Acadia

Anyone who says it's "the easy way out" has no idea.

Coughing (day or night). Difficulty eating normal food (even soft foods like mashed potatoes, chunky applesauce, pasta, etc.). Feeling "stuck" after a couple of bites. Relying on "slider" foods because they do down easily and stay down (popcorn, chips, ice cream, etc.). Vomiting. Sliming (salivating to excess). Gaining weight (usually due to eating sliders).

I will be having gallbladder removal surgery in three weeks. The ultrasound was positive, no HIDA scan necessary. Not sure if my fill needs to be taken out as I have virtually no restriction right now. If it weren't for this surgery I would have gotten a 0.5cc fill the 23rd and been in my green zone. You give me hope this surgery will go without issue.

You were/are too full. Get an unfill.

If you just started at the gym take your measurements, get a trainer to do your bodynfat with calipers, keep a food journal, and don't do weights two days in a row and only exercise the same body part every three days. And if you are doing weights, lift the heaviest you can that you can only do 8-10 reps with. Less is pretty useless and more can lead to injury. Most people start with 5-10 lbs weights but don't hesitate to carry a 20 lbs watermelon or 25 lbs armful of groceries.

No. It shouldn't. But, if you start dry heaving it may. Stay hydrated and get mess to clear the drip, which can cause stomach Inflammatin and irritation.

How are you today? Did you get an unfill?

It's normal for doctors to require you to take B1 supplements for 90-180 days after surgery. However, it's very rare to have a thiamine deficiency but it can be very serious. Get started on B1 capsules daily. Increase your grain consumption (whole), decrease alcohol and sugar consumption.

There's a big difference between 143 and being "skinny fat" and 143 and being muscular and healthy. It's not about a number. It's about how you feel and how your body reacts. If you had diabetes for example and the difference between 160 on insulin and 143 off insulin then yes, get there. But otherwise, go by how you feel. Not a number.

The one day of 300-500 calories extra only works if every other day is around the same. 1,200 calories Mo-Sa then 1,500-1,800 on Sun. You will likely gain a pound or even ten for some men, generally from the sodium, but you'll lose it and more assuming you didn't also slack on working out. This kicks your metabolism up to burn extra calories based on the temporary increase in calorie consumption. Remember, 1,200 calories a day is starving your body, especially if you're active. Giving your body more food for a day makes it think the famine is over. Just don't go overboard. Keep it to 500 extra calories or less.

Because there are a lot of posts about how much of a fill to get, if X ccs is a normal size fill, if getting X ccs removed will help, etc. I wanted to start a board about people's experiences when they had 1 cc or less too little or too much in their band and what a difference that fill or unfill did for them. My experience was that I started around 2 cc in my band (passive surgical fill), my first fill was done six weeks after surgery and was 1.5 cc. With 1.5 ccs I went from being able to eat anything to getting stuck on some rice, some Pasta, and not being able to eat pizza or bread easily. Then on March 23 I had 1 cc added, I went from being able to eat 1-2 cups of food down to eating 1 tsp - 2 Tbsp per meal and throwing up almost every day. Unfortunately, due to billing discrepancies, I wasn't able to get an unfill until two months later (May 24). Every day was horrible. I had no energy, couldn't eat, couldn't take my Vitamins the entire time, barely got half of my fluids in, a portion of my Protein. I dreaded eating but also wasn't very hungry most of the time, but if I was, I was starving and resorted to Chai Soy Milk because it was easy to drink, stayed down, and had a good amount of protein, some fat (very little), and sugar so I had some energy. I had to force myself to vomit almost every day because everything got stuck - even Soup got stuck some days. Granted I lost 10 lbs during those two months but I ate soup, Protein shakes, soy milk, ice cream, Popsicles, Cheetos (they are mostly air), and popcorn (also mostly air). I only ate small amounts but I ate food that truly wasn't good for me and that I didn't want to eat but I did because those were the only things that would go down and stay down. I'll be going back around June 23 for a 0.5 cc fill and that should bring me to the perfect level. So I can tell you that 1 cc can make a difference. And 0.5 cc can make a huge difference. And if you're too full, go in, ask them to remove 1 cc - it may be all you need. I'm sure there are others with stories about even less that took them from almost there to perfect and from horrible to perfect.

Eat a small bite just like you would normally. Eat a bite, put your fork down, chew, swallow, pick your fork back up, get another bite, etc. As long as they are small bites you'll give your pouch time to "fill up" just enough to get you full, then you'll stop. You'll also get used to eating food cold, most meals take me 30 minutes to eat 1/2, then I'm full.

A great tofu wrap recipe I created: http://curvyfitness.com/wrap/wrap.htm

I posted a wrap recipe in the Vegetarians board I started. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/123054-vegetarians-and-vegans/

You may also consider eating fish instead of chicken and alternate sources of Protein like Beans, tofu, etc. Vegetarian options of meat often go down easier than actual meat.

I had 1 cc taken out on Tuesday, much better. I get full on 1 c of food, still get stuck if I drink and eat at the same time, but that little unfill was what I needed. I suggest getting an unfill of about 0.5 cc to see if that helps.

An unfill is absolutely necessary - and you will feel so much better. I was where you're at for the past two months, I had a 1 cc unfill on Tuesday - SO MUCH BETTER. Instant relief. It sucks to crave healthy food but only able to eat things like popcorn. I was totally there.

Jachut is on the mark. Situps, squats, lunges, pushups, situps, leg lifts, triceps dips, lifting heavy objects (a paddle with two gallon jugs hung on each end) perfect for curls, jumping jacks, jackknives, hikes, bicycles in the air, all sorts of yoga moves. Think military - most times they don't have equipment, they use body resistance only.

Yes you can get to the gym. Lift weights that are heavy enough that you can only lift them 8-10 times before you can't lift more. Most people make the mistake of starting small with 10 lbs or less, but think about it - if you carry a kid around, grocery bags, anything more than 30 lbs, then you shouldn't be using 10 lbs weights. Talk with a personal trainer at the gym to get a plan, or go up to someone who looks like you want to look and ask them if you can have some time with them to talk about how they got to where they are because you want to get there too. They may not be able to meet with you that day but it's unlikely they'll say no.

As I posted in another thread: Skin is a living organ. It responds to what you do to it and to the tissues around it. Losing weight slowly (2-3 lbs a week), weight lifting (building muscle), cardio (losing fat and providing oxygen to muscles), eating well, drinking a lot of Fluid - all help your skin to regain its elasticity and shrink up. It's not a guarantee you'll lose all the extra skin, but it will minimize it dramatically. Weight lifting and muscle building will be your best and most consistent option. Around one week out from surgery start walking regularly. Around three weeks out start body resistance exercises (squats, lunges, wall pushups, leg lifts, etc.). Around six weeks out you should be healed enough for heavy weights (if you can carry a 30 lbs bag of groceries without issues you shouldn't be lifting 5 lbs weights) - lift the heaviest weight you can for 8-10 reps. Don't work the same body part more than twice in a 7 day period, and never within 48 hours of each other. When you lift weights you tear the muscle, those 2-3 days off give the muscle time to heal and get bigger. If you do the same workout every day the muscle never has time to actually heal. You can also start pushups, situps, the plank, etc. now. You should feel good enough to do those. Add in heavy cardio, interval training, arc trainer, running, etc. But never do cardio before weights, always after weights, and never more than an hour. And consume Protein BEFORE your workout, at least 30 minutes prior. It will give your body the energy it needs to consume at the end of your workout after you've burned through the fat it can use - otherwise your body will start to consume muscle and you don't want that. If you aren't sure what to do, head to a gym and talk with someone there who looks like what you want to look like. They will share what they know with you. Don't be embarrassed, they'll appreciate that you are making a change.

I second Kymbethin's advice. Focus on cardio and fat loss right now - not muscle building on your legs. Muscle building (squats, lunges, etc.) will make your legs bigger initially. You'll get enough of a leg workout doing cardio. Burn the fat, your legs will show. The more leg exercises you do, the bigger your legs will be until the fat is gone.

Skin is a living organ. It responds to what you do to it and to the tissues around it. Losing weight slowly (2-3 lbs a week), weight lifting (building muscle), cardio (losing fat and providing oxygen to muscles), eating well, drinking a lot of Fluid - all help your skin to regain its elasticity and shrink up. It's not a guarantee you'll lose all the extra skin, but it will minimize it dramatically. Weight lifting and muscle building will be your best and most consistent option. Around one week out from surgery start walking regularly. Around three weeks out start body resistance exercises (squats, lunges, wall pushups, leg lifts, etc.). Around six weeks out you should be healed enough for heavy weights (if you can carry a 30 lbs bag of groceries without issues you shouldn't be lifting 5 lbs weights) - lift the heaviest weight you can for 8-10 reps. Don't work the same body part more than twice in a 7 day period, and never within 48 hours of each other. When you lift weights you tear the muscle, those 2-3 days off give the muscle time to heal and get bigger. If you do the same workout every day the muscle never has time to actually heal. You can also start pushups, situps, the plank, etc. now. You should feel good enough to do those. Add in heavy cardio, interval training, arc trainer, running, etc. But never do cardio before weights, always after weights, and never more than an hour. And consume Protein BEFORE your workout, at least 30 minutes prior. It will give your body the energy it needs to consume at the end of your workout after you've burned through the fat it can use - otherwise your body will start to consume muscle and you don't want that. If you aren't sure what to do, head to a gym and talk with someone there who looks like what you want to look like. They will share what they know with you. Don't be embarrassed, they'll appreciate that you are making a change.

A few things: Keep a food journal. People tend to eat more when they work out to compensate (it's usually done unconsciously). I recommend TheDailyPlate (gold plan). It works on your phone and online. If you do cardio every day, do interval training on the treadmill, walk for 5 minutes at 3 mph 0 deg. incline, then go up to 3.2 mph at 0 deg, then up to 3.5 mph at 0 deg incline, then down to 3 mph but increase incline to 5% (never go higher than 8% you'll strain your knees), and so on. Increase the speed, decrease the incline, but keep it between 3-4.5 mph if walking. Intermix arc trainer cardio and elliptical once a week each. Arc training is preferable to all others. Bikes are pretty much useless. Start weigh lifting - purchase a few personal training sessions if you have to - and do weight lifting every OTHER day. Never exercise the same body parts more than once a week. If you're looking for a personal trainer find someone who has the body you want, and go from there. Take measurements - the gym can help with this - take measurements of your body fat percentage (calipers are best), neck, biceps, forearms, wrist, chest at breasts, chest under breasts, true waist, belly button, hips, thighs, calves, ankles. Track your measurements every other week. Chances are you'll lose inches before you lose a lot of lbs. Start with that, that should help you get back on track and see where you're doing well and where you can improve. One of the most important things will be to talk to someone at the gym who is in the shape you want to be. Tell them your story and what you're trying to do and what you want to achieve - it's very rare that you'll find someone who doesn't want to help.

There's a very specific reason your Dr tells you to do clear liquids, then other liquids, then soft food, then mushies, then soft solids, then solids. Your band is sutured to your stomach and your organs are moved around a lot during surgery, everything is swollen, sore, healing - for 4-6 weeks - watch a video of the surgery if you want to see what happens. If you are pushing it now - you will not succeed in the long term. If you continue the way you are going right now - chances are you will tear the sutures, you will stretch your pouch, you will likely overeat and end up vomiting, and will slip your band. Everything you're doing now at 9 days post op is a signifier of what's to come. You're heading down a very bad road. Back up - go back to liquids for a week. Start fresh and learn to live with your band. Keep a food diary, keep an exercise diary, keep a diary of what you are feeling and experiencing every day. During the first four weeks I couldn't eat more than 600 calories a day. Protein shakes, Soup, Jello, popcicles - that's how I lived. And due to that diligence, when I was over filled for two months (unable to get an unfill due to billing issues) and was vomiting almost every day, my band never slipped, never moved, my pouch never expanded. My experience those first 4-6 weeks allowed me to weather a bad couple of months without damaging the band or my stomach. And don't consider another surgery, based on what you've said, even if you had a sleeve done or gastric bypass, you would have overeaten. This may sound very negative but it's the truth and consider it tough love. You're either going to do this or you're not. Make the decision now, before you cause yourself all sorts of problems.

The straw ban is primarily for other weight loss surgeries, not so much for Lap Band. My Dr. confirmed this, says that most Drs just apply blanket statements because they don't have as much experience with Lap Bands. Straws will help a lot of people get more fluids in (especially if you have sensitive teeth). Sure you might get a bit more gas, but it will be minimal unless you're drinking carbonated beverages with that straw or dairy (both of which cause gas). Drinking with a straw won't affect you, I drink everything with a straw - EVERYTHING - to keep staining off of my teeth. No issues at all. Even gulping with a straw. You won't stretch your band or pouch. Air goes in - air comes out. One way or another.