shortgal

Ok, Guess I'll go first this week. Have to say I am floored that I have surpassed my original goal (with one week still left). Even if my goal was small, I had doubts I could acheive it. Aiming to hit the 180's by end of challenge. Come on Nymph's, let's see those big numbers you guys always post. Name................Start..........Current..........Goal ......To Go shortgal ..............198...............190...............192........ minus 2

I didn't have the last meal syndrome at all. I had lost 30 pounds a few years ago and had already put on half of it back. I was so focused on not gaining it all back before surgery. I knew I'd hate myself after the surgery if I overindulged before surgery because that would just be more weight to lose. I already hated myself for gaining half of it back and just wanted to stop being mad at myself for overeating. I just decided that eating as I previously did was going to end anyway, so I just ended it sooner rather than later. But I've read many threads like this, so it seems to a common thing to do. Like how we all eat a lot the day before we start weight watchers!

I add benefiber to my flavored Water. Can't see it or taste it! You will most likely not have the same frequency as pre-surgery as "less in, less out" but at least it won't hurt to go. I learned this the hard way.... no pun intended!

For me, I would not have been comfortable traveling for at least two weeks.

If you feel you "need" the caffeine for a pick up, you might find after surgery that you are not as tired as you used to be. Eating less carbs will give you more energy. Carbs slow us down and make us sleepy. High levels of Protein don't do that. I can't believe how I wake up so much earlier and less groggy now.

Less than 2 weeks postop and you're eating regular food? Is this what your Dr. recommends? Many people are on liquids and/or soft food for several weeks post op. Until you get your band filled to get restriction, you could gain unless you use some restraint and concentrate on being sure you get enough Protein in and continue to eliminate OR greatly reduce carbs. Yes, it's hard to do until you get the right restriction. It's a choice we make. Gain some weight back or continue to diet. I'm in the same place. Have had five fills and still don;t have good restriction, so it can take awhile.

You can slowly wean yourself off the caffeine before surgery. slowly reduce the amount you drink until you're off it.

That's what i said, but many people say if they have trouble getting food down they drink something warm first. If we follow the "physics" rule, then the band would expand and we'd be tighter, so why would food go down better after warm things. I have not found either to be true for my band,yet.

I searched online and found this under FAQ: Lap Band Surgery, Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery to Lose Weight, Obesity Management Asia What I don't understand is they say the band can be tighter in the morning,(changes in Water retention) but the band can't be tighter during flying. so I'm guessing that some people that have problems with tightness might be flying in the morning or since the morning tightness is associated with water retention, perhaps some people eat something before the flight that makes them retain water, they get tight and blame it on fyling instead of the food they ate??? Maybe they ate salty airport food? I am flying soon, I think I will make sure not to eat something salty and I will stay well hydrated. There are also old threads about this, that you can do an "advanced search" to find.

Can't you just not drink warm coffee a few days and see if it makes a difference? I think to be able to eat bread or pizza but get full at a resonable amount is a great thing! I hope I can almost everything, but much less of it. If you get too tight, that's not a good thing. You're twenty pounds to goal, you must be doing something right!

Denise: How long was the flight? I'm flying soon (short flight) and a little worried about that. Altho' right now I'm not that tight anyway, but I'll get more fills before the flight. And I have a long flight the end of April.

I cannot wait much longer before going shoppping for pants! Starting to get desperate now. I' ll go next week and just buy one or two pairs. Have no clue what size, so I'll be trying a lot of things on. What a relief not to be buying a larger size, as I always did in the past when something didn't fit, it was usually too tight! Hope I can find something cheap, because I don't plan to wear them long!

BUMMER! Started solid food and don't think I've hit restriction yet! I made my next appt farther away than 2 weeks because we'll away the weekend before and I don;t want to get the fill right before that, because then I'll be on liquids for two days. I MUST be getting closer and I might have them just start doing .5 cc's. I do not want to be over restricted and start the defill mess! And I still want to be able to eat most foods. I don't have as much hunger, but feel I could eat more AND the meals don't fill me long enough. Boy, this is the most frustrating part of being banded! But I am happy with the weight I've lost. I was very conservative setting my Valentine Challenge goal, becasue I've always been a slow loser, but I've exceeded that goal, so I am very happy (and still surprised)about that. I'm setting my own mini goal of being 180 by end of March. The scale has just started occassonally showing me 189.... haven't seeen the 180's for a lonnnnnnng time! March on Nymph's!

I drink Isopure CLEAR. 160 calories and 40gms protein. GNC stores sell them. They have different flavors.

There are age related groups on the forum. Search around you'll find them. You can read some of the threads by people in their fifties and sixties!

You should be getting Protein in your diet in whatever form your Dr. allows at this point. If your Dr. does not want you on chicken yet, then you can get protein from shakes like Atkins. High protein and few carbs. The shakes are available at most supermarkets and Walmarts. You can also drink Isopure clear. Comes in different flavors and has 40 gms of protein and 160 calories. Sip one bottle a day waiting an hour after eating a meal and you'll get most of your protein in. They sell them at GNC stores. Not enough protein will leave you tired, depressed and hungry. If your list does not include meat, your Dr might not want you to have it yet. Try the liquid and the soft Proteins and progress to meat when your Dr. tells you.

Oh absolutely I believe in asking questions related to complications, but often people don't weigh one thing against another. Surgery is a big and frightening step. Being informed is key. I'm fairly sure I've seen stats online. Try a search of "lap band complications"

Do you plan to return to the US? Do you know what kind of band they will place in kuwait? If you return to the US will the Dr's here be familiar with your band? Do you know that if you lost just 30 pounds you'd have lots of health benefits. I know you wouldn't be skinny, but it would help. You'll have to eat differently after being banded, so maybe you could practice some of the band rules now, like the previous poster mentioned. No soda, chew well, eat slowly, use a smaller plate and a baby spoon or fork. Concentrate on Protein and limit your carbs. Still hungry have a bowl of green Beans or spinach. I don;t know enough about the healthcare system where you live to give you more advice.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/anyone-have-ibs-pcs-19255/ Here is a previous thread on this subject. Maybe you'll get some info there. Maybe you could do an online search on the subject, too.

We worry about things like erosion and slippage but what about comparing it to the stats for strokes from high blood pressure or heart attacks from high cholesterol or blindness or amputation from uncontrolled diabetes among the obese. Medicine and surgery in general is based on "risk vs benefit" so yes there is some risk, but there is future risk without the surgery.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/self-pay-where-did-u-have-what-cost-35780/ Above is a previous thread about this subject.

I think there was a poll about this. Maybe you can do a search. Search box is upper right side of page. I'm in the Northeast, mine was $17800. Mexico is cheap and I've heard people on the forum mention a Dr in Colorado that was reasonable. The breakdown was $9000 to the hospital, $7800 Dr. $1200 Anesthesia. Look under the "Doctors" section of the forum, as well. There are also "ads" for Dr's to the right hand side of the page.

Totally agree with kbinaz. I don;t want to be so restricted that everything comes up, but some people are much more comfortable being tight, so they won;t cheat. We each have our own personal level of how much help we need from the band. Regarding low calorie intake: There are days my calories are low, but those are days when I get a fill and I'm on liquids. If I have a low calorie day,it's usually b/c I'm not that hungry. We all need a different calorie level based on our age, level of activiity etc. 1000 a day might be right for me, but if you're younger and more active you might need 1200 or 1400 calories.

Well if you're willing to do anything to be thin and healthy then that's your answer. I would work on giving up the carbonated sodas. Chips, ice cream and chocolate are band friendly ( which can be a bad thing). Band friendly means they go through the pouch easily and won;t fill you as easy as other foods, so it's possible to overeat those foods. Since being banded, I've had two small pieces of chocolate (over x-mas) and a few potato chips, no ice cream yet and no pizza. Yes, you can eat out in restaurants and you might want to just order an appetizer instead of a meal sometimes. Not EVERYONE can eat EVERY FOOD. Some people can't tolerate beef or bread. Some fibrous veggies are difficult for some people. Some people can eat bread if it's toasted. You just wont know until you get there. Remember some of these foods might go down when you are first banded, but as they fill the band to tighten it to fit YOUR stomach and restrict your quantity of food, some foods might be harder to get down. Things like Soup are tricky because it's liquid it goes through your band, does not stay in your pouch to keep you feeling full. So far I am still able to eat chicken and beef. I have had a little bread, but stick more to the crust, I've also had popcorn and nuts. I eat fish, cooked veggies, chicken, beef, turkey meatloaf, yogurt, Cereal, oatmeal, lean cuisines, eggs, salad. Each time I get a fill and get closer to a good level of restriction, I must slowly try foods that I could eat before, to see if my tightened band will tolerate them. Each person also has a level or tightness that works for them. One person might like to be tighter, which might mean many foods don't go down well and another person is ok with a looser restriction. We each find our own personal level of restriction. I just had a fill, so the next few weeks will tell me if I reached a good level of restriction that works for me. I highly recommend you read the threads on the forum about "how fills work" by Wendell, it explains the process very well and was very helpful to me. Or discuss with your surgeon the fill process, so you don;t get discouraged while waiting for good restriction. I'm a slow loser ( always was) but for me this 26 pounds is unbelievable. I am two pounds away from the lowest weight I've been in over 20 years! I know it will be a long road to get this weight off and I know I'll have to work with my band to keep it off. If you lose the weight and pick up your bad habits of drinking with meals, you could start gaining weight back. Our brains are smart and our need to eat is strong, we can figure out ways to beat our band, if we're not careful.

The answer for me was easy. I just asked myself what was more important being healthier and thinner OR missing out on some foods that made me fat to begin with? That was it and the answer was easy! Trust me there will be plenty of junk food that will go down your band if you want it. i would be more concerned about your need for diet coke and drinking with meals. Also, with your frequent restaurant eating, how will you handle ordering a full meal and only being able to eat a small portion. Will you be willing to eat at home and cook a small piece of chicken for yourself? To be successful, you should have a plan for overcoming those issues. If we don't want to help our band and we work against it, can it do it's job?