A New New Dawn

I also feel sometimes we project that onto ourselves a) by overanalyzing a situation and feeling it is more than it is and by not standing proud and confident. Hold your head high and carry on! Keep up the great work!!!

Good luck. My 3rd fill did it for me!!

My doctor's office has "samples" onsite, perhaps you could call their office to see if you can see what they have to offer before ordering a new one.

You may want to talk to your roommate too about not bringing that home, if it is a weakness for you. Is she bringing it home for you or for her? If she is bringing it for you, it is important to be strong and say no and please don't bring those things home for you any longer. You need to get serious about eating better and making better choices. I have seen some cases where a close friend, or loved one brought stuff in the house to sabotage the other as they were jealous or resentful. Not saying this is the case but just be mindful if it is.

Please don't have it removed. The band isn't the issue, your doctor's staff is. Are you sure that your doctor shares the same view the nurse gave you? She may be speaking her own views. She is not the doctor and perhaps his approach would be different. I would insist that your next appointment be WITH the doctor present and express your concerns. The band is a tool so why perform a procedure on someone if you aren't going to maximize its potential. It's like buying a new car, putting it on your driveway but not having any gas in it. Sure, looks great but is useless. My NUT and dr. ask me if I am feeling hungry between meals and how my food is going down. They have given me fills gradually but they are happy to do them as they want the band to do more of the work than just my own will power. If they will not get you in with the doctor and ensure he is there so you can advocate for yourself then I would definitely seek another doctor. If you are able to see him, and if he doesn't agree to doing a fill I would seek another dr. quick then too. That is ridiculous. Good luck to you! Don't let this get you down. This will pass so keep up the great work.

got mine for free at work this year Thanks for the reminder though and hope it incents some to get it.

My doctor is kind of the same way. He will tell me if I ask but he doesn't advertise as he feels we are all different and cannot compare w/ one another. That being said, I ask the nurse after the doctor leaves. I know he won't care and I love my surgeon but she will tell me without hesitation. She also said, I SHOULD know in case I ever had to go to the ER or something I should know what is in there. If you call back to the office, the nurse should be able to look it up for you.

The walking is good, just try not to overdo it. Glad you are doing so well.

So happy for you!! That's awesome!!!! I am teetering on that and beginning to get excited. I bought a couple XL shirts at NY&Co on black Friday. I was buying them for "the future" when they fit. To my amazement they fit already!! Now I just need to get this waste down a bit more so I can get in smaller pants. Congrats to you!!! Great NSV!!!

As Maddysgram mentioned, I would call your insurance and they can provide the information to you of what they require to qualify. I believe arthritis may be one of the comorbities they look for if your bmi isn't high enough. Typically, they look for 2 comorbidities. Calculate your bmi so you know where you are.

For me, I really enjoyed eating out (mostly fast food) and lazy. After getting to where I felt my weight was a lost cause and insurmountable I didn't care anymore and just ate more. I wasn't happy with myself so those few moments of euphoria eating a Portillo's beef sandwich, fries, etc was a momentary high for me. It's been a great feeling not hiding or drowning in food anymore. I have also found that I can make many foods at home that are still very tasty and not feeling deprived. The biggest challenge for me in all of this has been the emotional aspect of eating.

I definitely agree with Chez, now is the time to figure out what Protein drinks you like and practice living the "banded life" and ease into it. The four months will go by quickly and having some weight loss before the surgery will help get you motivated. Best of luck to you!!!

Good luck on your journey!!!

It will definitely depend on you and your band. For me soft breads don't work well, nor do flour tortilla even in moderation. However, I am able (slowly and small bites) eat drier breads (toast or flatbread/pizza crust) ok. Rice doesn't work well for me anymore either but I make Quinoa the same way I would make rice and it works fine, tastes very similar to me and has a TON of great nutrition (incl. protein). Also, Pasta I can eat but small bites and slowly as well. I would HIGHLY recommend when you do get to that point and want to try it, to try multigrain pasta. It has a lot of Protein (more than whole grain), tastes better than whole grain, etc. So it will be the best of both worlds. Good luck and keep the great attitude that you will make it work no matter what foods you can or cannot have.

I agree, I don't think this post was intended towards you but towards the person who posted before her. Good luck to you.

Destynee, I would recommend not seeing that NUT again. My coworker has done that HCG, a few times even and each time spent a lot of money going through the cycle and ended up putting it all back on and then some. We went with the band to stop the yo-yo dieting and the fads. Sure any of these crazy diets will make us lose weight (and $$ in this case) but they aren't sustainable and you stop and the weight is back. You are so newly banded the thought of starting a fad diet seems incomprehensible to me. I would personally be upset that your primary would even sic this person on you. Of course she sounded so compassionate and told you she could help you and understand you better than anyone because she wants your $$. Your insurance doesn't cover her or the diet for a reason. Also, 600-1200 calories your surgeon's office recommended is a big range. Most people I have heard 1000-1200. I am not a dr. but 600 seems way too low to where you could stall your metabolism. I didn't see you mention Protein so please make sure you are getting in 50+ gram of protein per day (solid protein is best to keep you full). It is disheartening they didn't give you more information. Eat your 3-4 ounces of solid protein first, then veggies. Do not eat more than a cup of food per meal either (don't want to stretch the pouch). My NUT says it's ok to have a planned healthy snack between meals too. Good luck to you!

great job! Also, 1-2 lbs per week is ideal so you are right on track.

You cannot drink the eggnog if it isn't in your house. Also, that is all up to you. You can get fills, go to the dr, etc but eggnog is still going to go down just as easy, Either add some Rum to it and really enjoy it or get rid of it (kidding obviously on the Rum). None of us are perfect; however, you cannot blame it on the surgeons or not having an appt, etc. Your behaviors are what you have control over. Find some healthy alternatives, Also, eggnog is an easy fix. I suggest have healthy Snacks accessible so you can grab carrot sticks or something else instead. I bet if you actually got back to the basics of eating 3-4 ounces of Protein, then veggies you would stay fuller longer and not continue gaining. Are you exercising? That will make a huge difference. Not only will you burn calories, but it is a great disctraction and the endorphines that release make you feel better. Is there a support group in your area? You should look into that as well. Get the crap foods out of the house for your own good.

All doctors are different so it really depends on your doctor. Some do up to 5, some 1 or 2 cc.

This is sooooo true and thank you for posting this. A couple weeks ago I was going on various sites and looking up calories of popular fast food items. I was astounded at some of them and YES, ordering a grilled chicken sandwich minus cheese and mayo makes the WORLD of difference in calories and fat. My fiance is not overweight and has started adopting this mentality as well. I am SOOO happy that after January 1 chain restaurants that have more than 20 locations are supposed to post the caloric value of their menu items (like McD's now does). I really believe when people are ordering many of these things they don't even realize just how fattening some things are. My daughter and I went to Applebees recently. I ordered from the "under 500 calorie menu" and didn't finish my meal. My daughter ordered a quesadilla burger w/ fries. Now, she knew the meal wasn't healthy but we don't go out often and she splurged. Later, when I was looking up fast food stuff I looked up her meal from that night and it was over 1000 calories!!! I mentioned it to her and she was SHOCKED. I asked her if she would have ordered that knowing it was over 1000 calories and she said no. Hence why I am so happy they will have to incorporate that going forward. Thanks again and kudos to you for figuring it out!

I was banded on 7/25. I do not struggle with hunger. There are a couple key points why I don't - 1. I have had a few fills now and do believe I am in my "green zone". Unlike the band, you don't come right out of surgery and are "in the zone". You will lose but until you reach your green zone, it is mostly you doing the work. 2. People that don't eat per the guidelines for the lap band will be hungrier than those that follow them. I eat my 3-4 ounces of SOLID Protein first, then veggies, then maybe a small serving of starch/carbs. As for the sweets, honestly, I like that I can still enjoy one here or there. I don't crave sweets or eat them like I used to and a small serving for me is good for many days. I couldn't imagine not being able to enjoy those from time to time. Now, my other reason for choosing the band. My mother had the bypass and like Patty mentioned about her family members, she has many health issues now and I have also noticed her gaining back weight. She may not have to get adjustments (fills) like I do on ocassion; however, she does have to go frequently to the dr because she struggles w/ many malabsorption issues. She is not a healthy person these days at all as a result. I know another person that has done well w/ the bypass but seeing my mother struggle and be very sickly now, it wasn't for me. Continue to do your homework but please don't judge based on one person at the support group. Feel free to ask us questions if you are uncertain. Best of luck to you.

You handled that with such dignity! Awesome.

Definitely, you need to let your doctor's office know this cannot wait. If you are not able to do liquids or sufficient amounts of liquids and no food you are jeopardizing your health, big time. If you are able to get liquids down, I would still call them back and express it urgent. In the meanwhile, I would stick to sipping protein drinks and avoid food so you don't irritate it worse. It sounds like the band may have slipped which requires immediate attention. Please, please call them back or go to ER.

If you do not like Water, there are many other options. I enjoy some of the diet snapple flavors, I add the mio liquid enhancer (comes in many flavors) to my water, hot tea, and decaf coffee with sugar free creamer (love the pumpkin spice). You need to focus on what you CAN have, not what you cannot. Get the milky ways out of the house. I rarely crave chocolate anymore (too sweet) however, I used to keep sugar free Jello brand chocolate mousse cups in the fridge and they are yummy and only 70 calories or a skinny cow icecream bar. You cannot make a daily habit of it but they are good to have on hand when you are really craving it. Talk to your nutritionist about how many calories you should be taking in, how much Protein, etc. It is CRITICAL to your success and your health to get it right. Also, be honest about what you have been eating with your NUT. Also, I would suggest finding distractions for yourself. A lot of our eating comes out of boredom... go for a walk, read a book, do something. Lastly, my NUT advises when I feel hungry to drink something and then in a while if still hungry go ahead and eat. Often thirst can be confused for hunger. You owe it to yourself to take this a lot more seriously. No more excuses of eating multiple candy bars and not liking water. There are alternatives. Not to sound harsh but saying that for your own good as I do want you to succeed.