Here is info will come in handy when thinking about fills/adjustments. Great information. I have seen this information before and it is really good.

How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted

You are losing 1-2 pounds per week.

If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week:

A. You may need an eating adjustment

1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day

2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber

3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories

a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome”

b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram

(1) It’s also a stomach irritant

c. fruit juice is just sugar Water

4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of

foods?

a. Are you avoiding soft foods

b. You can’t just eat what’s easy

c. cheese is glorified fat

5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals

6. Are you eating too much junk

a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly

processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a

healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you

feel deprived.

b. Stay out of fast food places

7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily

8. Do you always eat the protein first

9. Then the vegetables or fruits

a. Five servings a day

b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable

10. Is your portion size appropriate?

a. meat or fish

(1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards

b. Vegetables

(1) ½ cup – the size of your fist

c. Starch

(1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need

much

(2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta

11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners

a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the

appetite

b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar

c. They teach you to like things too sweet

d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner

than people who don’t

12. Avoid most diet foods

a. Real food usually tastes better

b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes

c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not

that great

(1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet

margarine

(2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats

a. They may go into permanent storage

b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove

hydrolyzed fats from the body

B. You may need a behavior adjustment

1. Are you eating only when you are hungry?

a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait.

2. Are you eating three meals a day?

a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks

3. Are you sitting down to eat?

4. Are you eating consciously?

a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper

away, pay attention to your food and your companions

5. Are you eating slowly?

a. Put the fork down between bites

b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal

c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying

6. Are you taking small bites?

a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork

7. Are you chewing well?

8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals?

a. Practice water loading between meals

b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal

9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness?

a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough

b. Hard stop versus soft stop

10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing.

11. Do not eat when you are not hungry

C. You may need an activity adjustment

1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3

times a week?

a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day

b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week?

c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes?

2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your

physical activity?

a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators

b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding

c. Parking your car further away from the entrance

d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through

e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination

f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash

g. Playing with your kids

D. You may need an attitude adjustment

1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey?

2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are

eating and exercising?

a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days

3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional

issues?

a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your

eating?

b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those

emotions?

c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor?

4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings?

5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends?

6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically?

7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss

journey?

8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating?

a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts

(1) Obsess about something else

b. Perfectionism

(1) All or none, black and white thinking

c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss

9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards?

10. Have you learned how to take a compliment?

11. Are you giving up diet mentality?

a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day

b. Stop dieting

c. Stop depriving yourself

d. Stop defining food as “good” and “bad”

e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food

12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place?

E. You may need a band adjustment

1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate

portion sizes but getting hungry between meals?

2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large

portions.

3. You are having to struggle to lose

4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and

having a good mind set.

F. You may need your band loosened

1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down

2. You are vomiting too much

a. How much is too much?

3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night?

a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating

b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime

c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime

d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux:

(1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods

(2) Chocolate

(3) Caffeine

(4) Alcohol

(5) Some fruits and vegetables

a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers

(6) Peppermint

a. Baking soda toothpaste

(7) Carbonated drinks

e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals

f. If you smoke, quit smoking

g. Reduce stress

h. Exercise promotes digestion

i. Raise the head of your bed

j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist

k. Stress increases reflux

l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning

m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime

(1) Tylenol is OK

n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring

o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications

p. See your health care provider

4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if

a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest,

especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is

accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast

heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack.

b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise.

c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you

also have nausea or fever

d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee

grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar

in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention.

(Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your

stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.)

e. If your pain is severe

has anyone felt like they have something in the way of swallowing? I had the issue with the carrot stuck north of the band and got that to go away and stop rattling around with enzimes. But now i still fill like there is something restricting in some fashion. It is very hard to describe

If I get stuck it my clear in a few minutes, but it will feel bad for 10-12 hours. I will stop eating, and goodness sake not drink anything untill it clears. I put myself back on fluid only for that 10-12 hours.

It dumb not to chew till it is paste, but like moma said "If your going to be stupid, you had better be tough".

This is there all the time, almost like there is a bump on the opening, under the band. Something that I have felt since my incident. Hey there KW i go to Largo doc for fills. Great doc and good pricing.

Largo..Key Largo? Tell me please.

yes his name is DR John Gonzalvo... He spent an hour with me. I had my band done by Dr Rumbaut in Monterrey mexico so there is no problem there. This guy is awsome. Tell him Julie Renner sent ya. and lets catch up. got to go back into a meeting (<:

oh shoot, here is phone 727-586-3751. 1258 West Bay Drive. There are two or three docs in there. They do lapbands, gastric, etc.

kwhenrykerr: Thanks for the advice. I know you're right.

The only time I've PB'ed is when I was really hungry, busily talking with someone else and forget not to shovel it in like I used to. As long as I stay conscious, chew and chew some more, I'm okay.

Once I got in a big hurry to finish and went ahead and had a couple more bites although I had a slight tightness at that "spot". In a short amount of time, the old intense pain started coming on, I started doing the slime thing and eventually PB'ed. So the dietician says a meal should take at least 20 minutes - I learned from that experience why it is important to take so long. You might not feel the problem the instant you eat something, but if you don't take the time to realize what's happening, and you eat more when you begin to feel a little tight, you can get into big trouble.

What is the saying "if you think education is painfull, try ignorance". I hate pain, and being ignorant is one thing, but when I know better I call myself STUPID!!!

All righty then. Call me stupid. Or slow.

No, no Its a human way of learning. I have learned the hard way too many times. That why I tell others, in the hopes that they may learn by my pain. I feel STUPID when I do it for the second time. Three or more times... well what can I say

Yeah, I hear ya. When there's pain involved, it shouldn't take a person long to learn a lesson. That's what I'm sayin'!

How soon after the band is placed do you go for a fill.When the band is placed do you start losing weight or do you not until you have a fill. I am scheduled for my surgery FEB 14 I still have questions which I go this wed. to doc.So I will get to ask these fewI have but thought I could get ahead start.Does anyone know DR.Hargroder in BatonRouge that is my DOC.:nervous

deborah: Has your doctor given you instructions for the 10 days (or more) before your surgery? Most of us were on a high protein, low carb diet prior to surgery to shrink our livers. This makes more room for him and puts you at less risk for accidental damage to your liver. If you stick with that diet, you will lose some weight. The goal is 7 to 10 lbs.

After surgery, you will be on a restricted diet. Most of us began with a clear liquid diet, then moved to a soft diet and included a high protein shake of some kind. You'll be on that for about 3 weeks, or whatever your doctor recommends.

I lost a good deal of the 38 lbs. or so that I've lost during this period of time.

After you begin eating normal food, the weight loss is much slower. That is a good thing because you want to stay healthy and strong. The rate at which you lose will depend upon how much you are restricted to some degree, but mostly it will depend upon your determination to eat properly and your ability and willingness to exercise along with making the best choices in both the quantity and quality of the food you eat.

No one can really tell you how soon your doctor will give you a fill except him. I believe that for most folks it's about 6 weeks. You will have a considerable amount of swelling after surgery that will cause restriction without a fill until time for your first adjustment.

I don't know what your doctor offers in the way of support, but this is a good place to talk to people who have the Lap Band. Your doctor is the best source for answers to most of the important questions though. My doctor and many others tell us that this is a 2 year journey to health and weight loss. To try to rush it, or starve yourself, is not healthy and will not produce the best results.

Good luck!

Has any of you had a problem with port site after fill. I feel really hard and swollen at port site .Is this normal?

lynn: Yes. I have had a very uncomfortable port after a fill. It was primarily after my second fill and everytime I ate or drank anything it hurt enough that I had to put pressure on it with my hand until it stopped bothering me. Sometimes that was as long as 20 minutes or so.

I never did get an answer to the question of why this happens, but I have read other posts where people mentioned the same thing.