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Hi Thanks for thinking of me. It really made my day when I got the note from you. I have lost a ton of weight with this tool. I am now at what I call my lowest. I am not sure my body will want to lose any more unless I work harder for it. I am sort of liking where I am and it has taken a good long time getting here. I have not gained either. I can eat almost anything I want. I just need to eat less of everything. I have had some ice cream but it does not make me feel very good it might be the high fat content. Any way I eat mostly real food not too much and mostly plants with protein first and it works for me. I hope all is well with you. I am now 16 months into the journey and feel really good. I am at 147 on most days and go up to 150 and down so I am up and down but never more than a few pounds. Maybe this is my set point. I will be happy with this for the rest of my life. I love my LB and new way of life. Hope all is well with you? Best wishes imaluckydog Kathy

Hey Guys,

I'm down 2 more pounds. It has really gotten slow. I thought I had a doctor. appointment on Oct. 2, 2010, but somehow I got mixed up. I think the 2nd was actually on a Saturday.... I don't know how I did that! Anyway, I called today and was told that my appointment is actually on the 11th of Oct. I'm trying to decide on a gym today. Hopefully by the end of today, I will have my mind made up. Yesterday was my first time eating out since I had the surgery. My daughter has a German exchange student staying with us for 3 weeks and we took her out to Apple Bees lastnight. I didn't eat hardly anything because I had half bottle of a protein drink 2 hours prior to going so I really wasn't hungry. I am feeling that I may need a fill.

Thank you Cindy....Band slipped and apparently I had alot of scar tissue, so my Doc said to stay on liquids for 6 weeks. Next week I at least get do introduce pureed food, this week is all protein drinks. Toughest thing I've ever done in my life. I am married and my daughter who is 21 just moved back home...but they are both very supportive. I couldn't do this without them. Thank you for the prayers. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. ~Christy

I would like to hear from individuals who have had the band for awhile to see if you can eat meat...I cannot. I cannot digest it well...so, I must consume my protein in other ways. Also, since

the surgery I have become lactose intolerant. That is the biggest

pproblem...trying to figure out if/what I can or cannot eat.

Sure! I was banded on Monday.

I haven't had any pain drinking. I mostly didn't want anything though.. but yesterday and today I did a pretty good amount of protein and I had some soup. I'm still on liquids and protein shakes till the weekend. For some reason i lost my sense of smell during the surgery, so not making much too appetizing. I stopped pain med this mornin...

I am not hungry at all. Just feel really stuft. I'm trying to get all the protein in and I get too full. It takes forever for all the stuff to go down. I guess my band spot is still pretty swollen.

Congrats on your up coming surgery. My post diet was a little different. I was not restricted to only liquids for 2 weeks before my surgery. There was a list of foods that I had to eat from. I was not allowed to eat sugar, white flour and only whole wheat products. I could not eat fruits that were high in sugar or carbs. I could only drink sugar free items and limited fruit juices. I was not allowed to eat fried meats only lean cut meats or fish. I could eat low starched veggies and almost anything thing green and leafy. It was okay for me to eat dark chocolate which I love. I was encouraged to drink lots of water, protein water, and anything sugar free even sodas which I don’t drink. page 1

I've had 10 surgeries in the last 2 years - from a bone spur in my big toe to a total knee replacement. In comparison, the band was a breeze. I suppose it helped to have docs that knew what they were doing and had done it many times, but after reading so many posts of people's horror stories, I was concerned.

Other than a sore throat (now gone) I have some soreness in my abdomen. Not unbearable and the pain meds are keeping it under control. No nausea, no shoulder pain and I sleep in any position I want to.

I have had restriction from the beginning. The doc added 4 cc to my 14 cc band during the installation. While doing the swallow test, I could see - and feel - the liquid pause in the pouch before entering the stomach. Very cool. I'm on a liquid diet for a week while it heals, and an 8 oz protein shake fills me up for several hours.

Overall, this has been a pleasant experience and I am looking forward to a "new" me.

Where are you?

thanks for the comment! and yes you are right its been a very hard journey and life change but its so worth it! when did u get the band? the hradest thing for me was to stop eating when i felt full and not snacking all the time. I still have trouble with sweets especially but if i eat a cookie i stop at that well maybe two lol but i dont do it often u have to allow ur self a special treat once in a while cause you are not dieting its a life style modification! with better choices but for real u can eat protein and veggies for the rest of their lifes? i wish u well and keep going!

p/s I totally understand the not being hungry and just wanting to eat out of habit. I woke up and wasn't hungry today, and knew I would be drinking my protein shake...but boyfriend wanted Del Taco so we go and I see all the yummy fries and yummy food ! & I literally tell myself you don't need it. It's horrible that I have always eaten because either it was around or just to. My boyfriend felt bad, but hey I don't expect him to not eat. SO yeah. Girl I feel ya!

Hi Sue, Only you can make the decision of which procedure is right for you. Read, read, read, from both sides of the isle, and discuss it with your Dr. I have friends who have done RNY, DS and Lapband. All have lost weight with extraordinary success. I just prefer the less invasive option.

Can anyone who is Tri-Care prime members post your knowledge and experience of having surgery done by a civilian doctor and facility and those who have had surgery done at a military hospital facility. I am in the plannning stages now and would like to compare my options. Also my husband is retiring in March and was curious to know how my benefits would be affected financially with Tri-Care prime.

LOL,

Kim

Okay, here' s my question? If she puts more in your band and it's too much, then can't she just take some out? How long are you supposed to "wait" before she puts some more in your band, if needed? In the meantime, I'd take in lost of protein (I use this liquid protein that has 42 grams and 170 calories that you can mix in with water,) and keep myself busy (I work on my art) doing anything that kept me away from food.

Don't give up hope. I know...believe me, I know, how difficult it is, but you'll find the "sweet spot." You said, that if you had the willpower that you're having to pull from now, that you wouldn't have needed the band in the first place. If you're like me, and evidently you are; it's not neccesarily getting the weight off, it's keeping it off. It's coming your way, just hang in there. BTW, I find it funny, that 140 is what I'm shooting for too! How tall are you? I'm 5'7. I started at 271, you?

Gosh what a mess! I am glad that you pushed through! Everyone is worried about having fun, and it's the Holidays so everyone is basically concerned with that. Next week should be a more productive week. Well, I myself am not being put on a liquid diet "yet'' I think since they scheduled my surgery a month in advance, and allowed me to do one high protein no carb meal,with shakes that would be enough to lose the necessary weight. On the other hand, thinking about it. I have an appt on Jan 19th and Jan 20th so they might go ahead and put me on the liquid for 5 days. Not sure, how it is all gonna go down. But, it sure is !

Look we really havent properly introduced ourselves. I am Patty and I live in Garden Grove. What's your name and where do you live?

Hi! I see that you are in Atlanta and had your surgery right after me. Did you go through True Results? I did. I was trying to go to Dr. Hart here in Atlanta but they insisted on sending me to Dallas. Everything still went ok though. However I would have preferred to stay local in case anything happened because I had to go alone. Anyways...I got my band on 12/18 and I am STARVING! How is it working out for you? Have you lost much weight? Have you found any good protein shakes? I still have not worked that out yet. So far I have hated every protein shake/drink I have tried. Well...keep in touch! It's nice to know someone local who is going through the same thing. Take care!

Hi Mocha75! Just checking in on ya! How's it going? Girl I am STARVING!!! I am counting down the days until I can eat some mushies! I'm envisioning a big plate of mashed potatoes and gravy! lol!

What are you eating? Have you found any good protein shakes? I still have not mastered that yet so I've probably only had maybe 6 shakes when I am supposed to be drinking 3 a day. I bought one of those liquid protein drinks at the recommendation of someone on this forum and I gagged all the way through it...I thought that would be my saving grace because it looked good in the bottle but I guess not. I just need to be able to eat some meat because this protein drink stuff ain't working for me! :-)

Hi Jessica. It's ok to be nervous,but know your doing the right thing. It took many years for me to admit that I needed help. What really pushed me to get the band was I found out that I have a problem with my thyroid. It wont be easy for me to lose the weight on my own. So,ready for Jan 15th to get here. started the pre-op diet today. So far,so good. Doing shakes and lots of protein. No carbs or sweets. I love chocolate......lol. After,I'm all healed up,I will join this gym called Punch Fitness to snap my body into shape. I pray i won't need cosmetic surgery,of any kind...........Stay in touch........:smile:..

Since I start on full foods tomorrow (Tuesday) I won't have any restrictions for Thanksgiving. I started on my diet back in April, so I haven't been on as fast of a track as you have, what you've done is remarkable. But anyway, I decided that I give myself certain special days or holidays without restrictions. This way the days and weeks and months of dieting doesn't seem quite so endless. My daughter's graduation party was one of those days. So while I don't expect to really pig out on Thanksgiving, I won't deny myself some pumpkin pie either. I will get my first fill on Dec 17th, so Christmas should be pretty restricted by the band. What are your options for Thanksgiving?

Hi Guys. I am a 39 y/o married mother of two. I am 5'9 and weigh 285. I am now an insulin dependant diabetic with high blood pressure also due to my weight. I have finally decided to have some surgery to help me. I have not been to see a Dr. yet, I have only looked at different options online. I live in a small rural town and will have to drive a little over an hour to see any kind of bariatric physicians so I wanted to somewhat know what I want to do before I see the physician. Could one of you tell me why you chose lap banding over the other surgical alternatives?

How do you make your chocolate cheescake protein drink? Sounds great!

Hi tamana ~ I went to that site yesterday (after I sent it to you) and it wasn't very helpful ... sorry! I was looking to see if I could buy them online but their site doesn't sell directly, they didn't even show all the different flavors. I'm still looking though, there has to be some site out there that sells them ...

What part of California are you in? I am in SoCali (in the Inland Empire)

As far as my band journey ... I'd have to say the first 6 months or so were a breeze. I was a tad bit frustrated in the very first month after banding, I had only lost like 15 lbs while everyone else was losing way more but then the loss started picking up. I was very strict with myself. I planned my meals out, I bought a food scale to weigh my foods so I know EXACTLY what's going in and I keep track of my daily intake at thedailyplate.com ... I've kept to mainly a high protein / low carb diet since banding. Of course I've had my off days, and there was a period of time that I slipped back into old habits (like buying a package of cookies and eating the ENTIRE package in 1 day!) but after that incident I said to myself "what the heck are you doing??" and I realized I needed a fill and needed to get back on the "bandwagon" ... My weightloss started slowing down back in February, they say the closer you get to goal, the slower the loss will be.

I have a 4cc band with 2.6cc filled ... I often say my band has a mind of it's own as some days I can eat certain foods (or too much) and the next day I can't eat anything. I know stress can affect the band, when I'm stressed my band tightens up.

If you feel you can eat too much, I'd definitely talk to the doc and see if perhaps you could use a slight fill ... even 1/2 of a cc can make a huge difference! =)

Hi TQUAD64

I talked to Myra and she said that I have to wait until my last 6th month weigh in. My last one will be on Dec 8th. I will be able to see the surgeon after that. Myra did say Im probably looking at a March surgery date. I was so wanting to have it in late Jan. Boy this does take a lot of time! I want the surgery today but I know its good for me to wait and get my head ready first. Im really exited for you. Your so close to your date

I too have been going back and forth from Lap band to the gastric by pass. I have as of today decided to do the Realize Band.

My task now is to try and find a protein drink I like. most of them taste like crap!

haha i normally hate finals week... but this semester was especially rough. except now im excited, because i guess i was so stressed yesterday that i could hardly eat anything more than a protein bar and 2 bananas.... well guess what, i lost 2 pounds pretty much overnight! i broke my first of probably many plateaus... felt good. hopefully the stress is out of my system though, so that i'll get a fill today... i'll need some help over this stress-free winter break..

#5 You may also have:

* sugar-free popsicles (avoid juice popsicles),

* tea or coffee,

* sugar-free sodas,

* sugar-free Jello,

* broths & bouillons,

* Crystal Lite drinks.

Absolutely no cheating and if it's not on this list you can't have it for 10 days.

I don't do any protein supplements if I have gotten in at least 60grams of protein during the day.

What was the name of the protein shake that you used?