festivus

Hi: I like Muscle Milk chocolate (180 calories and 20 grams of protein) for breakfast. I also make a protein shake with whey protein. I add frozen Blueberries and strawberries to it and sometimes a little avocado. I usually have this after a good workout at the gym.

I noticed my stomach gurgled more when I was looser. It doesn't do that anymore. Now, I gurgle from the esophagus when I lay down, so when you are in bed, within 3 minutes there is this constant passage of air up to your throat. That I find embarrassing. Also, it's become much more important that I not eat or drink anything for more than 2 hours before laying down to avoid acid reflux. I think it's all part of the "journey".

NYU is a "center of excellence" for the banding. I had mine done March 18, 2010 and count my lucky stars that I ended up there. The hospital is amazing. The doctors are the top of their field. They offer monthy support groups, dining out socials (so you will know how to order in the future), 6 members of their office have been banded themselves, so there's plenty of help and advice. The Doctors are Fielding (he's banded), Ren (Fielding's wife) and Dr. Kurian (who did my surgery). All of the doctors are top notch and each has their own personality. I LOVE Dr. Kurian. She KNOWS her patients and has an excellent rappor with them. If I had to do it again, I would RUN to NYU. I found Dr. Kurian by accident, reading about Al Roker's surgery (he interviewed 8 surgeons and went with Dr. Kurian). I figured, if she's good enough for Al, and he did all that research, she's good enough for me! I am so pleased! best of luck to you!

33 pounds in 2 months works out to about 4 pounds a week. That's HUGE and AWESOME!!!!! Your body is probably adjusting to catch up with itself. As you lose weight, you need to intake less calories to maintain that new weight. So 33 pounds ago, you may have needed (let's say) 2000 calories to maintain your weight, now maybe you need 1800. I'm not sure if you are tracking what you are eating or your caloric intake, but take a look and try to get your 60-80 grams of Protein in. I find that the tracking has been a huge helper in my being able to maintain my intake at between 900-1100 calories a day. It also helps me make better food choices as I can see how many grams of protein I have and maybe a piece of cheese is better to snack on than a cucumber, just to get that extra protein. You are doing so well!!! you should be proud of yourself. As time goes on, and you have more fills, you will have more restriction. It took me 4 or 5 fills before I reached the sweet spot. Good luck to you. Keep up the good work!

As you lost weight, you probably lost visceral fat, or the fat that was around your stomach. This too would result in the band getting looser. But yes, you should be going in to see the doctor on a regular basis (whatever that is for 2 years out). Good luck!

I find that I hiccup if I've eaten too fast/much. Also if something is stuck, the hiccup helps to dislodge it. My understanding is that hiccuping in gneral has to do with eating something too fast. I never liked them. Try eating slower. My doctor's office preaches chewing till it's liquid and then waiting 30 seconds after swallowing to take the next bite. Good luck!

I thought the same thing and started adding Benefiber to my diet. It took me a month to figure out what was going on. OMG!!!! Stay away from the fiber!

It doesn't sound like you are eating enough or the right things. you need to be getting 60-80 grams of protein in. If you are still on mushies, make a nice big pot of chicken veggie soup (no potatoes) and put it though the blender. 500-600 calories is like starving your body. Also, 23 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks is alot.

Whatever bike you get, be sure to invest in bike pants. They feel weird at first, but oh so much more comfortable when riding. That extra cushioning in the seat helps you last longer on the bike! I ride 15-20 miles on Sundays and couldn't live without it. Good luck to you!

Ultimately, it's your decision. I see that you are young. Weight loss for you at this age is going to be much easier than if you are over 40. I'm 51 with a couple of different metabolic issues which makes it hard for me to lose weight, yet it's coming off with the band. What I LOVE about the band is that it is reversible and adjustable. I don't know where you live, but you should get another opinion.

dreamangel, I used to drink tons of water with my meals. I thought this would be the hardest thing to give up. Eventually (after a few fills) you are not really eating that much, so you are not as thirsty. In addition to the reply above, if I drink while eating, I am in pain. So, if I'm really thirsty, I drink before my meal gets here and then if I need to I take very small sips. It's a lot easier to get used to than I thought it would be. Good luck!

I had this problem for months until I figured out what was causing it. After the surgery, I started using benefiber since I was eating less. The benefiber was causing HUGE gas pains (similar to when I drank milk before I realized I'm lactose intolerant) that lasted from midday till the next morning when I dosed up again. Finally someone said you must be allergic to something, so I stopped everything and reintroduced it one at a time....Benefiber! Now that I don't take it I'm gas free. good luck!

Try doing the pre-op diet to lose those pounds. Mine was up to 5 slimfast shakes a day and only 2 cups of veggies (NO corn, pea, potatoes) and NO fat! It's a bit hard in the beginning, but when you see the weight come off, it's worth it. I kept to 3 slimfast a day and ate cucumbers and tomatoes at dinner. You do get sick of the shakes, but again, when you see the weight come off..... I lost 18 pounds in 2 weeks on the pre-op diet. Good luck!

When I first got banded, I was trying to do 600-700 calories each time I went to the gym (3-4 times a week). My trainer made me stop. He said you don't want to work out so hard that you end up burning muscle mass and not fat. Also, as you lose weight, you are going to have to exercise more (or eat less) to sustain the weight loss. If you are working out over an hour now, what are you going to do down the road? So, like Karen said, consistency is the key. I would stick to one thing (treadmill, elliptical etc) for 6 weeks and then change to something else. Your body gets used to what you are doing, so it's important to change it out. (also, you can get bored). Lifting weights (light ones are fine) is good for muscle tone and muscle helps to increase your metabolism. If you can work with someone who can show you some things to do, that can help as well. Good luck!

Walk, walk and keep walking! I was walking hours after the surgery. Every time I woke up to go to the bathroom, I would pace the halls. The walking is the best way to get the gas moving and out. Also, excellent exercise! Good luck to you!

I'm just getting to the "stuck" phase and it's no fun for 5 minutes, I can't imagine for an hour. I've read that sometimes when you throw up, the band gets tighter on it's own. You want to take a teaspoon of warm liquid (decaf --- warm Water is fine) every 2-5 minutes. The warmth of the water helps to loosen the band/esophagus. 1 teaspoon limits it so you don't overload and throw up again. Same thing with the timing. Good luck.

Hi: That was happening to me as well. I started paying attention to when it happens, (ie. what I ate that may have caused it) and come to find out I'm lactose intolerant! Milk and sadly yogurt affect me. I took a lactaid pill and had a bowl of Cereal and was fine. Try to see if it happens all the time, or only when you eat certain foods. good luck!

I only took a half a dose of it as I have other problems with vidocen. I found that the liquid extra strength tylenol was fine. I think I only used that once also as the pain for me wasn't really that bad after I got out of the hospital. Good luck!

I also got to eat 2 cups of veggies (with no fat). The first 3 days were hard, but after that, as I saw the weight come flying off, it wasn't that bad. You do get sick of the protein shakes, so, find some you like and mix it up. Don't drink only one flavor the entire 2 weeks. When I did it Slimfast was just coming back on the market, so the choices were chocolate or vanilla. Now there are more flavors. Good luck, the time will go by before you know it!

I told only close friends who knew I was having trouble losing weight, very few family, and my 3 co-workers (only because I was having so many doctor's appointments). I'm glad I didn't tell too many people.

While you are at it, pick up some Liquid Tylenol and Liquid Motrin (this is probably going to be the children's) so you've got that covered too.

Hi: I also find that when I get really stressed at work, I can feel the band tight on my stomach (an believe me, I've only had one fill and it's NOT tight). I also end up with a lot of gas which takes a day to pass. I checked with my doctor's office thinking I did something wrong and they said that stress can cause the gas. If you can pass the gas by burping it (more like Belching it) up great, if not, you have to wait for it to pass the other way. I try not to stress too much, but it happens. I end up sleeping on my stomach (like a baby with collic) in hopes that that helps! What does your surgeon's office say? I would check with them.

I was banded on March 18th and get the same things. Always in the afternoon. All I do is belch and pas gas. I too have stopped losing weight. I was thinking maybe I'm eating too fast. I had bought a high fiber/high protein cereal which just made it worse, so I was thinking maybe it's the fiber. I didn't have this much gas after the surgery! go figure.

I've always described my pain as having gotten kicked in the stomach, over and over again. I used to take advil which helped for about 2 hours. But that can be a problem taking it every 2 hours, and now you can only take the liquid form. My doctor had given me a muscle relaxer for my stomach. It really dries you out and makes you sleep. And then, when most of it is over, it does feel like you've overworked your ab muscles. Since I've been banded, I feel a milder version of this pain, and I know it's gas. It scares me as I think I'm about to have a full episode, so I'm careful not to eat too much fiber as sometimes that can cause you to have gas. I hope it gets better for you. I know how miserable I get when it happens. Good luck!