ParrotheadCathy

She's right! Fat takes up more room but weighs less. So a pound of fat takes up more room than a pound of muscle. SOOOOO when you lose a pound but build muscle, you get smaller but weigh the same.

Protein shakes are important -- you need the nourishment. SF Popsicles, SF yogurt, SF Jello -- all sweet and seem like a bit of a treat when you're on such a limited selection of things.

Nasty gas! Gas-X will help that kind of gas. Comes in dissolvable strips in mint or cinnamon. For trapped gas (left over from the gas they put in your belly to give them room to work), moving around is fantastic. I just read a few days ago where someone's doc suggested sitting in a rocking chair and rocking. Makes sense and you might try it if you need it. A heating pad also helps with the trapped gas (seems like it gets into your shoulder(s)). Just put it over any area that hurts. You are officially on the road, my friend! GOOD LUCK

still more likely gas pain than anything else. put a heating pad on it, move around extra -- and you should feel relief!

YYEEEAAAAHHHHHH JASON!!! You are doing such a fabulous job! I can feel your motivation and your excitement! You're practically a third of the way to 100 pounds and that's no small accomplishment! PLEASE keep us posted and let us cheer you on!

CATHY why are you a parrothead? is that a nickname? Anyay I do eat when I'm sitting and watching t.v. I like the idea of a walk after dinner but it's still kind of cool here. Hope the weather is warm for this weekend. OH NO - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS EATING THE GOOD STUFF (you know the really bad stuff for us banders) Parrotheads are Jimmy Buffett fans. There are Parrot Head Clubs all over the US as well as out of the country. All started with my club, in Atlanta, Georgia, 20 years ago. Yeah, we love the music (other Trop Rock artists as well as JB) but we love the lifestyle....the laid back, island time thing. Those who are members of Parrot Head Clubs have made a commitment to community service as well, just as Jimmy Buffett has. If you'd like to know more, you can go to www.atlantaparrotheadclub.org and www.phip.com . My club presents a cruise every year (wwwparrotheadcruise.com) and through that event we have raised more than a quarter million dollars for breast cancer research. The Parrot Head motto is Party With A Purpose. Holiday weekend....I'm headed to the beach on Friday morning and will spend much of my daylight hours outside. Walking on the beach is a favorite pastime and I will get to do my share of that! Get your chicken, steak, fish, fresh veggies and even fruit and FIRE UP THE GRILL. There is a grill accessory to put fish on to grill it,you just spray it with PAM and it works great! To keep your chicken and steak from getting too dry, marinate it first. The band isn't a punishment. Make the most of it! Oh, you can mourn your french fries, pizza, giant bags of chips and stuff but the fact remains that you can have a great meal every meal and still eat within the guidelines we've been given. It's not what pirates of old called "piss and punk" (warm beer and stale bread). Don't make your holiday food-centric! Play badminton, volleyball, take a hike, walk on the beach, move your body as much as you can. Then, when you sit in that chair in the sun, relax. You've earned it.

I drove the day after, too! I wouldn't recommend starting a cross-country drive the day after surgery, but you should be fine to drive normally.

Have a heating pad on hand...it will help with gas pains. Have Gas-X strips for gas in your digestive tract. Mix Benefiber with one of your liquids for the day to help you keep from getting constipated, which often happens after surgery. Have a variety of liquids on hand. Not just broths, but Crystal Light, teas (hot and cold), SF popsicles, SF jello, juices, etc. Have your protein shakes religiously because you need more nutrition than the liquids alone can offer. That will keep your strength up and that's important. Remember to move around. Walk some, even if it's it small amounts several times in the day. I recently read where someone's doctor suggested rocking in a rocking chair to get some motion to help with gas pains. Don't lay in the bed. Get up and try to do normal things because that will help you feel better too!

There are SO MANY people who have had a successful experience with the band! Many, or maybe even most of them, don't belong to any online forum. They are quietly succeeding. Those with problems will find a place to vent or seek help with their problems...and you find them here doing exactly that! There are some who imagined that they would not have to eat healthy for the rest of their lives, or who thought that the band was a magic potion that would magically melt the fat away without any effort on their parts. They're wrong....but they will come here to voice that their bands have failed them. Some people do have legitimate problems but, statistlcally, they are in the minority. But I shouldn't have to talk to you into something nor do I want to do that. You have to be right in your mind about it. Good luck with the decision making process.

I have given away all the size 3x as soon as they were too loose. I am now going into 1X and am looking at giving away 2X stuff very soon. I do not intend to ever need those sizes again. This is a permanent deal. And I don't want that stuff hanging in my closet taking up space when soon I will want to have a closet full of smaller, cuter things! Can't help on cookbooks ... I just experiment. Overweight spouse? Mine is deceased, gone for a long time. So not a question for me.

Would he consider THIN CRUST PIZZA? I can eat a little pizza if it's the thin crust. My 20 year old granddaughter lives with me and she complained about the first one but now she loves the thin crust too. So maybe your dad would make that concession for you?

Hyegirl, how much fill do you have in your band? When was your last fill? Maybe it's time for another fill???

You could ask your insurance company for the names of a few doctors that are on your plan. Then go back with those names to your PCP and see if he's heard of any of them. If not, do your research....how many bands have they placed? Do they have a support program (support groups, etc.) And any other questions you can think of.

The PB wasn't because your band is too tight... you already know what caused it. In the end, you need the fill so long as you aren't at your sweet spot. I've had a couple of PBs now and both were my fault...eating too fast. And I've had a couple of fills since the first one happened.

Lap Band AP comes in 10cc and 14cc. I believe the Realize Band comes in 9ccs but I'm not positive about that. They work pretty much the same. The Lap Band AP has a different structure to the part that inflates with saline so that the whole surface of it does not make contact with your stomach...supposed to help eliminate the risk of erosion. Pretty much everybody I've talked to has the Lap Band AP but it has been around for several more years than the Realize band. I seriously doubt that having one versus the other will make a whole lot of difference. As for the 2 sizes of the Lap Band band, I believe the surgeon makes that decision based on your stomach.

I was given an injection of blood thinner just before surgery and was sent home wearing compression socks. I suggest you talk to the doctor who has been caring for you related to the blood clot issue.

Under FAQ at the top of the main screen: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_abbreviations

Caryn, I haven't noticed that walking in the evening makes me hungry. I come back in and have a glass of water with Crystal Light while I read my email, etc. I know though that may not be true for others, depending on what or how much they eat for dinner. I aim for meat, poulty and fish, with a vegetable side dish rather than cottage cheese or soup or something softer and faster to digest. Hope this helps.

Lisa, I advanced to mushies about that time. First added cream soups and SF/FF pudding, runny mashed potatoes and the like. After about 7-10 days, I was allowed to start adding "regular" food slowly, with the caution about bite size and chewing.

Monkey, I certainly did not intend for it to sound like exercising with his wife would be the end all of support. It was one of several things to do and I still say it's a good one. But my other suggestions are things I've talked about with other bandsters and I think they are excellent ways of showing support.

I agree with the above posters. Seaweed can be a problem; it hasn't been a problem for me so far, but who knows? Rice is another thing that doesn't work for everybody. And you wouldn't want to eat a lot of rice. I ordered 4 pieced of regular sushi and 4 yellow tail inagi (a slice of yellow tail laid on top of an egg-shaped ball of rice) and ate only the fish. That was plenty for me and I had no problems. That was also not long after my first fill, so I'm not sure about now.

I can't promise you'll wake up with NO pain, but that's a strong likelihood. A lot of us here never even took any pain medication at all, or at most a little liquid Tylenol. I did not have an overnight stay at a hospital, just outpatient. And, I walked out of the surgery center, got in my brother-in-law's truck and rode away. I was thirsty and he stopped at a convenience store and got me a bottle of Water which I sipped all the way home, LOL. How to make the first few days really good? Have these things on hand. Whatever liquids you can have for the first couple of days AND the more expanded you can have after that. sugar free popsicles and sugar free fudgsicles, SF Jellow, Crystal Light or K20 mixes (for when water gets boring), a heating pad (will help with stiffness and gas pains (which have the darndest habit of moving around at will), Gas-X Strips (come in mint and cinnamon flavors) if you are belching. Make a pot of chicken stock (boil a chicken in a big pot, add carrots, celery seasonings, and simmer. Strain off all the solids and the resulting stock will taste so darned good going down! You can do the same with a cheap pot roast and have fantastic beef stock. Your favorite tea for hot tea. Iced tea. And, please, WALK AROUND. Moving around will make you feel better than you can imagine. It will minimize the gas pains and stiffness. You may make it to the mailbox and back the first time, but the important thing is that you do it! GOOD LUCK

You say you lack the energy to be an exercise partner. I know personally the one thing I would love to have more than anything is a walking partner! Walking is good exercise, you should not walk so fast that you can't carry on a conversation so it's a great social time and it costs nothing to do...in these financial times, something free that's good is not to be sniffed at! Okay, you say, but I don't think I can do that. Well, tell her you will walk with her until you feel that must turn around. Every time you go out, try to walk a little further. You will benefit from this AND SO WILL SHE. You will get stronger, and she will feel that you are making a big effort for her and that should inspire her, too! Do you cook at all? You can cook simple meals and surprise her and provide meals that are within "the plan" and maybe even provide some leftovers that can then provide a healthy lunch the next day. Example? Grill chicken, steak or lean pork OR FISH. There is a flat thingie with small holes to put fish on on top of the grill grid. Spray it with PAM so the fish doesn't stick. Grill vegetables! Some fruits even taste better grilled because it intensifies the flavor! Experiment. A little leftover steak can be added to salad greens with some sauteed mushrooms and low fat or fat free salad dressing. Instant lunch. Support isn't complicated. Reward her with a surprise now and then. There's a thread here somewhere about rewarding yourself. I suggested a nice (though certainly not ostentatious) piece of jewelry at 50 pounds. Maybe a silver (or gold, if you can afford it) charm bracelet with just one charm on it. Then add to it every 5 or 10 pounds. Silver would make more frequent charms more affordable. And what a nice surprise to have you pick these out for her! Love is the best support of all, my friend!

Are you eating because you are bored? Are you sitting in front of the television mindlessly munching on "stuff"? I discovered that if I have something to drink I can skip the food thing. Not plain water...it has to have some taste. Iced tea, Crystal LIght, etc. It may mean waking up in the middle of the night to pee but who cares? That's better than going to bed mad at yourself! Take a good walk after dinner. 30-45 minutes at least. Endorphins released by exercise can help you avoid cravings. If you absolutely are hungry (not just head hungry), eat Protein. A little goes a long way. An ounce of low fat cheese or a 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese. If this will help you, then plan your day's food to allow for that 70-90 calories. Don't just sit down on the couch and hope that you'll do better. Take action!