LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Hello, I'm new to this site and having my surgery on the 11. I was wondering which Protein shakes are the best out there with maximum protein yet low in carbs and sugar.....I would really appreciate your suggestion as I'm not sure which one to go for. Also what is the recommended grams of protein you are suppose to take with the band each day? Thanks guys

Hi, I was banded in nov 2012, I've lost 50 ish lbs. I'm currently in a plateau. Im frustrated but I know if I keep up what I'm doing, it's going to go. I just had another fill and I think I'm really feeling restriction - finally!! I'll admit I've indulged here and there, but I try to choose my indulgence. It's not easy. I don't anything except Protein drinks and Water. Anything else tastes nasty now! Weird huh? I have had only one hamburger since oct 2012, one fry which I couldn't stomach, and the best thing is that I'm eating sooooooo much better..!!!! More chicken, fish and veggies!!! Yes I had wls, but it's a tool. You still have to watch what you eat. …

Now that its been a month since I was banded, possible fill 1/22, I've also decided to go partial vegetarian. If I can't handle bacon, ham, or pork (and do not eat steak, seafood or fish), I had to find foods higher in Protein. I've found sliced veggie soy that is to be "turkey" or "bologna" deli slices. I can have one slice and a tablespoon of hummus spread on. I've recently been asked 100 questions about "what's that?", no pizza, chips, etc etc etc. I finally said its not in my diet. I was a little overwhelmed I was being hassled over food!!! I didn't hassle anyone asking why two slices of pizza, a plate of Doritos, 2 cups a soda!!!! Co-workers had that, I had hu…

Anyone out there from lower Delaware (Dover and south) interested in being part of a LB Support Group? Doesn't seem to be anything down our way and I could sure use the support and am willing to organize.

I was banded in April, 2010. I have lost 110 pounds, and am happy with my weight right now. My band was loosened about two months ago, and my eating has normalized (I was vomiting 4-5 times a day when my band was too tight). Now, however, whenever I eat too much or too fast, I get a horrible wheeze that sounds like advanced asthma, and my voice gets a weird strangling sound to it. I usually have to violently burp to feel better, and sometimes even that doesn't work. Any ideas?

In Feb it will be 1 year since i been banded the first couple months were crazy i lost slow at first then it started falling off i have been on a major long plateau for months with LBS but not inches thankfully i know its not always about the LBS but rather inches but i would love to see the LBS drop so i can finally get to my goal i hope before 2015 rolls around and at my 2 yr i can say HEY IVE BEEN AT MY GOAL WEIGHT lol i know eventually ill get there i have came a long way and its hard to see change when i still have my fat vision contact lenses glued to my eyeballs people tell me all the time wow you lost a lot of weight etc etc but i cant wait to see it for my…

Curious, how long have you been banded and if not anymore how come?

I was just wondering how many of you got the extra step with your Lapband, the I-band? My doctor did it on me and said it really makes the Lapband surgery more beneficial. So I was just curious if anyone has had it done.

Hi everyone. Today I got the final approval for bariatric surgery from my insurance company. For the last 2 months I've been certain that I want to go w the lap band. When I was meeting w the committee today they recommended the sleeve and said I will have a better quality of life afterwards. I've done a of research and I still think I'm going to go with the band. Can some of you tell me why you chose the band over the sleeve. Thank you.

Help....I had my band emptied after being in the hospital with severe asthma/respiratory problems. Going to have my band removed and hoping for a sleeve. But Dr. won't do surgery till my lungs are in better shape. Meanwhile, I'm on meds, breathing machine and suffering from asthma type symptoms. Anyone else with advice or the same problems. I can't take much more but have to wait till my insurance kicks in on Feb 1st. Ugh

I'm at that point post-op now that I'm trying to switch from protein shakes to more solid forms of protein. I know most of it should come from the foods that I eat but I am still requiring some supplementing. My surgeon prefers that we switch to protein bars at this point rather than the shakes so I was wondering....what are your favorite protein bars?

I feel depressed I have lost my job and the life I thought I would have post band had not happened.... I am now 14st 6lbs and feel like shit.....I seem to be able to cheat the band....or more like cheat myself.... I suffer social anxiety when I am out eating and cannot cope with the stress of eating out with friends....however when I am home I can eat..... I have stayed away from the chips and fast food...I missed bread rolls with cheeses, salad and onion....I seem to have become a terrible eater..... I am back on Monday to my nurse...I have 6.25mls in a 10ml band...she is now saying I may have to get it all emptied if I do not lose weight as the band does not wor…

Hey everyone I was wondering if when ur surgeon placed you on your pre op diet if you struggled in the beginning. And if u had cravings for something how did u suffice it?

Do you feel like your emotions are complicated and confusing – especially since you started on your lap-band journey? If you’ve struggled to understand why you feel or react the ways you do, even before your lap band surgery, then you might benefit from using a journal. Journaling can help you to identify and express your feelings throughout your journey, and will help to increase self-understanding, which can help you to increase your success before, during and after surgery. Once you learn to identify and deal with your feelings in positive and productive ways, you have opened the door to greater self-understanding. Jotting down what's going on with you and how you fe…

Lapband coffee Group – Brampton Monday, January 13th – 7:00 p.m. Second Cup (Located in the Longo’s Plaza) 7700 Hurontario Street, Building E, Unit 504 Brampton, ON The Lapband Coffee Groups are open to EVERYONE who has had Lapband Surgery or if you’re looking into the lapband process, recently banded, or a long time "Bandster". This is a great way to find out about the lapband from individuals who have had the surgery and to ask questions or just listen to individuals share their lapband journey experience. No need to sign up… just show up and if you can’t find the group ask for Tom at the cash register. If you have any questions before the co…

I've registered to do my first 5k!! I've always wanted to do something like this but my weight has held me back. Now that I'm almost a month after banding, I've lost a total 24.6 lbs and are more motivated now!! I've dropped almost two pant sizes. I am so happy and feel I now can set higher goals. I've had friends ask me to do a 5k or similar before AMD have always declined.

So as suspected I found out I have a leak. Who does this happen to? Me that's who. I go in on Monday and find out if they can find it but unfortunately it looks like I am going to have surgery again. Booooo. I am so sad, good news is that even though I am at a stand still with losing weight and have had this horrible set back, I continue to lose inches and can see the results of my new lifestyle (working out, smaller portions). I am down pretty much fifty pounds from 229 lbs. to 181 lbs. I work out 5 days a week and feel better than I have in years. I hope this is a temporary hick up and I will still succeed. Maybe I will do better than originally because I believe my ba…

Please do not reply to this thread if you have any form of criticism or anything negative to say to me. I had lap band surgery in 2009. Everything was great until 2011. I got glandular fever and lost too much weight so I was very skinny. The port ended up eroding through my stomach because I was so thin and it was literally on the outside of my body. I walked around like that for well over a month with no problems. Eventually it was getting difficult to even drink anything so I went to the hospital and they cut off the port. Without a port my band was rendered virtually useless. Over the course of a year I put on 20kg and was very, very unhappy. Then I had a new port put…

I wanted to post this so that you know that this can happen. I had my surgery done in another state, and I was having the aftercare provided by a clinic in Lewiston, Idaho. The gal there suggested a very aggressive fill amount. I was unsure, but agreed after she told me about some previous fills she'd done on other patients with similar needs. I had terrible trouble with reflux in the following days, but because of the holidays, I had trouble getting in to see a doctor. Since I could get Water down fine, I didn't feel that I needed to go to the ER. The following week, I paid over 2000 to get some help from a doctor. When he unfilled me there was a full cc more than …

Any of you had to have a plastic surgery for the lose skin on the neck under the chin ?

I stopped drinking cokes about 4 months before I got my lapband in Dec of last year. I have maybe taken 2 sips since, but all the sudden I am craving a coke so bad! What does everyone drink other then water to help with cravings?

Has anyone had a lap band replaced due to numerous prolapse and experienced prolapses again with the second band?

So yesterday I had a xray done to confirm weather I have a Realize band or a LapBand AP standard. My Dr actually had both in my surgery note. Anyway My Xray showed I have a tilted band. The office called to see if I was having any problems eating, or with.nausea. I am not, so they want me to get an upper gi on friday to check it again. Not sure what this means. Please help.

I got banded on March 19th, 2013. I rapidly lost 34 lbs. I'm struggling because I gained about 20 lbs. back. I've had adjustments, a bunch actually and I'd love to have support to get me back on the right track!!!

I got banded March 2013. While I rapidly lost 34 lbs., I gained about 20 back. I've had a bunch of fills with the band now being 75% full. I don't know why I'm always hungry. I know I need to be more consistent at the gym but should I go back to the basics and do liquids and soft foods like when I first had surgery??? I'm beyond frustrated.

I am going to start the Whole30 program on Monday. My husband and I are going to do it together - he is not banded. I was just wondering if anyone on here has done the program before? Here is an excerpt from the website: What is the Whole30®? Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, sea…

Has anyone else tried the Whole30 My wife and I have completed it twice. After the program we found out that my wife has a wheat intolerance and I am lactose intolerant. I'm wondering if anyone else with a band has tried it and what your experience was. If you are interested I'll place a link at the bottom, it's a very strict program but I can't tell you how amazing I felt at the end of it. http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

Hey everyone....I am writing to tell you about something I am experiencing and wonder if any of you have ever experienced it before and I would like to hear YOUR story!! How you delt or are dealing with the situation, If you have conquered it I want to hear how you feel now. My Story: I have this image of myself. I see myself as a larger person. I don't see myself as a morbidly obese person like my weight and BMI would suggest. I can look at myself in the mirror...see my collar bones, my cheek bones, my picture perfect face if you hold the camera slightly above your head and twist it a tad to the side as if to show the profile of my face. I am okay with what I see...so…

Had an infill 6 weeks ago due to a band slip. I go tomorrow to see if it moved back. I pray it did because I have been out of control! I don't know what's the matter with me! All I keep saying is wow I haven't been able to eat that in 6 years... Yeah so now I'm up 20 lbs in 6 weeks! I am beyond discussed with myself! I can only hope tomorrow shows it went back and they can start filling me again... ????

Well I am finally home after 33 days in the hospital from lap band surgery gone wrong. short version, doctor removed an adhesion from my spleen and I bled out internally for 22 hours until they removed my spleen the next day. Came out from surgery with a ventilator. Has anyone ever heard of this happening before? It has been a very traumatic experience and I am not well yet.

Need some help with on the go meal ideas! Things that can be made ahead of time, etc! Thanks!

I know this may sound weird to everyone, but i started smoking. I was banded August 15, 2013 and it has been succesful, down 70 lbs. and I am feeling great. Then about a month ago I started smoking again. The weird thing is, its been 20 years since I last smoked. Weird. I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else????

Hi all , I started on this forum yesterday and already finding it very helpful ! Does anyone else have a problem eating meat ? if mince or in a Soup ok but otherwise struggle , may manage a couple of teaspoons if that but no more , even that can end up causing me a pain at port sight . I know it is advised you eat Protein first but I struggle big time with meat , fish I can usually manage reasonable amount.

Anytime I have smoothies or something with ice, I get bloated. Does anyone else have this issue?

Three weeks in here! Week one I lost about 9 lbs and week 2 I lost 11. This week (on mushies) I gained a pound. Thoughts? Is my body just being stubborn or maybe the mushies are making it convert everything to fat? I've been eating salmon, protein drinks, low fat cottage cheese and 100 calorie soups mostly.

I'm starting the process of researching doctors to help me with my weightloss journey. I was recommended to Dr. Tilquist in Denver but I can't find much info on him in terms of how patients feel about him, his staff, and the process with him. Has anyone had surgery with him? Does anyone have suggestions for other doctors in the Denver metro area? Thanks so much for any advice on this part of the process!

For some time now, my throat feels heated with slight burning all the time as if it's raw from acid damage. I think I have nasal drip to my throat and I always have to clear my throat. I think I may have trouble with reflux and worried this is damaging my throat. Having an UGI Friday. Some days I can eat fine and other days I can't.

So ive started the process of wls, but my pcm is very anti wls. I changed my pcm today and I have an appointment with my new one...fingers crossed for my referral. If all goes well I should be well on my way to getting to the next step, but just in case this doctor falls through are there anyone who went through NS Mayport as far as referrals? Who did you go through? Thanks in advance.

I had my third fill 3 weeks ago. I thought i was in the green zone. I ate about a cup of food per meal and felt full till the next meal. However this week i have been throwing up a lot of what i eat. But the weird thing is, for the past week I have almost always thrown up when i drink liquids or eat something thats almost a liquid but I don't seem to be throwing up as much with the solid food. If i eat a piece of chicken I'm fine, but if i sip on a glass of juice i run to throw it up. Sometimes the solid food comes up with it from what i have previously eaten but its always the liquid that causes me to throw up. Shouldn't this be opposite? I have never seen this before on…

Happy New Year May banders! We have 4 months until our 1 year bandiversary. How much further do you have until you reach your one year goal? I wanted to lose 100 lbs in a year which would put me at goal weight. I've lost 50 so far. I'm thinking I need to adjust my one year goal at this point because I doubt I will lose the same in only 4 months. Am I depressed about that? Heck no! This is a process and I know I'm well on my way to a healthier me. How is everyone else doing?

I had my band in December 2010 and I still haven't met my goal!!! I lack about 15-20 pounds. I get so frustrated because I know what I should do but I love love love sugar and sweets. It's so much easier to digest than real food! I want more than anything to meet my goal...it's just so hard! Sometimes I'm afraid all of this will have been done in vain and I will fail:( scared:(

Had my first fill 5 days ago (surgery was 7 months ago and down 45 lbs). Today I had a stuck episode and felt the affects all day long. Couldn't eat or drink anything without it coming back up. Now it's the middle of the night and I can't sleep due to acid reflux. I've never had an issue with acid reflux in my life. Is this normal after a fill or is it too tight?

I had the surgery Oct 17. I lost about 20 pounds prior to and while on the preop diet. I lost another 10 during the weeks immediately following surgery. I wasn't sure what I had in my band after the surgery, if anything. Every now and then, I'd get the hiccups while eating and assumed I was one of the lucky ones who would get this soft warning to stop eating. All seemed to be going well but I was starting to notice I could eat more and more. I was so anxious to get my first fill on December 3rd. My doctor removed everything from the band (he said there was 2cc in my band after surgery). He didn't say why he removed everything and I should have asked but didn't. H…

I am a relatively new bander((August 27th). My doctor and my booklet have told me since the beginning to eat three small meals and a protein shake-no snacks in between meals. At my last meeting with my nutritionist, she told me to eat two small meals and a protein shake-no snacks in between meals! I have been losing weight at a steady pace, so I don't understand why I have two different directives. What are others doing?

So I have an amazing woman I work with who has done nothing but encourage me through this journey take pictures of me at my 50 lbs lost. Here is my progress so far. I still have at least another 50-60 lbs that I want to lose.

I don't know if this will make sense to anyone and I am writing it because I need to get it out of my head and into a place I can come back to. But here it goes.......I have been banded since 2008. I lost about 70lbs but I have gained my weight back. Let me clarify...it was NOT the band at fault. It was ME. I went into this thinking "oh man this is it! this is what is going to make me skinny"! Sure I would have to work at it a "little bit" but it's gonna be easy peasey! I mean the band would stop me from eating bad stuff, right?..I have read forums and sure some people needed to work at it, but not me! I knew it all, had a great mindset. I was ready!.....I did great for a…

Howdy! I was banded 5/24/13, and had a weight of 275 before pre-op diet. Much of the weight is emotional baggage being supported by my love of food. In 2013, I decided it was time to finally let go of the baggage for good. As of this morning I was 244.5. 31 pounds! It has made an incredible difference for me, I'm winded less, more energetic and feeling better about myself. I slipped up a lot in December with all the celebrating, but I feel recharged to get back on track. I'm at a weight I have not seen for about 3 years ago, when my mother passed. It was a tough time, but I got through. Next goal is 215, which was seen last about 8 years ago. So close! :-)

This weight loss thing we are all going through is full of observations and insights and I noticed something on New Year's Eve. I went out to dinner with my sister and a friend. I ordered the steak and my sister ordered the fish. I was surprised she ordered the fish...it's not her go-to food. But then again, red meat is not what I eat much either but heck, it was New Year's Eve so I decided to go for it. So...I cut off about 3 ounces of meat from my portion...it was probably about 10 ounces in size but I can eyeball portions pretty well at this point. I finished the piece I cut away and enjoyed it thoroughly. My sister finished her fish and asked me if she could take s…

I want to wish all of you a safe and Happy New Year! I wish you all the gift of health this new year! Thanks to everyone who has helped me through my journey this year. Thanks for your support and guidance! A lot of us had surgery this year to improve our health and some of you are in the process - so cheers to everyone! 2014 will be even better!!!! Good luck & God Bless!

So it's a New Year and, having been banded Dec. 20th, I'm hoping for a new me this year! I thought maybe some of you veteran bandsters might have some advice for every day living with the band? Some of my thoughts so far are that I will pack my lunch for work each day so that I'm not eating in the hospital cafeteria. I'm going to stash a few protein bars in my locker at work for those times when I have "food emergencies". My surgeon doesn't like continued use of protein shakes once you're on solids but I figure a protein shake is better than nothing and WAY better than McDonald's drive thru on those mornings when I'm running late so I'll still keep some of those on hand f…