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^^^This! Great post @allwet. It's super stressful, the "not knowing," and trying to navigate a new road. The surgical team tries as best they can to prepare us, but the reality is that it's like bringing home a new baby from the hospital. We will be anxious and fretful 1st time parents to our new babies. I was TERRIFIED of overeating and ruining the tool I was given. My new pouch wasn't giving me feedback to let me know when I was full. So I never knew how much latitude to give myself. So I actually did the opposite of you. I ate my scheduled 5-6 mini meals per day and got my protein in come hell or high water. But I ate very small quantities and calories for my stage in order not to stretch my pouch. Consequently, I never challenged it or felt full--so I thought my surgery was screwed up cuz I never got full. LOL. Then one day I let myself eat all I wanted. Low and behold, I was only about 2-3bites below the "OK, 'enough moron' stage." I got my vitamins in each day and got my 120oz of liquids! Every day. I ate on a schedule whether I was hungry or not, cuz it was the only way to get my protein in and make as much of it protein from food, rather than protein supplements. Retrospectively, I'm not sure if that was right or wrong. You know? I could have just had 2 Premier Proteins for 320cals and been done with it! Protein req satisfied, BOOM Chahkalaka! And I would have had 22oz of liquids toward my goal. I healed easily. Many don't. Many of you guys have a LOT of swelling to deal with. So it's an individual walk and what worked for me, won't work for you. You just have to carefully feel things out. Now, fast forward to 9 almost 10 weeks and my new tummy tells me when it's full and I know approximately how big a meal should be by volume and weight. I know when I can't possibly eat another meal--so I cut out the next meal. I try to still eat on a schedule, but sometimes I don't want my snacks. So I skip them. Eventually, I will be able to eat enough volume, that I can eat 3 meals + 1 snack a day. But I'm not there yet. And that's ok. My tummy will tell me when I am! Your's will too! At the end of the day, if I haven't eaten enough to satisfy my protein minimum for the day, I will add as much Premier Protein as I have to have in order to satisfy my minimum goal. I ALWAYS satisfy my liquid reqs and my vitamin reqs and the absolute minimum protein. But now I'm doing good to work toward the middle of the protein range, which should give me more oomph to do my workouts. Just take things slowly and try to listen to the very subtle cues from your body. They will become more and more pronounced as you learn its new language! Congrats on surgery!

I don't think there is a "usually" when it comes to these things. My surgery was 10/25/10 & my first fill of 1cc was on 12/1/10. There was 3.2cc's placed in the band at the time of surgery so that gave me a total of 4.2cc's at 5 weeks post-op ( 24.5lb loss at this point). At my 1/5/11 appointment we discussed how much I could eat & how long I stayed satisfied and decided to add .5cc's, so I am now at 4.7cc's at 10 weeks post-op (36lb loss at this point). I can eat any food I have attempted, it just takes less of it to fill me up and to maintain satisfaction. I'm happy with this & my next appointment is 2/2/11 so unless something drastically changes by then I think I will stay status quo on the fill aspect.

Went to the pulmonary doctor today and found out that I can not travel for a month and I have to inject myself with blood thinners for 10 days. I have two trips planned for June, so is kind of a problem. They are trying to move up my date. Did anyone travel after their surgery? How many days did you stay in the hospital? Thanks for any help.

Well I have joing the club of the loosers yeaaaa , I had my band on 9/30/05 by Dr Sanchez and had a wonderful experience anyone wanting to know about a good Md in monterrey email me with any questions I am 19 days post op and lost 10 pounds not sure if this is good or not IO was hoping for a bit more loss but I'll take this Ramona

Three to four protein shakes a day with a max of 800 calories. Then at least 64oz of non caffeinated, non carbonated, drinks with less than 10 calories per serving.

Here's an article I found on caffeine withdrawal. Beware the perils of caffeine withdrawal Susan Todd loves her daily coffee fix. "I can drink four or five cups, easily,comfortably," said Todd, 59, of Clinton Township, Michigan. But if she skips her regular dose of caffeine, Todd warned, watch out. "I feel lousy all over. It's not that anything hurts," she explained. "I just feel sluggish, and a cup of caffeine will cure that." Todd is among the estimated 80 to 90 percent of North American adults and children who consume caffeine products every day. Experts estimate about half that number will experience headaches and other symptoms from caffeine withdrawal syndrome. There are a numberof reasons why someone might need to reduce or stop their daily caffeine intake.Experts tell pregnant women not to consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeinea day (about one 12-ounce cup of coffee). Caffeinated products are notrecommended for people who are prone to panic attacks or those who suffer fromanxiety. Some surgical patients may also experience the symptoms of caffeinewithdrawal syndrome on the day of surgery, because they are told not to eat ordrink anything. Researchers atJohns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, recognized the condition as adisorder five years ago after reviewing decades of studies. They concluded thehigher the caffeine intake, the more likely a patient was to suffer from severewithdrawal symptoms when denied the ingredient. Researchers also reported that some caffeine users considered themselves addicted to caffeine because they were unable to quit or cut down on their usage. Michael Kuhar,chief of the division of neuroscience at the Yerkes National Primate ResearchCenter at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, prefers to use the word"dependent" rather than "addicted." Even though he called caffeine a drug, Kuhar wouldn't go so far as saying it has reached the statusof cocaine or heroin. According toKuhar, caffeine is a mild stimulant. "If you take a cup of caffeine you'relikely to feel good and energized," he said. Miss that cup of"Joe" or can of cola and don't be surprised if you start feelingfunny, Kuhar warned. He said some people complain of "headache, fatigue,sleepiness, inability to focus and concentrate." Others report experiencing flu- like symptoms, irritability, depression and anxiety after skipping aslittle as one cup of coffee a day. Kuhar explainedthat caffeine blocks receptors in the brain that can dilate blood vesselscausing headaches. "Withdrawal symptoms can start from 12 to 20 hoursafter your last cup of coffee and peak about two days later and can last aboutas long as a week," Kuhar added. It is not justcoffee that can lead to caffeine withdrawal. While a 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, tea and cola have about 40milligrams each, a bar of milk chocolate has about 10 milligrams and hot chocolate has about 7 milligrams. Kuhar said that means adults as well as children may be suffering daily physiological and personality effects of caffeine withdrawal. He recommended that people who are motivated to give up caffeine, or cut back on consumption,do so very carefully. "The thing to do is what we do with so many drugs --basically you wean yourself off slowly," Kuhar suggested. "That doesn't mean it is going to be easy at every step, but it should be easier thangoing cold turkey." Johns Hopkinsresearchers also endorsed a stepped approach to quitting caffeine. Theyinstruct patients to gradually substitute decaffeinated products ornoncaffeinated products over time in order to reduce the likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Kuhar suggested the process also can begin with reducing caffeine consumption by a half to a whole cup a day. Technology consultant ***** Spillane, 42, of St. Petersburg, Florida, started a step-down program after years of consuming up to three cups of coffee each day. He felthe was "drinking way too much caffeine." Spillane said heknew right away that he was suffering from caffeine withdrawal when he started getting severe headaches. His wife told him he was cranky most of the time. He now drinks tea instead, and occasionally sneaks a cup of coffee. Looking back, he was going through withdrawal was "tough for a while," but he's feeling better these days and he's glad he's not so dependent on caffeine.

OK, so I've had two strange changes happen to me in the last two months. I'm 6 months post op and 110lbs down and just 10 from my goal. Recently I've been tripping and falling at least twice a week - before surgery I probably fell 4 times in my entire adult life. What gives? The second issue is that now I sleep with my mouth open - I've never done that. It's so bad I wake up with my lips and mouth completely dry. Anyone else have these issues?

My dr told me I could start taking bites of chicken and well cooked vegetables at 10 days

hi! my name is samantha and i am from staten island, nyc. i am getting my surgery done on aug.14. its very soon!!!! and i would like someone getting surgery done around that time so we can help each other and discuss what we are going through. but anyway...my name is samantha i am 19 years old and i weigh about 276..i havent been weighed in a while. i dont care about age, i dont need someone close in age, just someone to talk to with similar experiences. get back to me..thanks!!!

I was banded on the 29th also. Yesterday I went to get my stitches out and to see if I would be ok for my first fill. Well I was healed nicely and got my first fill. I had it built up in my head that it was going to awful but for me it wasn't. I was stuck three times in total. I have felt hungry also since my surgery and I resorted to eating some potato soup. It was a pretty "stick to your ribs" type of soup and very satisfying so that was good for me. I lost 19 pounds on my pre op diet, 2 weeks of Protein and Water. I lost 7 pounds after the surgery and I am down another 1.5 now so 27.5 pounds in total. That is pretty motviating but I need to start walking regularly. I am on liquids for a couple of days, then full liquids for a few days then back to mushy foods. Oh another thing that seems very satisfying to me is a popsicle, maybe because it takes time to eat. I have been eating the frozen fruit on a stick kind, just fruit no sugar or anything. Also I have made up my own popsicles using V8 fusion so I can get some fruits and veggies in. The strawberry banana is yummy. My palate is changing which I am happy about but I sure do wish I could have had a little spaghetti that my family ate last night :-) Laura

Hubby had surgery 4/10 and I don't think he's getting enough vitamins and nutrients. He's always cold and tired also and realize it's normal. I get a Myers cocktail thru IV with glutathione and b12 shot bi-weekly for my chronic fatigue and swear by it. Wondering if anyone out there does this and if it's too soon for him.

There's a thread on here about taking the easy way out and how many people who have not had WLS or any type of weight problem see it as a shortcut. But for me personally, I almost feel like I took the hard way. Let me explain: I feel like with all of the fad diets, crazy exercise routines, weight-loss pills, "miracle" cures, weight-loss is even harder, even for the average person looking to lose 10-15lbs. While I do love my band and wouldn't trade it for the world, I almost feel like it sort of blinded me to the reality of healthy eating and nutrition. I hopped on the low carb band wagon really hard. I ate no fruit, no high carb veggies, was strict strict strict until about 3 months ago. During the first 6-7 months I lost amazingly, and I am glad that I rarely hit a long standing plateau, but at the same time I feel like I was almost put behind a mask; my brain went into this "food is evil; carbs are evil; high calorie foods are evil" way of thinking and now that my weight-loss is pretty much in a range I can deal with, it has been hell trying to break these thoughts. I never thought it would be hard to tell myself it's okay to eat carbs. It's okay to eat chocolate. I can eat anything I want. But the fact is that food is not evil. Food didn't make me fat. In my case, overindulging with little to no exercise made me fat. Yesterday I had an Oreo truffle; that's right. A bunch of freaking Oreos mixed with cream cheese and covered in white chocolate. I ate it; devoured more like it and then I felt an immediate sense of guilt. Why? Why does eating something sweet make me feel guilty? I'm not sure. But within a few minutes I came to my senses and realized that ONE truffle was not going to kill me. I was not going to gain 5lbs from it. It's funny how I've gone from being a food lover, to a food hater, and nowadays I am slowly, but surely, training my brain to realize that no food is bad. Nothing; none of it. And plenty of people on here will disagree, but I've allowed more "junk" food into my diet and I love it, but the sense of guilt still lingers. I can't wait until the day where I feel skinny, can eat whatever I want, and not second guess my choice.

If you do not have insurance to cover, there are many places to have this done. I know Mexico is a bit far and I would think a little scary, but there is a lady in Cincy that is cheaper than that. Just ask around on here, tons of self pay's under 10 grand. Most say they would do it again in a heartbeat.

Well, not much is needed for post op other than a forward thinking state of mind during the 10 day liquid diet. Just remind yourself every day "this is only temporary." Get some Protein Shakes for it. I did strawberry myself. Congrats on the approval!

My name is Nancy and I had the Lap-Band surgery 5 days ago. My physician is Dr Woodman of Memphis Tn. My starting weight was 323 when scheduling my surgery and I had to lose 13 lbs before he would do the surgery and only had 13 days to lose it. I succeeded and lost exactly 13 lbs. I had the surgery at 10am and was able to leave the hospital by 5:30 pm that evening for the 2 hr ride home. That night I can say was miserable and I got no sleep at all. I was in alot of pain and the pain medicine he prescribed me just wasnt lasting. Day 2 wasn't much better and I was regretting having the surgery. Day 3 I started to feel better and was able to get up and turn over without the aide of my loving and supportive husband. Day 5, today, I feel a bit weak and light headed but probably because I went out to the store today. I have 5 incisions and my belly is very very sore and tender. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though and each day is getting better and better. I am hoping to begin exercising on my recumbent bicycle by next week. So far I have lost 10 lbs...since the surgery...5 days. I can say that I am not really hungry. I am on creamed soups now and of course pudding and jello. Today was my husband birthday so I made him a cake and a very nice meal. I didnt even lick the spoon! I was so proud of myself. I have a bad back so just standing prior to my surgery had me in alot of pain. I bought the exercise bicycle as my exercise since I cant walk for exercise. I am hoping and praying that once I lose the weight my back problems will improve. I am excited about this new journey and my goal is to lose half of my body weight.:willy_nilly:

Hello all, I had my surgery 10/18/16. Last night was my first night home and it was rough. Today has gone well. I'm managing the gas and I'm not using the pain meds as often as prescribed. My current struggle is getting down liquids. It's so difficult but I managed to get down 32 ounces today. I feel like I'm going to burst. Sent from my 5054N using the BariatricPal App

Just had my sleeve 4 days ago. I feel terrible, having trouble getting water and protein down. I'm averaging 45 ounces of water and maybe 10 grams of protein per day. Im probably just being a baby but I almost wish I hadn't had it. It's hard doing this by yourself. I know it will be better in a few weeks, I'm just having difficulty adjusting. And sleeping.

I'd research other surgeons, just to get a feel for the different approachs....then make your decision. There is emerging evidence that prolonged super low calorie diets before and after surgery could reset your metabolism to unrealistically low levels that set you up for weight gain later. (not saying this always happens, not saying this is gosple....bariatrics are an emerging science....just sharing that there are a lot of different ideas at play) My group did a very carb restricted diet for two weeks before surgery. We were allowed to drink 5 shakes a day plus one food item from a list.....but this was just to shrink the liver for an easier procedure. My group wanted 10% weight loss, but expected it to take months. We were required to work with a nutritionist, attend fitness classes, healthy cooking classes, support groups. Our whole process took 4-6 months...just to lay the nutrition groundwork and weight loss work before the surgery. After surgery, we were pushed to eat 1200 calories a day as soon as we could tolerate it...in hopes that this would give us a robust metabolic reset. (to be clear, we went through the gradual restoration of diet after surgery for safety....liquid, puree, soft, etc....but our caloric goals were advanced as tolerated) I lost weight slower than most people....but I made goal, and I'm doing really well maintaining. My preferences and nutrition choices are much healthier. I've got good support for the mental side of this process. I feel like I was better prepared by my group for the work of making the permenant changes necessary and dealing with the lifetime challenges. Be a little careful of clinics that push unrealistically brutal calorie restriction. Eating 600 calories a day will make you lose a crap-ton of weight and will make your clinic look like they offer "The Magic Cure"....but you don't need to be their walking bulletin board for a year and then be abandoned by them when you regain. You need a comprehensive program that supports your needs for a lifetime and teaches healthy nutrition and fitness and supports the mental challenges of breaking the addiction.

I had a lot of belly swelling after surgery. I put ice packs on it and it was about 10 days before it was gone. It was like I just woke up and and it was gone.

I got my lapband in Nov. 2008, in the first 6 months I lost 70 pounds, but then I got a neck injury and things changed, after it got better I then moved to Germany for work, so I never got back on track. The band seems to be in place and does limit my portions, but towards the end of my time in Europe 10 pounds crept on. Then I lost it since I've been back but it keeps creeping back on! So, now I am wondering if getting a refill again will help me, so that I can get rid of the remianing 50 pounds; I have really tried to get back into a better eating routine, although it is not making a difference-I stopped eating the foods and chocolate from Europe. When I had the surgery, afterwards I had no problem with following all nutritional guidelines and even had NO craving for sweets or carbs! Do you think that would happen again? I have an appointment with my lapband surgeon in a couple of weeks, I just hope it will make a difference.

All docs have different regimens, check with yours at your post op. My doc cleared me for cardio, and I took that as going hard on my 9 day post op visit. I didn't actually start til 2 weeks post op. He told me to wait I think 2-3 more weeks to start lifting. I started a little earlier than he said since, I had to for work, I had to get a critical about 50 lb dog to the back quickly for treatment. But oh well. After that I started back on the weight machines at the gym, with no problems. I understand the cabin fever, I took a week off work post op, and I was feeling pretty good by day 4 and I was getting so bored at home. Especially since I live alone with my dogs, so no real human interaction...LOL. I even dug my car out of a foot of snow to go back to work that monday, because I was so bored. (probably should not have done that and I never told my doc I did, but 10 months post op, no damage done.)

Hi, I know this may be insensitive talking about food because I know many of us are still only a few days post op, but I can't help it :thumbup:... I am 10 days post-op and I swear I can think of nothing else but this great falafel sandwich, or grilled cheese sanswich, or turkey sub that I would love to be eating right now.. Does this get better once I go into the soft food stage (only taking liquids).. Will this go away once I start to eat again? I find it hard to concentrate sometimes because I'm thinking about what I would like to eat... Maybe cuz I'm HUNGAAARY, and I'm sick of drinking? :thumbup: Advice?

Getting banded July 21 and starting my 10 days of liquids. Have picked up some Atkins choc & strawberry shakes and the choc is tasty. Also have a gallon of water with me today. Any other shake suggestions would be appreciated.

I lost exactly 10 pounds, I had 3 Protein drinks per day, broth, sugar free ice pops and lots of Vitamin Water Zero. Then put on 7 pounds from all the IV fluids in the hospital. Lost them since being home though...whew!

Hello :tt2: I have some questions for people who have had the LAP-BAND®, I basically am not sure if I want to go through with it and I would like to hear some stories of people who also couldn't decide at first lol. I understand it is not a quick fix, and it is going to take time and effort and what not. I do have some questions though. I have been overweight my entire life. My mom loved food, therefore I love food. She rewarded me with food and we pretty much lived on fast food growing up, therefore I am quite morbidly obese. In Kindergarten, I was 100 pounds, most of the other kids were around 60. Last time I was weighed, probably close to 2 years ago, I was 427. Food is my comfort and I spend any money I get on food... My parents have never said you cannot have this or no we cannot order this in, if they can afford it, or I am willing to pay for it, we get it. That is that. They have tried to mention my weight and doing something about it, but they know it does not phase me and that I ignore it. I actually made effort when I was 16 to go to a nutrionist but after a bad experience, I completely refused to go back to ANY nutritionist. She basically told me fat peopel cannot be succesful, it felt like an interrogation, and that fat people cannot do anything. It was just so rude. Since I was 16, I am 18 now, my mom has been talking about the lap-band® and how I should consider getting it when I turn 18. Lately she has really been bothering me because the class you have to attend is in a few weeks, and I only have until I am 19 (less than a year) to get it done, which is when insurance stops covering me. I have social phobia/social anxiety though, due to being taken out of school 4 years and put into homeschooling with no real human interaction. I was put into homeschooling due to bullying, I have been clinically depressed since 3rd grade, that is when I was diangnosed. I have told my mom several times, i will not go to a class with other people in it, I cannot do it. If you do not know what social phobia/social anxiety disorder is, it is basically fearing human interaction, and you totally believe everyone is looking at you, judging you, saying things about you, point at you behind your back, making fun of you etc.. That is the only way I can explain it. I have only just started going and getting the mail in the past 2 months, and only if nobody is outside their house and I have a hoodie completely covering me, with a long skirt. I only leave my house if I absolutely have to, and at that, it is usually at night time, and I do not go inside anywhere. I always have to have a hoodie on that covers everything and a long skirt,so nobody can see me. I only go in the dentist when I am in terrible pain, I deal with moderate/mild pain otherwise, because I know I will be in a room with just the dentist and I. I have not even gotten my license yet, nor do I have any interest... I seriously start having a panic attack in social situations, I have not had any RL friends in 3 years. Lately I have been having so many pains due to being overweight, and I am sure in a year or 2 I am going to end up having a heart attack. The doctors said at anytime I can have a heart attack. I never mention these pains to anyone though because the social phobia/anxiety, and I will NOT go to the doctor. So, what I am asking is to hear from people or people who have had friends/family get the LAP-BAND® and if it is really something worth doing? The main questions I have are; 1. Is there pain after the surgery? And if so, what kind? How long did it last? 2. How long do you have to stay in the hospital after surgery? 3. Is there a specific diet before/after surgery? 4. Do I have to slim down to a certain weight before I can get it? 5. I know you eat less, a lot less, do you eat more smaller meals or just 3 really small meals? 6. If really small meals, is there enough food for your body to like have energy? :S 7. Should I worry about complications with my weight? 8. How many people die of complications every year? And how many people get the surgery every year? 9. What kinda of diet are you on currently? 10. I cannot stick to diets, will I be told to TRY dieting before the surgery? 11. What happens on the day of the surgery? 12. Side effects? 13. Problems you had? 14. Did you ever consider not getting it because of the extra skin? 15. How steady of a weight loss can one expect? 16. Did family members actions change after you got the surgery? 17. Your worries before you had the surgery? What about after? That is all I can think of but I appreciate any replies! Thanks, sorry for the long post lol.:thumbup: