♥LovetheNewMe♥

As long as you have truly cut back on your carbs you should be fine. We all know this is hard but it is an important part of the journey, it decreases your complications during surgery.

Great, sounds like you are ready for this life style change.

So sorry, this has happened again! My port is slightly tilted and has been since surgery but I did not need to have it revised. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you. I hope your wrong and they can fix it will minimal surgery.

I gave up my starbucks also but it took be a year and i had to hire a trainer. I did change to a triple tall skinny vanilla latte but I am starbucks free now for 3 months, They will probably go broke with out my gold card.

Congratulations on your new milestone.!

Ok, I never thought of myself as a gym rat. Actually gyms used to intimidate me, I never joined an actual gym until 6 weeks ago because I really felt intimidated by all the equipment. But now that has changed, I am 19 months into this life changing event and I was stuck. Stuck in my progress that is, so again I decided to take things down an unfamiliar trail, joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. Wow, I had no idea where all this was going but I can actually say, I love to exercise now, I am addicted to my gym, my trainer, my Nordic Track and my Fitbit. 4 weeks into this I lose 5 lbs and 9.5 inches. The gym is exactly what I needed, I will be interested to see how active this group is and what else I can learn. I work out with a trainer 3 days a week and do cardio 6 days a week. Thursday are my rest day from training and cardio and Sundays are my one day a week I allow myself extra carbohydrates. I am very regimented in my diet and my exercise, this is my new life now and I am loving it.

Planning is truly the key to success, good luck to you. Sounds like your head is in the right place.

Sorry your first experience eating out was bad. It took me time to learn to eat out and as I look back now I think I spent more time in the bathroom throwing up what I could not eat than sitting at the table with my husband. In the beginning it was hard for me to constantly explain to people why I was so picky, why I didn't clean my plate and no it was not the food it was me. My husband was my best advocate, he had no problem saying, My wife had WLS and she needs a small plate, or we are going to share, or yes she wants the children's menu and no we are not paying extra. At first I was embarrassed by his comments but finally I gave in and realized he was right, unless I started speaking up I was going to end up eating things that made me sick or things I did not want. I have my favorite places to eat. PF Changes, Love there Ahi Tuna appetizer and cup of Hot and Sour Soup. I ate so much of this in my early days I had a gallbladder attach. The raw tuna was to rich for me! I love my local Mexican restaurant, they cater to me, they understand I had surgery and can see the transformation in me. They have fish taco's with grilled Tilapia that I love, I just don't eat the corn shells, no rice. I have rarely showen my card but we have done a lot of explaining, the one thing I have learned is this is my body and I will chose what I put into it. It does get better, order off the appetizer menu and if possible scope out the menu of the restaurant before you go online and you can know what your going to eat before you get there, If all else fails, always carry a protein bar, a cheese stick, some jerky or other protein with you so you don't feel pressured into eating something you do not want.

I suggest you read the WLS magazine they started on this site, it is full of information and suggestions for continued success. I know you are new and like a sponge wanting to grab on to all the info you gather. My biggest support I can give you is to go into this procedure with your eyes wide open, think of it as a tool from the beginning and realize this is a life style changing event you have decided to take in your life. This is not a diet and you should never think of it as such. I am 19 months post op and almost at goal weight, I have to date lost 102 lbs and look and feel like a different person. I love my lap band it was just the tool I needed to help me be successful. Some other suggestions I have is go to the main Lapband.com web sites and watch the videos, you need to watch them all, you need to arm your self with as much info on how to eat, how much and what before surgery. I hope you have found a protein that you like because in the early months this is going to be key in your nutrition, you need to understand the talk like, what a slider is, what PB means, what it means to slime. All of this info is on the web sites. I lived on these web sites my first 6 weeks post op, I read everyone;s posts I rarely commented until I was comfortable but I can only say the people on these web sites were my support group they helped me and supported me when I needed it most. Good luck to you and we will be looking forward to supporting you in your journey to a healthy life style.

Great article, it took months before I really understood this and once I did it made my eating and losing so much easier. Learning to listen to your body and your band is key to this procedure. My band is part of me and I rarely think about it. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, it really is very informational.

@ Chris. When I planned to have lap band surgery I researched the band, talked to other lap band patients and looked at the out comes of others. When I say I was I did not fully understand the band and how it worked this is what I mean, I was not totally prepared for the emotional attachment I had with food. I knew I loved to cook and eat but I had no idea how much I really used food as a substitute for coping and behavior. I went to all the pre assessment classes met with the doctors but I never really classified myself in the categories they discussed. Yes I was over weight, yes I was considered morbidly obese but I really did not realize how much I used food for so many different things beside nutrition. My first few months were difficult, I truly morned the loss of eating foods and socializing with food. I reached a point where I did not care whether I ate or not, my attitude was, "what's the use, food is no fun anymore." I had to truly learn to develop a new relationship with food, social gathers and just eating in general. the lap band is not for everyone, you have to be ready emotionally and really ready to make a life style change. If anyone is doing this surgery and thinks the band alone will help them they are wrong, the band may prevent you from eating certain foods from time to time but it does not help you make healthy choices, you have to learn that what you put in your body is what gives you the results you want. You can lose without exercising, a lot have. But for long term success the research shows any SWL patient maintains what they lose by adding exercise and activity to there normal daily routine. I am a different person than I was when I started, I am very consious of what I put in my body, I make healthy choices more often than not and I do not consider this a journey any more. This is my life and I chose to eat and live healthy. My suggestion to you and anyone planning this surgery, is have a strong family support, do this for yourself and no one else and make sure you deal with the emotional side of eating sooner than later, because you will have to deal with it. I have been very successful with my lap band, the best choice for me but I have had my ups and downs but I wanted this bad enough to keep pushing forward even through the times when I was stalled. Good luck to you. Diane

Also as a side note you may want to stay away from Crawfish, shrimp and lobster, they have a high tendancy to get stuck because they do not chew up as easily as other seafood.

When something gets stuck and we either "PB" or vomit it can cause swelling around the band and sometimes it can take up to 24 to be able to take in solids again. As others have stated, thin liquids should always go down easily, if you are having trouble or pain with just coffee you may be too tight. As far as something being still stuck, that is highly unlikely, if it was still stuck above the band your gastric juices should have either, 1 tried to pull it through the band or 2 made you throw it back up. I have had several severe episodes of being stuck before and they are very painful. If you are unable to take in liquids today, it is very important that you contact your MD in the morning our his answering service today so they can see you. As I stated before, dehydration is one of the problems that you can have if you are not able to take in fluids, try thinning down a protein shake and sipping on it this morning to try and take in not only liquids but some nutrition. The hot coffee may be irritating the swelling that you already have and the cool liquids may be easier to pass. But please contact your MD if this continues it is nothing to mess with.

Sounds like you are a little full. I have had to have an unfill once but I was unable to pass any fluids with out frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog. After my last fill at the end of January this year it took me 3 weeks before I was really able to eat solids again. I was able to take in liquids, slow but was able to take them in with out vomiting or PB. The band will loosen over time but general rule is if you can not get liquids down or a shake down within 20 minutes you are too full. Be careful and do not wait to long to be reassessed it is very easy to become dehydrated and malnourished. Good luck!

It has been a while since I have posted on this tread. I have almost reached my personal goal I set in 2010 by a half a pound. As time has passed I have decided that I want to reach my ideal body weight of 132 lbs and am now 17.5 lbs from that goal. To date I have lost 102.5 lbs and truly feel like a different person both inside and out. I often reflect back on the person I once was, I keep reminders of the morbidly obese Diane in constant view as a reminder. I have remained active in support groups and on this site to keep me focused. This has truly been a journey and a life changing event. I am not sure I really fully understood the band or how it worked until months into this, I have had my share of ups and downs, adjusting to the changes in my life and mourning the loss of a life that I left behind. I have no regrets and would do this again today if I needed to, I truly "LovetheNewMe" and the changes this surgery has helped me make in my life and me and for my familly. I hope other November 2010 bandsters are doing well!

It really is a shock when we realize how much we can really eat. 6ozs does not seem like much but it does satifiy us if our bands are in the green zone. I do agree that shakes can be the ultimate sliders unless you have them programed into your program, I can not do just the 3 meals a day and keep my metabolism up to lose weight. I do drink protein or eat a protein bar twice a day between my breakfast and lunch. I probably only eat 3-4 ozs of lean meats at my meal times because I become over full with 4ozs. I still eat between 1000 -1200 calories a day and get between 90-120 grms of protein. I think everyone has to find their personal sweet spot and adjust there eating along the way. What worked for me a year ago does not work for me today. The right balance of diet and exercise is the key to long term success. I don't believe any food should be off limits if we can learn portion size and correct balance, this is not a diet for me but a way of life. Good luck to you and much success!

Congratulations to you, my story is similar to yours. I wanted to be healthier and live like my mother to be healthy enough and grow old to watch my children, grand children and great grand children to grow up. I am fortunate to still have my mother who is 85 and healthy, if I can be half the women she has been and live to her age in good health it will be a blessing. As Jennifer said, this has been a journey, a life changing experience, that I am not sure any of us knew exactly how difficult it would really be. I would do it again tomorrow but am so glad that I finally woke up a year and a half ago and decided to make this change in my life. This journey is not without trails and tribulations but if you are willing to work hard, change your habits and develop health alternatives your dreams are possible. Happy Mother's Day to you and I hope you have continued success.

Here is a little picture update. It is possible with lap band and a lot of hard work. First photo is pre surgery, second photo is May 2011, third photo is this week May 2012. Some days I find it hard to believe when I look in the mirror that this is really me!

Yeah, it is a new concept, chewing our food. But it makes so much difference. I am a year and a half into this and sometimes, I still have to remind myself. Chew, Chew, Chew and than Chew some more. I still get stuck occcassionally, usually do to being in a hurry and not taking time to chew. I really find it difficult to eat at work when stressed and busy and do best if I eat in my office. Something about eating in the cafeteia always get stuck, everyone eats so fast and I eat so slow so having lunch with me means you take your full 30 minutes.

Congratulations and wishing you success in your journey. Welcome to the group.