crazydaisy0729

Hello, I will attempt to answer your questions as best I can given my own experiences. I was banded in January '10 (no prior problems conceiving however). I've been TTC since August 2010 and succeeded in February of this year. My baby is due in November. My lowest was 97 lbs down from prior to surgery and I'm currently 93 lbs down (gained four lbs since being pregnant). My WL dr's stance is, if there are no problems, stay filled to your current fill. I had had my current fill since September of last year. At about 12 weeks along, I started being extremely tight all the time (I think it was due to the increase in hormones from the placenta) so I elected to get an unfill. They took out more than I would have liked, since now I have no restriction, but it is for the good of the baby. Baby is currently measuring on track though. *Has anybody got pregnant this short into the lap band?* I got pregnant after 13 months. My dr (both WL and OBGYN) both recommend that your weight stabilize for a couple months before TTC. I didn't really follow this :-\ -Like I said, it has only been 6 months. I know that my research recommends a year after surgery, but if possible I do not want to wait *Does your band have to be completely 'open' while pregnancy?* -I know that my mother had me while she had her stomach stapled(which I know is a completely different surgery) but she couldn't get the right nutritions for me and I was born at only 3lbs. Can you keep a fill in the band while you are pregnant without hurting the baby? No, the band does not have to be open. I still have a fill of 3 mL in my 10 ML band. I had 6.2 up until 14 weeks along. *Has anyone experienced a 'slip' while pregnant?* -While pregnant, a lot of women have morning sickness and vomit. I know that vomiting is a risk for a 'slip'. Not me...but I was lucky enough to only get sick due to ms one or two times. I started pb'ing a lot early 2nd trimester so I had an unfill. *Can the baby get tangled in the cord to the port?* No...the baby is safely tucked inside the uterus (think of it like a bubble). *Women who HAVE HAD BABIES while on the lap band... did you lose your baby weight faster than someone who does not have a lap band?* I haven't had my baby yet

During my post-op phase, I enjoyed the Soup at Hands. The creamy chicken was my favorite; I'd add some extra protein powder to it. The chicken pieces were so small it didn't cause a problem. Some of the other varieties have noodles or veggies in them; most of the time for me they stayed at the bottom so I just threw it out before finishing all the way. I ended up not consuming most of those, though the ones that I did had no problem with. Everything was smaller than an plain m&m, which is the rule my doctor uses for swallowing pills, so I didn't think it would be a problem.

Piggybacking on this thread a bit. I too just got my Mirena out at the end of June. DH and I are trying to time everything, but my body doesn't seem to be cooperating. I had just finished my period when I got it taken out; then two days afterwards I started another period (June 25th). Since then, nada. I used to be 28 days regular even before Mirena, but now its been 35 days. And, I did take a pregnancy test and it was negative! Anyway, my question is, did any of you notice an irregularity in your cycle due to your lap band weight loss when you had mirena taken out?

My recommendation to you would be to use a website (like fitday.com) to document your activity and your food intake. At your next appointment, print out all the info that you can to show your doctor you are following the requirements but it is not effective for you without the fill. (S)he will probably be more willing to give you a fill if they see that you are getting enough protein and not just eating chips all day (just an example).

Hello - I want to get some dry roasted edamame. I have checked costco, they didn't have any, and there are no Trader Joe's in my area. Does anyone know if I would be able to find this in a grocery store near me? I have Super Walmart, Super Kmart, Aldi, and Jewel. Have you found it in any of these stores? If so, where specifically (with the nuts, produce)? I'm specifically talking about the kind you would eat like peanuts, not the kind that you cook. Thanks! Jen

I think crystal light is ok but if I were you I would try to cut down on all the caffeine you are drinking...that will have an impact on your weight loss. food wise, I try to stick with low carb choices because the carbs just make me want to eat more. Generally for Breakfast I have some sort of liquid, since I'm pretty tight. Like a Protein shake or greek yogurt. For lunch it's generally a salad of some kind with chicken or turkey on top. I still need to have a snack in the afternoon (because I'm not at the sweet spot) so this is generally a cheese stick or something similar. dinner is generally a big hunk of protein (chicken or fish, I'm not a big beef eater) and green veggies. For exercising right now I am just walking as I am having knee issues. I generally do 3-4 miles twice a week. Also I wear a bodybugg which helps me determine my calorie deficit each day, so I know the weight will eventually come off.

Shelby - You are the same height as me and have a similar long term goal - though you don't have as much to lose as I do! Anyway, because you are already under 200, don't worry about losing less than other people, because most generally have more to lose. But 12 lbs sounds great! Remember with the band you are only supposed to lose 1 - 2 lbs a week. And remember the benefit of that is no saggy skin :bored: I'm guessing you have been on solids for a few weeks now? I would say that yes, you probably do need to cute your calories - at least down to 1100-1200 to see if that gets the scale moving. My doctor though has told me to stay around 900. Make sure also that you drink, drink, drink your Water. I have noticed I can be doing everything right but if I don't get enough water my body stalls.

Thanks for your responses. I have always been fairly regular, though I was never as heavy as I have been in the past year. My doctor has asked me a couple times since surgery if my TOM has gotten more regular, but I hadn't really noticed. I guess now we will see! But is it more likely that now I am lighter that my period will be more regular not less? My gyno said she wanted my weight to stabilize for 3 months before ttc...though I'm not really sure why as my bariatric doctor said he's encouraged his patients to keep their fills. Has anyone ever heard this before?

Hello, Tomorrow I am going to have my IUD taken out as DH and I want to start trying for our third baby. We have two boys, so we are hoping for a girl this time around. We plan on charting ovulation and temperature (luckily I have had no issues in the past getting pg - ds #2 was a surprise!) and trying for a girl that way. My question for you all is, have any of you tried this, and succeeded/failed? More specifically, if you are still actively losing weight while trying, does this mess with your hormones enough that it can cause ovulation to be unpredictable?

It took me four fills to feel any restriction, and I'm not at my sweet spot yet. I go again next week. That being said, I have slowly lost weight since surgery, the old fashioned way through diet and exercise.

Hello fellow bandsters, Please indulge me while I vent a little. I have lost about 40 lbs including the pre-op diet since my surgery on Jan 11. I am happy with those results, though I think they could be better compared to others I have seen on here. Anyway, I set a mini-goal for myself to be at or below 200 by my birthday which is July 29th. I set this goal a couple of weeks ago - to do it evenly, I'd have to lose 1.5 lbs/week which I thought was quite reasonable (average loss for a bandster). The first 2 weeks, I was successful. This past week, has been a different story. I go up and down, but as of today I am .5 lb more than I was a week ago. Needless to say, I am very frustrated. Everytime I feel I am making a little headway, I feel there's a big step backwards. I count every calorie and exercise 3x a week (I can't do anymore because I have knee issues and two small munchkins). My bodybugg shows I am consistently at a deficit of 1000 or more every day (should only require a deficit of 750 to achieve 1.5 lb loss per week). I get 80 g a Protein a day and keep under 50 for carb intake. Does anyone have any advice for me?

I got two new ones today at Target on clearance for about $10 each...but that doesn't beat the trip I made to Kohls today where I found one on clearance for$6 something and another for $9 something and then had a coupon for additional 15% off. I was super excited to discover the non-plus size ones actually fit me this time (I could never find plus-sze on clearance).

I feel like I am drinking all the time - always have a Water bottle with me - so I think I am getting enough water. My doctor told me to stay around 900 calories, so that is what I am doing. Though, when I noticed that the loss was starting to stall, I started varying it this past week as I've seen many people on here suggest to do - so my range this past week has been 800 - 1100...with zero results! Also, I should mention that I do not have good restriction yet. I go for a fill (at least I'm going to ask for one) on July 1st. I think I have 4.6 in a 10 cc band right now. I am not staying full for very long after meals (maybe 1 -2 hours) and trying to drink water in between to try to keep the hunger away. It's very frustrating at this point because it feels like a normal diet. I know the band is a TOOL, but I don't feel it's doing it's job at helping me out right now.

This has happened to me more as I get more fills. When I told the PA about it, she told me that for some people, it is their "full signal", and its time to slow way down or stop eating.

I have never had a problem with it...I wouldn't recommend it but I actually had it the day after a fill with no problems. The one problem I've noticed at least for me is when I treat myself and have some at the movies the next day it shows in the scale...so it has to be a real treat for me to enjoy it!

If you are too tight in the mornings, you should try drinking some "clear" Protein - like Isopure. That way, you get your protein in. I suspect that your hunger will be less at lunchtime. Isopure has a lot more protein than the typical protein shake. Also, several people on here who are at a plateau do a five day liquids back to solids then to trick their body - it sounds like it's pretty successful. I've done some similar things and it always gets the scale moving. As always discuss with your phsyician.

A bodybugg is a device you wear on your upper arm that measures how many calories you burn. You then plug the device into the computer and it shows calorie deficit based on what you eat also (you have to put in what you eat). Also gives you total protein, carbs, etc for the day and you can track over time. It's a pretty neat gadget.

I don't measure carbs per say, but I try to just stay away from them in general because I have found having some carbs makes me crave more carbs and so on. Mostly I follow a low-carb diet and stay away from sugar. I have a bodybugg and according to it, I get about a third of my daily calories (currently around 1000) from carbs which comes out to be between 40 - 50 g. Are you measuring your food/counting calories? I think carbs don't stick with you like Protein does so you get hungrier and crave more, and therefore it can slow/stop your weightloss.

My doctor makes me drink one of those little cups of Water after a fill. If you can get that down without issue, then generally you are ok. Then clear liquid for 24 hrs, full liquid for 24 hrs after that, then mushies after that until the swelling goes down. Next time you go in if you anticipate getting another fill, take a bottle of water with you and take a sip after the fill to make sure you feel safe to leave.

I would be wary of doing that because the protein in the drink goes all funky when it gets to a certain temperature. If you have protein powder, add that to warm water instead of using a RTD shake.

I found that the Carnation Instant Breakfast Sugar Free RTD taste the closest to the Special K ones. They have 13g of protein I believe. I also like the Atkins Advantage (15g) or EAS low carb ones (17g).

Have you lost a couple pounds recently? If so, I bet you are losing some of the fat around where the band is placed, lessening your restriction. In which case, since you are already more than two weeks out from your fill, it may be time for another!

Are you making sure to get your 80g of protein? My nutritionist said it definitely helps to front-load your protein in the morning (have 40g by lunch!). Maybe you can have a protein shot if you are having trouble meeting the protein guideline. I'm still in bandster hell, and it's a lot better when I make sure I have my protein...otherwise I'm starving all the time.

If you are just looking for ways to boost your Protein (lots of protein helps you feel full), these are the ways that work best for me, besides the obvious breakfast/lunch/dinner choices: 1) Protein shots. I ordered some from body choice nutrition that are 25g protein for 100 calories in 2.9 oz! 2) Get some unflavored Protein powder and add it to everything creamy. Hope this helps!

I was filled today and my post-fill instructions state: 1)Clear liquids for the first 24 hours 2) Full liquids (like milk) for the next 24 hours 3) Progress as you see fit after that 4) Call the doc if you have nausea, vomiting or severe heartburn. Do not wait longer than 24 hours (that part is in bold!) I suggest you call your doc if Clear Liquids make you nauseated.