BillieG

Mkay I suppose this is a good place to track my experiences and maybe look back on them at some point? I am one week post op and I am feeling better than expected. I have a lot of gassy stomach discomfort, but continue to follow the liquid diet as instructed. I get to have full liquids tomorrow which I am quite excited about! (yay) Surprisingly I am not starving like I thought I would be, but it may be because I am so bloated. I am constantly drinking something and I have this "Belly Gas." So far this week alone I have lost 9.3 lbs! I do realize that is because I am not eating any real food, but I will take the victory anyway. I still have some discomfort and continue to take my pain medication - though stretching out the times I take it. I also use a heating pad on my stomach which is very soothing. I am excited to move on with this journey and hope I keep the strength and determination to do what I am supposed to do. I would love to be at a comfortable place (weight-wise) by October when I go on a cruise. Haha! I know it is one day at a time, but it is still a nice thought Will try to remember to update this blog next week... to update on my weekly progress/thoughts.

ooh hope this site doesn't turn into one of those types of sites... so far everyone has been courteous and helpful with questions and concerns regarding the band. I think it is good to gather all information possible, but to do so without negativity.

Hello Everyone! I was curious as to how much everyone can eat after the band. I was just wondering if I go out to eat with family and friends, what will it be like? I picture myself eating small portions, obviously, but just wondered if this was uncomfortable for anyone? ~~ To be banded sometime after Christmas

Thanks Shelly! I just added the My Fitness Pal app to my phone and will check it out! Meeting with the nutritionist is a requirement through my insurance. The hospital that does the procedure has all of these professionals available there and they work together to prepare you for the band. I will meet with them in a few months (after I have seen my doctor 3x, once per month). Hopefully I will get the book and information at that time to prepare myself. Right now I am trying to mentally prepare and change my eating habits a bit. I have to make improvements every month for my meeting with my physician. I am a bit nervous because I do not want to fail! But I know they want you to lose something each month or show some improvement.

I am pre-surgery and have not met with the surgeon yet. I trust in my physician but when it comes to the procedure, I would think that the surgeon knows more about the process. I am going to a facility that ranks really high for bariatric surgeries and treatments. Specialists should know more about what is best. What do you think?

Wow... is this what the incisions are supposed to look like? I haven't had the band yet.... Looks pretty sore and nasty.

Wow, I am really glad that you have come into your comfort zone and overcoming those problems with body image. I think that a lot of people require counseling or additional help that goes with the weight loss. I am preop right now and cannot wait to get banded. Of course I want to feel better about myself and look better. But mostly, I want to be healthy. I have problems with my knees, hypertension, hypoglycemia, and recently high cholesterol. I am limited on exercise because of my knees and I am way too young to go through this pain and struggle. I already know how to eat all of the right foods but struggle with portion control because I always feel hungry. (even after implementing protein and other fillers). I wish you the best of luck and thank you for sharing!

I see several posts about calorie intake and how much protein you should have everyday. Will they explain all this to you in detail when you go see the nutritionist? It sounds like it can all be very confusing to monitor all that. Does anyone have trouble with counting calories accurately or determining what you are supposed to have post surgery?

That sounds quite discouraging! Hopefully you will start losing weight all of a sudden. I have not had the procedure yet, but I hear a few people stating that they don't feel a restriction. Others say that you have to find your "green zone" before it is 100% effective. Hopefully it gets better for you, because that's the purpose of us banding - to feel restriction.

I am pre-surgery and have not met with the nutritionist yet, only with my own physician. Did they tell you that you always have to sip liquids? Or is that temporary? Boy that will be difficult for me too, because I down water like crazy! I am not looking forward to this "starvation" stage of liquids either, but I guess it will all be worth it!

I heard that you cannot eat regular foods until week 6 after banding - true? That will be difficult. I was also wondering about how many days I would need to take off work. The people I talked to had this done prior to 2005 and they had to miss 4 weeks; I think it's a lot better now. I just got approved as a candidate today so I am at the beginning of the process.

Hello all! I am a bit new to all this and I find this site rather helpful in helping me make my decision. I just wanted to hear honest experiences (good and bad) from everyone so I know what I am getting myself into. As with anything... everyone may have a different experience which is why I think this is a pretty good site.

Hello - I have not gotten the band yet but am looking into it. However, there is a book out by Dr Ian Smith (supported by Steve Harvey, Dr Oz and many other celbs) and it is called the SHRED diet. This book is about food confusion to keep your motabolism going and get you over plateaus. It is a 6 week diet and the book tells you exactly what to eat. I did this diet and lost 15 lbs in 5 weeks. I went on vacation and got off the diet and now am having a hard time committing. My portion sizes are out of control which is why I am considering the band. But if you are going through all that to get over that plateau, you might want to try this. It works if you are dedicated. Most of the foods you eat are soup, chicken/fish, salad etc.

I am considering this surgery, thank you for being so discriptive of your experience. It sounds like when I got my tubes tied - the discomfort and pain. I am also surprised at the size of the scar because when I read up on this it said 1.5 cm in length.

I am just considering the procedure.... how often do you have to get the band filled or adjusted? Once they get it right for you, is that it? Or will you always have to return? I was a little confused about that.