NWgirl

MFP= My fitness Pal. It's a tracking program.

The point of WLS is to reduce the amount of food you can eat, regardless of whether you get the band, bypass, or sleeve. You lost more weight in the start because that's what happens on diets. Your body adjusts to the foods you eat and the exercises you do and over time learns to do those same things with less energy expenditure. This is why it's important to vary activities. I have been told not to go below 1200 calories, as the metabolism gets slower if you do. Based on your activity level, some people need more calories and some need less. My basal metabolic rate is 1850 (approx). I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day. The 1850 is what my body needs to function to maintain my current weight. If I eat less, then I will lose weight. You should talk to a bariatric nutritionist if you are not sure why you are supposed to be eating the lower calories. The nutritionist will be able to look at your activity and current calorie consumption and tell you what calorie goal you should be striving for. Personally, I wouldn't be taking advice from a program or from other non-medical dieters because they do not know your specific situation and the fact that you've had WLS.

MFP does not take WLS into consideration. Because you have had WLS, your body doesn't require as much food as before. This means you eat less and make sure that you are getting all necessary vitamins, protein, etc.

I've missed one meeting since starting the process, and will continue to go the them. My hospital does the meetings for surgery specific groups, so mine is only Lapband patients. I like the fact that there is a group of people going through the same thing as me that I can sit down and talk to face to face. Sometimes online just doesn't cut it, but it's still better than nothing at all.

awesome! I will be super excited to hit below 200, but I don't foresee it happening for another 3 months at least.

I stand behind finding a body image group or a psychologist to discuss this part of the journey with. You have gone from morbidly obese to unhealthily skinny- you need to find a middle ground and be satisfied with yourself.

You may want to try a complete unfill and then start the process of fills again.

I had a real hard time eating jello post-op, but was able to eat SF pudding. Something with the jello texture did not jive for me that first week. I even felt nauesous with the jello, and nothing else has made me feel that way.

Have you gone back to your surgeon to get help now with the band? Maybe you could use a fill or some nutritional advice.

What is a healthy weight range for you? Maybe you should look into talking to someone about body image. I know my surgeon's office is now offering a seven week class about body image due to some concerns about these types of things.

I might look into this... I am currently taking two of the 27mg plus I know my multi has iron too.

Usually you can see the most current benefit book online and it should have the bariatrics policy in writing. I recommend looking into that to see what you need to do.

I wouldn't give you flack for that. It's one of those things we've all experienced. I know that I am a month out, but still play the head game with myself about wanting to eat more because I want to but not actually being hungry. My smarter side usually wins, but there have been a couple times where I feel as if I just had Thanksgiving dinner too... As for the diet, I was allowed full liquids for two weeks post-op, then to purees for one week, mushies for one week, and then soft foods with slow reintroduction of normal foods for last two weeks. On my one month post-op meeting, I was cleared to eat all foods. Full liquids for me included yogurt with no seeds/chunks, soups with no lumps/chunks, Protein shakes, SF puddings and Jello. Sounds like you are doing good so far! Keep your head up and start working on the emotional connection with food. That has really been the hardest for me so far.

Ask your Dr if you could try a chewable iron. I found one at a supplement store and it has 27mg iron, 150% of daily value.

For employer covered insurance, they have to cover you regardless. They may stipulate that they won't pay for any WLS related care though. If you're going to buy private insurance, some can deny based on WLS.

I know there is someone floating around who seems to have around 3cc with restriction. I got a 2cc fill on Monday and don't really feel a difference myself.

My tummy sometimes gurgles, but not anything too crazy or loud. my burping only occurs after I've eaten, and not really all that often (maybe once a day). Immediately after surgery for about two weeks I did burp A LOT, but that was due to the gas they fill you with. I did get my first case of the hiccups yesterday, which for some is a warning sign that your pouch is full. I am 23 and got banded last month. Recovery was pretty quick and painless. Right now I am "dieting" (weighing foods, counting calories, etc) because I am pretty unrestricted and could probably eat anything. I have lost about 35 since a couple weeks pre-op and feel great.

my recovery was quick, but is not for everyone. I took a total of two full days off and worked two partials before I came back full time. If I had a sit down job, I would have been fine going back within two days. I had minimal gas pains. It was worst on days 5 and 6. Moving is your best friend for the gas. I did have abdominal discomfort from day 1-3. I had a Mini Pillowpet I bought to hold against my tummy for Support when getting up/down or if I was walking and my stomach was achy.I took my pain meds for three days.

my surgeon didn't mention it either. I was talking to her fellow and he asked if I had my gallbladder. I told him yes. Out of curiosity, I asked how common it is for the gallbladder to be removed after WLS because I had read about it on the boards He said they automatically prescribe the pills for gastric and he would ask about banding. When the surgeon came in, she gave me the prescription and explained the use. I honestly don't know if it's something my surgeon prescribes regularly for banding or not.

My surgeon sat down with me prior to surgery and we went through the list of bad things that could happen. I was free to ask questions if I did not understand, and then I had to sign to show I understood that there can be complications. I am guessing most surgeon's do this to cover their butt, and maybe people don't really think about them. I know for myself when I read a warning on anything else (OTC meds, machinery, etc), I don't take it to heart because what is the likelihood that will happen to me? I guess it's easier to have hope than not As for the sleeve as the gold standard, it is well known that in other countries (UK, Australia), the band is prevalent. While other countries fine tuned the band, America was focusing on bypass. I guess it's easiest to say that American Dr's have been playing with bypass a lot longer and so they know it can work, regardless of the patient. The Lapband may not work if the patient doesn't put in the work.

I think the point that a few others made was that you aren't giving people enough credit in that they probably do ask their Dr's if they have a question about things they should/shouldn't do. I don't run out to the store and buy everything people suggest on here, so I expect that everyone else has the same common sense. I stand behind the idea that people should discuss Rx things with their Dr's, but most other things people can decide on their own. If someone has a life-altering condition, they probably know what they can and cannot take. Most Vitamins are not in a dosage that can cause any damage. Other than those prevalent suggestions on the board, I am still confused about what kind of prescribing you're talking about...

No, I am with Anthem BCBS. I was nervous about the procedure, but knew from the hard core dieting I've done in the past that I cannot lose the weight on my own. I feel 100% about my decision and would do it again. I was glad I didn't have to jump the supervised diet or class hoops some insurance require. I had researched this for about a year on and off prior to going in January, so I knew the answers to my questions and felt I knew the protocol. As for the procedure itself, It was my first surgery and it went great. I think it was about an hour long and there were no complications/hernias/etc. I was outpatient, so I left a few hours after being in recovery. Within a few days of surgery I was feeling back to my old self. I was a little freaked out about the actual surgery and the what-ifs that plague us all. Honestly, I tried to keep my mind occupied the days before surgery and the day of surgery it was too late to turn back. It was almost like I ignored my scared thoughts because I knew the path was the right one and I didn't want to be the only thing standing in my way.

I am 23 and got banded last month. I started the process January 17, received approval mid-February, and was banded march 20. I was not required to have a supervised diet.

My shoulder pain lasted 3-4 days. It wasn't unbearable, although at times it was uncomftorable.

I was given the general timeline of when my Dr would submit, and literally spent the next two weeks forcing myself to not think about or focus on it.