flowers

Im in Richardson, not far from you'all. There are some scheduled dinners and stuff from lapbanders in the DFW area. Im not banded long enough to be mentoring anyone, but wanted to say hellow from another Dallas person.

You and I are band buddies it seems, I was banded a week ago too. I am not rushing it. I am walking, but not as far as before my surgery and only in the last two days. I came home pretty tired. This month is for recuperation from surgery and Im taking it that way. I finally dropped 2 more lbs. last night, so Im down 4 lbs to your 6 lbs, so you are ahead of me there too.

I was told the number of incisions depends on how many the doctor needs to see everything, more if you weigh more. I never was told it was even possible to have a open incision all the way down. Iv been upset that my main incision is 3 inches long when I was lead to expect it would be about 1 inch. You dont look like you weigh all that much from your BMI, so I have to say Id have been surprised and upset in your case. I still feel like Im recoving, draggy, cant breath deep, ribs bruised etc.

The lapband has only been approved in the US for about 5 years, so you are going to have a hard time finding a lot of US citizens with a band for the last 5 to 10 years. Do you speak Spanish?? Maybe find a Mexican board, or a board aimed at Europeans if you need to speak with longer term banders. PS I have been banded now, maybe if you have a specific question I can answer? Or someone else can.

My Dad just wanted to let me know that I needed to do more exercising, that walking wasnt enough or I would have flabby skin (which I will anyway) if I lose a lot of weight. My parents havent a clue how to be supportive. If I needed to find an actual person who is really supportive, Id be hard pressed.

Am I reading this right, you were banded last Sunday and upset about only being down 10 lbs. I was banded the 9th, and finally last night dropped to being down 4 lbs. What's wrong with me? :frown: I have no restriction and have felt since I woke up from surgery I could eat anything.

Hi, China Doll, another Texan here. Im banded and down a few pounds, about 11 lbs since I submitted my application for surgery, self pay so its all out of my pocket. Hey, I cant wait to be where you started, in regular sizes so I can shop in real stores instead of online. I walked last night, but making excuses tonight, tomorrow!!! Trying to get back to my late night walking schedule in the Texas heat. PS, I decided no excuses tonight, so I went out and walked one more block further south than I did last night. Iv had one of those days where I could eat my hand. Made chicken salad from some rotisseire chicken, a can of Protein shake, then 2 popsicles, then a virgin V8 bloody mary, still hungry, more chicken, all that since 4 pm. So I made myself walk. How are you doing on your journey?

My parents are very skinny and have trouble making themselves eat. So you can imagine their answer was just to diet and use will power. I went ahead with it. I think all you can do is show them with results. Sometimes people will sabatoge your efforts. For whatever reason they dont want you to be the person you can be with the band. You just have to turn a deaf ear. I know I would have been hurt to have a friend post a thread about me, Iv been hurt more than several times by things that happened online and now learned not to share personal things.

Im in at 237, lets be honest. I guess Im counting down to Onederland, (once again, been there more than a year ago). Here we go again, I know I can do it. I need to be 200 - 220 lbs to get into a cruise dress Sept 7 - 14th for formal night.

The surgeons have more experience. Lapband has been legal in other countries for much longer than the U.S. Care, I was one of three with 2 doctors and 5 nurses and a nutrionalist. The General Manager came over to shake my hand when I checked in. Instead of a nurse monitoring me, I had a real doctor, hard to find in US hospitals. Price and convenient for me. I live in TX, so it was only a few miles over the border. Ill bet 99% banded in Mexico will tell you they were treated like a Princess and pampered. I was on a IV for 24 hours, here in the US you recover for an hour and are sent home to take care of yourself.

I was on a IV for 24 hours when I was in Mexico, so I actually gained 3 lbs. Protein will build muscle which in turn will burn the fat on your body. I know when I did Nutrisystem they actually added Protein powder to 99% of their food, thats why their food works so well. They add soy bean protein powder. You almost have to get used to the slight taste as its in your dinner, your evening brownie etc. You need between 60 - 80 grams of protein a day once you are able to get there on this diet. I know Im not there, and not hardly losing because of it. Maybe it would be better to say Protein will give you more energy?

wow, Im surprised. Its hard to know how you stack up against others. I had clear liquids for 3 days and my doctor said I could try mushy foods and see how I tolerated them. I snuck one small teaspoon of unsweetened applesauce the end of 2 days post op and it tasted divine. I came out of surgery asking when is dinner. (I was in a hospital). Im 5 days post op and eating mushy food, tried 1/2 packet of oatmeal tonight. Had the beans from a taco platter for lunch, had to give the rest of the platter to my family. Melted some laughing cow cheese into the beans because its super soft anyway. I do need to work on getting enough protein in now though. Im forcing down a can of protein Boost tonight. Drinking water with protein, but still not getting enough. Also not losing weight yet. I think a lot of this is to help you lose some weight fast. I could eat pretty much anything from day 1 if they would let me, but know I cant. I havent tried any meat yet though. I wonder why you had trouble tolerating mushy food? Maybe from so long on liquids?

You say THE protein shake as if it must be a particular one? Im just using Boost that I had originally bought for my Dad, I had 2 six packs of the protein shakes. They dont seem as bad as I anticipated, but I have a slew of SF flavored syrups. I added raspberry and carmel to vanilla yesterday and today Im adding chocolate and carmel. I also have chocolate protein powder, but might as well try and drink up the protein Boost so it doesnt go to waste. Im not getting very many of them down very fast to be honest. I need to start forcing myself to get more protein down.

Are you sure you didnt misunderstand? Many (not me) are placed on a liquid diet, not a "clear liquid" diet. I did clear liquids the day before and 3 days afterwards.

The Protein builds muscle which in turn will lose the weight. I am seriously not getting in all my protein and still only down about 1 lb since surgery because of it, but I am just now on mushy foods and its hard to eat enough at first to get in your protein. I lose weight faster,as do all people, with higher protein intact. The more muscle you build with the protein the more fat you will burn. Im newly banded, but have lost weight before, and can tell you protein works to take off those lbs. As far as how fast you lose, everyone is different. I came home from surgery up 3 lbs from where I started. I went to Mexico and it could be the liquids from the IV or just swelling they said. At least Im finally down a tad. Iv been looking at a lot of tickers and looks like many can shed 100 lbs pretty easily in 10 months or less if they work their band.

I dont think you will be able to smoke afterwards without being in danger of band slippage. Im still at the sore stage and coughed twice and boy does it hurt. You dont notice a little cough now, but you will when your stomach is so sore. Coughing can also cause slippage after you are banded. I too choose to be banded in Mexico, for the price, even though as the other poster says there are places in the US for less than $10K, like Dallas at TLCEdge and in Colorado. I was nervous, but my parents were nervous wrecks about me going to Mexico.

So many different answers and pre opt diets. Some say studies have proven that it would take at least 2 weeks to shrink your liver. 5 days sounds to me like they are trying to get you used to eating less? I was told to do low fat high Protein, nothing about liquids or not liquids. I think the purpose behind a liquid diet is if you are supposed to do nothing but liquid shakes they keep you from snacking on bad choices.

I know what you mean, I was afraid my BMI would then be under 35 and then I would no longer qualify for the surgery. I lost 7 lbs. I was not told to lose any certain amount, but then I was self pay.

I was surprised too!!! I was banded the day after you were and I have 5 incisions ..... and they are longer than what I was lead to expect. The good news, if there is any, is I didnt have gas like so many other did after their surgery, so maybe those bigger and more incisions let out the gas afterwards.

We were told it take up to 3 weeks for the scar tissue to form that holds the band more firmly in place. Until then you could have some slippage if you get too crazy. Im 4 days post op, and know I couldnt have anything vigorous right now anyway, tee hee.

I must be in the minority here. I did Nutrisystem and lost 80 lbs and didnt lose any hair, why would this be different?? Of course I gained all the 80 lbs back and found a few extras when my Dad's health became uncertain last winter. You wouldnt think I could put the weight back on so fast. Thats why I decided to do this. I just refuse to weight this much and admit I have little will power. I need the lapband's help. .... but I have no worries about losing my hair??!! Why would you with the lapband?? Are some not getting enough Protein or something??

One of the doctors I went to his seminar in my area has done thousands of lapband surgerys without any deaths. TWO is a pretty high percentage imo (highest Iv ever read 2 out of only 500 lapbands). Of course the doctor is going to say nothing to do with his surgery. Again my two cents. If you think these stats are not worrying, then ok, its not my decision. Also, 500 lapbands is not very many. Most surgeons have more experience, at least all the doctors I considered.

One of the first things I got here is to find out out how many lapbands has the doctor done. Not how many overall weight loss surgeries, but specifically lapband surgeries. Were you satisfied with your original research on this Dr. FOX. I admit there is one doctor mentioned here that I would now avoid, just because of a couple of negative feedbacks. Others claim he is wonderful, but I wouldnt want him to do my surgery. I went with a different choice.

I too choose a doctor that I knew little about and no one on this site had used. I felt ok to leave the day after surgery, yes they had included a night at a hotel, but when I was on pain meds and drip IV for 24 hours I felt better than I did after 10 hours of getting home. Im not sure what complications you have or if they are normal. It still hurts to tie my left shoe or get in and out of bed. I was banded July 9th. Im still feeling tired and moving very slowly. I did go grocery shopping on the way in from the airport the day after my surgery, so I guess I can do that, but that just added to my exhaustion. Im thinking its normal to feel tired. Are you getting enough Protein? I started Protein shakes last night.

Im tired too and a little out of breath even. I think what you are experiencing is probably normal. I know Im moving more slow and not eating as much as before and folks look at me eating my refried beans off the mexican platter we had today and say what can I do to help. lol