Acadia

I'm three days out and starving. I'm on a liquid diet for 10 days then I can add some small things - my whole plan is in food and Nutrition under post plans. I've been getting 40 grams of Protein guaranteed with Isopure, Jello made with IsoPure 8 grams of protein per serving, I've had broth, some ice cream for calories and sugar since everything is sugar free and I have naturally low blood sugar. Since I can't add any actual food for another seven days I imagine I'll stay hungry. I'm down 3 lbs since surgery and it's unlikely it's Water weight as I've been drinking over 60 oz a day. Prior to surgery this was a main issue for me. I'm always hungry even just after eating. I'm hoping the band will help with some of that, though it's not known to depress hunger much despite applying pressure to the vagas nerve.

I don't agree with the statement that having a support system is necessary. If that were the case people would stick to their New Year's resolutions. I personally have no one who could be in a support system, the only people I know in this country I work with and they are very negative about weight and people who are over weight and have said many times that peole who use surgery are failures and taking the easy way out. Would you want support from them? I'm doing this for me, not to prove anything to anyone else. If I don't stick to what I need to do and if I overeat or eat food I shouldn't, I'm only harming myself. No support system can be around you 100% of the time. You're only accountable to yourself.

I second what others have said. There's no need to worry about the basics, but if you have certain questions give the Dr a call and ask if you can talk to the anesthesiologist to get clarification.

I suggest doing what you would do for a car, go and test drive each of the monthly classes offered for people who have had surgery so you can talk with them directly. And of course find a Dr your insurance covers.

I was just done on the 14th and I definitely have moments of, "what did I do?" I have to remind myself that this is for my health. I was already eating well and exercising but ate too much. And too much of healthy foods is still too much. What I'm missing most is the thought that I won't be able to eat as much, which is exactly why I did this. To eat less. I used to sit and eat five veggie tacos in a sitting. Sure it was only 550 calories but still, five tacos is ridiculous. I believe reminding myself will help but damn it I am starving right now!!!

Regarding Metformin, if you are using the generic you can cut it in half and as long as those halves are smaller than a normal size aspirin / m&m then you can take them like normal. Apparentlynit helps to take it with milk or food. But it has to be the normal Metformin and not the Extended Release. There are also mentions of using liquid Riomet instead, which is just liquid Metformin.

The B12 shots are easier for some but they will require a copayment to receive, which could be $25-45/month plus the cost of the shot itself at around $10, whereas the sublinguals are $12.00/100 tiny tablets that taste great and dissolve in less than 15 seconds. Personally I prefer the sublinguals and I'm a vegetarian so I'll be taking them the rest of my life.

Unless your breasts are fake, and even sometimes then, one will always be bigger than the other. They may or may not even out, it depends on your body.

If you chew them really really well then they're fine. The stoma (hole from pouch to stomach) is about the size of a dime.

Do what feels good for you, with the understanding that you won't be fully healed for four to six weeks and if you overdo it now you'll slow down your long term progress.

If your clothes are showing the loss then you're still losing. When in doubt take measurements. They don't lie.

I saw Dr Morales at DePaul. They're a reputable company and one of the few specializing in single incision.

I think that's a point a lot of people forget. The way I found it to be was if you want rapid weight loss go with gastric bypass (you will lose more initially than gastric banding), but if you want long term and body adaptable weight loss go with gastric band (where you choose if it works for you or not, and yes I know that could incite a flame war). One to two lbs a week is a calorie deficiency of 3,700-7,400. If you were eating 2,200 calories a day prior to surgery then reduced yourself to 1,500 calories a day that's a loss of 5.28 lbs/month. So those people who are losing 20 lbs/month are both drastically limiting their calories and working out to expend more calories. Unless you do the same, don't expect those results.

The best B12 I've found are sublinguals from VitaminShoppe or AmericaRx, they taste like berries and dissolve in seconds.

It's very easy to pad an order there with vitamins as well.

If you have a Gold's Gym near you they also sell it for about $3.50/bottle. I personally have cases of all the flavors except the blue because I didn't like it when I tried it previously. If you order through Amazon you'll be ordering from VitaminShoppe, and paying more. $46.99/case If you order through Vitamin shoppe you can use a 20% off coupon and order $99 worth and get free shipping. It's shipped individually one case per box. $33.59/case

B12 only comes from animal protein, until you're eating meat again (4-8 oz per day) you'll need B12. You'll also need it for life if you're a vegetarian.

I had two last meals. Veggie burgers and veggie tacos. If it's something you're craving get the craving out of the way so you're not tempted to try to eat it sooner than you should once banded.

My Dr requires Benefiber or Miralax (only half a tab) for the first several weeks to ensure enough fiber and proper bowel movements.

Don't use neosporin. You're better to let them dry out.

Reading this is making me very hungry and I'm still on liquids for another eight days!

You can also look for sublingual vitamins or chewable. I use One A Day sours plus others for B12 supplementation, etc.

I had surgery January 14th and thought I could go back Monday but theres no way I could get myself up into my vehicle tomorrow. I'm taking at least one more day off completely then will work from home the rest of the week. My bosses are seriously pissed that I'm taking time off but I have six weeks available and I gave them months of notice then two weeks of final notice so they were 100% aware I would be out for a while. I didn't realize how much this surgery would disable me. Take off what you need in order to minimize risk of anything happening at your workplace, which then falls to workers comp and is a whole legal mess.

Thedailyplate.com

Successful weight loss, in all arenas, is done by getting your body to burn more than you consume. The best calories to consume are Protein and fat. Carbs are not ideal. Ultimately aim for six days between 1,200-1,400 calories, then one day a week increase your calories by about 400-600 calories. You'll get your body out of starvation mode and will get your metabolism back up and you will lose weight. Talk to any pro weight lifter or body builder or pick up a copy of The Four Hour Body for confirmation. It pisses doctors off but it is what works. Try it if you're at a plateau, you'll lose after a day or two.