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Is there anyone out there who would care to advise me if they used psychological counseling before/after being banded to get used to the idea? It was so traumatizing for me that i have not been successful with my band. i had the most fluid removed possible and and not doing the plan now, but am considering getting a small fill to try and get started again. i simply have to lose this weight! And i'm really terrified about doing this. Also what type of counselor did you use? I went to a psychologist once before but she had never heard of the band and was just no help. I was banded about 4 years ago and just have done practically nothing since. The hardest thing for me is to eat slowly, much slower than ever, to keep from throwing up. Hope someone out there can identify and also help! Thanks a million! i am new to this forum so feel free to email me at pepfm@yahoo.com

I weigh daily (in the morning after peeing, stark naked, just once) and don't think I'm obsessive. But I'm a data-freak and love having all that data to look at. I will say that the most important weight stat to me (when I was losing weight) was my monthly weight loss. However, you don't have to weigh daily -- or weekly or monthly. You could just weigh at your doctor's office when you see him/her. It's totally up to you. BTW, I love the idea of taking out the batteries. Simple solution for those who are bothered by weight fluctuations.

Congratulations on your weight loss.

I weigh daily and always have, 7 months out. It really has helped me keep a check on what I am eating. If there is no weight loss I try to up the Protein, even though I try for 100gms a day, and up the exercise. I thankfully either stay the same, up maybe 2 ounces or lose, so I do not think I am obsessive either. Once in AM before anything in mouth.

I don't own a scale. I weighed at the doctors office only for the first 3 months. After that I Stepped on the scale at work 2-3 times/month just to have something I could put on my ticker. I've found using a scale much more helpful in maintenance than while I was losing. If you stick to your plan, you WILL lose weight, with or without a scale. But once at goal, weighing after a holiday binge or carby weekend has helped me keep things in check and nip any small regains in the bud. To weigh or not to weigh I think depends on your attitude towards the numbers. Some people have a disfunctional relationship with their scale. They fret over the numbers and make themselves miserable because they aren't "losing fast enough". (They need to stay off the scale). And others have a healthy relationship with their scale. They like to see the numbers but accept the fact there will be stalls and even gains along the way and they don't let the numbers upset them. In my case, I just didn't care. I had no relationship with my scale (kinda how I am with relationships in general). The fit of my clothes and NSVs were enough to tell me I was losing.

I've been told that taking Biotin should help - unfortunately, it actually seemed to make me gain weight the days that I used it, eeek. I suppose I'll probably give it another go just to make sure it wasn't just a normal day-to-day weight fluctuation.

that's good to hear and i feel the same way but insurance companies will do whatever they have to do not spend money. it's frustrating, trying to get documentation for weight for at least 5 years (i'm awful about going the doctors) unfortunately my bmi is usually 39.9,obese enough to be unhealthy but not enough to satisfy the insurance companies.

I have to agree that I really like Dr. Michaelson and the staff at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery. Many of the people on staff have been through weight loss surgery themselves, so they are empathetic and understand on a real level what the mental, emotional and physical impacts are.

Ah yes, spectacle lake. It is on my favorite part of PCT between Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass. I know that area well and there are many other good hikes in the Vicinity. From 90, there are actually 2 routes out to Spectacle Lake. The first is along the PCT and can be done in a single day of all day hiking (dawn to dusk) or two if you stop at gravel lake for the night. I prefer to do it in two because you can relax a little more during the actual hike. Be warned that there is fairly little water between Gravel Lake and Spectacle lake so pack a lot of water. The sun really beats down on you along this stretch as you hike along high alpine rocky territory. Very little growth if any, but pretty exciting nonetheless. There is also a neat cat walk before gravel lake that has sheer rock drop offs of 2000+ feet. Don't look down! The second route is via Pete's Lake. It is a much tamer hike and much of it is spent in the shadows of trees in the valley. Not as much fun though and definitely not as scenic. Spectacle lake is so beautiful. It is one of my favorite memories from hiking as a teenager. It is one of those places you never want to leave. Oh good Lord - thank you for the warning Fiddleman! I do NOT do drop offs! I used to rock climb and rapel all the time as a teenager, and I find I can no longer handle cliffs and heights at edges. Again - thank you for that warming! Pete's Lake will be just fine thanks. Hah. We're planning a three night trip, taking the dog and not too much elevation gain if possible given my hiking partner. Any other suggestions would be most welcome! We did a nice hike yesterday (~5 miles) through AntiAircraft ridge and surroundings, and I"m feeling like I'll be ready in time for a July backpack trip if we keep this up--my fitbit said something insane like 53 flights of stairs, and I thought 'surely it must be wrong' --but it sure feels like it this morning! Kate

I am just in the initial stages for pre op my surgeon appointment is on Tuesday but as I go grocery shopping I want to fill my fridge with the pre op diet foods, and have read most doctors diet pre surgery is keto. I have been doing the whole30 and have lost 30 pounds in the past 3 months and can transition to keto if that's what I'm going to be put on, in my research I'm seeing that keto is listed as the worst diet of 2017 and whole 30 was right with it. My bariatric may require 3 months dietician, exercise and weight loss. My insurance doesn't, Just failed attempts and need. I'm curious about keto diet recommendations, how much weight are you suppose to lose before surgery? How many carbs do you eat to be in ketosis, how do deal with the side effects? Thank you

You never know how ones skin will spring back. Depends on how much excess weight, your skin type. You could try to build muscle to help with "filling in" the loose skin. After awhile some skin does snap back but others may not. Its all really a guessing game I think. Best to give it a year after you get to maintenence and then decide from there if you would like to do plastics to smooth things out. I have been trying compression garments for my arms to see if they have an effect. Some days I think yah there is a change and then others where I am like hummm I am going to have some good wing span. It is hard to guess how your body will react but you can do your best to stay hydrated, work on building muscles and hey maybe compression garments are the way to go. Who knows? I sure do not.

Thank you so much Lissa and Sharon for the helpful replies. Now that I know that Prilosec (on top of the Famotidine) helps you, Sharon, and Tums helps you, Lissa, I am going to pick up some of both! I was hoping it would be fine to take somethiing on top of the Famotidine (which I take twice a day already as well), so knowing that taking Prilosec has helped you, Sharon, I am sure it won't kill me! Not that I tho't it would but.... Anyway, another question: Are the "foamies" where you feel acid rumbling / building up into your throat? I have read about people on this board experiencing "foamies" but haven't had it defined as of yet. If that IS what it is, I DEFINITELY have the foamies, especially if/when I take pills earlier in the day! I will start watching the clock more closely to time my gut feelings. I also get hungry sooner after exercising (which I am happy to say, I have been walking 30 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week since the middle of week three post-op and it kicked my weight loss into a higher gear). I am down 41 lbs in total. 10 pre-op and 31 post op since sleeved on 10/17. So exciting! I have been using the MyFitnessPal.com app on my phone daily and it is a great tool. I am shooting for 50 to 60 g of protein a day and trying to keep the carbs low-ish. You are on there, aren't you, Lissa? I love being able to keep track of everything there. I finally think I am OVER utilizing the pen and paper routine to track, but must admit, I do miss not being able to see a whole week or more at a glance. I had created an Excel spreadsheet of everything I ate and drank and tracked cals, protein and carbs plus fluid intake and exercise for the first 4 weeks. But using MyFitnessPal is just SO much easier and less time consuming that I know I'll be more likely to continue tracking for the long term with it, whereas with paper, I always quit eventually because of time constraints. Lissa, I looked at a bunch of protein bars at The Vitamin Shoppe but they all had 35 or more carbs per bar and that worries me a bit. I am trying NOT to be paranoid about carbs but I do want to do this right and I DON'T want to screw up my losing streak, IYKWIM! I get to come of of soft foods as of Tuesday and am glad to be moving on to the "permanent" stage of eating on this journey. I just have to figure out what to purchase and fix so I won't get burned out on all the soft foods I've been eating (mostly eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, ground up chili with beans, refried beans and the like). I am SO ready for a REAL bite of REAL chicken (not ground down in food processor til it looks like baby food!' Thanks for your help. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend is relaxing! Leah p.s. Sharon - love your new picture on the board. It's lovely!

Eveeybody loses in a different speed. All depend on ur intial weight, activity, calories intake, etc. at the begging my doc said I was loosing faster than the average but them came month 4 and 5 and my weight now its going really slow. On 7/14 was my 5 month and I lost 60% of they weight I want to lose (not even sure if my weight goal its what my doc have in mind he told me I should lose 10lb a month and I already lost 82lb) anyway if you doc didn't say anything is because you are doing the right way. Keep it up w your great job

My doctor said that it is not uncommon for people ( esp if you have no restriction) to gain a few pounds during a vacation time. Human nature is to relax and not watch our portion sizes, etc and slip into bad habits when we are away from our routine. His advice was while on vacation try to still make appropriate choices to keep the gain to a min. Then upon return from vacation, buckle back down!

"@@Pink Ninja" a 12lb loss is not bad at all! I would definitely skip the Pasta, rice and bread though. At 3-4 weeks we are told to eat only about 2ozs per meal (volume not weight) and have 4-6 meals a day. We are also told to continue Protein shakes to get enough protein. I can't believe they said not to measure - that's very unusual! Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App

I was banded 3-5 and was on liquids week 1 (no pre-op diet). That first week I lost 20 pounds (I know this was a very large amount and mostly Water weight). Week 2, I was on mushies and now I am on soft food. In the last week and a half since starting food, I have gained 2 pounds. My calorie count is around 600 (allowed 3 X 1/2 cup portions of food/day and 2 X 1/4 cup "snacks" per day). My question is the following - when will I start to loose "real" (meaning non water)weight? My first fill is 4/15 and that is when I will be allowed to begin a regular diet. THANKS!!

First of all, congrats on your new band! It's not uncommon for a little weight to return when solid food is reintroduced. Some of this is purely mechanical--there is just MORE stuff in your intestine when you hop on the scale. In terms of when you'll see "real loss," it depends. A lot of people focus on healing at first, and do not really restrict (more than the band forces) their intake until they achieve good restriction. Others of us are more stringent about limiting our intake (yes, dieting) right off the bat...and see losses sooner. Either way, you'll lose. It's easy to have buyer's remorse early in the game, when you're starving and the stupid scale tells lies about what you've gained. But with a little time, you'll start seeing the results. It's well worth the wait!

Thank you so much everybody for the advice. I too thought it seemed like a little much at this time. I will keep doing what I'm doing for now with a goal to be around 1000-1200 calories eventually. Right now, I'm still losing and don't feel like I need more calories. I will adjust my diet if I start seeing the weight loss slow down or stop. Once again, I really appreciate the advice.

Hey everybody. I just wanted to update. I am 1 month post-op and down 22lbs since day of surgery and 42lbs total from highest weight. Although I don't really see much of a change yet, my family says they can really tell. I am thrilled by that. I do have a question though. My dr. has recommended that I try to get in 1000-1200 calories daily. Does anybody else have that high of a requirement? I am having a really hard time doing that. At this point, I haven't been able to consume more than 650 calories in a day due to nausea and feeling extremely full. My goal is to have 75 grams of Protein as well. I try to get a lot of my protein from food sources, but being that I can't really eat much more than 3-4 tablespoons of any given food, that can be a little difficult. I have been trying to change my Protein shakes frequently cause I still haven't found one that I really enjoy. I have been doing a little protein shot that's about 3.8oz with 2 grams of protein for the last 2 weeks, but even that has been hard to choke down lately. Right now I have flavorless Protein powder that I try to sprinkle on my food and drinks which has been helping a little. What are your favorite protein shakes? I need some more options, lol! Also, my Dr. hasn't really given me any information regarding fat and carbs totals. Other than being low carb and fat, I'm not really sure of a min and max daily allowance. I know all Dr's are different, but would anybody be willing to share their requirements at 4 weeks out. Thanks so much for all the support! Living and learning day by day!

I just watched a video on youtube by Dr. Matthew Weiner that might be helpful to you. The title is "How to Prevent Your Stomach from Stretching after Weight Loss Surgery."

Thanks you guys soooo much!!! I will take all the help I can get. I don't even think I'm getting 600 calories a day. So I definitely need to do better. Maybe the will help with the weight lost....now I need to have a BM. This is crazy. The surgery doesn't just change your body but your entire life style. I already knew this bit now I guess it is actually sinking in.

Well I know there's the dreaded 3 week stall. Dont get discouraged. Think of it this way there's no way you can't loose weight with the amount of food we eat. I remember my Dr telling me that your body will try and hold on to the weight because it thinks its starving. But it can only hold on to it for so long. I would also try taking maybe milk of magnesia to help you with the #2 problem. I'm almost 4 mounts out and don't go to the bathroom very much also. Good luck to you! Sent from my iPhone using VST

I know man lose more weight faster then woman so is it still true with the band?? andree

Both kids are in extra activities. My older daughter is blessed with a metabolism that won't quit. My little one ( she is 8) tends to be chubby. She is very active but eats too much sometimes. I really hope that she grows into her weight but in case that doesn't happen I want her to at least settle the gaiing down. I don't want her to got through what I have over the years.