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I am pretty new, but I will post. I started my weight loss on June 7th with my pre-op diet. I was banded on June 11th. On the 7th I was 463, and today I am 424. I have actually gained about 10 pounds back since I was able to start eating again. Typical food intake during the week. My problem is weekends. Breakfast - 10oz of Water with Fiber, Vitamins, asprin and 4oz Protein shake. Usually once I have all that, I am full until 11 or 12. The last week I have been having 2 scrambled eggs with parmensian(sp?) cheese for lunch. dinner is usually meat, chicken, beef, meatball with sauce,etc. I probably overeat at dinner, but I think weekends are what is hurting me so far. I walk a lot at work, delivery driver, and try to walk the neighborhood a cuople times a week. On the weekends I will do a couple of hours of yardwork, usually Saturday morning. Now that I am off mushies, I am trying to cut the carbs out again. I lost over 100 on Atkins, so I wha to do that again. Good luck. Hope this helps.

I'm ten months out, and have basically been expanding my diet with so many new discoveries. Salmon fish remains an impossibility. No matter how many ways I prepare it, and how much I drown it in salsa, it still needs to be brought back up. In trying to describe it to a friend, she kept asking, 'What-- is it an allergy? A sensitivity? " And I didn't know how to respond. In essence, my bloodstream is fine with the addition of salmon to my diet, but my POUCH is the one who is rejecting it. So then, what category does that fall under? Grouchiness? Pouch the Grouch? How do you explain that to the world?

I am thirteen days away from the start of change...... I am so excited, nervous, anxious all at the same time. This has been a 2.5 yr process to make the decision to completely alter my life. I am the usual suspect, tried all the diets etc and nothing has worked. I do however have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which over the past 10 years has been extremely helpful in helping me gain almost 30kg's and then not letting me loose it. I don't think the 4 pregnancies helped or the stress of running your own business or the car crash last year.....its been a difficult 10 years. I turn 40 next year and I am no longer going to accept that my life is going to be run and ruined by my disease, so here goes, drastic measures to take control. I am scared it will not work but I have hope and sometimes just a little hope can make a difference. If anyone has Hashi or knows someone with Hashi who has done this I would love to hear of success.....

I feel yuck this morning. For some reason I thought tuna fish would be a good thing to eat at 2:00 a.m. - with olives in it. Geesh, the lost sleep and pain is exactly what I deserved. Anyway, I've heard bandsters talk about having a tight band in the morning. I get what they mean now. Tight, nothing I want. Even coffee won't go down. Guess I'll have to take the immersion blender with me to work this morning because I will want my protein shake about 10 a.m.! The buttered popcorn I had at the movie last night was gross. I must have eaten 3 cups and my hands were terribly greasy. Could have done without that.

Well most of my recovery went well. I did get pretty sick after the GI test the next day. The great drink they give you...NOT! Made me pretty sick after the test. There has to be a better way. Like you I have already lost 10 lbs since the surgery. Happy about that! I am walking around pretty good, but still have some pain. But I am sure in time that will all go away. Thanks for the up date! Yes I am looking forward to something other than soup and protein shakes!

I'm a month out now. Down 18 lbs since surgery. I didn't come out of surgery at a higher weight and I continued to lose weight the first week or two. Then the stall hit. It's hard not to get frustrated when the weight isn't dropping. Especially since I saw it drop so fast on the liver shrinking diet. The pace of loss now is not nearly as exciting. Even knowing in advance that I won't see the same rate of loss and that there will be a stall. I just have to remind myself that the 19 lbs I've lost in the last month is still a greater weight loss than I was able to do on my own in the last 10 years. And I have to remind myself that even at a relatively slow weight loss of 5 lbs per month I can reach my goal weight in a year. That's really pretty fast when you think about it.

Hi Lisa, My surgery date is also March 10, so I know what you're going through. I start my liquid diet on Tues. and I'm worried that I won't be able to stick with it. You should join the March 2009 group here, so you can talk to others who are about to start this adventure. Keep your hopes up--I know we can make this work! Good Luck! Laura S. Kalamazoo MI

If you can't make it the 6 months can you do the 3 months that most insurance companies allow if co-morbidities are present? I haven't heard of anyone just appealing before a claim was even sent in. As for the personal letter although it is a personal plead from you some insurance companies never read what's been writen in the letter. I wish you luck! I truely do I myself went through the 6 months supervised diet and was approved 10 days after submititng..

We don't have Halloween or Thanksgiving in Australia. We do have Melbourne Cup Day (first Tuesday in November, from 11:30am to 3:45pm, two-thirds of the country shuts down for the world's richest thoroughbred race (now in its 157th running in 8 days time). One state, Victoria, shuts down for a public holiday for the whole day. And the third Thursday in November is usually the opening of the test cricket season. Cricket is way bigger than baseball as it's played across India, Pakistan, England, the Caribbean, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Dubal, the UAE, the Netherlands, Scotland, Wales, Canada ... and several more places. Unlike baseball which has nine innings over a few hours, test cricket matches are FIVE DAYS (10:30am to 6:00pm) to judge which team can outplay and outlast the other.

I'd say a "safe bet" is to count out the first 24 hours after surgery. I personally worked 10 hours from home (laptop in bed) with no problems whatsoever (yes, I took pain meds and was still sharp as a tack). I worked every day from then on and went back to work (physically to the office) on the Friday after (had surgery on Monday) and worked a half day. Then back in on Monday full time with no issues. Of course the ol' disclaimer, everyone is different, yada yada yada. Good luck!

I was banded on March 19 and I am getting my first fill on Friday. I have noticed that I am eating more than athe 4oz recommended. Is that normal because my band is not filled at all?

Wouldn't it be unethical for a US Doctor to sale expired medical supplies to anyone? Also, my doctor gave me the box the lapband came in and the label state: Not returnable for Credit Once Seal Is Broken. So, if a US doctor can get a credit on expired merchandise, why then woul they send it out of country? It's funny how some US doctors try to discredit Mexico doctors despite the fact the Mexican doctors have been performing the procdure for 10+ years and train the US doctors.

I hope this won't seem like a silly question but I would like to ask how veteran sleevers were approximately 10 weeks into their weight loss journey. I was due to meet up with my sister in Bali at the end of July but am now scheduled for surgery on May 16. Do I go or do I stay at home, that's the decision. Lizzie is travelling from the UK and me from Australia, she's booked already and will meet up with her daughter there so it's not essential I be there as well (though it would be good). She's coming on to Australia for a further 2 weeks anyway. Can I expect to be eating more or less normally by then, albeit tiny portions? I can cope with that thought, what I couldn't cope with is still being on some sort of liquid diet still. I realise that everyone is different but it would be good to see how most of you were doing at that point in your journey. A big challenge would be avoiding Bali belly of course.

I was banded on 3/10/11 and started the liver reduction diet two weeks prior so far i'm down 21lbs. I'm so excited first fill 4/13/11.

Increase food intake or increase the meds? If the meds aren't working then call your doctor back. You have to nourish your body but you work up Protein and Fluid goals. Set small bench marks for yourself. Your only goal should be to not get dehydrated. If that means sipping all day then just take a sip once every 10 minutes. However I would address the anxiety first. A large part of being successful with this is mental. Get the anxiety under control so you can deal.

Guess What I got to make an appointment with a Dr. H. Rivas in Dallas for 11-10-06 and I'm so pumped about it!!! I was told his bedside manner was awesome and that I would always be able to contact him:biggrin1: so I made a whole heap of progress today. My pcp referral dept has already faxed the paper to Dr. Rivas!!! WOW i cant wait to see him!! I'M COMING OUT I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW LET MY FEELING SHOW!!!! diana ross 19??????

Just received call that surgery is May 10th. So scared I won't be able to do this week of liquids only!!!!

After my evening workout I eat as soon as I get home from the gym (which is about a 10-12 min car ride). I have not had a problem doing this and I try to make sure that it is not later than 7:00 or 7:30. We are all different but it has not slowed my progress at all! Good luck

Awh, looks like you already made up your mind! I'm 22, male and low end of the obese BMI range (35). The trouble I've found is that depending on what we do, our lifestyle is pretty sedentary.That mixed with all of the hanging out with mates, restaurants, pubs, etc it's hard to manage a diet at 22. All of my friends are all skinny, slim and eat the same as me but are able to keep it off, and it's becoming so hard now to actually go out with them when they are all so social and energetic and 'normal' sized, and I look like a buffalo next to them. I've thought long and hard about this, and from a health perspective, at 22 my heart, joints, kidneys, liver etc is still young and able to heal pretty well, but under the stress of an extra 30kgs for the next 10-15 years, it will play a massive part on contributing to other health complications. My thoughts anyway, best of luck to your son and you never know, he may prove me completely wrong and be able to lose the weight the ol' fashion way!

It frustrates me. Take Australian Big Brother at the moment. There was a mother daughter pair went in there, both had had recent boob jobs as a mother/daughter thing Big fat bouncy plastic huuuuuuuge boobs on the pair of them, stick thin as they were. The mother has been voted out - but she was fake tanned, hair extensioned, acrylic nailed to the max and the daughter, who is still there spends most of her day putting on make up and lying in the sun. Lets not even mentioned the mother looked like old shoe leather, the oldest lookign 36 year old I have ever seen, and is encouraging the 19 year old daughter in this behaviour. Lets not even mention skin cancer! What bothers me is my stupid husband ogling this 19 year old. She's 19. Where's the respect for the beauty, intelligence and experience of a more mature woman? Apparently that's all worth nothing if gasp, she has a bit of cellulite. He scoffs and makes derisive remarks whenever any woman near normal looking comes on the television screen. There's been a more normal looking girl in there and her whole experience in the house has been about how ugly she is (and that's been the boys main topic of conversation). She's actually gorgeous! Just not blonde and big boobed. What my husband fails to appreciate is how much time and money goes into looking the way these women do and bitches and moans about the fact that I spend money to cover my grey hair and get my nails done. What mixed messages! I know he loves me for who and what I am now but it infurates me when he behaves like this in front of the kids. Especially our daughter. I do not want her growing up thinking she has to fit a mould and that she has a useby date. I never want to see that kind of neanderthal behaviour in my sons. It doesnt affect my self esteem. I'm no barbie doll. And just personally, whilst I dont judge others for doing it and certainly not where its truly warranted, there's no way I'd go under the knife again for cosmetic surgery when I really feel I"m good enough. Ive talked about a breast lift but I wouldnt actually do it. I feel there was a strong element of vanity in my band surgery and I think I've used up my quota. More power to those that do it FOR THEMSELVES. I struggle with this too, sometimes wanting to do stuff like go in a tanning bed to look nice and brown. But overall I value being healthy more than being beautiful. I just see around me how much misery and disappointment people feel in themselves because they're not perfect enough and I just wanted to say I think they're valuing the wrong things! Its not wrong but look around you, nobody's perfect. Go easy on yourselves, you're all beautiful in your own way.

I've lost just over ten pounds. If I were only 10-20 pounds overweight, I'd be jumping up and down. But since I'm 120 pounds overweight, ten is no big deal. I figure it'll be at least 50 pounds before I can really tell a difference. For those who've lost gobs of weight already - how far along were you when you began to see the difference in your mirror?

I found a good challenge for myself. Im going to train for a Duathlon. It's a event where you run, bike & run. It's on Oct 19. I will be setting myself some more specific time/mileage goals soon also. :thumbup:

Well hopefully we will be good.. I will get my sleeve on August.10 anybody else.???

I emailed Louise earlier today and got a response from Melissa, who told me that Louise is no longer with the company and that she is taking over her cases (at least mine). She also noted that she (Melissa) has been there for about 10 years. I don't really take it to mean anything of consequence. I think it will be fine.

I try to get all my protein from food but there are days that I have to add some unflavored protein powder to my drinks. This helps me get 10-15 more grams of protein per day and I am able to reach my daily goal. This was good info PdxMan. Thanks for sharing your research.