GayleTX

Pasta? Ravioli? Noodles? Rice? I don't understand why you are even trying to eat these things! We are instructed to eat protein first, then eat good carbs (i.e., greens, beans, etc). Pasta, ravioli and noodles are not good carbs...they have no nutritional value. Life without the white starchy foods is healthier, produces weight loss quicker, and helps eliminate cravings. They digest so quickly that it cause our blood sugar to rise then drop quickly - then our brain thinks we are hungry when we really aren't. Detoxing the starches from your body will make life much easier and you won't feel as deprived as you do when you are craving and having to depend on will power.

I suffered with acid reflux for 3 months after my 3rd fill......was sure I had an ulcer and had an EGD. They said, no ulcer.....my band was just too tight. They loosened my band and I had a much better life after that.

If I am reading correctly looking at your previous posts, you just had surgery a few weeks ago.....is that right? It is normal to hit a plateau, a stall-out, after just a few weeks to let your body catch up with itself. That will happen all through your wls journey. When they tell us we will average losing 1-2 pounds per weeks, that's just what they mean.........AVERAGE over a year or so. Just because you don't lose every day or every week does not mean it's not working. Hon, find a pair of pants that are a little snug and try them on every few days. Even on the weeks the scale doesn't move, you will probably feel the pants getting a little loser. That's a good way to keep your spirits up and know that your body is shrinking and 're-arranging' itself. The scales are not the whole story! You don't mention your eating habits now....I hope your doctor gave you good guidelines for losing weight with the band. It's just a tool and you have to feed it right.......always eat your Protein first at a meal - good dense protein digests slower than anything else and will keep you satisfied longer than anything else. Get at least 80 grams of protein every day.....if you can't get it with food (and it's hard with a little pouch) then use a good protein supplement. Keep your carbohydrates below 40 grams a day.....greens and Beans are good carbs. Eliminate all bad carbs such as starchy white foods - Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, sugars, etc - they have no nutritional value and they keep your blood sugar bouncing and make you think you are hungry when you are no. Don't drink with your meals.....wait an hour or so after your meal so you don't wash the food out of the pouch and get hungry quicker than you should. Drink at least 64 oz of liquids a day......the fat is flushed out through the kidneys so you must keep drinking. And keep the body moving, exercising. Be good to yourself and be patient with this process. You can do this!!!

Vomiting is a dangerous thing to do with a band....it can cause slippage and all the problems connected with that. If you are grown up enough to get a lap band and old enough to drink you should be mature enough to set limits and take care of that valuable little tool in there.

When I had abdominal surgery last summer my fill dr insisted I empty my band.....he felt that if the anesthesia or if stuck food should make the vomit that my stitches could be torn. Don't know how applicable that would be to the type of surgery you're having (which does not sound fun, by the way!). Be sure and hit the Protein heavy from now until your surgery.......it'll make the healing go much faster!

I was 62 when I had mine....and so was my BMI!! I've done great - no problems at all - I went into it with every co-morbidity they make and on eleven medications and couldn't get around at all. Now I'm off all meds, can walk anywhere I want to, and my BMI is 34 (and I feel 34!!).

Was the doctor you saw your regular PCP or your surgeon? PCP's don't know much at all about lapands and the complications that can arise.....your really need to see your surgeon. Did your doctor look at your pouch with a flouroscope? It's hard to tell what going on in there unless they use one. I went last week for a fill and the flouroscope showed my pouch was dilated and food was not going through like it should.....had to have a complete unfill and will be on liquids for a few weeks until it heals and goes back into shape. Constipation is not good for you.....until you can get to the dr, you need to take some Milk of Magnesia and get it cleared out, then start on some stool softeners every night to keep it from happened again. After that, do what the doctor recommends but until then, you need to get some relief.

Propel water and broth are not going to satisfy you when you are having hunger! If you are not using a good quality protein supplement made for bariatric patients (not athetes!), then you are going to have a hard time. Drinking them warm is very soothing to the pouch and very calming. Drinking them blended with ice and water and maybe a little FF CoolWhip will take the place of sweets and desserts. They'll also keep your muscles and your hair healthy. Find some you love!!

There is an actual physical reason.....can't remember what it is, though....I'm lots of help, aren't I. LOL!! It's something to do with hormones that do something during the night. Anyhow......it's very common for the band to be tight in the mornings......I start every day with warm protein drinks and then eat a couple of hours later.

We were told at two different seminars that United is the most cooperative ins. co. there is as far as bariatric surgery. As far as liquid diets, it's probably referrring to the doctor-sponsored weight loss programs such as Medi-fast. If I were in charge of an ins. co. I would not pay for them either....they are always temporary. You may have heard all the reports on the news lately regarding bariatric surgery 'curing' diabetes...the reports have been somewhat misleading. The surgery is extremely effective in putting Type 2 diabetes in remission but not the Type 1 - but the weight loss and the strict diet will no doubt help the diabetes as well as any other co-morbidities you may have. Best wishes to you.......

I once went to the ER with severe chest pains and arrythmia. The doctor started to take my blood pressure, but the cuff was tight on me......he threw it on the floor and yelled at the nurse, "Bring me an elephant cuff!" My b.p. was not terriby high at that momen, and he said, "You're just like my wife...nothing wrong with you but being too fat." and sent me home. There have been many times when I did not go to the doctor when I should have because I knew what their first 'diagnosis' would be.....got a hangnail? Lose weight. Got a should pain? Lose weight. Etc Etc.

I had to have all my fluid removed before I had abdominal surgery last summer (paniculectomy)....same logic. I couldn't tell the difference for about 3 weeks....still had restriction. I began re-filling about 6 weeks - most dr's won't put it in all at once but will go faster than they did when you were 'new.'

If you are exercising that much, you need to up your protein to 80-100 grams/day (even if you exercise less, our bodies need that much!). It's hard to get that much protein just from food in our little pouches so find a good supplement you like....nice warm ones are great this time of year. As for carbs....try cutting out all the white carbs (potatoes, pasta, rice, corn, etc). That will make a big difference. Right now I'm stuck after losing 160 lbs but those plateau's are just part of the process so I'm remaining complaint. I've lost 160 lbs, 50 more to go! Good luck to ya!!

I was diabetic for 25 years and have neropathy in my feet and left hand. The only pain I have left in my hand is in my little finger; the constant pain in my feet is gone but they are still numb on the bottom and do hurt sometimes, but nothing like they did for years and years before losing weight. I am off all diabetic meds (and all my 11 other meds, too) but I know there is permanent damage done to my feet. But it's much improved and I am grateful every day that I can now walk and can tolerate shoes on my feet. Best wishes to you, sweetie!!

Now that's a hard way:eek: to get to Onederland, but we've all been taking the hard road down all along, haven't we. It is indeed such a thrill to get below 200. I'm having to struggle to stay under but it is worth it. Keep up the good work!!

Same here! I hadn't owned a coat in many years......guess I carried my own insulation! But things are different now. I wear a coat any time I go out the door....I wear a sweater or jacket indoors...I sleep under the cover...heck, I even wear shoes around the house, something I'd never done in my life! I had DH install a wall heater this winter because it always feel chilly to me. Whole new world to me!!

When I first mentioned the heartburn/reflux to my dr, he said, "Yep, that just the band" and gave me Protonix. I took it and also switched to low-acid coffee and cut out all my pain meds except Tylenol. After my next fill, it got worse and worse and I was sure I had an ulcer (felt like it did when I had one in the past)......had an EGD and they said that it was not, that my band was just too tight. So I had a slight unfill and that has just about fixed it. I still have some trouble if I eat too late at night but it's much better.

Much of it depends on how compliant you are with your food intake. Some people think they can eat just like they always did...just eat less. Don't believe it! And even if you could you would not be improving your health, and that should be what it's all about. Now......if you are compliant and if you move your body you can probably average 1-2 lbs a week. I lost 160 lbs in 18 months....I've slowed down since then....in fact, I'm stuck, but I know it's temporary and I will keep on plugging. The average person loses 65% of their excess weight; so far, I've lost 75%. I keep asking myself, "Why be average? Why not 100%?" so I'm going to continue to work toward my goal and eat right. But even if I never lose another pound, it's all right.....wls has saved my life and improved the quality of my life so much it has all been worth it. I'm happy for you that you are ready to do something about your weight problem while you are young and you can enjoy your kids.....and they can enjoy having a healthy, active mom. Best wishes to you, sweetie.

Before and AFter by Susan M Leach is a good combination of surgeon info, lifestyle changes and recipes for bariatric patients. You can see a lot of her recipes on Bariatric Eating - Protein, Vitamins, Gastric Bypass & Lap Band Info, Post-op Recipes, and Help.

It sometimes (often) takes a fill a week or so to 'kick in'.....nobody seems to know why, it just does. So hang tough for another week or so and maybe you'll get up one morning and have that restriction you need. I am a 10CC, have 4.5 fill and can eat about 2/3 c of dense Protein. My band is tighter in the mornings, so I have to drink a couple of warm Protein drinks to loosen it up and wait a while before eating anything. And no.....golf balls are not how the band works....the band works with restriction that forces us to choose our food wisely, to eat the protein first and chew it like heck, to eliminate the garbage from our diet, to get healthy, not just thinner. Living with a band requires patience and good choices.....good life lessons that most of us didn't have in our younger, MO life.

I'm not sure why that is ever told to anyone.....makes no sense because the liquids so right straight through - if you have ever had a flouroscope like a lapbander does regularly, you can see just how fast it shoots on through.

Sounds like a good choice to me....for now and for the weeks after surgery also.

Bullets are great......as long as they work. But they don't hold up long according to the customer reviews on several sites. I've used my Hamilton Beach Personal Blender 2 - 3 times/day for nearly 2 years....it crushes ice, blends great and is very easy to clean. $12-$14 at Target, Kitchen Connection, etc. I know several others who have had good luck with theirs, too.:clap2:

And as for being able to absorb a limited amount of protein at one time.....the latest research from the American Bariatric Association (or something like that) has decided that's just not really true....we can absorb much more than that but it's probably not a good idea to overdo it. Funny how those 'proof' things change all the time, isn't it, but that's what they are saying and teaching now. As for kidney damage, that's one reason we need to drink lots of liquids (water/tea) to keep our kidneys healthy.

Pre surgery, I had visions of lying inthe nursing home trying to explain having a band to some overworked nurse's aide and why I could eat that dry pork roast she was trying to shovel down me. But then I realized that if I didn't have surgery and lose weight, I'd be in the nursing home a lot sooner and that same aide would be completely ignoring me because I'd be too fat for her to lift or change my Depends. So I opted for getting the band. Easy decision.