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

Ihave the Inamed 9.75 cm (5cc balloon size) I dont see it mentioned when everyone is talking about their band. I hear about the 4cc or 10cc. Anyone know if i have an oddball size. :help:

Julier..........I have the same one my sets kind of low almost to my waist

which I think is odd but maybe I have an odd body to go along with it.

Anniemay

I have been very inpressed with a company called fill centers USA. They

are very helpful in finding me a provider where ever I am at. They have

wonderful people to work with you. check out there web site

www.fillcentersusa.com or give them a call at 866-345-5872. I would

recommend them to anyone. They even sent me a book that is very helpful

with alot of differnt question I was having.:clap2:

Thanks,

Anniemay

I just checked out that website, Penni60. Great info.!

Thanks.

Kat.

How is everyone. I just got down to 126 and Im so excited. I wanted to see how everyone else is doing. I love my band so much it has saved my life in so many wyas. Hope everything is going good for everyone.

Wow. That is some good information about adjustments. I think that if everyone were to take that information to heart, it would be much easier to take off the pounds. Thanks for posting that information Penni!

Thanks so much.

Rhonda,

My Dr charges $119/fill. I guess you could call the office and they will tell you upfront.

Best of luck!

Pam:clap2:

I want to thank whomever it was who told all of us here in TN about a dr named Houston. I have just scheduled an appt. with them. They are charging an upfront fee, but it isn't like Dr Ray here in Maryville where I live. I am very angry about the fact that they want 1500. yes, 1500. upfront before they will even see you! That is like going to a dentist with a filling that fell out and having the dentist say, well, I didn't fill it so I will need 1500 upfront then another 500 to fix it! Again, thank you to the person who recommended Dr. Houston

The dr. I go to in College Station, Texas charges $200 and that's with a

flouroscope and she has had the procedure too, so I trust her!

Anniemay

I was banded in May 2006 and have had 3 or 4 fills and I still don't feel them. Now more than 6 months later I have gained weight instead of lost it. I think that it is almost time to remove this forgeing boby from my stomach and pray to for help I need to lose weight because this certainly was no help to me.

Sincerely,

Donna:mad: :cry

p.s. I don't know how to adjust that little ticker tape thing it is wrong.

DonnaGT: I just read your post and it worries me. I am sorry it hasn't worked out for you and I'm worried that I will have a similar result. I don't feel any restriction after 2 fills. I had very little restriction after the swelling from surgery. Then I had my first fill and felt a tiny bit of restriction at first. Not long after that I felt none so I got a second fill. After that I have been hungry and have felt no restriction at all. I'm scheduled for a 3rd fill tomorrow. I am really worried that this "tool" just isn't going to be the tool I need to get the job done.

I realize that we have to work at this and that we really have to concentrate on eating correctly in order to lose weight. But without the band I would have to do the same thing. So why get the band if it isn't going to help with my resolve and with hunger?

I hope things get better for both of us. I was incredibly excited when I began to lose weight after surgery. I will be incredibly disappointed if I can't get it to work for me and lose all the weight I need to get rid of.

Good luck to you!

BJean,

I appreciate you taking your time to let me know I am not alone here. I lost 28lbs and then gained it all back and more. SO I am really feeling blue about this surgery. I agree with everything you said and I would never reccomend it to anyone. If I could diet before I wouldn't have need this surgery.

SO sorry you are having the same problems.

Good Luck with your next fill.

Donna

Thanks Donna. It is good to hear from someone who needs help too. I hope you get it and things get right with the band for you. I'm not giving up yet!!

BJean & DonnaGT

Please don't give up, I am a very slow loser, 2 weeks after the first fill

I didn't feel any restriction but now after the 2nd. fill I can really tell now. Sometimes it just takes more fills and time. Two things really make a big difference..........water and walking, also I try to stick to the South Beach Diet and almost no eating out. Although with this last fill I am not able to

eat much meat at all, mainly soup. Reread your rules they gave you and

try to follow as best you can, I know it's still very hard but at least you

still have the tool to help. Talk to your dr. again and see what he says.

Good Luck to both of you!

Anniemay:scared: