sandman27959

Honestly, my relationship with food has been so screwed up that I'm having to learn what "real" hunger feels like. I think that sometimes when I feel hunger it's not actually my body saying "you need food," it's me being bored and my inner voice saying "eat something." That being said, I think I'm pretty much in my green zone, so I'd say my hunger is under control, but it's still there every now and then in the evenings. One of my new rules for myself though is no food after 7pm, and the main reason for that is that I'm trying to develop a healthy eating schedule, and not listen to that side of me that doesn't actually need food. D.

Hi Lindsey, I agree with the above posters, and I've found that little, seemingly insignificant things can derail my weight loss. For example, if I eat ANYTHING between meals, that seems to stop or slow mine. If I eat too many carbs, same thing. If I don't drink enough Water, etc. I would take the advice of those above and reduce my caloric intake a bit and see what happens. Don't give up. Just keep tweaking until you hit the right formula, and eliminate any outside cheats or variables. Best of luck. D.

Congratulations Lisa on taking a big step to improving your quality of life for yourself and your young family! Sounds like you have the right frame of mind to make it happen. Your commitment is impressive. Keep it up! D.

Cool. I'm glad people are getting something out of the videos. I hope I didn't hijack the thread by posting them. I was just trying to answer the original poster's question. Since she's replied I don't think I did, but I just want to let everyone know I'm sensitive to that kind of stuff. The other thing is please listen to your doctor's recommendations. I'm not suggesting one way or the other what you should do, but these videos were suggested to me by my doctor, so I'm assuming he's OK with the content for me in my particular situation. Things may be different for you in your situation. I know it certainly cleared a lot of things up for me and got me back on track with the band. I'm down 22 pounds since my last fill a month ago and having taken my doctors advice and viewing them. I'm assuming that the medical community is learning more about how the band works and that's the reason for some of the information being different than what I received in my educational pre-op stuff. In any case, it's more information, and I'm a firm believer that more information is usually a good thing. D.

Hey there, Really enjoyed reading this well-written piece. It's not often that you read something from a person who obviously knows herself so well. I think one of the keys to accomplishing all of this for ourselves is taking a good, hard, honest look at who we are. In this day of people avoiding responsibility for everything, it's really refreshing to see someone who realizes that taking responsibility is a very empowering thing. Thanks for the good read.

I totally get what you mean clarks4willie. The first solid thing I ate after my surgery (and week of liquid diet before it) was a scrambled egg, and it was so good that it literally made me cry. That still makes me laugh when I think about it. D.

Glad to see others are getting some benefit. I went through a fairly stringent education period before my surgery, but was a little confused by the whole "pouch/second stomach" thing so I never really learned exactly what was making this thing work. It was like someone switched on a switch for me after seeing these. I wish I could take credit for finding them, but they were recommended by my excellent surgeon. My doctor said that he personally has done over 500 surgeries, but this guy (Dr. O'Brien) has done over 10,000, so he understands things pretty well. D.

Hi Ursula, I was almost exactly in the same boat as you and have recently turned things around and lost 20 more pounds since my fill a month ago - the first in two years. Don't feel bad. My doctor said it takes some folks longer to learn how to use the tool correctly, but the good news is you still have the tool and it can be adjusted to work for you again. I sound like a broken record because I've recommended them so much, but go watch these 4 videos. They totally got me back on track and taught me how to finally use the band correctly. You can, and will turn things around. Good luck! D.

You know, this might just be me personally, but I'd want some degree of discretion and anonymity to a support group at my workplace. Maybe even meeting off-site or something. I'm kinda private about sharing my personal weight struggles with my co-workers, but that doesn't mean I don't need support - know what I mean? Maybe it's just me. Something to consider if you don't share a need for privacy in that area. D.

Lifetime habits don't give up easily. The best you can do is to do better tomorrow. Soon you'll be stringing days of success together until it's just your lifestyle. D.

I used to have a pain in my shoulder when I was eating too much. My doctor explained mine as somehow a nerve was being stimulated by my diaphragm. (I can't remember the details.) After I quit having too much food at a meal, it stopped and has never returned. Maybe yours is related to lingering swelling in that area? Not sure - just trying to be helpful. D.

I completely second 2muchfun's comments. I also think it's a really good thing that you're asking yourself these questions. I can eat reasonable portions of whatever I like, but I'm also at the place where unhealthy food choices don't mean as much to me as being a healthy and happy. I sleep on my stomach too, and it hasn't been a problem. A little sensitive at first, but once I completely healed I notice it a lot less than weighing 300 pounds. Good luck with your journey! D.

It'll get better. They're just trying to sneak up on that green zone so your body has a chance to heal and accept it's new arrangement. It may take a few fills to get there, but when you do your hunger will be totally manageable. I have a 14cc band too and I'm finally feeling my zone at 9cc's. Yours will probably be different. Hang in there. Help is on the way. D.

Man, that's frustrating. Sorry for what you're going through because I've been there. I've found that just breaking the chain of what I'm doing can sometimes help me get off a plateau. Try a different workout for a little while (swimming?) and see if that helps. I've also found (and I'm not suggesting this for everyone) that eating more to the 1200-1500 calorie limit for a few days can convince my body I'm not starving. What I've also found is that my body seems to present weight loss in one of two ways. It's either the scale goes down, or I lose inches. Usually when I'm on a plateau, my body is rearranging itself and my pants start fitting more loosely. Good luck buddy. This is why weight loss is so hard. Hopefully it'll pass soon. D.

I was really nervous too. I'd never had any kind of surgery, or even been put out by my dentist. You'll do fine, and you'll have taken an amazing step towards a better life for yourself. Good vibes on your way!

OK, here's my perspective. I apologize in advance for the long post. Find the most skilled, smartest, most experienced surgeon you can find. You want the person that other doctors go to for advice. This will minimize the risk of an improperly placed or adjusted band. My surgeon is scary good and that's exactly what I wanted. He placed my band with one 1-1/2" laproscopic incision. Follow the rules to the letter. A lot of people (including me) have major psychological issues with food. If we didn't, a lot of us wouldn't be in this position. Stick to the fundamentals so you minimize the risk of problems with the band being a result of something you did or didn't do. I got my band in 2010. I've lost about half of the weight to my goal since then and kept it of - 60 pounds. I've NEVER been able to keep weight off that long before regaining it, so in that sense it's worked. I also "fell off the wagon" for a period and I'm back on now thanks to my surgeon's great advice. I've lost another 15 since my last fill and consultation with my doctor. I sheepishly went in to my appointment and explained the whole situation, and he told me something that really hit home. a. It takes most people about 5 years to REALLY learn how to use the tool correctly. I'm a food addict, so breaking the chain of addiction for me has taken longer than most already. Would I have done it without this tool? Absolutely not. b. Had I fallen "off the wagon" and had surgery that was non-adjustable, I would have little recourse. As it is, doc gave me another fill, reiterated the rules to me, and I'm now 15 pounds lighter because the band is restricting my hunger as it should. c. After a while, the "restrictions" of the band become part of your make-up. I can't run a 5-minute mile, but that limitation doesn't stop me from living an exciting, fun-filled life. The way I eat now is comfortable and part of my daily life. I don't miss gulping down huge portions of food, and don't miss weighing 300 pounds either. I know I keep suggesting this in my posts, but go to YouTube and search for "Dr. Paul O'Brien 8 Rules Intro" and watch all four parts. Dr. O'Brien is probably the most experienced Lap-Band surgeon on Earth, and these videos explain the mechanisms that make the band work. This information is what allowed me to get back on track. Long way around, but yes, absolutely I'd get the band again. It's saved my life. It's adjustable, it's reversible, it's effective. Recovery time is shorter. I have a friend who had bypass and has had great results too. It's an intensely private decision, but at least now you have one more perspective. D.

Depends on the brand and type. My Allergan AP-L ("L" for large) holds 14 cc's. I'm at 9 and am feeling like that's my green zone, but everybody's is different. I think the smaller Allergan AP-S (small) holds 10cc's. I went to the Allergan site and looked mine up. If yours is a different brand I'll bet you can find that at the manufacturers site if you know that information. Generally speaking, the larger a person is the higher their basal metabolism (or base caloric requirement), so larger people will tend to lose weight a little faster in the beginning. As your fuel requirement drops because you're getting smaller, your basal metabolism will shrink too. In other words, the deficit between what you eat and what you burn becomes less. This is a greatly oversimplified explanation. but I think you get the idea. D.

That's so cool! Glad to hear it's working out. I learned a little something about myself when this started happening to me. I had to learn how to graciously take a compliment about my appearance! This is the good stuff. Enjoy it. D.

I agree with running_scared. One of the main features of the band is that when it's adjusted properly it reduces (or eliminates) hunger between small meals. You're losing because you're being so diligent. When you get properly filled, it will become exponentially easier because you won't be hungry all the time. The biggest "ah ha" moment I had was when my doctor recommended I watch a few videos on YouTube. Go there and search for "Dr. Paul O'Brien 8 Rules Intro." This guy is an Australian doctor who's probably the most experienced Lap-Band surgeon on the planet. He explains the mechanisms that make the band work. I was having trouble putting everything together until I watched the 4 intro videos. Good luck! D.

Hey Erin! Getting that "stuck" feeling is one of the things that you have a great deal of control over. Just stay with the fundamentals your doctor tells you and you should be fine. Take really small bites, chew well allowing about a minute between bites, and stay away from anything really dry and you should be fine - especially now when you probably aren't feeling a lot of restriction. If you're like me, you're going to have to learn how to eat all over again. I always ate so fast, gulped down huge bites, and could polish off a meal in a few minutes. When I have had PB's (productive burping) it was more like vomiting, but not nearly as gut-wrenching because the food didn't have to travel far. (Sorry to be graphic, but that's the topic.) It wasn't pleasant by any means, but it wasn't the end of the world either. You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel afterwards. I just try to never do it because I don't want to stress the plumbing. Go to YouTube and search "Dr. Paul O'Brien 8 Rules." Great videos from a doctor who is probably the most experienced lap-band surgeon on the planet. Good luck and don't stress out over it. If it happens, just learn from it and try not to make it happen again. D.

OK, here's another perspective. I had surgery April 15th, 2010 and have lost 56 pounds since then. I just had my 3rd fill (I have the larger 14cc band) and I'm just now beginning to have a little restriction. Pretty much all of the weight I've lost up to this point has been my own lifestyle changes. Is it frustrating that the band isn't really working yet? Yeah a little, but it will work eventually. My extensive research before surgery taught me what to expect, and that is that there is a period before the band starts really kicking in that you're on your own. It's good you're venting, because I feel like that's one of the purposes of a board like this. I would also say "Trust the process." Do what your doctor tells you to do and don't look for shortcuts. Shortcuts are what got me into this mess (being obese). Your doctor has your best interest at heart and wants to see you succeed, so relax and enjoy the journey. If you do what you've always done, you're going to get the same result you've always gotten. I hope it works for you, and it will because you'll make it happen. Best of luck.

Hi Kimmy, Long time lurker - first post. Woo-hoo! I'm 3 months post-op and get a lot of the same questions from my friends and family. I think Cocoabean has it right by focusing on something positive when you don't have something special to share. The thing I try to remember is that most of the time the people who ask are coming from a caring place and are genuinely interested, so I don't think of it as pressure. Keep on keepin' on. D.