Betsyjane

One of the folks who works where I get my fills recently went to a lecture by the MD who brought lap band surgery to this country. He said that the most important rule to be successful with the lap band is not drinking during meals or for 90 minutes after (My Dr. says 30 min). He says it's not worth the money or time to get the band if you then just wash the food on through it.

I'm trying hard to believe that theory that sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're really dehydrated. Sigh.

I'm finding that keeping 4 32 ounce bottles of water in my fridge helps. When I want to binge eat, I grab one of those and tell myself that if I still want something after I finish the bottle of water, then I must be hungry and I'll get something. Then I'm off somewhere with my water and have forgotten about food by the time I finish the bottle.

I have had alot of restriction in the mornings. I do so much better if I have hot water or hot tea to open things up. I even heated my diluted protein shake, and it worked so much better. But if you can't get your water down, you sure don't need to wait weeks! You'll get dehydrated quickly! Try some hot clear liquids and see if that helps...

Yep. I see that my post implied that he is uncaring, and that is not the case. I also believe if I requested him, he would do my fills. I think, though that the Surgicenter plays a big role in this...Spivak as surgeon and Surgicenter as follow up. Before I had the surgery, I checked ourt Spivak alot, but not the Surgicenter. As it turns out, I've been happy with both.

I'm so restricted in the morning and until 2PM. Breakfast-Protein shake diluted with hot Water to open up the band. Sometimes with fruit blended in so I get at least SOME fruit. Lunch-Any kind of hearty Soup. Dinner-Any kind of meat and vege. Then I add up my calories and havbe a snack later.....yogurt, fat free ricotta cheesecake....or if my caloires were high, one or two sugar free popsicles. (I eat dinner early. My snack is well before bedtime so I don't risk acid reflux.

I jsut got that recipe book for after weight loss surgery. If anyone is missing a favorite food and want me to look up a receipe for it, let me know. Seesm to have no fruits except smoothies, but lots of entrees and some vege recipes.

Yum! do the have sugar or artifical sweetener?

There are no guarantees, in anything. What will help him most is if he is totally committed to the process, with or without you. You can't do it for him. And you can't be disappointed in him if he doesn't lose weight on schedule. Your role in this is to learn as much as you can and then be supportive. His role is much bigger....to struggle through the plateaus, to learn an entirely new way of relating to food, to handle the physiological changes, the frustrations with fills, etc. It's not magic, and living with the band requires a HUGE learning curve. The rate of complications is actually very very low, but if you focus on the complications, you may be looking for a guarantee of success. Weight loss can and should so slow, to give the skin a chance to adapt, to give the body a chance to adapt. It's a marathon, not a sprint. And be sure to let him go to some meetings alone, so he can ask questions without you there. He's the one who has to make the decision and deal with a big change in his life.

Sex...............

Keep your eye on the goal...weight loss. Remember, alcoholics can still have careers in social industries. So can bandsters. I've even been in a few situations where I've held a glass of wine and put it up to my lips periodically and not sipped any. Usually, though, I just realize that people at parties are pretty self-absorbed...

Don't do it! The whole point of the lap band is to feel full before you overeat. If you push the food down with Water, you might as well not get banded! It turns out not to be as hard as you think, though. You can drink your wine or tea or whatever, right up until the food arrives. Then don't drink it. You'll be amazed how people don't notice, or if they do, don't really care. I thought being banded I'd stick out like a sore thumb, with my little mincing eating and no liquids. Nobody cares. And I get to talk more as I eat less. Start practicing a few quick responses if anyone asks. What you'll find is that you start acting like a skinny person...pushing away and saying "I'm so full I couldn't eat another bite"...while 3/4 of the food is still on your plate. Or eating slowly and appropriately while others gorge. That's where you may get a few comments, but surprisingly few!

Just curious... Have you tried drinking hot tea or hot Water in the morning and then eating? some people find that that opens the band. If that works, you would be able to tell your doctor that you are not that restricted in the morning after a cup of hot tea....... I know that's a gimmicky answer,,,,but just a thought.

I'm guessing I could lose .1cc in my band and probably eat better. I can get a protein shake down in the morning if I dilute it with hot water. I'm still pretty restricted until 2pm and then I can eat reasonably, so I have a late small lunch and that keeps me not as hungry for dinner. It's working well, and I figure since I'm losing weight, I'll be losening the band anyway soon...and will have had a nice weight loss in the meantime.

My 2 BIGGEST weight gains were after quitting smoking, and after taking prednisone.

I feel for you. I didn't have to go through anything you list with your signature. I don't know what you can eat, but the Better Than Boullion soup base feel pretty hearty going down. Can you do Protein shakes too? Muscle Milk Light tastes like REAL milk chocolate.

I told my PCP AFTER I got the band, and his only response was "I lost 40 pounds by eating 6 small meals a day." Then he showed me his drivers license with a picture of him 40 pounds heavier. He's an idiot. My care mostly happens through my rheumatologist anyway. I just need him to write a couple of scripts for me.

Thanks. Just needed a bit of reassurance, Lana. Yeah, that's true. My cough and sneeze do happen way north of where a PB starts! Had to cancel a long weekend to Las Vegas, though. Bah humbug. Hubby couldn't go...so I do get to stay home with him! I keep thinking about that jazzercise.... What do you wear, and do they take total klutzes?

I know! I know! I've only had a week of real restriction...after 3 fills...and now I'm cruising! But it's only been for 1 week out of 3 months. I was impatient. I think for me the hardest advice to hear is the "Just Do It" stuff. I've heard that so many times and failed at weight loss that I can't hear it objectively anymore. It's all tied up in the knee jerk prejudices about obese people. But I can hear "Here's how I'm doing it". For me, it's the difference between someone pointing a finger and saying YOU, and someone putting an arm around me and saying "Let me share what I did".

Tom, it's funny that you mention it. I knew one reason I grazed was out of boredom. Not grazing now, I find that I have more time on my hands. It's not cratering me, and I'm not depresses. I just find it interesting. Sometimes I turn toward the fridge, stop, and say "Now what should I do?" and I draw a blank. It's kind of funny. It's certainly not all of the probem, but I think it got worse after I got Lupus and couldn't keep up with my former life, so I spend alot of time at home and with limited energy and brain power. Being crafty is not a strong suit....Maybe I'm replacing some of the noshing with hanging around lapbandtalk.com.... Not a big deal...just an interesting self-observation. Also interestingly, I was a horrible grazer, and the band allowed me to stop doing it. Go figure. I know what you mean PR! If I eat any carbs, I am off my game for hours!

Grumble grumble.... I have a horrible head cold. Went to the store and bought Claritin D. THEN I read the box...do not crush or cut. Grrr. I'll learn. Everytime I cought or sneeze, I worry about dislodging the band. not tha tI can stop doing it at the moment, but somebody please reassure me that the band can take what we dish out in normal life! Sniff.

I haven't seen Deb either..... RhondaLynn---My insurance doesn't cover any bariatric surgery in our plan, although it does in other plans. First thing to do is call insurance and ask them if they cover bariatric surgery. If so, I understand that they usually want to see a BMI of at least 40, or a BMI of at least 35 withother health complications like diabetes.

My regular grocery store has it both in the seasonings/sugar section and in the health foods. Health food stores have it too. Nice, in that it's natural powdered stevia leaves, and it's the only sweetener I know of that doesn't raise your blood sugar. It's also SUPER sweet, so you use very little.

2 days ago I had pain in my right shoulder joint...then in the top of my right arm. This morning that's gone but I have sharp continuous pain in the middle of my upper back. Right in the middle at the spine. It doesn't hurt more or less if I eat...well, drink...it's morning. It doesn't hurt more or less if I move. It hurts to take a deep breath: I can take one, but it hurts. I can't figure out whether I'm having a heart attack, a band problem, or what!

I went through exactly the same thing until just 1 week ago. Having the right restriction is like being let out of a cage! Try not to kick yourself too hard until you get there......