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hi Bradi! Congrats on your weight loss!What do you eat during the day?As i'm writing this it's lunch time and i am eating a beef jerky strip(what I really wanted was a McChiken x-tra mayo! ) I have half an hour for lunch so I tend to eat at my desk.I don't have alot of restriction and i am sick of eating the same stuff all the time. Good job!! Chantal

IS this what you are looking for? Most of those exchange diets are for diabetics if I am not mistaken. I found this one - The American Diabetes Association and Dietetic Association have developed a system of food exchanges that work well in the treatment for diabetes. You can now find the food pyramid on most products you buy in your local grocery store. Usually found on the side or back panel. These guidelines are not to be substituted for your complete regime. Consult with a registered dietician as your physician instructs you to. meats. The exchange groups for meat and cheese are categorized by lean meat (55 cal) and low fat substitutes, medium-fat meat (75 cal) and substitutes, and high fat (100 cal). Exchange sizes on the meat list are generally one ounce and based on cooked meats (three oz of cooked meat equals 4 oz of raw meat) These Proteins are found in meats, fish poultry, cheese, eggs, milk, dried Beans, legumes and some nuts. Starches and Bread. Each exchange contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates; 3 grams of Protein, and a trace of fat for a total of 80 calories serving size may vary. A general rule is that 1/2 cup of cooked Cereal, grain, or Pasta equals one exchange and one ounce of a bread product is one serving. Vegetables. (25 cal) are 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw, and 1/2-cup juice. Each group contains 5 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, and between 2 to 3 grams of Fiber. Vegetables can be fresh or frozen, canned low sodium is also acceptable. Fruit has about 15 grams of carbohydrates for a total of 60 calories. The serving size varies. Example ½ of banana is one exchange, 1 small orange is 1 exchange.Milk is usually one cup or 8 oz. For those who are on weight-loss or low-cholesterol diets, the skim and very low-fat milk lists should be followed (90 cal). Fats store in the body for extra calories for in the future. A fat exchange is (45 cal) usually varies in serving size. Avoidance of saturated fats and choose polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead. Fats are found in margarine, butter, oils, nuts, meat fat, and dairy products. Free foods. Sugar free soda, black tea and coffee, sugar free Gelatin, and I cup of raw lettuce.It is very rarely recommended for anyone that is diabetic unless instructed by a physician to go on a 1200 cal ADA diet. The following is a list of how many exchanges from each group is needed for the calories listed above. Cal 1200 1500 1800 2000 2200 Bread 5 8 10 11 13 Meat 4 5 7 8 8 Veg 2 3 3 4 4 Fruits 3 3 3 3 3 Fats 2 3 3 4 5 Milk 2 2 2 2 2 Sample Daily Exchange for 1500 Calorie ADA (Diabetic Diet)Using common sense and the above exchange list you can figure out how many you need for each exchange. Never skip a meal or save up your exchanges for another meal. Example: 1 hamburger is 2 starches, 1 meat, 1 fat, 1 vegetable if with the works. (Based on a 3oz patty) 1500 Calories sample Break lunch dinner Snack Bread/ 2 2 2 1 Meat 0 2 3 0 Vege 0 1 2 0 Fruits 1 0 1 0 Fats 1 1 2 0 Milk 1 0 0 1 DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your health provider. It should be re-emphasized that nothing herein should be considered medical advice. Diabetic exchange diet Hope this helps!

HI! I'm almost 4 weeks out and starting to feel better.. When did you start working out and what did you do?

There is a support group at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Woodlands that meets once a month. It is for anyone who has had any type of WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) so there is a combination of folks with the lap-band and folks who have had RNY. It's a very nice group of folks that share experiences, successes, ideas and information. Here are the details: Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Support Group Memorial Hermann Hospital - The Woodlands DATE: 3rd Wednesday of each month TIME: 6:30pm - 7:30pm ADDRESS: Memorial Hermann Hospital 9250 Pinecroft Drive The Woodlands, TX ROOM: Conference Room, 1st floor CONTACT: Linda Nelson, 281-364-2458

I was just curious to see if anyone got banded, met their goal weight, had a TT and then lost their band? If so, were you able to maintain the weight loss?

I haven't told too many. Just really close friends and family-- Parents, Neighbors that are like family, couple other friends and my hair stylist (I can tell her anything) I haven't told my cousins, aunts and uncles or even my grandmother. Just think they would be too judgemental. I will eventually tell them but I just want to give my self the chance to make the band work and to work on myself. The ones who know have been very supportive and it helps that I can share my experience with a few.

I am not sure if this post belongs here but I am just looking to get somethings out and this site has always been very helpful and you all seem very understanding. I have been thinking about weight loss surgery for years now (I worked in a plus size womens clothing store and it felt like everyday I met someone new who had surgery) and I finally think I am ready to go through with it. I have been to a few info seminars to get an idea of what the surgery was all about and to check out a few different doctors. I have also been reading this site for sometime now (thanks for all the great info) I went to my primary doctor this weekend and I am going to make the appointments for my psychiatric evaluation and some other test within the next few weeks so I am now well on my way. I am not close to having a date set but I am still nervous as all heck as I make my way closer to the end. I think my biggest problem right now is I dont have much of a support system to talk about my fears and nervousness with. My family is supportive but they dont understand what its like to be fat all there lives and the one person that I know has my back and understands everything I am dealing with just moved to another country and its not easy not being able to just call and say "I am going crazy" and she would be there in an second. I wont let any of this hold me back because I know I need to do this for MYSELF and no one else but everyday is a struggle one way or the other. Sorry for the rant and babble! :cry

Hello Everyone...First time on this site and still trying to navigate through all this very helpfull info!!! I'm scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, August 14 and am very nervous but quite anxious to finally be able to proceed forward with this banding "tool" for weight loss!!!:clap2: I do have a question...my most recent labs suggested that I am low on magnesium. Does anyone have any comments on magnesium levels? Thanks!

That is something I think about, the erosion, and causes. I know we are limited but for it to wear out like that. I think if it happened to me, I would not put a new one in for awhile. my weight loss has been swift and before I had lapband done, (6 days ago). The surgery you mention must really be new if insurances aren;t covering, but I always have assumed if its for health reasons and your doctor would vouch for you, they would cover. I wish you well on your decision , keep us updated! Bert

I went a seminar in Sept 06. Called my insurance co. Oct. 06 and ask what was needed for approval. Made a list as they dictated the info necessary for approval. Went to my family practice MD with my list. He scheduled my sleep apnea test, stress test, chest x-ray, blood work, and gave sent my medical records for past 5 years that showed my many attempts at weight loss and my health issues with BP, arthritis, back pain, family history of heart and stroke issues. He also sent a letter of recommendation for the surgery. My neurosurgeon that I went to for back pain also gave me a letter of recommendation for the weight loss surgery at my request. This all took 6 months to complete only because the dietician and the psych visits had to be scheduled by the weight loss clinic as well as the videos and questionaires. I was told I needed additional blood work to rule out bacteria in the stomach. It took two more weeks for that(actually 10 days). I was approved on March 23, 2007 and had surgery the following Thursday March 29, 2007. Hope all this makes sense. Good luck with your adventure!

So she's stated her opinion. She doesn't think you have time to devote to successful weight loss after a sleeve. Now it's your turn to state YOUR opinion. You are informed, committed, and ready to move forward. Since you know yourself considerably better than she does, your opinion is the one that matters. You got to this point with the input from your physician. How dare they second guess the both of you. Stand up strong against this woman. She's wrong and you know what you want!! Tell her and the rest of the team this is right for you.

Hi Jacksbanster, I was banded back in 2004 and weight loss was great. I went from 322 pounds to 140 pounds. In 2010 my band seem to stop working and i started to gain weight (plus I stopped following the bandster rules) but that is because again I didn't feel I had the control the band gave me originally. Anyway, after gaining 60 pounds I was fed up and decided to investigate if others where experiencing the same thing with the band and if there were other options out there for me to look into. So I did a lot of reading and research and found out about the plication surgery. So I met with my Lap Band doctor and he told me more about this new investigational surgery called Plication. Fast forward, I had the surgery Dec 8th 2011. The surgery was a success, recovery was a breeze, the liquid diet was hard, but I got through it. My first post op visit I had lost 8 pounds. Then I got walking pneumonia and had to go on prednisone - this made me ravenously hungry and of course I regained all the weight I had lost back. I was so disappointed and frustrated that I wanted to die. But my doctor told me that prednisone is know for weight gain and I'll get back on track soon. So fast forward, my next appointment with him I had only lost 4 pounds which did not make me happy because before I had lost 8 and now I was starting all over and at a slower pace. It is now Feb 16th 2012 and I've not gotten on the scale because I don't feel like I've lost any weight. All my clothing fits the same and I just don't see any change and I've not weighed myself since my last fill. I've had two fills since my plication surgery and I'm still hungry (more than) I thought I would be with the band and the plication. This is a different experience than when I had the lap band surgery, the lap band surgery had the weight come off very quickly. I didn't even have to think about dieting I just wasn't hungry. With this surgery (albeit it is a revision of the previous band, new band with more capacity, and the plication) I'm not as pleased as I had expected. With all that said I think my expectations need to be adjusted. I wonder if people who have had the band and have had some type of complication with it (slippage, erosion, etc) it the pouch that is above the stomach is premanently stretched out of shape. I don't have the answer I just know that the experience is not the same. I'm having to really monitor what I eat and exercise everyday. So I eat around 900 to 1000 calories a day, and I exercise on the stairmaster for an hour/ or I go for a jog. I know that I need to incorporate some weight training but I'll just have to get to it when I can. As for your questions above: How was your recovery? Recovery was great. The first couple of days there was a little pain but after that it was a breeze. How soon did you go back to work? Surgery was on a Thursday I went back to work on the following Wednesday. Do you follow a low carb diet? I followed the liquid diet they put me on for about 4 weeks. Since then I've tried everything - right now I'm basically eatting lean cuisines or smart ones. But I think I'm going to try a one week Medi fast - we will see. Right now I'm so hungry between meals I doubt if I can pull that one off. Have you had to have any fills in your band? Yes I've had 2 fills since my surgery and they don't seem to have made that much of a difference. The doctors, are being cautious because they don't want me to get too tight and have another band slippage.. I understand that but in the meantime I wish I had more restriction. How is your hunger level? Higher than I thought it would be. But if I try to stay on an eat every 4 to 5 hour schedule I do okay. How much can you eat before you feel "full" If I allowed myself I could eat a lot. The think is I count every calorie that goes into my mouth. I use www.fatsecret.com they have an incredible food database - almost everything you can put into your mouth in in their database, So that helps. I hope that my story has helped you and I will keep you informed on my progress - I hope that you will do the same. Regards, Willowsdoweep

Just hit my mini-goal of 175 for my California trip in 2 weeks. I am STOKED! I've just bought a bunch of new clothes, had my hair done, my nails are all grown out and polished beautifully. I think one of the biggest kicks I get is when I see someone I haven't seen for over 5 months and I watch their jaw drop. My whole DAY can revolve around that look!!!! And you know what else? It just goes to show that everything is RELATIVE. Thirty years ago I would have been APPALLED if I was sitting at 175....I would have been in the depths of depair and probably crawl under a ROCK somewhere! I actually stand in front of the mirror NAKED now! And literally for the first time in my LIFE I'm going "NOT BAD OLD GIRL!!!" How you feel about yourself is 100% how you feel about life. People tell me I am BUBBLEY!!! Happy camper doesn't BEGIN to describe my attitude!!!!

WOW, our local hero, SLEEVE 4 ME is in the news. Read the article about her inspiring story. We all know she is still cheering us on to no matter where we are in our weight loss journey. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/54468-verticalsleevetalk-newsletter-10052012/#entry516875 Congratulations SLEEVE 4 ME! We are looking forward to talking with you yet again at our bi-monthly meeting, next held in November.

I was just glad to know that someone else had noticed the loss. Thank You all for your comments.

Who are you going through for this surgery? Does that dietician work for your surgeon? She full of sh*t. If you're going through some ridiculous weight loss center look up bariatric surgeons in your area and go through one of them.

I just posted something a couple of mins ago referring to the blog entry I made about my lapband surgery - it's nothing new or interesting but I really felt I wanted to tell my story.. I haven't been keeping a journal or record of my weight loss at all! I've kind of just relaxed and let it happen rather than weighing in regulalry.. I used to weigh myself a lot but have eased off a bit. I don't even have scales atm! honkytonksonline is my blog where I've posted befoer/after pics and my 'story' it's a bit long

I'm a 'slow loser' anyway, and I was on Depo when I first got my band. Since I wasn't on it for any reason but convenience, I switch to the pill, just in case is was affecting my weight loss. txgirl; what do you mean by 'still hardly eating'? And what is your weight loss been like, what are your stats?

I am gonna start by saying that I am scheduled for surgery in November. I have been in the process of getting the lap band for about six months. The surgery had to be put off till November because when I got my EKG it came back abnormal and they sent me to a Cardiologist. They found out it was because I was severely anemic so I have to take care of that before surgery. So my surgeon decided instead of the liquid diet for two weeks I could join Physicians weight loss for about 2 and half to three months because it would shrink my liver to do their diet till my surgery. I have meal replacement shakes, bars, and soups 3 to 6 times a day. I take minerals and vitamins and also appetite suppressants every day and I have one meal a day which consists of one piece of either chicken or fish plain and vegetables. I wont lie..the food isn't great but after 6 days I went back up there to weigh in and i lost 23 pounds. IN 6 DAYS!! The reason I am writing this thread is to suggest it for anybody who has hit a plateau or who has to lose a certain amount of weight in a short period of time. I feel so great. Plus I am taking care of my anemia. I found out it was caused by my PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) which I already knew I had. I have started on birth control and iron. After 6 days I feel like a new woman. I am still going forward with the surgery because I believe in it and I know it will help me keep the weight off. Its not just a temporary solution. I am not saying Physicians weight loss is just temporary, however its not something I think you would want to do forever. Mostly because of the price. Well I hope this helped someone.

I just scheduled my surgery for September 25th! I am a self-pay, because my insurance won't cover anything related to weight loss. It's a huge bummer, but I'll just deal with it, because I am going to be so much happier about me!! I can't wait to start this journey, and I'm so happy to have you all trucking right along with me! Congrats to all of you that will be having your surgery in this great month! Now....on to ALL of the other pre-op appointments....and learning not to chug a drink! :whoo:

Hi there! Well, first, let me tell you what a difficult, long, trying, educational, and WONDERFUL pre-op journey this has been! I've learned so much ... not only about the Band, good eating habits, and proper nutrition, but more importantly, about MYSELF. I have a pulmonary function test tomorrow (I'm now 8 days smoke-free), and it's possible (hopefully LIKELY) that I could get a surgery date tomorrow! [Hint, hint: I'm asking for prayers and good wishes here folks! LOL] I'm a single working mother of a 3 1/2 year old, and only really give her dinners (well, weekends she gets a biiigggg breakfast) ... and that's ONLY when she's not at my parents'. I REFUSE to cook elaborate meals (even low-carb, low fat ones) every day JUST FOR MYSELF. Some of the recipes I've seen look delicious, but are FARRRRR too much effort for me to bear! LOL My question is this: What do you vetrans feel about frozen Entrees? For me, they are inexpensive, quick, convenient, and lately, more nutritious with lower-carb options. For me, they have variety, and a fairly nutritionally balanced selection. Far better than I could (or would) do if I had to cook myself. But, alas, this is PRE-op. LOL I know the size of my stomach has shrunk considerably since losing some weight (in fact, for the first time ... EVER today, I could not finish my lunch!), but I'd like to know from successful bandster if/when/how much they can eat of a typical frozen entree meal? Will I have to eliminate them from my diet? I'm terrified that if I'm forced to cook for myself, I'd be back at fried chicken, smothered pork chops and gravy ... AGAIN. I know everyone is different, but I'd like to know if I could reasonably eat one (or even half of one?) as a lunch/dinner meal? Would it slow my weight loss considerably? (Truthfully, I credit these meals with helping me with my biggest demon ... PORTION CONTROL ... I've lost 15 pounds ... and it would have been much more had I stuck the to the boxes instead of eating "whatever"!) I would think that an experienced bandster (6 months or so) could eat a typical low-carb LeanCuisine for lunch and maybe add a small green salad if chosing that for dinner? Any/all opinions and insight would be highly appreciated. Thanks for your help Staci Pre-Op 267/242/???

WOW!!! 90 lbs gone, that's phenomenal!! Congratulations, Donali, really. This is the first time in my long, sad, weight-loss-failing life that I can look at the successes of other people and believe they are waiting there for me as well. You're truly an inspiration and I'm so glad you hang out here to share your peace and non-dieting vibes with all of us! WE'RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU, LADY!! WATCH YOUR BACK! :eek:

Jennye, no lectures from me, I promise. But when you quit smoking you will be AMAZED at the difference in your health. It's a more abrupt difference than weight loss, and so cool. Things you didn't even know you were missing will come back, like your senses of taste and smell. I think it would make being banded easier, not harder, since you can enjoy the food you do eat all the more. Let us know when you are ready to quit, and we'll be cheering you on all the way!!

I agree with Alexandra on the water loading thing. I don't feel like water fills up my pouch. It seems to slide right through. Yes, it does quiet my hunger pangs if I'm VERY hungry (although I no longer get hungry to the same degree I did pre-op), but I think I still have the same capacity for eating. But that pouch rules thing is interesting all the same. I find it interesting that it says that pouch size doesn't correlate to weight loss.

While it is frustrating IMO it really isn't a bad thing. I feel my 6 month diet gave me the extra time I needed to REALLY research what to expect from the pre-op diet, the surgery, recovery from the surgery and my diet after surgery. It gave me time to start to practice eating better. It gave me time to wean off of caffeine and soda. I attended one of my programs support groups. It gave me time to figure out what Vitamins and shakes I wanted to have on hand for pre-op diet and after surgery. Too many times I have seen questions from people that are quickly approved by insurance and quickly have the surgery are on the boards asking about what they are allowed to eat at the various stages after surgery. They are the ones that are surprised that they shouldn't be eating simple carbs. They are surprised by the 3 week stall and the initial discomfort after surgery. They are surprised when they are moody after surgery. There was nothing I went through that surprised me. I read a ton of people's personal experiences here on this board. My insurance required 6 consecutive months sometime in the last 2 years. Since you only had 4 months you would have had to do it again. My insurance allowed Weight Watchers, dr supervised, LA Weight Loss, Medi-fast. Any commercial program that I could document 6 months of monitoring.