Search the Community

I just had surgery 10/21 and my family want or barely help. My house is a mess, I feel claustrophobic. You would think when I start cleaning, cooking, taking care of toddler (cause she can't care for herself), walking the dog, laundry, etc; you would think someone will step up. Then when I ask I get "not right now" then later "I forgot". I'm so freaking frustrated. I can't get no one to take me where I need to go. My income has been delayed no fault of my own. So I have no money. The people I have always been there for are not here for me. I can't believe what I'm going through. I had a plan. What the freak happened. I feel like I'm in a twilight zone. Just had to vent. Time for some serious praying and shutting down some negative vibes.

60mgs of Adderral is INSANE!!! And it's ridiculous that any boss could require you to take meds!! Regardless... Congrats to you for saying enough is enough and getting back to basics. My son gained weight when he stopped Adderral and he was 10. Your body just needs to figure out it's new normal and doing the 5 day plan may be exactly what your body needs and as mentioned above... what you need to get yourself back on track. Stress and change is no doubt hurting you as well. BTW... my son was upped to 60mg of Adderall once and he was a fricking psycho and never slept til he fell over in exhaustion!! I fired the psych pretty quickly. There are definitely other meds in the class that MIGHT work and some are not even as restrictive with refills and scripts. When Adderall was no longer working we switched to Vyvanse and it was a good fit b/c it is similar.

You are not a slow loser you are doing great. I truly am a slow loser it took me 6 months to lose 28 Kg I am still within normal range according to my doctor but slower than a lot of people here on the forum. I am 10 Kg away from normal BMI. I wanted to add my starting bmi was 39.9 and it is now 28.

At a certain point, however, you would be water/poo filled, and it would go away when you stopped taking the med. So, in theory, you should lose a massive amt of weight quickly. Take a laxative and stay away from salts and you would pee it out. I don't even retain that much when i travel. Maybe 10 lbs. total.

Hi there. It sounds like our docs were carved from the same conservative mold. I have the 4cc band too :-( I just had a docs appt on Monday and my fill was 1/4cc this time...Not happy with that. We were banded right around the same time (10/23/07). I have a total of 3.25cc in my band and I am beginning to feel a restriction. My doc told me when that it was tight at 3cc but I really didn't feel much. I've lost a total of 46 pounds since October. I have another 43 to go. You've done so good thus far, don't get discouraged. You probably need another fill. Can you go back to the doc before September? That seems like a very long time to me. I see my doc monthly. Are you on a high protein, low carb plan (hate the word diet)? I'd be happy to share the plan that my nutritionist gave me. It makes everyday living really easy. Take Care

i had another .5cc put into my 4cc band today which i now have a total of 2cc. i lost 4lbs since april 15(my last fill) not much. i am really hoping this fill will do it for me. i have to say that for the past 8 days i havent been that hungry. so maybe its starting to work. my surgeon said that i am pretty tight and that i should notice quite a bit restriction. how soon should i feel this? i had a cheeseburger tonight and ate it fine. i am getting alot of pressure from my doctor for this to work. she says that my band is tight and that it should be working more than it is. i am more determined now than ever to lose at least another 10 pounds before my next fill which isnt until sept. 20 pounds would be the ideal weight loss in three months though, i dont want to get my hopes up. andrea

I was banded on the east coast and I have been provided with a plan from my nutritionist. Stage 1 - Full Liquid: fruit juices (dilute 1/2 with water), pre-made yogurt drinks, cow's milk, soy milk, Lactaid milk, tomato or V8 juice. hot cereals made very runny - oatmeal, cream of wheat or grits. Soups, broth, strained cream Soup, tomato soup, thicker soups would have to be put into the blender to make them smooth. Protein drinks, EAS Advantage, Atkins Advantage, Permalean, nectar, Designer whey, Any Whey, Isopure. I drink Isopure.....it comes in a 20 oz bottle, but I feel like I am over stretching my stomach when I drink the entire bottle to get the 40g of protein. Jello, popsicles, pudding - sugar free yogurt - dannon light and carb countdown Phase 2 - pureed diet - weeks 3 & 4 consistency of smooth applesauce, baby food Applesauce, instant mashed potatoes, saltines or oyster crackers, soft scrambled egg or soft boiled egg, low fat cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, sliced cheese, creamy Peanut Butter, mashed cooked Beans or refried beans, creamy tuna (use chuck light in water) or egg salad. During stage 2, eat only 1/4 cup at a time, every 4 hours. And no drinking 30 minutes before or after eating. Phase 3 - after week 4 cut up foods into small pieces and use good judgement. I hope this helps! I still don't know how many ounces of liquid to take in at a time during the first phase. I think I over did it last night with drinking 10 oz of hot cider and then about 30 minutes later, 6 spoons of cream soup. I was not comfortable!

I am on day 3 of a 10 day liquid diet (carnation, etc) and I have a raging headache. I NEVER get headaches. Has anyone else had this and what to do to relieve the pain? I don't want to take too much Tylenol but if thats all I can do. HELP!!! ANY suggestions appreciated!

I had a two month stall right when I was at 200. Eventually it broke and I dropped 10 pounds in a little over a month, so hang in there!

I am also losing the weight somewhat slowly after the initial 20 pounds. I have lost 32 pounds since starting the 2 week liquid pre-diet - that was September 12th. That's 10 and a half weeks. My doctor thought I should have lost more. But that is still an overall average of about 3 pounds a week. If I even lose 1.5 pounds a week after a year I will have lost 78 pounds. That would put me down from 240 to 168. Another 26 weeks would make that 39 pounds more putting me at 129 pounds and under my doctor's goal of 130. Today is a really great milestone. I was able to get up and dance for 2 songs. I danced to the video on my laptop to Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar (3:33min) and then my boyfriend put on Cyndie Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun (3:54) and I danced to that too. . I have not done that in at least 4 years. We are going to the park in a minute. I'm going to walk around the park. It's a big loop around several soccer fields that informal groups go to play "futbol". If anyone in Houston reads this and would like to form a walking group I would be interested. Or if someone wants to meet up to dance or ride bicylces - or swim. If you are interested message me and I will send you my phone number.

Hi Meggie, no I'm not going to repeat what everyone else here has already mentioned. Stalls suck and I hate them too. But guess what, I'm going on 9 months out and I've endured around 4 so far. Guess what else? I came right through them and I think I'm doing rather good. Does anyone disagree? Gawsh I hope not!!!! One last thing, I've lost about 80 Lbs in about 9 months now. That's less than 10 lbs per month at this point. I STILL think I'm doing good. Does anyone disagree with that too? Better not!!! I worked my butt off literally for that!!! My only advice: try to bump up your Water intake. 64 is the bare minimum. I get in about 120 oz per day. Now granted this might be impossible at 1 month out... it would have been for me, but slowly but surely try to bump it up a few more oz per day. Drinking tons of water will wash those fat cells right out. Also, when your scale is moving super slow, you are losing inches. Then you will see some good drops for a few more weeks. That is how the majority of us lose weight. Call it unlucky or whatever you want, but it is what it is. One last thing, it sounds like you are really on that workout bandwagon, and that's great! But your body is probably not real happy with the low calories you're feeding it. If you're doing a few hours per day like it sounds, you really need to up your calories by a few hundred. I usually do this by getting in an extra Protein shake. It helps and since it's Fluid its easy to get down. I personally think you're doing fantastic. Now get back out there and keep doing your thing!! xx

Let me start off by saying that I'm always hungry and have been since 3 months out. I am currently one year post op but have been at a stand still for the last 6 months. Now I have gained an additional 10 pounds in 4 weeks. Is there a way to get back on track? I am afraid my stomach has stretched. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My nut also said to eat 5 to 6 small meals a day, concentrating on Protein first. I did that for the first 5 weeks after surgery and I was steadily losing weight. I went on vacation for 10 days and during that period I did not eat the five to six meals a day. Instead, I would eat Breakfast and dinner. I was staying in a hotel so it was hard to do the 5 to 6 meals a day. When I got back from vacation, even though I did not overeat at all, I had gained 3 pounds. I went back on the five to six meals a day, concentrating on protein and in 2 days I've lost two and a half of the three pounds I had gained. I'm glad I had this experience because it really showed me that eating the five to six meals a day and concentrating on protein really is a big help with weight loss. Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

Good to know! I haven't heard from my sleep doctor yet. They told me it would take a week to 10 days before I hear anything.

So I made the first step today and called the surgeon's office. My insurance officially takes over January 1st of next year so I have a little bit of waiting time to go but they said I could fill out the paperwork. The woman who helped me was really nice and I'm really excited. She said with my BMI I did not have to do the weight loss program but I do have to do the psychiatric evaluation. I've heard some people say that they go back to work within one week but are not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds. I'm a teacher preschool and I'm wondering how long did it take or how long did they say for it take before you could go back to work? Has your doctor is giving you any advice of when you should go back?

That's what great about this surgery. You WILL be able to eat all your favourites again (in very small quantities). Once you've hit goal, you can treat yourself to a bit of your old favourites now and again to satisfy the craving. As long as you're not over stuffing yourself (which is easy to do with such a tiny stomach!) and leading back to old bad habits. Moderation is something many of us did not have prior to the surgery (which is why we ended up needing the surgery in the first place!). With the new small stomach, and months (for some even 1 year +) of developing new eating habits, coping skills, and a healthy mindset, we are more likely to be able to "give in" to an occasional small treat to bring that moderation into our lives. It's about balance to fully enjoy our lives. I'm approx. 10 months post-op and still 60lbs from goal (down about 125 lbs), but I have a small treat now and then and it keeps me from feeling deprived and "locked in" to a strict and miserable diet. This is just my new life! And if I really want to have that treat, I can always just increase my exercise that day to work it off (which I actually enjoy doing now!).

I was banded yesterday too. I am supposed to move to purees today but I'm not ready so I'm doing a 20 oz Isopure drink which has 40 grams of protein. I still feel nausea when I try to walk but i'm trying to get up every hour and walk for 5-10 minutes. I had horrible gas pain yesteday that seems to get worse when I walk.

Been there, DO NOT lift more than 10#. This is too big a deal to mess up. I stuck to it, sit low enough and allow him to climb in your lap, do not lift under any circumstance. If you can't adhere-- wait and don't do it--- people do this everyday w c-sections, gallbladders post partum, hernia repairs-- its not the procedure, it will you obey and not lift. Tantrums will pass, you'll get good at getting off the floor. Good luck !

I discontinued my Spiro too and the facial hair...geez. The struggle is real! My weight loss is slow and steady. I lose anywhere from 0-3 lbs a week but I'm patient. I'm a size 14 too!! I love it. I have another 30 lbs to lose. I'm hoping to end up around a size 10.

I think its VERY important and I place getting a wide variety of vegetables particularly and some fruit way way above Protein. I think most people that are eating 1200 to 1500 are going to get enough protein with normal eating patterns, I simply dont hold with the theory that you need like a gram per pound. I lost all my weight on a normal protein intake of around 50 to 60 grams a day, I did not lose muscle, I'm not flabby and "skinny fat", I have a good healthy body composition with 23% body fat. I did not need to do shakes or eat protein first to do that (its not what we're advised to do in Australia). I focus more on fruit and vegetables and whole grains. For a while I've not eaten a lot of grain food, barely ever eat bread, and I've had quite severe bowel problems as a result, despite my high intake of fruit and veg. I added some bread and good cereals back in and the bulk it provided has fixed my problems - fibre on its own isnt enough, you need bulk. I truly do not believe a diet focussed on protein is a healthy one. With limited stomach capacity, you simply will not get enough fruit and vegies and you do need some grainy foods too. I wouldnt buy a juicer but rather a super duper powerful blender that will crush the pulp so that its drinkable, that way you're not removing half the good stuff from your fruit or vegies. I have a vitamix blender, I start most days with a "juice" of one or two fruits (not entire pieces, just a chunk), Water and a green such as spinach to make a green smoothie - its not delicious by a long shot but drinkable in a small glass. I usually follow that a bit later on with a serve of a good Cereal. At morning tea time I usually ahve cut up raw vegies - carrot, cucumber, red capsicum, snow peas, whatever I have on hand, about a cups worth (it crunches down to very little in your stomach). lunch is VERY often soup, always home made and vegetable based, I snack on things like pumpkin seeds (10 grams protein per half cup, lots of fibre and good fats) and dinner is usually a meat based meal. I dont eat a lot in volume, but I've done really well on this sort of diet and it suits my body/metabolism. I know it goes against popular opinion, and I know there's compelling reasons to eat lots of protein but in reality diets like Atkins or other high protein low carb plans are meant to be eaten with huge quantities of vegetables, particularly green non starchy ones. You cant do that with a sleeve or band, and you end up eating a very unbalanced diet that includes lots of protein (and often from rather questionable sources such as too many shakes) and nowhere near enough of other nutrients.

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks post op for me. I am on soft foods now. As long as I chew everything really well and take small bites, I've been ok. No vomit episodes for me yet. My first fill is May 19 and I am so excited. I feel hungry at times and know I can't eat much. I've also been walking a mile every day. Tomorrow I'll increase it to 1 1/2 miles.

I think that medication shouldn't have carbs in them to begin with! I was on Atkins during Feb and I had to count the carbs in Tums (and I chew them every single nite). Made less that I could eat. A shot of Nyquil has 19 in it! Wow! Marci

I'm not a drinker but I do have a very occasional drink. I was sleeved 10/21 and have had a drink on 3 occasions. Each time I could feel it just getting the glass near my mouth! I drank slow and couldn't finish but I had no problems Andy husband loves that I'm now such a cheap date! Stay away from anything bubbly or frothy, sleeves don't like it.

A protein shake that I recently tried and really liked has a lot of good stuff in it. I was wondering if I could use this as a multivitamin during the first & second stage after surgery? Here are the supplement facts: Serving Size: 3 Scoops Servings Per Container: 14 Amount per Serving Calories Total 134 from Fat 11 Amount per Serving % Daily Value+Total Fat 1 g 2 Sodium 140 mg 6 Total Carbohydrate 17 g 6 Dietary fiber 6 g 24 Sugars 6 g Protein 15 g 30 % Daily Value Vitamin A 100% Beta Carotene 5000 IU 100 Vitamin C Ascorbic Acid 60 mg 100 Vitamin D Ergocalciferol 400 IU 100 Vitamin E D-Alpha Tocopherol Succinate 30 IU 100 Thiamin (B1) Thiamine Mononitrate 1.5 mg 100 Riboflavin (B2) 1.7 mg 100 Niacin (B3) 20 mg 100 Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine HCL 2 mg 100 Folate,Folic Acid,Folacin 400 mcg 100 Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin 12 mcg 200 Biotin D-Biotin 300 mcg 100 Pantothenic acid Calcium Pantothenate 10 mg 100 Calcium Calcium Carbonate 30 mg 3 Iodine Potassium Iodide 45 mcg 30 Magnesium Magnesium Oxide 120 mg 30 Zinc Zinc Oxide 4.5 mg 30 Selenium Sodium Selenite 21 mcg 30 Manganese Manganese Sulfate .600 mg 30 Chromium Chromium Chelate 36 mcg 30 Molybdenum Amino Acid Chelate 22.5 mcg 30 Nickel Nickel Amino Acid Chelate 5 mcg Silicon Silicon Dioxide 2 mg Vanadium Vanadium Sulfate 10 mcg Boron Boron Amino Acid Chelate 50 mcg Brown Rice Solids 20000 mg*Vegan Protein Blend 18677 mg*Pea Protein Isolate Rice Protein Isolate Organic Hemp Spirulina Chlorella Barley Grass Juice Organic Inulin from Agave 5682 mg*Greens Blend 500 mg*DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid from Algal Oil) Life's DHA 1000 mg*Proteolytic Enzyme 84 mg*Protease (4.5) 29000 HUT*Bromelain 540000 FCCPU*Protease (3.0) 27 SAPU*Peptidase 2000 HUT*Protease (6.0) 4000 HUT*Dairy Free Probiotic Blend 19 mg*Lactobacillus Plantarum Bifidobacterium Bifidum (Providing 8 Billion Active Cells

I had my lap band removed a week ago after having it for 10 years. I assumed eating would go back to normal right away but it hasn't. I can eat, but it still feels like I'm restricted, like the band is still there. Even drinking liquids (especially at night) hasn't been smooth sailing. I don't see my doctor for a post op appointment for two more weeks. I do remember him saying there will be scarring where the band was and I'm wondering does this heal? Will I ever be able to eat like a normal person again? My doctor also said lap band surgery is a thing of the past. Sometimes I feel like such a fool for jumping on the "band wagon."