slimcolagirl

I'm ready to have the band removed. I was banded on January 2009 and have only lost 16 lbs to date (December 2010). That's too little weight to justify keeping something in my body that might erode or cause more complications down the line. I'm preparing to convert to a Mini Gastric Bypass by Dr. Rutledge (look him up on youtube). This will ensure that I continue to lose weight, get the surgery that will really decrease my hunger and take the weight off. Of course this is a more invasive surgery, but that's ok as long as it gets the job done. Most people I know with the lapband have fairly unpleasant lives... vomiting, food getting stuck, morning tightness so bad you can't even drink Water when you wake up, etc, etc. I've also had the doctor blame me for eating the wrong things too. Since the surgery does nothing to decrease "real" hunger you are constantly in danger of eating whatever is on hand and won't get stuck in the band. I admit now that I made a mistake with the surgery. What's sad is that so many bandsters have problems and are still told that lack of weight loss is their fault. You can't get fruits and veggies past the band... of course you'll go for the ice cream! I'm excited to get the band removed and have my conversion surgery by Dr. Rutledge early next year. I'm looking to get it done asap, like March or April. I'd seriously consider getting another weight loss like MGB or Sleeve done upon removing the band or the weight is likely to come back on.

wow I am super surprised that you had that many cc's put in at surgery time. It takes a period of time to get used to the textures and amount that you can eat with each fill. Shame on that doctor! Glad you're feeling ok now though with the unfill. :-)

oops, you are still healing my dear so take it easy. Your large incision will be the last thing to heal and you shouldn't be doing anything physical except walking until at least 6 wks have passed. And for a few weeks more don't do anything that involves the abdominal area too much, which lawn mowing actually does. I think my incision was completely healed, with absolutely NO soreness, around week 11 or 12. Now that I'm at week 15, I think I'll start doing targeted ab exercises. :-D

You did nothing wrong so don't worry. At only 3 wks post op ur definitely still healing, especially on the inside. The area around your band is still swollen. This will give you natural restriction for the next few weeks as the swelling goes down. Enjoy it while it last! :-) But you are discovering that solid foods will fill you up fast and keep you full for longer. Whereas your Protein shakes and mushy foods can slide thru the band rather quickly, solid foods will sit on top of the band and take hours to digest. This is the beauty of how you will lose weight. The tougher the food, the longer you should be chewing. The more you chew, the more solid foods you will be able to get down at one time and the less likely you'll get anything stuck. (try to go for 20-30 sec depending on texture) Oh, and since you can only get down a few ounces at a time, you should still be doing a few liquid/mushies to get in needed protein and nutrients. Happy losing! :-)

Thanks lipstix... awesome post and awesome site. I'm going to try quinoa. I've heard to many things about slow cookers to ignore so I'm gonna start looking for one. And the protein site is great. thanks! :-D

ah sorry for all the troubles, but things will be better soon. Glad you're getting your fill. Yeah it doesn't help anything to have the band too tight. Don't feel bad about the indulgence in food in the meantime, it's just your body trying to replace some of the good you've been losing. Take care! :-)

Congrats on getting a significant amount of restriction. :-) Don't lose resolve... this is exactly the way you're supposed to work the band. I agree with RestlessMonkey... now all you need is a slight unfill and those foods you mention will go down a easier and satisfy you for longer. Remember to chew, chew, chew of course, practically pureeing the food in your mouth. Eat slowly and you should start being satisfied on only a few ounces of food per meal. I got my 2nd fill 5 days ago. Tried to eat garlic bread last night and realized it had trouble going down. Fantastic! I don't mind bread being permanently removed from my menu, as I still have plenty of other starches to choose from. Potato chips and Pasta aren't bad, just don't rely on them too much. Same for pasta, as these will just keep the weight on. Everything in moderation. :-)

I agree completely. Since lapband takes a little more effort to get good results, that is why I chose it over RNY. I was on a medically supervised protein fast 2 years ago and we had classes on nutrition and exercise every week. Drinking 500 calories worth of protein shakes every day is an easy way to lose weight... a little too easy. I forgot everything I learned in those classes when I stopped the diet and the hunger came back. I didn't have to "work" at anything and the weight just melted off. Also, the research told me that gastric bypass patients have trouble maintaining their weight after 5 years and the pouch "stretches". So congrats on making the right choice, but you will have to be patient and WORK for you success.

wow 81 lbs is incredible! why do you think you are failing? the weight will not come right away. It sometimes takes another reminder, but remember it will take time and consistent effort with the lapband. Relax and enjoy the journey a little. and congrats on the weight loss, you're really on your way. :-)

welcome to the forums. You'll get so much great info here. :-D

it's not too late to start losing again. you say you were banded years ago, maybe before this forum got started. I would keep coming back to this forum for inspiration. I would also go to youtube because watching those lapband videos is REALLY informative and fun. Don't eat too close to bedtime, get your Water in, and start exercising consistently again. Those 3 should help you get back on track. Lastly, you can start replacing some of what you eat with better choices. :-D

don't worry about it. The hunger does come back but it's nothing to be afraid of. Start eating band friendly stuff and enjoy your food. Then slowly start making better food choices. You'll get used to eating better and you'll get used to eating less. You'll also get some energy back since you'll be eating more. Always keep protein shakes on hand for a quick meal. If you have a good attitude about it you'll lose weight and see this isn't so hard after all. Good luck and welcome to the journey. :-D

I've lost 23.5 lbs in the last 7 weeks since my lapband surgery. My husband has lost some weight too, about 5-6 lbs. I drag him out to exercise with me and we've started cooking at home more. It's been a great time and he's so proud of the progress I'm making.

oh my gosh, so sorry that you have to deal with this. I would start documenting how you feel every single time you eat or drink something. Share that info with your doctor the next time you call him. Hopefully things will start to get better soon. Just hang in there.

So I'm officially 18 lbs down today and thought I'd throw some non-scale victories out there. The numbers are important to me, but never as important as what I can do with my new body. Here are just a few of the cool things I've experienced so far... walking upstairs is easier. I live in a 2nd story apartment and huff and puff just a little less when coming home. Also my knees hurt less when I walk downstairs. arms now lay against my sides. This is a crazy one. I have HUGE upper arms, like a freakin' 49er linebacker. Alright, maybe an exaggeration but you get my drift. With all the fat between my upper arms, breasts and midsection they never layed flat by my side when I stood up straight. This is now not the case. My favorite blouses look better on me. I brought this blouse down to Mexico with me for my surgery. Turned out I didn't have to wear it becuase I had enough clothes and basically hung around the hotel the entire time. But took it out last week to wear and it looked terrific! This is a shirt I bought when I was 190 lbs, but it didn't look good when I'd gotten back to 235 lbs. Now it looks awesome and I can start wearing it out again! hubby is all frisky now. He's really noticed the weight come off. He says I have a waist again and it's really sexy. I catch him staring at me sometimes and it's actually kind of freaky, but very cool. I have to get used to it again. :-) He bought me a fantastic bracelet to Celebrate 21 days of bandsterville. He's so proud of me for having the courage to do it. Once Aunt Flo goes home, I've got something for him as well. ;-D My fave pajama pants are helluv loose. They practically fall off of me now. It's just a cool thing I've noticed. :-) can sit with knee against my chest. I like sitting with my knees against my chest but my stomach has always been too fat. Now that it's going down in size I can do it. I have a long way to go before its completely comfortable though. But happy so far!

I considered it a month or two before surgery. That was when I started doing the real research. Let's face it, there aren't many WLSs to pick from so research on the appropriate surgery for me went very quick. From there I started figuring out where to have the surgery and how much to pay. I think I was against it years ago and did a medically supervised Protein fast instead. A couple years and significant gain, I started to give surgery some real thought. I looked at my mom w/ her diabetes... 3 toe amputations, heart surgery, long hospital stays for blood infections, shunt implants, and 3 days a week of dialysis due to kidney failure. I realized that this single medical procedure now could save me MANY medical procedures in the future. I knew Lapband was for me after research on how it worked.

ah I feel for you with the diet cola addiction. You won't miss it to be honest. You won't miss the bread either. You'll not be able to eat much more than broth/water/jello first week after surgery. After that, it's all uphill from there... you focus on what you can eat rather than what you can. Unless your a glass half empty kinda person. So try not to be that guy.

congrats on your surgery girl. I'm 25 post op and this is a great place to come for information and inspiration. congrats on yoru first 9 lbs... way to go! :-) Remember to follow the rules and you're right, the band is just a tool. I invite you to check out my blog and youtube channel (address below) to check out my progress. Youtube is also a wonderful place to get inspired and meet lots of people. Good luck!

ah girl, I was so there... walk around as much as you can and sip on water constantly. And try the milk of magnesia thing because it will help no matter what.

yeah... benefiber, metamucil, chewable tablets... get some more regular fiber in your system and you should be having more BMs.

I would suggest Dr.Ortiz in Tijuana, Mexico. I was banded by him this past Friday Jan. 9th. the OCC (Obesity Control Center) was clean of course, and the experience was pretty good and seamless. They put you up in a nice hotel for 3 days which is included in the $7950. Or you can pay $7700 for a semi private hospital room for the one night you stay there. I actually went back to my hotel room that same night so didn't need the private hospital room. :-)

hehehe, I just started a youtube channel and also have one 14 year old scottish kid as a subscriber. All his other subscriptions are kids like him putting up crazy ramblings to hip hop and techno music and I can't figure out why he subscribed to me. Oh well, not like I care to be honest. :-) Anyway, good luck with your videos there's a huge wls community there and it's fun. See my videos at YouTube - cycleChic08's Channel

I am 4 days post op lapband. Still healing and getting rid of these gas bubbles, but overall doing great. I got on the scale this morning and was 13 lbs down (incl pre-op). I am so excited to see the changes in the next coming weeks. I've not told anyone I'm having surgery but my husband so I'm a little weird about putting up videos, but I think in the end I will absolutely do it. The community is too vibrant there to miss out on.

haha I love this topic. I am telling NO ONE! :-) Only my husband knows and I'm glad to keep it that way. I am only 4 days post op but already have my story down. I'm just telling people that I'm back on a strict eating plan for a while, one that will allow me to get rid of my sugar/salt cravings and cleanse my body a bit. This does well for the liquid portion of my lapband diet. after I'm able to eat solids, my story will be that I've given up all alcohol for a while, as those are just liquid calories. I'm also telling them that I'm working with a weight loss coach and have been inspired by Oprah's weight regain show to get back on the wagon. I lost a lot of weight on a fast 2 years ago and gained some weight back, so people will understand while I'm being so hard core. People know that I'm really into cycling so I have that going for me. In fact I plan on doing Waves to Wine 150 mile bike tour this year. When they ask why I'm not eating or drinking a lot I'll just say that I'm on fire with my diet and dont want to end up diabetic like my mom. All these things are true so I have no problem keeping the band from them. As far as I'm concerned anything is better than telling them I have the band.

yes I've been watching youTube videos for weeks and have made several videos... none of which I've had the courage to upload yet. There's an incredibly vibrant WLS lapband and GB community on youTube. I will upload a video very soon. haha I've just subscribed to your channel. :-)