Lap band as a tool

[Dia 0]

Hi everyone, I LOVE this board, way more organized than elsewhere I've read. I only wish I'd stumbled upon this board sooner. I have a surgery date of Wed, 3/19 @ 6:00 am. On the pre-op clear liquid diet now, with SlimFast Optima 3x/day and am having difficulty not cheating. Nothing crazy, today I had some Soup and a few slices of lean turkey luncheon meat. I needed it to just keep doing my housework. I really wish I could've done a low carb/high Protein diet to shrink my liver instead of these nasty liquids and sugar free Jello and popsicles. I seem to have a metallic taste in my mouth and I almost would rather starve myself than do this particular diet. Sorry to sound so negative, I'm just hungry!!!

On to my question/concern...I know and get it that the lap band is a tool only, that I have to work it in order to lose weight. I'm wondering if I should join Weight Watchers after I am able to start eating regular foods, after the post-op liquids, mushies, soft food, etc. Have any of you started a formal diet after the band, since the band is only a tool?

Thanks for any advice and your opinions.

[*susan* 1,709]

I know many, many bandsters do ww or track their calories on fitday, sparkpeople, the daily plate, etc. Honestly, I haven't done any of that. I remember when I was talking to my surgeon about getting the band and one of the things we discussed was that I wanted to live my life like a normal person and not count every bite of food I put in my mouth for the rest of my life. Instead, I just try and make healthier food choices, listen to my band and stop eating when it tells me I have had enough.

[Bergdorfblonde 3]

Its a personal choice about how you want to go about your weight loss journey. But just remember the lap band is not a magic quick fix like it is portrayed in the media. You can still overeat things that are liquidy in your mouth (chocolate, icecream) and you can still consume way too many calories so you wont lose weight. I find it helpful to track my calories. I try to eat 400 calories 3 times a day for a total of 1200. I eat whatever I want, as long as the calories are in the range. The cool thing about the lap band is, when you eat 400 calories of food, you are actually very full on this, and don't really want more. I am a very mindless eater and find it helpful to track my calories. Also, the lap band prevents binge eating, as you cant eat tons and tons of food at one sitting. But you still could graze (ie eat little amounts all day) so you should really watch out for that. It couldnt hurt to do a weight loss program, or just make up your own diet. The lap band is a tool, use it to your advantage.

Hi everyone, I LOVE this board, way more organized than elsewhere I've read. I only wish I'd stumbled upon this board sooner. I have a surgery date of Wed, 3/19 @ 6:00 am. On the pre-op clear liquid diet now, with SlimFast Optima 3x/day and am having difficulty not cheating. Nothing crazy, today I had some Soup and a few slices of lean turkey luncheon meat. I needed it to just keep doing my housework. I really wish I could've done a low carb/high Protein diet to shrink my liver instead of these nasty liquids and sugar free Jello and popsicles. I seem to have a metallic taste in my mouth and I almost would rather starve myself than do this particular diet. Sorry to sound so negative, I'm just hungry!!!

On to my question/concern...I know and get it that the lap band is a tool only, that I have to work it in order to lose weight. I'm wondering if I should join Weight Watchers after I am able to start eating regular foods, after the post-op liquids, mushies, soft food, etc. Have any of you started a formal diet after the band, since the band is only a tool?

Thanks for any advice and your opinions.

[jocarojo 0]

my food choices are rather good, I like fruits and vegetables and shy away from junk food.< /p>

My two year old has never seen a McDonalds , although she has a passion for French fries

I need Portion Control and the lap band is ideal for that.

Finally found my airline ticket....

[sobrien32 0]

I'm not knocking WW but my friend goes there. He is thinking about having the Lap Band now that I'm having mine tomorrow. I know he told them about it and they did everything they could to talk him out of it and gave him a hundred reasons why he shouldn't. If you do go I wouldn't tell them you have a band I have a sense that they are anti WLS. Just my expierence. Good luck.

[Dia 0]

No, I definitely wouldn't tell anyone at WW that I had lapband. I don't plan on telling any other people what I'm having done.

I may just keep up with my calories in a food journal and not bother with WW. Just eat what my nutritionist recommends but keep up with it so I can refer to it if I hit a plateau or am having problems losing.

[girlie2shooz 0]

have you ever been with weight watchers, or any other supervised weight loss program? if not then i recommend going. they really have a comprehensive eating regime, what i call normal. they will help you make healthier choices and realize what foods (carbs, Proteins, fats) really make a difference in your health. portion sizes, healthy fats, vegetables, etc. if eating easy foods has been your habit then weight watchers may be a good place to start to educate yourself with good eating habits to help succeed with the band. g2s

[JosieK 120]

hi dia,

weight watchers does have a great balanced way of eating. i have not found i needed something like this after being banded. if i did need it...i would certainly have done it.

i have a friend who is a WW meeting leader. she told me the WW organization is not opposed to lapband. they really focus on people learning how to eat in a healthy way.

i was surprised because i thought they may have been against it.

i will tell you i still belong to the WW online boards. i actually find the members more supportive there altho' they dont really understand LB.

so i go there when i struggle with night eating, etc.

one thing for me that was critical since i was banded was to get into a great exercise program. i feel this has kept me on track or better yet...got me on track when i "fell off the wagon"

good luck with your surgery...i'm sure you will be happy.

[Dia 0]

Oh yes, I'm very familiar with WW. I can't count how many times I've joined over the years. A few times I did really good on it. But mostly, I felt deprived and didn't like the weight coming off so slow. However, I think it could be an advantage to me after my band. I won't feel deprived because I won't be able to eat that much anyway. That's kind of how I have it figured in my mind.

I'm very committed to eating a lot of Protein, fruits and veggies. I know "white" food (bread, Pasta, etc) and sweets should be kept to a very minimum, especially until I can get control of my mind and the way I deal with food. Hopefully, after a certain point I won't want it any more. What I would really just love, is that I can go from someone who lives to eat to someone who only eats to live. That would be awesome.

[jbflorida 1]

I see that ice cream, chocolate, milkshakes go down easily and will put the weight back on....but those Snacks are not a problem for me. I am a chip eater--potato chips, Doritoes, pretzels--give me something that crunches! Question--how does the band take to those? (I am hoping you tell me either that chips will make me sick, or that I can have 5 and that's all the band will allow....)

not banded yet.....still asking questions....jb

[sldeems 0]

JBFlorida, where are you from? I live in Melbourne, will be having my surgery wtih Dr. Fusco at LifeShape Bariatrics... talked to them today, submittal goes to insurance today, she said my BC/BS of IL turns it around really fast, so I'm hoping to get a date scheduled here soon!

Sandy