Matt Z

You really should be on Clear liquids the day of a un/fill and full liquids for at least 2-3 days after a un/fill. When you fill and unfill it stresses the stomach and needs to reheal / get used to the new position of the band. If you go right back to eating solids after a un/fill than you are componding the problem. If you gained 20 lbs in 5 days, you need to get to an ER and get xray'd or ultrasounded to make sure that there isn't a much bigger problem. There are just too many factors that are still unknown with what is happening to you. Diet, drink, calorie intake, exercise, solid and liquid waste production levels, without knowing all of these, no one can even begin to give you an idea as to what's going on. If it hurts and is causing you worry, get to the ER and have the professionals look you over.

Anxiety can cause those pains. A family member of mine ended up in the ER because of anxiety related issues. All tests came back normal too. It's understandable to be nervous, but in all seriousess, where is the best place to have a problem? At a hospital with your doctors right by your side! I'm getting banded this Friday as well, I was 350 when I started the whole banding process, but I was able to drop down to 336 last Thursday. I'm 33, Married and have 2 kids, so I fully understand the mental pressure. But I know, that if I don't do this and I don't get healthier, my boys are going to grow up without a dad. And I do NOT want that to happen! Don't over think things. Absolutly tell your doc about the pains, see if they can check for a gallbladder problem or if s/he is just going to let it ride and take a look first hand. Either way, all of us here on this site are here to support you where we can! Relax, Breathe, Remember *WHY* you want the band and Stay Strong!

Keep a Water bottle with you at ALL TIMES! As far as not drinking while eating, don't even tempt yourself and bring a cup to the table with you. Leave the drinks elsewhere while you are eating. I've been told that very small sips of water is ok, but you really need to avoid it if possible as it works against the band, flushing food though that was supposed to stay and keep you full. Drink more tea with non-calorie sweetener at set times, I've got a large coffee mug that holds 1/4 my total days water intake, I'll nuke that to temp, put in a stevia pack and a tea bag and sip that. 4 of those a day and I've got my total intake, but I usually go above and beyond my normal intake. You just need to work at changing the habit. It's not easy but with time and effort your habit will change. Just remember to stay focused and stay strong!

So, I had my pre-op class/appointment today. It was really odd because besides my wife, I was the ONLY person in this "class". Lucky for me I knew the instructors, so it went by easy. We skipped over things I already knew and went into more details on those topics I wanted more information about. Overall, it was nice. I got my final pre-op "official" weigh-in, 336.8 lbs. I started the whole process when I topped out at 350 about 4 months ago. My last weigh-in was on the 31st and it was 343, so in 10 days I dropped 6.2 lbs with only better food choices! I was so excited by this, the thought of what the next chapter in my life is going to be like knowing that, if I am forced to make the proper choices, knowing that I can't slip up and binge or stuff without serious issues, I'm going to start dropping weight like a "dancer" drops laundry! The wife and I did go out to eat and we did indulge a bit, but it was nothing like I used to. My lunch was small and low carb, I didn't touch soda, and we split a dessert. We then went and walked around walmart for 2 hours so I'm sure it balanced out somewhat. I popped into a local fitness store to check out some protein choices and I met to rather wonderful people that work there. Steve and Amanda, they were both your typical looking fitness store folks, trim and athletic and full of energy. Steve called me "big guy" on the way in... but I kept myself in check and pulled out the "cool guy" inside me and went to shopping, talked them up a bit and come to find out, Steve, was at 330 at one point in his life and Amanda was a good 60+ lbs heavier too, she showed me a photo! After talking to them both and just being my inner self, the words from these two both sunk into my heart like they wouldn't even know. Steve looked amazing, fit, trim, muscular, exactly what I would KILL to look like right now, and the fact that he was around the same weight as I am, gave me so much hope and joy for the future. Amanda was cute as hell too. Knowing that they both have been pretty much where I am right now, both mentally and physically gave me more hope than I could have even asked for. I know I will be going back there for my protein and other dietary needs. I wish everyone could have a moment like this, where at the start of an interaction your just feeling like crap, down, ashamed of yourself, embarassed for being the "fat person in a fitness store", to walking out with a major smile and two new potential "friends". Love it. That's all for today good folks of the internet, Good luck, Keep positive and Stay Strong!

Just remember that it takes your body time to change "modes". When you shock your system the way banding does, it is quick to revert to "starvation" mode where it stores everything it can, keep doing what you are doing and your body will realize that things have changed and that this new intake and expendature is here to stay, it will adjust and you will start burning fat for energy again. Just keep your Water levels up, your sodium down, your Protein up and your carbs to a minimum. It's different for everyone, but your stagnation in weight loss will not be permanent. Stay Strong!

I had my final pre-op consultation/class yesterday and I asked about the pre-op diet, which I don't have, I don't even have to take any laxatives the day prior, just clear's the day before surgery. Her answer was exactly as stated above, losing weight lowers the amount of fat stored in the liver and makes it smaller. I was informed that the methods in which my surgeon uses, there is no need to reduce the size of the liver and that minimal contact will be made with the liver since it's fragile and has a tendency to bleed of touched/moved too much. Very odd how there is SO many different methods for the same surgery.

Hey Bandedman! I was directed towards you vlogs and I subscribed and responded to a few already. "CodeZeroBME" Thanks for taking the time to put out very informative videos!

Thanks Poodle, I've got no reservations with just relaxing and recovering. No need to cause any post surgery medical issues!

Thanks for the tips all, I was hoping for more input, but I'll take what I can get!

Thanks for the tips all, I was hoping for more input, but I'll take what I can get!

Allison, my surgery is set for the 18th of November. And thank you for your compliments!

Let me toss my hat in. I've tried quite a few protein's, Myoplex, Muscle Milk, Synthia-6, unjury, Intek, Isopure. Unjury isn't worth the money. Sure it does have a good taste, but so does other flavors of other brands. Isopure so far has been the best Protein I've had, zero carbs, fresh fruity flavors as well as the milk shake style flavors. It's not overly expensive and it packs the best protein per scoop I've seen, and all with *ZERO* carbs.. Your best bet, go to a local fitness shop, see if they do samples, taste them all, find one you like, and go with that one. Unjury just seems a bit pricey for how little you actually get from it compared to other products, but, to each their own.

Kicking caffeine is easy.. just trick your body. Decaf coffee, tea's etc. Did you know that when you go to a party or wedding or whatever at a hotel or other function hall, and they serve coffee at the end of the night, that's decaf coffee. They don't announce it, but it is. My wife is the head bartender at a local 5 star hotel. lol If you THINK it's got caffeine in it, the withdrawal symptoms will be so much less, the mind is a powerful thing. I'm getting banded on the 18th. So only one more weekend to go! And lucky me, I have tomorrow, friday, sat and sun off. So I just have to make it through monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday YAY.

Not to brag, but I guess I got lucky all around. My insurance didn't require ANY required diet consulations, less the 1 single visit with a nutritionist. So far no pre-op diets (althought I have been reducing carbs, weaned off carbination and caffeine) I've been doing shakes for breakfast, lunch, small salads, protein puddings, LOTS of water, walking and cutting back on my dinner portions, I've been trying to get into the no drinking before or after a "meal" habit, chewing until the food is as liquid as it can be, so it might not be a full on required pre-op shrinkage diet, but I'm sure it will help come time to poke and prod...

I also wondered about all this "pre-op" dieting. As of right now, I have only 1 day of a specific "pre-op" diet and that's the day prior to my surgery. I have my pre-op training class tomorrow, so things might change then, but even if they told me tomorrow that I need to do all liquid from there on out, that's only 1 weeks worth. I've seen people saying they had a few weeks to a month or more of pre-op diet. I wonder what each surgeon is doing differently that some folks need to do a pre-op diet and some don't. I have a rather high BMI, like 52 . I guess I'll see tomorrow and if things change, I'll have some blogging fodder.

Pendulum, this is where your choices come into play. The Band is only a tool. You yourself needs to make the choices to eat better. A good thing to do, is find a protein that tastes like ice cream (they exist, I've got a tub of Muscle Milk Cake Batter protein!!), then you can have the taste you are looking for and get the protein that your body needs. But you are correct, you can eat around the band. The band isn't going to stop you from eating crap food, that's where willpower comes in.

Amanda, there are SOOOOOOO many easy places to get protein. Heck, you can run over to wal-mart and get some. As far as which are best? Does taste factor in? If taste is not a problem, any powder that is high in protein and low in carbs, cals and fat will do. Once you factor in taste, options change. Muscle Milk Light is a great powder and can be bought at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. unjury powder is very good, but is pretty much only online Unjury productions online. Myoplex Carb Control and Isopure Zero Carb protein are my top picks for low or no carb, hugh protein counts and great taste. Almost all of these brands also sell unflavored, which please understand does have some flavor, just not an artifical flavor and it's best to be mixed with SF/FF puddings, yogurts, or other item that you don't cook. If you cook protein powder it will get pretty nasty pretty quick. Unjury has a chick soup flavored protein, I've got 2 pouches of it, but I have yet to try it, you have to be careful that you don't add it to Water that's too hot or it will clump. Different protein types have different absorption rates. whey isolate (ion exchanged whey) has the fastest uptake rates, while egg protein uptake is the slowest. No matter which way you go, adding protein powder to your diet will only do good for you.

Ok so lets start this out with a bit about me. My name is Matt I'm currently 32 (birthday Nov 15) I'm married I have 2 boys I have many many many hours of tattoo work, with lots still not finished I have my septum and lobes pierced, my septum was stretched up to 00ga, but is now without jewelry, my ears are just shy of 1 3/4ths of an inch I'm a Veteran I'm an Information Technology Security Degree holder I'm a contractor for the Department of Defense I was overweight as a child, was made fun of left and right. I was my mom's eating buddy, my extended family was mostly Italian so there was lots of "manga manga" going on. We were expected to eat and eat quite a bit, which I did, of all the wrong things. We moved around a bunch. When we lived in Florida, a combination of the heat, increased activity and better eating choices lead me to lose quite a bit of weight. I was now "fit and trim" for my return home and subsequent high school years. I Joined the Air Force in 1997. I was over what the Air Force wanted me to be weight wise compared to my height. At 5 foot 9 inches I was to be at or under 189 lbs. I was 200/210, but still very fit and active. Most of the weight I attribute to my muscle strenght. but alas, I needed to be under 189, so I did everything I could think of, from starvation, to dehydration, jumping jacks in the sauna, you name it, I did it. And I made it in. During basic training I widdled down to an amazing 170 lbs. Sure I looked good, but I didnt' feel all that great being that small. Looking back at photos, the thoughts I have range from "I look sick like I have aids or cancer" to "damn I was sexy". After basic was technical training, during these months in Mississippi, I slowly got back to my "normal" weight, floating around 200. But no one noticed and I wasn't flagged for any weigh-ins. After tech school came my assignment. Fort Meade, Md. Things went fine, but being an IT job, sitting lots, working odd hours, overnights, etc, the muscle weight was replaced with flab, and after a year or so at my duty station I was poked for being too chubby. I was pointed to a co-worker and ex body builder for assistance. I followed his orders and begain doing some "not so healthy" things to lose weight, which didn't happen. Quite the reverse actually, I was consuming massive amounts of protein, water, carbs, I was working out 2 hours or so a day in the gym, yet in 3 months, I actually gained 80 lbs and I didn't know why. Turns out that part of the suppliments I was taking had triggered a massive hypothyridic response, my thyroid shut off, all the carbs, protein and calories I was injesting was being converted directly to fat. The Air Force did not like that at all. I went to 3 nutrition classes, did mandatory supervised exercise, wore a heart monitor and had my exercise tracked. The last 2.5 years of my enlistment was met with medical work ups, exercise, and warnings of being kicked out. I did everything I could to make until my contract was released from stop loss due to 9/11. My original out processing class turned into a stop loss class half way through. For those that don't know, stop loss is when the military says you can't leave, even if you have completed your signed contract, if they have an official need to keep you, they can. So my last full year was hell. Weigh ins, tapings, blood work. All in all, I made it out by the skin of my teeth. Which is sad because I signed up, with all intentions of doing 20+ years. I bounced around jobs a bit, got my degree and started doing IT work for the government. And I love it. I do not however love the weight I've been stuck with. I'm being banded on the 18th of Nov. I was hoping for my birthday, but my surgeon doesn't do surgery on Tuesdays. Sigh. Friday is close enough. I'm glad I found this website, the information and support from it's members has and will prove to be a very accepted crutch. Thanks for reading and Stay Strong! Matt

No need to be sorry! I have no problems answer questions about my modifications. I mentioned the piercings and tattoos just as part of my introduction as It's part of who I am, what makes me, me. All of my ink, less 2 or 3 pieces, are on my arms and legs, so I won't have to worry about weight loss too much and I did that on purpose. All of my tattoos have meaning and I wanted to ensure that they would be unharmed by any needed weight loss or surgery. The ONLY part that is in jeopardy are my arms, my left arm, I'm not too worry about so long as the piece on the outter portion of my arm is not touched (the piece is unfinished due to the artist, a friend of mine, died in the Station Nightclub Fire) my right arm, an in progress stained glass window, the parts that would be removed are not filled in yet, so as long as the portraits of my wife and kids doesn't get messed up. Why did I get my tattoos? To "bookmark" monents in my life, to memorialize friends and family or to other meaningful events. My ink is for me, and for no one else, it is coverable at work if my employer doesn't allow visiable tattoos and that is of no bother to me at all. Why did I get pierced? I grew up watching national geographic, I got my septum peirced as a "right of passage into manhood" I got my lobes pierced and have been stretching them to find out "why" many tribes do it. I have learned quite a bit in attempt to reach my goal of 2 inches. Patience is a big one, accepting that fact that you sometimes have to take a step back in order to take 2 steps forwards and I have learned how to interact with people better, to watch and decode body language and how to break through to them. I had an "industrial" piercing (2 piercings with a single bar though them in the ear, usually in to adjacent locations of the outter cartlidge area) which were a gift from a piercer friend of mine for my birthday, those have been removed however for personal reasons.

Thanks all! Tracie... I'm glad beyond expression to have found this community! roeroe, you for got the salad and roll upon roll of bread, followed by some more bread soaked in liquore topped with cream and more sugar lol Arnetta, Thanks for the support, I'm going to try to keep my blogs to a weekly basis, prob Friday's or as needed and try to keep them as interesting as possible! I look forward to chipping away this armor of fat I have encased myself in.. Thanks again all.. and Stay Strong!

Unless you are a self pay, check with your insurance company. For me, the band was covered, the VSG was not because it was "too new".