Thats All Folks

Vomiting is never normal. Call your surgeon immediately.

I'm sorry you're struggling. Are you tracking your calories? Unfortunately it's the only sure way to know you're burning more than you are eating.

And that may well be true. But if someone already has a fat apron hanging off their stomach and has for years, chances are good no amount of exercise is going to make all that skin snap back. Skin can only shrink so much (unfortunately). Bottom line? I'll take excess skin to excess fat any day.

It's entirely dependent on your age, how long you've been obese, and skin elastisity. If you have great skin genes and are only 25 years old, you might be fine without a bunch of loose skin. However if you're 40 and have been obese for a decade or two, chances are good you're going to have loose skin. Exercise can only go so far but it's always worth a try.

You need to go see your surgeon and have it checked. It's the only way you can know for sure.

No, it's not. Go back into your surgeon ASAP and get an unfill.

It's not uncommon for people to need multiple fills before having adequate Fluid in their band. It usually takes months for this happen because the band is typically filled slowly. So, be patient. It will come but it will take time to reach that point. In the meantime, stick to your daily calorie allowance, make sure your meals are a cup or less of food, and make sure to get in all your Protein. (plus protein keeps you satisfied longer) Best wishes

Don't cry, look at this as an important learning experience. You're so early in your journey. Don't look at this with defeat, look at this as a chance to educate yourself on the band. It's never too late to learn and change. So... educate yourself. It's so crucial to be successful with the band. Talk to your surgeon, ask lots of questions, and don't be afraid to speak up louder if he's still not giving you the information you need. Also, find a nutritionist and learn how to eat to be successful. Have a look at this link, too. Its brief but gives you an overview of life with the band and what you need to do (and not do): http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html You can totally do this, you just have to utilize the tools at hand and do the work. Best wishes to you.

Ok, I'm going to be very blunt and not entirely nice, but only because you specifically asked "to be scared" What you're doing is downright stupid. You are healing. Your stomach has been sutured and manipulated. The post op diet is to give you time to heal. By disregarding your doctors post op orders, you're risking not only your band slipping but serious permanent damage to your stomach. Why bother going through all the cost and pain of the surgery if you're not even going to give yourself time to heal after? I strongly suggest you educate yourself on the band, what it does, what it doesn't do, and what to expect. You need to learn what you need to do to be successful and healthy with it or you're going to end up not losing any weight, or worse, having major complications. This isn't something to be taken lightly. If you're not willing to do the work and stick your doctor's post op diet to heal, how in the world are you going to follow the rules of being banded to lose weight? If you continue on the path you're on, you'll be just another person on here a year from now whining how you didn't lose any weight but it'll be because of your own bad behavior and choices. Or worse, you'll be on here complaining how you have to have the band removed because you caused so much damage. Tell your surgeon what you've been doing and eating right away and hopefully he can get back on track before you completely sabotage yourself.

Floridays is SO right!! I'm still in the process of losing and my top half is a lot smaller than my bottom half. In fact, my face looks like a skinny person. I can even see my collar bones already, too. Yet, I still have 80+ pounds to lose and most of that is all on my lower tummy, butt, and legs.

I had a sleep apnea but it wasn't severe. They wanted me to use a CPAP machine to sleep but I never bothered getting one because there was no way I could sleep with that thing on my face. (I never said that was a wise decision lol) But, a year later after losing 175 pounds, I don't have a sleep apnea anymore. In fact, I don't even snore at all anymore. It's pretty awesome.

I think any loss is a success. Whether it's a 20 pound loss or a 200 pound loss, both are outstanding and just a step closer towards better health. I've lost about 175 pounds in 1 year. I'm still losing and hope to be at goal by this fall, but even if I'm not I'm ok with that too. I know I'll get there eventually. I eat 1000-1200 calories a day I don't restrict carbs I eat at least 60g of Protein daily I limit fat to 25% or less of my daily calories I never eat more than a cup of food per meal

I'm not sure where you read that lactose intolerance is common with the Lap Band, because it's actually not true. Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not produce enough of an enzyme called lactase, which it needs to break to down dairy products during digestion. Lactose intolerance actually has nothing to do with the band or even the stomach, it all occurs in the small intestines. I would definitely see both your surgeon and your own family doctor immediately. Your surgeon needs to know about the ER visit and all the results of it and your family doctor needs to address the issue of being lactose intolerant. Best wishes and I hope you feel better soon.

No don't let it get you down at all. A couple reasons: First, it's entirely possible your clothes "gained" along with you originally. This is especially true if they're cotton, cotton is stretchy and as we gradually gain weight it will stretch with us. So, when you lose, it's not as noticeable. Also, you're used to seeing yourself in your clothes. Have you tried going to the store and trying on new stuff? See what size you fit into best and how it looks on you? You may see a big difference then. When I was first losing, I actually lost 60 pounds before I felt the need to buy new clothes for all the reasons above. You're doing great, keep at it

Welcome to the forums! I can relate with your struggles. I was a year older than you when I got my band and quite honestly, my life was a trainwreck. I was gigantically fat, in constant pain, sleep apnea, borderline high blood pressure, and though not diabetic my blood sugar was running high so it was only a matter of a time before that happened too. I was originally scheduled for Gastric Bypass but I canceled at the last minute. I just couldn't justify rerouting my intestines and permanently changing my internal organs. Plus, I didn't want to deal with all the dumping and malabsorbtion issues, either. So, I began to research the band a bit more. Being as the band is totally reversible and doesn't permanently change your internal organs, I decided it was the right choice for me. A year ago, January 6 2012, I had Lap Band surgery. Since then I have lost 176 pounds and I'm still losing. Honestly, it was by far the best decision I've ever made for myself. I've gone from being sofa bound in pain, unable to walk even a couple feet without a cane, to active and walking 2 miles a day unaided with ease. My blood pressure is perfect, my blood sugar is great, and I don't even snore anymore let alone an apnea anymore. Most of all...I am happy. This is strictly my experience. Best wishes on whichever choice you decide is right for you.

Sounds great!!

As others here wisely stated, the first 4-6 weeks post op are for healing not losing. Now, with that said, it's still possible to get through the healing phase without gaining. From the day I got home from the hospital I started tracking my calories and Protein. Of course it was very little food at first but as I progressed to the mushies and then soft foods my calories increased. I actually found it way too easy to eat too many calories on the mushy food. The other part is, again from day 1, I never went over a cup of food per meal. Not even when I was on liquids. It is possible to get through the healing phase without gaining but it takes considerable work. Best wishes.

Care Credit offers a line of credit for medical procedures, like Lap Band. I would apply and see if they will cover it.

The problem isn't what you ate, the problem is you ate it only 4 days after surgery. Your doctor has you on a post op diet for a reason. Your stomach has been sutured and manipulated considerably and now it's very swollen and wounded. It needs time to heal, and if you don't give it time to heal and don't follow your doctor's post op diet, you are risking some very serious complications. Stick to your post op diet, no exceptions.

Actually, the only thing you physically can't do right after surgery is lift anything (my doctor said nothing over 10 pounds, yours may have a different weight limit) and you can't drive until you're off pain meds. Otherwise, as soon as you feel up to it, then everything else you can do. I had my surgery on a Friday and by the following Wednesday I was back to my normal routine, so not even a full week. I just had to have others carry anything over 10 pounds until my 4 week check-up. But of course, listen to your doctor's specific instructions, this is just my experience. Best wishes

Ok, here's some simple math If you need 3400 calories to maintain, then you need to subtract off that number to lose. Cutting out 3500 calories a week equals a pound, so 7000 a week equals 2 pounds. 3500 calories/7 days= 500 calories a day reduction 7000 calories/7 days= 1000 calories a day reduction So... To lose 1 pound a week, you'd want to eat 2900 calories a day To lose 2 pounds a week, you'd want to eat 2400 calories a day NOW...that isn't to say you should necessarily be eating that much, especially with the band. However, it does give you an idea that 1500 calories a day is WAY too low for you.

See but this is good. Not that you "haven't been an angel", but rather that you are clear where you haven't been and what you need to change. This will help a lot! I still think your calorie range is too low, btw. I'm a 5'3 woman and I eat 1000-1200 a day. Being a man, yours should be higher for sure. Now granted this is just my personal experience, not "right" or "wrong", but I simply cannot eat after 7pm and lose weight. If I were to eat stuff like ice cream or drink wine at night I guarantee I wouldn't lose. It's VERY hard to kick the nighttime eating habit but for me it's essential. If I find myself truly hungry in the evening, I have a dill pickle or a sliced cucumber because both are 0 calories. Hang in there, it's definitely a learning experience!

you're very welcome

My goodness, it sounds like you're doing everything absolutely right. I'd be incredibly frustrated in your shoes, too. The only suggestions I can think of are: -See a nutritionist to establish a good calorie range specifically for you and your activity level. 1100 for a man is VERY low. I would have to guess you're not eating enough and actually need more to stimulate your metabolism into activity. A nutritionist is your best bet to establish this. -See your primary care physician. It's highly unlikely but doing this will at least rule a medical reason for your stalled weight loss. Good luck!

Actually yes, we have a Wii and the Just Dance is a good work out when you're on the faster/harder songs. We don't have Zumba but I imagine it would be a lot better than the Just Dance. I will say this: We also have an Xbox 360 with Kinect. I actually MUCH prefer it for dancing games, and pretty much everything, over Wii. With the Xbox Kinect you don't need any controller. It reads your body movement, so there's a ton more freedom and variety. With the Wii, you have to hold the remote and/or nunchuck. Best wishes