NWgirl

my surgeon recommends Centrum chewables and a calcium chew, regardless of sex.

It varies person to person. Some people lose 10-15 and others don't seem to lose any.

Hi there! Good luck with the next week

I'm taking pictures with the same outfit. My surgeon's office did a few measurements the first day I came in, so I assume they will continue to measure as I lose.

Search the forums for medifast. I seem to recall reading last week that another person was on medifast... Maybe it was on the "what did you eat today?" topic...

Hmm, there is probably something to it. I also carry my weight around the middle, and I have heard that it is more unhealthy for the internal organs to be packaged in so much fat. BUT, I would also say there is only so much to do and that the way you are now is much better for your health than before.

I saw Jay Robb has some egg protein powder. Their original whey is delicious, so maybe that would be good too. http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/egg-protein-samples.asp

It seems some people require much higher fill levels... It's possible that a partial cc may be the fill you need, but you won't know if you don't go in to get it.

I gave up soda a couple days prior to surgery. I am now drinking Diet snapples, G2 gatorade, or Powerade zero if I want something other than water.

Ifd oyu click my blog link in my ticker, you can see a picture I took the day of surgery. I will probably be doing a newer one here soon, as they are much, much better. Really, it's not too bad at all. http://thebandedblogger.blogspot.com/2012/03/one-ticket-to-bandland-express-please.html

Yes I did. I can't see that much difference yet, but did have my boyfriend take a new set of pictures now that I've lost more weight. I am keeping the same outfit to wear in the pictures, so that the changes will be more noticeable...

Great news! Just try and get to moving tomorrow and take it easy. Use a pillow pressed against your tummy getting up/down or laying in bed. WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE

I know what you mean by being unhealthy- I thought the same thing pre-op!

I am 23 and was banded last month. After being overweight since childhood and trying all of the fad diets and dietician's, etc over the years, I knew something had to change. I finally admitted that I needed more help with this than I was willing to accept before. I am not getting younger, and I am not getting thinner. I want to prevent any health problems from happening, and I was not doing a good enough job on my own. As for not wanting people to know, I felt the same. Only 5 or 6 people in my life know, 3 of which are parents, 1 grandparent, my boss, and my boyfriend. I kept it a secret at time of surgery and plan to continue keeping it a secret, unless someone who has a weight problem like I did asks me what I did. I have not tried to drink since surgery and was never really a drinker to begin with, but people say that the surgery turns them into a lightweight.

Yes, your goal is doable. The more you weigh, the faster you should lose as well. So, those people who get banded with 50-75 to lose take a longer time to lose 50 or 75 than does someone like myself who had 110 to lose. Of that, I have already lost 30, but still have about 80 to go.

I know my surgeon submitted my original weight the first day I come in, but you need to be 100% sure on if your Dr submits the original or the most recent. I was not required to have a 3 or 6 month supervised diet either... Hopefully you will get your answer soon. If I were you, I would also call the Insurance number and ask to speak to a bariatrics person. If you have a bariatrics case manager, they should be able to answer your question.

I was banded on the 20th and felt pretty good in a couple days. The only lingering problem was the dreaded gas pains, which worked up to my left shoulder/neck. They were gone about 10 days after surgery. I will post a list from my blog of the things I would recommend. I have my original list too. My main problem was I overestimated how much I would be eating... Now I have a kitchen full of broths and other things I won't be using anytime soon If I were to do it again, this is what I would buy: General Meds: - Sublingual B-12 - Biotin - O-purity Band multivitamin or Centrum Chewables - Calcium + Vit D & K chews - Chewable or dissolveable Iron supplement - Liquid adult Tylenol - Probiotic Pearls - Milk of Magnesia - Scarzone to put on incision sites after they have fully closed and the steri strips have come off. Stage One: - Peewee Pillowpet to hold against stomach. - Lipton cup-a-soup Cream of Chicken - Soups that can be pureed and put through a sieve. - Peppermint tea - Protein powder- JAY ROBB tastes amazing. Buy a couple sample packs at your local Vitamin or Supplement store. I am a cheapskate and was unwilling to buy the Jay Robb at first, but I just happened to be in a supplement store getting a chewable iron last week and decided to go for it. I would definitely spend the extra money quality! - 3 Protein mix shakers - Yogurt without seeds or chunks. Only two or three cases = 8 to 12 yogurts. - SF syrups - Pillow "chair"

I have only been banded a short while, but will relay my Aunt's story to you. She was banded three years ago at the same time some of her friends got the sleeve. She is still maintaining within a +/- 10lb range of her goal weight while some of her sleeve friends have started to gain again due to the aforementioned stretching. She did warn me about PB's, and did have some problems with her band due to being severely ill twice, but she still loves it. I like the fact that I have all my anatomy still, and that if something happens, it can come out. I also like that I can lose weight normally and so it is less obvious to people who don't know I've had it done. Also, I think it's important to note that the recovery time for the band vs the sleeve is much less. This was really important to me, as I manage a restaurant and could not be gone for too long. Since starting a low fat diet about three weeks before surgery and then transitioning to a pseudo liquid the week before surgery, I have almost lost 30 pounds. I am happy. I have been a slower loser post-band, "only" losing about 9lbs since my weigh-in on surgery day, but I am over the moon.

I have heard of people sticking to strict low calorie diets (800) until they hit goal. Specifically, there is a lady on youtube who had approx 100 to lose and lost it in 7 or 8 months. She did exercise as well. I personally am not going to starve myself and will just go with the flow. I'm not racing to the end here, but am hoping to be near goal in a years time. I have about 80 more to lose til then, so it's about 6.5lb a month.

I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 the day of surgery too. It was nice, because I woke up tired (I stayed up late playing on lapbandtalk), went to the hospital, got the blood drawn, waited in my bed dozey, and then was wheeled into surgery at 7:30. I then left the hospital around 11:30am and came home to bed. I made sure to get up and walk every time I woke up, but I slept a lot the first day.

Marla, I'm not commenting on your food intake, but must say I used to know someone who could be your doppelganger!

I haven't been banded long, but I definitely have found foods I am loving. -Tyson Grilled chicken breast strips. Easy to heat up and mix with a little sauce. - Cottage cheese with pineapple. - Fage 2% plain with applesauce and 1 packet sweet n' low. I will have to try the turkey crumbles when I get to the store next. I have found myself buying more of the portioned items (portioned egg cups, rice cups, etc) which is nice. I used to hate buying these things because the per oz price is so much more than the box of eggs or the box of rice... Oh well, I am definitely worth a little bit more $$.

Did you mean April 23 for your first fill? If so, that's my date too I also get to get an Xray to make sure the band is positioned right, see the dietician, and see the physical therapist. Woo hoo

follow the directions your Dr. Gave to you, don't compare your diet to someone else's as there are many differences. On that note, if you feel you're advancing too quickly based on how you feel, then slow down.

Hope all has gone well