btrieger

An excellent choice if I must say so myself. Bob :tt1:

If 4 ounces of food is satisfying you for 2.5 hours, you are already feeling the difference. I don't get my first fill until April 21st and need at least 8 ounces to be satisfied but am not hungry for about 5 hours later.

Michael, Welcome aboard As they say in the 12 step programs, "One Day at a Time." I think you are looking too far ahead. You have to get to your goal before you get concerned what to do once you get there. Lapband surgery does not come with a guarantee of losing a single pound. Many fail with it. Fortunately, many succeed as well. The lapband is just a tool and comes with quite a few rules in order to make it effective. You should be asking yourself whether you can adhere to these rules for the rest of your life. Eat only three small meals a day Eat slowly and chew thoroughly (15-20 times a bite) Stop eating as soon as you feel full Do not drink for 30 minutes before or after eating Do not eat between meals Eat only good quality food Avoid fibrous food Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day Drink only low-calorie fluids Exercise at least 30 minutes a day You'll learn a lot more on your journey and it is definitely a worthwhile one. Remember, it is not too late to turn back until the day of your surgery. So, take it slow and if you find the lapband is not for you, call it quits. Good luck!

They journey is an interesting one and you meet great people along the way. Apprehension is good, the more apprehension, the more soul-searching you'll do. You may find that the band is not the best thing for you but it is worth the effort to begin the process. It is not too late to turn back until the day of your surgery. Good luck in whatever your future brings!

Holy crap!! What a difference! Congrats!!!!

Anne, it's all part of being a Bandster. Every cloud has a silver lining. I probably absorbed 0 calories for lunch and am not hungry. There's lost weight. I stil have the full meal that if I am brave will be two or more meals this weekend. There's saved money. Not to mention the bragging rights. Although many are suprised and/or disappointed that I didn't do it on purpose.

It was painful and a little embarrassing but I am happy it happened. Now I know what everybody is talking about and that I shouldn't eat anything in a restaurant that I haven't test driven at home. If it is like this without a fill. I am going to be in Elfie's shoes next month. Elfie, I think you can do 14 pounds in 5 weeks. I have faith in you. Give it your all and even if you don't get to Onederland by April 30th, you'll know you tried.

You need to have positive attitude. If you go into it thinking you are going to starve then you will. Put starving out of your mind and think about the end result and the weight you will lose in those 2 weeks and beyond. You will be surprised at just how satisfying a few shakes a day can be.

I'm an offical bandster!! I went to lunch with a good friend at a japanese hibachi restaurant. I ordered the salmon; scallops and fried rice. I Had a small salad and some broth before the meal. The fried rice gets put on my plate first. I ate about a quarter cup of that with no issue. Next comes the scallops and salmon. I ate a small piece of salmon, about a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. I chewed it well but wouldn't you know it, the first bite gets stuck. No big deal, I'll just force it through with a couple of mouthfuls of water like I have the past 2 times I was stuck. WRONG!!!! Now the water is sitting in my pouch with the salad and fried rice. The fish is firmly lodged and the other stuff ain't staying down much longer. I had to excuse myself and run for the men's room while cook was still cooking the beansprouts and stuff. I barely made it into the stall before I projectile vomitted everything into the toilet. Still stuck but feeling better I went back to the table and just sat there waiting for my friend to finish. Before she sould finish I was running back to the mens room. This time it wasn't water, it was slime and lots of it. I went back to the table and my friend had already put my meal in the take out container. We got out of there and I held back the vomitting for the ride back to work. As soon as I got out of the car, I let go with a gallon of slime and what little food was still left in me. The salmon finally went down more than an hour later and I feel great. I have been stuck 3 times, tilapia, pollock and salmon. Do you think maybe I should stay away from fish? The moral of the story is: Getting stuck, PBing and sliming in public, like constipation, is only funny until it happens to you.

I'm an offical bandster!! I went to lunch with a good friend at a japanese hibachi restaurant. I ordered the salmon; scallops and fried rice. I Had a small salad and some broth before the meal. The fried rice gets put on my plate first. I ate about a quarter cup of that with no issue. Next comes the scallops and salmon. I ate a small piece of salmon, about a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. I chewed it well but wouldn't you know it, the first bite gets stuck. No big deal, I'll just force it through with a couple of mouthfuls of water like I have the past 2 times I was stuck. WRONG!!!! Now the water is sitting in my pouch with the salad and fried rice. The fish is firmly lodged and the other stuff ain't staying down much longer. I had to excuse myself and run for the men's room while cook was still cooking the beansprouts and stuff. I barely made it into the stall before I projectile vomitted everything into the toilet. Still stuck but feeling better I went back to the table and just sat there waiting for my friend to finish. Before she sould finish I was running back to the mens room. This time it wasn't water, it was slime and lots of it. I went back to the table and my friend had already put my meal in the take out container. We got out of there and I held back the vomitting for the ride back to work. As soon as I got out of the car, I let go with a gallon of slime and what little food was still left in me. The salmon finally went down more than an hour later and I feel great. I have been stuck 3 times, tilapia, pollock and salmon. Do you think maybe I should stay away from fish? The moral of the story is: Getting stuck, PBing and sliming in public, like constipation, is only funny until it happens to you.

Happy Friday everyone! (Crystl's Saturday) I lost that pound I gained last week and another on top of if. Let's just hope I can keep it off until my official weigh-day of the week, Wednesday. I was determined never to see Bandster Hell and I am going to fight it as hard as I can. Come on April 21! Betsy congrats on reaching Onderland! By the time I do that, cameras will be projecting 4d images to the viewers.

Mine is Phyllis. (Phil for short)

My e-mail on Facebook is triegerb@verizon.net. If you send an invite, make sure to leave a note who you are.

I was banded a week before you and fish has gotten me twice so far. It isn't as soft as it looks. No sliming yet and a mouthful of Water with a good push seems unclog my drain. This will probably change after I get a fill.

Welcome back Bobbie! I've been gone for a week myself. It wasn't all Farmville. My niece was here for four days and that cut down my internet time a little. My weight loss came to an abrupt halt while she was here. For 4 days, I cooked one meal. The other dozen or so times we went out. I can control what I eat but I cannot keep myself from trying to clear my plate. I go in will all intentions of taking half home but it doesn't work out that way. My will power is waning. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. I need that fill on April 21st to keep me honest. I gained 2 pounds back last week and am still at an even hundred down. This is keeping me from posting as much as I was. My attitude is not as positive as it has been. I am not getting negative about the changes I have made and am making but I am not brimming with positive either. Another one of my addictions and perhaps more damaging is gambling. We went to the casino on Sunday because it was too damn cold to do much of anything else. I quickly turned $400 into $1,800 on slots. Even quicker, I turned $1,800 into $600. Fortunately, I had an instance of sanity; jumped up; grabbed my niece; took the remaining $600 and got the hell out of there. Did I win $200 over all or did I lose $1,200? This is one of those glass half empty things. I am now obsessed with a game on Facebook that isn't even fun. Farmville. I knew it was going to happen before I started playing even. Oh well, it's free but the poor dogs aren't getting the attention they deserve.

How's this?

Flathead I think. Did he catch them with his hands or take the easy way out and use a pole?

My thoughts were, let's hurry up; get this over with and move onto the next phase. Life is not a race and nobody is forcing you to have surgery or even lose weight. Don't do it until you are positive it is the right thing for you. Good luck and you will be supported in what ever decision you make.

Do your research before settling for this guy. He is accused of killing one person's father and banding somebody's esophagus on this site alone.

Elfie, Congrats on the stuckness and PB!! I am not the type to start a stir but the only pain I had during my heart attack was a severe burning sensation coursing up and down both arms. It came and went for a couple of days and then wouldn't stop. I went to the emergency room and after 4 hours or so, when they were about to release me, they told me my enzymes showed that I had a heart attack. Straight up to the cath lab and had a couple of stents placed. I had 100% blockage in 2 coronary arteries and the burning was caused by my arms not receiving any oxygen. On the brighter side, I am an old man but I was as excited as a little school girl by the simplest thing today. I went to Olive Garden for lunch; the hostess sat us in a booth and my gut was not on or touching the table. I was actually comfortable. Now I can't wait to get on a plane and see what it feels like to have the tray table come all the way down.

Congrats!! Glad to hear everything (well almost everything) went well!! Welcome to Bandland!

Congrats on the weight loss and body fat!! I don't think I will ever be too skinny. Once I get the fat off I am going to concentrate at bulking up my muscle.

First off, Happy Bandiversary and congrats on the weight loss!! I read all of the other replies and don't have much more to add but I did want to be the first to call your doctor a "dick".

The people on this site are great and there is nothing to be worried about. You'll do just fine. I prepared myself for a week of pain and was almost disappointed that all there was was a lot of gas.