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Even though I'm eating much less food, my grocery bill has gone up. It's far more expensive to buy fresh fruit, veggies and chicken than it is to buy mac & cheese, little debbies, and spaghettios.

If you can't keep anything down, including liquids, the last thing you need is another fill. You already sound like you're too tight. Fills don't make you lose weight, eating small portions of healthy foods results in losing weight. The only the thing the fills are supposed to do is allow the band to appease your hunger. If you get another fill and you're already too tight, you're putting yourself at risk for a slip. Good luck

Congratulations!!!

Well the amount of weight to lose shouldn't be a factor in which WLS you choose. I've lost 143 pounds in 8 months and I'm still losing. How well you succeed with WLS- be it the band, sleeve, or bypass- depends entirely how on willing you are to work for it. I would research both extensively before making a decision. At the end of the day the choice has to be yours and yours alone.

My surgeon says absolutely no carbonation and I've read studies saying no carbonation. The reason isn't that it stretches your pouch- it's liquid so it passes through the band immediately. The problem is the carbonation expands in your stomach below the band, pushing up on the band, potentially causing a slip. When I was in the hospital having my Lap Band surgery, the woman sharing my room was in for a band replacement. She had been drinking soda and not only did her band slip, but her stomach actually prolapsed up through the band. She also regained 40 pounds. I haven't had a carbonated beverage since I was banded 8 months ago and refuse to ever again. It's just not worth the risk.

I would count your calories to see how much you're eating then stay between 1000-1200 max. I would also drink a lot of Water (just straight water with nothing in it) because steroids can really pack on the water weight. Good luck to you.

Plateaus are totally normal. Just keep doing what you're supposed to do and the weight will come off again. I've hit a couple plateaus over the last 8 months. For me, I find "tricking" my metabolism works. For instance, normally I eat 1000-1200 calories a day. If I go a couple weeks with no loss, I'll have day 1 of a lot more (but healthy) calories, about 1500. Then day 2, I'll drop down to 800 calories. Then up to 1200 calories for day 3, then back down to 800-900 calories for day 4. Then, back to my normal routine from day 5 onward. For me, the drastic calorie swaps of those couple days works to get my metabolism working again. Good luck to you.

Yup there sure are. Spammers and trolls both.

You should've been given a diet plan by your surgeon's office to follow post op. What you are describing is the mushie phase not the soft food phase. If you don't have it for some reason, contact your surgeon to see what they recommend.

Do you know why you gained weight? Are you eating too much or not the right foods?

If you're so tight you're not happy, I'd get a little backed back out.

Are you sticking to a cup or less of food per meal? Are you taking very small bites, chewing until mush, and pausing between bites? Are you vomiting or PBing?

Excellent article, Jean. I'm so glad you posted it. I hope everyone on these boards takes the time to read it because it's a bit scary how many WLS surgery patients there are out there living in complete ignorance.

Some docs want you to steer clear of NSAIDs because they can lead to ulcers and stomach erosion, therefore band erosion via the stomach. I've taken Ibuprofen almost daily for 8 months since surgery with no problems. My surgeon is well aware of it, too. His logic is, I never had issues with Ibuprofen before surgery so there's no reason I should suddenly start having them now.

I've lost 143 pounds in 8 months. My exercise ability is limited because I have Multiple Sclerosis, however, I can walk. When I first started this journey I used a cane and could hardly make it into a store from a handicapped spot. Now, I walk a couple miles a day, every day. I had to slowly work up to this point day by day but it's so worth it. Start small and work up to more.

It has nothing to do with the type of band and everything to do with your surgeon. Every surgeon has their own post op diets to follow and own ideas as to what works.

It makes sense you'd have to go through all the pre-op procedures again. 2005 was 7 years ago, a lot can and likely has changed since then. I say just do what they ask and get it over with so you can get your surgery. Why are you having your band removed?

I am taking it day by day. My goal weight still leaves me in the overweight range, but I also know I'm big boned and felt good at that weight as teenager. I'm not as concerned about the BMI as I am about my overall health. Blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, cholesterol, etc. If those things are all good then I'm ok if I end up in the overweight range.

You could die from any surgery. I would suggest going to a seminar in your area to learn about Lap Band and researching the facts (not anecdotal evidence) of the band so you can make an educated decision.

You look amazing, I can't believe how fast the swelling is going down. Congratulations!!

Bandster Hell- the time period between surgery and when you have enough fills to have restriction. This is because feel like they don't have a band during that period and have to rely on will power to lose weight in the meantime. PB- Productive Burp. Burping stuck food back up, but not violently and not like vomiting. Sliming- mouth feels with slimey saliva, usually because of being stuck.

It sucks, there's no two ways about it. I was on liquids for 4 weeks after surgery and I simply hated it. In retrospect, I'm not sure how I made it through those 4 weeks without cheating but somehow I did. I found V8 makes some surprisingly good Soups without chunks so I could have them on the liquid diet. Tomato Garden, Butternut Squash, and Potato Leek were some of the ones I used to eat. I felt like they gave me substantially more flavor and substance than basic tomato soup or broth. Plus, they have a full serving of vegetables in them. Because I don't like yogurt, my doctor let me have low fat cottage cheese even during the liquids phase. Runny oatmeal, too. I made the oatmeal with skim milk rather than Water to give it Protein and more substance. Hang in there and know you're not alone. I know it's an awful phase but it will pass and you'll be so proud of yourself for getting through it. Best wishes.

Well, to be honest, I just chug water when I'm super thirsty. I've never had any problems taking big gulps.

Mine were all glued with steri strips over them.