Reno or N. Nevada Bandsters out there???

[nvalicia 0]

I have a question for those of you who have been banded already. I had my first fill at the doctors office on Wednesday and the nurse said that i had to be on liquids for about 3 days as I was walking out. After the liquids do I have to go to mushies and then solids? I would appreciate any help.

[SheShe 0]

She told me the same thing. I felt no restriction or anything so the LD again was killin me, once It was done I just moved onto solids.. But I was very careful and chew chew chewed!..

[Success in lapband 0]

I have never felt restriction after a fill and move VERY rapidly back onto solid food and have only ever ever ever been "stuck" once.

That "once" was right after surgery 2-3 days and I totally forgot that I was "banded" and I ate cold fried chicken.

It was my first experience of getting stuck and it scared the hell out of me and I was in alot of pain. But I spit, spit snd spit and it passed...

~pam

[Success in lapband 0]

FUDGE!!!!!

And do I mean "fudge" and lots and lots of it!

I went on a 7 day cruise and I thought/and prayed my band would kick in and protect me from the 24 hour buffets. Well I hope I did not gain as much weight as I would have without the band.

As a whole.... typically "unbanded" people gain 2+ pounds EACH day they are on a cruise. OMG!

I did notice that my pants don't fit so I am not planning on weighing in for a couple weeks.

I am pretty excited to get my next fill, hopefully that will be the "magic" fill; that will be my answer I am looking for.

[girlygirlz 0]

Hi Pam, sounds like you had fun on the cruise. You are smart not to weigh yourself too soon after getting home. I don't have much on my profile (or whatever you call it) because I am pretty clueless when it comes to the internet. I don't know how to upload pictures and I tried to do a ticker once and couldn't figure it out. I have three kids ages 14, 12 and 5 and have been married for 23 years. I have been fighting my weight all my life but was never really overweight until after my first pregnancy (I just thought I was fat- I am 5'5" and my top weight was 150 and a size ten but I wanted to be 120 and a size 5!) I was forever dieting to get to the skinny stage and could not accept that my body is happier with a little cushion. I gained about 70 pounds with my first pregnancy and thought oh well I will just diet afterwards. I got within 10 pounds of pre-pregnacy weight and then got pregnant again! After second pregnancy I went to a diet Doctor and got down to about 160 on medifast but with my goal in sight I just quit! The last few years I have not been able to stay on any diet at all! I just think part of me rebelled from all the years of dieting and My subconscious said forget it it won't work! I think part of getting the band for me is that it gives me hope that there is something out there that will really work. The rest of my family are fit and thin. The kids are all into sports and burn off the calories. I do worry about my 14 year old though because she has a lot of bad eating habbits that she is able to get away with now because she is young and athletic. Hopefully she will stay active. I currently weigh 215 and have an official goal of 135 but 150 would be great!:whoo:

[Success in lapband 0]

Well it is 1 week post cruise and I have to still lose 5 more pounds.

What the heck was I thinking?

I am looking VERY FORWARD to my next fill (I think in all reality I may be experiencing some restriction)

When I drink tooooooo quick I can TOTALLY feel really over stuffed until some of the Water drains into my bigger stomach, so there has got to be a band there.

So I am hoping that maybe exciting times are coming!!

[girlygirlz 0]

Five pounds is not that bad especially if you had fun! Just stick to your program and it will come off soon!

[katerzz 4]

Pam...

have you discussed with the doctor having a larger band put in place? I would think they could do more for you then tell you there isn't anything they can do heh. It doesn't seem like you are eating much.. but are you actually get your 60-65 grams of Protein in? do you do Protein Drinks? That makes a HUGE difference in my weight loss.

I had to take off a year of loosing for my first baby so I ended up gaining 70 lbs back.. but was able to loose it before getting pregnant with #2. After this one is born I will get back on the bandwagon of sticking to it and finally loosing the rest of my weight. I just seem to be ok with where I am now.. I am not skinny but I feel good and that's what I care about. I know if I don't do protein I don't loose much weight, if I do 1 or 2 protein drinks a day, I tend to loose quickly.

[Success in lapband 0]

I noticed tonight that "sometimes" I can eat very little and get very full very quick.

For example tonight we ate out at Chop Stix~I don't usually have intentions on eating smaller portions because I usually just eat "normal" portions. AND it is always after-the-fact that I notice that I ate a smaller portion and stopped eating.

But back to dinner~we ate at Chop Stix and I ate some of those dry puffy white air noodles they serve with eggrolls, I dabbed the noodles in hot mustard (my band loves hot and spicy~onions, tabasco, salsa, hot mustard) I liked spicy before but NEVER like this. I then ate 1/2 eggroll, a couple bites of vegtables, a few bites of chicken and 2 steamed shrimp and a bite of a cookie. I was full and on the way out to the car I thought "hey" hmmmmmm that went okay~

So does anybody ever eat stuff that they can eat very little of and they get full? I want to start to eat JUST THAT LIST!

Or does anybody have a list of the items that they can eat unlimited quantities of? Possibly I am eating the wrong foods.

I am going to search on Lapband a food list.

Katerzz No I usually do not drink Protein Shakes because they told me to NOT drink my food, even though I could absolutely entertain the idea to have Keva juice daily. Bulls eye sugar free with 2 scoops of Protein Powder would suit me very nicely, but I heard that would be a no-no.

Let me know your thoughts~I am open for any suggestions/ideas/thoughts.

I am not making this up I swear! And I am not sneaking pure sugar and wondering why this does not work. I don't experience restriction and I am hungry so therefore I eat.

[katerzz 4]

Who told you NOT To drink your food!? that is CRAZY talk to your doctor!!! Western Surgical is VERY PRO-Protein drinks and if you go to any of their classes, even their post op classes they will say the same.

And, I don't mean Keva juice, anything with sugar is generally NOT a good idea. It may have 60 grams of Protein, but that doesnt do any good when your drinking a cup of sugar at the same time. Try going to costco and buying their protein, I mix it with Milk and when I skip protein, I dont loose weight. Also, keep in mind that your body can only process about 25g of protein at once. The one I use from costco is 2 scoops of chocolate, in 6-8 ounces of milk. I use the magic bullet (blender would work fine) to blend it so it isnt chunky and it does WONDERS. It not only curves my appetite so that I'm not picking at things all day.. it also seems to fill in much needed protein which allows for the fat to roll off. Energy, etc. i could go on and on.

Dr. Ganser also mentioned that you (we) can order mixes from their office directly, but I always liked the one from costco so I had no need to order it from them.

who is your surgeon again? Have you seen the "back on track" classes that western surgical has? maybe that would be your best bet. it would seem weird for you not to get more help from them.. have you talked to your surgeon or JUST lori? I dont let lori or melissa do my fills because I personally believe I get more out of my visits with my doctor doing them. (granted its a fight to get them to schedule the fills with the surgeon, but he has always told me he is ok with it)

and, yes there is easier foods.. it varies from person to person. Anything with high calories, high sugars you need to just stay away from.. just like any other diet. Icecream is BAD as far as im concerned, even if its weight watchers.... i eat just about everything just in moderation.. for example I eat icecream MAYBE once a month. I usually tend to try to stay away from carbs, sugar etc. If I want sugar I eat 2 cookies.. not 5. I know I can "fit" 5 cookies.. but I know I don't need 5, 2 works just fine. There is nothing I DONT eat (except things I dont actually like) there are just things I tend to stay away from unless I really want it, and I try to make myself wait at least a couple days to make sure thats what I really want.

Junk food is usually easier to get down.. and harder to get off.

if you get restriction sometimes.. my best bet would be you are eating the foods that are "easy" to get down. Example: i can eat chips to my heart content, yet a I cannot eat an entire cooked chicken breast. which is better for my weight loss? The key is not to "test" yourself... start out with half of a "normal" portion. Chances are you can eat that and you wont be hungry afterwards. Eating less may surprise you.. after surgery I was still able to eat my 2 cheeseburger meal from Macdonald's with a 6 piece nugget and large fry. One day I decided the crap wasn't helping so now instead I order a happy meal. I get my "fix" of junk food and it is PLENTY. Now even my husband, who is 240 lbs and NOT banded orders a happy meal too. We looked it up.. a happy meal is actually a normal portion for an "adult" so I think everyones out look on what is "normal" is NOT NORMAL.

Oh, and for eating different foods.. like spicy in theory you have to actually chew your food, enjoy your food and limit what you can eat so your tastes buds decide they like the better food.

I really think from reading your posts that you are getting a lot of mis information and I cannot begin to understand why at this point. Western Surgical is pretty straight across the board as to what they want their patients to do, so I'm not sure where things got messed up on your end. I really hope to help you figure it out so that you can actually use the tool you worked so hard for. If you really really want this (which I am sure you do!) then work for it. Don't give up and don't let this beat you.

You should really schedule an appointment for your surgeon.. tell him your thoughts, your concerns and what you really want out of this. Write down all the questions you have.. the "what should i be eating" etc. GET ANSWERS but not from people ONLINE get them from western surgical so you can be successful. Call their office and go to their getting back on track class.. this will give you foundation and ground work to start out with. Go to their seminars, and find out what they tell pre-banded patients what they can eat. then stick with that stuff. Be proactive and don't let them stop you.

[uniqueone 0]

Who told you NOT To drink your food!? that is CRAZY talk to your doctor!!! Western Surgical is VERY PRO-Protein drinks and if you go to any of their classes, even their post op classes they will say the same.

And, I don't mean Keva juice, anything with sugar is generally NOT a good idea. It may have 60 grams of Protein, but that doesnt do any good when your drinking a cup of sugar at the same time. Try going to costco and buying their protein, I mix it with Milk and when I skip protein, I dont loose weight. Also, keep in mind that your body can only process about 25g of protein at once. The one I use from costco is 2 scoops of chocolate, in 6-8 ounces of milk. I use the magic bullet (blender would work fine) to blend it so it isnt chunky and it does WONDERS. It not only curves my appetite so that I'm not picking at things all day.. it also seems to fill in much needed protein which allows for the fat to roll off. Energy, etc. i could go on and on.

Dr. Ganser also mentioned that you (we) can order mixes from their office directly, but I always liked the one from costco so I had no need to order it from them.

who is your surgeon again? Have you seen the "back on track" classes that western surgical has? maybe that would be your best bet. it would seem weird for you not to get more help from them.. have you talked to your surgeon or JUST lori? I dont let lori or melissa do my fills because I personally believe I get more out of my visits with my doctor doing them. (granted its a fight to get them to schedule the fills with the surgeon, but he has always told me he is ok with it)

and, yes there is easier foods.. it varies from person to person. Anything with high calories, high sugars you need to just stay away from.. just like any other diet. Icecream is BAD as far as im concerned, even if its weight watchers.... i eat just about everything just in moderation.. for example I eat icecream MAYBE once a month. I usually tend to try to stay away from carbs, sugar etc. If I want sugar I eat 2 cookies.. not 5. I know I can "fit" 5 cookies.. but I know I don't need 5, 2 works just fine. There is nothing I DONT eat (except things I dont actually like) there are just things I tend to stay away from unless I really want it, and I try to make myself wait at least a couple days to make sure thats what I really want.

Junk food is usually easier to get down.. and harder to get off.

if you get restriction sometimes.. my best bet would be you are eating the foods that are "easy" to get down. Example: i can eat chips to my heart content, yet a I cannot eat an entire cooked chicken breast. which is better for my weight loss? The key is not to "test" yourself... start out with half of a "normal" portion. Chances are you can eat that and you wont be hungry afterwards. Eating less may surprise you.. after surgery I was still able to eat my 2 cheeseburger meal from Macdonald's with a 6 piece nugget and large fry. One day I decided the crap wasn't helping so now instead I order a happy meal. I get my "fix" of junk food and it is PLENTY. Now even my husband, who is 240 lbs and NOT banded orders a happy meal too. We looked it up.. a happy meal is actually a normal portion for an "adult" so I think everyones out look on what is "normal" is NOT NORMAL.

Oh, and for eating different foods.. like spicy in theory you have to actually chew your food, enjoy your food and limit what you can eat so your tastes buds decide they like the better food.

I really think from reading your posts that you are getting a lot of mis information and I cannot begin to understand why at this point. Western Surgical is pretty straight across the board as to what they want their patients to do, so I'm not sure where things got messed up on your end. I really hope to help you figure it out so that you can actually use the tool you worked so hard for. If you really really want this (which I am sure you do!) then work for it. Don't give up and don't let this beat you.

You should really schedule an appointment for your surgeon.. tell him your thoughts, your concerns and what you really want out of this. Write down all the questions you have.. the "what should i be eating" etc. GET ANSWERS but not from people ONLINE get them from western surgical so you can be successful. Call their office and go to their getting back on track class.. this will give you foundation and ground work to start out with. Go to their seminars, and find out what they tell pre-banded patients what they can eat. then stick with that stuff. Be proactive and don't let them stop you.

Katerzz,

I agree with everything you say here; I do get my fills from Laurie and have never had any problem with doing that. She's always listened and given me what I felt I needed. I'm at 2.8 right now and that seems to be working really well at this point. I have ordered and still drink the protein mix we had for the pre-op diet. I order the vanilla and mix all kinds of nonfatty things with it like different syrups, etc. Sometimes I even put a banana in it and that's my Breakfast.

I'm with you especially about the protein. If I get enough protein I am NOT hungry in between meals and at night which was my real downfall preband. It's AMAZING to me how easily Cookies, etc. go down!! Good reason for me just to stay away from them.

You have done fabulously in your weight loss! Way to go!

What an INSPIRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Success in lapband 0]

Katerzz

Thank you for your note.

I called Western Bariatric today and left messages for the Nutritionist for that class.

I was VERY food consciencious today and really am going to make a HUGE effort on eating more "dry" foods and less sauces with my entrees; maybe there is too much "juice" or liquid associated with what I am eating.

I am also going to DO variety eating, which to me means different foods a couple times each day.

I bought whey Protein from Walmart so I am going to do a 25 mg of Protein Shake tomarrow AM. However with the liquid theory I am concerned that I might get hungry before lunch...(we will keep notes)

I am not KNOWINGLY cheating! Well sometimes OBVIOUSLY by eating chips from mexican restaurant and Cookies etc. but on a whole I am not intentionally eating in a fashion to "cheat" the band.

Yes dry crumbly goes down just fine.

I sure hope the liquid thing is the answer.

I will keep you posted; thanks for the eye opener!

[girlygirlz 0]

Well it has been almost five days and I had hoped to feel better by now. I am extremely bloated and have awful shoulder pain. Did any of you go through this? My husband thinks I should call Western Bariatric but from what I have seen the shoulder pain is fairly common. The scary thing is that it can last a lot longer than a few days though.:faint:

[Success in lapband 0]

Yes what you are going through is normal. As a matter of fact I looked at a picture 2 days post of and I looked like a huge balloon because of the bloating. The shoulder pain is from the gas they used to inflate you; to do the surgery and it usually settles in the shoulder before it subsides. Try a heating pad and I can't remember the other homeopathic remedy (look on this website for ideas).

I remember kinda that the shoulder gas pain came and went inconsistently for about 2 weeks, then completely was gone (thank god!).

But you did it!!!!!! Yahoooooo!!! Congrats! Sincerely!

Best thing you probably ever did for yourself right?

My port also hurt a little for awhile so I pushed it in while I walked to subdue with the ache.

Update on me? I think I hit restriction (but I always say that after a fill)

Your next issue will be possibly that you are going to be hungry and anxious for a fill and you must wait 4-6 weeks for a fill and you are going to be nervous your gonna gain all your weight back. ~Hang in there~you will get there. !!!!!!What an exciting Christmas present to yourself!!!! I am sooooo excited for you.

~Write me back ~with your update.

How tall are you? If you are 5'3 or thereabouts do you want some of my clothes? What size do you currently wear?

[girlygirlz 0]

Hi Pam, thanks for the info. I hope my pain goes away by two weeks. It sounds like you and I are pretty close in size. I am 5'5" and am a size 18w but I hope to be a size 16w after all the bloating goes down. We should get together after the Holidays. It would be great to meet in person.