Kate rules

I'm doing 1200 calories a day and logging in my fitness pal. Keeps me honest. I've been losing weight pretty well at this calorie intake but I also have a reasonably active lifestyle and have to wear heavy gear at work, so every day is a workout. I tried fewer calories and I didn't feel well and was sluggish. So I didn't get my exercise because I was tired. I found a sweet spot but yours will probably be different

No more sirloin steak. I'm strictly filet mignon now. Or it just comes back up. Sorry for the TMI.

My insurance will only cover every 4 weeks. If your surgeon will do before and it was part of the self pay fee then I don't see why they wouldn't. Agree with cocoabean that you probably should be in town for a few days after fill just in case. Or do a small fill.

Thanks everyone. It has been a tough year for me. I kind of feel like this is the start of a new chapter. There is still more to do but I have hope. On a funny note: the other day I started walking up the stairs to my front door and forgot that I've lost so much weight. I braced for the fatigue I used to feel whenever I climbed those stairs. I didn't feel the fatigue and bounded up the stairs. What a moment. Has anyone else had a moment like that?

Awesome! Congrats!

I had a fill like that and it left me pretty upset too. Is there another doctor or PA in your office who can do fills? I found mine and we've never had a problem. You can ask for more aggressive fills. My advice is to schedule fill for Mon or Tues just in case you get overfilled and need an emergency unfill over the next few days.

It gets better. I had a lot of post op pain. All I could do one night was pace in circles in my living room. The heating pad helped quite a bit.

I stayed overnight on a 23 hour stay. My surgery was at 12 pm and I didn't get out until after 2, which put me over time for short stay unit. I could have gone home the same day if I had an earlier slot. I will say, however, that I am glad I had the overnight stay because I was in a lot of pain. Was enjoying the pain pump and I had trouble getting fluids down so IV took care of that.

I had a TT 7 years ago and two years later my dear son came along. I was really bad before my TT so I don't regret it but I gained 56 pounds during my pregnancy. Now that I'm banded and only 1.7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight I can see that i do have some excess skin, just a little though, that I will have the surgeon get rid of during a mini-tuck. My TT was pretty radical I had a huge diastasis of my rectus abdominus muscle and luckily that condition has not returned. My advice: if you have money to burn go for it now and start a savings account for your "mommy makeover" after you are done with the kids. I'm saving for a mini-tuck and a crescent tuck (back fat roll excision).

I did Lima beans. Also cooked chicken breast in crockpot until it fell apart and added broth. Yum. Good protein and not bad tasting.

I feel your pain. I'm 8 months out and have lost only 26 pounds since then. But my doctor said that my weight loss would be slower because I was on the lower end of the BMI spectrum when I was banded. I stalled at 172-170 for 4 months and have been steadily losing since my fill in December. My most recent fill has been great although I've had some reflux.

I'm 30 years old and have been struggling with my weight for years. I wish I had this surgery when I was 24. I was not far from your weight when I was banded back in July. Now, I am looking the way I want to and know that I have the tools (not just the band, but the nutritional information, the motivation) to get to a healthier weight. It is amazing what a difference 40 pounds will make. If your friends are really friends, they will voice their opposition and their reasoning for their opinion, but will ultimately support your decision because they love you. Best of luck.

I had my own period of mourning the foods I wouldn't be able to eat anymore. But I will be honest and tell you what your nutritionist would kill me for telling you: YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EAT PIZZA AND WHITE CASTLE. Ok, now that we put that bit of dirty truth on the table, I will tell you that my ability and desire to inhale an entire large pizza and a half-pound burger and large fries is completely gone. I share the 1/3 pound burger with my two kids (I eat a quarter of it and usually have to ditch the top of the bun) and eat maybe 5 fries before I feel the restriction of the band kick in. I used to love pizza but I don't really enjoy eating it that much anymore because it is hard to eat. I kind of eat like a toddler now. I sort of pick at my food and after a few bites I say "I'm not hungry anymore." It really used to bug me when my kids did that.

I cheated. Went to very liquidy mushies a little early. not saying you should violate docs orders but if u r losing ur mind...

Sliming is an unfortunate experience one has right before one is getting ready to hurl up one's food. LOL. I hate sliming. The puking is the easy part. I sometimes walk around or try putting my arms over my head. But there are times to just excuse yourself from the table, find a bathroom and puke it up. Not a great experience, so I've learned not to eat certain foods and to be extra careful when chewing.

My favorites (because I had a lot of post op pain) were lima beans and slow-cooked chicken. Basically put chicken breasts in crock pot and let them cook for a day. They should be falling apart after that. Section off 4 ounces and I added some of the broth for moisture and flavor. I added a tiny bit of butter sometimes, but a very tiny amount. Was a good protein fix and pretty tasty too.

Welcome, and congrats on being banded!

I didn't really start to feel restriction until my band was around 5 cc in my 10 cc band. Half full, half empty, LOL. I have ok restriction now with around 5.5 in my band, but need a fill because getting hungry again like hollydolly does. Can you ask your doc to be more aggressive with your fills, making sure they are done at beginning of the week just in case you need an unfill? My PA was cool with that but I never had a problem after a fill.

I definitely feel everything tighten up when my period is coming. Usually around day 3 it let's up. Good news is that it keeps me from chowing down on the sweet stuff I crave around that time.

Yup, got the bump. Hey, being able to see it means we are losing!

My #1 goal is to get to 149 pounds, the weight I was the day I found out I was pregnant with my son. That was 6 years ago and as you can see by my ticker, I'm at 156.4 as of this morning. I want to accomplish this by April 14 which is my 31st birthday. I started at 205 on May 17, 2011, was banded on July 5, 2011, and have lost a total of 48.6 pounds since I started my lapband journey! Good luck.

I drink some soda but I have to be careful. I do not ever drink with a meal because soda plus food equals puke time for me. I pour my soda into a cup, let some of the carbonation taper off and sip. I was also a major diet coke addict.

I do gummy prenatal vitamins (not expecting, but good to be prepared) and I have no trouble getting them down the hatch and through the band. I chew them very carefully and they do help with my candy fix.

I didn't start losing weight (ok, I did lose 6 pounds) until December and I was banded in July. I've had 5 fills and have enjoyed the green zone for about 2 months. I'm starting to plateau again and getting hungry again. Time for a fill. Bandster hell is a good description. I was quite disappointed and embarassed by my lack of weight loss until mid December. Then it all came together. So, I'm hoping for a quick trip to the green zone for everyone out there in bandland.