erinbefore

I've lost 44 pounds since the beginning of the 2 wk pre-op diet, and 32 of those are since surgery on 6/30. I haven't had any fills, since I'm losing at or beyond the recommended guidelines and don't frequently feel hungry. In non-scale victories, I just finally treated myself to some new clothes, and the XLs at the gap that I tried on were TOO BIG? (what!?) I bought a skirt and a tee shirt in size large and was beond happy. :omg_smile:

I was banded 6/30, so I'm about two and a half months out from surgery. I'm not filled at all currently, as I've been losing great and am still able to eat a large variety of foods. I currently eat almost everything in extreme moderation. I'm not much of a Pasta or rice person, but I eat half an english muffin with Peanut Butter in the morning with no issues, and I've eaten good bread in small amounts as a side to a meal (not really eating sandwich bread, though). I eat my version of BBQ chicken nachos (400 cals, good protein!) I have had small burgers openfaced (no top bun) a few times. I eat salad and any kind of meat with no issues at all. I mostly eat good choices, but haven't cut treats out completely. I just am now satisfied after a few bites of a brownie instead of a few brownies. :omg_smile: I've lost 44 pounds since the start of my two week pre-op diet, 32 since surgery. I'm sure there are people losing faster, but I'm happy having no issues with PBing, sliming, getting stuck or any other side effects and to eat between a 1/2 cup and a cup of food per meal, still be losing weight well, and feel full and satisfied all the time. Good luck!

No undies, and no cath for me! :thumbup:

I went through MMC's program, but it's been a while since I did my pre-op work (a year to a year and a half ago) so I'm not sure if what I'll write here is still their process. I first met with my surgeon and attended an informational seminar and then about a week later met with the social worker and the dietician . Then, about two months later I met again with the social worker and the dietician for round two of appointments and then about two weeks after that I signed my consent for surgery with Dr Cobean. Which social worker do you have? I've met both and they both seem lovely. None of my appointments were scary, though MMC did employ a social worker that many people has issues with way back when I was first in the program.... She's not there any longer though. Let us know how it goes!

Hi all, I'd love some advice. I was banded on 6/30 and have been eating solid foods for about two weeks now. I eat my Protein first, then veggies, and eat around a 1/2 cup per meal 3x's a day with rare Snacks (healthy or low-cal, and only a few times a week). I occassionally eat carbs, but try to not choose empty ones. My calorie range has been between 600-900, but I've been trying to bump it up because my weight-loss has slowed some.. so now I'm probably eating around 900-1100. I'm rarely hungry and head hunger has been very slight and totally manageable. I'm supposed to be going in for a fill next Wednesday. I had planned on not having one, because I have decent enough restriction to feel happy with the foods and amount I'm eating -- I mean, isn't eating the way I'm doing already supposed to be the purpose of getting fills? At this point I've had zero issues with PBing/sliming and have no problem foods. I'd kind of like to keep it that way if I can. Buuuut: I'm losing fairly slowly. This week I've lost about a pound. Last week was 1 1/2 pounds. The week before that (on purees) I lost just under 2. I'm frustrated that I'm eating correctly and not seeing the weight fall off the way I think it should. So, I'm not sure if a fill would help things along, or if it's not really necessary since I'm already eating small amounts of 'good' foods with my calories in check. I also love that I can still eat half a piece of wheat toast or protein Pasta or eggs and chicken and not have issues. If I started having a hard time eating most foods, I think the band would be a much harder tool to get used to. But, I want to be losing more than 4 -5 pounds a month too... especially this early into the game. Advice??

I can't feel my band at all, and I don't feel my port either. If it weren't for the incisions and the weight loss, I wouldn't really believe I'd been banded! :biggrin:

Hi Wicked... :thumbs_up: You know, I didn't even look into other programs for a couple of reasons: 1: I was first introduced to MMC through my friend Kelley's bypass surgery there, and she had such a good experience with Dr Cobean that I was impressed, and 2: I live in Portland, so convenience was key too. My path to WLS was much longer than most -- I did all the prep work in '06 and early '07 and was initially given a band date of March 5th, '07 when my insurance at the time denied me (no co-morbidities). :thumbup: Ironically, we had been waiting to adopt kiddo number two around that time and got the call to pick up our two month old (at the time) daughter on March 4th, so it worked out perfectly, in the end. This April I changed insurances and found out they cover lap-band with no co-morbidities needed if you have a BMI of over 40, which I did. I resigned up with MMC and the process when super fast from there because I had already done all my preliminary work. I had one SW appt and one nutritionist appt and signed consents in mid May. My surgery was scheduled for about 5 1/2 weeks after I signed consents -- teir average is 4-6 weeks, and I was on vacation for some of those weeks so requested a timeframe toward the end of that window. I had good experiences with the nutritionist and SW... they used to have a SW that I couldn't stand, but she doesn't work there anymore. (Whew!). I seem to have restriction just from the band -- I've had no issues transitioning to solid foods and am still feeling full after 1/2 a cup 3x's a day. Weight loss is slowing, which is to be expected, but I'm doing ok in that arena too -- so overall, one month out from surgery I'm super happy with both my band and my surgeon/his team. I'll let you know if I stay this happy as time goes on! Have you been to a support group yet?

Hi there! Just found this Maine forum -- yay! I'm Erin, 31, living in Portland with my partner and two kiddos (3 and 19m). I was banded on June 30th, so I'm almost a month out, and I've lost 17 pounds since surgery (29 since the beginning of the two week pre-op diet). I was banded by Dr Cobean at MMC's Bariatric Surgery Center / Casco Bay Surgery. I can't say enough good things about the program, and I'm having fabulous results with no issues thus far. :thumbup: Anyway, it's great to meet you all. xo

My doc gave no weight lifting restrictions, and I've been carrying around my 22 pound daughter since three days post surgery. It's more than likely your port. :thumbup:

I'm about a month out and feel restriction from just my band. This may change, of course, but I'm completely healed and still can only eat about 1/2 cup at a time and am not hungry throughout the day. I have to work to get in my all my calories, but I've lost about 17 pounds since my June 30th surgery. At this point, I don't think I'll get a fill at my 6 wk checkup. Right now I have no problems with pbing, sliming, etc and other than portion size, haven't had any trouble foods (though I'm abstaining from soft bread, Pasta and rice). As long as I'm losing 1-2 pounds a week, and I'm not hungry, I'm not getting a fill.

I've never had a major sweet tooth, but man I love me some fried food. I'm wondering if anyone has a good recipe for a baked and healthier version of typical fried foods -- chicken, chips, onion rings, fries and the like. Or maybe a good brand of baked 'fried' products? Obviously these would be treats, not part of my everyday eating -- but I've seen tons of healthier Desserts and very few savory/salty treats, so I'd love any recipes you could share! Thanks!

I was extremely anxious that my surgery would be cancelled -- mostly because I was banded on June 30th, and my insurance was changing over (because of workplace's decision to go with a new insurer) on July 1st! I was really worried the surgeon might be sick that morning, or that -- even though I followed my per-surgery diet perfectly -- my liver would be too fatty and I wouldn't be able to have the surgery and would wake up unbanded. I think worrying about a huge life change like this is almost inevitable. That said, I'm two weeks out and everything was textbook and all my worries were unfounded. Good luck surviving the next few weeks!

Are you getting in all your Protein too, or choosing carbs *instead* of protein? Have you been doing Protein shakes? What are your portion sizes? I'd say if you're following your dr's rules, then the course of action is to try and stay as mellow about losing weight during this time as possible. However, if you haven't been getting your protein in, or are eating significanly more than you should be, then definitely try to recommit to the general bandster rules. I'm not counting carbs at all right now (2 weeks, 1 day out from surgery) because I'm eating so little. I eat plenty of higher carb foods right now, but work to get in my protein through shakes, and through mixing some whey powder into most everything I make. Mashed potatoes can totally be higher in protein with a little unflavored powder mixed in. I'm keeping my intake to 1/2 cup portions three times a day, or two if I have a biggish Protein shake in the morning. Many, many bandsters don't lose or don't lose much until their first fill. They don't call this time "Bandster Hell" for nothin'! Take care (hugs).