cheryl2586

The only thing with the protein shakes is that your taste changes after surgery and what you might like now you may not like after surgery. I bought chocolate and banana before surgery and needless to say the banana ended up in the trash about six months after surgery because I couldnt take it. Now I drink the eas sugarfree its not all that great but it sure helps when your too tight in the morning to eat.

I would not fill. As long as you are losing slow but steady you do not need a fill. You need a fill when and if your weight loss completely stops and I would give that platue a good two months (yes that long) you need a fill if you are starving and not losing weight. The sooner you start getting fills the less you have to work with. I see people who are two months post op with 9 cc's in a 10 cc band so what do you do after you are full. I went a whole year without one fill and lost 70lbs had one fill on dec 30 and another on March 6. My doctor told me as long as I am not hungry and losing I dont need a fill. I only have 3 cc's in my band and still have a lot to work with. The longer you wait to get a fill my dr said the more successful you will be because you have more to work with. I wouldnt be in a hurry and they cant make you get a fill if you dont want one. I say no fill.

Plateus happen but dont be in such a hurry to get a fill. The longer you wait for a fill and keep losing the more you will have to work with. I have been banded 15 months and only have 3 and a half cc's in my 10 cc band. I was on a six month platue before I ever got one fill but lost 70lbs with no fill. Slow but steady. You may not lose every single day or even every single week but being in a hurry to get a fill is not the answer either you get filled up and then what there is nothing else left to work with.

Im sorry for your loss Fran. My best friend died in January on the 8th she was only 36. She died of a massive heart attack and no explanation. I was devestated to say the least because it wasnt odd not hearing from her for a few weeks but I didnt find out until a few weeks later that she died. I didnt even get to say goodbye or anything. Losing someone we love or having a loved one ill is enough in its self to make you want to eat just for comfort. We are strong and can handle anything because after all the hardest thing was getting banded and look how far we have overcome food wise. I cant say it gets easier with time because my friend I miss her terrible. I moved 5 hours away and we planned on her coming up here after the holidays and it never happened. I got one final email from her the day before she died and wont even delete it. Hang on and stay strong. It is very hard in times like this but if we can do it now we can do it always. Hugs and love to you. Cheryl

I went to gnc and got hair, skin, and nails, my hair stopped falling out in almost a week of taking it. Nutrition is the key not just protein. You are bound to lose some hair but make sure you are taking enough supplements (vitamins) If the vitamin is too big break it in half. It made all the difference. As for the shakes try protein bars they are good. I eat zone perfect they are delicious. I wouldnt survive the day without at least a protein bar. Im not a meat lover so I need to supplement my protein intake.

If you are having an allergic reaction go to the emergency room. Why wait and suffer go to the ER please

Yes Cheri I agree that some of us cant have any trigger foods. Sugar is my poison for sure. I buy every single thing sugar free and I make my husband buy a single serving if he wants it and eat it then. Desperate times call for desperate measures but my husband is the most supportive person ever. Its been a tough road for me. The last two weeks especially I am 15 months out only have 3 and a half ccs in my band and I am having hell to eat because I get severe swelling after a fill. Its been two weeks and I am still eating mush. I know I have proper restriction now because the funny thing is that I thought my food was getting stuck but it was going down only painfully then I realized that it wasnt getting stuck at all but that I was eating too fast, the pouch was filling up and trying to empty at one time with too much food in it and omg the pain. So now I have learned the difference between stuck and just not taking my time to eat. Stuck is one thing the pouch dumping all at once with a big amount of food in it OMG that is pain I will say.

Its all true. I read an alarming article that said by 2053 100% one hundred percent of Americans will be obese. That is sad and it doesn't have to be if people teach their kids to eat healthy and stop patronizing these fast food places that are loaded with death. Even the salads they offer are over 400 calories yikes I can make a nice salad at home with only 200 calories and it is filling with fresh vegetables. I have learned to love vegetables they are good and healthy and I dont feel tired anymore from not eating junk. I feel energized and ready to get up in the morning not wanting to stay in bed because the carbs got me there. I love being healthy and watching everything I put in my mouth every moment of the day. Some say its radical but I can not afford to go back to being an unhealthy person. Bravo for this post.

Spartan I have to totally agree with your last post because I am a sugar addict and if I have one piece of candy yes I will binge for weeks on end on candy which I was told I havent dealt with my addiction issues and yes I have by never ever eating candy again. You think that one piece of this and one piece of that is fine and a 20lb weight loss. Its not. If it pleases you then by all means do it no one is going to be watching you however when you put it in public view that you are a lap band patient, had surgery because you wanted to lose weight and then broadcast to probably a million people reading it that you got stuck on something that was pretty much a days worth of calories then yes you are going to have people who are not going to be supportive. Maybe they are not going to be nice about it or sugar coat it but say how they feel at that moment. As I have said it is everyones right on here to write what they want because we have the right to free speech. Some of us need a kick in the butt when we are not doing something right. I dont think anyones intent is to be mean but to make you see if you are newly banded and already developing bad habits you are setting yourself up for a big fail in a big way. We all got overweight because we have eating issues and if you cant resolve them with the band then probably you wont. You have to expect when you post something that you are going to get all kinds of reactions from people not just what you want to hear. I would say its alright to make bad food choices when you are at goal weight and maintaining for a long period. That is just my opinion which I am intitled to however everyone can do what they want that is your choice also.

My port area hurt for three months that is normal. If its hot, red, swollen and you have a fever and you have any drainage coming from your incision site that is sign of infection if not then that might be normal for you. Everyone is different and every ones healing time is different

I joined curves and I love it. 30 minutes and you are out of there. I didnt go for this past week because I have been on liquids and not taking in enough calories to excersise so today I go back right after work. 30 minutes and I am out of there and come home and do what I have to do.

I too had to start over because after losng 70lbs I quit smoking and my weight just stopped for 7 months. I had a fill in December and one a week ago. The last fill seemed to do the trick. I havent gained but losing is a big problem for me now. The scale was moving while on liquids then just stopped when I resumed eating food again so I am trying liquids for a while because I really am not hungry so I think protein shakes are just fine. You can do it. We all can do it. We all will slip and fall but we have to get back up and I found that joining curves was a God send to me because it goes so fast and you really are working hard in those 30 minutes. You will do it just keep on keeping on.

I am hardly a negative person and was not trying to spoil your post I was just merely showing that some people can not indulge and I am sure Im not the only one. Yes I have a sugar addiction and I have dealt with it by never eating it. The thing that really irritates me by people here is that just because you write something they say you are negative but do you really know how I meant what I said??? Do you know me or my personality??? No no one does. The whole problem with writing is that when people dont know you they take it the way they want to read it and misconstrue it to their terms and how they want to take it. I was in no means raining on your parade and Im so happy for you that you were able to maintain. No post I make is meant by any means to hurt the poster. Maybe I dont always no the right way to answer but that hardly gives anyone any reason to assume I am negative or trying to demean them because I am not.

I dont think you ruined anything but its not worth it to upgrade your diet until you are told to do so. I just wouldnt and you might want to start with pudding (sugarfree) or soft scrambled eggs when you can upgrade and yogurt. Hard boiled eggs are the worst even a year later.

Listen some people can never eat things again because of their make up will sabotage their band. I for one can not ever indulge in sweets ever again and you know why because if I have one piece of candy, one piece of cake, one teaspoon of ice cream its all over for me. I am a sugar addict and just like drugs if I ever eat anything sweet again I will be doomed forever once again. So I chose to not eat them ever again. One thing with sugar will trigger weeks and weeks of sugar and its not worth it to me to even try to say I will eat one piece of something. I cant. If you can eat a piece of cake and thats fine then hey good for you but some people just cannot. Before my band my diet was sugar breakfast lunch and dinner I never cared about eating real food ever. So yes there are some of us out there that can never eat certain things because it would be detrimental.

I think you have upgraded to food too soon. You have only been banded a week you should still be on liquids at this point. I didnt even think about upgrading until my doctor said it was okay and that was 14 days after surgery and it was soft scrambled eggs not hard boiled they are too dry. Still cant eat them a year post op. I would call your surgeon and see if you should be eating regular food because I think most are in the same boat with that one after surgery.

I love my choker it feels so wonderful when its filled and swollen and nothing can get through the apparatus for over a week except tomato soup. I like choker it sums it up pretty much.

Since on liquids for three days after a fill should you give it time to settle in before excersising again. I was filled today and my stomach is sensitive to the fills so I dont know if I should resume tomorrow or wait til the liquids are done. Will call the surgeon in the morning just wondering what anyone else does.

Are your really willing to give up health for a freind and saggy skin. Listen of course you are not going to look perfect after losing weight but clothes can do amazing things to hide it. If you find someone that you are willing to spend the rest of your life with he will understand and help you not discourage you. I dont care if I have sagging skin when its over and done with. What I do care about is how good I feel and all the money I am saving on medication that I am no longer taking.

I think that doctors are in too big of a hurry to fill bands. I am a year and three months post op and I have 3 and a half cc's in a 10 cc band. My doctor told me as long as you are losing weight hungry or not you do not need a fill. I consistantly lost 70lbs and was stuck for a few months and had a fill dec 30 which didnt help but had another fill on Monday which now I have lost 7lbs since Monday. He told me that I would be successful because I still have a lot to work with. If you are losing slow but steady even if you are hungry but you are still losing. DO NOT GET A FILL. and they cant make you get one. Fills in smaller increments are better for you.

Dont be in such a hurry to get a fill the longer you wait the more you have to work with. When people get fills too early they get filled up then they dont have anymore to fill. Less is better in the long run. I never needed a fill till after a year post op and to this day only have 3 and 1/2 ccs in my band. Plenty of room for fills and I still can not eat a lot.

How can your rib cage shrink when its a bone? You may see your stomach going in because of weight loss but your rib cage shrink I doubt it.

I wasnt told to eat that little I didnt eat because I wasnt hungry I had three protein shakes that were 110 calories plus lots of water. I swell severely after a fill for at least a week until my stomach calms down a little. That is just me.

If you are eating enough protein you should not be hungry. You can get 10 fills if your not eating right you will be hungry.

Just because you feel like you can eat more why are you? I dont understand that part.