relief57

Yeah that must be frustrating. Keep in mind though exercise builds muscle which is suppose to weighs more than fat.

I'm amazed at how easy this process was. I was banded on 4/11/14. This, was after a four year decision process encouraged on by continued weight gain and insurance cooperation. I did a one week pre-op Adkins diet which provided positive results but I know I could not have done that one for long. I need variety. The surgery was minimally evasive which was plus. I was in by 6am and out by noon. This would include registration, waiting, surgical prep, waiting, visit from the anesthesiologist, chaplain (prayer is always good before surgery) and doctor. A bit nauseas post op, but a shot took care of that and knocked me out again. Then home to sleep it off. Went out the next morning to get Advil. Probably wasn't my best idea, just a little overly optimistic but, they said to keep moving. The gas used to inflate the cavity for the laparoscopic surgery needed to be reabsorbed in the body and eliminated. The process speeds up with movement. So, good time to kick off and exercise program. I've been walking a mile everyday. I have an awesome doctor (Dr. Shayani) and team. They check in daily and no question is minimized. I'm on a liquid diet until day 8 post op, at which time I can convert to soft foods and began to learn which foods I can tolerate. I'm beginning to feel normal again. Based on my home scale I have lost a total of 19lbs from 4/4/14 to 4/15/14. Amazingly though, I have more movement and none of the usual aches and pains. I'm usually dealing with arthritic pain in my knees and back. I'm thrilled about this. I am experiencing a persistent but slight headache. I attributed it to my body detoxing from all the surgical and post surgery pain meds in addition to all the crap I had put into my body prior to pre-op. My doctor encouraged me to have a cup of coffee. Which I am currently doing and will keep you posted. So there you have it, one person's experience after banding.

I feel ya. I had the same misgiving but knew I had to do something. I've been banded for four days now and the outcome so far out weights the thought of missing my favorite foods. I came to the realization that being banded isn't a magic bullet and I will have to do the work but, the band will help me stay accountable to my commitment. It will be ever present and provide adverse consequences for overdoing it by crossing the food relationship boundary. A friend of mine corrected my thinking that food is an addiction...Its a life sustaining necessity. As with any relationship there should be boundaries. My boundaries were obscured by the food relationship I had established. I allowed it to become more than a way of sustaining life. It became my comforter and coping mechanism to deal with other issue of life. And the journey begins.....

It was great to read your post. I am day four post op. I have lost 19 pounds so far (with one week pre op Adkins diet). I have experienced hunger pangs but restricted to a liquid diet for seven days. Not really looking forward to jumping back into a regular eating regiment even if its minimized. This is basically due to consequences of not being able to tolerate certain foods.

I invested in chewable calcium tablets. It's a bariatric product I found on amazon. I'm 4 days post op and didn't want to have to swallow a huge calcium pill. Three a day provides the 500mg. It also has the Vitamin d.

Hi Carmen, Don't be too hard on yourself. Being a caregiver is no walk in the park. I hope you have support because I know from experience it can be stressful at times, no matter how much you love the care receiver. As you know stress can be a trigger for eating. A treadmill is a good idea but I've encountered a less expensive solutions, Leslie Sansone's walk off the pounds video. She has a five mile walk video which begins with one mile and incrementally goes to five. You can get your own copy at Wal-Mart or if you have access to YouTube you can find it there. Happy Trails

Best wishes to you. Hope all goes well and you have a seedy recovery

Based on what I've been told (I was banded) we should expect to lose 2-4 pounds per week. Its suppose to come off slowly as oppose to a quick weight loss you might get with the bypass or sleeve.

Hi Amanda, Thanks for sharing your story. Yes indeed this is a journey. I started gaining weight a few after college and like you tried all the different diets. Weight watchers several times, medifast, jenny craig, atkins, the pills...... and yep the weight came back. Under the advise of my doctor I went for a consult but insurance wanted me to do the same as you accept for instead of six months they were requiring two years. I would have to change my insurance plan from HMO to PPO. My brother had the lap band done two years ago he's lost over 100lbs. Now I had my doctor, my brother and my sister in my ear about doing the lap band. my doctor reminded me that I had gained since the first consult....as if I needed a reminder.). So I switched to PPO then and went back for a second consult in January this year and began to jump through the hoops to complete the pre-op requirements. I completed the outpatient surgery yesterday. I was hesitant at first but glad I've completed that part of the process. I'm still a bit nervous as far as eating again only because I don't relish the thought of regurgitating. But I'll take it one day at a time and will share my journey with you as you share yours. Best wishes to you.

I would agree. You should call your doctor. Everybody's body responds differently. You do want to make sure its your band and not something else. Hope this doesn't scare. Get yourself a peace of mind and contact your doc.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the helpful info. I just got banded about 8 hours ago. Just starting to feel real again and noticed the gas pressure. I was told by my doctor to walk and stay in motion. I'm not really hurting and don't want to take pain meds if I really don't need to. Has anyone not felt the need to take the pain meds?