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This ROCKS! Thank U.

Hi PrettyThick - so the "why" is because it's WAY less expensive (i have a lifetime membership and it costs me about $70 at most a week for all 21meals and 7 snacks) and WAY too convenient - I agree meal planning and making my own would be ideal but right now I'm looking for EASY and this is easy plus I have done well on JC before and the last time that I did I was down under 160lbs (I had lost almost 40lbs) then I turned 40, lost my job (bread winner for the family and never been let go - this was 2009) and got pregnant - can you say mid-life crisis - so I had my baby boy and never lost any of the weight - fast forward 3 years and I got approved for Lapband surgery. So now I am looking for no thinking and I'm feeling better now than ever b/c the band will ideally help me from gaining the weight back b/c now I cannot over eat. My objective on this post was to see if there is anyone else out there who has done JC post op - I guess I should have titled this differently rather than to do or not to do - because I'm doing it I'm just curious who else has done it post op... I won't be on it for long - I'll get tired of the food and I'll be back making my own healthy small meals

hmmmm... harsh isn't what I was trying for - as for getting facts from my doc about when he did ww, jc or ns while having a lapband - not probable - no? I'm just saying here that I'm looking for information from those who have actually tried these diets - not those who know they don't work (without a band) - I already know that - I'm looking for someone(s) who have lapbands and who have also done these programs post op... I'm not trying to be harsh nor slap the hand of those trying to be supportive i'm merely looking for anyone out there who fits this description. Again, I completely get that it's better to eat real food not from a box - I get that - and I like how chickie explained that it looks like I may be "cheating" the system - yes - that i can agree with b/c I'm looking for a more stable reliable immediate gratification results - so if JC can give that to me - well, I'm ok with that because I BELIEVE that the band will help me from gaining weight back b/c it's nearly impossible to over eat - which is MY problem - I over eat - I don't necessarily eat the wrong food - I over eat all foods... so, I AM looking for the shortest distance between 194lbs and 140lbs - yes I AM! So, if this sets me up for failure and there is someone out there who this failure has happened to - well that is the story I am looking for here. Like I said in my original post "be careful what you ask for" I get IT!!! Further - go back and read Cheryl's post - it says "Learn to eat with your band healthy foods and you don't need JC to do that. Spend what you are spending on them at the grocery store. What is wrong with making chicken salad, tuna salad, cottage cheese with some fruit. Certainly these are a no brainer to make. I refuse to let those kind of people take my money again when it never helped to begin with." This sounds like a scolding - and if I wanted to make all of the stuff I'm getting in JC neat little boxes it cost me far more than $70 a week. I'm just saying what I'd like to hear is "I did this and this is the results" - that's all I'm saying (I would call that facts but it might be the auditor in me). Not being harsh - look we're all tired of freaking dieting - but life is one big fat freaking diet - the reason I put a band around my stomach is to prevent me from over eating so dieting can go out the window... right - well that's my case. anyway - it doesn't seem like anyone here has done any of these programs post op... maybe I'll be the first one. I'll let you know how it turns out - little cheater me - maybe I need to change my user name Peace

well... I do hear all of you loud and clear, that's the reason I posted this - I sure wish there was a book out there that published a 4 week menu of eat this and the results were proven, the food easily prepared and the portions were stated. I've been looking and looking and looking - So coping out a little here with JC because it's already done - EASY... plus I'm more satisfied than I have ever been with these foods b/c after being banded for 5 months my appetite is way down - something I believe will be maintained forever now that I AM banded... NO? Because before the way I gained the weight back was from pigging out for an entire year, day after day 5,000+ calories - something I don't believe that I'll be capable of doing ever again b/c of the band... no??? And honestly the food is good - I had Cranberry Almond Cereal w milk, black Beans corn and orzo Pasta for lunch and turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner - how is that any different than making the stuff myself? I'll tell you how it's different, once it's gone there isn't anymore to eat - no leftovers and no temptations to eat more than I should b/c at this stage even eating 200 more calories slows the weightloss - which is different from maintenance and gaining. I completely GET that this banded life is so much more than the amount of food you put into your pie hole - I get that I am a Food Addict and I have to deal with that - that I have to learn how not to be triggered by shoveling food into my mouth to comfort the suck ass day that I've had... so, this really isn't about that - this is simply about what am I going to eat today. And now I look at my menu, and I'm like - oh - I get to have an omelet with potatoes, tuna salad & peaches for lunch and Salisbury steak for dinner - it's just a bit of a reprieve and pressure off from menu planning - I know I'll be back to that - that's life. Simply. I've got a question from the posts above: Learn how to use the band... hmmmmm I think I'm learning quite well thank you - I eat WAY less than I did pre-band and I don't eat bread, Cookies and ice cream... I went from eating an average of 5,000 calories a day to eating 1200 or less and eating way more lean Protein... is there something I'm missing with my education on the band? Fortunately for me now I eat a good helping and I'm satisfied for quite a few hours and I don't snack and I'm in really good spirits - plus I made it to the gym 5 days in one week this past week and even did lunges for the first time in nearly 5 years... why, I think I'm learning quite well - does doing JC mean I'm failing and I'm not learning to use the band?I'm just wondering this - has anyone been banded and used JC, WW or NS to shed some of the weight and get used to eating small portions? With all due respect to the four who have commented - if you haven't tried this WITH the band and gained all the weight back - well how do YOU know it's bound to fail? I like facts - if you look at my posts I write facts, I don't point my finger and shake it saying you should do this or that - I say "I did this & In my experience"... Cheryl it sounds like you've got a bad taste in your mouth (no pun intended ha) from these programs like they did you WRONG... I'm interested in how they did you wrong - if you don't mind sharing? Facts please - not "why don't you"... I'm truly interested Has anyone tried these programs post band and have you been successful - ie, lost what they need to lose and have maintained outside of the program? If you have used these programs but were not successful - why weren't you?

yeah - I'd like to know too so... following

I'm in the same boat - my co-worker is really watching what she eats and I've got three girlfriends coming to the gym with me on different days of the week - so I've helped them get back into the gym - LOL - that is astonishing. Albeit I've hit a plateau in my weight loss - I feel really good and I'm exercising 4-5 times a week which is the best anti-depressant I can take... now all I need to do is fit in 5 minutes of meditation each day (Just saw a clip of Dan Harris from ABC news talk about it and interviewed all of these very healthy people who ALL meditate, gotta be something to it...) Cheers to INSPIRATION!!!

My port KILLS me it is still so sore to touch it and I'm doing non-crunch kind of ab workouts - like bringing my foot to my fingers and core stuff sitting on a ball ... but regardless my port area is still so tender - I tell my doc every time I see him (which has been monthly) and he doesn't seem too concerned about it. Not that someone else suffering is going to answer your question - but you are not alone - I am just 10 days shy of 5 months.

Hi y'all! So I made my favorite meal tonight and a few interesting things happened so I thought I'd share. First of all, cooking, for me, is a labor of love - I love food, I like to experience it and I find cooking gives me a sense of comfort, especially now that I am very limited in what I eat and how much I eat. Some might think that it's torture - kind of like an alcoholic around a pitcher of margaritas, but for me I'm coming to terms with the fact that I can still cook and make fantastic food - I just will only eat and taste a little bit - as much as my band will tolerate and lately it's not much - thank goodness, since that's the reason I got the band to begin with... so here is a picture of the plate of food that I would have eaten 4+ months ago before my surgery: . I would have followed this an hour or so later with Cookies and milk or ice cream or cake. And here is what I ate tonight and I won't eat anything else until tomorrow after 10:00 and be satisfied (well almost) Still very tasty and satisfying only so much less for my body to process and break down - see this is what it feels like to be happy with the band. I'm a good cook and my family is lucky to have me - LOL. Oh - so what is it, it's homemade chicken cordon blue with chicken au jus, rice and roasted brussel sprouts & asparagus with pancetta and a balsamic glaze - it was fantastic - I used Tyler Florence's Ultimate CCB recipe - it's been my fav for 7+ years - definitely company worthy but I felt like cooking today so made it for our Tuesday dinner LOL. so the other interesting tidbit... On a different note but same dinner - curious if you ever feel like this - I got a little pissy at the dinner table because I just cannot eat it like a used to (I would say normal, like take normal bites and eat fork after fork over a 10-15 minute period vs cutting each bite up really small and chewing and chewing until it's mushy) and it's an adjustment and I just got short and snappy and kind of took it out on my husband - I'm self aware but disappointed that eating gets me edgy b/c it's hard to eat and I have to accept that I just cannot eat anymore than a little bit - that's what I signed up for but when the food is that good it kind of sucks - just being honest - I'll get over it - already am - but just wanted to voice that I think it sucks tonight - such is life for chubby me it's worth it but just part of the work that it takes. I hope some of you can relate... curious??? peace

I've been having a terrible pain in my left side - I thought it was perhaps the tubing going from the port to the band - so I went to the ER on Saturday because it was stabbing pain and it would not let up - so they ran a bunch of tests and did some Xrays - and found nothing except for a few bubbles near the area where i'm feeling this stabbing pain. I did not know about diverticulitis until two friends asked me if I thought that might be it - well reading WebMD and a few other sites - I'd say it sounds pretty much on target - sure wish the ER doc would have mentioned it. I've been eating a very high Protein diet which they say diverticulitis is caused by low Fiber... Has anyone suffered from this ailment and any advise? I've got an appointment on the 18th with my Band Doc - wondering if I should wait on this one. curious to hear if anyone else had this pinching, stabbing left side pain after banded? I'm 4 months post-op. thanks!

How did they diagnose U - catscan??

I've got a sharp pain (tolerable) under my port, farther down and in - feels like a little snag - but I've been exercising pretty good lately - so maybe I irritated something. I'm hoping the pain will go away ASAP Curious if anyone else has experienced this ... cc

I'm over 4 months post-op so it's kind of a new pain albeit that it was a bit bothersome back right after surgery - it took my incision a while to heal - and my port area got a bit infected nothing horrible but had to take an antibiotic, that's what make me a little concerned than not - I SO don't want complications - I avoid those like the plague.

The tubing between the port and the band - just to be clear and under my ribs.

I was worried for my first fill back in Dec (I've since had two more) and it went really well. My doc actually went into the incision spot and it didn't hurt at all for me - and he also extracted any Fluid that was in there first, then he filled me with 4cc's - he said his approach is 4 then 2 and then after the he lets the band signal how much to put in, in other words, when he injected me the 3rd time (I still had little restriction) he inserted the first cc as we watched the push back in the syringe - he gave me another 1.5 b/c the resistance to the saline going in. I was much more restricted immediately - which was good - i learned not to eat mindlessly - each bite I take now has to be a conscious event. I'm still not in the green zone - I definitely feel more restriction this time around - it's been on month exactly but I believe I need another fill - I'm still able to eat an entire chicken breast at a sitting - that's the question doc asks everytime he sees me. I put a pair of jeans on that I haven't worn in nearly 2 years and could barely wear them then - I've worn them all day in comfort. of course - this is my experience, opinion and journey - we all travel differently but do have a very profound tool Yes, happy with the band albeit, like family, can piss you off - the results however are happening - for me peace

I'd like to chime in here because I'm in what you veterans call bandster hell - I completely believe B52 but what I believe he is failing to do and remember and reflect on, is HIS bandster hell - because until the weight is OFF it's still a diet. Sure,is it somewhat easier because the band limits your intake - absolutely. But the weight loss is slow for those of us who are still in the losing phase of being banded. And given that we are in the losing phase it matters what we eat and the deprived feeling exists b/c it's not been that long since we were gorging on entire pizzas and beers. So, we newbies need to walk the walk & for once veterans, commiserate with us - give us, an "Oh, I remember being so frustrated b/c I was eating 3000 less calories a day for weeks and weeks and I lost only 2 lbs" - b/c I believe that is how it was for you too... ??? Congrats that you are where you are - it's been 3+ years for you - go back and read some of the things you wrote/felt 2 1/2 years ago... I'm curious - b/c that is what I'd like to hear about once in a while. Your status right now gives tremendous hope and I truly believe that will be my case in 2016... but right now I'm barely in Onderland wondering when will the weight shed??? I KNOW that it will - it's just patience aren't my strength. Peace

Today it's 4 months that I changed my life - I allowed a surgeon to cut open my belly and wrap a band around my stomach as a means to help me be more cautious with food. Today - I can say, yes it's working. I can also say, it's been expensive hard work! And I can also say it's a journey all on it's own, in that it's been disappointing and it's been enlightening and mostly out of my control. You see, I was an ove-reater - (I love the word WAS ). What the band has disallowed over the past 4 months is the ability to over eat and right now it's less than predictable. Daily, I do manage to get in calories and eating later in the day is easier (meaning, the food goes thru the band with ease) - I can NOT mindless eat anymore. Every bite I take is a bite that I've got to consciously take - which slows down the entire process, hence less food consumed in a days time. Interestingly - I am unable to P&B (purge and binge?) - in other direct words, I am unable to vomit my food - I may vomit slime and phlegm but never what I swallow - this has been unexpected. I figured that when you got "stuck" the food would come back up - and I know many that it does this - for me it doesn't. Instead it's painful and long living - meaning it hurts and the food does eventually go down, but it's scarring and an episode I will not forget nor want to relive. I am not quite 30lbs down (my expectations were 40lbs in 4 months) - (I know that's not realistic) - so...I am grateful for the 7lbs per month average - I'm one of those people who drop 5 lbs over night but the scale doesn't move for 3 weeks. The best news on all of this - each pound I do lose - I won't ever see again. Note to newbies - it takes a long time - so have patience and do the right things - and the weight will come off. One of my best friends said to me today - "Cathy, it's been a long time since I've seen you this happy" - and it's because of the band. I know the next 30 lbs will be gone by my 45th b'day - August 7th! I just have to keep walking the walk. babble but the message is there - especially for those who are just tired of being fat and have no power over the fork - this does help - at least it's helped me! Peace!

my doc does put fluid in during surgery but takes it out before closing up - at my first fill he sucked out everything before he filled - so we knew exactly what was in the band. Might be a good act to request so you are confident with what is/is not in your band. I did not feel much restriction until Fill #3 - and it definitely has it's moments - moment by moment. Weird how one time it's severe restriction and then the next I can eat quite a bit without feeling it. Good luck!

Hi everyone, I have been getting really bad headaches and migraines (the difference is with the migraine I actually get holes in my vision before a massive long life headache comes on which are usually nauseating) and wondering if any of you have experienced this. I'm 4 months out from surgery and my weight loss is moderate - i've had my 3rd fill which has definitely given me restriction in that I really have to take my time when I eat and I feel each piece of food go thru my band before I eat another bite. I'm wondering if the headaches are hunger headaches even though I'm not feeling the tummy hunger like I was before fill #3. Plus - what do I take for these headaches??? given that I am unable to swallow any big caplets or take ibuprofen I have a doc appointment on March 3rd, I'll bring it up with him of course - just curious what your experiences have been with headaches post surgery? thanks!

I had a similar incident the night before last - i've been going to the gym and working hard, doing 30-45 minutes of cardio and doing Tabata on machines low weights. Well I had worked out in the a.m. & worked all day and only had a Protein shake and late work calls - then I had to run out and get my oldest from ballet - hubby made our 3 yr old baked chicken nuggets - I am starving at this point - so I grab one and shovel it in not paying attention at all, I take another one and as I'm chewing it I feel the other one down by my band - oh shit, so I spit the one in my mouth in the garbage, well I gotta go b/c i'm late picking up my oldest so I grab my Water bottle and out the door I go... well I'm driving down the street in bad pain wondering how the hell can I get this up out of my chest... so I sip some water. Well, the gross slime that came up was just that - gross and the damn nugget stayed down in my chest... it finally went thru but it sure did hurt - a reminder that you can NOT absentmindedly eat - eating is something to respect and pay attention. Damn that was rough!

Hi BossLady14... I think that is phenomenal weight loss - oh how I wish I was losing 10lbs a month... i'm more at 7 lbs per month and I'm just about at my 4 month bandiversary. Be careful here because the "experts" will start lecturing - but to bring it all into light and from someone who really knows how disappointing it is to get on the scale - it DOES take a long time! But any pound lost is something to be excited about, sure it would be fantastic to blink and 10 lbs lost in a week. That just is NOT reality and blah blah blah - I understand the disappointment - so I just want to give you a wink and say I completely UNDERSTAND!

Banded on Oct 23rd and I'm down 28lbs - and it's definitely white knuckle losing - albeit, I definitely have more restriction than ever before after fill #3 ... so much that I really cannot eat in the morning, not even the mushiest of foods - but by the evening I can pretty much eat anything - just need to take it really slow and chew - the hardest part is the amount of food I put in my mouth - I've got to think about each bite, otherwise I'm in an awful way for a good 2-3 minutes after I swallow. It HURTS that's for sure. I've learned (with the aggressive insistence from a select few on this board) that loosing 1-2 lbs a week is normal and good weight loss, never mind to those who are down 60 lbs in 6 months - poo poo on them - b/c that's just not normal and should not be expected (LOL)! I'm just so thankful that it's winter and I'm not so inclined to run out and buy new clothes yet... The next 30 lbs (hopefully & realistically by June 1st) should really prove a game changer for my life and my clothes. God knows I have things in the closet I haven't worn in over 5 years that are nearly new - can not wait - I have that pair of skinny jeans that I cannot wait to wear! Sticking to the rules and enjoying the journey - peace y'all!

Hello WendyDarling19 - I had my LB surgery on Oct. 23rd and my weight loss - in my opinion - is very slow! I did no pre-surgery diet so I went in at my very heaviest 222, and I am currently at 196 for a total of 26 lbs in nearly 4 months. I was expecting 10lbs a month but based on my age, gender and metabolism, per doc - I'm doing good. (HA! NOT, again in my opinion)... And up until one week ago when I had fill #3 I really had no restriction, so I've been losing that weight by pure dieting - yes, I've felt like "what a fraud" - all this pain and suffering for WHAT, to be on another Atkins diet... so I can certainly relate to what you are saying. That said, and now after fill #3 I do see how the band is going to REALLY work for the rest of my life - the restriction is much more significant now and I have to say my hunger is way down. Albeit, it's still so important to eat high Protein low carb low fat low sugar foods. This, as in most things, is a pure mental game - so being on this blog and hearing everyone's pro's and con's really has helped me put my mind in check. Certainly, if I spend another year (or lifetime for that matter) eating as little as I am eating these days, the weight WILL come off and slow is better - right, right! Another thing that has been happening to me over this past 4 months is how my weight loss occurs - it's enough to make any saint go CRAZY, and here is why. I'll start with my lovely monthly period and I start here because, by my experience, my weight does not come off until the 2-3rd day of my period and all of sudden I lose 4-7 pounds over night - now that is what the scale says, I believe that it's b/c I'm doing the right things all month long but for a good two weeks before my period the scale just does not move, then finally it does and then for the next week to 10 days I may lose another 1-2 lbs and then the vicious cycle starts all over again. yes - NUTS! Hold steady WendyDarling19 - it's hard, but so is being heavy - and until you are fully adjusted the lapband will only feel like another gimmick, but I believe that it is not. Chin up and keep up the discipline - the outcome over the next year will be worth it. Peace!

Hello All... I had LB surgery in October and yesterday I had fill #3 - up until yesterday I really haven't had much restriction, the first month was the healing month and getting accustom to the foreign objects in my body and the swelling - so the mushy diet was necessary - then I had my 1st fill the beginning of December - 6 weeks after surgery. My doc injected 4cc's into my empty band (he did suck out anything that was in there first, there was very little) - as hopeful as I was that I'd feel more restriction it really didn't happen - I would occasionally feel that soft stop burp - but that was usually after I had eaten quite a bit (upwards of a cup of food) - then the HOLIDAYS were here - and in hindsight I'm glad I wasn't real tight b/c I was able to enjoy myself without really feeling deprived. I even went to New Orleans and had a wonderful long weekend with my husband - and we ate some amazing cuisine all in moderation but well off the Atkins diet I had been practicing since surgery by doc's orders. As soon as I came home from New Orleans I had my 2nd fill - he inserted 2 more ccs. This 2nd fill was a little bit tighter but I was still able to eat more than expected - I did loose 7lbs in January - too little for my liking but nonetheless - still a loss. I was floundering a bit on what to eat - so I downloaded the Lose It app and have been very good at entering my food intake and my exercise - although I think 1200 calories may be too high for me (doc agreed) - I would have thought my weight loss would be more than 7 lbs... again, a loss. Note: those calories have primarily been Protein and veggies - I've eliminated all flour products (ANYTHING with Flour) - I do eat nuts and avocados (probably too much fat - oh-well) and little to ZERO sugar. WELL... I went in yesterday for my 3rd fill - and oh-boy, I NOW have restriction - gone are the days of gulping, I can see that already - I sipped sipped sipped all day yesterday and I can feel every bit slowly go down my throat and hit the top of my belt - trickle trickle trickle into my belly - so this IS WHAT it feels like! I may not be entirely there - but I can tell immediately this is different than how I was feeling over the past two months... I am eating mushies but it sure is taking a while to eat forcing me to slow the hell down - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh One thing that I want to mention, while doc had the needle in my belly he injected 1 cc and then while he started to inject more you could see the pressure and resistance inside the syringe, so he only put in .5 more - so I am at 7.5 currently and he said that most of his patients are between 7 & 9 cc's with good results - he said to keep up the good work and he'll see me in 1-2 months - i scheduled a month out appointment. Whether it's bandster hell or the journey - it's life (and MY experience - not claiming it's normal) and I hope this helps someone Peace & Cheers!

That's why I went ahead and booked my appointment a month from now, but can always call, he is very good at getting you in if there's a problem. I'm not sure if I'm too tight yet or not - I'm actually worried about the other possibility that the fill will loosen - nonetheless I'm feeling good about the fill and for the first time I'm feeling like my body is responding the way it should be and the reason I went for a big gash in my gut. Seriously, up until yesterday I've been feeling like I'm on just another diet albeit very much committed. The difference now is if I want to just say - oh screw it I'm having a cheeseburger - well there is NO way I could get it down. Win win!

i find myself pounding my chest often - it's like there's a bubble in my chest and that helps - it's becoming a habit and people who don't know see me doing it and ask if I'm ok - I think it's a response from the pressure in our chests from stuff taking it's time going down... that's my 2 cents.