ParrotheadCathy

You answered your own question, Daisy! "my food intake is minimal because cooked food makes me nauseous...anyone else feel that way? I live off of fiber crackers and Special K cereal." You are probably somewhat malnourished if that's all you eat. Your body is in starvation mode and is holding onto every precious thing it can. You MUST eat a Protein rich diet to fuel the machine. How full is your band? Are you too full? If that's not an issue, then perhaps you need to get over your apparent revulsion to cooked food. You need to talk to your doctor or nutritionist about this because you need to make some changes very soon.

First, consider that you may need another fill. Second, while liquids are EASY, they do not stave off hunger the way solid food does. You need to plan ahead and EAT your meals. solid Proteins digest more slowly than anything else you could eat (good or bad for you) and thus keep you satisfied longer. The goal is to be able to go 4 hours between meals before you feel hunger. I doubt the liquids are giving you that. The band most definitely isn't a quick fix and I hate it that you expected it to be so. But if you can get to your sweet spot, I think you'll find that eating properly will enable you to lose steadily.

Don't know a thing about the Aussie health system, but why don't you talk to the hospital and see if they can give you some names of weight loss surgeons who operate in their hospital and work from that end instead of where you are right now?

Well,l I wasn't told NOT TO. I think it's pretty much when you feel up to it.

You can try what my pre-op diet was. My doc recommended whey protein shakes. I had 2 each day, and two meals that each consisted of 3 ounces of lean protein (about the size of a deck of cards) and steamed or raw vegetables, and small amounts of whole grain carbs. I didn't starve to death. If you decide to try protein shakes, most health food stores will even let you taste product to find one that you like.

RELAX! You are still healing, whether you realize it or not. But you have arrived in an uncomfortable time.....you can eat more and more "normal" things and as you leave the liquid diet behind, yes, you may gain and lose the same couple of pounds more than once. It's the beginning of bandster hell. You should not be expecting great losses during this period. It does happen for some but it's the exception, rather than the rule. Use this time to start exercising but starting out walking every day and adding to the distance as you feel you can. Work on taking small bites (about the size of a quarter) and chewing really well .... and work on eating without drinking during the meal. Once you get a couple of fills, you'll be better able to stick with "the plan" and the pounds will start to come off more and more steadily.

Yes, you are SO in bandster hell. When is your first fill? That's the first step toward what you are expecting from this process. First fill doesn't equal sweet spot, but it's a start. Focus on eating lean meals, protein first (and at least 20 grams of protein in a meal). If you can't go 4 hours without eating, snack on .... you guessed it ... PROTEIN. Why? Protein takes longer to digest than anything else you can eat, so it makes you feel full longer. This gets better, I promise.

The only thing that gets thin on diet pills is your wallet. They increase your blood pressure (and if you are overweight you may already have elevated blood pressure), water pills likely will only result in TEMPORARY WATER WEIGHT LOSS AND dehydrate you. "Crash" diets usually completely eliminate one food group or another and that starts messing with your overall nutrition. These are old habits from when you were pre-band. None of them are healthy for you.

Just a comment ... if you expect your insurance to pay for lap band surgery for only 50 pounds, you may find that you don't qualify for the surgery unless you pay for it out-of-pocket. Insurance usually requires a BMI of 37 or higher AND two co-morbidities. Not always but almost always.

Here's what I can tell you. 1. Not everybody can tolerate soy Protein, especially if they have thyroid issues. So, IF you have thyroid issues, I'd say steer away from any soy protein. 2. My doctor recommended whey protein pre-op but was less picky for post-op. 3. High carbs may work for a body builder, but you don't need them. Look for the lower carb options. Bear in mind that 15 grams of carbs is equal to a slice of bread, and some of those Protein drinks have several times that. 4. Mix with Water versus mix with milk....for me, it boiled down to does it taste better mixed with milk? Many health food stores will be able to let you taste samples. ASK 5. Calories. What my doctor recommended to me pre-op, mxed with milk was about 280 calories per serving. Protein. Look for at least 20 grams of protein in a serving (remember, you are aiming for a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day). 6. unjury (purchase on line) makes some that mix well with juice BUT if you are a Type II Diabetic, you don't need to be drinking juice because of the glycemic impact. Post-op, I have been drinking SlimFast LOW CARB DIET for Breakfast everyday because it's easy (I'd rather sleep than eat early in the morning), has 20 grams of protein, 190 calories and only 2 net grams of carbs. Net grams is the total grams minus the Fiber grams. SlimFast makes a "high protein" variety but it only has 15 grams of protein and more than 20 grams of carbs. Nutritional labls tell the tale. Read them.

Insurance is very complicated and frustrating. Why don't you call your insurance customer service number, give them your policy number and tell them you are contemplating WLS and want to know EXACTLY what their requirements are, such as miminum BMI, co-morbidities, any pre-op diet program or number of years of weight loss information and anything else you can think of. Don't tell them your name or than you've been denied. Then in a day or two, once you've reviewed everything that was ACTUALLY SENT IN TO THEM, call them back and ask what else they need in order to approve your claim on appeal. I don't know what else to suggest.

Well, some of the things on your list are on most lists. I will never, ever be able to walk in heels again or run -- lost my achilles tendon, after rupturing it, to an infection that almost cost me my leg 18 months ago, but, dang, if I thought there was a chance..... 1. I will ride on the back of my BF's BMW cycle. 2. On my cruise next spring, I will WOW all my buds with my weight loss and a special dress for the first formal night. 3. I will wear a CUTE bathing suit -- I've never let being fat keep me from enjoying the beach, but fat seems to exclude cute on the selection of suits. 4. I will not fear the doctor's office nor the scale. 5. Go on a zip line (well, actually, I did this in March when I was down to 250 and I would never have considered signing up for it otherwise). 6. Go back to Europe and do more walking/hiking stuff than last time (even though I was actually "only" 200 pounds when I went then). 7. I will enjoy my life because I will feel healthy.

Based on the answers to the questions, I'd suggest making an appointment for another fill. It sounds like you might be getting close to your sweet spot. And don't be shy about making another appointment a month out from there just in case you need it. Knowing you have it coming up may help you be a little more accountable for what you put in your mouth (it helps me). You may be very close to your sweet spot and not realize how close you are. I've discovered if I eat slowly I do recognize that I am getting full and should stop. If I eat fast, I can go right past that point and not even feel it. I was told to always eat the Protein first, then the vegetable, then I could have a little whole grain carb. The protein fills you up differently because it takes longer to digest, so it stays in your stomach longer. That's also why I was told to snack on protein instead of other stuff. I've had problems with soft bread since my first fill but it's only been since my most recent fill that I've truly been able to go 4 hours without feeling hungry and still that's not every time. Good luck and if you have any other questions, I'll try to answer.

Most of us have had no problems. That doesn't say that you could have problems. But if you are prepared to use this tool the way it is intended, you should have excellent results. The period from surgery until your second or third fill will have challenges. You'll have a liquid diet, followed by mushy foods and then back to normal food -- all while not having any restriction yet from your band. But once you start getting fills and edge toward your sweet spot, it gets easier. You still have to make the right choices regarding food and exercise but the band will help you adhere to those choices. I, for one, would do it again. As you can see by my ticket, I've lost 55 pounds so far this year and really feel like I've just gotten CLOSE to my sweet spot. Is this for everybody? No. Can it work for you? Yes. Let us know what specific questions you have and we can try to answer them.

jnic, you probably don't have much (if any) restriction yet and it's hard to keep losing under those circumstances. Your next fill should help but it may not take you to your sweet spot so keep the faith and keep working at this.

When you get close to your sweet spot, you have to be more vigilant to chew your food well (I have been told to chew it to the consistency of applesauce) and eat slowly. Make sure you are doing that. Do you have any problems drinking liquids? Usually, if you are too tight, it can be a problem to get anything down. If, after insuring that you are eating slowly and chewing very well, you find you are still having problems, go back to the doctor and ask if you need an unfill.

Aubrie hit the nail on the head .....you might buy some protein POWDER to take with you as a "just in case" but there should be protein available, just not the things you think of. Fish is a regular menu item, as are duck and chicken. A boss of mine had to attend a banquet one time where the soup had bits of duck feet floating around in it but I'm pretty sure that's the exception rather than the rule. if you are going to be in major cities, there may even be some more "Western" foods available in tourist areas (i.e., another friend refused to eat Chinese food and found a restaurant that served "Iowa grain fed beef" and ate there every day, LOL). Bean curd and tofu are common even in Stateside Chinese restaurants and should be plentiful in China. Nobody I know who went to China came home ill, and nobody came home complaining that they didn't get enough food to eat. Be prepared to try new things! I heard a couple of people describe restaurants where you got a pail when you walked in -- through the fish market -- and you got to pick out exactly what would be cooked for you.

Have you ever felt any restriction? Let's face it, everyone of us bandsters has been an overeater (and probably still would be were it not for the band). Do you eat as prescribed, that is 3 oz of Protein, steamed or raw vegetable and then and only then, if still hungry WHOLE GRAIN carbs? Do you snack? On what? I was told that if I was hungry between meals that I should snack ONLY on protein -- a half cup of cottage cheese, a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese. Do you have problems swallowing any foods? If not, go back and get another fill and, more importantly, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR, HIS STAFF, THE NUTRITIONIST....and ask for assistance. I know that 8ccs in a 10cc band SOUNDS like it ought to be enough but everyone of us is different. So please TO YOUR DOCTOR, HIS STAFF, THE NUTRITIONIST.

I weigh MOST days. I was in a car wreck a few weeks ago and have to go to PT 2 mornings a week and on those days I rush around and usually don't even leave my bedroom until I'm showered, fully dressed and ready to go and I drink my breakfast on those days, in the car. But like the OP said, I'd rather see the numbers and be reminded of successes, learn of new pounds lost, and on those occasions when I'm up, to know about them even if there is a good reason (I was up 2 pounds today, but I worked in the yard yesterday all day long and I was exhausted when I came in the house and today I have sore muscles which indicates lactic acid being held in muscles so that and the heat yesterday probably account for it all).

I was self-pay and so opted to not have the psych evaluation or visit the dietician. Everything else as far as pre- and post-op support was included in the $15,000 I paid in advance of surgery. That includes 1 year post-op and up to 10 fills. And I ran all my pre-op testing through my primary care physician so all of that ws covered by my insurance.

You need to remember that a PB is not vomiting. It is regurgitation of food that didn't actually make it into your pouch. There is no stomach acid mixed in, no partially digested food, just what you just swallowed. If you chew your food well AND eat slowly, you shouldn't have stuck episodes or PBs .... but if you eat too fast and/or don't chew your food well enough, you could have that unpleasant experiance again. And eating slowly also means you will get the "full" signal and stop, rather than eating right past it, so that's an added benefit. I PBd the first time because I waited too long to eat and then practically inhaled my food. Then my second PB was a totally unexpected thing ..... I ws eating mixed vegetables and it had those tiny corn ears in it. I cut it in half, and chewed it pretty well but I'm thinking it must have been too fibrous ... and stuck, and finally came back up (thank god).

One thing....you say "possible sleep apnea". Have you done the sleep study? If not, you might want to go ahead and do that because, at least for my surgery, they required me to do it (I didn't have sleep apnea). If I had shown evidence of it, I would have had to get the CPAP machine and use it every night for two weeks before the scheduled surgery date.

A couple of observances. (1) You don't say if you have a 10cc or a 14cc band -- and 7cc in a 14cc band might only just be approaching your sweet spot. (2) You obviously didn't get all 7ccs in one fill, so you've been to your doctor's office a few times. What have they said about your poor weight loss? I personally think you need to make an appointment to go in and (maybe) get another fill, but more importantly TALK seriously about what might or might not be going on. That's all part of the after care.

February 10. Seems like ages ago instead of just 3 months! I feel like I've changed so much and am forming new habits!

Consult weight -- 284/42.2 Surgery weight -- 269/38.3 Current weight -- 229/(haven't checked it yet) My pre-op diet was 2 Protein shakes and 2 meals consisting of 3 oz of lean protein and steamed or raw veggies each. It wasn't heinous by any means and I didn't really have a problem sticking to it. Try to stop drinking with your meals, take small bites and chewing well.... habits you're going to need in the near future. I also gave up diet coke in early January (surgery on 2/10).