Jim1967

I am reading the book now and thinking of giving it a try. Basically, you do high carb one day and low carb the next and you add exercise to the plan. My only concern thus far is he says no milk whats so ever as it is high on carb even for a high carb day. I drink 8oz of Simply Smart milk daily with my Protein mix. While the milk is high on carb it is also good protein. With my whey mix and 8oz of Simply Smart I am getting 36grams of protein in one shot. I might try the plan with the milk and see how that goes. Would be interested in hearing if others have tried it.

My Surgeon had me on pepcid for the first 3 months post op regardless of whether or not I needed it. Might ask your Doc about it. Good Luck and hope you feel better soon.

Welcome to the band club!!

Wow you're killing it!! Congratulations

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Hi Patty, Last thing you want to do is throw up. It's not fun and its not healthy for your band. Excessive vomiting could possibly cause a band to slip and create a whole new ball of problems. What you want to do is eat enough to satisfy you and then stop. You want to be able to go 4 hours without getting hungry and your appetite should be suppressed..... If you do get hungry you have to ask yourself is It real hunger or is it head hunger. Hope that helps. Also check out the links at the bottom of my signature regarding restriction. Very helpful articles. Good Luck Jim

Are you eating solid food already?

Hi Dana, All Doctors are different but I would be very surprised if you got a fill just one week out. My first post op appointment a week after surgery was so the Surgeon could see how I was feeling and how I was healing up. They looked at my incisions and to make sure there is no infection. I agree with Missy above that this is a time for healing. Chances are whatever restriction you are feeling at this time is probably due to swelling. What Missy described about feeling restriction at first and then short two weeks later hunger returned full force is exactly what happened to me.

I always have one protein shake a day regardless. I do this to ensure I at least hit my daily requirement of 90 -110g of protein. Typically this is my breakfast as my band is usually tight in the morning.

Same here Realize and took it long time to reach the zone. My fill history is in my signature. My doctor likes Realize and claims it forms better to the stomach. I truly believe it is just his preference. Here is a side by side comparison http://www.wlshelp.com/lap-band-vs-realize-band.html

Good points. Jan 1st I am being switched from Cigna to Blue Cross Blue Shield so I am hoping they are going to cover my fill appointments. This change is not by choice but rather my Employer.

One of those what ifs could be the new insurance company not covering the surgery or make her jump through more months of hoops.

I agree with the others. GO for it!! If the Doc is confident and you trust him then it's go time. Start a liquid diet right now it will only help make the Surgeon's job easier.

Thank you all and sorry Domika. I know it's tough but all I can we can do is try to stay strong and give a steady shoulder to lean on.

Been a rough few days around here. Friday was the type of day that made me realize I'm really not a young kid anymore. You watch the generation ahead of you deal with the struggles of their own mortality and reality sets in that there is nothing you can do to change the cycle of life. All you can do is try and make the best of every situation and lend them a smile and cherish every moment you have with them... Yesterday we said goodbye to my Uncle who lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 68. He fought the good fight and remained optimistic right up until the very end. It was very hard to watch my Father come to terms with this and pay his respect. My Father and my Uncle have walked similar paths. My Father had part of his lung taken due to Cancer and when he was being treated for that they discovered he had bladder cancer. After months of preparation and chemo they took the bladder. He was pronounced Cancer free for a short time but the lung cancer came back and he is just now finished 6 weeks of chemo and radiation. Now we wait for him to heal up and let his body recuperate then they will do another scan and hopefully he will be clean of cancer. My Father had 7 brothers and he is now 1 of 3 that is left. I can't even begin to imagine how he feels.

My Wife bought me one for Christmas last year and I love it. I am the only one in the house that drinks coffee so now we are not wasting coffee by dumping left over pot. If you're not in a hurry you might find deals on "Black Friday". Between coupon's and sale she got it for $38 bucks. A really good place to shop for K-cups online is greatcoffee.com great prices and shipping is very quick. You can even do a subscription and have coffee sent on a timely basis.

Thank you all very much. I couldn't do this without your Support. I am so thankful to Alex for creating this wonderful place for all of us to support one another. All my best -Jim

Tomorrow marks 1 year since I started my journey. Oct 12, 2011 was the day I walked into my Surgeon's office and introduced myself and told him I was ready to make a change and a life long commitment to myself. I had at this point been researching the band for about 6 months off and on and had attended an informational seminar a month earlier. That day I was weighed in at 488lbs and they took all sorts of measurements and pictures along with a thorough physical. They sent me on my way with no promises of surgery until I met all the requirements and criteria. One of those requirements was to lose minimum 5% of my weight. They explained the need to shrink the liver for a safe surgery. I hit that 5% goal which was 24lbs in less then two months. Weight Center was surprised and impressed but I told them that losing is not hard. Keeping it off is hard. I was also given a laundry list of testing that had to be done along with meeting a 3rd party Doctor who had to clear me for the surgery. Also on that day I met with the in-house Nutritionist and was given a pre-op diet to follow along with a schedule for Nutrition classes. It was at that appointment they confirmed I needed to complete a 6 month mandatory monitored diet due to insurance policy. November 28, 2011 the first Monday after Thanksgiving I spent a good chunk of the day at the hospital for the following tests Upper GI Abdominal ultrasound Cardiac Echo Chest X-ray EKG Blood work On December 1, 2011 I returned to the office for a Psychological Evaluation and another follow up with the Nutritionist. Between January 9, 2012 and February 13 I attended a 6 session (we met once a week) class called the Hungry Head. Hungry Head program is to help one distinguish the differences between head hunger and real hunger and to develop skills to manage urges to over-eat. This class also allowed me to meet my mandatory requirement of attending 6 pro-op Support Meetings. I found this class to be an eye opening experience and it really allowed me to take a long honest look at myself. I was a binge eater. I would plan binges. I would go to the store on the way home from work and buy soda, cheese its and ice cream. I would finish a meal and wonder when and what my next meal would be. Eating in front of t.v. was just plain bad for me. I am the one in the Patriots shirt standing with my Dad. We were just wrapping up a fishing trip. This picture was taken in August of 2011. I have no real idea how much I weighed in this picture but it was taken two months before my consult appointment in October. So if I wasn't 488 here I was darn close. This is a more recent picture. Weighing 364lbs down 124lbs. I seems like it took forever to get to Surgery day but wow what a fast year it has been. It was well worth it..wait strike that! I am worth it and I would do this again in heartbeat. Even at 364lbs I have a new lease on life and it can only get better from here. If you read this far I thank you i know I tend to ramble. I will close with a quote posted by Chris Powell from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight loss Edition "You will never change your life until you change something you do daily". - John Maxwell Words to live by and I'm still trying....

Congratulations to you both!! I also have the Realize band and trust me it gets better.

I could not ever imagine say such a hurtful thing to my Wife. I mean we are not perfect and we have our share of clashes but that is just downright horrible. That is something that cannot be taken back or waved aside with flowers and an apology. Those are the type of things that leave long term scars.

Checkout Bandwagon Cookery written by our own Jean McMillan. You can get it from Amazon or order it direct from Jean's site. http://jean-onthebandwagon.blogspot.com/ http://www.amazon.com/Bandwagon-TM-Cookery-Flavor-Health-one/dp/0578087731/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349381860&sr=1-2&keywords=bandwagon

Congrats on your weight loss. That is awesome progress. Does your Doctor recommend not eating before a fill? I always make sure I eat before a fill because I know the next 24 hours will be a soft liquid diet. I have had 5 fills and never had a problem with eating prior to the fill. On a fill appointment day I would eat around 7am and go to my appointment between 8-830.

Welcome to LBT!! Congratulations on your success.

And Kime you are kicking ass!!

I am down 84lbs since Surgery in April and I hardly get comments from anyone. Heck even my own parents don't comment much. Personally, I find the constant compliments a hindrance while of course flattering. 2003 I did Atkins for 19 months and lost a 172lbs. Everyone told me how great I looked and how I was really rocking it. I found with the more compliments I got the more complacent I got. Life was good and it was time to enjoy it and I dropped the ball and did a terrible dis-service to myself. 2011 I weighed in at 488. I gained all my weight back plus another 90lbs. Anyway, we are all different and I see your side but aside from hearing compliments from all of you who support me on here, I am all set. For now on it's all about how I feel about myself and not how others see me.