MdGardengirl

I did my yearly bloodwork and found my cholesterol has gone up from a normal (for me) of 230 up to 286! Yikes! And my good cholesterol has gone down... from 70 to 48.... Yikes again! I wonder if it is because I am eating less volume, less Fiber and carbs but more meat Protein? I eat mostly chicken, fish and shellfish. Not a big beef or pork eater. I have gotten to my Green Zone with my last fll 3 months ago. Since then, I am eating alot less but still eating 4-6oz of protein, then my salad and/or veggies. Definitely not getting enough fiber as I don't eat grains anymore and have to work on that. I am thinking of cutting back to 3 oz of animal protein, eat more Beans and salad/veggies. I also had to switch to chewable/liquid supplements and thinking that may have something to do with it also. All my other stats are good and have gone down to normal levels. Medication is an option but I told my doc that I wanted to figure out the diet first. Will retest in 6 months. Has anyone else experienced a big change in your cholesterol since getting to restriction? Did you have to make changes to your diet, supplements or medications?

I agree even though there are all kinds of studies out there saying we are wrong! And don't forget we aren't supposed to eat after 7pm at night or watch TV while eating. Who wants to sit at the dinner table and stare at their plate for 30 minutes?? Since the band, I eat my first meal mid-morning. As a result, I eat later in the evening which has helped me with my night time snacking! (My nutritionist suggested that one!) I do eat my biggest meal of the day during Meal #2. I also sit in my living room, in my Lazy-Boy with my meal and my laptop while slowly taking small bites, chewing my food to a pulp like consistency and waiting a few minutes before taking the next bite. In between I'm checking my e-mail, Facebook, news and the lapband forums. I guess the moral of the story is to do what makes sense and works for you and forget about all the rules!

Oh my girls! Good luck to you both! I think nerves get the best of all of us the day before surgery. Try deep breathing and/or go take a walk. Something relaxing. Stay focused on all the reasons you decided to get the band and know that it has been an excellent tool for so many of us. My life has certainly changed for the better. Will keep you both in my prayers..... Hugs, Marg

Sounds like he is dragging his feet past the 3 months of free fills to me! I think you should report him. Google his name and find a site where you can leave comments and see if others are complaining about the same thing. Contact your local Medical Board of Physicians. I would be firm but fair and accurate about what transpired. It is your responsibility to diet and lose weight, but it's the surgeon's responsibility to provide adequate fills to get you to your Green Zone so the band can do it's job! In the mean time, call his office and schedule a fill for August. Tell them what you suspect and let them know that you are going to take action. Hopefully this will get the ball a rolling in the right direction!

Hang in there girls! You are in the "Fill" stage where you are past the operation loss and now waiting for enough fills to get your band to the Sweet Spot. It took me a long time and I was super frustrated as well. I don't know why the surgeons don't prepare us for this stage better. Some people call it Bandster Hell. I just call it Diet 101...... keep yourself in the diet mentality, eat more Protein, a lot less carbs and exercise. Each fill will make a small difference in your hunger and eventually you are there! Remember my Mantra .... this is not a Race..... it's LIFE!

I think you have to pay to get access to the SBD recipes and website tools. But it's worth every penny! Or go to the library and get their cookbooks. I loved the one that was Quick and Easy meals or something like that. It's the Gold cover. Great recipes!

I have found the tighter I get with fills, the longer it takes to recover. This last fill, I stayed on liquid for 2 days after and then mushy for another 2 days. It helped a lot and no PBing. But even 3 weeks out, I really have to eat very small bites and chew like crazy when eating solid foods.... meats, apples, etc. Personally, I think PBing is dangerous... physically and mentally. It's a result of eating too fast, too much at one time and/or not chewing enough. food is stuck! So think about what you just ate and figure out what you did wrong to get stuck. Then adjust your eating behavior to match the restriction in your band so you don't PB again. The band is our life long buddy. You gotta work with it... not against it. You may be too tight. My doctor said you will know. You will not be able to keep food down and you will probably have indigestion, especially at night. So it would be wise to talk to your doctor. Good Luck!

So happy for you and congratulations! Your hard work paid off! Gotta love that band!!!

I don't know why doctors don't tell you about this stage! You think it's you when it's really your body rebelling! I assume you are still in the mushy stage? If so, then here is what helped me: 1) Put protein powder in everything that makes sense... coffee, tea, soup, water, fruit smoothies, etc. 2) Reduce carbs..... they turn to sugar and cause cravings. 3)Increase fat. I know! Goes against the USDA Pyramid and everything we fluffy people have been programmed to believe. But our bodies are meant to burn fat, NOT sugar! Eat small amounts of healthy fats.... olive oil, coconut oil, nut butters and whole fat dairy. All in limited quantities of course. You will find that fat curbs your appetite and keeps you feeling fuller longer! 4) Eat small amounts 5 or 6 times a day. 5) Drink a glass of water 15-30 min before a meal. This helps with fullness, but more importantly, will quench your thirst until well after your meal. If you drink too soon after eating, the food will be digested quicker and you will be hungry again. This helped me get through the first 3 stages.... 1) Liquid, 2) Soft and 3) Bandster Hell! Stage 3 is the period your stomach has recovered from surgery (it's starving!), up to when you have had enough fills to feel restriction. It's Diet 101 time! And don't beg for fills too fast. Because your body needs to adjust and you need to adjust with the band. Once you get adequate restriction, you can start working on getting back to 3 small meals a day. I didn't get there until my 5th fill... 8cc's in an 11cc band. Everyone is different. So try to relax and give yourself time to get through the transitions. You can do this. Educate yourself, read and ask questions along the way. Talk to your doctor about your hunger. Keep a food journal and share with him/her. Focus and stay strong. You can do this!!

Gas-X quick dissolve strips helped me a lot! Also walking and moving your arms in circles. You may have constipation as well. Get some Miralax... it's a tasteless powder and works great! Note: The generic brands at the drug store chain or Walmart works just as well and costs less. Good Luck!

Concentrate on Proteins and good fats first as these make you feel full longer. Reduce the carbs as they make you hungry. Add Protein powder to your oatmeal. I ate 5 or 6 small meals to get me through this stage. But that should stop once you get to the solid stage. Hang in there! It gets better.

I just passed the year mark and got a small fill, so it does take time to get to the sweet spot. You don't want to rush it. You could cause problems with band slippage or other complications. I had 7cc's in my 11cc band before I could really feel restriction. But everyone is very different. Some can be half full and do just fine. So stay in the "diet" mode. Pay attention to your band. Don't eat too fast, chew, chew, chew , don't drink fluids during meals and stop eating when you "start" to feel full. Stay away from slider foods as they don't stick with you. Eat more Protein and less carbs. They make you hungry. Do the best you can until you get restriction. Strive to lose, but if you can maintain at this point, that's good too! It does get easier but never effortless!!

First off.... congratulations on a successful surgery! The gas and constipation will stay with you for a while since you are not eating solids. The fill is a piece of cake! You may feel a little pinch from the needle and a tingling from the Fluid going in but certainly no pain to speak of. So relax and concentrate on recovering from the surgery.

That's great Jolly! You are on the lapband road to success with your attitude. Stick to the guidelines, pay attention to your body and the band. Once you start to get restriction, it will talk to you! So listen! You may not (probably won't) get restriction right away. It took me 4-5 fills before I really felt enough to curb my hunger. So hang in there!

I like your attitude sissy! This is about your HEALTH.... not your looks! You will see results for your diabetes pretty fast. But you will still need to keep your blood sugars under control even after the band. Remember... you still have a mouth and a stomach! That won't change! So stay focused on eating the right things. You will do just fine!

Hi Allison.... congrats on your surgery! You did it! I looked at your profile, and you don't have that much to lose which is good because once you start taking off the weight, you will feel better about yourself and have the motivation to keep going! I did not have any symptoms of depression, but I have read where some do. It could be just effects of the surgery, but keep an eye out for it. Especially if you have not had symptoms prior to! Stay connected to people here on the site. Nobody knows what you are going through better than other lapbanders! Support is key throughout the whole process. You will start feeling hunger shortly afterwards. And you will be even more hungry once the swelling from the surgery goes away in about another 2-3 weeks! It surprised me and I wasn't prepared. So keep your head in the game and keep motivated to diet, diet, diet until you get enough fills that you start to feel restriction. It's different for everybody, but it took me 4-5 fills (about 5 months out) to even start to have restriction! I plateaued in the 180's for 6 months! But I wasn't discouraged. The band made itself known when I ate too fast, took big bites, didn't chew well, etc. Right now, just concentrate on the liquids/very soft wet foods with protein! Protein and fat which will keep you from getting hungry too fast. Stay away from carbs as much as possible as the body turns them to sugar and then you want more a few hrs later. That's how most of us got fat to begin with! So do those Protein shakes and puddings, cream Soups, etc. Put your Protein powder in coffee or tea, whatever you can figure out how to get it in. For fat, I use coconut oil. Just a tsp up to 1 tblsp helps. But not all day obviously! So you don't get constipated.... lots of Water obviously and then most use Miralax (Clearlax at Walmart!). Works great until you can start eating solid foods. Start moving around.... walk, walk, walk! Eating the right foods, at the right time and exercise will be your standard routine from here on out. So get your head in the game! If you need more help with nutrition, dieting and exercise, try joining SparkPeople.com. There are 2 Lapband teams out there. Great bunch of people. And Spark has some great diet, nutrition and exercise info. Love Spark! Look me up.... Mdgardengirl! Hope this helps. Keep in touch!