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congrats my dear. how exciting for you. I still get a thrill when I'm looking in the mirror, fixing my hair or putting on my makeup and notice my collarbones clear as day. I can't remember the last time I saw them...and I'm so thrilled each and every time.

what a nice jumpstart for you. and I too am a carboholic. i never met a bowl of pasta I didn't like...lol. that's all changed since the band though. i still have carbs but never more than 1/4 cup. was a time I could eat a half pound of spaghetti at one sitting. sometimes I want to dive into a bowl of pasta, but when I look at myself...down 87 lbs. now, there's nothing better than that. Great job so far!!

good job Lauren...and like you said..absolutely no cheating. you know how important is it to follow the rules especially right after surgery. welcome to the other side!

Hang in there. The fact that the office is already filing the appeal seems to be a good sign.

Hi Spartan. Welcome to the site! Congrats on your journey to a healthy life. You won't get a surgery date on Tuesday. That won't happen till you complete all the requirements and get insurance approval. Once you have that, you can schedule your surgery. In my case, it took nearly four months to get a date, and then I had to wait another three months because I was supposed to be banded in October of last year...and then Sandy showed up and flooded the hospital and it took until January for them to be back up and running. Who are you going to see? I had Dr. Ren and I'm very pleased with her.

Hi Vanessa. Welcome. I am banded 8 months and I follow a WW type of plan...3 oz. Protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carbs. I track my calories and stay between 1,000 and 1,150 a day.That includes a 100 calorie Protein powder supplement. You can see my tracker shows the total weight loss so far. The one thing I don't do is exercise. I have joint degeneration in the knees and hips and have to get hip and knee replacement before I can get on the bike or treadmill. Once I do, I can eat a little more if I want or I know the remaining weight will come off. At this point, I've stalled a bit but I'm OK with it as I reached the most important goal, which was to lose enough weight to have a good outcome. Oh and as an FYI, I eat all types of protein...meat, chicken, fish, or at times, non meat protein like hummus. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

I'm not going to beat you up, you're already doing a pretty good job of that. What I'm wondering though is how you could eat two tacos and not have any issues with the band. I'm thinking you may need a fill. Otherwise this is just a diet...and you are struggling to maintain it.

First off, it's a victory for you just based on the fact that you are not gaining. Second..as you are already on meds and know that you are an anxiety eater, maybe the best thing is to seek professional help. Not that you can't get tips and suggestions on this site, but maybe a professional can get to the root of the issue, or provide real coping mechanisms that will help you. Good luck with school and all the rest.

Thanks!

So, I went to see my primary doc on Friday. Last time I saw her was in June. I was down another 16 lbs. and she was flabbergasted. Total loss so far around 85-86 lbs. She asked me what I was doing that her other patient's with bands were not as she told me no one else has had the success I've had. Told her I was just following the nutritionist's recommendations. She asked me what I had eaten so far that day and when I told her, she looked at me and burst out saying 'that's not enough food!' I told her I didn't have dinner yet and when I said what was for dinner, again she said 'that's not enough food!'. Well...since I'm still 30 lbs. shy of my personal goal, and my pressure is fine, and I'm taking Vitamins and Protein suplements, she said I could continue as I was but that she was going to monitor my bloodwork to make sure I wasn't doing any harm. I know I'm not...but I couldn't help think of how ironic it was to hear my doctor...or anyone for that matter, tell me I wasn't eating enough.... Kinda makes me smile when I think about it. LOL!

wonderful....just wonderful.

You look great!!

My condolences on your loss.

Info, info and more info. I see too many newbies on this site who seem to have no idea what to expect. Make sure you know what the protocol is for any preop diet and all postop instructions related to what you can eat, and especially when you can eat it. There are so many different instructions that you must be sure of what your doctor wants you to follow. Make sure you know as much as possible, what to expect in terms of recovery and related symptoms so you don't get nervous if there's no reason to, but you also can spot potential issues as soon as they come up. Find out who gives fills and when. Find out about being able to reach someone in case you are too tight, or have other band issues. Follow up care is as much if not more important than the surgery itself. Find out if there is a nutritionist available so you can discuss any and all food related issues/concerns or just general health questions. Good luck to you and remember, ask questions no matter how silly they may seem. The more you know, the better your outcome.

Hi Cingee. No, you don't feel the band, no you don't feel tightness, and no, you don't feel different. It's not until you start to eat solids and realize once you get in the green zone that a small amount of food goes a long way. I am still amazed at how much less food I eat since being banded and that I am no longer starving, and can feel satisfied almost all the time. I had a treat tonight. I went to a Ramen noodle restaurant for dinner and had three gyoza and a small bowl of Soup. There's alot of sodium in all that stuff so I eat it very seldom but when I do want something like that, I go for it. Anyway, it's now six hours after that meal and I'm still fine. No hunger at all. Before banding, I'd have had a big old bowl of soup, and at least twice the amount of gyoza. And maybe dessert or another appetizer for sure. I'm not sure what the calorie count was but I'd say it was a fraction of what the calorie count would have been pre banded.

Welcome!

If you're already bored with the same food only 2 1/2 months out, then you need to re-evaluate what you are eating. People who are bored with their food become non-compliant and make poor food choices. I'm presuming you are able to eat all foods at this point and are long off the mushies/sof foods that you ate earlier on. If so, you should be able to eat lots of different foods.I know I do. I can eat something different for dinner every night of the week. Same thing goes for Breakfast. lunch, I tened to stick to the same thing...tunafish, hummus, old cuts. I've been banded since mid January and I'm certainly not bored with my meals. shake up the routine a bit dee and I bet you will be as successful as you want to be.

sounds like you are right on track and doing everything you should. Don't worry, don't compare and just stick with it. The results will be spectacular!

Welcome to the hair loss club lolo. It's very common and I'm one of those who is also battling this problem. As other posters have said, add Biotin to your arsenal of vitamins, add protein to your diet....speak with your nutritionist and he/she will help you decide the best way to do that. I also take iron...again per the nutritionist. It's not an overnight cure...my hair is still very thin...but the hair loss has stabilized and I'm hoping it starts to grow back soon.

Yes, keep us posted Gemma. Soon enough, you will be one of the success stories on this forum and helping to support other newbies as many of us are trying to do. We've all been there and can relate to the doubts, fears, and uncertainty..

I'm confused. You should be drinking almost immediately after surgery. Sips of Water, broth, ice pops, etc. Did you mean to say solid food and not liquids?

Hi Gemma. Alot of this is psychological. You have to be able to deal with the head hunger along with the physical hunger. I would truly suggest you work with a therapist to help you deal with your binge eating. Between the psychological help and the physical help that the band provides, you can likely do well. I have been very successful...more successful than anyone imagined including the lapband surgeon and my primary care physician ever expected. In fact, I was at my PCP today and she told me that there isn't one patient of her's who has been able to lose as much weight as I have. She asked me what I'm doing that no one else seems to be able to do. I told her that I'm not starving anymore. And because my hunger is not out of control, I can make good decisions. Good luck, don't expect to fail and do what you need to in order to succeed.

Hey Mark, I am so proud of you. I know how difficult it was for you to go forward without the support at home and I also remember how down you were such a short time ago. You look amazing and I bet mom is so very proud of you too. Great job my young friend!

I'm one of those lucky few who hasn't had any fills. Even Dr. Ren has no idea why I'm good without them, but I am.