BetsyB

I'm not a fan of either brand. I do like the Inspire brand by Bariatric Eating. I don't use cow's milk, but it's good with either water or the almond milk I prefer.

I'm just over six months out, and have been losing hair for the last month or so. I've gotten 100+ grams of Protein a day since surgery, have taken Biotin and zinc in addition to my bariatric multi, and have been using Nioxin since before loss was evident. And still I'm losing. My stylist says, "Yeah, you can do all those things. They make us think we're doing something." And my doctor agrees, pretty much. The loss is due to an interruption in the hair growth cycle caused by trauma; in this case, the trauma is surgery. I'll keep doing the things that make me feel like I'm doing something---and hope that the end is in sight. Right now, I can tell there's been loss when my hair is wet. Others can't tell when it's dry. Hopefully, this is as bad as it will get.

What you are experiencing is not unusual. You do not yet have adequate restriction--so you are, indeed, hungry. The key to loss during this period of bandster hell is---well, discouraging. If you want to lose, then you have to eat as if you do have restriction. And that translates into dieting. The good news is that it is the LAST time you will be hungry in the name of weight loss. Right now, it's a great idea to practice eating the way you will eat when you do have restriction. Small portions, small bites, chewing carefully. Make wise food choices, stop before you're full, etc. As you approach restriction, you will find it SO much easier---I promise! But the discouragement is really typical of the stage you occupy. It will pass!

My primary concern would be milk quality/safety in the immediate postop period. I nursed toddlers; they can go a few days without breast milk if they are getting other foods. So reestablishing nursing may not be an issue, once the anesthetics and pain meds are out of your supply. However, you might find that your child uses your unavailability for a handful of days as an opportunity to spread his wings and move on, developmentally. In that case, I'd say (and remember, I was a prolonged breastfeeder) that you'd done your job as a good mother---and taking the lead of your child is a good thing. (My aim was always child-led weaning, anyway.) If you are not ready to face the possibility that, postop, you might encounter child-led weaning, I'd hold off on the surgery for a while. As for meeting nutrient needs of a nursing baby while on the band---it would not concern me greatly, given that his diet is already supplemented. Supply also would not concern me hugely--the process is so supply-and-demand related that (especially early in the banding game, when restriction is minimal), I would assume that a plummet in supply was a foregone conclusion. I know I followed some very, very restrictive diets (with pedi blessing) post-pregnancy, with no ill effect on my supply. Everyone is different---but it's just not a given that it would be an issue.

Wow! That's a really great loss, so quickly! "Normal" varies tremendously---some people lose that amount in a month, others in six months. The decision to get a fill is based not only on rate of loss (which is more rapid at the outset if you have a lot to lose), but also on your level of satisfaction. Your doctor can help you decide this. You don't really have to worry about rate of loss vis-a-vis extra skin. That is not dictated by how fast you lose. It has to do with how overweight you were, how long you were overweight, how many times you've gained/lost weight, genetics, and so on. There is very little (like....nothing) we can do to direct that outcome. Lotions can lubricate your skin nicely, and even temporarily tighten (if you choose the right one), but don't effect any lasting change. Chances are, if you've been at your starting weight for any period of time, it's realistic to expect you will have redundant skin. But it may not be as bad as you expect--I know I'm finding that I vastly prefer the loose skin to filled-with-fat skin. Particularly since there are such good plastic procedures now.

Every surgeon's office is a little different, but I think the surgeon is a good place to start. At my first seminar, I was able to provide my insurance information; the insurance specialist in my surgeon's office notified me within a couple of days of my coverage. (I had already read my insurance policy, so I knew it was covered, but it was nice to hear this "officially.") My PCP was not a player in the process at all. Some insurance companies require referral, but mine did not. So I just moved from the seminar to scheduling a consult with the surgeon. From there, it was all kind of formulaic; they spelled out the steps I had to take, I did what they said, and after 3 months (as required by my insurance), I was cleared for surgery. If you can lay hands on your policy, it's a great place to start. Otherwise, I'd let the surgeon's office do that legwork for you. They will let you know what specific requirements you have to meet. Good luck!

Oh, caffeine has pretty soundly been disproved to be a diuretic. It is mildly so---but most of the Fluid in a caffeinated drink is available to the body for hydration. The concern with it vis-a-vis banding isn't its diuretic effect; it's that coffee (even decaf) contains acids and tannins that can be very irritating, especially to a new band. I drink (real, caffeinated) tea from time to time, and have no difficulties with this. Coffee does irritate my stomach now, so I avoid it--decaf, too. I think everyone's body is a bit different in terms of tolerance of this sort of thing.

My doc is a no-coffee doc, too--and I thought it might be the end of me! But I've been coffee-free since December. To tell you the truth, I haven't missed it much. Once I got through the initial withdrawal, it was smooth sailing. I've enjoyed the extra $$, too. I used to be a daily (or twice-daily) fixture at my local Starbucks. They know me by name, and would start making "my" drink when they saw my car pulling in. A couple of weeks ago, I met a friend there, and after I placed and received my order, the barrista looked at me and said, "I know I know you!" It was THE BEST feeling--made giving coffee up MORE than worth it. I'd lost so much weight since the last time I was in that she didn't recognize me; she recognized my voice, and knew there was something. And of course, once I told her who I was, she realized it. But man, that was an NSV if there ever was one. Giving up those lattes (even though they were the skinny sugar-free, fat-free ones) helped me get where I am now.

I agree with Denise--seeing a nutritionist with extensive experience with bariatric patients is important. There is so much "standard," formulaic information given--and among that information is that there is an arbitrary magic number of calories that one should not go below. Your nutritionist's magic number is 1800---but it may not be the number that is best for your body. If you want to lose more weight, and your doctor agrees the weight is there to lose, and the 1800 calories isn't getting you where you need to go, then it needs to be reevaluated. Sometimes, tweaking what you eat is as important as tweaking the number of calories, as well.

Your recipes sound great. My favorite brand of Protein is the Inspire line from Bariatric Eating.

It does sound more restrictive than most surgeons require/recommend. However, it's really close to what my doctor recommends (though I am "allowed" legumes, and have been since the second month or so postoperatively)---and I've been really happy with my results. Stomach space is finite, so I really don't find myself unsatisfied. And I also don't ever find my fat, saturated fat, or cholesterol intake being pushed into levels that would raise any cardiologist's antennae; when you can't eat more than a few ounces per meal, the risk just doesn't begin to approach the eat-all-you-like levels that can occur when Atkins is misused. Ultimately, as I approach goal, my intake will be remarkably close to that recommended by South Beach. (My doctor has us add whole grain back in a bit later in our loss---when about 75 percent of our excess weight is lost.) I really believe that it's a really sound, healthy way to eat. But for now, as I get adjusted to being ...well, adjusted...I'm doing just fine focusing on lean Proteins, a bit of cheese, nonstarchy veggies, some legumes, heart-healthy fats, and a bit of fruit. It's really not a bad way to live

First, I'm sorry you're facing not only little support, but what seems to be open hostility from others regarding your surgery. I wonder: is your sister-in-law overweight? Is her hostility stemming from jealousy? As for the scale---I know it's really hard, but please try not to focus on it too much. While some people do lose a lot on the preop diet, many (like me) do not. It's not really aimed at weight loss. Its purpose is to reduce the size of your liver so that it's easier and safer for your surgeon to move his instruments around in your abdomen. The low-carb, higher-protein approach does this by causing your liver to give up its stores of glycogen--a carbohydrate it stores for "emergency" use. As the glycogen is depleted, your liver becomes smaller---and your surgery safer. Any weight loss you may experience is a bonus--but it's really not the main goal. I promise, once you're banded, and get to a good level of restriction, you will look back on your frustrations of today with real compassion. You will achieve your goals---and it will come far more easily than it would if you were to follow your sister-in-law's advice to "just do it" on your own. The band is a wonderful tool. It takes hunger out of the equation. If some people want to view it as the easy way out, let them. It DOES make it easier. But why NOT take the easier path? It's not like we all haven't tried umpteen times to do it on our own, right? And look how very successful we were(n't). We all wound up here, either on the path to banding, or banded. There aren't very many of us who regret the decision, though! I wish I had constructive advice regarding your family---it would be nice to have their support, but in its absence, you have, at least, a supportive husband. The rest may come around to see that you are making the decision is right for you. If not, well---you know what they say: living well is the best revenge! And you'll be doing LOTS of living well!

I've had restriction creep up on me a while post-fill, too. It's weird! And yes, your funnel-full-of-pudding sound is normal. My band does lots of gurgling sometimes. There are lots of strange new things to learn--but it sounds like you're doing well. (And yes, the band is a tool, and we do need to change behaviors. But if your doctor is reluctant to allow you to fill to an appropriate level of restriction, then I'd have a frank conversation with him. The purpose of the band is to provide the restriction so that you are not relying solely on willpower; that is what makes the lasting behavioral changes possible.)

Some tabs are really resistant to dissolving, and many are enteric-coated (designed NOT to dissolve until they reach the intestine). They can and do get lodged in the stoma. They eventually break down and/or pass through, but as someone who has experienced this, I can assure you that, if avoidable, avoiding it is the route to take. I don't crush, but break up larger pills if there is no gelcap, capsule, or liquid alternative. i use the "nothing bigger than a pencil eraser) rule of thumb that I was given for chewing food. Getting a pill lodged in the stoma is an experience I don't care to repeat.

I'm so sorry you've been struggling with depression. You've experienced tremendous losses--and my heart goes out to you. That said, I wouldn't give up on the band just yet. If it's been considerable time since you've had an adjustment, you might be very surprised and pleased to find that it is once again just as useful a tool as it once was for you. Revision to another surgery is always a possibility, but it is probably premature to consider that. As you said, you need to get in a good place emotionally, then work with what you have first. I hope you reach that good place soon---not because of weight considerations (though I know they can't be helping your emotional status), but because you deserve to feel good.

I find that allergies/mucus can really be a huge problem for me (and can only imagine how it would be in Houston--where i used to live, and where it was a chronic problem for me). When I have difficulties now, I use guaifenesin--either Mucinex or (these days, 'cause pills are an issue for me) plain Robitussin. It helps loosen secretions so that there isn't any obstruction of the stoma. I hope you continue to feel better!

I was okay with pills immediately postop, when I had little restriction or swelling. A few days postop, I got stuck on a pain pill---and though my doctor had not required crushing, learned that that was the route I need to take (and still need to take--actually, even more, now that I have restriction) with pressed tablets. Gelcaps and powder-filled capsules don't cause me any trouble; they dissolve before they move through the stoma. But pills, unless tiny, really are a problem for me. (I take 1/2 of a tiny BP med each morning; it is okay. Anything bigger = stuck and swollen for me.) If they're not, for you, I wouldn't sweat it. It means you don't have the swelling/restriction some people do. Just be aware that you may reach a point where you need to switch to liquids or caps/gelcaps whenever possible.

Count me in, too! My finishing weight for the 4th of July challenge is 168.5. I will aim for 150.

Amazing changes! It's so cool to start experiencing them. Right now, I'm struggling with the butt bone thing---it can be hard to get comfy! And I'm always cold--something that is totally new for me. I love that my necklaces are looser; I was acutely aware of the fat pad at the back of my neck, and seeing it melt is one of the best things I've yet experienced. That, and leg-crossing (without having to grab on to the cuff of my pants to haul my leg up) and ease in tying shoes! Shoelaces that are tied in the center, rather than off to the side because I couldn't quite reach.... Having lots and lots of extra space in the bathtub---and having the Water cover my body. I'm pushing 50---and instead of looking older and more haggard as my face gets thinner, I look younger--which I love. The rest of me may be getting saggy (oh, who am I kidding? it was sagging when it was full of fat), but my face is not. Hooray! Sure, I have bariatric tennis-ball-in-tubesocks boobs---but it's not like after 2 pregnancies and nursing two kids that they weren't headed in that direction anyway (and it's not like I'm not already scouting plastic surgeons!)....and yes, I have tummy wrinkles. But by and large, my skin is rebounding really nicely. And it looks a heck of a lot better empty and wrinkly than it did full of fat. Isn't it wonderful? It's so cool---all of the things we'd hoped for, actually coming to pass. I'm glad you're experiencing it all, too, Leigha. It's a great feeling.

I'm so glad you're starting to feel better. Listen to your body closely--and be sure that you get enough Fluid. I hope you'll be able to enjoy the holiday, now that you're on the mend :thumbup:

My doctor told me not to worry about the Protein requirements during the clear liquid phase. I did have a plain Protein powder, but he asked me NOT to add it to my clear liquids; he really, really wanted me to have that time for my digestive system to rest---and clear liquids allow that. So, if you're on clear liquids, I would ask before adding protein. If you're on full liquids, then the playing field is MUCH larger, and there are many, many more possibilities. Is there any way you can get the literature from the nutrition class from your doctor's office? My doctor provided a CD with a lot of very useful information---yours may have something similar that could help guide you.

if you started on July 1, you won't have a loss, but it won't hurt to have the same number recorded twice. (Some of us started a week ago.) Let's give Laura a break. It's a personal challenge--so we can accept some responsibility for the mechanics for ourselves.

I'm glad I had it done---and I'm glad I had it done WHEN I had it done. I am comfortable with the tools and techniques now available. When I first became aware of banding in the 90s, it was in a professional capacity, and I was not at all comfortable with the procedure or outcomes. I've watched it pretty closely since then---and am glad that I waited. Doesn't mean I wouldn't have loved a solution earlier--just that I think that it did not much offer a lasting solution until more recently.

I fall into a "none of the above" category. Health is a HUGE motivator, but not the only one. I want to be comfortable. Being obese is hugely uncomfortable, in so, so many ways. I was uncomfortable physically, uncomfortable with my appearance, uncomfortable with who I'd become.... I want to be healthy (and really, I was remarkably healthy even morbidly obese), and to feel good in my own (saggy) skin.