restaurant in NYC (vacation). I couldn't eat more than two bites and had to box it up for later. Many times after eating a bite or two of a meal, I have to wait 20 minutes or so until it's loose enough for me to eat at a semi-normal pace. But that's not reasonable most of the time when you're eating out. You have friends/family with you or you end up holding a table for far longer than you should (which means the server doesn't get to turn around the table and makes less money). I think it really depends on the person and how tight you are. If I eat out, I usually get something from Outback Steakhouse. Usually a Soup and then the Seared Ahi Tuna (I'm obsessed with it). The soup loosens me up and allows me to eat the tuna. Otherwise, it could be anything I'd normally eat. No matter what I get, I can either eat it at that time or I can't. Sometimes I feel tight/stuck, other times it goes right down. Last time I sat down in a restaurant with people who didn't know about my band, I had problems eating. I had a couple bites of my meal and then boxed it up. No one said anything, but they were probably like, "WTF eater?"

*Deleted*

When I had my surgery 1.5 years ago, I bought a 5-lb tub of Optimum Nutrition 100% whey Gold Standard Protein Powder (Double Rich chocolate Flavor). I also bought a ton of Davinci sugar-free syrups to add in. Well…. Let me tell you, I didn't make one single Protein shake after my surgery. My freezer makes large ice cubes and I didn't want to overwork my Magic Bullet by blending up these ice cubes. So I said "Forget it!" Fast forward to two weeks ago. I noticed the powder would be expiring fairly soon, so I decided to make one with the powder, milk, and Peanut Butter. I blended it up and then dumped it into a cup with whole ice cubes. DELICIOUS! Who needs to blend it up with the ice? Just make it nice and cold with ice cubes. I have now been drinking one every single morning for Breakfast. It's like I'm drinking a milkshake. So I can get protein and have a dessert-like beverage (which satisfies my sweet tooth the entire day). I usually add the powder and peanut butter into the cup the night before. In the morning I add the milk, pop on the blade, and blend the sucker up. Protein Powder is 120 calories for one scoop. It has 1g fat, 3g carbs, and 24g protein. It's rated 4.5/5 stars on Amazon. This morning and yesterday I mixed in some fresh banana and it was absolutely amazing. So the shake ended up being 336 calories with the protein powder (1 scoop), skim milk (1 cup), peanut butter (1 tablespoon), and banana (36g – about 1/3 of a banana). 336.3 calories, 9.1 fat, 27.6 carbs, and 35.8 protein. That's 43% protein, 33% carbs, and 24% fat. So I definitely recommend: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein Powder http://www.amazon.co...06&sr=1-1-spell

Hello all! Been a little while since I've stopped by. I see the forums look a bit different! I had my surgery 7/28/09. I was doing well with my weight loss once I got my fills right (which was probably 3-4 months after surgery). My starting weight was 263lbs and by the following May, I was down to 195. I was fine with my slow and steady weight loss, especially considering how busy my life is (2 jobs & school). The beginning of June 2010 I went for a small fill. Well, after the fill, I lost all restriction. My doctor was adopting a child from China, so he was out of the country for about 2 months. When he got back, it was determined that my tube had a kink. I had X-Rays previously and already kind of knew about a kink, but I was still able to get restriction. At this point I had a fill under fluoro to determine if the problem was a kink or a leak. Everything looked fine with the band itself. So we scheduled a surgery for October 19, 2010 to "un-kink" it. I had my surgery and the problem ended up being a leak in the tube itself, so it was replaced along with the port. And the port was moved to a different location. I guess the problem ended up being that the tube kind of wrapped around the port, so when I went to get a fill, the tube was punctured by the needle, which caused a leak. So now... everything is fine. I'm recovered and the band is working again. My problem is that I spent 5 months without restriction and it wasn't fun. I gained about.... 18lbs because I was eating anything and everything I wanted. It wasn't smart, but living a year without certain foods makes you go a little crazy. After I had my surgery, I wasn't ready to give it up. I ate less, but I was still eating bad foods. With the fill I received in late December, I was still losing weight, but barely. From the beginning of the year to the end of March, I had lost maybe 5lbs. I was really stressing during that time due to school, money, etc... so I really couldn't think too much about my diet. And since I'm a stress eater, I ate anything that I could. Small portions, yes. I definitely didn't overeat, I just ate bad foods (cookies, etc...). Few weeks ago I kind of hit a breaking point. The problem wasn't just food, it was everything in my life. Even my spending was out of control (I ate out a lot., bought whatever I wanted, etc...). I had moved to a new place in my company, I had another $1,000 hospital bill, etc. So I decided it was time to STOP and get control back. So I set a budget for myself, I keep track of what I buy, I severely cut back on my spending, and I started counting calories again (which I found works best for me). I do want to mention that while I had no restriction I tried dieting and it didn't work. I was so hungry all the time. You think that sometimes the lapband doesn't do a whole lot for you, but when it's suddenly "gone"... you realize it made dieting MUCH easier. So I had gotten back up to 213, lost 5lbs pre-diet, and I'm now back to 199. Four more pounds until I get back to my lowest post-band weight and then I will continue on from there. I've been eating very well for almost 2 weeks now and have lost almost 9lbs during that time. And that's without exercise. I really WANT to start exercising, but I need to get caught up with my schoolwork first. If I add any additional things to my plate, I will get stressed out and everything will fall apart again. So once school is squared away, I want to get back outside and start walking/jogging.

When I first got my band over a year ago, getting a fill was no problem. After a few months, though, it started being weird. I had no restriction, so I was given a fill... which ended up being too much (I guess). So he removed some and I ended up with less than I went in with... and actually had restriction then. When he was removing the saline, he got resistance. He sent me in for an X-Ray and it looked like I had a kink in the tubing. I actually went about 7 months with not another fill... mostly because I did have restriction and I was afraid of being overfilled again (bad experience). In June I decided to go in for a small fill because I did think I needed a bit more. Well... I was filled .5cc. And afterwards had ZERO restriction. I waited a few weeks to call and by then the surgeon wasn't accepting anymore patients because he was going to China (adopting a child). So I was finally able to see him 1-2 weeks ago. He said he was going to remove all the saline from my band to see if all of it was there. Well... he couldn't get anything out. At all. Went under fluoroscopy this past Tuesday and it was confirmed that I have a kink, possibly two. So the course of action will now be to have a surgery to shorten the tubing and remove the kink. So I guess they're in the process of getting approval from the insurance company for the surgery. And in the next couple months I'll be going back under the knife.

My band experience has been similar to yours. I never quite felt "full" when eating. I mostly stopped because eating was annoying. I didn't eat Breakfast because I'd always feel stuck. After a bite or two, I'd have to wait about 20 minutes before things loosened up a bit. Most other meals were hit and miss. Sometimes I'd be able to eat more than I thought I should... other times I could barely eat any. And although it wasn't quite was I expected it to be, it still worked for me. I say worked because I currently have no restriction and will be going under the knife again for them to un-kink my tubing. Having no restriction is awful! As much as it sucked to get stuck and occasionally PB, it was better than this. I used to not stop and get fast food because I know I couldn't eat it.... now I can. And I don't want that. I don't have the control to not do something simply because I may gain weight in the long run. I need immediate prevention. And knowing I'd get stuck and HURT provided me with that immediately prevention.

Also... losing restriction SUCKS. I really miss not eating something because I know I can't (because it would hurt). Now it's like nothing is stopping me. So I've gained back about 5 pounds in the last couple months (since I lost the restriction). Not a ton, and I know I'll lose it again, but it's horrible to be back to gaining weight instead of losing it.

How many of you update each pound in some sort of program/website/app/ticker? How many different ones? I just find it funny how many places I update my weight for each pound I lose.... - Weightbot (iPhone app) - Calorie Counter (iPhone app) - Weight Loss Ticker (myfitnesspal.com) - My Signature here - My Bandster Profile here - My Lapband Journey (lapband.com) - DietOrganizer (program on my computer)

I had a small fill this past Wednesday (half a CC) and, ever since, I've felt less restriction than I did before the fill. Prior to the fill, I would get resistance often (not to where it hurts, but to where I'd need to wait 15 minutes before continuing to eat or else it WOULD hurt... like it just needed to loosen itself up). Since my fill, I haven't felt that resistance at all. As far as my hunger goes, it's kind of hard to tell. I've been "getting back on track" with my weight loss, so I've been eating less anyways. I don't really notice a problem with hunger and I'm eating smaller/measured portions anyway. I don't have any issues with feeling less restricted, I just think it's strange that I went from feeling resistance everyday to not feeling any kind of "stuck" feeling at all. This isn't the first time my band has played tricks on me, lol. Although the last time it was the opposite. I wasn't feeling restriction, so I went in for a fill. 30 minutes later, I was in excruciating pain and had to get an unfill. They ended up taking more out than I came in with... and after that, I had restriction. WTH?

Isn't it a great feeling?! I never had to use a seatbelt extender, although I was on my way there. I think the last time I had been in an airplane, the seatbelt was pretty tight/uncomfortable. And that wasn't even at my highest weight! Flew this past weekend and the seatbelt had like 4 inches of slack. Felt great not to have to loosen it all the way!

Halfway there!! First picture is around 260lbs. The other is at around 203. I blotted out my face because it looks HORRIBLE in pictures. Maybe one day it won't, I don't know. If it looks any better as more weight comes off, I'll post some without the black facial blob. :thumbup: It was either this or not post pictures at all! Size: Pants - Was 24, is now 14 Shirts - Was 2X/3X, is now Medium (typically - also sometimes small, sometimes large)

Oh yeah, I definitely gurgle.

Congrats!!! I'm nearing there myself! Being really stubborn, but I'll get there.

It depends... sometimes only 5-10 minutes, other times about an hour. It depends what I'm eating.

I just bought a Body Bugg and it's in the process of being shipped to me. Can't wait until I get it!!

$5 for an unrated application that doesn't even look worth the money? Pass. Here's some feedback: Lower the price

So I PB'd/vomited for the first time since getting banded (in July). I ate a bread item on my way to work. When I got to the parking lot, it started to feel stuck. Next thing I know, I let it go right there on the road while sitting in my car (thank god I was parked and not still driving!). Was like a little bit of food and a whole lot of slime. In the past, I had felt things rise in the back of my throat, but my gag reflex always pushed it back down. This time it came out!

I've bought some smaller clothes since surgery because they were getting too big. Seemed like some things were just getting stretched out (from washing/wearing) rather than me just getting smaller. I can't wear practically any of my clothing now without it looking ridiculous. And this seems to have occurred just in the past couple weeks. People are noticing my weight loss and I keep hearing, "You're getting so skinny!" I went shopping about a week ago to Cato's, which has both plus-sized and average-sized clothing in the same styles. Well, I tried on a ton of different things in the plus-sized side and everything was TOO BIG. So I ventured over to the normal sized section and actually ended up buying a size LARGE shirt (not 1x, not 2x, but large). I thought it was a fluke. So last night I went to a store called Avenue, which is a plus-sized store. Tried on a bunch of stuff. Huge. When I exited the dressing room the woman asked if I had any luck. I told her that everything was too big and I wouldn't be able to shop in their store anymore! LOL!!!! So then I went to Macy's and tried on a ton of shirts, mostly size large. THEY ALL FIT!! I didn't buy anything, though, because I don't really have the money. So then I went to Kohl's because I needed some new black pants (mine are ridiculous right now). I ended up buying size 16 pants!! Now, they're a little tight right now, but I need them to be. So I've gone from a 3x/2x to a Large. And a 24 pants to a 16. The actual weight loss is coming along slow (to me), but I'm thrilled with the new sizes!

And thanks guys! :w00t:

OMG, me too! It's funny how I used to go for all these loose & long tops. Now I'm going for tighter, shorter ones. Otherwise it just looks ridiculous on me.

My family knows. My parent's neighbors know. My immediate co-workers at one job (4 people) know. Some co-workers at my other job know (about 5-6). That's about it.

Well, I guess 16 pants are still considered plus sized. But I bought them in the normal misses section! :wink2:

Also, I seriously need new bras. I wear the Enell Sports Bra, size 4. And I need to go down to Size 3. But they're like $50 each, eek! And I can't do normal bras. I like hardcore support.

I shop at Kohl's (also work there as a second job), Avenue, Fashion Bugg. Sometimes Wal-Mart if I find something I like.

Ok, not really. I just couldn't eat for 4 days. :wink2: When I had my surgery at the end of July, the surgeon put in 2cc. I had a fill 5 weeks later and he put in another 2cc. Then a second fill a month later, he put in 1cc. Still not really any restriction. I went back in this past Monday for my 3rd fill. He wanted to check how much saline I had in, since I still wasn't feeling really any restriction, so he took out what was in my band and it equaled what it should (5cc). He put in another 1cc initially, but when I drank it was a little uncomfortable, so he took out .5cc. I drank fine, felt fine. I started driving home and it started to get excruciating to just swallow my spit. I called them and turned around to get some removed. He took out .4cc, so I was left with just .1cc extra (from what I had come in with). He mentioned it had been a little difficult to remove that .4cc and wanted me to get an X-Ray to see how everything was looking. So later I went and got X-Rays. When I got home that evening and tried to drink something cold, it felt like it got hung up a little, hurt a bit, and made this awful gurgling noise. After a bit, I tried eating something really soft and it got stuck. I figured I was just swollen and laid of eating/drinking the rest of the night. In the morning I tried eating soft eggs, got stuck again. Drinking proved to be a problem, as well. The only thing I could get down easily was warm liquids and yogurt, Soup, and ice cream (only got it because I needed calories). I didn't want to have to get unfilled because he only put in .1cc and I needed a fill. Plus I didn't want to spend another $30 on a co-pay. Well, after a couple days of not really being able to eat, I contacted the office. I finally went in to see him Friday afternoon. He looked at my X-Rays and there's a looped section of the tube, but doesn't know if it's kinked or not. He says he's never had someone kinked and never really even heard of it happening. He took out .5cc from my band, with difficulty, and wants to see me in 3 weeks to do it under fluoro. He said I may end up having to have another surgery to correct the kink (if it's determined there is one). And since I've currently met my Out-of-Pocket, he wants to do it by next month (when the insurance year typically refreshes). NOT COOL, DUDE! Good thing is that I can finally eat now and do have some restriction. But since I have less than I did before I went in for my fill, we'll see how long it lasts. I went in at 5cc and now I'm at 4.6cc. And I've also lost 7lbs since Monday! Here is my X-Ray: