maclynn

Yes, I ordered it and tried it in two different things and couldn't swallow it down. I could smell and taste it. It was so bad it turned my stomach. I had to return all of the powder I ordered. I ended up drinking a high protein fat free chocolate milk that Dean's made. It wasn't as high as the protein powder but it was better than nothing!

I had 2cc in a band that my surgeon told me holds 9cc but I didn't feel restriction until my second fill which brought me up to 5.2cc. Good luck!

I agree with everything that has been posted so far. I would just like to chime in that after I had my first child, I was only overweight but that then became obese and finally morbidly obese. The heath problems soon followed and I wish that there had been a band when I was in my twenties or thirties. While my husband loves me how I am, I got the band because I am a new grandma and wish to be around to see her grow up. Not because I want to look good in a swimsuit. Good luck with whatever you decide and congratulations on the baby!

Lost 2.5 pounds this week which both surprised and made me happy as hell! Hope everyone else had a good week. Starting weight 214 Surgery weight 199 Today's weight 178.5 Total so far since surgery -20.5

I put on a pair of shorts that I haven't been able to wear in a while and what did I pull out? A receipt from 2006! I'm back to where I was three years ago. After being overweight my whole life with yoyo diets, I had lost 50# 11 years ago and kept a good portion of it off for more than seven years before I quickly gained all the weight back over the past three years or so. This was a very nice non-scale victory!

LOL! And it was an 11 day cruise, too! But I was good and took the stairs a lot and ate salads for lunch and such.

After my six month pre-op, I went on a cruise and then got my approval. I didn't really diet during that time but neither did I go nuts. I ended up gaining about 4lbs. in the three months until surgery but once I had the surgery, I had a new focus and things are going well.

For me the pain was tolerable. The worst for me was getting in and out of bed, rolling over, etc, around the port. I would get a sharp pain if I didn't have help. But by a week out things were really great. No where near the pain of childbirth. At least for me.

I was banded on 5/6 and have lost 18# since surgery so I think you are doing great!

I too am doing well and feel back to normal. Even a little better because of the weight loss. With my second fill I'm finally feeling restriction which is great because my three small meals a day keep me full now! Linda, that's great your amount of weight gone. Good job! No weird pains under the arms. I just get achey around my port site and know I've pulled/stretched the muscle some times. GB, just yesterday I noticed that about my towel too! Melissa, my hair is very thin and I do notice it coming out. Like you, I'm trying to keep my Protein up but with eating such small amounts now... And my weight loss is slow also but, hey, I'll take it after nothing coming off and staying off before!

The scale finally moved downward today! After fluctuating (mostly up) for the past week and a half, I am finally down another pound and this makes me very happy. I am still feeling restriction but now the problem is getting in enough calories every days. There is no way I'm eating 1000. Starting weight 214 Surgery weight 199 Today weight 181 Total so far since surgery -18

OMG, I think I have restriction! As I noted in a previous post, I had my second fill last night bringing me to 5.2cc in my band. I was told to have soup for dinner and just chew really well today. Deciding to be on the safe side, I made one scrambled egg with some cheese for breakfast. Because I was running a little late for my dietician appointment, I ate in 10 min versus 30. As I was driving to the appointment, I began to feel really full. Not uncomfortable, but as if I'd eaten a large meal. It is now three hours later and I still feel that fullness! I really hope this will last for a while since my weight loss has been really slow (and some weeks nonexistant!). I'll keep everyone posted but good luck to all.

Just got back from my second fill. Officially I've only lost 3.5# in the past four weeks but I know that I am retaining water and its my own fault. I had several green olives and hot dogs for dinner last night. Well, I got in there and the doctor said that he had 2cc in the syringe but it pushed back after he got 1.2cc in so he said that was where he'd stop today. I could actually feel a bit of movement in my stomach so I assume that I felt the band tighten a bit. I asked him how much fluid the band could hold and he said 9cc but has never filled anyone that much. I'm really kind of hoping that this will do the trick for a while but made an appointment for another 4 weeks from today. I am drinking fluid just fine. He said soup for dinner and tomorrow to chew really well and I think to be on the safe side, I'll have soft foods at least for breakfast and lunch. Good luck to all and hope things are going well.

No loss this week. In fact I weighed in at a pound more but didn't eat badly this past week. I think I'm retaining water because of having italian sausages last night for dinner. I've bumped my appointment up to Monday for a fill as I don't seem to have restriction yet, am not losing at least a pound a week and I found out my insurance company will only cover 'follow-ups' for the first six months after surgery. Congratulations to everyone else that lost weight this past week! Happy 4th!

John, you're amazing and an ispiration to all of us to keep on track!

This week was even better than the last two with 2.5# but I hope my Dr is agressive with the fills since I just found out the insurance will only cover them for six months following surgery. Considering the fact that its $100+ for the office visit and $300 for the fill, I don't know that I can do that out of pocket right now! Starting weight 214 Surgery weight 199 Friday 6/19 182 Total so far -17

When I started my 6 month insurance required physcian supervised diet and exercise program my BMI was 43.2. After initially losing 18# my BMI was 39.5 and I was very worried that my insurance company would now deny me as I was no longer 40+ BMI. To my happy surprise, they did approve me after all was completed. I hope that your insurance company follows the same guidelines since I was getting conflicting information such as they go by your hightest BMI but I cannot tell you that is a fact. Best of luck to you.

LOL!!! I've always been told good things come in small packages but I haven't been a small package in decades! Hang in there. I'm sure it will get better soon.

Hey Ann, That's awesome! You have to remember that being 4'11.5" (can't forget that half inch) can make even the high wonderlands seem huge! But I am feeling good about the loss. Here's to keeping the scales moving in the right direction!

A bit better week than last with 1.5 pounds gone. Starting weight 214 Surgery weight 199 Friday 6/19 184.5 Total so far -14.5

If you are serious about getting banded, don't be discouraged! I was a bit bummed about the six month physcian supervised diet and exercise required by my insurance but you get through it. Total from discussion with my PCP through banding was almost 11 months. I am now about six weeks out and am so very glad I got it done. Would I have like to have had it last year? Yes. But it's done now and I have a healthy start from the pre surgery diet. Good luck and hang in there!

I'd been sucessful on dieting in the past. In fact, my most recent diet, I lost 65# and leveled off at about 60-50# for seven years. I thought I'd finally overcome my overeating. I was wrong. It took about two years to gain it all back and I knew the scale was headed even higher. For me the band is not about losing, its about keeping it off forever and not gaining it back. I'm tired of the yo-yo and decided to put the final breaks on it. Best of luck with your decision!

My decision to have the lapband was because I have never been sucessful keeping weight off that I've lost in the past. At one point, I thought I'd done it. I kept 50# off for 7 years but then in the course of less than 2 years gained it all back. When the scale hit my starting weight I knew that I would be headed even further up so I finally asked my PCP if a lapband was right for me after my daughter spoke of a co-worker having the procedure. Because of insurance requirements, it took me a little over 10 months from the time I asked my PCP about it until I was banded. One month was getting into the seminar, six months for the diet required by my insurance company and then the rest was timing of getting into my surgeon's office, pre-surgery and then a delay of a month because of work obligations. I am now a little over one month post surgery and in 'bandsters hell', which means that I do not yet have the restriction to keep my eating to about a 1/2 cup of food three times a day so it's mostly dieting and exercise. The band right now keeps me from overeating but I get hungry in about three hours instead of five. Good luck with your journey. I think it was one of the best decisions I've every made.

Lost a half a pound this week. I guess I'm going to be a slow loser but at least I didn't gain anything! Starting weight 214 Surgery weight 199 Friday 6/12 186 Total so far -13

Rosie, Dr. Chua told me to come in next month for a fill so I go in on July 13th for the next one. I'm sure glad I am because I can't believe how hungry I am and while I'm trying to diet, the weight isn't really coming off right now.