justathing2me

I worry about this too! I've already talked to my surgeon about possible abdominoplasty next year. Right now the only thing I've noticed is my flabby arms but I am going to the gym 5 days a week, so I hope that helps. I'm also losing my butt and boobs but who cares, I'd rather be thin and healthy!

I worry about this too! I've already talked to my surgeon about possible abdominoplasty next year. Right now the only thing I've noticed is my flabby arms but I am going to the gym 5 days a week, so I hope that helps. I'm also losing my butt and boobs but who cares, I'd rather be thin and healthy!

My doctor gave me the okay to go back to the gym at 3 weeks, no restrictions.

i love all the responses but lets be real.
i got overweight because i ate too much (regardless if its processed or made from scratch or *great food*). 3500 calories is a pound regardless.
the band will help you eat less. (esp after fills start). up to us to change the type of things we eat. we dont have too and you may still lose, but slower...
when you say you went back to eat what you did before, you made that choice. the band is only a 3 in plastic thing on your stomach. you (and me) and us gotta make the band work.
make good choices.
dont eat over a cup of food
if you think you didnt do good one meal, do better the next.
but get rid of pity tudes. you went through hell to get this band.
make this journey work for you. you got this.
if you want it
(all the best and congrats on your surgery)

Wow! Great work! I'm obsessed with the scale too! I can't help it, I weigh every morning!

I've lost 46lbs and I have to say this week has been the most noticeable week yet!

I did ask my Surgeon before surgery if he was going to put anything in my band at the time of surgery and he said he was going to give me a "head start". He did put 3.6 cc's in my 10 cc band. So far, I have not eaten over 1/2 cup of food at a meal and I can go about 3 hours (sometimes longer) between meals. I am also averaging about 600 calories a day and that is up from last week when I returned to the gym. My calorie goal is 1000 and I'm sure the more I go to the gym the easier that will be. I have lost 15.5lbs since my surgery 8/1. If needed, my first fill is scheduled for 9/17.

It’s been six months since my surgery. I’ve had three fills totaling 6 cc’s and I’m still learning how to live with my band. This is my experience so far:
I’ve lost 58 pounds without real difficulty, just making good food choices and putting the fork down when I’m satisfied. This once seemed laughably impossible, but it’s really pretty simple with the band.
I’m off all medications and my sleep apnea is gone, as is the searing heartburn I used to get. I have no body aches and pains, no shortness of breath. I have the energy of a teenager. I’ve had to buy a new wardrobe because I’ve shrunk out of most of my clothing. (And I’ll have to do it again before it’s all over.)
I’m learning to be content with smaller meals, but I don’t feel restriction. I keep my portions sensible but if I wanted to I could (and have) easily consumed huge meals. Maybe I’m not technically in the “green zone” but I’m losing weight fairly consistently. I might do better with another fill but I’d rather be too loose than too tight, and my doctor agrees.
It’s not all roses. I still screw up and eat too much sometimes, but I no longer beat myself up for it. My head still gets in the way and I have to check my automatic thoughts every day. My weight loss has slowed some and I’ve faced some frightening plateaus. In these times I think, “This is it, it was too good to be true, the ride is over and the weight will come back.” But it doesn’t. I get up every day and do what I’m supposed to and eventually - in a few days or a few weeks - the scale shows a loss again.
I have absolutely no regrets. If I didn’t lose another pound I’d be happy with where I’m at today. I still need to lose another 40 pounds. I’ve decided to relax and not worry how long it takes. I’m confident that if I keep my head in the game and a positive attitude, I’ll get there in time.
If I had one piece of advice to leave the newly banded, it would be this: Relax, don’t be too anxious, and don’t view this as a sprint. Success will come. It takes time, but it’s worth every minute. Enjoy the ride!

Me too! I don't start solids until September 19th!

Yesterday it was in high 80's and now today it's dropped down to the high 60's. I was actually cold so I went into my closet to pull out my once favorite black cardigan.
The cardigan I wore the day I had surgery and I haven't worn in many months.
Holy cow, I couldn't believe how huge it was on me! I mean, I guess I should've known because I've dropped 5-6 sizes since then, but putting that sweater on was a "wow" moment. It really put into perspective how far I've come. Especially considering the day of surgery, I couldn't button it because it was too tight across the tummy if I did.
So, I thought I'd share the difference. Here is me in the now massive sweater

Yay! I'm having the same gas pains but I'm here in the hospital until tomorrow. My Dr. keeps his band patients overnight. Good luck...we did it!

Good luck and keep us posted! I'm getting banded on Wednesday!

I'm on day 10...I wish mine could be less boring but I'm doing optifast and there isn't much room for improvement! I have found sugar free gum and candies very helpful though! Good Luck!

I was banded on July 3rd and today I had my first post-op visit. Although I have a slight infection, which I am taking anti-biotics for. I stepped on the scales and I am down 51Lbs!!!
I almost fainted when I saw the scale stop a lot lower than I had expected. But I am a real big guy and have a bunch of weight to lose. Say so long to the 600s.
I am so happy I could just burst. I still feel a bit weepy over it.

I am going to have to look for those popsicles! I haven't been able to find anything except for cherry, orange and grape. I know what you mean about having to feed the rest of the family. For me it is a little easier though as my kids are a little older and it has been "make your own dinner night" since I began my pre op diet. I do have to give it to my Husband though who has ate cream Soups for dinner ever since I started. I'm on Optifast and my last meal at night is Soup. He's such a sweetheart! :wub: Good luck on your journey, our day will be here before you know it!

I agree with the above posts. I am on day 10 of my liquid diet an it has been kind of a roller coaster.
I have twin 5 1/2 yr old twin boys and so I have to remember to feed them and my husband. I find my self having a hard time drinking all my shakes because they don't taste the best. I have been loving my SF Jello and SF Popsicles. I found an off brand at Wal Mart that has banana and coconut flavored sf popsicles. They were good!
I am proud to say I have not "cheated" at all, I have found I am stronger than I thought I was!
Good Luck to you!

I'm on day 10...I wish mine could be less boring but I'm doing optifast and there isn't much room for improvement! I have found sugar free gum and candies very helpful though! Good Luck!

Yay!

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...
-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.
-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)
-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)
The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.
People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

No food is supposed to be off limits, and if you think that is what the band is supposed to do, then it's understandable why you're upset. But, that isn't the case. The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer amounts of time. It's job is not to make it impossible to eat certain foods and not to make you feel stuffed full
I can understand if you need a fill to have adequate restriction and I'm glad you're going to be able to do that for yourself. But be realistic about what the band is and is not supposed to do so you can be successful with your weight loss.
Best wishes.

My surgery is scheduled for August 1st and I'm on day 4 of the pre op diet too! My physician has me doing Optifast, 6 times a day, 3 shakes, 2 bars and 1 soup. I too am having diarrhea but like everyone is saying, fluid in, fluid out. Other than that and the occasional stomach rumbling I'm doing pretty good and down 4 pounds. Hang in there and good luck!

I was banded in January 2012, and within months of me, two of my real life friends had Gastric Bypass. One had it in October 2011 and the other February 2012. We all started out with over 200 pounds to lose. I was originally scheduled for Gastric Bypass, too. But, I canceled the surgery because I simply couldn't justify permanently rerouting my internal organs without trying something far less drastic first. So, I got the Lap-Band instead.
Like so many others on here, I heard endlessly how I was a fool for choosing the Lap-Band over Gastric Bypass. "Oh you'll be lucky to lose 50 pounds with Lap-Band"... "You should have Gastric Bypass, you'll dump a ton of weight much faster"... "why don't you stick with the sure thing, Gastric Bypass, rather than waste your time with Lap-Band?". Believe me, I heard it all, so much so I even began to doubt myself and my decision. What if they were right?
But I researched not only the Lap-Band but the Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass thoroughly. I knew the pros and cons of each, I knew what the surgeries entailed, and I knew that regardless of which one I chose the work would be mine to do and I'd have to make diet changes for a lifetime. I knew Lap-Band was right for me, so despite the naysayers, I went through with it.
Fast forward to now, July 2012...

My friend who had Gastric Bypass in October 2011 has lost 64 pounds. She lost all that in the first 3 months and hasn't lost anything in the last 6 months. She never really changed her eating habits because she figured she didn't need to with the Gastric Bypass. She did cut back on portions in the beginning, but currently she admits that aside from vomiting occasionally from eating fatty foods or sweets, she eats pretty much like she did before surgery.
My friend who had Gastric Bypass in February 2012 has lost 14 pounds. She hasn't changed a single thing about her eating habits and is vomiting multiple times daily from trying to overeat.
I, who had Lap-Band in January 2012, have lost 121 pounds. I am far from perfect, I struggle with head hunger almost daily, and I definitely have times I eat unhealthy foods. But the majority of the time I eat very healthy and follow the portion and nutritional guidelines my nutritionist gave me.

My point isn't to gloat, or to say "See, Lap-Band is better!" My point is the fact that it doesn't matter which WLS you choose, you MUST DO THE WORK YOURSELF. I don't care if it's Gastric Bypass, the Sleeve, or Lap-Band. The surgeries are tools not magic pills. If you don't change your eating habits to healthy ones for a lifetime you simply will not get the results you desire. Period, no exceptions. I hear people say all the time "Oh I got the band because I don't want to diet". Of course, we all did, but guess what? You do have to eat healthy, not just for awhile like a diet, but for a lifetime.
Ultimately, no matter which WLS surgery you choose, your success or failure depends on you not the surgery itself.

It must be making you crazy to see all the different surgeons' instructions on this as well as a million other issues. I've read all the responses so far (I think) and don't recall seeing this tidbit which came to me from my original and current surgeons and was confirmed by the surgeon who vetted my book (Bandwagon):
Alcohol is a gastric irritant, and it can cause inflammation and (eventually) ulcers. Just something to keep in mind.
My personal comments on this heated issue are:
1. Alcohol is liquid calories with no nutritional benefit. Yes, some people believe that there are health benefits in drinking moderate amounts of red wine, but if you have to use the health excuse to justify something you're going to do anyway, well....OK, go ahead!
2. Alcohol loosens your inhibitions and makes eating something stupid (or drinking a second or third glass of wine) seem like a really good idea.
Finally, thanks for starting such an entertaining thread. I haven't seen so many irritable, rude, defensive, ornery, inflammatory posts on a single thread here in quite some time. I know what my excuse is: it's 99 degrees outside at almost 7 pm. That's enough to make a saint cranky.

I'm currently on day two of my pre op diet and without a doubt, it's hard! Especially when everyone else in the house is eating normally! But I have worked too hard to get this far! An old saying comes to mind "Cheaters never win!" Good luck!

I have yet to read where people don't have pre op second guessing their choice to have this surgery, and post op asking themselves "what the h%^# have I done to myself?" I know that I did...but it lasted less than a day...so yes, it is totally normal to have these doubts and anxiety.

Try to remain in focus with your original reasons for wanting to have this surgery...and it's never too early to begin to look ahead and identify some basic goals for yourself. Having a band is very self empowering, and you are the one who will determine your success. Emotionally, we are going to be healthier if we have the insights into how much self determination we have in life.

Best wishes as your weight loss journey begins...