Shannon28

It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. But it's not something that happens overnight and there will be ups and downs along the way. My BMI was way higher than yours (55.5) but it all depends on your situation. If you have comorbidties or issues like depression or anxiety caused by being overweight then I highly recommend this surgery. And like you I also had problems with will power but I think this surgery has changed that. I'm eating way better now and the more weight I lose the more active I get. I had severe social anxiety before this surgery and although I don't know if it will ever fully go away it has gotten so much better. I'm not kidding when I say this surgery has changed my life, I'm actually looking forward to going out now.. I used to cry even thinking about it. I've done all the fad diets and pills, nothing worked except for this surgery.

I no longer eat Pasta or rice by choice, I have no idea if I would get "stuck" with them or not because I haven't had any since the surgery. But I cannot get any type of biscuit down, even the smallest nibble gets stuck or goes down slow. I still eat tortilla wraps and wheat bread fine. I can't give up bread all together, I love it way too much.

I mostly got banded for my kids. I was at 346 lbs and couldn't keep up with them at all. There is all kinds of diseases that run in my family including heart attack and stroke and I couldn't imagine leaving my kids this soon. I was almost 100% sure that I wouldn't make it past my 30's and that scared me. I've lost 36 lbs so far and I can't believe how much better I feel physically and mentally so I can't wait to see how 100 more lbs lost will feel like.

I get one every month for the first three months, and then 1 every three months unless needed sooner. My doctor won't let you get more than 1 per month. I'm on my second fill so far and I am getting quite a bit of restriction.

Banded on 4/16/12 and lost 28 lbs!

(need to update my ticker, I know it's only 4 lbs off but hey that's still 4 lbs!! lol)

I had my surgey on April 13. I lost 18lbs pre-op. I lost another 12 in the post-op liquid stage. Since then, I've lost nothing. I did a lot of research and read forums beforehand. I read about people not having success. I thought they weren't doing what they should be doing. Now, I'm one of them. I guess my frustration is that if I could have lost the weight without being hungry, I would have. I paid cash for my band and I feel like such a failure. I know people who have lost over 100lbs in just over a year's time. Here I am, losing nothing. Yesterday, I started working out with a trainer, so I'm hoping to see results, but quite honestly, I'm feeling rather negative right now. Why isn't ths working for me?

You're not very far out, only two months now. It's slow when you first start out and takes a few adjustments to get to the restriction level you need. I had mine on April 16th and just now got my second fill. My first fill didn't give any restriction so I felt a little bummed out about it but reassured myself that this isn't an overnight thing. Your 30 lb loss is great though and you should be very proud of accomplishing that much. I gained several pounds after starting solid foods, then lost all of it, then stayed the same weight for almost 2 weeks.. didn't budge at all. Now I'm starting to lose weight again. So it's an up and down battle but it will be worth it in the end. You will do great on your journey, just give it some time. Good luck!

Hey Johnathan, I sent you a message also but saw this post and wanted to answer some of your questions. I had to do the 2 week pre-op diet and it was a Protein Shake 4-5 times a day and thats to shrink the liver. Where are you having the surgery? I had mine at the Hamilton Ambulatory Surgery Center in Dalton and every single one of them are awesome, especially Dr Ponce and Dr Mahvi. The surgery went smoothly with no complications. He is a very experienced doctor and takes great care of his patients. Good luck Johnathan!

Make sure you are getting plenty of Protein (body weight x 0.3 = grams per day), plenty of Water, and that you are tracking your calories. It seems that when we eyeball food portions, they can be very incorrect.

I've been tracking calories since I started solids but am unsure of how much I'm supposed to get. I get in around 800-900 calories a day but will ask my doctor tomorrow about how much he wants me to get in while I'm there for my fill. I bought a 64 oz Water jug and I've been doing really good with finishing it but I'm thinking maybe I'm not getting enough Protein? I never was much of a meat eater so I've been having to force myself to eat it.

While I don't recommend drinking shakes for Breakfast unless you physically can't eat solids; I think you should at the very least have a ready made Protein shake at breakfast. Consider at lunch you think "I did'nt have breakfast I can eat more at lunch!" . This will help you keep burning cals all day. People who eat breakfast loose more weight than those who do not.

Also what kind of flavorings if any are you putting on the Protein? Remember dressings, marinades, etc can be high in calories.

Usually for flavorings I just use Franks Red Hot Sauce if it's chicken, lemon for fish, and I don't like to eat beef. If I eat salad I use ranch dressing ( about a teaspoon) because it's pretty much the only dressing I like. Other than that I just use lots of pepper (love hot and spicy food)

Thank you everyone for your responses. I haven't actually measured my Protein but I guess I should, I've just been using my kids plates to eat from to make sure I have a small amount. I try to eat every 3-4 hours, sometimes I only eat twice a day because in the morning I'm so busy I forget to eat Breakfast lol. I feel a lot better reading everyones posts knowing I'm not alone. This is going to be an up and down battle but I knew that before getting into this and gaining this weight has reminded me.

I had surgery on April 16th. I lost 11 lbs pre-op and 13 lbs two weeks after. I started the mushie stage and my weight stood pretty still and now that I started solids (a week ago) I've gained 7 lbs. I haven't had a fill yet, my first one is this Tuesday so I understand I don't have much restriction yet (if any) but I'm super frustrated and afraid my surgeon will get mad. My food choices have changed drastically.. All I have had to drink since surgery is Water, I don't eat white bread (still eat whole wheat), every meat I eat is either grilled or baked. I'm eating so much better but it takes a lot before I'm full. In my papers it says to eat a cup of food but I'm eating more than that. I can see gaining a couple of pounds but 7 pounds has me worried since thats a pound a day! I've been good at not drinking with meals. Will this first fill help?

I'm not allowed to have carbonation for a year but all I was told is that it it can cause gas pain. After a year if I want to try it they said to let it sit out for awhile to get a lot of the fizz out. But since I haven't had it in over a month, I don't really have cravings for it anymore. I WAS drinking at least one Mello Yello or Red Bull a day... so glad not to be getting that much sugar in anymore. Now all I drink is Water and surprisingly I'm satisfied with it. If I want a little change I drink water with MIO in it.

I've had two c-sections and I would say that for me the Lap Band surgery was way better pain wise. Both c-sections were painful for about 3 weeks for me. It was hard to bend over, twist, lay down, shower, etc. But with the Lap Band I was completely pain free in 5 days (other than occasional port sensitivity). The pain was completely different, I got extremely bloated from the band for the first few days and had gas pain but both of those were dull pain versus the c-section which felt sharp to me. Plus these smaller incisions with the band heal so much faster (at least mine did). I'm a month out from surgery coming up on Tuesday and for the past two weeks it feels like I never even had the surgery (pain wise). And the only help I needed to get out of a chair was right after the surgery when they made me walk but that's because I was still drowsy.

If it's green it sounds like it might be infected. I would definitely call the doctor and ask. It might be nothing but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I'm about 3 weeks out and I feel the same way. My most stressful part of all of this is the pressure to make sure to lose weight. I know I'm still in the healing stage but I feel stressed out when I have to get around some members of my family as well as my husbands because I feel like they are looking to see if I've lost any weight.I feel pressured to lose a certain amount or everyone will think I shouldn't have gotten the surgery. I know it's probably all in my head and they really don't feel that way but it still worries me. And your're right because it definitely is a roller coaster, I don't feel negative everyday. Today I woke up in a great mood about it all!

Thanks for the input. Was it hard to eat the eggs?

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I can get boiled eggs down really easy but I have a problem with scrambled. I like my food super cooked so my scrambled eggs are usually somewhat dry. I've never gotten "stuck" with the scrambled eggs but they go down slow so I add ketchup to make them a little more moist and so far it's been working

I've been eating tuna blended in the food processor with a little light mayo, boiled eggs, chicken salad, scrambled eggs (but I have to add some ketchup to help it go down better), cooked carrots

I had my surgery on April 16th and I have the same pain as you. Its not severe or anything but it's very annoying. I get a feeling of needing to burp several times a day but it's almost like it gets stuck halfways and I can't get it out. I was told it's normal and to take Gas X for it. I have no idea how long it lasts but hopefully yours will go away soon!

I'm in the mushie stage and I'm getting in around 500-800 calories. I start solids on Monday and plan to get around 1000-1200.

I had mine a week and a half after my surgery and mine was incredibly heavy. I didn't have any cramps at all and it was several days early.

I'm 5' 6" and my goal is about 160-165, but really anything under 200 would make me extremely happy.

I've only been banded since April 16th so I can't really say too much about long term (yet) but I believe this has been the best decision I have ever made for myself. Yeah, reading negative stories kind of makes me nervous but it doesn't mean it's going to happen to me. Every surgery comes with complications that "could" happen but it's more rare for those things to happen. I feel in my personal opinion that this surgery is safe and the benefits outweigh anything else. If I were to go down the road I was going before surgery I'm afraid my children might have had to grow up without me and that upsets me. I had a very unhealthy lifestyle and although I've only been banded a little over two weeks I feel that this path is extremely promising. I did a lot of research before being banded and I have an awesome doctor that I feel completely comfortable with. You have to do what you feel is right, talk to your doctor about it if needed. Good luck on whatever you decide!

My full liquid list includes Creamy Soups (strained), sugar free pudding, Low fat yogurt, Instant mashed potatoes, Skim milk, Carnation instant Breakfast, Protein Shakes

I'm afraid of the trial and error also lol. I did find a spicy grilled chicken wrap recipe thats only 275 calories for the whole thing, you have to use a whole wheat tortilla but it looks really good. I'm not really a carb watcher but I'll see how everything goes once I can start eating solids. Thank you for the suggestions everyone!

I'm a newbie too...actually just had my first fill thursday...so I can't answer for the long term but I can eat them now.

I'm not sure if you are sticking to a low carb diet, if you are you, might want to consider the Ole Extreme Wellness tortillia . there are a few that are high fiber/low carb. with about 70-75 calories/4-8proteins/ and only about 5net carbs!! good stuff.

I found them at kroger and Walmart has a couple flavors as well.

That sounds good to me, I'll ask the hubby to see if he can find those. I found a couple of grilled spicy chicken wrap recipes that I would love to make. I love bread so I thought the tortilla wraps might help that craving. Thank you very much for the info!