Jrowe1971

I have the Lap band because, although it may require a little maintenance, you have not mutilated your stomach to a point in which it cannot be repaired. I had considered the sleeve until I read somewhere that often people that get the sleeve often end up having to go back and have the regular gastric bypass done. That is where I drew the line and I would not allow them to cut my stomach. The band has some maintenance issues but, I can eat just about all the foods I love without a violent episode (dumping) and I still feel full after a little bit of food. If something comes up I could have the band un-done with little or no trouble

That is most likely your port. When I was bigger I knew it was there but since I lost more weight, sometimes when I lay on my back I can actually see where the port makes the skin stand out. Don't let it worry you unless you start to feel pain from that area. Good luck on your journey.

you can do what you want to do but I would start with finding another doctor. A doctor that requires you buy a product only from him has more of a desire to pad his wallet than to help or treat you. There are many other protein powders out there, I use body force which runs about $15 at Wal mart and as for the vitamins, try Flintstones they work just as well as some of the rest. don't let them tell you that you have to buy something from them, there are many other surgeons out there that will not do such thing.

Well you do what you want but I will say that you need at least 50 grams of carbs per day for proper brain function. This is why the Adkins diet failed most of the people who were on it. Try to get a minimum of 60 grams of protein or your hair will fall out among other things that will go wrong. I have lost over 100 pounds and will say that carbs have been about 40% of the calories I have eaten. Figure out what works for you. keep the carbs down and you will succeed but do not cut them out.

from my understanding, The gas from the carbonation will fill you and you will not want to eat the nutrients you need or get the water

I have never had any trouble with dried fruit but nuts is another story. Peanut butter creamy and others like it are fine but I have had nothing but trouble the couple of times that I ate nuts. As for the fruit, as long as you chew them well you should be ok. Someone mentioned in an earlier post about the calories, that is very true but, dont let the fact that you're banded keep you away from your favorite foods. You will learn which foods you can tolerate. Good Luck

From my understanding, as you lose weight there will be times that you will need a fill to keep up with the weight loss. in my opinion I would try to stay within the range that the doctors and nutritionist have set. Don't give in to the compulsive eating or stress related eating that caused you to need the band in the first place. You probably need a fill, call your doctor and tell them what is going on and they will tell you what to do. If you need a fill sometimes you need to give the doctor a couple of weeks notice for insurance purposes. Good Luck

I personally would advise against the meatballs. I have a hard time with any type of beef but the easiest way to get it in is ground beef cooked in some type of sauce. dry meats will cause major havoc with your band. Make sure all of your meat is moist. the mayonnaise in some salads does great in helping to digest some meats. I had my surgery back in August and I still struggle with beef. Try it and if it works great but I just wanted to warn you. One thing I learned on that diet, with all the tuna and chicken salad I ate, I was able to eat crackers with it, just make sure you take small bites and chew it well. Good Luck

I know people use different things but I found the WalMart version of Crystal Light to be about as good as anything. Some people use Propel and Fruit 2 O but I found them to be very costly. Gatorade G2 and Powerade zero are great when your working out but I wouldn't recommend them for drinking all the time. Just Plain water is best if you can handle that. Good Luck

It could be many things but, since you just got banded yesterday, I believe that it's probably all the medications you have been subjected to over the past day or so. Pain killers are famous for causing nausea. Hope you feel better soon. Good Luck.

When I started the treadmill I was so out of shape that I had to start at it's lowest setting like 0.8. I did that speed for 10 minutes and I would go try to do other things. That's where I started back in February and now I have worked my way up to between 2.5 and 3 for 30 to 60 minutes. To me the treadmill has brought me a long way in my journey but has also caused some major issues with my knees. I have to do other cardio now because of my knees, I'm not saying it was the treadmill that caused it being overweight I know was to major factor in this problem. I wish you the best and I hope you figure it out. Just remember, if you can go to a park and walk a trail, it would do you more good than any machine could.Good Luck

I have trouble with meat myself, especially if they are overcooked and dry. Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning of your post op diets and start over to remind yourself what you went through to get here. but if you want to snack, I was at Walgreens the other day and I seen a selection of high protein snacks. I didn't try any but they sure looked good. Good Luck on figuring it out.

I thing that most of us post op have been through what you are going through right now. I know that I personally lost 28 pounds during the liver shrinking diet and 15 more during the liquid stage post op. When I moved to the mushy stage everything seemed to stop. I hit a plateau that lasted for 8 weeks. talk about going crazy. Recently I got my second fill and I have stepped up the workouts and now things are moving again. Congrats on your weight loss and Good Luck to you.

I know everyone is different but, to the ones that have their bands where they need to be, on average they can only eat about 1/2 to 1 cup per meal. Somewhere in the midst of your meals you need to work in 60 grams of protein per day. There are ways to get your protein in by using milk instead of water in your hot breakfast cereals, 1/3 cup of dry milk added to your meal replacement, this is if you can tolerate milk. I use skim milk which has 8 grams of protein per cup and most of the others except soy milk usually only have one gram of protein per serving. I know you are wondering why I don't seem to be answering your question but the fullness comes from eating a lot of protein, it keeps you full and helps you burn excess calories. If you eat a good amount of protein for your meal then it'll take a while before you get hungry again

The psych evaluation was a breeze but, my psychologist recommended that I get help for after the surgery. All I had to do was go to a psychologist and he sent a message to my surgeon saying I was under his care and all was fine. I had my surgery 3 months ago and I am not being monitored as to whether I am going or not but, I choose to go because it helps to have someone to talk to sometimes. Good Luck, I hope all goes well for you.

Papaya Enzyme works better for me than anything else. I take them whether I need them or not to aide in digestion. I get the Spring Valley chewables they are papaya flavored. You could just go to the store and buy a papaya from the produce section, it works even better but I know here that a papaya cost about 4 dollars each. the Enzyme here cost about 5 dollars for 180 tablets. it's worth trying. Good Luck

I wish I could help but I am just getting down to a 58 myself so everything I have would be too big for you.

I love subway myself and one thing I can suggest is to have them toast the bread and usually you can only eat about 2 to 3 inches of the sub. I don't understand why some people think that they have to give up everything to be successful, Ive lost 147 pounds and have not given up any of the foods I love. Bread can give you trouble but if you toast it and eat it slowly you should do just fine. I have found that I have more trouble with lettuce than bread so, it depends on each individual. Good Luck

I will say that the best thing to do right now is walk as much as you can stand, if that doesn't help with the gas then try some type of gas reliever. The stomach growling well, mine seems to do that even when I'm full or, especially when it's near time to eat again. The pressure you feel in your chest when your eating is a sign that you may be full or you have eaten too much, be careful right now, your stomach is swollen and you cant overdo things. Good Luck

Sit ups and crunches are fine to do with the band but, make sure your doctor has released you to do that type of exercise. I was released 6 weeks post op and I do crunches all the time.

Hi I'm Jerry, Before I got banded I studied and researched to learn all I could about the band. I have been overweight most of my life and I'm willing to bet that there are very few people who can tell me something that I haven't heard about the dangers of being overweight. When my life started to go downhill I decided I had to stop, reality slapped me in the face when I found out that I was 564 pounds and all the ailments that they warned me about were becoming part of my life. I went to the local hospital seminar about the gastric surgeries, It was then that I decided that I was going for it. I had to go through all the preliminary things which took about 8 months and finally this past August 24, 2011 I had my surgery. It took me 10 months to have the surgery and in that time I had lost about 100 pounds. I had a rapid weight loss when I had my surgery which caused my body to plateau for about 8 weeks after surgery. I'm finally losing again but I know that I still have a long way to go and I'm going to help anyone I can to not go where I have been.

I have these same episodes but, I have found a trick and the taste is not as unpleasant as that drano mix. When you go to the store look with the multivitamins and look for Papaya Enzyme, they are chewable and very pleasant tasting. You could eat a bite of a papaya also but that gets expensive. This helps to get that blockage out. I know the trick is to stop before you get to that point but, if it happens try this .... Good Luck

I know there are many multivitamins out there and the there are only a few chewables but, this is what my doctor told me. He told me that the Flintstones Complete Chewables were what many people with the band takes, they are also cheaper than most of the others and do the same thing. as for calcium, Look for calcium citrate, I use Citrucal petites with vitamin d3. do not take them together because the iron in one pill and the calcium in the other pill will counter each other and you end up not getting anything from either. (expensive urine in other words) Make sure you take iron 2 hours before you take the calcium. As a rule, if the pill is larger than an M&M you need to cut it. watch out for some pills, they are not meant to be cut.

The first time they usually do the fill with the x-ray. all the ones after that should be done in the office. I usually have to return to the liquids for 12 to 24 hours and 2 days of mushies and then back to regular food. Good Luck

I do have to admit that I get that hiccup also when I'm full. The best thing to do is learn how far you can go before the hiccup and stop there. If you do go too far I will recommend you get Papaya Enzyme and take one when you feel stuck. Good luck, I hope you figure it out.