Arcael

I got one with my lap-band, dark blue. I broke it though How much are they going to be?

Ah I actually do have my doc's cellphone, my mom works in the OR with him (thats how I found out about the RN from mexico thing, the docs over at the hospital freaked out when they scoped her so they shipped her to my doc.) My surgery + personal trainer for a year + pre ops + post ops + psych eval + dietician + food + support groups all for 12,000 here, I consider it one hell of a deal and I can write it all off tax wise

Two weeks ago my surgeon did emergency surgery on a nurse who went to Mexico to get banded. She almost died. (He said she probably wouldn't last past 10 PM that night) and was muttering "I didn't think it was this bad" over and over during the surgery. It ended up costing her 50,000$ for the surgery, but atleast she is alive. Her band was too tight and it pretty much destroyed her stomach. My mother doesn't see her eating much for the rest of her life.

I usually keep a calorie figure in my head and just round up. On protein I try to keep some exact numbers. I drink Optifast Strawberry shakes in the morning and take two chewable suppliments daily. I add whey protein and benefiber to the shakes. I guess I could go to the store tomorrow night but I have no idea what to buy (besides eggs and string cheese). I've already worn myself out on omlettes and I don't like steak and most chicken(after chewing it so many times you just want to spit it out). I just moved into a studio apartment and have yet to use my stove, microwave, toaster oven, or crockpot :/ I'm sticking to what my doc has advised. No Caffeine No Carbonation Low Carbs Low Calorie High Protein. I just charted what I ate today on fitday and it came to ~600 calories and I did over 400 calories of exercise today according to there exercise chart thing... No wonder its dropping so quick.

They call my trainer the "Exercise Nazi" in the office I visit for post-ops. They all go to her so they know what I'm going through. After the first couple the aching went away, and the workout high started happening. I feel a ton better after working out, even though I still ache occasionally. (she works me out until my muscles are just about to give out)

Truthfully, I feel great in so many ways. Being able to put on socks without struggling, walking around for miles (up and down hill) without dying, its pretty amazing what you realize you couldn't do before. As for the fill, I went in for my 3 week appointment last tuesday and was told that they weren't going to fill me even at my 6 week. Thing about my old eating habits was I was a power-eater and its not physically possible anymore so my weight is falling off. I'm kinda worried about my diet though, I get plenty of water daily but I'm not getting all the protein I could be. They want me getting over 120 a day and I'm probably getting 60-80 :-/ and only eating around 600-800 calories max a day. I also limit my carb intake and only go for the low calorie high protein stuff. I'm worried about the hair loss that comes from rapid weight loss both my grandfathers are bald.

Before losing any weight: After 6 weeks of VLCD (2 weeks after surgery):

Optifast powder Mix(strawberry), 2 scoops of beneprotein, 1 scoop of benefiber, 7 ice cubes, 1 cup of Water. Blended Scumpsious

I believe I could have done it without it, but it definitely gives me motivation and gives me limits.

Hey guys, just checking in I haven't logged in since a couple days after my surgery and figured I'd update everyone. Today I'm down 61 pounds, I started my initial optifast diet on the 24th of june. 2 More days until it has been 8 weeks (4 weeks since my surgery). I hope everything is going well for everyone, I for one love the band. It's fun eating a salad in front of your friends and only finishing a third of it New and great opportunities are falling into my lap this year, and my self-confidence has gone through the roof. Before: After (6 Weeks in):

Hello everybody, My name is Chris and I was lap-banded on the 24th of this month. Here is my experience. First off I had to be at the office at 5:45 A.M. to get ready because I was the first band of the day. I was also to have my hiatil hernia repaired(dunno if that is spelled right). I went in and pre-op and surgery went off without a hitch. I wake up in my recovery room at ~10:30 a.m. and they have me drink a little Optifast and take some hydrocodone. I pass out again for a couple hours and wake up to my mother (who works at that particular hospital). My nurse has me get up and go to the bathroom so I did. I walked around a little bit and went back to bed until they had me drink the barium to check on how well the liquids are going through the stoma. They had to give me the wax torpedo(supository) to suppress my nausea. Everything goes fine and I head back to my room to sleep until 4:00 P.M. in which I went home. I get home and immediately go to sleep on my bed. It's after this point when I'm starting to have problems. I can only sleep on my right side, it aches when I sleep on my back or on my left side. (my port is 4 inches above my bellybutton on the right) and I constantly feel bloated. I haven't been able to pass gas or BM(diaherha the first night, been taking stool softners since) and I have no idea what to do :tea: Any advice? Also, My gas pains are gone, it kinda sucked the first night but it worked its way through my shoulders. I also apologize for horrible spelling and grammar, as I whipped this up pretty fast.

ah, my shoulders aren't the problem :tea: The C02 pains are pretty much gone, its just gastric gas pains that I think are going on now.

21 here, 22 on August 17th. I was banded yesterday.

I'm 5'11 and my doc said I should be shooting for 220-225 which would put me right in between 20 and 25% fat mass. After I reach my doctors goal, I'll probably shoot for 200 if I feel I need to lose any more.

I used to have pretty bad leg cramps when I was a kid, the fastest way to get rid of it is to lay perfectly straight and bend your toes so they point towards your head. The faster it goes away, the less your legs are impacted the next couple of days. A hot pad helps relieve the pain afterwards as well.

July 24th here

Congrats, maybe next time you can do it without having any at all

I've been doing Optifast since 6/21/2006 and here is some advice for ya. The first 4-5 days are hell, don't snack on anything and stick to your 5 meals a day. If you absolutely have to you can have one of those sugar free jellos or a cup chicken stock(broth). Try your hardest not to drink caffeine as it messes with your blood sugar and makes you hungry. Drink lots and lots of Water. After the first week its just a battle with appetite not hunger. Stick to it and if you feel sluggish start adding whey protien to your shakes. *edit* Also, don't take the substitution on the back of the satchel as something you can do, it is meant for when you absolutely can't have the shakes(if you run out and cant get any). I would avoid solid food altogether as it kinda messes up your digestion after you've been on optifast for awhile.

Yeah I don't think your doctor will care if it drops below 40. He will more than likely be very proud of you.