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My finance and myself both had lap band surgery this month. She had hers on 12/6 and mine was on 12/13. Since my surgery, I have lost 7 pounds. She lost 12 pounds the first week, but during the second week (while still in the liquid phase) has gained 7 pounds. We can't seem to understand what is going on. Has anyone else had this experience? We are going to see the nutritionist today, but I was wondering if any of you have had this happen to you?

I was banded on 12/13 and lost 7 pounds in the first two days after the surgery. Since then (17 days now), I haven't lost a single pound, and have bounced around between gaining 5 pounds and back to even. Had I simply stayed on the pre-surgery diet and not had the surgery, I have no doubt that I would be down an additional 10+ pounds. It's extremely frustrating and is making me begin to think that I didn't make the best choice in getting this surgery. I am close to 200 pounds overweight, and I seriously need to lose some weight to get me to the point where I am not a health risk. I'm eating a tiny fraction of what I ate prior to surgery, and it's doing NOTHING for me.

I had Aetna and had to go through weight loss program with my Doctor, but honestly I don't think it really mattered that much. I ended up losing about 20 pounds over the course of the 8 months it took to get through everything. I was on the three month fast track too...but it's just too much stuff to fit into three months.

My fiance and I both had lap band surgery in the early part of December, and we are scheduled for our first feel on January 5th. Because of this, we have been able to compare ourselves to one another. When I feel the area where her port is, I feel something that is almost completely round and pronounced. Mine however, feels like a singular line that is about one inch in height, stretching to approximately 3 inches across. Does this sound normal? I expected my port to be round rather than just thin across.

I'm starting to get really frustrated about this surgery. During the pre-op phase, I lost 23 pounds, and the first three days after surgery, I dropped another 10. Since that point, I have either stayed the same or gained weight every single day. My fiance had the same surgery a week prior to me, and she is dealing with the same thing. I just don't get it. In diets of the past, if I had eaten this amount of food, I would have been dropping 5-10 pounds a week...but after the band, it's nothing. I was expecting rapid weight loss (and was pretty much guaranteed this by my Doctor, as long as I followed the guidelines, which I have), but at this point, I'm starving myself and eating foods that disgust me (protein shakes) for nothing. Has anyone else had these problems after the surgery? I understand the argument about swelling, but if that was the case, I would have gained in the days following surgery. I also understand plateau's, but this has been going on for 12 days now. I weigh almost 400 pounds and am surviving on less than 1000 calories a day...it's ridiculous.

I have completed my liquid diet portion of the post-op and went to the nutritionist completely ready for the mushy stage that everyone on here talks about. Instead, I was shocked to receive information about the diet that my doctor recommends. I was instructed that from now until the 8th week of having my band, I should eat only Protein and SOME veggies (Beans, squash, and zuchinni being the only three that are allowed). Pretty much all meats are allowed, although she did say that I could puree it if I needed...otherwise, I should just make sure I chew really well. I was told to stay away from mashed potatoes, and other common mushy phase items. I am allowed cheeses, all meats, yogurts, and the veggies I mentioned above. Does anyone else find this diet odd compared to the ones that most people are placed on? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be able to have some meats, but it just seems like a weird progression compared to the average. On a slight side note, my fiance (who had the lap band a week before me) and myself went to a local steakhouse for dinner tonight to have our first not liquid "meal". We shared a 6oz. filet mignon with a side of mixed veggies (happened to be squash and zucchini). Combined, we ended up only managing to eat about 2oz. of the filet and 2-3 pieces of the veggies each. We can eat these leftovers for days! It was a nice feeling to feed two people for $15 and have leftovers!

This diet is good from a taste perspective, but I have been gaining weight ever since I started it. I started on Monday at 380 and have gained a pound every day since starting. I am taking in a total of 800-1000 calories a day at most, when my body was probably used to 3000+. It's extremely frustrating to gain weight when you're eating so little...especially since I've never really been one to have slow weight loss. I hoping this will all turn around a little bit, because I hear of so many people that have rapid weight loss, and while I lost 25 pounds on the pre-surgery diet, I have lost only 6 pounds since the surgery (and all six came two days after, I've lost nothing since).

I've been sleeping on my back since surgery and it's been terrible! I have had trouble attempting to sleep on my side because of pain in one of my incision points. I'm hoping and praying to be able to sleep on my stomach again in the next few weeks. I need sleep!

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the direction he has put me in...and if there are problems from it, at least it's based on his direction. From what my nutritionist told me, they do not do initial band fills during surgeries, so maybe that is why he's more liberal. I didn't have any issues at all with the steak and veggies going down for dinner.

Many people swear by unjury unflavored, and I had a lot of trouble tolerating it. They recommend one scoop per 8 ounces of liquid (20 grams of protein) and it tastes terrible. I have found it to be quite good when I mix it with 16 ounces though. I currently have been mixing with crystal light (orange, pink lemonade, or strawberry flavors), and it is so much better than dealing with yet another chocolate or vanilla Protein drink.