NYTeacher

I still get stuck a lot and I know it has to do with taking too big bites or not chewing enough. I've discussed this problem at my doctor's and they keep reminding me it's a learning curve. I've eaten one way for 46 years, and another for less than a year. It is every single bite of food, every single meal. Sometimes it's super frustrating, but I wouldn't trade my lapband for anything. I've noticed it happened when I was hungrier,so now I try to pay extra attention at those times.

I have a skinny ten year old who weighs sixty pounds. He's hard to pick up, let alone carry around. As of this morning--sixty pounds is now gone from my body! I have been excitedly waiting for this because he is a walking milestone. Any time I want to see what it felt like at my heaviest, I just have to pick him up and walk around with him. It's so weird to think of the idea that I used to have to "carry him" upstairs, to work, every single step, etc.

unjury is a high quality Protein powder. They have several sweet flavors, including the usual chocolate and vanilla. The also have an "unflavored" Protein Powder that many people love, I can still taste it though. The chicken flavor is like chicken bullion. I add it to things like broccoli and low fat cheese. Suddenly, I have 20 more grams of protein! Look up unjury on the Internet and it will take IOU directly to their site.

I wish they had this in more schools. We are lucky enough to have a culinary arts program, but that "just" teaches about food preparation. My kids know so little about handling money, nutrition and how to read labels. I teach ESL and I try to teach label reading and medicine taking directions every two years so that most kids will have that basic info by the time they leave my school.

Kathy, I find it weird to say "congratulations" for all your hard work but I can't think of a better word. I also wanted to thank you for coming to post here. I started at 401 and am now down to 350. My surgeon has told me that realistically I could expect to get down to about 240, but I would so love to get below 200. It is really inspiring to read of your success and accomplishments.

I want to add another suggestion. I have a really bad knee and may also need a replacement when I get the weight off. I was also planning on joining the Y, but I never seemed to do it. I just bought a Gazelle Freestyle from the Tony Little exercise collection. It does not hurt my knee at all! It is a non impact glider--like an elliptical,so you can exercise your arms and legs at once. I have lower back pain as well, however, I can use this machine.

I asked my nutritionist and she said focus on getting 60-80 grams of protein a day and limiting the portions. She said that is more important than counting calories. however, in spite of just doing that, I am trying right now to eat around 800-1100 as I am not exercising much.

My doctor doesn't prohibit caffeine--thank God! However, I think Monster drinks are carbonated which she does consider a big no-no. If I really need a boost in the afternoon, I use a five hour energy shot.

I use light (olive oil) mayo and sweet pickle relish to make tuna salad. It can really easily go into a small 1/2 or 1 cup container. I know you said you are staying away from carbs but I found some rice crackers make by a company called 34 degrees. They are insanely low in calories and eating my tuna salad on them has more of a crunch and "meal" feeling to it than plain tuna salad. I have also started adding unjury Protein powder, chicken flavor, to Soups and other things to boost my Protein intake.

That was a really nice and very informative piece. I am losing far more slowly than you or your sister, but I will get there in the end. I have just recently started exercising due to pain from an arthritic knee, but I have found chair exercises and resistance band training. I like your idea of thirty second changes.

Thanks everyone. Please believe me when I tell you all, this is the absolutely only place I can share this!

My BMI went down to 59, so I am "just" morbidly obese! Weird victory, butsince I started at 66, I'll take what I can get.

I have had a similar problem with leftover fish. I think the reheating makes it more rubbery, so not lapband friendly.

I was banded on October 15, and have lost "only" 15 pounds since surgery, 41 in total. I've been really down about losing about a pound a week but my doctors have told me I'm doing great. I knew going in the lapbanders lose way more slowly than gastric bypass but emotionally it is still hard. I have been on a sabbatical from my teaching job and return on January 29. I had hoped to have a super noticeable difference by the time I went back, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards, I've had three fills. The first one I felt great restriction for about a week, then almost nothing. The second one was the most successful so far as I lost nine pounds in five weeks. I just had my third, so I am up to 6.3 ccs in a 10 cc band. I'm still on mushies and it seems to be working well. I am curious about how many calories a day people are averaging?

I had gallstones about 25 years ago, also at college. I had a whole bunch of tests done and they couldn't find anything. I was beginning to think it was in my head. They caught it because my liver counts were off. The pain was intense. Like a cross between being stabbed and felling that there was a hand inside me that was squeezing my guts really hard. I didn't have throat pain, but it did radiate to my shoulder (like gas pains.)

The clerk who reviewed my file at the pre-op testing office told me she had her band done three months ago. She told me she has lost a total of 8 pounds. I didn't say anything, but I was surprised she had lost so little, as she was on the larger side (like me). She told me about how she didn't really stick to her pre-op diet, has had only one fill and doesn't have the time to exercise. She also told me she was "good most of the day, but dinners and weekends were harder." It was really a great wake up call that we have to be pretty vigilant about changing our life long habits.

It's to prevent blood clots as you are less mobile after surgery. I stayed overnight, I don't know is they would give a shot if you were going home. I also had those compression wraps around my lower legs, for the same purpose of preventing blood clots.

I had to have two small shots of heparin post surgery. The shots were not at all painful but one left a gigantic bruise on my thigh.

I've been taking liquid colace three times a day and a ducolax at night. They have really helped. Before taking them everything was as hard as a rock, very uncomfortable.

I was seven pounds heavier coming home from the hospital. I googled it, and it's apparently a reaction to the IV fluids and the body's healing process.

I know we are supposed to get moving, without pushing ourselves. If your body didn't tell you to slow down, it was probably fine.

Amen!

I also wonder if there is are differences based on which bariatric surgery methods the doctor or practice prefers. The first practice I visited really tried to steer me away from having a lap band, and told me their patients have not had much success in losing weight with this procedure. Their packet of information also had different information from the one my ultimate doctor provided. My current doctor and practice are also in Manhattan, and like the first doctor and practice have been listed as a Baraitric Center of Excellence. It is surprising to me that they can be so different and favor different methodologies.