NurseShay

Mixed textures... cereal with milk. =/

Amen on your non scale victories!! And prayers for your future success in your weight loss journey and overall new healthier and happier life! Continue to walk by faith and you can do anything!!

@minimoo I feel your pain! I has one yesterday as I was standing right over a patient... she had a horrified look like I had jus burped right in her face. SMH I wish mine would just come from the "belly" area so I could pretend they were regular stomach growling noises but nope... they come right out of my mouth! And if Im fortunate enough to predict ones arrival and shut my mouth it sounds off in my throat like fireworks. :ph34r: I've learned to live with it tho... beats that 100lbs which was much more embarrassing. I tend to talk about my band like it's its own entity with a personality and voice of its own... helps kill the awkwardness since she refuses to stay my own little secret!

haha YES! I too have a talkative band. It gurgles and knocks and whistles like old pipes in the winter. It does it sometimes when Im not even eating and haven't eaten for hours. It does it in my SLEEP and I have found myself woken up by it irritated more than a dozen times. IDK what it is because I have always had a noisy band even when I didn't have much restriction. I wouldn't say Im too tight now becuz I can get down the things Im suppose to but it does like to talk. I know I am a mouth breather and thus air swallower and I have found that when I have air caught it will sound like a bear growling in my throat (usually when Im sleeping) I do avoid drinking or eating before going to the movie theater becuz it can't really be muffled much. Burping helps. My SO gets a kick out of it when I start yelling and my band decides to join in... the joke in my house is that I've even trained the band to "B1+ch & moan". People who know you have the band will understand and those who don't well I try to keep talking, clear my throat, burp it out or just wait to eat until I can be comfortable to have the inevitable conversation with my band. On a side note.. My surgeon listens for the "circling the drain", as he calls it, to determine how long it takes for my sip of water to pass through the stoma, that usually determines wether or not he adds more to my fill. So I guess for ppl who have a tendency to eat/drink too fast you could use it to your advantage and listen for when its clear to take your next bite!

Amazing job! Very motivating!! I started this journey with 200+lbs to lose and am only half way done but seeing your story is very encouraging that there is no 100lb limit to what this band can do! So few posts from ppl that have been successful coming from such a high weight thanks so much for sharing!! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!

I'm guessing she meant she was new to this side of the forum (LGBT). Relax people... ...I think everybody is just hungry. j/k

I'm going to say something a lot of dieters don't agree with but IMO: If you're not hungry, dont eat. Before being banded I didn't even really know what "hungry" felt like because I was fixated on eating out of habit, finish the plate regardless when I was full, dont skip Breakfast or Ill "gain weight?? The band is a tool that gives a feeling of satiaty which is suppose to help us feel the need to eat less so we can actually lose weight. Why on earth would anyone want to change habits from overeating to eating on a schedule that doesn't coincide with their bodies needs? Sounds to me by your "not in the mood" statement like you're in the green zone and its doing its job. As an ex over eater it may feel wrong to not be eating 2 or 3... or 5 times a day, but that's what you got banded for. Now if its a case of avoidance because you are too tight or not eating correctly-- too fast, to large of bites or portions, eating the "bad" foods then its just a matter of loosening your band or learning to follow the band rules. The band is temperamental so even on your most well behaved days you may still get stuck but if so, just go to liquids until you feel comfortable back on solids. If it persists you may be too tight so go back to your doc for an adjustment. Just make sure you are listening to your body and eating for the purpose of nutrition and only nutrition until you're at maintainence. No one can really tell you what your body is need of other than your body. We have reserves of fat that we are trying to get our body to use or else we wouldn't be banded so if your band has allowed restriction and you're not feeling hungry dont force it. When you do eat, make sure you start with and get your Protein down first. Eat Fiber if you can but if you're not hungry just take fiber supplement (ie: metamucil), since you're not eating much stay away from empty calorie foods. Stay hydrated-- but again drink what you feel you need to. Don't go by generic numbers go by your own body. Take a Multivitamin every day-- this replaces all the nutrients you are missing from meals-- and probably still would be missing even if you did eat, as chances are you can't eat much. You don't need to see a doctor or nutritionist to get a multivitamin they are over the counter. Just make sure it's got 100% of everything including folic acid and Vitamin B12 as some do not. If you have any other conditions like anemia or arthritis then other supplements like Iron and Calcium pills should also be taken but if you have other conditions your doctor should be letting you know what supplements to take. But despite what many people will say theres no reason to force yourself to eat XX calories a day. You're under doctors supervision by being banded-- if they thought you were starving by the band they wouldn't fill you and by ethics they would be removing all the saline. We as overweight people are in no risk of starving to death so long as we have reserves! They would not have banded someone who would be at risk with lower calorie intake in the first place. Listen to your body-- when its hungry or dificient in a nutrient it's going to speak up. Going against your bodys signals and trying to force eat out of habit or because it's just "time for breakfast, lunch or dinner" or any other reason other than actual NEED is what got us into the band in the first place. Eat your protein when you can-- if not- drink it, take a multivitamin, stay hydrated and listen to your body. Good luck!

More viewers than posters! I'm here from So-Cali.. soon to be in Portland, OR... banded in April 2010. Still on my way down... over 100lbs so far...

Old post, but judging by the many views tho lack of response, I'd say theres prolly some bandsters here from Cali, myself included.

Self payers usually get their dates faster as YOU are the boss instead of the insurance companies. The surgeon will only order the tests he deems necessary and this can vary from doctor to doctor but usually its just enough to protect himself from liability and safely perform the surgery. Since its YOUR DIME they don't tend to have strict requirements on psych evals or nutrion classes or lengthy pre-op diet other than the liquid diet as minimally as 1 day before surgery and 12hr fast pre-op as would be the case in ANY surgery to avoid emesis and aspiration. Most of the long waiting games pre-op are due to insurance companies, not the surgeron. MONEY TALKS. I was banded about 10 days after my consultation and only because my surgeon only came to my location once a week so I waited the extra week.

I have not told many people about my band to this day and its been over 2 yrs for me so keeping the band a bit of a secret isn't so hard. I explained my 3 days of sick leave (combined with my normal 2 off days) as having hiatal hernia repair-- which my doc did do at the time of banding, so I consider it not a lie but an ommitance . At 6 weeks out you will not be in any acute pain from the surgery itself that would be noticable to anyone but you. Some sensitivity at the port site is a possibility but as long as no one plans to hit ya in the abdomen you should be fine there. However with the idea of having a week to recover, everyone is different. IMO you should be fine as I was back to work after a week- on my feet but avoiding heavy lifting again, understood by my boss as the s/e of hernia repair. But your ability to do this depends on your pain tolerance how fast you heal. The wonderful gas pains you may have read about diminished completely by about 2 weeks out. I believe at 6 weeks I was already eating pretty normal food, but in smaller portions, not because I had ANY restriction but because I was trying to stick to my doc's diet plan but I could eat ALOT more if I tried. Also I celebrated my bday 3 weeks after banding and was able to eat in a restaurant with ppl without incident and no one questioned my diminished appetite. Smaller portions is something that will be typical for the entire time you're banded, getting progressively stricter as you gain restriction so if you're afraid to eat small portions in front of people in 6 weeks you're going to have a rough next few years anyways-- so might as well get them use to the idea of seeing you refuse those big stadium size portions!! In the begining I just told people who questioned my eating habit changes that "I am on a diet". Seeing my progressive weight loss people just equated it to my previously mentioned "diet". I think saying nothing at all and having massive weight loss suddenly is what would lead to suspicion and questions. The main drag you will deal with early on at the superbowl will probably be the inability to drink beer, if thats at all an issue, but again its something you would be giving up anyways no matter when you're banded so doing it earlier or later won't change a thing. Something I have learned is putting off the band, fills or other associated weight loss interventions is a sign that I am not fully committed and need to regain my focus on my ultimate goal. I have in the past purposely rescheduled fills when I knew I planned to go out with friends and eat or celebrate and knew if I got a fill I would be tight and unable to eat or drink "normal" and in doing so I was usually disappointed after the event when my weight loss hadn't progressed or worse yet I had gained. So if you find yourself doing things like this try to evaluate your reasons and decide if they are beneficial to your goal or if they are one of the habits that have helped cause your need for the lapband in the first place? Also, before starting this journey, as for some it is not as easy and straight forward as it is for others, be ready to put YOURSELF first and do what's best for you and let everyone else and other events in life take the backseat for a while, at least until you've adjusted to your new lifestyle being banded. Change your perspective on how food impacts you daily life and social situations. Don't stress over the band and the changes you will be making in terms of life or other people, this is a time that should be about you-- sometimes its OK to be self absorbed. I would say go ahead with the band whenever YOU are READY. But 1 week back to work should be fine if you dont have to do much bending or lifting-- for me being busy was a curb to my appetite returning in full force a week post op. And 6 weeks out for superbowl, you are perfectly healed enough to watch a football game amoungst friends. Just keep in mind if you have to fly to the superbowl many people report tightness in the band after flying or even just walking to higher altitudes. So be mindful when you eat and drink no matter if its 6 weeks out or 12 weeks out from surgery. The band is temperamental and not always predictable. If you're worried about PBing in front of people avoid eating at the game, do NOT use a straw, no carbonated drinks and sip slowly, chew long. Talk more at the dinner table, move your food around and people usually don't notice that you're not eating much. Best of luck!!

I feel your pain! I am 2 and a half years out and feel like I am no where near where I expected to be. I had the surgery when I did thinking my 10yr HS reunion was 2-3 yrs off and I would be at goal by then. Now its in 2 months and my weight hasn't budged too much in a year. Admittedly I do not go as hard as I did in the first year on my excercise and dieting but its partially just my frustration as I can work out every day for an hour, wearing the bodybugg I can see I have a deficit of over 1000calories a day and STILL see no wt loss at times. Then I can slack off for 2 weeks and gain nothing, sometimes even lose a pound. It makes no sense to me. I don't think weight loss is ever typical. It's not black and white and can't be calculated with the basic -3500 calories= -1 pound-- for SOME sure, but defintiely not for everyone. Having Diabetes is an endocrine disorder and DOES influence your ability to gain and lose weight differently than the typical healthy person-- which most of these studies done are basing their advice off of. You simply may have to come at your weight loss from uncharted territory and in a way that works for you. Judging from your posted menu your portions seem minimal but it's also leaning towards more carbs and fat than protein and fiber. Meatloaf does tend to carry more calories than most people realize. Maybe try cutting out carbs for a few weeks to shake up your metabolism. Jack up your excercise routine, weight train-- muscle mass= higher metabolism, add low impact but lengthy bouts of cardio. I've had to do things like this to break thru plateaus. Right now I'm on a self inflicted liquid diet to gain control of my desire to go hand to mouth. Relying less on solid foods but still getting my nutrition (not nearly as tasty) I'm realizing I was still eating more out of desire to eat, habit or boredom than actual hunger. Now that I really have NO desire for these shakes I find myself ONLY eating for the purpose it was intended and I'm slowly seeing progress. I don't really look at other peoples success stories as I cannot relate to rapid weight loss and Im not sure if the band is even working at all for me at this point vs my own efforts to count calories & excercise, which only serves to discourage me and eventually make me go weeks to months without even trying to utilize my band. =/ But try to stay motivated in your own abilities and not the band if its not working for you. Maybe this isn't the tool thats going to work for you and gastric bypass is something to consider if your doctors believe it will help. You won't be getting any chances at elective surgeries if you wait until your body is stressed enough to have a stroke, as you mentioned your doctors are now concerned with, and having HTN to that magnitude for such a long period of time I guarauntee you is causing irrepairable damage inside so do whatever it takes to lose the weight and get in control of your HTN asap. None of my stroke patients are worried about their weight at the point they're at now many learning to talk or feed themselves again! So work with your doctors so you do not ever have to go down that path. If you think weight loss is hard, recovering from a stroke is much worse. God Bless you and may you find strength and success very soon.

Good topic! I'm 28 and have had the crunchy knees (mostly on the right) for quite a few years but then again I was almost 400lbs. =/ I feel a lot less strain on my knees now 100lbs down but still find the high impact excercises to be too much for my joints. Stairs wreak havoc on my knees so while I choose to live on the second floor and take the stairs at work I never do the stair master in the gym. Ellipitical and treadmill are much easier on me, walking is much better than jogging when you're still heavier also. You can still do your zumba my trainer recommends just subsituting alternative movements for the jumping up and down. At the end of the day you just want to burn calories and strengthen your muscles and you don't need to high impact excercises to do that. Bad knees can eventually undo all the success you've had in weight loss. As a nurse in a rehab I've seen countless people come in who have waited to lose weight and get knee replacements and find the new sedentary lifestyle and slow progressing physical therapy that follows crossed with sudden stress of the trauma of surgery and change in diet to be the catalysts for the return of old habits and worse, rapid weight gain. Talk to your doc about treatments for cartilage loss and inflamation. Try using proper body mechanics at all times, wear good shoes, continue losing weight and pay attention to the warning signs that your activity is doing more harm than good. Go easy on those joints, don't replace the waddle for a limp!

I have many of the already listed songs. I choose different styles of music so I don't get bored some days rock does it for me others hip hop is necessary! Lots of base give me a much needed push and random songs that revive my motivation and make me go "Oh yea!" A few I didnt see mentioned that I use are: Workout Plan- Kanye West (a no brainer he even counts it off for you "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 get those situps right yea." haha) Gonna make you Sweat- CC Jump Around- House of Pain Good Vibrations- Marky Mark (if the beat doesn't do it for you, jus picture Mark Wahlburgs Calvin Klein ads from the 90s. haha) Breath, Stretch, Shake- Mase (Made for a warm up/cool down!) All I do is win- DJ Khaled (motivating) Go Girl- Pitbull (also motivating) Break Stuff- Limp Bizkit (angry beat good for a jog) Last Resort- Papa Roach (angry beat) Vivrant Thang- Q tip (dance song) Rock that body & Boom boom pow- Black eyed peas Hell Yeah- Rev Theory (great jogging song) Thunderstruck- ACDC Testify- Rage against the machine Enter Sandman- Metallica Bawitdaba- Kid Rock I can transform ya- Chris Brown ft. Weezy Right above it- Lil Wayne Im going in- Drake ft Weezy Welcome to my hood- DJ Khaled Intergalactic- Beastie Boys You can do it- Ice Cube Hot in here- Nelly Get me bodied- Beyonce Get outta your mind- Lil Jon (no better hype man than Lil Jon!) Walk it out- DJ Unk (perfect for the cardio) Run it- Chris Brown (RUN!)

I am moving to Beaverton in November from CA I didnt know they had this up there but it sounds awesome. Hopefully next year I will be prepared to handle one. Good luck!

I am 2 & 1/2 years out and STILL experience this from time to time. It never really gets easier to eat the unforgiving foods when you're tighter (unless of course you force it/ stretch your pouch or "prime" your pouch by drinking alot first-- all of which are bad habits.) Once you've PB'd the first time for the day figure your band wasn't ready for whatever it was you ate-- even if its your usual diet foods, and jus go to liquids for at least the next 8 hours to give it a chance to recover. PBing can easily become forceful vomiting if the gag reflex kicks in (experienced this at 2yrs out) and this wreaks havoc on the band for days to come and in some cases cause band slips. Good job paying attention to your body and your band.

Welcome and good luck with your journey!!

-101lbs! WOOHOO! Damn it feels good to be a Loser!!

So far I just have the forum for support! Its hard finding people from san diego who are regulars on here. Its even a struggle to keep a workout buddy but I take support anywhere I can get it!

Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time losing weight! People with and without the band face the same issues so I tend to look at what the common factor is and thats the person and not so much the diet or tool they're using to lose weight since the band can only do so much and be filled so far but you on the other hand can do several things to boost your weight loss. Sometimes you have to get creative and find out what works for your body. Its great to get tips from other bandsters but we are all different and what works for one doesn't always work for another so dont give up just because you dont have the same results as another. Talk to your doctor, as with each fill he should be noting some concern with your lack of progress if its actually an issue as in 6mts he could only expect u to have lost 20-48lbs if you were losing a pound or 2 a week. Have you lost any weight at all or literally none? If you've lost some (but maybe not as much as you wanted to) then maybe you're just a "slow loser" and will require more effort on your part if you want to have some of the extreme results you have read about. If you've lost nothing at all I would think the problem lies more in what you're doing or not doing because the band requires certain nutritional changes be made and even someone without the band would lose something if they followed the dietary guidelines. From your description of how you feel when you're eating there's a good chance you actually are adequately filled if you find yourself choosing a diet of soft and liquid foods just so they will "go down" without pain and satiate your feelings of hunger. The pain you refer to may indicate that you're either eating too big of bites, not chewing thouroughly enough or eating foods that your band doesn't allow you to tolerate- these foods are different for most bandsters or just overeating. But either way getting a stuck feeling suggests you definitely have some restriction going on. How many fills you have had doesn't really matter so much as how full your band is (you could be getting 2ccs at a time or .2cc which is a major difference). Not to mention every bandster reaches their green zone at different points and some people prefer to be tighter than others so judging what efforts you need to make to achieve some weight loss based on how many fills you've had may be null. I find myself stuck on plateaus too more often than not these days and it can get extremely frustrating and its very easy to blame the band. But something to remember is that the band is not actually meant to get us to stop eating but to feel satiated with smaller quantities. We still have to choose the right foods and the right portions and stop eating when the measured food is gone. The hope is we'll feel satiated but not actually "full". If you're waiting for the "full" feeling everytime you eat you're doing yourself a disservice and the band will not work for you because you're not eating objectively you're still eating subjectively- with how you feel rather than whats enough for the purpose of eating. Eating a high content of "slider" foods is tempting when you're hungry and dont want to feel the pain the band causes when we're overeating, but for me personally I consider this one of those times when Im being bad and eating "around the band". I have figured out ways to eat the quantities I know I shouldnt and even almost every kind of food that supposedly "won't go down" when I want to. Its not easy and it doesnt always feel comfortable but theres a fat girl still inside me and sometimes shes louder than the skinny girl I want to be!! But doing this doesn't help my weight loss so its something Im learning to control, and at 18mts out its still doesnt come naturally. A big indicator to me would be the answer I secretly have when I ask myself why I am eating? And what kind of hunger do I feel? Is it a mental/emotional want or actual physical need? So I would suggest taking a good long honest and objective look at your lifestyle- what you're eating, how much you're eating, count calories, what times of day are you eating, are you drinking enough Water and getting enough Protein? Are you falling back into old habits? Are you excercising or at least burning more calories a day than you consume? You dont have to be a gym rat but if you naturally burn say 2k calories a day and you're eating 2k calories a day its a given you're not going to lose any weight you're just maintaining. Do the pouch test over a weekend or go on liquids for a week. Try to retrain your mind to eat for purpose and not pleasure. Avoid high caloric slider foods. shake up your routine with different low cal foods and a little more excercise. This band takes a while to get use to and weight loss doesnt come effortlessly for most of us but if you put in the work Im sure you'll find things that work for you in the long run. Talk to your doctor and nutrionist if possible and tell them exactly what you're doing and they can give you more personalized and concrete suggestions. Dont be too hard on yourself, this doesn't have to be another failed attempt at weight loss. You can still do this! Stay positive, motivated and dont give up! The band is there to help you just take the time to learn how to use it to your advantage. Best of luck to you!

Beer hurts!! Plain and simple. Maybe not early on in the begining before you get any fills but the carbanation on any like products do not feel good. I've heard people saying to let your drink sit out and sort of get flat then it's tolerable but at that point who wants it? Besides if you're getting banded to change your eating habits then plan on changing your eating habits- or you'll be one of the people who find themselves posting on how "the band doesn't work" for them a year out. But if you really need a buzz I'd suggest a distilled alcohol on the rocks over beer, they have the least amount of calories and get to the point since you wont have the capacity to gulp down multiple beers anyways!

Almost all self pay programs are just the seminar to learn about the band (as required by the band manufacturer), a couple labs to cover the surgeons butt in the event of a malpractice lawsuit, and a pre op diet to shrink the liver down due to it being an abdominal surgery. But its a usually a 2 week process to be banded depending on when their first openings are! All about the benjamins. I did it that way too. But still do your homework!

I would suggest she consult her doctor about the issue and have someone assess her bowel sounds for anything adventatious & possibly do a stool sample. Write down and monitor her diet & bowel movements (frequency, size, color, texture) for a week or so prior to her doc's visit so they can have a better picture of what her habits are and try to pinpoint what is causing it. Due to our inability to drink much fluids quickly and it can be hard to have adequate fiber in our diet with restriction constipation is often the effect and one common sign of constipation is actually diarrhea. I have never had issues with my bowels before I was banded but ever since (19mts ago) I was banded I have every kind of issue, definitely seems to be in relation to my band placement. But for the most accurate diagnosis and treatment I'd recommend she see her own physician (one familiar with the band b/c many are NOT) so that he can accurately treat her symptoms. Chronic diarrhea could be the symptoms to many different issues (infection, certain medications & antibiotics, C. Diff, IBS, Chron's disease) and not just from the band and the effects could be health hazerdous if allowed to persist unchecked. Be sure to inform the doctor that this has been a chronic condition and not just related to eating some bad food as many doctors will write off things if you dont appear too concerned about them. Hope she gets to the bottom of it soon!!

Im sorry to hear that you are having one of those days! It certainly does happen to all of us at some point unfortunately.With total empathy to your all too familiar dillemma I would suggest that you take something positive out of this minor speedbump in the road to your "B-day" with appreciation that you have good doctors with your best interest at heart that want to make sure you are fit for this surgery before you get the band. The risks of any sugery never seem worth the benefit if something does in fact go wrong while you're on the operating table. A weak heart is nothing to turn a blind eye to when you have a young family that I'm sure would rather have you here with them rather than just thinner. Also find some joy in that you have insurance thats willing to pay for your surgery- otherwise you wouldnt be going through so many hoops to be cleared for the surgery,as so many people wish they could be in the process of getting cleared for surgery but can't because they can't afford it. So that in itself a blessing. Try to stay positive and begin developing the mindset that you will need to have to be successful with the band, it will take a great deal of patience to see the specific results you're after even when that anticipated day comes and you are banded. Stay realistic about this whole experience- pre & post banding, so that you won't find yourself discouraged more often than not. Keep your hubby in the loop with how you feel so that he can be the support system that you need and be understanding during those times frustration gets the best of you. The people you read about who are banded after just 2 weeks and lose all their excess weight in just a few months are the exception and not the rule. This is a fairly long process for most people, but once you're to goal it will seem to have flown by! Before you know it you will be banded and well on your way!Stay motivated, inspired and excercise patience. Best of luck to you!