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If you really really dislike the shakes give your doctors office a quick call and ask them if you can substitute something else for them. Maybe a different type of shake will be better suited to your pallet. I'm sure they would rather have you call and ask them if you can make changes and substitutions then have you fail at the diet or cheat by eating more then you should be and not making your target to shrink your liver prior to the surgery date. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and stand up for yourself. If something is not working for you speak up and let them know they are there to help you get healthy. Best of luck to you!!! 12 days goes by pretty fast and distraction is always a great tool!!!

You have to stand on your head, chew gum and drink your Water at the same time to lose weight or didn't you hear that from your doctors?! Of course we all are only kidding, and to each his own I agree 100%. I know I say this often on the site, my hubby and I were banded 3 days apart. We go to every post op appointment together, sit in the same room with the same PA. We talk about our eating habits what we eat together as well as individually as we are not attached at the hip and work different schedules Our journey's are 100% different. His is his and mine is mine. We support each other, and try to eat together when possible and cook our meals together sometimes. What works for Ken does not always work for me. I needed more saline fill then he does to not feel hungry between meals. Eating broccoli makes me feel sick (never did before but does now) and he loves it. When people share what works for them even if it's Yoga or Zumba or taking Hoodia or using the Vitamix I read all their advice take it under advisement. If I feel it's something I might like to give a go like making a health shake I will get the advice of my Dr. and see how they feel especially my nut and if they are OK then I might give it whirl. Nothing is written in stone other then to say : FOLLOW YOUR DOCTORS ORDERS. TGIF!!!

I'm sorry to hear about the turmoil going on for you. Stress and emotions can take a toll on our health as well. The best advice I have for you is to love yourself. Sure this Valentines day is coming and while you may not have a significant "other" this holiday, you have you! A healthier if not happier you! So embrace yourself, and plan to be your own Valentine this year my friend! Get out there and rock your band, take it out dancing, to the movies or even for a walk around the block. You deserve some extra TLC. Connections with friends, family and loved ones waxes and wanes, and some people are more comfortable having someone who is dependent on them. The reasons you state for your breakup say more about the other person then they do about you. So let him come to grips with his issues while you keep loving and taking care of yourself! If you can see things from another perspective, the emotions may be a little less and workable for you. Then you can pass up that cake and candy and go for a nice Protein bar or shake instead! {{{hugs}}}

Sorry you had a hard time and I hope your surgery goes well for you. I am learning that finding your balance with the band is a very delicate thing that takes lots of patients and time getting fills. So far thank goodness I have not had any issues with being over filled to the point of vomiting or not being able to digest food or drink. I"m very happy with my band so far. My cousin has the sleeve and he has been very happy with it, I hope you are as well.

Thanks CG! I love it! Saw my Dr. today and I lost 3lbs!! So that's about 1 1/2 of those grapefruits no wonder my pants are falling down! I'm happy and TGIF!!!! Ready for a nice long (but wet and cold) weekend! My kids are going to hate it...as they will be cleaning out the basement and re-organizing the attic I've heard recently how much better they liked it when I was tired on the weekends....oh well!!! They aren't paying rent, so they will be working for me this weekend

Hi Jo, Did you have to do chemo and/or radiation in combination with your surgery? If so, that is most likely the cause of the dilation that's going on. There are some affects chemo has on the digestive system. If you are all well and healed up from your surgery, you may need some additional time for the band dilation that's going on to shrink back up. I bet your doing great, and getting in that Protein is a big key to helping your body heal. When my sister in law went through her rounds of chemo and radiation after surgery we would give her some Protein shakes to help her keep up her strength and help her heal especially since she wasn't very fond of eating much. (from the chemo she developed thrush and chewing was painful for her.) Giving her the protein was the best thing we could have done for her, when we saw her Dr. again he told us as it was helping her to heal. For you Jo, if you go back to some shakes like in the pre-op you will get some good nutrition as well as shrink that dilation faster hopefully and you can get a fill again sooner rather then later. I'm so glad that you are feeling better!!

YES!!! A couple after my own heart!!! Show me the ring!!!!!! Lol

I think that some of it has to do with our age. I'm in my 40's and I'm losing weight once it's all said and done I hope to lose 100+ and I know that my skin no matter how tight and toned I try to be is going to be a bit saggy. I've had 3 children and at 50 pounds gone I can already feel that apron hanging down where it's bugging me. So I know that when I am done with my journey I will go in for a nip and a tuck to feel good. Not just to look good but to know nothing is rubbing and chaffing me the looking good part is a double bonus No one can afford plastic surgery but I'm saving my pennies now for that day. As you start losing since your a youngin...tone as you go if you can. Keep your skin moisturized (this is good to do always anyway) and you may be luck to not need to do anything after!! I have seen some girls even in their early 30's who lost 100+ and did not need any cosmetic surgery after, so it is possible!

Hi Joanne, I feel for you I truly do. It is difficult to be alone, and to hold yourself accountable is harder still when it feels as though no one is around so who cares right? You care, and I care about you and how you feel too! Sometimes I will journal or write a private blog here to myself about how I'm feeling that day and why. Sometimes it helps to reach out and let others know that I feel I've messed up and I need some support to get back on track again. I have had to really learn not to beat myself up over it but to pick myself up and get back on track again even if I don't feel like it. Those days I have to be strong and steel myself to do it, I usually find that after I'm back on track it wasn't as hard to get back as I thought it might be. The band has given me that confidence and strength unlike many of the diets I have been on in the past. If you feel like you need a buddy, or just someone to vent to privately you can always send me an e-mail and I'll be there for you! Even in the middle of the night when the munchies are calling

I also have UNHC and I know there are different plans out there and what is true for one might not be for another.... I had to do the 6 month thing also, but since I see the Dr. often for well check ups and sick visits etc. Each time they ask me to step on the scale. So I had her use those weights, fill out and sign the work sheet for the insurance company and that was acceptable. If you are anything like me the whole time you have been seeing your doctor you have been on diet after diet all of them supervised by your doctor who takes care of you. That should count....if you can coordinate those weights and dates, and your doc will sign off on them and maybe you can shave a few months off and get in under the annual insurance date. Best of luck to you!

Been there! When I was first banded, hubby was right behind me with his band surgery about 3 days. He was in no mood for food and me I was HUNGRY!!! Like a Beast I was hungry! I would yell at him to change the station on the TV cause I could smell the hot wings in the commercial and I don't even like hot wings! A part of the mood swing is also because of the withdrawal of toxic foods that your body is experiencing, as you start to eat less and better quality foods. However even now, if I do not eat when I am hungry and I wait till I am really hungry it can be a very bad experience for myself and anyone around me. Try to eat when your body is telling you to, if you can have some Water and/or Protein Snacks ready, so you can soothe the hunger a bit till you can get that healthy food in. I was having a major issue with this leaving the office for the day. I would have lunch around 12:30 leave at 5:30 get home at 7 and be a raging hunger monster. It was hard to cook good food if it wasn't already waiting and cooked for me and difficult to even wait for the drive through gal to get the food out the window!! Eating out everyday was NOT good for me or my husband. Even those salads can be upward of 500 calories! When your hungry though all the thought process and good intentions go out the window and you can self sabotage easily. Now I bring an extra Protein Bar with me to work or out and about when I am off just to stave off that hunger monster. If I'm at the office or home and I have that hunger feeling coming on and I know it could be an hour or more before I am able to sit and eat a healthy meal I will have that protein bar or make a Protein shake with water to help ease me into that next meal which can sometimes be more then 4 hours from the last meal. Your not alone...and it does get better as you go along I promise!! You will be able to tame the beast and get control over your hunger and mood swings. Biting peoples head off isn't as tasty as say a chicken leg

Oooo I can't wait to go sky diving! That's on my bucket list!

I agree. I have found the same to be true for me. There are times when I have not fallen off the bandwagon, but know that there are things in my routine I could tweak and be more consistent in. When I take the time to do that the weight moves again. This is not a sprint for me but a marathon I am going to be running for the rest of my life. No need to exhaust myself now, when I plan to have years and years and even more years to live a banded life. I'll reach my goal, and I will not give in or give up! WE have all come too far for that!

As a band patient I have to say that the first 6 months has been anything but a sprint in the area of weight loss. It has been a time for hands on learning about having the band in the body and part of a new life style to be lived. The band does not jump start weight loss for every patient like the by pass or sleeve. For most it takes a period of 6 months to get to an optimal level of satiation with food. In that time we are learning to eat with proper mechanics and nutrition. I agree that first six months is the time for you make the life style changes that your new body (the one you now have after surgery whether it is the reconfiguring of your organs the removal of parts of them, or the addition of a band) requires. It is the honeymoon phase for some but it can be a bit of hell for some who are banded as the hunger is not dissipated necessarily after surgery and comes only from reaching that optimal fill restriction which takes time for most patients.

There are some very real physiological reactions to the foods we eat. A lot of us may find ourselves to be emotional eaters and tied to the feelings we have when we reach for certain foods and we there by become addicted to those food choices to help us deal with an emotion which in turn causes a physical reaction. That is what we are craving. By acknowledging, accepting and changing our thinking we are one step closer to breaking the addiction we have with food, and the choices of food we use to medicate ourselves. Great Article thanks for sharing.

Remember that you are only 8 weeks post op from a major surgical procedure. Your body though on the road to recovery has not fully healed. That being said the immune response to trauma and stress, (and the body views exercise as stress) is inflammatory. Right now your body probably thinks your life is in danger. You have put it through a traumatic experience added something to it that does not "belong" there since you weren't born with it. You have cut your calories in more then half, and now your doing a work out that is eating up the body's reserves. Not only are you going to swell up a bit and retain fluids, your body will hang on to every ounce of food you eat since it thinks it will need the energy to save your life. Take a little break, keep eating right and move into the work outs slowly. Let your body catch up with your mind set which is in a great place! If you start getting discouraged now, it's going to become harder to get that mindset back when your body finally realizes that your doing this on purpose and that it's not being done to hurt you. Give yourself some extra TLC and you will be all the better for it and you will soon see the pounds peeling away!

Give your doctor a call and see what he recommends for you. The first week or so while you are on liquids can be a little troublesome. Liquids in liquids out...if you are on Protein shakes, it's not usual to develop a bit of lactose intolerance. The shakes are mostly made with whey protein and that is made from milk products. When we have a lot of it even if we never had an issue before it can suddenly pop up. This happened to me and will happen often when I am on liquids again after a fill. So at the doctors recommendation I take Lactaid to help digest and break down the milk sugars that break down in the intestines and can cause gas and bloating as well as loose bowels. I also take a pro-biotic daily for the same type of issues with other food products. Before taking anything even over the counter medications give your Dr.'s office a call and see if they are OK with you taking something. Feel better!!

Oh I love rewards! Especially for doing things that are healthy for me! Like CG I feel that the biggest reward for me is actually in the "doing" of it. Keeping a good consistency for me is a big reward, as often things try to pull me away from and out of my groove. When my husband and I first started our journey I bought us a couple of fitbits to help us track our mobility and movements and give us more motivation to keep moving more and more. It was a tough start but after a while it became a fun way for the two of us who are not together most of the day to keep up and out walk each other. It was motivation for me to get more steps in during the day since I sit a lot at my desk for work. After we lost about 50 pounds we switched from the fitbit one to the fitbit flex that we could wear on the wrist. (I toggle back and forth since I like the fact that I can hide the fitbit one in my bra and wear my jewelry some days ) Each milestone we hit we try to reward each other and keep each other motivated. Sometimes we will have a movie night, or for me a nice "do nothing!" night is always welcome. For myself when I hit a large milestone....I'll admit it, I'm a BIG jewelry lover. So I bought a bracelet and for every milestone I buy another charm to add to it and I wear it proudly!!

Try a chocolate protein shake and see if that will help curb the craving. That is what worked for me. If you are not on a liquid diet you can try a protein bar as well. This way you will be getting your protein in as well as curb that craving.

Are you taking one capsule before Breakfast and another before lunch? Or more then one each time? Hubby doesn't want to get another fill, but has been struggling with some hunger issues. I'll pass this on to him and see how it works for him.

Hi Cindy, I don't have a gazelle, but I think it's like an elliptical is that right? I have done Zumba before I will tell you that doing that cardio work out will help you burn mega calories if you put your full effort into it. For me I find the classes (where people are watching me...ahhhh) to be a little more motivational for me to put my full effort in. When I'm at home I tend to slack a bit, and relax my form and my steps a bit. There are also some videos in the Zumba series that I think focus on toning and sculpting as well...I have not tried them. I confess I have the whole box set along with the hand weights but I have yet to use it. I also have not been on the elliptical machines here at the office gym mostly because I am so short and they kind of scare me a bit. The one time I got up on the machine it was a fairly intense work out! It was pre-band and I was about 60 pounds heavier then now...so perhaps I will try it again. Most of the gym rats that I work with here Swear by those machines and are very upset if they are unable to get there in time to nab one of them for their work outs. We have 6....and they are always moving in there with someone doing a work out. Maybe this afternoon when I go, after my walk I'll give it a shot if only for 10 minutes...you have inspired me to shake it up.