Jodi_620

The rule for me during liquids and mushies was no drinking 30 minutes before up until 60 minutes after. After I got on solids, I was able to drink up until my meal but no drinking during up until 30 minutes after. The no drinking rule was hard for me at first but I did adjust to the point that I don't even think about it. The main thing is to plan ahead and try to have no drinks in sight. The only time I have trouble now is when I eat something spicy. As far as how we should drink, you do not have to sip for the rest of your life only during healing. Once healed, you should be able to drink normally, if you can't then you are too tight, not vice-versa.

You need to eat solid Proteins three times a day and no in-between meal snacking. Grapes are healthy but they are not going to stay in your pouch and keep you full as long as a piece of solid Protein will. Crackers are carbs, try to avoid them so you can have better control of your head hunger and if you have to have them (crackers or grapes) make sure you are eating them along with a protein and with a meal...no snacking. I work full time and have a hard time getting myself moving after work too but I do find that once I actually get out there and walk, I feel so much better about myself. It is so relaxing and it gives me a boost that helps me get the rest of my stuff done for the night. I don't have a gym membership and am not interested in getting one but there are plenty of ways to get your activity at home.

Had to re-post mine Linda so I went ahead and fixed yours too while I was at it...hope I got it right. ******NAME**********START WGHT****CURRENT WGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST *****:thumbdown:***********:rolleyes2:*************:smile:*********************:thumbup:* 1dayatime..........263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............218............213............5 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............218............213...........10 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............192............180............2 Crzytchr...........281............272............265............9 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............229............220...........16 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........203.9..........200..........6.6 HeatherO...........155............144............140...........11 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............179............177...........17 KikiVal315.........237.5..........229............220..........8.5 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............173............160............7 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........259.6..........256.........14.6 LisaB..............205.5..........194............180.........11.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............230............230...........18 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............286............280...........13 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........284.6..........280.........15.2 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............168............160............7 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............246............239...........12 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............171............167............9 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............168............150............3 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............286............280............8 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............299...........280............5 thatDEgirl.........211............202.6..........195..........8.4 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............217............210............8 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............183............170...........12 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

I would call the surgeon. He/she should know that you are not feeling well and would also know best what to prescribe for a bandster. My guess is that you will get something liquid/chewable. Hope you feel better soon!

My hospital has a policy where you can not be released alone or to a waiting cab or bus. I could not be wheeled out of the hospital until a family member or friend arrived to go over after care with them. I left the same day but was there several hours after surgery to get over some pretty bad nausea. So I was quite lucid by the time I was discharged. If it were allowed and necessary I could have taken a cab.

Not now but I think I did feel it move shortly after surgery. It was no more than two weeks after surgery and I was standing up and stretching with my arms extended upwards when I felt the oddest sensation of something sliding upwards inside of me, the sensation went from port area up to the ribs. It didn't hurt but it was such a foreign feeling that it almost made me nauseous. It scare me a bit too but nothing came of it and I haven't felt it since.

Actually Carney Wilson and Al Roker had gastric bypass, not the Lap Band. There are actually people who have had gastric bypass and end up getting the Lap Band because they started gaining again. The great thing about the Lap Band is that it is adjustable, any time you ever start to gain weight you can go and get an adjustment. If you think that you can keep it off on your own then by all means, that is the best way. I have always been able to lose weight, done it about six times but I always gain it back and then some. The final decision is yours, nobody can tell you for sure that this is right for you. But make sure that you are 100% ready before you go forward.

Oh, too far away from my doctor...I'm sure you'll find a good one a little closer to home. Good Luck!

Where are you in Virginia?

Just fixing my weight...somehow, two pounds were added to my weight in this thread :w00t:...everyone may want to double check their own entries. ******NAME**********START WGHT****CURRENT WGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST *****:laugh:***********:laugh:*************:tt2:************:wink2:*********:eek:* 1dayatime..........263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............218............213............5 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............218............213...........10 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............192............180............2 Crzytchr...........281............272............265............9 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............229............220...........16 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........203.9..........200..........6.6 HeatherO...........155............144............140...........11 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............179............177...........15 KikiVal315.........237.5..........229............220..........8.5 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............176............160............4 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........262.6..........256.........11.6 LisaB..............205.5..........194............180.........11.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............235............230...........13 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............286............280...........13 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........286.4..........280.........13.4 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............168............160............7 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............246............239...........12 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............171............167............9 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............168............150............3 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............286............280............8 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............299...........280............5 thatDEgirl.........211............202.6..........195..........8.4 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............218............210............7 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............183............170...........12 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

I was also told that it is better not to chew gum but only that it could be painful if I swallowed it and it got stuck. But I do chew gum...alot! I watch my carbs and because of that, I do go into ketosis every once in a while and I need to not have bad breath at work. It also helps me to chew on gum if I get head hunger. And if I am having a shake on the go, I need the gum to get that aftertaste out of my mouth. After giving up smoking, soda, and all the bad carbs, gum has become my new oral fixation. And I even accidentlly swallowed it once...scared the heck out of me but nothing happened. Not telling you to ignore doctors orders, just sharing my experience.

Congratulations!!! It is up to you how you want to handle it from here-on out. I would keep posting past my goal...that is what I will do if I drop these last two pounds before Halloween.

You should keep track and try tweaking it a little, until you find your magic number then try to stay within that calorie range.

I am just getting over it now. I took a supplement called hair, Skin and Nails. I've bought it at Walmart and the local grocery store. It has 3000MCG of Biotin along with other hair friendly supplements. I also upped my Protein. Not only has it helped my hairloss but my hair is healthier and my nails look amazing! Now I just have to wait for my hair to fill back in. I have baby-fine hair so the hair loss is so noticable. I was using the Pantene and the Dove volume shampoos. They do make your hair look a little thicker But then I bought Nexxus Sublime Volume Conditioner and that has really helped to hide the thinning. It is a little pricey for my budget so I shampoo with the Dove volume products first then use just a little dab of the Nexxus conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I style with Aussie Volume styling products. I also gave up my straight do and added curls to give it a little more volume. I am noticing new growth so I have not given up hope!

Yes, if you are not getting enough calories, your weight loss can keep stalling. Your body can go into what they call "starvation mode" where it will store fat. How many calories do you get in a typical day?

I started at about 15 pounds more than you and my weight has been coming off steady. But I was in your shoes in the beginning. It takes time but it will start working.

My first fill was 1.33 or something like that. I agree with momcof3. The only time I have pain is if I eat one of the wrong food items or if I break one of the rules (too big of a bite, not chewing enough, eating too fast, eating when full). Foods I can't tolerate well are : bread, dry meat, lunch meat and watermelon You should only eat three meals a day and only when you are actually hungry. You should sit at the table and not be distracted while eating. Your bites should be about the size of your fingernail (using a baby spoon might help) You should chew until the food is mush. You should put your spoon down and wait a couple seconds before taking another bite. You should stop eating as soon as you are no longer hungry. You should not drink with your meal If you are following all the rules then maybe you are too tight and need an unfill.

Welcome Vala! You have come to a great place to get your answers. Good luck in your journey and looking forward to getting to know you too!

Yes, you will need to cut your food into small pieces so that you can take small bites. Believe me, you will get the hang of it.

Wear loose, easy to get into clothing to surgery. Wear shoes that you can slip on. Bring a pillow that you can press against you abdomin during the ride home. At home, have loose clothing to wear. A nightgown or house dress is great for around the house, anything with a waistband will rub your incisions. Make sure you arrange to have all of your prescriptions picked up. I received pain medication, anti-nausea medication and antacid medication prescriptions and my husband ran out and got them for me right away. I set myself up on the sofa with pillows to prop me up, all of medication and drinks within reach. I also had my GasX ready. Have a non-stimulant laxitive on hand incase you need it. Bending and reaching can be painful so I found that a pair of tongs can be quite handy.

Welcom jrcads, South Beach has some high Protein frozen meals, wraps and bars. Canned tuna and chicken are good choices Canned chili (Bush's is my fav) with both Beans and meat chili is great protein choice! Kashi Go Lean Cereal or oatmeal cooked in skim milk are good Breakfast choices. Bagged salad with chopped chicken and lowfat cheese/dressing

It seems like most of us do not see many results with the first fill. I rescheduled a second fill two weeks after my first (my surgeon does not make me wait). My second fill was better, I lost a lot of weight then the band got too loose so I rescheduled my third fill a week earlier. The same thing happened with my third fill, lost a lot of weight then the band got too loose so I rescheduled my fourth fill a week or more earlier. My fourth fill was one month ago. I go in today for my monthly fill visit. I have lost pretty consinstently since my last visit and feel pretty good most of the time so I am not sure whether I need a fill or not, I'll let the doctor help me determine that. We all respond to fills differently so the doctor needs to take it slow to see what works best for you. It is a pain in the neck but it is necessary. Be patient and you will get there real soon.

This surgery is not for everyone. From time to time I see people come here who seem to not have a clue about how the band works and it is obvious that they were not ready for the surgery. If your surgeon has a good psych, they should be able to determine that you understand and are ready. Many insurance companies require this before they will pay and in my opinion everyone should require it, no sense in letting you go through surgery if you are not able to understand the process, give up your old ways and deal with eating less and giving up some things forever. I had to meet with mine twice. The first visit was scheduled for three hours to take the MMPI tests. There were over 900 questions, you fill in the little dots with yes or no answers to questions like "I love my mother", "I want to be a fireman" and "I have never told a lie". You answer the questions honestly and they can evaluate your mental state and personality type according to your answers, they also can tell if you have lied and fail you. The second visit was about an hour long and we discussed the test results first. She was able to describe my personality quite well based on my answers to the test. Then I took a little verbal pop quiz to make sure that I understood every aspect of the surgery and what I would need to do to make the band a success. We talked about my home life, my schedule, my diet, my concerns etc. She gave me some brochures on handling eating issues and stress and a journal to keep track of my food and exercise. I signed an agreement that if at any time during this process, my surgeon felt I needed counseling that I would seek it. And that was about it.

Lunchmeat gets stuck for me too. It was the first thing that I ever got stuck on. And a couple times since, while making DH's lunch, I have tasted a tiny piece and it never goes down right.

My port is a couple inches above and to the right of my belly button. In the beginning, I would have to lie down, tense my abdominal muscles and press deep to find the port. Now that I have lost some weight, I can feel it very easily in any position. I am wondering if it will be more visible as I lose more weight...only time will tell. MzSnapCup, I am a stomach sleeper too. I have no problem sleeping on my stomach now that I am all healed. But for a few weeks post-op, I had to sleep propped up on my back and being a stomach sleeper, that was not fun.