Shannon28

It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. But it's not something that happens overnight and there will be ups and downs along the way. My BMI was way higher than yours (55.5) but it all depends on your situation. If you have comorbidties or issues like depression or anxiety caused by being overweight then I highly recommend this surgery. And like you I also had problems with will power but I think this surgery has changed that. I'm eating way better now and the more weight I lose the more active I get. I had severe social anxiety before this surgery and although I don't know if it will ever fully go away it has gotten so much better. I'm not kidding when I say this surgery has changed my life, I'm actually looking forward to going out now.. I used to cry even thinking about it. I've done all the fad diets and pills, nothing worked except for this surgery.

I no longer eat pasta or rice by choice, I have no idea if I would get "stuck" with them or not because I haven't had any since the surgery. But I cannot get any type of biscuit down, even the smallest nibble gets stuck or goes down slow. I still eat tortilla wraps and wheat bread fine. I can't give up bread all together, I love it way too much.

I mostly got banded for my kids. I was at 346 lbs and couldn't keep up with them at all. There is all kinds of diseases that run in my family including heart attack and stroke and I couldn't imagine leaving my kids this soon. I was almost 100% sure that I wouldn't make it past my 30's and that scared me. I've lost 36 lbs so far and I can't believe how much better I feel physically and mentally so I can't wait to see how 100 more lbs lost will feel like.

I get one every month for the first three months, and then 1 every three months unless needed sooner. My doctor won't let you get more than 1 per month. I'm on my second fill so far and I am getting quite a bit of restriction.

Banded on 4/16/12 and lost 28 lbs! (need to update my ticker, I know it's only 4 lbs off but hey that's still 4 lbs!! lol)

You're not very far out, only two months now. It's slow when you first start out and takes a few adjustments to get to the restriction level you need. I had mine on April 16th and just now got my second fill. My first fill didn't give any restriction so I felt a little bummed out about it but reassured myself that this isn't an overnight thing. Your 30 lb loss is great though and you should be very proud of accomplishing that much. I gained several pounds after starting solid foods, then lost all of it, then stayed the same weight for almost 2 weeks.. didn't budge at all. Now I'm starting to lose weight again. So it's an up and down battle but it will be worth it in the end. You will do great on your journey, just give it some time. Good luck!

Hey Johnathan, I sent you a message also but saw this post and wanted to answer some of your questions. I had to do the 2 week pre-op diet and it was a protein shake 4-5 times a day and thats to shrink the liver. Where are you having the surgery? I had mine at the Hamilton Ambulatory Surgery Center in Dalton and every single one of them are awesome, especially Dr Ponce and Dr Mahvi. The surgery went smoothly with no complications. He is a very experienced doctor and takes great care of his patients. Good luck Johnathan!

I've been tracking calories since I started solids but am unsure of how much I'm supposed to get. I get in around 800-900 calories a day but will ask my doctor tomorrow about how much he wants me to get in while I'm there for my fill. I bought a 64 oz water jug and I've been doing really good with finishing it but I'm thinking maybe I'm not getting enough protein? I never was much of a meat eater so I've been having to force myself to eat it.

Usually for flavorings I just use Franks Red Hot Sauce if it's chicken, lemon for fish, and I don't like to eat beef. If I eat salad I use ranch dressing ( about a teaspoon) because it's pretty much the only dressing I like. Other than that I just use lots of pepper (love hot and spicy food)

Thank you everyone for your responses. I haven't actually measured my protein but I guess I should, I've just been using my kids plates to eat from to make sure I have a small amount. I try to eat every 3-4 hours, sometimes I only eat twice a day because in the morning I'm so busy I forget to eat breakfast lol. I feel a lot better reading everyones posts knowing I'm not alone. This is going to be an up and down battle but I knew that before getting into this and gaining this weight has reminded me.

I had surgery on April 16th. I lost 11 lbs pre-op and 13 lbs two weeks after. I started the mushie stage and my weight stood pretty still and now that I started solids (a week ago) I've gained 7 lbs. I haven't had a fill yet, my first one is this Tuesday so I understand I don't have much restriction yet (if any) but I'm super frustrated and afraid my surgeon will get mad. My food choices have changed drastically.. All I have had to drink since surgery is water, I don't eat white bread (still eat whole wheat), every meat I eat is either grilled or baked. I'm eating so much better but it takes a lot before I'm full. In my papers it says to eat a cup of food but I'm eating more than that. I can see gaining a couple of pounds but 7 pounds has me worried since thats a pound a day! I've been good at not drinking with meals. Will this first fill help?

I'm not allowed to have carbonation for a year but all I was told is that it it can cause gas pain. After a year if I want to try it they said to let it sit out for awhile to get a lot of the fizz out. But since I haven't had it in over a month, I don't really have cravings for it anymore. I WAS drinking at least one Mello Yello or Red Bull a day... so glad not to be getting that much sugar in anymore. Now all I drink is water and surprisingly I'm satisfied with it. If I want a little change I drink water with MIO in it.

I've had two c-sections and I would say that for me the Lap Band surgery was way better pain wise. Both c-sections were painful for about 3 weeks for me. It was hard to bend over, twist, lay down, shower, etc. But with the Lap Band I was completely pain free in 5 days (other than occasional port sensitivity). The pain was completely different, I got extremely bloated from the band for the first few days and had gas pain but both of those were dull pain versus the c-section which felt sharp to me. Plus these smaller incisions with the band heal so much faster (at least mine did). I'm a month out from surgery coming up on Tuesday and for the past two weeks it feels like I never even had the surgery (pain wise). And the only help I needed to get out of a chair was right after the surgery when they made me walk but that's because I was still drowsy.