coltonwade

Congrats sounds like your doing great !!! Do not over do it . My best advice, Dont chase the pain take the pain meds as directed the first 2 or 3 days. If you start to feel the pain THEN take the meds its worse. Also the first almost week I did not feel like anything but Water . I felt like i could not get in enough water. My doc said that was fine as long as I was getting in fluids to stay hydrated . I really was not hungry . So if you are ok with just water and yoru doc is ok with it you should be ok. After all there is not much of a difference between water and broth. My worst day was the 3rd day . Like you said everyone is different. my best day was the first day probably because of the pain meds still in me . Good luck your doing great. Mindy

You could be taking in too much air. Someone told me once right after post op to take a drink , exhale then swallow. It helps get rid of excess air. Also it could be "left over" Gas from the surgery . Hope you feel better soon . Also are you drinking from a straw ? Different docs have different orders but my doc says no straws. HTH Mindy

First CONGRATS on the weight loss so far your doing amazing !! Great job! It sounds like you already know what you have to do . And the more restriction you get the more you WILL have to do it. Remember this .. FEAR! LOL Seriously > Fear is what drives me , the fear of messing up my band . . every time you PB You are putting your band at risk , your putting your band at risk for slipping. If your worried about doing this in front of a client at lunch , you might consider sticking to Soup maybe ? I get into trouble more when i am talking and eating. But you are going to have to practice this . The more restriction you get the more the band is going to Remind you to slow down . You will get the hang of it . Your doing great.

Like my doctor told me , your weight did not come on over night , dont expect it to come off over night. the band is a tool its not a magic wand . I know its frustrating and it will take a little time. I suggested some things in another post. feel free to contact me as well if you would like some one to talk to one on one. HTH Mindy

Be very careful with Smooties at Places like Smoothie King. Some of those Smooties have as many as 1500 Calories in one !!! I have a handy book i carry in my purse that lists calories of fast food. Sometimes things you think r ok for you are not. Smooties are one of them . On the "good side" a Small Smoothie will have 300 calories. Jamba juice too . they are just as bad. Honestly I would have RAN the hell out of your docs office if he would have given you a fill at 2.5 weeks post op . Your still healing. Standard fills are 6 weeks post op . Sometimes docs will do it at 5 weeks But not normally . I know right now it seems like you eat a lot . But this is how I explain it . Post op I could eat about 1/2 of what i could eat before surgery . After my fill I could eat about 1/2 of that. If your worried about calories to go Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople and track your calorie intake. to the Original Poster , believe it or not sometimes not eating ENOUGH can cause your weight loss to stall. When i was a few weeks post op it felt like I was eating ALOT and I was not losing , I tracked my intake I was only eating 800 calories a day . My nutritionist told me ... eat MORE .. What ?? So i did I got in close to 1000 a day and that actually took work and i started to lose again . Now if i get under 1000 cals a day my weight loss will stall. they call the phase after surgery until you get good restriction bandster hell for a reason . its because its hard !! Hang in there ya'll will be good !! We all go through it.. The band does work . But until it can work ya have to do a little work yourself. HTH Mindy

Sorry i Forgot to tell ya Im in Texas too !! Where are ya'll at ? Mindy

You have to be patient. the band will work , but the fills sometimes takes time to kick in !! Sometimes people take up to 3 fills before they feel restriction. I know its hard but right now your in bandster hell. Hoipefully this next fill will give you some restriction. You can do it just hang in there !!! Mindy

To start with there are LOTS Of threads on Spivak , in the top right hand corner there is a search bar, Type in "Spivak" and you should get lots of threads, I started to paste them for you but there are lots. I dont know if you will find all your answers but while you are waiting you can read some info on him. Good luck Mindy

Here ya go MP3 Podcasts Or as Stranger said you can get them off itunes Mindy

I struggle getting in enough Water too. I try to drink those big glasses because even though its "One" glass they are usually at least 24oz of water. So If i can "trick" myself into thinking "Ok i just need 4 of these at a day Im good. It does not seem like so much that way . ya know ? Good luck keep it up . It all takes some getting use to at first and it seems like its a balancing act , well it IS a balancing act . Mindy

You may just be at a plateau for a bit . Try adding some light weight training to your work outs and see if that helps. our bodies like to mix things up . Also you may not have restriction yet with 3ccs in a 10cc band, it sometimes take a little bit of time. Once you get more restriction you will lose. Try to be patient . OH Something else are you drinking lots of water ? HTH Mindy

Also if your going to be increasing your work out levels ( as we are obviously) you need to increase your calorie intake or you will put yourself in Ketosis. And energy level wise you need it as well. My doc says no LESS Than 1000cals a day and that's PUSHING it he would like 1200 . So you might want to check with your doc on his/her recommendations. And the banana comment : Yes its high in Sugars but its "good" sugars and good carbs. If your going to eat the banana BEFORE you run , your going to run off those calories. So eat the banana LOL HTH Mindy

Hey Tracy I see your in San Marcos !!! Im in BUDA !!! Mindy

her plan added an exclusion . If they have excluded it there is nothing she can do . I agree if you can shop different plans then that would be good, see which plan covers WLS . Also BEFORE you pick if you find a plan that covers WLS speak to some of the WLS docs in your area and see if they have had success getting it covered . HTH Mindy

Sorry for the insurance issues. I woudl check into your plan see if they cover it ? As far as waiting ? Im not sure about that . I know someone who switched insurance plans and 4 days later had approval ? I dont think there is a set time ? But someone else might give ya a better answer ? Personally I think i would pay a premium or 2 first LOL Mindy

I know it I would have to write stuff down and look it up . your a novel of info , thank GOODNESS Your here !! Mindy

I dont know how you keep all of these straight . LMAO I remember what these docs have done but i forget who has done what !

Girl 2 weeks is not normal LMAO I would RUN FOR THE HILLS over 2 weeks. Seriously you need to call the doc it sounds like too long and too much to go . Let us know what they say Mindy

I would say that is not normal you need to call . Even when i would go for 4 months w/ out a period yes they would be very heavy but they would not last longer than a week or so . that's too long. I would call your doc asap ! Mindy

If its Vitamins you need you can get them in chew ables. But I dont know about specific potassium ? Mindy

Oh thanks. Honestly I eat what ever i want. BUT I do not eat a lot of carbs And have not since my pre op diet . I have PCOS ( Poly cystic ovarian syndrome ) which is one reason I became obese to begin with . It prevents you from loosing weight . The band is the ONLY way in 10 yrs I was able to lose weight. But Carbs are not good for ppl who have PCOS . So after I was on my low carb high Protein pre op diet I decided it was better to stay off them as much as possible. I cant eat Pasta, bread or rice anyway so its not too difficult. I eat A LOT OF veggies too . I eat a veggie stir fry mix i make for lunch at LEAST 4 times a week . I eat better now than I ever have. But If I want a piece of cake or chocolate on occasion I will eat that. Email me if you want more info on what i eat i'll be happy to tell ya. thanks Mindy

You need to ask your doc which pills you can crush and which you can not , which you might be able to get in liquids, sprinkle capsules or some other form. Different docs have different opinions on when you can and cant take meds or if you have to crush or not . So best to ask your doc . HTH Mindy

There is a difference if you drink even right after a meal . or too soon after a meal . Also there is more to the " no drinking" thing than just the full ness. I drink up until my meal comes . After time this can stretch your pouch . This is my docs reasoning for not doing it. also when i have GOOD restriction , I tried to drink ONCE after I ate something and thought i was going to DIE !! It was THE WORST Stuck EVER ! PAINFUL. So if you have good restriction you WILL only do it once . this is what I did , practiced before surgery for months . It becomes a habit. But here are some tips I used to stop 1. if your at home do not even get a drink when you have a meal . Do not even bring a cup to the table. 2. After eating Set a kitchen timer for 60 mintues , when it goes off then you can drink. 3. if your at a restaurant .. I drink up until my meal comes, when my meal comes I either ask the waitress to take AWAY my cup ( I had to do this in the begining ) or what I do now is ask for a to go cup WITH a top and NO Straw . 4. then write on the cup what time you can drink it (60mintues after you finished your meal ) evenutnally it just becomes a habit and you will start to go "wait i forgot to get a drink " its just a habit you have to break with another habit. HTH Mindy

Yes Before I had WLS I was denied for Migraines AND being Obese. I am pretty sure it had more to do with being Obese than my migraines. If you have insurance your just better off staying with it , because if you go off it for some reason you may NOT get it back . Group insurance is different they pretty much have to take you . Private health insurance is a WHOLE different world , they can and will turn you down for ANYTHING !! mindy

1-2 pds per week IS Average that is not slow !! dont be so hard on yourselves your doing great !!! Mindy