2muchfun

If you vomitted, you may want to consult your surgeon. The sutures that hold your band to your stomach are still healing and vomitting is not good. Not good at all. This is why it is so important to follow the rules. tmf

The short answer is maybe. Did you sip or guzzle? Once you get closer to the green zone you won't be able to guzzle any longer. Every fill can irritate the lining around the band causing some mild swelling. Of course, this will make the stoma(portal) smaller. Give it a few days and be very sure that once you go on solids, slowly eat small and chew big. tmf

Watched all 4 videos and there are several conflicting comments and rules that are contrary to what most of us have been told. I know some bandsters and many doctors would cringe to hear it's OK to drink wine(moderation) or even drink while you eat. The placement of the band seems to be much different than I've seen in other animations. I'm sure each doctor does this differently but now I'd like to know where mine is? All in all I received a lot of new information that I was not aware of so I would recommend this video set to anyone considering or already having the band. tmf

You should not be concerned with losing weight at this stage. Not until you receive enough fills to give you some restriction should you be concerned. Having a band is no different than going on a diet before the band. Your weight is subject to daily or weekly fluctuations from reactions to types of food, sodium, medications, menstrual cycles etc. The quick weight we gain or lose is usually mostly water/fluids retained by the fat cells in our body. tmf

No such thing as an average. Every patient will be different. It took me 6 fills to get there. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing for 3.5 months. Every bandster has a different story to tell. I would say your journey is quite normal. tmf

I'm now watching video 2 and this is outstanding! If this physician walks the talk, he's far above the kind of doctor many of us have experienced. So many posts on this site are based on lousy doctor follow up or deficient education prior to surgery. Thanks, I've bookmarked the videos myself and will recommend them as well. tmf

I think you may be overestimating how big a support system you need? The fills could be problematic though. And I would strongly encourage the two of you visit a family counselor. There seems to be a lot more under the surface than we can see? tmf

We're not machines. You can gain 3 lbs just by eating too much sodium or too many carbs. Medications play into it too. Never fret over 2 little lbs. I gained 7 lbs in July when my grandkids came out. I lost all of it plus 1 lb a week after they left. Too many chips, ice cream, fruit slider foods. Fortunately the band kept me from eating too much so all my weight gain was Water. Going back to my band friendly foods brought me back on track. It's the same for you. You can gain or lose lbs of water in days. tmf

Well, you should be punished. Bad Girl, Bad Girl!!

Sorry girls, but sugar in popsicles and jello(the food topic) comes from sucrose which is refined by man(Elcee). And yes, it was an invented process and does not grow naturally. So, I stand by my statement that man invented/developed sugar and is in the top 3 contributors to obesity. The other 2 being refined flour and cheetos(OMG, I miss cheetos) tmf

Isn't it obvious? Sugar is empty calories. Sugar will spike your insulin causing you to be much hungrier than you would be normally. Sugar is one of the most evil foods ever invented by man. It's just bad for you. tmf

Your story is told nearly every day and sometimes several times a day. You're in "bandster hell". They don't put much saline in the band at surgery because they want you to heal before they start tightening the screws(fills) on your band. So, right now your band is wide open and if you lose weight it's all on your own. Nearly every bandster has gone through what you are going through. Of course, no one told you about this before surgery right? Dirty little secret. But, this will pass as you start getting fills and feel some restriction. I was in bandster hell for 3.5 months so I know what you are going through. Eat nutritious foods as much as possible. Follow your doctors orders as closely as you can. I personally didn't really diet much during BH. But, I wasn't able to eat nearly as much due to the band I believe, so I didn't gain, and didn't lose either. It does get better but right now it really sucks I know. tmf

We tend to eat a lot more sodium when we travel. Sodium will cause your entire system to swell. Airplane food, loaded with sodium. Ever watch one of those food channel chefs? They throw handfuls of salt on food. tmf

1 year qualifies as a plateau!! tmf

You don't say anything about restriction or fills? I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nada for the next 3.5 months. It took 3 fills and a visit with my nutritionist to really get the ball rolling. I'm real big on nutritionists. I know we guys like to hold back on how we feel about food(and other emotions) but a good bariatric nutritionist can pinpoint right where you are going wrong. It's a cheap visit for the results you might gain. Seems like the ride is much less frustrating when you have restriction and feel less hungry. So, if you don't have restriction yet, get it. tmf

You don't say how long your plateau has been? I've seen people post that they have plateaued after just 3 days(silly) and others for months. I was on atkins, south beach and paleo diets for about 30 years and they mostly worked for me. When I turned to my mid 50's my knees went bad and I now sit at desk 10 hours a day. When I plateau, I revert back to my no/low carb routine. However, I've moved away from the Atkins type of diet. Eating a slab of bacon or a 20 oz steak just doesn't seem healthy to me anymore. It did work when I was younger but no longer. I'd recommend you add salads heavy with low carb low glycemic index vegetables. Olive oil with balsamic vinegars and feta cheese are delicious. I'm cooking an egg beater quiche right now. I used the southwestern egg beater and added jalapenos, onions, low calorie cheese and chunks of red bell pepper. Lunches seem to be the hardest meal for me for low carb. I'm always in a hurry and eating deli turkey or ham seems to work but gets very boring. When I grill burgers or chicken I try to have leftovers for lunches. I'm with you on the last 30 lbs. That's about where I am and it is getting to be so much more difficult than the first 45. tmf

The lapband will not restrict you from any of your fears. You will simply eat less and lose weight. Unless you sleep on a slab of cement your port shouldn't bother you. You can be one of the gals, only you will have to be aware of the foods you eat and eat less, chew more and do it slowly. I'm not sure what "bad" food is? You should be able to eat all the bad food you want, just be aware that too much bad food equals failure. That's why we are or were obese most of our lives. Golf? It takes very little energy to play golf so that's not a problem. Running is OK too. Most high carb foods are slider foods and pass through the band easily. You should be able to live a very active, fun life with the lapband. The band is not a ball and chain. It's a tool in your body that you can choose to assist in your weight loss or choose not to. tmf

Doctors are reluctant to add too much saline to your band at any one time. It could cause excessive swelling if they were to squeeze your stomach so quickly. It took me 3 fills to find some restriction and a total of 6 to get to the green zone. There's also a learning curve with eating with the band. It takes time to adjust to the eating slow, eating small and chewing big routine. It's not something we've all practiced for many years. It's frustrating of course because you want to get this train rolling on the way to losing weight. I really bugged my doctor and went in every 3 weeks for a fill. Don't be shy with the Doc and let him know that you are ready for another fill but give it a few weeks. tmf

Guys need more calories than the gals. It might be OK to go on a 3 day diet of 900 calories, but to make it a monthly target won't work. I'm speaking from my own personal experience of course so I have no scientific evidence to back this up. I've found that 1200-1400 calories a day works best for me. I lose slower than some but it's been consistent. I work out hard though. I spend 3 days a week in the gym and add another 5 days of bike riding to that gym workout. I average about 800 calories burned per day. Try not to compare your future weight loss to how much you lost the first 6 weeks. Pre and post op weight loss is mostly Water. You may have lost 5 or 6 lbs of fat but most of that loss is Fluid. Just remember that it takes 3500 calories burned to lose 1 lb. So kick up your metabolism with foods that are harder to digest, high glycemic index foods work best for losing weight. tmf

I was on a recumbent bike and my elliptical trainer a week after surgery. Only 10 minutes for each one, 20 min total for a few weeks. I really feel like a couch potato if I don't get some kind of workout. Of course, I wasn't setting the world on fire and even Richard Simmons would have laughed at me but you do what you can. tmf

Tanslation: "You're still fat"? Yeah, I'm pretty thick skinned but I don't need or want those kind of insensitive comments. I had a very close friend tell me a few weeks ago that he thought I wouldn't still have a gut. Gee, thanks Bill you *******! Good thing we're good buddies and he's a fat giant(6' 7" 320 lbs). tmf

Easy to understand the tension we feel at these clinics. I had to bail on my first doctor due to his lousy staff. So glad I did. Had I gone through with my first doc I know I would have been at odds with the office. I think they're competent but it took weeks to get a simple return call. I'm much too impatient for that kind of crap. Your situation may be different than most of us. I don't know anything about true results except I just googled them and I see they have many clinics. Most of us went to a sole physician so if we leave that doctor it's very difficult to find other doctors who will treat us since they didn't make any profit off the original surgery and they're reluctant to accept any responsibility if the surgery was botched. tmf

Egg drop soup was so wonderful when I was post op. First soothing food I had for days. tmf

They can take a beating. Made of a soft silicone. I would think it would take placing the port on a hard surface and hitting it with a hammer to destroy it. But the most dangerous part is the fact that the port is sewn into the muscles of your body with sutures and those sutures are still very fragile only 3 weeks out. Better check with your doctor and maybe mend that conflict with the nurse. Otherwise, you're going to pay a small fortune to get another doctor to advise you? tmf

I'm kindof with Jim. Don't really care what people think or say. But, if I had to do this again I would be more discreet. I was way over the top with my band. The UPS guy came to the door and I lifted my shirt and said, "hey, look what I did". He looked at me like I had three heads. LOL I guess the reason I wouldn't announce to all that I had surgery is because so many people think that we will lose all our weight in a few months. I know, I know, some new bandsters think the same. So, its annoying to talk to someone on the phone or in person and if you haven't dropped 100 lbs the self help advice comes rolling in. You know, the comments like, "you should have tried the acai berry diet plan, or, I just walk 3 miles every day and it keeps my weight down". So, just to keep the doubting Tom's at bay, I'd recommend you only confide in those who you believe will support you and won't give you the family miracle fat loss comments. tmf