TheB

Congrats Jerry!

After I mix mine, I usually sit it in the fridge for a while and the air settles out of it. But to directly answer your question, drink everything that comes out of the blender- the only reason it seems like more than 8oz is because you're introducing air to the mix. Hope this helps.

Yeah, my doc's assistant told us: "once your feet hit the floor in the morning, get something to drink." Makes it easier for breakfast to go down (and everything else- I try to get my 60 oz's of water in by 2pm and have little trouble the rest of the day).

Congrats MustLooseIt! I had the same thing happen...was feeling dizzy and lightheaded if I stood up too fast. Went to my regular doc and my BP was low! He decreased my meds by half and it really helped! :w00t:

I was also banded on 2/11 and I'm down 86 lbs. I've had 2 fills (6.8 cc's ina 14cc band). Of course I just came back off of vacation and gained a few pounds from that, but I'm back on track and starting to drop again. Of course this all has copme with a lot of exercise and watching what I eat, but that goes without saying. :sneaky:

Mine always just feels like a small pinch and then nothing. No real pain to speak of.

I've used 1000 calories as my guideline through all stages since my surgery. Works well for me.

Heya Jul, My surgeon put in 5cc's intially and I think that helped quite a bit in the early stages after the surgery (had no bouts of "Bandster Hell" at all). I was never hungry, ate only what I needed to and adjusted well. Of course I have a 14cc band, and I only have 6.8cc's in there now (after 2 fills), so I have plenty of room for more fills, but so far it's all worked out great for me. No complications, no side effects.

I was banded on 2/11...only lost about 10lbs per-op. I'm 5 1/2 months out about have dropped about 80lbs so far. The last month has been rough though, since I needed a fill and had to wait 3 weeks for it...which caused my loss to slow, then had some dental issues that sidelined me for a few weeks...but I'm back on track and still very happy with the results.

I was banded on 2/11 and I've had one fill near the end of March (added 1cc bringing me up to 6cc's total) and I'm down 72 lbs. I acheived one of my personal goals (lose 70 lbs by my July vacation) so now I'm working on my next personal goal of being under 300 lbs by my September vacation- only 13 more pounds to go for that one! Yay!) My doc has taken me off of my acid-reflux medicine entirely, reduced my blood pressure medication by half and I'm waiting for the blood test to come back to see if he's going to reduce my diabetes medicine. Overall I'm really happy with the decision, feeling great and satisfied with the money I spent and decision I've made! :thumbup:

I think if you are throwing up blood you should go to the emergency room immediately and not wait for a doctor visit.

I was told I had to have one. The EMT's need to know that you have a band, because if they insert a nasogastric tube into your body to administer meds or something like that without knowing it could puncture your stomach pouch and cause some major problems. In fact the back of my bracelet reads: Gastric Lap-Band w/ abdominal mediport no ng w/o scope. My advice is to get one even if your doctor tells you you don't need it, just in case. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I also use unjury, you can only order it online and it's not cheap, but I swear by it (as do my doctors): Mixed with 8 oz of Fat Free Skim Milk you get the following: 180 Calories 0 grams Fat 29 grams Protein Good luck!

I think this may be because of the sticker shock...I mean, personally, I've tried other programs as well, and while they aren't cheap, they also don't require you to plop down $10-20,000 all at one time up front (in many cases). It's more managable to drop a hundred bucks here and there over the period of months/years and not really mentally absorb the overall cost of what we are trying to do as opposed to having to shell out thousands of dollars all at once. I think that really hits home for those of us who are self-pay. I know it was for me...having to pay out of my own pocket is a constant reminder of what I have commited myself to and really drives me to succeed. For me, it's about taking responsibility for the money I spent and trying to make sure I get every dime's worth out of the procedure. Of course for all of us there is an emotional and physcial investment we make, and that in and of itself is generally enough to motivate us to succeeed. Anyway, just a few thoughts as to why the cost of previous programs may have been easier to accept as opposed to the cost associated with the lap band surgery.

I was good to go on about the 5th day. Just took it easy and was careful.

Fantastic job lapbandgirl4life!!! I agree, best decision I ever made. I know from many, many past experiences that I've never lost this much weight and still felt this good. Usually by the first month or so I'm ready to chew my own arm off, but since the surgery I don't have those old hunger pains like I used to. It's weird...it's not like anything I can ever remember feeling before. Like someone just flipped a switch and all of a sudden a little food goes a long way and I don't sit around obsessing over when my next meal is or what I'm going to eat. :sneaky:

Heya JulsJourney! I think they said my average was about six pounds per week as of my last weigh in. I'm getting my 1000 calories a day. I drink a protein shake for breakfast, usually a protein bar or shake for lunch and then that leaves enough room for dinner and a snack or two in there. I also bike about 4 times per week and have just started lifting weights again this week. I just make sure to get my 60 grams of protein a day and drink at least 60 oz of water. So, no real secret, I'm just sticking to what my Docs told me to do and trying to stay focused. There has been a few days where I've gone over my calories, but those are very rare (like Easter dinner). I used to skip breakfast and lunch, so the protein shakes really help me out, even though my bariatric coordinator told us we really should eat solid foods for breakfast- but the shake usually curbs my appetite until at least lunch, and I feel good and satisfied so I'm sticking with whats working.

I just got weighed today and have passed the fifty pound mark! Yay! I even got a nifty little silver pin.

Absolutely. And I wouldn't worry about "pestering" him. Your doctor needs to know whats going on, and I'm sure would rather you tell them and let them know than have something go untreated. Plus, it's their job. :sad:

No problem bignik! My doctor recommended the following during the liquid diet after my surgery: At least 60g Protein per day At least 60-70 ozs of Water per day Try to stay under 1000 cals I made sure to get almost all of my protein by lunchtime and it really seemed to help curb my hunger and made it easier to get through the rest of the day. I had one morning shake with skim fat free milk (180 cals, 29g protein), one shake for lunch and that left about 600 calories for dinner and Snacks and I had already gotten all of my protein for the day. Hope this helps and Good luck!!! :sad:

You should ideally get at least 60g of Protein a day. If you are having trouble, supplement your Water with protein shakes (there are several great threads on here as to which one's people prefer- I use unjury daily to make sure I get enough). And as always talk to your doctor and let them know whats going on. But yeah, not enough protein can cause all manner of unpleasent things to start happening to your body. I was on the liquid diet for a week and had no problems at all as long as I was getting enough protein.

I was banded two months ago as of today and I have lost 46lbs. Considering that some folks report putting weight on during the healing process I would consider any weight loss a success.

Heya Febbandsters! Glad to hear everyone is doing so well! I was banded Feb. 11th and I'm down 37.5 pounds as of this week. I feel pretty good! I've not had any major bouts with hunger, I'm hitting my exercise bike about 3-4 times per week and making sure I drink a ton of Water. I can officially go on solids this week but I'm taking it slow- trying a few things out here and there. I get my first fill a week from today, so I'm interested in seeing how my appetite (which has been remarkably tame so far) changes. Overall I'm really happy with the decision and my blood sugar and blood pressure have both also decreased! Right now I'm just chomping a the bit waiting for my exercise restriction to be over with. I've got an olympic weight set thats collected dust for far too long sitting in the basement and I'm just itching to get back to it. Ah well...only four more weeks.... :tt2:

Heya jackee! Congrats on your weight loss! Great job! As far as the weight loss counter at the bottom, just click on someone's counter (like mine) and it will take you to a site that will allow you to register and create your own. Hope this helps! :biggrin: