Superali72

My advice is to keep a food and exercise journal for a week or so. If you have the facts in front of you, it's easier to determine where you may be slipping up. Then, take that information with you to your surgeon and/or your nutrionist. They can help you get back on track. Good luck!

No drinking 1/2 hour before or after meals. Helps to keep from pushing food through the band.

I had to lose weight and keep off for several months to show I could do it. No fixed amount, but I lost 10 lbs. FYI Cheri - Most insurance companies use the weight/BMI taken at the first appointment of this process to determine whether they will cover you. Don't worry about losing weight, that's what this is all about.

Something is very wrong! No surgeon should let you leave unless you can keep down clear liquids. YOu should not have been released. Go back to the DR. If they keep putting you off, get a 2nd opinion! Good luck

GIVE IT TIME!!!! If you're only a week or 2 out, you could still be swollen, and won't see a loss. You should be taking in at least 48oz of liquid a day to push out the fluids you were given in the hospital. This is not an instant fix. I'm 5 weeks out now and have dropped 20 lbs. Most of it in the last 2 1/2 weeks.

LMJ - BCBS is generally VERY good about paying for the surgery. Get your diabetes diagnosed. If you have hypertension and diabetes, they should cover with a BMI under 40. They did for me. I have BCBS of Massachusetts. No problem. My surgeon wrote the letter and they approved me in 2 weeks. Good luck!

Yes. GasX makes meltable strips that help (they look like Listerine Pocket Packs). Give them a try. Also, Beano if you are eating gassy foods helps.

All the time and one burp can seriously last for like 90 seconds. My 2 year old thinks it's hilarious.

Lot's of cardio! Good luck!

Hi Bonnie... I'm doing great. My first fill is on May 22nd. I've lost 14 lbs so far, but I'm definitely concerned that I might gain some back before the fill. I definitely have an appetite back, but I'm definitely not as hungry as I used to get before the band. I'm eating under a 1000 calories right now, so hopefully I'm not gaining too much until that fill. Can't wait to see the results after! Good luck with your fill. I hope you start seeing the results you want as well. Hang in there. I think I'm going to the support group meeting next week. Let me know if you're planning to go

Whoa! If you wanted weight to pour off of you quickly, Lap-Band is not the surgery. The whole point of the surgery is restriction to help ease hunger and eat less. It should be a slow steady weight loss after surgery. Most doctors say it takes up to 2 years to reach your goal weight as opposed to bypass, which is about a year. This makes it a healthy lifestyle choice and safer to lose the weight because it's at a slower pace.

No. You are supposed to have someone drive you home as you will be coming out of anesthia and on pain meds.

Lisa, there is a lot of swelling after surgery. It can take up to 4 weeks to completely go down. If you were looking for massive amounts of weight loss, then yes, you should have gone with RNY. However, I'm assuming you chose the band for the same reason many of us have chosen it ... it's safer than RNY and it's a healthier lifestyle. Weight comes off slower, but steadily if you eat right and work out. Hang it with it. 2 weeks out is not the time to be second guessing your decision.

Also, my Doctor has said that sometimes it can take up to a week for your stomach to adjust and feel the restriction from a fill. Hang in there!

Tami, any surgery has risks. That said, if you carefully research the doctor, you could put some of your fears to rest. To be considered an expert in the field, the surgeon should have placed at least 100 lap-bands. Make sure you ask your surgeon how many surgeries he has done. How many have had complications? Any deaths? Lap-band is a relatively safe surgery if the surgeon is careful. Good luck.

One word - SWELLING! It will go down and so will your weight.

Understandable, but try not to be. Just remember all of the positive things that will come from the surgery. You won't regret It.

My doctor told me not to be surprised if I gained weight before my first fill and during the switch to solids. He said there tends to be a mini plateau before the first fill.

Bullwinkle - don't eat before your surgery! Not only could you jeopardize your chance to have the surgery, you could jeopardize your health if you go through with the surgery and don't tell the docs you ate.

Another option for getting in your protein - 4 oz. of Sugar Free Carnation Instant Breakfast. Make it with 1% milk. Sip 4 oz every 2 hours. Sip water in between. You'll get all of your protein (6 grams per 4 oz of CIB) and it won't feel overwhelming trying to drink it all at once.

Banded April 19th. Everything went great! No real problems. Still on liquids, but have my post-op visit tomorrow. Looking forward to trying the mushies. My first fill should be in about 4 weeks. Good luck to all of you!

Bullwinkle - You can do it! I had fears too. I had undergone gallbladder surgery and a C-Section in the past, but for some reason, this freaked me out. I finally realized that it was because it was something I was CHOOSING to do. Once I realized that I wasn't going to suffer some sort of divine punishment for doing something positive for myself, I calmed down and got through it. You will too. Just keep reminding yourself of the positive things you want to gain from this experience. Good Luck!

My story is similar. Chubby since childhood and ballooned up after college. More weight piled on after the birth of my son. One day when trying to get back up off the floor when I was playing with my son, I realized I would no longer be around to play with him if I didn't do something. My high weight was 302. I went into surgery at 281. I haven't had my first weigh-in yet, TOMORROW, but it's going well. PLEASE - don't let your past problems with your Mother de-rail your decision to get healthy. I had many detractrors too, but I finally realized the opinions that mattered were my own and my husband's. Good luck!

I was banded on 4/19 and have taken 2 weeks off. I could have gone back this week, but I'm glad I have the extra days. Also, my doctor's nutrition plan is labor intensive, protein every 2 hours, which is a lot of mixing. I would not have wanted to try and do that during my work day. I think it will be easier to go back on mushies.

I agree with everyone else. Just be honest. I will say that they are more inclined to recommend you for the band if you are not someone who is binge eater or grazes on sweets all day. The program I went through would turn people down for that, but bypass was OK.