Rachel412

Amazing, congrats!!

My doc says 3 meals a day, each meal should last you 4-5 hours, so if I were you I'd get a teeny fill. You're so close!

That's awesome, congrats! You're losing "slower" because you probably started at a lower weight than the other December people

I agree with about 99% of what you say. I don't think MY band was a bad decision, but I totally agree that weight loss, even with this band, is so highly dependent on what you do/think, not on this piece of silicone wrapped around my stomach.

Do you go 4-5 hours until your next few bites or do you eat more often than that?

It depends on so many different factors! I'm at 7.25cc in my 11cc band so pretty similar to where you are, and this is the first time I've really felt the band doing it's job. But I've heard of people needing to be a lot closer to their "max" to have any restriction. Don't stress over it, if it's not there yet it should be pretty soon.

I'm told to have 3 meals a day- 4 oz. Protein, 1/2 cup to 1 cup of veggies, then up to 1/2 cup of complex carbs if I have room for them. No Snacks unless I'm really hungry, then a cheese stick or another low carb high protein snack. 3 bites... oy...

Five- four littles (maybe 1/4") and one big (1.5" maybe?).

I tend to agree with some of the things he says, but then that site goes off the deep end and gets into politics, and a bunch of other unrelated stuff... to the point that when my friends post articles on his site on FB, I don't read them, even if I agree with the premise of them. BUT. I'm glad the site was helpful to you! I like this site for a "plain English" explanation of the role of Protein after WLS. Yes, this site also sells protein products. http://vitalady.com/why_protein.htm I also like the chart on the bottom of this page, that quickly explains the different types of whey protein options. http://www.vitalady.com/protein.htm

So far, yeah, I haven't had a problem with pills (my glucosamine is pretty big) but you can get almost any med in a liquid version these days, so make sure to ask at the pharmacy about what options you have.

I've been using a different site but I decided to give this one a try- I'm raitch on there if anyone would like to add me

You're expecting too much too soon. After surgery, a lot of us have the same problem. I think of it as my body crossing its arms and stamping its foot and yelling "I'm not losing any more weight until I figure out what the hell is going on around here." Just keep sticking to the program and it'll start coming off again.

Honestly? I had to do a 6 month pre-op diet and lose 5% of my body weight. I weighed in once a month but my weight kept going up & down. I didn't really try very hard. Luckily (ha!) I got super sick a couple of weeks before my last appointment and lost a bunch of weight... so I made my weight loss requirement and they scheduled my surgery. So before that I'd cut out sodas and changed my eating habits somewhat, but not as drastically as I was supposed to. I think "Last Meal Syndrome" is normal for us bandsters. I can tell you that you most likely WILL be able to have your favorite foods down the road- just not in the portions you're used to having now. And those big portions probably won't even look good to you anymore. Once your brain gets used to your new portions, you look at a giant plate heaped with food and shudder.

Well congrats! Some people have it much easier post-surgery than the rest of us. No, I don't see any reason for you to worry about the other shoe being dropped. Sounds like you're doing great, and following your surgeon's advice, and it should all be uphill from here

I agree that the pain feels like soreness. Sort of like if you were working out in the yard all day, the way you'd feel the next day, but mostly in your abdomen instead of soreness in your arms & legs. I don't know if that makes sense Yes, the gas hurts until it gets out of your body, and that's a sharp pain, but the incisions hurt like a soreness. I used all of my pain meds mostly because they made me happy! Getting out of bed and twisting were the worst for me.

Sounds to me like you're just fine. Your description sounds like how I am on any given day, for the most part. And what you're describing isn't being stuck, it's just swallowing a bite of food that's too big or not chewed well enough. Yes, it's best to measure your food and stop when it's gone. Have you ever read the first link in my sig, by Dr. Simpson? I think it'll help you better understand what the band does for you.

Trust me, you definitely get used to it! The first few times I did it I couldn't handle more than 5 or 10 minutes. Don't kill yourself on it. Go slow on it until you feel like your muscles are used to the movement. Remember to use your arms to help move your feet, but you don't need to exhaust yourself pulling with your arms and not using the muscles in your legs. As you get used to the movement you'll be able to go faster, but I still don't go super fast... I usually do 45 minutes and "travel" about 3 miles on it. What's important is to get your heart rate up to a good level and stay there for a while. The rest- running on it, going super fast, using lots of resistance- will come in time.

If you're willing to branch out into powdered shakes you mix at home, it's pretty easy to make them thick. I make mine with a scoop of protein powder, a cup of skim milk, and then 4+ ice cubes depending how thick I want them to be. If you find a powder you like it really can make them taste like a milkshake, particularly if you add in some sugar-free flavor syrups. Yum!

Yes, you are too tight. You'll feel much better with an unfill.

dirty bananas

I was supposed to lose 14 pounds, so 5% of my starting weight. I ended up losing 11 instead of 14 but they were happy with my progress so I got banded anyway.

My doctor says 4 oz. lean protein and 1/2 cup veggies should keep me satisfied (not full) for 4-5 hours. The best way to judge if I need a fill, for me, is to eat exactly what I'm supposed to and then pay close attention to when I'm hungry again (not just when I want to eat something else).

My suggestion would be to stay low carb, but to add in more healthy fats. This will help you get more calories, and will probably help you feel better as well. My doctor tells us not to worry about calories, but when I pressed the nutritionist she said around 1,200 a day was good for me.

LOL, yes! It's taken over this household... and it's constantly stuck in my head.

I wanted the band because I wanted to be able to take credit for my weight loss. And I can. When I tell people that I've changed what I eat and I'm exercising, it's the truth. The band does less for me than I thought it would, but I'm mostly OK with that, because I know that this journey is in MY hands and in MY control. The other surgeries.... I would have lost much faster. And as appealing as that sounds to me sometimes, with the band I know I WORKED for every pound I've lost. I sure do hold my head high about that.