DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

My surgeon told me no more than 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food total per meal. If you haven't seen a nutrionist, I highly suggest seeing one so you know what you should and shouldn't be eating.

Hi and welcome! I take the Women's One A Day Petites. It's two smaller pills instead of one big one. I can't help with the skin question, as I currently have a lot of excess skin. Quite honestly, I look like a freak'n Shar Pei. *laughs* I definitely have skin removal surgery in my future. My favorite liquids were low sodium broth and V8 Light Fruit Blender juice. I also really liked the V8 soups- no chunks but very tasty. I ate considerable sugar free Jello, too My favorite protein shake is Unjury. I still have one for breakfast every morning. I have tried many brands and Unjury is the only one I've found that I really like. Best wishes to you!

My nutrionist told me at least 60g of protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% fat daily. She never told me a specific sodium # but told me to steer clear of it whenever I can.

I am SO incredibly happy for you!! I knew it would work out and you'd get approved for your surgery!! And you are a huge blessing to me too, my friend *hugs!!*

Hi and welcome I'm so sorry you have to go through this, especially without the support. It's extremely hard and there's so many decisions to make. You and I have a lot in common. I had surgery at 38 (I turned 39 last week, actually), I am divorced (so no support at home), and I weighed over 400 pounds. Like you, I have always been overweight (ok downright fat) my entire life. Some people actually told me they thought I was foolish for not jumping to something more drastic like the Gastric Bypass, but it's like I told them, I couldn't rationalize such a drastic surgery when there are reversible options like Lap-Band out there. So, I went ahead and scheduled surgery. I had the Lap-Band surgery on January 6, 2012. I have lost over 100 pounds in the first 5 months since surgery. I still have a ways to go, but I feel SO much better. For me, having the Lap-Band is truly the best decision I've ever made for myself. My life so much better and I am excited for each day. I don't look at the daunting next 100 pounds as "if I lose it" or "I hope I can lose it", I look at it as "when I lose it", because I know with the help of my band I will. I know it's scary and you feel alone but you aren't. We're here. If you ever need to speak privately to anyone who's situation is very similar to yours, feel free to private message me any time.

Your brother's doctor is confusing Lap-Band with Gastric Bypass. -1 in 2000 die from complications Lap-Band surgery -1 in 250 die from complications of Gastric Bypass I haven't done the research on obesity related complications and deaths (high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, etc) but I would be willing to bet far more people die from being morbidly obese than from Lap-Band or Gastric Bypass.

You don't have to diet, but you do have to make good food choices for a lifetime. Another reason why you need to see a nutrionist so they can explain it all to you,

I would log your calories and protein so you know exactly what you're getting and make changes where necessary. I use an app called Lose It to track mine and it's great.

There could be a lot of reasons you're not losing. How many calories are you eating a day? Are you getting in enough protein? Are you following up with your surgeon regularly? Have you had any fills?

I have to be honest, I always worry about doctors that don't do fills. If you read these boards, how many people have seen that never ever get a fill? Or that are at good restriction after just 1 fill? I've been on these boards almost 6 months and not seen a single one. In fact, that's why we call the time between surgery and adequate restriction "bandster hell", because it takes most people multiple fills before they have good restriction. I would talk to your doctor and ask him what his basis for not doing fills is. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and if you're not comfortable with his answers don't be afraid to say so. Remember, you are the boss. The doctor works for YOU. He's not treating you out of the goodness of his heart, you hired him and pay him to treat you. You have every right to question him when necessary.

I still have a long ways to go, but I HATE pictures of me from before surgery. I actually deleted a bunch from Facebook because I just couldn't take it. Fat pictures are just a painful reminder of how miserable I was, and I'd prefer to leave that in the past and concentrate on losing the rest of this weight.

That's exactly what I do, and I've lost over a 100 pounds in 5 months. @michelle626, I suggest you meet with a nutrionist to learn what you should and should not be eating and how much. It's crucial to your weigh tloss success.

You guys lose weight and get a bigger penis, we girls lose weight and get smaller boobs. Seems horribly unfair

Not just alcoholism, but drugs and other addictions as well. The reason is people are simply trading addictions. They can no longer feed their food addiction so they turn to booze or drugs instead.

Yup I agree with the others, keep a food diary. I use Lose It, it syncs between my PC and my android phone. Smaller portions aren't enough if they're loaded with calories and/or fat. Most people are truly shocked when they start logging what they eat. It will really help you see problem areas.

If you were vomiting, not PB'ing, and uncontrollably that sounds like a stomach virus issue or maybe even food poisoning, not the band. If it continues, see your doc

I used to eat pretty much non-stop all day. A good example: Yesterday I went to Red Lobster for lunch. Before I had the band, I'd have ordered the dinner sized serving, had at least 2 cheese biscuits, some Soup, an appetizer like fried cheese sticks, and then dessert after. I would have ate every single bite, too. Now, I had a lunch sized serving and was only able to eat about 1/3 of it. My kids wanted cheese sticks for an appetizer- I only had one. I also had about 3 bites of cheese biscuit. I was TOTALLY full and satisfied eating only a fraction of the food I used to eat. My eating habits have changed very dramatically.

If you're still hungry during the day, and still able to big portions like before surgery, then yes I'd say you definitely need a fill. You're not in the wrong at all, the NP is. No one can tell you that you "should" have more restriction. Everyone's body anatomy is different and you shouldn't be questioned for simply wanting a fill so your band works as it should- with restriction. At your next visit, I would make an appointment with your surgeon, not an NP. Be sure to tell the surgeon exactly what happened and see his reaction. I suspect he won't be pleased with the NP but he needs to know. Best wishes.

The first thing I'd do is make sure you've already found a local surgeon who will do your fills when you return. Many surgeons won't touch someone who's banded in Mexico so I'd definitely start looking for one now. Otherwise, you run the risk of having to drive 6hrs back once a month for fills.

deleted- repeat post in my sleepy haze! LOL

I have a friend who got the sleeve about a month before I got banded. We started around the same weight, too. She told me how foolish I was for choosing the band with so much to lose and pretty much hopped on a high horse of superiority. She really thought I was an idiot and that I would regret the band and end up with the Sleeve eventually. I have lost twice as weight she has so far. Literally. She's lost around 50 pounds, I've lost over 100. She vomits all the time and complains endlessly about not being able to eat what she wants. I've never vomited, only PB'd once, and can still eat whatever I want. Needless to say, she no longer bashes the band to me.

congratulations!

I think I'm going to buy a ring so every time I look at my hand and see it, I am reminded of what I accomplished and how important it is to never be that huge again.