shortgal

I ended up using what I thought would be my plastic surgery dollars for the band surgery. Darn! But I will find the money for some PS anyway. Face and neck lift is number one. I needed the neck lift before I had the band. Hereditary. Next would be panni and thighs. Arms, well I'll need it but not sure I'll do it. The $17,800 i spent on band would have paid for a lot of the above.

Would she say the same thing to a very small breasted friend that was considering breast enhancement? Probably not, plastic surgery is considered different from WLS. Makes no sense, we don't need bigger breasts for health, but getting rid of 100 pounds we do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against plastic surgery, but just against the opinion that WLS is any different of an elective procedure and can produce live saving changes. You're completely right, she is ignorant. She is a STUDENT nurse, not a doctor and not YOUR doctor. There are lots of nurses on the forum and there are several doctors that have been banded themselves. Tell her to shut up and until she is willing to get informed about the band and is able to have an intelligent conversation about the band with you, there is nothing to discuss. How can she advise you about something she knows nothing about?

Yes, Join our November group. this specfic challenge is almost over, tho. Two weeks left. At the beginning of the challenge we set a goal to lose over a set time frame and then we check in each week. This challenge was from Valentines Day to the first day of Spring. I'm sure someone will start a new challenge when this one is over. Just watch our Nov 07 group threads for a new one.

You won't want "anything" near your incicions or belly, so most likely no need for the bc pills. Best wishes on your lap band journey.

Many Dr's use the pre-op diet to help shrink a possible fatty liver and some Dr's don;t have any pre-op diet. I had to follow a low calorie/low fat diet for two weeks prior to surgery and two days of clear liquids right before surgery. I think you've done well and your "cheat" was at least protein based and not a high fat food. If it were me, I would not confess to the Dr.and I would keep the surgery date. Does the Dr. recommend that you stop BC pils before surgery to reduce risk of clots?

But that's 120 just for the protein powder, right? We'd have to add the calories of the OJ, too. How many oz. of juice do you add in?

Fitting into regular clothes is a big plus to weight loss. There is a similar thread going around the forum. They were mentioning how we lose weight and then start noticing other things, like noses etc. I guess we were just so focused on weight as our problem, we didn;t notice the other things, until we start to lose.

I guess different people can weigh the same but have different needs inside? Or different places we carry the fat? I just asked him what size band I had after reading about it here and that's was his answer. I'm sure there are more variables than his simple answer to me.

To track calories with multiple ingredients count the biggest part first, the meat. I type on online searches things like "calories in chicken" or Protein in chicken and info comes up. Add in the calories of the egg, measure the bread crumbs and add that to the total. Once you make the meatballs, count them and divide the total by the number of meatballs, Then you know how many calories in each one. Pasta? and meatballs? I know whole wheat is better than regular, but carbs will cause cravings, the pasta won't hold you long becasue the portion is very small compared to a meal of chicken and salad. Once you reach restriction, remember solid protein will stay in your pouch longer than softer food. Sounds like you need that fill. Good Luck.

Some people carry their full face better than others. I don't. I look better already in my face, in my opinion, and I still have a way to go. Older woman ( like me) can notice more wrinkles and sagging like in the neck and jowls becasue the fat used to puff them out. I'll take that over my fat face anyday. I had a friend that lost weight and her face looked thinner, but before she lost it if you saw a photo of just her head, you wouldn't know she was overweight. She just didn't carry much weight in her face. I'll need a face and neck lift after I reach goal, but I needed one before I lost any weight. It's hereditary, my mom, sister and brother all have saggy necks! At your age, you don;t have to worry as much. Don't dismiss that you'll be entirely happy with your smaller body. You will, but with weight loss comes sagging skin on thighs, batwings under arms and tummys that can have lots of loose skin. Some areas, clothes will hide, some is harder to hide, like arms when wearing short sleeves. check out a few plastic surgery web sites with photos, they usually have some bariatric patients. Before and after. Not trying to discourage you, just a dose of reality. I had a few brief periods of thinness in my life to know what my face might look like, but it's been awhile. LOL

Didn't your Dr's office or the nutritionist give you post op diet requirements either before surgery or when you left the hospital? Most do. You need to follow the directions. You have a few small incisions on the outside but inside you had surgery and you need to heal. Get back on track so you don;t do any damage.

Go clean out a closet or organize something like your photos or drawers. That always makes me feel better, takes my mind off things and before I know it two hours are gone. You'll do great. Pre-op testing is usually bloodwork and EKG and chest -xray. Not scary.

I consider myself a slow but steady loser and I'm fine with that. Weight loss this time is still faster than any of the old diets I tried. I'm 56 and not very active in the winter so that's a part of it as well. Loose skin, oh yeah, it's starting to hang. My arms and legs will look pretty bad. I guess it depends on age, where you carry your weight and how much you have to loose and hereditary factors etc. Advise: Follow your Dr's instructions. Be prepared that after surgery your band might not work to it's best until you get fills and it could take several fills until your band is adjusted well. During that time you might find you can eat at your pre-band amounts. If you do not control that you could gain. Eventually, the band will work, but it takes patience and it's best to know that ahead of time. My husband is totally tired of hearing about my band! LOL. He just pretends to listen. Welcome to the forum.

Each state has a group on the forum. On the main page scroll down and you will see the "support" section. Look for the USA and then look for your state, you'll meet other banders from your state and maybe some local to you.

You could consider writing a letter to your Dr. and demonstrate in the letter your knowlege of the lapband and what will be required of you throughout each step. You are young and perhaps she does not believe that you have an understanding of the entire lap band process. The Dr. might think that you think it's an easy way to lose weight. Convincing her you understand what's involved could make a difference. If not you can find another primary care DR.

I haven't had too many carb cravings, but if the scale stalls for 5 days, then I do a liquid day. Here's what I do: I have a Protein drink every three hours starting at 8am and ended at 8pm. I alternate with one Atkins shake and a glass ( 1/2 bottle) of Isopure CLEAR. The high protein keeps me satisifed. If I feel I need something hot, I'll have some broth. Getting through dinner time is the hardest. I don;t always make it. If I'm struggling then I have butternut squash Soup at 5pm time. Eliminate the glass of Isopure at that time and have the isopure at 8pm instead of having the shake at 8pm. If you follow it exactly it's under 700 calories and 85 gms of protein. That should get rid of those carb cravings! I don;t do this more than twice in a month!

I don;t know how many days since your fill. Did you do liquids a few days after the fill? That helps in case you have swelling after the fill, as it gives a chance for swelling to go down. I don't consider daily vomiting normal. If I had that every day, I would consider my fill as too tight IF I was taking small bites, chewing well and waiting briefly between bites.

There are phases of pre-op and post op eating that require liquids only and protein can also help you feel satisifed longer. With fewer calories, it helps our muscle and prevents hair loss etc.

The nurse was most likely right, you could be too tight. A SLIGHT unfill should be tried. Being too tight can cause reflux whihc is bad for your esophogus and could cause slipping of the band.

Protein diets generally constipate people, so maybe there was something else in it that either didn't agree with you or did you eat something that day that just didn't agree with you?

Hi Thea, Check out the forum sections for canadians (under the support group section) or check out the "Doctors and Hospital" section. go to the main page and just scroll down looking for the right group. you'll probably get the info there or find other canadian banders that you can ask about doctors or clinic in your area. Lot's of diabetics have gotten great results for weight loss after banding. good Luck and welcome.

Cookies and ice cream? Come on, You know you will not lose weight eating those foods. If healthy food like chicken go down hard, then it might not be you need a fill. Our pouch will only keep us satisfied between meals, if we eat solid Protein that stays in our pouch. Ice cream and cookies and other slider foods won;t keep you satisfied and the more carbs you eat, the more you'll crave them. Start eating solid protein, take very small bites and chew them well. Eat a 4 oz portion and eat some veggies with it. Stop eating. Don;t drink for one hour. During that hour, consider your hunger level. Your brain has to catch up with your band. Our brain ( and eyes) want more. Our eyes tell us that is not the amount of food we used to eat and trys to convince us to eat more. Just keep asking your self after this meal, am I really hungry or just craving. If your not sure, after the hour, drink a bottle of Water, and then ask the question again. We have to re-train our brain. We cannot trust our stomach for the answer, it always lied to us in the past!

Not everyone gets to the right restriction with 5 cc's in their band. We are all different sizes inside and we need a fill that fits our stomach. Until I got some restriction, I don't think it's perfect yet, I just followed my old weight watchers plan. I had been on that so many times, what was one more time? I weigh or measure food and write it down and stay at or under 1200 calories. I track my Protein to be sure I get enough. I did his because gaining weight or not losing weight, while I waited for restriction was not an option I wanted. As my fills got me to a slighly better place, it got easier to stay on plan. Practice all your band rules during this time. Small bites, chew well, don't drink for one hour after eating, eat protein first. By the time you get a good restriction level you'll be ready and those things will be habits. Many people like to track calories on a web site. I just figure the calories and protein and jot it down on a notepad. Whatever works for you.

I find the first few bites I take are the most important ones to go very slow with and when we're hungry those are the first ones we eat fast. Once the first few bites go down well, everything after that seems a little easier. It's like I have to wake up the stoma that food is coming down. I agree work on the small bites and well chewed issue until it's time for the next fill and just don;t get an aggressive fill.

Welcome, it's good you are trying to improve your health. I agree one week is probably the average time for recovery. some need a little less, some need a little more time. I like to think that the band sort of evens out the playing field for overweight people. Meaning, our thin friends, could overeat also, but they seem to be able to resist doing that most of the time and know when they are full. Overweight people ( me) seem to have a broken thermostat that doesn't tell me I've had enough food. the band can help boost our willpower. But yes, it is possible to eat around the band. there are foods that will go through the band easier than others and the foods that go through easily are generally high calorie foods. But if you follow the food plan of eating Protein first, that helps fill up your pouch and you are able to push away from the table. The band helps you change your habits, but it is not a cure, it is more like a crutch we can lean on to help us. We must do much of the work ourselves, forever. Since getting my band,this is the most weight I have lost in 3.5 months. I'm not a fast loser, but I am losing weight at a steady pace. I do not feel deprived.