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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?

Hello, I have been reading a lot of the messages people are posting and it has jump started me to work on losing my last 3 pounds before I can schedule my surgery !! I began my quest in April. I have everything in place except these last three pounds. I am using the protein shake for breakfast and lunch and a light dinner. Hopefully that will do the trick.

I am not sure how to do this posting and all so I'm giving this a try. I hope I did this right and someone is able to read this...

Hi, I read your post from April that you said you were diagnosed with Anemia. I was just diagnosed with anemia as well as protein deficiency. What happened when you saw the GI MD, is everything ok now? Thanks!

Hi nazzy, I'm sorry I'm just getting back to you, but I've been away from my computer for awhile. I wasn't sure how to add friends either, but I think I might have been able to send you a friend request. I went under my "friends" screen and chose the option for "edit friends". Hopefully, it'll work, and you can add me to your list too.

I hope all is going well for you. I have my first fill tomorrow, and so far I've lost 25 pounds!! I'm so thrilled. ~kiz

I walked 2 times a day in the hospital, because I was bored. I am doing protein drinks and soy milk. It is hard getting the water in though, how about you?

Hello!

I did very well, I am home, trying to take in all the protein and water. I am glad the surgery part is over.

i'm a smoker too and there's not a single doctor in the world that won't tell you to stop immediately. i'm trying my best to stay busy and not smoke out of boredom (its hardest when I'm on the phone or driving). do you smoke in your house? if so, wash your walls and shampoo the carpet, wash the linens. once the house is clean and doesn't smell like smoke anymore, stop smoking in it. if you actually have to make an effort to get up and go outside and find a spot that isn't too sunny you will slow down alot!

as for the diet, i put myself on the pre op diet for a whole week before i even had to and have lost 8.5 lbs in less than 2 weeks. i'm doing very high protein, no carbs, no sodas, no fruit (natural sugar) and about a gallon or more of water a day. start walking even if its 15 minutes a day at least you are moving. i'm only up to 30 minutes a day and each day i take one of my three dogs so they are benefiting as well. keep in touch and let me know if any of these worked for you. and best of luck with all your goals!

Renee'

I love that quote - protein shots. Funny!

Hello,

Thanks for the note, things are going well. I have had my first fill and it went fine. I am excited to see where the next one gets me. I learned the formula for protein that helped a lot. I hope all is well for you too. I have lost over 36lbs so far, so I am happy. Keep in touch and good luck!

Hello! I have been doing pretty good with the water but I'm having a tough time getting all of my protein in. When do you go back to work? I'm only scheduled off for one week but I wish it were two. I'm still a little weak. I go for my one week follow-up tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Hi, Cappy, I'm on day 2 of this diet, i feel a little lightheaded today....I bought some protein drinks yesterday I wanted to try them out before the surgery. Thank goodness i did..there were a few dry heaves involved ( i'm glad i didn't try them when i had the band on). I've been drinking ensure...butter pecan, its no Dominoes pizza.....but at least i can handle it. It takes me a while to drink it....which is kind of a good thing, it prepares me for how i'm going to drink when i have the band...small sips. I hope your having luck on your pre-op diet. If you know of any good protein drinks please pass it along.

Take Care!