Sojourner

I always read nutrition labels...and my surgeon was very specific that there are carbs which occur naturally, and carbs which are added to foods, usually processed ones. I was advised that naturally occurring ones, such as found in fresh fruit are alright to have, but that you need to avoid having any foods which have "sugar added". There are hidden carbs in so many foods...that's why I read the nutrition labels...

Sometimes doctors are the ones who have less confidence in you as a patient to be diet compliant and willing to change your lifestyle. You are empowered with the band to choose to be as successful as you want to be. I felt it would be healthier to loose weight slower and give my skin an opportunity to adjust to the smaller me. Both my bariatric surgeon and my PCP told me that they view me as a patient who is capable to understand their directions and follow them. I was the one who decided on the band, and they both did not hesitate to agree. They have both said that they felt that I would be willing to make the commitment to be successful, and go the distance to reach my goals. So far, so good...

What most fail to understand about marijuana is that it is more risky to smoke than tobacco...it burns at a higher temperature and the number of known carcinogens is greater than that contained in tobacco. The psychological side effects of using the "Gateway Drug" can be devastating. To me, having my band placed was all about getting healthier and lowering my risks for weight related comorbidities...WHY would someone want to go to all the effort and expense of this surgery and not want to have a healthier lifestyle?? IMHO... JS...

Maddysgram... Take the credit you have earned...so many participants on this forum have the same opportunities to learn and share, and do not learn the valuable information and best practices. You will be successful because you are motivated to be successful, because you are moving forward with an exceptional fund of information, and you apply what you have learned... I'm glad that we've "met", and are friends! As we sailors are fond of saying..."May you have fair winds and following seas..."

So very happy for you!! You will have a wonderful journey, as you have done your "homework", and are moving forward with an exceptional amount of insight and understanding about what you need to do for success with your band! Please keep us informed of your progress! Best wishes...

You definitely need to do your research, and make your decision based on what you believe to be the best fit for you. No surgical procedure is without risks, and in the WLS group, the band has less mortality than other types of WLS. That said, for my situation, I did not feel that rearranging my internal organs was a good choice. My PCP was very much in favor of me getting the band...and the general surgeon who removed my gallbladder a few weeks ago was very much anti-band. From my extensive experience with doctors in general, they are not trying to "upsell" their patients...IMHO. Successful weight loss with the band means daily commitment to healthy eating and life long changes in lifestyle. Eating to live...and knowing that food cannot be turned to as a coping mechanism to manage any negative emotions. Best wishes as your consider your options...

Read your nutrition labels...and focus on basics. By that I mean that every meal should consist of your lean Protein and Fiber carb of your choice. You must eat your protein first...it's the priority. Stop using foods which can fill you up without good nutritional value. My surgeon advises no soup...at all. I also have a difficult time meeting my daily protein goal, so a Protein shake for my snack in the evening made with 1% milk makes up for any deficits during the day.

The only remedies which have worked for me are to take Benefiber, get some Fiber from my meals(I usually have a salad and fresh fruit everyday), and drink alot of Water. After just over 6 months post op, things have gotten better than they were newly post op.

This topic has come up before...first hand experience is that the first responders to an accident site will not be looking in your wallet for anything but your driver license. If you want the EMS and ER/Trauma Center to know about your band, you need to be wearing a medical alert bracelet or necklace.

Read your nutrition label...That product is no longer available in my area, but if I recall, the chocolate flavor has many more carb grams and many less protein grams than regular peanut butter. Don't forget that protein is your priority! My surgeon does allow peanut butter on his recommended diet, but does not recommend it until a minimum of 6 months post op.

Post op it is a challenge to get all your fluids...so make certain to focus on having the prescribed number of Protein shakes daily. You have 2 benefits together... hydration and protein. Make it a priority to mix your Protein Powder with milk, you will have additional protein that way. It does get easier to sip what you need...

I can only imagine how you feel...and I also dislike having to "jump through hoops" to prove the medical necessity for the surgery. Do your best to focus forward and set some goals for yourself to achieve in your journey towards improved health...exercise helps to improve your mood and burn calories. Emotionally it is much healthier to feel empowered to do something positive for yourself than to sit back and ruminate. Best wishes...

No, I'm not Missy, but cannot see your "ticker"!

It depends on what your surgeon has advised you to do...I was advised to measure protein portions by volume, after cooking; 3 oz lean protein per meal... It makes the most sense to me, as your pouch can hold only so much volume...so a weight measurement is fairly useless in this case. Yet another example of the differences surgeons have in advising their patients...

You never know what you can achieve until you make a commitment to do it! Well done!

I was never told not to drink from a straw...but the only time I use a straw is at a restaurant with Water. It makes sense about the air...nothing I can't give up.

Yes, it's common to gain a small amount of weight when you return to eating solid foods again post op. Several things to keep in mind...first, don't become obsessed with your scale and weigh yourself every day. It's still a battle I fight with myself...but in the long run the daily weigh in only ends up contributing to unnecessary negative thoughts and feelings of discouragement. The most important things you can do for yourself at this stage is be certain to comply with your surgeon recommended diet and portion sizes, along with making healthy food choices, and get your exercise in. Many bandsters mistakenly believe that having a fill will eradicate their hunger...likely that will not happen with a first fill. Instead of relying on the band to provide limits on your eating, now is the time to hone your healthy eating patterns and will power. For the majority of bandsters it will require several fills before you have adequate restriction...but more important than the restriction are the self imposed limitations on making healthy choices with food and portion sizes.

I was taking meloxicam for years for arthritis...and now am allowed half the dose every other day (prescribed by my PCP, surgeon does not know). Without some form of NASID, ti would be near impossible to move around. When I had my pancreatitis attack, I was allowed to have an Advil Liquigel every 6 hours as needed. NASIDS are known stomach irritants, and as such can cause ulcers. I've taken Prevacid for years, and never had any issues with the NASIDS until I got my band...the Advil gives me horrible reflux, even with taking Prevacid daily. I'm still undecided which is worse...constipation from opiate based pain meds, or the reflux from ibuprofen...

Best wishes as your journey continues...let us know how you are with your recovery...

Any surgery...including any WLS will come with risks associated with the procedure. I'm not a betting person by nature, but I can tell you that band surgery has the lowest mortality rate of any of the weight loss procedures. That said, the odds are always going in your favor for a positive outcome. You are more likely to hear of the negative stories than the positive outcomes when people successfully loose weight and regain some of the health that their weight was taking from them. You should do additional research...this forum is an excellent place to learn and ask questions. Best wishes...

Accurate pearls of wisdom to live by...thanks for sharing this! Hope you have a wonderful day!

I've discovered that the goal weight my doctor had set for me also left me in the low range of "overweight" according to the BMI. My thoughts are that on average, the bandster will loose only a portion of their excess body fat, and that the surgeon bases their goal for you based on the weight that loosing that average percentage of body fat would leave you. I feel that I have not gone to all of this time and effort to still only move from "obese to overweight". I added an additional 5 pounds of weight loss to my goal to allow me to reach my "normal range". I feel comfortable with this, and that given the time and perseverance I will be successful. The really frustrating part of all this is that I have lost nearly 2 " of height through the years...and I would be much further towards achieving my goals of a normal range BMI if I had those 2" back! Still taking it a day at a time...and a pound at a time...

I prefer to stay with a simple, small salad. I use romaine lettuce, slice up a hard boiled egg, and add an ounce of Boar's Head deli turkey or roast beef, then just ~1/2 teaspoon FF/SF salad dressing.

What you are writing about is actually quite common...it takes the mind and the automatic thinking awhile to catch up with the body. An inaccurate self image is often seen when working with patients who have eating disorders...and for individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight, their concept of self image is another adjustment which needs to be made along the weight loss journey. I sometimes still catch myself thinking in terms of my weight starting with a 2 instead of a 1...

All that is important to add to this thread is that many bandsters have an addiction to carbs to thank for their obesity. That said, why would you want to feed your addiction?? My entire purpose of going through band surgery was to break that cycle with carbs, and get of the slippery slope towards Type II diabetes. That can only happen if you retool your thinking about food and change your patterns of eating and choices for meals. Why would you want to feed an addiction? To me a reasonable comparison would be to offer only alcoholic beverages to participants at an AA meeting...and please no offense to any of Bill W's friends, only written for illustrative purposes... Not a good idea to have Pasta post op...