riverat

I'm still interested. You can email me directly at riverat1111@gmail.com. I hope your surgery went well!

I'm still interested in the group if anyone wants to join me.

They are by far my favorite. Love, love, love them. Hubby blends the vanillas with fruit and ice, I like the chocolate ones straight up. I just wish they had more flavors!

Here's what I do: I go with my regular point allowance- in my case, 33 a day- and plan my days' meals accordingly. (say, 10 for breakfast, 11 for lunch, 12 for dinner) I will fill my plate with the food I have measured out, but I will start eating with the protein. Once the protein is done, I will eat back and forth on the other stuff until I am full. No matter how much I eat, I will track the whole point value of the plate. I realize I'm not eating my whole 33 points a day, but I don't think that's the point. The food WW encourages is healthy food we should be eating anyway. And if the food seems to be going down a little too easily, the measuring I did will help me put the brakes on things. So far, so good

I was banded 12/27/10 and started WW about a month ago (3/2011). I felt it was necessary because my doctor is pretty conservative when it comes to fills. I was feeling almost no restriction, and was having a pretty hard time staying on the wagon. I figured WW would give me some structure and control while I waited for my band to start doing it's job. It's worked out great! Better than I expected, actually. Right now, I get 34 points a day and I'm able to stay within that easily- something that was a struggle for me in my pre-band days. I've got more restriction in my band these days, so I'm not always able to eat all my points. Here's how I've modified WW to fit my band; -I stick to three meals a day. No snacking. The band helps with that. -I serve myself (and track full points value) of a plate of healthy food- I love WW recipes!- but make a point to eat my protein first, then my veggies, then my carbs. That way, if I run out of steam and can't finish, I've got the essentials covered. I go to the meetings but, like others have mentioned, I don't mention that i'm banded..

I was banded 12/27/10 and started WW about a month ago (3/2011). I felt it was necessary because my doctor is pretty conservative when it comes to fills. I was feeling almost no restriction, and was having a pretty hard time staying on the wagon. I figured WW would give me some structure and control while I waited for my band to start doing it's job. It's worked out great! Better than I expected, actually. Right now, I get 34 points a day and I'm able to stay within that easily- something that was a struggle for me in my pre-band days. I've got more restriction in my band these days, so I'm not always able to eat all my points. Here's how I've modified WW to fit my band; -I stick to three meals a day. No snacking. The band helps with that. -I serve myself (and track full points value) of a plate of healthy food- I love WW recipes!- but make a point to eat my protein first, then my veggies, then my carbs. That way, if I run out of steam and can't finish, I've got the essentials covered. I go to the meetings but, like others have mentioned, I don't mention that i'm banded..

I didn't have to do 3 weeks liquid before, but i was on liquids for 6 weeks after- much longer than what most people have to do. Something I've noticed from these boards is that every doctor has his own method he uses- from preop diet to progression of foods post-op to how he fills the band.. I wouldn't worry too much if your doctor is telling you something different. I'm sure his decisions are based on what he has found to be effective, both clinically and through his own research. I look at it like my doctor and I are a team. He wants me to lose weight, and knows what he's doing. It'll suck for a while, but it's all part of the fun (Haha!). You'll do great

There is a simple solution, believe it or not. Something I learned that surprised me- if you stretch well AFTER you work out, it almost completely eliminates the soreness.

Thanks so much. I feel a little better about things...

My gas started on Day 5 -way later than I would have thought-, and lasted about 7 or 8 days. The shoulder pain from the gas was WAY worse than any surgical pain I had, so I sympathize with you ((hug)). Like you, GasX didn't do much. Walking, walking, walking did. Plus, it gave me something spacific to do that distracted me from focusing on the pain. It WILL get better, hang in there!

My doctor gave me a 4cc fill in a 10cc band, and I could feel the difference for the first few days- I would eat a small plate of food and feel satisfied. After that, though, I felt like my old self. I could eat 3 plates if I didn't stop myself.. I'm trying to stay on track (and am doing a fair job so far) but honestly, if I could do the willpower-thing well, I don't think I would have a weight issue in the first place. I'm wondering how long I can stay on the wagon.. I'm hoping that with another fill, I can get back to where I was. I'm thinking about re-joining Weight Watchers. Maybe it can help me not go crazy with food until I can get some support from my band.. UGH! I'm really trying to stay positive... Questions: Is it common to have a restrictive feeling, then have it go away? Is the WW thing a good idea? Does anyone have experience with WW and the band?

I am interested also. I live near VickiT- southeast of Austin near the Bastrop County line. I was banded Dec. 27 and just had my first fill a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to send my email, so I'll just throw it in here: riverat1111@gmail.com. I'm pretty excited about this. I don't know anyone else who's had a lapband done..

I'm in the same boat. I got my first fill about a week ago (4cc/10cc band). I felt some restriction the first two days- I had a small meal and felt satisfied, it was great. After that, though, I feel like nothing is different than before surgery. I'm being careful not to go crazy, but I'm going on sheer willpower here, and if I was good at that, I wouldn't have had a BMI of 40. I'm kinda' scared, actually. I'm afraid of losing the little progress I've made. I'm glad this topic is brought up. I had no warning of this, so I thought it was just me.

OK, so I just got my first fill last week and was cleared to begin real food after 10 weeks- yes, ladies and gentlemen, 10 weeks!- of full liquids. Today was my first venture into the world of restaurants post-band. What I thought was hilarious is how people reacted to me declining a drink with my meal. "No, just the food, thanks" freaked everyone right out. "Are you sure?" "How about a glass of water?", "No coffee, are you sure?", "Really, there's no charge". When I finally got it across I REALLY did not need or want anything to drink, she walked away shaking her head like she was totally confused. Ten minutes later, another waitress passing by noticed I was drinkless and stopped to ask if SHE could get me a drink. I'm sure some people would find this annoying, but I thought it was really funny. It's not like this was some fancy place either; it was just a regular diner. Man, am I thirsty...LOL