A New New Dawn

That's awesome! Keep drinking. Also, many times if you feel hunger try drinking something (my nutritionist told me that) and then if I am still hungry then I can have a healthy snack. Last night I really felt like I wanted to eat something and I drank a big glass of water w/ sugarfree mio flavoring and wasn't hungry at all. Also, not to sound gross but make sure you are drinking plenty of water or you will get "backed up" and it can be very uncomfortable. Congrats on your success.

Enjoy it... now when you are having those cravings this will help remind you why you did this!!! When you start seeing results it makes it all worth it!

I have a cousin and uncle (father/son) that are plastic surgeons in my family. Rest assured one of them will be hearing from me when I reach my goal!!! I can't wait to have a rockin' bod!!! Now, if I could just find patience till I get there.

I am 5'3" and have lost 67 lbs so far since July. Sadly, some have noticed and many not. I am down from size 22/24 pants to 16/18. I know I feel better in how I look and feel and my blood pressure has come down too. I just hope that after I get under 200 more people will notice. I don't expect everyone to say something as they wouldn't feel comfortable or feel it isn't appropriate to say; however, even some close family haven't... Oh well, I know I feel much better and look much better... Heck, I am down a couple chins too!!!

Some doctors like their egos stroked so perhaps he was offended in how you asked him something, perhaps he was having a bad day, who knows... You may try calling the office and talking to the office manager or nurse for their take, or see if he is like this the next time you go (in case it was just an off day w/ the holidays, etc), and/or have a conversation with him. Most surgeons will not accept other surgeon's patients unless you have moved to a new area and need a new one. They will typically tell you to work it out with the one you have. My surgeon just told me that as I will be moving next summer and asked him if it will be a problem. I have seen others on here w/ that experience of having difficulty finding a new one. You may want to have a heart to heart with him the next time you see him and if it persists then see if another one in the area will accept you. Let's hope he just had an off day.

To each is own on this method and I am not commenting either way. Since you are very newly banded, if I recall correctly, please check with your surgeon before trying anything new and make sure you follow your post-op instructions for now as you are healing. Not trying to preach or discredit just want to make sure you heal up well!

What a way to start the new year. Congrats to your journey. I am almost 6 mos. out and down 68 lbs. I LOVE the band and what it has helped me accomplish. You sound like you have a great plan for success!

too cute!!! that's wonderful that you do that for the animals.

I am sorry to hear your frustrations as well. It doesn't sound like your doctor is giving you a lot of information to work with. I would strongly recommend you meeting with a nutritionist or dietician that is familiar with lapband surgery and get some ideas on meal plans. I will tell you that potatoes and Pasta don't work well for many of us. I am able to eat almost anything except those things and scrambled eggs. I feel like if you had specific ideas of what you can eat, etc you may feel less frustrated. There are also books on the band and recipe books. If there is a nutritionist you could see through your surgeons office they would have insight into the band. My bariatric center has them on staff and they have given me a lot of great ideas and even on how to eat overall. I am able to eat steak, ground meat (love chili), chicken, ham, etc. I feel like I can pretty much eat anything except starchy foods (incl. doughy bread) and the scrambled eggs. I really don't feel deprived at all. Truly. I hope the New Year brings renewed success w/ the band. You have done a great job so far.

You will know when you get stuck. There are varying levels of "stuck". I had a severe stuck episode once eating a piece of a pork roast that was too dry (don't try that one). I was foaming (literally) at the mouth, in a lot of pain as it wouldn't come up, and felt like I couldn't breathe. That happened one time and it was my fault. I went for a walk and finally it came up. There are times when you get stuck and as others mentioned you will start burping a lot. Sometimes it will come up, other times after a few burps it will pass. There are also times where something may be stuck and you will "slime", gross but reality. Essentially, you will have a lot of saliva coming up. It is best to spit it out (sorry for the details but this will help if it happens). If you don't it adds pressure and pain. Honestly, my stuck moments (ironically) happened worse before I had my fills. Maybe I have just learned how to avoid them better or who knows. My greatest suggestion is to avoid as best as possible. It took me a while to learn that if I felt any discomfort eating to stop right then and there. Initially, I may start to feel slight discomfort (either ate too fast or too big a bite) and it seemed minor so I would have another bite - WRONG. At the first sign of feeling any discomfort, stop eating. Make sure it passes before eating more. Lastly, if you do have a stuck moment, it may be best to stick to liquids or mushies for a day or two as it often irritates/inflames the stoma and trying to eat solid foods again after may cause another episode. If you make sure you don't eat dry meats, eat small pieces, chew, chew, chew and wait between bites it is very likely you may never have a stuck moment. Many people have never had one. The ones I had were my own fault.

Actually, I love making black bean soup. My kids love it too. Their dad is from Guatemala and this is a very traditional soup. I make mine almost identical to yours except I add carrots and cilantro. We sometimes serve it over rice or with (low fat sour cream - a dollop on top). I think I may have to make this now as I haven't for some time.

Sorry, no matter how good it is, I am not slappin anyone's momma lol. Glad you enjoyed it.

Honestly, I think you met him on an off day. My mom had many complications from her surgery and was hospitalized several times (not any fault of dr. rantis as it was her own health issues) and I spoke with him personally on several ocassions. He was very compassionate and concerned, etc. However, I do think medically Dr. Kane (the owner) is more experienced. They had difficulty during one of my mom's surgeries and he called him in as the expert. Lapband is far less invasive but I just remember that he was the "top dog" so to speak. Good choice! I never met him but my mom liked him as well.

Mind if I ask you which doctor? My mom went through Kane Center. She had Dr. Rantis (albeit, she had the bypass, not lapband). It would be hard for you with fills to go to CDH.

Yep, sounds like you may not be getting another fill. If you are able to go 4 hours between meals then you should be good. If you had scrambled eggs, you may want to try over easy (or I prefer over medium). The liquid from the yolks makes them go down for me. I notice I get "full" before a cup of food most meals too. I love that aspect.

Well, there are a couple of things here. First, you shouldn't be looking to feel "full". The band should help us be satiated for hours between meals but it isn't meant to give you a full feeling. You can overeat w/ the band, if not careful. The guidelines I was given is no more than 1 cup of food per meal, being 3-4 ounces of Protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 starch. I am guessing you are in a "mushy" phase. You will likely feel hungry during this phase (bandster h-ll) but make sure to get protein in each meal. Drink (sip) liquids throughout day, as able and follow any instructions (menu plan) your doctor provided. Good luck! It does get better and when you start seeing results, it makes it all worth while.

Now you can put that in your profile and be proud of our upcoming surgery date!

Well Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!!!! Congratulations!!! I remember that call fondly. I was at work and stepped out of a meeting. I wanted to yell it to everyone but refrained. lol.

I have had 3 fills and feel like I am in "the zone". I am able to tolerate white meat pretty well. I do tend to put some type of sauce with it just because it is a little drier than dark meat. Also, sometimes as we get fills we feel like certain foods are no longer tolerated. While this may be true for some, often we just need to modify our method of consuming it. For example, before my fills, I could take larger bites, eat quicker, etc. I felt like I was overfilled after a few fills and realized, I wasn't really eating as small of bites as I was instructed and needed to rest more between bites. We have to be more strict and diligent in following the guidelines as we reach more restriction. I have found that no matter how diligent or careful I am, I do not tolerate scrambled eggs or doughy bread though. I can eat over easy eggs no problem, but not scrambled. Go figure. Everyone is different and we all figure it out along the way. I have known others that say they cannot eat asparagus (which I LOVE) and I have had no problem w/ cutting it in small bites and eating. It's good that it sounds like you can still tolerate most foods.

That may be a valid option but you should discuss that with your doctor. Hang in there. It really does get better. I am almost 6 mos. out and 65 lbs down and loving it!!!

Honestly, I think you need to leave the ratios as they are and continue to use less dressing. Or some dressings you can add some lemon juice and that may help add volume w/out calories.

It sounds like you may want to call your doctor to get their advice on your cough. I would suggest counting calories and measuring food so you aren't overdoing it. You will likely not have much restriction after your first fill either (it typically takes a few or more since they do it gradually). In the meanwhile, it's up to you to monitor what you are eating to make good choices. If you have junk in the house, get it out so you don't eat it. Have healthy snacks planned and make sure to get in your protein to help keep you full. It gets better.

Just don't give up and follow up w/ the doctor and insurance to make sure they have everything they need and it has been submitted. There is no harm in calling the insurance to check the status too for piece of mind.

You are going through an emotional withdrawal of sorts from food too. If it was that easy for us to follow a diet and stick to it, we wouldn't have sought out the band to begin with. This is a lifelong tool to help you from the years of yoyo dieting that most of us have done. I was very emotional after surgery and missing my relationship with food. It does get easier and it does get better. I don't regret one second of it. You cannot undo it so try to focus your energies on what you need to do, getting active, etc. I believe you will be here this time next year saying it was the best decision you ever made.

Also, my doctor has 2 nutritionists on staff that I meet with for every follow up appt. They really want to ensure success and knowledge.