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Just finishing day 5 of my 14 day preop diet and am very glad that it is going good. Having 3 Premier Protein shakes per day and 1 meal of 3 oz. protein and 1 cup of vegetables. I can also have dill and sugar free sweet pickles as well as the usual Crystal Light, PowerAde Zero, sugar free popsicles/jello. and water. Up to about 20 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes free weights daily. Surgery is May 2!! I am really excited!!

Hello - I was banded on May 4th. My Dr. told me I could receive my first fill at 6 weeks, but now I have learned that he will be on vacation from June 15-July 1. Six weeks would be June 15. so, I could ask him for a fill next week - say Wednesday, or I can wait until July. I haven't lost any weight in the last 10 days or so.... I am anxious to begin experiencing the benefits of the band! I tried searching for threads about time of the first fill, but I coudnt find one.... Based on your experiences, what do you recommend? thanks for your responses....

I am so sorry you are experiencing this but hope they can get to the bottom of your issue. (This is for the benefit of other people reading this later), but, why in the world did you wait until you were in the ER and 10 days after discharge to call your surgeon? Didn he or she not give you a 24-hour phone number to call if you were experiencing difficulties?

I am in the same situation. I have been banded 3 yrs. I've lost 75 lbs but still have about 40 to go. I've been trying to track my calories. I have good restriction and stay full for 3-4 hrs after I eat. I try to exercise as much as I can. I recently got another fill and have lost 10 lbs since last month but its slowing down again. I know it's harder to lose the smaller you get but it's extremely frustrating.

I was banded 8/6/12, and it is a month now. I struggled at first with snacking, but healthy snacks, no carbs just greek yogurt, or cottage cheese, etc only protein. I got the carbs from the yogurt and cottage cheese. I was not losing weight for about 10 day, and when I did a follow up with my doctor i realize they meant no snacking between meal but I was so busy trying to get in carbs and protein, that i was eating too many calories. I have nothing in my band until hopefully the 19th of September. I am now eating 1 cup of food each meal, and i am losing weight. I am not eating between meals which allows me to get in my 64oz of fluid, ex: water, tea, etc and i am not hungry. My dr. said to only focus on the protein and fiber, not the carbs and fat but be mindful to make low calories, low fat choices, not pizza or canned processed foods. She explained to me that i will not feel full after my 6-8 ounces of food, but wait the 20 minutes and let your brain process the food and i should not be hungry for at least 4 hours. I could eat more, but i don't, i wait and i find that i am not hungry. I would not beleive if it didn't happen to me. She explained that it is very important to have the 4 hours window of not eating, because what i don't take in with carbs and fat by not eating between meals your body will use your body fat to get the carbs, fat etc and burn the fat and you lose weight. If you do eat between meals, your body does not need to burn the fat because you are feeding it more food between meals. It was so profound when she said that, it all clicked and i tried it and it worked. Remember I have nothing in my band yet, and i can eat more, but i stop at 1 cup and wait the 20 mins. I was talking on the phone today and went 6 hours and still did not feel hungry, and all i had this morning for breakfast was a 6oz greek yogurt with fruit, a cup of coffee before breakfast. Unbelievable. I may not get a fill if I keep up this way. I do want a fill, because my doctor said once i get a fill, it will be hard to eat more than 1/2 cup of food and then i really need to focus on protein and fiber. Try not eating between meals and if that does not work, don't eat the white carbs because it is not a healthy choice, and i may be filling you up but not keeping you full (carbs make you hungry and that may be what is happening to you) and you need to have high protein with each meal. I have been on a ground turkey homemade chili for 1 week and loss 4 pounds. I have only followed this meal plan for 1 week and it works, where I did not lose any weight for 10 days before my dr. set me straight. Hope this helps.

I had my 3week post op appointment two days ago. I was feeling great on the way in because it was weigh in. I don't own a scale. HW was 255. SW 249. I weighed at my parents pool 10 days post op -232. Drum roll for official weigh in at docs... 233. Wtf? I was inches smaller in those 11 days!? I can see shrinkage in my thighs and waist. Gah! Where are those pounds stuck to me!? (Rechecks own ass, notes reduced size. Shrugs) I am tracking that food, baby. Every day. Getting my ton of protein and keeping the calories down. What's the score? My doc is fine with the 15 pounds in three weeks, but I have just held there for 10 days!

So I have a 7 1/2 month old she weighs 19 lbs. Can I sit and hold her? And if I needed to can I lift her if only for moving her to her bed or in the car? Surgery Jan 8th 2013 Thanks in advance for ur help

I remember one time when I was probably around 10 my family was swimming at the lake near our house when a group of neighbor ladies showed up to swim. I said something to my mom along the lines of...you must have been embarrassed to get out of the lake in front of them. I don't think my mom ever went swimming in public again. She wasn't even that overweight, just a bit chunky. At the time, I know I had no intention to hurt her feelings, I just made a stupid observation and to this day, 20+ years later I still feel truly horrible that I would have said something so insensitive. Your daughter is only 6 and I'm sure she has absolutely no idea how hurtful her comment was. You are taking steps to improve your health (I'm at goal weight and I HATE jumping rope, so good for you for doing that) and your daughter will eventually see that you did what needed to be done to be healthy. With any luck she will have no memory of her insensitive comment and when she is 31 like me she won't look back and think...omg, how could I have ever been so cruel without even realizing it!

Top pix night before surgery 10/9/13 bottom 6 weeks out

i'm 2 days post op...my pre op diet was low carb so i really didn't have to worry about full liquids or mushies... what i wish i had done was look more at the recipies and things people have posted...cause shakes and chicken broth, after day 2 for me, need a little spicing up if i'm supposed to do this 10 days...everything that i had in my home was jello, yogurt, shakes...all very sweet, making me nauseas lol so i'm already looking at things people are eating in the mushies stages...so my advice...read ahead get different things to eat in your home for you to eat...i truly believe that will make things a little better, even just adding certian spices to you meals can make all the difference!:tt2: good luck guys!

Hi All and congratulations on getting/almost getting to goal. I have 2 lbs to reach a healthy bmi and 9 to reach my personal goal. I seem to have slowed down significantly, almost to a stop actually which is to be expected I suppose when the calorie defecit is less than when I was larger. I seem to be managing about a pound every 4-6 weeks now. I just wanted to ask those at goal how long it took to lose your last 7 lbs? It seems it could take me as many months to lose these last few pounds as it did to lose the majority of my weight. Also did anyone just decide to adjust their goal because they slowed to a stop or did it just carry on coming off steadily until you reached your goal. I can't decide whether that is it for me and lets face it, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I never lost another pound maybe just a little disappointing that I was so close to healthy but didn't quite make it. Did anyone try and blast it by doing shakes or the CD or did everyone just continue with their normal foods? I'd love to hear from you because I feel I need to make a decision...... Never managed to sort my ticker but I'm 5ft 3ins started at 196, now weigh 142 and its 10 months since surgery. :tongue2:

Not for me. Actually my doc let me advance my diet as tolerated. Since I am diabetic my blood sugars were doing a rollercoaster. So by day 10 I was eating mushy/soft food like fish, mashed potatoes and such. It really helped to get my BS under control by getting back to a seminormal eating schedule. I haven't looked back. I go next week for my "four" week checkup. It is really being done at six weeks but that is okay cause then I can get a fill. So transitioning from liquids to mushy/soft was very easy for me. M

The two most common themes for this time of your surgery are SIP, SIP, SIP and WALK, WALK, WALK. I found it difficult to get enough fluids/food liquids the first few days. But then my swelling went down and I have had no problems since about days 8 - 10. I personally didn't have a lot of gas. It is very individual what you will experience. Did your doc give you instructions to follow post surgery? Myra

Almost exact same scenario here! I think everyone still had the mental image imprint of the larger size, with the break from seeing each other it takes them aback that suddenly you look much smaller than they remember. Also, I think the closer and closer you get to goal the more difference the loss makes. Just yesterday my mother said "Good Grief Lee, how much more have you lost since last time you were here?" And yep, it has only been 10 lbs. I swear this last 10-15 lbs has made more difference than the first 30 lost... which is a good thing : )

Hi! and Welcome! My surgeon required that I lose 10% of my weight before surgery. I found the quickest way to do this was through a low carb/high protein diet. I followed Atkins and in one month I lost the 20 pounds required. I ate things like bacon and eggs for breakfast, salads (with turkey or ham) for lunch. and a dinner of a protein (fish, chicken, steak) plus veggies for dinner. I would suggest either reading the Atkins or South Beach book and following that. Both books lay everything out for you. Good look on your journey.

Hard to believe that I have had my band for 6 weeks now. I went to see my surgeon yesterday and to weigh in... I lost 10 more pounds for a total of 36 pounds in 6 weeks !! I am so pleased !!! And so was he !!! For once in my life I really feel as if I am gonna get my weight under control... well with the help of my new best friend.. bandette !!! I have not had a fill yet, and won't until I slow down with the weight loss. I told the dr. that I had thrown up once, from not chewing my food well enough. I also added that I was sorta glad I did. Even though the pain in my chest was the worst I have ever felt....throwing up made me know for sure he had put the band in me... lol... he laughed. I feel so good, much better then I have in several years. The journey will be long, but I am thinking it's the best "trip" I've ever been on !! Cindy

I saw in another thread, and then read a related article that talk about the fact that your body can only absorb 10-20 gr of protein in an hour. Anything above that is converted to glucose and then fat. It seems the key to proper protein intake is to get no more than 20 gr per hour so if you are getting more, you may be taking three steps back. Information like this is why I love this website.

I want my surgery done Asap...i have my first appointment to meet the surgeon ever on 2/10/17...my very first meeting..im wanting to have my surgery by March is that possible? I have researched and studied changed my mind 10 years ago...but now im ready...can someone tell me how long it took from your first visit then to surgery. Sent from my LGMS428 using the BariatricPal App

Hi, I am 37 years old with 2 small kids (4 years and 16 months). I am also a working mom. I had my surgery 4 days ago and so far so good. It isn't easy especially with a family. I'd like to find a mentor who has similar experiences to my own Laura

Bihhh, Eat everything. Joking joking. Take a bite. Toss it. Move to the next treat. If you like but... Join the ❤ January 2019 Challenge ❤ 😁😁😁😁😁😁

I woke up with a catheter (thank God I didn't have to get up to pee every 20 mins the 1st 24 hrs), a JP drain, an IV and O2. I think it was the 1st surgery I'd had that I wasn't nauseous right afterwards. Not till the next day when I had to drink the barium for my leak test. They took out my catheter after 24 hrs - then I got up to pee every 15-20 mins, literally. Took out my IV after about 36 hrs when I was able to drink enuf to make the nurse happy. My JP drain came out about 5 mins before discharge, 48 hrs after surgery. I was in a moderate amt of pain but the nurses were all wonderful and freely giving of the IV Dilaudid. When I got home, however, felt like I was hit by a semi. Have u ever had a general anesthesia surgery before? If not, u may wake up with a sore throat (from the breathing tube they use while under general), in pain (as soon as u ask for something, the recovery room nurses are usually on top of it), and O2 in ur nose. My O2 only last maybe 4-6 hrs. I don't remember much from that first day (got out of recovery about 1 pm but slept most of the day). Know I got out of bed to walk at about 10 pm and didn't sleep a wink that first nite (pain and a very vocal patient in the next room). By the 2nd nite, I slept a little better (plus my dr ordered me my normal sleeping pill that I didn't get the first nite). Good luck and congrats!

Yuck. I was on Topamax for a good part of a year and it definitely had heavy duty side effects as I was titrating up. I also didn't like the idea of taking a medication every single day. I feel like I've tried literally everything for migraines. I know how crazy this sounds (to all those who suffer from regular migraines) but I suffered from migraines for over 10 years - it got so bad that I was taking a prescription drug (relpax) every single day. Then I read this book that changed my life - "Heal Your Headache" by David Buchholz. It advocated changing your diet and stopping taking medications that would have a rebound effect (medications like Excedrin and my Relpax). I follow the diet restrictions pretty closely and only take my Relpax every once in awhile. Just following the book's advice worked wonders for me. I really feel like I have control over my headaches. I guess if your headaches are infrequent and the Excedrin works for you and you're happy with it, stick with it. But if they ever increase or you want to try to get off meds altogether, I totally recommend that book. Best of luck.

Hi Everyone.... I had my 1st post op visit today. I was banded 8/10. I lost 8lbs since the surgery for a total of 24 so far! I am very excited! Now the bad news, I am on another week of liquids due to the fact I am drinking too fast and my chest is very uncompfortable. Dr. Kwon wants me to slow it down to be more band friendy! I can also start walking some. He said not to over do it though. Talk to you soon! Lisa Marie

Holly... Boy do I hear ya on the exercise.. I tell myself everyday that I'm going to do some walking and I only get in about 2100-3500 steps according to my pedometer, when I should be getting in 10,000 or more.. Right now I am more or less coasting until the 1st of October when I start my liquid diet... My DH and I are retired and spending the summer out here in the San Francisco, California area. We went touring last Wednesday and I could hardly walk anywhere, we kept having to stop so I could rest. When we got home that night I told myself that I would drink a couple of Protein shakes every day and walk, walk, walk.... Well the first day was good, but since then I've been a little lax... My hips and feet get to hurting so bad and on good days I can only walk about the length of a football field and back and then I'm done... That is so pitiful especially when I was very athletic in school and in my young adult years I was a dancer... Does walking or exercise affect your hips and such like mine do? I am wondering if it is directly related to my weight or if there is another underlying problem.. That is good that the visit to your dietitian went well even though you already knew what she said... This is the greatest site to learn from, plus have the most wonderful support system around... I will be having my consultation with the dietitian the end of September.. I have already had my phone consult with my Dr, so I pretty much am set as far as what he wants me to do prior to surgery and that is just do the liquid diet 10 days before my surgery day... I sure am glad that I don't have to do a 4 week pre-op exercise program. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to make it... They would have to start off very gently with me.... I am very angry with myself for getting so out of shape and so much overweight... :huggie: But I am sooooo happy I am getting the band.... Keep me posted on how your exercise program is working....

Not sure if this will work, but I am posting a fairly typical day for me. It won't fit on one screenshot, so I am doing what I can to make it work. I was banded May 15 and as of July 2 I lost almost 41 lbs (just under a pound a day). What has been working for me: General Style: I try to be fairly low carb, but I have taken to cycling my carbs for days I need a little extra. Plus, I am testing out the whole cycling/ketosis thing. Exercise: I walk for 30 mins or do elliptical for 15-30 mins every day, sometimes both, but I really just started moving like I should. I was pretty sedentary at first, outside of some minor stretching and light resistance work with a balance ball. Pay Attention: Reading the previous posts, watch your cheeses, ice creams, and sauces. They're easy to eat, hide calories and fat easily, and will quickly negate any good you've tried to do. salad dressings can easily kill a salad if you aren't careful. Eating out? Ask for foods prepared without butter or oil. Ask for no cheese or butter on veggies, rice, and potatoes (if you eat rice and potatoes). Sauce on the side, dressing on the side. The easiest thing to do: if you know it's bad, and you feel guilty by knowing it's bad... choose something else. Easier said than done, I know, that's part of why we're all here, but think of the band and think of what it feels like to lose all the weight. MOST IMPORTANT, keep to the limits imposed by your doc. Most people seem to be in the 4-6oz range. Fill up on your lean Protein first, then eat your veggies. Then whatever else you have. EAT SLOWLY. Let the band tell you when you are full. One trick I learned (and I forget who to credit, so if it's someone here, I apologize) -- If possible, eat a few bites of food about 10 minutes before you sit down for your meal. It can take 20-30 minutes for the feeling of satiety to hit your brain. By jumping ahead a few bites, you trigger your body to start watching that system and releasing the hormones that tell you you're full. (Remember not to drink anything in between!) Once you begin eating your normal meal, still eating slowly, and not drinking while you eat, the body will continue to monitor that feeling and you will feel satisfied on a small amount instead of overeating without knowing it. Like I posted before... track everything. Once I started that, I found I feel like I have eaten a lot more, simply because I break down the meal into ingredients and then I can see all the different things I got to taste! Anyway, it works for me. I thought I would share.