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My husband and I are doing the sleeve together. We had our consultations last week and have our appointments set for the psychological evaluation. Still waiting to hear back from the dietitian so we can start the three months of supervised dieting. Very excited!

Are you amazed? I'm amazed at how easy the transition was for me. I assumed I had restriction from day 1 and have eaten accordingly, even now into my 4th week of being banded. I'm also amazed by how little food I need to be OK if I really take the time to eat slowly and listen to what my body is telling me, in terms of hunger queues. I have no fil and my swelling has subsided but on my biggest eating day so far I still only needed about a cup of food (and that was my biggest meal of the day) to feel that I was no longer hungry. Part of what helps, I think, is that my Protein shakes fill me up. Are you disappointed? I have no reason to be disappointed in the band. I never thought going into this that the band would do it for me. I knew about 70% or more of it was on my shoulders. I also would never have expected significant results without so much as a fill. I mean -- a soggy cast doesn't help mend broken bones, so why would an unfilled band lead to weightloss? In terms of personal disappointment, my biggest challenge is the drinking -- not drinking after meals. I can do this about 70% of the time. The other 30% I just can't stand it, so I put enouogh Water on my tongue to get the sensation of drinking, but hopefully little enough that it is absorbed in my throat before it gets to my esophagus. I wish I was better about this aspect. Are you tickled pink? I'm thrilled so far. Like I said - IMO - it's unrealistic to expect weightloss from the band before you have any fill, let alone the right fill. My scale shows a 45 lb loss it's also that time of the month for me to be retaining water, so the loss-on-scale could be accurate, or it could be about 8 lbs low. I know that whatever percentage of that number can be equated to fat loss is mostly my doing through making good choices, telling myself to stop eating, joining the gym, etc. Almost 50 lbs in less than a month - I'm thrilled! Are you mourning food? No, but I think emotional eaters are the most prone to do this. My overeating was behavioral, so for me it was more a matter of breaking habits (e.g. eating when I do this, getting fast food for convenience during business travel, eating late at night, etc.) I never saw food as a friend, or a crutch to get me through a situation, so it had no presence in my life to "mourn", so to speak. There are things I know I will eventually crave, but right now the only thing I'm craving is carbonation. Not soda, just the carbonation itself... weird!

I'm 5 weeks out. And personally, a new band every 10 years would be worth it to me. I guess I was wondering what your immediate impressions are of the band post op? I was frustrated immediately following the surgery. You don't have restriction at that point... you still get hungry (or at least I did). I had swelling for 2 weeks, so wasn't starving, but after that I could have eaten a horse! Thank goodness for fills! People warn you that the first 6 weeks is for healing & that any weight you lose during that time is from will-power & is a gift... but you don't realize it until you're in it. It's a long time! And of course everyone you've told is looking for your weight loss, lol, and you're sitting still. Irritating. Are you amazed? I am amazed at how quickly the pain faded. At the time, it seemed unending, but it really was gone quickly. I wasn't this far along this quickly after knee surgery! Currently, after my first fill, I'm amazed at not being hungry. I know I'm still able to eat more then I "should", but it's SO much less then I used to eat. I can be patient & wait for my fills to limit my eating further. What a tool! Are you disappointed? I was disappointed with myself & my will power during the healing period (I didn't limit my calories at ALL, lol). I'm not disappointed with the band at all. It's too early to tell, but it seems to be working amazingly! Are you tickled pink? Maybe light pink, lol. I am excited & thrilled to think that this is actually going to work. That even if I cheat... even if I binge... the band will limit how much damage I can do. What a blessing! Are you mourning food? Yes. I don't think I was really prepared mentally. I'm not sure there is a way to GET prepared. You don't know how you'll react until it's gone. I can actually eat anything I want -- bread, Pasta, rice, steak, you name it. But I can't eat as MUCH as I want, lol. It irritates me, lol. I'm sure I'll get over it in time... I'm working on it!

You will do great I had the rny bypass and went back to work three days later. Just know when to slow down. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You've lost 35 pounds at 7 weeks post-op? Or was some of that pre-op. That is at least average and actually above average. Keep the faith--if you stay at 5 lbs a week or even 2 or 3, it will go more quickly than you think...probably faster than it took you to put it on. Congratulations...that is great progress!

I used to live in White Plains but now I'm in Michigan. What kind of insurance do you have? I have Empire Blue still and it was a breeze. I'm not even two weeks out from surgery and I'm down 12-13 pounds and feeling great.

Hi everyone! I have been looking at getting banded and have made an appointment for the free informational seminar. I did find out my insurance does cover the services 100%, so I am hoping to be a good candidate and that the requirements are something I can handle. I live in Phoenix and have actually just gained weight my whole life. In high school, I was a normal, healthy size and quite beautiful actually. Now I am the pretty fat girl and I have absolutely no energy to participate with my three kids. I am really hoping that this surgery could give me my life back and allow me to "participate" in life instead of watching from the sidelines! Thank you to all who post their personal struggles as the truth is what I am looking for on here. I don't just want to get caught up in the before and after photos and think that happened overnight. -Lisa

Hello All I was banded 30 days ago and I have lost 20.5 lbs. I had my surgery in Wilmington Delaware and my insurance (BCBS of DE) covered the procedure and aftercare. I had a very positive experience with my physician and the hospital. I am hoping to get my first fill in two weeks. I am currently taking Protein shakes and drinks along with occasional mushy or bleneded foods. I am going very slow as I do not want to test my band or my willpower at this point. I did get a gag reflex from all the creamed Soups and milkshake-like Protein Drinks so now I am taking Isopure, nectar as they are more like juices. Struggling with the exercise but hoping to establish a workout routine this weekend as my doctor has given me the okay. My wounds are healing very well and I am not upset about the minor scarring that will be left. I am very glad to have the lapband and I look forward to becoming more healthy in the coming months. Joly

Mary, You are very wise to be concerned! I underwent an emergency unfill due to post-sinus drainage irritation. I had a fill appt. and then two weeks later noticed more restriction. It is allergy time and constantly have the post-nasal drip (thick). Well, dinner got stuck one night and that increased the irritation so much I started to bleed. I would definitely wait to get a fill. Take sudafed or something else, in addition to what you have now. Get the sinus/bronchitis/laryngitis situation cleared up first. Also, if you are PB'ing it can make the bronchitis worse by getting into your lungs. Take Care!!!

I just found this site the other day. I'am having my lap band surgery this Wednesday at Hurley Hospital In Flint MI. I'am on a liguid diet for 1 week before and two weeks after the surgery. I had to purchase the Liguid kit on line for 228.00. So far so good, its day four. Any advice for before or after surgery? Cheryl

I started mine today too and my surgery is the 22nd! It wasnt so bad. I am allowed 5 optifast shakes and 2 protein shakes from other protein powder. I did them every 2 hours. and drank a TON of water. Today was not so bad. I am curious to see how tmw goes. I am okay with just doing the shakes b/c i had "last supper" syndrome the last 3 weeks and gained 4 lbs. I think i ate everything i wanted so i feel like this is pay back for eating all of that!

I was sleeved the 29th and the same.. I've lost 20lbs. I started at 195.. I think that's a lot for a week but maybe not

I sold the old RAV and am supremely depressed. That was my favorite car of all time except for my Ford Pinto that I had years ago. Yes, it was the kind that would blow up if you were rear-ended. Luckily a very nice lady bought the old RAV. She needed it because her 86 year old father can't get in cars that are low. My 87 year old mother can't get in cars that are high. So it worked out. She was the only person who called for two weeks, and then I sold it to her yesterday and a guy called this afternoon. She's a much savvier buyer than I am a seller. She wanted to give me her keys while she did a test drive and I couldn't figure out why. It would never occur to me to steal a car on a test drive. Anyway, she kept trying to make sure that I knew she wouldn't steal the car. I finally told her that I didn't think she'd steal the car and if she did, I had her car sitting in my driveway. That seemed to satisfy her. Thank God I'm a professor. I would never make it in business. I'm so gullible and honest that I assume everyone else is too. I'd be broke in a month.

Hi everyone, I am almost 1 week post op and was wondering has anyone tried a cup of coffee yet? Today is my last day of the full liquid diet?

My husband and I both had to have cardiac clearance for our surgeries because we are over 50. I passes, but his heart rate was slow at times ( usually around 40 bpm) and other times racing. He had to wear a heart monitor for 3 weeks and once he was sent to the ER when his heart dropped to 14!) Just last week he had a pacemaker installed and his surgery is on hold for 3 months now.

OMG-TWO MORE DAYS!!!!!!! I am freaking out a bit. I am also having a little attack of the last supper syndrome. I have not journaled my food in 2 days which I am usally diligent about. I had Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich and a 1/2 order of fries (which reaffirmed that I really won't miss french fries). For dinner I had about 1 cup of past and a piece of chicken parm instead of the salad I planned to have. I think itis hitting me that I won't be able to eat "normal' (as far as chew my new lap-band food) for about 6 weeks. My only instruction from the Md is to eat light Sunday, liquids only after 7pm and NPO after midnight. Today I will try to keep it light as well. I am so excited to see so many of my fellow December Bandsters on the board doing as well as they are. I am also glad to see somethat are uncomfortable because it reminds me that I am probably not going to be feeling great right away. I think there were a few that seemed to bounce back really quickly and it was giving this false sense that I would not have any pain. I am nervous about the pain meds since I tend to not feel great when I take them. Ijust want to be able to transition to Tylenol as quickly as possible! Especially when not eating, those meds are going to make me feel like crap! I am off to get therest of my "nesting" done and scrubthe heck out of my bathroom!

SouthBeach Diet Tips and Guides The SouthBeach Diet is different from the Atkins diet in that it is not a low carbohydrate diet. Regardless of which phase you are currently in, you should follow these recommendations: Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water, decaffeinated beverages such as club soda, tea, coffee, or decaffeinated sugar-free soda every day Limit your intake of caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup each day Take one multivitamin and mineral supplement daily Take 500 mg of calcium for both men and women under the age of 50, and 1,000 mg for women over the age of 50, each day Eating can be both pleasurable and healthy as long as you eat the proper foods. All the meals in the SouthBeach Diet consist of healthy combinations of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Dishes can be made by anyone and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores. These foods will satisfy your hunger without depriving your system of the low-quality starches and sugars that caused problems with your blood chemistry in the first place. The SouthBeach Diet does not involve counting calories, fat grams, or portion sizes. This plan was designed to be simplistic and will help you understand the principles of metabolism and put it to work for your own body. A major key to success with the South Beach Diet is the Glycemic index (GI), which ranks carbohydrate foods based on the effect on blood sugar levels. When you start adding foods back into your diet in Phase 2, keep your focus on low-GI foods such as apples, berries, grapefruit, high-fiber cereal, and whole grain breads. Preparing For The Rest Of Your Life Mindset Change for South Beach Diet You have learned what the South Beach Diet is, how it works, and what to eat. Now, you need to get prepared to change the way you eat, for life. Start by accepting that the first couple of weeks will be a big change but one you will not regret. The first morning of this diet, you will eat a breakfast that may consist of a two-egg omelet with two slices of Canadian bacon, cooked in either spray canola or olive oil. In your old life, you may have toasted bread or a bagel and had fresh fruit or fruit juice to go along with your omelet. However, with the South Beach Diet, the bread will have to wait. Most people have been conditioned their entire life to add bread to meals. You have toast with breakfast, sandwiches on bread for lunch, dinner rolls with dinner, and cake, cookies, or pie for dessert. However, during Phase 1, you will have to forget about the bread. It may take a few days to leave old habits behind but keep in mind that it is during this time that your body’s inability to process sugars and starches is being reversed. After trying numerous diets, most leave you feeling hungry, is one of the most difficult aspects of any diet. A common denominator seen with overweight people is that most of them skip eating breakfast. When this happens, blood sugar drops, which then increases the desire for bad carbohydrates to escalate until lunch when the entire meal is blown. Planning for South Beach Diet Planning will help you stay away from snacking or substituting things that are not healthy and could cause weight gain. Remember that once you start into Phase 2, carbohydrates will start being introduced back into your diet along with fruits. You also need to remember to eat your mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, even if you do not feel like it. Some of the greatest low-fats foods to incorporate into your planning include cheese and yogurt to replace the fats since they have no bad carbohydrates. In addition, the sugar is found in the lactose, milk sugar, is one of the things you can have with the South Beach Diet. The South Beach Diet is a lifetime change, lifetime commitment, and a lifetime of health and vitality! How Does The South Beach Diet Work? As mentioned, the South Beach Diet is unique, successful, easy, and works in a three-phase process. Unlike many other so-called diets, with the South Beach Diet, simply substitutes your bad carbohydrates and fats for good ones. After trying this, you will be amazed by how well and quickly it works. South Beach Diet Phase 1 South Beach Diet Phase 1 lasts for two weeks. During this first phase, you will eat normal meals of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and shellfish, lots of vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts, and garden salads using 100% olive oil for your salad dressing. Each day for 14 days, you will eat three, well-balanced meals. While eating until your hunger is satisfied may go against most diets, with the South Beach Diet, it is part of the plan. Trying to lose weight and become healthy by depriving the body of food makes no sense. In addition to the three meals each day, you will also eat a snack between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner. Even if you do not feel like eating these snacks, for the South Beach Diet to work, you need to, and after dinner, you will even have dessert. Additionally, during this phase, you can drink all the coffee and tea you want and be sure to drink lots of water. You may be thinking that this is a lot of food - it is! With most diets, you deprive your body, eating only small portions of foods that are unappealing. The change you will make during this phase is that you will cut out all bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar. Keep in mind that these eliminated foods will be added back into your diet, starting in Phase 2. In addition to taking these foods out of your diet temporarily, you will also need to avoid beer, or any kind of alcohol. Once you start Phase 2, reasonable amounts of wine can be added back in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed about the foods that will be taken out of your diet during the first two weeks, stop and think about this for a minute. To achieve a life of health and lose unwanted weight, two weeks is a small investment to make. After all, you are worth it! The first two or three days will be somewhat challenging, but breaking any bad habit starts out a little bumpy. Once you pass this small hurdle, the rest of the time will go by quicker than you think. When you see the results that these changes bring, you will be glad you did not give up!

well just got my labs and EKG done.. they said would call me next week for case manager appointment ..wooo hooo !!! Sherri

I'm planning on taking 2 weeks off to recover... I work in child care so I'll need time before I can pick up the 2 1/2 year olds that I work with. Thank God we have 2 teachers in our class and steps that come out from underneath the changing table so the children can just climb up. Keep us updated on your progress. I want to learn EVERYTHING I can about this procedure. & good luck to you too!

Thank you all for your feedback. It helps to know how it works for others. Sometimes I am so caught between thinking I'm eating too little and too much that I get overwhelmed and don't know which way is the right way to go. I am hoping I'll feel something in the next week as you suggest!

Search on the site for esophageal spasm and see if your symptoms are similar. Regardless, if it continues for a total of a week, ask your dr.

I felt the same way too and lived on gas X strips as well. Those things are awesome!! It gets better after a few days (within a week for me) Good luck

I use the active.com website. It has lots of information about nutrition, sports, and all around fitness. It links to my facebook page and I get a small article a couple of times a day plus I got a free cross training 9 week plan that I am using from the activetraining.com part.

jenleigh, I cant reallly give you a straight answer on how long it took me. I did a 6 month supervised diet last year but my insurance wouldnt cover the surgery. As of 1/1/10 we got new insurance that would cover it. I started the process about a month ago, but I had all my documentation including my psych and nutrition appointments all done. I thought I was ready to get banded in a few weeks, but now I found out I need to get a clearance from my PCP and a Cardiologist because I am 52. One thing after another.

Abbie - for me, the surgery was the easiest surgery I have ever had. I didn't have any gas pains (proactively took GasX just in case), the pain wasn't even pain - it was soreness, which goes away completely within 2 weeks. I was literally up and cleaning my daughter's house (stayed with her the first two days post surgery) and doing her laundry and feeling fine. For me, it was a breeze and I know it will be the best tool I have ever had, along with the hope and knowledge that I will one day be thin and be healthier. Again, keep in mind, the first several months post surgery, most people don't feel any restriction and even question whether or not they actually have a band - I did. I have had one fill of 5cc in my 11cc band and still don't have any restriction. I can eat anything and everything i want - which is good and bad. Good because I have more time to convert to a new life style and become more focused about loosing weight and eating healthier, but bad as I have only lost 10 lbs. in 6 weeks. My next fill is April 2nd - hoping to start filling restriction so that I can eat only 1/2 cup of food and be full. That is my dream. I say go for it - I don't the only regret many people ever have is not doing it sooner. Good Luck girl!!