Thee-O

I also had my surgery in May and have not had any fills. You will have this piece of plastic inside of you for a long time. There is plenty of time for fills. I look at the lap band helping you lose weight in either 1 of 2 ways. For most people it is restriction. It is all about limiting what you can take in and it being somewhat forced by having a tight band. For some (myself included) the band really helped with habit modification. The lap band was my rock bottom in my food addiction and getting surgery flipped a switch in my head that I need to make better choices in life. Restriction cannot change the way you behave and look at food. Only a good long look in the mirror can do that. Restriction cannot force you into the gym. Only you can do that. So far I lost nearly 40lbs and I feel great but most of the weight loss has been through good old fashioned hard work and that is how I want it. To me, that is the way you are going to truly keep it off. Plus my doc is fine with it as long as I am losing. My father saw me recently and commented on my weight loss and all the hard work I am doing and then suggested I didn't need to have the surgery then, I disagreed because it was because of the surgery that I made these changes. The lap band is a tool and like all tools, can be used in various ways to suit your purpose. Good luck with your journey.

I go to the Chiropactor regularly, no issues but to be safe let them know about the band.

The band is a tool. It can't help you make better choices. That is why some people fail. You have to be willing to put in the work with it and start changing your habits? 6 weeks out is the time to really start thinking about exercise. Have you started a fitness plan yet? You can do this. You want to change. Otherwise why have surgery. It won't do it for you. You have to do it with it Good luck

Enjoy the first big weight loss because it doesn't have after that! yeah as everyone has said, it is mainly Water loss and also the facts that you are on liquids. When you get back to solids expect to gain a little back, but don't worry about it....it is all part of the process. Good luck!

I am sorry for your struggles. I think therapy is the best thing for you at this point. The band can only do so much. It can't really help with the stress and emotional eating. Those are things you are going to need help to deal with and when you feel you have more understanding of why you go to food emotionally, then I think the band can be more of a tool that will work for you properly. You need to see your doctor ASAP. You need to see what they can do to help you. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. You can do it. You have done it. Just do it again. I hope you find what you are looking for. Just stay tough and don't live in your past. What's done is done and only thing we can shape is right now. Good luck.

Welcome to the lap band. Home of the gurgles and burps. Sorry to tell you this is part of the new you. You will get used it it. What is a little gurgle when you are losing weight anyway???

That is awesome. Keep at it. I had my surgery 4 months ago and I still don't have any fills. You have the lap band in you for life and if you are losing weight, then keep going without the fills. To me it is best to start off changing your habits and lifestyle first and lose that way then just by restriction. I think it is better for long term weight loss and being able to maintain it. Good luck on your journey

I think you are the right place. For me, I think a little reality is needed for some people. There is a ton of support on this site and also a a lot of encouragement, but I think we all need to help each other face the reality of our decisions. If I screw up, I don't need someone telling me it is OK. I need someone to help me be accountable for my own actions. We are all going to fumble and fall in life but if you can't take the reality of the situation and do what you can to break the bad habits then how do you learn from this? I think there is a fine line between keeping it real and bashing...and I don't think many people on here want to bash other bandsters, but we all need someone to help, and sometimes the best help is tough love. To me I see to much "It is ok, don't let it get you down" on here. I wanna see more, "stop crying and get your ass in the gym". We all know why we are fat, we all know what led us to surgery, but the truth is, we all need a little kick in the ass sometimes....at least in my opinion... I hope to be supportive and encouraging to others, but I don't want to pussyfoot around our issues either.

Great job...and it does get easier to say no to things. Once you start seeing and feeling the changes in your body, it will come easy to say no to those tempting treats. It is all mind over matter. I haven't had Pizza or Pasta in over 4 months...and I don't really miss it.

From what I understand it is pretty normal to start off with 1 or 2 cc's during your initial surgery.

Looking great

Hey Layne, Snacking is ok. Just as long as they are good Snacks. If you are snacking on apple slices, great! If you are snacking on Potato Chips...not so great. I count calories mainly. I use (and a lot of the people on this site also use it) Myfitnesspal.com. It is a great tool to help you count your calories throughout this journey. I suggest you look into it. Keeping a food diary is a great idea and this will also help you keep a diary of all your exercise. The more you burn, the more you can take in and then snacking could be a ideal situation. As far as carbs. I am not hardcore about counting carbs but I found that eliminating these 3 things, White Rice, White Bread and Potatoes (which I call the white devils) help out quite a bit. I don't generally eat bread or rice anymore, but from time to time I have noodles. I work out a lot, so I do need some carbs for energy. You are losing good weight and that is awesome. Keep up the great work!

I still consider myself a foodie. But more of just a healthy foodie now. I love good food and enjoy eating out... I just eat in moderation now. I also stay away from rice, bread and potatoes. I load up on fruits, veggies and protein. I still want to enjoy food, I just don't eat all the junk food, processed foods and fast food anymore. I haven't had pizza, beer, french fries, pancakes, donuts, cakes, etc in 4 months and the longer you do without, the less you miss it.

I love chugging water. Especially when working out. I have no issue pounding the water at this point but I don't have any fills

I also thought I was going to mourn food more. For some reason, after the surgery, a switch in my head just went off. I think maybe the surgery was my rock bottom. The fact that my eating and lack of exercise got me to a point where I needed to have surgery to correct it. I have a few friends with the lap band and I have seen them fail. Go back to bad habits and not go to follow up appointments. I didn't want to be that person. I used to love junk food and fast food. What is not to love. It is easy, quick and tasty. But then you have surgery, and then you start counting calories and looking at labels and you realize how much crap you are putting into your system. For me, it was a wake up call. This surgery saved my life, but I know it is now all on me to see the rest through. You can do it. You are already doing it. Good luck to you.

Sounds good to me. Good protein and low carb. Can't beat that.

I have Frozen Yogurt once and a while. I will load it up with fruit and and if they have a sugar free flavors available I always opt for that.

First of all relax. Don't worry. This isn't a quick solution. This is a journey and sometimes the journey starts a little late. No big deal. Things you can do to help you get the weight loss started: 1) Exercise. I know. A lot of new bandsters don't want to hear that. I mean if I wanted to exercise to lose weight, why did I have surgery? Well, the benefits are amazing. Increased energy and decreased stress to name 2. Also, the more exercise you do, the less you have to worry about sagging skin issues. You want to lose the weight in a good way. Losing it slow and with healthy food and exercise will help you keep it off long term. 2) Count your calories. I use (along with a lot of the others on this forum) use MyFitnessPal.com. This helps you keep you accountable about your food choices. 3) Don't stress. My weight loss has been slow with the band. But steady. I have lost over 36 lbs so far in a 3 1/2 month period with no fills. There have been weeks where I wouldn't lose anything but since I was working out so much, I was losing inches and gaining muscle. Just keep doing the right things and you will get to your goals. Good luck on your journey

Chelsea, Time to get your head right. I was the same as you regarding drinking with meals. But, I understood, there are rules to this lifestyle change and yes, this is a lifestyle change. If you want it to work for you, then you have to make the mental changes that is required to do it. Getting surgery for your obesity means changing the things in your life that helped you be unhealthy. Beer? You shouldn't be drinking your calories if you can avoid it and Beer is nothing but liquid carbs. The band can only do so much for your weight loss. It can't change your habits. ONLY YOU can do that. The quick you start to change them the sooner those good habits take over. You can do. Each day is your day to seize Chelsea. Getting surgery was a big step, but the rest of the path rests on your shoulders. You can do it. But you have to want to do it.

This pretty much happens to everyone. Don't worry about it. Right now your body is recovering and this is perfectly normal. My advise is just start moving when you feel comfortable. Get into a exercise routine as soon as you can and make sure you get your Protein in and the lbs will start to drop... you didn't gain the weight overnight, and you won't lose it overnight either

You still have your arms. Get some dumbbells and there are still a lot of upper body exercises you can do. Don't give up on this and don't give up on yourself. Injuries suck, but they do happen and you most stick with your resolve even more in tough times. Good luck to you.

I am a stomach sleeper also. The first 2 weeks were rough but you will get past it soon enough. Just try sleeping on your side for now.

For more info: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/

I am not low carbing really but I am watching what carbs I ingest. I don't eat bread, white rice or potatoes. I do eat a lot of carbs from fruit but I am working out a lot so I do need the carb energy. Don't worry about the grams really, worry about what kind of carbs you are getting.

All of the above statements are true. A lot of people fail on the lap band. I think sometimes (especially with all the advertising of the lap band recently) that the band is a magical cure for being overweight. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!! It pisses me off to no end to hear people complain that the band isn't working for them when they are not exercising and still eating crap. Surgery should be life changing and if you aren't ready to change your lifestyle and behaviors then all the surgery in the world isn't going to help you. If you are dedicated to your health and ready for change, then this can work for you. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.