Nancy33

As your body changes around the band you will feel more and less restriction. My band seems to have more restriction the week before my period, I talked to my doctor and she says this is normal for some people. You will both discover that even with no fills there are foods that are more difficult to eat. Have either of you tried steak or prime rib? Thank goodness I ate my fill of that before I was banded cause I haven't been able to since. Other foods that are challenging are chicken, lettuce, rice, most meats. That's why you have to be real careful about getting enough protein. By the way nothing really gets stuck. If you have a problem with it, it will come out! Not nice but true. Congrats on your band, I'm jealous that you have your sister to do this with. Keep the comparing down and good luck!

Hi, Welcome, You have made the right choice. I'm glad you aren't putting it off. At my age it's a little bit harder(but no excuses!) First you need to ask your doctor what to do next. Insurance is the big thing unless you are going to self pay. The insurance company dictates a lot of your next steps. Some require a waiting period, some require that you work with a nutritional person for a time period, most doctors require a psy review and of course there are all the test to make sure your body is ready. I had two c-sections also and I had no problems, they are cutting you higher up. Past stomach problems present more of a challenge but your doctor can go over all that. It sounds like a lot of time but from the time I decided to get banded and getting my band was only 4 months. That time went really fast with trying to work in all of the appointments and tests. You are definitly doing the right thing. My kids are almost grown and I was at my heaviest during their teen years. God love them they never said anything about my weight but every picture, I ducked out of. Now down only 30 lbs. I love having my picture taken. I scrapbook and I'm thinking of making a book just on me!! This is a great site to get questions answered so stay in touch. It seems like everyones experience is a little different so talk to your doctor also. For inspiration, check out the pics on this site. It's great.

no you don't need liquids but you do need to take it easy for the night and start out light and slow tomorrow morning. even liquids aren't going to feel so great tonight. Sorry that happened to you, it's no fun. What I do when we eat out is get the to go box first. That way I don't over do it. I can eat more at home than in public, it might be the way I sit or that at home I am jumping up to get things and moving around. Eating out is something I refuse to give up up I have really had to make some changes.

I'll be honest, I haven't posted anything for a while because I felt like a failure because I wasn't losing as fast as I want to. I really wondered I anyone needed to hear from me because I wasn't where I wanted to be, but it sounds like my being honest and open might help here so I'm back. If you were anything like I was, and I think most people with a weight problem are the same, not only would you have not lost 16 pounds over these past 8 months but you would have probably put on another 5-10 lbs. I have not been great about what I have been eating, but then I never was. Talk to your doctor again Sometimes I think they are to busy to really listen when we are opening up to them or we make them feel uncomfortable and it's easier to just pass us off. Make sure that your fill level is where you needed it to be and be a pest until it is. Stay with it you need support and this site is a wonderful place to find it. Don't wait for other people to tell you how you look, take note of the changes in yourself, set small goals( I didn't notice much change till I hit 20lbs gone) Thats only 4 more pounds for you! keep trying!!! We are all behind you and we understand. If you don't already, start letting people take your picture, you'll be amazed how you can see the small changes.

I went through some major life changes at the same time I was banded and I can relate to how you arefeeling.I lost my job, got married, started college full-time,sent my youngest child off to college, and got banded, all with in a 3 month time period. I read somewhere that it's not the big stresses in life that put a strain on peoples health but rather the little everyday stresses that do us in. That said, I could not have picked a better time to start putting myself first. It will be hard for you with your young kids but they will keep you busy and active. We'll be here for you to talk to when you need someone. I have kind of discovered that getting a band is something you do for yourself and outside encouragement really isn't there for any of us. You have to be your own cheerleader. Yep, I'm cheering when I look in the mirror. One roll of fat gone 2 more to go! But my extended family and friends don't really support me like I thought they would and my husband is always worring about how little I eat and if I am healthy. Do this for yourself, stay healthy and talk to those of us who have been where you are, YOU WILL DO GREAT!

I love how excited you are about your first fill but remember we didn't put the weight on in a day and it's not coming off fast. Fills are funny things I have gotten one every month since Nov. 07 and I finally feel like I am at the proper level after my last fill on June 08. I have also noticed that my band changes with my hormones so it depends whats going on inside of you as to how well it works. Vomiting is no fun so listen to what you stomach is saying to you, that said, losing weight is GREAT and keeping off ALL of the weight you lose is even better!! Hang in there and good luck with your fill!

Have you gotten your approval for insurance yet? Some companies require you to see other doctors and if you are able to lose by other means you will not be approved. Be careful, that said, your surgeon will tell you how to lose the weight you need to lose before surgery. Everyone has a different story on what is required, some people go on liquid diets, some do other methods but the diet the surgeon puts you on the last couple of weeks before surgery is never fun. I get a fill every month and my insurance has paid. Of course I had to repay my deductable at the beginning of the year. Fills can be expensive, my doctor requires the x-ray tech to take pictures at every visit.

Try the new Special K protein drink mix. It only has 5 grams of protein but it mixes really well with favorless protein power. Just keep adding a little at a time until you bluid up to liking the taste. i tred a lot of the premixed protein favors and hated them all. This stuff is really good and I add it to all of my water bottles.

I'm getting very frustrated, too. I have had 2 fills and my next one is scheduled for Jan 2. I can eat almost anything and I never had much willpower to begin with. If I did I wouldn't be where I am now. I watch everytime I get a fill and it looks like I have good restriction but except for bread everything goes down smooth. I have lost 18lbs but I thought I would be further than this by now since I lost 12 before surgery. I am sad and thinking about doing one of those unheathly diets I use to do.

I know how you feel - right now I can eat everything I did before banding on 10/3. I haven't tried everything (no candy chips, tough meat, lettuce or peanut butter) I just have to eat slower and chew things up more. No vomiting but i felt like it a couple of times. I am worried cause i have only lost 14 lbs. It been a while since I have been to this site but it seems like everyone else is doing better than I am.

I just got a food processor and I am amazed at how find I can grind up meat! Therefore, i am grinding up meat and putting it in broth as I an still on a semi-liquid diet. Is this wrong? It jsut seems like a heathier way to get protein instead of powering everything. Yech:confused: But I'm worried that I will over eat because everything goes down with no problem when it has been ground so fine. I've been losing weight but this seems like cheating. I do eat a lot less at each sitting! I haven't tried grinding up browines yet! :)lol But please let me know if I'm doing harm to anything...

Do not stop reading or asking questions just because it might scare you. You need to have all the answers and they are right here. If you don't see them just ask? You need to get over the feeling that your appetite is something that controls you. It's not. The band will make it easier to know when to stop eating but it is not going to do the work for you. Make sure you are emotionally ready, if you aren't you will have trouble getting approved. It's all what's right for you but you could not have a better more honest support system than this site. It has gotten me through a lot and I will contiue to need it for a long time.

i was bbanded on Oct 3 and doing great. I can't tell you how much more knowledge I had going into this becasue of LBT! I had a headache coming out of surgery but other than that I was good. If I had babied myself like I wanted to I would have been in pain the whole next day but I remember reading here that I should get up and keep moving so I did! The headache went and it has helped so much with the gas pains.

I've been thinking long and hard about this and I have decided that the people I am dreading finding out about my surgery are the same people who I dread sharing almost any "good news" with. They are my negative friends and co workers, the ones who love the fact that I am bigger than them. They love it that I am always on a diet, it gives them someone to whine to when they gain a few pounds. I AM DONE WITH THEM and you should be, too! A few people on this site have mentioned that they would be really hurt if they found out they were being lied (O.K. just not told the whole truth) if someone they knew was losing weight on the lap-band,I feel the same way. It works and we should share that with others who are trying. I told my family and my mother-in-law-to-be keeps sending me pictures of Starr Jones (yes, I know she had bypass and not a lap band) but I see this as a great sign of support and it makes me giggle!! Be proud of that we are about to or have accomplished. I know we can all do it with each others support and you'll be surprised to find out who will be supportive. I just mentioned it to a group of women I casually know and they told me that 2 of my older neighbors were just banded. :faint: Can't wait to talk to them and find out how they are doing! BE Proud for what you are doing is for yourself and no one else! Well maybe someone else will benefit from it;)

Being banded this Wednesday but I have had a teribble headache all day...on a semi liquid diet - is this common? Dr. says no pain drugs. :sick

I love soup and could eat it every meal, but since it is a liquid does it cause food to go through to fast? My doctor says not to have liquids 1/2 hr before a meal, none with a meal, and wait for 1 1/2 after. Where does soup both broth based and cream base fit in? I don't want to get hungry faster!:hungry:

hey Topdownbug- I haven't been banded yet, its this Wednesday (Oct 3) but I'll let you know afterwards. I also went back to work 2 days after gallblader surgery. So maybe we have the same pain tolerance. I am hoping to have the surgery on Wednesday and be back for 1/2 day on Monday, full day on Tuesday. The place might fall apart without me!

annabellapeekin- What a wonderful brother you have! I lose my borther 6 years ago to a heart attack brought on by his being extremely overweight. I would give anything I have to bring him back and give him a second chance at a normal life. Your brother is just a step ahead, he knows how important you are to him. My brother was only 48 yrs old when he died. I am now 49 and I am trying to live life to its fullest for both of us. Don't put that on your brother, accept his wonderful gift to you and share your new life with him and his family. You must also be a great person for someone to care so deeply.

You guys need teenage kids. For five dollars they will take the before picture with a minimun amountof disgust on their faces and your husband will be spared the horror! LOL

Wow Wendell get list! All my questions answered in one place Thanks!!!

Longhorn- Thanks so much for that article by Dr. Fielding. I had tears in my eyes when I read it and can't wait to share it with my husband. I'm goin to be banded in 4 days and that is just what I needed to remind me this is the right thing to do!

Hey melbear, I sort of blame my cheating ex-husband for my weight problem too but deep down in i know who is to blame. I have to admit I gained more weight after I got with my current boyfriend. We have been together 13 years and are getting married this May. I think I have been testing him with my weigh gain. Waiting to see if he'll call me names or cheat on me because I'm not who he thinks I should be. He has done none of those things and he's 10 times better looking and nicer than my ex! I am really one lucky girl so I want to get heathy and skinnier to thank him. I can't wait to start life over with him as my husband. I am 49 years old, I lost my brother when he was 48 to a heart condition caused by his health. I now live every day for both of us and I know he is looking down on me and wants only my happiness. I don't have a lot of health issues now, just bad knees and snoring but I don't want any more either. Hang in there, there is a good person out there for you and everyone else who has written to you. Just remember to except it when he says you are beautiful the way you are, don't punish him for your ex's problems. Don't waste time, make more love!!!!

I finished my last test and was approved 2 weeks later by BCBS. My surgery was scheduled for 14 days later! Luckily my surgeon only requires a 2 week low carb diet. If I were you I would be trying the proteins and vitiamins now. It will happen before you now it!

Hey Jamie, just go to tickerfactory.com and design your ticker, then copy ti and paste in the signature.

I just want to thank you for being so suppotive to everyone! I'm so glad that you are an Oct,07 bander I look forward to going through this with someone with such a great outlook!