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my dr and nutritionist told me: 1. drink all your Water 2. take your Multivitamins 3. use a good moisturizer all over every day 4. do weight training (make sure you have muscles to give you nice shape as the fat goes) see this article for some interesting discussion on the subject The Myth of Loose Skin

can't speak to any "boredom" with food--i guess i'm still of a mind to think that's a blessing. as for snacks--i keep beef jerkey and nuts of all kinds on hand. (good Protein, low carb). congrats on your successes so far. be well.

good morning, i was looking for information on skin elasticity issues connected with weight loss and found the following site. perhaps there's something interesting for you there. i have not (for 43 years) been interested or concerned with "lotions and potions." perhaps that's a contributing factor to why i allowed my weight to get so out of control. at any rate, when i began my band journey, one of the things that the nutritionist recommended was including things in my diet (Water and vitamins/minerals) that were good for the skin and hair from the INSIDE. one of the things the psychiatrist recommended (yes, mine was actually good for something...) was including behaviors that were good for the skin from the OUTSIDE, like buying the "better brands" of body wash, pampering one's self by bathing rathr than showering (funny how much nicer that seems when one can actually fit in the tub...) and using lotion REGULARLY (and ALL over). so for a change, i started doing what they said. i drink all the water and take my vitamins/minerals--nothing special there, just the chewable stuff for "older" folks , and EVERY DAY i use moisturizer (I use Nivea skin firming moisturizer--i love the scent. i also use "Burt's Bees" body lotion--but my husband really likes that one, so i have to be careful. (which is another nice change...) anyway, see if the information at this site gives you any insight or help. hope it does... The Myth of Loose Skin

read this recently and wanted to share it with you all. Making Peace With My Body|Catholic Exchange this article, "Making Peace with my Body" got me thinking about "Satan's lies and all his empty promises." i hope it is interesting and useful for you.

i wonder how many other folks' doctors have told them not to weigh themselves at home. my surgeon told me he wanted me to get RID of my scale and only be weighed at my office visits. he said that too many folks worried about what the scale said and didn't work diligently enough at following the behavioral rules we need to learn so that the band will work well for us. no, i didn't actually get rid of the scale, but i don't weigh every day and i do follow the rules pretty faithfully--i have missed out on a lot of the angst that this thread talks about, because i don't see the day-to-day fluctuations. i recommend it to you. it has been truly liberating for me to just follow the rules and let the weight at the doctor's office be a "surprise gift."

i have been a regular, monhly platelet donor for about 3 years (they like my a-negative blood). i've been doing the low-carb thing since aug 07 and lost 46 pounds by the time i was banded in feb 08. i've lost 41 more since then. just recently, (april and then again in june) i've not been able to donate because of a low pulse (44 and 48 bpm where the minimum is 50). has anyone else encountered issues with their blood pressure, Iron levels, or pulse when donating blood or blood products?

hi, i was told that was one of the signs to watch for (perhaps you're slightly over-filled) and that if i experienced it following a fill, i was to call my dr's office to let them know. i encourage you to let your dr know.

Jorge, first, congratulations on taking the steps to get you where you are. remember that this thing is a tool and you need to use it the way the doctors tell you. DO NOT LET EMBARRASSMENT STOP YOU FROM MAKING THIS TOOL WORK FOR YOU!! You deserve better treatment from yourself! Your doubts and fears are normal. we all have them. Some of ours are stronger than others, some of us have more of them than others. Sorry, guy, you're "normal." Enjoy them if you like, dump them otherwise. (I didn't think mine were helping me anymore, so i got a lap band and love it instead of keeping my doubts and hating them.) You DO have the power to use this tool successfully. you DO have a right to allow yourself to be successful. whatever you have in your life or in your past or in your choices, you DO have the right to dump the stuff that isn't working and adopt behaviors that lead you to happiness. My Doctor was VERY clear with me. the first period of time after surgery and until my fills got me to a good restriction, they don't really EXPECT you to lose weight. A lot of people do, but a LOT of people don't. Adjust your expectations--it sounds like yours might be excessive. Be gentle with yourself with your expect ions, be strict with yourself to follow your banding rules. GO GET YOUR FILL!!!!!!!!!! I'm looking forward to your next post where you tell us you're seeing the success you've earned by USING this tool well.

Thanks for letting us rejoice with you. It's a fine life and your hard work proves that you deserve a fine life.

hi. this was a concern for me early on and one that i asked my surgeon. he said that the ideal restriction on our bands (and of course, that's unique to each of us, right?) was to allow us to consume around 1000-1200 calories a day. the benefit of the band and following the banding rules was to enable us to consume ONLY that number of calories and not FEEL like we're starving. if you consume less than 800 calories/day, your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose well. i had an experience with this after my latest fill. just couldn't eat much and had to re-learn my eating habits. (my doctor told me that with each fill i might have to re-learn--sometimes we get a little sloppy when the restriction starts to ease with our weight loss...) so i had to use the protien shakes to supplement until i could consume enough protien/calories from solid food. so, yes, if you make poor choices or don't pay attention to the protien/calories you ingest, you can run the risk of putting yourself in starvation mode--but it's not just the band, it's our choices of what to put in our mouths and taking responsibility for managing that. your band shouldn't prevent you from being able to eat sufficient calories. if it does TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR or FILL CENTER staff. as always, use what works for you and leave the rest...best of luck.

what do your doctor, nutritionist, and office staff tell you when you talk to them about your habits and your progress? if you're not telling them what you've told us, you're not making them do what you're paying them for. that's why we pay them money for this tool--so they can help us.

hey, becky i'm anne and am from boerne. dr gonzalez did my procedure also (feb 08). welcome to the club. don't forget there are other kinds of broth--beef broth is much better, and alternating makes everything more palatable. good luck on your journey!

no, i take no medication.

congratulations, stacy. it's so good to read the success stories as well as to share in the information that everyone's questions/answers provide. keep up the good work.

don't wait. CALL YOUR DOCTOR.

i had a "text book" recovery and was back at work wed following a friday surgery. my recommendation to you is to follow your doc's orders FAITHFULLY!!!!! if he says lose some weight before hand--do your best. if he says liquid diet x-days before hand--do your best. if he tells you to get the extra strength gas-x GET IT--makes a big difference. the more closely you follow the preparatory plan, the more likely surgery will go like clockwork and your recovery will be smooth. i also recommend you find a "mother" to watch over you and give you TLC following the procedure. to keep you drinking water/broth, keep you walking and moving following the procedure (to get rid of the gas...). BELIEVE that you will heal well and quickly and don't let your body tell you otherwise. peace and smooth sailing.

the little place we go serves spinach enchiladas (corn tortilla, which seems to go down nicely when flour insists on a re-appearance...you know?) i asked the proprietor for the nutritional information, cause it's really a "hole in the wall" (you know--where you get the BEST mexican food). she gave me the ingredient list and it was a perfect 6 point WW meal. nice.

as of june 15th, my 4 month bandiversary, i have lost 41 pounds. i have had 2 fills and 1 unfill, for a total of 4.8 ccs in a 10 cc band.

you want good food to be the majority of your Protein, but Kelloggs makes "K2O" a protien Water drink. it has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of Fiber per mix-packet. you mix it in 20 oz water (i use bottled water, so this works nice at work). that way you get protein and water. i also keep a package of beef Jerky (i like the teriyaki best) for quick snacks--lots of protein, not much volume...satisfies my need to CHEW, too. best of luck on your journey.

hi-- i'm a coffee drinker and i don't really drink that much only about 4 cups a day. problem is they're usually 12 or 20 oz cups. (yes, i know...) anyway my doc said NONE at all in the week following surgery and only after the 1-week checkup could i resume. and he limited me to 8 oz cup per day. (And he seemed so nice...) my nutritionist said the time righ afte surgery was because coffee is a diuretic and doc didn't want me losing Fluid during that time. the overall desire to reduce caffiene intake was two-fold, in many people it stimulates hunger (and a lot of people use excessive cream/sugar) and it's still a diuretic. we need to keep our bodies well hydrated. needless to say, i still drink coffee. but i make sure it's at least 2:1 Water to coffee ratio. i continue to lose and all my "other measures of health" remain good, so i guess that's working for me.

welcome to the neighborhood! best of luck on your journey with your band.

hi, jenny. welcome. probably everyone here is interested. we'll all give you advice and it's up to you to sift throught it and apply it best in your journey. i wish you a successful journey and know that, if you'll use this tool well, it will serve you well.

i'm counting you among my blessings today, bxlisa. and probably tomorrow too...:confused_smile:

welcome to the neighborhood. i work in san antonio, texas and we've several ibm consultants from dublin. charming folks. hope you enjoy the frienships you'll form here. since my insurance made me do 6 months doctor-supervised diet prior to approving the band, i had already dealt with a lot of that "first month frustration" that you have dealt with. that 6 months i thought was a curse turned out to be a real blessing. wish you much success and many of your own blessings on your journey.

you've come to the right place for support. blessings on your journey!