kristenmh

i gave up all soda and liquor/wine and started doing a Protein smoothie for Breakfast every morning. I'm also mostly vegan -- so i've been eating ALOT of Beans, tempeh and tofu. my goal everyday is 60-80 grams of protein. my personal goal is to lose another 20-25 lbs before surgery.

Hi there, I'm not in NYC but am a native NY'er now living in LA. I was banded at NYU in 2008 -- my revision surgery is scheduled for March 6th -- I'm also in month 3 of the 6 month diet. (Also, a fellow BC/BS). Where are you having your surgery done?

i've not liked any of the premade Protein shakes -- so I've started making my own. i use Vega chocolate Protein powder (20g of protein) plus Orgain Almond Milk (10g of protein). If I add in 2tbsp of PB2, that brings the total protein content up to 37g. Blend with some ice and the occasional shot of espresso and/or a half banana or bunch of spinach.

I am so sorry to hear that! You might want to talk to the lawyers at wlsappeals.com -- i did a free consultation with them and they were super helpful.

My band removal was approved on Friday afternoon! Woohoo! Of course, I wish we were doing the removal and sleeving at the same time, but my doctor would like me to wait 3 months before being sleeved.

it's so reassuring to hear that other band-to-sleevers have the same fears i do.

i'm having my first procedure (lap band removal) on december 6th. sleeve 3 months later.

Here's my story...I was banded in 2008 and lost (from pre-op to lowest weight) around 75lbs. Almost immediately upon hitting my lowest weight (165ish, about 10 months out), I started to regain. It was a stressful time -- I moved across the country for a new job, one of my pets died, my husband was out of work for almost a year and I couldn't find a surgeon locally who would do fills for me. I gained back all of the weight plus 10+ more lbs within a year. i found a doctor who would do fills for me and lost 30. then i gained that back. i went vegan and lost 40lbs. gained that back plus 20. all this time, i was throwing up several times a day with the band. cut to a few months ago -- i go in to see about a revision to a VSG. my doctor is hugely supportive, on paper it looks like my insurance will cover it, etc. we do some x-rays and an EDG to make sure the band hasn't slipped or eroded -- it's fine. i still vomit a few times a day and belch a lot so I decide to go ahead and do the revision. now i'm a month out from the first procedure to take out the band and am panicking. what if i gain even more weight when it's out? (i've lost 12lbs since going to see this new doctor.) what if the VSG doesn't work and I don't lose weight or worse -- gain weight back. i'm really going down the rabbit hole -- does anyone have any band failures to VSG success stories they can share? any tips for maintaining (and losing) weight after the band is removed?

I asked my surgeon about why he does the surgery in two steps -- his answer made a lot of sense. The average % of patients who experience a leak is 1% when the procedure is done in two steps. it doubles to 2% when the band is both removed and the patient is sleeved at the same time.

Just got the confirmation from my surgeon's office -- my lap band removal date has been set for December 6th. I'm feeling nervous b/c I'll be without anything for 3 months while I heal and wait for my VSG procedure. But I figure that time is good for me to practice healthy habits. I'd love it if you guys could share your removal surgery experiences -- how was recovery compared to being banded? My lap band surgery was pretty easy.

i personally really like the unjury flavorless Protein. a little spendy, but not too chalky.

You are doing so well! Good for you for hanging on through this stall. Just a thought -- are you journaling everything you eat? One thing you might do (just to see if you can figure out why you aren't losing) is track everything for a week and see what your daily calorie and Protein intake is like. If it's low and you are finding yourself hungry all the time, I'd look to see if you could add in more filling (i.e. high protein, high fiber) food to replace what you are eating today. Also, I'd think about reaching out to your Doctor's office and/or a nutritionist to see if they have suggestions.

hi joy, i'm also in culver city but am doing surgery at ucla. nice to meet you -- drop me a message if you ever want to meet up for a coffee and a chat.

i had an endoscopy this morning -- i arrived at 6am, went under at 8, was awake on on my way home by 9am. i was a little wobbly for an hour or two, but got back to work by noon. i did work from home, just in case. my throat is definitely sore -- but tylenol is helping alot.

i'm in la, hoping for a band to vsg conversion. my surgery will be at ucla.

Hi folks, I'm newish to NYC and don't have a PCP. I'm on Oxford and would like to choose someone that someone on these boards have used. Can anyone make a recommendation? Thanks so much!!!

Saturday was my 6-month bandiversary! My stats: Down 1lb this week Total loss: 63 lbs Remaining: 40 lbs i seem to be steadily losing about 6lbs/month. Never thought I'd say this but I'm happy with that rate -- I don't feel deprived at all, I'm exercising (but not obsessively) and can still eat pretty much anything. (I'm trying to avoid bread/rice only because it has proven to be a little bit problematic in the past.) so: YAY!

Down a pound this week (which is miraculous as I am PMS'ing and indulged in a giant Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookie. It was still warm and I don't regret eating it ONE BIT.) One of the amazing things is that I can choose to have a giant, delicious, indulgent cookie like that -- as opposed to before where I would just sccarf one down daily and not even enjoy it. It's been MONTHS since I've had a treat like that. Anyway: 62 lbs lost, 41 left to go!

I was filled to 7cc's last month. Since then I've had a PB incident about every 4 days or so. The first two weeks were largely due to me trying to eat bread (and not quite learning that wasn't going to work the first three times.) Since then, I've had about an incident every 4 days or so -- once when I defn. took too big of a bite, once when I ate a lil' fast/wasn't paying attention and then a few other random times which I totally chalked up to my own behavior/learning curve. Over the weekend, I had three days of constant incidents. A fish stick came up. (These are usually my slider food). Sashimi hurt going down. A steamed gyoza (also a slider for me) came up. I got worried about the pb'ing causing slippage so I went to my doc and asked for a slight unfill -- we went down to 6.8ccs. My doc mentioned the average fill was 7.5cc-8.8cc and she was surprised I was having an issue with the 7cc fill. My question is this: should I have had an unfill? Should I have attributed my problem to my own behavior and not being "too tight"? I've been losing slowly(but consistently) at about 6lbs. a month. I'm never restricted the way I was after surgery, but I'm also not going to bed hungry. I can eat more than a cup of food at a time but I often just stop at a cup. I got over the whole no bread thing and don't even really miss it that much. I am active (doing 1.5 hour Vinyasa Yoga class 3-4 days a week) but not a slave to the gym. Will I ever be able to go up to 7.5ccs or more? Is this more of a "getting used to learning new behavior" thing that will come with time or should I have picked up these skills already?

i've had a bunch of these lately... - having EVERYTHING in my closet fit! - giving away all my size 24s, 22s, 20s and 18s - being in a yoga class and being able to keep up with a very vigorous 30 minutes of sun salutations - being able to cross my legs - being able to see the muscles in my chest - being able to walk into most stores and find clothes that fit

I'm down a pound this week (which is amazing, considering the booze and the chocolate). I'm at 185 lbs, which means I have crossed the halfway mark. (And I met my first goal!) My next goal is 19.5 lbs away -- it's when my BMI crosses from "obese" into "merely overweight".

NYC Lap Band Get Together Sunday, June 29th Ozzie's coffee 49 5th Avenue (between Carroll & Garfield) 4:00 pm Map & Directions: 49 5th Avenue Brooklyn, NY - Google Maps Trains 2,3 to Bergen D, M, N, R to Pacific Hope to see everyone there! I'll be the chubby girl all in black!

100 pounds is amazing. go you!! i'm down 48lbs as of this past Monday...my goal is to hit 51.5 (and thus have lost 50% of my excess body weight) before the new year. I'll be a "statistical" lap band success story then.

i think sometimes it just happens -- our bodies rebel. my scale had been up 4lbs all week (despite me feeling like my clothes were too loose) and then bam! i weighed in this morning and it was all gone plus some. i sometimes think this surgery is an exercise in learning to have faith in ourselves. and to practice patience. anyway: yesterday was my three month bandiversary. i'm down about 45lbs total -- 6 more and i'll be considered a statistical success. (i.e. lost 50% of my excess body weight.)

Has anyone run into this? I just ate lunch. (Soy chicken Burger). I'm defn. not FULL (not the feeling of full I had post surgery) and everything went down ok. I ate slow, chewed, etc. Now, a few minutes later I am totally phlegmy. Not sliming (i've done that), but just a lil runny nose (usually a sign I am full) and phlegm in the back of my throat. If I was sliming, wouldn't I feel full?