Jodi_620

Yes it really does make a difference when you get to your sweet spot. I think that the more weight you have to lose the faster you lose at first. I weighed 234 and my weight loss has been consistent even now that I am approaching goal. I am a transplant from PA too! I've been here for 20 years and still can't see myself going back to PA yet. (I grew up near Ebensburg, pretty depressed area)

What type of food? Are you eating solid Protein and veggies? How long do you stay satisfied? How has your weight loss been? Are you stopping when you are satisfied (not full)? You should be taking at least 20 minutes to eat and if there is still food on your plate after 30 minutes stop eating and wait until you are hungry (your stomach is rumbling) to eat again. See what happens if you just measure out 3 oz. solid meat, 1/2 cup of veggies and if needed 1/2 cup fruit. No dessert. I do not use a dinner plate, I use a bread plate. Is your stomach still growling or do you just want more? I do think that you are still not at proper restriction but the above is just checking to make sure you are doing your part. When you get a fill, does your doctor extract the saline to make sure that it is all there (no leaks)? Have you had a fill done under fluoro to make sure your band hasn't slipped? It could simply be that you are going to need to wait longer to reach your sweet spot. The restriction right after a fill may just be swelling, that is why many people are not supposed to eat right after a fill...I have to do two days liquid, two days mushies then slowly build back up to solids.

You should see if you can scedule another fill. Everyone has to work up to the proper restriction which typically takes four or more fills to reach. My first fill was six weeks post-op. My doctor has me come in once a month whether I need a fill or not but if I need a fill before that I can schedule it. I have had 5 fills and am finally at my sweet spot, My last fill was six weeks ago.

You should be able to pretty much eat anything you want as long as you chew well enough. How much are you able to eat in a sitting and what are you eating?

The Lap Band will make you full on a small amount of food. It will not keep you from eating between meals when you are not hungry or eating slider foods (eating around the band means eating soft or liquid foods that will slide right through thus allowing you to eat more--for example, ice cream). The reason it is different than conventional diet is that you are not hungry (which helps you deal better with the "head hunger) and the band keeps you from cheating and eating more than you should in a meal, that is the "edge" over dieting alone. It is for life, if you keep your restriction maintained you will never go back to your old ways. It is not for everyone. It makes weight loss easier but it does take work on your part. The "edge" with Lap Band over bypass which takes less willpower is that it is less severe, it is adjustable and should there ever be any complications it is reversible.

Is your band empty when you come out of surgery? Mine was, some surgeons do put a little saline in though. How long do you wait before your first and in between fills? My first fill was 6 weeks post-op. I have to see my doctor once a month for the first year (whether I think I need a fill or not). But if I feel that I need a fill sooner than a month I can get one. He only recommends that I wait at least one week after a fill before I go back. How much saline does the band hold? Depends on what kind of band you have, mine holds 10cc's Does anyone have a full band? I don't, it is about half full right now. If you ask your doctor to be aggressive with the amount he puts in your band for optimal weight loss will he/she? That is an individual thing some doctors are agressive and other are too cautious. My doctor allows me to decide (within reason). Can you request a fill or does the doctor have to advise it? Another individual thing. I have seen some people say that they must wait at least a month between fills, some six weeks, regardless of how well they are doing. I can request a fill any time I think I need it. Of course my doctor will ask the necessary questions to make sure that I fill is what is needed (am I eating right, how long do I stay satisfied, am I losing weight etc.) but so far he has never turned me down.

Sorry to hear about this whole situation and glad it didn't turn out worse. I think your band will be just fine, it is pretty well protected in there. If you feel pain or have problems it then go get it checked out.

NAME*************START WGHT.*****CURRENT WGHT.*********GOAL**********LBS. LOST ***:biggrin: *************:biggrin:*************:tt2: *********************:w00t:*** 1000words..........237............225............220...........12 1dayatime..........259............250............239............9 aJoneen............213............210............199............3 alliemorris73......229............229............199............0 Ariel..............193............193............183............0 Barb12590..........207............194............187...........13 Bea1129............198.5..........194............183..........4.5 Brandy.............208............202............198............6 CQQlgirl...........188............186............170............2 crzytchr...........265............254............250...........11 JasonR.............366............366............351............0 Jodi_620...........174............163............159...........11 KikiVal315.........229............223.5..........215..........5.5 Kirsty39...........237............234............217............3 laurigee...........170............162............158............8 Leslie2Lose........215............214............199............1 LilMissDiva........244............244............225............0 lindar172 .........257.8..........249.8..........240..........7.8 LisaB..............189............181............170............8 mamanmidwife.......275............268............255............7 MegMegs13..........266............260............250............6 mominlv13..........282.4..........274.6..........270..........7.8 noosagirl..........138............138............124............0 Renee74............198............191............185............7 renewedhope........162............161............150............1 SailorChristy......251.5..........248............230..........3.5 southernmissy......209............198............195...........11

Last time I saw her she looked pretty good.

So many people say Well, I ate solid food early but it went down OK. That is not the point. It is not for weight loss, it is not to avoid getting sick and it is not just to torture us. :wink2: To answer your question, anything not liquid during healing will cause your stomach to churn in order to digest it. Your band has sutures holding it in place, until you form scar tissue and those sutures heal you do not want that kind of motion. Doing so would risk breaking the sutures and band slippage or it could cause the band to shift and heal out of place. The people who chose to break the rules could have done damage and not even know it.

American here. I was thinking the same thing. I grew up in PA and was taught to always take my shoes off. We got lots of snow there too. Moved south to Virginia and while wiping your feet is customary, unless the weather is particularly bad, the shoes typically stay on. Service people usually bring little booties that they slip over their shoes. We do get snow here but not like up north. Keeping shoes on took some getting used to. Over the years I have brought Virginians including DH home to Moms house and had to remind them to take their shoes off. As for the green bean casserole and candied yams. Not all of us like that stuff! SIL brings the green Beans every year and DH and I have a secret joke about them. I thought the candied yams went out in the 70's, I remember mom making them when I was real young but I haven't seen them in years.

See your doctor about it and get officially diagnosed.

Here is an article on it...it explains it better than I could. Apparently she has Jenny Craigs blessing. Kirstie Alley Launching Her Own 'Weight-Loss Brand' - Bodywatch, Kirstie Alley : People.com

Me too. Last I heard that since finishing with Jenny Craig she was planning to develop her own weight loss program for people to follow.

Mine is about two inches above and to the left of my belly button. And I don't feel it at all. I was thinking on the same line as Lacey. I have about 28 more pounds to go to reach goal and I swear most of that is in my stomach, so I still have some padding there. Maybe those that are having difficulty have lost most of the weight in the area of the port thus lost padding (?). Kacee, The large chest and tummy is what trained me to sleep on my stomach. I couldn't handle that weight bearing on my chest when I was on my back and if I was on my side too long it made my back hurt.

I just read that same article just yesterday. That line kind of ate at me too.

Yeah BJean, unfortunately Sterling is falling fast. I've been here for 20 years and the last five have been pretty sad. Illegal Immigration came first with overcrowded, unkept homes and crime. Now we have MS13 in Sterling battling 18th Street in Sugarland. Just last summer there were three shootings, a stabbing and the rape of an elderly woman in her bed all within a weeks time. All have been found to either be related to gang violence or committed by illegal immigrant criminals. To keep on topic there has also been two prostitution busts in the county lately one in Leesburg and on in the apartments in Sterling Park, both were rings run by gangs.

I know for sure that my pre-op diet primed me for weight loss. It got the carbs out of my system and got my blood sugar levels down. Keeping the bad carbs out of my diet has kept the head hunger away because I am not having blood sugar spikes and dips that cause us to crave more. I still get a healthy diet by getting my carbs from fruit, dairy and some whole grains. No matter what diet we would go on there would be Water weight loss in the beginning, believe me, I have tried them all and I have seen it every time. I agree that the majority of pre-op diet weight loss is water weight. That is not the point though. The weight loss around the liver really can't be measured with the scale. Your liver is considered to be fatty if 10% of it's weight is fat. Considering a healthy liver only weighs around 3 pounds we would only be looking at a scale loss of .3 lbs. of fat. Seems like a minuscule amount but it is still necessary to get rid of it to avoid problems during surgery. When we diet, the first place for the fat (not water) to leave the body is from around the liver, low carb high Protein allows that to happen faster that is a fact. I think that doctors want their patients to take the fastest way out to ensure that they will be successful and not take risks with a fatty liver. Add to that the fact that it does prime you for the post-op diet and it helps with carb addiction, a large source of failure for many people who are trying to lose weight, and I can see why it is a preferred method for many doctors. That is not to say that low fat, low calorie or whatever other diet you prefer wouldn't also work, it just would take a little longer. Low carb does not cause muscle loss, low fat/low protein does. Protein aids in fat loss and preserves your muscles. It also keeps us full longer. For the most part I've seen that most US doctors recommend 60 grams of protein per day. I wouldn't consider that to be terribly excessive the USRDA goes by age, sex and other factors but the average range recommended daily is around 50-55 grams anyway. So most doctors are not so much telling us to eat too much protein as they are telling us to be sure that we make sure we are getting enough.

That is truly exciting! Hope you get a chance to enjoy it before it is gone! (Send it up my way when your done with it, okay?)

I know what you are saying-That is way cool! So is it sticking to the ground?

Coool! I live way up in Virginia and haven't seen any snow yet. There has been talk of flurries once or twice on the news but I haven't seen any. I grew up in the mountains of PA where it snowed in November and pretty much stayed around until spring and I loved it!

Try drinking something acidic to see if you can break it down. Pineapple juice might do it.

I am not sure what your doctors instructions are but I was told to take in nutrition whenever I was hungry. (truly tummy rumbling hungry) I was told to have three Protein shakes a day and broth, Jello, popsicles etc. in between to satisfy in-between meal hunger. Technically all of this can be counted toward your daily liquid intake but try to get your Water in because it is so important plus it is a natural appetite supressant. It was hard for me to get enough water at first too but keep a bottle with you at all times and sip as often as you possibly can. It will get easier.

No, I wouldn't hold off even longer. My day starts at 5 so I can tell you what my doctor suggested. You should always "break your fast" as soon as possible in the morning. I have to take my thyroid meds first thing and wait an hour so I get up at 5 and eat at 6. I usually have an eggbeater omelet. I am not a coffee drinker but since banding I started drinking tea. I wait until after breakfast to have my tea (the driking rule is 30 minutes after eating for me). I am usually hungry by around 10:30 so I was told it was OK to have a small healthy snack. This is a good time to supplement your Protein if you need to. You could have a Protein shake, a small piece of fruit (1/2 banana with a tsp. of peanut butter) a tiny handful of Kashi high protein Cereal (I eat it dry). Then I have my lunch at 12:00. My doctor approves of this and my weight loss has been great.

OK, take a deep breath. Most of us are nervous at this stage but you will be fine. You will not strech your pouch on liquids. Liquids do not stay in your pouch long enough. Stretching happens when you consistently keep your pouch full of solid food. Like when you are on solids and eat too much and then eat between meals so that you pouch is rarely empty or I should say it is always full. Keep following your docotors orders and get the broth and the shakes as prescribed; you will be fine. Keep away from the scale if it causes anxiety--a pound or two doesn't mean anything. You are in the healing stage anyway so don't focus on weight loss. It will take time to identify how much food satisfies you but in the liquids stage you are not so much concerned with that as trying to not be hungry and getting in enough nutrition all the while not eating solids that could cause damage to your healing sutures. It is a learning process. When you are on solids it will be easier to guage. If you feel uncomfortable after eating then you will know that you need to eat a little less next time. Eventually you will be able to guage it easily.