Mysticalks

Hey everyone! I'm a full time college student and attend classes Monday-Thursday for about 4-5 hours at a time. I don't get breaks in between classes, so it's not too possible for me to eat a meal during that time. I know that Protein is usually the type of food to first grab onto when in hunger mode, but it's virtually impossible for me to take a big ol' thing of chicken or other poultry/meat to school. I tried to leave it in my car once and eat it on the way and back from school- let's say it didn't do too well sitting in a hot car for that long, eeeh! Does anyone have any ideas of a filling snack that I could eat while walking to classes? Ideas are MORE than welcome!!

Hey everyone! Thanks for even MORE advice :-) I've decided to take it one step at a time, and focus on the positive. I'm actually pretty proud of myself-- tonight, my sisters went to get take outs at Panda Express and asked me if I wanted anything. As tempting as it was, I decided to make the right decision and stick with a side of Mixed Veggies (only 90 calories)! They're on their way back, and I figured that while they eat their Chinese food, I can still enjoy some yummy veggies and not feel so left out! Sure, it's probably not as delish as Orange chicken, but I know how awesome I'll feel later just knowing I made the smarter choice. Aimee, so sorry it took this long to get back to you. I'd LOVE for us to support each other in order to keep ourselves going!! I could definitely go for a lap-band buddy to go through this with me :-)

Hey everyone..it's been so long since I've been on this site, and I've decided that it's time to reach out to my fellow bandsters to give me a swift kick in the butt. I was banded October 31, 2007, and have since lost about 26 pounds (I'm 5'4''; Start: 218 lbs/Now: 191.2 lbs). I saw my surgeon in April, and he was very happy with my progress. I was so motivated and AWESOME with watching my weight and following my surgeon's diet and exercise program for me until the beginning of summer... Since early May, I've completely stopped following the lap-band diet. My eating habits have gone back to what they used to be in my worst days- Cookies, cakes, Pasta, etc, etc. For some strange reason, I've managed to maintain my weight through eating all of this crap. I told myself I'd start back when the first week of school started (last week), but of course, it didn't happen. I'm honestly sickened with myself. I feel terrible because I understand how fortunate I am to have the band, but for some reason, I keep screwing up. I don't have that motivation that I had when I got my final fill. I need to get back on track because this is my only hope for a healthy future. Please offer suggestions to me on how to get back on track after going off the handle. What motivates you to stick w/your program every day? Support is always the first step, and I only feel comfortable talking about this with you all. Thank you!! :biggrin: -Kara

I'm so fortunate to have people like you all on this site to still give me hope and motivation! After reading the replies, I already feel that boost of energy to just go on and do it. Thank you so much...what would I do without you all? I have a 10 cc band and I've been filled to 9.5 cc. My surgeon wasn't too keen on filling me even to 9.5 cc because he said that the hole being created by the lap band was almost closed completely. I definitely feel restricted, but even when I eat Protein (chicken, steak, sausages- all lean!), I can most definitely eat more than 2-3 ounces. I can probably eat about 5 ounces of protein and then even eat around 2-3 ounces of fruit or veggies or carbs along with it. My food intake has lessened significantly, but my surgeon and others in the WLS office have told me that I shouldn't be able to eat more than 4 ounces of food, tops! Am I doing something wrong maybe? I don't drink with my meals or 30-45 minutes after them, and I start with the protein on my plate and make sure to chew it pretty well before swallowing. Maybe I'm eating too fast....I thought about that the other day. By the way, my surgeon is SO mean. I'm terrified of him. Don't get me wrong..he's one of the best surgeon's in the Southeast (he's incredible) and that's why I chose him to perform my surgery. I'm scared to go in and tell him that I might need another fill. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the thought of him weighing me and seeing no progress is making me nervous already. Phew...

I'd like to reply to FatMe's post. In specific: "What bothers me are the ages of people getting surgery. Surgery is suppose to be a last resort. Most older people have spent years trying everything they can think of to lose weight but now it seems to be a quick solution." I'm 22 years old and got the surgery when I was 21. Yes, I'm young. Lap band surgery WAS the last resort for me. I remember going on my first diet in Kindergarten. I was 5 years old and while all of the other children ate pizza during our class's "pizza party", I sat there holding a bag of carrots to munch on. Ever since, I've been on a rollercoaster ride with my weight. I've been on every diet known to man, and have cost my parents (and myself, when I turned 18) thousands upon thousands of dollars on diet plans, nutritionists, gym memberships, and everything else. You name it. When I followed a diet that assigned me a number of calories appropriate for my age, height, gender, weight, etc., I wouldn't lose a thing. I was 100% strict and have always had the willpower to stick to a plan. When I turned 16, I started TELLING the nutritionists, consultants, etc. that I wouldn't go on the diet unless I was given a plan for 1000-1200 calories tops. I wouldn't lose a thing if I were to eat any more than that, and that included at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise daily. This is a ridiculous amount of calories, especially for a growing child/adolescent. My point is... I feel as if 18 years spent on extreme weight fluctuation, diets involving starvation, and feelings of disappointment, anger, and failure are plenty of reason to believe that my WLS was a last resort. I may be young, but I've wasted my entire childhood striving to be healthy (while every plan failed), and I refuse to spend my adulthood as an unhealthy individual, starving myself, while I know in the back of my mind that nothing else has worked. Phew! After all of that, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your post...it's really nice to hear other people's views on the surgery because many people are too shy to express their opinions. Keep it up!

I am 5'4'' and I was 218 lbs when I got my lap-band surgery performed. I had PCOS, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. I was only 21 years old and was taking about 10 pills a day on average for those 3 health issues. Since then, I don't take metformin, which caused many problems for me by itself. Although I've only lost 26 lbs so far, it's made a world of difference for me regarding my health. I don't have as many hypoglycemic attacks anymore, I've cut down on my medications, and I can actually RUN on the treadmill now! As much as I dieted and exercised, I couldn't lose more than 1/2 lb a week and I would lose motivation and stop. Everyone has their own case, and just because the scale says one thing, someone's weight-affected health tells the truth about whether they should go in for WTL. Plus, I don't think it's anyone else's business whether that person has WTL anyway. It's their money, their health, and their choice. It's been fantastic for me so far, and I couldn't have made a better decision!

Hey all! I was banded October 31st and this is the 5th day of my recovery. Overall, I feel really energetic and back to normal. I can't even feel pain from the incisions on my belly. There's only one thing holding me back- where the port was sewed into my stomach muscles. Of course I don't expect there to be absolutely no pain so soon after surgery, but the pain is EXCRUCIATING. And I'm not exaggerating. I'm getting so frustrated bc I feel fantastic other than that. It makes it SO painful to even walk. I don't feel as if it's made any progress. My questions are: For those of you who have completely healed, how long did it take for your port incision to feel OK? Did you experience the same amount of pain as I am (excruciating) after approximately the same amount of time post-op? As for the pain meds, how often did you take them? Sometimes I get worried that if I DO take them every 4 hours as directed, they'll start to wear off and stop working so much eventually. Also, I'm on the liquid diet and I'm finding that I get full very quickly at each meal that I don't eat that much, but I get hungry very fast after that (about an hour after). Do you have any suggestions on what to eat to help with that? I'm guessing it's normal since it IS liquid, but I'm double checking! Thanks! Love, Kara

I'm so relieved to find other college students on here. I was banded on October 31st, and got filled to 9 ccs less than 2 months ago. I can FINALLY feel it working now! I'll answer any questions you may have about having the band while being a college student. If you don't drink alcohol, then please disregard the rest of this message. LOL The biggest problem I hear from other banded students is avoiding alcohol, so I'm assuming that it's of some concern to you bc it was for me. I love partying, and I drink more than I should. As much as the surgeon tells you to avoid alcohol, you might just give in sometimes if you're anything like me. You already know that drinking really should be avoided as much as possible. I only let myself drink 2-3 times a month now. Here's some random advice from my experience (I wish someone would've been this straight forward with me). 1. Never drink to the point of throwing up (I did this just last weekend, eh!) I didn't know this until a week ago, but every time that you throw up, you're taking a risk at your band slipping, which means that You'll have to go through another surgery to remove it. 2. Avoid beer at all costs--I didn't listen to people when they told me that it's VERY uncomfortable! The gas builds up so much that it feels almost a little painful/uncomfortable...I felt it after 1/2 a beer. It was even worse when my friend brought out the funnel- very bad. Everyone is different, though. 3. If you're going to drink, stick with the clears. I only drink either vodka or tequila (least amount of calories), and I either drink it straight, or with DIET soda. If you're going to take a chance with beer, drink only light. I wouldn't suggest it though bc it'll take longer for you to get drunk off of beer, so you'll end up drinking more of it (wow I sound like I need to go to an AA meeting) 4. Drunken munchies- After being awesome on my diet for like 3 months, I partied, got the drunken munchies, and actually thought I could consume a Big Mac. I threw up after 3 bites from giving into my craving. I can't even tell you how I regretted that in the morning. Try to avoid eating while drunk bc you'll forget that you have the band.. I was told 3 times that I should wait to get the band until I've "grown out of partying", but I've proven everybody including my parents and my surgeon wrong by proving that you can still have a great time in moderation AND see awesome results. I hope this helps you in the future, and if you don't drink at all- MORE POWER TO YOU!

On February 21st, I was filled to 9 ccs total in a 10 cc band under fluoroscopy. I could tell that it was one of the doctor's first few times of performing a fill on a lap band patient (it wasn't my surgeon performing the fill). They filled me up to 9.5 ccs at first, made me drink the barium, and asked me if I felt tight- I answered no, but they still took out .5 ccs!! I asked my surgeon 3 days later if it'd be possible to go for another fill, but he said no Tonight, I was able to eat a 6 ounce steak and maybe 5 ounces of grilled chicken for dinner before being full. For the past week, I've been sick, and have maybe thrown up 5-6 times. I read somewhere that vomiting can cause the pouch to stretch, so I'm worried that I'm able to eat so much because of the pouch stretching. My question is...do you think that I'm able to eat so much from my pouch stretching, or maybe I should be filled more to restrict the eating?? I'm SO worried! Please help...

I think that if I ate 500 calories a day, I'd probably die of starvation! lol...those poor metabolisms

Hey all! I was filled 2 weeks ago for a total of 9 cc's (I have a 10 cc band). I remember reading many sources on the band and was told that after the final fill, you should only be able to eat 3-4 ounces of food at one sitting. Now, I'm aware that 3-4 ounces implies "coarse protein", and I have been following that rule, not drinking until about 30-45 min after my meals, and eating 3 meals a day. I must say that I definitely do NOT eat 3-4 ounces...I eat more like 6-8 ounces and feel full. The band has worked great so far, but I'm wondering what any of you suggest. How much were you able to eat after your final fill? Do I maybe need more fill? Thanks!