sekinj

Hey! I got my lap-band installed more than a year ago on 8/30/2010. The surgeon I had been going to is no longer availalble, and I'm having trouble finding a good doctor in the area for my continued care and fills. I've lost 50 pounds so far, but have stalled the last several months and am looking for someone who takes an interest in helping me lose the weight ALL the way to my goal. I live in the Dallas area, more on the North side. Any suggestions???

My surgeon tells me to eat as soon as I get hungry. My surgeon places and fills the band so that it will restrict food intake. He wants me to eat frequent small meals. Everytime I go in he asks what volume of food I can eat at one sitting with the goal being less than one cup. Once I got to that restriction, the weight started falling off with no counting calories, no weighing food, no feeling of starving, and no exercise (although I'm trying to get into the habit). The only thing I do is make sure I have more than 60 g or protein a day. I don't feel guilty, I don't feel like I'm on a diet, I just eat what I want when I'm hungry. It just happens to be in very small bites and very slowly. I've stopped craving sugars all together. This has made me greatly enjoy meals with my husband and friends because I have more time for conversation instead of just shoveling food into my mouth. If I do have sliming episodes, I go back on liquids for the day and stop trying to force it. I love my band, and I wish everyone on this forum was a patient of MY surgeon, because he has SO much experience and I really feel like he uses the band as the tool it was intended to be.

I just thought I would clarify a little. I don't count calories, or deny myself anything I want to eat, so the problem yesterday was not guilt or mentally not wanting to eat the hamburger. I cannot eat a hamburger, because I physically cannot eat the hamburger. My band is so tight that I will get stuck if I eat too fast or take too big of bites. That is how my surgeon says my band is supposed to work. If I try to defeat the band, I throw up. This has resulted in a greatly decreased desire for food, and even my taste buds have changed. However, yesterday when I originally posted this I was Protein deficient, so I wanted to gobble beef. I ended up eating about half the burger, but it took over 2 hours...

my band is 10cc, and I have 8 cc in it. It feels pretty tight. I can usually eat one 1/4 cup meal and then another 1/2 or 3/4 cup meal at the end of the day.... small bites, and even then some stuff goes down wrong... like I said, I usually love it, but I think I'm just craving protein right now.

August is a long time away. How much protein have you been intaking?

I usually love my restriction, but this morning I forgot my normal Protein drink for Breakfast and I've been hungry ever since. I went to Wendy's and got a hamburger, and I just want to eat it all. I don't want it to take 2 hours to eat it with little mouse bites, I want to take HUGE bites and gobble it all up NOW!! Maybe I just to keep my Protein shakes on hand...

Anyone know of a smaller lap-band forum? This one is just too huge with too many new topics all the time...

I'm at 8 cc and was very tight right after my fill on11/17. I could only drink liquids. I then could eat about 1/4c for a few weeks, and now I can eat probably 1/2 cup. My next appointment is next Thursday. The doc might want to put more in, but I can't imagine being able to tolerate more than .25 more right now, but then when I lose more weight and the band loosens up... maybe then. But as you can see in my signature my doc is pretty aggressive with the fills which I appreciate.

I don't worry about calories at all. The only thing My dietician told me to think about before going to bed at night is if I have had my 60 g of protien. If I am low on protein, I just drink another EAS AdvantEdge shake and am good to go I thought about it a few days ago and I really had no idea how many calories I eat in a day. Since I only eat about 1/4 c at eat meal, I can't imagine that it is very many.

I was banded on 8/30/10 and have lost 20 pounds so far It seems to be slowly but surely melting away....

If you can get liquids down, then it is not an emergency. I was like that as well after my latest fill. It is tough at first, especially if you are TRYING to eat solids. Instead, just do the liquids (be sure to drink protein shakes) for at least 3 days (if you can, do the full week like the doc ordered, but it is hard), then try something like mashed potatoes or my favorite malt-o-meal. be sure to eat and drink very slowly. Just try to stick it out until the 18th. I'm sure it will get better for you LONG before then. It did for me!! I was tight like that, but did the liquids and then mushies, and now can eat about 1/4 c of solids. I'm also very steadily losing a little weight everyday So let the scale encourage you!! Hopefully it will give you some good numbers for your extra effort

Neither! I got banded so I wouldn't have to angonize over all that crap. My doc fills my band until I can eat less than one cup per meal, and I stay satisfied for 3 to 4 hours. He emphasizes exercise everyday and other habits that should be lifelong. The only thing I try to keep track of is protein to make sure I get my 60g. I couldn't even guess at how many calories I eat in a day.