this sucks

The only supplement change that my bariatric doctor recommended was to switch from the VitaBand vitamins to the Alphabase. I do have to buy the Alphbase from the weight management clinic, but they are no more expensive than the Vitaband. That was my hesitation too when she first recommended having the micronutrient testing done-that it was just a sales pitch to support supplement sales. Just very glad I did get it done or who knows where I would be today! I feel better approaching my 50th birthday than I did in my 30's.

Be careful though. Too much will cause diarrhea. (Really awful experience speaking here!)

I was taking Vitaband chewable vitamins at the recommended dose. The real issue for me was that instead of learning to eat healthy real food, I was using protein shakes and meal replacement bars. I thought it was the easiest way to control my food intake with the band. Even the dietitians at my clinic didnt see a problem with 3-4 protein products and one meal. It turns out that I wasn't getting many of the nutrients that only come in easily absorbable form through food. I also had the brain fog-I'm a sales rep who travels for a living and I had many days that I couldn't trust myself to drive. Then, anxiety kicked in because I was fearful of when another episode would occur. I agree with Tara. It sounds like its time for you to get a COMPLETE blood work up done. Yes, your thyroid can be causing a lot of your symptoms, but so can the vitamin deficiency. Best of luck!!!

My experience has been that its KEY that you get in enough vitamins and minerals. At 16 months post banding, I started having episodes of stroke like symptoms. I even lost the ability to speak! After multilple trips to the ER, several hospital stays and more neurological testing than anyone should ever go through, my doctors all threw up their hands and started me on anti-depressants. I was very lucky to have my bariatric specialist who brought up the need for micro-nutrient testing. They discovered that I was deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals. My levels of B12, B6, Iron and D were all really low. I started on very large doses of vitamins and started getting b12 shots weekly. It took about three months to begin to recover and it took about nine months to get my life back to normal. I take Alphabase Vitamin capsules-4 daily-2 morning and 2 at dinner. I just recently switched from ones with Iron to those without because my iron needs have dropped ( a different story for a different time). I break them open and put them in my Protein shake. It's pretty scary how much impact a vitamin deficiency can have on your body! Good luck!!!

After three years, I still gurgle constantly. My family likes to say its my band talking! I'm in sales and it happens often while on sales calls and I just laugh it off. Better gurgling than 70 pounds heavier!!!

Not to burst your bubble (), but I'm over three years out from surgery and I still burp all the time! All. The. Time. Welcome to the banded life...

Stop thinking of it as cheating! It's just calories. If you eat it, write it down and move on. "Cheating" implies that you are on a diet, which you are not. In order to be successful in the long run with your band, you need to make lifestyle changes. Just my opinion.

I carry a cooler with me every day because I'm a sales rep who spends most of the day in the car. For the most part, I pack the same thing every day-a sandwich (made with whole wheat flat "thins", Everoast chicken breast deli meat, a slice of the new extra thin cheese, olive oil mayo), thin sliced cucumber, a cheese stick, a Doctor Cracker crisp bread, small cup of natural applesauce and a 90 calorie Fiber One Brownie. I know when the cooler is empty, I've had an appropriate amount of food for the day. The cooler has my lunch and snacks so I don't stop anywhere to eat anything else. I may start on the sandwich and get too full and finish it later in the day, and some days when the band feels tighter, I may bring some of the food home. You could do Greek Yogurt, deli meat ( just remember, small bites and chew well!!! I can tell you from several bad stuck episodes!), string cheese and wheat crackers. Good luck!

I have the fitbit zip and I love it. I didn't feel the need to track my sleep so I didn't get either of the models that do. I have found that it does motivate me to move more. If I see that I haven't moved enough, I'll grab a dog and head out the door for a walk. Good luck with whichever one you get! I don't have friends on my fitbit because I use MyFitnessPal and have enough to keep up with there. Nice thing is, the fitbit syncs with MFP and logs my extra calories burned.

Almost three years post banding and my stomach still makes a lot of noise. Get used to it...nothing to be concerned about. This is not a sign of stretching your pouch, just one of the lovely results of being banded. Learn to laugh it off since there is nothing you can do to change it!

I'm nearing my 3 year anniversary and I've lost almost 70% of my excess weight. The 45% is just a statistical average. It doesn't mean anything.... Just keep doing what you are doing and forget about the stats.

I eat hard cooked eggs. I remove the yolks since they don't agree with me, but two hard cooked egg whites are only 34 calories with 8 grams of protein. If I'm still hungry, I have Greek yogurt-Dannon Light & Fit is 12 grams of protein and only 80 calories.

Keep your body moving-I use a fitbit to monitor the number of steps I take every day. Also, I log everything I eat. It's working for me.

Dring the puréed stage, I put anything and everything into the blender. You might need to add some broth to thin it down, but anything goes! I even puréed cheese ravioli that my family was having one night.

You've lost 30 lbs in five months? You should be very proud of that! Not sure where you got the 10 lbs per month number from-average loss with a well adjusted band is 1-2 lbs per week-which you have accomplished. Stop beating yourself up. You are doing great!!! All of the skills you are using to lose right now will help you in the long run, when you finally do get restriction. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint...

That's one of my favorite features of MFP. You can also use it to calculate calories in a recipe-just scan each ingredient and viola! Accurate values at your fingertips!!!

Well, it finally happened...the number I've been hoping to see for a very long time. I stepped on the scale this morning to see the most amazing sight-my weight no longer starts with a "2". I stepped on the scale, I stepped off, I stepped on, I stepped off-wait, maybe the scale is being blocked by the rug or something, I stepped on again, I stepped off-wait, maybe the battery is dead or something, I stepped back on one more time (just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or something) and sure enough, the number was still the same! I came downstairs with tears in my eyes to share the news with my husband who has stood strong by me through my WLS journey. This has been a very slow journey for me with a few detours along the way and I have worked very hard for each and every pound. My three year bandiversary is approaching and I've been working really hard because I wanted to hit my goal of coming off the "obese" category in the height and weight chart. I'm 2.5 pounds away and I have about three weeks left. I am not the same person I was when I started my journey. I am a person who exercises. I am a person who speaks her mind-not trying to stay in the background anymore. I am a person who logs her food-honestly and completely. When I look at what this body of mine is capable of doing now versus 3 years ago, I am a very proud woman... Just had to share today.

I just read that article and frankly, I was really offended by the "professional" who sounded off with his opinion. Like Missy said, I didn't wake up one morning and say that I wanted to be morbidly obese. If giving obesity an official designation as a disease means that access to better health care will be easier, I'm all for it. Obviously, this man has never had a weight issue and lacks the compassion I look for in my healthcare professionals.

I realized today that finding time to exercise has become second nature to me. I actually look forward to it! No more making excuses about why I can't fit exercise into my busy schedule, no more talking myself out of going to the gym, no more justifying that I don't need to exercise to lose weight. No more reasons why I cannot go, I just go. It hit me as I was leaving the gym this afternoon. I had just spent five hours driving home from a work trip and instead of going home, I stopped off at the gym and got in a good, strong, intense workout. I have been exercising regularly now for about six months but the transformation from "going because I should" to "going because I want to" has taken me by surprise. It only took me nearly three years since banding to become enamored with what exercising can do. I am stronger heading into my 50th birthday than I have been since my 20's.

I wish I had! I'm nearing my three year anniversary and sadly, I still do get hungry. To be honest, now that I think about it, not like I used to though.

Good for you! The only way to start...is to start!

Broth is what you get when you cook beef or chicken bones in water with some vegetables and strain it. It's a very good protein source is you make your own. Not so much if you use a canned product.

I am nearing my three year anniversary and I don't have any issues with cooking for my family who ranged from 8 to 19 when i started my journey. I cook the same thing for all of us. I use a few more marinades and sauces than I used to, but I don't make myself a separate meal. You are going to live with your band for the rest of your life so you may as well learn to "live" with it! I had to be honest with myself and stop feeling like a martyr. Why should I make a special meal for myself? So I can show them how much I'm suffering to lose my excess weight? I cook healthy meals with a lot of flavors and spices so If they don't want what's on the menu, they can choose to not eat it. There are so many resources out there for recipes, etc. You may need to modify your old standard recipes to be more band friendly, but it really isn't that hard. Don't worry, your family won't starve just because you had WLS.

Have you been cleared by your surgeon to start exercising yet? You are only three weeks out, right?

If you get stuck, you should go back to liquids for the next 24 hours to give the swelling from being stuck a chance to go down. You can get stuck without restriction. It's more likely related to the amount you tried to swallow-either too big of a bite or food not chewed enough. When my band has been too tight, I end up gaining weight because I eat a lot of slider foods since they pass through easier. Hope this answers your concerns.