B-52

In a blender....I start with 100% whey...25gm, then I add "Pro-Stat 64" a sugar free pure liquid Protein, 30ml (shot glass) for 15gm..... Mixed with 8oz Water or skim milk if you prefer, add your favorite fresh fruit, Peanut Butter, banana, just about anything you can imagine...even coffee....summertime add a ice cube...can also add yogurt or ice cream....and also non thickening Fiber powder.....always below 300 calories total......no solid Breakfast can match it....and I feel,the advantages all day, can tell when I miss one... I've been doing this for some time...and it was not because of the band...it was recommended by my cardiologist to name just one... When I got banded, it became a daily practice since post-op....

Wearing a heart monitor and staying within zone 3-4 is the only workouts I will do....all cardio, 85% of max. heart rate..based upon your age.... I have found that running is the most efficient way to get there, but cycling and elliptical worked well also....but you have to increase the resistance to get your heart rate up....

Don't know if your Dr. ever showed you this, but the "Green Zone" is where you will want to be, eventually..... You just had surgery...there is not much you can do but count your calories, diet, etc.... It took me 4-5 months and a few band adjustments to get to where my hunger was brought under control.... / /

The drugs were pretty helpful too!

I was banded on 1/31....one of the best days of my life.....maybe it's a good omen!!

To his day my Wife still orders Cheeseburgers, steak, Pasta dishes...all those things I never eat anymore....eventually I learned my new lifestyle and it does not bother me anymore....food and hunger for that matter are no longer issues..... Hang in there....it takes time.....but the band does work!

Congratulations on your success!!! Myself...I have had, and supassed 3 goals....once the band is working as it should and I found myself in that "Groove"...that "New Lifestyle" , there was nothing I could do to change it and my body stopped loosing-burning fat...when it felt it wanted to... In other words everything eventually returned to normal far exceeding my expectations....

I start the day...everyday for about 18 months now...with about 40gm of protein in a "Custom Smoothie" I make in the blender....

I can't remember the last tiime I tried to eat a pancake....yes I can and it was not pleasant....But I know I'm strange and different (I've been told) when ot comes to food and eating ever since being banded.....

Today, 1/31...marks 2 years with the band, and all I can say is I could not be more happy and pleased..... 61 years old, going on 40....... A little background on MY JOURNEY.... first 6 months was HELL!! Very frustrating to say the least...all that anticipation only to be told I had to count my calories and measure my portions...I did not go through surgery to do that!! I've done all that before, many times.....But the Dr. explained to me until they get the band properly adjusted, dieting is the only thing I could do...be patient.... 3rd and final fill 4 months after surgery, and it still took me 2 more months to figure this thing out....I wish I had a dollar for every time I got stuck, slimed and spit everything back up! But I was determined to make this thing work....and after 6 months things finally started to sync...in other words I FINALLY BEGAN TO LISTEN AND OBEY THE BAND....forcing me to break all my bad habits that made me "Morbidly Obese" in the first place.....once I got my act together, eating (and avoiding) the right foods, etc, etc....then and only then I found that "GROOVE" where everything became effortless and easy...that's why I do not call the band a "Tool", but rather the "MASTER"...if I do what the band tells me to do then all is good..... I have not been stuck in over a year.....I have automatic portion control, and I am seldom hungry...and most times have no interest in food.....all because of the band and truly being in the Green....I do not need to count calories nor do I worry about portion sizes......just choose good foods and listen to the band when it says stop, I stop.... I have not eaten Breakfast in 18 months.... I reached my goal app. 13 months after surgery.....but my body continued to change and tone due to exercising....(I don't have much excess skin) And now, 2 years later, I have to say there is a life after lapband surgery...there is a time when there is no more dieting nor is there any worry about gaining weight.....I do what every other normal weight person does every day...I enjoy certain food pleasures, have a beer or 2 (I know how to do it), but the bottom line is i NEVER (cannot) OVEREAT....and I REMAIN ACTIVE...running 5 miles a day, 5 days a week.... And always...get my daily Protein, Water and Vitamin requirements...... I know other people have a different approach....and that is good.....as long as people are successful and happy, then nothing else matters.... YOU CAN"T ARGUE WITH SUCCESS!!!! And to all who are starting out...STAY AWAY FROM THE NEGATIVES>>>>THIS THING DOES WORK!!!!

Not everyone follows this approach, does not make one right or wrong....the band is adjustable to your comfort level and desire.... I was 58 when I was banded, and had serious medical issues so I did not want to take it slow and easy....time was wasting.... So when in came to the band, I was "ALL IN" and fortunately my Dr. Was/ is willing to be as aggressive as I want to be, as long as no problems arise...and so far, none have....

As things are now, I cannot see how I can ever gain again....the band prevents me from overeating.....I know, I have tried and each time the results are not pleasant.... I am aware that medical problems may arise, causing me to have the band un filled, in which case the basic function of the band would change..... I am aware of my pouch stretching, allowing larger portions...but that is something I can detect and go full liquids from time to time for maintenance. I have also noticed, that eating such small portions over a period of time, my normal stomach has also shrunk....in that case I get the classic "full" feeling very quickly....or a good old fashioned belly ache! I can eat around the band by grazing all day...the band limits my portion sizes but it does not dictate how many times I can eat those portions per day.....but the band does take away my hunger cravings and interest in eating so that is something I just have to learn to live with..... Obesity is a chronic condition, eating disorder for whatever reasons, no self control, no self dicipline, which is why I needed the surgery..as a last resort......to stop me, prohibit me, from overeating..... And in my casebthatbis exactly the way it works.....hope it never changes....

Just my opinion.... But most PA's are demi-Gods....they feel they need to express their authority to show you how important they are..... I'm not saying all, but the new grads.....I work with them all the time....all I need to do is give them "The Look" (Stare) which usually brings them back to reality and focus on what's important and get back with the team....

I could have slept in my bed that very same night.... BUT... When I got home from surgery, I was happy to sit in my lazy boy in front of the big scrren with a warm comforter, some chicken broth, Water...and my PAIN KILLERS ..... I was not going anywhere! You could not get me up to go to to bed.....

I agree totally.....all one should ever do here is share their own personal experiences, both good and bad....and let the reader digest all the info and how it may relate People. will say "This is how it works, and there is no other way" when in reality, it is really only their opinion.... And yet, there are people, like me, scratching their heads saying that's not what I have found.....I believe something 180 degrees out and have been doing it so for quite some time.....even cleared it with my Dr. But because it is not their belief, it cannot possibly be correct, let alone work.... Whenever someone posts a question, I will only answer by saying "in my experience, this is what I have found to be true for me...." I will also try to remember to mention that the band is adjustable...everyone is unique and different, and may or may not apply to you.... Just by reading the posts on this forum it is plain too see there are many different approaches that apply to many different people...... As long as they are loosing weight, and happy, then that is all that matters.

The band will change your life...breaking the bad habits of the old.

Frustration? After my first fill I GAINED weight....I felt this was all a big waste of time and effort........2nd fill was 50-50, 3rd was a charm.... But don't worry...it does work....like 2muchfun said it is called "Bandster Hell" That time period between surgery and finally getting the band adjusted to you comfort level....

I wear the strap around my chest...it is what comes with the monitors I own, and it works with all the fitness machines in the gym....never tried the other

It all depends on how much restriction you have, how narrow the assuage is..... Think of a funnel....if the passage is large, you can pour Water into it quickly and it will pass right through to the other end...... If the passage is small, and you pour water into it fast, more water will be introduced faster than it can go out the other end.....it then overflows over the top.... I have to take small swallows.....if I forget and take big gulps...it will come right back up and I will spit it out...... You have to learn your band and gauge things like this for yourself..... Same thing with small bites of food.....early on I did not understand this because it did not bother me.....but I had to learn just the same because now there is no other way I can eat solid food..... Also know that everyone had different levels of restriction so everyone's experience with the band is unique....

I'm 180 degrees opposite....dam the torpedoes...full steam ahead!! Get this weight off me now....my life depends upon it.... I used to joke and say if they wired my jaw shut, and promised I would loose all the needed weight, and not feel hungry doing it...sign me up. I have to say, after completing the weight loss journey...I now live a normal life...thin and fit...and enjoy all life's pleasures just as my fit athletic friends do....I can sit in a bar, have a beer or 2, enjoy some wings...play some softball or touch football....I even took up surfing this past summer!......just as my friends do, and I don't ever see them dieting or counting calories..........because it is now a lifestyle...a healthy lifestyle of wise food choices and plenty of exercise....I only deprive myself on the things I know are not good for me....and it's funny...the things that are not good to eat also happen to be things that are not very band friendly.....so it all works out in the end. I often compare it to someone who has had total knee replacement.....the first 6 months was pain and hell.....then came the long term rehab, learning to live with this new thing surgically placed.... and once that is accomplished, then you go back to your normal life, although in the background, there is something different....but you don't think about it all that much..... But then, that's me...good luck on your success...it's important to note that everyone has a different approach, as is evident on these forums....and no one is more right than others....we all want the same thing.....

I don't loose site of the Forrest because of the trees....it's a lifestyle change for me, not a day to day, hour by hour diet..... Of course, a lot depends upon where you're at with your band.....until then......

I work with special needs kids everyday...all of them if you know what I mean......it's what I specialize in....and I know, as does the rest of the staff, all about "Special Needs Moms"....and the extrordinary gifts they have....can put me to shame with no problem any day of the week.... I also deal with some other Moms, well, lets just say it's a shame...

I took the week off.....2-3 days later I started getting cabin fever....didn't put a full day in but went back to the office just to get out of the house...also ran some errands. One week after surgery I had my post-op followup, after which I was released to go back to work full time and allowed to exercise.... BTW, ant Rn will tell you the most important thing to do after major surgery is to get up and do something....

Loosing weight...burning fat...is all about burning more calories than you consume...so the more you consume the more you must burn....for REAL weight loss..

Dialting your pouch is a very real, and potentially dangerous thing to have happen..... Yesterday in the Dr.'s office I looked over pictures of what it looks like..... When it happens the first thing the Dr. will prescribe is a fw days ao liquids only to give it a rest and let the pouch constrict back to normal... If that does not work, then the Dr. will do a complete un-fill.... I will say, if you are recently banded, or do not beleiev in having a tight band...then the risk is very little if at all..... You have to have a good amount of restriction...and you have to know and LISTEN to your Band...many people do not know how to do this, or are not at that stage yet... My band is very tight...I can monitor every swallow.....then there will come a time now and then, that I notice I cannot feel my band, monitor what I am swallowing, and that my portion sizes are larger than usual with no feed back to limit myself.... That is when I know my pouch has stretched, and that is when I know to go 2-3 days of liquid to give it a rest.... Many people will say, myself included....that I am more restricted in the morning, and it gets easier as the day goes on...Why? Because at 5 am, I have not eaten anything for 10-12 hours...giving my slightly stretched pouch a slight time to reset itself.... I know may people will say what they have read, or heard from other people...but this is what I can tell you first hand from experience...