Julia_N

Dr. Krahn did my band in July 09. I didn't have to get referred to him specifically by my primary physician, just a referral for a lap band. You don't need to go to a doctor affiliated with him, just make sure your insurance covers him. My insurance at the time (Aetna) just required that I use a Center of Excellence, which he's affiliated with, St. Bernadine. I started seeing Dr. Krahn in September 2008, and I didn't have any of the problems the other posters have encountered.Good luck!

I use Isopure Low Carb chocolate powder (got it at Vitamin Shoppe). It's got 50g of protein. I mix it with 10 oz of water, an ounce of Torani sugar-free chocolate syrup (no calories) and a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder. It's tolerable, but I'm glad to get that much protein in the morning. The only ready-to-drink protein I've been able to tolerate is the Isopure Zero Carb that has 40g of protein. I tried Muscle Milk and I couldn't finish it. But everyone's tastes are different.

Welcome back. Congratulations for getting your groove back.

You can lose weight with the band. You have to work it. You'll find that you might be able to eat things others can't, and vice versa. I can't have diet soda because the carbonation gives me a stomach ache. I happen to really like water, so it wasn't a problem to give the diet soda. Sometimes I have ice cream, but I usually can't handle a whole lot, and just a taste is satisfying. Good luck!

If you'e only 3 weeks out, you're still healing and it's not unusual to lose slowly until you get your first couple of fills. Took until my 4th fill before I started losing in earnest. I don't know how many calories I eat, but I get 80-100g of protein daily.

I only had to take a few days off work. Had the procedure on a Thursday, went home from hospital Friday and could have gone back to work Monday, but had the time available so I took a couple more days.

Even when I'm following the rules, I still do a little vomiting. You have to eat slowly and small bites. I always forget that. I've even gotten stuck on cottage cheese and chicken soup! My theory is that it's stuck above your band, so it's not as damaging as if you got food poisoning or bad flu. I don't try to eat a lot of meat, just fairly soft stuff. Sometimes a food that goes down easy one time will get stuck another.

I usually have Isopure Low-Carb chocolate for breakfast. It's a powder. I add an ounce of Torani sugar-free chocolate syrup and a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder. I shake it up with 10-12 oz. cold water in a Blender Bottle. It has 50g of protein. Another protein I like is Chike. It's only available online (www.chikenutrition.com). The advantage is that you only use 7 oz. of water and it has 28g of protein. The flavors are pretty good. I have chocolate and strawberry.

Make it whatever temperature lets you drink the most!

Sometimes the body just holds on to weight. Maybe you're retaining Water, or it's around that time of the month. Try drinking more water. Sometimes the body just needs to flush.

Good luck to you! I went back to basics and started losing weight again. I don't do much exercise, so all your walking should be a bit help.

I'm over 2 years out and even when I'm being careful I can get stuck. I am pretty tight, but I can eat something one week and get stuck on it the next. I've even gotten stuck on Wendy's chili. I've gotten better at figuring portion sizes, and have figured out that I do better when I eat 5 small meals a day (some of them just one item, like Greek yogurt).

Try adding more protein. I find that I lose better when I have 80-100g of protein a day. I have a 50g protein shake for breakfast (during a long drive to work), cottage cheese with bacon bits and sunflower seeds for lunch, Greek yogurt or a 28g protein shake in midafternoon, string cheese as I drive home and something light for dinner, like cheese or pistachio nuts. I have really good restriction, so that helps. Get lots of water in and don't drink anything for 30 minutes after eating. I got real serious a few weeks ago after foundering for months. It's paid off with a good loss.

Petuniap, those are great "rules" to follow. I was banded 2 years ago and have backslid. I've gone back to working the band very similar to your post. Feels good to go back to basics.

I'm doing both, having restriction and working it. I recently made a commitment to actually follow the rules. I've eliminated between-meal eating, but added a midafternoon snack of either a protein shake or a QuestBar. I eat only protein-rich foods. I don't drink liquids for 30 minutes after eating. I've gotten back into a losing mode. I don't think I could be this disciplined without the band. I do get hungry when it's near time to eat. I've also committed to writing in my blog every day and talk about what I'm doing, the good and the bad. (It's at TheJuliaNelson.blogspot.com if you're interested.) You have to do what works, and when it stops working, you find something else.

I'm dying for a cheeseburger, too, but the bread part doesn't agree with me. I miss taking those big bites of burger, but I don't miss the fat ass.

I was banded 2 years ago and had a lot of initial success, but for various reasons I slacked off for about a year. I've gone back to basics, with lots of protein shakes and eating simple, protein-rich foods. Toward that goal, I started a blog, and I'm aiming to write in it every day -- I'm taking the weekends off, generally. My blog is called I'm With the Band, and it's here. The blog and renewed effort have paid off. In the week since I started the blog, I've gone back to losing weight. I'm always thinking about my eating and it's kept me on track. My goal is to break into Onederland by Oct. 6, my next doctor appointment, and I'm pretty sure that will happen. I'm not one for writing in journals, but I do enjoy writing for an audience (I have another blog about my efforts to publish my novel, but it's not going as well as the weight loss). I'd love to hear from anyone who reads it. And good luck to everyone in their losing efforts.

Thanks for reading! The direct URL is TheJuliaNelson.blogspot.com. The posts go in reverse chronological order, so the newer ones are at the top.

If your doctor does fills like mine, it doesn't hurt, beyond a couple of lidocaine shots to numb the area. The doctor inserts a shunt to your port. Then he/she takes out all your saline to double-check how much is there, if any, then replaces it and adds a bit more. My doctor has me sip a cup of water and adds saline until I can't swallow any, then backs off a bit so I can. The process takes just a few minutes. Then you do liquids for 2 days, mushies for 2 and regular food after that. I've gotten 3 fills and they've gone off without problems. Good luck to you all!

I love reading WLS blogs. I have several bookmarked and use them as a mini support group, and a way to get views of people who had other WLS. I started writing a blog last week and it's been great for keeping me on track. Since I started the blog, I FINALLY started losing weight again. My blog is at TheJuliaNelson.blogspot.com. Sometimes it's good to just get things written down. I was never big on journals, but I do love writing for an audience.

This looks tasty.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I've been feeling great! I feel like I've taken my life back, and it's carrying over to other parts of my life.

If you're expecting insurance to pay for it, make sure you choose a surgeon approved by the company. My insurance insisted on a Center of Excellence. There are many of them around the country. Good luck!

My preop diet started after my first visit, so I was on it for 10 months prior. Lost almost 45 pounds, so that wasn't so bad.

I'm 2 years out and still throw up, but not every morning. I have trouble with dry foods, like bread, and I don't chew meat enough or eat slow enough. If I try to eat after that, even if it's something like soup, I have trouble keeping it down.