GoingforGoal

Hello and welcome. Just want to clarify, is your surgery in 2014 or 2013? because it sounds like you are getting ready for it very soon Also, FYI..this site is being updated so there are alot of kinks being worked out. You will not have access to blogs, pics, or live chat. So hang on tight until the administrators get us back up and running. Until than, peruse the forums for research questions and to engage the community. Good luck in your journey

^5 Keep the energy and optimism up. Not only will the band help you with losing the rest of the weight, but the real gift is when it makes maintenance a cinch. Good luck on your journey

Depends on food. Example, mash potatoes are prepared heated. Whereas beans would be mashed up than heated to consistent temperature. Sometimes the mashing part can be tedious to to warm afterwards seems ideal. But there's no rule, just whatever works

Absolutely. First, your doctor will ask you a slew of questions to gauge if you need a fill. They too will encourage you to avoid a fill if indeed it's unnecessary. My real advice is to collaborate with your doctor. They can't force the fill. Do you need a fill? YES, if: a) you are not losing weight at a sensible rate you are not satiated for more than 3-4 hrs minimum after meals c) you are able to eat larger volumes (1 cup maximum) than you were instructed to eat d) you are not experiencing any negative symptoms like occlusion, GERD, or inability to pass liquids or well chewed food (meaning, if you answered yes to the previous q's but this one is a resounding no it is a factor in whether a fill/unfill is needed, modifcation in foods or perhaps medications are warranted) I have always been a fan to go as slow as you can when it comes to fills. There is no target volume, just the sense of the "GREEN ZONE". So as long as you are green, stay put. Those who move to aggressively have a tendency to over do it and overshoot the green or experience more complications. The longer the stoma can adapt to the new extrinsic pressure placed on it, the better. Good luck

I agree with parts of your post but not the part of not telling people what to do, what is right or wrong. Naturally, I am not talking about being a dictator, but rather, sharing information or educating person's to help them improve their health. I agree there are far too many newbies doling out advice. My particular favorites are when people start their comments as "I really don't know, but..." or "I heard" or " My guess is..but I'm no expert". Clearly people want to participate in the discussion and be supportive, and I appreciate that, however, I have also had to correct people because their input was incorrect. More importantly I share information based on medically based evidence or the primary education we received from our surgeons/support staff. There are some topics that are universal. There's not too many ways around it. For example, choosing food for nutritional content. Making Protein a primary focus. All to avoid malnutrition. Like it or not, if you post a question that opposes this concept, your'e likely to get a universal WRONG!!! as a response and people will share their rationales. Some founded, some not. But sharing this information is a form of education. And there is always room for education. You can do what you want, make your own choices. But to contemplate someone's answer and discern if it's a better way or to identify a topic you were previously unaware of and can now act on it to enhance your health and achieve your goals than no harm no foul. Actually all gain if indeed it's relevant and helps you. That is what these forums are all about. I have an inclination you are referring to people who are adamant about their approaches and protest when people practice alternative approaches. In which case I agree. I think when people do this it's because they have adopted hard rules and don't want the confusion of alternative approaches. I also think their regurgitation of the rules and info they operate by helps them reinforce in their minds what they should be doing. But everyone needs to be aware that our docs give us different guidelines and rules, and in the long run our own experiences and supplemental education will add to or modify our practices. Additionally, the info we receive from our docs is very limiting and is hardly an 'education'. For example, to be told to intake 60-90g protein daily does NOT educate you on why, or how the body utilizes protein, or give you any true education on nutrition. This is where LISTENING helps people gain a true awareness of they why's and not just what and how's. (laughing) I do wish that when people post they put how long they've been banded. Fair or not, I would struggle taking advice from anyone with minimal life experience w/ the band. I always warn people to focus on WHO is giving the advice just as much as the advice being given.

laughing This is such a cyclic post..comes up frequently because emotions rise and fall frequently here. I think it's important to remember 2 things: 1) Just because we share a common interest (the band) does not mean we engage life and people the same. Some of us are realists and find it far more supportive to speak about truths and get honest feedback opposed to hand holding which won't get you to reflect on your behaviors/attitudes. 2) You cannot ask a public forum for feedback and expect anything other than what you get. Take it, leave it..whatever. But this site is here for support and support can sometimes come be in the form of tough love. Rationale: because there are dire consequences to your band and your health if you do not change your behavior/attitude. Your issue is risky and people are going to emphasize it. There's no way to get around it, you need a wakeup call. Gowalking, you are absolutely right. Misery likes company and people DO seek comfort when they know they've done wrong. But it is absolutely the wrong thing to do in certain situations to undermine the real risk they are putting themselves into right. I just wish people understand the difference. One post someone can have a hard time or feel defeated, which lends to us being empathetic and giving them some moral support. But than there's the other person who comes in and says they've done everything short of pulling our their band with their bare hands to compromise themselves and they will get zero empathy, it's not justified or warranted. What aggravates me the most is when people want to call you out as if you are the big bad wolf because you are pointed in one post, but fail to recognize how supportive/educative you really are overall. Best thing to do, on both sides, stay emotionally distant (smirk) and don't take it personal

Wow. I'd love a review after you have it. Never heard of it before..whyyyyy? lol

Hi Beach, When you get closer to GREEN, smaller volumes can have a drastic effect on the band than you are originally accustomed to. You can overshoot green by 0.1cc intervals when you get to the tweak stage. So say you get a smidge overfilled and combine that with one oopsie moment, or perhaps you are just dehydrated, and than you start having symptoms of being too tight. Unfortunately once inflammation starts, it only gets worse. Therefore unfills are necessary to rest the band/stoma. Docs typically take out a liberal amount to help with your recovery, but will be less assertive when refilling you to fine tune your band back to green.

Too late (snicker) Unfortunately with 3 kiddos, throw away is not an option. They'd literally hang me by my toes. However, I believe in moderation and allow myself 1-2 pieces..and fortunately that curtails any sweet tooth cravings

Happy Bandversary Mine is right around the corner to. Any suggestions on how to live the day up

Congratulations on all your successes. You look amazing

After 18 months of postponement due to a pregnancy and than a MVA injury, I decided enough time elapsed and I needed to get back on the bandwagon- literally. I was 195 lbs in January '13 and am now 148 post cosmetic surgery and find myself maintaining with ease. The first things I did in January, was rejoin LBT. I haven't been on here in over 3 years. Getting my head back in the game was a huge reinforcement and kept me accountable. I also started logging my foods again. Not only does this get you in tune w/ what you are eating, but for me, it also discouraged me from poor food choices because I KNEW the impact and KNEW it was thwarting my goals. Remember, the first 2 weeks is the most difficult. Your body needs to purge, cycles need to find a new stasis, and your brain needs to catch up to a new pattern/habit. Lastly, I was very fortunate to have my band in green during the entire 18 month lapse. I never gained weight, just maintained. But my rules were weak, food choices poor etc. So I reread the band rules and focused on those as a distraction. I read the best Protein foods/snacks and stocked up on them, committing only to them. And all just fell into place. In May timeframe (and at least 30 lbs lighter) I started going to the doc again for tweak fills. Green has it's upper and lower limits too..and to maintain my new weight I needed to get my green to its upper limit. All these things together is what resulted in reaching goal. You can do it!!!!

Hi Lori, I am going to start this post by prewarning you that this is a touch love response. I don't want to hear crap from anyone in this forum about being rude or unhelpful. Because it is clear you need a wake up call. Too many times I come on here and see the same "fear" of getting stuck as an excuse to a) not get fills or not eat properly and it's a completely unfounded fear. Let's talk about "getting stuck". What's all the hype about? The way I see it, it's inevitable. Whether you were rushed during your meal, took too big of a bite, ate something a little to dry or or or, eventually you are going to experience getting stuck (even if it's just on a simple level of sliming and temporary stuck that passes after a moment) etc. And DARE I say... it's a good thing you get stuck. Rationale: Because 1) you'll know how it feels, 2) you'll learn how to cope, 3) it'll stop this nonsensical fear that is preventing you from eating optimally. Getting stuck has degrees, but man, it takes some serious negligence to get to a stuck point that you end up vomitting and slipping a band. Let's see, an example, taking a fistful sized bite and swallowing it without chewing. Anything shy of this usually results in PBing, Sliming and regurgitation. None of which are going to hurt your band. Inconvenient, embarrassing, annoying, etc SURE. But through experimentation and learning what your band cannot tolerate (which can only be done with negative feedback like getting stuck) can you actually fine tune what your diet should be and learn ways to get around some of the obstacles your band may pose to you. Now let's talk about malnutrition. See, the awesome thing about obesity is that it's an extreme example of poor nutrition that is highly visible because of the size a person gets to. There's no way to deny it, you are overweight, you are unhealthy. So we all desire a healthier life and we get the band to accomplish that. But there is a percentage of bandsters who go about it so incorrectly that you are putting yourself in the other category, whiich is the malnourished group. No better than the bulemics and anorexics category. Difference between this category and being obese, the negative consequences are not as visual thus easy to deny/avoid. You wake up breathing, walking, talking so all must be well with the world as long as that scale keeps dropping. But in reality, you are reeking havoc internally. Fundamental amino acids, minerals an Vitamins which are required to build and sustain your body are being depleted. So guess what the consequence is? Your body can no longer build or sustain. Eating veggies, salad and Soup is not going to get you anywhere you need to be from a nutritional standpoint. I would have been more sympathetic had I heard that you are aware and ensuring minimal nutritional levels, but that's not what I'm getting. I'm getting, you are eating sliders and easy foods that pass the band without a potential stuck. Which means you are looking for softs and liquids NOT focusing on numbers and nutrition. Protein is an essential component to your body. It is required, not only to build muscle mass, but it supports every organ system, to include your brain. Without protein you will be losing 'weight' because you will be losing muscle mass, you compromise your immunity because there are not stored Proteins to combat illness, you compromise your organs and the list goes on. Over time, the impact is compounding. And the next thing you know you are sitting in an ER because your body goes into shock. Think I'm being extreme? Do the research. The real message I'm trying to send today, is that if you want something to be afraid of...be afraid of malnutrition NOT getting stuck. I would recommend you go onto youtube and look at some documentaries of bulemics and anorexics and see the physical health consequences. When you see these extreme cases, you can get a better idea of how malnutrition compounds and impacts the body because early on it's not obvious. This is all about education and understanding your bodies demands which is just as important as your band's needs. Sorry for the tone, and this is certainly not directed at you personally. It's coming from a place of frustration of seeing a mentality that I fear too many newbies are getting trapped into. THey modify their behaviors into unhealthy patterns for a unfounded fear they have yet to experience. It's like not going outside because you fear you will get hit by a car. Can happen, sure. But there are rules to avoid it (look, hear, yield) and you just decreased your chances by 90%. But there's that crazy driver who can come at any time. Better to learn to be prepared than to live in fear. And you certainly don't modify your life based on the what if fear factors. I want to see everyone here be a success. And yes, I know, everyone goes about it their own way. But that doesn't mean everyone's way is healthy. To switch one unhealthy lifestyle for another will result in defeat-guaranteed.

Odd choice. I use to do SlimFast by choice. And in no way does it compare to the better Protein shakes out there like Muscle Milk or Premium which have 20 even 30g of protein in each shake (consequently keeping you fuller longer). Slimfast will just make you snacky long term so if you are on a strict liquid diet...eeeccchhh. But if you have to stick to SF, I <3 chocolate royale. Add ice and blend it for a longer lasting shake or warm it up like a hot cocoa. Just little mental tricks to get you through.

If you haven't measured your food before, I would recommend you do so to get a real idea of what 1 cup looks like. If you are going off of feel alone, overeating can easily be accomplished. Don't need to do this forever as you will soon learn how to eyeball measurements. But it's always a good habit to start w/. As for not chewing enough, precutting as much as possible, avoiding things that encourage large bites (ie sandwiches) etc may be a good start until you have reinforced your habits. Even when I'm brazen enough to eat something like a pizza I use a fork and knife because it is near impossible to bite small bites off at a time. Hope this helps

As a NICU RN it's hard to endorse the concept. However, I am also anti-government... which just means I need to buy and govern my own damn island and all will be right again

Can't agree on the should we be eating candy bit (snicker) but this woman is the classic discriminator. Uneducated and ineffective. When we talk about obese children, my heart just pours out to them. That was me 30 years ago. An adult has some audacity to make a child feel badly about their health/appearance, when in reality, it's the f'in parents who are being negligent. I could remember as early as elementary school learning about healthy eating & need for regular exercise. But if that is not reinforced in the home and if it is not modeled by your parents, it's a lost cause. Multiply that with years of poor eating habits and you got a classic obese case. And than society turns around and says if you want to lose weight just stop eating, or eat less, or make better choices. That's like telling society hey if you want to get ahead learn to write with your left hand when you've been writing w/ your right all these years. Technically you can do it, but it doesn't come natural, there's little gratification and in the end it's just easier to write with your right hand. Terrorizing kids is not addressing the epidemic. Education, reinforcement and accountability are the only measures that can address the matter. It's a cultural thing now in our society..being one of the heftiest countries in the world. Address society not a child.

It's your body metabolizing meds. Keep hydrated to help your liver in the process. (taking a few steps back...ok I need to get some fresh air) lol

Gotta love life obstacles. Happens to all of us, just in different ways. I can related. For now, hold tight and go through the (additional) steps of getting the port repaired- it is the key to your success. I feel your pain/disappointment. Keep strong..you'll get there !

lol I love how everyone is starting the single chat. Good luck finding someone to love on

Collegebio, I am going to assume you are covered by your parent's health insurance. One of the key parts of getting medical care, is to understand your coverage. Some plans require you go to your primary physician who will than need to refer you to a bariatric specialist. Others allow the patient to schedule an appt directly w/ the specialist bypassing the primary physician. Once you figure that out, either get your referral or call the bariatric office of your choice. Most have websites that will stipulate whether they want you to attend educational seminars prior to making an appt. If that's the case, attend the seminar. These usually address all the wls options helping you make an informed decision. After the seminar, you make an appt w/ the surgeon. The first meet is a q&a health and physical assessment, and than a discussion on what steps need to be taken for you to qualify. Some of these are the burden of the docs and some of these are stipulated by your insurance company. Together with your surgeon you'll go through the steps of addressing these prequal requirements. Examples include nutrition classes, psych eval, cardiac eval, sleep study, blood work etc. These varies greatly based on the insur. carrier you have. Once you complete these items, your doc submits the paperwork to the insur. co to get approval. Than it's time to schedule the actual surgery. Some docs require preop diets, but again, it's all highly individualized. Not sure why it's a year long process. Most can get this done in under 4 months. Some insurance companies require a 6 month supervised diet component, but many of these companies are dropping this requirement recently. Again, contact your insurance company (or go to their site) and figure out what their minimum qualifications are for the band. Good luck

Yad, You should be given a detailed feeding plan by your doc and/or nutritionist to get you started. Most them include a shopping list of YES foods. These are ideal foods that are typically easy to eat and give you optimal nutrition. The reality is, you can eat whatever you desire. However, with that being said: 1) Everyone needs to experiment with their foods. For some, foods like bread, Pasta, rice, dry meat etc cause issues and so therefore they avoid them. However, if you can eat them than you may, just in moderation (if high carb for example) 2) Healthy choices are essential if you want to lose weight. Two things to keep in mind is making Protein your priority (60-90g per day minimum). That should be your staple and than eat extras after your protein. Do it the other way you are likely to stall or even gain weight. Also, traditionally bad foods like Cookies and icecream are high cal. Although it can get by the band, it is in no way going to serve you if that becomes a daily indulgence. The key is moderation. However, I take it a step further and recommend a strict diet for at least 6 months as you heal and adapt to eating with the band. You'll give yourself a great jump start in your weight loss and will more than likely have had enough fills for good restriction resulting in smaller volume intake when you do indulge. I don't think we stress enough the importance of following the diet rules. So many ppl are eager to get back to eating normal foods that that soon snowballs into eating the same volumes etc. There needs to be a commitment to changing the dietary habits/food selections in addition to eating less to be successful. Again, nothings off the table, but moderation is key.

Protein shake time!!!! Usually around 200 cals a piece and 20+g of protein it'll keep your energy levels up

I like assertive realists. So it's hard to offend me. Keep trying (ahhahah) I'll let you know otherwise snicker

Met my hubs online... (but don't ask which forum (snicker)) Great way to meet & greet and get a general feel for someone's personas, needs, wants and history to determine if it's a potential match. I recommend lots of provacative pics (kidddddding)