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Sounds like 'life with a band'. The band does tighten and loose on its own...sort of. The nurse who does my fills said it's due to the gastric juices affecting the inside of our banding area which causes the 'stomach' to expand and contract slightly causing the band to be tighter or looser. The days when you're not hungry and have more stuck issues are probably the days when your band is about right on. Just take small bites, chew well and avoid the 'problem' foods. The days when you're hungry all day...you're just going to have to white knuckle it...but knowing that it's temporary. Personally, if I had more hungry days, I'd go for just a teensy fill and drink Protein Shakes on the too tight days...but that's just me. .

I think we're all at this mindset at one point or another. I just try to console myself that maybe our slower weight loss will mean less loose skin in the long haul. I think 30 lbs is great! I am three weeks out and stuck at 12 lbs, so I would take 30, LOL! I know what you mean though. I have definitely had to revise my goal dates. Hang in there!

I loved your blog and you are younger than I am. I have yo yo'd dieted for years and the most weight I ever lost was 30lbs on my own and then I would gain back 40lbs. Well, now that I have my band I am down 56 lbs as this morning and I feel great and plan on keep going. I did not tell very many people that I had the surgery because I did not want to hear you took the easy way out. But if they knew what I had to do to just get the band and now to make sure I get nothing stuck, it is NOT the easy way out. I have over eaten and laid in bed drooling out my spit because I can't swallow it, I did not take the easy way out. So right now I am just start getting the looks and people saying, wow, you lost weight and I just say, yep, a few pounds and keep it at that. Never say how much I have lost. If someone is bold enough to ask, I just say I am not at my goal yet. It is nice that my husband is loosing weight too because we are both eating different, like turkey burgers, broiled fish, etc so people just think we are both on diets. 56lbs, I can see my knees when I sit down now. Small thing but to a fat person it is a big thing. So good luck to you and keep those blogs coming on how well you are doing. Judy

Today my primary doctor took me off Cholesterol medication... My last one. I am extremely happy. Surgeon wants to see me in three months and primary too. Green zone all the way. Loosing slowly but steady... Nothing is hanging at 46 my skin is behaving. I love love love my band and I am extremely grateful I took control of my life. Loving life living for real!

So I'm down about 47 pounds (stalling now but think its because I have my period). I was sleeved 4-24-12 so I'm almost a month So nsv's. Maybe tmi but I have a much easier time cleaning myself in the bathroom... If you know what I mean. My "hump" in the middle of my back is disappearing. I can easily put on shoes. I can walk without getting out I breath Normally after a family get together I woul only be able to help with the clean up for so long until my back was killing me but today I was able to really help! And I was able to drink and eat some normal food (very small portions) so I didn't feel Left out or look strange... No one here today saw anything strange... Which is good because I'm not ready to tell them. My stomach doesn't touch the steering wheel My shorts that were always too tight are now too loose!

I am very sorry I haven't been in to chat and visit with everyone. Unfortunately the lapband and weight loss has been the furthest from my mind as of late. My most favorite aunt has been suffering for a long time with cancer, they recently told her there was nothing more they could do for her, that she had 10 days to 10 weeks, go home drink martinis and enjoy the rest of your life. She did. And she left us Wednesday. I have been an emotional roller coaster since. I want to feel good about this. Finally she isnt suffering, there is no pain in eating and drinking, no pain in her body. But we (her entire extended family) were just not ready to let her go. I started the first day with Cookies, but soon started feeling like I needed to DO something. So I drained all 5000 gallons of my pool and leveled the ground beneth it properly, in the 102 degree (heat index) heat. The more the sweat poured off me the better I felt. Unfortunatly this hasnt made a dent in my weight but right now I just dont care. As long as I am moving and working I am ok. If I stop and be still I loose it. If I am alone, I loose it. And she would be very upset with me for that. So I work my butt off so I don't think about it. This has been my life lately. I will be back soon, I just need some time to get over this. All my best!

Past threads recommended the following for constipation. Apples with the skin Smooth Move Herbal Tea Prune juice (warmed) Prunes (4 in the morning and 4 at night) Magnesium citrate Insoluble fibers (Garden of Life Raw Fiber or Renew Life Triple Fiber). Haribo sugar free Gummy Bears Aerobic Magnesium 07 Ground Flax Seeds (but don’t try to grind it yourself). Use 2 tablespoons per glass of Water every night before going to bed. Low Fat Bran Muffin (recipe). 80 calories each 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups bran Cereal 1 ¼ cups milk 1 egg ½ tablespoon applesauce optional: banana, berries, mini chocolate chips Bake 400° F for 22 minutes

Well its been 3 months today since my wife and I were banded on the same day. I'm down 35 lbs and she is down 20. Have not had too many issues, although chicken breasts and I just do not like each other anymore. We both quit trying to loose weight before the holidays and basically quit watching closely what we ate. Our weights stabilized at that point. Its time to get started again. Going to drop the hammer down again Monday and get serious. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal so hopefully I can get back on track quickly! Time to feel the burn. Captain Mark--out for now.

One of the reasons I would never ever consider a gastric bypass is that you're losing weight at the expense of your health. It is worth it if you're about to die from complications of obesity but that's about the only thing that would make me consider it. I'd rather not have baggy saggy skin, have my bones breaking everytime I sneezed and suffer a million other complications of malnutrition thanks. I dont want to look good that badly. Also, somebody who has lost weight that way has severely damaged their metabolism. If they ever so much as looked at 1500 calories a day again they'd put weight right back on. Cutting down on calories too severely slows your metabolism, the idea is to keep your intake as high as possible to still produce a good weight loss, part of that equation is both lots of cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and also lots of weight resistance exercise to build and maintain muscle. That's about as scientific as you really need to get. You can get all into high Protein, low carb etc etc but I dont think even the experts really know the truth there. I think there's definitely something to be said for cutting out all the processed carbohydrate rubbish that most people eat and eating more good quality protein foods but I think things like Atkins are pretty much fad diets, just my opinion though. If calories in is less than calories out you will lose weight, whatever you eat.

What, if anything, is too serious to joke about? Nothing that I've come across yet, depending on the situation. There's situational seriousness, but not absolute. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or one ability, what would it be? Greater patience for some of the things I have little patience for now. Whom, if anyone, do you envy enough to want to trade lives with them? I don't know that I truly envy anyone enough to give up my life to have theirs. I had to fight obesity, but all in all my life is plenty good enough for me. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what woud it be? More exposure to lower income families/people. I was raised in a very affluent area, in a family that - from about the time I was 3 on - did not want for anything. My classmates were mostly the children of actors/actresses, professional sports players, etc. The first time I was introduced to a less affluent "real" setting, it was very uncomfortable to me. To date, I still do not always respond the way I should. E.g. - suggesting an expensive restaurant without thinking that might put a friend in an akward position, or being out shopping with a friend and walking into an expensive store without first thinking that it could be "in your face" to be there. I should be more proactive in my considerations. If there were a public execution on tv, would you watch it? Probably depends on the type of execution, and how it was being broadcast. If it were being done for money/ratings, no way. I've seen people die before. And in my time I've seen some things I later wished I hadn't, and I know they can stay around and haunt you for a while, and have a way of literally making your skin crawl regardless of how much time has passed. Yet I am very curious in a purely physiological/medical way about what happens during some types of execution... curious enough to watch one... perhaps, depending on the type. But I would really have to weigh it against the potential for regret. Would you rather arrive at a party underdressed or overdressed? Probably overdressed. It's much easier to dress down an outfit, than to dress it up. What's more important: actual experiences, or the memories that remain from those experiences? I think the memories. The experiences last - minutes. Each second is over in the next. It's only the memories that live on past that 2nd second. In real conversations, do you tend to talk more or listen more? Definitely listen. I'm an INTJ -- an observer. If you had to chose one, would you rather be blind or deaf? Deaf, for a purely practical reason - communication. If I'm blind, I have to re-learn an entire written system. If I'm deaf, I can still read what people write to me. I enjoy music immensely, but can always recall and feel the vibrations.

It is to true that old habits die hard. It doesn't seem to matter how long ago you put them away, you thought for good, they will still on occassion rear their ugly head. If we are not on the look out for them, it is very easy to fall prey. This weekend, the hubs and I hosted my mom's 65 birthday party. I had about 35 people at my house. While it was an awesome night and every one had fun, I realized that I screwed up. Our menu was hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, sides were: chips, tater salad, cole slaw, baked beans, mac and cheese. I thought ahead enough to know I couldn't do the bread, so that was fine, I bought skinless hot dogs so I could have one with a little slaw on the side. I did good in the fact that I avoid the chips, mac and cheese, and tater salad. I had a small spoon of baked beans. I was having a great time. I ate slowly- no stuck problems. Then it was dessert time. I had made a homemade apple cobbler and peach cobbler and had purchased a beautiful cake from BJ's. I also had ice cream to go with these. I ate a peice of cake and a spoon of ice cream on the side. Granted in days past I would have eaten double, maybe triple what I ate that night. But, I still over did it. My band is really loose right now and that makes it really easy to slip up. (My appointment is Thursday- yeah) But, I can't blame my band, it is me, my choice. But, honestly I wasn't even thinking. We had a ton of cake left and chips and burgers. I sent left overs home with my brothers being that one has 5 kids at home and the other has 3 at home. I did keep one small square of cake for me and my hubs to share- shouldn't have done that. Yesterday, I woke up with the mother of all migraines. I managed to stay up right long enough to feed the dogs and tell the hubs I was going back to bed. I stayed their till noon. I got up cleaned my house up from the party the night before and the head ache returned, I hit the couch. I hardly moved yesterday. Felt like crap. This morning I felt better- got up and hit the scale before heading out to work. 191.3- well the weekend certainly showing it's self. 3 lbs up for the lowest. I keep bouncing between 188 and 191 for the past 3 weeks. I know I can do better, I should do better, I want to do better- but I keep slipping up. At the moment I am like screw it I want this- then I feel aweful. Granted I don't slip to bad, but a slip is a slip and bad either way. I worry that I will never drop below this weight. Is this where I am destined to stay? Will I self-sabatage myself more? How do I get back on track and stay there? You may say, well you have to do it, you have to want it. I do want it and I know I have to do it- but it is not easy, WLS is NOT the easy way out.

Please keep asking questions, I'm so grateful to have the people around me that answered these questions when I had them :biggrin: :w00t: A tater tot is a shredded potato that is like a little ball I have never counted calories, I have been able to rely totally on portion control. My BIGGEST issue and one that I have battled is Ice Cream, I eat too much of it but apparently it is not totally out of control since I have been able to lose and maintain my weight and still eat it When I am eating, I need to take a bite, put my fork/spoon down and swallow. Then pick up the fork, take a bite, set it down. It is funny how many people follow my lead even when they don't know I'm banded. We have been taught our whole lives to slow down when we eat, well this time it's for real. If I eat quickly, I get stuck So to eat my cup of chili took me about 20 min. I could have eaten more but I was satisfied and I would have been pushing it to keep going. Now I'm not talking about white knuckling it, I'm just saying, yes I could have gotten up, put more in my bowl, eaten more, but then I would have felt miserable all night with pain. When I get pain from overeating it is usually in my port area, like the food hits my big stomach and PRESSES on my port. Strange feeling. I have found my "safe" food, you know the one you eat every time you go out with friends because you know you won't PB on it, is Nachos. I ordered 1/2 taco salad after church and ate 1/2 of it with no problems. I have started having the cafe make me a small plate of nachos when I go there because I know I won't PB. We live in a small town and only have one cafe that deep fat fries everything. UGH Not much I can eat there, but nachos is my safe food. Baked potatoes is my other safe food. I will eat a baked potato with butter on it almost every night that I can't come up with something else. Last summer I started managing a bed and Breakfast which meant I had to cook for guests most every day. Being newly banded I was freaked out, but I would make the guests, spinach and strawberry salad and then steak and baked potatoes and asparagus. I could eat a little salad, 3-4 bites, 4 or 5 asparagus and then a baked potato. That is more than I could eat now, since my last fill, but that is what I lived on all summer long and lost the majority of my weight. Some people can't eat a baked potato at all and I can no longer eat the skin (used to be my favorite part), but that is too starchy for some peoples bands. Let's see what else have I been eating??? I can eat a few bites of steak if it is really tender and I chew well, I can eat an egg as long as it is late evening (I only eat one). I will keep adding to my list as I think of foods I can eat and how much. I guess the biggest thing is having a fill that makes it so you can feel satisfied on a little amt of food. Oh, and for Cerrin, don't start off really hungry. HA Easier said than done I know, but your head tells your body, keep eating, I'm still hungry, I can't get rid of the shakes with out more food. But in reality it is your blood sugar level dropping and trying to level out. Your blood sugar isn't raised instantly when we put food in our mouth, it take a little while, if you are always in HUNGRY mode your body will always think it needs more food than it does. Hope all this helps :laugh:

Ya gets me too! I think it's the skin on it...I will throw up and throw up and throw up and then finanlly one tiny little piece of clear kernal skin with come up and I will be fine...It's so GROSS...lol no more for me...

How many calories are you getting? Most Docs recommend around 1000 a day. Do you exercise? You absolutely must get you water and protein in. I do best with 70+ grams of protein and around 100 oz of water. Keep in mind that you have less to loose than some of us so you loss may be slower. You've lost almost 1/4 of your weight I. 3 mos. If you can keep that up you should be fine.

I keep losing. It is a lot slower now, and I have periodic maintenance periods, but still lose about .5 lbs a week. I really don't want to lose much more. I'm 2lbs from goal and have loose skin. At this point, my concern is that if I continue the pattern that has been playing out over the last many months, I will be losing too much weight. I've seen people on the forums fuss about this as if they are doing an eye roll that it isn't a real problem or that the solution is just to eat more. Just like when someone says, "If you are fat, eat less and exercise more. You don't need surgery." ...they are over simplifying a complex problem and don't really understand. I eat lots of junk. I eat Desserts and bread. I drink beer. I eat and drink anything and everything I want. But, believe it or not, I'm still losing and it has not stopped. I may sustain a weight range for a month, but then it drops. No, I don't exercise at all. This may not be the norm, but is a legitimate concern and a reality for some here.

So every job has its pros and cons. One of the pros of my job is we hold customer events as some cool locations. Although I am a lifelong Red Sox fan, I am on my way to the New Yankee stadium. We are holding a one day customer conference and then taking in a game. No not the Sox :w00t:. I have been fortunate to spend 3-4 weeks are traveling in the city for various tradeshows and events. It has also let me sample some of the best restaurants in the city. However, I am I thinking about the powdered protein drinks (Labrada, Chocolate Ice Cream Flavor…Yes, they are good) I have in my suit case. I need to land soon and get a drink in me so I don’t get to hungry. My first weight in was March 27th and I was 373. Due to my extended delays (I have had to move my surgery date from May 6th to June 8th and now June 29th). I have had an extended period of pre-op dieting. I have been able to reduce my weight by48 lbs to 325. I feel good with the progress, but I am not satisfied. I have another 128 to go. As I fly towards my date with the “Bronx Bombers” I am conjuring images of how I want things to be next summer when I go to the ball park. I want to be one of the guys at the ball park with my shirt off, soaking up the sun (with a good SPF 30). Like many people here I have been that guy/girl to be comfortable with skin exposed in a public setting. Most who have read my blogs and looked at my pictures know I am not a shy or retiring person. I have always done what I wanted regardless of my size, but I want to get to the point I do it because of my weight. I look forward to seeing you all at the ballpark next year showing some skin and being proud of whom you are and what you have accomplished.

Hi everyone, I had My band placed on the 11th of March feeling Great most the time , someday's still having pain on my left side anyhow I should be able to eat food now but that is not going so good, I have been able to only eat 2 times without feeling a lot of pain on my left side right under the rib area... I have been careful when I have eaten small bites eating slowly not drinking 30 minutes before or after and very small amounts of food. I have not had a fill yet that is planned for the 2nd of April, but after reading some of the posts about how painful the fills are I am really scared as needles scare me anyhow but figured I could handle a poke and some pressure once a month for a fill...but after reading these post lately I'm not excited at all and besides I can't eat much at all and not feeling really hungery yet and still not loosing any weight! Am I doing something wrong? I'm so confused at this point. Thank you in advance for your replys.

I noticed that my body has a rhythm..... I loose a significant amount of weight... stall, gain a pound or 2, then start losing again..... weird.....like it's not letting go easy... wickedness.....

Doing great...!!!! Banded Nov. 10th and my two year mark as come and gone. Still stuck at 80lbs. But that's ok. Thats 80lbs i could have never lost and kept off with out my band. I started at 223lbs and now at 143ish.... Love being able to wear a shirt that just has a L on it and not xxL... and single digit paints..... 6-8 and not a 18-20... For the most part i have been a "slow loser". I would really love to lose another 10lbs or so, but my husband says...."you need to stop, your looking too thin"... REALLY.... TO THIN. NO SUCH THING i tell him. I have not had a fill since my one year visit. Sometimes i feel like i really need a fill and somedays.. not. So i have an appt for the 28th for a check up and i will talk to my dr. about it. I have adjusted well to the do's and don'ts of my band and the changes are things i can defiantly do for the rest of my life. I have done really well with the only having extra skin in the stomach area... but i have an appointment for Jan. 13 for a PS consult for a TT. I can't wait. After 2 c-sections, gallbladder, hysterectomy and the LB... my stomach looks like a road map... Flat stomach here i come. Would really love a Breast lift too... will talk to him at the appt about that too. Have either of you thought about PS? Have you had any problems?

Yes, the food is great, but when they make six different desserts and I am not talking low fat anything. I thought I did pretty good with only 1/2 a dessert. my personal trainer will beg to differ. As I have always said "Cake, my favorite kind" I have been on so many diets, I am sure they are used to it. I can't wait to get banded, sometimes I am so ready, others I ask myself if I am doing the right thing. My friend says I am just big boned. Well if bones come is rolls of fleshy skin, then maybe I would agree, but we all know that is not true.

My first fill was 4cc's, 4 weeks after surgery...2nd fill was 4 weeks after that. Between my first and 2nd fill I GAINED weight..... First fill did absolutely nothing. Plus at 4 weeks I was coming off the post-op diet and back on regular foods...with NO restriction so naturally I gained as though the band was not even there.... Second fill was 2cc's, for a total of 6....after that, I did not gain, nor loose much either...things kind of came to a standstill.... It took my 3rd fill, of 1cc, to put me over the top, into the Green Zone, where my eating and hunger was brought under control and I started to loose weight steadily every week. This also was the hardest part of the weight loss process because I had to adapt to what was going on as far as following all the rules, choices of food, etc. But once I got that down, changing my mindset and habits to adjust to the band, (not the other way around)...it all became the easiest thing possible....best decision I ever made. Still cruising along without a single issue. But that first 6 months, that was a frustrating struggle to say the least. Do not judge your bands fills with those of other people....I have noticed everyone reacts differently....including successful people who have completed the process without ever getting a fill..... It's something you need to learn for yourself.....

I'm hoping to hear from other members of the forum on how to expect to feel after my surgery. Currently, my abdominal region feels like I have a hard cover book under my skin. Is this normal? Also, I'm on liquids but not sure if I will feel full? Am I supposed to? Thanks!

Hi, I was banded Feb 20th. My surgery went well, they repaired a pretty decent size hernia before putting the band on. So I have some extra soreness where the band is. I also had a lot of swelling so it is a struggle for me to get in my liquids and get enough protein. It is slow going but otherwise all pain is gone At least because of that I don't have any desire to eat yet, I am sure it will come. I even took a 20 minute walk today. The biggest hurdle by far has been mental!! I was totally unaware of the fact that I would freak out. I don't know why but about day 4 I started to have panic attacks and crying. Asking myself why did I do this and why would I do this when I have two small kids at home! For the last 3 days I cry at least once a day. I am not sure what is causing me to have sweats and skin burning but at first I thought I was rejecting the band. I am not sure how to bring this up to my doctor at my follow up appt. But all I do is hug my kids and keep convincing myself that I did this for them and how I am going to make a success of this. Just praying this goes away soon!

Hi my name is Maribel im 5.5"a mother of 3 beautiful kids and 24 years old. I have struggled with obesity since I was little. I managed to be healthy when I was 15 but then got pregnant by my first born then a year later I had my second child. I was very thin when I got and had my children but when my 3rd child arrived in 2007 I weight 160 lbs. After that I just blew up and never was able to loose the weight. I currently weight 271 lbs. The biggest ive been was 160lbs. So I decided to get the Vertical Sleeve and right now im in process of it. I already attended the Orientation and the Consultation with the Doctor. I start my classes on July 23, 10 and im so happy. Even though my husband and kids tell me that im beautiful I still feel uncomfortable. I just can't wait to do this and I hope that everything goes good for me.:thumbup1:

I have PCOS too - I wondered about the surgery, and if it would help me to loose, especially since, I was never able to loose much of anything before. Well, I'm happy to report that I was able to lose around 30 pounds so far! I'm as thrilled as can be. I have reached a stand still now, mostly because I haven't got restriction - just got home from my 3rd fill! So all in all, I'm amazed and thrilled. I do take metformin, and continue to take it after my surgery. It is mostly for regulating my periods more than anything else.....but it supposedly helps place girls like us with PCOS on a more level playing field with everyone else.... Hope this helps! Amy