atgoalgal

woohoo! You go girl! That's great news! So what are you doing to celebrate?

Reading your posts,it sounds like you are all about being accountable and doing what's right for you and your body, and working closely with your doctor to find solutions to make the band work for you. I think that's what we all need to be doing!:wink:

If it happens again, I would call your doctor. Better to be safe than sorry. Also make sure you don't eat before bed. Having food in the upper portion of your stomach before you lay down, can cause irritation etc.

Many of you have seen my story - in my 4th year and maintaining my goals weight. I'm spending a lot of time paying it forward now. Lots of questions on the boards about bending the rules. Here's my thinking... I think there's an important discussion we need to put on the table. Do you bend the rules and are you accountable to yourself if you do? Please post your point of view on this. Here's my point of view. If you want to get the best results(better than 50%EWL), follow your doctors instructions as closely as you can. If there is a band rule that you don't think you can live with, talk to your doctor about it, be honest and see what wiggle room you have, but make those decisions with your eyes wide open and be accountable for your decisions. I'm not saying I never bend the rules or fall off the wagon. I am saying that I need to be accountable for my decisions - can't have my cake and eat it too (LOL). My experience says its really important to be honest with ourselves and our doctors, if we want results. What do you think

Here's my view on questions like this. if you want to get the best results(better than 50%EWL), follow your doctors instructions as closely as you can. If there is a band rule that you don't think you can live with, talk to your doctor about it, be honest and see what wiggle room you have, but make those decisions with your eyes wide open and be accountable for your decisions.I'm sorry if some of you don't like the answer but its reallyu important to be honest with ourselves and our doctors, if we want results.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it. Any tips?

I'm in my 4th year and consider myself a veteran. I've been maintaining my goal weight for over 2 years. I started a retrospective blog as a way of paying it forward. Banded Living is one of the best things that ever happened to me. You may want to download the 7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before Lap-band surgery. Also, check the preparing category on my blog for a list of things to stock up on before surgery. Here's the link: Gloria's Banded Living — My Lapband Weight Loss Success Story. Let me know if it's useful. Good luck on your journey!

Lap-Band since 2006

Great responses on this thread. Protein first. Make sure you are getting in your protein requirement - your doctor probably gave you a target for minimum grams of protein - what I ususally hear is 60 -80 grams/day. Different things work for different people - some ideas are tuna made with a tablespoon of lowfat mayo (I'm not a big fat of lowfat everything, but the lowfat may works well), eggs, grilled salmon, hambuger (made from ground sirloin or other llean cut), turkey burger. If you really can't tolerate good quality protein, and are getting your protein from Protein drinks, you should definitely call your doctor. People who find themselves relying on liquids and soft foods don't ususally do as well because the band resticts solid foods.

Sorry, I'm not local. I hope you can find a local support group or mentor. Keep in mind that if you do find a general WLS support group, band patients have very different experiences that bypass patients. You can't compare your weight loss to theirs. We achieve about the same results at year 3 and beyond, but they lose much faster at first and have very different issues (sorry if u know this already). You can use those of us on these boards who've been banded years ago for on-line support. Studies show that people who actively track their progress and use on-line support achieve better results than not actively involved in some form of support program.

Finding the courage to share my story was hard, but it was also part of my journey into the maintaining phase - a place I've never been before. I needed to get to the point that I was confident that this weight loss was for real and forever. Paying it forward is very rewarding. Stay in touch.

Someone else asked the same question this morning. Youmight want to check out this thread http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/first-fill-morning-do-i-110565/#post1420302 Lot's of good infor

Glad u posted an update. I was hoping to hear from u. 19 lbs in great! Congrats! Just so that you know, I have a very close friend, she was my lapband mentor, who never needed a fill for a year. Over about 2 years she lost 250lbs. I was at the other extreme, needing many fills to find my sweet spot, so as you start research fills, keep in mind everyone is different.

Not all practices recommend liquids just before a fill, but it can't hurt. Everyone gets the jitters, but it really is not much more than a needle stick, and just think, you'll be on your way to resticition which is part of the magic of this tool. Stay in touch

I'm in my 4th year, and loving banded living. You can find my surgery day story at Recovering #001: The Morning After Lap-Band® Surgery – the First Day of the Rest of My Life, August 17, 2006 Hopefully you'll find lots of other useful information on my blog, including things to stock up on before surgery. Let me know if you find it helpful.

In my 4 years in the banded living community, I've seen different advice and doctors orders. I'd just have a protein drink and then make sure you understand your doctor's preference at the office visit. ALSO IMPORTANT, you probably will be on liquids today, so make sure you have protein drinks and soup available. Let me know how it goes.

I'm really glad you found inspiration in my site. This is hard work, but it works and IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE DIETS we've been on. If you haven't already, you can sign up to received email updates from my blog - hopefully a little hoensty and inspiration delivered to your email, when you need it most:smile:

I'm in my 4th year and love banded living. Getting my band was one of the best decision I ever made! Lots of great info here. Check out the success stories. When you read about complications, and yes there can be complications although they are mostly minor, be sure you consider the alternative - the risks of obesity, the number 2 preventable cause of death in the US. I also started a blog, a retropective view of my lapband journey that you may find helpful atGloria's Banded Living — My Lapband Weight Loss Success Story. When you check out my blog, you can downloand and interview the 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Lap-Band surgery. Lots of people have found it useful Good luck. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Hey fellow members of the banded living community. I am in my fourth year, and maintaining a normal weight (100% EWL). I recently posted an entry on my blog that I thought might be helpful for anyone who has already been banded and is trying to get the most out of their tool. You can find it at Transforming #002, Maintaining #003, My Lap-Band® Journey: RESULTS NOT TYPICAL. Please let me know if it's useful

Welcome to Banded Living! Like you I gained and lost many times before, but I AM MAINTAINING A NORMAL WEIGHT. That is something I never did before. You can learn to use to this tool to keep the weight off. I'm in my fourth year, and started a blog as way of paying it forward. If you haven't seen it already, yoyu might want to download the 7 Thing I Wish Some Told Me Before Lap-Band surgery at http://www.gloriasbandedliving.com/7-things/. Let me know I can help.

It sounds like he is being really supportive, and his concerns are real. It's great that he is participating in the process with you. I think the journey was harder on my husband than I realized at the time, but he is enjoying his "new" wife. Let me know if I can help.

I never felt it, but you just had surgery around your stomach...Don't be afraid to check in with your doctors office if you are concerned. In the months to come, I would be really surprised if you feel your band...you may however feel your port, as that area heals. Just in case you're not sure which is which (and I've had more than one person I've been mentoring ask), band is located up behind your breast bone, port is probably just below your largerst incision (but different docs place the port in different places)

Congrats. Welcome to Banded Living (almost). In my fourth year, this was one of the best decisions I ever made. Please feel free to ask away. I learned that it really helps to rely on others who have this amazing tool to learn how to get the most of out it.:thumbdown:

Firstly, his fears are common, and I don;t know that we talk about this enough. Glad you asked! My husband was supportive and worried; but it was coming from a place of love and concern. I found that the more data he had, the better. This is a very low risk surgery, but he still may be concerned about the surgical risks. Have you brought him to your doctor's appointments? Can you bring him to any pre-op classes or support groups? That may help. He may also be worried about the recovery period and extra responsibilities that will fall to him during your recovery. Keep in mind also that the food in your whole household may change, so that can be another concern. And then there's "I love you the way you are... "and worries about you changing and what that may mean. You may want to go to my blog and sign up to download the video, AND go through it with him - here's the link again Gloria's Banded Living — My Lapband Weight Loss Success Story. (sign up for the download is below my before and afte rpix) That can help open the dialogue, and acknowledge his fears. Please let me know how it goes.

I had seriousley cold feet as I was making my decision. It really helped me to find other successful patients to learn from and share my fears with. Glad you found us! Loving Banded Living!!!!