Bandista

@@2muchfun nice to "see" you -- hope you're having a good winter. @@gowalking LOVE seeing that picture of the two of you. So great -- what a lucky guy and I'll bet he knows it, too. @@lisacaron please take good care of yourself -- Choose Lisa First! Your body is telling you something; so much stress for so long.
Speaking of which, I'm waiting to hear news of a friend's surgery. It's not a good scenario (ALS) and there are kids involved, etc. I want to stress eat. The thing is, my idea of stress eating now is ridiculously different. Yes, I've had some chocolate, so that hasn't changed. But the amounts, OMG. And I had cheese on a rice cake a little while ago. Usually I don't eat so early in the day and this made me worry. But one rice cake with a little cheddar? Come on! I'm doing fine. But yes, always on guard.
Sharpie, I can't believe you got snow in FL and we had nothing here.

@@2muchfun nice to "see" you -- hope you're having a good winter. @@gowalking LOVE seeing that picture of the two of you. So great -- what a lucky guy and I'll bet he knows it, too. @@lisacaron please take good care of yourself -- Choose Lisa First! Your body is telling you something; so much stress for so long.
Speaking of which, I'm waiting to hear news of a friend's surgery. It's not a good scenario (ALS) and there are kids involved, etc. I want to stress eat. The thing is, my idea of stress eating now is ridiculously different. Yes, I've had some chocolate, so that hasn't changed. But the amounts, OMG. And I had cheese on a rice cake a little while ago. Usually I don't eat so early in the day and this made me worry. But one rice cake with a little cheddar? Come on! I'm doing fine. But yes, always on guard.
Sharpie, I can't believe you got snow in FL and we had nothing here.

That is an interesting question. My surgeon was/is really big on follow up. I saw him once a month for the first year and then once every two months after that. I was getting fills at the beginning pretty regularly, but I honestly do not recall how much and how often. I went for a while without getting any, but recently had a two small fills. It really does fluctuate by person You don't want to be too tight though.
For me, having regular follow up appointments, with or without fills, was very important.

Thank you Kathousefl for responding as well as your well wishes. How often did you get a fill? I understand it is primarily based on how we feel individually in terms of weight loss as well as hunger levels in between meals, but I just wanted to have an idea.
Thanks in advance for your responses.

Hi there fellow Floridian,
Congratulations on getting banded. I agree with the other posters that being patient is a good thing.
Everyone loses weight at different speeds. For me, I decided to change all of my eating habits drastically when I was banded. I followed my doctor's food suggestions very strictly. I found that eating real food (mostly Protein and veggies) was the key, along with writing down everything I put in my mouth :-).
I am one of those people who does weigh every day, but some people get discouraged since weight loss is not instant, so focusing on weekly goals is probably more realistic.
Good luck!

Thank you both for responding. I truly appreciate it. I will continue to do what I am doing and just be patient. Any suggestions for a Protein Bar that actually is high in protein/low sugar that doesn't taste like I am eating chalk?

Average weight loss with the lap band is 1-2 lbs. a week. Keep that in mind and you will see that you are doing just fine. Don't wonder if you are doing something wrong based on the scale. If you are following the basic lapband tenents of Protein first, fluids (water), exercise, and making healthy choices, you will be successful. Good luck and welcome to 'the other side' as we like to call it.

It took me 3 months with 3 good fills before my band started to perform as I had anticipated, and then I started to lose weight consistently, on a weekly basis and continued to do so until my body reached what it considered to be optimal.
I even gained weight within those first few months because the best I could do was standard dieting practices like counting calories, measuring portions, etc.
And that was something I am not good at, having failed countless times...if I was good at that, then I would not have needed surgery.

Hello everyone:

I am a new Lap-Bandee just less than a month post op (surgery date 12/19/15). I need as much guidance from you all in order to make my weight loss a huge success. I just had my first fill this morning and thus far - I am feeling great.

Since my surgery date - I am only down 10lbs - should it be more than this? Perhaps, I am doing something wrong. Please help!!!!!!!!!


I welcome guidance.................

Thank You,

SBennette

Today I am 10 days post op Lap band. I have a few questions that I was hoping someone could shed some light on for me.
First let me tell you a little about what my doc's post op orders are for me at this point. I am on thick liquids now till Friday when I begin mushys. I have been having a Protein drink for Breakfast and cream Soups for lunch and dinner. If I am hungry in between I eat SF Jello. My first fill is scheduled for 2/5. Here are my questions:
1) Will this gas in my tummy ever go away? Will I always be gassy and bloated? I don't have the pain in my shoulder gas anymore just in my tummy.
2) I only have a BM like once a week. Is this normal 10 days post op? Should I take a stool softener to help? I walk everyday now 2+ miles and drink fluids.
3)I have quit losing weight for 4 days now. I only eat about 400-500 a day and exercise. Just seems like the scale should move some.
I love this site and Thank you in advance for any insight on these questions. I go for my 1st follow up tomorrow to see my surgeon.
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Seraphina,
Just a heads up. This forum(banders #7) is a forum for folks who want to lose 100+ lbs. In the future you should post your questions in one of the post surgery or surgery discussion forums. I know this site is huge and can be confusing but I advise you to post on those forums simply because there are many more people watching those forums and you'll get a much better response.
But, let's talk about your issues:
Your doctor seems to be aggressive with fills if your first one is the 5th. That's good!
Your post op diet seems to be similar to many others and I like it.
1) I'm not sure your gas issues are in your stomach or stomach area? The gas pumped into our body cavity can take a month or more to completely evaporate. Stomach gas should mostly go away once you start eating normal foods. jmo
2) BMs? It's quite normal to have very few BMs at this stage. Not much solid materials in those fluids. I used Miralax and it worked quite well. Find one that works for you? Stool softeners should work too.
3) Stalls/plateaus occur right around the 10 day mark for many of us. It's normal to lose 10-15 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing for a few weeks to months after. Here's a link that explains why:
http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UqP7uBLn-Uk
You have a low BMI for bariatric surgery. Let's hope you lose 10 lbs a month but don't be surprised if it's closer to 4-8/mo?
Let us know how your surgeon visit went?
tmf

Goodness I am so out of the loop! I get the messages via e-mail and I don't always get to the computer or the app to respond or see the pictures!!!
Deb you look great and congrats on the college grad!!! You know we Mom's work just as hard (if not harder, by now I should have a paramedic license, sono tech, EMT, and Fire Chief certifications as well!)
I had to pull your quote because my Gram used to have a saying when we would get dressed up. "powder and paint makes you what you ain't" (yes she was a gal from the 1920's kind of rings out in that saying) I think of it often as I cover up my troubles with my powder, paints and crayons every morning to "face" the day.
Love ya'll!!!
Having some minor heart issues flaring up...keep me in your thoughts so I don't tear off this harness thing they got on me again today!!! I'm afraid I may blow up the machine when they do the stress test next week....right now resting heart rate is tachycardia at 127 BPM. Either I'll start turning green, or zapping people with lightening soon....

Aw Liz, that's a wonderful picture! You are both great looking people. And so happy too!

lizPerfect little black dress.... And now we can get a visual picture of your bf when you mention him. Looks like you were having fun.

Sorry if I confused you Deb. I'm 125 in this picture taken a few weeks ago. I was 250 lbs. four years ago.. Julian is the BF. I thought it would b nice to have you guys see a picture of him.

lovely photo Liz. he is a nice looking guy. So happy for you and yes I thank God every day for my band. I ran into a friend in Walmart today she walked past me.. I had my boots and a fringy sweater on (I thought it was cold 45 deg. lol) she said omg you look wonderful. made me feel good and I told her honestly I feel great except coping with my husband's death day to day . She said you have never looked better.. yippee..

okay you northerners.. WE actually got snow flurries here in Sunny Florida.. You know we were freaking out. but they didn't close schools or interstates.. I am not a cold weather person, that is why I live here. I feel bad for you all when it gets to the point of closing cities and transportation. We have had that problem with hurricanes. I like the comments about what to stock up on.. I think I would have to do yogurt, cheese, eggs and definitely coffee..

p.s. Debbie your son is very handsome, I know you are proud of him .

Just wanted to show you all the picture of me and Julian taken at our company Christmas party. I still have the picture of me at the party back in 2011 when I was probably 250 or so lbs. and had such trouble standing during the cocktail hour due to my knee and hip pain. I don't know how many times I can say thank goodness I got this WLS.

Thank you everyone it's amazing what a little war paint ( makeup ) hides & van do to this face Lol but Thank you anyway.

Debbie, so good to see you doing so well. You're an inspiration to all who take this journey one day at a time. So many(me) expect it all to happen in just a few months.

Nice pix, Debbie! And congratulations to second son. Lisa, I have a tea tin with this quote (the Sleepytime bears): "Bread and Water can so easily be Tea and Toast." My husband was feeling under-the-weather yesterday so I made him cinnamon toast soldiers. Decided to give one a try (I can't usually tolerate bread but sometimes a little gluten-free works). I was reminiscing about how I would have had a whole pile of little cinnamon toasties in the old days but then when I had my little bite it wasn't even very yummy. Certainly not worth it. Enjoy The Time, I so get it about fearing old patterns and getting freaked out about a gain -- and Lisa, loved your posts about this, too, the old all-or-nothing mindset. On or off a program. I'm very happy not to be on a diet but to have this lifestyle, which like everything in life can be an up and down proposition.

Nice pix, Debbie! And congratulations to second son. Lisa, I have a tea tin with this quote (the Sleepytime bears): "Bread and Water can so easily be Tea and Toast." My husband was feeling under-the-weather yesterday so I made him cinnamon toast soldiers. Decided to give one a try (I can't usually tolerate bread but sometimes a little gluten-free works). I was reminiscing about how I would have had a whole pile of little cinnamon toasties in the old days but then when I had my little bite it wasn't even very yummy. Certainly not worth it. Enjoy The Time, I so get it about fearing old patterns and getting freaked out about a gain -- and Lisa, loved your posts about this, too, the old all-or-nothing mindset. On or off a program. I'm very happy not to be on a diet but to have this lifestyle, which like everything in life can be an up and down proposition.

I am noticing that hormonal changes effect the band, as does the weather. And stress, of course. I have a test for myself, salmon and broccoli (eaten slowly, of course, chewed thoroughly). I need to be able to swallow those foods comfortably. A friend on here always makes sure she can swallow a couple of Tylenol before leaving her surgeon's office after a fill. So I guess we all develop our own little systems for gauging where we are with our bands. Good luck to you -- and don't be afraid to go talk it over with your doctor. The green zone is a range, of course. A zone. You can have a little put in or taken out while still remaining in that range. Like many others, it takes a while for my fills to settle in but I would know right away if I needed to go back for a tiny unfill: any kind of reflux or swallowing difficulties with liquids.

GoWalking, I'm going to have to try cooking Farrow. I need more Fiber in my life. Speaking of which, do not mix psyllium and chia seeds. What, was I nuts? Good grief.
JustWatchMe, yippee for Return to Wonderland! Way to go.

GoWalking, I'm going to have to try cooking Farrow. I need more Fiber in my life. Speaking of which, do not mix psyllium and chia seeds. What, was I nuts? Good grief.
JustWatchMe, yippee for Return to Wonderland! Way to go.

Nice pix, Debbie! And congratulations to second son. Lisa, I have a tea tin with this quote (the Sleepytime bears): "Bread and Water can so easily be Tea and Toast." My husband was feeling under-the-weather yesterday so I made him cinnamon toast soldiers. Decided to give one a try (I can't usually tolerate bread but sometimes a little gluten-free works). I was reminiscing about how I would have had a whole pile of little cinnamon toasties in the old days but then when I had my little bite it wasn't even very yummy. Certainly not worth it. Enjoy The Time, I so get it about fearing old patterns and getting freaked out about a gain -- and Lisa, loved your posts about this, too, the old all-or-nothing mindset. On or off a program. I'm very happy not to be on a diet but to have this lifestyle, which like everything in life can be an up and down proposition.