Russian_BANDit_inNY

some info on the 'whey protein vs isolate whey protein' - > http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/protein/whey-protein-isolate-concentrate.htm
I made a mistake and got a ton of protein shakes and powders... Needed powder for pre-op & post-opp , that is 3 weeks total. I am getting all protein I need from food. NOT everyone is the same, but i do belive getting all your daily needs from regular foods is the best.

Hi everyone,
I haven't been on this site too long... and I've only been banded for a week. But I've been seeing a trend on this site along with most of the other WLS support sites and I just wanted to make a post.
I'm not aiming this post at anyone, instead, I think creating this thread will hopefully show that I'm just venting my opinions. Agree or disagree...the choice is yours and will be respected.
First of all, there is a common string that binds ALL of us here, banded or not. All of us have fought with weight issues for several years and have elected to go on with this surgery as a last ditch effort to better our lives. Having said that, there are lots of 'cliquey' behavior that isolate those who haven't yet been banded or those that may have been banded for awhile. With this being a support site, I think it is important to value opinions and thoughts of everyone.
Secondly, I think there abounds a great deal of irrational and unrealistic goals and expectations coming from lots of members. Weight loss, in its core, is simple. Everyone knows this. You use more than you eat and your body will naturally go into a catabolic mode and burn fat as the energy source. Being an ex-Marine, it is difficult for me to understand (and more importantly sympathize) why some people are so baffled that they are not losing weight, while knowingly disobeying the most important rules for diet with the Lap Band.
This leads to various topics that I've seen regarding RATE of weight loss. There are members concerned that they are not 'losing weight fast enough'.
What does that even mean?
A wrestling trainer can get any of us on this site to drop 5 pounds in the next two hours with a sweat suit and a sauna. Does this mean anything?
If you've lost 30 pounds during your pre-op diet and the first couple weeks after surgery...most of that 30 pounds is Water. I'm really sorry to disappoint you there.
Are we here to lose WEIGHT or are we here to lose FAT? PLEASE ASK YOURSELVES THIS!
Experts agree that it takes 3500 Calories to gain or lose one pound of BODY FAT. This is why health professionals say that healthy weight loss is rated at one to two pounds lost per week. If you decrease your intake (or increase your output) by 500 Calories per day, that's one pound of body fat per week.
But through this brilliant medical intervention, we are able to further our intake limitations. Let's take the typical 2000 Calorie per day diet for an 'average' human being. If the band allows you to decrease your food intake and you eat only a 1000 Calories a day... your body is at a 1000 Calorie per day deficit. Simple math dictates that you'd have a weight loss rate of 2 pounds of body fat per week.
Are you a bit more realistic in your expectations now?
The problem here is that at 1000 Calorie per day diet, your body is again at a catabolic state. Of course you lose fat..but you start losing your lean body mass as well. So that 2 pounds of body fat...isn't all body fat. To prevent this... doctors suggest that you maintain about 1200 to 1500 Calorie diet with plenty of Protein, along with some weight lifting exercises.
Trust me (especially you ladies)... you won't look like Arnold the ex-governator. If it were so easy to bulk up in muscle... most of us wouldn't be here anyhow. Putting in weight lifting into your workout regimen will burn the FAT faster and longer.
So let's be realistic, folks...
Strive for ONE pound of body fat per week. No more, no less. The whole point of this surgery is to get all of us healthier. If you starve yourself and lose 100,000 pounds and become one of the Olsen twins... you're still in trouble. Health troubles exist on both ends of the spectrum.
If you've got 100+ pounds of excess body fat. Give yourself at least 2 years to do this.
If you've got 50 pounds.... do it in a year.
No one told you that will be the cure-all. EVERYONE told you that you'll still have to work your ass off to lose weight.
I know...I know...you hear of people losing 100+ pounds in a year. Yes, it's still possible. But then again..it's POSSIBLE for ALL of us to lose all the weight WITHOUT the band. I'm just saying... let's be realistic.
And please.... GET RID OF YOUR WEIGHT SCALES!!!
Your weight displayed on your scales is NO indication of your weight loss. Like I said... I can get you to drop 5 pounds in two hours. Instead... I think we should be more focused on NON-scale VICTORIES. Things like:

decrease in dress/ pants size increase in amount of activity, energy decrease (or increase) in diameter of certain body parts
Lastly, I want to say that I've never been the one to 'baby' someone. At only 25 years old, I've gone through things that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy and it's stiffened me up to face life and face reality. I'll go ahead and apologize if my posts or remarks seem negative or discouraging.. but that's not my intent. I've lost sensation and movement in over 75% of my body... I can't pee or poo within my control.... and I'll never be able to dance at my future wedding or lift my future newborn baby off the floor. But I still love life and I still enjoy it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without dusting off the 'trivialities' of life.
So let's live people. I know things are hard for you...but trust me... those same things are harder for me.

They say it can take a few fills-hang in there!!! It sucks really bad when you don't lose but a plateau can be overcome!!

Yes, it HELPS you lose weight, but it doesn't do the work for you. YOU still choose what, and how much, you put in your mouth. Once a band gets filled to a good spot it'll help you feel satisfied quickly and for some people, it'll stop them from overeating. Other people quickly learn to "eat around the band" and don't lose weight.
It's not a miracle cure, it doesn't do the work for you. As you'll hear a million times, it's a tool!

Hello. NO Quebecers are not lazy. What you have to realize, that the band is an excellent tool for helping in the weight loss goals. You still have to change your lifestyle including exercise, small quantities but first and foremost making the proper choices in food eaten. Following the guidelines of your clinic and you will have success. Not following the rules will end in disaster and failure. The good thing about the band, is that it is reversible. Gastric by-pass is not. The medical profession look upon the gastric by pass as the golden standard, but frankly, there are many patients that have to have the band AFTER the bypass. You can fill the band as tight as you can stand or you can loosen it to allow for more food to pass you can't do that with gastric by pass.
Also, be aware, people posting negative things about the band may have an ax to grind. real or imagined and post to lash out at the band. I lay odds if you analyze these unhappy people, they will have not adjusted their lifestyle. Yes some people do have band erosion and slippage not their fault, but that is rare. Most just don't follow the program. There is of course, many surgeons that do not have proper aftercare and that can cause a patient to be very scared and upset lashing out on line. So if contemplating the band, look very carefully at the aftercare. If they say 3 to 4 years -- ask "Then what". You need aftercare for life, not necessarily the fills, but moral support is very important.

You "don't know" your doctor's policy on fills after the surgery. It could be several fills before you find the band working best for you. I would ask how much it costs and/or what insurance covers if this could be a factor. Some people have claimed their doctors won't give fills when needed...try to pry and find out if the doctor will hold fills hostage if you're "not losing" or something....
I would also ask if the hospital itself is experienced with bariatric surgery. ie, will they give you meds before surgery for nausea? Some people are very sick afterwards.....

I ditto that!!! Basic spelling and math are essential, and nothing makes you look more like an idiot that spelling and grammar errors.
Oh yeah, while we're at it ALL CAPS is not cool either. It is not easy on the eyes, contrary to some people's thought process.

Water to the body is like oil to the engine.
Especially when our metabolism shifts into a "fat burn" phase. Conversion of stored glycogen in the fat cells of all those old extra cheese burgers and brownies around our waists...requires processing with extra H20 for the process to proceed.
Also, the changes in our digestive tract are much supported with adequate WATER...not other forms of liquid which all require some form of physiological conversion from whatever it is, to just Water.< /p>
The detoxification process and the increased demands on gall bladder producing bile which is essential in fat conversion to energy, requires water.
Later phases of normo life will require adequate water. Not so much as during active reduction from Morbid Obesity though.
Often even now 6.5 years postOp, I find when I think I'm hungry, it really is "thirst" that is the signal. Drink plenty of water to help your system function properly.

You had a lower starting BMI than many bandsters. I'd expect your weight loss rate to be on the lower end of average. You've lost 15 pound so far, that is actually great for 3 months! That is 1 1/4 pounds per week. Bandsters can expect 1-2 pounds per week AVERAGE loss. For you to be losing that right off, including your post-op healing phase is fantastic.
If you are thirsty, you are not drinking enough. You should be drinking 3-4 liters a day. Thirst is the first symptom of dehydration.
My average weight loss was 3/4 of a pound per week. I think you are doing fantastic.

So I am not an expert, but it sounds to me like you need another fill. If you are still struggling like this and can eat a full meal you probably dont have enough "restriction". I know this means different things to different people, but you should only be able to eat about 1/2 to 1 cup of food at a meal. If you were at restriction, but loss some more weight, you might need more fills to get restriction again. Also, perhaps you should be counting calories strictly (at least for a while) to see how many calories you are really consuming (including condiments/dressings/snacks etc.). My goal is 1000 calories or few (and once a week I have about 1500), 80 grams of Protein and 80 ounces of Water (or more). If you are working out you can have more protein (80-100 grams). Also be sure to drink 60-100 ounces of water a day. I was banded on 1/17/11 (4 months ago) and I am at 8cc's in an 11cc realize band. I have lost about 55 pounds - I still have about 50 or 55 to go, but I am finally feeling some "restriction" - before my last fill I was just dieting (and it was super hard), now I take a few bites and then I feel full. I may need a little more in my band as I do get hungry after 2-3 hours instead of 4-5 hours, but before the last fill I was afraid I was going to be stuck on a restrictive diet for the rest of my life... now I know the band can help me to eat less and make better choices (my band doesnt like dense food, bread etc.). Try to watch your calories, protein and water intake for a few days and talk to your doctor (or another WLS doctor, if yours doesnt want to give you a fill) about getting more restriction. You CAN do it and the band DOES work... you just have to find your zone. Keep up your diet and the rules, until you find your zone... Good luck to you!

Sounds like you need some tough love in your life...I have not been banded yet, I am in the process for getting approval so you can write what I have to say off as I just don't know but here goes...
No matter what the tool you use to loose weight, you have to follow the regimen. You had a serious surgery, that required anesthesia, people don't always wake up from anesthesia!!!! So you risked your life and had a lap band placed to HELP you loose weight. The band is not going to do the work for you.
Now several years later you are still struggling with the weight you want to loose. You need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you DESERVE to be happy, to feel happy, to be healthy, to feel healthy and to succeed. Take a walk and talk to yourself (in your head so folks don't think you need help) and really ask yourself what it is that you are trying to suppress with food. Clearly you have emotional issues that you refuse to face and instead choose to eat your feelings. We all do sister, you are not alone in this battle. Face the problems of your past and then let them go. THere is no sense in carrying around all this extra baggage.
Stop saying "why me" and making excuses for the last two years. Take control of your life, use the tools you have been given to become successful.
What is it that you want to do once your at your goal weight? How do you think you will feel once your at your goal weight? Have you thought about what is going to to happen once your at your goal weight?
Life is a journey, reaching a goal weight doesn't mean life is over or that you can finally start living your life. It means you have achieved a goal and now you can set another one.
I get it just as much as the rest of the people on this board get it, loosing weight is hard. If it were easy we wouldn't be here on this forum!
Put your big girl panties on and move forward. Live the life you want to live TODAY. Wether you are 500 pounds or 150 lbs you can choose to feel good about yourself.

1. What's so wrong with white flour and white sugar? lol. The only different between a whole grain/wheat flour is the Fiber content in most cases. If anything the macronutrient profile differs very slightly.
2. Mm processed food.
3. But I like Chick fil A.
4. See #3.
In the end, I think these "rules" are helpful to people who aren't the most aware of what they're eating. We all got the band for portion purposes (or so I think most people did) and in my case/lifestyle/diet, I can eat white flour, sugar, processed food, and fast food..in moderation. I think that rule goes for anyone; fat, obese, skinny, underweight, or the average sized person. Moderation moderation moderation.
There's no one size fits all diet, thank god. I wish I'd have known that when I was first banded. While cutting out carbs helped me lose most of my weight, I now know that carbs didn't make me fat; I made me fat, my lifestyle made me fat. If I knew I could lose weight and eat ice cream, Cookies, fast food, etc. etc then I think my journey would have been even easier. Oh well.
Good "rules" but I don't think they need to be long term rules at all.

Hello Bandsters -
Four rules of healthy eating:
1. Avoid white flour and white sugar products.
2. Avoid any processed food.< /p>
3. Avoid any food advertised on TV
4. Avoid Fast Food chains.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr Kelly M. Fitzpatrick

Hi there I currently have a 9cc LapBand, and have 12.25 ccs in. I think it depends on the doctor, but I did not have any restriction until 12 ccs. My doc tells me that there is not an issue with overfilling the band, as they are tested upto like 100 ccs, to ensure they will not pop. Now.... no one should have that much, but a slight over fill in the band will not do any damage to the physical band, or you, unless you are too tight. Hope that helps
Nicole

I admit it - I AM scale ADDICT as well
Do it at least 2ce a day and always double check.
I know I should not but I take this new addiction over the old food addiction

Portioning out my food has been key for this. The band will provide you with the full/satisfied feeling, only you can put the fork down.

Amen. However, I don't agree with certain foods being taboo or unhealthy; everything has calories, calories and nutrients and we need them. Yes some things need to be eaten in moderation, and I think that's key. I eat ice cream, cake, anything..but in moderation.
But yes, I do believe we make our own journies. You have to decide you're ready to be healthy. The band helps but it won't do it all.

I could probably post in this in success stories but I like post-op better

At one year out I'm down 116lbs. This time last year I was sitting in the recovery room with my mom with a lady from some other floor puking up her guts in the next bed over. Let me say the beginning of my journey was NOT pleasant. From being written the wrong prescription for my medicine (somehow they wrote my script with the wrong name) to the nurse telling me I can't use Gas-X strips because they contain sugar (post-op instructions for someone who had gastic bypass) the first day was pretty much hell. We got to the hospital at 5:00AM and didn't get home until midnight. It SUCKED! My surgeon had to call in a prescription at a 24 hour pharmacy at 11AM at night. But, I will say that has been the only horrible part of my journey. Otherwise, it has been flawless and so smooth-sailing. I didn't get stuck until about 6 months in -- thank you dry turkey meat! I've found that I have gotten stuck a bit more often than I did in the beginning, but that's probably due to the fact that I like to experiment with food, and I have yet to master eating slowly. Maybe one day.

My first goal weight was 120lbs but I've since upped it to 125lbs; last I weighed I was 130.6lbs, so not exactly at goal, but so close I can feel it! I never imagined losing 100lbs in a year, let alone 50lbs honestly. Pre-op I was lazy as no other. I went to work, came home, sat on my laptop, and ate. Nowadays my schedule is pretty much the same, except I workout for a good hour and a half+ now. I am well aware of what I put into my mouth, I hold myself accountable, and rarely do make excuses to not exercise. This is my journey, and not everyone will take the path I took, that's the beauty of it all. I chose no fills and to workout/track my food. Some may go this route, some won't. It's all about what works for you.

Hopefully this is helpful to people who are pre-op and post-op. I find that I am coming here less and less so hopefully some of you soon-to-be band-vets stick around to keep everyone in check These forums have been so helpful to me since day one and the wealth of knowledge here is great.

15 things I've learned along the way:
1. The scale isn't everything. Yes we all want to see the scale move but there is so much more to weight loss than the scale. Inches lost are important as are the beloved NSVs (non-scale victories.) Focus on how different you feel as well, both mentally and physically. When you do hop on the scale, limit it to once or twice a week, not every day. (Unless you're in maintenance mode, then every day may be most helpful.)
2. Exercise is a must do. Start off slow and intensify as you lose. Once I got out of surgery and was cleared to walk, I walked. I probably went around the hospital floor 50 times, in the same boring circle. I'm sure the nurses thought I was nuts. From that day on I've exercised my butt off, literally. I started with walking to doing indoor exercises including the Beachbody programs (Slim-in-6, Insanity, P90, P90M, and P90X.) I will also be doing RushFIT at some point in time.
3. It's okay to cheat; in fact, it's part of "dieting." I allow myself cheat Snacks every now and then to keep myself sane. It's been proven that ignoring a small craving usually only leads to a larger much more unhealthy binge. I have been a long-time Reese's lover so I'll treat myself to one when I want. I even eat ice cream everyday almost. Note: I've only started this as I get closer to my goal, I didn't do this all along.
4. Weight loss isn't always steady. Though I lost 1-2lbs pretty steadily for months, I hit many plateaus. There was 2 weeks where I lost nothing. There were weeks when I lost 5lbs+ in a week. In fact there were times when I gained, not much, but a gain on the scale nearly sent me up the wall, and it still does.
5. Water is tasteless but so useful. I really haven't drunk anything but Water since surgery, with the exception of a few sips of things here and there. Water keeps me full when I'm not eating and it keeps you hydrated! I use Crystal Light to spice things up a bit.
6. Protein is a lovely thing. Protein protein protein, mmm, protein. I've learned that protein is a must have if you're losing weight. This doesn't mean you have to go all out on your protein levels a day, but aim for 60g minimum. I personally eat my weight in protein, but this is my preference and has to do a lot with my exercise and weightlifting. I've always been a chicken eater/lover so I stick to eating just that most of the time: chicken, turkey, and sometimes fish.
7. Food tracking keeps you well, on track. Tracking what you eat helps keep you mentally sound, or at least it did for me. Track everything you eat each day and each meal. This way you're able to see your intake levels for calories, carbs, protein, etc. and adjust accordingly.
8. Carbs are NOT the enemy. When I first started to lose I stayed away from carbs. This was simply due to the fact that my trouble foods seemed to be carb filled: Pasta, rice, corn, and bread. I was eating about 30-40g of carbs a day post-op. I will say that it worked flawlessly and I lost plenty because of my carb-cut, but I do want to say that carbs are not the enemy here. Nowadays I eat carbs like they're nothing. Why? I workout; carbs are the fuel I need. However I will admit to making low-carb recipes all the time and of course still carb count. It is, and always has/will be about calories in vs calories out. In the end carb reduction = calorie reduction.
9. Everyone loses differently; don't compare yourself. I remember looking at forums and seeing how some people lost slowly and how some seemed to drop very quickly. The point is that we will all lose at different rates. Don't compare your weight loss to another's as in the end we're all just looking to lose; who cares about the pace.
10. "Junk food" can be made healthy. Yep, that's right, healthy junk food. I still eat pumpkin pie, Cookies, ice cream, and plenty of other things deemed to be "junk." There is a lovely thing known as healthy foods and ingredients, and with them you can make junk food quite healthy. pumpkin pie? Got it. Ice cream? I'll take a few scoops. I still like to think no food is taboo.
11. Being banded is about Portion Control not for ridding your diet of certain foods. I am one who truly believes that having the band doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to any food. Though I cut out some food when I first started, for my own good, I have added in pretty much everything again, including rice and breads. This time however they're portioned properly. I can't and don't eat bowls of rice/pasta anymore.
12. Set mini-goals. Of course the main goal is to lose weight and reach our goal weight, but set mini-goals along the way to keep you positive. I often set goals that went along with holidays. (ie. a had a goal weight for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc.)
13. Hold yourself accountable, but don't beat yourself up. Know when you cheat or go-off track and take it from there. Don't beat yourself to death mentally. One bad day won't kill your weight loss efforts.
14. Keep your eyes on the main goal, though it may seem like it's taking forever to get there, you'll get there, sometimes faster than you ever imagined.
15. Be happy for every pound you lose no matter how small it is. If you're 165.2 one week and one 165.0 the next, be happy, be proud, and realize that even though it's a small loss, it is still a loss. As long as the scale is going down, don't complain.

The hunger goes away after the fills, that is their purpose the amount of food you eat? You have to control that.

For those of you wanting motivation and to see MANY before and after photos I spent a few hours one day sitting on my butt and googling weight loss photos. I stumbled onto two great discussion forums with a bunch of before and after pics. Two resources are - a Dr Atkins forum and the other is a generic weight loss forum . These are direct links to only the before and after picture forum threads. Hover over the links, you'll see the link address, this is not spam links, I assure you. These do not pertain to the lapband so I wouldnt read any diet advice, but great b and a pics!
Enjoy!

Get a small unfill then? Why would they make you super tight, and if you know you're too tight why haven't you gone in for an unfill? Either way caloric levels will vary per person. I started off eating 600-800 with minimal exercise along with a low carb diet. Now that I am exercising an hour minimum a day, I've been eating 1300 calories a day.

If you want a rough range of what you should be eating calorie wise each day, this website may be helpful http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/.

If you want to do it on your own, figure out your BMR, multiply it by your activity level, and then subtract 500 from that total.

For example, my BMR is 1440 or so; that's how many calories I'd burn laying in bed. For my activity level I say I do "moderate" activity, which is usually calculated at 1.3 or so. 1440 x 1.3 = 1872. TO maintain I'd want to eat around 1800 calories. To lose, I create a deficit, so 1872-500 = 1372 calories a day. Of course this isn't perfect though it may help give you a range to play around in.

I did lose plenty eating 600 calories but it is not attainable nor healthy.

The 1/2 cup of food thing-- that's not how most people with the band eat, as far as I can tell. It's a number that gets thrown around a lot-- but it's because that is 4oz by volume and I'd say most people eat 4 oz by weight (which is not half a cup).
So 4 oz of chicken isn't whatever you can mash up to fit into a half-cup measuring cup. It's 4 oz by weight of chicken.< /p>
I probably eat up to a cup (in volume) of food most meals and I've been losing above the expected weight per month.
Edited to add: Your doctor is going to give you a "one size fits all, most restrictive possible" program to follow. But the fact is, you're going to have to figure out what you can do that's safe but also that allows you to lose weight but live your life.
This is completely opinion-- but I think that people who have the most struggle with the band are people who have been told they shouldn't be able to eat more than 1/2 cup of food, 3x a day, and that amount should make them full. Because those are the bandsters who search for such tight restriction to force that 1/2 cup issue that they are way way too tight and develop problems like acid reflux and an inability to eat healthy solid foods.

There is always going to be plateus that goes along with any type of dieting. If you are having trouble eating I wouldnt suggest getting a fill yet. You dont have much room left to fill right now. I would say wait it out for a while and try to see if you can lose without a fill. In my opinion I think you are restricted enough you are just reaching a plateu and if you do get a fill and there is nothing left to fill and you stop losing what will happen. I would just wait for a while and see how you do. As long as you keep losing something I wouldnt worry about it.

As long as you are losing weight I would not get a fill. No one realizes that the band is for life and if you get filled up what else do you have to work with. If it keeps going down dont get a fill. Weight loss is supposed to be slow. A half a pound a week is 52lbs in a year.

No, but I know it's up to me how much I lose, if I give up it's my fault, not my bands... I do understand exactly why people can't reach their goals. They can't get over the food addiction.