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I too am new at this and keep finding myself back to the same question.. how to prepare for the family.. I am the one who makes the lunches and dinners and finding myself struggleing with how to continue that especially now since I am doing the 10 day liquid diet now. Surgery date is 12/8...

I was totally in the same boat as you. I ended up not getting a fill at 6 wks. I am about 10 wks out and think I need a fill now because I could eat a lot if I allowed myself too. But everyone is different and it sounds like you are doing awesome! Keep up the good work!

I am 19 years old and I had the Lap band surgery in north London 2 days ago on Tuesday night. Recovery has been going well so far although I am feeling quite swollen under my ribcage. I'm nervous about the next month with no solid food! I don't understand how I won't be hungry from only eating soup!

Hey guys! Just wanted some advice about my aching legs, its mainly in the mornings when i get up. I was sleeved May 10, 9 weeks today. I take my Multivitamin and Calcium and of course Biotin. I get about 80 grams of Protein a day. They don't cramp, they ache! Can any one suggest anything?

Just wanted to throw some hope out there for those looking for approval from their health insurance company. I have United Healthcare and my employer is Walgreens. They require a 6 month supervised diet and 5 years of documented weight history that shows a BMI of over 40 without co-morbidities or 35 with co-morbidities. I had some major fears about getting denied because I didn't have any health insurance coverage for most of the last 5 years, thus did not go to the doctor to have my weight documented. I decided to go for it anyway! I went to my first seminar at the end of February and began my diet in April. I contacted every hospital I had ever visited and requested my records. I had to fill out forms and mail them in. One hospital charged me $18 and the other $40. I ended up with two pieces of proof where my weight was documented. One from late 2006 and the other from the beginning of 2010. I then gathered two pictures from each year going back to 2007. My insurance rep from the surgery center gathered all of this together and sent my case to insurance on November 6th. Then I held my breath...for a long time... Once the three week mark hit, I was convinced I'd receive a denial. Then I wondered how would I even appeal if the reason is due to lack of documentation? Figured I was done. Yesterday my insurance rep called me and apologized again and let me know the case was still pending (she was so awesome throughout the process and provided me updates several times a week). Then... 10 minutes later she called back to tell me I was approved! I'm so excited, nervous, anxious and happy! So, all in all, I wanted to share my experience because I know how it is to wonder...and wonder....and wonder...

where do you live? I live in socal and I went to st. josephs hospital in orange, ca. my pcp referred me and my whole thing went for 6 weeks start to finish I wnt to the meeting 11/14/07 and was banded on 01/07/08.

My Dr. and many others in the whole program says that you have to take 20-30mins to eat. Now, I never have been a fast eater, nor do I ever inhale my food. Even when I put my fork down and chew my foods 15-20 times each bite and my bites are small, it still doesn't take me 20mins to eat. It takes maybe 10-15 mins for the small amount of food that my dietitian says that I need to eat. Now I haven't even had the lap band yet and it makes me wonder with how lil' I eat now and its takes 10-15 mins to eat, its not going to take me 30 mins to eat even less no matter how well I chew my food?! So I am wondering, for the peeps that have had the lap band, whether you are on solid foods or not, how long does it take you to eat?:thumbup:

Definitely go in for a fill. That will help a lot. Also ... stay away from the sweets. Those are often slider foods that will go down easily no matter how restricted you are. Those darn sweets kept me on a 10 week plateau last Fall. On the other hand, I'm a firm believer in not depriving yourself. An occasional PLANNED sweet is probably ok. When you have it, enjoy it like it is your last forever. I enjoyed half a serving of chocolate cheesecake last week. I can still remember it. Lost 4 lbs anyway that week. Go Figure!

CONGRATS!!!!!! you will do great! sleeved 12/19/11

Aarial and others, What you are going through is normal. You just got banded so of course you can eat whatever you want after the swelling goes down. You will be able to eat whatever you want until probably your 2nd or third fill. I did the south beach diet until then. And it's also normal to gain weight at first because you were probably doing the liquids and then went to normal foods, so your body is going to gain a little. This is just temporary, I promise. Also, and I know I'm gonna get bashed here, but I don't give a crap, I still drink with my meals and it hasn't affected my weight loss at all. Somebody said that eventually you can't drink, but, if you don't get too tight, which you shouldn't then it shouldn't back you up. Granted, I use to drink 3 glasses of tea with my food and now I only drink half a glass, but it helps with the hot food and the dry throat. And I usually wait about 10 minutes after I'm finished to drink more. I've never PB'ed or felt nauceous either, but again, I don't allow my band to get too tight. The main band rule I follow is no bread and no pasta's. Good luck. And this will all be easier in a month or two.. youll figure out how the band suits you.

For big jobs like smoothies, I personally like my VitaMix. They are pretty expensive (around $400 - $500), but they are meant to last 10+ years. I find about once or twice a year, CostCo has a display booth set up for them and offers about $100 off the normal price, that's how I got mine. I haven't looked at Bed, Bath & Beyond yet, but if they carry them, the 20% coupon would probably help quite a bit, please basically lifetime return if you hold onto the receipt. I've made blended drinks with ice in them before, and it turns it down into slush. Also made sorbet out of completely frozen strawberries and it works great. Only takes about 30 seconds to clean them as well (run them on high with a little hot, soapy water per the instructions). I also bought a $20 Farberware personal blender (the kind where the blade screws onto the cup directly). It has been great for making protein shakes. I also use it for pureeing softer foods (like I turned Cream of Mushroom soup into liquid so there were no mushroom pieces to be found while I was in the pre-pureed phase).

Does anyone know how much hair loss is too much? I knew that I would probably lose some hair and I have been losing hair strands here and there since the surgery but today a big clump of hair came off when I was shampooing my hair. Should I be worried? Sent from my XT1635-01 using BariatricPal mobile app

I already worked my tooshie off to gain 10 lbs so that I would qualify with 1 cormorbidity!!!! 10 more lbs now seems completely disgusting. I'm so frustrated!!!

Anyone having a party tonight. Need ideas to keep me on track. Banded 10/10/12 and have lost 48 pounds so far. I know for me staying off carbs has really helped. But can get boring. So any ideas would be appreciated. Happy New Year everyone!!

1 day for me ... I had surgery @ 2:00pm I left the next morning @ 10:00 am ... I had no complication ... I actually was ready to go home the same day of surgery .... But that didn't happened for me ..????

I lost almost 100lbs in the first year. Generally I averaged between 7 and 10 lbs per month. Realize that the more you lose and the less you weigh, the slower the weight loss will get. Due to some family issues late last fall I kind of fell off the 'bandwagon'. I haven't gained anything but haven't lost either. So I've been almost 8 months of maintenance and that has been pretty easy for the most part. I am down to needing to lose the last 20-25lbs before reaching goal so it has become more difficult for me to lose, but to be completely honest, my head just hasn't been in it lately....so sitting at this weight is my own doing. If you work hard at it and follow the rules you should be able to be down a considerable amount by next spring. Good luck to you !!! Patricia 11/16/06 306/202/175ish

Bexlygal- No you are not the only one! I experienced the same problem. I never had reflux prior to being banded and once I reached what I though to be my sweet-spot, which was 7.1cc's in a 10cc band, everything went haywire. Couldn't rest, hard to catch breath, sore throat, etc. At first I thought it was a sinus infection, got a slight unfill. Nothing. Went to PCP and he immediately said I should get an unfill, even though he recommended a complete unfill, my lapband doc suggested a partial to see how things worked. Took out another .25 and suggested I take Prilosec OTC every morning. That worked wonders, and two weeks later, I was able to get another small fill. Now I'm at 6.5 and have started losing again with increased exercise. My laband doc will only do my fills in increments of .10 or less at this point. Now I chew 1 pepcid complete in the morning and before bedtime and I'm doing fine. I have an appt. tomorrow and will ask for a teeny-weeny fill, because I think I'm finally at a good place. Hope you feel better soon, but if you have to get an unfill, don't stress over it because reflux can lead to so many more serious issues. I'd rather be a slow loser than one with an eroded esophagus or throat cancer!!! Take care.

the main thing to do is avoid reading posts the closer you get to your date - I did NOT do that and got scared to death - because naturally, you will focus on the bad. The surgery is NOT bad - I had some minor gas pain right after - but was never in any real pain. I'm now about 10 days out and if not for my looser pants, would not know that I had surgery at all!

I will be 6 months out on 4/21 (surgery was on 10/21) and I have lost 42 lbs post-op (rest of the weight was pre-op). It's coming off a little slower now, but I am very happy with the results! Please remember everyone is different, so while you are getting a benchmark from all of us, remember you have to do what works best for you :-)! Good luck!!

Hey! I am about to hit my 6 month mark on the 14th. I was banded on 10/14/09. Started at 240 and am now and 208...my goal weight is about 150-160. I am at 32 pounds lost right now...very slow and frustrating..especially when I compare myself with others. Moral of the story.....try not to compare and beat yourself up over it. I am doing what I need to do and living life. As someone said before...this is not one of our previously failed diets...this is for real a lifestyle change. Hang in there and good luck!!!

Hi October Sleevers! I just wanted to check in and tell you about some awesome support I just got from my family. Saturday 10/8 I will be turning 45 and I have made it perfectly clear to my family that I'm unable to go out to dinner or Celebrate with cake because of my pre op diet (surgery on 10/14 woo hoo). So instead of eating, my mom, my sister & I just went out & got celebratory mani - pedis! My sister gave me a Ninja blender and my mom gave me a digital scale for gifts...is that support or what?! It makes me so happy that with all of the secrecy because I'm telling very few people, these two are there for me 110%. Finally, I thought I'd mention that it's that time of year...wouldn't hurt to get yourself a flu shot! I know it sounds crazy but it couldn't hurt to prevent any possible illness since some of us will be traveling to Mexico and all of us will be in some type of medical facility with sickies why not get one, it couldn't hurt right! Well good luck to all & find those 1 or 2 people to lean on right now, even if it's another October Sleever (or a veteran sleever too if you're reading this KellyL you're an angel)!

I am only 19 years old and will be turning 20 by the end of this month. I decided to have this surgery about a month and a half ago and I've already completed my pre-surgery checklist. I should be able to schedule my surgery within the next few weeks. I've noticed that when I research the sleeve and success stories, not many of the sleevers are young like me. Is anyone else having this surgery in their early 20's? It would be great to connect with some individuals who made this decision at a young age such as I am!

Hi! I'm a Dec. 19th sleever, too! Feeling so much better. I'm down 9# and couldn't tell by the way my jeans were fitting. I think our abdomens are still a bit swollen. Congrats to you on your 10! Headed to my doc for my post-op visit and then a few errands.

Hi Headhunter! I attended two different seminars for two different doctors. The first one I almost went with, but as soon as he finished his 30-minute lecture he was out of there! He had about 10 minutes of questions and then he was out of there! He left the rest of the answering of questions up to some other staff. They were talking about all of these things that the insurance did not pay for such as the psych eval, which would have been 250 dollars. Nutritional consult with their nutritionist another 200 dollars, their "own" preop diet 200 dollars, postop diet 150 dollars. All of that the insurance didn't pay for. So, I called my insurance and asked about covering psych evals, nutrition consultations etc, and they told me yes they do. The NUT and the psychiatrist would have to be covered by my insurance, but they would cover it. I didn't like that about that doc. So, I attended another seminar with my doctor I have now. VERY meticulous during the seminar ( although he was a little late due to surgery) but very, very thorough! I asked them up front about the psychiatrist, nutritionist, etc. My insurance covered them all and I only had to pay 10 dollar copay each time. Except for the NUT class and that was 50, but still lots cheaper than the other doc. Also, my doctor has not lost a lap band patient. I don't know about bypass, as I didn't ask that. But, he is very careful and makes sure everything is safe for the patient before doing any surgery. I am on medication now for a peptic ulcer, but I can still have the band placed. He said once I am banded for a few months he wants to do another EGD to check things out down there. He stressed how important it is for me not to indulge in alcohol, NSAIDs, aspirin or even caffeine due to my ulcer situation. He sold me the first time at the seminar and I felt comfortable with my decision. I hope that answered your question If you want to ask me anything else, ask away.

My surgery was on October 27th, 2009. To be honest, I wasnt nervous at all. I got to the hospital at 6am to finish my registration. I was told I didnt have to have my $500 co-pay and that it would be billed with the cost of surgery. By the time I was done with registration, it was 6:30am and I was told to go to the Ambulatory Unit for pre-op preparation. I sat in a chair, waiting my turn for about fifteen minutes before I was taken to a bed. First I had to have my vitals taken and my nose swabbed. WEIRD! I was given this weird fabric gown to put on and some slippers. Then bloodwork is drawn and an IV started. I sat in that bed for nearly an hour and a half before I was taken to the "holding" room for surgery. I spent another hour in the holding room before I was taken to the OR. I dont remember much in the OR. Just the warm sensation of the anestesia going up my arm. I found it easier to just close my eyes and not try to keep them open. When I woke up I was in immense pain. I couldnt breathe very well and kept repeating, "OW" over and over. It tooks about 50 OWs before a nurse came over to give me some pain medication. Not sure if the pain was the breathing tube having been in my throat or the hernia being repaired. I was only awake for about 10-20mins before I was wheeled to my room. I was jazzed to have my own recovery room! I wasnt jazzed that it was across from the nurses station. A few hours after entering my room I was up and walking, and a couple hours later I was able to get up to use the bathroom on my own. I found this useful because the nurses were EXTREMELY busy and took FOREVER to come and help me. I would walk around the halls, doing 10 minutes intervals. I think that this helped with the gas, because during my night there, I had no pain. I was discharged the next morning around noon. Of course, I had to wait my turn for my upper GI and since my room was almost one of the last, the other two women that had just had surgery following me, had already been discharged. Breathing was not a problem. It was the incisions that caused me pain, and later, at home the gas. The gas was HORRIBLE!!!!!! It kept me up all night and caused me to sleep in a chair with my feet on another chair. I was constipated for two weeks! TWO WEEKS! That sucked. I have just now started to be able to comfortably sleep on my side, flat on my back, and on my stomach. THANK GOD! I am also currently having problems drinking my protein powder. I think I need to get some unflavored powder and blend it into things. This chocolate isnt doing it for me. I am also getting my mushy food "stuck" and that is painful for hours at a time. IT SUCKS!!!!!! Other than that, I am doing well. I drool at the smell of other food and dream of eating the foods I cant have. But with 25 pounds gone, I really have no complaint!