ElfiePoo

My band is coming out tomorrow due to phrenic nerve pain. While I don't regret getting it because I have learned a lot over the last 17 months, I also don't regret getting it out since it really didn't do what was promised (getting rid of the hunger or restricting how much I could eat). Fortunately, along the way, I discovered how to do that without the band. I've been doing a lot of reading and, as time goes on, there seem to be more medical reports questioning the efficacy of gastric banding because they're finding that it does not restrict the quantity of food in many people and/or does not consistently remove the hunger in many cases because the band tightens on its own and sometimes it doesn't remove the hunger at all. In the end, we find ourselves hopefully grasping at straws, hoping that 'this one' will be *the one*. If we're lucky, it will be. If not, hopefully we learn something in the process that still makes it a positive experience. . .

If you average that out, you've been losing about 2 lb per week. So you're really not in a stall...you're body is just 'catching up'. Plus, the closer you get to goal, the slower you're going to lose because there's less wiggle room between what you need to maintain your current weight versus your ideal weight...unless you're willing to increase your expenditure by spending more hours exercising. Congrats on the weight loss! .

Krista, Read the boards long enough and you'll find you are not in the minority. There are a lot of people who never lose the hunger even when their band is so full they can't eat the food they need to <raising hand>. For the most part they tend to lurk, though, because they get tired of being told they failed the band...when the reality is that the band failed them. If you're following all the rules, and depending on what those rules were, you should have been losing even with the hunger. Since you aren't, and since you're still hungry, it might be that you're more sensitive to certain carbs than others are. You might try a very low carb diet that eliminates all grains, starches and fruit. It's worth a try. I discovered that once I eliminated these things from my diet, my hunger vanished. It took about a week or so after I stopped eating them but my hunger has not come back for close to 2 months...and I dropped about 15 pounds in 6 weeks. Phenomenal since I'd been losing barely a pound a week on a 1200 calorie, low carb (30-60gm per day) diet. Not being hungry has allowed me to drop my calories to around 900 easily. The bonus is that I also feel so much better! Mentally and physically, I have so much energy! I'm getting my band out tomorrow due to phrenic nerve pain and I'm doing it without regrets because I know that as long as I avoid the grains, starches and fruit, my obsession and hunger with food is gone. Some people might think they can't live without these foods and, yes, I'm going to miss them...but it's worth the tradeoff. .

It will be the best thing you've ever done for yourself. In an attempt to stabilize my blood sugar, I eliminated all carbs except those found in low carb vegies (broccoli, green Beans, salads, asparagus, etc.). About a week or so after, I discovered that not only my cravings were gone, but so was my hunger. I no longer thought about food 24 hours a day. With a completely unfilled band (which is coming out tomorrow), I was eating 900 calories a day! It's completely realistic with a husband and 4 kids. First, low carb won't hurt them either, but if they have no problem processing carbs (i.e. they aren't overweight), then there's no need to restrict them. Just cook healthy meals in a way that allows you to avoid the things you shouldn't have. So if it's your normal mac and cheese night (for example), make sure there's a side vegie/salad to balance out the meal (which you can have) then it's a simple matter to throw a piece of meat in the Foreman Grill, broiler or pan fry, poach, etc. Once I got these bad carbs (at least for me) out of my system, I wasn't even tempted by them. Oh sure, like an alcoholic, I might think "yum that looks good" but I'm not driven to eat it as long as I consistently keep it out of my system...just like an alcoholic. .

^^This^^ .

Not according to my surgeon. While you might get to the point in your fills where a big gulp of Water might go down and rebound (had this happen a time or two), even that is not enough to stretch the pouch. I was told that if I was in the process of stretching my pouch, I'd have plenty of warning sides ahead of time including acid reflux with food backing up into my esophagus...and that it would take many many many months of consistent abuse to actually stretch the pouch. .

Over the last 17 months I've averaged about a pound a week. That doesn't mean I lost 1 lb every week. That's just what I averaged. Sometimes I'd lose 10 pounds in a month...but I'd pay for that by not losing for a month or two. I once went 4 months without losing *anything* and yes it is very frustrating. If you want to have stay positive and motivated, take your focus off the scale and put it on your health. Choose a diet...WW, low carb, low calorie, whatever...and then stick to it. Monitor everything you eat in something like fitday.com so you can look back and not just have a 'belief' that you did well, you'll have the facts. Then pay attention to your body and the way your clothes fit. That generally changes faster than the scale and is a far more reliable indicator of how we're doing. If you *consistently* do what you're supposed to, the weight will come off. Keep in mind though that if you're a slow loser like many of us, one slightly off week can undo an entire month. .

I had no preop diet except for the day of surgery and then I had to be on Clear Liquids and take Dulcolax to clean me out. From my own reading, I see no rational explanation for a clear liquid diet for band surgery. I could understand if it was bypass or sleeve since they're actually cutting into your stomach and/or intestines. I'm on a clear liquid diet today in prep for having my band removed tomorrow and we'll see how it goes. I may have to tell the doctor that I need my Protein shake to keep my blood sugar stable since I'm already having difficulties. .

Why do you think you can't have cinnamon? .

It does for me, but it's because I do low carb and, while it says there are <1gm in *half* a packet, that means there could be .9gm or almost 2gm carbs in one packet and who the heck uses half a packet anyway? If you drink 5 of them a day, that would be 10 carbs. A lot if your daily limit is 20-30. Fluid retention isn't really a stall. .

So soon after surgery, it could be gas although my surgeon's assistant says gas pain would be in the right shoulder, not the left. I'm just repeating what she said since I'm not sure why it would only be in the right shoulder. At any rate, if the pain continues and it's in the left shoulder/upper arm, then it's most likely phrenic nerve pain caused by some part of the band hitting the diaphragm. Some people get it when they eat too much. Some, like me get it in certain positions. I can't lie down or sit in certain positions (like the passenger seat of a car or a plane seat) without the pain. Some find the pain goes away as they lose weight or it's intermittent and just an annoyance. Mine hasn't gotten better with losing weight or even getting a complete unfill so I'm having it out on Wednesday. .

Be thankful. Over the last 10 years, middle age has taken control of my body. I always had a Rubenesque (think Marilyn Monroe) figure...albeit 'large size'. Big bust, tiny waist, big hips. Now, in my mid-50's, the 'junk in the trunk' is gone, my legs have slimmed down (that one is a plus for me) but the belly/torso...blech. .

Absolutely. Reasonable doesn't just apply to children. If one of my children decided they wanted to be a vegetarian (or even try to be), it would be unreasonable for me to refuse to let them if they could intelligibly discuss their reasons. .

I have surgery on Wednesday and just got sick this last Thursday. Fortunately, by Sunday, I seemed better but I still have a bit of a sore throat from sinus drainage and the usual sinus crud that follows, but when i called the surgeon's office this morning, they said that as long as I wasn't actively coughing, had a fever (intermittent or otherwise), having breathing difficulties and lungs were clear, it's not a problem.

I got mine from escali.com because they're pretty reliable. One scale I got from them is almost 10 years old. You can get a digital scale that weighs in both ounces and grams, to the nearest 10th of an ounce and up to 6 lbs (making it versatile for other uses) for about $30 or $40. .

As long as you're not hungry, you don't need a fill. Some people never need one. Others, once the swelling goes down from surgery, do. Just consider yourself fortunate, because you're on your way! .

You need to stop eating the sugar. Sugar will only increase that craving to eat constantly. Your band will not stop those sugar cravings even when you're at your sweet spot...so do yourself a favor and stop now. Did your doctor not give you a postop diet? Most do and it usually says 'no sugar' and oftentimes it is low carb...because carbs also tend to increase cravings...and the band won't stop your cravings (or doesn't for most people). If you believe you're hungry, then eat an ounce of cheese or a hard boiled egg or some other type of Protein. If you're hungry, it will satisfy. If it doesn't satisfy, then you weren't hungry, you were 'craving'. .

I'm almost sure you didn't mean this to come across as judgmentally as it does because it would be a bit arrogant to believe we each have the only one true correct way to parent, yes? I never forced my children to eat anything, but they did have a choice to either eat the 2 bites before refusing...or leave the table. As I told my son, *nobody* can force you to do anything. You always have a choice. You may not like the choices...but you do have a choice. If someone puts a gun to your head and says, "shoot that person or I'm going to kill you", the choice is still yours...lousy choice, but still a choice. When I gave my children the choice to either eat the obligatory 2 bites or leave the table, it was not to teach them who was the boss. It was to teach them that it was illogical to refuse something because you *think* you won't like it and, since our tastes change, until you try it each time, you'll never know whether you do or don't like it. My oldest son turned up his nose at liver for years. At some point, while still a child, he discovered he actually liked it. My middle son hated vegetables...any kind of vegetables. At some point he discovered they were pretty good. This wasn't just a lesson about food, though. It was also a lesson in thinking logically and reasonably...that can be applied to every other aspect of their life.

Elcee: Good to hear from you! You know you don't just have to report about your weight. I love hearing about the happenings in people's lives! That is so cool that your sis is covering the cost of your trip and that you'll get to see your parents! Seems like so many people here are having 'adventures'! So, everyone think good thoughts. I think I may very possible have gotten through this 'bug'! My husband was in bed for 3 days and constantly coughing and, even now, he still sounds a bit sludgy. I started coming down with it Thursday afternoon and as of this morning I seem to be 'all better' <knock on wood>. I will tell my surgeon's office and let them make the determination of whether or not to move forward with the surgery, but I'm hoping they won't cancel it. The pain has gotten worse since the unfill and over the last several days my band has tightened. Tell me how it could tighten with no freaking fill? I tried to eat my eggs this morning and, despite chewing well, got stuck on the first small bite. .

I interviewed 6. I went to their seminars, got their particular requirements, asked questions and then made my decision. .

Yes, it will work on a 3 year old. No doubt it takes consistency and patience, but it can be done. The earlier you start, the better but I've retrained 'picky eaters' at the age of 9 and 10 (a friend's children)...and it only took a few days. It is simply being consistent and patient. Which is not to say that they won't continue to 'test your resolve' through the years just to make sure you really mean it. I believe we need to pick our battles. If we make everything a battle, at some point they stop listening. So we choose what is important to us. In that same thought, we also felt it was important that our children feel they have some control over their lives. Nobody, not even a child, should ever feel they have no say in any part of their life...but they must also learn that there are times when 'that's just the way it is'. So...want long hair or an earring? No problem. Want a tongue ring? Sorry, no go. Want to pick your own clothes and wear your own style? No problem...within reasonable limits of appropriate, clean and decent. Want to choose what you eat? Not a problem as long as you follow the 2 bite rule and then choose from what is on the table. To the OP...I almost get the feeling from your responses to other posts that you feel the parenting comments are not necessary and maybe even off topic. The reality is, though, that dealing with picky eaters *is* all about parenting. My *personal opinion* is that children are not naturally picky eaters. That every time a child refuses to eat something, and gets away with it (and it starts in infancy), the parent is sending the unintentional message of 'that's ok'...and it just snowballs from there. No judgment to the parent that does this...they may not consider this a battle that's important to them, just as I don't consider the battle over hair to be important. .

I'm with HB...you're doing a fine job of kicking your own ass. Thanks for the chuckles although the image of sagging boobs I could've done without. LOL. .

HB: I'm so glad you were able to find another job that's less stressful. We spend so much time 'on the job' that a miserable job can make for a miserable life. Denise: A convertible to ride around the island? Dreamy! Hope you took lots of pics and are you putting them up on your FB page? It's looking more and more likely that I will have to cancel surgery. I've taken one dose of Nyquil the past two nights and it just this second occurred to me that I probably wasn't supposed to. I know I'm not supposed to take aspirin and such a week before surgery and I'll bet there's something in the Nyquil too. Damn. .

I can only tell you what my surgeon told me. If you're following the rules (small bites, chew well, eat slowly, don't drink with meals) and you are having difficulty eating your Protein and vegetables, then you are too full and need to get some of your fill out. Yes, the junk does just slide on through...which is why it's important that we are able to still eat our good foods. .

We all have different styles of parenting and can only do what we're comfortable doing. I was raised in a home where children were to be seen and not heard. Our opinion was neither wanted or asked for and God forbid if we should offer it and it differed from the adults. When food was put on the table, we didn't get a choice of whether or not to eat something. It was put before us and we were expected to eat it...even if it meant sitting at that table for hours or (if we were stubborn enough to sit there until bedtime) eat it for our next meal. You learned young to eat at dinner because cold liver wasn't any better for Breakfast. My children were raised in a home where respect and courtesy to *all* (not just adults) was required, but keeping in mind that they were children and there were just some things they had to do whether they liked it or not. The rule at the dinner table was that they had to take two reasonable bites from each serving dish. After that they could choose to eat whatever they liked *from what was on the table*. My oldest son hated liver so he'd eat his two bites and then load his plates with green Beans. My middle son hated saurkraut and cabbage so he'd just eat more meat and/or mashed potatoes. If my children had ever refused to take those two bites, the consequences were known ahead of time and enforced and we didn't 'warn'. It was just, "eat or leave the table". Disobedience meant being sent to their rooms...and they went hungry until the next meal. My middle son had a will of Iron and he went to bed hungry several times before he 'got it', but he got it. .