Learning to live & lose with the band

[Pam P]

I was banded 1/15/07by Dr. Ortiz. Surgery was a breeze. Recovery, fine except for gas pain in left shoulder for about 10 days. It passed. After liquid phase, no restriction. I understand this is not unusual. I guess if all depends on the size of your stomach and how much fat you have in the area where the band is attached. Got a 1.8cc fill March 1st. My highest weight was 218 and now I'm 199. Most of the weight I have lost has been hard earned from triditional dieting rather than something I can really attribute to the band.

I'm assuming I need another fill, but I just got back from 3 weeks in Paris, (It was great!) and didn't think it was a good idea to get a fill before leaving the country. Instead I did a short program at Lindora that I had already paid for, complete with appetite surpressants, so I can't contribute that 12 pounds to the band. Now I'm back and ready to continue the pursuit of weight lose via my band. I am going for a fill, probably next week ... live in LA so it's easy to go to TJ. This I hope will be a boost, but I have already learned that losing via this surgery is easier for some than others.

Why is this? Perhaps those of us who don't weigh as much to begin with lose more slowly because of that. But I'm wondering if it might also be the kind of eaters we are. If I had gained weight because I eat massive amounts of chicken, bread, salad, and sticky rice I would have lost twice what I have and wouldn't need another fill. I choke up on these thing after a few bites, but what about tortilla chips, popcorn, pie, fruit, potatoes, etc. I understand about eating around the band. No matter what the fill I will always be able to eat ice cream and melt chocolate in my mouth. I understand that it's my resposibility to avoid this, and that much I think I can mange... at least most of the time, but are you guys that are doing so well with you weight lose sticking only to chicken, bread, etc. or can I hope with the additional fill most of these other foods will be self-limiting as well?

[2thebeach]

I was banded 1/15/07by Dr. Ortiz. Surgery was a breeze. Recovery, fine except for gas pain in left shoulder for about 10 days. It passed. After liquid phase, no restriction. I understand this is not unusual. I guess if all depends on the size of your stomach and how much fat you have in the area where the band is attached. Got a 1.8cc fill March 1st. My highest weight was 218 and now I'm 199. Most of the weight I have lost has been hard earned from triditional dieting rather than something I can really attribute to the band.

I'm assuming I need another fill, but I just got back from 3 weeks in Paris, (It was great!) and didn't think it was a good idea to get a fill before leaving the country. Instead I did a short program at Lindora that I had already paid for, complete with appetite surpressants, so I can't contribute that 12 pounds to the band. Now I'm back and ready to continue the pursuit of weight lose via my band. I am going for a fill, probably next week ... live in LA so it's easy to go to TJ. This I hope will be a boost, but I have already learned that losing via this surgery is easier for some than others.

Why is this? Perhaps those of us who don't weigh as much to begin with lose more slowly because of that. But I'm wondering if it might also be the kind of eaters we are. If I had gained weight because I eat massive amounts of chicken, bread, salad, and sticky rice I would have lost twice what I have and wouldn't need another fill. I choke up on these thing after a few bites, but what about tortilla chips, popcorn, pie, fruit, potatoes, etc. I understand about eating around the band. No matter what the fill I will always be able to eat ice cream and melt chocolate in my mouth. I understand that it's my resposibility to avoid this, and that much I think I can mange... at least most of the time, but are you guys that are doing so well with you weight lose sticking only to chicken, bread, etc. or can I hope with the additional fill most of these other foods will be self-limiting as well?

did you have your fill in tj?

[PAMMIE]

I was banded 1/15/07by Dr. Ortiz. Surgery was a breeze. Recovery, fine except for gas pain in left shoulder for about 10 days. It passed. After liquid phase, no restriction. I understand this is not unusual. I guess if all depends on the size of your stomach and how much fat you have in the area where the band is attached. Got a 1.8cc fill March 1st. My highest weight was 218 and now I'm 199. Most of the weight I have lost has been hard earned from triditional dieting rather than something I can really attribute to the band.

I'm assuming I need another fill, but I just got back from 3 weeks in Paris, (It was great!) and didn't think it was a good idea to get a fill before leaving the country. Instead I did a short program at Lindora that I had already paid for, complete with appetite surpressants, so I can't contribute that 12 pounds to the band. Now I'm back and ready to continue the pursuit of weight lose via my band. I am going for a fill, probably next week ... live in LA so it's easy to go to TJ. This I hope will be a boost, but I have already learned that losing via this surgery is easier for some than others.

Why is this? Perhaps those of us who don't weigh as much to begin with lose more slowly because of that. But I'm wondering if it might also be the kind of eaters we are. If I had gained weight because I eat massive amounts of chicken, bread, salad, and sticky rice I would have lost twice what I have and wouldn't need another fill. I choke up on these thing after a few bites, but what about tortilla chips, popcorn, pie, fruit, potatoes, etc. I understand about eating around the band. No matter what the fill I will always be able to eat ice cream and melt chocolate in my mouth. I understand that it's my resposibility to avoid this, and that much I think I can mange... at least most of the time, but are you guys that are doing so well with you weight lose sticking only to chicken, bread, etc. or can I hope with the additional fill most of these other foods will be self-limiting as well?

JMO: I THINK ONCE YOU HIT A BMI AROUND 26 OR SO, IT'S HARDER FOR ANYONE

[FurEllie]

I was banded 3/5 and current have .8cc fill. I've lost 31 total, 25 since surgery. Not a HUGE lost (especially when a friend's lost 72 pounds since April with GBP, lol) but 1. I know it's more than I would have lost w/o the band, in fact, I'd probably still be gaining and 2. When I stress, I "cheat" the band so I haven't been faithful.

I try to eat high protein foods but I don't cook so it's not easy.

I would love to have lost everything by now, hehe, but I'm quite happy with the way things are going. I'm not depriving myself but I'm still managing to lose a little every month. That's how I want to live my life, not "diet" the next 6 months or so.

[Pam P]

did you have your fill in tj?

Yes, I had my fill in TJ with Dr. Romero. I have been keeping a food diary of how the food goes down since my post and I think a little more of a fill will help. I notice a lot of foods that I can kind of feel, but aren't really restricted. Hopefully a bit more and the number of foods I can't eat much of will be increased. Then I guess it's just a matter of trying to eat only those foods, staying away from soft or crunchy foods which seem to pass the easiest.

[Pam P]

JMO: I THINK ONCE YOU HIT A BMI AROUND 26 OR SO, IT'S HARDER FOR ANYONE

You have done very well and started out lower than I was. Did you feel you had to really work hard at dieting or did you have enough restriction that you felt it was fairly easy?

[Pam P]

I was banded 3/5 and current have .8cc fill. I've lost 31 total, 25 since surgery. Not a HUGE lost (especially when a friend's lost 72 pounds since April with GBP, lol) but 1. I know it's more than I would have lost w/o the band, in fact, I'd probably still be gaining and 2. When I stress, I "cheat" the band so I haven't been faithful.

I try to eat high protein foods but I don't cook so it's not easy.

I would love to have lost everything by now, hehe, but I'm quite happy with the way things are going. I'm not depriving myself but I'm still managing to lose a little every month. That's how I want to live my life, not "diet" the next 6 months or so.

That sounds good. Congradulations. Keep up the good work.

[Pam P]

Well tomorrow I'm going for my second fill. As I said in another post, if eating massive amounts of chicken, salad, bread, and sticky rice was the source of my weight problems, I'd have lost a lot more than the 18-20 pounds I've lost in the last 6 months. Hopefully a bit more than the 1.8cc fill I have now will give me restriction on more foods while still making it possible to eat... looking for that "sweet spot."

[Pam P]

Back from Second Fill

This is quite an adventure! I have discovered all kinds of things about "banding" from my experience, and have lots to say. I have read with great interest the posts of "NO Worry". She was met with some pretty sharp criticism for her comments. Some seemed to find them almost sacreligious. I thought they were just as imformative, or more so because of the volumn of detail she included, as the totally positive posts. Most of her initial critisim, as you may know from also reading her posts, was about pick-up, hotel, general treatment, etc. When it came to the surgery she gave credit where it was due. I personally wasn't bothered by the pre-op portion of the experience, although I too arrived at the airport to find nobody there at the appointed time. I think it helps to have a companion with whom to comiserate - also prevents you from having to check out of the hotel the night you're in the clinic. I was too preoccupaied with the surgery to care much about any of that. I was so nervous that I wouldn't have been able to enjoy a Ritz-Carlton (By the way I stayed a night at the Lucerna when I went for this fill, and it was especially nice in the summer with the waterfall and lush gardens). My concern pre-op was not the danger of the surgery or having it done outside the U.S. My neice, who is a nurse, had the surgery at OCC the previous year. She did all the research and had a very good report of her experience. So I was fine with that part. I also have a high pain threshold so I wasn't worried about that. I was just so ambivilent about whether I really wanted to have somebody go into my body and pop a band around my stomach. The whole idea totally creeped me out....it still does if I think too much about it. BUT like most of you, I am weary of the struggle to lose weight and keep it off.

The title of this post is "Back from Second Fill". I'm getting to it...first a little more back story. Okay, the surgery was fine. I don't believe I've heard anything but positive comments about the way anyone's surgery was handled. I was especially sensitive to the muscle irritation caused by the gas. It ally affected my left shoulder and bothered me off and on for a couple of weeks, but still no big deal. After the surgery was where the adverture really begins. I had heard "it's all about getting the right fill", "the band is a good tool, but still it's only a tool", "everbbody's experience is different", but I guess I wasn't really listening. What I really expected was to have the surgery, start losing weight, and keep losing weight. I, like many others, had NO restriction before my first fill. Okay I had heard that might be the case so I patiently waited for my first fill. I had surgery January 15th, 2007, and on March 1st I went for my first fill. Since I live in L.A. I drove down. For the surgery I parked near the airpost and took the OCC van, but since that cost for the fills I thought I'd just drive. Now I'm a tax preparer so I was preoccupied with other things and was driving around TJ before I remembered I hadn't gotten insurance. Man, they do some crazy driving around there, especially around those circle monument things. Wow! I felt lucky to get out of there without wrecking my car. I had a 1.8 cc fill. Dr. Romero is very nice and seems quite skilled at the art of fills. I was told to have only liquids for 2 days. I got my fill and went right home. A few days later I found I couldn't eat much chicken, salad, bread or sticky rice. I could eat everything else pretty much like before.

I was disappointed at the first fill and started to become very confused about what it was suppose to be like. One really huge shock to me was what "restriction" is like. I thought that with the right fill you would be able to eat anything, but after a few bites it would be like "Thanksgiving" full. "Oh, I'm stuffed. I can't eat another bite." NO! Not for me. With "restriction" it was more like, "Well, this is sure uncomfortable. It almost hurts." With just one small bite too much, this discomfort is followed by repeated burping, sliming, and with two bites too much by PBing (productive burping or spitting up - not quite like vomiting but with the same results). You learn to avoid this. I was surpised to find that inspite of this "restriction" on certain foods, the ability to down pre-banding amounts of other foods was easy enough. And I don't mean just ice cream ... I mean french fries, chips, cookies,etc. The only thing I knew to do was try another fill, but I was going to Paris in June for three weeks and felt it would be wise to wait until my return. This certainly turned out to be true. I'll explain more about why later. Meanwhile I wanted to lose some weight before Paris so I geared myself up to any old-fashiopned deprivation diet and with a little help from the fill I had I lost about 15 pounds.

Wow! I didn't realize I'd write so much. I have to stop and finish a tax return. I'm about ready to lanch into "My Second Fill" so come back to this site later. I'll continue.

[NoWorry]

I was surpised to find that inspite of this "restriction" on certain foods, the ability to down pre-banding amounts of other foods was easy enough. And I don't mean just ice cream ... I mean french fries, chips, cookies,etc. The only thing I knew to do was try another fill, but I was going to Paris in June for three weeks and felt it would be wise to wait until my return. This certainly turned out to be true.

Well, I can certainly relate to this. Both about the ability to eat anything I want, in just about any quantities I want (ok, I do feel full a bit earlier, but that's after eating 80-90% of my pre-banding quantities) PLUS the confusion surrounding this result. My biggest complaint about this procedure is the lack of consistent and reliable information of what to expect and how to interpret individual experiences. You can make the best ______ (fill in the blank) in the world, but if it doesn't come with a reliable instruction manual, it's can be pretty worthless!

I'll explain more about why later.

I certainly hope you'll continue - I'd love to hear the rest of your experience.

[Pam P]

Continuing to My Second Fill

The trip to Paris was great! It was 3 weeks long. I went with some girlfriends and food was a big part of the trip. It was hard enough to eat in restraunts with restriction on the few foods I did have. It was hard to take the time I needed to get chicken down eating in a restraunt with people who could eat it in the normal manner. I got to know the water closets of several Paris restraunts more intimately than I would have liked. The fries, pasteries, etc went down just fine though. Fortunately, with all the walking we did the weight gain was slight.

Back in L.A., I called OCC to arrange for my long delayed fill. I bribed my 20 year old daughter to accompany me with promises of a night at the Lucerna and lots of shopping. Last Friday we hopped in my PT Cruiser convertible and headed South on our adventure. I decided this time to park at the border and tackle TJ on foot. We parked at the big lot right off the freeway and took the bus that left from their lot. This turned out to be a mistake. The bus took us to the middle of town and then we had to take a taxi back to the clinic. We should have walked across the border and then taken a taxi, or just walked. After my fill we walked to the hotel, which was fine with me. I love to walk, although crossing those crazy streets is pretty dicey too. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

THE FILL: I saw Dr. Romero again. I like him. He was very patient as I explained all my concerns and answered some of my questions. A lot of the info we get going into this surgery can become confusing as time goes by. For instance: "Don't drink water from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after a meal." First of all you hear varying times from 20 minutes before & after to one hour before and after. I'm like, "Is it 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour... which is it?" Worse still..."Why is it you shouldn't drink the water?" I asked. My secretary, who had gastric bypass, said, "They don't want you to fill up on water and not eat." That was lame, it didn't make sense. My neice, the nurse, who has the band said, "The water will wash the food down, and defeat the purpose of the band." That made more sense. I had read this on the boards too. Then finally, by accident, I discovered the best reason not to have water with food when banded. If it's food you have restriction on, it doesn't wash it down. As a matter of fact, it sits right on top of the food and usually will send you slimming to the nearest bathroom. The amount of time before or after varies. You get so you can tell when the passage has cleared. Before that forget liquids. Dr. Romeo confirmed this was the big reason not to drink while eating. It makes you sick to drink water while something is trying to get through the band. Couldn't someone have told us that to start with? Maybe they did and I just didn't hear. There are lots of things like that, but that's another post. Maybe we should develop a FAQ and make sure we have the real answers.

BACK TO THE FILL: Dr. Romeo drew out 1.8ccs of saline and replaced it with 2.3 (this later turned out to be 2.3 1/2.) I told him I was staying over that night. He said, "Great, eat and see how it feels. Come back today or tomorrow, if you need more or less." What a nice guy, so willing to help even if it makes more work for him. As I mentioned earlier, we walked to the hotel and, since we could not check-in until 3, we ate to kill time. Plus we were hungry. Now before, after the first fill to now, I could drink water before I ate anything .... just not after I ate chicken, salad, bread or stickey rice.... now I found drinking a little water just before I tried to eat, made eating impossible. Off to the bathroom. Thirty or forty minutes later, I was okay. I certainly lost my appetite. Later in the afternoon I was able to eat some pastachio nuts. Yeah! Dinner that night was a waste. One bite of coconut shrimp, and I was done. In the night I woke up and realized I had had very little to drink. Fluids are essential, especially in this hot climate for an overweight, middle aged woman. I had some of that nice bottled water in the rooms at the Lucerna ... which was seductively tropical during late July, I might add. I could barely keep the water down. That kind of frightened me. While I laid, proped up in bed, waiting for the water to go down, I devised a plan. I didn't want to go back to the clinic. Why, I'm not sure. I guess I didn't want to bother them or myself unless I was sure. I decided I would try to have coffee, wait, and then have something simple to eat. The coffee went down okay, though I felt each swallow. I had a small granola bar. and a little yogurt. They went down okay, but on the last bite I felt, "Oh, oh." I walked to the clinic, slimming all the way. By the time I got there, I was okay. I went in and explained to the sweet girl at the desk - what is her name? - who said, "No problem." We chatted, and I had one of those comiserating "crossing the border" conversations with some fellow "fills". After they went in a really nice, and very good- looking, hospital guy stopped and started a conversation. He wanted to know how I was doing with my band, what my concerns were, what questions I might have. I wish I had taken notes, lots of good info. I was concerned about taking out saline because for the first time I could see how powerful the band could be. There was the potential that it could give restriction on a lot more ... almost all foods ... and THAT is what I had imagined it to do. He said that Dr. Romero would look at the floroscope with the barium and would be able to tell if I need an unfill. The barium went down, but I could feel the water I drank next sitting there, puddled in my stomach ... the little stomach. He said, "We need to take out a little." He drew everything out and asked, "Do you want to drink some water now?" I chugged a few shalloww. What freedom! Then he put back 2.1 1/2cc. He suggested I ..."go eat something".... I said, "I have to go back. What if it's not enugh?" He replied,"Give it a couple of weeks."

Had I not listened? How did I not realized how "trial and error" this is? How unscientific this is? Was it like falling in love? Did I only hear what I wanted to hear? Whatever. I was starting to realize what this was about. Hey I've spent $8,500+, I'm going to make this work if possible.

We walked back across the border, from the hotel to our car across the border! It was a real adventure, weaving through moving cars at one point, and crossing a bridge with half it's wall gone, peering into the sheer drop to a road below. I felt, to some degree, the thrill of "making it across." Remember, my last border crossing was to Paris. TJ is no Paris.

So I'm back almost a week, and boy what a difference 3 & 1/2 cc can make. Could this be the "sweet spot"? A nice spot in the most major of ways, but "sweet"? Another of my pet peeves is "You should be eating about 1/3 of what you were eating before." This seems to make sense to a lot of people on the boards, so maybe it's me. On the other hand, I bet I'm not the only one. How do I measure that? Come on. I'm an accountant. Now, after this fill, I can say before it I was eating more than 1/3 of what I was eating before surgery. I can say that I am DEFINATELY eating less than a third of what I was eating after this fill. I can't eat much. I have "restriction" on almost everything now. I definately should start losing weight. I'm trying to consider nutriction first and formost since I'm eating pretty little. It's a real adjustment. Restriction is effective, but not pleasant. Is it possible to learn to stop eating at the exactly right time to avoid the feeling you have a golf ball in you chest all the time? That is the challenge. On the other hand, there are those who experience this only to have it slip away. Why is this? I didn't get it completely, but the nice man in the lobby, who turned out to be Dr. Martinez - the doctor who does a large part of the actual surgery at OCC - said sometimes the stomach can kind of pucker when the band is filled and then it adjusts and thins out, leaving the band less tight.

Well that's it so far. We'll just have to see. I'll be back.

[NoWorry]

Thanks very much for sharing your experience, Pam. And more importantly, your thoughts and feelings around your experience.

I had my first fill almost 6 weeks ago, started with a little restriction and have virtually no restriction now. Not quite a Paris trip, but I was part of a big reunion this week and have been eating anything and everything I want. I tried to tell one of my friends that I was banded, but she would not believe it based on my eating patterns.

I'm back to OCC on Tuesday 8/7 for another fill. I guess another doctor will take another blind shot at a black cat in a dark room and try and maximize my fill. If it sounds like I no longer have much faith in this process, that's because it's exactly true. Yeah, yeah, it's a tool and it takes time and I have to be patient. None of that is easy when there appears to be no certainty that the fill will ever be optimized and the thoughts of many continuous trips to TJ flood my sensiblities.

I'm glad you're doing well. It gives me a little more hope.

[JustinaHayden]

"Maybe we should develop a FAQ and make sure we have the real answers."

(How do you do that quoting thing?)

I've been mostly lurking and reading with enormous interest. I'm very grateful to all of you who post with detail and facts as well as the emotional ups and downs. All is grist for the mill.

I want to applaud the idea of an FAQ that could, perhaps, be posted permanantly on the board where everyone would see it. I realize that everyone is different, but still there must be some generalities. This FAQ would also have a dictionary which explains to us newbies the differences between bands (and why they're chosen) and what slimeing and PB are, and very definitely explain why overfills are so bad and dangerous. And what happens to loose skin, and on and on.

I think the discussions here are very important, and I will certainly continue to read (and perhaps, post) but an FAQ to "read me first" would be valuable to everyone, I'm sure.

Perhaps it could be sort of like Wikipedia, where various people could post answers, and the clinic and others could correct and/or validate.

As of now, I'm signed up for surgery on 9/25. I live near Vancouver, BC Canada and plan to drive down to TJ so I can stop in both directions and visit my kids and grandkids who all live in California. I think one of my great concerns as I read this is the topic of exercise. I am 67, 5'9 and weigh 235. I have diabetes, fibromyalgia, GERD, and severe osteoarthritis in my hips and right knee. I used to use my treadmill all the time, but now that would be very difficult until I get new hips. One of my reasons for the surgery is that I feel weight loss would help my current hips, and certainly my new ones as well.

You all say that lots of walking helps a lot dealing with the gas created by the surgery. I'm not sure I can walk enough to help, and I'm dealing with enough pain now to be unhappy about adding a lot more. Any thoughts about this?

Again thanks to NoWorry and PamP and BSN and Teri and all the others for your help.

Justina

[Pam P]

"Maybe we should develop a FAQ and make sure we have the real answers."

(How do you do that quoting thing?)

I've been mostly lurking and reading with enormous interest. I'm very grateful to all of you who post with detail and facts as well as the emotional ups and downs. All is grist for the mill.

I want to applaud the idea of an FAQ that could, perhaps, be posted permanantly on the board where everyone would see it. I realize that everyone is different, but still there must be some generalities. This FAQ would also have a dictionary which explains to us newbies the differences between bands (and why they're chosen) and what slimeing and PB are, and very definitely explain why overfills are so bad and dangerous. And what happens to loose skin, and on and on.

I think the discussions here are very important, and I will certainly continue to read (and perhaps, post) but an FAQ to "read me first" would be valuable to everyone, I'm sure.

Perhaps it could be sort of like Wikipedia, where various people could post answers, and the clinic and others could correct and/or validate.

As of now, I'm signed up for surgery on 9/25. I live near Vancouver, BC Canada and plan to drive down to TJ so I can stop in both directions and visit my kids and grandkids who all live in California. I think one of my great concerns as I read this is the topic of exercise. I am 67, 5'9 and weigh 235. I have diabetes, fibromyalgia, GERD, and severe osteoarthritis in my hips and right knee. I used to use my treadmill all the time, but now that would be very difficult until I get new hips. One of my reasons for the surgery is that I feel weight loss would help my current hips, and certainly my new ones as well.

You all say that lots of walking helps a lot dealing with the gas created by the surgery. I'm not sure I can walk enough to help, and I'm dealing with enough pain now to be unhappy about adding a lot more. Any thoughts about this?

Again thanks to NoWorry and PamP and BSN and Teri and all the others for your help.

Justina

Dear Justina,

Sounds like this surgery could give you a whole new lease on life. Don't worry too much abount not being able to "walk the gas pains away", I was told by one of the doctors, as I've mentioned in one of my posts, that the gas pains are not actual gas (the gas from the surgery disapates within a day), but rather irritation of the muscles from the gas used in the surgery. Walking is good no doubt, but from what I was told, the pain - usually felt in the shoulder - goes away when the irritation subsides.

Yes, there is so much we have to discover on our own or from pieceing things together from these posts. We could all benefit from more available information. I'm thinking about a way we could put our heads together and do that.

Good luck on your procedure. Keep us informed.

Pam

[Irish]

I was banded 1/15/07by Dr. Ortiz. Surgery was a breeze. Recovery, fine except for gas pain in left shoulder for about 10 days. It passed. After liquid phase, no restriction. I understand this is not unusual. I guess if all depends on the size of your stomach and how much fat you have in the area where the band is attached. Got a 1.8cc fill March 1st. My highest weight was 218 and now I'm 199. Most of the weight I have lost has been hard earned from triditional dieting rather than something I can really attribute to the band.

I'm assuming I need another fill, but I just got back from 3 weeks in Paris, (It was great!) and didn't think it was a good idea to get a fill before leaving the country. Instead I did a short program at Lindora that I had already paid for, complete with appetite surpressants, so I can't contribute that 12 pounds to the band. Now I'm back and ready to continue the pursuit of weight lose via my band. I am going for a fill, probably next week ... live in LA so it's easy to go to TJ. This I hope will be a boost, but I have already learned that losing via this surgery is easier for some than others.

Why is this? Perhaps those of us who don't weigh as much to begin with lose more slowly because of that. But I'm wondering if it might also be the kind of eaters we are. If I had gained weight because I eat massive amounts of chicken, bread, salad, and sticky rice I would have lost twice what I have and wouldn't need another fill. I choke up on these thing after a few bites, but what about tortilla chips, popcorn, pie, fruit, potatoes, etc. I understand about eating around the band. No matter what the fill I will always be able to eat ice cream and melt chocolate in my mouth. I understand that it's my resposibility to avoid this, and that much I think I can mange... at least most of the time, but are you guys that are doing so well with you weight lose sticking only to chicken, bread, etc. or can I hope with the additional fill most of these other foods will be self-limiting as well?

[PAMMIE]

You have done very well and started out lower than I was. Did you feel you had to really work hard at dieting or did you have enough restriction that you felt it was fairly easy?

I HAD ENOUGH RESTRICTION FOR IT TO BE FAIRLY EASY, BUT STILL WORKED AT IT. I THINK YOU HAVE TO WITH A LOWER BMI. IF I WORKED AT IT NOW, DIETED SOME, DID A BETTER JOB OF WATCHING WHAT I ATE, THE REST OF MY WEIGHT WOULD COME OFF. BUT I HAVEN'T DONE THAT.

I DO EXERCISE NOW BUT JUST SEEMS ENOUGH TO TONE SOME AND MAINTAIN

GOOD LUCK TO YOU