KBoo

My fitness pal is great bc you can select a portion of a serving it's hard for us bandsters to count calories electronically bc we may only eat 1/2 or a 1/4 of a serving well this does all the guess work out of it! When you say you eat thins that won't get stuck that makes me think if ice cream and chips which if I'm correct will definitely impact your weightloss. I agree with the qbove I think you need to up your Protein an Water intake and maybe see a nutrionist but you will need you to log everything including the bad stuff Good luck and remember this weight didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight either. I always say it took me 29 Years to put the weight on I don't expect it to come off in a few months. If you let yourself get de- motivated you'll never conquer it! Good luck!

I just committed to doing my first 5k on Thanksgiving! Haha its called the Turkey Trot (in NJ) I dont run currently and just started Weight Watcher's Couch to 5k Program its a 9 week program that prepares you for a 5K. The first day was pretty rough i live in a very hilly area so I am planning on driving to a flat area and trying it there tomorrow. Good Luck you have to let me know how it goes!

you need protein! Find a good protein shake you like..i personal like Pure Protein ready to drink from target or GNC or the GNC Powder protein (the extreme one) Once you have some protein you will feel sooo much better

Dont get discouraged for not losing weight while you havent had a fill, its called Bandster Hell because you have the tool you need but cant start using it yet! Dont worry you will get through it! Believe me when i say it could be worse the two doctors i have wouldnt do a fill until after 90 days! I was so frustrated!

I would contact your human resources, a coworker of mine has United and was approved and I have Aetna with no problems. Good Luck

The first couple of months I always kept GAS-X in my purse the strips or the chewables though and I lived on them! good luck it will pass!

This was something I learned shortly after being banded an I was never told before so kudos to your doc for telling you! The lack of feeling full made me really think about how I use to eat, one of the major reasons I have always been overweight is because I always ate to the point of uncomforted or "full" the band is not there to slap you on the wrist it's there to teach you how to eat until the point of not being hungry or satisfied. It's very difficult when the food is extra yummy or you haven't planned and you are starving but I have learned that a normal meal can now be 3 or 4 for me so I have it wrapped up and enjoy it a few times. Or my hubby gets it if I can't control myself from picking ambit waiting for the waiter. The trick is that just because you CAN eat more doesn't mean you should especially if your already satisfied and you know another bite could lead to being sick or even worse a slip! So eat slowly take small bites (the bigger the bite the less likely you will be to really chew it) take time between bites (put the fork down really chew than cut the next piece) and you will be really surprised! Good luck! After a while you won't even miss that feeling!

I have ADD and have been self medicating with coffee for years before the surgery we were told no caffeine because it causes stomach spasms that could impair healthy healing. I slowly weened myself and was caffeine free for about 3-4 months but I had to go back on ADD medicine to function at work. Every now and than il have a coffee or regular tea but I rarely have my regular at Starbucks (an iced venti quad skinny cinnamon dolce latte for 5 bucks)! Good luck!

I loved the pure protein and you can buy even more flavors on amazon I got the chocolate Peanut Butter one which was great!!! I had to go on a trip and needed a powder so I tried the pure Protein Powder and it was grainy and gross. I went to GNC and the guy recommended the "GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60" powder. I was skeptic at first but this stuff is AMAZING! and super low calorie. Dont be scared by the nutrional facts though it says its 280 calories but that is for 3 scoops and there is 20 grams of protein PER SCOOP!. That means that for 20 grams of protein its under 100 calories! just over 1 carb per scoop too! and it is really great with just Water and ice. It dissoves completed no funky aftertaste and really good too! I have tried the chocolate, vanila and strawberry and i like the chocolate the most (wasnt a big fan of the vanilla but i think i added too much water) They usually have sales but one bag full price will run you about 30 bucks for 21 scoops (400 grams of protein!) but if you get the GNC card you get 20% off on top of whatever sale they are running. They usually have a sale of buy one get one half so i think its a great deal. I keep a bag at work in my car and at home because its so easy!! ENJOY!

The truth is that the surgery is not a silver bullet, you have to put the work in to see success. A lot of people think its an easy way out and it is not! Are there complications? Of course its surgery! But the complications from surgery are equal or less to the very real complications of being obese. I would suggest you both go to a weight loss seminar to get more information about the process. But the same life changes that need to take place with any real change in weight are the same he will need to do with surgery if he is willing to make those changes the band will just make them easier!

I've committed to going sky diving when I get to the 199 mark! I weighed in at 218 this morning!

Tell your husband to chill I know when I was first banded it was my biggest fear but trust me when I tell you if your band slips you will know it! And you won't be able to keep down any fluids not even water! Make sure you aren't drinking from a straw and I always to make sure I breath out right before I take a sip. You would never realize how much extra air you take in while you are drinking unless you start being conscious of it. Good luck and don't worry it's all normal!

How about uncontrollable burping??? I had the stomach growling for awhile but it was combined with a burp out of no where! Hahahahah so embarrassing! I havent had either in awhile though

An approval isn't a blanket approval just because they approve one doesn't mean you can just go anywhere, you may be required to resubmit again which exhausts the resources of both doctors since they have to both compile a case. The smartest and most courteous thing to do is to switch than submit... This info is from my husband who is a insurance specialist for a bariatric surgeon

All my fills have been done under fluoroscope its really cool to watch and it gives you alot of perspective of how it works plus it's the only way to check that you have proper restriction

I think a lot of people expect there to a frightening amount of weight lose the first year but 40 pounds sounds about on track with a band. Could you have seem more results with more exercise...absolutely but you've still lost 40 pounds in one year. I would recommend reassessing your exercise and see a nutritionist. Also you will be hard pressed to get your insurance to pay for a second surgery unless you can prove a technical malfunction with the band. Good luck

You did the right thing if you call your doctor he will just tell you to go to the ER (trust me my husband works for a bariatric surgeon and these types of calls happen all the time he won't risk telling you it's nothing with out seeing you, nurses can do that surgeons no) anyway I slept on the couch for almost a week it helped a lot laying down was simply unbearable I'm surprised you were able to. Also the pain on the right side is totally normal the pre op nurse told us it's very common and it's one of the medical mysteries haha Good luck you're doing fine and you will get thru this and forget about all of it a few months... I totally forgot about the breathing thing which my husband thought was the funniest thing in the world to watch me do

I think the important part about snacking is not to make it part of the schedule like " it's 3 o'clock time for my snack" if you're not hungry don't have a snack if you're hungry but it's nowhere near your next meal time than a healthy protein rich snack is better than you waiting for dinner and being so famished you gobble up excess calories because once you are banded that will lead to you being sick. I know pre band if I got too hungry I couldn't eat fast enough and threw my whole day off. This is what the tool is for to help you listen to your body. Good luck,

I love salads they are a total slider for me so I get the volume satisfaction while keeping the calories low and I always have Protein on it so it will keep me fuller longer. I'm feeling the exact same way since my most recent fill but I think it's only because I had a super long stretch since my last one and I had gotten complacent about the speed I was eating. You should be eating about half a cup of food over a course of 20- 30 minutes. Being hyper vigilant about the time has really helped me and forces me to chew more. Im finding it harder to gauge how much is too much after each fill but it's just listening to your body. You'll get through it! Good luck and congrats!

I need help! I am going to a bachlorette party tonight at a restaurant and I am still on mushies! Many of the attendees will not know that I have been banded and I really want the attention on the bride and not why I am not eating/eating so little. So my question is two fold...what should I order to avoid any sliming, I was thinking flaky fish but here is the menu and how does everyone handle questions from people that they dont want to tell about the surgery!?? Im usually really open about my surgery but I just dont want an awkward moment.

Very true thank you all so much! I had soup for lunch and it seemed to go down well I couldn't eat much. No bread for me this is my 4th adjustment and after my second one I couldn't do any bread any longer not een toasted! Thanks again! Now to find a dress for the wedding!

Yeah I was worried with soup that it would draw attention that I wasn't eating much but that is an option

your surgeon should be able to provide that to your doctor, they usually make you see one of their psychologist but your surgeon wants you to fulfil the pre requirements so they should be helpful!