terrydumont46

If you are very band compliant and do exactly what your doctor says the band will help you lose wt. the band is a bit more tempermental than the other surgeries and complications can occur. but if you do as you are supposed to do you will be successful in band life. I drink crystal light and Water. ever so often I will have a diet ginger ale. but never close to a meal. and I drink it slowly.

Hi there. I am recently banded and so far, I'm loving it. No troubles with food coming back up or reflux. Typical breakfast for me is fat-free Greek yogurt sprinkled with Kashi Go Lean. Typical lunch is sliced deli turkey and some veggie on the side. Typical dinner is broiled fish or lean meat, with a veg on the side. I like turkey chili too, and it works well in my meal plan. I found a chicken salad made with yogurt in place of mayo at costco -- it is delish and it too works well in my meal plan.
My surgery was quick and recovery was quick and uneventful. I went into the operating room at 8:30 AM and left for home by 11 AM. I had surgery on a Wednesday and went back to work (a desk job) on Monday.
My advice to someone looking into a Lap Band would be to consider follow-up care after the surgery when you are choosing your surgeon. Good follow-up care requires a surgical practice with experience and commitment to its Lap Band patients. You should expect to be visiting your surgeon's office regularly throughout the first year so be sure you are willing and able (financially and travel-wise) to do this.

change nutritionist

Hi there, congratulations on all! Big new chapter opening in your life! I, too, am a planner. Made quite a bit of cauliflower smush and had to toss some, but what the heck. As for broth, I make it regularly and have a freezer full of jars. I have been using GENEPRO Protein powder which mixes very well into everything I've tried so far. 30 grams for a tablespoon, less than 100 calories.

Amen Terry! I was waiting to see if anyone would post that. The nutritionist is setting you up for failure. Have a good long talk with him/her. Telling you that you are not where you should be is not only wrong...but counterproductive.
Really....think about going with another nutritionist.

change nutritionist

change nutritionist

change nutritionist

Don't get into this you will drive yourself crazy. This is your journey, no body else's. Some people lose lots in the first few months and others less. You don't know what people's starting points are. Someone might lose 50 lb and their target is 150 so hey have lost 33%. In the same period another person might lose 30 lb and their target is 100lb so their lose is 33% too. If someone posted a 50lb loss and another 30lb who has had the most success? You don't know unless you know people's starting and finishing points.

This post is such an important one for me. I AM FINALLY IN THE GREEN ZONE. Huzzah! Celebrating over here! Wanted to share it with you.
A little patience and my surgical team's insistence on my "creeping towards the green" through small to tiny fills rather than BIG ones has been one that I have fully subscribed to. And now I AM THERE and have nothing but success and wellness to report!
A warm, welcoming HELLO to the Green Zone. My friend, I have been waiting to meet you for 5 months. My history if you're interested:
Banded December 18th, 2014. At that time I had 4.1 ccs of Fluid in the band.
Fill #1: Jan 2, 2015 - .5 ccs
Fill #2: March 18 - .3 ccs
Fill #3: April 9 - .3 ccs
Fill #4: April 29 - .2 ccs
Fill #5: May 28 - .1 ccs
Now here I am, at 5.5 ccs in a 10cc APL band, and I am in the green zone. That tiny .1cc fill a few days ago did the trick. What a feeling!
Here's how I know I am in the much talked about (and celebrated, and elusive to many) Green Zone:
I am not hungry. Period. I have a background feeling of satiety 24/7. I can only manage very small portions of food. (One small chicken thigh, 3 string Beans and a bite of salad. DONE). I have no desire to eat more. Zero. I find myself getting a "soft stop" signal from my body when its time to stop eating. When I've had enough, I sigh and have a 100% "NO MORE FOOD" feeling. I push my plate away. I've not had this consistently before, and now here it is every meal. I can go hours and hours between meals. I was at 3 hours satiation, but now I'm at 4-6 hours. Wow. Like, not even tempted. NO desire to snack in the evenings. No desire to nibble, even as the husband is grazing on handfuls of nuts or chips. Zero temptation. Total disinterest in food. My husband is as astonished as I. I realize now, having had only 1 vomiting episode (my fault - ate too fast!), how important and crucial it was to have patience with these small fills. My first fill I had gone in expecting a 1 cc to be putted in the band. When I shared this with my nurse this (after she gave me what she called, "A BIG FILL" of .5ccs) the horrified look on her face was priceless. "1cc! Are you mad, woman?! We'd never do that to you - that's asking for an emergency de-fill!"
Have to admit I left there a little disappointed. I took a breath and realized that I was in amazing hands. I had to TRUST the process and the team, and abide by the rules. So I did. And now I am here, and feeling terrific! (And smaller!)
The bigger the fill, the higher the chance of the band being tightened too fast. Remember that many bandsters will report that a fill can take up to 2 weeks to 'settle' and take effect, so that's why they are spaced out so much.
I was told to watch out for night cough, heartburn, frequent stuck episodes, sliming and vomiting. With the band too tight too fast, you ultimately gain weight because you develop an Intolerance of regular foods, resulting in maladaptive eating - soft, slippery, slider foods that tend to be fat and calorie-dense. (Ice cream, pudding, cream Soups, etc).
At every one of my 5 fills, my surgical nurse(s) have encouraged me not to get too hung up on the amount of Fluid in the band, nor what 'other peoples' bands are filled to. Every BODY is different. 10% of lucky bandsters never need a fill EVER. Most people need 4-6 fills to get to the Green Zone.
I'm down 46 pounds and feel TERRIFIC. Its taken 5 months, but they have flown.
HOWDY Green Zone, glad you're here! Slow and easy wins the race...!

Welcome to the other side!
Small sips is recommended as a precaution against overloading your healing esophagus. I was delighted when I went from the sip...sip...sip... stage to full on Water glugging (one of my favourite things!). If you can drink more with no discomfort, I suspect there would be no trouble, however take it easy. I'm 5 months banded and am able to chug Water like I used to.
Watch out for very cold or ice cold water/milk/fluids - these can cause your esophagus to reject the liquid (and up it comes!)
The "Liquids" phase is going to be a little different for everyone depending on what your WLS doc has advised. Liquids for me was two phases - Clear Liquids (broth, water, watery milk) and then full fluids (shakes, Boost, cream soups), but for you, it could be different. Yes, as the days go on between you and your surgery, you may notice yourself getting hungry. I was instructed to "eat" (drink broth, have a Protein shake, have a Jello, have a sugar-free pudding) whenever I was hungry.
For most of us, it's a normal part of the healing process to have the hunger begin to return, but as you graduate from liquids to mushies, then soft food, then regular food, the Proteins and fibres should take care of things nicely.
One thing I recommend is NOT RUSHING through any part of the graduated meal process (getting back to solids). Your stoma/stitches etc. need the time to rest and heal. You will also likely enjoy weight loss during this time, which is really awesome and sa-weet!
Yup - Have water on hand constantly, day and night. Staying hydrated is really, really important in this early phase. :-)
AND YES of course you are thinking about food - you have barely had any for a long time! Old habits (like eating when bored - I did this, too!) took a long time to form, and so they will take a while to break. I was banded on December 18th - 7 days before Christmas. So like you and your family BBQ, there I was sitting at a table LADEN with gorgeous yummy foods - prime rib, devilled eggs, green Beans and almonds, roast potatoes... and there I was. With my pathetic Protein Shake.< /p>
I got my family in on the ridiculousness of it all, and we laughed about my situation.
Keep your head in the game and remind yourself why you did this in the first place. Keep your eye on the prize!
A serious (and friendly!) warning to you - whatever you do don't rush into eating solid food. The BBQ may tempt you like crazy, but if you eat solid food (especially ribs or meats) at this early stage, you risk having a stuck episode.
Take good care and keep us posted. Every day it gets easier!

even though I have had some complications I would do it all over again. weighing less is just magical.

if you really work on eating the exact amounts you should be eating the restriction will come into play by keeping food in your pouch long enough so the signal is sent to your brain that you are full. if you are eating until you feel stuck or slime or pb'ing than you have eaten to much and in time complications can set in. try measuring your food. it should be just about 1/2 cup of food per meal. with restriction as I talked about before that half of cup of food will be enough to make you not hungry. I hope this makes sense.

if you really work on eating the exact amounts you should be eating the restriction will come into play by keeping food in your pouch long enough so the signal is sent to your brain that you are full. if you are eating until you feel stuck or slime or pb'ing than you have eaten to much and in time complications can set in. try measuring your food. it should be just about 1/2 cup of food per meal. with restriction as I talked about before that half of cup of food will be enough to make you not hungry. I hope this makes sense.

I don't feel my band but I hear whats going on in my stomach more now. I don't know why don't know the scientific reason either. and when I am hungry it's astonishing the sounds that my stomach makes and everyone can hear.

Don't hate me, because I certainly don't hate any of you. But it truly bothers me to see people on here complain about how little weight they've lost. Especially when it actually isn't a little bit of loss. "I've only lost 40 lbs in 2 months since surgery! What am I doing wrong??" Are you crazy? Do you know how amazing it is to lose 40 lbs PERIOD let alone in just 2 months?? Yes, WLS is a tool that is supposed to help weight loss occur a bit more quickly than if you were to do it on your own. But downplaying your losses, regardless of how slow they are, is doing a disservice to yourself and also to people who haven't undergone WLS yet and are here to get some insight and do research for their own possible surgical journey.
Stalls happen. Weight loss slows down. It seems the closer you are to whatever goal you're working towards, the more evasive it becomes.
I think it's really important to focus on what you HAVE accomplished rather than to let what you haven't done yet get you down. This isn't a race. The journey to health is just that: a Journey. There's no finish line. This is something we do as a lifestyle.
The next time you think you might be about to complain that you've "only" lost xx amount of weight, please stop for a second and think about how you might feel if you hadn't lost any of that at all. And think about what message you might be conveying to someone who hasn't had WLS yet and is looking for advice here. It gives newbies and pre-ops the idea that weight is supposed to just magically melt away and that 30 or 40 lbs in 2 months after surgery isn't an acceptable rate of weight loss.

First, it takes months or for some of us, years, to learn how to eat small, slow and chew big.
Second and most important, your band is sewn into your stomach with about 6 sutures. They pull your stomach from the south side up and over the band and suture it into place just below the lower esophageal sphincter. If you eat solid food and it gets stuck you can cause those sutures to tear away. You may cause yourself to violently throw-up, tearing those sutures away. Then, it's back into surgery to repair your mistake?
Following rules is imperative for we banders. Better start now or you may never start? Don't mean to be pissy but don't ruin your surgeons good work? And give yourself a chance to make this last ditch effort be the last effort you made to live a healthy lifestyle.
Immodium helps with the diarrhea.

Ok...I'm Pre-op, having surgery June 1st...but I've researched and been a part of the WLS groups for 20 years, I'm not the new kid on the block.
But I just joined several of the Facebook groups...What is up with lying to people about how they look??? People lying to me and my own self denial of how I looked is what got me up to 376! I am not going to sugar coat my response if you ask me how you look! EDITED TO ADD: I WOULD NEVER SAY/POST THE FOLLOWING THINGS THEY ARE STRICTLY IN MY HEAD. I am not (normally) a mean or cruel person. I'm so happy that you are down into a size 12 from a 22...but you REALLY need to be in a 14 because that dress is so tight I can see the outline of your pubic hair through that dress!
"Looking FINE in the neighborhood!" - Not really...unless you are the neighborhood harlot. Does WLS drain your brain cells with the fat cells?? I understand the desire to show off the hard work and the new you...but try to retain a bit of dignity and class...but perhaps those things don't really exist for most of us any more...because it seems like goal weight equals skank time clothes...
I try to refrain from replying to posts where people ask for opinions about how they look in their new outfit just for this reason...I'm not going to lie to you if you look bad, and I don't want to offend...but at the same time if it was me I would want someone to have the guts to say "Maybe you need to get a different bra because that dress was not designed for the sagging you are doing in the current bra" or "perhaps you might want to rethink those jeans...they are sucked so far up your crack you can probably taste the lycra in them!"
I know I'm a horrible person...but it's what I think!

As part of my grieving process, I've found myself cleaning a lot. (Very out of character for me). This weekend I decided to gut my drawers and closets and ran across this forgotten weight loss "program". Positive Subliminal messages hidden in soothing music and nature sounds to help boost your willpower to lose weight. Brought me a welcome chuckle.....

Ok, let me clarify, my Dr. Wants to give me another fill if I don't feel any restiance from the 1st fill. I most definetly feel the resistence in that I get full easily (I can eat 1/2 medium sandwich for lunch instead of a full large sandwich with chips). I still find myself wanting to snack about 3 hour later but I try to wait until the next meal. I don't always wait though. I almost always have a mid-day snack anything from a string cheese to a P3 Protein pack. I also usually have an evening snack of sugar free pudding or similar. The Dr doesn't really want to have to snack very much but I feel like I am keeping the snacking to a minimum (amount of calories). I can't stress how afraid of having stuck episodes I am. I am leaning towards asking him for another 1CC. I think that might be appropriate? He is also of the mind that it is easier to manage more frequent small fills than overshoot it.

Hi there you are doing great! There are a couple of links in my signature below that helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band. It is not about restriction, it's about the transmission of signals between your esophagus and your brain. Chewing is where it's at. If your appetite is dimmed it sounds to me like you're in the green zone. For me I'd be there then would lose weight and drop out of the zone and need a little fill. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills school of thought, which I think was good as I needed the time in-between to address behavior modification like slowing down, etc. every one is different. I kept all of my appointments even if I wasn't getting a fill -- that contact really helped me, having a partner in the process. No need to rush your weight loss and risk being overly-tight -- people gain weight in the red zone. No sliders, that's my policy.

talk with your doctor. with the band you need to learn how to stop eating. and to always chew your food and slow down. the band will not stop you from overeating. it isn't better to be to tight. a whole lot of complications can start if you don't follow the protocols or are to tight. your doctor should be asking you questions at each appointment and be able to deduct if a fill is needed. you don't want to be the bandster that goes in for a fill just to go back in and have the fill removed. practice on being band compliant. I promise it will save you.

talk with your doctor. with the band you need to learn how to stop eating. and to always chew your food and slow down. the band will not stop you from overeating. it isn't better to be to tight. a whole lot of complications can start if you don't follow the protocols or are to tight. your doctor should be asking you questions at each appointment and be able to deduct if a fill is needed. you don't want to be the bandster that goes in for a fill just to go back in and have the fill removed. practice on being band compliant. I promise it will save you.

Sorry to hear of your problems. It does show us however that our weight IS a lifelong battle and that WLS is a tool, not a quick fix.
At first I was considering the band but I know myself and that isn't what I need. And I have seen there ARE complications from that too. So I am leaning towards bypass despite the added risks. At 385 pounds, I expect the weight related problems that are catching up to me will eventually get me and get me good. At 67 I suspect I have but one shot at this!
I know another WLS is hard for you to consider but you will make the decision well informed. That is one problem with having worked in health care, we have seen it all!
God bless,
Louise

That's right on your waist isn't it? if it becomes a problem I understand the replacement of the port is very minor surgery. so don't worry.