judych

i have salt cravings as well. ive always had a love of salt. that was o.k. when my b/p was low but its not low anymore. recently i started using a low sodium salt with herbs in it. thats rather nice. I dont understand the physiology behind it all either... cravings for sweet things and salt?? Ive been getting cramps of a night... lower legs and my feet. Anyone else have cramps??

Christina... i think that its important to see a nutritionalist. He/she would be able to help you through the issues you have now, instead of going on a long time and getting entrenched with any bad eating patterns. Do you have access to a nutritionalist ?? You may not need one for more than one or perhaps two sessions...

i know that feeling.Some days i can really enjoy a small meal and hardly even be aware that ive got the band... other days it gives me hell. Im sure that it tightens from day to day, either through hormones, how tired i am, how emotional i am. Learning how to read how it is from day to day is an ongoing process. i have a very small cup of black coffee of a morning first thing and then within five minutes have egg and bacon ... enough to fit in the middle of a very small bread and butter plate. Some days it goes down really well and i enjoy the meal so much, other mornings i have to leave half because the band is reacting differently. It goes with the territory i think. I cant predict how its going to be. However, in spite of this, im very positive about the band and the role its playing in my body. i havent regretted having it in, even the times when ive been so miserable with being stuck. I agree that if you really dont want to eat you should be on vitamins. you dont want to have health issues after coming this far. I know that Vitamin drinks are good... but they arent as good as having solids. Are you still seeing your specialist?? how long between visits?/

you really do need to eat though... develop good eating habits. It would be far easier for you to have a small amount and chew well. If you do this you shouldnt have problems with getting stuck. . Most problems of getting stuck are caused through eating too quickly... brought on by hunger or distraction. Also, are you on vitamins? you need the nutritional balance that eating brings. Without it you could develop illnesses caused through malnutrition.

...speaking of sleep. Ive noticed how much better my sleeping patterns are now. i used to have so many nights without sleep i dont know how i could live like that.Sometimes it was like i was punch drunk. Did anyone else here have issues with sleeping?? sleep apnoea for example?/ i was never diagnosed but im certain that i suffered with sleep apnoea. its improving as i lose weight.

this is great..... how many calories do you think you are having a day??..you are very lucky to have good weight loss and having red wine as well. i have dry red wine. Im a lot older... perhaps my metabolism is a lot slower than yours?

this is so true. i eat about 1200 a day... some days more than that. im sure if i under ate i wouldnt be losing weight at all.

I agree. i think everyday ive had sugar either in a few sweets or some chocolate. i am losing weight but its slow. i dont mind that slow weight loss. What does concern me is my cravings for sugar right now. im having complex carbs.... i shouldnt be having these cravings.

i was the same ... a vegetarian for about a year. In that time my hair was glossy and my skin was clear ... weight loss was great. My body was more alkaline than it is now. I know that the ketogenic diet helps heaps with losing weight but im sure it leaves the body more acidic.

Me too !!!! i was amazed... im not a sugar lover as a rule. ive not had sugar in drinks ... tried to stay away from it for years... and now?? my goodness. lol. Its been the last two months ive felt like that... im five months post op.

i like a glass or two of red wine but ive found i dont lose weight when wine is added to my intake.

im sure you arent eating enough. i have about 1200 a day ... i will go sometimes for a week without any sign of losing and then it will drop about three pounds at once. Try not to stress over the weight loss, its more important for you to get into an eating plan that sustains you.The weight will take care of itself.

great to hear you are doing well. ive got 12cc band in as well, ive got 3 1/2 fill at five months. ive had 1/2 taken out of a 1 cc fill as it was too tight. Im noticing that im eating just a small amount.. the smallest bread and butter plate size... but im getting hungry again just before the four hours. I dont want anymore than the 1/2 put back that was taken out. The way ive been with fills i cant imagine being about to go as far as 6 even, but we will see. i have a cruise coming up in early nov... concerned about that as well.

elcee..i agree with you here. i never had to make protein shakes a part of my daily intake, i could use them if i chose to. i mainly had soups... chicken broth, beef broth.. sometimes i made up a strong bonox broth.. lol. i put garlic seasoning salt on mine... sometimes used a small amount of salsa. mild. i used garlic as well... i love spicy foods and cant like sweet drinks or foods. ( only sometimes have a craving for jubes.. lol) I did use protein shakes though,just occasionally.ive always had one in my cupboard and still use them after having a fill. i get vanilla... use Water, greek yoghurt, sometimes coffee, sometimes vanilla... it was/is really tasty. i always dressed my Protein Drinks up so the original taste was obscured. lol.

so far ive not had any problems but would like to know why it happens as well.

thats right.... good luck with it all.

...i agree wholeheartedly... and can i just add another comment here? i dont think that lapband is easy.... not in my experience anyway. It doesnt allow for you to have an off day... if you get distracted for any reason and eat the wrong way you suffer agonies.... you just cant be like others anymore, its that simple. But, having said that i know its one of the best things that i have done. But no one could ever tell me that its easy... to me its not.

you are being way too hard on yourself. Im sure your weight didnt come on overnight... it took a long time, as it did with me. Along with the weight gain we had wrong food choices and portion sizes. ...and to make things worse, we ate for emotional comfort. When you think about it, you didnt just have a surgery to put a band in, you also were put on the road for changes in every area that Ive mentioned above. This takes time... if you have a day where you slipped... just put it behind you and move on. AS for your dr... im sure he will understand completely what you are going through.. after all, he sees so many patients and knows the issues that come with lap banding. I agree that you shouldnt change the drs appointment. If you do that, it could open the door to the wrong approach even further. You dont want to do that. I tell you... you are NOT ALONE IN THIS. Every issue youve mentioned here im sure everyone of us has been there. i know i have. ive eaten more sugar the last month or two than ever before... so its an issue that cropped up with me and i have to deal with it. I can see on various emotional levels and physical levels, more than ever, what needs to change. i had no idea before hand. i think if someone had tried to explain everything in this area to me i wouldnt have completely understood. i had to go through it myself . Despite have issues with sugary confectionary... im still so happy with the band... and know that ive made the right decision. if my weight loss isnt up to scratch... too bad. it will come off eventually. Meantime im busy learning more about my psyche.... and dealing with it. Good luck, and like i said , dont be so hard on yourself.

are you having protein drinks yet? they do help a bit with hunger. I would be having four meals a day if its that small.

I gave myself heparin shots in the tummy... fortunately no bruising or hard lumps. im used to giving myself'' shots'' and take it real slow. that eases up on the bruising and the hard lumps. Hubbie and i do our own vit. B12 shots in the thigh and we dont have issues then either. It may well be the injection was given to you too quickly... not sure though.

you need to take things easy and give your body time to recupe. You arent very long post op and it doesnt matter what sort of surgery you have... you need time for your body to heal... thats paramount at this point. If you are getting dizzy... .try and have a little more sugar in your drinks.. perhaps orange juice? im thinking that hypo might be your problem now. i just had lots of Fluid... mainly Soup that was clear... i had it all the time, as much as i could take in. It helped me a lot, i suffer from low blood sugar readings.

o.k....for starters, you are experiencing what most of us go through after we have had this surgery. Did you have this disorder beforehand?? If you did, then the feelings that you are experiencing would be fairly strong. For starters... if you are following the guidelines that you have been given for post surgery then there is no danger at all of you not getting enough nutrition. ARe you taking some Vitamin supps? its important that you do... and are you taking Protein drinks? thats important as well at this stage. It seems that something happens after this surgery which does cause a ''crisis'', and i put that in asteriks.... emotionally and mentally. I dont know why... but it does seem to be a frequent thing that happens to us. Try not to be overly concerned. If you are taking Protein Drinks, following the procedure that you have been given... and taking Vitamins as well, you are o.k... .. i hope that this levels out to a normal level for you really soon... it must seem like a really big obstacle right now. you will be o.k. though. We have been through it and are still here and doing well. Try not to listen to those thoughts that tell you that things are out of control. They arent. Good luck.

no.. it wasnt for nothing and dont think like that. im wondering if perhaps you had a slight movement of one of your discs in your back? i know that can cause the sensations that you mentioned here. If it does occur again, or doesnt go away... have you been to a chiropractor at all?/ they do marvellous work. It may be that you need a good work out with one. Let us know how you go. I must say.... Im speaking from years of experience with back problems.. especially upper spine, and ive been to chiropractors. they do help.

If you mean... any issues arising from lapband surgery, i have some. Not drinking enough fluid. My dr thinks that the problem of dizzyness that is plaguing me, along with a UTI, is exacipated by not enough water. So... its an issue we are all facing, how to do all that fluid down in a day. my favorite drink now is.... cold water, about three ice cubes, a slice of lemon and squeeze of lemon juice.. plus lemon diet drink concentrate, just a little. its an awesome drink and i know that lemons are a great alkaliser in the body. its out on its own for a great drink.

i think you badly need to see a nutritionalist. They are way more qualified to help in this situation. i feel for your frustration though. To have the band in that long and not lose much weight must be really frustrating. Let us know what you are going to do.