La_madam

I just had breakfast and I had 2 egg whites and 2/3 's of a chicken breast. I start my mornings with Protein ONLY! It helps curb my cravings and appetite through out the day. Betty is right, you do not just have to eat breakfast foods for breakfast. If time is an issue try cooking up several turkey sausage links, chicken breasts etc. and take to work what you need for each day, it is what I do for my evening meals most of the time. I have a restraunt so I eat my morning meal there Jasper - Who is your doctor? I have never heard such a thing. I was told 1200-1800 calories a day from my doctor. He tells me I should be eating a third of what I was eating pre band.

Hi Denise I have ZERO REGRETS!!! I have my life back The band has changed my life. I would die obese if I had to have the gastric bypass, too risky for me, too much involved, too many risks of major complications, too high of a percentage of regaining the weight once your pouch is stretched, with my band I can forever get my fills to tighten things up. Best of luck to you and your daughter

WHich prtoetin drinks are you drinking? I personally enjoyed the ready made protein ddrinks in th can, Slim Fast has a high protein drink, Atkins Advantage is high in protein and Boost has a high protein drink, to me that all tasted great ice cold, it was like drinking chocolate milk. I could not find a protein powder that I liked, to me they all were horrible so I took the more expensive and easy route and bought the ready to drink cans. I did not have a pre op diet, I drank these during the liquid phase after surgery and after a fill.

Hi Rena Welcome to LBT, you have come to the right place to see success, there are many many successful bandsters here, there is a before and after pictures thread you can view to see first hand. I too researched the band vs the bypass and there was no way I could do the bypass, Iam so happy with my decision to get the band. 13 months ago I was 91 pounds heavier and in a size 22, I am happy to say Iam now in a size 10 and doing things with my husband and 3 boys I have not done in years. I have my life back . I wish you the best, please keep us posted as to your progress and when you will be banded and please keep coming here to get your support and any questions you need answered here. This is a great group of caring, knowledgable & supportive people here. Good Luck

This is the company I used to finance 2000.00 of my surgery. I was a self pay and was short 2000, my payments were 127.00 for 18 months I paid it off this month 5 months early there was no penalty to pay it off. http://www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com/ I was fortunate enough that my doctor was a participant with this company. I do not know what doctor you are using but it is worth checking it out. I hope this helps

Penni, sorry to hear of your troubles but atleast you got answers now and can get all fixed up I hope you start doing better real soon! Bone spurs are painful, I had one in my heel when I was younger.

That is what is called an almost PB when you get the slime and the pain, if the food comes up it is a PB when this happens you should go on liquids for 24 hours, even though no food has come back up, your esophagus has had a work out and it is most likely swollen which is why you contunuue to have this feeling in your throat when you eat. I know from experience I had an almost PB and did not do liquids and kept eating, I had a severe case of esophagitis for 3 weeks, it was horrible . You have all ready had a fill and are only 4 weeks post op? Most docs will not give a fill until 6 weeks post op, it couldbe that you are too tight and may need a slight unfill.. it is important to take very small bites, take time in between bites and chew chew chew, if you focus on doing all of these things it will help, you will not get that feeling in your throat. . PBing frequently is not good for your band it can result in slippage of your band so if you continue to get these symptoms, call your doctor, he may need to remove as little as .2 cc's which will make a difference in being able to eat but still give good restriction. how much of a fill did you get? There is a thread on esophagitis do a search, it is helpful, if it were me I would do a day of liquids to give my esophagus a rest and let some of the swelling go down before I ate solids or it can be a vicious cycle.

I have told everyone and I am proud of it, I have helped so many others,twon of my customers have all ready gotten the band and right now I have 2 different customers of mine who are going to be banded this month because of me telling them all about it and giving them web sites to research. Telling people for me keeps me focused, accountable and motivated, I get great pleasure knowing I have helped many people. Having my friends and co workers know makes me accountable when we are out to dinner,lunch or in a social setting I make better food choices,I want them to see me as successful with my band. this is just my personal feeling on it, I want everyone to know, I want the word out on the Lap Band. We all have our reasons for telling or NOT telling, these are just mine

I drink water all day long, I have a water bottle handy at all times. Depending on your fill level it can be a challenge to " guzzle" water, the only time I have that problem is the couple days following my fill.

Hi Heather Welcome to LBT. Congratulations on your new band! I wish you lots of success

Every doctor has their own technique. My doctor uses the glue, it is just like super glue

Happy Brithday Kathy...I hope you have a wonderful day!

5/9 Monday No loss for me, I'm ok with it since my monthly cycle should be starting tomorrow, atleast no gain. That is victory in itself

Teresa, WOW! I am so happy for you and so proud of you. You look absolutely fabulous, what a difference!! You have done such an amazing job this past year. You are always so kind and supportive to all of us here with your postings. I wish you continued success with your band and weight los journey. You have such a great attitude... always so possitive. Happy Bandiversary! You should be very proud of yourself Congratulations

Scottygirl, how often do you PB? How long ago did you have your band? PBing more then once a week is not good, cronic Pbing or vomiting can result in slippage if your band has not anchored in or healed properley and set in place. . I have heard from my doctor that one sign of slippage will be not being able to keep anything down liquids or solids, vomiting anytime anything is ingested. This is just what I have been told by my doctor, you will get various replies.

Hi Scottygirl, when you get a fill it restricts youre food intake, as time passes and weight is lost you will find that you are able to eat more and the weight loss slows down that is usually a sign that you may need another fill. I have had 3 fills in 13 months and have lost 91 lbs, each fill I seem to lose 20 -30 lbs before I need another fill. Iam trying like crazy to get to my goal weight without another fill. Everyone is different with their restriction levels, also one thing to take into consideration, if you get your fills done by a U.S. doctor they are usually less agressive and fill more on the conservative side then the docs in Mexico. I hope this helps to answer your question somewhat

I can so relate!! LOL Happy Mothers Day to all of you who are mothers ( mothers of children, mothers to your grown men husbands, mothers of your animals) I had a nice day, came home from work to all of the laundry done, house was spotless and 3 bottles of perfume, Coco Mademmoiselle By Chanel, Chance by Chanel & Eternity by Calvin Klien, the cutest ribbon watch, and an array of lotions and body washes' from Bath & Body Works. I'm going to the cemetery to visit my mother with some flowers cut stratght from my rose garden..then we are all going to dinner. Hope you all have had or are having a beautiful day!

Chloe, I know how hard it is to not get discouraged. 26 lbs since Feb 23rd is fantastic! Ask yourself would you have lost 23 lbs in this ammount of time without the band? ALso you got to remember that you have no Fluid in your band, the band is designed to works it's best when there is fluid in it. An empty band , of course you will see old habits creeping back in, once you start getting your fills you should notice a huge difference. Please do not be let down if you do not notice tons of restriction after just one fill, if it is done in the US, the US doctors tend to be less agressive on their fills then docs in Mexico. It may take 1-3 fills before you notice a huge difference, just remember to eat Protein first, drink lots of Water, chew your food real good and take small bites. I was told during pre fill stage that any weight loss during this time is a bonus. You are not a faliure, you just have no fill, it does get better. Hang in there and pleaselet us know how it goes next week when you get your first fill

Yes you can!! I am proof of that. I went from a 16 to a 12 with minimal pounds lost. Iam now in a size 10 I did not stay long in the 12's > I have only lost 18 lbs since my last fill in January and in January I was in size 16, It is now May and Iam in size 10 only losing 18lbs so yes you can be losing inches. You cant not let the scale dictate to you your success or faliures. Think of all the possitive things that have happened to you since having your band, it is a mindset for all of us to focus so much on the scale , it is from years of being obese. One more thing, try not to weigh yourself more then once a week, for me it was the worst thing I could do , it sabatoged all my efforst. It does help to not weigh so often. It will happen, be strong and hang tough!

Im sorry to hear your scars do not look good but maybe after healing 100% they may look better. I'm fortunate, the only scar I can find is my port incision and that looks pretty damn good, it is about 3/4 of an inch in length and not raised at all, the other 4 I can't even find

The only thing that I had that was uncomfortable was duirng my very first fill. My doctor removes al lthe air from your tubing with the needle, it was uncomfortable, it felt like i was having a heart attack, like an elephant was sitting on my chest. He does this to make sure all of the air is gone so when he gives you a fill he is very accurate. It is only for the first fill and I must say he has been right on the money with all of my fills. What he puts in, it all comes out during my next fill, he told me if air is left in the tubing it will give a flase read of your fill level. Other then that little bit, it is no big deal, however I do not like the feeling when he closes of my throat completely and I have to drink the yucky barium, but it only lasts for about 30 seconds.

Here is my results from Tues - Thurs Tues- 8621 Wed - 9213( waitressed) I seem to get in more steps when I am working Thurs - 9457 ( waitressed)

Jenna thanks for sharing with us your pictures and your story, Im sorry it was so painful for you but in a year from now you will be looking like your before pic if not sooner. The possitive of this thread is knowing you are helping others by sharing your story. I was a 44 BMI ( Morbidly Obese)the day of surgery 4/6/2004according to Inameds BMI chart they gave me in their handout Today, 13 months later I have a BMI of 29,( overweight) Iam 4 points from having an ideal BMI according to Inamed

This came from the Inamed handbook I got from Inamed after surgery Q- How much weight will I lose ? A- The ammount of weight you may lose depends on several things: the band placement, your new lifestyle and new eating habits. In the U.S. clinical trial, 2% of patients gained some weight; 5% neither gained weight or lost weight. 61% of the patients lost atleast 25% of their excess weight; 52% of the patients lost at least 33% of their excess weight; 22% of the patients lost 50% of their excess weight; and 10% lost at least 75% of their excess weight. The goal is to lose weight gradually. Losing weight too fast creates a health risk and can lead to a number of problems. Nausea and vomiting are the most minor examples. A weight loss of 2-3 pounds a wek in the first year is possible, but one pound a week is more likely. Tweleve to eighteen months after the operation weekly weight loss is usually less. Remember that your main goal is to have wieght loss that prevents, improves or resolves health problems connectedwith sever obesity. My stats on 4/6/2004 were 5'5 265 size 20 -22 Today 13 months later 5'5 174 size 10 -91 and still losing My BMI according to Inamed's chart on 4/6/2004 was 44 ( morbidly obese) today 13 months later my BMI is 29 ( overweight) I am 4 points from being in the Ideal BMI category according to Inamed I do not know what percentage of my excess weight I have lost but I know Iam a hell of alot happier and healthier then I was 13 months ago and that is what is important to me ( looking better doesnt hurt either

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite easiets meals, it's like eating spaghetti but no carbs the I top it with a meat sauce and parmessan cheese. YUM YUM! My family loves it now, they'd rather have that then spaghetti. Spaghetti squash once it is cooked comes out of the skin looking like spaghetti, I just cut in half and bake it in the oven remove from skin, top with meat sauce and parmessan cheese, so easy, so yummy and so good for you Serve it with a romaine sald with balsamic red wine vinegar dressing with roma tomatoes and feta cheese greek olives & purple onions Great satisfying healthy meal.