2muchfun

Breakfast: Egg beater omelette w/turkey sausage and a sprinkle of cheese Snack: apple/cutie oranges lunch: leftovers, usually salmon, chicken. Sometimes I'll have deli turkey on oroweat sandwich thins. snack: 1.25 oz of jerky(costco) dinner: last night, salmon on salad. Or stir fry veggies with chicken I just try to keep the fats down and get my Protein in first. I usually stay away from carbs as much as possible. Not entirely of course, but I keep it down. I always did well on the Atkins and South Beach diets. tmf

You should fill in your profile so we know you better? tmf

Let me apologize in advance for my default response to your topic. Your post is very common mainly because almost every one of us has had the same experience 6 weeks or more into this journey. Seems like most all had selective hearing when we went through the seminars, research and nutrition meetings? I know I did. I really thought I'd immediatly start losing weight and feel satisfied with a small meal. HA! Not a chance. Some are lucky and it does work that way but for most, not! I was banded a little over a year ago(11/28/11). I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Then I got my 3rd fill and met with my nutritionist. The weight began to fall off after that. Relax, what you are experiencing is very normal and has happened to most of us. Seems like I was hungrier after the surgery than ever before. But, I was a good boy and ate healthy foods, but maybe not the 1/2 cup I was told to eat. That enabled me to maintain my 12 lb loss till my 3rd fill. You'll be in "bandster hell" until you get the fill that gives you enough restriction for the band to work it's magic. That may be 1 fill or 6. No one knows. Till then, like our esteemed forum member B-52 says, " "Until there's restriction...It's just another diet" tmf

If you are a new lapband patient you are not expected to lose weight the first 30 days. It's a time for healing, not losing. Don't expect to lose significant weight until you get a fill that helps you to find restriction. The reasons are far too many to list here, but if you do lose weight, it's a bonus. tmf

75 lbs is awesome. I wouldn't sweat gaining a few lbs over the Holidays. Just hit it hard come January 2nd and get back on track. You already know what you have to do but don't beat yourself up. Most all of us have a setback here and there. Very few here who lost weight continuously month over month to their goal. And I'm obsessed with my scale too. I weigh myself twice a day, morning and night. No harm, no foul. tmf

I've put in a gym in my basement and I've added some minor weights, treadmill, elliptical and recumbent bike. I found some of those soft floor mats at allmat.com. Of course, that was all expensive. But the least expensive and most effective equipment I bought, was the Tony Horton 10 minute workout at Beachbody. Not too expensive and easy to use. I added some extra resistance bands, found some resistance exercises on youtube and I'm very happy with the less expensive methods of working out. Beachbody.com allmats.com tmf

Those white bread buns are a problem for me. They dough up in the pouch and can cause a stuck episode for me. I'd stick with homemade burgers, turkey etc. using whole wheat thin buns. LOL...I just remembered a bike trip I took last summer. Rode 40 miles roundtrip, the longest the wife and I have ever gone on our mtn bikes. We were so hungry when we got back to the parking lot. My cyclemeter read 39.9 miles and I wanted it to read 40 dammit. So I was riding around in circles trying to get it to turn over to 40 and my wife yelled at me to git my butt over to the car and take her to eat, NOW! We stopped off at a Carls and I ordered a double Memphis BBQ burger. Took me 45 minutes to eat it and two minor stuck episodes but it was worth it. "Note to self, don't burn off 1600 calories between meals or you will inhale your next meal." tmf

I did too in the beginning but I can eat them now. I have to be careful what kind of bread I use. It can't be doughy bread or dry bread and I have to use deli turkey since it's so soft and breaks up easily. I wasn't able to eat them till about 8 months into my journey and I think a lot of that was due to learning how to eat with the band. Very small bites, chew, chew, pay attention for that stuck feeling, sip a little Water if necessary. I don't make it a habit and probably only have a sandwich once every two weeks or so. I also use the low cal wheat flat breads so I'm no consuming a lot of flour. tmf

Well, it's probably disolved by now I would imagine? Why would you try vomitting if it's in your throat? Vomitting causes your stomach to convulse and can compromise your surgery. The stomach is pulled up to overlap the band and is sutured into place. You could tear away those sutures causing the band to slip up your esophogus. Do not ever induce vomitting now that you have the band. I'm sure you're OK but for future reference, don't do that! tmf

DaCoop, I went to a Xmas brunch Sunday and of course, there was tons of food of all kinds. It was amazing how much food people piled on their plates, but the most amazing thing was the bite sizes. OMG, I saw forks full of food that would have stuck me up for two days I'm sure. I look at the size of each bite I take now and I'm amazed at how well I've adapted, but disappointed it took me so long to figure it out.LOL Merry Christmas tmf

Your post is a very common post mainly because almost every one of us has had the same experience 6 weeks or more into this journey. Seems like most all had selective hearing when we went through the seminars, research and nutrition meetings? I know I did. I really thought I'd immediatly start losing weight and feel satisfied with a small meal. HA! Not a chance. Some are lucky and it does work that way but for most, not! I was banded a little over a year ago. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Then I got my 3rd fill and met with my nutritionist. Relax, what you are experiencing is very normal and has happened to most of us. You'll be in "bandster hell" until you get the fill that gives you enough restriction for the band to work it's magic. That may be 1 fill or 6. No one knows. Till then, like our esteemed forum member B-52 says, " "Until there's restriction...It's just another diet tmf

I have no idea how much he put in. And, it's really not important to compare? Each doctor puts in different amounts of saline at surgery. Some give 0 and some give up to 5 CC's at surgery. Every bandsters stomach and band placement will be different. So, a good surgeon may place the band higher or lower on the stomach depending on the shape? Every patient's stomach lining will have a different thickness and different level of fat surrounding the stomach. So, there is no norm. And yes, you will be hungry till you get that one fill that gives you the right level of restriction. tmf

For me, it was the surgeon and the nutritionist that has been important. I went to a couple of support groups and support groups aren't for me. But as you read these forums, you will see that we all have different approaches to the journey. You should use the search engine on this site to do your research. There are thousands of posts you can read. Of course, I have no idea where you live so I can't recommend a surgeon. But, it's so easy to google bariatric surgeons in your area. Most all of them offer seminars. Go to as many as you can. Go to their support groups and get feedback from their patients. Good luck. tmf

I ate thick soups, oatmeal, cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, refried beans,mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, cottage cheese, yogurt, soups of all kinds(blended), applesauce, overcooked cauliflower, noodle soups(very soft noodles,overcooked), lentil soups.

Just curious? Yeah, line dancer's right. It's of no importance. Every bandster travels a different path and no need to compare. Low losers will only get depressed. If you were on a pre-op diet and did realy well, you will probably lose less than someone who had no pre-op diet. If you have 200 lbs to lose, you'll probably lose more than someone who had only 75 lbs to lose. tmf

I think she's still on mushies? So, no cups of food yet. Just cups of liquids. I ate lipton soup and filtered out some(not all) of the little noodles. Also, I had egg drop soup. The eggs add Protein and fill you up over broth. Probably not on your liquid diet but like Jalangy I was starving and drinking more crystal light or tomato juice just wouldn't cut it. jmo/tmf

You've done so well, aint it about time you posted some after pics?

Amen, and let me add that I also see many posts where the surgeon seemed to give very little instruction/advice pre and post op(or patients weren't paying attention?) tmf

Once again, let me be the contrarian here. No, it's not normal. Not for me. I was doing cartwheels that I gave away my fat clothes. I don't miss sweats, large parkas, not being able to tie my shoes without holding my breath, having stains on all my shirts from dribbling food straight down, underwear that could double as a sail or belts that belong on a sumo wrestler. Nope, I did a happy dance. tmf

you can search for members profile and posts in the search link above right. She has posted today. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/161780-tummy-tuck-and-breast-left-on-tuesday-1218/#entry1897750

Your doctor has a very unique protocol for his/her patient? There may be some exceptions but I know of no other forum members or patients whose doctor advised them to lose 10+ lbs before their first post op appt? I assure you the lapband is not a joke. There can be so many reasons why you have not lost weight. Sodium intake, fluids pumped into you during surgery, meds, menstrual cycle, drinking a gallon of Water a day, etc can make you retain fluids. Drinking a gallon of water a day can deplete your system of needed nutrients, mostly potassium which enables your bodies muscles to operate normally. This is very dangerous to your heart so be very careful how much you drink? You could be losing the nutrients that you need to lose weight and your body is compensating by retaining those fluids? Slow down and eat normally. That means, eat Protein first, veggies second. Stop the extremes such as a gallon of water. Don't dwell on how much weight you lose at this point. I see this all the time and we've always been told that this is a time for healing, not losing mass weight. 11 days means nothing in this journey and no need to threaten to throw in the towel and panic until you've gone 4 months without losing weight. 11 days is a pebble of sand on the beach in the grand scheme. tmf

4 months into being banded I was still ignorant of how the band really worked. I had a general idea but I was eating too many foods every day that added up to me not losing 1 lb per week. She advised me to stop eating certain foods that were adding up to 400 calories a day. That's about 1 lb per week I was not losing due to drinking a beer a day, Snacks that did not satiate and I really can't recall all foods I was eating that were contrary to making the band work. I stopped drinking calorie laden fluids, started to eat snacks that satiate like beef jerkey(high protein), eating more Protein during meals and eating them first. She asked me to be brutally honest with my food intake and I was able to trim 400-500 calories a day off my intake without suffering. I was able to replace the non essential foods with foods that enabled my band to do it's job. I also picked up my exercise program. I was able to lose about 8 lbs a month for the next 4 months without the discomfort that comes along with "dieting". Although she never explained it, I now see that I wasn't getting that upper pouch squeeze that tells the brain I've had enough to eat. And eating more protein made the food stay in my lower stomach longer and of course, I now see that protein satisfies longer. Having said all that, I have to admit I've been a bad boy since Halloween. Went on vacation to Mexico on 11/3 and then Thanksgiving, now there's Xmas parties, Cookies, cakes, food, food and more food. I'm hanging in there with only a few lbs gained but I'm not sweating it because I've got the "tool" to fix it come January 2nd. Hope that helps? tmf

With or without the band, if you only eat 1,000 calories a day, you should be losing weight? None of us got fat eating 1,000 calories/day. What do you think is the problem? Have you ever tracked your calories or kept a journal? Are you still hungry after a meal? Do you snack? Have you visited with your nutritionist? What does your doctor say? Do you feel restriction or are you in the green zone? tmf

This is just how I handled bandster hell and of course, we all face it and deal with it differently. I just said what the hell. I ate what I wanted, but I did try to eat healthy foods from the lists. You know, Protein, salads etc. It was hard, and I fell of the wagon many times. I was in bandster hell from December 15th 2011 through March 30th 2012(approx). I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks after my surgery(11/28/2011) and then nothing till March 30th. I got my 3rd fill around March 30th and my first nutrition meeting at the same time. I was able to maintain my 12 lb loss from early December just because I ate the right foods and I did eat less due to the band. But I wasn't going to be in the uncomfortable state of dieting that I had experienced for many years of dieting. No way. But, that 3rd fill did it for me, along with some great advice from my nutritionist. I see no reason to go through the anxieties of not losing weight till you get a fill that gives you some restriction. I never ate just one cup of food till I got to the green zone. So my advice is to not sweat it so much and enjoy the holidays but eat healthy till you get that one fill that does the trick. Just my own advice. tmf