2+ years and all i am is fat and GASSY!

I am to the point of hating my LAP-BAND®! I have not lost any weight and do have some restriction. I can not eat bread or flour tortillas but can eat almost 1/2 of a steak and all the cheetos i want. I can not eat breaskfast because my band is too tight but by noon, i can eat lunch. I can not eat chicken or turkey because it always gets stuck and i puke it up..and i have trouble with oranges....so i know i have some restriction...the delimma i have is that i get so gassy and bloated about 2-3x a month that my abdomen is rock hard and it HURTS!! I have to down a bottle of anti-gas mylanta and take about 3 gas-x pills and walk around to get rid of the bloat. I constantly burp and have gas from the other end..it is so annoying..... i gave up carbonated drinks, drinking from a straw etc..the gas is killing me..and i swear, i almost fainted from the pressure once (like a vagal reaction) when i was super bloated (and i am not a whimp..(usually)..anyways, i have not lost a pound after two years, my LAP-BAND® doc has made me have my gallbladder ultrasounded (normal) and my primary doctor wanted to start me on valium to relax my reflexes to decrease burping(yuck..i didnt do it). I am frustrated beyond belief. so not only am i still fat after surgery..i am now fat and gassy...what a great combination!! I am afraid of getting more restiction since i can have such an issue with the gas already...i dont want to be so tight that no gas ever gets out and i IMPLODE!! (but i really want to lose)...any advice would be MUCH appreciated...HELP!!!!!!!

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Banded June 28, 2007 Ap Band Dr. Malley Kansas

First off, if your throwing up your too tight. I am pretty tight and sometimes certain foods I have issues with. As for the gas issue its what your eating that causes it. One major source of gas would be soda and sugar free candy. Also having a high protein diet will cause cause (at least it does me) Try the gas-x strips they work for me. I think gas is normal to have with the band. Maybe because when we eat more air goes in because of the band, thats my best guess. I am sorry for your troubles with the weight loss. I dont know your exercise routine so I can tell you to exercise more. All I can tell you is what I have done to allow me to lose all my weight. I eat every 3 hours, 4oz of food (volume) no matter what!(small healthy snacks) 70%protein 30%complex carbs. I work out a minumum 5 days a week! 60 mins of cardio and some weight training to build lean muscle. I drink a minimum of 100 oz of water per day to flush my system and keep my hydrated. When the weight started coming off I continually increased my work out by time and intensity. The sky is the limit once you start seeing the weight come off. Start by going to your doc and getting a slight unfill. As a rule I have never go more than 2 days without working out (unless your sick or something)..that way you stay within your routine. Good luck and your will power will come back ten fold when you start to see results. PS I ran a half marathon on Sept 7, 2009 in 2hrs 17mins. If you knew me just a year before that I had trouble walking up stairs. Things can change quickly if you have the desire to make the lifestyle changes needed to do so...good luck!

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Surgery date 10/9/08 *One day at a time*
1st Fill 11/11/08=3.5cc, 2nd Fill 12/9/08=1.5cc
3rd Fill 1/9/08=.75cc, 4th Fill 4/2/09=.75cc
5th Fill 6/30/09=.5cc
Total 7.0cc in a 14 cc band

Thread Starter

thanks for the reply. If i did all that you mentioned..or had the discipline too, i doubt that i would have needed the LAP-BAND® at all. That's what is discouraging to me. I do not drink anything cabornated and still get major gas trapping. I feel like I need another fill not an unfill because i can eat a lot of foods that i can eat...steak, cheetos..but i have hell to pay if i eat a piece of chicken. Sounds like the LAP-BAND® worked for you...but all that you are doing would have been successful without the band, maybe the band helped 10% but goodnight, diet and exercise like you are doing now would have produced similar results alone ..dont you think. I wish i had your motivation and i would not be fat in the first place...my band just 'hurts' me...it has not helped

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Banded June 28, 2007 Ap Band Dr. Malley Kansas

Hello... the band isnt a miracle worker or a magic stick.Its a tool to help..you. But you have to make the efforts to help your self do it. If you dont work at it ...nothing will happen.

Believe me we all want to eat cheetoes & ice cream ....& loose weight but no..its not going to happen. Its a everyday ..thing. Stop eating junk & think x10 before eating bad stuff. We all feel disencourange at one point ..but take a look through the pictures of the people who are working hard & maybe send them a message. Stop feeling bad for your self & walk...at least 15 minutes in the morning & 15 in the evening... it will make a difference. But stop putting junk in your mouth if you want results. You trully need to think of why you even went through the trouble of getting the band. Stop & think of what motivated you to get it in the first place....then grab a bag of lettuce when your hungry! I do it.:) You will see the pounds come off :) ...

GOD BLESS YOU

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Mariposita78...

Thread Starter

What you say is so true! ((but i really wanted a miracle))..i guess i thought the LAP-BAND® would give me a mini-stomach and i would feel pleasantly full after a few bites and walk away from the table satisfied..not having to alter my diet...just eat mega less of food...but that is so far from the truth. I have no self discipline and i was hoping this would be the tool for me.....but now i can eat cheetos and not oranges....pray for me that i can go back on the diet track again...after so many failures that led me to the band, i am not that hopeful...

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Banded June 28, 2007 Ap Band Dr. Malley Kansas

hi chele,
YOU CAN DO IT!!!

we all know how hard it is...that is why we needed to take such a drastic action as an operation.

start small....

i know for me when i think of the "WHOLE PROGRAM" i need to do....a small step at a time.

maybe start with writing down what you are eating. be totally honest because you are the only one that will look at it.

day 2....maybe start small and do what mariposita suggested....15 min walk in morn...15 min walk at night.

once you start seeing results...it will help you to take next steps

the other thing that helps me is to get all junk out of the house.

anyway dont give up...you deserve to get the results from this and you can do it...

josie

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Weight 270H/249S/168C/155G
H-highest S-surgery C-current G-goal
5' 8" tall 54" inches lost
Banded 3/30/07 Dr Hadar Spivak-Houston TX





Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift: 5/11/09 Dr. Todd Adam-Webster, Tx.

The first thing is to see your nutritionist and have a written diet.

I think that the meat is rotting in your stomach that is giving you the gas and I suggest a few days of good yogart..that would get the flora in your stomach back into shape.

Drink some apple cider vinager with water to help the stomach.

THEN I WOULD DUMP REPEAT DUMP
the chetos which has chemicals to make you eat it
stay off fake sugars which block your natural food turnoff switch in the brain
check that your products do not have forgot name..lquid sugar made from corn

AND cleanse that body of yours of junk...and let the tool (LAP-BAND®) help you get your weight off

From my observation people seem to believe an unfill is a bad thing, but from my experience it couldn't be better. I fell off the wagon and regained 10kgs (~22lbs) of the 25kgs (~55lbs) that I had lost. I was so ashamed and avoided going back to my surgeon until I started getting acid reflux, I refused to live with that and there was certianly no need to.

When I saw my surgeon he was nothing but encouraging and he suggested a slight unfill so I could eat healthier again. I felt a million times better and was eating healthly again. I went back to see him 4 weeks later and had lost 5.5kgs (~12lbs) and he replaced the 0.25mls he previously removed. A month later, I haven't had the reflux back and I'm going back to see my surgeon on friday not for a fill, just for a weigh in and some encouraging words (I mean, who doesn't need to hear them!)

Moral of the story - Unfill is not a bad word, sometimes its just the thing to kick start you again. Also no matter how tight your band is those cheetos will find their way through, if I were in your position all that kind of junk would find its way to the rubbish bin.

I hope you find your path - Good Luck!

Chele,
I hate that your band has been so ineffective for you. Truthfully, you are exactly right about the band and the discipline that is necessary to lose weight. It is not the magic bullet that many of us hoped it would be. The truth of the matter is, I think it might help you to change your goal from weight loss to just being healthier. That has been my goal, and although I have not lost weight quickly, I have consistently lost weight, and I have changed my lifestyle extensively. The band didn't do that.... I did.
Some of my changes have been to eliminate bread (I don't miss it nearly as much as I thought that I would). I have exchanged turkey meat for hamburger in about 95% of my recipes and uses. (Most of the time you really can't tell the difference except that it is very mushy when raw *yuck*). I use soy milk for my smoothies and cereal and to add to my hot tea (much healthier, and I can't tell the difference, but I couldn't just drink it straight, its kinda brown... also *yuck*). I have learned to like yogurt... (I started with the yoplait whips.. they are really good, and now I can eat any yogurt... and I LOVE IT!! I NEVER thought I would say that). I DO NOT buy any kind of chips or junk that I have a problem with. Sometimes I buy something for my family, (like recently it was cheddar jalapeno chips) and found that I was obsessed with them until the entire bag was gone, so I now know that I cannot have that in the house again. My family is very understanding about it.
I know, for me, what I thought was going to happen with the band is that I was just going to have this wonderful full feeling all the time, and that would encourage me to eat less. That is not really what has happened for me. With my third fill I do enjoy a full feeling, and have to make myself eat which is awesome. Many times in the morning I can't even eat anything solid, so I eat yogurt, oatmeal, or cream of wheat. I like those things and they are healthy. but if I am eating later in the afternoon, or evening, I find that I can eat much more than the recommended 1/2 - 1 cup, so that is when I have to exercise my discipline. And it is really hard, especially if it is something I really like. I use a small plate and that helps, but it is still very hard. I also try to make sure that my foods are healthier so that if I am not as disciplined as I should be, at least it is not as bad as the things I made prior to my band. Have you tried having a cup of warm tea or coffee before you eat chicken or turkey? That seems to help me relax my band. Anything cold will usually tighten that band right up. Also, have you told your doctor that you are having a problem with those foods? Every time I go to the dr, I have to fill out a form and that is one of the questions on the form. I never have had a problem so I am not sure what it means if you are having a problem, but it is evidently something that is common or I don't think it would be on the questionnaire. You really need to develop a better relationship with your surgeon and if he is not working with you then I would suggest finding another bariatric doctor.
And the suggestion to walk is the most important in my book. Our bodies were created to move and that doesn't mean walking to the car and then from the car to our job, or the store, or whatever. And you don't have to power walk. Just move. I usually walk my dog for about 40 minutes a day and you will be surprised how much better you feel (and my dog is soooooo happy!). Like I said, for me this has been about being healthier. The changes I have made are changes that I feel like I can live with for the rest of my life. Eating straw and hay and working out like a madman is not something that I would ever be able to keep up... but that is just me. Having a goal of being healthy does not overwhelm me like a goal of being skinny does. With 100 or more pounds to lose that is a little overwhelming to me.
Find what works for you. And the one thing to remember is this... whether it has been 2 days... 2 months... or 2 years.... tomorrow is a brand new day, and you get to start all over just as if you were banded yesterday. Call your doctor, get rid of the cheetos and steak and good luck. I hope that you can find the will and the desire to restart this process, because it is definitely worth it. I have not lost my weight quickly, but I am 42 pounds less than when I started, and I am okay with that.
Oh yeah... the gas......
Are you married??? For me it is finally payback for my hubby who has gassed me out for the last 25 years . But it is often quite uncomfortable for me as well. But it is a fair trade off for me.
Hope to hear that you have been able to get back on the "band" wagon. Best of Luck and I will look forward to hearing from you on how you are doing!
(sorry it is such a long reply)

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Banded 12/30/08
1st fill: 2/3/09: 7cc : 2nd Fill: 3/3/09: 3cc 3rd Fill: 8/18/09: .25cc (10.25 cc total)
14cc band

Wow Chele, what I wouldn't give for a miracle! to all of a sudden wake up out of surgery and "poof" I was skinny. . . that would be soooo incredibly cool. . . anyhow now back to reality. . . you didn't get fat overnight and you won't get thin overnight. . . you got fat by over eating and not exercising, now you need to do the opposite, stop overeating and start exercising. . . whats really stopping you Chele? Are you unhappy? Sad? depressed? is food your comfort? Maybe (and don't get me wrong) but maybe you need some counseling? It's amazing how we find what is really the "under lying" cause of overeating. . . heavens girl! why cheetos? Those are so nasty! slice carrots and pretend they are cheetos! Carrots taste SSSSOOOOOOOOOOOO much better! The salt content in cheetos is sicking. . . you spent all that money for a band to eat cheetos? I'm sorry if I sound brash and all, but you know it's the truth. . . I hope all goes well for you and you will be in my thoughts. . . bless. . .

Gas laughed my ass off

Long reply you have excellent suggestions that we can all can benefit from when I years ago was on the Richard Sommons page well... we spaced between paragraphs and great answers some folks would bold the print and have a larger font so those with eyesite problems could read.
My best friend has disflexia and she can not read a long paragrah ..has to be broken
maybe that is something that we should discuss on another thread and have rules for answering a thread so all out members can enjoy everyones thoughts

Thread Starter

thanks for all of the replies. I know what you say is the truth! I guess i needed to hear it again... i bought a wii fit and used it yesterday with my daughter. It was fun. I told my husband to dust off the treadmill in the basement so i can get going on that.

I never thought about the meat fermenting in my stomach but since i have been really limiting my food intake this week, i have noticed the gas is so much less...so it is not the band but the foods i chose to eat. I will have to see what bothers me the most.

I will go back to my doctor to see what he says..sometimes he is helpful but not really. he is quiet and seems like interacting with people is painful for him! anyways, you all have been so nice.....and brutally honest...i love it!!

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Banded June 28, 2007 Ap Band Dr. Malley Kansas

If you don't like the idea of walking yet, or you are still too heavy for it to be comfortable, I started with a simple weight lifting routine, just 3 lb weights and it only took me 20 minutes three days a week. Once I had done that and saw improvement in a month, I upped the weights and then started to think that maybe walking on my treadmill wouldn't be so bad. Now I'm lifting 10lb weights (after two years), can see the definition in my arms and stomach (under my still large stomach) and am starting to run and walk every day. I only run for a minute and then go back to walking, but I'm sure eventually I will up that too.

I got a video called Strong Women Stay Young, created by a woman called Miriam Webster. The weights help you strengthen your arms and legs enough for it not to hurt or tire you so much when you want to start to walk more.

good luck, I'm glad all the people that posted didn't offend you. Sometimes we all need a kick up the backside!

Mary

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Op date: Nov 8/07
Start date and weight, Oct 27 - 293
Start/current/goal
293/218/170

Thread Starter

I am a nurse in an ER..it takes a lot to offend me! (smile) I work very hard but exercise is so distasteful to me....I had a State Inspector try to follow me at work the other day (surprize inspection)..and she told my head nurse that she couldn't keep up with me...(not bad for a big girl!!)...so i am not a sloth....just not a fan of exercise.

I really like the idea of keeping my goals small. I do look at the big picture and get discouraged...like having to lose 100 pounds...egads!! that is overwhelming to me...so i have made my goal at 10 pounds...and then go from there. I have to give up the idea that my band has the magical power to cure my fat....'cuz it doesn't..even though i really wanted it to....i still have to diet and exercise...poo...time to stop feeling sorry for myself and start living again....and moving towards getting healthy.

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Banded June 28, 2007 Ap Band Dr. Malley Kansas

I agree that the idea of 100 pounds is so daunting. At first that is what I was doing and as I was losing so slowly I felt like I was walking on a treadmill and not getting anywhere.

But as someone posted, it is good just to take small steps. Like stop one bad habit first, and then add something else.

And now I have seen the 20's and I am aiming to see the 10's. Going whole hog to 199 is just too big mentally. My slightly larger goal is to be 193 which will be my 100 mark lost, and also the first time I've ever weighed less than my husband! (when I was in my 170s he was thinner too!).

Glad you posted, it likely got us all thinking too!

"A journey starts with a single step".

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Op date: Nov 8/07
Start date and weight, Oct 27 - 293
Start/current/goal
293/218/170