JoJo1

I also think your expectations are a little too high. I eat breakfast at 7, lunch at around 11:30 and Dinner at 5 or 6. There is no way I could go 7 hours, but I also have a snack if I need one.

I have lost over half of the weight I want to lose, and my doc put me on BP meds about a month ago. I was worried about the meds because I don't like to take anything. He said I was 176/90. I started to take the meds but was feeling dizzy in about a week. I decided to ride it out because I figured it would take awhile to get used to lower BP. Then after two weeks I just couldn't take it any more so I cut them in half. Now this is about 2 1/2 grams of lisinopril. It was better but in a few more days, this was also making me dizzy. I stopped taking them, and I have an appt with my Doctor tomorrow. I don't know why my reading was high that day in his office, but I do not think I have High Blood pressure. I don't have a home BP monitor I have considered getting one, but I don't know what kind is accurate. Any advice on this?

I am a type 1 diabetic so I have done low carb for at least the last 11 years. I still needed to get the band because of portion control. I believe in the low carb approach because of exhaustive research I did before I decided to do it. The key is knowledge. I had no trouble doing it once I became convinced it was healthy. I have much more energy low carb than I did before. I only use sugar when I need it for low blood sugar times. I actually prefer this way of eating so when my surgeon said this was the way he wanted me to eat, I did not have a problem with it. I have found a few tricks over the years that help. I use ezekiel bread when I crave a sandwich. It is 14 carbs per slice and I can not eat more than half of a sandwich so it is perfect. I also use the new low carb wraps that Mission makes and they are really good. Breyer makes a low carb icecream bar which I haven't bought for a while because I don't seem to crave them any more. There are some inexpensive yogurts that are less than 14 carbs also. I use splenda quite a bit, but only for coffee and Ice tea since I don't crave desserts very often either. The sugar free pudding cups are only about 14 carbs. Read labels and you will be surprised how many choices you actually have. Hugs!!!!

I got a fill on Monday and My doc gave me a list of good protein choices. I won't list the meat, chicken, fish, etc because we all know these things have protein. These items surprised me. Asparagus Quinoa Lentils 29% Spinach 49% Kale 49% Broccoli 49% Tofu 43% Soybean 54% Wheat Germ 31% Pumpkin seeds Almonds Dulse (seaweed) And those green drinks like Green Plus and Megapower

Personally I do not lose on liquids or on mushies. I always am up a pound or two a couple days after my fills because of this. You need to get 1000 to 1200 calories and you need to exercise when the doc releases you to exercise. This is a life long change that will produce results but it will be much better after you are on solid food. Once you are on solids, you should not drink your calories unless you are in a rush situation and are unable to sit down and eat. I only use protein shakes on fill days!! I don't like them much either, but I don't want to drink my calories any more than I absolutely have to. Personally, I can not see why some docs recommend this 600 calorie thing. It makes no sense because if we could do this, we would not have to have a band at all. Rapid weight loss is not a guarantee with banding any more than it is on a diet. The band just helps us when we are ready to give it all up. You will lose and you will love your band like many bandsters do. I promise!!! Hugs!!!

I have read many threads about hair loss and Lap Band surgery, and I can tell you that docs do not agree on the cause of this. My doc this week told me how much protein I need and I was surprised because I read these posts all the time, and protein is a huge topic of conversation. He says I need two servings a day of 2 to 4 oz of lean protein. I have a feeling, that you may be just now going through hair loss because of the surgery. It will stop in a few weeks!! Be sure that you are not overly sensitive to this loss. A normal person who's hair is not thick, loses an average of 100 hairs a day. This will be more if your hair is thick. If your hair is long, 100 hairs can look like a lot of hair. If you actually are losing more hair, it will stop!! In the mean time, get some Nioxin Shampoo and Scalp Therapy. It will stop hair loss in 30 days. It does not have any drugs, it just really cleans the skin and allows it to grow in a healthy way. (I am a hair dresser I have used it from 6 weeks before surgery and I have not had excess hair loss) The protein thing seems to vary widely from one doc to another so maybe the best thing for you is to relax and try not to worry too much!! It will be fine I promise!!! Hugs!!!

If it is occasional, you shouldn't have a problem with a few drinks. For the same reason you don't want to drink your meals. It is calorie laden and not very satisfying. Personally, I get hungry after a few glasses of wine and want to eat my house. This is incentive enough for me to limit this practice. Are you staying up on your fills and limiting your snacks between meals? You may be in a stall, but this is a good time to measure yourself and pay attention to how your clothes feel. Hugs!!!

It was hard for me to not drink with meals in the beginning. I am a positive person but for awhile, I had a very negative attitude about this rule!! I thought "Oh man how am I supposed to not drink with meals and still drink 64oz of water a day"? I followed the rule however, and I learned that it was not hard at all. I wait 30 minutes or so before drinking after eating. One poster mentioned not being able to drink coffee after toast. I spend the first 30 minutes after I wake up drinking my coffee, then I am ready to get ready for work and eat breakfast. I do however drink a glass of wine when out on special occasions with my meal. For me, it hasn't made me more hungry, but I can sure see how it would. It just didn't happen for me. The poster who said they can not eat a meal without drinking water, I wonder if you are too tight!! Unless it is for a different reason you are unable to eat without drinking. Just a thought!! Hugs!!!!

I have been totally amused by reading through this thread today. The posts where people were irritated were even more amusing than the ones where ppl were purposely being funny. I really loved the reference to Helium. I was picturing myself floating away!! LOL.... Actually I am one who if there was a class on it, I would probably show up and learn to fill myself. My port is near the surface now, and my fill doc says he uses the shortest needle. I give myself insulin so the needle thing is nothing to me. I haven't heard of a class so I guess I will just keep going to my fill guy!! Darn!!! Thanks for the amusing thread!! Hugs to all!!!

I agree with the poster who suggested that you not do milk for a few days after your fill. I tried V8 too soon after my surgery and was forced to go back to clear liquids for a few more days. I got a fill yesterday, my second. I now have 2.75 cc in a 4cc band. I can do V8 so far just fine and the Adkins protein shakes also go down fine. I am doing mostly water though until tomorrow!! Hugs!!!!

Amen !!!!!

I truly love this post!! Thank you!! I feel like I want to frame it and keep it where I can see it everyday. I do pretty much the same thing. I am a diabetic type 1 so I am insulin dependent. I have done low carb for the last 11 years for blood sugar control and so I have learned to prefer this life style. It was perfect for the band. I eat what I crave which no longer includes donuts, but I love that I can now control portions. I love that I can go about my day without obsessing about the next meal or about food in general. Thanks again for the post............Hugs!!!:eek:

I'm getting my second fill Monday the first!!! I need a little more restriction too so here goes!!! I'm sorry you guys in the East are getting such a tough winter. We out west could use some snow so maybe you could send us some!!! hugs!!!

I enjoyed reading everyones ideas here. I have experienced many of them also. I mostly appreciate my loss of my obsession with food which I had all my life if I was on a diet or not. I also appreciate that many of my chin hairs have not grown back in. I did not associate this with the band until I read it here. I just thought I had discouraged them finally by plucking them out.!!!! Thanks again everyone, this post is really fun!!!

The band is a tool we have to use. If you buy a hammer and leave it in the package, you won't get many nails into the wood. We have to get our fills, eat proper band foods, drink lots of water, and educate ourselves the best we can. We also need to make sure we really want to lose weight. This seems like a no-brainer, but from the hundreds of posts I have read, I really believe some are not really ready to lose weight. I know a woman who got a gastric bypass 25 years ago. She lost all of her weight, and hated it. She said she scared herself every time she looked in the mirror. She gained back a lot, she is still down 100lbs but she was not comfortable thin. Food for thought~~~~~

My doc had a list of rules that I try to follow most of the time. I do have some wine once a week, and I do have an occasional beer and an occasional diet coke. I try to follow the not drinking with meals rule as much as possible. However I have a banded daughter who has never been one to follow rules, and she has ignored almost all of the rules. She has lost 100lbs anyway. She says she got banded because she was unable to follow diets so she just does what she wants. I guess we will see how it goes in the future, but I am not sure yet how necessary the rules even are. I am a natural rule follower, she isn't. She is a grown woman and capable of making her own decisions as well as her own mistakes. I wish sucess to all and this disscussion will probably go on for years to come. Hugs!!!

Sounds like a problem with a food to me, like an allergy or just some bad food. Imodium works well for this!! Hope you feel better soon!!!

I said in earlier posts that I occasionally crave diet coke but the truth is that at one time I was a diet coke-aholic. I drank it all day long at work, and all evening at home. I read in forums and I think even in my surgeons written material, that it wasn't good for the band so I was nervous about being able to stay away from it after the surgery. I was pleasantly surprised however, because I did not crave it after the surgery. I still wanted some low carb things to drink though as I had not learned to like water yet. I went through all the diet vitamin waters and the gatorade low carb one, but the only one I really liked was Diet Green Tea. I still drink it once a day but I have finally learned to prefer water. The main reason I have not pushed the diet coke thing is because it is a true statistic, that people who drink pop of any kind weigh more than people who don't. I figured I was better off without it, and now my husband has also stopped drinking it. He says it makes him feel fat. (He is thin) The current situation makes me happy so cheers to all!!

If you think about it, most of our friendships and relationships in general, are made up of people we feel comfortable being around. When the comfort changes, we start to move away from the relationship. I am a hairstylist, so many of my clients are also friends. We even have relationships with store clerks and our doctor or dentist. I have already had clients start to move away. I expected this so it is okay. My feeling is that we should not take it personally when people start to move away. We are growing and changing in a way that for some reason is making them uncomfortable. Maybe if we really look closely, we are also uncomfortable and it is a mutual thing. Some of these changes would have happened anyway, others would have stayed as long as the comfort stays the same. Growing and changing is always a good thing and in my opinion, it is the reason we are here to begin with. Hugs to all!!!:wink:

My daughter got pregnant about 6 months after being banded. She has had infertility issues due to weight for years. She delivered a normal baby girl a year ago this Saturday. She did not get an unfill until the last month of her pregnancy. Good luck with this, I have a feeling you will be having kids much sooner than you think!!

You are right, this does give me a new perspective with which to view these comments!! Thank you!!!

I had someone say a similar thing to me today!! She was also thin. I thought to myself, wow it is starting already. I told her how much more I wanted to lose, and she said "No you will be much too skinny" I was laughing inside, but I told her I would take it 5lbs at a time and decide with my Doctor. She seemed happier with that. I am sure it is only the beginning!! Oh well!!! I just choose to be amused!!!

Well what I have noticed here in the forum is that there as many different opinions on what should be consumed as there are doctors. The general idea I got from it is that each of us needs to listen to our bodies and use common sense. I stated that I occasionally have a diet coke if I really crave it, after I pour it over ice and let the bubbles go. That is a little different than the double cheeseburger analogy you were talking about. I do not abuse my band but I also know what happens to me if I ignore cravings for an extended period of time. I don't see how any of this hurts anything if I am not experiencing pain, and it is occasional. Cheers!!!

Well this is why we got the band don't you think?

I am 5 months out, and I can drink one once in a while. I pour it over ice, to get out the bubbles, and I do not use a straw. It is fine. I was a diet coke-aholic before banding so this is huge for me to give it up. I don't crave it often but if I do, I have one.