CallMeStacy

Congrats and good luck to you =0)

Just got my approval today! My surgery is on Friday at 10:30am but I have to get there two hours early

You should order the book Bandwagon by Jean McMillan ... you can also find her on this support group. Order the book and read it, it is very informational and has helped me so much. This is not going to be easy but it is going to be worth it as long as you work hard. I was banded 1/16/12 and I have had my moments of regret but overall I am so thankful for my band. It helps to keep me on track. You can do this as long as you remember that your band is a tool and not a 'fix all'. It takes a total life make over to lose the weight, so make sure you have a good support system in place and know that you can do this !!! Just stick with it and do what your dr tells you and you will be fine. If you are feeling nervous just know that we have all felt that way before and after banding.
Good luck to you on your journey =0)

You should order the book Bandwagon by Jean McMillan ... you can also find her on this support group. Order the book and read it, it is very informational and has helped me so much. This is not going to be easy but it is going to be worth it as long as you work hard. I was banded 1/16/12 and I have had my moments of regret but overall I am so thankful for my band. It helps to keep me on track. You can do this as long as you remember that your band is a tool and not a 'fix all'. It takes a total life make over to lose the weight, so make sure you have a good support system in place and know that you can do this !!! Just stick with it and do what your dr tells you and you will be fine. If you are feeling nervous just know that we have all felt that way before and after banding.
Good luck to you on your journey =0)

Everybody who has weight loss surgery has food issues or we wouldn't have BMI's over 30 or more and need this surgery in the first place.
Stretching the pouch is very common after so many years. I would like to hear from the people on this forum who have had it done...I don't need the negative posts...I beat myself up enough over this.

Your surgeon/nutritionist will give u all the information you need, as all surgeons have different requirements and for different lengths of time . Basically you will possibly have some form of pre-surgery diet ranging from liquids or low fat/carb for a specified time before, post op you will have a period of liquids some surgeons want Clear Liquids for a while others dont then u move on to mushies and finally normal food. Liquids can run between 1 and 4 weeks same for mushies ... but the time frame is a must to follow your surgeons instructions good luck!

Eveyone who goes to that resturant knows what they are getting themselves into. That place has drawn attention to the amount of fats and calories that go into their sandwhiches. I think that itself is great. It is the silent resturants that cause us to eat the same amount of calories as this place but we don't think about it because we don't see the numbers. How many times do you see people go into the all you can eat places? There is no calorie counter there and they sure don't want you to acknoldge how bad it is for you because most people would think twice about going. I applaude the Heart Attack Grill for being honest and letting you know what is going into your mouth is what can kill you.

I agree with the others, stick with what your doctor told you. Unless the guy working at the nutrition store moonlights as a Bariatric Surgeon during his off hours, he's not the expert, your doctor is.

Hi Stacey, It seems you are following the plan. What I've been told my my doctor's office and have read on this site is that the first 4-6 weeks is for healing and to focus on the "rules" of the band. Like chewing, resting between bites, extended your meal time to 30 mins, getting the Protein and Water in, etc.... You are doing well. Like the others said, keep following the plan and the weight loss will come. I know it's frustrating. Although I've lost, most of it was preop. It's been 4 weeks for me (no fill yet) and my post-op loss is 9lbs out of the 23 I've lost. Good luck, you will do well.

My losses were never steady. That was the only thing i could count on. But if you stick to your rules and keep creating that calorie deficit, the losses will show in time. Our bodies let go of the weight when they are darned good and ready, not before.
For me, I just had to accept that it would be in increments when my body felt like letting go, not steady week-to-week losses. But this is all about the war, won by creating good habits. It isn't won by getting on the scale and showing a loss each time.

I was at a zero weight loss for a couple of weeks then I started going to the gym again and loss 7lbs that week so don't worry it will show next week

Keep doing exactly what you are! The weight you didn't lose this week will show up next week. Promise! Consistency over time wins the race!!!

Sounds like you're doing fine. Within the first Phase you should not get hung up over certain things. There will be plenty of tome for that later on along your journey.
Have you been back to the Dr. since surgery? Aside for my one week post-op visit, I had my first visit at the 4 week mark where I got my first fill.

OMG. I'm sooooooo excited! I was super excited yesterday to be out of the 290's (haven't seen that in a long time), so I was down 27lbs since 1/10. Today I got on the scale and said, "are you f**ing kidding me?" My husband yelled whats wrong? I had to get on the scale again to make sure it was right. I'm down another 2lbs! I can definitely tell a difference since my fill on Thursday. I just hope this continues! Kind of pinching myself.
Mags

I am glad you are healing well and getting ready to be banded ... I want to offer up a little advise however: Order the book Bandwagon by Jean McMillan, it's $19.99on Amazon.com. It is helping me through my journey and I know it will help you as well. You can also look for Jean here on this site and friend her, she is very sweet and willing to answer any questions that may come up ... I have been telling everyone that will listen about this book lol
To get a weight ticker just click on the one below and follow the steps ... Add it by copy and paste it to your signature in your setup page. I know that sounds kind of confusing but it took me a few days to figure it out on my own LOL ... (do not use the html one though,it doesn't work on this forum)
Good luck to you in your journey =0)

Mine is near the larger scar. Just under my rib cage on my right side. Like Stacy said each doctor puts it somewhere different.

My name is Frank and I had my Band done almost 3 years ago, my band anniversary is April 15 I have lost a total of 100 pounds !!

My 1st goal is to lose 10% of my body weight (28#'s) I was banded 1/16 and am down 11#'s pre-op and 11#'s post-op ... So I only have 6#'s to go. When I reach my 1st goal I am going to get blonde and purple highlights in my hair LOL ... It feels a little strange to reward myself with a new hairstyle but its better then food !!! and I am just not going to waste money on new clothes for a few more months =0)
Good luck to you on your journey =0)

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. As does a pound of feathers, a pound of lead or a pound of popped corn.

they asked me to started a 1200 calorie food journal. I dug in whole heartedly and lost 30 lbs by surgery time! they asked that I lose 10 lbs.
I decided if I wanted to make this work, I had to get into the correct mindset. my doc and nutritionist made it very clear that the gastric band was not a miracle. If it worked it would be because I worked. I am happy they started me this way.
I want this to be the last time I have to get rid of extra weight. I want to live, to be physically active and healthy.

Hey everyone, went shopping yesterday for dress clothes for my new job that i start tomorrow (been wearing scrubs forever) my mom accidentally brought me a pair size 14 to try on, i was like there is no way this will fit but low and behold it did, can you say ALRIGHT!!! Just had to share my awesome NSV, thanks for reading. I am 6mons postop, have lost 40lbs, down 4 pants sizes, and feeling great :-)

Thanks everyone for all the information. Guess I just worry too much. Good luck to everyone!

They usually say about 4-6oz per hour on liquid, but agree that you should see how you feel. I was drinking my Protein Shakes waaaayyyy too fast the first couple of days and could tell. Everyone's body is different. Definitely call your doctor with any specific questions though!

I had my surgery on 1/16/12 and have lost 10lbs since and that was all in the first week as well. I have been reading as much as I can about this and everything I have read says to give it time. Your body is healing and it is also in what I like to call the "oh crap" mode ... It is going to try to hold on to every little bit it gets aka starvation mode. Put your scale away and don't let it set your mood for the day. It will come off, it is just going to take some healing time first. I know I was pretty upset when the scale stopped moving but I am just going to give it time and only weigh in at the dr office !!! LOL Good luck to you =0)

I had my surgery on 1/16/12 and have lost 10lbs since and that was all in the first week as well. I have been reading as much as I can about this and everything I have read says to give it time. Your body is healing and it is also in what I like to call the "oh crap" mode ... It is going to try to hold on to every little bit it gets aka starvation mode. Put your scale away and don't let it set your mood for the day. It will come off, it is just going to take some healing time first. I know I was pretty upset when the scale stopped moving but I am just going to give it time and only weigh in at the dr office !!! LOL Good luck to you =0)