jensmallwood

I think you'd be ok to just do it a few days before your vacation. If you have 2-3 days, and have no problems, you should be good to go. If you do have a problem, you can get a slight unfill before you leave. (but it's unlikely that you'd have a problem on the first fill.) The only thing to really think about is if your doctor wants you to be on prolonged liquids or mushies after your fill. One or two days (before the vacation) isn't a problem, but if you have to eat liquids/mushies while you're on a trip- that would suck. If this is the case, I'd wait until after. Don't worry about your coworkers if you decide to do it after your trip. If you do have any tightness issues, it won't likely be anything that will be obvious to them.

Congratulations! You've done some awesome work!

How frustrating! I was self-pay also, but at my surgeon's own surgery center. He fixed a hiatal hernia that I didn't know I had, and it was just considered part of the procedure. No extra cost at all. I did receive a bill from the anaesthesiologist by mistake. The surgery center had given them my check, but they didn't record it or something. We gave them a call and they took care of it right away. I'm sure that BCBS will fight this-- provided the amount they paid is more than the cost of fixing the mistake.

Chin up! I had to wait six weeks for my first fill-- so the 21st isn't too bad. Only one more week. In the meantime, focus on foods that will help you feel full for less calories-- whole grains, Fiber rich foods, veggies, lean Proteins, and yes, a little bit of healthy fat. Basically we have choices during bandster hell-- diet to lose weight, or wait until you have restriction (which, unfortunately, is not likely to come with your first fill.) And like all other things in life-- this "bandster hell time," too, shall pass... :grouphug:

I think it is possible for that to happen. If it does, your doctor will probably remove a little Fluid from your band so that you can eat a bit more. It is a balancing act! But, as you lose, you'll need fewer calories, so the closer you get to goal, the slower the weight loss should become.

B-Man- have you considered body fat testing? Most gyms offer it for a pretty low price. There are a couple of different options and they each have pluses and minuses in terms of accuracy (just have the same person do it each time.) This way you won't be in the dark. If you are lifting consistently, and your lifts have improved that much, (and as a man) you may have gained a significant amount of muscle. Get it checked every few months or so... that way you'll have a different way to guage your progress besides the scale, and you won't be so frustrated. Knowledge is power! :thumbup:

But do understand that while building arm muscle (biceps and triceps) will do a great deal of good for the definition in your arms, you cannot "burn" away the flappy arms with exercise. It is likely a combination of fat and loose skin. The added muscle will "fill in" some- sort of give your arm a better base- but it won't get rid of the flabby bit per se. (There is no exercise that spot-burns specific fat). Unfortunately, in order to get the arms you want, you *may* have to resort to plastic surgery eventually. But as far as the exercises go, the dips are fantastic-- but so are good, old fashioned push-ups (and there are many variations if you're not ready for regular ones yet.)

What I've found is that if I'm not really hungry- but just "bored-hungry," exercise makes that go away. But it doesn't make my real hunger go away. If I'm a little hungry before exercise I won't feel hungry during the workout, but it'll return soon after. And when I am doing distance running, or training for endurance stuff- I get really hungry, really often. And swimming is a whole other thing-- it makes me feel crazy hungry. It's weird.

It may be even better that you are splitting it up! I've read some study that says something about a better boost to your metabolism by doing some now and some later. I think the rule is that each bout needs to be at least 10 minutes, so you're doing great! From an endurance standpoint, it would be nice if you could get in one day of a longer duration (all at once.) Maybe on a weekend. And you can do one of your shorter walks at a faster pace, if that feels comfortable.

I agree with everyone-- and as a man, (I assume this given your screen name!) -- you are way undereating during the day. Even for a small woman, 500 cals would be too little). I would suggest that you need to at least DOUBLE your day-time intake to 1000 cals. Then eat a healthy dinner. You are eating everything in sight because you are starving yourself during the day!

My doctor didn't consider yogurt or cream of wheat to fall into the "liquid" category at all. I didn't have a clear stage, except for the day of surgery. When I was on full liquids, it had to be fully drinkable, not thicker than that. So yes, Protein shakes were my main drink, but I also bought a lot of creamed-type soups (though the ones I bought were NOT cream, just that style.) I used IMAGINE brand, from the organic section- portobello mushroom Soup, red bliss potato soup, tomato. Even broccoli. Delicious, low fat, no chunks. (and they come in cartons, so some of them are quite low in sodium). Kefir is a type of drinkable yogurt you might try. I also did smoothies, with milk added to make them fully liquid. I used a good bit of Carnation instant Breakfast (the no sugar added kind with extra protein).

Nice list! It's so much fun to shop now that I can fit into normal sizes -- in fact I've spent waaay too much, but normal sized clothes are so freakin' cute!!

Just another thought-- if your sizes are going down then the fat IS coming off.... if you're getting smaller without losing pounds it's because the fat is coming off, and muscle is coming on. This is a GOOD thing, and will cause your metabolism to rise. At some point, the plateau will break, and you'll start to drop weight as well. But I don't see a problem with changing up your caloric intake some. And I agree that less processed is better. Lots of fruits and veggies, legumes and lean Protein. Stuff with a single ingredient.

What a great accomplishment-- congratulations!! Which half mary did you do?

Sweet, sweet, sweet! Way to go!

Yeah- sorry she was unkind-- there is no call for that. It's not like you went out and had a cheeseburger, for goodness sake. I'd call and have then review with you what they think you should be eating now and in these next few days post op. I had a whole book that listed out what I should eat, how much, what consistency it should be, and for how many days at each stage. It even had recipes for the full liquid stage and the mushy stage (plus more on my doctor's website.)

I have liquids day of fill (after only,) then back to regular diet provided that I "listen to my body," and "start slowly."

That's awesome! Great job, and thanks for sharing your success!

I would want to know what you are eating at your meals? If you are only getting a tiny amount of food, I don't think you will stay full between meals. It can be kind of a cycle with band patients (according to my doctor). We get filled until we eat such a small amount that we don't stay full in between meals. Also, the choices that you make at your meals will make a difference in your between-meal hunger. It doesn't sound to me like you really need another fill. If I have a simple-carb laden meal, (say, white pasta), I'll get hungry sooner than if I have chicken breast and broccoli and maybe some brown rice. That would keep me full for many hours. Protein, Fiber and fat will slow gastric emptying and help you feel full longer.

Well, there's a couple of things. When you work out in the evenings, how long has it been since your last meal? I mean, are you eating lunch at 12, working out at 5, or are you getting in a small, healthy snack before your workout? If you're not having a snack before the gym, you might try that. An apple and a little almond butter or Peanut Butter a couple of hours before your workout might really help you not get ravenous. Another idea is to have a Protein drink right after your workout (take it to the gym with you.) If you have a light one, that's 110 calories that'll curb your hunger and give you lots of good protein to heal your muscles after your workout. As for the getting stuck, I'm betting it's at least in part because of eating too fast because you're hungry. There may also be some physiological reaction to the workout itself, but that's just a guess. Are you cooling down after your workout?

I'm studying this (fitness) in school, and I agree with the others-- low weight, high reps is pretty much a waste of time. If you can lift a weight more than 15 times, it's too light. BUT- do work up to using heavier weights, and if you have an injury that precludes heavy lifting, use more moderate ones. Start with 12 reps, and build up to a heavier weight with 8 reps. Try to work up to at least two sets of each. Jacqui is right- circuit training is a major bang-for-your-buck kind of workout. Basically do a set of lifts on a few different body parts, then jump on a cardio piece for a few minutes, then repeat. Your heart rate flies and the sweat pours. Good stuff. The key with any exercise, for any reason, is progressive overload. Your heart and your skeletal muscles will get used to and efficient at working at whatever level they regularly work. In order to progress, fitness-wise, you need to challenge, challenge and challenge some more. But know that jumping in too fast, too hard can cause a lot of pain and possibly injury. And if you're not the kind of person who enjoys that "sore after a workout" feeling, you might not go back if you get too sore. So build up to it. The high-intensity-interval cardio training is also a wonderful thing. BUT again, it's very, very intense and should not be approached lightly. For many people, I would recommend them getting permission from a doctor to work that hard. It is basically a warmup (at whatever exercise), followed by a certain amount of super-high-intensity, followed by an easy period (typically twice as long as the high intensity interval, but can be as long as it takes to get your heart rate somewhat recovered.) These intervals should be so hard that you couldn't talk, and you want them to end. But again, they are something you build up to. I'm assuming that by "toning" you mean that you want to see more muscle definition? This does indeed equate to building muscle tissue (lifting heavy), and losing the body fat that covers the muscles (eating properly with your lap band.) sorry I'm so long winded.... fitness is my favorite topic! :frown:

Yay!! I'm glad you had a wonderful trip! I've got my first post-band trip coming up, too. :frown:

Time is your biggest help. Mine took several days (4-5?) to go away. Sorry-- I know it's no fun!

Aww.. I'm so sorry! Your stomach is swollen. If you ARE keeping Water down, you're probably fine, but *do* call the doc and see (as PP suggested) if they can call you in some other form of pain meds and anti-nausea meds. There is no relief if you can't keep anything down. I hope you feel better soon!

Oh, that freakin' gas pain! It sucks. A heating pad felt really good to me, so you might try that. The only solution that I've really read to work is walking around. It just helps the body get rid of that gas (that they used to open up the abdominal cavity.) Some people swear by Gas-X and that kind of thing... but I can't figure out how that helps (since the gas isn't IN the stomach, right?) It WILL go away. For some people it takes longer. If he's staying in bed because of it, it may take even longer. See if you can get him up and moving, and try small sips of Water to keep him hydrated.