Vikki

Everyone is different. This is something that is a total mistery to me because I have had my band 1yr 1/2 and I am still dealing with left shoulder pain. I have been to my regular doctor about it many times and they took x rays and it hurts really bad at times like someone is sticking a needle in my shoulder. I never had this pain before my band and the only thing they can figure out is it is a re routed type sensation connected to the placement of my band. It hurts when I try to eat and it gets stuck then it starts to ache really something bad. It went away after the surgery for awhile but I still have it sometimes on a daily basis. It is the only side effect that has been really uncomfterable since my band placement. I love the weight loss and the band as a tool but I DO NOT like having this pain in my left shoulder. You should feel relief after a few weeks of surgery. But I can't tell you if it will completely go away. I ask others all the time about the pain and some do not have it at all and others have a little. I don't know why I get it a lot. I usually pop an advil or stronger if needed. I still love my band and hope the pain will subside with time................time will tell!

It is very normal to think that...What if I just cheat one time?? But guess what...when you get good restriction with your fills you CANT do that anymore. I am at the point to wear I am lucky to get down a cup of a meal and then I start to feel tight and pain kicks in. The switch that I now call the STOP BUTTON switches on and you STOP. Can't cheat anymore unless I eat ice cream or something like that. But it isn't worth it anymore because when you start to see the scale going down you are so proud of yourself and you want to keep it up. So the little bit you do put in counts to just keep yourself healthy not shove it in to feed your emotions. It is very frustrating when your at the table and others are shoveling it down like you used to and here you are trying to eat teenie tiny bites and slowly. It takes awhile before you start feeling like I don't care. I wanted to scream the first 8 months especially when I went out to eat with others and I couldn't hardly eat anything. It took awhile to not feel anger that you have to suffer to get the weight off when others around you eat what ever they want and stay at a normal weight. It is coming to terms that obesity is a part of my life and I have this great tool to now kick it and be healthy instead of miserably fat. The band is a great tool but it is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT and don't let anyone tell you it is. It is hard to not be able to eat. Good luck and you will be a great sucess. Keep the faith!!!!!!!!!!

Yah, now is the time to go on the post op diet. I didn't follow it but I wish I would have. I actually had my band the day after Thanksgiving so I ate quite a bit the day before!!! Good luck and it will be worth it!!

Have you guys checked out the products on Bariatric Advantage online. I get my multi vitam there because they are chewable and their products are made for weight loss surgery so they desolve very quickly. Check out their products to see if they have something to help out. Try their multi vita they taste good. All the chewables I would buy at Vitamin Store or Mothers Market would taste horrible.

I swear you guys get a bottle of Biotin and try it out. It works great for hair loss and it also makes nails strong too!!!

YES I had a time period of three months to were I had a too tight fill. Some days it was okay and others I could hardly swallow my saliva. So I did go threw a period that I was not getting enough nutricition and I started to notice hair loss and it was freaking me out because I have really thick nice hair. So I went to Max Muscle and bought Pure Protein drinks which would go down fine and they have 35 grams of protein in them. I started to have those at 11 each day and one around 3. I also started taking Biotin. Let me tell you that stuff is GREAT!!!!! My nails are stronger then they ever have been now and with me bumping up the protein and taking the biotin everyday for three months now my hair is thicker and shiny again. Just make sure your really getting the water/protein your body needs and you should notice a difference. It is easy to forget the protein now that it is harder to eat solids. I used to eat chix all the time but now it is hard to eat it. Beans are good protein too but it is hard for me to eat with out killing everyone with bad gas. So I stick to the shakes and just keep them in the frige at work and sip it at my desk everyday. They taste pretty good and make you full. This whole experience had made everything going into my mouth a total science. Protein/Iron/Vitamins it is a good way to look at food as fuel not emotional crutches anymore!!!!!!! I now am at a good level fill because it is tight enough for me to now overeat but loose enough to slowly eat a salad and everyonce in awhile get meat and or fish down.

I completely agree with that explaination. It is hard to explain to someone that has not experienced it. When you say comes up its not like throwing up your meal. It only is that couple of bites that did not want to go down and you start to feel a tight pressure at the tip of your esphegus and top of stomach where the band is. It is very painful as I have gone threw it many a time. I had gotten a fill that was too tight for me and tried to just get threw a couple of months to see if it would loosen and it just got worse and worse and I kept PBing every day which just made my insides irriated and swollen which then made my fill even tighter. I got to were I could hardly even sip Water with out feeling like I needed to throw it back up. Once you start recognizing the feeling of the tightness you will start learning that is when you put down the fork and stop eating to wait and see if the tightness goes away. It makes it almost a pain in the butt to eat and for me has been that blessing to stop overeating and obsessing on food like I used too. It become a pain in the butt to overeat and almost impossible or you will be in pain. It changes your brain and the way you look at food. It is now that fuel for me not just emotional comfort. It is what I need to be healthy and to feel good. I went threw days where I could hardly get anything down and I started to feel very tired and horrible because I wasn't getting what my body needed. I had to start figuring out how to get the nutricion in with out going threw pain. Not everyone goes threw this and I had to learn the hard way but after getting an unfill and having no restriction I went crazy eating like it was going out of style. Fast food big time. I need that stop button to make me not eat that much so I went back and go another fill. I am at a good fill level now and can eat fine but just have to eat teenie tiny bites at a time and very slow and always chew chew chew. I watch my husband eat now and he shoves the whole meal down in 10 min when I am still on my 4th or 5th spoon full and think to myself wow that used to be me. Now a small cup of Soup and a small dinner salad is more then enough to fill me. I save money on ordering food and intake a small amount of calories a day..................and I am okay with it.....head wise. Best thing I have ever done for myself. I feel good and I am not beating myself up anymore about eating way too much threw out the day. You just can't anymore. Yah weight watchers and all that is still good but when you can't do something it is a lot different then just not doing it. If we had the will power to NOT eat it we wouldn't be overweight. This tool is a God Sent and it is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT. There are days when I just want that darn double cheeseburger and would give my first born to shove it down.....................but I CAN"T. So I get that small soup and deal with my emotions. It is changing your ways and it takes awhile to retrain your brain and stop feeding the emotions. Good luck to everyone that is thinking of getting the band.

I love to read stories like this. It does help me remember on bad days that it is an aye feeling. Today for lunch I tried to eat some chinese food and then after about 4 bites spent the lunch break in my car wondering if it was going to come up......the pain!!! But it went away after about 30 min and I am soooooo hungry now. But when I go to be tonight I will be glad I didn't overeat like I used too and be thankful for the excess calories I DID NOT EAT TODAY!!! Yah I love my band even though at times it is frustrating. It is funny how different you look at food now..........but in a good way. The way we were tought but couldn't control. Protein FIRST Veggies SECOND Carbs LAST I usually am totally stuffed by Veggies so GOOD BYE BAD CARBS!!!! It is a peace of mind that is so AYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally know how you feel about researching the bypass vs band. I have twin brothers that both had bypass two different types. One had his stomach made smaller the other had the reroute. The one that had the reroute has had really bad dumping syndrome which has put him in the hospital twice for passing out. The other hasn't had any complications and after quick weight loss even got a tummy tuck for the skin hanging and causing a hernia. So I had seen them and everything they went threw and felt the band was a lot less drastic and removable if any complications. The bypass is FOREVER and that scared me. If the band is what you want then you fight for it. You can find a great fill doctor in your area just be careful who you choose. I have a bandster girl that is in my support group that had a doctor put her band in at UCI in LA and was having fills done by him threw her insurance. She lost her job and lost her insurance and he wanted to charge her 1000.00 for a 3 min fill that is with SALINE!!!!!!! CRAZY so that is what he had been charging the ins. co. So she now goes with me to my Dr. in Mexico that charges 150.00 for a fill and he uses the gel saline that is a lot stronger for a fill. The other crazy thing is her port was side ways and she kept getting fills from them and they said she was at 5cc and did not use the floro machine which is like an x ray. They just put the fill in and that was it. When my Dr. went to take out the Fluid in her band........there was nothing in it!!! They were putting the needle in and not poking it into the port because it was tilted and putting the saline into her body.........but charging 1000.00 each time!!! Now she is at 5cc and says she can REALLY fill it now. She has had great weight loss. So just make sure you find a doctor that cares for his patients not just in it for his Mansion payment. Good luck girl!!! It is so worth it to finally get the help to loose the weight. I love my BAND!!:crying:

I never really thought of it in those terms and I love it!!!!!!! It is a life changing decision and experience. I too have been married for a long time...going on 17 years in Sept.....and we have been threw ups and downs together. You can think of the band in the same way but until you experience it , it is just what others tell you. This thanksgiving it will be two years with my band. If you don't mind me giving you a couple of stories from my experience to just help you? I have been threw ups and downs with my band already. It was the honeymoon stage when I first got my band and it is a very quick recovery. Since you have been threw child birth this will be a piece of cake. You feel like someone punched you in the gut for about two weeks and then start to feel your energy come back week by week and with in 4-6 weeks feel totally fine. Then it will be time to get you fill if the Dr. doesn't give you one before you leave to go home. Most doctors will not to let you body heal and make sure your body doesn't reject the band which can happen. It is a foreign object in your body and some people can't get to feeling good again. It is a very small percentage so just keep consentrating on the prize. But please baby step it with your fills. Everyone's body is different to what amount of a fill works for them. I had a fill of 4.5cc and for three months went threw having days were I couldn't even get Water down because the area around my band was so irritated from PBing so much (throwing up) and so it swelled up and it was MISERABLE!!! By that point I had gotten to the Stop Button (what I call it) which is after a few bites you feel a tight feeling which is you body worning you to put the fork down and STOP or you will start to hurt a lot or just end up throwing up what is stuck on top of the band. I went to my doctor who removed 2.5cc out of my band and it opened me right up. Honey the first thing I did was go to Jack in the Box and ate a double cheeseburger that I swear was better then sex.....just so yummy. Had no restriction so I felt like a kid in a candy store and just ate and ate and ate............the stop button was not there anymore. Three weeks later the scale was up 12 pounds!!!! ARRGGGGG So back to see my doctor I went and I only he only put 1cc in and just that little 1cc gave me the stop button again. Now when I eat I can tell after just a couple of bites if I need to stop and feel if it starts to get tight or if it goes down.......take my time.......take small bites.......be careful. When you have that GOD SENT stop button you feel a sense of peace in yourself you haven't felt before. This tool is not the answer to become skinny and thin like the models in the magazine. This tool is for us that have reached a point of insanity with in ourselves of why am I so heavy......how did I get this way..........how do I control it again. food became my worst enemy and I just beat myself up everynight because I ate all day what I said I wasn't going to do the night before. I couldn't control myself. It is not the easy way out. Let me tell you it took me a long time to be okay with such a small amount when everyone else around you is still eating in 10 min and eating huge portions. It took at least 8 months to feel that peace of mind that I was a good girl today. I did what I was suppose too. I ate my Protein and took my Vitamins and drank my water. It is a great feeling!!!!! I have not lost as much as I had hoped when I got the surgery but I have to keep reminding myself that I have gone from a size 20 to a size 16 and my goal is to be between 12 and 14. So I am almost there and I have to just keep trying every day to reach my goal. The next step will be maintaining. This tool will help me do that and I have to keep my fill at a good spot that will help me maintain that stop button. I wish you all the luck in the world. I love my band and want to share the joy with everyone I see walking down the street that is obese and struggling with food. It has been a blessing and a huge transfirmation for me inside and out!! Another huge thing you HAVE TO DO is get in a good local support group. You can talk and talk to your husband but other bandsters truely understand what your going threw and can help with emotional support in so many ways. I started one in Orange County and we meet every month. It is so nice to share advice with each other and just talk about things you can't with others that have no clue what having a band is all about. :crying:

That is exactly what you should tell your DR. I mean if we could loose the darn weight then geeeee we would have kept it off that last 100 times we went down the scale. The whole reason for the band is to be the tool you use to get fills and get it tighter when your starting to feel like your eating more then you should again. It is an ugly cycle and it is the tool to keep you on track. I had gotten a fill that was too tight so I went threw 3 months of hardly getting anything down with out it hurting and having to PB. I went and had half of my fill removed...........oh momma it was like a kid in a candy store. Let me tell you that the first place I went was Jack in the Box to get a double cheeseburger and it was the best thing I had ever eaten.............but it went down hill from there. Now I did not have the STOP BUTTON I had before and I just ate and ate and ate and ate and binged for three weeks..................12 pounds gained and back to the doctors office I went and got another fill. Just not as tight as before but enough to feel that stop button again so after a couple of bites I start to feel the tightness and set my fork down and wait until it is gone then a couple more small bites. It takes about 35-45 min to get a small meal down but because I am not woofing it down in 10 min like I used too it makes me fuller for longer and I am okay with the small side salad now. You use the tool for what it is suppose to be used for PORTION SIZE. If it is truley what you want honey then you fight for it!!!!!!! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!!!!!:thumbup:

This is why I ended up having to get my band in Mexico because my insurance wanted me to gain 50 pounds to even consider me for approval. Backwards way they do things I mean if they wanted us to get healthy they would make it so we can loose the weight and get the band before we get to a high BMI. The BMI isn't the only thing they look at if you have sleep apnia and or blood pressure problems then they might make an exceptions. Just fight fight fight for it if you really want it!!! I fought for a year and just knew it was what I wanted so just went and paid full pay with a great Dr. in Mexico. Best decision I ever made and I just love my band and it has been my savior to get control of my weight and overeating and kicking myself all the time. The band can be adjusted to what you want. I went threw being too tight and in pain to now being at a good level with my fill and feeling good. When your at a good fill you have a STOP BUTTON that makes you eat slow and wise. Good luck with your journey and it will be worth it I promise!!!!

:thumbup: The energy is just booming off the page!!!! I just really enjoy ready success stories like yours. It keeps me going and when I feel down and alone I always go to the support sites and remember how so many of us are going threw the same journey to our weight loss success!!! I am 1 year 7 months and thought I would have reached my weight goal by now but I have accomplished a lot by loosing 60 pounds and starting at a 20 and now teatering between 14 - 16 depending on the cloths. I can now buy size large in shirts when before it was straight to the plus size section to pick out 2x and now I swim in those shirts. It is a great feeling and a great long long long journey. It has been such an emotional roller coaster realizing the relationship of food being my support and hiding my eating problem. It took me a good 8 months to really come to terms and start feeling the peace with in myself to stop obsessing on what I was going to eat all day and being so okay with 4 bites. I still look at skinny people with that it is so not fare look sometimes but I am a better me by getting the band and remolding myself into a new and improved me.....Inside and OUT!!!!!!! Your story is insirational and I wish you all the band luck in the world. THIS TOOL IS A BLESSING in so many ways for us. I want to go up to people that a 200 pounds overweight and tell them what a gift this band has made my life but of course I don't because most of us that were obese were in such denial that we had an eating problem that it would offend. But I want to share the joy of now having the peace that I feel that I didn't eat the double cheeseburger for lunch and feel good that I only had that side salad and I am totally okay with that!!!!!!!!

This is something all of us bandsters go threw. It is fear and pain that has made me change my ways of eating very quickly. I now watch my husband eat and boy did we eat fast!!!! I always look at him now with big eyes going your done already??? You need restriction to be successful with your weight loss so it is part of the process. I call it the stop button and it is not something your body does over night. I went threw a horrible three months last year where I was too tight and I just threw up almost everything I tried to eat. It really was painful and as soon as I had my fill removed I was like a kid in a candy store. The first thing I did was go to Jack in the Box and eat a double cheeseburger........It was the best burger I have ever eaten. But let me tell you it was down hill from there and two months later I had gained 12 pounds......so off to get another fill I went. Now I am at a good restriction and my stop button is back so after a few bites I feel that tight feeling and have to put my fork down and wait until I can take another couple of bites. If you are in a hurry the best thing is to have to go Protein shakes or granola bars to slowly snack on little bite by little bite. Now that I have felt both sides of the spectrum from too tight to too loose you really rely on being at a good restriciton to be good and keep your calories at what your body needs to keep loosing or just maintain. It is amazing how cutting out carbs then adding them back in how quickly your body will just absorb them and pack it right back on. It is a science of what works for your body and when to stop or just SAY NO!!! Good luck and keep up the great work. It is a lifetime journey so just stay focused on that goal then maintaining is what the next goal can be!!!!!!!:biggrin:

Wow this one is a tricky one. I think that it depends on how you much you want them to know. I have a 9 year old daughter and 17 yr old son. I told my son everything because he is old enough to hear the emotional aspect of why I wanted to get the band and loose weight. My daughter is a curious creature and I didn't want to hide anything from her so I just told her mommy wants to be healthy and happy so I can be the best mom I can be. She has very bad eating habits and threw this whole thing I can see her changing the way she even looks at food. I explain to her all the time that I have to eat what my body needs to be a healthy body not just eat what I am craving because I feel hungry. I did go threw three months where I was too tight from my fill and it was difficult to hide getting sick after I ate. She started making comments about how she hating the band because she saw me in pain. I have gotten my band adjusted so now I can eat with out the compilcation of hurting and getting sick now. It is important to just explain it in a possitive aspect. They don't need to know the emotional roller coaster we go threw being heavy and dealing with the food issues. That is what the support groups are for. It is good to just let them know that mommy is going to be healthy and happy and when mommy is happy.......well know know :biggrin:

Congrats on your surgery your weight loss journey begins. I am surprised they did it outpatient? Where did you have it done? I was at the medical center for three days and any time I needed pain med's they gave them to me. The left shoulder pain is normal because of the gas escaping out of your body. I to this day get the left shoulder pain when I eat something that starts hurting going down. It is weird how my left shoulder starts hurting but can last for about an hour and it feels like a join arthritis hurt. You need to take your pain med's because it takes a couple of weeks to start feeling back to yourself. You won't feel true restriction of the band until you start getting fills so don't be discouraged that when you start feeling better and eating again your food is going down just fine. After you start getting fills and get it tighter is when you really start feeling the restriction to eat and what not to eat. It is all a process of elimination because everyone is different. Some can eat red meat others cant. Some can eat chips others can't. So you just have to figure out what you can tolerate and keep your choices well. It took me a good 2 months before I felt my energy was back and not so tender in the stomach area. You just need to keep an eye on your insitions to make sure they heal up well. Good luck!!!!!!!!!! I just got a fill after my unfil and it is amazing the difference in eating. It will take awhile to learn what your stop button feels like when your body tells you to stop eating or you are going to be in a lot of pain. It is worth it and the band is the best thing I have ever done!!! I love my band because it is the tool that has made a huge difference in getting healthy and happy.:cool2:

Do you mean air because of it getting tighter? I think it is not so much the band it is more your body/stomach changing too. It could make the fluid move that is your fill. I am not sure why it does it but your not suppose to have air in your band just saline from the fill.

:smile:Wow...............that was really a great story!! I am 1year and 1/2 banded and have gone up and down on 50-65 pounds lost. I feel very discouraged at times but have to slap myself and remember why I got the band in the first place. Yes I like the new me and yes it is hard to not eat like I used too........but that is why I got the band. To be healthy and happy with me and to fight the eating disorder that I have and not let food rule my life anymore. To eat what my body needs not craves. To stop beating myself up inside and become confident again. It is a long journey to acomplish and stay on track. But I wanted to thank you for sharing your story. It was really inspiring.:thumbup:

I noticed that when I went to the mountains I was a lot tighter. I also noticed when I went on a 4 hours flight that I was tighter but just a little. I would just be careful and bring a protein shake and something safe with you in case the food on the plane is a no no. You will notice it the day you fly if you are tighter. Everyone is different but I would just be on the safe side and don't eat anything the day before that you might PB on and then be swollen inside in case you do get a tad tighter. The band has a mind of its own as one day you feel really tight the next you can eat no problem. You can eat one meal fine then heat it up the next day and it sticks. It is a mystery.

It is very sore for at least 6 months. You have to remember it is an object put in your body that was not there before. Your body has to get used to it. Make sure you keep a close eye on the port insition because that can get infected. I have a band friend that had her port replaced because the area would not heal correctly so the Dr. removed it and let it heal then replaced it with another one. Everyone's body is different but I have had my band for 1yr 1/2 now and I can push on it no problem with no discomfort. You just have to let your body heal in time but make sure the insition isn't oozing or bleeding. Be very careful and don't lift anything heavy for awhile. It will be tenter to touch for the first couple of months. Your body has to heal inside as well as the outside. Congrats on your band journey. I love my band and keep on this site for support. It really has been a lifesaver for me. I have also met band locals in my area threw this site.

I would like to share my experience with you. I got my band on Nov 24, 2006 so have had it for 1yr 4mths now. I have lost a lot and it didn't really show on my till about the 8mth mark. I only told about 4 people my best friend a couple of family members that I even had it done. I had to hide the fact of when we went out to eat I could only have the Soup or hide the fact I wasn't eating......or even worse eat something wrong and have to go throw it up somewhere. No one at my work knew and I would come back from lunch sometimes having to run to the bathroom if something didn't go down. Once I started to really look like I had lost a lot of weight and people would compliment me and ask how I would say no carbs and portion control. It wasn't a lie......because that is what it was. EASY WAY OUT MY ASS!!!!!!!!!! It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Tell your roomate to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner and smell all the WONDERFUL SMELLS OF food and only be able to get a couple of bites of mash potatoes down and maybe a couple of other bites and that is it!!!!! It is very frustrating to say the least but you get used to it after awhile that 5-6 bites is okay with your head. Your head is what you have to retrain when you used to eat those big Claim Jumper portions and now you can't. It isn't a matter of portion control because your on a diet and you know your suppose to eat less it is CANT!!! Because that one more bite could send you into so much pain that your body wants to throw it up and you have to keep running to throw up. You do it a few times and you start listening to your body say STOP you have had enough. That is when you really start thinking differently.......should I eat a cup of ice cream with zero nutricion or should I have that 5-6 bites of Protein and veggies or soft something that has Vitamins for my body. It takes awhile to retrain your head because that is what controls your cravings. I told my boss who is a man about my surgery but just recently because he kept asking me about my weight and I was sick of hiding if I was sick after lunch. He was very supportive about it. I have told more people in my circle of friends because I am ready to come out of the closet about it. I thought people would give me the easy way out remark too but i am honestly pleasantly surprised that I have gotten a lot of support. I love my band and have had issues of being too tight to where I couldn't even get liquids down for about a month and it was very painful and frustrating but I went to get an unfil and feel 100 times better now. I now have very little restriction with 2cc in my band and after gaining 8 back I am ready to go get just a small fill to feel the restriction again. It is the STOP factor that really makes you eat less and after awhile you are okay with eating less. You feel good about what you ate that day instead of going to bed beating yourself up that you had the supersize hamburger and fries you knew you weren't suppose too. You do what you feel is right and don't listen to anyone saying your taking the easy way out. It is not easy at all to not eat like you were used too. My best friend is skinny and blonde and beautiful and doesn't understand why I got the band when she has seen me go threw taking that one too many bites and having to deal with the pain. But she doesn't understand the voice in my head that kept beating me up inside that I was a looser for getting so heavy and letting myself get that way. I have lost a big part of the weight and feel good about myself again and haven't been happy with myself in a long time. The great thing about this tool is if you want the liquid out of your band you can eat fairly normal again then when you are feeling week like i am right now with eating bread and just snacking too much you go get a fill and the restriction is back to help you stay on track. Good luck with your journey!!!!!!!!!! You do what make YOU happy!!!!!!!!!!!!! :biggrin2:

There are lots of Doctors to choose from in Mexico that do fills. If you do not feel your getting good service then you might want to change. Your going to have this band for a long time or forever so you want a doctor that you feel a connection with and trust if any problems arise. If your interested in getting advice from others just send a message to individuals that have other doctors from Mexico. We are all honest if we didn't like them or love them. I totally trust my Dr. and have found patients that did not like their Doctor here in the US and now go to him in Mexico because he treats them so much better and of course is a lot less expensive. Thank goodness we have sites like this to help with support........AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck

I was also discouraged until I received my third fill and boy is it different. I could still gulp liquids down until I received a fill that really made a difference and it hurt if I tried to gulp. It was sip and chew chew at that point or I would really regret it. You first start to slime and then have to pb up the plug that is hurting. Then if you do it again the same day your really sore. So you learn quickly to take it slow and if after 4-5 bites you have to stop then you stop or you will hurt. Pain is a big deterant from your old habits to overeat and try to get that full feeling we used too which took a lot of food to get to that point. I had my third fill back in Sept. and felt really tight so now it is end of Feb and still have days I feel really tight. Other days it is just not an instant hurt when I start to eat. I am so used to just have very little now and it took me a long time to get to that point. 5 small meals a day is what I try to stick too and a Pure Protein Shake can be one meal that takes 15 - 20 min to sip down. Then a yogart is a meal and a small peice of fish with some soft veggies another. When I first got my band I was like 1200 cal a day are you kidding!!!!!! Now I have to fight to get to the 1200 a day. It is like a weight (literally) has been lifted and the obsession of food is not there anymore. It is just a science to get what I need to be healthy and keep my Metabilsm going instead of being at platue. Even though you don't eat like you used too it doesn't mean the weight will keep dropping. Your body is tricky and will platue so you have to keep up the Protein and exercise to really get the inches off. It takes awhile and it is hard to be patient but the slower you loose it the better your skin will tighten. With By pass patients they loose so fast they have skin that hangs. You have this tool for life or for a long time so remember that once you reach your goal we have to learn how to healthy maintain so that up and down weight roller coaster days are gone. Weight watchers is a great program for anyone because you learn how many points everything is and you look at it as do I need to add 10 points with those Cookies or 3 points for that yogart with granola...............GOOD LUCK my bandster buddies and hang in there. This tool is a gift and fills are the key!!!!!!!!!! Just don't do it fast like get a fill that is so tight Water won't go down. It is worth it to get little by little because everyone's body is different and reacts to fills different.

That is so sweet!!! My daughter is 9 and she too has made comments about how I look good and did the same thing to me like wow mom your waist is really smaller when she hugged me. I just had a smile from ear to ear. I had the same type of experience with my last fill and for a couple of weeks could barely get anything down. I didn't get any removed but probably should have. The last few months have been one day super tight the other no PB's at all. The band has a mind of its own that is for sure!!! BUT I LOVE MY BAND as I feel better then I have in years and I am feeling the peace of not being controlled by my eating disorder. I control it now and not going to bed feeling guilty for overeating that day is soooooo GREAT!!!!! I can be happy with me now and how strong I am for the help of my BAND!!!!!!!!! It is the best thing I have ever done for myself and getting healthy and happy.:eek:

It really is up to you to tell your kids or not. I was very open with my kids and told them why I felt I needed to get a lapband and that it was a life change for the better. I didn't feel comfterable telling everyone though. It took me a year before I started to feel like what the heck when people go wow you have lost so much weight I just respond now ya I got a lapband and they start asking me questions. I was really worried at first what people would say but now I don't care. It has brought that light back that I so missed and I feel great!!!!!!! I want to tell everyone that I know that struggles with food and overweight problems but I don't because it is a very personal decision. My daughter is 9 and has made a comment before about that she doesn't like that I got the band because she sometimes sees me in pain. But I just explain to her that is part of having the band to learn when to stop and what you can and can't eat. That it is not easy to live with the band but it has made mommy so much happier with myself and that is worth it!!!