mylynn1377

A pretty decent Protein shake is the pure Protein in the can shakes. I got mine on Amazon. Its 170 calories, 35 g of Protein, 4 g of total carbs but only 1 g is from sugars. Its a Caseinate instead of whey based which has the benefit of satisfying a craving for cheese...I just figured that one out last night.

I do the shake, cup of coffee, and one slice of whole wheat-low cal toast for Breakfast, something protein packed for lunch with few carbs and then I eat a healthier version of whatever the family is eating for dinner. Good thing for me is that they really like the modified version of stuff.

Hmmm I need to plug in numbers but if I make my own sauce, have it on a tortilla or whole grain English Muffin, use reduced fat cheese and watch the toppings I bet it won't do too much damage.

I'm kind of having fun lately giving makeovers to things that we all like to eat. The best thing is I can actually get pretty much everyone to eat it too.

Not yet. I'm waiting for them to finalize some things with my insurance and while I go to the center in Springfield, the headquarters is in Overland Park, KS so it takes a bit. I'm gonna call and annoy them tomorrow though because I would like some answers, info, something!

Omg same here lol 6'3 155 eats like a 14 year old boy doesnt gain anything we to are going to join the ymca! Does ur fianciee like basketball or football or weight lifting? If so they may get along great lol

Unfortunately my fiancee likes Star Wars, Star Trek, and Computers..pretty much it. He's lucky that he has the metabolism that he has really. He's not big on swimming but he is starting to get interested in weights because he err's on the side of scrawny a lot and he's hoping to put on some muscle. I told him I was gonna start secretly feeding him Weight Gain 3000 and see what happens lol!

Called my doc and luckly they said they would do another unfill for free!! Thank the lord cause im seriously gettin dehydrated... And hey once u get all banded up we should meet up sometime its nicr to hang out with someone who knows what ur goin threw plus I could so use an exercise buddy my husband is a stick and I wanna smack him lol so its no fun walkin with him

That would be nice. My fiancee is a stick too. 6'5 and about 160. Metabolism out the frickin wazoo..One of those people that if they don't consume at least 2500 cals a day they loose weight...Love him to death but he just doesn't get it! I'm actually thinking about joining the YMCA here in Buffalo so that I can use the one in Bolivar whenever they get the pool done, some day!

Both but if you look closely I have the same Yoda quote...

Gotta love wise but small green guys!

I went through a good couple of weeks of not losing and I just figured maybe i was still healing up but when I started tracking what I was doing I found I was not getting nearly enough Protein. Since I started upping the Protein the scale started moving....

mylynn, nice signature..

Thanks Jim..Yoda or The Stones? Lol

I was told on here earlier to get a kitchen scale! Measuring by weight is a better indication of how much you're eating than a measuring cup...I guess I'm going to the store later!

Yeah I use SparkPeople but there are a bunch of them out there, myfitnesspal etc that will let you know what your eating. Umm Protein shakes if you like them are a good way to go for Breakfast as they are filling and have very few carbs. I do the pure Protein shake in a can, takes like weak chocolate milk, but 35 g Protein, 170 calories, 4 g carbs...yeah its good stuff. I actually put it in my coffee. Can of tuna or can chicken, check the label but the kind I get is 120 calories for the whole can, lots of protein. Ummm oh if you like bell peppers they are an excellent veggie/fruit..ha ha to try. They have carbs but you can eat a bunch before it adds up and the crunch is excellent.

These are just some of the things I am doing while waiting for my band though. My doctors really wanted me to work on getting a handle on my eating before my pre-op diet. So far I'm down almost 10 lbs in less than a month so it seems to be working and I'm not working out yet..yet I say!

Your welcome lady! I know some of the other ladies on here who are banded have suggested drinking something hot to loosen your band. I don't know if it works but you could give it a try. Maybe a cup of hot tea, make it Decaf so it hydrates you, and try sipping it to loosen your band. If that doesn't work I would say try the walk-in clinic and see what they have to say.

Hey I'm in Buffalo actually. I'm not banded yet but I'm going through Weight Loss Surgical Center in Springfield. I'm gonna say you would be better off trying the ER in Springfield at Mercy or Cox. They would probably be better able to help you then the ER in Bolivar. It's not a very big hospital and they may not know much about the band. You could try the CMH walk in clinic in Bolivar because it's really cheap and they can probably refer you to someone that can help you. It's on Springfield street before you get to the college. Hope this helps!

CMH Walk-In Clinic

(417) 777-4800

2230 S Springfield Ave Ste H

Bolivar, MO 65613

Yay!!! I am waiting on my doctors to finalize some things with my insurance. After that its a barium swallow, EKG, and labs then I'm a go for surgery. I just hate this waiting!

Congrats to you..babies are wonderful, hard work, and worth it. My boys are 5 and 3 and I wonder where all the baby time went. It flew by and I wouldn't trade a second of the memories!

I used to do that with the treadmill too at my gym. What the trainer had me do is slowly back the speed down until I'm barely walking and then finally stop. After stopping I stayed stationary until the dizzy feeling passed and I could get down.

Congrats on eating right! It's hard to resist some of the bad/yummies when you go out. What I've been doing on my gung-ho pre/pre-op diet is figuring out where we are going to eat and seeing if the place has a nutrition guide online. That way I can see what the cal, fat, carb, damage will be before ever going. If I have a plan of attack I will stick with through the temptation of melty cheese and garlic bread!

I haven't officially started my 2 week pre op yet (just got the final referral yesterday, hopefully will get my surgery date sometime this week!!) but the nutritionist I'm working with told me that once I start if I have issues with dizziness, nausea, etc to try Glucerna Hunger Smart. She said it's made specifically for diabetics, but can be a really big help in adjusting to liquids only. Since I tend to have problems with hypoglycemia, this is gonna be what I have on hand. I hope you feel better!

I'm glad I read this. I've already started a pre/pre/op diet and it's going well but I occasionally have a problem with hypoglycemia too so I believe that I'm going to hop out and grab some of those Hunger Smart's to have on hand if I have a problem. Thanks for mentioning that!

My personal trainer suggested i put them in the freezer to help with the smell and possibly burping it up?! I have no suggestion on the size?

dionaw

I guess that's why in the article link I posted that they were advertising some of the liquid gels as no burp...that just sounds wrong..lol

great news! i believe there may be some fish oils gummies!

Oh I have heard bad, bad, things about the gummies being super nasty...I've never tried them myself but I have heard enough from others that they are super gross.

A thing to think of is making sure that you are working with a qualified nutritionist. A high Protein diet can have adverse effects on a diabetic, because it makes already stressed kidneys work harder. I would make sure that you take in as much Water as you can to flush your system and maybe ask your primary about tweaking the diet a bit. Your most important job is to get healthy while maintaining a desirable blood sugar level.

I found this article and it made a lot of sense. I thought I would share with my fellow pre-bands and it could also be a useful tool for the banded that have slipped a bit. Please feel free to read and follow the link!

food, he measures his food, and when he needs to get an adjustment, he comes in. Recently Bill had a bit of pouch dilation so we had to remove Fluid for a few weeks and rehabilitate his band (he had been eating a bit too fast over the last months and started to notice heart burn.). During the band rehabilitation Bill gained 2 pounds.

X-rays of successful patients

Take a piece of food, like meat, and put some x-ray material on it (kinda ruins the taste) and have a successful patient eat it. How fast do you think it goes from above the band to below the band? Pretty quickly- usually less than a minute, but for most about 30 seconds.

We use to think that food stayed above the band and slowly dripped down – like coffee through Mr. Coffee filters. But it doesn’t. Food, in successful patients- goes through quickly.

What about patients who are not successful and talk to us about wanting the band tighter and more “restricted.” Their food stays above the band longer. They have more episodes of “productive burps” more trouble with meats and vegetables. But if you ask the unsuccessful patient they will tell you, “I know my band, and this is how I lost weight before.” It probably wasn’t- but now they think the answer is to make the band tighter and tighter.

Drinking and eating

Successful patients eat and drink at the same time. We use to think this wasn’t a good idea, and some patients from those days don’t eat and drink at the same time- and tell us it makes a difference.

Exercise

Did you know that 77% of our successful patients exercise. Lots do weight training, some cardio, but they work out and do it a lot and enjoy it. A very small per cent did that before the band. Exercise isn’t how they stay thin- but if you ask them, “When I exercise, I don’t want to waste calories on something stupid and give up all I did.”

Unsuccessful patients tell us they didn’t exercise last month (the month before they came to the office).

Measure everything

They don’t “eyeball it,” they measure it. And in fact, they often don’t trust their own eyes because when they don’t measure for a few days and then test themselves they are shocked at how much they start to eat. Jacquie weighed 260 pounds when she started with us. One year later she weighed 130 pounds. What was her secret — she measured everything, “Everything I ate I put in those little cups.” Oh, after a year she got her first fill (her band was a bit lose).

Unsuccessful patients tell us “I eat less than I ever did, and I just don’t understand.” Do they measure? No- they eyeball. Test this right now – get a measuring cup out and cut up the meat you would think is your portion for dinner.< /p>

Successful patients know that they eat less for the first year or 18 months, then they increase the amount. Unsuccessful patients increase the amount.

Never hungry, never full

“I just live by never being hungry, but I never want to get full either,” said one of our patients. She ate every four hours, but never much, and she had gone from 220 to 125 in a year.

Patients who are not successful tell us that they “can eat more than I should.” The answer is, they always could eat more – the band does not physically prevent them. But when you eat to feeling “full” you will eat more than you should. When you know how much you need to eat to avoid getting hungry, and not go over that, the answer is weight loss.

Accountability

Everyone has setbacks. But successful patients get up, come back in, and get adjusted. Sometimes it is their head, sometimes it is there band.

Unsuccessful patients blame everything but themselves: be it drugs they are taking, a lack of exercise, or stress. The successful patient learns from the mistakes they made, know their trigger and figure it out. We had one patient get upset because she was on prednisone, had thyroid issues, had orthopedic issues, and just thought we were not nice because we didn’t accept that as an excuse (we would have the first time, maybe the second time, but a year of excuses to not lose weight with the band).

Food restrictions

Successful patients will tell you that they eat differently now than before surgery. Unsuccessful patients tell us that their diet can’t change because they are picky eaters, and their diets have not changed. In spite of signing the consent form, which on page 2 says they are willing to change lifestyle- these patients don’t change the most fundamental issue- what they eat, and where they eat it. Bad food, and too much of it, is bad food.

Visits

Successful patients see us about 6-11 times the first year, and 4-6 the second. Unsuccessful patients see us either much less – or a few see us more.

Want to change?

Consider this- there is nothing that is difficult if you are willing to change. Let the lapband be the tool. Our 90 day challenge is meant for those who either need to re-focus, get rid of things, and then begin again. Never stay down- always come back.

I found this article that relates to the topic, only this is from a well known surgeon in the US.

What We Know from Successful Lapband Patients

• Posted on 05.27.12
  
• Band Help
  
• 2 Comments
  

There are several characteristics that we have identified from those patients who are successful with their band. Sometimes what we find out from them surprises us, and changes the way we think about the band. But we spend a lot of time with our successful patients, and learn from them as to what we can do to help others.

All I do is install a tool. It is up to you to use it

The band is a tool

One lovely patient of mine said that if I told her this one more time she would choke me. But this is what our patients who lose their excess weight tell me. “The band doesn’t do the work,” Bill told me, “I’m doing the work. The band just makes it possible.” Bill has had his band for five years. When he came to me he weighed over 300 pounds at five foot six inches, and was not a happy man. He now weighs 160 pounds, but he will tell you that he works at this every day. He eats healthy food, he measures his food, and when he needs to get an adjustment, he comes in. Recently Bill had a bit of pouch dilation so we had to remove Fluid for a few weeks and rehabilitate his band (he had been eating a bit too fast over the last months and started to notice heart burn.). During the band rehabilitation Bill gained 2 pounds.

X-rays of successful patients

Take a piece of food, like meat, and put some x-ray material on it (kinda ruins the taste) and have a successful patient eat it. How fast do you think it goes from above the band to below the band? Pretty quickly- usually less than a minute, but for most about 30 seconds.

We use to think that food stayed above the band and slowly dripped down – like coffee through Mr. coffee filters. But it doesn’t. Food, in successful patients- goes through quickly.

What about patients who are not successful and talk to us about wanting the band tighter and more “restricted.” Their food stays above the band longer. They have more episodes of “productive burps” more trouble with meats and vegetables. But if you ask the unsuccessful patient they will tell you, “I know my band, and this is how I lost weight before.” It probably wasn’t- but now they think the answer is to make the band tighter and tighter.

Drinking and eating

Successful patients eat and drink at the same time. We use to think this wasn’t a good idea, and some patients from those days don’t eat and drink at the same time- and tell us it makes a difference.

Exercise

Did you know that 77% of our successful patients exercise. Lots do weight training, some cardio, but they work out and do it a lot and enjoy it. A very small per cent did that before the band. Exercise isn’t how they stay thin- but if you ask them, “When I exercise, I don’t want to waste calories on something stupid and give up all I did.”

Unsuccessful patients tell us they didn’t exercise last month (the month before they came to the office).

Measure Everything

Measure everything

They don’t “eyeball it,” they measure it. And in fact, they often don’t trust their own eyes because when they don’t measure for a few days and then test themselves they are shocked at how much they start to eat. Jacquie weighed 260 pounds when she started with us. One year later she weighed 130 pounds. What was her secret — she measured everything, “Everything I ate I put in those little cups.” Oh, after a year she got her first fill (her band was a bit lose).

Unsuccessful patients tell us “I eat less than I ever did, and I just don’t understand.” Do they measure? No- they eyeball. Test this right now – get a measuring cup out and cut up the meat you would think is your portion for dinner.

Successful patients know that they eat less for the first year or 18 months, then they increase the amount. Unsuccessful patients increase the amount.

Never hungry, never full

“I just live by never being hungry, but I never want to get full either,” said one of our patients. She ate every four hours, but never much, and she had gone from 220 to 125 in a year.

Patients who are not successful tell us that they “can eat more than I should.” The answer is, they always could eat more – the band does not physically prevent them. But when you eat to feeling “full” you will eat more than you should. When you know how much you need to eat to avoid getting hungry, and not go over that, the answer is weight loss.

Accountability

Everyone has setbacks. But successful patients get up, come back in, and get adjusted. Sometimes it is their head, sometimes it is there band.

Unsuccessful patients blame everything but themselves: be it drugs they are taking, a lack of exercise, or stress. The successful patient learns from the mistakes they made, know their trigger and figure it out. We had one patient get upset because she was on prednisone, had thyroid issues, had orthopedic issues, and just thought we were not nice because we didn’t accept that as an excuse (we would have the first time, maybe the second time, but a year of excuses to not lose weight with the band).

Food restrictions

Successful patients will tell you that they eat differently now than before surgery. Unsuccessful patients tell us that their diet can’t change because they are picky eaters, and their diets have not changed. In spite of signing the consent form, which on page 2 says they are willing to change lifestyle- these patients don’t change the most fundamental issue- what they eat, and where they eat it. Bad food, and too much of it, is bad food.

Visits

Successful patients see us about 6-11 times the first year, and 4-6 the second. Unsuccessful patients see us either much less – or a few see us more.

Want to change?

Consider this- there is nothing that is difficult if you are willing to change. Let the lapband be the tool. Our 90 day challenge is meant for those who either need to re-focus, get rid of things, and then begin again. Never stay down- always come back.

http://azlapband.com/blog/what-we-know-from-successful-band-patients/

I found these softgels but I'm not sure on the size. Their are some Vitamin companies that actually have a liquid version that is flavored but they are kind of pricey! http://www.naturemade.com/Products/Supplements/Fish-Oil-1200-mg

One girl in another post got the coolest tattoo. She got onederland tattooed on herself after she got below 200. I thought that was the neatest thing and one of the coolest ways to commemorate something so important.

Personally I have been waiting until I lost weight to get about 3 tattoos. The are already designed and waiting for me. I can't wait until I get below my 200 mark and can get them done!

You could try some of the flavored coffee. Once in a while my lovely fiancee will dig out the coffee grinder and make me some vanilla Carmel Starbucks. I find that I don't need as much stuff in the coffee that is already flavored. My best friend gets some brand of Chai that is Vanilla Carmel or something like that. She doesn't like sweetener in her tea so she drinks flavored tea to get the benefit of pretending she's doing something bad when she's really not.

My Mom uses Truvia or Agave nectar, both are natural sweeteners. My Mom swears by the Truvia (stevia) but I hate it. The only alternative sweetener I like is Splenda. My mother in law had to give up sugar and alternative sweetners because they made her break out in hives and gave her a bad headache but the all natural ones don't bother her. I would suggest you try the truvia or agave nectar and see what that does for you.