Corridor72

I agree with the others who mentioned using protein bars instead. I love the quest bars. They have several great flavors but my favorites are chocolate brownie, chocolate peanut butter, and peanut butter pie. The chocolate brownie tastes very much like a brownie if you microwave it for about 10 seconds.

ROFLMBO...This cracked me up! Love it!

I don't know but I am COLD ALL the time! My husband thinks it's hilarious. I've been wearing multiple layers of clothes and sometimes I even have to put my coat on and wear it around the house to keep warm

Yes, I would have them submit an appeal to the insurance and make sure they're including your weight related health issues in the documentation. I didn't have any trouble getting mine approved BUT my BMI was over 40 and I also have diabetes and high blood pressure. However, I have read of many cases here on the boards of people who were denied the first time and had to appeal their case in order to get approved. Good luck to you!

Generally, you do need a BMI of 40 or above unless you have comorbidities. If you have comorbities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea or other weight related illness, make sure that is included in the documentation that is being sent to the insurance company. Aside from that, I don't have any advice for you but hopefully someone else will. Best of luck to you!

My favorite is to add Nature Valley Granola to any greek yogurt. I also love the Chobani Flips that come prepackaged with their own add-ins. The key lime with graham cracker crumbs and white chocolate chips is AMAZING! Who needs dessert when you can eat that instead?! YUM!!!

Thank you! I needed this today! Congrats on your weight loss and thank you for being an inspiration to those who are just beginning our journey!

I know that we're not technically supposed to have to "diet" after having lapband so much as just making the right choices and letting the band work its magic. However, it's still early in the game for me and I've only had 1 fill so I don't really have any restriction yet. I really need to control what I eat and how much I eat. I wish I had some sort of structured plan but I don't. So I was wondering....Does anyone here use Weight Watchers? If so, does it work well for you with the band? Is it difficult to meet protein needs on WW?

I like structure and as bad as I hate to admit it, I am a LOT anal. I am definitely a type A personality, which is why I was thinking that the structure of Weight Watchers might help me stay on track until I get that restriction from my band. I have done Weight Watchers before and did well with the plan. My problem is that I get frustrated when I feel hungry all the time and eventually give up on dieting because of that. So maybe if I can follow some sort of plan for now, while I'm in bandster hell, I can get through this phase a little easier and I know I will be ok once I get some restriction so that I don't feel like I'm starving all the time.

I think everyone is scared in the beginning. Just take your time. Make sure you chew your food well. You will find the right pace for you and for your band. I'm just over a month out and I too, am dreading that first stuck episode. I know it will happen eventually but I just try to be mindful of the types of food I eat making sure to introduce new foods slowly and I try to eat slow and chew everything to mush. So far, it's working but I don't have much fill either so I'm sure it's going to get harder as I have more fill added.

Since being banded, I've been really trying to watch what I eat. I try to make good choices in food and I measure everything. And now I can't help but think, it's NO wonder I was so fat when I started this journey! My portion sizes were totally out of control!!! And I had NO idea until I started reading labels and measuring all of my food. Wow! I can't wait until I reach the "green" zone so that my band will do all of the measuring for me but, until then, I'll keep reading labels and measuring my food for sure. This has definitely been an eye-opening experience for me!

I'm almost horrified to think of how many calories I was consuming in a day. I can tell you this, we used to eat out a lot and having looked up nutrition information for all of my old favorites, I know that I frequently consumed well over 1000-1500 calories in 1 sitting.

You're not alone. I am 1 month & 3 days post-op. I've also lost only 4 lbs since the day of my surgery. I understand your frustration as I too have been measuring every morsel that goes into my mouth, choosing my foods based on my surgeon's guidlines, protein first always. I don't understand what's going on or why I'm not losing either but you're right, it's really frustrating. If it weren't for the fact that I lost so much during the pre-op phase, I'm not sure I would be able to hang in there right now. But, I don't want to gain any of the weight back that I've already lost so I'm really watching everything I eat. I still believe I will be successful though. I just think it's going to take a lot more time than I had originally thought it would. But hey, I didn't gain all this weight overnight so I can't expect it to all melt away overnight, huh? Anyway, thanks for sharing because it helps me to know I'm not the only one experiencing this. It's tough when you read or hear about others who've lost 15-20 lbs in the first month.

I've only had 1 fill but I did get a bit nauseous afterward. It only last an hour or maybe two and then I was ok.

I would guess that the answer to that question depends on each individual and their current health state. I would first talk to your surgeon and your PCP and get their thoughts. If they think it's ok, check with the American Red Cross or your local blood bank to see what their guidelines are. By the way, thank you for donating! So many eligible donors don't see the need for it but, working in an ICU, I see every day how it saves lives.

None of us can tell you what is right for you. Only you can decide that. Having said that, I will share a little of my experience with you and hopefully it will help you in some way. I didn't tell anyone at first. My parents knew I went to the seminar at the surgeon's office but they thought I was only going because of my dh as we both went to the seminar together. I never suggested that's why I was doing it but they assumed that was why. Dh didn't proceed any farther in the process. I immediately made an appt. and got the ball rolling because I KNEW that's what I wanted to do. I had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss and then schedule an EGD and then it still took me about 6 wks after that due to some timing/work conflicts. Anyway, once I reached the point where I was to start the liquid diet, I told my parents and the rest of my family. My parents basically just asked me why I was having it done and dh wasn't. He's much more overweight than I am and they worry a lot about his health. Anyway, that's when I had to come clean and tell them the effects that the weight was having on MY health. They had no idea how unhealthy I really was because I've never told them. My brother expressed concern and he did ask "why not just diet?". Again, I explained to him that I was doing this for my health and filled him in on my health issues. It seemed as if I got a lot "why not just diet?" from my entire family but I explained to them one by one why I felt this was the right decision for me. They didn't really get it but it helped them to see that I had thought this through and that it wasn't a decision made lightly. Once they saw that, they didn't say anything else about it. I could see in their expressions that they weren't happy about it and didn't agree but they supported me as best they knew how. As for my doctors, my PCP was very excited & supportive. My cardiologist was the one I wasn't sure about but when I mentioned it to him, his words were "I think that's a fantastic idea!". He went on to tell me that he felt I would be very successful with the band and he told me how he thought the weight loss would really help me from a cardiology standpoint and assured me that he was in my corner every step of the way. He even went ahead and made a note in his report that goes back to the PCP stating that he gave cardiac clearance for the surgery so that I wouldn't have to go through all of that again. He gave me his email address and cell phone number and told me that if that note wasn't sufficient for the surgeon to let him know and he would do whatever needed to be done without me having to come back for another visit with him. I made this decision for me. Not for my family. I knew they would be skeptical and I knew they would concerned. It is, after all, surgery. My aunt asked me the other day if I had any regrets. My response was "Absolutely not. This IS the right thing for me. I did this for my health and for no other reason." My mother's concern has now moved on to worrying about how fast I'm losing. She knows it's not healthy to lose too fast so she keeps telling me that I need to ask the surgeon if I'm losing too fast or if he thinks I'm ok. And by the way, I had not intended to tell my coworkers until AFTER I had my surgery because I was afraid they wouldn't understand. They ended up finding out prior to surgery(I won't get into how that happened) but, much to my surprise, they were very supportive too. I did get some of that "Why not just diet?" from a few of them and I just told them that my problem is not really whether or not I can lose the weight. I can diet and lose weight. My problem is that I end up feeling like I'm starving all the time and I give up and quit and then gain back everything I lost. The band is not only helping to lose the weight but it will help control those feelings of hunger so that I don't end up frustrated and giving up and gaining the weight back either. Good luck to you in whatever you decide!

Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful replies. I enjoyed reading them all and each of you offered some insight into what I deserve, what he may be thinking and you also offered some good advice and I appreciate it. He's been gone for work for a few days so I haven't seen him much since I posted this but I've talked to him quite a bit. He said something yesterday that made me uncomfortable and I finally decided it was time we have a talk. I basically just told him the same things that I wrote in the original post here and told him that he's just going to have to back off and give me some time and space to figure things out. He said he just wanted me to know how pretty I am and how proud he is and that's why he's been acting that way. I don't know. I'm not sure I believe that is the entire reason for his behavior but, whatever the case may be, he is going to have to put the brakes on it for awhile. I told him that he's trying to rush things and that he needs to slow down and just let things happen in their own time. He didn't react in anger the way I expected him to so hopefully this gives him something to think about and will bring about a change in his behavior.

Wow! Just WOW! You look amazing! Thanks for sharing! Seeing your before and after pics is both encouraging and motivating to me! You are da bomb girl!!!

. "only". Might be perfect for you. Getting fills too often and too much at a time your going to be miserable. Just to be clear, the surgeon was the one who used the word "only" when he "only" put in 2 cc's. What I didn't mention in my reply to the OP is that I've been under a lot of stress lately. The surgeon said that, under normal circumstances, he would've put 3 cc's in my band that day but, with all the stress I'm dealing with, he was afraid it would be too much & too tight. Because of that, he wanted to start with just 2 cc's(again, his words, not mine) and go from there. And I am absolutely okay with that. I'd rather go slow than to go to fast and end up stuck or too tight. I will see him again in 2 weeks and he said that, if I want, he can put in another 1 cc at that time. I understand why he did it that way and agree with him. He just didn't want to rush things and I appreciate that. And in 2 weeks, we will re-evaulate and see where I am and how I feel. I may need that 1 cc or I may not but I will go with his recommendation at that time. I trust him completely. He knows what he's doing. I am still learning but he's a great guy and a great surgeon and I trust him completely to help me find my way on this journey. I have to do the work but he will help navigate and help me find the way.

I need ideas on what foods to bring to work for lunch. I have no idea where to even start. So what do you guys eat for lunch?

Awesome! Congrats!

I don't know what's normal either. Sounds like it's pretty individual. I had my first fill yesterday and he only put 2 cc in. I'm ok with that though.

I don't really have any words of wisdom. It is tough but just know that it does get better and it will be worth it in the end. Best of luck to you.

Wow. I can't even begin to imagine your pain. I agree with what the others have said. The pouch test sounds like a good place to start BUT, I would call the surgeon's office and ask for an appt with him. At the appt., I would explain to him what all you've been through and tell him what it is YOU want. If that doesn't work for him and he keeps pushing you toward a revision, I would find a different doctor and go from there. My surgeon actually told me from my very first visit with him when I first started this whole process that he NEEDS to know what's going on in my life every step of the way for the rest of my life so that he can help me through it. He even talked about some of the stuff he had recently been through and how the "old self" came out and he began to binge on things he knew he shouldn't be eating but that it was how he was trying to cope. He said he had to pull himself out of that and remind himself how to cope with things without using food for comfort. He went on to say that from now on, any major life events warrant a phone call to him so that he can help get me through those rough times without sabotaging myself. So please, call your doctor, demand a visit with him, and ask for his help. Ask him to help you with the tool you already have. A new tool won't change the pain you've suffered through so it isn't going to fix the problem. What you need is someone who is willing to work with you and help you use the tool you have to get to a better place. (((HUGS)))

I would suggest taking a week off whether your doctor requires it or not IF you have the time and can get off work. You probably could go back on Monday after a Friday surgery but you won't want to. You'll still be a little sore and tired from the surgery and you'll still be adjusting to your post-op diet and all of that. Give yourself some time to rest & recover, if you can.