Lapbandster

Weighed in at 197.4! so -1.8

Every doctor is a bit different, but my doc said i can workout as soon as I feel good Which was about 6 days post-op I started off light, but as I felt better and better I increased my workouts

High carb days are filled with high fiber foods like Whole wheat breads/crackers Fruits like apples and vegetables like fresh peppers and salads, etc. Raisin bran/oatmeal Morningstar patties Nuts Raisins Low carb days: Meats (grilled hot dogs hamburgers/hamburgers/ chicken breast) Cheeses, like low fat string cheese (1-2 of these make a great snack) Fish (I only like tuna) Morningstar grillers (5g of carbs per burger) I'm always looking for new foods/ideas but this is what I usually eat

This is called "bandster hell" Very common and normal It may take some time to find the green zone, but just try eating if you are in the green zone until you actually are (I know its soo hard!) Also, maybe try to stay away from the larger breakfasts to "try out your band." Restriction isn't always so "black and white" and for some people it just cuts cravings but they can still eat boatloads just to "try it out". So the fact that you're able to stuff yourself doesn't necessarily mean you're not close to restriction

Ya know, I keep hearing about fitbit What exactly is it? A tool that you wear which tracks your calories?

thanks bayougirlmrsc and bar2373 I REALLY appreciate hearing those kind words!! ((hugs))

Yes, it depends on how you're planning to finance this. If it's gonna be insurance then your doctor's office will be able to tell you the protocols/requirements. Sometimes insurance's want you to follow a 6 month supervised diet. So the faster you get started with the process the better

I use My fitness pal because I believe they are the only app that has an app for blackberry. I'm very happy with it and when I have the time I browse the features which are really cool! Like the recipe calorie calculator

Carb cycled since sunday and i'm down 3 lbs Thanks again Missy for posting this topic!!! I owe you big time lol It feels SO good to break a plateau!!

Great post! One other thing is that people tend to get stuck once (which is absolutely dreadful) and then fly off the handle screaming for unfills/afraid to get filled again. I wish I could let everyone know that it's NORMAL to get stuck once in a while, especially in the beginning It really is a learning process! People, dont be afraid to find your green zone!!

Jean, thank you for your informative post! You, more than anyone, can really speak about both surgeries since you've experienced both. Just wondering, is it possible to get a LapBand put in AFTER someone has gastric sleeve surgery? To alleviate the food cravings and stuff? I know your situation may not permit it, but for someone else, maybe they can revise to the lapband? I wonder if that's ever been done

WOW everyone has such exciting jobs! Unfortunately, I just graduated college and am getting temp jobs but nothing permanent I recently worked as a pharmacy technician, substitute for a high school math class, and as a receptionist. Nothing exciting and right now i'm out of a job, but at least this gives me time to really focus on myself and really spend time at the gym (really my life sucks at the moment, just trying to make myself feel better)

Look for another doctor then My doctor allows payment plans, and I'm sure there are others too.

Won't your doctor help you with a payment plan?

I was also very torn about what surgery to do, but after reading some horror stories on verticalsleevetalk (a sister site to lbt) I was convinced NOT to do the sleeve. Yes, both surgeries have complications, but the lap band complications were ports flipping, leaks in bands, and once in a while an eroded band. On the VSG website the complications sounded SO scary. One person wrote that her mom got sicker and sicker from the surgery, needed to have multiple surgeries and stents put in, and eventually they had to detach her whole stomach from her esaphagous and she will need at least 3 months to recuperate. Maybe I'm just a wus, or a baby, but these things just terrify me

I agree with everyone above I chose the lapband because it is adjustable and reversable (if needed). Of course theres a chance that things will go drasticly wrong, but remember, your band can be adjusted if that's the case. If something goes wrong with the sleeve then oh boy, you're in trouble because your stomach will NEVER be the same. I hear that the weight loss with Gastric Bypass and the Sleeve comes off faster, but to me, I don't mind having slow loss and putting in a lot of effort on my part. I just want the safest surgery that will give me my desired results

Yep, thats exactly why I didn't tell. I have always been grateful for that decision Only my immediate family knows and even that makes me feel uncomfortable (I can feel the judgementalism!) But I had no choice...

During months 3-4 post-op I experienced severe hair loss. It was horrible. I was scared to even shower because the clogged drain would scare the $h!t out of me. I took 5000 mcg of Biotin 70+ grams of Protein per day A Multivitamin Zinc lozenges Within a few weeks my hair loss slowed immensely, and now I don't worry about it. The good news is that i've never heard of anyone going bald after having WLS!! So I don't think anyone should freak out (like i did), just wait for it to pass

Interesting topic. Some people claim that the rate (how fast) we lose weight has absolutely no signifigance on if we will have extra skin or not (I think jean McMillan says this) There is a member on this site who lost 100+ lbs and says he has no extra skin, he is in his 60's I believe. He said he thinks its because he was VERY active, drank a LOT and spent a lot of time in the sauna. I am 23, had 100 lbs to lose, lost 46 of it now, and so far I don't really notice any excess skin. Fingers crossed that it will stay this way

I didn't tell anyone and it was the BEST decision i could have made. It's hard to believe just how insensitive people can be, and I really didn't wanna deal with other's judgments while on my personal journey. also, in my opinion, people tend to think that surgery is "the easy way" out. A bandster knows this to be untrue, I go to the gym at least 4x a week, count my calories, limit my portions etc. but everyone else thinks we took the easy road, which i don't like.

Anything with chicken/meat is low carb, so I look on allrecipes.com for grilled chicken recipes, beef recipes, pepper steak recipes etc. Then I go to myfitnesspal.com and go to the recipe calculator and figure out how fattening/carby the dish is. That has been helpful for me

I was feeling fine one day out, and got hungry then. It was soo hard not to eat for a whole week (my doc had me on liquids for a week i think). Everyone told me that because of swelling i'd have no appetite, but unfortunately that wasn't the case and i really struggled.

Very well put Lap band is SO much different than gastric bypass for this reason. It requires much harder work and the results aren't as magical (quick weight loss). This may be why it has a bad rap. My mom had gastric bypass and we watched as the pounds literally melted off her without her doing ANY exercise. For me, with a lap band, I am going to the gym and at least 4x a week and REALLY working (not just strolling on the treadmill while reading a magazine for 20 mins), and my weight loss isn't nearly as fast as hers. I guess some people just simply don't wanna do the work, which is cool, but certainly not for me

Personally I eat about 1100 calories a day but my range is 1000-1300 As the others have said, it varies based on your activity level.

Same here