Vikki

I am hoping to reach my sweet spot tomorrow when I get my third fill. I want to get my fill right in time for the holiday maddness of sweets and more sweets. I am not looking forward to the candy in my house. I have to tell my kids to hide the candy from me instead of me hide it from them!!! I would like to loose at least 10 - 15 pounds by Jan so if I get get my sweet spot now that would be GREAT!!!! I do feel the evening is when I am the most open and that is when I am the hungriest. It will help to feel the STOP feeling when I start trying to snack.

I copied this off of the May bandsters site because it is great info for you newbies. It explains in detail a couple of things you guys might not have heard about the fills and why you have to wait after surgery to have a fill. Great band fill info for Newbies Thanks again to Wendell for posting this elsewhere. It deserves its own thread. Great information to educate us... This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

YesI used the small quick dissolve gas x when needed. I actually had really bad shoulder pain from the surgery. Not everyone has this sensation but I have heard from others that they had it and still get it when they are too full. Good Luck to all you getting banded this month. To you that keep saying you can't wait until you are not hungry anymore. I still get hungry but I get a satisfied feeling after a few bites and sometimes the tightness feeling you will experience which tells your body to stop or you will feel pain. When you eat something too fast or do not chew it well enough you will be in pain until you throw it up or it finally goes down. Just take it slow and remember to read your body because the tool might not stop the hunger but it stops you from the overeating that we got in habit of doing. It is amazing the little our body can be healthy on when we are used to consuming a lot every day. You will start to be amazed how much people eat every day and how little you will be living off of but loosing weight and feeling great!!! It is all worth it but you have to look at it as baby steps. It is a long journey. Good luck to all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like 9 is devine...........my birthday is this month so Sept is one of my favorite months. Plus my daughter was born in Sept. I was reading this thread and remembering the excitment of getting the band. Now that I am almost at a year the honeymoon is wearing off. Don't get me wrong I still love the band but at first you drop quick and then hit platau after platau. It can get frustrating but it is all worth it. So my advice for you guys looking to have surgery is to make sure you walk a lot right after you wake up. It helps move the gas bubble out because that can be painful. You will start to feel good but take it easy. I would last a couple of hours then start feeling like I need a nap to recoop. You don't feel try restriction until you get the fill so once you are healed up after a couple of weeks you will be able to get more down. Everyone is different so you just have to listen to everyone's advice then by trial and error you will figure out what works for your body to be a weight loss machine. Exercise is key but just make sure you are getting enough nutrients :hungry:and LOTS OF WATER!!! GOOD LUCK YOU SEPTEMBER>>>>>Bandsters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :whoo:I am so excited for you!!!!

I know exactly what you mean Marni. I am at another platue and notice that I start eating chips a lot which is carbs and calories my body does not need. I just love the salt. I was eating soy chips for awhile but they are hard to find so if I get a soup at togo's it is hard not to get a bag of chips with it. Lots of willpower and arguing with myself to talk myself out of it. Boy is it hard. I want to drop 10 more pounds sooooo bad to get back into onederland and my body is just not cooperating. So it is off to get a fill next week and get back on track. I am going to get really tight this time and have to just concentrate on just nutrient items for me not craving snacking items........darn chips!!!!!!! I hope everyone is doing well. Where is everyone?? It has been really quiet.

I work with only men so didn't say anything but that I was getting an outpatient surgery done and that is all they knew or asked. We all went out to lunch last Fri. and I was a little nervous that I might eat something and it get stuck. I just nibbles on the appitizers which started to hurt so I stopped and then for lunch had clam chowder with a side salad. They didn't say anything and it went okay. They know I have lost a lot of weight but told them portion control.....just didn't mention one little detail.......of the band. They think it is just will power but I feel it is no ones business that I have the band. It is my personal decision and don't want others gossiping about me because I made this decision. Only a couple of friends know I have it so it isn't discussed very often. I figure once I loose all the weight and maintain it I can open up more to the people I feel might be interested in it.

I am just wondering what kind of salads you guys have been able to eat. I am trying different ones and a dry ceasar is the only one so far that I can get down. Dressing on the side. Which ones do you guys like? Thanks

Betseyjane that is soooo great!!!! It is amazing how much extra weight can damage out limbs. My poor mother is now 76 and she is very obese and her knees have completely given out. She can hardly walk anymore. That is one of the reasons I decided to make sure I didn't get that way. No more yo yo weight up and down. Stretching my skin with the excess weight then loosing it and it sagging. I am just going to loose and then maintain FOREVER!!! YAHHHH BAND!!!!!!!

Anyone in the Souther Calif. area we are getting together on Sat. Aug 25th at my house in Huntington Beach so if any of you are interested in joining us please send me an email vikki4mymail@yahoo.com I will send over my address information. The more the merrier and we need each other for local support!!! I look forward to the meet up.

I try to eat at least 5 times a day. If I wait too long I tend to get too hungry and want to eat way too fast. I am stuck at an annoying platue right now and am sooooo close to Onederland that it is so frustrating. I can't seem to drop the last 10 pounds to get the the 100's again. I guess it is time to get another fill and get tightened up. Some days I feel really tight and some I don't. I am just trying to really be good with keeping the exercise up. The inches are really sheding so I need to be thankful for that. My arms have lost weight but now I have saggy turkey gobble arms.........I need to bump up the weight training. It is a never ending battle but the band is definitely working!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that when I get a fill I get a left shoulder pain that feels like around my heart area. It is a weird signal from my esophegus and it is annoying but usually when I eat or drink it hurts right after my fills. It does go away but sometimes when I have a bad PB it comes back. That might be what you are feeling. I have been told by a lot of band people that they get the same annoying hurting on their left side. It has to do with the band tightening and irritating the area so a signal goes to the left shoulder area................I don't know the exact scientific of it but I get it too. I usually have to just relax and stop putting anything in for awhile and it settles down. The tool is working to say to your body STOP!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to meet at my house for Southern Cal group on Aug 25th at noon. If you interested in coming pls email me at vikki4mymail@yahoo.com and I will add you too the list. I am in Huntington Beach and look forward to a meet up to discuss a lot of different things. It will be a good round table discussion and stories to share. Take care

Yes, I do feel that way. Though some weeks I start feeling as If I can eat like I used to and quickly reminded that I can't and have a PB. I do feel like more at ease when I go out to eat and not stress on eating something I shouldn't. Process of elimiation from experience has ruled out a lot of food that is just a NO. It was almost like anger at first of giving up the food but now I am totally okay with it. Food is a big part of life but I am okay with just saying no now. I am learning more and more everyday that hunger is more mental than anything. I am okay with the decision to cut most foods out of my life. It has almost like a peace with in yourself of the weight loss struggle and the sacrifice we have to live now. The scale going down helps that peace but once we get to our goal we have to maintain. The band is there to help us do that. I have grown a lot the last year in discovering a new me inside and out. Happy Friday to all!!!!!!!!!!!:whoo:

I am so sorry to hear that about the leak litltwety. What can cause a leak? I am doing good. Haven't lost much weight but definetly feel the difference in my cloths. I put on a pair of shorts yesterday that I haven't worn in three years and they are a little snug but I got them on and they look good. I went to vacation last week to Big Bear Lake and because of the altitude I felt very tight so didn't eat much. It is a good thing I guess. It was a struggle with myself to not be able to munch on anything I wanted but got threw it. It is weird how the band works. Some days you feel you can get anything in and the next you PB after three bites. When that happens its like your body is reminding your brain that it is there. I hope everyone is having a good summer. Not much activitity on our page like before. I missed the lap band site while I was on vacation because it helps me with support that I am not the only one going threw these mind battles and body battles. I am going to ask my Dr. about the Omnipack for my next fill. I would like to try it to see if it stays in place better.

Your right Marni what works best for us by loosing is what we need to stick with. Though changing it up is good too for your body but I am so scared to make the wrong choice. Today I tried to have the same thing I had for lunch two days ago and had no problem then but today after three bites I ended up getting stuck. When you guys say your pouch gets dialated what do you mean? A lot of times if I feel pressure is building up I go to the bathroom and make myself throw up to get the plug up and out. Is that the wrong thing to do? I usually end up feeling the need to go throw up a few more times after that by assiting or just throwing up by the burp. When the food pressure starts what do you guys do? Get up and walk around? I do drink a lot of protien shakes and have protein bars to get my protein instead of chix. The only chix I can eat is from a Thai place that is curry chix and has a lot of salt in it. I am really trying to lube everything but tend to then pack on the calories with Ranch dressing......ext. So I try to not get in a habit of it.

I don't understand when you guys say you feel I am sticking to liquids too much. I have 5.occ in my band and some days feel really tight and other days not so much. It is a gamble for what I can eat and I guess that since I do eat out a lot of the time I stick to soft soup or soft food in general because I am scared to eat more solids. When I do eat more solids I usually get that hurting feeling of pressure and I am trying to do little bites and chew chew. The pain is not something I want so I then refrain from it. I suppose if I am getting the vitamins I need and my body is still loosing I should just stick to what is working. I have been having a lot of problems with gas pains lately and just started on gas x to help. I don't know how my system is going to react to foods anymore. It is either pain from the band or pain from the gas???? Food is just not my friend right now and I guess that is what exactly I was going for.........It just took time to train my brain to not want the food like it used to for comfert or bordem. I now consentrate on other things like working out and projects to keep me busy. Do you guys feel this way too? I am also noticing spicy is a no no. It zips me up like a zipper. I soooo love spicy too!! Another thing I am having to give up. The sacrifice is worth it because I went to the used Levi store this weekend and walked out with two pairs of Levis and they actually look good on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEE HOOOO

I try to order different things when I go out to eat and 6-10 times it is okay if I stick to really soft. Soups, Baked potatoe with cottage cheese. I am snacking on South Beach granola bars because they are higher in Protein and never stick if I take small bites and usually eat it after I sip on some tea. Hot tea can make a huge difference as it relaxes the area so it doesn't tighten up. I notice if my first couple of bites is something really spicy it tightens right up and usually sticks and I throw up. Not too fun when throwing up spicy......burn. So I try to stick to hot soup or hot tea about 10 min before my meal. I do a lot of Chili but usually get Quizno's chili because it has the most homeade taste to it with lots of stewed tomatoes that are really soft. I noticed when I tried to do more protien shakes instead of so many salty soups I dropped a couple of pounds. You really have to read your body and if it is a solid food just small small bites and count your chews. Eating while watching TV or chatting with someone can make you take a big bite and not concentrate on chewing. That is how I usually get in trouble. Nothing is more embarrassing but having to get up a half a dozen times to go releive the slime stuck in your band. My co workers do not know I have the band as they are all men so it is hard to get to the bathroom and try not to look like I just was crying when I get back. I am eight months now and with 5.0cc in my 10cc band and I usually have to throw up 2 times a week. When I am trying to be creative and eat something new. I feel it is a kick in the ass from the band fairy to say..........stop and think of what is going in. Do you want to be in pain????? NOOO It is amazing how pain really changes your way of thinking. It is not worth the hassle anymore.

Hey there Calif peeps. I would like to try and set up a meeting for the Southern Calif area and am looking at Aug 5th Sunday. Not sure where we are going to meet yet but it might be at my house in Huntington Beach. If you are interested in going please send me an email at vikki4mymail@yahoo.com and let me know so I can add you to my list. We met up last month but at a the rainforest cafe which was loud so I am trying to get a better location to meet at so we can talk more. We all have questions and need support. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks

Hi there Bandster buddies, I hope that everyone has a fun day planned for the 4th of July. We have a very fun parade in Huntington Beach every year that my kids and I love to go to. It is going to be HOT this year so make sure that you bring your sun screen. I wanted to set up another get together for local support. If any of you would like to offer up your house please let me know. I would offer my own house but it is quit small but if Huntington Beach is a good middle point for everyone's location we could have it at my house. I was wondering if Sunday Aug 5th would work for everyone. Our first meeting was nice but at a restaurant it was hard to really talk to each other. I would like to set up a location this time where we can have more of a round table discussion with each other. I know some of you have had your band for awhile and some are very new. It would be nice to ask questions and share stories with each other. Please let me know if that date works for you guys and where you would like to meet up and I will coordinate it all.

That is great Tom. Let us know what it is like to eat with no fill. If you feel a big difference. If you get that pressure feeling after a couple of bites or if it now takes a lot longer with it empty. I am just curious and can't wait to get to my goal wait. To maintain your goal weight what is usually recommended? To keep it filled or have it taken out? I have had a bad headache for a week now. I also have dropped 3 pounds. I am wondering if I am depriving my body of something and it is reacting as a headache. I am drinking tons of water so I know I am not dehydrated. I don't know if maybe it is my sinuses or something else.........why is our bodies such mysteries. Does anyone else out there feel like a detective trying to find clues for answers???????????? Keep us updated Tom so we know how things go. You are doing sooooo GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is great on how much you have lost Tom!!!!!! Can I say how jealous I am!!! I would love people to tell me I am too skinny. That has never happened to me ever. I have always been healthy....to say the least. I sure hope that your Dr. can figure out the lack of energy. :bored:faint:That must be frustrating!! Hope you feel better soon. Why is it that men loose so much faster than women.........Its not fare. I mean we have to deal with so much more physically than men and we get the short end of the stick when it comes to loosing weight toooooooooo!!!:Banane41:

You know what cut me off the starbucks was when I found out how many calories was in my favorite Frappucinos. I love the green tea and it is almost 500 calories so that is a meals worth. I only have one everyonce in a long while now instead of a couple times a week. I got a book from Barnes and Noble that has all kinds of foods and restuarant chains in it and it fits in my purse to count calories/fats/carbs to pick from them on how many instead of what I am craving. That is what got me in trouble in the first place of eating what I was craving instead of what my body needs to be a loosing machine. Not that I am loosing a lot right now but I am not gaining. It feels like it will be forever to get back into the 100's but I think I can I think I can!!!!!!!!!!!! :banana:cheer2::funscale:

Connie, It sounds like you still need more of a fill to get to your sweet spot. I have days where I can eat more than others but it is still hard to eat a full size meal because of restriction. I would call and talk to your Dr. if you feel you are eating as much as before being banded. The whole point of this tool is for us to feel full quicker so if you are not achiving this then you should check with your Dr. and schedule a fill. I think everyone is different when it comes to feeling a PB. Sometimes I get a pressing pain where my band is and that signals "Stop Eating" or you will be in lots of pain. Sometimes it is a feeling of the top of my esophegus and my food doesn't want to go down and you want to hit your chest as to unlodge it. I think that I might have a very sensative esophegus which has been the case since I recieved the band. I have learned to listen to my body when the pain starts or the pressure and to put down the fork and walk around for awhile. I then tend to get the fullness feeling more than as to keep eating. Hope this helps. I have read that it might take up to 6 fills to get the restriction that is needed. Some it might be the first. Everyone is different. I ordered a book on Amazon today that was written by Mahamad Ali's daughter called Banding...Fighting weight. I just found out on another thread that she had even been banded. Who knew. She had lost a big amount and I can't wait to read her story.

I had no idea that she had a lap band. I did notice she had lost weight but I thought it was from training. I just ordered the book on amazon so let me know what you think about it. I also ordered a book on life after gastric surgery with meal recommendations and advice. I can't wait to read them. I did go shopping last week and fit into XL shirts. I was very happy about that because I could pick from the regular clothing section instead of having to go over to the plus size section. That is a big move for me. I am still trying to be focused and look at what I have achived instead of what I haven't. Hope everyone is doing well!!!!!!!!!

I love the new thread. I will post our pictures. If you email me the pictures you took I can put them together. Just send them to my personal email. I had a great time meeting everyone too. It was my first band get together since I don't have any support groups threw my Dr. office. You look wonderful too Angela. I hope you had fun at Disneyland that day. It was great to meet you Son and new Daughter in law. Talk to you soon!!