Katy Castro

Since surgery (6.8.10) I have eaten only 4 oz of food three times a day. I don't snack at all. There are some that won't be satisfied with the amount of food their surgeon suggests post-op until they have reached good restriction. And if that's the case for you, I'd recommend that you add a Protein shake or something light and healthy that will satisfy your hunger but won't increase your calorie intake too much. And certainly talk to your surgeon about what they suggest to fulfill the hunger. If you're doing OK eating the amount you're supposed to eat, go with that. And if you're unsure of how much food you should be eating, ask your surgeon. Each of us seem to have different rules and our portion sizes are different based on where our surgeon places the band. While I've got a 4 oz pouch, others may have a 2 oz or 6 oz. Again, it's all about placement.

Good luck! I hope you get the result you're looking for.

You may have some swelling after your fill which is contributing to the tightness feeling. I would strongly suggest that if this prolongs for more than 24 hours you get back to the doctor and get an unfill. Perhaps this time, you just went beyond that "sweet spot" and need a bit of what was placed in this time removed. Throwing up is not normal after a fill (I've had 5 fills and 1 partial unfill). Sip on your Water and see how a Protein shake feels. If you can't get that down, go back. If you have acid reflux, go back. Those are signs that you are too tight.

Sounds like it's serious conversation time with him. I would remind him of the support he offered pre-op. And I'd attempt to cover what his insecurities are about your weight loss. It's not at all uncommon for our partners to feel as though we're going to "get hot and leave them." So remind him of all the reasons that you love him. Tell him why you want to do this for YOU, your health, and how that will make you a better person for him. And if you can find a common ground with all of that, ask for his support again. Tell him specifically what is a problem for you and see if he can go back to the support that he gave pre-op. Also, try to make him an accountability partner. Make sure he knows what the rules are from your surgeon like how much you should be eating, what your Protein requirements are, and what your calorie range is. And then tell him what you've done for the day including your workout routine. Sharing MORE of this journey with him may help to include him in the changes rather than leaving him feeling like he's not part of the loop, not important in your new lifestyle changes, and while you're doing this for you, helps him as well. I wish you all the luck in the world!

That's awesome... a fun NSV! Congratulations.

I drink my vitamins in the form of what's called EcoDrink (I buy it at Costco). It's 100% of everything I need in a quick easy drink. Doesn't taste all that bad either. And all my blood work is awesome.

Most post-ops that I have met can eat 60 to 80g of carbs per day. However, a lot of us are carb sensitive and find that our weight loss is better if we keep carbs to a minimum. I avoid them as much as possible and rarely have more than 20g of carbs per day... usually less. For now, I'd focus on getting in Protein and veggies. When you figure out what works best for your body, you'll know where you should be with carbs. And if you choose to eat carbs and find that they do not interfere with your weight loss, remember to go for complex carbs. As my surgeon told us "if it's white, it's not right."

Awesome! I've joined the team. When looking for it though, I noticed that some of the teams had Facebook groups and some didn't.... I think we should have one too. For me it would be major accountability!!!

I filmed my first fill, if you'd like to see it: http://www.thebandinme.com/2010/07/28/lap-band-fill-adjustment/ With that fill it was the only time I was numbed prior to getting the fill... and it doesn't make a difference either way to me. It's very simple. After your fill your surgeon or their PA will give you instructions on what to do. Typically it's liquids for 24 to 48 hours, then soft foods for 24 to 48 hours, and then introducing solid foods back in. I think you'll find that it's a quick and easy process. Good Luck!!!

Congratulations and best of luck with your surgery. If you're interested in sharing your journey (assuming because you've started a blog), consider the YouTube community. There are A LOT of banders that make weekly videos on YouTube. Could be something you're interested in.

Congratulations! Not much longer to wait. Advice? Take a pillow with you for the ride home... you'll want it to cover your tummy if there's any bumps in the road. Also a heating pad is great for helping to break up the gas. Remember to walk, walk, walk, and sip, sip, sip. And walking doesn't have to be much. Most days I paced in my bedroom or walked around my apartment building. Easy stuff. ) Good luck!

I'd return the scale if it's not working. I use the Weight Watchers scale by Conair and love it.

My surgeon reminded of us of "water in and Water out" during our pre-op phase. If you feel like you're constipated I certainly get something to help. I've heard a lot of post-ops recommend Milk of Magnesia.

The size of your band is based on how much fat is around your stomach (internally). If you have a lot of fat around your stomach and a small band, you might have some problems with being too tight.

That's definitely something that happens for some people after surgery. However, I would not advance off of liquids unless you have gotten permission to do so from your doctor. The thing is, your stomach needs time to heal. And though you may think nothing of it, it's possible to do damage because you have chosen to eat something rather than drink. Before you do it, please call your surgeon and discuss it with them.

I was going to ask if you eat slider foods and then you mentioned soup. How do you feel if you eat 4 oz of dense protein? Try chicken or tuna. Are you still barely satisfied then? Soup is like being on a liquid diet and wouldn't be something that I'd expect you to get full with.

I rarely have a Protein drink. But my first thought when you said that is that you either need more protein in your diet or you need more calories to lose weight. Do you track your food intake? Do you know how many calories and how many grams of protein you have per day? If you do, then it sounds to me that you've found the right combination of protein and calories that you need to lose and rather than getting that in with Protein drinks, you can eat higher calorie food.

I've been on an extremely low calorie diet since being banded. But I did it to myself because I found that I don't lose weight when I've eaten 800 calories in a day. So my normal day gets me 477 calories (I'm also doctor monitored because of this). So if I have a day that I'm lower than this, to be perfectly honest... I get up and do another workout and pray for a bigger loss the next day. It almost always works. LOL

Good luck on your first fill. I have to ask you though, why are you allowing yourself days to slip up and having something you know you shouldn't have? What's going on in your mind when you do that? I'm not saying you should be or feel deprived but it sounds to me as though you have never let yourself get to that point to know if you actually feel that way. I don't eat perfectly every single day but I certainly don't have days where I intentionally allow myself to do something I really don't want to do either -- like eat something I shouldn't have. What I have found, 6 months out, is that if you're not eating the crap food you're not craving it either. It's amazing how I feel without any junk in my body and how I'm certainly not craving it. And IF I have something sweet, I've found many teas that I love that replace the need for chocolate or any other junk food. But I ask because it sounds to me like something mental is happening there, something you may want to evaluate.

Don't be discouraged! One of the hard things about weight loss is trying not to have our emotions be determined by a scale. It's just another tool to help you, not the beginning or the end. Having said that, I have to ask -- you're up 2 lbs according to what scale? Were you on the same scale the last time you weighed yourself? And did you weigh yourself at the same of day both times? I jump on the scale first thing every single morning. It's in my bathroom. But if I forget (and sometimes I do) I can't go back to the bathroom 10 minutes later -- it won't be the same as it would have been before I got myself up and moving around. And if I weigh myself at the end of the day, forget it! I'll be up 10 lbs. It's crazy.

Wow, sorry to hear of everything you've been through. What a crazy ride. And congratulations on your loss... that's awesome! So, fresh out of the gate I had restriction too. And from what I've read on many different forums, it's the exception not the norm. And I hesitated on my first fill as well because there was no need for one. There's several people in my support group who are months and months, some years out and still have never gotten a fill. Your surgeon or their PA will ask you a few questions when you go in for your first fill to determine if you need one. But if you're able to eat dense Protein and stay full for 3 to 4 hours, chances are you do not need a fill. Good luck!

I do both! If you walk into my surgeon's office and are not losing, the first thing he'll ask you is why you stopped weighing your food. I use SparkPeople to track all of my food and exercise. I really like their format and their website syncs with the app that I use from them so I can track anytime. And they've got all kinds of reports I can run at the end of the day to see my calorie differential and whatnots. And though I was told to not eat over 800 calories per day, that's very difficult for me... I'm usually between 450 to 650 calories and with that I can get in 60 to 70 g of Protein. If I make it to 800 calories in a day I have eaten something I shouldn't have eaten. For every meal, I weigh my food. I am not supposed to eat over 4 oz of food and so I weigh not only the ingredients that I put into making my meal but the final meal as well. Doing that allows me to accurately track my food intake.

I have not been given any limitations to food. But I have my own based on my needs and what does and does not work well for my band. Having said that, the rules that I was given was 4 oz of food, 3 times per day. No snacking in between. Each meal should be 3 oz of Protein and 1 oz of anything else I want. I should eat about 800 calories per day and get 60 to 90g of protein per day. For Water the minimum is 64 oz. Working within the rules I usually eat between 450 and 650 calories per day, and I always get in at least 60g of protein. I hardly drink a protein shake unless I just have a day where I don't feel like eating. For water, I typically get in about 124 oz -- but that's because I'm actually that thirsty and not out of requirement. With each meal I tend to skip the 1 oz of something else and stick to 4 oz of protein. I'm not big on fruits and veggies... especially in the winter time. It's a thing so I depend on my Vitamins to get me what I'm lacking with no fruits and veggies. Because I used to be diabetic, I avoid anything white like bread, flour, sugar, and rice. And I eat very low carb because carbs tend to spike my blood sugar and now that I'm off diabetes medication, I'd like to stay that way. Just recently I made a video about my food, my choices, and what I work for with each meal. If you're interested, it can be viewed at http://www.thebandinme.com/2010/12/02/food-exercise/

Tomorrow is my 6 month anniversary! The hardest part of the process, for me, has been the mental work. Understanding why I make the choices that make. And it's funny, I have to evaluate not just why I make my food choices but I've really discovered how many things I do just because I'm the fat girl. And the happier and more confident I become, the more my family needs to talk old issues through with me that have nothing to do with my weight -- or so it seems -- but everything to do with my attitude about a situation and how I reacted that could go back to how I felt about myself because of my weight. And though that part is certainly more difficult that forcing myself to get up and workout, it's been a real self discovery. I'm learning who I am all over again but the person that I am now no longer feels the need to defend my weight but Celebrate it. I hope that makes sense! Your deductibles are great. We had a max of $3,000 out of pocket per person so that's what I paid. But 2 months ago when I had emergency gall bladder surgery I was over joyed to find that I didn't have to pay a penny, thanks to meeting my deductible from my band surgery. Woohoo!!

When making your appointments, have you asked specifically to see Dr. Atkinson? I'm at the same office but I see Dr. Soong. Sometimes I ask specifically for my appointment with him and sometimes I see one of the PAs or Dr. Tice. But the reason that I ask is because I won't get an appointment with Dr. Soong if I don't ASK for one. As far as paying, don't you pay for every other doctor you see? I'd love to visit my PCP for 3 months without a co-payment. Didn't you know prior to surgery that you would need after care, especially with the fills, and that like every other doctor's appointment you have you'd be required to pay? Those doctors and PAs offer you a SERVICE and in return, you PAY for it. That's just the way the world works so I'm not sure really what your complaint is that you got free after care and now you have to pay. What part of the pre-op process made you think you would no longer have to pay? I'm not sure why your second fill was in the 4th month, perhaps you should have spoken up and asked for a sooner appointment. But beyond the fill didn't you go in for a wound check -- where you didn't have to pay? That would mean that you got 2 visits free in 3 months. Also, you said that your surgery "did not work." How so? What's wrong? What's happening that you weigh more now than before? Are you attending support groups? Are you doing the mental work? I cannot fathom gaining weight post-op and I can only imagine how discouraging that would be. So I have to ask if you're doing the work and doing what it takes to lose weight? Lastly, in regards to the seminar I'm sure you and I heard different things. My surgery was in June 2010 but my seminar was in June 2009 (my insurance required a lot for me to get surgery, delay was not due to doctors). There has not been one single thing that was told to me in the seminar, pre-op classes, pre-op appointments that every single person in that office hasn't backed up. So I ask you, what was told to you in the seminar that you feel Dr. Atkinson isn't standing behind? I'm certainly not trying to be bitchy. But if there's a problem, it sounds like you'd be a lot better off getting to the root of that problem. And I'd certainly be willing to help, if you'll allow me. Otherwise, I wish you all the best!