momnear40

I am scheduled for surgery finally a week from tomorrow and so excited. I went for my pre-op appointment today and mentioned that some doctors have noticed that I have PVC's (or irregular heartbeats) on an EKG. I just had gallbladder removal surgery 6 months ago and uterine surgery 6 months before that and I had no problems. Yet, my surgeon wants me to do a stress test where you run on the treadmill. Does this mean my surgery may be cancelled pending the results? Has anyone else had to do this?

Ok, I need all of your help. I keep reading what everyone is writing. As far as drinks go, I don't see any but coffees and protein drinks. I am drinking juice (capri sun) and am wondering if that is why I haven't lost any weight since the first 20 pounds post surgery diet in March? I also eat chocolate. Probably like 1/2 a bar a day. BUT I work out three to four days per week. Cardio 45 minutes each time. I do a low carb, high protein diet but maybe there is too much sugar in my diet so that is why the scale won't go down. I have been the same weight since March! But I feel that with the tiny amounts I am eating, plus low carb, high protein, what the heck is the band doing? How is it helping if I am supposed to do everything I used to do to lose weight before? I feel like everyone is pretty much doing Atkins, so we did we get the bands????? Help!

I have to admit that i eat after a fill sometimes. I can't go 24 hours without eating. It kills me. I have had 7 fills and not losing weight. Could it be because I don't wait the 24 hours to eat?

I have had two fluros and also had all the fluid taken out and put back in. This is when they realized the other doc missed my port a couple of times. So hard to keep the faith. I feel like I am just doing it on my own. I wish I didn't feel like eating. But even at that, I don't eat as much as I used to for sure. How little can a person eat? NJGirl32...how much do you eat in a day or did you eat when you were getting adjustments?

Oh, and my band is 14 cc. I was wrong on that in an earlier post.

How did you not get hungry during the 1st week of clear liquids after surgery. I am 2 1/2 days off my surgery and stomach is growling. Don't have a need to eat, just keep feeling it.

Hi Everyone, so an update. My doctor took all the fluid out and found out I only had 6.5 in my band. The last guy who did my fills missed my port a couple of times. Well now I have had three more fills and still haven't gone into the green zone or even lost one pound!!!! I am so frustrated and want this thing out. My doctor only does .5 at a time. Sometimes if I eat regular sized bites and eat fast (forgetting I have a band) I will get stuck and throw up but then can eat. I don't know what to do. Am I too tight or just not there yet? I never thought it would take this long. I was banded March 15, 2011 and have only lost 20 pounds and that was before and right after surgery. Are there people out there that never lose weight with the band? I am going to ask my doctor if I can take an appetite suppressant at this point. So incredibly frustrated. And yes, I have been working out. I was doing cardio for 30 minutes so my doctor said do it for 40 minutes and don't do 30 on the treadmill and then switch to the bike for 10 minutes as my heart rate will apparently go down just walking to a another machine 5 ft away. I work out three to four times per week. I might as well have just gone on a diet on my own! Help! I need advice on hitting that green zone. I feel like I will never find it. I have had 11 fills now!

How long does it take or how many fills before you hit your green zone? My band is almost all filled up!

I was banded March 15, 2011. I lost 20 pounds during the pre and post surgery phase and nothing else. I have 10 cc in a 12 cc band. I have had 7 fills now. Two fluroscopic and the doc just thinks I am not tight enough yet. It has been 6 months! I never thought it would be this way or I wouldn't have had the surgery. Now I am thinking, what did I do to my body?! Just to lose 20 pounds. Has anyone else had a problem like this? I never thought it would take this long to lose some weight. I have been working out too 5 days per week and recently gained a pound and a half. I eat less than before but not a ton less yet. Definitely can eat more than the 4 ounces. Any advice? Did anyone take forever to get to their sweet spot? I would love any advice.

Thank you everyone. I will eat 4 oz of chicken or steak, have not had bread since being banded in March. Never drink soda, never have pizza anymore. I still have chocolate but very little. I still drink alcohol but not often. I do cardio and weights and switch off on different days. I have salad and the occasional two or three french fries but that is all. I eat cheese. Except for cutting WAY back on carbs, I eat the same but less but no movement on the scale. I have noticed inches but the scale won't budge. I never seem to be thirsty so I am working on that. I eat a lot of eggs. Should I only have eggwhites maybe? How would I take Hoodia? Aren't they big pills? I am still crushing some or opening capsules since my doc said I may have to do that indefinitely. Can you crush or open hoodia? I have a ton of natural energy so I don't like taking things that may make me wired. If I have coffee, it is always decaf. I have never been able to drink any caffeine at all! What do you eat when you drive around all day from client to client (bookkeeper)? I don't want to rely on fast food. Not that there is much I can eat.

I can't believe how much weight you have lost!!! I was needing to lose 70 pounds too but only lost twenty (5 before surgery and 15 right after). I feel like I have go back to not eating at all! All I feel is food getting stuck in my throat. So I chews and eat smaller bites but never have that feeling of fullness that i had the first month. I would love any more advice you may have! Congratulations!

Thank you so much everyone for the input. This helped me a lot. I just wonder what the normal number of fills is before getting in the green zone? Six fills seems like a lot. I have 10cc in a 12cc band. I don't have much room left. This is so frustrating.

I eat normal foods, but much smaller portions. I know I don't drink enough water. But I thought this was going to be easier than dieting and exercising alone. What is the point of the lapband? I can't believe you got banded after me and have lost 104 pounds already? The doctor says I am not to my sweet spot yet. It just keeps getting smaller and smaller but I see no real progress. What do you eat?

was banded 03/15 and am eating small bits of chicken now and mushies. The problem is for the first 3 weeks I wasn't hungry and now my hunger is really picking up and out of the weight I have lost, I have gained two pounds back no matter that I am still eating very little. This sucks. Does it get better with the first fill? I miss that full feeling where I wasn't ever hungry. Any March bandsters have a first fill yet? Does it help. I am dying for a fill and wish I didn't have to wait the full six weeks.

I was banded 03/15 and am eating small bits of chicken now and mushies. The problem is for the first 3 weeks I wasn't hungry and now my hunger is really picking up and out of the weight I have lost, I have gained two pounds back no matter that I am still eating very little. This sucks. Does it get better with the first fill? I miss that full feeling where I wasn't ever hungry. Any March bandsters have a first fill yet? Does it help. I am dying for a fill and wish I didn't have to wait the full six weeks.

I am worried that I am going to go out with a friend for dinner or something and I will be eating so little they will ask me why I am not eating. How do you all deal with this? My birthday is next week and I have to keep coming up with excuses to not meet people for lunch or let them take me out. I never want to tell my friends. Only my husband and mother. I am intensely private when it comes to my weight and I don't want anyone looking at me differently. How do you hide eating so little?

So i got clearance at my two week post op to move on to pureed foods. Do I buy a food processor? I have never pureed something before. Maybe this is dumb question.

How much is a typical meal for you? I just wonder how long you go on eating so very little. I would love examples!

I was banded 03/15/11 and I too have been having a ton of these feelings. I waiver back and forth between wanting it out. I miss food too. I went to thick liquids on day 6 and then on day 11 tried applesauce watered down a little and cottage cheese. Nothing happened and I am fine. I see the doc Monday for my two week appt and I am going to be honest that I couldn't hold out anymore. I am dying for some eggs or refried beans now. Otherwise it is quite depressing not to eat when you are feeling much better and back to normal life. It is the toughest almost two weeks I have ever had. I didn't know it would be this hard. I am still not used to having something inside my body and it freaks me out from time to time when I think about it.

I know I can no longer eat steak and most breads. What about popcorn? It is my favorite thing on earth? And what about nuts too?

I had my surgery a week ago tomorrow and I can't keep from getting panic attacks. I am almost panicky because I am not allowed to eat and am afraid I will never be able to go out again and eat at all! I am wondering what I did to myself! Were any of you scared when you weren't allowed to eat anything?

Your words help a lot. It just scares me to feel like I am in a prison right now and can't just eat because someone is telling me not to. Being on liquids is harder on the mind than I anticipated. I was telling my husband that I must have more anxiety than I realize because I must have been eating to cover it up. Now I have to face it. Weird. I think if I can get just get to the stage where I can eat mushies I will feel a ton better. Right now I am afraid. My doc told me "don't do it." That scared me thinking what the heck is going to happen the first time I try to eat pudding or something easy!

It looks like my paperwork says I can have clear liquids for the 1st seven days. Then I can move on to thicker liquids like protein shakes, applesauce, pudding, cottage cheese and eggs at day 8 and on. When did you get to start? I have only been having water and popsicles and a little broth. So ready for some applesauce or pudding. When did you get to start those?

I am still having problems adjusting. Feeling very anxious like I will never be able to eat again. Also feeling like it was pretty drastic. I don't know anyone else who has ever done this and only my husband knows what I did. I wish I had something to compare it to. There is a support group on the 28th so I am going to try very hard to make that. Just wish it was sooner. It helps to read that other people were anxious too here on the boards.