KidLaw

Just curious to see how everyone who got the band in May is doing. I know there were quite a few May 10thers out there! Let's check in and encourage each other. I've lost quite a bit of weight (49 pounds since pre-op diet and 35 pounds since the surgery). This month I basically lost only four pounds because I was travelling all up and down the East Coast to weddings, family reunions, graduation parties, and visiting my Dad. But, hey, I did my best and still lost four pounds so that's something. But, now I'm glad to be home so I can get back on track with my eating and exercise. How is everyone else doing? I hope all is well.

Try to think positive. This happens to most people, including myself. I lost weight for the first few days post-op, then my weight stayed the same for a few days, and then I started gaining weight. I think I may have gained about 5 pounds at least before my first fill. And, I was eating strictly according to my doctor's plan. This seems to be what happens a few days out of post-op (or for me when I started on mushy foods). The body is holding on to whatever calories it can get. I didn't really start losing weight the way we're supposed to until I got filled. Banded May 10th and today I am 56 pounds lighter. So, just know that this is normal and get ready for your new life when you get your first fill. :biggrin:

I did really bad this month while I was away from home. I probably overate a few times and definitely ate the wrong things. I noticed that once I let myself do that it became a bit harder to get back to what I normally eat. Like was mentioned earlier, it all goes back to our food addiction. Let a junkie relapse and it gets a little bit harder to get clean. BUT, it doesn't mean we can't get back on track. Today, I was comfortably back to my old self even though Monday was really difficult. To answer the question of what I'm eating, I stick with my doctor and nutritionist's plan: 70-80 grams of Protein and less than 40 carbs a day. I don't count calories because I don't think there's really a need to if I'm staying under 40 carbs and eating so much protein. I'm pretty simple (i.e. lazy) when it comes to cooking so what I cook for dinner I usually also eat for lunch. Here's a breakdown of my typical day: Breakfast: Usually an omlette with feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, onions. Lunch: 3-4 ounces of chicken 3 ounces of carrots 2 tablespoons of light ranch dressing (as a dip for the carrots) Dinner: same as lunch also add a 1/2 cup of Jello pudding (made with fat free milk). AND of course, throughout the day, Water, water, water. I exercise between 3-4 days a week. Swimming at least one day (sometimes 2 days a week). The other days are working out on the elliptical for 15 minutes and then the arm and ab weight machines at the gym for another 15-20 minutes.

Congratulations everyone! It looks like we're all losing and that is awesome! :cursing: Keep up the good work and don't get discouraged if you're not losing as much as you wanted right now. Keep eating right and exercising. Eventually, you'll get to where you want with your fills and you'll keep on getting healthier as a result! :thumbup:

You may still be healing and so you're still tight. It could also be that your doctor did put liquid in your band during the surgery. I know my surgeon does put a little bit of liquid (I believe .50 or .75cc) during the surgery. If you want to find out if you have any liquid in your band, call your doctor. Everyone's experience is different for sure. :cursing:

This morning I weighed myself and for the first time in a gazillion years I finally have less than 100 pounds of weight to lose (98 pounds to lose to be exact). I know that I have a long, slow road ahead of me, but I'm just happy that I'm making progress. Good luck to everyone else out there in losing the weight and being healthy! :cursing:

Thanks everyone for the support and advice! MollyRN, you're doing great too! You'll be in the Under 100 Club soon too! :cursing:

I had this same experience. My first period after the surgery was late 4 days and then when it came on--BAM! I was absolutely miserable. I experienced these horrible sharp pains in addition to stronger than normal cramps. I could not even function the first full day of that period cycle. It was awful. I was dreading my next period, but I'm happy to report, even though it sucks, it was NOT as bad as last month (my first period after surgery). Hopefully your next cycle won't be as bad. I wonder if the first period after surgery is bad because the body is still recovering from the surgery. Maybe that's why, for me, the next cycle wasn't so bad.

I drink a Protein shake in the morning for breakfast, but the rest of the day, I'm just eating regular food. Most of my protein comes from meat (mostly chicken or turkey as I can't eat seafood (allergic) and don't usually eat red meat). I get some protein from veggies, but not much. Eating 3 to 4 grams of chicken for lunch and dinner, along with the morning Protein Shake, gets me to 70-80 grams of protein a day.

I have BC/BS of Florida, but it is Federal PPO BC/BS. I don't know about everyone else, but I did not have to jump through any hoops to get my lapband covered. If you were a certain BMI (I believe over 40) all you needed was pre-authorization before the surgery. No 6 months of dieting, no nutritionist visits, no co-morbidities, etc. I think if you were between 36-39, then, according to the plan brochure, you *may* need to meet additional requirements. But, that's on a case by case basis. BC/BS can vary widely depending on the state and/or plan, so I would tell your friend to look up bariatric surgery in her plan brochure. That will tell you exactly what you need to do to get the procedure covered.

Wow, I have no idea how many calories I take in a day. I know I'm supposed to be aiming for 900-1,000 calories. But, I prefer the carb/protein count that my nutritionist seems to prefer anyways. 70-80 grams of Protein a day > 40 grams of carbs a day So, far I've done pretty well with this. I eat Jello and fat-free pudding when I want a little something sweet. I DON'T drink calories at all (well, except for some crystal light). Most of my carbs come from vegetables, pudding, and/or a Protein shake.

Cream of Chicken is great when you're only on liquids. I'm glad it worked out for you. I find that I can't eat too much of it, so I guess this fill is working so far. I've started exercising, maybe 2-3 times a week. It's kind of sporadic. I know I need to be more regular with it, but I'm not so far. Trying to do better.

I just had my first fill today. I now have 4.75cc(?) saline in my band. The fill didn't hurt at all, really. I wasn't numbed and only felt the small prick of the needle. It was weird to feel a sudden tightening once the saline went in. Anyways, I had some gas at first when I was drinking some Water, but just had some watered down cream of chicken Soup with no problems. Not feeling very hungry at all which is a good thing. Anyways, so far so good. Hope everything works out for everyone! :tongue2:

Walking is good, but it didn't help me as much. Maalox is the only thing that did the trick (and Milk of Mag to get things moving). As far as surgical pain goes, my doc says the second day is worse than the first day. The inflammation sets in and you have no residual anesthesia to help you through it. Don't know if surgical pain was an issue for you. Just an FYI.

Every doctor is different. I did have to do a pre-op diet a week prior to surgery. It was full liquids (greek yogurt, Protein shakes, fat free pudding, sugar free Jello, broth) for six days prior to surgery. The day before surgery it was Clear Liquids which was unflavored Protein Shakes, broth, and sugar free jello (but nothing red). I did lose about 13-14 pounds doing this which was great; however, according to my doc, the purpose was really to get my liver as small as possible before the surgery. Ask your doc if it's a good idea for you if you're really interested. A friend of mine had gastric and her doc allowed her to eat regularly all the way up to midnight before the surgery. So, it really depends on the doctor, I think.

Hi, everyone. I look forward to contributing to this community. I was just recently banded on May 10, 2010 by Dr. Thomas Bass in South Florida. I've lost a total of 27 pounds since May 3rd when I started the pre-op process which is kind of crazy, but very exciting. I'm looking forward to losing weight, exercising, toning, all that jazz. Hopefully, we can all support each other through this journey. I look forward to learning much from everyone! -KidLaw

Awesome!! Congratulations. Keep of the good work!! :laugh::thumbup:

Thanks Broolin1! Good luck to you too. Don't be nervous about the surgery. It's not bad at all. Some suggestions from my experience: - Invest in Maalox. I didn't use it until my third day post-surgery, but it was so helpful in getting rid of the gas that sits in your body because of the air that got blown into it during surgery. Walking can help getting rid of gas and kissing your knees (bend at the lower back, if you can; it sometimes moves the gas up out of your chest and out through your mouth via burping). But, nothing worked as well for me as Maalox. - Ask your doctor about Milk of Magnesium to reboot your digestive system if you don't have a "movement" within three days of surgery. This was what my doctor had me do. But, ask your doctor first. - Don't Cheat! I've seen so many messages from people cheating within the first week of surgery. Don't do it. You spent all this time, money, and pain for this lapband. Don't sabotage yourself eating KFC mash potatos and milkshakes. Don't do it!! We're re-learning how to eat and do it healthy. It's a new journey. We should all start it off on the right foot. :laugh:

I had my first post-op visit yesterday and was not told about scheduling a fill until I actually showed up to the appointment. So, perhaps your doc will schedule your fill when you show up to your first post-op appointment next week. I was also scheduled to stay on full liquids until next week (so basically for two weeks). At my post-op appointment I was told to go ahead and introduce mushie foods into my diet as I was *beginning* to get hungry in between meals. It's true that fills should only be given when necessary. However, it is a fact that in a month's time your stomach is going to be much smaller due to weight loss and/or reduced surgical swelling. Scheduling a fill for three-four weeks from surgery date is standard procedure from what I've seen. I'm not an expert though, but I believe it's rather common that fills begin at least a month after surgery date. I think you'll get more info on that when you show up to your post-op appointment.

You and I are on the same schedule. Had my surgery on May 10th and my first fill won't be until June 8th. I'm also hungry now that I'm on mushie foods. Trying to take in more Protein from shakes and yogurt instead of just relying on purred chicken salad. I think tonight I'm going to make a lima bean Soup (or 16 bean soup) and try to get more filling with that as well. Good luck to you! :w00t:

I was banded on May 10, 2010. I would categorize my first week as re-booting my digestive system. I was on a clear liquid diet for the first two days after my surgery. I could barely get in any liquid whether that be Water or Protein shakes then. And, I had no...ummm...movements if you know what I mean. Hehehehe.... On the third day, the PA called me and recommended that I take some Milk of Mag to get things moving again and that basically did the trick. I also took about 4 tablespoons of Maalox to get rid of that awful surgery gas. I moved to full liquids on the third day, post surgery. I had been doing fine there until yesterday, May 18th, when I first started feeling hungry. I also went to visit my surgeon yesterday and was told that I could move on to mushy foods. This was contrary to the nutritionist recommendation which had me starting mushy foods next week. However, I was told by the PA to start, in very small portions, pureed food if I am experiencing hunger between meals on the full liquid (which I had just started experiencing). So, now I am still on full liquids, but I am also eating some pureed chicken salad (I bought a rotisserie chicken from Publix, fat free mayo, and finely diced an onion; then I put that in the food processor and pulsed it to a paste basically). After being on liquids for almost two weeks (a week pre-op), it was nice to have some meat for a change. Anyways, so far so good. Noticing more "I think I'm hungry" signals then last week, but that's to be expected with the stomach swelling going down post-surgery. Oh, wait one more thing. Late into my first week, I did have some mid to lower back pain after eating. My doc said it's likely that I was eating to fast and putting too much food in the pouch out of habit. I had figured that's what I was doing at the time, and noticed that when I slowed down and reversed my eating (meaning, drinking water first, and then waiting 30 minutes before I ate/drink yogurt, Protein shake, etc.) the back pain went away. Don't know if anyone also experienced that, but thought I would share. :w00t: