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i can totally relate. I was soooo excited and nervous for my initial consult. I am self pay so my doctor actually doesnt even know i'm having the surgery. in the days leading up to my consult i kept a notebook with me with all my questions. i even asked the surgeon if he had even be part of a malpractice suit! i knew he wasnt i had already googled him! LOL! When i counted the questions I had for the surgeon, dietician and the financial person, i had 50 questions!!!! Noone ever made me feel rushed or like they were tired of answering the same questions i'm sure they get 1 ,000 times a day! I was so nervous/excited that my BP was up! When I went back for pre-op testing it was back to normal. I get banded on the 20th of May, so feel free to PM me with any questions. Jennifer

I would definitely find a new doctor.... Mine was Dr. Richard Pucci. He is one of three doctors in his practice (Advanced Laparoscopic Specialists LLC) and they are all brothers. Extremely nice people. They are in Suffern NY 845-368-1500, Goshen NY 845-775-7505, Ridgewood NJ 201-447-2808, and Oradell NJ 201-262-4800. Not sure where you are located but if you are near any of those locations they are highly recommended. Hope this helps and good luck! ~Pam

Hi Tracey, I'm glad you came to this site to get your information. You can read all you want but there's nothing like someones personal experiences. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can..... Question 1: Once you are banded the ask you to drink AT LEAST 64 oz. of Water per day. At first the drinking will have to be fairly slow however once the stomach swelling goes down from surgery liquids will go down more easily. Question 2: They say to make your meals last for at least 20 minutes. You will need to take smaller bites and you will need to chew your food thoroughly. Like Ash said chew each bite 25-45 times. If something is not breaking down in your mouth after that amount of time it's not the best idea to ingest a lot of it if any. Getting "stuck" is not fun. It is very uncomfortable and you want to avoid that feeling as much as possible. The reasoning behind the 20 minutes is because it takes the brain 20 minutes to realize that you are full and only the top part of the stomach can detect that. That is why the band is placed so high. Question 3: Every stage of your banding process will be different. 4 oz. is standard at the beginning but the pouch will stretch and you will eventually be able to eat a bit more. The top portion of your stomach is a harder part to stretch so your going to feel it when it does. Bread may be a problem so you may want to eat the burger without or instead of bread put it between 2 large pieces of lettuce. You are going to be asked to eat your Proteins first when you eat. Question 4: I personally can't feel the band when I move but if I push in on my stomach I can feel the port. I can also feel it when I am laying down but I do still have swelling. Question 5: Most people don't have an issue when getting sick but everybody is different. I know that slippage can be a result of that but its highly unlikely. Question 6: Some people have problems with Pasta, others don't. Like I had mentioned earlier starches are harder to process and you should always put your Protein first. Granted there are going to be meals that you will have minimal protein but you have to make that change to not do that as often. This is just as much a mental change as a physical change. If you don't go in to this with the right mind frame I suggest you wait. You will have to make sacrifices because the band is not a quick fix. It is a tool and you REALLY have to work hard at what you do. Counting calories, burning calories through exercise, getting in your protein (usually 50 grams a day for a woman) drinking water, planning meals, and taking control of your emotions and finding out what triggered you to get to where you are now and figuring out how to fix it so you don't go back. It is a huge lifestyle change but it can also change your life for the better. The band doesn't work for you, you work for it. Good luck with your decision ~Pam

I'm glad today is easier for you and I know that occasionally you will tend to have minor slip ups but please keep in mind that although you have lost 5.5 in two days even with going over in calories (please don't get me wrong that it great!) you should still try to stay under the 800. The doctor tells you how to make it work for a reason. I KNOW it's really hard right now and the liquid diet post op may seem incredibly drastic at times as well but just keep remembering its all for the greater good in the long run. As an overweight woman myself I have made food an excuse. A lot of times I said I was hungry but in all fairness I wasn't. I was just use to eating. I've realized now that I was flat out lying to MYSELF and the only person that gets hurt is me. You will come to realize a lot of the times the "hunger" is in your head. If you feel yourself getting hungry besides at normal meal times, drink a glass of Water or crystal light. If you can drink that and then 20 minutes later still feel hungry, eat something small. Also, eat slowly and chew thoroughly. It's something you will need practice with anyway so it will get you use to it. It takes a full 20 minutes for your brain to recognize being full so if you are a fast eater by the time you actually feel full, you're actually stuffed. Good luck with everything and if you ever need to talk feel free to message me. ~Pam

Remember that non scale victories are good too. All though you may not be losing, by getting more exercise you are going to be gaining muscle. I'm pretty new to this but like Dave said sometimes uping your calorie intake may kick start the losing process again.. Good luck!!

My doctor had told me instead of trying to eat really doughy bread (white bread, bagels, italian bread ect) try to toast it, it gives it a different texture. Also small bites chewing VERY well. Once you realize how really chewed bread actually feels in your mouth (texture too) you may not miss it as much as you think you might. When food isn't chewed thoroughly, it tastes different. That is something you will realize over time. Some tastes are more of a habit than an addiction. I'm sooo jealous! I can't eat solids for another 3 weeks! Good luck with it all.

My surgery was on April 15th. I didn't have a specific pre-op diet however I was required to lose between 10-25 lbs so there was some dieting involved. I see a lot of people had to do a liquid diet but I just watched what I was putting in my mouth and was quite successful. I dropped 12 lbs in a week and a half. Hope that makes you feel a bit more at ease. Good luck with your surgery and if you have any questions feel free to message me. ~Pam

Formerly Fluffy, I did lose weight with the lap band, I lost over 100 lbs. The reason that I stopped losing weight and gained it back was because I had to get all of the Fluid removed from my band and leave it out for 6 months before a Doctor in my home town would do my fills. I am not saying that I have been following the rules, because I didn't. You are a very judgmental person and I hope that you never have to reap the seeds that you have sown. It is because of people like you and your negative attitude that people are not honest when they fall of the band wagon and why they do not turn to the lap band talk support system to get back on track. Best of luck to you on your journey, I do not want people like you in my life!!

This thread makes me feel all dirty...I like it.

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