stockerx2

I had surgery on Oct 28th. Post op went well. Followed directions and saw a 12 lbs loss at first post op and and addition 3 in the next week, but nothing since. It should be noted that I am a band to sleeve patient. I'm eating 1200 calories per day and 64 (or more) grams of protein and oz of water. Not always getting 10k steps but getting at least 7500. I go to yoga twice a week. Yes, I know, 15 lbs in 2 months is terrific and I'm happy for it. I feel more in control of my eating and more excited about exercise because it is easier with less weight. But I also feel discouraged by the fact that the scale has not moved in 5 weeks. Looking for encouragement, suggestions, etc... I'm worried that the surgery was for nothing and I will be a sleeve failure.

I ust wanted to follow up for those of you that took the time to respond to my post. The past few days I have focused on being between 1000-1100 calories. I have increased Protein intake to greater than 80. The scale has actually moved! 0.4 lbs down in 2 days. I will take it!!! The challenge I have is that I can comfortably eat 250 calories per meal. So if I'm eating 5 per day, I'm at 1250. Any suggestions for low calorie high protein Snacks? Peanut Butter is so high in calories. I do eat half a Protein Bar on occasion. I also do cottage cheese but since the surgery, that's not my favorite. Every snack I look at is at least 190 calories. Even my Protein shake is 257 calories (and 36 grams of protein).

Today is a new day. I'm going to shoot for 1000-1100 calories and a minimum of 85 grams of Protein. Also, will increase Water intake to 80 oz minimum. I'm going to push for 8000 steps per day, and increase from there until I get to 10K. Thank you for the honest and constructive feedback. I sure hope to see a little bit of movement in the scale with these changes and if not, I will contact my NUT in January. It's so easy to eat 1200 calories and I feel fulfilled at that number. It's good to know that when I need to be in maintenance, I will know what to do and not feel deprived. I just wish I had a bit more restriction to help maintain the lower calorie count per day.

I shared with my doc at the 6 week appt that I was eating around 1200 calories. He suggested I try to be closer to 1000 to increase loss. I don't feel that I'm overeating, but I definitely don't feel full or restricted. I have to stop myself and wait for my head to recognize that I've eaten. Thank you all for the support and suggestions.

Example day: Breakfast- 1/2 c skim milk, 1/2 c Bolthouse Protein Plus, 1 scoop whey protein lunch - 100 cal ready to eat tuna salad, Chobani flip Dinner-1 breast chicken breast, 1/2 c mashed potatoes Snacks- Fiber one minor fudge brownie, 1/2 Nugo Protien bar Substitutions on occasion - 6 Old Wisconsin turkey bites, 2 slices of skim milk cheese slices, pickles, imitation crap, whole wheat English muffins with jam I'm drinking lots of decaf hot tea too. No caffeine. FYI - the wheat thin comment was not me (the original poster). That was someone else.

The goals are 60, 60, 60. 60 Protein, 60 Water and 60 min of exercise. That is a minimum though. I do plan to see my NUT after the holidays just to show her my food intake and exercise and get her input also. Thanks for your reply. I will also try to increase protein over the next few weeks to see if that will help.

Call your doctor. Sometimes they will be on call and can meet you there or they might be willing to talk to the attending to tell them what to do. Don't suffer. It's not worth it.

I was banded in Aug, 2011. At one year, I had lost 50 pound, which was my goal for being a year out. I have about 100 to lose, and I went into this journey knowing that the average weight loss for people with the band is 50% of their excess weight - I had decided that if I could lose 50 pounds, I was "successful". Anything more was icing on the cake (no pun intended ). About 8 weeks ago, I started to have very severe reflux at night. So bad, that it would wake me up and I would be choking. I also noticed very loud gurgling when eating or drinking and pain between my shoulder blades. I had not had a fill in approx 4 months, so it was a big surprise for me! I tried to live with it (the weight loss was great!!), but finally one night couldn't stand it. I called the surgeon on call and ended up going to the ED to have Fluid removed. After 12 hours, an xray, lab work and a resident that could not find the right needle to do the job, they removed 1cc. Immediate relief! 6 weeks later I returned to my surgeon and she decided to put back in 0.5cc. All good for a day or 2 - then BAMO - reflux, gurgling, pain... I went back and had the 0.5cc removed. Again, relief! Upper GI done and NO slip - so that was good. But also, it didn't appear that I had any restriction either! Today, she put back in 0.25cc and told me to stay on liquids for several days. Anyone else have this issue? I know the band is finicky, but I was really surprised to experience such an issue after things had been going so well. Any thoughs regarding what I could possibly be doing to cause this? Thanks!

I did have a ton of stress at the time, so maybe that is a realistic cause.

Yes. Had upper G.I. on Monday and no slip. Band appears to be positioned well.

I get hiccups almost every day. Sometimes, there are just a few and sometimes they go on for awhile. Like Sojourner, I tend to get them when I've had enough to eat. i hiccuped the other day and my husband heard and asked "what did you eat?"

Hi everyone - hope you are managing the heat! I have a question about heartburn. I've had reflux for years and take Nexium daily. When I missed a Nexium pill a month or so ago, I noticed heartburn, but it went away when I took my next pill. What I notice every once in awhile is that I get heartburn in the middle of the day. It lasts for 30-60 minutes at a time and I'll get it several times over a couple of days. There is no reflux or acid in my throat - just heartburn in my chest. Sometimes it happens after I eat; mostly it happens on an empty stomach. Everytime it happens, I worry that it's a slip. Does anyone else have this same thing? Should I worry about it? I go back to my doctor on July 26th and plan to talk to her about it at that time. I look forward to hearing from you all.

Hello. I was banded 8/17/11 and am down 37 pounds (ok - it's 36.8, but I'm rounding up). It's been a slow road for me. I can certainly see the difference in the amount of food and, in some cases, the types of food that I'm eating. I have have 5 fills, but it wasn't until the last 2 that I really noticed a difference (i.e. restriction). I had my last fill last Thursday, so I'm still getting used it it. I've always been able to eat a decent quantity of food. Now, I can eat a very small amount and I start to feel it. It literally feels like my pouch is full and the food is starting to back up into my esophagus. I don't know if that's what it is, but it feels that way. I have to get used to it and remember to STOP eating when I start to feel it. The amount of food seems so little, it doesn't seem possible. I have 8cc in a 14cc band. Foods that I have trouble with - lettuce, rice and (new yesterday) peapods! I look forward to hearing from others. Keep up the great work - you guys are doing wonderful!

I got my 4th fill 1.5 weeks ago. This is the first time I've really noticed a difference. Usually, I'm a little tight for a couple days, then I'm back to "normal". This time, I was a little tight, then seemed to experience restriction as the days go by. My question is...I've always been able to eat a normal to large portion of food with no problem. With this fill, I seem to be fine for the first couple of bites, then I start to feel pressure in my chest and there is a gurgling noise and bubbles in my throat. If I stop eating, it goes away after 15-20 minutes. Does that mean that I'm full? I've had a couple of PB instances after this fill and I think it may be that my pouch is full and I eat over it, which makes me PB. I've heard people talk about the small portions they are able to eat and I think that may be what is happening with me, but I'm not sure. for example, for lunch today I have imitation crab. I ate 1.5 pieces and felt the pressure/gurgleing. The pressure lasted for 1 minutes or so, but the gurgling continues for awhile. It seems like so little of food, but I remember the nutritionist saying that the pouch is only about the size of a ping pong ball, so that makes sense. Any insights? Thanks! Christy

I try very hard to eat slowly, take small bites and chew ALOT - but you might be on to something about eating too fast. I just ate some hummus and pretzels very slowly and chewed a ton and they seemed to go down fine with no pressure or gurgles. I think when you get close to restriction, there is some trial and error to figure out what will work. Thank you for your inputs.

I had surgery on August 17th. I lost 15 pounds in the first week, but since them, I've only lost 1.5 pounds more. I don't get a fill until Sept 27th, so I'm just trying to focus on staying between 1200 and 1400 calories and getting the appropriate amount of protein. I'm getting a little discouraged, but I just keep reminding myself that it is not a race and overall, I'm down 16.5 pounds - which is better than where I was 3 weeks ago. I have a buddy that had the surgery the week before me and she is experiencing exactly the same thing. I think it is common to not see much movement of the scale during this time.

Hi everyone. I had surgery on 8/17 (Wednesday). My doc keeps people overnight as a "23 hour patient", but I had asked if I could go home the same day. She said yes - but at 6pm, I decided to stay overnight. The thought of getting to the car, driving home and getting in bed was daunting. Went home ~9:30am on Thursday. Slept most of yesterday. The pain is much less today. I've transitioned to just using Tylenol. I had1/2 cup of chocolate/PB Protein shake and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese for Breakfast and 1/2 cup of banana Protein Shake and 1/2 cup of cream of potato Soup for lunch. The hardest part has been getting in enough fluids - and ALL the food commercials on TV. I'm really learning about head hunger! Hope everyone continues to do well. Christy

I went to the seminar at the beginning of April and am scheduled for surgery on August 17th. It could have been earlier, but I didn't realize that I needed to write down all of my food intake until I met with the nurtritionist, which was a couple weeks after I met with the doctor. My insurance required it. So, 4.5 months. But I didn't see the doctor until the end of April, so it is really more like 3.5 months. Good luck!

I am (finally) scheduled for surgery on August 17th. I'm very excited and not nervous for the surgery day at all. I am, however, terrified about after surgery. Specifically, what I can eat, how much, eating slow enough so that I don't get "stuck", etc. I tend to take large bites and I've realized that I don't crew very much. I've been trying to practice, but I'm not good at it at all. Any suggestions or recommendations? Does this come, or do you find it's a hard habit to break? Thanks everyone! Christy

For those of you that have Aetna and used the 3 month Multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen, what exactly did you end up submitting? The clinical policy bulletin states the following items must be done: Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.); and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Program must have a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely delivered remotely); and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist. The nutritionist is having me document 90 days of diet and once I have that, they will submit it. I'm fine with doing the documentation, because it's important to track it and I'll need to do it in the future. That said, I don't see in the list of "to dos" where a diet log is required for submission. In the end, I know I'll get the surgery - but I was hoping that we could use the date of my physician consult vs the date that I first met with the nutritionist for the calculation of the 90 days. There is about a 3 week difference! If I would have known, I would have started to document my diet earlier! I've got everything else completed and just have to finish this component! Oh...the waiting begins...

I'm curious - for those of you that had the 90 day waiting period before surgery, what was the timing of your appts? I thought that the 90 days started when I had my first consult with the physician, but when I saw the nurtitionist, she said that my insurance required a physician supervised diet which allowed for me to see the nutritionist three times - and since this was my first meeting with her, it was considered Day 1. She also said that they had to submit 90 full days of a food diary to the insurance. Seems crazy!! So here's what my schedule has been so far: 4/6/11 - Seminar 4/29/11 - Meeting with Coordinator and Surgeon 5/3/11 - Upper GI 5/4/11 - Meeting with sleep doctor 5/8/11 - Sleep Study 5/9/11 - Meeting with Nutritionist and Meeting with Psych (I passed) Found out I have Apnea, so I have to have a 2nd Sleep Study on 5/13/11 90 days would be surgery around Aug 3rd. Can they not submit anything until the 90 days has passed, or do they submit it in advance, knowing that 90 days will be completed on a certain date? Other than the 90 days of food documentation, I will have completed everything and will just be sitting around waiting. Is that normal?