Cocoabean

Back in April I coulda been Poopy Dwarf! :cursing: I think I'll stick with Saggy!

It is very true that every person is different. My average weight loss was about 3/4 lb per week. But I am a VERY slow loser. You are younger than I. I am not much for exercise, so if I had done more of that, it might have gone faster. With a band, the expectation is 1-2 pounds per week. For me it was not steady but 3 lbs one week, stable for 2, down 2 lbs, up 1 lb, down 1, down 3, up 2, stable for a week. And so on. But over two years I lost 70 lbs (100% of my excess weight). My surgeon said about 6 lbs a month would be great. Banded life is the same and yet different. Obvisously it is a choice to not eat the junk that I used to, but at the same time, I also chose a band so that I could still eat most foods. For me, the only food I have had to eliminate is chicken breast. It just won't go down. It is too dense and dry. But there are plenty of other foods I can eat. I have to eat very slowly and cut my food into small pieces, then chew them well. Failing to do so can lead to food getting stuck over the stoma (which is the little hole to the larger part of your stomach created by the band). This can be very painful, and if you are in a group, can lead to you having to excuse yourself for a time. Others cannot eat eggs, potatoes, bread, tortillas, steak, and hamburger. Those are some of the biggiest offenders of foods that give bandsters problems. I am OK with most of them. Soft bread will give me trouble from time to time. You'll be eating (mosty likely) much smaller portions than you are used to now. I generally eat oatmeal for Breakfast, salad and half a sandwich for lunch, meat (3-4 oz), veggies, and a bit of starch for dinner. I have healthy planned foods in between like cheese or fruit. I do sometimes have junky treats, but far less often than I used to. The band doesn't stop our brains from wanting food. It helps with our phyiscal hunger, but not out appetite. But with my hunger under control, I can more easily control my appetite. I choose to not log my meals and calories and instead listen to my body as to when to quit eating. So far, this is working fine for me. I am tickled with my results and have reached a normal BMI, my cholesterol is normal, my blood sugar is improved, my blood pressure is normal to low. Research all the procedures available to you, listen to your surgeon and make an informed decision. Best wishes to you! :cursing:

Has me confused also. Lap Band has AP Standard at 10CC and AP Large at 14CC. They also did the previous versions at 9.75/10CC and 4CC. Realize as a 9CC band and the Realize-C at 11CC. Maybe the surgeon was using "Lapband" as a generic for gastric band?

Welcome! Write all your questions down before you go. There's lots of experience here, too, so ask away.

Well put by Nicole! Don't hurt yourself to force liquids in, but do talk it over with your doctor. DO sip, sip, sip Water all day long. Just little, teeny sips as often as you can to stay hydrated. Hydration is most imprtant. And if you are in a lot of pain or something doesn't feel right, don't hesitate to call your doctor, that is what we pay them for.

My problem is my blood pressure has dropped so much I can't handle it any more. :cursing: Very sad about that part of it. But with a resting pressure of 90/60 or a little less it doesn't have far to drop before I pass out.

Christie and Steve...long romantic walks on the beach....."loosing" weight together..oh yeah! So, it rained here all day today. More like Seattle than San Diego. But I've been enjoying it. If only we knew how to drive in it down here. Well, Bandit is tighter in the evenings than in the mornings now. Strange. That is a change since my last fill. But I'm good with that.

Here's me!

If you have BCBS of AZ you can read their bariatric clauses on pages 4-5 of this link: https://secure.azblue.com/pdf/medpol/o218.pdf They now require 1 co-morbidity, a diagnosis of morbid obesity for 5 years, and clinical documentation of attempts to lose weight within the past 2 years. There are many co-morbidities. The policy itself says "conditions include, but aren't limited to"... this leaves it open for your doctor to state your case of other conditions that affect your health that could be improved by this surgery. Are you sure about your height? Many of us shrink as we get older. If you were a half-inch shorter your BMI would be 40.5. You might ask to be measured again and not stand your absolute tallest. I know in times past, I always really, really stretched for the ceiling to make my BMI lower. This is a time when you don't want to do that. Just tell them you aren't really sure about your height, you are assuming you are 5'3", but you'd like it to be checked. Also, 5'3" and 226 lbs is a BMI of 40.0. Wear jeans on weigh in day. Unless they put you in a gown you make the 40.

Leigha's purttier than you! Shammah, great pics. I was looking at your facebook pics. You have come a long way. You look fantastic. Keep up the good work. Meloday, yay on the not hungry and not in pain! Bob, the water weight will go away. Drat it happened just before weigh in.

Yes, a PB can include slime, but not always. And you can slime without burping. Very rarely do you have slime without pain. Love your new Avatar pic. Lots of changes in your face goin' on!

The point of the post-op full liquid and clear liquid stages is so that our stomachs don't have to grind. They anchor the band down with just a few stitches, and they don't want any grinding to occur while those stitches heal. Advancing your diet quicker than ordered could put your band at risk. Eating some mushy canned Soup probably did no harm, but please, be careful. I don't write this to add to your guilt, but it it important to know WHY they give us the orders they do. But then again, not all doctors order the same stages of post-op diets. YOUR doctor knows exactly how he anchored your band in place and what is needed for it to heal properly. Unsupportive people are out there everywhere. This forum is a good place to come. I'd plant the cheesecake on that person's face. Or at the very least put a dish towel over it so I didn't have to see it on full display every time I opened the fridge (and explain nicely why I did it)!

PB and getting stuck are two different things. PB or productive burp is just that, a burp that brings something up, like previous posters have said--a baby spitting up milk. Ours sometimes includes food. You have no control over whether or not this will happen. Being stuck can be painful. You can reduce the chances of getting stuck by eating slowly, taking small bites, and chewing well, but it is always a risk. If you feel any pain when you are eating, stop for a bit and wait until it stops before proceeding. Also, keeping your band as loose as you can while still having adequate restriction can lessen the chances of getting stuck. There are many people who have never had a stuck episode. I am not one of them, but after a couple years of practice with my band, it rarely happens now.

How long have you been banded? Are you saying you lost 27 lbs. in two weeks? 10 pre-op and then 17 the next (going by your ticker)? That is a big loss. If so, I'd not be surprised if you went into a plateau after a loss like that. If your surgery was just recently, your body is still healing and adjusting. Give it some time. You are doing the right things. Watching your diet and exercising. It will show up eventually. When I was actively losing, my weight would go down 3 lbs one week, up 1, down 2, stable for 2 weeks, up 1, down 2, stable for 3 weeks, down 3 lbs, up 2 lbs, and on and on. It was never steady losses from week to week. Frustrating yes, but once I realized it was the way my body lost, I was ok with it. And over the course of two years, I was down 70 lbs. Give yourself a break, and try not to turn to food for comfort.

Search vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Basically they remove a large portion of the stomach and staple the remainder. Leaving a sleeve of stomach behind in the shape of a banana. It is a purely restricitve procedure.

That is not what I said. I was quoting someone on another forum who had insurance pay for band removal due to complications. She revised to RNY at the same time. Insurance would not pay for the RNY portion, but since insurance was covering the operating room, staff, and anethesia, the surgeon charged a fee of $1100.00 to perform the extra surgery to do the RNY portion.

I agree with Mellie, give your surgeon's office a call to be sure. I was not given specific amounts for my post-op. Just days on each type of food. I could have as much as I needed/wanted, and was moved along based on how I was doing.

Banded life is a journey and a process. It is also a marathon not a sprint. You are beginning a route that will travel the rest of your life. There will be ups and downs along the entire path. Take heart that each step is toward the goal a healthier you. Each detour is a learning process helping you to achieve that goal. The scale is only one piece of equipment used to rate our progress. Don't let it rule your life. You will have times after banding that the scale does not do what you want it to do, or what you think it should do. It can be horribly frustrating. But if you look at other forms of measuring success, you'll see that you are still progressing toward your goal. For me, if the scale was stalling, I'd take measurements and see that my size was changing. Or my blood pressure would go down. Or I'd remember that my blood sugar had improved, or that my cholesterol was now normal. At other times you will realize that changes have happened slowly that you didn't even realize were happening. For example. Every year we go camping up the central Califonia coast. We camp at a campground about a half mile from town. In years past, I always wanted to drive in, because walking was too much. This year, I walked into town every day. I didn't even realize it until near the end of the week. Driving in just didn't even enter my mind. It seemed so close, why drive? Those kind of victories keep you going when other things frustrate you.

Hey Trace, I am coming into this thread kind of late, as you are already banded, congrats by the way! But, a long meal will somewhat work to your advantage. With your new band you will need to eat slowly. Small bites and chew well. You will not be rushed, that is a good thing. If it was served family style, so much the better. Just put small (very small) portions on your plate. Fill the empty space with veggies, or not. If anyone mentions it, you are praciticing portion control. I am open about my surgery. Anyone comments, (which few people do) I tell them why. With each course, you'll be able to take a bit of this and a bit of that. Mainly you'll have to really take little bits to ensure you will have room for subesquent courses. And remember, the time going out is not about the food, really, it's about time with friends and family. If you only consume the first course, after your alloted time for liquids passes, you can order a drink and enjoy the remaining time with the people around you.

Forgive me if I am reading more into your post than you meant. A pound or two a week is the average you should expect with a band. Your post sounds as if you are saying, "I don't care if it is ONLY a pound or two a week." As in, "I should be losing 5-10 pounds a week, but will accept 1-2." Using shakes is not a requirement of banded life, but it can help to up your Protein consumption if you cannot eat enough from food sources. My surgeon specifically told me he doesn't want me drinking my calories, and to stay away from shakes as much as possible. I bought tons of shakes and powders pre-op, only to end up tossing them out months later. It IS possible to lose weight without drinking shakes. They are convenient, but they don't provide much satiety.

You might post on the main forum. We might not be local to you, but there is great support to be had. :thumbup:

It depends on what your surgeon's orders are. My last fill I was given clears for two days, creamy Soups for three days, mushies for one day then regular diet. Prior to that my fill orders were liquids the rest of that day and regular foods the next. As to your regular diet, it also depends. I was not given limits by my surgeon, other than eat 3 meals a day, planned & healthy foods between if I am hungry, quit eating when I am no longer hungry. Others here have must stricter orders from their surgeons.

Sliders are anything that "slide" right down through the band. Usually they have little to no nutrtional value. Like ice cream, milk shakes, Cookies, chips. Any other highly processed, easy to chew and swallow food you can think of. Some folks defeat the band by having it too tight and then relying on slider foods to survive. But not getting any nutrtion along with high calories, it is easy to feel horrible and gain weight back.

Perhaps you had something stuck that finally came up? It's hard to say for certain. Might be worth a call to your surgeon's office to check in. Vomiting is very hard on the band. Since there was a big change in the volume you could eat after, I'd want to be checked out.

Hunnybee, how could you hide the surgery? You will have a port that is palpable. If you are medically monitored, the doctor is sure to see the new scars and feel the port. How could you explain that? I was in a job here in the States for 20 years that had an annual physical. Some things could be hidden, but I don't see how you could hide this. 2nd question, if they don't examine you, then why would you be fired if you proceed even though she was against it?