FLORIDAYS

I am 5'9 11/23/2010 Pre Op 377 BMI 55 12/9/2010 Day of surgery 352 10/17/2012 167 7 or 17 lbs from mine and my Dr's goal My pics are on my profile.

My question is...why would you use it? You have one of the best tools in the world to lose weight in the lap band. Are you looking for more help or a kick start off a plateau?

I agree with Mis.... call the Dr and demand some answers. If he refuses or doesnt have any I would consult with another surgeon and consider changing Drs. You need to be confident your band is working properly and it is your Dr's responsibility to make sure it is. I wouldnt lie back on this one... I would be all over it!

If I wanted bad enough I would do it. Let the chips fall where they may. I doubt you would have serious complicaitons becasue you didnt do th epre op...as long as your Dr is ok with it. I dont think you could go back to work on the next day... but a few days after you should be fine. Best of luck

Soft foods are applesauce, yogart, ice cream. Mushies are close but maybe mashed Beans, potatoes, cottage cheese. MY Dr says they are the same thing if you chew it enough.

I didnt have pasta for several months after surgery mostly because it is a slider food...meaning its hard to chew up into tiny pieces and after about an hour after dinner I would be bringing up pieces of pasta and it annoyed me. But if I have it now I just am careful. 1/4 of a c is my limit for startches and this would have 55 calories in that amount if we are speaking about the same thing. Thats not too bad but there isnt much nutritional value in it... except the grain I suppose.

I have on a rare occassion sipped something to clear my mouth. I just have done it slowly and waited a bit before resuming eating. I have also accidentially taken a drink of something without thinking and know first hand that for me the liquid will push up the food I just ate and it will come back on me. Not always but its a potential disaster I try to avoid. It is one of the hardest things to train yourself to do.... At home I make sure not to even have liquid near the table when I am eating. Restaurants are more challenging but I usually slide the water glass out of reach. Good luck to you!

It wil.be there before you know it! Congrats!

I am further along but I can relate... I was 50 when I was banded and had a granddaughter on the way. I was over weight most of my life except for that crazy liquid diet in the 90s...lol I was banded dec 9 2010... I have lost 210 lbs. The best advice I can give you is to be ready to do whatever it takes... The band will do70% of the work. You have to do the rest. Best of luck to you!

What inspires me to keep going? My success thus far keeps me going day to day. I look at the clothes I can wear.. about how great it feels not to sweat walking from the garage in my office building up to the elevator.....How my waist is the same size as several young women in my office.... The list goes on forever. My original inspiration was my health, my spouse, my daughters and granddaughter who was in utero when I was banded. She is now 16 months old! And I have all the energy to be the fun grandmother I always wanted to be!

I'll admit it. I am an impatient person.... In October 2010 I made my decision to get banded. The Dr told me it would take 2.5 -3 yrs to lose the weight. I wanted to die. But instead I embraced it and took the bull by the horns... I counted every calorie, tracked every morsel I put in my mouth and stuck to the plan like glue. Fast forward 23 mths... I will be at goal in 7 lbs. You will be too... before you know it. Best of luck!

My name is Susan and I am a scale addict. And there is nothing wrong with it. Ignoring the scale for 52 years got me the grand prize of having 217 lbs to lose! I can promise you I know I will never ignore the scale again. In order for me to suceed on htis journey I had to be focused and strict with myself. It was a long haul but I am almost there and the past 23 months have just flown by!

I smoke 1/2 pack per day...give or take I have been banded for 22 months I have lost 210 lbs.. I am 7 from goal My insurance didnt pay for my band... and my Dr while suggesting strongly that I quit said I had no other health problems so still banded me. I plan on quitting in the future That said... smoking is a poor health choice. Your Dr may not be as forgiving as mine was and not agree to do the surgery. The smoking can effect healing and increase surgery risks. I was fortunate that I had no adverse effects.

The excitement of losing has not worn off. I do not expect it to... I spent my entire adult life over weight... almost 34 years. If I live until I am 85 then maybe the excitement might have died down a little. I didnt track protien, fat,or carbs. I tracked calories. When I asked my Dr pretty much the same question he said... thin people keep a running tally of their calories in their heads. It just comes naturally. I didnt understand it but now I get it. I can eye ball my protein and know what 3 oz is... I know if I eat a 1/2 baked potato then I had my startch... I cannot also eat the bread. Its common sense you will learn after doing for many months. During the losing stages I tracked my calories on a phone ap. When I hit 1000 I was done for the day. I tried to split it up to 3 -300 calorie meals with room for a snack. Now that I am so close to goal I have relaxed a little and I am still losing... just more slowly.

Yes the longer you are on this forum the more you realize you need to listen and follow your OWN Dr's advice. But I do like it that I can see lots of view points and have even taken some to my Dr over the last 23 months to get his input. He will say... Susan are you reading on the internet again? LOL

I know first hand how excited you are! I started my journey @ 377 lbs! The amount of weight we have to lose is hard to wrap your head around. Like you I made myself a set of mini goals and fast forward 23 months later I am almost there.... the time has just flown! You are doing a great job! DO something nice for yourself today!!!

I am not a Dr.... so please follow your physcian's advice but.... my Dr told me the same thing early on. I havent had a stomach bug in 23 months...I had a fill a week ago Friday. On Monday I couldnt keep anything down and I determined it was a bug.... I gave it a couple days just drinking liquids, soup, protien shakes etc...anything not to irritate my band and it was fine. I only had one episode of throwing up but becasue it was mostly liquid... it didnt seem to be an issue. I thought about it but I didnt get an unfill. Not saying that will work for you but it did for me and I even managed to lose a few lbs. I am back to normal and hopefully that was my bug for the year.

My Dr said I could bath and shower right away. I was allowed to get in the swimming pool or hot tub after one week. There is nothing wrong with calling your Dr to ask. Thats what you are paying him for.

I run into the same problem weekly...all I do is order a Water with lemon or lime and take a few tiny sips while everyone else is downing their 200 calorie drink. I havent been shy about telling people I am dieting so its been no big deal. And since I have lost a ton of weight its pretty obvious. I dont have time for people who think its a problem or are overly concerned with my eating habits and quite honestly it hasnt been a problem for me at all.

How wonderful you are both changing your life to have a stronger healthier one together Congratulations

You want me to tell you to eat it.....sorry no can do...lol That is the beauty of the band.... It's a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling. Hang in there..this too shall pass.

To answer your questions... the time it takes to lose is so individual I can only tell you my story. I am older than you and have spent a lifetimes dieting only to lose and gain and repeat. With the band i have lost 210 lbs in 23 months. The band was a wonderful tool but it only does 70% of the work. You must do the the rest... I ate 1000 calories a day because that's the number which seemed to be most successful for me to lose. My insurance paid nothing. My dr and hospital cost me 10k but then the hospital offered to discount my bill if I paid it off more quickly so the total was $7200 The band will restrict everything you eat from the moment it is implanted. What it restricts is very individual. I have a hard time with rice... Others cannot eat eggs...I can. It's purely subjective. The band will not limit and physical activities once you are healed from surgery. Hope this helps in your quest for info. Feel free to pick my brain anytime.

I don't think it's for everyone but when I starting looking into it I made appointments with 3 drs, did online research and came to a decision based on the facts. The one thing I can tell you is the band isn't a miracle cure. I do not believe you can be successful without dedication and hard work and a commitment to success....well that and a drastic reduction in calories and portions! Best of luck to you.

All you have to say is that you are watching your portions. The less of a big deal you make of it the less your friends will be concerned about it. I have found people just don't care what I am eating.

Every dr has a different regime so wasn't sure where you were in the process. I was just saying that from this day forward you are learning to live with the band...and while you move from liquids to mushies to food it's important to be mindful of your calorie Intake. Since you don't have much restriction to aide you. I am of the mindset that people who don't pay attention to what they are eating when they can start are less likely to see the results early on. That may not be your case. Since You are worried about starting ... all I was saying is to try tracking what you are eating to prevent further gains. I am sure you will start seeing results