2muchfun

That's a tough question. Every one has different insurance policies and every policy can be different, so it's impossible to offer advice that might work for you? Some policies require a 6 month Dr. or Nutritionist supervised diet or program prior to approving. Some don't. Some require a 2-5 year history of obesity from their doctor to be eligible. If you can go online to BCBS you can find what your insurance covers, what is expected from you and how much it's going to cost. I had BCBS and it was all explained online.

Can you elaborate more? I'm not understanding your question?

Sandy's right. Soup and salads are slider foods with very little Protein to help you stay satisfied for a long time. Dense Proteins and dense veggies will help you stay satisfied till dinner where sliders will only make you want food again in 2 hours. I usually have a Protein shake for lunch. Still kindof a slider food but the extra protein stays with me. I might top it off with a hard boiled egg or slice of deli turkey. Then I have a 300-400 cal dinner with lots of dense protein like salmon, chicken or low fat hamburger. During the fasting phase(usually 12-18 hrs), you should refrain from having any calorie containing foods. coffee with no sugar or cream is perfect and keeps your metabolism up. Just stay away from anything with calories.

catfish87 had something similar. His band was unhooked and it took a fluoroscopy to find it. Here's his story: I initally did very good with the band for the first few months. Then I noticed that I had no restriction. After several visits and discussions with my Lap band surgeon, I started gaining weight back. His office started using fluro for all fills about a year or so after I was banded. My first fill under fluro and my Dr. verified that my band had come undone! I was the first one out of the many, many patients he had done to have this happen. He was very nice about it and got me in for surgery ASAP to reconnect it. Now I am back on the right track and have good restriction. I think i have 9.0cc's in my band. Its the AP Large. Overall, i am Thrilled with my band! I could do better with my food choices, no doubt about it, but I am satisfied being a slow loser. Not losing as much in the winter, but doing more outdoor activities in the summer ( I love riding my bicycle!! ) Im not a gym person, outdoors for me please. My Dr, My Dr's office personnel and support staff are GREAT to work with. I'd highly recommend them to anyone.

John, You got in just when the new band and technique revolution began. Good for you but unfortunate it didn't work out. tmf

dlucia, No way you can know for sure. Only your doctor with the aid of a barium swallow can tell where your band is? I don't want to appear to be mean spirited but you should get over offending your doctor. They've seen this hundreds of times. You're not the first or last to fall off the wagon and you probably won't get back on without an honest consult with your doctor. And I don't know of anyone on an internet forum who would have enough wise words that would make you recommit to your journey. For me, it's not having the temptations(crappy food) in the house. Don't buy them. PERIOD! But make that Dr appointment tomorrow. tmf

It depends on what kind of pre-op diet your doctor has you on? Usually they want you on foods that have very little or no carbohydrates. The object here is to shrink the liver and avoiding carbs is the way to do it. But, your doctor may have his/her own agenda? Every doctor has a different protocol and they even vary the protocol for different patients depending on what their medical issues might be? Look at the carbohydrate count on the can? Just keep the carb count per serving under 4-5 grams but you really should follow the Doctors protocol whatever that is? Don't add milk. Milk is probably forbidden?

It depends on where you are in the pre surg or post surg phases? If you're banded already, when?

#1..This is how I do it but I do it 3 days a week so it's a 4:3 fast for me. #2..Professor Kristen Varady based her studies on alternate day fasting and it works faster and you can lose more this way simply because you're eating fewer calories per week/month. But it can also be the hardest to maintain long term. If you didn't watch these two videos, here they are again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzkVmXe9NMU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq1jwtFeGvk I haven't posted this one before but it's a video by Vicki Edgson a nutritionist.

No food in particular makes me throw up. All foods will make me throw up if I don't eat small bites, eat very slowly and chew till the food is the consistency of cream type Soups. tmf

You can't. You can edit your posts but not delete them.

Mikee, you should join us over on this thread. Lots of support for anyone who's plateaued or struggling: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/318937-starting-52-and-no-scale-this-week/?p=3596606

You should be the poster adult for the Lap Band.

John, Your band was placed back when they still used the peri gastric method and old band technology. New surgical techniques and bands have made the band a much safer procedure. Also, caring doctors now have a much better handle on screening patients and educating patients best. 10 years ago the band was seen by the bariatric community as a panacea which of course it's not. Good luck with your sleeve journey. tmf

Steph, Yes it's normal. You're hungry. If you drink too fast this early after surgery, liquids can take time to travel through the stoma and if you drink too much too quickly your esophagus will stretch causing some discomfort. Ghrelin. We seldom talk of ghrelin. Ghrelin production happens still but once the band is adjusted properly ghrelin production will lessen. But you're still in the post surgery recovery phase so you still have adjustments in your future.

Not me. Just wanted to respond. I've read many posts over the years and not one was similar to yours? Has to be a reason why you violently vomit though? What do your doctors think?

Your expectations that the band would stop the eating demons were ill placed. Head hunger(cravings) don't go away for many of us. Eating processed foods such as anything with sugar/fructose or white flour and fruits can cause a body to want more and more. Easily digested foods which are high BMI foods break down much quicker causing insulin spikes. When your insulin plummets a short time later it's easy to reach for the chips, crackers or sweets to assuage your hunger. It's unfortunate your surgeon didn't diagnose your personal health condition correctly. But the simple answer to your needs is there is no WLS that takes away your hunger if you don't follow the rules of that particular WLS. With the band, it's eating very small bites, chewing your food to a mush like consistency and consuming fresh non processed healthy food. Those eating demons can be mitigated if you follow the eating rules. Not completely of course, but for most of us enough to not seek more food through the night. This is all about eating the right kind of foods and in the right quantity. You have to choose the right foods and if you follow the rules your appetite can be reduced along with your waistline.

Just a guess? Maybe esophogeal spasm?

Follow your doctors orders about eating after surgery. Your band will be sutured into the lining of your stomach and eating solid foods before the doc clears you can be catastrophic. Be reasonable about your expectations in the beginning. The band won't work it's magic till you get enough fills to feel satiety for hours after a meal. Ask us anything and we'll try to answer. Although, the saying that there's no such thing as a stupid question, there could be. Like, how come we can't eat ice cream? Or, I miss my litre of coke everyday, why can't I drink it? Because ice cream is a slider food. It's OK to have a little ice cream once in a while once you gain control over your eating habits, but hiding in a closet and eating a quart of Ben and Jerry's isn't a good idea. And soda pop can cause your stomach and pouch to swell causing dilation. Welcome, and good luck this week with your surgery. Look forward to hearing from you again.

My BMI was down around 37 when I had surgery but my doctor actually suggested the band and still does to this day. Post surgical care such as fills, follow up visits and consults regarding any complications are just as important as having the band placed around your stomach. We see so many patients who fail to lsoe due to their surgeons unwillingness to support band patients for years after surgery. Don't make the mistake of allowing a disinterested surgeon place the band and kick you to the curb. You sound like a good band candidate? Although, we have many many banders here who are quite successful and had BMI's up around 45-55. For me, I didn't want my stomach removed, period. I think the sleeve and bypass and DS are all very good surgical techniques and on average produce faster and better results than the band. But, all I really wanted was a little help with reducing my hunger and allowing me to feel satisfied with less food. That's what the band did for me. And that's all I wanted. If you think you might need more from the surgery, you might not be a good candidate. If you need a tool that will only allow you to eat 4 ozs of food at a time, the sleeve or bypass might be a better choice. Because I still have my lower stomach, I can still eat a lot of food, IF, I want to. But I don't, because the band helps me feel satisfied with less and keeps me satisfied for hours after a meal. Good luck and I look forward to many comments to your topic. tmf

Welcome to Bandster Hell. I was in BH for 4 months. This is the part your surgeon forgets to tell you about. There's very little, if any, saline in your band now so the hole between your 2 oz pouch and lower stomach is pretty much wide open. Therefore you can still eat just like you did before surgery. You won't feel satiety and eat less till you get enough fills to give you this feeling. I managed to not gain weight by eating healthy foods as much as possible and working out as much as I could. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Focus on eating healthy foods and stay away from slider foods like sugar drinks, chocolate, Soups, ice cream, chips, crackers and high fat drinks like latte.

Bands don't tighten. They're inanimate objects. People however can have severe inflammatiory episodes caused by tom, meds, illness, sodium, stress that cause the stomach lining to swell which shrinks the stoma causing you to be too tight. You may need an unfill? Only your doctor would know.

What does a daily meal plan look like for you?

Great story. OMG....you must be peeing your pants you're so close to onederland? tmf

Your pre-op diet is quite liberal. You should do well and there really are lots of low carb veggies to choose from but maybe not the ones you like?