arimerm1

I'm wondering why nothing they told me at NYU has been true so far, except for having difficulty eating doughy food and dry food. 1. You can't eat and drink at the same time. I generally don't, but if something gets stuck there's basically no remedy. 2. You can't eat any more than 1000 calories. I've been eating closer to 2000. 3. I should tolerate any more than 1/2 cup of food. I've been able to eat at least 2 cups of food per meal. Now, I'm not complaining. I lose 10 pounds this month, but I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I also hate not being able to eat. 2 days after the adjustment is liquid only, and since I can't stomach the Protein shakes, it becomes a literal fast. I haven't had anything but coffee for 2 days.

I just had my first fill. They put the band in empty and they put in 3.5 ml in the first time. My surgeon and I had a serious conversation, and he said that they take the process really slow and never rush anything. He said it'll take 3 fills to hit the green zone. Until then, I'm watching my calories and food intake. Looking forward to the green zone.

I had the band about a month ago, and I feel great, and I had dream last night (no joke) that my band slipped. Now, I know that that's not true. But, how would one know if it did?

I freaked out also, but they put you out right away and then you wake up in the recovery room, and you'll say "really, that's it? It's really over?" And you'll be glad that you did it.

I have a suggestion. Oatmeal and cream of wheat are carbs, but they are whole grains, and if you make them with skim milk, you'll get protein and a lot of vitamins and minerals. I buy a quick cooking cream of wheat. You bring a cup of milk to a boil, then add the cream of wheat, then cook for 1 minute and it's done. I add cinnamon and walden farms sugar free syrup. It's only about 200 calories, it's filling, and it tastes very sweet and carby even though it's full of nutrition! Try it out. Obviously ask your nutritionist if you can.

I had the band a week ago, and so far I've lost 41 pounds in a month including the pre op diet. On this site, I'm seeing all these horror stories of people who need revisions, and that most people don't get the band anymore. My doctors talked me out of the other surgeries, because I'm very young (24) and am realtime lay healthy, which by their admission is extremely rare in someone my size. (praise be to G-d!) I would like to know if anyone here has had the band for a long time and hasn't had a horror story. I'd like to be reassured. Thanks!!

Buy from premier protein. The shakes aren't too bad. They're ready made, and don't need to be refrigerated until you open them. They have chocolate and vanilla that are kosher and other flavors that aren't kosher. The chocolate is pretty good, but the other flavors I never tasted (because I don't like vanilla shakes, and I'm not allowed to try the rest)

June 25, 2015, 40 pounds.

Don't you have to go in for a full every month? In my program, I need to go every 3 weeks to 1 month to get a fill.

I've been going to therapy for years. It really helps being able to talk to someone you trust who's impartial. As for the surgery, I went to a psychologist who just goes these evaluations, who was recommended through NYU, and she cleared me right away.

Two recipes, (and a few techniques), that I found helpful Pre Op Let me be clear, My pre op diet was a maximum of 1000 calories a day and went as follows: Up to 5 protein shakes, depending on the brand. I had trouble drinking any more than 1 most days! Up to 2 cups of vegetables a day, as long as they aren't too starchy. Stuff like tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, broccoli, squash, and mushrooms. A limited amount of vinegar, sugar substitutes, mustard, and salsa. Lots of water, crystal lite, tea, coffee (with a splash of milk, so no lattes, which sucked for me), even seltzer and diet soda. The problem is that post op, you can't really drink diet soda for a while, so I tried to avoid it. "Honey Mustard" Dressing 3 or so tablespoons of mustard. (I used regular old spicy brown mustard, but you could probably use any kind of mustard you like.) 1 tablespoon of water. (I used this to thin out the mustard. If you don't like the way your tap water tastes, you should use bottled water of filtered water.) 2 teaspoons or so of Splenda™, or whatever sweetener you like. (adjust it based on how sweet you like it) Refrigerate for a while, or overnight. Pour this over 2 cups of a mixture of diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and diced red onion. It was really, really good. European-Style Sugar-Free Cucumber Salad 3 large American cucumbers, peeled and cut wafer thin with a knife (if you're a pro), a mandolin (always use the hand guard and be careful), or the slice blade of your food processor. 1 red onion, cut wafer thin also. (Optional) 1 red pepper, sliced relatively thin (not diced; cut it like the onions and cucumbers) 2 teaspoons of Splenda™ or whatever sweetener you like. 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar. Salt to taste. (I put in probably like 1/4 teaspoon or so.) Refrigerate this at least overnight, (the longer it sits, the better it gets), and a serving is 2 cups. This recipe makes a lot. I found that the most delicious way to make pretty much any veggie you want is to roast it in the oven at 425°F (220°C) for 35 to 40 minutes with a sprinkling of salt. If you're worried that it'll stick, put a little water in the bottom of the tray. (Note: This diet allowed no oil whatsoever, not even the cooking spray oil.) Comment below!

<h1> <b>Fasting </b> </h1> <div> This Sunday was a Jewish fast day, and, without getting into unrelated details, it started before 4 AM and ended after 9 PM. Because I often do things contrary to what anyone else would do, I decided to fast just 10 days post op. (Pretty stupid, huh?) Well, the fast went very well, (almost no dizziness, nausea, or tiredness) but the trying to eat after the fast didn't go so well. </div> <div> My family and I usually have a meal that is somewhat big after a fast, not as elaborate as some Iftar feasts (Ramadan Karim to anyone observing!), but there definitely is food. I made the mistake of trying to eat a meal akin to a lunch immediately after the fast. (Bad habits die hard!) Needless to say, I had to drink a lot of water just so that I felt ok enough to move on with my night. </div> <div> <i> Lesson learned: Note to self: </i> <b> Make believe that right after a fast is breakfast!! </b> </div> <div> You might be saying, "Duh! It's called <i> break-fast </i> for a reason, idiot!" Well, I guess I'm not that smart. </div> <div> Which brings me to another point, I have had some trouble eating breakfast. I've gotten a little too ambitious trying scrambled eggs, and I couldn't eat much of it. But today, I had cream of wheat with Walden Farms sugar free pancake syrup and cinnamon. It was really good, and I was able to tolerate it. </div> <div> Anyone have similar experiences? Please comment below. </div>

Why was it torture? And why do people like you post these things without thinking what people like me (who had the band put in a week ago) will think. I thought that this site was about encouraging people!

I had the band a week ago, and I plan to weigh myself only once a week.

I'm confused. My pre op diet was only liquids and 2 cups of vegetables.

My Pre Op Process As part of getting approval from my insurance company, I needed to do the following things: 6 months of going to a doctor that will supervise your "weight loss," which in my insurance's case, didn't actually require me to lose any weight, but to show that a doctor told you what to do. I went to my surgeon for 6 months in a row, once a month. A letter of clearance from a psychologist, who needs to do a full evaluation. This was done by a therapist associated with NYU. They made me fill out a bunch of questionnaires, and asked me personal questions. A letter of clearance and recommendation from your primary care doctor. (known in medical parlance as "your PCP,") He/she needs to write a letter with your information (such as your BMI, how long they've been your doctor, any diseases you may have (known in medical parlance as " comorbidities", (which sounds really, really scary for no reason) etc.) A consultation with a nutritionist, which I did through NYU. Now once, I got clearance through the insurance company, (in my case, Health Republic of New York/Magnacare) I needed "Medical Clearance," which is a whole new set of requirements. Here's that fun list: A trip to the cardiologist (aka the heart doctor) which may include any of the following: An EKG , essentially a bunch of waves which tells the doctor whether or not your heart rate is elevated. An echocardiogram which is a sonogram of your heart (like the machine they use to look at the baby in a pregnant woman, except it's of your heart, and not the baby, and I'm a guy so...) [*]A trip to the pulmonologist (aka the lung doctor) , who makes you do a breathing test to check for asthma or, more importantly, possible sleep apnea. (As an aside, my PCP made me do a sleep apnea test.) [*]Pre op testing , which includes the following: An esophogram , which is an X-ray of your lungs and stomach area. They're looking for signs of breathing problems. A comprehensive blood test , to make sure that you're healthy. When I say comprehensive, I mean it. It looked for things I didn't even know existed. An extensive interview , to make sure they didn't miss anything the 5 other times they already asked all these questions. This took more time than the blood test, esophogram and miscellaneous administrivia combined. I hope that this helps people. Please post comments below.

A Little About Myself I am an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, NY who has struggled with his weight for as long as he can remember. I have been encouraged to lose weight by absolutely everyone anyone can imagine, including family, friends, rabbis, teachers, etc. Last week, I had the adjustable gastric band procedure (known colloquially as "the band surgery," or "the lap band"), and feel great. But first, a little about how and why I got to this point. After being in denial throughout high school and throughout my gap year which I spent in the Holy Land, in my sophomore year of college I finally came to the realization that I need to do something about my weight and that this was getting ridiculous. My rabbi and his wife referred me to a doctor that they were seeing that provided weight loss support as well as kosher food that they made that was to be purchased alongside the program. I was able to follow this program for a year and lose over 100 pounds. However, I feel that this program didn't adequately support me in the sense that the doctor did not carefully monitor my blood workup, and as such, some of my numbers were somewhat off, and the doctor told me the equivalent of "Don't worry, you'll be fine." That didn't sit well with me. Another problem with this diet is that it was essentially no carb, and when I finally hit a major plateau at 100 pounds, I was never given guidance as to how to overcome this newfound roadblock. For these reasons, I left that diet program. Even though I left that program, I turned to a dietitian for support. It was at this time that I got into exercise and started walking 5k races to challenge myself. In a period of about 2 years, I completed around 20 of these things, maxing out at a 5 mile run on Thanksgiving Day, which I finished in a respectable 20 minute/mile pace. It is my most coveted medal, as it is my crowning athletic achievement. (I've never been on a team or athletic enough to really be part of one.) My family and friends were worried that I was maxing myself out, and pushing myself past my limits. In one of those "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" deals, I got sick with ulcerative colitis, which had me stop exercising regularly, and took a year and a half, roughly speaking, to get under control. Needless to say, during this time, I gained all the weight back that I had lost, and slightly more. It was around a year after I got sick that I started looking into bariatric surgery, and the NYU-Langone Weight Management Program was recommended to me by a family friend who lost a lot of weight with the band. (I don't really know her all that well, so maybe it isn't saying much when I note that when I saw her in a restaurant recently, I had no clue who she was.) It is my intention to briefly explain the pre op process in another post.

I had the band surgery, and I started feeling hungry like 6 days post op. Make sure you keep hydrated, sip on some water or fat free milk or crystal lite Take some children's Tylenol and try to sleep. I had that last week like 3 days post op.

A lot of people are very successful with the band. I just got mine done, and I've lost almost 50 pounds. What do you mean by "don't waste your time?"

I would say that beer you could have once in a while, but it should be for a celebration of with friends, make it count. As for pizza, if it's very crunchy, you could have it on the band. You could also make your own by using a whole what wrap, some lite cheese and sauce.

I had the band last week, and they intubated me, but I had no idea. They put you to sleep before they do anything and you wake up with everything unplugged but the IV.

I was also convinced of the sleeve, but NYU talked me out of it. I had the band last week and I'm going great so far.

I'm looking to adopt a dog after I lose 200 pounds. It'll force me to walk it, and I love the idea of being able to rescue an animal

Yeah, for my insurance I needed to go to the doctor for 6 months straight and have to meet with a psychologist and nutritionist once. There was no need to lose weight per se, but they put you on a very strict pre op diet so that you lose weight. I lost 32 pounds on the pre op diet.

I had the band and was recovered in less than a week.