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I got a really good deal on 3 cans of it. 2 chocolate and 1 vanilla. They have 15 grams of Protein and 5 grams of Fiber per serving. I thought maybe with the fiber in it it would keep me full longer. Well I haven't tried the vanilla yet but I have opened the chocolate. It's not good. It's very bland and doesn't really taste like chocolate. I have to add coffee to it or cocoa powder and splenda just so I can drink it. Then when you get to the bottom the last few drinks are super, super gritty, like your drinking sand. I'm assuming that's the fiber in it and it just settles to the bottom rather than mixing into it. This is something I definitely will not buy again. Just thought I'd post my review in case any of you are interested:)

Don't worry, the 2 week diet will do wonders for your liver. It is not unusual to gain weight during the approval process (I gained 15lbs). Just do what your doctor says and keep coming back here for support, as well as, a good local support group. Congratulations! Looks like you will have the luck of the Irish on your side. =) Shawna

Hi y'all.. .guess what??... I can log on here and finally post what I have been been reading from other for a year now..I HAVE A SURGERY DATE!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! March 17- St. Patrick's Day!!! I wish y'all could see the smile on my face as I am typing this- But, with that comes this great shadow of doom- the preop liver shrinking diet. I understand I need to drink liquids and eat one low fat meal a day such as grilled chicken and a salad. Will this work? I haven't been on the scales but I fear I've gained about 20 pounds over the last 9 months waiting to get my dr visits and preapproval done. Do you think I will be put on hold for the weight gain? And again, should I be able to do my liver anygood with a 2 week liquid diet? I feel like a fool.. help!:confused:

Hi everyone, I'm not sure how to post just yet...i'm very new. I'm in the planning and decision making stage and am curious what the level of actual dieting is involved with the lap band surgery. I'm motivated, but I've had so many successes followed by so many failures - meaning, gaining all the weight back, that I'm scared I'll get this surgery and it won't work. How did all of you prepare for surgery and keep weight off?

Hi flipper, LBS is not going to fix your emotional eating or mindless eating for you. To quote another, the band goes around your stomach not your head. That said, LBS does help you to stay in control of the portion size that you consume to a degree, though that is not the true goal of LBS. It will help with the feelings of uncontrolled hunger, and offer a feeling of fullness faster then you might have them now. The band is a tool that you must master. Just like a carpenter or a plumber can call themselves that from day one, but to be a true master of their craft they must master all the tools that they employee in their service. You can be banded and never truly master your band. If you want to be successful and lose and keep that weight off for good then you must make that commitment to mastering the use of this tool. It is not an impossible feat, there is a pre-op and post-op diet that require strict adherence. They consist of mainly liquid diets, and soft mushy foods building up to a regular diet of Protein and vegetables. Take some time and research what the band is all about and see if you are able to make the full commitment that is required of patients under going this surgery. Best of luck to you on your journey.

Congratulations on your incredible weight loss, and happy surgiversary! Why don't you mention it to your family and close friends? I agree with @@AngelaWilliamsMD that it is probably not on their radar. I would bet they will be very happy for you and will give you accolades for your hard work.

Hi, Have you had the sleeve done.. were you on meds at the time? did you lose the weight with the sleeve?

Hello. I had lap band surgery about 2 years ago. Tuesday I found out that I am pregnant. I am kinda worried about my diet related to my band and my baby. I feel very selfish because I DONT want to gain my weight back. I know some weight gain is normal and necessary but I have had 3 children and I have gained 50-60# with each one. I have only .75cc in my band I think that I would be ok but I dont know. Anyone out there that has been pregnant with their band??? What did you do??

Yes, you have swelling and sometimes it takes more than a week. or at least it did for me, been without a fill for month with nothing in my band cuz i couldn't eat or drink for a month. But, your sweet spot (well mine is) when i can't eat or drink well i can barley get ice chips and water down, that is when i lost a ton of weight, i went a year like that not eating anything but some soup and water got down to 130 too.

Well I wouldn't say everything is ok, i still have drainage but the tears are healing. Dr. Maese says that it wasn't caused by the band and the doctors at Parkland say they don't know what caused it. So, I can't blame the bad just my poor eating. I want to loose the rest of my weight and its a struggle because i don't want to get a fill yet and i want to maintain at least were i'm at now without any restriction because that is truly what the band is for to teach how to eat small portions and healthy food. I know that it might seem extreme what i did, but i'm sure other bandsters have been thru some sort of bulimia and anorexia, it comes with the turff, Good luck on your weight lose and drink your shakes and take them vitamins.

Hi everyone, I have done quite well since my surgery on May 15th. I've lost 38 pounds without a fill. It may not seem like much to some but to me....this is awesome. The thing is, I haven't lost anything in the last three weeks. A few things could be the cause. 1. I've started weight training and cardio at the gym (with a trainer) 2. I haven't been overly strict in my eating (eating bad foods) 3. It could be time for my first fill. I have been very good with the amount I eat and how I chew it, therefore haven't had many "stuck" episodes. I am scared that if I get a fill, I may start seeing more "stuck" episodes and I don't look forward to that. Should I just wait it out and see what happens this week, or should I just book for my first fill?

Hockeymom, Your doing great! Keep up the good work! I am also losing slowly but steadily. I haven't reached that elusive "green zone" just yet. I've had 3 fills and I'm at 5.5 in a 10cc band I think a tiny fill next time might get me there. Either way though I'm happy that I am eating less, and moving more, and I know that the weight I have lost is NEVER coming back!!! I'm not gonna let it!

Dewron, you said in jest that you need a brain band. But the truth is, and I'm sure you know this, that being banded is as much, if not more, about changing your relationship with food. The band is just a tool to curb the appetite, but you have to put in the tough emotional work, and it's not easy. Do you have a nutritionist or support group that you attend? I actually started to go to Weight Watchers again, just for the weekly accountability and the support. My leader knows I have a band, but i likely wont tell the other members. She told me she has had many weight loss surgery people in her group im not pushing WW at all but i encourage you to find some kind of support system It could help get you on the path to happiness.

SO I have not posted in a while and just want go give an update. I am down 70 lbs since surgery day (7 months a go) and I feel great! I have 50 lbs to loose before graduation in June and I am determined to hit the goal. With determination and support anything is possible!!!:thumbup:

Good afternoon All! I finally made it - I am down to 196 pounds - officially in ONEDERLAND!!!! I got a fill recently (that's what helped me make it) because my weight had been stuck for 6 weeks at 205. The hunger was back, I was starting to be able to eat more (and badly) and I was not ready to quit losing yet. Some friends and even a couple of family members said I was small enough - since I was now wearing size 16's and even a few 14W's, and they didn't want me to get "too thin". I really don't know what "too thin" would be for me, since I've been fighting my weight since I was 9 years old. Yep, you read that right... When I was 9, my mother took me to the doctor for a normal school physical and because she was concerned about my weight. My father and mother (God rest their souls) were both heavy. What I did not know at the time was that heart disease ran in my family and my mother was worried about the path I was on. The doctor told her (and me) that I needed to be careful about my weight gain or I would be at 200 pounds when I turned 18. Overachiever that I am, I made it at age 16...some of you will understand this - it was very HARD going through high school being overweight. My height saved me a little, but not enough. I could never wear the same clothes that my friends wore, could never seem to get the attention from the same guys that my friends talked to, etc, etc, etc. Now I'm at my lightest weight since I was 16 years old, and I'm ecstatic! :huh2: I went shopping for new pants last night, since the smallest size I had in my closet was an 18. Thank goodness for belts - I could make sure they didn't fall down, but they were really baggy! I went to Lane Bryant, because I knew they carried tall sizes pretty regularly, and since I'm 5' 11" tall, I definately NEED tall pants! I fit into their new Right Fit sizes at a Yellow 2. That means approximately a size 16, made for a body that is straighter from waist to hip. That was a revelation - I'd been buying the Red pants - sized for a body with more of a waist-to-hip difference. Getting the right size was amazing! Most pants had been baggy in the seat for me, totally not flattering, but these fit beautifully! No bagging, no sagging, and I could BREATHE in them! I'm in such a giddy state at the store, I bought two pairs of dress pants and a pair of jeans! The wonderful thing about the band is that I know I'm not done yet - I want to get down to around 165 (100 lbs lost) before I say I'm done...that, or to get off all my diabetes meds, which ever comes first. I was so happy about the new pants - I ran right home and showed my husband. His enthusiastic reaction let me know I had found the right size! I also got measured for new bras while I was there, since the store wasn't very busy. When I started this journey, I was wearing a 40K (yes, that's a K) and had to buy my bras overseas because very few places in the U.S. carried them. I left the store with a brand new size - 38DDD / 38F size prescription! :tt1: I'm not going to go hog-wild crazy buying clothes just yet...I'll get enough to carry me through, because there is definately plastic surgery in my future...I believe my true size right now (sans extra skin) would be around a 14, maybe even a 12, but I believe I need to hold my weight loss for a while before investigating plastic surgery. I'll definately post again when that process begins! If you are reading this and you're not yet banded, please do your research and make a quality decision on what's right for you. The band was definately the right choice for me! If you are reading this and you are struggling with your band, don't give up! Talk to your doctor, the nutritionist, whoever you need to in order to get the help and support you need to make the band work for you - and you have to work WITH the band. If you are making good progress and loving your banded life as I am, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! I was banded in November 08 and it's now September 09 and I've lost 69 pounds. Allowing for recovery time from surgery, my weight loss really started in January 09 - that's when I got serious. I'm planning to be at my goal weight before the end of 2009, and with the help of my doctor, my family and my friends online and offline, I know I'll make it!

Surgery date: 2-16-13 Dr. Garcia Starting weight 232 Goal weight 155 Current weight 155......... Soooooo Happy ......this feels awesome!

I can't wait like I only eat because I'm always so hungry so I hope I lose that hunger and if I can live off very little I'll lose weight quickly and save money on food I'm currently stocking up on protein powders ready for my pre-op diet i can't wait to have a new life!!

Congrats.. Can you tell what surgery you had and what starting weight plz

the other day i met with trainer i had years ago. she said i looked great etc. etc. - can't hear that enough. but, turns out she is quitting, and i was her last client - go out with the best, right??? yesterday met w/new trainer/ a guy. he was amazing - all trainers teach differently, he was much stricter/kept me busy, "break" between exercises weights we walked the track - it was great, heart kept beating away. very excited to continue - next class on saturday. its been a long time since i did the eliptical, used to do it for 45 minutes. did 5 minutes yesterday!!! OMG i have to get back on that horse, slowly should have done this months ago, never too late - this is the beginning of a journey with exercise, something i knew i should have done long time ago. not gonna beat myself over the head, past is past. NEWBIES - start exercising as soon as you are allowed - walking is always good at the beginning if you've been sleeved for a while, its never too late too start exercising

Its entirely normal, everyone here has gone through it (and wondered why). They were pumping IV fluids into you and your body is healing, give it 2 - 3 weeks. From personal experience and everything I've read on these message boards I wouldn't even bother with the scale until 3 weeks have passed. If you eat too few calories (which I assume is the case -- I couldn't get over 600 calories in 1 day for over a week after the surgery) then your body goes into starvation mode and you stop losing, believe it or not you need to eat in order to lose weight, when I got up to about 1000 calories a day I started losing.

I am only 2 days post-op. Went in at 250, now I weigh 256! I haven't had anything solid in me for over a week, and now I'm only drinking about 2 oz every couple of hours (its all I can choke down). I have heard all these stories about people who lost a great deal of weight in their first couple of weeks. I understand that the 6 extra pounds has to be water weight...how do I get it to start coming off? Btw, I'm walking 30 or more minutes a day. I can't walk 30 all at once, so I break it down into 10 minute walks.

@truth85 you will be ok you can lose the weight relax you'll be gud

Hi, Pals. For those who are a bit further ahead of me, I was wondering if you could help answer two questions. My surgery was August 29th so I just came home from hospital yesterday. First-hand I weighed myself on the morning of the surgery and after the 2-week liver shrinking diet and the two day liquid diet- my weight going into surgery was 231. I weighed myself this morning and I have shot back up to 244.5. And I have "eaten" ok not clear liquids and protein shakes since surgery. I was thinking this may be bloating and trapped gas, but not sure. Did anyone else have this? When did you start to see the weight decline? Second questions- when I try to wear my contacts post surgery, my vision is blurry. The pain reliever they gave me is a narcotic pain reliever and it seems to dialate my eyes. I can see a bit better in my glasses, but prefer contacts. Stuff up close is quite blurry. Did anyone else experience this and if so, what did you do- or did it just go away? Thank you!

I started pretty much EXACTLY where you are. My surgery was 07/08/2011. 200 pounds was my goal weight, but 8 months post op, I was at 185. When I was at 200, I still was carrying too much fat, so I didn't go into maintenance mode until then. I bounce between 180 and 190 now 2+ years later. Sizing was a wild trip. My clothes fit fine for the first 40 pounds, which was so disappointing. But then, things started changing. Middle of September, I was in a 40 pants. 2 weeks later, 38. Month after that, 36. Two weeks later, 34. Shirt sizes dropping just as rapidly. I now wear a medium shirt and a 32 pant. It is difficult to wrap my mind around, but that is the reality. Thinking you will be an XL with a 40 waist is big man thinking. I can pretty much guarantee you will be much leaner than that. If you go to my gallery under my profile, you can see my before and after pics. Have you read THIS thread?

Right there with you. Granted my stresses weren't nearly as tragic as yours [my condolences, really, I can't imagine,] I too fell off the bandwagon and gained weight back over the last year [50lbs] and am now working to get back on track. Good luck! I know you can do it :]