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I'm down 10 pounds in just 4 weeks. My doc said he wants to keep that pace so he only gave me .2

First, Welcome to the Blog! I am sure if you stick around long enough and read and take all the wonderful constructive encouragement we all give you will get back on track. As far as your comments, we all ask our selves at one point or another what did we get our selves into. The belching, the burping, the fills, the unfills, the vomiting and just the pure frustration with finding the green zone. As far as advice with diet, going back to basics may seem frustrating but that is what works. Protein first, no drinking immediately before, during or after meals. Eat off a small plate, drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. Keep an exercise and food journal. Oh and yes along with the exercise journal, you gotta move it off the couch and do some type of exercise 60-90 minutes a day. Park further away at the shopping centers, take the steps, etc. I also have band joints, knees especially and have had surgery for repair since being banded. Exercise for me is pure hell sometimes but I want this so band I willing to endure the pain. Ice Bags are my best friend and icy hot. As far as protein powders, Oh Yeah makes a good chocolate, Pure Protein Vanilla mixed with peanut butter or fruit is not bad. Bariatriceating.com has my favorites but they are a little pricey but low in carbs and only require a small amount of liquids. For the summer Isopure is not bad, it comes in koolaid flavors and is 40gms per bottle (GNC) I also am a coffee person, Starbuck to be exact. I put a scoop of my Vanilla protein powder in my skinny vanilla latte, this is my breakfast and my coffee in one shot. I call it my one cheat for the day. To measure my intake I use myfitnesspal, this is an on line app, a lot of us are on there and it is a way for us to hold ourselves and each other accountable. Again welcome and best of luck, believe in yourself and your abilities. The power of positive thinking can be half the battle.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10698 This is an interesting thread where someone listed about 10 foods and people answered whether they could tolerate them or not. What you will really learn is everybody and every band is unique. And things you can tolerate, others you can't, somedays you can tolerate different things. My band doesn't always say no to bread but I just don't want it anymore. You may find that some of your favorite things no longer appeal to you. Good luck on your journey. Celeste

Thingirlinsideme: thank you for the encouragement. Going fishing in the boundary waters of Minnesota last week of July. I am on medicine for an ulcer and need clearance from doing an upper GI on August 5 th. hope to have surgery right after. Maybe August 10 th haha

I was banded in March 2008 and so far i have lost 50 lbs. I am 10 lbs from a healthy BMI and 25 lbs from my ideal goal. We are starting TTC this month. I lost the biggest chunk of my weight in the first 9 months and since then i have been pretty plateaued where i am. I am starting to creep down again and am shooting for that "Healthy BMI". This was our first month of TTC and currently i am in the 2 week wait. I test on June 20 so we'll see what happens!

My family is my biggest support group. My mother-in-law had lap band surgery done 3 years ago I was upfront with my family about me deciding to go for lap band surgery. My parents were happy because they have known for the last 6 years since I was 19 that I thought about it almost every day. My in-laws were also happy. One of my brother's was happy about it because he knows my struggles and the other one is happy but also mad. He's 350 pounds and he knows the struggle of trying to lose weight. He kept saying "oh you can end up gaining it back" and blah blah blah lol He's seen a lot of people that went through GASTRIC BYPASS gain their weight back but he only knows two people that have gone with lap band and that's my mother-in-law and her friend. They haven't hit their goal weight but they are still losing which is all that matters. I heard a rumor that my brother is jealous that I'm finally doing what I want to lose weight. I'm 25 and he's 33. A few of my friends were very supportive from the beginning then I have one that keeps telling me that if I put my mind to it that I can lose it on my own which if it was that easy then I would have lost my weight years ago lol. I have another one that was mad because she wishes she could go through with it but she cares more about what her family thinks then what she herself thinks. She's also mad because my husband and I have been trying to have another baby for the last 3 years and I had 2 miscarriages last year. She's now pregnant and throws it in my face but I'm trying to get my life back and be healthier for my daughter and step-daughter and so that I don't have to go on fertility drugs to get pregnant. You will always have people that will support you and others that will be mad or upset. What you need to think about is yourself. You need to get healthier and if lap band surgery is really what you want then don't let other peoples' opinions effect you decision

You can do it, don't give up. It feels harder because it is harder this time. Smoking artificially raises your metabolism. Quitting is so worth it! You will live longer because of your actions. But now you will need time to adjust to your new lower metabolism. You can do it, just give your self time, it may take longer, you may need to work out a little more than before. You can get back to your size 10.

I am experiencing something similar down 40 lbs since surgery 78 days ago, and have been stuck for about the last 10 days with only a 2 lb loss in that time. Very frustrating, apparently not uncommon. I am going to try adding exercise and work at getting in more Water. Good luck!

My surgeon scheduled surgery for 11 days after my consult with him. All of the sudden, it felt very fast and very real. He also didn't require a liquid diet for me, but when I left his office for the consult I decided to cut down to 2 protein drinks a day and a healthy salad at night, then 5 days pre-op I went to just protein drinks and water. I was feeling so good the day before surgery I almost cancelled! I thought - I'm losing so good on my own right now, I can do this without surgery!! Then, logic set it, and I knew I couldn't maintain just protein drinks for the rest of my life. Besides being not the most healthy choice, I knew I would give into cravings, gain all of the weight back plus probably 10 lbs, and be back to my old, frustrated, overweight self. So I dove in head first, and have not regretted one day since surgery.

You're human. Being flawed is a product feature, not a bug. Good that you know you shouldn't have had the chips. Could have been worse. Don't dwell on it, do an extra 10 minute run / walk / workout as pennance for your mind, and move on. The only easy day was yesterday.

After my depression and stress of yesterday finding out my surgery was postponed because of Medicare's new rules I decided to pay for it myself. I really didn't feel I should have too, because I am covered, but such is life. Just when I had resigned myself to the fact I'm doing this for me and paying for it, my daughter calls with the news that she has contacted Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville (which is a Center Of Excellence) and arranged a seminar and meeting with a lap-banding surgeon on Apr. 25 and 26 for me...seminar on the 25. What a kid...she knows all the right people, but then she is a nurse herself. They accept Medicare and I have all my paperwork so they called me today and said "come on down". I'm so thrilled just thinking Vanderbilt...like this is state of the art and more. God always comes through in some way, shape or form if you pray enough, and no one will ever tell me any different. Last night I just handed the whole mess to him and told him it's in your hands now, and today a wonderful phone call from a great hospital (one of the top 10 in the world) and once again my hopes are up. I can afford the surgery, but I could also do so much for my kids with the money if I didn't have to pay for it. One of my daughter's badly needs a second car and I'd love to get her one. Fortunately, she isn't proud she will gladly accept it. I would love to put more in my grandkid's college funds and lots of other things. I felt very selfish paying for a surgery for myself when there was so much else I could do with the money. God works in mysterious ways. You just need to have faith that he will come through for you. Today is much brighter. Dody

Beer is no problem for me to give up or any other alcohol. But I am addicted to my Diet Pepsi so have the same concerns about Pop (or as they say outside of Michigan "soda"). But I'm so ready to get even that monkey off my back. I spend so much money on Diet Pepsi. Today I started to cut back by only drinking 1 per day until I start my liquid protein. Then I can have clear, no caffeine pop like diet Vernors until the surgery. Since I start my liquid protein diet in about 10 days I'm trying to wean myself off the Diet Pepsi before I have to give it up cold turkey. Maybe then I won't get a caffeine headache and it won't be so bad. Isn't that a darn shame that I have to wean myself off Diet Pepsi and I'm so addicted. But I'm READY for this at all costs! Good luck to you!

Hi!! I am three months out and am considering getting a breast lift. My mom doesn't think I should get it right now as I am still in the early stages and 19. She says my boobs will get back to normal soon, but I hate the way my breasts look when I'm not wearing a bra. My boobs have shrunk a few sizes down since getting the surgery, but they're still pretty big. I was wondering if anyone else has gotten a breast lift or breast implants? If so, how long did you wait? And how did it all go? This is something I really want as I hate how my boobs aren't the perkiest lol

Just want yo say i have lost 140lbs. My surgery was September 17 2019. Thats under a year. Im in disbelief. I never thought id be here this fast. I fee amazing. Just needed to get that out🙂

I've tried cottage cheese, but still can't get past the texture. I do OK with chicken salad, but seems like just about everything else, sits like a rock. I take small bites, wait 10 minutes between. Thank you for all the feedback. Guess it'll be chicken salad and Protein shakes a little while longer Sent from my HTC One A9 using the BariatricPal App

Its bien 10 days since i got banded , n i am feeling less soure.. i wana go out n walk n stretch but im scared its to early..

kckaye: if you call Syntrax and let them know you are a bariatric patient they will send you a varity pack of 10 for $13. That way you can try it, I went to The Vitamin Shoppe and the 3lbs tub was for $36.00 I was told that Syntrax and Isopure are one of the best. Their phone number is 1-866-333-7403 ext. 803. I just ordered today. Good Luck....

Hello Fellow Sleever in April, You are doing great. I have lost only 38 lbs I feel I eat to much, you are down 52 lbs wow, tell me what you do since we had surgery around the same time. How you go about getting your weight off. Besides the fact I can only eat a little and a few bites, certain food restrictions, I almost eat what I want. Please tell me how you managed to have almost 10 lbs more off that me> I feel like I am not loosing enough. My surgery was on April 21, 2014, Ready for A Change - Tijana, Mexico

Hi all, here is my Journey so far. I was one of the lucky ones (NOT) who had a JP Drain. I hope my story helps others. So far, so good - no regrets at all!! June 2017: My ins just dropped the numerous lengthy requirements and is allowing sleeves. I jumped on it, and was able to navigate thru the list quickly. Start to finish took me about 2 months. Do Ins companies really think we haven't tried every program out there prior to considering major surgery??? Stupid! They no longer require 6 months of Dr administered weight loss program, but my Dr watched me for a few months, and submitted it just to make sure I would not run into any problems. I was approved 10 days after submission. I hate having to jump thru hoops, but the savings was worth it. Altho, I would have paid out of pocket if denied. Check off the requirements, and you should be fine. Most Drs have a good relationship with the ins claim reps. My daily (boring but working) pre op intake is: coffee with a splash of Premier Protein banana or caramel , then the rest of the Premier Protein Shake for Breakfast, at 10am I have 2 C of chicken broth, at Noon I have 2 C chicken broth + another Premier Protein shake, at 2pm I have 1 sf Jello cup, at 6ish I have 2 C chicken broth (appetizer ) and another Carmel Premier Protein shake, 8pm snack another sf jello cup. I don't really like any other flavors of broth or I would have those. My shakes have to be under 200 calories, high protein (these are 30g) and as low sugar as you can find (1g). Premier is handy, pre made, and I like the flavors (Caramel, Banana, and strawberry Cream are my favorites). I SWEAR I have not had any headaches, and my energy level is really good (just fall asleep earlier which helps me not dwell on food). Aug 25/2017: Surgery day and I couldn't be more excited!! My surgery went well except that I needed a JP drain that will remain in for about a week. I was up walking 2 laps of my floor that night. The nurse said she had never seen anyone do as well as me. She said my positive and excited attitude surely helped! My pain never got above 2 or 3 and I needed very little pain meds. 3 ice chips made me nauseous, so I did not eat or drink anything the first night. I do have to give myself shots in the stomach of Lovenox (blood thinner) to prevent blood clots for 2 weeks. Aug 26: Got discharged this afternoon after my upper GI and chest xray came back ok. Was able to keep down 4oz of liquid before I left the hospital. I'm off the pain meds now, and don't even feel the need for Tylenol. The Lovenox shots are not as scary as I thought they would be. The trick is to freeze the area for 10 minutes before you give yourself the shot, and put the ice back on right after you are done (the after affect feels like a wasp sting). Now I just need the gas to pass (pun intended). All said and done, I feel great for what I've been through, and lost 12 pounds pre op. I will keep up with updates. Thank you for all the support and info. This Forum is great, and I hope to pay it forward. Aug 28: Ok, so to continue my journey, I am 4 days post op and my drain is still working over time Im not concerned, but can't go back to work until its removed. After having little to no pain, this morning I noticed pain on my right side - like a stabbing pain. I have to hold my stomach when I walk for any relief. Seeing as most of my stomach was sliced off, I am assuming that now that the swelling is going down, some of this is "normal". Its definitely NOT gas pains. I don't like taking the liquid pain meds so am taking tylenol only. liquids are going down no problem. Energy level is up, and I'm looking forward to Protein Shakes on Friday. Update: Dr said my drain most likely moved which is causing the pain. Its pretty intense. Good thing is they will be removing it on Thursday. Bad thing is I will be living with the pain and have to take the liquid pain meds until then...a small price to pay I've discovered a love for tropical flavored sugar free popsicles !!! Aug 29: Having a good night and a great hair day so I'm psyched! Lol. My incisions are dissolvable stitches with a rubber cement waterproof type paint over them. The stuff just flakes off when healed. Easy peasy. I SERIOUSLY think I could have returned to work tomorrow if not for the JP drain. All bodily functions working perfectly, and no hunger pains. BUT I know that even tho I feel good, my body is still recovering from major surgery, so I am working from home Thurs and Fri and returning full time the day after Labor Day = 10 days post op. Knowing that there is still swelling and fluid retention from my hospital stay, Im staying off the scale until my post op appointment. I have ankles again!! August 31: Got my JP drain out today (yes, it hurt), but as soon as it was removed, the pain went away!! I feel like a million bucks Sept 1: Diet additions today!! I get to have protein shakes again, yogurt, milk, and cream soups. Still not feeling hungry and am down 18lbs. Had half a protein shake for breakfast, yogurt with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix stirred in for lunch, broth and a half glass of milk for dinner and sugar free jello with sugar free whipped topping for dessert. I heard that some are lactose intolerant after surgery, but I had no issues with anything I ate. I'm paranoid of gaining anything back, so am kind of afraid to eat. I will have to watch that. Having cabin fever so decided to venture out for the first time since surgery. I have a tendency to feel good and over do it, so wanted to be careful. Took a quick trip to the store, and then for a well deserved pedicure. Heaven. Energy level is still up. Since my boyfriend took good care of me, I decided a date night was in order and we went out. Challenging to say the least. How do you go into a bar without ordering a drink?? Pre planning helps. THIS IS A NO JUDGEMENT ZONE!!! I ordered a tall glass of water with lots of e and 1 small shot of vodka. Then I added Crystal Light cranberry to it that I brought along. Nursed it for 2 hours and did not even finish it. I have read others say alcohol hit them quicker after surgery (no noticeable change for me) and I KNOW that its not allowed (this soon or in some minds at all), but I am human. I gave up diet coke for Gods sake Next challenge coming up = lunch with friends in the liquid stage. I am mentally preparing already. Eat before, and take my Crystal Light. Since I am keeping my surgery secret, the only viable option is to say Im having a little tummy issue. Stay tuned. Sept 2: More milestones accomplished today! Ride my motorcycle - check, go boating - check Sept 3: Lunch with my man and his mom.....First I had to reassure my fiance that he could eat in front of me, and I would be ok. He was considerate enough to make sure that it was ok to plan lunch with his mom. Sweet man. I had a protein shake for breakfast and some vitamin water. We chose a restaurant where I knew they had soup on the menu. I told my future mother in law that I had been having stomach issues, and was changing my eating habits. I am not telling people I'm on a diet, or that I had surgery because history has shown that when you do say these things, people watch what you eat, or fill your ears with "helpful" tips etc. I'm not having it. So I ordered water and a cup of soup. Ate the broth and inconspicuously covered my cup with my napkin and handed it to the server first chance I could. Mission accomplished! You can go out to eat when in the liquid stage. Sept 4: Family bbq planned today.......Again, I will eat before we go. My fiance and I came up with a plan. We will both take plates and put food on them, he will then eat his plate of food, and then mine. Oh the games we play....Again, sweet man! I really don't care what anyone thinks, or surmises, this is my Journey and I will do it my way. 2 more weeks til I can eat real food The bbq was great. Truly a testament to the fact that it isn't the food, it's the company. I drank a shake for breakfast and then had some Greek yogurt before we left. Packed some So Be Life Water (my new staple). My brother in law tried to tempt me with Sangaria and grilled pineapple and I simply told him that I was trying very hard to eliminate sugar from my life plan and I was feeling GREAT so I must be doing something right. My fiance and I carried thru with our plan, and as we went thru the food line, he put on my plate half of what he wanted and then ate everything on both plates. Nobody said a word!! Not even my brother in law who notices, and comments on everything. That night we hit one of the last post op milestones Sex 10 days post op is just as fantastic as pre op. Yay! Sorry for the TMI, but this is a question that others are wondering about. Sept 6: Planning our road trip evac for hurricane Irma. I am packing protein shakes, cream soup packets, SoBe Water, crystal light packets, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding mix for my yogurt. Wish us luck! Sept 12: The past week has been hell thanks to Hurricane Irma. Prepping 2 houses and 4 days of travel thru 3 states.....Boy, if I ever needed comfort food, or wanted to garbage up, it was now. But I stayed true to my plan by packing a cooler, and was never hungry! Sept 14: I am now in the puree stage and happy to be "chewing" kind of. I still love my sugar free popsicles. I have been switching it up with egg salad, tuna salad and lots of soups. I am surprised that I do not have any hunger pangs. So far I have not had any issues keeping food down. Watching my fiance eat the foods I used to eat does not bother me because I am so looking forward being thinner and healthier. So far I am down 24 pounds in 1 month (that includes my pre op diet week). Yay!

Let me say first off you are not alone. All of us have dealt with eating too much at one point in time or another. Me personally, I still struggle with putting way more on my plate than I am able to eat on a regular basis. I know when I do I tend to eat more than I should. I need to work to only take as much as I need each meal. To your question, eating that fast will not make you gain weight in and of itself. It does however have the ability to stretch out your stomach faster because the food is not taking its time to move through it. Over time you would wind up inherently being able to eat larger and larger amounts which could cause you to lose weight. Here are a couple things that worked really well for me post surgery. Firstly, the best piece of advice I every got is probably one of the strangest bits of advice that worked super well. You need to eat off of baby silverware. I just went to the baby section of Meijer and bought a pack of plastic silverware. It will keep you from taking too much in one bit at a time so it will actually take you a little bit longer to eat. It will also make you well aware of the amount of food you are taking in in a bit. I should only fit on the spoon. Another thing to this is to try to make a point to chew everything at least 10 times before swallowing. You will need to work at both of this for a bit while you get used to it. It took me a week or two of eating to get fully comfortable with it. The other tip would be to divide your food serving into two or three sections and eat one section every ten minutes. If you find you still want to go after it before the ten minutes is up, put it in another room and just enjoy some dinner conversation. Eating slowly will require you to eat very mindfully over the first few months, but before you know it the process will be second nature. You are not alone in your dilemma. Every surgery patient here would be lying if they said they had not dealt with this exact same issue. Keep strong. It is a process. I know if you take these tips to heart you will do well. This is the start of your new life and your amazing journey that is solely yours. Embrace the journey and enjoy the ride. In the coming months you will learn things about yourself and you will be amazed at what you and your new body are capable of. I wish you the best of luck. If you every have any additional questions I will do what I can to help you out. You can contact me at any of the links below. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

I'd been on depression meds for about 10 years. My doc stopped them as of the day of surgery and I haven't taken any since. I feel better than I've felt in many years and, yeah, a lot of it is from the weight loss itself but a lot is also in the change the weight loss brought to my self image.

What is getting stuck? chicken, breads, rice, mashed potatoes, salads? Are you taking very small bites and eating very slowly? I got stuck a lot at fill 3 but it was my own fault. I ate too fast and put too much food in my face. It's a learning process and I'm still learning. I'm on fill 5 and got stuck at Breakfast this morning but only for 10 minutes. tmf I see we share the same birthday only 41 years apart.

Just stopping by to say Hello! I am new to the group and new to lapband I was banded 10 days ago and I am excited to see the changes to come.

I'm a bit concerned about this myself. I was told at the beginning (in January) that I really needed to lose 10% of my excess body weight during the six-month supervised diet - which was about 10-15 pounds. I ended up losing 40 pounds thus far - which means I started the pre-op diet, that I'm on now, at 40.1 bmi. The pre-op liquid diet will drop me below 40, and there isn't anything I can do about it. My next surgeon's office appt. is tomorrow, and if they try to weigh me, I'm going to have to have a conversation with them.

I had been treated for asthma for like 10 years prior to surgery. When they did my EGD and found evidence of GERD along with a hernia they sent me to a pulmonologist who confirmed it. Not asthma, chronic coughing from GERD. Put me on a ppi and it cleared up immediately. The first month after surgery it was way worse. I raised the head of my bed which helped and they doubled the PPI. Much better! Then with healing and weight loss much MUCH better! I still take the ppi but no symptoms anymore.