kbinaz

1. I no longer have those horrible feelings of being a lazy failure who can't push away from the table and has no self control. 2. I don't read a menu with an eye to 'what will fill me up the most?' but instead ask myself 'what sounds good and healthy?' (and I can share an entree with my husband or have lunch for the next day every time!!!) 3. I come home from a trip and haven't gained 4 or 5 pounds- I might even have lost!

I was taught by my doctor (and nutritionist and everyone on the staff) that portion size is not how we should be gauging how much we eat. Because appetite can vary so much from day to day and even meal to meal, it is hard to say what the right amount is. Sometimes I barely eat 2 ounces (although this is an estimate, I never actually measure or weigh) and sometimes I eat over a cup. I was told to listen to my body and it's signals to figure out when I am satisfied. I am also supposed to limit my eating time to 20 minutes. When I hit 20 minutes I stop eating. This allows for the variations in hunger and looseness/tightness of the band from day to day. When I am looser (PMS, after weight training) I can eat faster so I consume more in 20 minutes. It all works out. The idea is to not be hungry between meals and I feel bad for all the people who are measuring out 1 cup of food, fearful of eating more than that, who are hungry between meals because maybe it wasn't really enough for them.

My slimes and PB's go together. It IS gross, and it hurts like heck. But it shouldn't happen very often or it means you are too tight. It took me 4 fills to feel any restriction, and 5 to get to my sweet spot.

You should call your doctor ASAP - this is not normal or healthy. Do not choose fast weight loss over your health and the condition of your band. It is an expensive piece of equipment and deserves to be well cared for and you are risking ruining it. You can still lose weight at the proper level of restriction, and you don't have to be miserable doing it. Please don't stay at this level or you may really regret it.

I basically eat the same things as I did before surgery but am much more particular because of the small amounts. It is really important to eat highly nutritious foods because you are eating so little. I concentrate mostly on protein because it is so important nutritionally. I do eat vegetables and fruits, which are carbs, but I don't eat much rice or potatoes or white bread. By the way, I notice a lot of people on here who are having trouble eating chicken and other proteins. It shouldn't be that way. If you are too tight to eat chicken you might be too tight. I will also admit here that I often have a bite or two of dessert. I had a little piece of cappuccino fudge cake after my mother's day dinner and it was delicious and I was down 1/2 pound the next morning anyway! It is hard to not lose weight with such small portions. I think the main issue is getting the vitamins our bodies need.

I had the same problem as you. I needed 7.5 cc's to feel any restriction at all. I was very frustrated, because my doctor is extremely conservative with her fills. I started with 1.5 cc's for my first, second and third fills. When I went in for the fourth one, I was about to have a nervous breakdown because I could still eat almost as much as pre-surgery. I begged and he gave me 2 ccs. It wasn't until my 5th fill, 7.5 ccs that I understood what that elusive restriction felt like - I was starting to think I was the first lap band patient who would never reach restriction! I feel your pain! I understand how difficult this is, believe me. But in the long run there are a lot of really good reasons for slowly reaching restriction. It gives you time to adjust to each new level of fill. Instead of waking up one morning totally restricted you have time to practice! Once I hit my sweet spot I really started losing weight nicely and I really feel that at the end of two years it isn't going to matter if I lost the weight in 8 months or 16, I am going to reach my goal! So try to be patient! I know it's hard! And, in case you are feeling like I was - you WILL get restriction and you WILL NOT be able to eat as much as your husband, I promise!!!

Um, I have taken 6 and 1/2 months to lose 34 pounds. I lost 15 in the past three months and when I went in for a fill yesterday he almost wouldn't give me one because I was losing 5 pounds a month. He finally gave me 1/4 of a cc! So it is hard for me to feel too sorry for you! You are doing great. My question for you is - why would you want to be more tight than necessary? If you are losing weight this well and can still eat quite a bit of food, you should be thankful! I would give anything to be able to eat a lot and still lose weight! The lap band is designed to allow you to lose 5 to 10 pounds a month. That is what has been deemed the healthiest way to lose weight scale. Enjoy it!

I have never been given any eating or drinking rules for my fills (6 total) - I eat and drink normally before them. I have done fine. I'm not sure what drinking before a fill would do.

I strongly recommend people choose a doctor who includes fills as part of the fee for surgery. I needed five fills to reach my sweet spot, and am very thankful that I didn't have to pay for each one. I think I would have put fills off and not gotten them when needed if I had to pay. If that isn't an option for you, I would call your doctor with that specific question because it is a good one.

I had basically the same thing happen to me and I stuck with the lap band. You only have 75 pounds to lose. The lap band is going to allow you to eat pretty much normally, except in very small portions. Gastric bypass patients have trouble when they eat higher amounts of fat and sugar. Personally, in the 6 months since my band surgery I have eaten quite a few bites of cake, ice cream and other sugar filled desserts (I know, I'm bad, but I bet everyone out there has done the same thing) Add this to the other facts about bypass -totally permanent (no unfills later on down the road) and I just think the lap band is the way to go- especially for lower BMI patients. I am VERY VERY glad I had lap band surgery and only wish I had done it sooner. It has allowed me to finally start losing weight and I honestly don't feel like I am suffering one bit. All of us second guess at some point, I think, but once you make the decision, embrace it and don't look back! I think you will be happy if you stick to your original plan.

Mine didn't cost anything - it was included in the total surgery fee. I understand why they require them - it is to make sure you are mentally stable. I don't think many people get turned down for surgery because of it, but I think it weeds out anyone who is dealing with some major stuff that is going to not go away after surgery. It's a preventative thing. The psych. that works for my surgeon told me he has actually had people in his office who admitted they were hearing voices in their heads! Needless to say they needed to get rid of those before surgery!!! Another red flag is depression and they kind of screen you for that.

By the way.... I could never vomit before I was banded either. I went through 3 pregnancies and labor and never once vomited. I don't have a good gag reflex or something and no matter how sick I felt I'd talk myself down and refuse to vomit because I hated it so much. BUT- PB'ing is NOT the same as vomiting. The food doesn't mix with stomach acid yet - it comes up in exactly the same condition as you swallowed it - basically mush. There is none of that awful retching, gut heaving stuff as with vomiting. It is pretty neat and tidy and comes from above the band - just an 'urp' and a splash! Yuk, kind of graphic, I know... sorry. It does hurt, though, until the food comes out. It is like having a baby - as soon as the food is out the pain goes away. The bottom line is you shouldn't be doing this very often. Use it as a warning that you might be too tight and that you need to chew really well!

Weight training WILL NOT MAKE YOU BULKIER!!! But man, it will make you look better! I have been working out with a personal trainer for 4 years - 3 and 1/2 of that was before my lap band surgery.For that 3 1/2 years before surgery I lost like 3 pounds (very frustrating) but my body fat went way down. My trainer is a BEAST!!! He has me work out with way heavier weights than any other women at the gym (partly because I have been working out for so long and have worked myself up to it) When I had surgery I weighed 233 pounds and nobody believed it and I am sure it is because I did so much strength training so looked leaner than I was (relatively speaking, not lean by any stretch of the imagination!) Now that I am really losing weight, my body fat is going down really quickly. Trust me, I am not bulky. And the weight I am losing is almost completely fat. (in two months I have lost 16 pounds and 15 of it was fat). That is what strength training does - the added muscle helps you burn fat. Don't fear it! Embrace it! Love it! (actually, I hate it but I treat it like medicine... yukky but necessary) Let us know how it goes!

OH, my goodness, you poor thing!! That is awful. I am so sorry for you. To just finally be feeling better after surgery and then wind up with that injury! I hope the healing process goes quickly and without complications. Hang in there ... things can only get better!

I don't need anything different than I used before surgery. My doctor doesn't advocate protein shakes, so I don't need a blender. I also was told not to weigh my food - I eat 'til I feel satisfied, so no scale. I can't for the life of me figure out what a food processor has to do with a lapband!!! I have one, though, and I really like it, but it does take up a lot of room. If you are going on shakes, you will probably need a blender. If you are short on space I'd highly recommend the Bullet - available at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and places like that...It is pretty small and you could even conceivably take it to work or out of town with you.

For clarification - I don't drink soda because my doctor said not to. BUT... I also tried some the other day just because it was sitting there and I was curious... I took a sip and it tasted awful. Like chemicals. So if it had tasted good, I might have allowed myself a glass! I guess after 6 months without it my taste buds have changed.

I asked the nurse practitioner about this today - he said PB'ing isn't going to do any damage but you shouldn't be doing it often. If you do it too much you are too tight and that can cause problems with the band down the road - that is where issues with slipping occur, with bands that are too tight. The main thing with PB'ing is that when you do it you aren't able to eat 'real' food and will tend to go for softer stuff and liquids. Don't get into that trap. If you can't eat dense foods without PB'ing, you might need an unfill.

It really isn't that easy to slip your band. And it isn't that easy to stretch it either. You aren't even filled yet, so your band isn't tight, which is what would cause slipping problems. I wouldn't be too concerned.

Yeah for you! We are the same weight! I finally hit 199.5 yesterday (happy mother's day!) and today was 199. I was having the same problem as you - our scales must be afraid to go down into the 1's!!!! Funny - I now weigh what it says I weigh on my driver's license!!! I have been carrying around that little lie for years and boy, does it feel good to really weigh that! Actually, I now weigh less than it says. How fun is this? Don't you love your band???

I LOVED my psych. appointment because the psychologist was absolutely the hottest man (okay, besides my husband!) on earth. I am serious... he was really, really tall and handsome. I like to call him Dr. McDreamy.

I was told to wait 2 months and I think that was wise. My port sight was pretty sore until then and I wanted to make sure everything was healed. But ask your doctor, doctor is the same.

I had to wait for two months to exercise (other than walking) and when I started back with my personal trainer I was really scared I was going to damage something! But the doctor and her staff had assured me that I could do ANYTHING and it wasn't going to hurt the sight. So I did everything! My trainer had me do a bunch of crunches my first day back and I hesitated, thinking "wow, this could be awful!" But- no problem, my stomach muscles were definitely sore, but not unbearable. Other than exercising, I was told that if something didn't hurt, I could do it, so I basically lived by that philosophy. Honestly, by month two you totally forget that thing (port) is even in there.

I'm already banded so have no desire to meet or hear from surgeons! I voted "other" because the best part for me would be to meet other banded people.

My port sight was very sore for a month and the pain gradually lessened with each passing week after that, but it hurt to have anything touch it and it was hard wearing jeans or anything at all constricting. Also, a two year old weighs quite a bit, and I was told not to lift anything over 10 pounds for two months, so I'd be careful. Ask your doctor and do what he/she says. Everyone is different so it is always wisest to do what the doctor says.

Also not wanting to be anti-Mexico, because I'm sure there are many very competent doctors there- but the issue is aftercare. How will you get the fills you need? I had to have five fills, one a month, in the four months after my surgery and if I had had to go to Mexico each time rather than drive 1/2 hour from my house, I doubt I would have been as diligent about getting them when I needed them. Other questions to ask: 1. How many lap band surgeries have you done and what is your complication rate. (They recommend going to a doctor that has done at least 2,000 surgeries) 2. How much do you charge for fills? (My doctor provides them free for the first year) 3. What is your pre-op diet 4. What is your post-op diet (just because they have a very strict post-op diet doesn't necessarily mean they have less complications so I would lean toward a less strict post op diet because I am not a person who could survive weeks of liquids. Believe me, it will matter to you when you are going through it) 5. What is your philosophy on fills? Agressive? Conservative? Anti-fill? (I have actually seen posts on this sight where doctors limit patients to 3 fills total. I would not have lost a pound if I had been limited to 3 fills.) Some doctors fill you slowly and some fill you quickly. There are pros and cons to both. You need to do this the way that is right for you. Just make sure they don't limit your fills because the band only works when filled properly. 6. What does your pre-op education consist of? I saw a nutritionist, a psychiatrist, and had several information classes so by the time I had surgery I knew exactly what I was supposed to eat each day pre and post op, what things to watch out for, what kinds of foods to stock before my surgery... lots of little things I never would have known. Again, I see posts on here all the time from people who are asking what they are supposed to eat or when they are allowed to exercise - stuff I knew really well. Good luck on your journey!!! Feel free to email me any time with questions, I'm happy to help.