Lori Jo

One thing: Your gut "dragging on the floor" isn't about how quickly you lose weight. It's genetics, how much you've lost, and your age. I think it's mainly genetics and how much you have to lose. I've lost over 100 lbs and have minimal sagging skin (altho if I could afford a tt, I would probly have one!). While I lost mine over a period of 2 yrs, if I'd have lost it alot quicker, it'd still be the same.
Sorry to tell you that losing it slowly doesn't mean you won't have any saggy skin. While exercise is good for you, burns calories, and tightens muscles, it also won't help with preventing saggy skin.
You can thank your parents for that!
Oh, and welcome to lapbandtalk! Hope your surgery goes smoothly. I also spent the night (I think the majority of people are outpatient) because it was a requirement of Medicare at the time (2009). I'm glad I did cuz not only did I get the good pain meds via IV, but I also had a 3 hr drive home. Would've been mighty uncomfortable.
Marci

My email is blessings2310@hotmail.com

I was banded in July and lost 65 pounds but would love the support of a buddy.
My email address is staceywjan@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Stacey

Very well said and good luck on your journey!

I was the same way. Banded 2/21, only now is my appeitie coming back. One thing that helped me, oddly enough, was eating regularly. I could easily go with having one shake for Breakfast and that would be it. I have recently made a concerted effort to have three meals a day. Always a shake for breakfast, something to chew for lunch, then dinner is one or the other, depending on my appetite. Still hovering around 7-900 calories a day. NUT wanted me at 1-1200... I cannot get there. Not yet anyway.

I did creamed Soups it tasted good and something warm always pleases the tummy high protient shakes would help also ESA has some that are 40 gr protient.

This would be me, I actually started counting calories to force myself to get enough nutrition so that my body wouldn't shut down. Believe me you will look back on these days with fondness

Consider yourself lucky. I was literally starving the first couple week after surgery - even at day #2. Thought I'd never make it on so little calories.
I wouldn't worry about it yet. By week 4 tho, if you haven't gotten back any appetite whatsoever, I would talk to my dr. The band isn't there to keep you from getting hungry, it's there to keep you from eating too much.
Good luck!
Marci

Can you believe you have less than a week to go? When I looked at the date today, I realized mine is only a week away... crazy! I know you must be getting exciting.

Congrats to all who will be on the "other side" soon. WE are all here to support YOU! Ask any questions here and I'm sure you will get more than 1 reply. This is such a great support forum with many individuals who will share their information and personal experiences with ALL of YOU.
Best wishes and Keep the Faith.

One of my all time favorites is rack of lamb. tonight I finally made it and it was just as great as I remembered. I have not had it for about one year even though I was banded in July. It was very tender and easy to chew and swallow. I have found pork too tough to chew. My husband (doesn't eat meat) loves potatoes cooked with lamb. So I browned some small canned potatoes in the cast Iron pan first with seasonings and then browned the lamb and finished it in the oven. It was a great dinner.< /strong>
I need to keep eating different things for dinner or I will get bored and want to eat bad choices.

i am having surgery on april 1, congrats! Keep in touch, look for the april banding 2013 group!!

if you get hungry after eating 1 cup of food before 4 hours u need a fill.

If you are getting stuck you do not need a fill. If you are losing about a pound a week you do not need a fill. These are my doctors guidelines for me hugs

lol. I am on day 5 of my pre-op. I woke up this morning absolutely frantic that I had cheated! It was only a dream. Good for you for sticking to it. A pound a day is great news!

Well guys its day 4 of the pre op diet, I'm feeling really good
So positive it really is mind over matter!
I am amazed at how many adverts are about food lol
Dreamt about food for the first 2 days but feel on a real mission to do this
I'm losing a pound a day so I am really chuffed

LB symptoms you might mistake for something else, causing delay in treatment and subsequent damage.
1) returning heartburn: many of us obese folks had heartburn/reflux and hiatal hernias preop. After surgery, losing weight or HH repair, our symptoms resolve, we go off our meds and carry on with the business of losing weight. IF your reflux symptoms return or increase at any time, at any level, call your band surgeon and consider a small unfill. This early warning could save you from further complications, lifelong damage and misery. It might allow you to lose more weight, since you will tolerate raw veggies, salads better with a bit less fill. It might save your band.
2) chest pain, mid-back pain that radiates to left shoulder, neck or jaw is a sign of trouble; vagus nerve irritation, esophageal spasms, etc. this was my first sign of trouble. I'd waken during the night, with mid epigastric pain, radiating to my left arm, neck, jaw and teeth. Drinking a little Water and/or changing positions helped...over time, it did not.
3) change in bowel habits. I had IBSd most of my life. This last year, it changed to IBSc. I became so constipated, I was having a BM only every 10-12 days. I attributed it to intolerance of salads and fibrous foods. Turns out, I developed a motility disorder affecting my entire GI tract. This is a serious and potentially life threatening disorder.
4) regurgitation of food. If you're eating and feel like you might get stuck, then regurgitate food, your food might not be getting out of your esophagus. This is true, especially if you've had the above mentioned symptoms. If you are burping a lot and regurgitating up small bits of an earlier meal, this is a warning that you have retained food in your esophagus. I have had tiny bits of food from meals days before just come up...
5) random tightening of band (without a recent fill), getting stuck on liquids or soft foods: this is a sign of an esophageal issue. The food isn't getting out of your esophagus, so it's not necessarily your band tightening, it might be psuedo-achalasia, a recently recognized complication of banding. If treated promptly, it can be reversed. If allowed to continue, you risk losing your band and potentially damaging the esophagus permanently. It's amazing to see this on ex ray. The Fluid goes into the esophagus, distending it, while the esophogeal muscles contract violently, trying to force it through. In my case, the entire distal portion of the esophagus was tightly contracted, the mid portion dilated 4x normal and the liquid sloshing around in there. My heart rate increased a lot, since all of this was happening directly adjacent to the heart, hence the name "achalasia cardia".
6) feeling tight with an empty band. This is also a sign of trouble. Empty bands slip more easily. Food getting stuck in your esophagus feels like food stuck in your band...no way to tell without an Esophogram.
Any one or combination of the above symptoms is cause to call your band doctor. I'm posting this to bring awareness of these symptoms and prevent someone else from suffering the pain and anxiety I have for the last year. I also believe that had I recognized these symptoms sooner, had some saline removed early on, I might have saved myself a lot of misery and lost more weight. I only had 3.5 cc in my band, was compliant in all respects with diet, nutrition and hydration, but since I saw people posting about their "fickle bands", random tightening, getting stuck on liquids and these things being chalked up to a "normal" consequence of banded life, I wasn't alarmed.

My surgery is the 2nd of April I have my preop labs on the 28th I have not had a cigarette in 6 days and have been on my preop diet the same amount of time. I am looking so forward in getting my band over bypass goo luck all

Beautiful!

Wow... I can't believe how much my face has changed! It's been 3.5 months and I have lost about 51 pounds. Still have around 40 pounds to go but god I'm feeling amazing!!

I am day 5 pre op and I am craving sweet peas and butter. Odd to me that wasn't even a fav when I could have them hummmmm

Did you lose weight? Perhaps you lost and your band is looser because you also lost weight inside where the band is located. That would give you much less restriction. If you're not in pain or having problems, I wouldn't think you're having a band problem. Believe it or not, weather even affects my band, is there a certain weather front in the area? Maybe you just need a fill. Give your doctor's office a call and see what they think. I'm sure they will have some idea as to what has happened. In the meantime, just follow the rules and, as hard as it may be, try not to focus upon the hunger. I wish you the best of luck!

Hi All
So I am getting ready for my work day and I had to run back to my bathroom to get something I forgot. I got a glimpse of myself
in the mirror and I did a double take. So I snapped a picture. I was at my moms and she gave me the picture on the left. My jaw dropped. I was 317 or more in that picture. I can't even believe I let someone take that picture of me. I was definitely anti-pictures.
I realized that before I had lapband surgery in Dec of 2012 that I had actually lost 40 lbs on my own.
Needless to say I am very very pleased that I had this surgery performed. I have been keeping my calories under 1200 a day and been working out 4 plus times a week.
58 more pounds to go to my ultimate goal. I would like to lose 6-8 pounds a month to reach my goal. The more weight I lose and the better I feel in my clothes the more motivated I get to eat cleaner and cleaner. Not just stay under my calories but make every calorie count!
Hope everyone is doing well today. I had a couple of NSV's this weekend and am proud of myself and I wanted to share
Take care,
Reen

My surgeon is in Seattle, about 60 miles away...but I've now got insurance so I'm thinking of consulting with a nutritionist...