2muchfun

:wub: We love show-offs

I totally agree but over-promises from the bariatric medical industry can be partially blamed.imo I don't recall much advice or guidance on how difficult this could be and the glossy videos and seminars certainly make it look like a cake-walk? I think I went into this thinking the weight would fall off and I'd feel satisfied with less food from the git-go. Fortunately I'm not afraid of hard work so I'm one of the lucky ones? Brad's post should be tattooed on every new patient wannabe?

Sounds like you should call your doctor?

I think your baby might need more than the 1000 calories many banded women consume? It's possible of course, but I wouldn't recommend curbing your caloric intake?

It's common practice to bill insurance for most all procedures. Insurance will either deny or accept responsibility and should also indicate how much they would have paid if it were covered. This should be the amount you would owe? I wouldn't make waves till insurance denies the claim? If they pay it, won't you be the lucky one? tmf

One of my favorite quotes ever on this forum came from Pink Dahlia: "I'm so stinkin' thrilled with my weight loss i dont even care about what i cant eat!" Pink Dahlia Let's hope you, or we, all get to this stage at some time? tmf

Missy is right. Just keep the empty calories at a minimum and you'll succeed. My weakness is cheese. I don't eat nearly as much as before but I sometimes put a double dose on my omelette.

Actually, it's the body's reaction to nsaids that can cause ulcers, so any form of nsaid puts you at risk for an ulcer. It's not the pill sitting in your stomach, it's the chemicals that are absorbed in your stomach that find their way to your blood stream that cause your stomach lining to be more susceptible to ulcers. Just do a google search for nsaids and ulcers and there's lots to see. Nsaids block some inhibitors that protect the lining of our stomachs and making it easier for stomach acids to irritate and cause an ulcer. As someone who has taken aspirin and ibuprofen by the 800mgs at a time, I'm surprised I don't have an ulcer? tmf

Healthy foods. I stay away from processed foods as much as possible. I strive to stick with a paleo type diet as often as I can. tmf

I ditto GuyMontag. No one ever told me to stay away from straws. IMO there are far too many old rules that many docs traditionally hang on to that are just silly for most patients. Maybe not using a straw during the healing phase is a good idea but if you're one year out, you should know by now what activities irritate or stimulate your band. tmf

Another food group that I personally miss is pasta. Pasta such as mac and cheese, hamburger helper, lasagna, spaghetti with Italian sausage all are high in carbs and fat. They require little chewing and seem to "slide" through my band with ease. The sliding is the key word. Sliding through the pouch gives little stimulation to the vagus nerve and leaves me hungry for more. I still have them maybe once every 2 months but prior to being banded they were a weekly meal staple.

Most docs and most all bariatric surgeons understand the ups and downs of weight loss. If they don't get it by now, they should find a different profession. If your doc has any compassion or an interest in his patients well-being, he/she will understand your issues and encourage you to get back on the bandwagon. There have been several accounts of some A-hole doctors who think that scolding their patients motivates them. Stupid docs. But, they're in a small minority so go in and expect to be hugged and encouraged!

Most docs and most all bariatric surgeons understand the ups and downs of weight loss. If they don't get it by now, they should find a different profession. If your doc has any compassion or an interest in his patients well-being, he/she will understand your issues and encourage you to get back on the bandwagon. There have been several accounts of some A-hole doctors who think that scolding their patients motivates them. Stupid docs. But, they're in a small minority so go in and expect to be hugged and encouraged!

Ibuprofen thins the blood and thins the stomach lining. A tight band could erode that lining and eat into your stomach. That's why they don't like us taking nsaids. I've heard of some doctors allowing their patients to resume taking nsaids but you better check with your doc. I here you about the miracle drug. I have bad knees and I've cheated a few times and taken ibuprofen. It's truly a pain reliever. tmf

Don't think of losing weight as if it were a given symmetrical line going down for each day you burn more than you consume. Your body is a reactive machine and will retain fluids if it's TOM, or you consume processed flour/sugar, or too much sodium or simple carbs. Fluids can create plateaus that last months. If you're exercising, you will retain some fluids due to your body rebuilding torn muscles. If you exercise, you can lose fat but gain weight. Weight vs. fat are two different animals. Burning fat cells and replacing them with muscle cells will make many weight scales stop moving or even increase. This is a long long journey and one or two weeks or even months here or there are inconsequential in the long run. tmf

Sipping Water or any Fluid while you eat allows the food to travel right through your stoma and defeats the purpose of the band. Some of us sip water or wine with meals occasionally but we wait until the food has passed through the pouch and into the stomach. Each bite takes about one minute to pass through if you follow the rules. I recommend newbies learn to eat without fluids until they have more control over their eating habits. tmf

I've found that by cutting out much of the processed foods I ate prior to being banded helped a lot. Cut back on most Breakfast cereals, breads, Pasta, sugar, refined flour and sauces/dressings. I'm not saying you can't eat them ever again, but cut back as much as you can. These foods have little nutritional value and cause huge spikes in insulin production and causes appetite swings and cravings. Like the others have said, eat Protein rich foods like chicken, fish, lean beef and pork. Fill up on vegetables and salads after eating your protein. Good luck.

Sometimes I think we all have these episodes and I blame it on the perfect storm(s). Storm 1: A little swelling from sodium, TOM(you girls), stomach bugs, stress. Storm 2: Distracted eating. Like watching TV, someone calling on the phone, knock at the door, some minor emergency. All these can cause us to unwittingly swallow a chunk of food that stubbornly takes it's sweet time passing through the stoma. Storm 3: Over eager eating too much, too quick, too little chewing. Similar to Storm 2 but activities we have more control over. Any 2 combinations of these storms can lead to at least an hour of shallow breathing, consistent sliming and pure nausea. I just walked around the block trying to rid myself of a ham/egg bfast sandwich chunk lodged in my pouch. All better now. Your new photos look great. Congrats!

Usually the 6 month supervised nutrition program is overseen by a doctor or nutritionist? Better make sure you're doing it right? Someone here on the forum just recently had to start all over again because her doctor didn't follow the rules to the T. Is this a 7 month mandate by your doctor or insurance carrier? Many people don't lose much at all during the 6 month supervised program. That's why we all need the help of a lapband. Wouldn't need WLS if we could diet successfully. And most of us didn't have to diet 7 months before surgery. Some have a 2 week pre-op diet but I didn't have one.

It took me 6 fills to reach the green zone. Keep getting fills to you feel satisfied with less food. 30 lbs/5 mos is average.

Seems like most patients who state their band slipped don't know it slipped till the surgeon looks at the band with a fluoroscopy. Usually, they can't eat much, have a lot of acid reflux, heartburn and seem to feel miserable. Almost all slips occur months or years from surgery.

I eat fruit every day. Cantaloupe, apples, grapes, pineapple, blueberries. My band likes them all. But of course, you need to track how many calories you're consuming so don't over do it?

First, FYI, you hijacked this thread. Don't take this the wrong way but you'll always get more response if you start a new topic with your own heading. That way, hundreds will see your post and may respond where here, only a handful are following this thread and your responses will be few. You haven't filled in your profile so it's hard to advise you? Have you lost weight? The foods you mention are typically difficult for many of us to swallow. Do you think you've mastered the eating small bites and chewing to a complete mush before swallowing?

Relax everyone. What you describe is very normal. It can take many fills before you feel satisfied with less food. The stoma(hole between pouch and stomach) is usually wide open in the beginning while you are healing. Food of all kinds can pass through with ease, unless, you have additional edema from the surgery. You will be in "Bandster Hell" till you receive a fill that suppresses your appetite with less food. It's nearly impossible to have a slip or pouch dilation at this stage unless you insist on eating pot roast, pizza or dry chicken to the extreme. Convulsive vomiting can cause a band slip too. But these are extreme examples and it sounds to me like you're just having a normal journey as most of us have experienced. tmf

If you chew your food properly and take very small bites, this bolus of food would resemble soup. If you can eat soup and not regular food, you might be a little too tight or you may not be following the eat small chew big rule? You may not be eating small bites and may not be chewing enough? It's a difficult task for most all of us to overcome since we got where we are/were by eating too much, too fast.