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I'm with @blizair09, those are staples of my diet. So far then only thing that I hated prior to surgery and still hate is cantaloupe. FIsh never bothered my before, but now I find that I crave it. eggs are so darn versatile that they are a great way to mix up what could be a monotonous diet. Inversely, things that I thought I would miss dearly and literally mourned the loss my first month, I don't even remember why I loved them so much. My wifes biscuits and gravy was my favorite food ever. It was my "last meal" so to speak. I had it maybe about a year ago and it was just bread and gravy. No emotional response. You will be shocked at how your views on what foods are satisfying or appealing will change if you truly commit to a lifestyle change.

when i first started to consider weight loss surgery i did come across gastric plication. I did some googling around and it's rather new and they dont really know the long term effect of plication or how effective it is for weight loss.

helloooo was wondering if everybody had to lose weight before their surgery date . my date is already set and so far no one has stated that i need to lose a certain amount . am i the only one ?

So how many of you are going to be focused on losing over the holiday? How many of you are just going to pray that you dont gain anything? how many are just going to do their best, but may cheat a little? As a lifestyle change, which is what the band is right? I am not planning on gaining, hope i will lose, but still plan to enjoy some of our holiday traditions. such as...we eat rubens for christmas dinner, i plan on having some corned beef with a little cheese maybe a cookie for desert. I am not going to deny myself everything and be miserable that icant enjoy holiday traditions in my family. Will i be more careful aboutthe amounts of what i am eating and avoid most of the sweets? yes for sure! Whats your plan for sucess over the holiday?

Yes, most Dr.s request that you (woman) get a minimum of 60-80 grams of protein per day prior to and everyday after surgery. Protein promotes healing and will speed your recovery as well as fill you up at meals and promote muscle growth so that you will loose fat during your weight loss instead of muscle. That's why they encourage you to eat your protein first. Also they usually but you on a liquid protein diet several weeks prior to surgury to encourage healing and reduce the size of the liver. The liver covers part of the upper stomach and must be moved out of the way during LBS. The smaller it is the less likely they are to damage the organ. Hope that helps. Anyone, please let me know if I have left out any other important info about protein. Good luck to you.

I think poor nutrition in general can lead to hair loss but lack of protein is a big problem if I remeber correctly . Someone else can probably help more . Mindy

I will pass on this web site next week to increase joint support....great job on the weight loss. Keep it up

I am always researching the issues that plague us females and especially now since having surgery. I was watching these videos last night and enjoyed them so much I wanted to share them with you, Dr. Neal is amongst the best Dermatologists in the world. It is nice to hear it and to know that "every little thing, is gonna be alright!". If you go directly to his website, you can pick from a "menu" of things according to what you are concerned with and you just might find something there specific for you. Abnormal hair Loss Normal Hair Loss Vita D and Sunscreen Myth Kelloid Scars

Take a deep breath! We all had some pre-surgery anxiety but are here to post about our banded lives. The neck and shoulder pain will be from gas that they pump your stomach with to get to your organs. Although the gas is uncomfortable....there are things you can do to ease the trapped gas feeling. I am sure they will go over all this at your pre-op appt. Recovery is quicker than you think. I felt worlds better after each day and pretty much 100% at Day 7. Hopefully your apnea clears up after some weight loss. I have read this a lot here on the forum with very little weight loss. Good luck!

For pre-op, I'd recommend a general multi-vitamin, and biotin. Biotin will help delay and lessen post-op hair loss. I use the patches, but since you're pre-op, oral vitamins should work just as well.

Go see the surgeon. Be upfront about your mental health issues. If you are approved make sure to have supports in place in case the rapid weight loss makes causes a spike in your MH issues. This could be anything from increased therapy sessions to a change in meds.

I have schizoaffective disorder that is maintained by ECT treatments once a month. I haven't spoken to a surgeon yet because I am terrified of being denied surgery because of my mental health and how it's maintained. My dream is to be healthy and for how extreme my obesity is this may be the only way to achieve that. Can anyone offer some advice?

Ask your doc about welbutrin (lovingly refered to as the happy/horney drug). Also when discussing these drugs, make sure he/she knows about the problems with malabsorbtion, especially in extended release versions that are known with WLS people. Take a look at crazymeds.us. There are more and more WLS people who are taking different meds and they can often offer good advice. Always remember medicine is an ART as well as a SCIENCE. We often forget just how important it is to remember that we are all the same in that we are all different. When you are dealing with brain chemistry and those drugs, well it's not an exact science, and there is trial and error involved. One further note, have you had your testosterone level checked? The weight loss might have depleted your supplies, (Why do guys have more libido? More T baby, yeah). Also do not give up hope, these people have some great research...http://www.mestonlab.com/. I was surprised that a hot relaxing bath was not the best thing to get things going for ladies...actually its a hard workout, which increases T levels. Note it is the opposite for guys. Who knew science could be so sexy

Hello! I am a 40 yr old female from Cape Cod Mass. I have been overweight forever, but in the past few years I reached my highest peak @ 255lbs. In January of this year I looked into bariatric weight loss thru BI in Boston. They have a comprehensive and long program, which I completed in about 3-4 months and was told I would be a good candiate for surgery. I waited a few more months, as I was trying to decide what was best for me. Once I decided to go forward, I had to pick GBP or Lap Band. Since I was not a diebetic and on medications for health problems and the gbp seemed so severe, I opted for Lap Band surgery. My date was set for Monday 8/30/10. The week prior I did a partial liquid diet using mostly the unjury protein drinks. They taste good and filled me up. It was easier than I thought and I lost 10 lbs prior to surgery, just as my doctor wanted. I was super exicted and nervous but my surgeon is renowned in thie field and I was confident. Unfortunatley for me things did not go as planned. As I woke up in recovery, a nurse who did not seem to know about bariatrics, handed me 2 containers of liquid percocet and some water, telling me to drink it all down. I did as I was told, only to be hit with such pain in my chest, I thought I was dying. I could not breathe, I vomited, I was sweating and very upset. Nothing s/b given orally so soon after surgery and I will never know if that caused what happened next or not, but it was a long road for me. As a mom with a 6 yr old who was due to start first grade, I was happy to have my surgery scheduled before her school started, knowing I would be in the hospital for just one night. Well, for me it turned into a long 6 days! On day 3 my Dr stuck a needle in the band and took out all the water (15 cc) trying to loosen things up. 4 days after surgery I still could not keep 15 cc of water down and he decided to go back in and pop 2 stiches to loosen me up. This is called a revision and he said he had only see this happen in 2 patients prior to me...and he has done this since the surgery came about. I had to go backunder general anthesia and into the OR again. By the next day I was drinking some water and by Sunday afternoon I was finally released. I am 2 weeks out from my 2nd surgery and down a total of 30 lbs. I had my 2 week follow up with my doc and he says I am doing better than most. I am back to walking 3 miles a day (which I had started the month prior to surgery). My main issues now are with constipation and all that fun stuff.. Some days I don't want to get out of bed. I am cranky as I miss food. I loved to eat and it is harder than I expected to go without. On Saturday I tried on some jeans than are a size 20 (I was in 24/26) and they were a bit loose. This was exciting but only temporarily lifted my spirits. I still feel a bit off...not sure why exactly but trying to move ahead and getting stronger. I am on stage 4 diet...some solids, and so far, so good. This is my first time on a blog, and I am anxious to read other people's stories as well as chronicle my own. Thanks for reading:))

Weight loss rates will all be around 1-2 lbs/week on the average, since your body is only able to burn so many calories a week. Initially, weight loss will be faster because your body burns glycogen instead of fat, which has lower energy density (it takes more grams glycogen to produce a given amount of energy than it would fat) and you lose a lot of Water in the process. Counting calories is crucial during the initial weeks/months of lap band until proper restriction is achieved. At that point, many people stop and rely on the band to do the work, others keep logging to keep overall control of their intake (most of us gained their weight by simply not paying attention). I usually log everything in Daily Plate, but dinners like yesterday's are impossible...two coworkers and I were at a Tapas restaurant and ordered 6 different small plates to share (if turned out too much food). All complex dishes with unknown ingredients and I had a bite of each....how to log? I've never done weight watchers, but from what I understand, the counting there never becomes optional. Lastly, there seem to be quite a few people who are afraid of being too tight (higher restriction levels often associated with long-term side effects) and intentionally or not stop before reaching the green zone. Some of them still have some restriction , but overall the weight loss is done by counting cals/carbs etc I say, do whatever works for you :-)

I haven't experienced hair loss (yet), but there's not much you do to stop it. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen, and it's going to run its course. There is a lot of "speculation" and inconclusive science that Biotin (or any B-Vitamins) actually promote hair growth or prevent hair loss. I don't think any amount of it is going to help you, unfortunately. But in almost all cases, it grows back.

The hair loss started around 3.5 - 4 months out for me and it's still happening, though it's getting to be in smaller amounts. I have thin hair and not much of it so it's been a bit of a drag for me and I'll be very happy to see it even out again. I'd NOT trade the hair for the 85lbs I've lost. My surgeon gives a handout that says we should expect to loose hair, nothing will stop it if that's your body's reaction and there's no way to avoid it. I think their hidden message is don't waste money on fancy supplements or hair treatment systems. From what I've read, its a physiological response to drastic calorie reduction and rapid weight loss. The body looks for things to shut down to conserve energy and hair growth is something the body considers non-necessary for sustaining life. As the body adjusts to the weight loss and calorie intake, it will turn hair growth back on. I do see a bit of new short hair but I'll happy to see it thicken up again. Meanwhile, I'm wearing it shorter and layered for a little volume, wearing hats in the sun and keeping a scalp sunscreen applied.

I lost at least 50% of my hair. It was a horrible and scarey time. It does come back! My hair is so thick now! Its scarey but you will get thru it. When it starts coming back you will notice it right away! Good Luck and keep your head up. Its so worth it in the end!

What is the purpose of re routing your intestine during the surgery that will help weight loss? Less fat absorbtion????

Hi Tracy, welcome to LBT! Congratulations on youre great weight loss!! How are you doing with the band, 3 years out? Do you have any reflux or esophageal problems? Great to have more long-termers here!!

Yeah, I'd definitely get in touch with the doctor to see what's going on. You shouldn't be consuming enough to result in weight gain in such a short period, though the body does do strange things (you'll find THAT out post-sleeve when you gain weight on 600 calories XD) when it comes to weight loss.

I lost pretty quick the first 2 weeks, then hit a wall. So, I killed my scale. It is not my friend, it's my enemy. There's no reason for me to fret each day I step on the scale and get pissed off and want to kick my dog. So, in light of resetting everything, my emotions and attitude, I'm not going to let that piece of glass and plastic decide how I feel today. I started weighing only once a week, sometimes not even that. I honestly don't care anymore about weighing. I do what I'm supposed to. I get my calories in, my Protein in, Vitamins, etc and I bust my ass in the gym and during workouts. I know I'm getting healthier, I don't need a number on the scale to tell me that. Congrats on the weight loss and the beginning of your new life. It's exciting!

pre op and post op diets are to prepare the body for surgery not to lose weight. hell if we could lose weight w/o WLS, as TMF says often, why get the surgery? if you do lose, it will be mainly Water weight (not actual true weight loss), those and those inches that matter over what the scale says come later on down the road if you are not following your dr's advise on the pre op dieting then you are doing it wrong, if you are doing what you are suppose to, then everything is fine...give yourself some credit and keep doing what you are doing...do what dr says for best results.. all the best.

I'm a little over a month out, so too early for hair loss. However, I've noticed that my nails are growing fast and a lot stronger from taking Biotin. I started taking preop HW 227, DOS 9/3/13, CW 191

I'm a week or so past my 3 mo post op. As I was warned, I am experiencing hair loss. My hair is dropping out like crazy - I keep expecting to find total bald spots on my scalp; luckily not for now. I made sure I took over 60 mg protein, 2000 mg biotin & 30 mg of zinc daily trying to forestall this hair loss obviously to no avail. My question is what was your experience? How many weeks did you have hair falling out? Did you find that it grew back eventually?