Corrigan

You can put canned fruit, packed in juice, or crushed ice, there's a lot of good ideas in the food section and a lot more on line. This is a bit of a rough period, and takes some will power, but you can make it a lot easier with a little imagination. You might try the Muscle Milk protein powder from Costco, it isn't too bad. If you work at it, you can lose 10-12 pounds in ten days. Good luck.

No, when you had your surgery, you were kept hydrated, and much of your initial weight loss was just water. Some fat, but mostly water. For pain, usually in your left shoulder, try a hot compress. It gives most people relief. You may experience some depression and a little 'what have I done?' That's normal. We all get it to a degree. Now is a time for healing, and weight loss is secondary. Many people try to rush the healing process and begin working out too early. That isn't a very good idea. This is major surgery that you'll most likely have for the rest of your life, a few more days won't make much difference. Most of the major programs say to wait 6 weeks before lifting more than 10lbs., walking is fine, as long as you don't overdo it. A mile or two, no marathons. For your weight loss, I wouldn't try to lose more than 1-3lbs a week averaged over a month or so. any more and you'll be losing muscle and you don't want that. There are a bunch of weight loss trackers on Google. "myfitness pal" is one of the most popular. It's going to be a lot of work (I guess you knew that) but with a little dedication and a good attitude, you'll do just fine. Good luck.

A number of people said their insurance will pay for the surgery, but not for the fills. It may be a matter of coding. You'll have to research that. Someone here with experience with insurance coding may be able to help. Many insurance policies are tailored to a companies needs and may or may not pay for fills or anything connected with weight loss.

It'll probably be to get to know you and determine whether you're a good candidate for surgery. They'll also want to know what your expectations are. You'll breeze right through it. Good luck.

See what you think of the '5 day pouch test'. A lot of folks here have tried and been helped by it. It seems like a good way to get started back. http://www.5daypouchtest.com/

The band and a fill don't automatically cause you to lose weight, you still have to keep your calories around 1000 or less. Look for a good calorie tracker on Google, it'll help a lot. I was surprised to find just how many calories I was actually eating. Everything counts, even a french fry : > ).

I'm in the same boat, I'm going to see how Christmas goes then decide what to do. My weight loss is still good, but it's beginning to be a struggle. I haven't had any fills yet. Some people say they get to their goal without a fill. I don't know if I'll do that or not. I spent a lot of time looking at the Christmas cookies today. I didn't but it wasn't easy. We'll see.

So far, between Medicare and Anthem, they've picked up everything. I hope it stays that way!

This is the time you'll find out just how strong you are. Many people lose through this period, up to their first fill and beyond. It's really hard, but the band does help a little, even now. Mind over matter and all that drivel. All you can do is the best you can, It's going to be difficult, but try your best. Good luck.

It may take several more fills to have maximum restriction. People seldom hit their 'sweet spot' on their first fill. It's going to be up to you just how much you eat, even after you have your last fill. You'll always be able to eat past your band. How much you lose is pretty much up to you, the band only makes it easier to feel full and hopefully not eat too much. No miricles here, just hard work. With practice, it gets much easier.

Keep it up, you'll be a mere shadow of yourself next year.

I don't think there's much to be nervious about, you just lie down and wake up in recovery. If you're lucky and stay overnight, you'll go home and that's where the real work begins. Don't forget your slippers andPJs, you know about those hospital gowns. You should have a list of stuff to have at home before you go, sugar free stuff and chewable vitamins. If you're not now, you'll become a walker, miles and miles of walking for the first 6 weeks. I hope you have an easy time of it and best of luck.

If your band had slipped. you wouldn't be able to swallow anything. I still think you should treat it gently for a while. If you're really concerned, contact your doctor.

Why not use one of the calorie trackers to be sure you're not eating more than you want to. You should probably be eating 850 to 1000 calories a day to lose an average of 1-3 lbs a week. As long as you make sure your diet is well balanced, you should lose what you expect to.

I doubt it. Your stoma (band opening) is probably just swollen. I think if you stay on a liquid diet for a few days, it should be OK. Try something warm in the morning. It'll help ease things a little.

You should start walking at the hospital and when you get home, walk just as much as you can, comfortably. It helps overcome anesthesia, CO2 used in the surgery, and just plain excercise. It's a little early for the gym, you should probably wait about 6 weeks before anything heavy.

I'm still waiting for my cookies.

Mine looked like a golf ball until I lost the fat under it, now, I can't even see it.

I went on the Adkins diet many years ago (among many others) and wound up with kidney stones. My PCP at the time said it was a common complication of a high protein, high fat diet. I hadn't heard that before, but I sure had them. I stopped that type of Adkins and never had another one. Some people say they're as bad as giving birth (I wouldn't know), but I sure don't want another.

what may seem disappointing now, may just turn into a plus in the long run. If you begin eating as though you are already banded (as much as possible), you'll be ahead of things when you're ready for surgery.

I was down 30lbs or so, 15 of that was preop.

With quite a bit of negitive publicity concerning bands installed 4 or 5 years ago. it's great to hear from someone who's been so successful that far out. It belies some of the naysayers that are belittling the band. You also describe the difficult processes that banders go through to gain their 'easy' weight loss. Congratulations, and thanks for visiting, and come back often.

I don't know if 600 calories is healthy. I do believe that your calorie intake should be adjusted for your weight loss. If you're losing more than 3lbs a week average over a month or so, then your likely to be losing muscle, and you don't want that. If you follow the diet you were given. you'll probably be fine, just don't stay on it too long.

Hi Angel, you've chosen the safest form of WLS you could have, provided you've selected a reputable surgeon and decent hospital. I went to a Center of Excellence and have lost almost 60 lbs in 3 months and completely gotten rid of my diabetes. Like you, over the years, I've tried almost every weight loss diet I could find and most worked until I gained it all back. The band works, if we are willing to work with it (and it is work) we can lose all the weight we want. If you're willing to follow the instructions you're given, you'll be 100lbs lighter at this time next year.

What you're eating probably won't do any harm, but you have to ask yourself why you chose the band in the first place. Your doctor gave you a diet for some reason with expectations that you would follow it. These diets are carefully formed and if you give in to each hunger episode (and there will be plenty), you're going to slow your weight loss. This journey is difficult, but thousands have done it and you can, too. Hunger will abate in a while if you follow your diet. I know there are many who have cheated and say there's no difference in weight loss. but we know that can't be true. I'm having the same problem you are, although I've been banded a while, we haven't cleared all food from our house and some of it sure looks good at times, but I really want to lose weight, so I deliberately deny myself some goodies for that reason, and you can too. You went into this knowing just how difficult it would be. Now you have to grit your teeth and do what you know is right, hard as that may be. In a year, you can be 100lbs lighter if you can deny yourself now. I know you can do it and best of luck.