Socalbandit

Congratulations on your decision to have lap-band. It will be the best decision you have ever made. You have so much to look forward to. I had surgery 1-08 and have lost 63 lbs so far. I still have 38 to go. It is not easy however it is the easiest way I have ever lost weight. I have to committ myself everyday that I needed to change my lifestyle. I do the eliptical an hour 5 days a week and keep a journal and of everything I eat. I plan the day before and do the math and just eat 1000 cals a day. I am hungry but I feel so good about myself that it doesn't really matter. I was told by a neighbor that I was looking gorgeous....me the fat girl looking gorgeous??? I am sooo much happier I can not even tell you. You must committ and do whatever it take to be successful. The band cannot do it alone. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and before you know it people will be telling you how gorgeous you look. Just keep your eye on the prize.

I am sorry that you are unhappy with your decision to have surgery but I just wonder how many changes in lifestyle you have made. I also have struggled with my weight my entire life. But I drew a line in the sand when I had this surgery and told myself I would do whatever it took to be successful. I had surgery Jan 08 and at this point have lost 60 lbs. I go to the gym 5 days a week and work out at least an hour and work up a somewhat disgusting sweat. I also journal everything. I only eat out 2-3 times a month. I calculate my calories the day before and keep them around 1000. I do not have great restriction in that I can still eat bread and all the other things many can't, however I limit my carbs to 10% of my diet. Everyday I am hungry but I feel soooo much better physically and emotionally because I refuse to be a fat girl forever. I still want to lose 38 lbs. and there is no doubt in my mind I will get there. I have had setbacks also. I had a hysterectomy and could not go to the gym for three weeks so I gained 8 lbs. I feel so much of this is about changing that inner dialogue we have in our head. This is the first time in my life I have ever felt that I know now I will be thin someday...and that day will be sooner rather than later. It takes a committment from me everyday of my life. If I had the surgery but did not change other things in my life I probably would not have lost much weight at all by now. I know how hard it is and I feel your frustration. I think we just need to remind ourselves why we had this done in the first place and that anything worth having takes sacrifice. Instead of the food my focus is now on how much better I look in my new clothes. To me food is math now. It is all in the numbers. When I go out I enjoy my food and eat what I want but I must limit that greatly because it is a real trigger for me. I wish you much success in your journey and remind you to keep your eye on the prize...a beautiful new healthy you.

I was banded in Jan of 08 and had a BMI of 40. I have lost 57lbs and am now at a BMI of 30. I have not really set a goal for my BMI. At this point I still want to lose another 39lbs which would put me at 150-151 at 5 ft 6 with a large frame bone structure. I just try to set small attainable goals of wt loss as I go along. More importantly I set goals for exercise and journaling which is the key to my success. I do not have restriction yet and am really trying to make changes in myself and just let the band be kind of a helper and not the end all be all. Good luck to you though and I am so happy I had the surgery. It is not as easy as I thought it would be but it is easier than anything I have ever done prior. Kind of complicated but when dealing with food issues it is a complicated process.

I am not sure I understand. They wanted you to lose a total of 15 lbs before surgery and you have lost 30 lbs. If you are scheduled on June 6th, why do they have you on liquids now since it is generally only 2 days pre op that is liquids.....and you have already lost more weight than what they had requested?

Well I guess you should ask yourself what you are so apprehensive about. Are you afraid of the anesthesia, or the surgical procedure itself, or the pain from recovery. While there is some mild discomfort from gas, it is very mild. Also, the surgical site pretty much feels like you did a lot of sit ups. No problem there. Or are you panicking because you are already worried that you are not going to be able to eat as much as or the same things as you do now. Well I was banded just under 5 months ago. I have lost 51 pounds and still eat the same things I ate before.....just less of it. I do work out 5-6 days a week and I do journal everyday so I keep my calories under 1000. I have had 3 fills so I have 7cc in my band. My last fill was just 2 days ago and so far no issues. I have not felt a great deal of restriction so to this point it has been mostly behavioral changes which must be made to succeed. I do not regret for one second this surgery. I still have 50 lbs to go and I know I will get there and stay there. I have never been able to say that before. I have never felt better and I have gone from a size 18/20 to a size 12/14 and am still going down. I wish you luck and hope your experience will be as positive as mine has been. I have not had a pb or thrown up or had anything get stuck.

The gum really is kind of a no-no. Not only is there a risk of swallowing, albeit low, if it gets stuck you will end up with an endoscopy. Also, it produces air in the stomach which is not good. So in a word should you chew it; NO. My opinion is it is just not worth the risk.

I had a lot of headaches prior to my surgery. After my surgery I had not had a headache for 3 months. I had been on the birth control pill but went off prior to my surgery and stayed off a few months. As soon as I started back on the pill my headaches have returned. I never associated it with the pill before. It was only after being off them and going back on them that I realized the cause. I am having a hysterectomy in a few months so the problem will work itself out. I just think also that with taking better care of myself it helped tremendously. I exercise 5-6 days a week and limit my calories to 1000 or under and carbs to 10% of my diet. Good luck.

Congratulations on your surgery. Absolutely you can do it. 30 minutes a day is a good start but when you are feeling better 60 minutes a day is even better. Try to break it up a bit. Do the treadmill, the bike, or the eliptical. I love the eliptical. I do 65 minutes and it says I burn 750 calories. I am not sure how accurate it is but I have lost 44 lbs in a little over 3 months. Don't look at the whole number. Just concentrate on 10 lbs at a time and before you know it you will be at goal. Just stay resolved to do it. Good luck.

You don't say how old you are. Is there a chance you could be pregnant? It is hard to know since you did not say what your fill situation was since your surgery. Sorry to hear about your nausea, I hope you start to feel better.

I was just wondering how long you have known that you needed to lose this weight by that date. Crash dieting is not the best thing to do. You need to have strong resolve even after you have the band. It is not magic and unless you change your lifestyle and eating habits you will not lose. It could take months before you feel restriction. Are you ready to do the work? I wish you success.

It is very normal to be hungry considering that you are still on liquids. In a week you will be able to transition to mushy foods and that will make it easier. You still will not be full though. Even when you start on regular foods you probably will not be full. I have had 2 fills and am 13 weeks out and I am still hungry. You might as well get that stuffed feeling out of your head because you will probably never get there again. You need to try to take the importance off the food. I know that is hard when you can't have any right now. But the band is only a piece of the puzzle and you need to change so many things about the way you relate to food. To me now my husband laughs at me because food is math now. I figure out what to eat the day before and I sit down with my calculator and do my budget. I get between 900-1000 calories and keep my carbs at 10%. And I have lost 44 lbs in 13 weeks doing it that way. I have only gone out to eat 2 times because that for me is a trigger and I choose not to do it. I am so happy that I have lost this much weight so fast that I am ok with the fact that I am hungry sometimes. I know I need to work out 5-6 days a week and I try to focus on the positives and how much better I feel and how much more energy I have. I still have a ways to go but for the first time in my life I know without a doubt not only will I get there, I will stay there. I also do not have any restriction now, I am taking the fills very slow because I know I need to change me. Good luck and just try to focus on one day at a time. You will get there.

Just checking to see if my ticker is being displayed.

I have had 2 fills at this point. I do not have restriction yet and do not notice a difference in my band. I have not had a pb or had anything get stuck either. I do however become ravenous during my period. I get so hungry or maybe I just don't deal with my hunger as well. I also can gain up to 6 lbs during this time. Within 5 days of starting my period I will lose it all and then some. It is a bad time of month no two ways about it.

Wow I guess I am amazed that any physician in his right mind would remove a band after only a week. How much thought had you given this before you decided to have the band put in? This is a life changing procedure but it is only a small part. It appears that you just have not reached the point where you are ready to make those necessary changes. There is no magic bullet. There is no quick fix. It takes a lot of determination and effort to succeed. I wonder how old you are? I feel bad that you have undergone 2 surgical procedures and are right back where you started. I also wonder if you again decide to change your mind if your insurance company and physician would even consider putting the band back in. I do not mean to sound heartless but I mean come on; 1 week and you were done. What kind of effort is that? Of course you were sore, you just had surgery. Of course you were weak, you just had surgery. The gas pain goes away after a week or so. You just seem to have given up so easily that perhaps the band would not have worked for you anyway because it does not stop you from eating. This is especially true in the beginning. I have had the band 13 weeks and have lost 44 lbs and that is with 5-6 days at the gym, and counting calories of only 900 a day. I have no restriction yet with only 2 fills. But I wanted to change my life and was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish that. I am sorry if I sound mean but I think you need to do some soul searching and maybe the lapband is not the best choice for you. Maybe you are just not ready yet. It does not mean you won't be someday, but you have to want to be thin more than you want the food. It is as simple as that. I wish you luck in your struggle.

It is very normal to not have restriction until you have had several fills. I have had 1 fill and was banded on 1-7-08. Even though I do not feel restriction and CAN eat anything and AS MUCH as I want, I don't. I knew I would have to change my lifestyle when they put the band on. If I am not losing weight it is not the band's fault, it is my fault. I have to make the changes necessary to lose weight. The band will help but I still need to go to the gym 5-6 days a week. I still need to journal what I am eating everyday. This is not a diet, this is a whole new way of eating and relating to food. I have lost 40 lbs in 3 months and have never felt better. I plan on approaching my sweet spot very slowly. I still want to be able to eat pasta or bread every now and then and have maintained the control to have that privilege. I don't want to be so tight that I have a hard time eating anything. The band is only part of the puzzle and I can't say it is totally responsible for my success so far but I can't blame it if I choose not to change my habits as well. For me I was willing to go to any lengths to be healthy and become thin and I just practice self control one day at a time. I also had to pay out of pocket and that alone is enough incentive for me to be successful. Failure is not an option. I still have 55-60 lbs. to go but for the first time in my life I know I will get there. I also know the band will be my gatekeeper so that I do not gain in back ever again. Sometimes I just feel like we need to have more personal responsibility for our own journey. I love to eat, but I'd love to be thin even more. The food will always be there and I can be happy with less of it and less of me.

So sorry to hear about your cousin. It must have been such a shock to her family. I can almost guarantee that the coma was unrelated to the lapband surgery. Seems like her parents or spouse would demand an autopsy to get to the bottom of it. Complications with lapband are very minimal and death is certainly not one of them. You are right to go ahead with the surgery. Bypass is so much riskier. You need to take control of your life. I know that had I not had the surgery, the path that I was on would have eventually resulted in a stroke or heart attack. I am only 3 months out and my lifestyle has change 100%. I am at the gym 6 days a week and feel so much better. You can rest assured there is much more to the story than you are getting. I hope you find comfort in the memories you have of your cousin. Perhaps her death can inspire you to live your life to the fullest.

B- protein bar and protein chews L- 2 laughing cow cheese wedges, 2 small slices cheese, and 4 cracker D- Chicken tortilla soup and 100 cal pack

Well it has only been 3 weeks. Give it some time. The minimum amount of protein you should be having is 60 grams. I noticed that 2 of the last 3 days you were under that. If you do not get enough protein it will stall your weight loss. Are you drinking 64 OZ of water everyday? I also see where you said you were not exercising yet. Is there a reason for that? You should not lift weights for 6 weeks but getting on the treadmill or eliptical is something that will definitely increase your metabolism and boost your weight loss. It will work if you put effort into your weight loss. I am at the gym 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs. I hate it but I know if I don't do it I will stop losing weight. Just keep your eye on the ball of why you had this surgery in the first place. It does not matter if your calories are low like that. Your body does not think it is starving as long as you are giving it the protein it needs. Be patient. It did not go on overnight and will not come off overnight. I know I am in the same boat, you want that scale to move everyday but that is just not practical.

Once you get on to regular foods your calorie intake will increase. I am 11 weeks out and keep my calories at 900. The scale will move. Just do not get obsessed by it. Just stay in the action and you will get the results. Are you getting in all your protein? Sometimes in this stage you still need to supplement with protein drinks to get enough in. Be proud of your efforts so far. It is not easy and you should applaud yourself. Keep up the good work.

I am 11 weeks out and have only had 1 fill. I can eat much more than 1/2 cup at a meal. I am trying to change my behaviors so I plan my meals the day before and limit myself to 900 calories a day. I am still hungry but I realize I need more fills. I perhaps feel differently than most and want to take my fills very slow. I kind of want to back my way up to restriction. For example I am going to ask for only .5cc with my next fill. I want to be just this side of not being able to eat bread or pizza or pasta. If it gets to the point that my weight loss stalls then I may need to be more agressive. I am down 38 lbs. in 11 weeks. It is not easy but it is the best decision I have made in a long time. The band will help you, but you have to be willing to make other changes in your exercise and how you relate to food. I figure if I can deal with 900 cals with little restriction when I get to adequate restriction it should be a piece of cake. I only have good things to say about my band. Good luck

No. The foods that I was allowed during the mushy stage are as follows: hi protein oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, refried beans with cheese, mashed potatoes with cheese. But you will also have to supplement with a protein drink to get in enough protein. Hang in there, I know this is a tough stage too. You can also have pudding and apple sauce but those are empty calories. Oh, the best ever is Ritz low fat crackers with creamy low fat peanut butter. I had that at least once a day. Now that I am on regular food though that is not the best choice.

I also am thrilled with my band. I still have about 60 lbs. to go but my only regret is that I would have had it done sooner. I firmly believe that it happened when I was ready to make the changes that it takes to be successful. Remember it is only a tool. It is a piece of the puzzle that can make you lose weight. If you are not ready to make other changes, chances are it won't work. It is not easy, but it is the easiest journey in weight loss I have had so far. I now know without a doubt that I will be thin by this time next year. I was banded on 1-7-08 and have lost 38 lbs. Good luck

Boy he has got a lot of nerve. I had heard that he was going to go on a radio show to get a date. The station would have a huge lawsuit because people around him seem to have really bad luck. It is too bad, he gives cops a bad name. I am sure he was always a dirty cop. His story fascinates me though. How I would love to get in his brain and figure our what makes him tick. A megalomaniac no doubt. He also seems to like them young. You have to feel sorry for his kids. There lives are ruined.

My doctor put in 3cc at time of surgery and then I have had 1 fill with an additional 3cc. I still have no restriction and have had no pb's or anything getting stuck. I am really focusing on changing how I deal with food and want to go slow with the remainder of my fills. I go on the 10th and am only asking for .5cc. I don't want to get to the point where I can't eat what I want unless I absolutely have to. Good luck

Congrats. on the weight loss by the way. Did you know either of his wives? I am not sure how big Bolingbrook is. I am in southern Calif.