Huggles1951

How is everyone from January doing? What issues are any of you dealing with? I've been exercising 5 days a week and I'm still dealing with plateaus. How do you deal with a plateau? Any feedback would be appreciated.

I had tingling problems about a year before surgery and it was kind of freaking me out. When I went to my primary Dr I told her about it and she ordered some blood work. It seems low B 12 affects your nerves. I've been taking 2500 IU of sublingual B12 every day since. No more tingling. Also take extra vitamin D since that was low too and my Dr said most ppl don't get enough D either. I'd say look to your vitamin levels especially after surgery. Good Luck.

I was banded Jan 11th 2011. I was doing great at first then I had my first fill. Too much and had to have some removed. After that it seemed like no matter what I did no weight loss for weeks. I exercise at the Y 5 days a week and have been doing mostly high protein low carb so I didn't understand it. I finally decided to go back on the liquid diet to see if I could jump start things again. Did the liquid for 2 weeks and started losing again. the doctor said my plateau may have been because I had cut my calories back too much and my body thought I was starving it so it held on to everything I ate. Hope this helps you.

I have one cup every morning and have had no problems. Coffee is a diuretic so just keep up on the other liquids and you'll be fine. I gave up cigarettes, sugar,carbonated drinks and most carbs so I had to have one vice...lol.

Having some problems ARRRGGG. I was banded Jan 11th and was doing fine losing weight, not hungry etc. Dr decided to do a fill on April 1st while it was still free. I ended up too tight and had some taken out on the 4th. Since then it's been terrible. I have been doing water aerobics 5 days a week since August. I added strength training 2 days a week on April 11th. Since my fill and unfill and adding the strength training I've only lost 5 pounds in the last 7 weeks. I think my clothes are getting looser but nothing is happening on the scale. I have been doing mostly low carb high protein. Not perfect had a small piece of birthday cake and a couple spoons of potato salad a little rice in the last couple of months. I can eat more than I did at first, probably a cup of food depending on what it is. It's not like I'm stuffing myself or doing a lot of high sugar or high calorie foods. I don't know what to do to start the weight loss again and I'm frustrated. I stopped my protein shake to cut calories and now I'm wondering if I should do the liquid diet to get things moving again. I was throwing up after the fill ,unfill thing and I wonder if my band slipped or something. I don't have any pain but not feeling much restriction either and I get hungry now. Any advice would be appreciated.

Having the same problem ARRRGGG. I was banded Jan 11th and was doing fine losing weight, not hungry etc. Dr decided to do a fill on April 1st while it was still free. I ended up too tight and had some taken out on the 4th. Since then it's been terrible. I have been doing water aerobics 5 days a week since August. I added strength training 2 days a week on April 11th. Since my fill and unfill and adding the strength training I've only lost 5 pounds in the last 7 weeks. I think my clothes are getting looser but nothing is happening on the scale. I have been doing mostly low carb high protein. Not perfect had a small piece of birthday cake and a couple spoons of potato salad a little rice in the last couple of months. I can eat more than I did at first probably a cup of food depending on what it is. It's not like I'm stuffing myself or doing a lot of high sugar or high calorie foods.I don't know what to do to start the weight loss again and I'm frustrated. I stopped my protein shake to cut calories and I'm wondering if I should do the liquid diet to get things moving again. any advice would be appreciated.

I was banded on Jan. 11th and I'm wondering how everyone else is doing. I have had one fill since surgery and had to have half of it taken out because it was too much. I have an appt. for June 1st for another fill. I'm bummed because I seem to be at a plateau since my fill. I do water aerobics 5 days a week and have added strength training 2 days a week and still nothing happening on the scale. Other than a tiny piece of birthday cake and some potato salad on Easter I have been doing high protein low carb. I can eat more than I did when I was first banded but I have not been eating huge amounts or anything like that. I stopped the protein shakes for a week and it didn't make a difference so I added them back in as they are my breakfast before going to the Y. I've decided to try doing the liquid diet for a week to see if that helps. If anyone has any advice or ideas PLEASE pass them on to me.

Hi! I had my Lap Band done January 10th at Wood County Hospital in Bowling Green and there don't seem to be any other Bandsters at the support meetings. Wondering if there are any of you out there. Dr. Peter Lalor did the surgery and I don't think he has a lot of band patients. Feeling soooo alone sniffle sniffle whine whine...lmao. If you're out there I'd love to hear from you.

I was banded Jan 10th and just had my first fill. I had a couple of other appts. where my Dr. decided I didn't need a fill because I wasn't hungry and I was losing at a good rate. Friday I went in and I am still not hungry except when I should be (unlike before when I was always hungry). I did tell him I could eat more than before depending on what it was. I was still getting stuck once in awhile trying new stuff so I know I had some restriction from the fluid he put in during surgery. He decided to do a fill and the process itself wasn't too bad. He had me drink a small amount of water and that went well. No problem. It wasn't till about 4 hours later that I started to have issues. When I drink anything now there's all this gurgling going on ( like a plugged drain )and it seems like it takes forever for the fluid to go down. I feel like something is stuck in the back of my throat all the time and have a kind of nauseous feeling. Do you think this is normal after a fill and maybe it will ease up in a few days or should I think about getting some fluid taken out next week. I had 2cc in after surgery and he just added 2 cc. I have a 10cc band.

Does anyone have Paramount Elite Insurance in Ohio? Just wondering what your experiences are with the whole banding process, fills and costs etc.

I was banded on Jan 10th. I had 2 cc put in my band the day of surgery. I was on a liquid diet for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery and I couldn't eat as much thick soup after surgery as before. Now that the swelling has gone down and I'm on regular food I can eat more but I still am not hungry all the time like I was before. I went for a fill 3 weeks ago and he didn't do one because I was losing and not hungry. Didn't get one yesterday either though he said by the 31st he'd do one as it would still be free and he wasn't sure if my ins. would pay for it after the 90 days. I called my ins. today and they said it should be covered but we'll see how that goes. 35lbs of the weight I lost was after surgery. Lately I've been averaging 2lbs a week sometimes more. My cholesterol and blood sugar are good now without meds (I was pre-diabetic) So I can't complain about the results so far. It's still all a learning process as far as food goes. I'm terrified of bread...lol. I've had a couple of stuck episodes with other stuff and it was not pleasant. I've been trying to do mostly protein and not too many carbs and I've been doing water aerobics at the Y 5 days a week. Overall I feel really good. Kind of worried the fill when I get it will hurt but I've got till the 31st to psych myself up for that... again...lol.

Yipee!!! I finally found some Toledo people. I had my Lap band done on Jan. 10th at Wood County Hospital by Dr. Peter Lalor. Just saw him yesterday and asked him where all the band people are. He said he only has about 10 and they don't seem to come to support meetings. I still don't have my first fill because I'm not hungry and I'm still losing weight but he will do one on the 31st. I was wondering if anyone else has Paramount Elite insurance and if so what your experiences are with them.

Does anyone have Paramount Elite Insurance in Ohio? Just wondering what your experiences are with the whole banding process, fills and costs etc.

I hope nobody saw my previous reply as advocating a super high fat diet.. I didn't mean that at all. I use 1% milk in my zero carb protein powder shakes and though I don't eat a lot of cheese because of the constipation factor the cheese is regular not low fat. I do have sugar free stuff like popsicles and things like that. I do use regular mayo and small amounts of butter, olive and other oils. I never had any luck counting calories because when I did it just seemed like I was obsessing over every crumb I ate and that made things worse for me. For me Low carb high protein just works better and it's basically the diet I was given after surgery. I usually don't count carbs either. I just try to watch what I have. I do eat brown rice and oatmeal but no bread and rarely eat potatoes. When you think about it though there are carbs in just about everything like catsup and salad dressing etc so I know I'm getting some and it isn't worth obsessing about for me. I know I'm not perfect and occasionally I'll have stuff I shouldn't but I'm done beating myself up over it and I refuse to let an occasional treat derail the whole process. Since I've cut out most of the obvious bad carbs I don't get that uncontrollable urge to keep binging on sweets like I did before. Since I'm afraid to try bread I can't fall back on my previous habit of being too lazy to cook and just having a sandwich (or two) like I used to do. I could just stay home instead of dragging my butt to the Y 5 days a week and just eat ice cream, drink milk shakes, eat a bunch of chocolate and fill up on greasy starchy foods but what would be the point of having put myself through the risk of surgery? As long as I keep losing weight and my cholesterol and sugar numbers keep heading in the right direction I'll be a happy camper. I just have to keep reminding myself that this isn't a diet or a punishment, it's a new healthy lifestyle instead. High fat or low fat, high carb or low carb it's whatever works. After all we're not all the same and what will work for me might not work for someone else. As long as something works we're all ahead of the game.

Back when I was slim (before my life went to crap) I did the ..GASP...Atkins diet. I know mention of the Atkins diet will have some ppl shrieking " Are you nuts". No actually I am sane (more or less)..lol. The Atkins diet for those who don't know is basically a high protien low carb diet that does not advocate low fat. I always did great on it and never watched the fat. I too have never used margarine..yuck and found the fat issue interesting. I don't do low fat dairy and cheese now and I use olive oil, canola oil. peanut oil and actual butter. Most of the carbs I consume now are from no sugar added fruit. I haven't been taking my cholesterol meds since my surgery as my Dr wanted to see where everything was now without it . I just had my yearly physical and my primary Dr. was really impressed with my levels without the meds. I am one point short of being in the overall normal range. I was in the pre diabetic range before with my blood sugar and that is also 1 point short of the normal range too. I am really excited as I had the surgery to avoid becoming diabetic. I did find another bonus to having more good fat in my diet and that's the hair and skin issue. If you don't get enough good fats ( not trans fats) your hair gets dry and brittle and starts to fall out and your skin starts to get dry. I'm still losing weight though it's slower now and I'm not really too upset as I didn't gain it overnight either. I'm going in the 9th and he will probably do a fill. My first one and I'm kind of worried he'll overfill me but I 'll have to figure this all out along the way like all of you have. I love this site because all of your experiences have made it easier for me to know what to expect. Just want to say thanks to all of you. .

My suggestion would be to research a lot. I haunted this site and a couple of other sites for the bypass. My insurance only gave me two choices the band or the bypass. My surgeon wanted me to have the bypass stating my age, weight, BMI and how I'd lose faster with the bypass. My thoughts on the subject were that speed of weight loss was not a big issue for me as I didn't gain it overnight. I am not diabetic and wanted to lose weight so as not to become diabetic. I am hoping to help the sleep apnea, high cholesterol and mild hypertension I have. That being said part of the decision was based on never having had major surgery before, fewer complications with band surgery, shorter surgery time and shorter hospital stay, less complications and quicker recovery time. Another factor for me was that it's reversible if a problem comes up and it's adjustable. I have been able to lose weight in the past doing a low carb high protein diet but would always start to eat too much because I could. Granted there were times I gave up and ate whatever I wanted but generally my problem was always a volume issue. I was raised on unnaturally large portions and even when I was slim I was hungry all the time. What I wanted was to not feel hungry all the time and help limiting how much I could eat. I have gotten that and don't regret my decision at all. I don't appreciate the negative nancys either in here or in my support group meetings who mostly have the bypass and think it and they are superior in some way and I am somehow stupid to have chosen the band. I ignore them. I am intelligent and have made an informed decision on what I want to do, how I want to do it and what I want done to my body. Remember it is your life, your body and you need to do what you are comfortable with. Don't let others talk you into something you are not comfortable with. Research and list all the pros and cons and really think about what you want and how much you are willing to do after either surgery. As info I have a friend who had the bypass on Dec7th 2010 who has only lost 30 pounds and is already making bad food choices. I had my surgery on Jan.10th 2011 and have lost 35 lbs since my surgery. It's all about trying to do everything they tell you. I did the 4 week liquid and after the 1st week it was easier and that is pretty much the same for both surgeries. Other issues like getting stuck etc I learned about on this site and have only had a couple of episodes so far but I'm sure there will be more in the future. It's a learning journey. Sure there are thing you won't be able to eat but isn't it worth it to be healthier? I started water aerobics before surgery and am still at it. I feel better and healthier and isn't that really why we're all here for help with our food issues. Anything worthwhile takes work and effort but I think we all deserve all the help we can get. Doing something is a whole lot better than giving up and doing nothing. Good luck with whichever surgery you choose.

I was banded on Jan. 10th and had an appt. on Valentines Day for a fill and my Dr. decided not to do one because I was doing good. I will be going back March 9th and I think I will need one then. I am starting to be able to eat more and don't feel full as long. I'm kind of afraid of the fill thing since so many ppl on here seem to have had problems with overfills. I've been doing water aerobics 5 days a week for 2 1/2 hrs since last August and I think that helped me get in the habit of exercising since I had to quit smoking in 2009 so I could have the surgery. Had a couple of stuck episodes...yuck not good but my fault ....sigh. Hoping we all keep hanging in here and working it.

I was banded Jan. 10th. The first 2 weeks after surgery I lost 23 pounds. That was a thrill. I was of course on a liquid diet for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. I have now moved on to the next phase with more solid foods. I had my second post surgery appt. on Feb.14th. I was kind of nervous because I only lost 7 pounds and my surgeon had wanted me to have the bypass because he said I'd lose weight faster. I guess I thought he'd be disappointed in my progress. Well he was thrilled with the amount I lost and didn't decide to do a fill because I was doing so good.. On one level I know 7 lbs in 2 weeks is good but on another level there's a part of me that feels it's not enough and I need to somehow prove I chose wisely as far as surgery goes. Any idea how to get these weird thoughts out of my head so I can relax and not obsess on how I should be losing faster.

Thanks guys. I know most of the problem is where my mind is and this weird issue I have about needing to prove to my surgeon that he was wrong about the band not working as well for me as he thought the bypass would. I have a friend who has the same surgeon and she had the bypass in Dec. and hasn't lost as much as I have. We both do water aerobics at the Y. I do 2 classes a day 5 days a week and she usually does 2 or 3 days a week. After the way my Dr. was talking up the bypass I kind of expected her to be doing better than I was and I was surprised when I found out she wasn't. I know on an intellectual level that 3 1/2 lbs a week is good I just have to figure a way to beat my mind into shape and just quit obsessing about it. Sometimes it's easier said than done.

Maybe a bug maybe not. My surgeons office has a chart for bandsters and on the too full end of the scale is a list of symptoms that include night cough and sore throat (cause listed as acid reflux) so maybe you should mention it to your doctor. It's always better to err on the side of caution I think and then you won't worry if he says it nothing to be concerned about.

I was banded on Jan 10th. I sometimes get a twinge on my lower left side and it was always associated with eating a bit too much. A couple of times I had a sharp pain on the left side separate from where my port is and it kind of worried me but it didn't last too long. In fact I had that just yesterday. I think I may have figured out what it was. It really hurt and I thought maybe it would get better when I laid down last night. I laid down and tried to get comfortable and ripppppppp. A massive gas bubble released and the pain was gone. I've had gas before (who hasn't) but it never caused a pain like that before. Must have just been where the gas was located. Anyway it was new to me and while it was painful I'm glad that's all it was. Hopefully that is what you are experiencing. Good luck.

I got my band Jan 10th and have been doing great. I am into mushy foods and other than a little incident with tuna salad have had no problem. Won't be having tuna salad for a looooong time..lol. My list says boiled, moist really well cooked meat. I was on an archeological dig of my freezer and came across a pot roast. I'm thinking crock pot for hours equals moist and juicy. So I nestled it down in the crock pot with a ton of carrots and a couple of small potatoes and flipped the switch. Hours later after smelling it and driving myself crazy it was falling apart. Got myself a small piece cut it up really good put plenty of juice on it and took a small bite. It was sooooooooo good. I really enjoyed it for the brief time I had it...aaaarrrrrrgh. I can mash the carrots and potatoes and eat them but not the meat .......sniffle sniffle whine. Took most of it over to my elderly neighbor and froze the rest....sigh maybe someday. Oh well it's a learning experience, it's a learning experience.... repeat after me it's a learning experience...lol.

I was banded Jan 10th. I had pain in the left side near where my port was at. The port is anchored to your abdominal muscle. I guess it's to be expected that the whole area would be sore as they were rooting around in there... lol. For the first week after surgery it hurt if I moved the wrong way or getting in or out of a chair etc. I also had the pain up on my left shoulder area from the gas and air they fill your abdomen with. Also the upper left pressure if I tried to eat too much. For the gas I'd suggest walking around and gas x and for the lower left pain I'd suggest you use your pain meds before it gets too bad. If you have a fever or the pain keeps getting worse call your Dr right away. You should probably call anyway just to ease your mind.. Good luck.

I'm on mushies too. According to my list I can have any kind of egg except fried, cottage cheese, sugar free fruit mushed up, tuna, chicken, egg, seafood, turkey salad (tuna salad did not work out for me it was too gummy and got stuck) though seafood salad was ok. I can have lean lunch meat, refried beans, boiled soft meat, mashed potatoes, soft veggies, sugar free jello and pudding and sugar free popsicles. I think something like corned beef would have to be cooked really well and cut up fine as it's a kind of stringy meet. I made chili the other day and had no problem with it though I made sure the beans were really tender and mashed most of them. Hope this helps ya out. Good luck.

I was banded Jan 10th. I had some shoulder pain the week right after my surgery and it was mostly from gas and the air they fill your abdomen with so they can move around in there. A couple of times since I've had it when I tried to eat too much. I was on the full liquid diet for 2 weeks before surgery as well as 2 weeks after. I think the diet 2 wks before surgery made the transition after surgery easier to ease into the healing period. For 4 long....long...long weeks I had stuff like creamed soups (i used milk instead of water) mixed with less liquid than it called for to give it some substance, pureed the chunky soups, egg drop soup, sugar free jello, pudding, sugar free popsicles, v-8 juice, crystal light and protein shakes. Not exciting by any means but It's working. I'm in the mushy stage now and having a scrambled egg was heaven...lol. Good luck and hang in there. Hope this helped a little.