DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

You're in what we call 'bandster hell'. Post surgery but no restriction yet so you can still eat like you did before you were banded. Hang in there, it gets easier. Just do your best to stick to a cup or less of food per meal and make good food choices.

I would highly suggest meeting with a nutritionist. They will help you establish what you should be eating. The information I learned from my nutritonist has been very key in my weight loss.

Welcome and best wishes to you

Nothing to be scared of, if anything, not having an over-filled band will help. Too often when someone's band is too tight they rely on slider foods because they can't eat real food, and more often than not, slider foods are fat and calorie loaded. Plus, having a band too tight can lead to slips, so it's a good thing you're having a little removed. Plus, remember, as time goes on you can always slowly have more added again. That's the beauty of the band, there is lots of room to work with. This is a good thing. Be happy not scared

Awesome post, congratulations!!!

The first 4-6 weeks post surgery are for healing, not losing. My best advice to you is to put away the scale at least until you are back on normal foods. In the meantime, just do your best to stick to band sized portions and making good food choices. The losing will come once you're all healed up. Your band was likely put in empty or with very little saline in it at a best. Most people don't have restriction until at least a couple fills. Until then, most can eat just like they did before surgery. It's not easy but you're stuck white knuckling it through until you get a couple fills usually. Best wishes.

As Toddy wisely said, it doesn't make you feel stuffed full nor is it supposed to. It does make it so you're satisfied after very little food and that satisfaction lasts a lot longer. A good example, I just had dinner a half hour ago. I had 4oz of pork chop, 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes and 1/4 cup of green Beans. I am totally satisfied and won't start to feel hunger again until after 10:00pm tonight.

I had sushi without problems at all, but everyone is different.

It's not common, but some people do have restriction without a fill. Plus, you're going to have more restriction anyway because of the plication. Tiny bites, chew the food to mush, and pause between bites. It's a learning experience but we all go through it

Well, here's my take on it. Saying no carbs is extreme. I tried that once many years ago and I couldn't do it either. Many do a low carb diet after Lap-Band surgery, however I do not. I need this to be realistic for a lifetime change and super low carb simply isn't realistic for me. Thankfully, I have a great nutritionist who agrees and has my guidelines set with what I consider realistic carb amounts. I've lost a good deal of weight in 6 months so I think it's safe to say in my case, I do just fine having carbs and losing. Now, the Lap-Band won't "force" anything on you. The band is just a tool, not a magic pill. It can't and won't stop you from eating unhealthy. It can't always even force you to eat the right amounts of food. What it can do is help us to feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. It's a big change to your entire life and requires a total change of your eating habits that last a lifetime. Simply put it's a huge decision and not one to be taken lightly. I would highly suggest doing a lot of research and going to a seminar to learn about it before making a decision, Best wishes to you

I'm actually on day 10 of a plateau, I am messing with my calories to try to kick my metabolism back into gear. Plateaus are normal and will eventually pass on their own, but like you, I want it gone now lol

Be sure to find a local surgeon to handle your fills and care before you go to Tijuana. This is crucial because the majority of US surgeons won't touch a patient who was banded in Mexico, and because of this many come home after surgery with nowhere to turn to help. So, start checking into local surgeons now to see if any will treat and fill you. It's so important you do this before you have surgery. Best wishes.

I was told by my surgeon I should start going to my GP regularly to document rashes, so by the time I'm ready for surgery we'll already have many months and visits on file. He knows I have a lot of skin on my thighs and upper arms as well as my stomach and I think he's hoping maybe we can get them to cover that too. (though honestly, I'm doubtful)

First, you are still pretty new to this. Have you had any fills, and do you have any restriction yet? If you would like some advice/opinions we're going to need more info: -approximately how many calories a day are you eating? -are you sticking to a cup or less of food per meal? -how many grams of Protein are you getting daily?

Your profile says you had surgery back in April, so, two weeks since what?

That sounds amazing, I'm definitely going to try it!

Father, son lose 260 pounds after weight loss surgery (CNN) -- Mike Cianciullo hated the stares. Whenever his family went out to eat, strangers' eyes would follow -- gawking at the sizes of father and son, judging the food on their plates. At 5 feet 7 inches, Cianciullo weighed 321 pounds. His son, Matt, was 5 feet 3 inches and weighed 333 pounds. "It's like they'd never seen a fat person before," Cianciullo recalls. For Mike, the decision to go through with weight loss surgery was about stopping those stares, getting in shape and, most importantly, saving his son's life. In denial When his dad first approached him about going to a weight loss clinic, 17-year-old Matt Cianciullo was hesitant. Unlike many children who are Angeles. But often the biggest obstacle is denial -- they don't want to admit they can't do it on their own. "The hardest thing for patients to do is pick up the phone and go see a doctor," Liu says. "They see it as a kind of defeat." There are several types of bariatric surgery. Most cost between $18,000 and $30,000. Gastric bypass has been the "gold standard," Liu says, since the 1990s. With sleep apnea. liquid diet for two weeks after surgery, and then ate only soft foods for another two weeks. It would be several more weeks before they learned what they could eat and how much. "You have to chew your food really well, 20 to 25 times before you swallow," Mike says. "The more fibrous vegetables, they don't digest as well. The skin of peaches, apples, don't digest well." Carbohydrates are pretty much off-limits as well, Matt says. Before the surgery, he would usually have a sandwich, chips and soda or a few pieces of pizza for lunch. Now he eats maybe half a chicken breast and half a cucumber. Dinners used to be double servings. Now he orders off the kids' menu at restaurants and can barely eat half. "When food gets stuck, it's painful. It feels like you're having a heart attack or something," Matt says. The results, though, have been phenomenal. Matt has dropped 160 pounds; his dad has lost more than 100. "It's been fun and exciting to watch them," says his mom, Martha. "They're happy. Matt is always out now, compared to what he used to be. And my husband ... he likes to share his story with everybody. Even with people he doesn't even know." Matt was named Liu's patient of the month. "He was so shy and introverted, never looked people in the eye," Liu says. "When he lost 100 pounds he opened up and came out of his shell. Plus the guy ate chicken all day long." Liu likes when family members tackle weight loss together. They motivate each other to stick with the diet, keep junk food out of the house and keep moving. Matt and Mike had a sense of competition -- when his dad was losing weight more quickly, Matt took up basketball to catch up. At 170 pounds, Matt is almost to his goal weight of 150. He plans to swim more and try other activities that he couldn't do when he was bigger. He also hopes to help other obese teens by sharing his story. Mike is working on reaching his goal weight as well. He knows as an adult it's more difficult to lose the weight, but he keeps pushing forward. "I really want to be as healthy as possible for my family." http://www.cnn.com/2....html?hpt=hp_c1

I am on Medicare, and I know they will pay for a panniculectomy after 100 pounds or more weight loss. My breasts are very large still despite the weight loss, and they will cover a breast reduction with lift. They won't cover the cost of a lift alone, though. Only when done with a reduction. I am hoping to have both surgeries next summer.

Welcome and best wishes on your journey!

No not a dumb question at all. But if you don't have faith in your surgeon, then you shouldn't be having surgery with him to begin with. If you do have faith in him to do your surgery then you need to trust his judgement on the pre op and post op diets, too. I hate to sound so blunt, but Lap Band surgery isn't like going to a buffet where you can pick and choose the aspects you like. Whether your like it or not, what your surgeon says is law when it comes to pre and post op. Period. No exceptions. You need to remember the pre op diet and post op diets are not about weight loss, they are about shrinking your liver before and healing after. Your surgeon knows what is best. Once you're healed after surgery and back on normal food, you can mess with your diet and find what works best for you long term. But until then, you really don't have a choice to be made in the matter.

It's definitely a learning experience. One of the two times I was really stuck and eventually PB'd, I bent at the waist over the toilet with straight legs and bounced gently. That made me burp big enough that the food came back up. (which by that time was a relief, I was miserable) Sometimes some hot tea can wash the offending food through, too. I have found walking around helps as well. Good luck!

I'm going to assume you mean June 18, being as July 18 isn't even here yet Are you looking for solid foods? Really, you can eat whatever you want so long as it's withing the guidelines your nutritionist or surgeon gave you. If you haven't met with a nutritionist I highly recommend doing so. This way you will have clear guidelines to follow making food choices a lot easier to make.