FLORIDAYS

I am not a Dr.... so please follow your physcian's advice but.... my Dr told me the same thing early on. I havent had a stomach bug in 23 months...I had a fill a week ago Friday. On Monday I couldnt keep anything down and I determined it was a bug.... I gave it a couple days just drinking liquids, soup, protien shakes etc...anything not to irritate my band and it was fine. I only had one episode of throwing up but becasue it was mostly liquid... it didnt seem to be an issue. I thought about it but I didnt get an unfill. Not saying that will work for you but it did for me and I even managed to lose a few lbs. I am back to normal and hopefully that was my bug for the year.

My Dr said I could bath and shower right away. I was allowed to get in the swimming pool or hot tub after one week. There is nothing wrong with calling your Dr to ask. Thats what you are paying him for.

I run into the same problem weekly...all I do is order a Water with lemon or lime and take a few tiny sips while everyone else is downing their 200 calorie drink. I havent been shy about telling people I am dieting so its been no big deal. And since I have lost a ton of weight its pretty obvious. I dont have time for people who think its a problem or are overly concerned with my eating habits and quite honestly it hasnt been a problem for me at all.

How wonderful you are both changing your life to have a stronger healthier one together Congratulations

You want me to tell you to eat it.....sorry no can do...lol That is the beauty of the band.... It's a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling. Hang in there..this too shall pass.

To answer your questions... the time it takes to lose is so individual I can only tell you my story. I am older than you and have spent a lifetimes dieting only to lose and gain and repeat. With the band i have lost 210 lbs in 23 months. The band was a wonderful tool but it only does 70% of the work. You must do the the rest... I ate 1000 calories a day because that's the number which seemed to be most successful for me to lose. My insurance paid nothing. My dr and hospital cost me 10k but then the hospital offered to discount my bill if I paid it off more quickly so the total was $7200 The band will restrict everything you eat from the moment it is implanted. What it restricts is very individual. I have a hard time with rice... Others cannot eat eggs...I can. It's purely subjective. The band will not limit and physical activities once you are healed from surgery. Hope this helps in your quest for info. Feel free to pick my brain anytime.

I don't think it's for everyone but when I starting looking into it I made appointments with 3 drs, did online research and came to a decision based on the facts. The one thing I can tell you is the band isn't a miracle cure. I do not believe you can be successful without dedication and hard work and a commitment to success....well that and a drastic reduction in calories and portions! Best of luck to you.

All you have to say is that you are watching your portions. The less of a big deal you make of it the less your friends will be concerned about it. I have found people just don't care what I am eating.

Every dr has a different regime so wasn't sure where you were in the process. I was just saying that from this day forward you are learning to live with the band...and while you move from liquids to mushies to food it's important to be mindful of your calorie Intake. Since you don't have much restriction to aide you. I am of the mindset that people who don't pay attention to what they are eating when they can start are less likely to see the results early on. That may not be your case. Since You are worried about starting ... all I was saying is to try tracking what you are eating to prevent further gains. I am sure you will start seeing results

I disagree that you shouldnt get on a scale, measure your food and count your calories this early. I am a big advocate to start doing it right away so you do not gain weight. That doesnt mean that during the healing process you shouldnt take care of yourself and focus on healing but I lost 43 lbs from the first day of my pre-op to the day I started back on real foods.. Had I not watched what I ate, followed a calorie plan and measured every poriton while I was healing that wouldnt have been the case and I would have wasted 5 weeks.. I also believe while you are in the losing stage of your journey you are counting calories and making good food choices. Thats a diet. You dont have to call it that if you dont want to but until you get to the green zone you have to "diet" in order to make progress. Once in the green zone the band kicks in and while you still have to make healthy choices, the band will stop you from over eating. Its up to you what you eat which will directly influence the scale.

Interesting.... thanks for the info. As for the erroding enamel on your teeth I think you would have to be drinking or eating alot of lemons for that to happen.

Dr Aquila is my surgeon as well. I have been very successful. Right now just sip. Do not worry about nutrition or calories or anything but taking in fluids. I found the shakes were more tolerable if I mixed them with ice in a blender.

You have come so far and I imagine you want results without complications so my suggestion is to move on and go back to doing what your Dr tells you so you do not cause any problems for your body. Its a short part of the journey.... you can embrace it for a time. You will be eating regular food in no time.

If you work with the band it will work with you. I have lost 210 lbs in 23 months thanks to the band and my determination to succeed by eating correct portions, making healthy choices and changing my lifestyle all togeher. Good luck.

I lost 43 lbs from the day I started my pre op liquid until the day I started eating regular foods . I had 4 wks of liquid.... 2 pre op and 2 wks post and a week of mushies.

Sounds like a fill is order. I am the same way... One day everything is fine and the next day I could eat my way through a shoe. Make sure you track your calories if you arent already if you cannot get to the Dr until next month! Good Luck

Im addition to the calorie mix up idea which I also do.... do the same with your water. If I am at a plateau and am doing everything else right I will double my water intake for a couple of days. That seems to move the scale.

Did you have some qustions?

My sick mind thought about dressing up in a fat suit.... but that quickly passed. It would be funny though to hear all those people who were like... you you took the easy way out to be like...see she gained it all back... in such a short time too.... LOL Anyway we are going to be on vacation for the 2 Sat night Halloween parties we got invites for and I dont normally dress up to give out candy so I dont think I will be anything this year.

double post sorry

My go to office lunch is a 2 oz can of tuna in water drained and mixed with fat free salad dressing, 4 wheat thins and a smal pre packed snack pack of fat free cottage cheese. No nuking required.

It's a tool to lose but a life saver to maintain. I have lost hundreds of pounds over the years and gained it all back plus plus plus. This time is different. I am not physically able to eat like I used to so if I woke up tomorrow having forgotten everything I have made myself do in the past 23 months the band will quickly remind me!!

I don't measure it by the cup. I measure 3-4 oz protein, 1/2 c veggies and 1/4 c startch for each meal. That's about a cup of food and I rarely can finish that.

Simply eating less is a heck of a lot harder without the band. Granted the time between surgery and the green zone takes will power and a true desire to stick to it before the band starts working effectively .... But when it does and you eat the correct food, stick to an amount of calories so you will actually lose weight... There should be no reason to fail. You must diet... Or reduce calories ...or call it what you want to lose weight. The band cannot make you do that .... but the band will help you stay satisfied with a minimal amount of food so you can govern yourself a lot easier.

I fix 3 to 4 ounces of Protein ...half a cup of veggies and a quarter of a cup of startch at every meal ...I eat it in that order because I want the protein first then the veggies and if I am too full I forgo the starch. I use a kitchen scale and measuring cups